Education & Pedagogy

The conference recorded in this document covered a wide variety of themes and consisted of keynote addresses, research presentations, and workshops. The following workshop presentations are included: "Vocational Education in a Developing Country" (Theron); "From the Technical to the Critical: A New Agenda for Vocational Education Research" (McIntyre, Jennings); "Policy Constraints to the Growth of Technology Education Programs: Implications for Technology Development in Nigeria" (Eze); "Economic Growth, Investment in Technology, and the Context of New Zealand Vocational Education Policies" (Stevens); "Philippine Social and Economic Imperatives for Vocational Education" (Elevazo); "Almost Invisible: Isolated Rural Women's Access to Tertiary Education" (Mageean); "Women Technicians' Self-Concept, Problems, and Training Needs" (Espino); "Reflective Learning at ITATE" (Scott); "Reflection and Education of TAFE Teachers" (Knights); "Vocational, Science, Technological, and Engineering-Technology Education" (Waks); "Vocational Education/General Education: A False Dichotomy?" (Hager); "Recent Research and Development in Vocational Education" (Ball); "ICI/TAFE Cross Trade Training of Electrical and Instrument Tradespersons" (Devlin); "What Do Unions Want from TAFE?" (Laurent); "Theory Backgrounds and Research Evaluation of an Innovative Program of Professional Staff Development in the Interface between Education and Economy" (Elsey); "Relation between Education and Industry through Teaching Geography and English Language" (Casterlieva); "Participant-Directed Learning at ITATE: Theory and Practice" (Foley); "Negotiating Programs" (Cohen); "Using Games and Simulations to Structure Experiential Learning" (Leigh); "Communication Modules for Vocational Teachers: Encouraging Reflection on Communication Practice" (Saunders); "Providing for Students from Non-English-Speaking Background in Vocational Education" (Brown); "The Technician Workforce--Sector Changes as an Economy Restructures: Implications for Training" (Whisker); "Using a Journal in Developing Teaching Skills: An Evaluation" (Gonczi); "Block Training for New South Wales TAFE Teacher: An Evaluation over Three Years" (Watson); "The Learning Contract Method as a Means of Developing Self-Directed Learners: Evaluation, Study, and Implications for the Development of Adult Educators" (Bennett, Field); "The Organization and Development of a Relevant Research Program: The ITATE Experience to 1988 and Beyond" (Schaafsma); "Critical Thinking as a Prerequisite for Reflective Teaching" (Hager); "Future Directions on Research in Vocational Teacher Education" (Kaye); and "Sticks and Carrots: A Managed Change of Traditional Approaches to Training" (Burleigh). (CML)

The following papers are included: "Research and Teaching from the Web/Multimedia" (Swan); "Vocational Teachers' Attitude toward, Knowledge of, and Use of National Skill Standards" (Belcher, McCaslin); "Predicting the Leadership Effectiveness of Vocational Education Administrators" (Daughtry, Finch); "Coping Behaviors and Transitions of Managerial Males Who Experience Mid-Life Job Loss" (Doster, Kirby); "Assessment of Junior High/Middle School Agricultural Education Programs in Nebraska" (Fritz, Moody); "Vocational Teacher Preparation in North Carolina for Integration of Academic and Vocational Education" (Hartzell, Flowers, Jewell); "Developing Career and Academic Aspirations in School-to-Work Programs" (Hernandez-Gantes, Nieri) "Producing Knowledge in Career-Oriented Programs" (Hernandez-Gantes, Sanchez); "Turnover of Baccalaureate Nurse Educators in Louisiana" (Holland, Burnett); "Comparison of the Perceptions of Secondary Business and Office Education Instructors and Agricultural Education Instructors of the North Carolina Vocational Competency Achievement Tracking System (VoCATS)" (Jewell, Jewell); "Relationship between NOCTI (National Occupational Competency Testing Institute) Written and Performance Exams" (Kapes, Martinez); "Impact of Block Scheduling on Instruction, FFA (Future Farmers of American and SAE (Supervised Agricultural Experience) in Agricultural Education" (Moore, Becton, Kirby); "Employer Involvement in Georgia Youth Apprenticeship Programs" (Smith); "Benchmarking Youth Apprenticeship Programs in Georgia" (Smith); "Student Perceptions toward Effectiveness of Distance Education" (Swan, Jackman); "Using an Agricultural Model to Establish Core Occupational Competencies for Secondary Vocational Programs" (Waidelich, Hillison); "Analysis of Student Programmatic Delays in Postsecondary Flight Training Programs: A National Study" (Bryan, Thuemmel); "Impact of Skill Standards on Vocational Education: Perceptions of Technical Committees" (Bunn, Steward); "Grounded Theory Approach to Identifying the Essential Attributes of Quality Education-to-Work Curriculum" (Ellibee); "Perceived Educational Needs of Women Entrepreneurs in a Business Incubator Setting" (Heath, Schmidt); "Influence of Expert Status and Learning Style Preference on Critical Thinking Abilities of Professional Nurses" (Prestholdt, Burnett); "Academic Success of GED (General Educational Development) and High School Graduates in the Secretarial Diploma Programs at Augusta Technical Institute" (Willis, Stitt-Gohdes); and "New American High School" (Stern, Hallinan and Faulkner). (MN)

From time to time during the past 100 years individuals or organizations have suggested, or seriously proposed, the establishment of a Federal department of education. Immediately after the Civil War the early advocates, led by Henry Barnard, almost succeeded in their plan. In 1867 a bill creating a department of education, introduced into the House by James A. Garfield, became law. The head of this new and very small department, however, was a commissioner and not a secretary with a Cabinet seat. The following year the law was amended in such a way as to establish "An Office of Education in the Department of the Interior." During the years since the World War which brought forcibly to public attention certain defects which many believe only education can remove, the agitation for a department of education has been very vigorous. The opposition to it has been pronounced and in some instances bitter enough to assail the motives of the proponents. This manuscript consists of chapters taken from the thesis of James F. Abel, chief of the division of foreign school systems, which was submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of doctor of philosophy at George Washington University. It offers in brief, a compass survey of ministries of education in other countries and a bibliography for those who care to investigate the subject further. Chapters include: (1) A brief history of the development of national ministries of Education; (2) General characteristics of the office of minister and of the ministry of education; (3) The Board of Education of England and Wales; (4) General functions of the ministry of education; (5) The relation of the national ministry to elementary education; (6) The relation of the national ministry to secondary education; (7) The relation of the national ministry to higher education; (8) The Board of Education of England and Wales; (9) The Ministry of Public Instruction and Fine Arts in France; and (10) The Secretariat of Education in Mexico. Appended are: (1) Questionnaire sent through the Department of State to American consular offices abroad; (2) Table showing the approximate population of each of the 73 main political divisions of the world; and (3) A brief statement of the history and present legal status of the national ministry of education in each country. (Contains 4 tables.) [Best copy available has been provided.

In the early years of the 21st century, general education programs in U.S. postsecondary institutions stand at the center of multiple competing pressures, from demands for accountability to calls for increasing assurances of articulation across institutions. Complicating potential responses to these normative pressures is the challenge inherent in adapting any curricular component to fit the institution in which it is implemented. A curricular component that must be both stable and harmonious within the academy yet responsive to the broader sociopolitical context, general education must encompass courses that reflect the institution's mission and its faculty strengths while simultaneously responding to the need for articulation across institutions as well as the needs of the community. In approaching general education reform, administrators and faculty typically follow one of two strategies: select from the de facto general education models of the 20th century, or emulate general education programs at institutions perceived to be at the forefront of general education praxis. In neither case is there clear evidence that those involved in general education design have consulted the body of scholarship dedicated to general education ideology. Nor has there been a recent analysis of such scholarship to determine current dominant trends in the national discourse on general education. Since 1990, numerous U.S. colleges and universities have undertaken costly and time-consuming reforms of their general education programs. To inform future general education reforms and to contribute to the understanding of priorities in general education in the early 21st century, this qualitative study reports on a documentary analysis of general education scholarship in "The Journal of General Education" from 1990 to 2011. The study reports dominant thematic trends in general education scholarship, considers the relevance of those trends in light of their resonance with a 20th-century general education paradigm, and makes recommendations regarding praxis as administrators and faculty approach the task of general education reform across the range of institutional contexts represented on the current stage of U.S. higher education. Recommendations include the use of scholarship as a source of organizing principles to guide efficient and effective general education reform. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

Higher education for prisoners, often the subject of public controversy, remains a crucial strategy in efforts to reduce recidivism and slow the growth of the nation's incarcerated population. New research conducted by the Institute for Higher Education Policy shows that corrections officials are finding innovative ways to support postsecondary programs in their prison systems. Despite the loss of Pell Grant eligibility a decade ago, prisoners are participating in higher education in record numbers nationwide. With additional funding and concentrated efforts to reduce the many barriers that still make it difficult for prisoners to gain access to higher education, postsecondary correctional education programs offer the potential to provide incarcerated men and women with a second chance at productive citizenship. This report is based upon several primary assumptions that reflect current research in the field of justice policy. Data collected by the federal government show that prisoners nationwide are far less educated than the general U.S. population, and before incarceration, were significantly more impoverished. Research studies provide strong evidence that postsecondary correctional education can achieve a variety of important purposes. Higher education can improve conditions within correctional facilities, enhance prisoner self-esteem and prospects for employment after release, and function as a cost-effective approach to reducing recidivism. Educating prisoners also allows them access to the many economic and social benefits associated with higher education. Postsecondary correctional education offers a chance to break the cycle of inequality and benefit both the formerly incarcerated person and the society in which he or she lives. This report examines what postsecondary correctional education programs exist, and how corrections officials fund and implement those programs. The Institute for Higher Education Policy undertook an original survey of correctional education administrators to gather data about these questions. This report uses that survey to examine the details of postsecondary correctional education programs in the state and federal prison systems as of 2003-04. Key findings are included in this report. Recommendations include: (1) Additional funding is needed to increase the number of prisoners who have access to higher education; (2) State-level support is essential if postsecondary correctional education programs are to thrive; and (3) Building state-level support for postsecondary correctional education will necessarily involve educating policymakers and the public. The following are appended: (1) Survey Methodology; and (2) Survey Instrument.

The fall 2004 and spring 2005 issues of Journal of Music Teacher Education, the online journal of MENC's Society for Music Teacher Education, in one print edition, includes a special issue on the future of music education, with articles about certification practices, second-career music teachers, music education philosophy and research for future teachers, music education students' experiences with special learners, and more. The Fall 2004 Table of Contents, (Volume 14, Number 1) is presented as follows: (1) From the Chair, "Past Accomplishments, Present Issues, and Future Directions" (David Teachout); (2) Commentary, "Life in Transition" (William E. Frederickson); (3) "A Tribute to a Founder of the Society for Music Teacher Education: George N. Heller" (Edward, P. Asmus); (4) "An Investigation of Second-Career Music Teaching" (Margaret H. Berg); (5) "The problem of Music Education Philosophy for Undergraduates" (Paul Broomhead); (6) "Where Do We Begin with Inquiry-Based Degree Programs?" (Suzanne L. Burton); (7) "Raising the Standards: Music Teacher Education in a Performance-Based World" (Don P. Ester); and (8) "Comparing Prospective Freshmen and Preservice Music Education Majors? Reflections of Music Interactions" (Deborah A. Sheldon and Gregory DeNardo). The Spring 2004 Table of Contents, (Volume 14, Number 2) contains the following articles: (1) Special Issue: " The Future of Music Education" Introduction (David Circle); (2) From the Chair: "A Call for Action in Music Teacher Education" (David Teachout); (3) "What to Do about Music Teacher Education: Our Profession at a Crossroads" (Jeffrey Kimpton); (4) "What Partnerships Must We Create, Build, or Reenergize in K-12 Higher and Professional Education for Music Teacher Education in the Future?" (Janet Robbins and Robin Stein); (5) "Where Will the Supply of New Teachers Come From, Where Shall We Recruit, and Who Will Teach These Prospective Teachers?" (William E. Frederickson, and J. Bryan Burton); (6) the RolM, or Other State of National Professional Organizations in Providing Leadership and Support for New Research and Models?" (Don P. Ester, and David J. Brinkman) ; (7) Editor's Commentary: "Assumptions" (William E. Frederickson); (8) "An Analysis of Certification Practices for Music Education in the Fifty States" (Michele L. Henry); and (9) "The Effects of Field Experience on Music Education Majors' Perceptions of Music Instruction for Secondary Students with Special Needs" (Kimberly VanWeelden and Jennifer Whipple).

This dissertation is a qualitative case study of how three liberal arts colleges rationalized and provided physical education courses despite a trend in higher education to reduce or eliminate physical education from the curriculum. Kalamazoo College, Bennett College for Women, and Barnard College for Women continue to provide physical education and all students must fulfill a physical education requirement to graduate. Guided by a liberal arts ideal defined in terms of a curriculum that offers a broad base of courses in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences, each school carries out its mission and purpose through a set of core beliefs that includes physical education. For example, through general education requirements, a major subject requirement, electives, and physical education requirements, the structure and content of each school's curriculum strongly associates a functional relationship between education and wellness. This research sheds light on how wellness education--a combination of physical education and health and fitness concepts--relates to the fulfillment of a liberal arts education, and also sheds light on why it makes sense to provide physical education for college students. The study examines three cases through the lens of a liberal arts college standard where physical education represents and fulfills a degree requirement and also represents the opportunity to advance the health of students. This research found a strong commitment to wellness as an educational philosophy about student learning and student development. By creating and sustaining an educational environment that develops intellectual skills and habits of the mind, each school employed actions that focused on goals aimed to help students become more enlightened and well-rounded individuals. Further, through a confluence of curriculum decisions that supported physical education at these three colleges, a commitment to wellness education has allowed physical education to maintain relevance amidst trends that question its value and purpose. As a best practice aimed at encouraging students to participate in physical activity, physical education is a means to an end that is purposeful, goal oriented, traditional, and a way of doing things at Kalamazoo, Bennett, and Barnard. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

The Civil Society Network for Education Reforms (E-Net Philippines), a network of organizations pushing for Education for All, believes that years of underinvestment and neglect of the public education system have caused the country's dismal education performance. This critique provided a framework for engaging with DepEd and the Legislature, specifically in lobbying for increased investments for education targeting the marginalized, excluded and vulnerable groups. But it did not apply to principals, teachers and civil society organizations already implementing and innovating education programmes on the ground. There was also a need to formulate an approach toward local government (LGU) officials responsible for the needs of those who are missing out on education. ENet Philippines realized the importance of generating updated data at the "barangay" (village) and municipal (town) levels and scrutinizing the reasons many children and youth are not in school. The need for updated data to guide national and local advocacy gave birth to Education Watch, a collaboration between Asian South Pacific Bureau of Adult Education (ASPBAE) and E-Net Philippines, to map out the disadvantaged sectors in education. Conceptualized in March 2006, Education Watch culminated in a public launch in September 2007. It is a citizen-based assessment at the midpoint of the Education for All campaign in the Philippines seeking to establish baseline data, determine the magnitude of education deficits, analyze the underlying causes of deprivation, monitor changes over time, and identify factors that can account for changes in the education performance until 2015. It is designed to inform policy, formulate well-targeted programs and identify and locate beneficiaries to effectively reach out to children missing out on education. The study was undertaken at three levels: (1) National Monitoring;(2) Local Area Surveys; and (3) Case Studies. The data culled from the local survey and from national government statistics show that the Philippines is missing its Education for All targets. In fact, the government's midterm progress report on the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) noted that Goal No.2 on universal primary education, along with Goal No.5 on Maternal Health, have become the most threatened among the eight goals. (Contains 5 tables, 1 figure and 10 endnotes.)

This paper is about the notion of conflict in the work of John Dewey. Special attention is given to "Democracy and Education" (1916) because of its centennial and its acclaimed status of "magnum opus". After depicting "conflicts as gadflies" that stir thinking--reflection and ingenuity--and relating it to Socrates, in particular, we present a definition of conflict that guides our research. From then on a detailed analysis is carried out on the different notions of conflict in "Democracy and Education". It is concluded that Dewey spends considerable attention to the place of conflict in education in "Democracy and Education". We identified 14 distinct references to conflict. The notions range from conflicts between traditional and modern education, retrospective and prospective aims of education, the conflict between closing off and opening up of education, social and national aims of education, conflicts between certain knowledge and thinking, between ready-made and problem-posing education, between holding to customs and tradition or aiming at social change, between easy to chew education or allowing to make mistakes, between researching contrary beliefs or following proclaimed truth, conflicts between individual aims or the aim of society, and vocational versus intellectual education. Conflicts are conditional for "reflection and ingenuity" is Dewey's most iconic conception of conflicts. Conflicts challenge thought by questioning and doubting certain knowledge. The act involves a risk. We ask two questions at the end of this paper. The first is about the nature of contradictions and the second is about the use of conflicts in education. We propose that Dewey was too engaged in resolving contradictions and dualism to understand the positive, constructive, and conditional nature of conflicts for education. We need our opponents to grow and we suggest that we probably do not use them enough in education. Concerning the practical use of conflicts in education, Dewey expects a lot from dialogical cooperation and communication which will bring agreement and certainty. Dewey does not engage in confronting power, though he has a clear view on injustice in society, neither does he give prolific directions for including conflicts as a teaching method in education.

Academic environments, such as general education classrooms, have increasingly become important learning environments for children with autism. The purpose of the study was to examine the attitudes of secondary general education and special education teachers toward inclusion of children with autism in general education classrooms. The research questions are as follow: Is there a statistically significant difference in the overall attitudes of secondary general education and special education teachers toward inclusion of children with autism in general education classrooms? Is there a statistically significant difference in the attitudes of secondary general education and special education teachers regarding professional issues, philosophical, and logistical concerns toward inclusion of children with autism in general education classrooms? Cochran (1997) created the STATIC instrument for the purpose of examining teachers' attitudes toward students with special needs and to identify the relationship between teachers' attitudes toward inclusion and toward the disabled in general. The STATIC instrument was chosen for this study due to its multiple uses in the literature gathering data regarding teachers' attitudes toward inclusion of many special needs populations, such as specific learning disabilities (SLD) and Down syndrome students (Barco, 2007; Mastin, 2010). The modifications to the STATIC instrument included identifying the special needs population being studied and inserting the name of the population in the statements within the instrument. Cochran granted permission to use the STATIC instrument with modifications in this study with yet another special needs population--children with autism. In this study, the modified Scale of Teachers' Attitudes Toward Inclusive Classrooms (STATIC) was used to survey 50 secondary (grades 9-12) English, science, social studies, and mathematics general education and 32 special education teachers with experience in teaching children with autism selected from 13 high schools in a large school system. Data were analyzed using independent-samples t tests. The findings showed no statistically significant difference in the overall attitudes and logistical concerns toward inclusion of children with autism in general education classrooms and statistically significant differences in the attitudes of secondary general and secondary special education teachers pertaining to professional and philosophical issues. An important finding of this study revealed that secondary general education teachers had positive not negative attitudes toward inclusion of children with autism in general education classrooms. This represents an attitudinal swing not embodied in the related literature.

Education systems are largely shaped by the policies of political parties. Political parties try to express their policies regarding the structure and functioning of the education system through party programs. As in all countries, policies regarding the education system have an important place in party programs in Turkey. The aim of this study is to examine the programs of political parties in Turkey in terms of the structure of the Turkish National Education System; the aim is to present their views on "PreSchool Education", "Primary Education", "General Secondary Education", "Vocational Technical Secondary Education", "Higher Education" and "Non-Formal Education-Adult Education-Continuous Education". In this context, it is important to express the similarities in the objectives of the political parties regarding the structure of the Turkish Education System. In this study, the qualitative research method was used. The data of the research were collected through document analysis. The study population consisted of all the political parties in The Grand National Assembly of Turkey (GNAT). The sample of the study consists of five political parties selected according to the criterion sampling method, which is one of the purposive sampling methods. These political parties can be listed as follows according to the number of members: (1) Justice and Development Party (JDP); (2) Republican People's Party (RPP); (3) Peoples' Democratic Party (PDP); (4) National Movement Party (NMP); and (5) Good Party (GP). The data sources of the study are the party programs of political parties. The documents regarding the party programs were taken from the official websites of the parties. In the context of suitability for the purpose of the study, the documents were analyzed by the content analysis method. The findings of the research are given without adding the researcher's comment, according to the themes and codes created. According to the findings, there are quite a lot of statements about the structure of the Turkish National Education System in the programs of political parties. As a result of the analysis, it has been determined that there are many similarities in the programs of the five parties, although there are many differences in the objectives of the parties regarding the structure of the Turkish Education System.

This conference report on adult basic education in European prisons contains the following introductory materials: a list of participants, the program, and introductions to the seminar by Frank Dunne and Pierre Freynet. "Keynote Address" (Robert Suvaal) discusses five items a prison educator must deal with: philosophy, position of education in prison and policy aiming at the best possible opportunities for education in prison, profile of the teacher, practice, and Prison Education Networks and Prison Cooperations. Summaries follow of three group discussions on issues raised by the keynote address. "Basic Education and Literacy in the Dutch Penal Institutions" gives an insight into prison education in the Netherlands by pointing out trends and pressure points. "Looking at Literacy and Adult Basic Education in Republic of Ireland: Working in Prisons" (Pam Lorenz) compares literacy provision in Ireland with that in its prisons. "Adult Basic Education in Prison" (Pere Diaz et al.) describes education in Spain's two penal administrative systems--Catalonia and the rest of Spain. "The Council of Europe Report 'Education in Prison'" (Kevin Warner) discusses what the report is, its underlying principles, and what it says about literacy and adult basic education. "Basic Education in Prisons in France" (D. Armengaud) considers characteristics of the prison population, objectives, resources, and methodology. "Structured Rehabilitation Project: Nantes Detention Centre, France" describes guidelines, staff, teaching methods, and project outline. "Literacy in Irish Prisons--A Broad Curriculum" (Catherine O'Flaherty) provides a general overview from a teacher's perspective. "Literacy through Literature" (Peter Budweg, Marie-Therese Schins) covers the creation of a reading club and literature as a medium in socio-educational intervention in Germany. Three papers describe programs in Belgium, England, and Ireland: "Writing Workshops: Funoc, Belgium"; "Open Learning Project Held at H.M. Prison Wakefield" (Lesley Taylor); and "Making Literacy Active--A Summary Workshop, Irish Prison Education Service" (Betty Cleary, Bernadette Sproule). "Beyond the Prison Walls" (Henning Jorgensen) talks about adult education and prison walls in Denmark. "Basic Education in Prisons: A New Research Project" (Peter Sutton) is an invitation to participate in a major UNESCO Institute for Education international investigation into basic education in prisons. (YLB)