Showing papers in "Compare in 2001"

Classroom Interaction in Kenyan Primary Schools.

Abstract: This article reports on a study of classroom interaction in Kenyan primary schools carried out as part of a national baseline study for the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development in 1998. The baseline was designed to provide a comprehensive picture of the quality of primary education so as to allow the Kenyan Government to prioritise expenditure on resources to improve education in the republic and to assess the impact of any interventions. Video recordings of 102 lessons in English, mathematics and science were analysed using systematic observation, discourse analysis and a time-line analysis. The findings revealed the domination of transmissional forms of teaching, thereby providing little opportunity for pupils to question or explore ideas to help regulate their own thinking. The wider implications of the findings for improving the quality of classroom interaction in Kenyan primary schools are considered together with the training needs of teachers.

What Poverty Does to Girls' Education: The intersection of class, gender and policy in Latin America

Abstract: This paper discusses poverty and its implications for education in Latin America. It focuses on gender as a social construct that differentiates the impact of poverty. Through analysis of the interaction of gender, class and public policy, the paper examines aspects of national and global policy processes and educational disparities in society. It integrates micro-level descriptions of schooling with accounts of national government measures and wider social influences in relation to the education of girls.

Sources of Job Satisfaction in Science Secondary School Teachers in Chile

Abstract: The paper aims to augment the limited literature on teacher job satisfaction in developing countries, specifically in Chile The nature of job satisfaction in Chilean secondary science teachers is investigated and causes of satisfaction and dissatisfaction identified Teachers mentioned most often their satisfaction with interactions with students, relationships held within the school and opportunities to contribute to the development of society, future generations or the individual Sources of dissatisfaction are poor salary, excessive workload, student characteristics, resources and infrastructure Associations between teachers' characteristics (age, gender, experience), the type of school administration and job satisfaction are also made and suggestions on how to address the issues of teacher satisfaction and dissatisfaction are discussed

Perspectives on Educational Language Policy and its Implementation in African Classrooms: A comparative study of Botswana and Tanzania

Abstract: In these two African societies the role played in education by English, the ex-colonial language, is challenged by a national lingua franca: Setswana in the case of Botswana, and Kiswahili in the case of Tanzania. In examining debate over educational language policy in the two countries, I take into account political and economic differences, but I also identify parallels in the hierarchical evaluation of languages. In relation to the likely future direction of policy change, and in considering particularly the viability of English as a teaching medium, I argue that descriptions of classroom practice are necessary to inform effective educational language planning and I draw attention to two interactional patterns which are salient in classrooms in both Botswana and Tanzania, namely the use of bilingual codeswitching and reliance on teacher-centred recitation routines. My discussion links these patterns to the communicative needs of teachers and learners, in classrooms where English is a foreign language f...

Site Selection within Comparative Case Study and Ethnographic Research

Abstract: In reading numerous comparative accounts that use case studies or ethnographies of schools and classrooms, it is evident that insufficient concern is often given to the choice of research sites. Far too often it seems that researchers settle for research sites to which they can easily gain convenient and ready access rather than thinking through the implications of particular choices. The result is that there are too many comparative case studies where the choice of both the countries involved and the more micro-sites and case studies do not appear to be closely related to any theoretical objectives of the study. It is recognised that when selecting sites, researchers have to consider the time, financial and personal costs involved in conducting fieldwork in what might be distant and inconvenient locations. Additionally, and obviously, ethnographic and case study research can only proceed where access has been achieved, and this is not always straightforward. But, however difficult access may be, it is cr...

Gender, Education and Women's Power: Indian state and civil society intersections in DPEP (District Primary Education Programme) and Mahila Samakhya

Abstract: This paper examines different understandings of gender equity and women's empowerment in two linked organisations, working in India to expand access and improve quality in primary education. Drawin...

Teacher and Student Attitudes to Affective Education: A European collaborative research project

Abstract: This article reports on the outcomes of a comparative research project examining teacher and student attitudes to affective education across Europe. Affective education is defined as the aspect of the educational process that is concerned with the feelings, values, beliefs, attitudes and emotional well-being of learners. The article begins with a consideration of some of the conceptual issues in affective education and its diversity across Europe as a basis for stressing the relevance of cross-cultural comparisons. It then offers a general picture of the findings of the present research project, draws a number of tentative conclusions from this and ends with a reference to issues requiring further research in comparative work on affective education.

Poverty power and partnerships in educational development: a post-victimology perspective

Abstract: An end-of-century critique of the political and economic assumptions underlying five decades of international development assistance conceives it as a system of structural violence that prevented the people of Africa from realising post-colonial self-reliance. New impoverishment through neo-liberal democratisation and the conditionalities attached to structural adjustment, is reducing the quality of life through cuts in hard won economic, social and educational opportunity and their liberatory potential. Moving beyond schooling for sub-ordinate roles in the new society is the current conceptualisation of humans as depoliticised resources interfacing the machines of capitalist enterprise. This links to aid inspired capacity-building initiatives, which undermine the abilities of organisations and states to sustain essential routines and initiate indigenous innovation. At the same time, the victims of colonial and neo-colonial oppression, particularly women and peasants, as victims of other people's progess ...

Development as Discourse: What Relevance to Education?.

Abstract: Regarding 'development' as a constructed and contested concept can enable us working in international education to re-examine our assumptions and approaches as 'developers'. Given its theoretical origins in post-modern, post-colonial and feminist thought, the concept of development as discourse implies more than simply 'development speak' and can provide a way into analysing relationships around knowledge and power. Stressing that there are many overlapping discourses, rather than just one Development Discourse, I explore in this paper the insights gained, methods used and constraints faced when using this approach during fieldwork in Nepal. Practical situations like literacy classes or meetings, and texts such as funding proposals or students' writing, illustrate how analysis of development discourses can bring out new dimensions relevant to training and planning. Moving from this micro-level to a wider context, I argue that the ideological dimension of educational planning and policy needs to be recogni...

Integrated Education and Black Development in Post-apartheid South Africa: Critical analyses

Abstract: With the integration of the education system in liberated South Africa, social development expectations should be justifiably high, especially for the country's long-oppressed black majority The concretisation of these expectations is being, or will be, determined by a myriad of converging and diverging possibilities and difficulties This article focuses on the problems of education and development in post-apartheid South Africa, with a sustained emphasis on the importance of looking beyond the current political triumph The new areas of constant and consistent focus must become, the author proposes, the disturbingly uneven terrains of educational attainment and long-term socio-economic development By stressing the urgency of these cases, the article highlights actual possibilities as well as the magnitude of hindering factors in educational development that are still affecting millions of lives in the new South Africa The article ends with a call for the pragmatic reconstitution of South Africa's dev

Teacher Beliefs about Adolescent Development: Cultural and organizational impacts on Japanese and US middle school teachers' beliefs

Abstract: Teacher beliefs can greatly influence the school experiences of young adolescents. In this study, the authors analyze a bi-national survey about teacher beliefs surrounding puberty, adolescence and academic items. The authors find significant differences between Japanese and US teachers of young adolescents with regard to the onset and duration of puberty, adolescence and rebellious attitudes. Items concerning teachers' impact on students reflect a pattern that shows both cultural differences and cross-national trends. The authors discuss the survey results in light of previous qualitative studies of Japanese education, and suggest directions for future research.

Dynamic Forces in Educational Development: A long-run comparative view of France and Germany in the 19th and 20th centuries

Abstract: Since World War II, much of the economic growth literature has focused on the contribution of human capital to national development. Two assumptions have remained largely unexamined: (i) economic stability results from economic growth, and (ii) investments in human capital result in economic growth ( ceteris paribus ). This paper questions this education-stability link by examining longitudinal data from France and Germany across 170 years. Results indicate that human capital investment prior to 1945 was a response to economic growth. It is only since 1945 that human capital investments appear to drive economic growth. A shift since 1973 leads to doubts as to whether the post-war human capital-driven growth is being sustained. The results raise the question of whether human capital investment might not be as much a consequence as it is a cause of economic stability in the course of time.

Creating a Vision for Teacher Education between East and West: The case of the Hong Kong Institute of Education

Abstract: This paper might be described as a case study, depicting the process of vision development for a new institution of teacher education, established in a time of political transition for Hong Kong. The focus is on issues of cultural identity, and the first part of the article lays out a framework for civilizational dialogue in the post Cold War period. Next the context of educational development is analysed, including the emergence of this new institution, and the demands placed upon it to support a range of educational reforms after Hong Kong's return to China in 1997. The third part of the paper describes the process of developing a vision statement, and the ideas that informed it. The fourth part provides a careful look at four of the nine guiding values chosen for the Institute, showing the particular shape they give to the development of the vision, and the ways in which they are linked to the dialogue of civilizations.

Rethinking Poverty and Education: An Attempt by an Education Programme in Malawi To Have an Impact on Poverty.

Abstract: The Malawi Primary Community Schools Programme was conceived within the context of a new democracy, a changing policy environment and some of the worst social indicators in the world. It was developed through a consultative process on the tide of the introduction of free primary education. While the programme was part of a long-term social sector development programme which aimed to bring social and economic benefits to the population at large, the Community Schools Programme developed its own strategies designed to have an impact on poverty for a limited number of people in the short term. These are analysed in terms of impact on the poor and influence on other pro-poor policies and strategies. The authors conclude that it is possible for a programme in one sector to benefit the poor and to influence other programmes to be more pro-poor, but that this would be more effective as part of a broader multi-sector strategy. They also conclude that the reported impact was achieved through integration between th...

Regional Identity, Language and Education Policy in Switzerland.

Abstract: This article argues that identity and language issues exert a powerful influence on the politics and policies of education in Switzerland. Regional and local linguistic and cultural differences affect the education policies of the Swiss federal government, the 26 Swiss cantons, and the more than 3000 Swiss communities. Switzerland's highly decentralized political system and its mechanisms of direct democratic citizens' participation force educational policy-makers at the national, regional, and local level to take into account not only their own locality's culture and language, but also that of their neighboring towns, cantons, and regions. The article uses the example of the introduction of second language instruction as a case study to illustrate why and how education policy at all levels of the polity reflects Switzerland's cultural and linguistic diversity and the strong local and regional identities of the Swiss citizenry.

The Contribution of Vocational Education and Training to the Integration of Refugee Returnees in Vietnam

Abstract: The paper reviews major developments in Vietnam over the past decades as it moves from a socialist to a market economy, focusing on the changing labour market situation, the present TVET system and its role in helping returned exiles find employment opportunities. It finds that, despite tremendous effort, only limited success was achieved and that the organisation and operation of the technical and vocational education system contributed only nominally to the reintegration of returnees into the labour market. The 1998 data for the research were drawn primarily from the findings of a survey of exiles repatriated in the 1990s. It was conducted by the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) of Vietnam and by the European Community International Program for the Reintegration of Vietnamese Returnees (ECIP).

Comparing School Systems to Explain Enduring Birth Date Effects

Abstract: Birth date effects refer to an association between children's academic performance and their age within the school year. Early differences show disadvantage for the youngest in the year group. Birth date effects of the same kind which show up at the senior levels of school have been reported in the UK. The phenomenon has been attributed to biology or individual psychology. Neither can explain why in some countries the youngest continue to be disadvantaged but in other countries they perform best. Population estimates from the IEA Third International Mathematics and Science Study and a comparison of school entry and selective promotion in the UK and New Zealand suggest that the explanation lies in the characteristics of the samples from which average scores are obtained and the extent to which they represent a full range of ability.

Re-tracing the Path to Third Order Knowledge: How did we get here and can we move on?

Abstract: The paper argues that policy-oriented educational research, specifically large-scale quantitative research, has produced a new kind of knowledge, which is herein termed third order knowledge. This expect knowledge distinquishes itself from tacit knowledge, everyday knowledge and social science knowledge through its purposes and sources. Third order knowledge is defined as knowledge of and for experts that has as its purpose the legislation and regulation of everyday lives. It is proposed that the power and influence vested in the production and use of expert knowledgee motivates a critical analysis. This analysis is contextualized in an historical study of representations of knowledge, using a philosophical framework and social theory.

Poverty, Youth, and Training: A Study on Four Countries in Latin America.

Abstract: There are many challenges confronted by young people from the poorest sectors of Latin America as they struggle to achieve social integration. Since education and employment are fundamental mechanisms that enable people to navigate their lives, opportunities for poor youth in both fields are crucial. The paper suggests that in a context that stresses knowledge as the key instrument for labour market entry, poor youth miss the chance to acquire the necessary skills through formal education. Questions arise as to how far training systems compensate for these limitations and how well their courses are connected with the labour market. They lead to considerations of the institutional arrangements that will facilitate the best possible training for this target population. The research was developed in two stages in four countries, Chile, Colombia, Peru and Argentina. The analysis begins with a quantitative description of the target population of youth in several chosen areas of Latin America, based on househol...

Raymond Ryba: A tribute

Abstract: This Conference of BAICE at the University of Birmingham in September 2000 is the Ž rst Annual Conference of the Society since the death of our former Chair, President, and Honorary Fellow Raymond Ryba on 3 May 1999. Our conferences are now biennial, and although a brief tribute has already been published in Compare, it is now—after a period of re ection on the loss of a remarkable man and a good friend to us all—time to consider more fully the contribution to the wider Ž eld of education as a whole made by Raymond, for it extends far beyond the Ž eld of comparative education. Raymond graduated from University College, London in 1952 with a degree in Geography and Economics, and went straight on to train as a teacher at the University of London Institute of Education. It was during that PGCE year that he met his wife to be, Anne-Marie, and they married in 1955. From the outset Raymond was Ž rst and foremost a dedicated teacher, believing in the value of education per se and of the profession. He held to these principles throughout his career. Raymond duly became Head of Geography and Economics at several London Grammar Schools, during which period of about 10 years he began to develop an interest in the study of education as a Ž eld of enquiry in itself. He followed the programme of the Diploma in the Advanced Study of Education, again at the Institute of Education. This was when Raymond’s interest in comparative education began to emerge, in association with the encouragement of two of his tutors in particular, Brian Holmes and Edmund King. That experience prompted Raymond’s interest in a university career, and in 1966 he was appointed Lecturer in Education, with special responsibility for Geography and Economics at the University of Manchester, which institution he served with distinction right up to the time of his death.. The privilege of service in this sense informed his dedication to the profession, and especially to his students. As he characteristically accumulated commitments at Manchester, Raymond decided to give up his responsibility for Geography and concentrate his energies on Economics and Comparative Education. Those of us in the latter Ž eld may know little of his immense contribution to the former, and so it is important to go into some detail here. Raymond became a member of the Economics Association and was soon elected to its Committee. Then he became the editor of its journal, and was its Chair from 1980–1983. He obtained funding for the Association for a number of projects, including the hugely successful Economics Education 14–16 Project, which ran from 1982 to 1987, and of which he was the Director. Raymond was also the driving force behind a succession of ‘economics and industrial awareness’ and ‘economics literacy’ programmes during the 1980s in Britain and in Europe. Closely connected with this work was a strong commitment to Consumer Education in England, Europe and the USA. In 1986, Raymond gave evidence to the House of Lords Select Committee on the European