Education & Pedagogy

Distance education as a primary means of instruction is expanding significantly at the college and university level. Simultaneously, the growth of social networking sites (SNS) including Facebook, LinkedIn, and MySpace is also rising among today's college students. An increasing number of higher education instructors are beginning to combine distance education delivery with SNSs. However, there is currently little research detailing the educational benefits associated with the use of SNSs. Non-commercial, education-based SNSs, such as Ning in Education, have been recently shown to build communities of practice and facilitate social presence for students enrolled in distance education courses. In order to evaluate the largely unexplored educational benefits of SNSs, we surveyed graduate students enrolled in distance education courses using Ning in Education, an education-based SNS, based on their attitudes toward SNSs as productive online tools for teaching and learning. The results of our study suggest that education-based SNSs can be used most effectively in distance education courses as a technological tool for improved online communications among students in higher distance education courses. (Contains 2 tables.)

This article addresses the historical context, current development, and future challenges of distance education in Indonesia. Conditions related to the geography, demography, socio-economic and cultural situations, as well as the availability of technology have encouraged the use of distance education as a valid choice in providing access to quality education at different levels and in various kinds of educational endeavors. Distance education in Indonesia has been applied in a variety of contexts. Its development has been encouraged by advances in the use of information and communication technology in a society in which computer literacy and skills still need to be significantly improved. It should also be recognized that the delivery of distance education in Indonesia has to take into account the use of technology accessible to distance learners who live in various parts of the country with different conditions, different backgrounds, and different levels of access to technology.

The present paper investigated the role of distance education in the expansion of educational facilities for females at higher levels of education in Pakistan. The findings of the study report that distance education is playing a vital role in the expansion of female education at higher level as such females who, due to some personal or social compulsions, are not able to attend regular institution/university in order to enhance their educational, distance education proves to be a blessing for such females. Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) is the pioneer in provision of distance education in Pakistan and at present it is playing a significant role in provision of better higher education facilities, especially females are enjoying from these educational facilities as the system of AIOU is flexible enough for females and it provides them equal opportunity to uplift their educational status in spite of the different hurdles in the way of getting higher education without disturbing their family or personal problems. More incentives for females on the part of AIOU for getting higher education may increase the number of female students in AIOU programs of higher education in Pakistan. (Contains 6 tables and 5 graphs.)

The history of popular education is a long-standing field of research. Its beginnings trace back at least to the mid-twentieth century and it maintains its attractiveness for many researchers, both historians and educators. But, using the same label, quite different lines of research have been developed. They correspond to different ideas about what has to be considered as popular education. The paper starts by revising some of the outstanding works and authors in this field, analysing the main terms used and their underlying concepts. Popular education is then confronted with other close concepts, such as people education, popular or working-class self-education, adult education, women's education or social education. The author argues that the approach and perspective adopted for identifying a popular education subject of research are more determinant factors than an "a priori" thematic demarcation. From this point of view, popular education is centred on the study of education activities and school provision addressed to the lower classes and individuals taking part in them. This social origin and position of the public and not of the providers is what really defines this field of study. (Contains 43 footnotes.)

Teacher mobility has become a common feature of the cross-border flows and transnational networks that constitute globalisation. International and intraregional migration of teachers is an important factor in education provision and management in countries in the Southern Africa region, for example Botswana and South Africa. In an increasingly global context of teacher migration, education practitioners continue to strive for quality education. But has the mobility of teachers mediated the quality of education, and what are the implication of this for teacher education and training in higher education? This article explores teacher migration trends and dimensions of quality education, and assesses the impact that such teacher mobility has on education quality dimensions. The implications of teacher migration for teacher training in higher education are also explored. The article argues that teacher mobility negatively impacts education quality dimensions as well as the demand dynamics on higher education institutions for teachers in the migration origin countries. These concerns represent one of the major exclusions in the existing reflections on quality education provision and teacher supply and demand. (Contains 1 figure.)

This article presents the presidential address at the annual conference of the Association for Career and Technical Education Research by M. Susie Whittington, ACTER President 2005. The purpose of the presidential address is to examine a current issue facing the profession, and pose challenges to the membership in the context of that issue. In her address, Whittington shares the standards-driven, real-life, undergraduate teacher education reform effort in the Department of Human and Community Resource Development at The Ohio State University. Sharing this two-year reform experience with her colleagues, Dr. Jamie Cano, Dr. Jim Connors, Dr. Wes Budke, and Dr. Neil Knobloch, she hopes that their successful endeavor serves as an inspiration and motivation to actively review and consequently reform preservice teacher programs in career and technical education. Here, she briefly discusses teacher education, the themes that emerged from the literature regarding successful curriculum reform, and their review of the foundations of teacher education in career and technical education, especially in agricultural education. Finally, she provides an overview of the results of their work--a reformed teacher education curriculum in agricultural education. (Contains 1 figure.)

In Arabic literacy education in Europe, whether within mainstream education or in supplementary schools, instruction is a translocal endeavour at its core. The socio-historical conditions and ways of knowing embedded in traditional ways of teaching Arabic literacy are still deeply intertwined with the teaching of Arabic literacy in the diaspora. However, European expectations of education in general and literacy education in particular influence the purposes, content and materials of the Arabic literacy classroom, which leads to a process of transculturation. The current study investigates how Arabic literacy education as part of two Arabic heritage language settings in Norway and Sweden serves as a site for transculturation and how the entirely different ways of organising heritage language education in the two settings influence the transculturation processes of Arabic literacy education. This exploratory investigation is carried out through ethnographically inspired fieldwork in three mainstream schools in Sweden and in one supplementary school in Norway. The findings suggest that the inclusion of Arabic literacy education in mainstream schools in Sweden likely leads to an education closely aligned with official Swedish expectations about literacy education, while the supplementary school in Norway, to a greater extent, maintains traditional approaches to Arabic literacy education.

The purpose of the study was to examine the perceptions of pre-service special education teachers in South Korea towards teaching physical education to students with disabilities. The qualitative descriptive case study was used to examine the perceptions of five pre-service special education teacher candidates using in-depth semi-structured interviews, a review of the teacher education curriculum, and the researchers' field notes. The data were analyzed using constant comparative data analysis and exposed three themes, which were: (a) teaching students with disabilities in South Korea, (b) a lack of competency in teaching physical education, and (c) the challenges of teaching students with disabilities. In this study's results, pre-service special education teacher candidates showed a lack of competency in teaching physical education to students with disabilities. Nevertheless, teacher candidates realised the many benefits of students' participation in physical education classes. Therefore, it has been suggested that university faculty in teacher education programs should provide an opportunity for pre-service special education teachers to engage in practicum training and take classes to increase their content knowledge in teaching physical education.

There is increasing pressure to make pathways to higher education more accessible to students from a wide range of backgrounds, including those from lower socioeconomic circumstances. Often, those students gain vocational qualifications but those qualifications do not always support them fully to articulate to higher education. This is, at least in part, due to the gap in mathematics knowledge between what is taught in the vocational qualifications and what is required for entry into the related higher education courses. This paper reports on a project that took a cross-sector approach to improving pathways from vocational to higher education that focus on mathematical skill development. The project developed pathways for four disciplines, engineering, education, health science and business. This paper examines the challenges faced when working across those sectors to develop resources and establish pathways for students to articulate from vocational qualifications into related higher education courses. Of particular interest are the outcomes for the education pathway. A preliminary evaluation of the development of the education pathway resources is presented. The study utilises an exploratory research paradigm to explore the issues of working across sectors through content analysis of reports and surveys of stakeholders in the project.

This bulletin is a compilation of significant statistical material pertaining to American education. It contains information on a variety of subjects within the broad field of educational statistics, including schools, enrollments, teachers, graduates, educational attainment, finances, Federal programs in the field of education, libraries, international education, and research and development. The digest is divided into five chapters: (1) Elementary and Secondary Education; (2) Higher Education; (3) All Levels of Education; (4) Federal Programs of Education; and (5) Miscellaneous Statistics Related to Education in the United States. Appended is a description of the structure and functions of the U.S. Office of Education. (Contains 125 tables, and 5 figures.) [Best copy available has been provided.]

This book examines dominant discourses in values education globally. It critiques dominant discourses and debates pertaining to values education and cultural identity, set against the current backdrop of growing social stratification and unequal access to quality education. It addresses discourses concerning globalisation, ideologies and the state, as well as approaches to values education in schools. The book explores the ambivalent and problematic connections between the state, globalisation and values education. It also explores conceptual frameworks and methodological approaches applicable to research on values education, multiculturalism and identity politics. Drawing on diverse paradigms, ranging from critical theory to globalisation, the book focuses on globalisation, ideology and values education and critically examines recent research dealing with cultural diversity and its impact of identity politics. Given the need for a multiple perspective approach, authors from diverse backgrounds offer a wealth of insights, contributing to a more holistic understanding of the nexus between values education, multiculturalism and national identity. With contributions from key scholars worldwide, the book should be required reading for a broad spectrum of users, including policy-makers, academics, graduate students, education policy researchers, administrators and practitioners.

This article explores theoretical and practical issues related to white education for international curriculum through teacher's education for 21st century. The theory of "White Education" will be a message for development of globalization, information technology, based on knowledge, human rights education, environmental education, international education, conflict resolution education, and development education as well as the desire for peace, changes are rapidly changing the goals, policies, curricula, contents and methods of education. The need to differentiate and re-thinking education and learning, both within and outside the school system, is gaining increased attention among education researchers, policy-makers. In the beginning of 21st century, we need a global perspective, multidimensional citizenship, new issues of mankind, innovative philosophy of individualistic, academic skills, zest for living, open school to society, teacher as learner, as researcher and as curriculum developer, learner as critical thinker, manager as leadership, parent as participator, and policy-maker as practitioners. We have to develop an alternative vision to policy of education, curriculum development, school leadership, teaching and learning environment, teachers' quality and evaluating of children. For develop this kind of vision we need to learn from each other, exchange experiences and enhance collaborative research.

The NASA Education Implementation Plan (NEIP) provides an understanding of the role of NASA in advancing the nation's STEM education and workforce pipeline. The document outlines the roles and responsibilities that NASA Education has in approaching and achieving the agency's and administration's strategic goals in STEM Education. The specific purpose of the 2015-2017 NASA Education Implementation Plan is to present and describe the following: (1) The alignment of NASA Education with national priorities and the 2014 NASA Strategic Plan; (2) The framework for specific and measurable outcomes to guide and monitor performance within the education portfolio; (3) The roles, responsibilities and management of the Associate Administrator for Education, the Office of Education, Mission Directorate Leads, and Education Offices; (4) The key agency stakeholders responsible for strategic coordination and requirements development; and (5) The monitoring and control structure for determining the outcomes of NASA's education portfolio across the agency. In addition, this document describes the processes and principles of strategic planning and management for all of NASA's education efforts. It also explains how NASA Education is governed and managed and what internal and external requirements drive this strategy. The following are appended: (1) References; and (2) Glossary of Terms and Acronyms.

This book examines unsolved issues of race and education, emphasizing four major race-conscious education policies: bilingual education, multicultural curricula, affirmative action, and remedial education. It suggests that such policies are critical to fostering self-determination and personal autonomy in students who would otherwise receive a deficient education. After an introduction, chapter 2 examines self-determination as a crucial underpinning of an education for justice and democracy, discussing the concept of personal autonomy within political philosophy. Chapter 3 examines bilingual education policy in light of Arizona's Proposition 203 and California's Proposition 227, defending bilingual education policy as a way to ensure that English language learners receive an education that improves their contexts of choice and supports the worth of their cultural identities. Chapter 4 explores the controversy surrounding multicultural curricula at the K-12 and college levels, viewing it as an educational approach that teaches students what they need to know to grow and succeed within a diverse society. Chapter 5 reviews and responds to common arguments against affirmative action in college admissions. Chapter 6 examines the debate over remedial education policy at the college level, defending its place in four-year colleges. (Contains approximately 350 references.) (SM)

This report provides updated information on how transition policies for New York students with disabilities are being implemented in Buffalo, New York City, Rochester, Syracuse, and Yonkers. It summarizes the findings about former students' post-school employment, postsecondary education, and community living status, and identifies the program components, including transition planning, that contributed to their success. A Post School Indicators Survey was given to 1,037 former students who were in special education programs and a reference group of 217 former general education students. Results indicate: (1) 62 percent of former students who were in special education either were working or attending postsecondary education; (2) slightly more than one-third of former special education students were working in paid competitive jobs in the community; (3) former special education students participated in postsecondary education half as often as did the reference group from general education; and (4) former special education students who reported that planning for transition helped them show better outcomes on four factors: completion of high school diplomas, transition to postsecondary education, employment, or day program alternative, connection to adult services, and preparedness for community living, working, and postsecondary education. (CR)