Education & Pedagogy

There is a lack of coherence between education, training and work in Australia indicated by low proportions of VET graduates who work in occupations related to their qualification and mismatches between qualifications, skills and work. This paper discusses how student flows through tertiary education can further illustrate this lack of coherence. Changing levels of qualifications in the workforce and the extent of student movement within and between VET and higher education, and within and between fields of education, are examined. The findings for several fields are related to labour market changes in relevant occupations. It is argued that links within tertiary education are generally quite weak and have not improved in recent years, although this varies markedly by field. It is further argued that the long-standing policy focus on improving tertiary pathways has not proved adequate and that better ways to link education, training and work need to be found.

The purpose of this study is to explore the extent to which beginning and experienced teachers differed in their perceptions of shaping school forces and their being shaped by school forces. The findings allow the authors to examine the link between teacher socialization research and practice in a physical education teacher education (PETE) program and to consider the practical (and institutional) changes that may improve the quality of teacher education. Six beginning physical education teachers (BTs) (in their first year of teaching) and six experienced physical education teachers (ETs) (who had been teaching for six years) took part in interviews and completed prompt sheets throughout the duration of a school year. The paper discusses ways in which one PETE program has attempted to use, and plans for future use of, BTs' and ETs' accounts of socialization to inform how best to prepare PSTs for the reality of teaching in schools.

The introduction of regional political initiatives in the higher education sector symbolizes one of the many aspects of the changing global higher education landscape. Remarkably, these processes have generally escaped comparative scrutiny by scholars researching higher education policy cooperation or regional integration. In this article, we demonstrate how and why higher education policy cooperation is an interesting case to study through the lens of comparative regionalism. To do so, we describe the emerging debate on comparative regionalism in EU studies. We explain what has led to this call to broaden analytical perspectives in examining regional integration and how it may be useful for scholars working in the higher education field to engage with this new research direction. In setting out this research agenda, we also spotlight the difficulties in operationalizing comparative regionalism for higher education studies and suggest ways forward.

Internationalization and globalization have created a global music education community which is not only linked by similar ideas, but also shares a common language. English functions as a global language and facilitates the international discourse in music education. While it is good to have a common language supporting international dialogue, it also has its clear downsides, e. g., in terms of the dominance of Anglo-American terminology and related music education concepts. In order to overcome this hegemony of Anglo-American music education, it is crucial to develop sensitivity towards the diversity of music education and research traditions and the challenges and opportunities of English as a global language in international music education. By using approaches from sociolinguistics and English for academic purposes, this paper argues for linguistic and cultural diversity in international music education research. [This paper was presented at the 9th International Symposium on the Sociology of Music Education (2015).]

Decisions about who gets what, when and how are driven by economic constraints and individuals who dominate policy agendas. As policymakers at the state and federal levels continue to debate budgetary priories, funding education becomes secondary. The complexities of political systems become apparent when decision makers attempt to balance political and public values. Budgetary constraints often constrain one's ability to deliver quality services to our students. Adequate financing of education at the state and federal levels is necessary in providing needed resources to support K-12 and postsecondary education. Colleges and universities are being forced to utilize current resources in more creative ways to increase productivity without sacrificing the quality of education. Demographic shifts and global forces continue to affect the development and implementation of market-driven education policies and practices. The purpose of this paper is to examine the structural problems and policy tensions affecting public school funding.

In this article, I argue that one of the gifts of the Age of Enlightenment, the ability to measure, to experiment, to predict--turned rancid by hyper-positivism--is reasserting itself globally in the field of education (including music education). I see a neoliberal, neocolonial connection--in terms of the ideologies that fuel them--between some of the homogenizing, epistemologically/culturally imperialist aspects of globalization and this resurgent hyper-positivism that has been accompanied by a corporatization of education. I posit that critical education, including critical music education, is an essential component of a necessary--if rancorous--dialogue in maintaining a definition of education that is as varied and diverse as those students we wish to educate. In essence, I argue that critical education is one of many tools to help us fight a "re-colonization" by this resurgent hyper-positivism in education.

Since 1997, revisions to the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) have shown promise for addressing special education equity concerns: For example, states have the option to use response to intervention (RTI) for determining and thus reducing inappropriate disability determination, and states and districts are required to assess and address disproportionality in special education eligibility and placement. Yet, despite policy revisions, equity concerns endure. Apparent policy inadequacies necessitate that special education research explores policy as a process whereby it is appropriated by local actors. Accordingly, we draw from critical policy scholarship to propose a framework for study of special education policy appropriation. The approach centers equity and attention to actors' agency and structural forces. We discuss relevance of this framework and its theoretical tools for special education research concerned with how local actors enact federal special education policy. Finally, we provide suggestions for RTI policy research as a case-in-point.

In recent decades, the concept of accountability has attracted more and more attention in public governance and management. The management of education is no exception. This article presents and discusses the evolution and current status of educational accountability in two different national contexts, China and Denmark. Two main sectors of education are covered, general school education and higher education. It is shown that both countries are marked by an increasing concern with educational accountability, that differences in history and culture between the two countries are reflected in the approaches to accountability, but that there are still considerable similarities in the types of accountability pursued. Under the influence of a transnational regime of policy development both countries seem to be moving towards output-based accountability, but more traditional inspection continues to have a role.

This paper revisits the term "andragogy" (adult education) and develops a new concept based upon an analysis of the skills and dispositions of 21st century learners in initial teacher education through the lens of adult education: "digital andragogy." In order to engage and retain students and revitalise education courses by optimising digital affordances, lecturers must examine the profiles of their learners and seek to create learning spaces that best suit their needs and wants. We posit that learners in initial teacher education programs should be encouraged and supported to transition from pedagogical practices experienced in their school years to higher education contexts for learning that are based upon digital andragogy.

Outdoor education provides an opportunity to engage with natural environments in ways that are distinct from other physical education teacher education (PETE) courses. This research examines how pre-service teachers (PSTs) within a PETE degree experienced "environment" on an outdoor education camp. Using self-study methodology and drawing on responses of students and my reflections, I sought to interrogate my Romantic assumptions. A particularly rainy camp provided rich opportunities and PST responses to the weather were diverse, because the rain prompted environmental responsiveness in ways that would not have occurred in fine weather. PSTs generally valued the affordances of the outdoor setting which they saw as distinct from daily schooling. However, contrary experiences also emerged, problematising my Romantic framing of the environment and indicating that my approach was marginalising some students. Implications for teachers and teacher educators are discussed.

In recent years, teacher education has been charged with reforming programs to better align curriculum, clinical practice, and accountability. The sense of urgency for reform has been heightened by competition from alternative routes to teaching that jump straight to practice, often criticized for foregoing essential knowledge and theory. This paper details one institution's journey of reforming its early childhood and elementary programs toward practice-based teacher education. Reform efforts have been guided by a clear theoretical framework and philosophical stance and include careful alignment of curriculum and clinical practice, increased partnerships with local schools, and a focus on accountability and program integrity. The focus is on answers to practical questions regarding the application of theory in a field-based teacher education model and is intended to support other programs in their own journey of reform.

The purpose of this research is to identify the perceptions of the efficacy of curriculum development on the part of pedagogical formation students, their views regarding their professional attitudes, and their attitudes towards the pedagogical formation education they receive via distance education. The study sample includes 438 Near East University students who received pedagogical formation education via distance education. The sample consisted of 235 pedagogical formation students to implement the efficacy scale, 290 to implement the attitude scale, and 73 who took part in semi-structured interviews. In the study, it was concluded the students generally perceive themselves as being sufficiently prepared in terms of curriculum development. There are no differences with regard to the overall professional attitude of the students. Students generally reported positive views regarding the education they receive.

In this paper I describe my experience in attempting to assist tertiary students connect with the natural environment through outdoor and environmental education experiences. The paper addresses research conducted with students undertaking an outdoor and environmental education degree and focuses on the pedagogical methods employed in this context. I argue that outdoor and environmental education practitioners may benefit from moving away from a mode of teaching based upon "generic" methods and look instead to a more local, specific and contextual form of education. By describing an outdoor and environmental education journey in a local, "ordinary" place and students' experiences in unearthing the stories embedded in this place, I aim to provide some practical strategies to engage young people in a direct and meaningful way. The intention is to broaden the pedagogical possibilities related to facilitating experiences in natural environments and thus contribute to bridging the rhetoric/reality gap in outdoor education.

The study explores and unfolds the purpose of education in general, its value and the role it plays in helping development of the people in rural areas especially at Thabaneng Village in Lesotho. It reveals that education is the key to development and functions to equip the rural population in Lesotho with knowledge, training and worthwhile skills that are intended to uplift their standards of living in their respective milieus. Education is so vital for the rural poor for it makes them to have critical thinking and reasoning. It further renders them, through participation, to be part and parcel of their own development. In conclusion, the paper indicates that the Government of Lesotho launched the Free Primary Education (FPE) to promote the importance and value of Education for All (EFA) that is hoped to promote the development of Basotho especially in the rural areas.

A challenge of teacher education is to produce graduate primary school teachers who are confident and competent teachers of mathematics. Various approaches to primary school teacher education in mathematics have been investigated, but primary teacher education graduates still tend to be diffident in their teaching of mathematics. In an age where personal use of mobile technologies is becoming ubiquitous, such technologies could provide a conduit into making mathematics teaching and learning more accessible to primary teacher education students. This paper introduces the use of a pedagogical framework which can scaffold mobile learning in mathematics teacher education programs. The paper discusses ways in which this framework, the Mobile Pedagogical Framework, can contribute to enhanced primary teacher education in mathematics, using mobile technologies. The Framework has three major dimensions: authenticity, collaboration and personalisation. Each of these will be discussed in terms of their alignment with current ideas about quality teaching in mathematics.