Education & Pedagogy

The aim of this study is to determine and compare the metaphorical perceptions of face-to-face and distance education students towards distance education. The research was conducted using phenomenology pattern. Research data were obtained from 80 distance education students and 56 face-to-face education students using metaphorical perception form for distance education. Data were analyzed with the content analysis technique. Analysis of the data showed that distance education students produced 66 metaphors while face-to-face students produced 55 metaphors. In both groups, metaphors were grouped under three categories. Considering the categories, it was seen that "provided opportunities" and "limitations" categories emerged in both groups. Distance education is not indispensable for face-to-face students. Some of the distance education students prefer distance education because of desperation. As for sub-categories, it was seen that unlike face-to-face students, distance education students -perceived distance education as a road to dreams and they thought that distance education provided them to study while working in a job. While the most repeated metaphors in distance education students were "a golden blessing, a great opportunity, and indispensable", face-to-face students repeated the "essential" metaphor the most.

COVID-19 school closures disrupted special education. In Fall 2020, districts sought to reopen schools, recover from the shocks of the pandemic, and implement special education to serve students with disabilities. Using policy document data from the United States' 25 largest school districts, we surface patterns in how districts communicated problems and solutions related to special education for the 2020-21 school year. Drawing on concepts from framing theory, we analyzed messaging on special education embedded in 71 district policy documents. Specifically, we assessed the nature and foci of 520 special education policy frames. The 520 frames contained ideas on problems and solutions regarding special education. Results indicate that this set of districts foregrounded how to implement the compliance and intervention models of special education in their formal communication but devoted less attention to the equity model of special education. Districts rarely defined underlying problems in special education implementation amid pandemic schooling. We discuss potential consequences of these patterns in messaging on special education. Finally, we present evidence- and theory-based recommendations for policy, practice, and scholarship on the implementation of special education with attention to recuperating from pandemic-related impacts.

Education is essential for developing labor in Indonesia. One type of formal education is "madrasah" education that has been historically significant in Indonesia which adds depth in Islamic subjects in addition to basic subjects. These graduates may become important as the "Sharia" industry continues to boom in Indonesia. However, "madrasah" education has shown weak labor market performances compared to general education, in terms of wages and unemployment. This may stem from a weak learning process in madrasahs which is against the 4th Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) about equitable education. With limited studies on madrasah education performance in the labor market, using 2014 Indonesia Family Life Survey, we find: (1) "madrasah" education choice is influenced by parent's education and appeals to low-income families, (2) "madrasah" graduates have lower probability of working compared to general education graduates, (3) return of "madrasah" education is lower compared to general education. Therefore, policies should improve "madrasah" education through improvement of teachers and institution quality, support and funding for private madrasahs, and supporting "Madrasah Kejuruan."

This staff report of the California Postsecondary Education Commission summarizes legislative activities that affected higher education during the second year of the Legislature's biennial 1989-90 session. The report is divided into three parts: part one presents highlights of higher education legislation during the year; part two describes all higher education legislation signed by the Governor; and part three identifies higher education bills vetoed by the Governor. Legislation highlights pertain to: student fee policy, amendments to the Donahoe Higher Education Act, the Commission itself, improvement of state oversight of private postsecondary education, and bonds for higher education facilities. The following areas of signed legislation are summarized: student fees and financial issues; public school issues (such as college preparation programs, adult education, and teacher training, certification, and employment); public postsecondary issues; and issues affecting private postsecondary institutions. Legislation that was vetoed by the Governor covered the areas of proposed new financial assistance programs, college preparation programs, student retention, and several legislative issues affecting both public and private postsecondary education institutions. An appendix lists the members of Legislative Policy and Fiscal Committees for Higher Education. Includes a legislative index. (GLR)

This resource guide identifies competencies currently used in occupational education courses and programs offered in California community colleges. The first section presents a brief overview of competency-based education, with particular emphasis on competency-based vocational education (CBVE). This includes a description of competency-based education and competency statements, along with suggestions for writing performance objectives and a checklist for use in developing competency statements. The next section presents listings of the sources of competencies for vocational programs/courses currently offered in the community colleges. These listings are organized by program/course within each of the seven major vocational education program areas: agriculture; distributive/marketing; health occupations; home economics/consumer education; office education; public safety education; and trade and industry. For ease of reading, the competency sources are identified by a numeric code. Detailed information regarding these sources is summarized by code number in the bibliography of the resource guide. The bibliography gives names and addresses of 100 college, commercial, and university/vocational center sources and titles of 13 textbook sources. Sample competency statements from the field are provided in the appropriate program areas. (YLB)

The Holmes Group recommends that teacher education be extended and restructured to produce highly competent teachers. This study was conducted to determine the impact of the Holmes Group recommendations on preservice preparation of health education teachers. Health education department chairs at nine universities belonging to the Holmes Group were invited to complete questionnaires identifying and ranking predicted and perceived effects of these recommendations on health education majors. The responses indicated a lack of agreement among the subjects. Based on informants' responses, the following general predictions were arrived at: (1) students graduating from Holmes-based extended teacher education programs will be well-prepared to teach; (2) few schools will actually implement a Holmes-based teacher education program; (3) 4-year programs will continue to prepare health education teachers; and (4) the number of school health education majors will decrease at Holmes universities. Results also suggest that grassroots support for Holmes Group recommendations among health educators is lacking; widespread adoption of Holmes-based curricula in departments of Health Education is not likely; and the Holmes Group will not have much effect on the preparation of health education teachers. The two are like oil and water. (Contains 17 references.) (LL)

Increasingly, limited financial resources have resulted in program reductions in undergraduate physical education and health education at several higher education institutions. As traditional methods of program delivery are phased out, physical and health educators need to consider alternative forms of training and servicing future professionals. One promising nontraditional strategy is the use of distance education as a delivery source. In distance education, the learner or learners are physically separated from the teacher--a situation that dictates changes in behavior for both the teacher and the learner. To be effective distance educators, teachers must become familiar with a variety of technological systems that deliver instruction and allow interaction between teacher and learner, and they must vary their instructional strategies to meet individual needs. Students must become independent learners, taking a more aggressive role in communicating their needs and seeking feedback. Distance education can take many forms, including video/audio models that incorporate television, satellite transmissions, or computer applications. Physical and health educators can easily adapt core content courses which have traditionally relied on lecture and laboratory experiences to distance education formats for delivery to teacher preparation students. Distance education methods can also be used to deliver instruction in public school settings. (IAH)

About 50 percent of Sweden's adult population pursues studies in one form or another. A specifically Scandinavian form of adult education is the folk high school. By far the largest number of adult learners attend the study circles organized by the local branches of Sweden's educational associations. Formal adult education and vocational training are offered by the local education committees in all 286 municipalities. Municipal authorities are also mandated to organize adult basic education. Special adult educational opportunities include Swedish language instruction for immigrants, adult education for intellectually handicapped persons, national schools that offer the same kind of formal adult education as does municipal adult education, and public libraries and audiovisual centers. Participants in employment training receive free tuition and training allowances. Access is conditional on current or imminent unemployment. Inhouse education has expanded faster than any other form of adult education. The major trade unions have shown keen interest in the form and content of adult education. More responsibility for adult education has been vested in the municipalities; activities once controlled by regulations and funding are now managed by objectives and results. All categories of adult education generally receive government subsidies. Trade unions have assumed a leading role in program coordination; municipal governments and educational associations have initiated far-reaching collaboration. (YLB)

This report, one of a series of country studies on higher education and employment particularly in continuing professional education, looks at recent developments in Germany. The first of six chapters offers a series of definitions of central concepts and focuses the paper's discussion on continuing education offered by higher education institutions and on their own responsibility. Chapter II looks at the development and importance of continuing education describing the traditional role of continuing education, the current state of these services as demand and employment has changed, and comparison with other industrialized nations. Chapter III describes in detail the continuing education offered by higher education institutions from types of programs, teaching techniques, and integration into the structure of universities to career-orientation and further education provided by connected institutions. Chapter IV briefly describes non-university programs. Chapter V discusses the challenges and problems facing continuing professional education including admission and qualification of participants, certification and record keeping, finance, teaching staff and teaching methods, and competition and collaboration with other providers. Chapter VI concludes by evaluating the current status of university services and suggesting future directions. Includes 58 references and a 25-item bibliography. (JB)

Experts agree that prevention through education is the best way to fight the transmission of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), which causes Acquired Immune Deficiency (AIDS). However, the capacity of teachers to provide instruction about AIDS and other related health problems with knowledge and comfort may be limited by a lack of preservice education. This Digest highlights: (1) the extent of preservice HIV/AIDS education; (2) the need for comprehensive preservice HIV/AIDS education; (3) current efforts to include HIV/AIDS prevention education in preservice teacher education; and (4) HIV/AIDS resources for preservice teachers and teacher educators. The first section cites several studies that suggest a lack of HIV-specific training in preservice teacher education. Section two lists six factors related to HIV/AIDS that make preservice preparation critical. The third section provides examples of current efforts to incorporate HIV/AIDS prevention education into preservice teacher education programs. In addition to the resources for preservice teachers and teacher educators cited in the fourth section, information is provided on projects sponsored by the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control that are being conducted by the American Association for Health Education and the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. (Contains 14 references.) (LL)

This paper demonstrates how teacher education follow-up studies can be designed and used to promote responsive teacher education programs. Using a recently completed study of alumni from an undergraduate teacher education program as a model, the paper presents substantive findings relevant both to the design of future teacher education follow-up studies and to the literature on the relationship between teacher preparation and professional practice. The paper also identifies methodological considerations and techniques designed to have the maximum impact on program review and planning. The paper presents results from both qualitative and quantitative analyses examining relationships among specific teacher education programs, early professional challenges, recommendations for curricular revision, perceived professional growth, and overall evaluation of the undergraduate program. The analyses examine variation among Early Childhood, Elementary, Secondary and Special Education majors with particular emphasis on comparing the most distinctive group, Secondary Education, with all other Teacher Education majors. One key aspect of the substantive findings in this research is the valuable feedback that graduates provided concerning challenges they encountered early in their professional careers and what recommendations they offered to better prepare future graduates to meet these challenges. (Contains 19 references.) (JB)

The OECD has become a notable predictor of the future needs of society and education. In youth education, the OECD spearheads global strategies, initiatives and recommendations about the curriculum and goals for education. By evoking the sense of 'crisis' in 'traditional education' the OECD functions as a central node of precision education governance, in which so-called best practices of precise, flexible and highly individualised and personalised youth education are disseminated throughout its member states. In the most recent OECD youth strategies and education policy initiatives, we show how the present youth education is governed through evoking various future(s) of youth education. By analysing these predictions and visions discursively, we argue that the future of youth education is approached from both utopian and dystopian predictions by the OECD, and this works as a premise for arranging present and future youth education in a highly targeted and individualised manner. We argue, that the future visions drawn up by the OECD are an example of precision education governance, where the future education is hyper-individualised, arranged by co-operation of public and private sector, and where the goals and contents of education follow global recommendations and 'best practices'.

The value of education is widely acknowledged. Evidence from literature indicates that some perceptions or rather misconceptions are expressed about distance education visà- vis traditional, residential education particularly in higher education institutions (HEIs). In this article, the author offers some reflections on traditional education and undertakes a review of distance education. Based on analysis of scholarly literature, the author highlights an important element that must steer any debate on education. This article underscores not only the benefits distance education offers but also the critical measures that must be pursued to reap the benefits. Arguments about distance-residential schooling have narrowly focused on mode of delivery. I argue that what must concern people in general and authorities of HEIs in particular is how to achieve quality education by equipping learners with relevant knowledge and skills to become functional citizens who contribute to the social and economic development of society. Suggestions offered included the need for certificates awarded by HEIs to have the same value and appearance despite the mode of education adopted. Designating some certificates as online or sandwich, for example, is misplaced. That graduates of online or distance education programs must assert themselves by demonstrating beyond doubt that they are not second-class students is also emphasized.

This document seeks to help deans and faculties of colleges and schools of education in the United States develop a global perspective for teacher education. The report explains the urgent need for a global approach to both the general and professional components of teacher education--teaching and learning methods as well as clinical and practical training. The first section, "Global Realities," describes a frame of reference for global education, suggesting that rapidly changing relationships between countries, institutions, and people have created new global realities. In the second section, "The Rationale for Global Education," the case for introducing global education into programs for preparing teachers is presented. This rests upon the certainty of change and the need to redress deficiencies. Recommendations on global education are cited from statements by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education and the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. The third section, "A Global Dimension for Teacher Education," describes the incorporation of a global perspective into teacher education from the standpoint of institutions, curricula, faculty, facilities, and resources. The final section presents suggested resources for help in developing a globally oriented program of teacher education. (JD)

Vocational education is formal education about work, and vocational programs of study typically target a narrow subset of middle-income occupations. In this chapter, we trace vocational education from competing 20th century education philosophies to its varied structures throughout the 21st century world. We then review the body of economic research on labor market returns to vocational education. Three themes from this rapidly expanding literature are that (1) workers with a vocational education tend to have a flatter age-employment profile than workers with an academic education, (2) individuals who seek and gain access to more secondary vocational education tend to have better attainment and early-career outcomes, whereas the effects of large-scale changes to tracking in secondary grades are more ambiguous; and (3) vocational postsecondary education is associated with improved labor market outcomes relative to no or incomplete postsecondary education, particularly for multi-year programs. We close by highlighting areas where more empirical research is needed, which include a deeper understanding of the long-term and inter-generational effects of vocational education on stability and growth in earnings, and the effects of vocational education in the developing world.