Education & Pedagogy

The aim of this article is to survey the international literature on doctoral education from a South African perspective. A colossal amount of published research on doctoral education abroad has accumulated in recent years, dwarfing the minuscule number of publications on doctoral education in South Africa. Three major deficiencies in the corpus of literature internationally on doctoral education are the lack of any empirical validation of the claimed social rates of return to doctoral education, an absence of empirical research on the scholarly contribution/impact of doctoral education, and the inadequacies of the paradigms employed to research doctoral education. This means that the body of literature on doctoral education does not take into account power relations in society and embedded knowledge, as well as the demonstrated stranglehold of these on scholarship. The first two imply that there is a lack of empirical substantiation for claims regarding the indispensable role of doctoral education in accomplishing a knowledge society and the role of doctoral studies in pushing back the frontiers of knowledge. In conclusion recommendations are made as to how South Africa could, given its infancy in this field, seek to build a literature base that consciously addresses the perceived gaps in the international literature in this field.

Since the establishment of educational rights for children with disabilities in the 1970s, special education in the US has included a growing share of students and has constituted an ever-growing share of education budgets. Previous research has focused on the disproportionate assignment to special education of low-income and minority students, concluding that special education mainly reproduces social disadvantages. This article argues that privileged parents--by virtue of their ability to navigate complex legal and scientific practices and discourses that are seen as guarantees of fairness and neutrality in special education--are able to secure advantageous resources for their children through special education. Through analysis of the distribution and content of "due process" hearing requests in the California special education system, this article shows how advocacy in this part of the system depends on parents' cultural and economic capital. Specifically, reimbursement claims in due process hearings show how having economic capital can be used to leverage public education resources, while parents' testimony in hearings shows the importance of having cultural capital. In concluding, the emphasis on parental involvement in both regular and special education is discussed and alternatives to the individualized system of rights in special education are considered. (Contains 6 notes and 2 tables.)

The hallmark of inclusive education is the teachers' willingness to accept students with special needs. Their attitudes and knowledge about inclusive education are important as these are indicators of such willingness. The purpose of this study was to examine teachers' attitudes and their perceived knowledge towards inclusive education in Malaysia. The respondents (n = 235) were the mainstream and special education teachers in the public primary and secondary schools. They were given a set of questionnaires which sought their responses regarding their attitudes and knowledge towards inclusive education. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics such as frequency and percentages. The main finding shows that, in general, teachers have positive attitudes towards inclusive education. They agreed that inclusive education enhances social interaction and inclusion among the students and thus, it minimizes negative stereotypes on special needs students. The findings also show that collaboration between the mainstream and the special education teachers is important and that there should be a clear guideline on the implementation of inclusive education. The findings of the study have significant implications to the school administrators, teachers, and other stakeholders who directly and indirectly involved in implementing inclusive education. (Contains 4 tables.)

The need for education for (as opposed to about) sustainability is urged from many sides. Initiatives in this area tend to focus on formal education. Governmental, supra-governmental and non-governmental bodies all expect much of this kind of education, which is to transform children--and through them society--in the direction of sustainability. Due to the combination of great transformative expectations or ambitions and a focus on schooling (the idea of) compulsory environmental education poses potentially severe problems for governments committed to liberal principles, in particular the principle of state "neutrality" with respect to "comprehensive conceptions of the good life". The central question of this article is whether liberal governments can make environmental education of this kind compulsory without coming into conflict with the liberal principle of state neutrality. I discuss three defences of the compatibility of compulsory environmental education with liberal neutrality, namely those put forward by Derek Bell, Andrew Dobson, and Simon Hailwood, as well as some problems inherent in these defences. In the final section I sketch a form of compulsory environmental education that realises at least some of the aims commonly stated for Education for Sustainability and Education for Sustainable Development, and can be justified on the basis of liberal principles.

In Tanzania, sexuality education in schools is not provided as a standalone subject; rather it is mainstreamed in other subjects, namely Social Studies, Science, Civics and Biology. However, it is not clear how much sexuality education is covered in these subjects. The purpose of this study was to examine the status of sexuality education in the Tanzanian national school curriculum. In order to discern the amount and nature of sexuality education in the school curriculum, the syllabi for the above subjects were subjected to content analysis. The results have revealed three major trends of school-based sexuality education delivery in Tanzania. First, only a few aspects of sexuality education, particularly in the area of HIV/AIDS, are covered in the Tanzanian national school curriculum. Second, a greater part of sexuality education is covered during secondary education level, which is arguably too late given that sexuality education works effectively if it is provided early before young people reach puberty, in this case during primary education level. Third, the current sexuality education delivery mainly focuses on knowledge, and little attention is paid to the other aspects of sexuality education, namely skills and relationships and attitudes and values. (Contains 3 tables and 1 footnote.)

The purpose of this study is to determine how adult and non formal education is financed in Nigeria; and to examine areas or forms of and the problems of financing adult and non-formal education in Nigeria. Survey research was used in order to carry out the study. Three hundred and twenty five (325) respondents from government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and private individuals were sampled. Three research questions were generated from the literature review, questionnaire on financing adult and non formal education, and the responses elicited from respondents were numerically quantified, tabulated and analysed using the Likert Scale. The analysis showed that: governments were not funding adult and non-formal education adequately in Nigeria; funds for adult and non-formal education was obtained from other sources; adult literacy, distance, labour and prison education received fund from the government; there was a political will on the part of government to fund adult and non formal education; and some problems were confronting financing adult and non-formal education in Nigeria. Based on the findings, it is recommended that effort should be made by the policy makers to fund adult and non formal education for the benefit of the masses; and other sources of fund should be explored in order to realize the potency of adult and non-formal education. (Contains 8 tables and 1 figure.)

This article reports on the second UNESCO World Conference on Arts and Education held on May 25-28, 2010 in Seoul, Korea, which brought together approximately 650 arts educators from 95 UNESCO member states (countries) for a four-day summit of international diplomacy, cross-arts networking, global and regional strategic planning and professional development. The conference was hosted by the Korean Arts, Culture and Education Service (KACES) on behalf of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Korean Government, in collaboration with the United Nations Education, Science and Culture Organisation (UNESCO). The programme of the second UNESCO Arts Education Conference (Seoul Conference) encompassed high-level ministerial roundtables, UNESCO Arts Education Advisory Committee roundtables, international NGOs (Arts Education) forums, teacher and artists' panel presentations, regional research case studies, keynote addresses, arts education site visits, performances and displays. As a member of the World Dance Alliance and the elected dance representative on the Presidential Council of the World Alliance for Arts Education, the author currently represents dance education on the UNESCO International Advisory Committee for Arts Education. With the inclusion of an NGO dance representative on the UNESCO Advisory Committee for Arts Education, dance educators had a voice in planning for the Seoul Conference and developing policy that flowed from this event.

Despite many renewed possibilities for U.S. schools, fixing them remains a multifaceted problem. Clearly focusing on improving education for all American children requires a comprehensive understanding of global issues that will impact their future, along with cutting-edge interdisciplinary research from neuroscience, psychology, pediatrics, and education. Gains made in brain-based research and global education studies can directly influence delivery approaches within classrooms and teacher education programs. Educators are beginning to bridge the divide between education research and practice, an initiative that offers hope for real change. Research on global education is beginning to reveal why many U.S. students are lagging behind their counterparts in other countries. Most of those countries' curricula, teaching approaches, and teacher-preparation programs are "based upon research" and "equally available to all children." Their resources, both in school and out of school, are "strongly supported by government funding." The Forum for Education and democracy (2008) has called the U.S. education system one of the most inequitably funded of any industrialized nation. In this article, the author focuses on research-based education for equality and excellence in the U.S., and looks briefly at the curriculum and how it is taught. Some recommended changes within teacher education programs in the U.S. are presented. (Contains 1 note.)

The construction of the European education space has typically been attributed to European education policy makers, institutions, and networks. Rarely do scholars consider the role of outside, non-European actors in shaping the terrain of European education thought and practice. This article considers the construction of the European education space as a borderless project with multidirectional flows of ideas, policies, and academics. While this project has created an intellectual space for the emergence of new theoretical insights and policy instruments within Europe, it has also had inevitable consequences for the study of comparative education outside Europe. This article explores how American scholars have attempted to influence the development of comparative education as a field in the United States by purposefully constructing specific notions of European education during the cold war (1969-85). Drawing on content analysis of comparative education scholarship in "Western European Education"--a journal published in the United States--this article discusses the role of journal editors in the construction of European education spaces in order to advance not only a marginalized geographical area of study within the expanding American field of comparative education, but also a methodological vision for the future of comparative education, one free of positivist techniques, quantitative methodologies, and modernization ideologies. (Contains 1 table and 9 notes.)

Higher education--and continuing education as one arm of that enterprise--is not just an economic engine; it contributes directly and in a multifaceted fashion to the common good. It generates and makes accessible a great deal of the knowledge that drives the economy; it helps develop an understanding of the society and the world for millions of students; and it helps develop the personal, social, and human competencies. In this article, the authors aim to summarize the economic value of higher education, especially since World War II and the GI Bill, at universities in the US in general and at the University of Wisconsin Extension (UWEX) system in particular. They discuss the value of an independent identity for continuing education as a significant asset in an organization's ability to contribute to economic and social development, and they describe the University of Wisconsin Extension. The authors conclude that in the last 25 years the perception of higher education shifted from public good to private investment, but they caution that the role that higher education plays in the society goes well beyond economic development, as it enhances the quality of life for society as well. (Contains 16 endnotes.)

This paper explores the dynamics and outcomes from a collaborative, cross-cultural approach to teaching an Indigenous education elective unit in a Bachelor of Education (Primary) undergraduate degree at University of Ballarat in 2009. The three facilitators, one non-Aboriginal and two Aboriginal were a lecturer, an Aboriginal Centre Manager and Local Aboriginal Education Consultative Group member from the Ballarat and District Aboriginal Cooperative respectively. The paper explores the open-ended and collaborative approach used to facilitate the learning, including pedagogies, activities and assessment. The paper, and the collaborative cross-cultural teaching approach it arguably embodies, is presented as a model of desirable practice with undergraduate education students, in particular for pre-service teachers undertaking a P-10 Bachelor of Education degree. As we describe later in the paper, these pre-service teachers, with some exceptions, in general had very limited and often stereotyped knowledge and experience of Aboriginal education, Aboriginal students or Aboriginal perspectives in other areas of the school curriculum. The teaching process we adopted and that we articulate in this paper attempted to address this previous lack of engagement with the subject matter of Indigenous education by actively modelling the processes of local Aboriginal consultation and collaboration that we were trying to teach. (Contains 1 table.)

In 2004, the College of Education at Oklahoma State University began the task of building a partnership with the Defense Ammunition Center (DAC) in McAlester, Oklahoma, and implementing research-driven, experience-based workforce education. In this article, the authors describe unique features and challenges of this multi-year University/Government collaboration which is aligned with the mission and goals of National Association of Industrial Technical Teacher Education (NAITTE), and provide an overview of workforce education initiatives the partnership seeks to refine. This paper can serve as a possible model and catalyst for further discussion and research in workforce education particularly in times of dwindling resources, increased demands on time and the importance of research activities at many institutions. The authors present examples from qualitative research findings that will be used to ground improvements in workforce education at the DAC site: worker perceptions of critical competencies and mentoring necessary to fulfill job responsibilities. The authors hope that these "lessons from the field" serve other workforce education programs, underscore the importance of context and industry mission in workforce education programs, and provide specific information about the partnership that may inform the development of University/government collaborations in other contexts.

Many US states do not require that elementary schools provide a physical education specialist, making the classroom teacher the only provider of physical education instruction. Their attitudes toward physical education and perceptions of their ability to teach it will affect their efforts to do so. Elementary education majors (n = 183) were questioned at the end of a practicum to gain insight into their perceptions of their skill in teaching physical education; of the changes that had occurred in their skill and of how and why those changes occurred; their understanding of physical education; and their comparisons of teaching classroom and physical education. The most striking finding was the confidence they expressed about their ability. Perceptions of their strengths as teachers related more to affect and management than to instructional skills and content knowledge. Students identified practice, instructor feedback and a supportive class environment as contributing to developing their ability to teach physical education. They understood management to include managing themselves and not just controlling children. Responses did not support that a mature understanding of physical education content had been achieved, but that students had positive attitudes toward physical education. (Contains 2 tables and 2 notes.)

Internationally, the number of students with disabilities entering higher education institutions is on the rise. Research estimates that 8-10% of students attending higher education are registered with disability, with learning difficulties being the most commonly reported disability. Widening participation in higher education has been supported by legislative changes, inclusive education practices, the use of ICT and accessible facilities and programs and, ultimately, an increasing belief among students with disabilities that higher education maximizes their opportunities for employment and independent living. Within the Cypriot context, research on disability, access and provision in higher education is limited. This study was a part of a large-scale study (PERSEAS) funded by the EU. From the original sample, 15 students attending private higher education institutions in Cyprus reported disability (i.e., sensory impairment, dyslexia, physical disabilities) and were selected for focus group discussions. Also, interviews and focus groups were conducted with the Headmasters and teachers, respectively, in 10 private higher education institutions. This study yielded interesting results regarding the current state of provision (e.g., concessions for exams and assignments, infrastructure, teaching modification, counseling services) as well as issues of social inclusion, equality of opportunity and entitlement to education.

Discussions about appropriate methods for education research have escalated in the wake of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 and related changes to federal policies for educational research and its funding. This legislation highlights the importance of "scientifically-based research" and in particular foregrounds the use of randomized controlled trials in which educational treatments are tested by comparing an experimental group that received a particular treatment to a control group that did not. It is argued that this approach lessens the potential for researcher bias and allows findings to be generalized more readily. The U.S. Department of Education's research arm, the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), supports projects that employ randomized-trial designs, while the What Works Clearinghouse provides an online database of research findings that the Department of Education has decided meet their guidelines for methodological rigor. This article examines this context and explores implications for education research in universities, particularly teacher education research. An examination of teacher education research--its histories and contexts, the teacher education enterprise, the purposes for which the findings of teacher education research are used, how the research is valued, and who is making the judgment--provides a basis for considering the future of teacher education research and how teacher educators might respond to critics of teacher education and teacher education research.