Showing papers in "Compare in 2003"
TL;DR: The authors examines the early experience of the school governing bodies established in South Africa following the 1996 South African Schools Act and relates the emergence of school governance to wider issues of democracy and participation and assesses the composition of governing bodies, notably the inclusion of learners.
Abstract: This article examines the early experience of the school governing bodies established in South Africa following the 1996 South African Schools Act It relates the emergence of school governance to wider issues of democracy and participation and assesses the composition of governing bodies, notably the inclusion of learners Governing bodies' powers include provision to set fees, subject to parental approval, and the paper examines how this requirement impacts on the resources available to different types of school, and the implications for equity and equality Governing bodies also determine their own admissions policies, and the paper explores how this provision has led to school populations differentiated by class and race The relationships between lay governors and school principals are examined to see if the Act's plan to separate governance and professional management has been achieved in practice The paper concludes that, despite the significant difficulties facing the educational system in South
166 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors distinguish between social capital and societal cohesion and argue that education acts in differential ways on each of them, and develop a "distributional model" which shows the relationship between equality of educational outcomes and various measures of social cohesion.
Abstract: Promoting social cohesion through education has re-emerged as an important policy objective in many countries during the past decade. But there is little clarity in policy discussions about what social cohesion means and how education may affect it. In this article we distinguish between social capital and societal cohesion and argue that education acts in differential ways on each. Using comparative, cross-country analysis, we develop a 'distributional model' which shows the relationship between equality of educational outcomes and various measures of social cohesion. In the final part of the article we discuss theories explaining the cross-country trends and variations in educational inequality and social inheritance in education, and argue that education system characteristics, such as degrees of 'comprehensiveness' in secondary schooling, may be an important factor in both. We conclude by arguing that policies to increase social cohesion through education must pay more attention to the reduction of ed...
118 citations
TL;DR: This article found that the main motivation for "participation" is extractive rather than a genuine attempt to encourage local ownership and accountability, signifying the entrenchment of individual responsibility for meeting social needs which was previously associated with advocacy for user fees during the Washington consensus era.
Abstract: Community participation has become increasingly formalised in international and national educational policy-making in recent years. The concept has, however, been interpreted in particular ways in the context of the post-Washington consensus, with implications for the success of its implementation. Drawing on research in Malawi, the article explores the extent to which publicly-stated policy commitments towards community participation are realised in practice. In particular, it finds that the main motivation for 'participation' is extractive rather than a genuine attempt to encourage local ownership and accountability. Furthermore, marketisation of com munity participation is evident, signifying the entrenchment of individual responsibility for meeting social needs which was previously associated with advocacy for user fees during the Washington consensus era.
115 citations
TL;DR: This article examined the role of the school, and of the peer group culture in particular, in constructing male and female identity among adolescents within the context of high levels of gender violence and found that abusive behaviour of boys towards girls (and also towards younger or more vulnerable boys) in school is in part the product of a peer culture which stresses male competition and sexual prowess as part of the process of learning to 'be a man'.
Abstract: This paper examines the role of the school, and of the peer group culture in particular, in constructing male and female identity among adolescents within the context of high levels of gender violence It draws on a DfID-funded study into the abuse of girls in schools in three African countries (Zimbabwe, Malawi and Ghana) This study documents incidents of male teachers and older male pupils aggressively propositioning female pupils for sex, 'sugar daddies' preying on schoolgirls in the vicinity of the school, and generally high levels of corporal punishment and bullying The abusive behaviour of boys towards girls (and also towards younger or more vulnerable boys) in school is in part the product of a peer culture which stresses male competition and sexual prowess as part of the process of learning to 'be a man' Alongside other studies (Wood & Jewkes, 1998; Leach & Machakanja, 2000; Human Rights Watch, 2001) it reveals a worrying sexual socialisation process in which male violence is accepted as the norm in adolescent relationships while obedience and tolerance continue to be expected of girls This can lead to aggressive male behaviour being normalised and perpetuated in adulthood Schools and education authorities are guilty of contributing to this socialisation as long as they fail to take vigorous measures to stamp out all forms of violent behaviour and to actively promote constructive adolescent relationships Lessons can be learnt from those few innovative programmes with adolescents which provide genuine examples of the promotion of equal gender relations, personal responsibility, respect for others and cooperation between individuals It is part of the school's mission not just to foster academic learning but to teach life skills which include supporting adolescents in developing constructive relationships
105 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors summarise, in a table, various stakeholder surveys and factor analyses which attempt to delineate 'generic'/'core'/'key' skills, and find that there is very substantial agreement, amongst stakeholders and across countries, that communication skills are the most frequently mentioned generic ability.
Abstract: The paper summarises, in a table, various stakeholder surveys and factor analyses which attempt to delineate 'generic'/'core'/'key' skills. There is very substantial agreement, amongst stakeholders and across countries, that communication skills are the most frequently mentioned generic ability. However, in respect of other skills, there seems to be more variation in skills requirements of employers across Europe than within the UK or within the USA. There is some evidence of similarities to the UK for Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Differences between countries in relative rankings of employers' skills requirements do not seem to relate consistently to organisational cultural features, and may have more to do with different uses of terminology and categorisation. The stakeholder surveys take transferability as unproblematic, but the philosophical discourses lead to no overall consensus about the transferability of skills. However, the philosophers ignore the empirical evidence.
98 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors stress the need for policies to take account of the diversity of circumstances, and stress that the communities' knowl edge bases and motives for engaging in educational work may be very different from the governments'.
Abstract: Recent years have brought increasing advocacy of community participation in education. This has been a particularly common theme in policy documents, not only of governments but also of international agencies. Among the main goals has been a desire to spread the burden of resourcing, though advocates also commonly have in mind the volume, relevance and impact of schooling. However, policies often fail to differentiate between different types of communities. Further, the communities' knowl edge bases and motives for engaging in educational work may be very different from the governments'. Thus, while in some situations communities and governments collaborate in harmony, other situations lead to dissonance. This paper notes experiences in a range of countries, and stresses the need for policies to take account of the diversity of circumstances.
63 citations
TL;DR: This paper examined the events pertinent to the language shift of English as a medium of instruction (EMI) to Chinese as a Medium of Instruction (CMI), with particular emphasis on controversial issues such as parental choice, antagonism of elite classes, and group politics in the face of the internationalisation of English under globalised developments of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT).
Abstract: After the resumption of sovereignty in 1997 mother tongue education in Hong Kong, though it began with the good intention of national reintegration, politically, socially, culturally and educationally, has escalated the tensions and contradictions of the politics of bilingualism in its implementation. The government policy of bi-literacy and trilingualism addresses, rather than resolves, the problems of hegemonic struggle among different social groups in the society, and between the indigenous elite class and national ruling elites at both the local and national level. A reproduction analysis is conducted to examine the events pertinent to the language shift of English as a medium of instruction (EMI) to Chinese as a medium of instruction (CMI), with particular emphasis on controversial issues such as parental choice, antagonism of elite classes, and group politics in the face of the internationalisation of English under globalised developments of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT). English...
58 citations
TL;DR: This article revisited Schultz's concept of human capital and pointed out the enduring unexplained variance of differences in lifetime earnings and the 'behavioural' factors, besides education, that may account for it.
Abstract: This paper revisits Schultz's concept of human capital. In both the South and the North the concept has been incorporated uncritically into policy discourses. The academic community has been less critical. Its theoretical, empirical and methodological critiques have generated at least two responses from the economists. The first is the extension and refinement of the conceptual and methodological frameworks of human capital. The second maintains the focus on the monetary returns and draws attention to the enduring unexplained variance of differences in lifetime earnings and the 'behavioural' factors, besides education, that may account for it. The basic proposition of human capital theory, that people invest in themselves through education, takes human motivation for granted. The author suggests that questions of motivation and learning are central to the concept of human capital. Not only is learning motivated, but learning can itself be motivating. A review of studies of the motives for learning in educ...
54 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a model for understanding the processes of empowerment and change, especially change facilitating gender equity, and identify both obstacles and facilitators that have shaped their lives and their paths to empowerment.
Abstract: Using two case studies, one of a woman in South Asia, the other, a Latin American woman now living in the USA, the paper identifies both obstacles and facilitators that have shaped their lives and their paths to empowerment. The authors present a model for understanding the processes of empowerment and change, especially change facilitating gender equity. This model recognises a dialectic process involving people's subjective perspectives and the ideologies, policies, structures and institutions in their public environments. It extends and problematises discussion of empowerment and change that can create more gender equity. Data for the two case studies were gathered through qualitative strategies, informed by critical feminist theory, as part of two broader research projects.
53 citations
TL;DR: Using Goodson and Hargreaves' propositions about the seven principles of post-modern teacher professionalism, the authors discuss the tensions between government professionalisation agendas for teaching and teacher education, on the one hand, and the creation of conditions in schools and faculties of education in which professionalism is diminished or even systematically undermined.
Abstract: The argument in this article derives from a comparative case study of two pre-service teacher education programmes in England and in Canada Using Goodson and Hargreaves' propositions about the seven principles of postmodern teacher professionalism, we discuss the tensions between government professionalisation agendas for teaching and teacher education, on the one hand, and on the other hand, the creation of conditions in schools and faculties of education in which professionalism is diminished or even systematically undermined We extend the analysis to consider the particular tensions teacher educators experience as they manage competing definitions of professionalism within university and school contexts
50 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a study of educational decentralisation in Malawi is presented, focusing on the process of education decentralization in the country, and a comparison of the two approaches is made.
Abstract: (2003). Educational Decentralisation in Malawi: A study of process. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education: Vol. 33, No. 2, pp. 139-154.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors describe some of the challenges that research and statistical systems are faced with in the education sector as a consequence of the decision taken by the economically advanced countries to adopt a lifelong learning framework and strategy in response to the move towards the new global economy.
Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to describe some of the challenges that research and statistical systems are faced with in the education sector as a consequence of the decision taken by the economically advanced countries to adopt a lifelong learning framework and strategy in response to the move towards the new global economy. Market failures currently stand in the way of realising lifelong learning for all. Implementing lifelong learning is widely seen as one element of a policy strategy aimed at facilitating the transition to the new economy, while easing some of the pressure this transition is expected to bring for individual citizens and communities. Lack of information of various kinds is the root cause of market failure. Governments therefore have an interest in improving the knowledge base of education, training and learning, so that better investment and training choices can be made. The assessment and validation of skills acquired outside of the school setting are elements of a strategy to improve ...
TL;DR: The authors compared the beginning teacher identity of primary teacher trainees in Trinidad and Tobago with the concept of the teacher that seems to underpin present reform initiatives, and found that the community focus and the school focus are likely to pose problems for beginning teachers who maintain a c...
Abstract: The pace of educational reform has been increasing significantly at the global level and teachers have significant roles to play in such reform movements. This paper compares the beginning teacher identity of primary teacher trainees in Trinidad and Tobago with the concept of the teacher that seems to underpin present reform initiatives. Beginning teacher identity, explored through the use of a questionnaire and interviews, is portrayed as images and metaphors. It seems to encapsulate the missionary ideology of teaching and the notion of child-centred pedagogy, with the classroom as the centre of interaction between pupil and teacher. The reforms, on the other hand, look to teachers to support, as well, the decentralisation effort that calls for collaboration with the community, and the promotion of continuous assessment practices that calls for collaboration across grade levels in the school. Both the community focus and the school focus are likely to pose problems for beginning teachers who maintain a c...
TL;DR: In this paper, a comparative study of extra-musical learning in the music classes of the schools of Hong Kong and Taiwan, where education is geared towards democracy and citizenship at a time of unstable national identity for both communities.
Abstract: This paper presents a comparative study of extra-musical learning in the music classes of the schools of Hong Kong and Taiwan, where education is geared towards democracy and citizenship at a time of unstable national identity for both communities. Taiwan has been undergoing a process of indigenisation since 1945, whilst Hong Kong's sovereignty was returned to the People's Republic of China after 1 July 1997. This paper argues that the transmission of extra-musical learning is essentially a response to the particular needs of these two Chinese historical-social contexts, which require their music curricula to be securely grounded in the ideology of a culturally based education for 'citizenship'. Despite different approaches to western-based musical knowledge in schools, Hong Kong and Taiwan attempt to promote a sense of national identity and an essentially Confucian set of moral values as a central goal of school music education. The promotion of ethno-cultural nationalism in Taiwan's music education is r...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated the relationship between knowledge production and primary education policy making in Bangladesh and investigated the form of discussions and dialogues that have taken place between policy makers and researchers and considered how these have shaped the nature of the evidence policy makers have used in different periods.
Abstract: This paper considers the relationship between knowledge production and primary education policy making in Bangladesh. It investigates the form of discussions and dialogues that have taken place between policy makers and researchers and considers how these have shaped the nature of the evidence policy makers have used in different periods. The paper also attempts to assess the implications of the shifting forms of relationship between policy and knowledge production for strategies to introduce universal primary education and improve its quality. The paper itself is an example of some of the themes it examines. It has emerged out of discussions taking place in the research committee of the Bangladesh Directorate of Primary Education (DPE) and Primary and Mass Education Division (PMED). (See Figure 1.) This committee, established as part of the DFID funded ESTEEM project [1], brings together officials from DPE and PMED with education researchers from Bangladesh's universities and consultants appointed by EST...
TL;DR: The authors discusses the implications for minority groups' participation in the wider society, and asks some more general questions about the broader implications for gender and ethnicity education policy in education in the Lao People's Democratic Republic.
Abstract: Citizenship education in a national curriculum such as that provided in the Lao People's Democratic Republic is contradictory and problematic. The issue for the majority of Lao people is that the subject virtually excludes the rights or practice of ethnic minority cultures or languages, and assumes an equality for males and females without recognising the prevailing unequal and inequitable situation for girls. This paper discusses the implications for girls and minority groups' participation in the wider society, and asks some more general questions about the broader implications for gender and ethnicity education policy in education.
TL;DR: The corrosion of public education in Mexico by institutional rigidities and decades of underfunding have placed the system in severe crisis The rich have opted out and the poor are dropping out as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: The corrosion of public education in Mexico by institutional rigidities and decades of underfunding have placed the system in severe crisis The rich have opted out and the poor are dropping out of
TL;DR: The authors examined whether the unique mix of traditional and modern institutions in the Gulf region structures educational opportunity and empirically tested these assumptions in comparative context for Iran and Kuwait using cross-national data, which rely on both descriptive analyses of resource availability and level of curricular influence in each country, as well as measures of students' expectations and attitudes towards schooling.
Abstract: This analysis examines whether the unique mix of traditional and modern institutions in the Gulf region structures educational opportunity. We begin with a theoretically comparative framework, which emphasizes the blending of cultural capital differentiation with the cross-national adoption of similar models of schooling. We then use historical and cultural data to contextualize our analyses through mini-case studies aligning Gulf State-Islamic ideology within Iran and Kuwait's educational systems, specifically. Using cross-national data, we empirically test these assumptions in comparative context for Iran and Kuwait. Initial results for the hypothesized relationships rely on both descriptive analyses of resource availability and level of curricular influence in each country, as well as measures of students' expectations and attitudes towards schooling. We then expand these initial cross-national comparisons with multilevel regression models that estimate the effects of educational opportunity indicators...
TL;DR: The authors examines Britain's colonial education policy in Cyprus in the late 1930s, and more specifically its efforts to establish a university on the island, and considers the British unpublished plan for a university in Cyprus is considered in the light of the particular social and political context of Cyprus and also in relation to Britain's broader colonial education policies.
Abstract: This article examines Britain's colonial education policy in Cyprus in the late 1930s, and more specifically, its efforts to establish a university on the island. The British unpublished plan for a university in Cyprus is considered in the light of the particular social and political context of Cyprus and also in relation to Britain's broader colonial education policy. Primary source material is used as the basis for investigation and analysis.
TL;DR: The BAICE 2002 Nottingham Conference on Human and Social Capital as discussed by the authors addressed lifelong long learning from human and social capital perspectives, and six papers included in this issue of Compare were all presented to the 2002 Nottingham conference.
Abstract: BAICE was delighted when colleagues at the University of Nottingham proposed that the 2002 BAICE conference address lifelong long learning from human and social capital perspectives. These are topically important constructs in social and educational analysis, and taken together they allow enquiry into all fields of learning at all stages of life, in ways that encourage focused examination of the social and economic dynamics of purposes, processes and effects. The six papers included in this issue of Compare were all presented to the 2002 Nottingham conference. John Morgan (its convenor) and his colleagues, Janet Hannah and Steven Drodge, selected the papers for Compare and undertook initial reviewing. In a welcome innovation, the Nottingham team has also produced a CD of the conference proceedings, which includes the text of all papers received by the end of 2002 [1]. About 150 people attended the conference, with 90 making presentations. Most positioned their work, more and less explicitly, in relation to selected aspects of the overall theme. Few attempted an overarching conceptualisation and perhaps, given the complexity of each of the issues and the links between them, this is inevitable. To present this conference issue of Compare, we introduce in the following paragraphs current thinking about human and social capital, and ways in which it is shaping lifelong learning debates.
TL;DR: This article examined how Chinese universities are responding to these phenomena, using South China Normal University as an example, and revealed how local circumstances offset and/or resist the global, and how difficult it can be to manage the global within the local in a new, changed context.
Abstract: Globalisation and internationalisation are both taken as salient features of our times in significant modern and post-modern social theories. Their impacts on the university are substantial. This study examines how Chinese universities are responding to these phenomena, using South China Normal University as an example. By presenting an analysis of China's internationalisation of higher education through an in-depth case study in an international context, the article captures some of the university's experience in its cultural complexity and social contexts. It sheds light on the general current state of internationalisation in the mainstream of China's higher education, and underscores the idea that changes attributed to globalisation are modified and fashioned by the particular circumstances and choices of local institutions. The study reveals how local circumstances offset and/or resist the global, and how difficult it can be to manage the global within the local in a new, changed context.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that in the 1960s-1970s, two international organizations, namely OECD and the World Bank, influenced educational policy in Greece: higher technical education was expected to contribute to economic development and modernisation This process took place within the framework of the'semi-peripherality' of Greece during that period: the so-called 'internationalisation' process, which included foreign investment and technological transfer.
Abstract: This article argues that in the 1960s-1970s, two international organisations, namely OECD and the World Bank, influenced educational policy in Greece: higher technical education was expected to contribute to economic development and modernisation This process took place within the framework of the 'semi-peripherality' of Greece during that period: the so-called 'internationalisation' process, which included foreign investment and technological transfer By the end of the 1970s, there was a dramatic expansion of the education system Nevertheless, particular emphasis was attached to higher technical education to promote economic development and modernisation, in view of Greece's accession to the European Economic Community (EEC) In the 1980s-1990s, the major actor influencing higher technological education policy in Greece was the EEC Within the context of an expansion of the higher education system, higher technological education was upgraded also to promote modernisation and a 'self-reliant' economic
TL;DR: The authors argue that a reconceptualisation of the education of adults, informed by an understanding of adults' everyday and work practices, may help us understand the ways in which education can contribute to these goals.
Abstract: In this paper we discuss issues in conceptualising the education of poor and marginalised adults in Latin America. Our starting point is the World Education Forum 'Dakar Framework for Action' affirmation that education is the key to sustainable development, peace and stability. We argue that a reconceptualisation of the education of adults, informed by an understandingof adults' everyday and work practices, may help us understand the ways in which education can contribute to these goals. Such an analysis requires both a socio-cognitive and a political dimension in order to take account of the cognitive abilities and agency as citizens of those whom Frantz Fanon memorably called 'the wretched of the earth'.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the impact of structural adjustment policies on young women's educational opportunities and reproductive health in the Kilimanjaro Region of Tanzania and found that despite recent improvements in Tanzania's macroeconomic performance, there is a widespread sense of economic decline at the local level that compounds the conditions of sexual risk among young women who want to pursue post-secondary schooling.
Abstract: This article examines the impact of structural adjustment policies on young women's educational opportunities and reproductive health in the Kilimanjaro Region of Tanzania. Despite recent improvements in Tanzania's macroeconomic performance, there is a widespread sense of economic decline at the local level that compounds the conditions of sexual risk among young women who want to pursue post-secondary schooling. The article begins with a discussion of the economic, education and reproductive health conditions in mainland Tanzania in general, and in Kilimanjaro in particular. It then describes the questionnaire and essay task used in the study, and the major findings from the analysis of the quantitative and qualitative data. The remainder of the article discusses the significance of this study in the light of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the current debt relief programs in the country.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors discuss possible ways to promote a multicultural child education and literacy learning, focusing on identity building and language development, and critically analyze the Brazilian government's recently issued "National Curricular References for Child Education".
Abstract: The present paper discusses possible ways to promote a multicultural child education and literacy learning, focusing on identity building and language development. In the light of that framework, it critically analyses the Brazilian government's recently issued 'National Curricular References for Child Education'. It argues that the predominance of a monocultural, cognitive-based approach to child education and literacy learning, evidenced in the document, should be detrimental to children whose cultural and linguistic patterns are discontinuous with the school ones. It also highlights potentials of the multicultural thinking in reducing literacy learning discrepancies and promoting educational equity.
TL;DR: Widespread worker displacement is an increasing phenomenon in industrialized countries as discussed by the authors, whether the result of globalization, increased technology or resource depletion, large numbers of people are being forced out of their jobs.
Abstract: Widespread worker displacement is an increasing phenomenon in industrialized countries. Whether the result of globalization, increased technology or resource depletion, large numbers of people are ...
TL;DR: The authors explored the oral youth culture of adolescent males in rural Jamaica at the pivotal point of their educational careers in the school term preceding their Grade Six Achievement Tests, which will determine their placement, if any, in secondary education.
Abstract: This paper examines the theme of oral cultures in a world of literacy, assessment and certification. In particular, the paper explores the oral youth culture of adolescent males in rural Jamaica at the pivotal point of their educational careers in the school term preceding their Grade Six Achievement Tests, which will determine their placement, if any, in secondary education. Using an Interactional Sociolinguistical approach (Rampton, 2001), including participant observation, close transcript analysis and a cyclical analysis dialogue with teachers and students, the paper documents boys' sense-making strategies , which in important ways by-pass scripted literacy as an effective means of learning, and, instead, concentrate on oral and visual media literacy (Cooper, 1993; Stolzhoff, 2000). The paper draws on theoretical constructs of Bakhtin (1981) to explore the consequences of discourse differences for the educational under-participation or underachievement of the youths who contributed to this study.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors look at issues surrounding the definition, choice and implemen tation of the planned content of health education for primary schools, focusing on two countries in Africa and on one Indian state.
Abstract: The study looks at issues surrounding the definition, choice and implemen tation of the planned content of health education for primary schools, focusing on two countries in Africa and on one Indian state It argues that health education is a vital component to achieving quality because it links home with school; 'needs now' with 'needs later' Yet it is proves exceptionally difficult to plan and deliver such content effectively because curriculum planning bodies are geared to work with separate subjects rather than across the curriculum, with classroom content rather than wider learning experiences in and from school, and with textbooks and examinations rather than the physical and human environment of the school community There is confusion as to the definition and purpose of health education, omission and overlap in planned learning opportunities and a wide gap between what is planned centrally and what is actually delivered in school There is considerable awareness of the need to rethink approaches
TL;DR: In this paper, the outcomes of two small-scale sets of interviews carried out in the Netherlands and in England on views about and interpretations of the work-based route for young people are provided.
Abstract: The paper provides the outcomes of two small-scale sets of interviews carried out in the Netherlands and in England on views about and interpretations of the work-based route for young people In the light of current revival of interest in work-based learning for young people, and in particular the apprenticeship model in England, I was particularly interested in the issue of parity of esteem between the work-based route and other routes Whereas in the Netherlands the focus for the development of Vocational Education and Training (VET) is on the full-time vocational route, which has a reasonably high status, England has opted for the apprenticeship route to be the development tool for high quality VET The paper explores what we can learn about our own experiences in England in the light of what is happening elsewhere (Raffe, 1998; Raffe et al , 1999) It becomes clear from the data obtained that policy development in the Netherlands aims to increase the status of work-based learning through incorporati