Showing papers in "Compare in 2006"

Private supplementary tutoring: comparative perspectives on patterns and implications

Abstract: Private supplementary tutoring has long been a major phenomenon in parts of East Asia, including Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan. In recent times it has grown dramatically in other parts of Asia and in Africa, Europe and North America. The factors underlying the growth of private tutoring vary, but in all settings it has major implications for learning and livelihood. Families with the necessary resources are able to secure not only greater quantities but also better qualities of private tutoring. Children receiving such tutoring are then able to perform better in school, and in the long run to improve their lifetime earnings. By contrast, children of low‐income families who do not receive such benefits may not be able to keep up with their peers and may drop out of school at an earlier age. Tutoring also of course has a direct impact on the livelihoods of the tutors, providing employment and incomes for a range of professionals and amateurs of different age groups. The dynamics of inter‐relation...

‘De facto’ privatisation of education and the poor: implications of a study from sub‐Saharan Africa and India

Abstract: Three types of privatisation are identified—involving demand‐side financing, reforms to the educational supply‐side and de facto privatisation, where responsibilities are transferred to the private sector, through the rapid growth of private schools, rather than through reform or legislation Although de facto privatisation may arise because of parental dissatisfaction with state education, it is perceived as undesirable in the literature Findings from a recent study on private schools in Ghana, Nigeria and India are outlined to explore this issue The results show a majority of enrolment is in private schools in poor urban and peri‐urban areas, and a significant minority in rural areas Regarding teacher activity, private schools appear superior to government schools, while private school children outperform government children on maths and English, even though expenditure on teacher salaries is much lower in private than government schools In the context of this evidence, three major objections to the

Sources of teacher job satisfaction and dissatisfaction in Cyprus

Abstract: This paper aims to contribute to the limited literature on teacher job satisfaction in developing countries, especially in Cyprus Drawing on interviews with 52 teachers and administrators in 17 schools, the paper describes the sources of job satisfaction and dissatisfaction of Cypriot teachers and the impact on how teachers feel Teachers emphasised their satisfaction with interactions with students, relationships held with colleagues and opportunities to contribute to the growth of individuals and the development of society Sources of dissatisfaction were social problems and their impact on teachers' work, students' lack of interest and bad behaviour, the centralised educational system and the lack of professional autonomy in schools, and teacher evaluation and promotion prospects Some of the factors are predictable but others are less so, having to do with the particular historical and social context in Cyprus The context of a developing country is especially considered in an effort to explore how e

The Nordic model of Lifelong Learning

Abstract: This article explores how the so called Nordic welfare state, with its specific institutional make up, handles Lifelong Learning in a time characterised by the challenges of economic globalisation and the hegemonic impact of the neo‐liberal agenda. The analysis reveals a high participation in the Nordic countries in Lifelong Learning and, in comparison to other countries, low inequalities. This can be directly linked to a state that sets a very demanding equity standard and has developed an institutional framework to support this ambition. This model explicitly recognises market failures in contributing to a system of Lifelong Learning for all. The findings support the growing awareness in the literature that those forecasting the end of the welfare state had misunderstood and/or undervalued the important impact of the specific institutions that constitute the welfare state itself.

Multi/Intercultural Education in Australia and the Netherlands.

Abstract: In this article, the authors tease out the constructions of multi/intercultural education in Australia and the Netherlands through a comparative study of the two contexts including the population, scope of diversity, policies of multiculturalism and the policy and practice of multi/intercultural education. The comparison highlights commonalities and context‐bound differences. The article then discusses some dilemmas in the practice of multi/intercultural education based on findings from the authors' recent empirical research in both countries using a critical multiculturalism framework. The dilemmas discussed include the interwoven dimensions of culturalism and individualism and the tendency towards social agnosticism among teachers and teacher education students.

International concepts and agendas of Lifelong Learning

Abstract: International organisations were the main proponents of Lifelong Learning when the concept was first developed in the early 1970s. Although different organisations used different labels—Lifelong Learning, recurrent education, education permanente—they all emphasised that learning is a lifelong process and that all education should be organised around that principle. In the 1990s the idea re‐emerged, again conceptualised and propagated by international organisations, this time however with a strong human capital rationale. Unlike the first generation notion this new concept was espoused both by governments of the Western industrialised countries and industry. The author critically discusses the role of international organisations in the conceptualisation and implementation of Lifelong Learning. He argues that international organisations do not operate on their own but that their debates and agendas are influenced by national governments who use them for pushing and legitimatising their own political agendas.

Gender, education and the possibility of transformative knowledge

Abstract: Global policies today encourage greater access by women to formal schooling but leave aside issues of content and school practices essential to the modification of the social relations of gender. This article assumes a holistic approach and compares the promise of education with its actual contribution to transformative knowledge. It examines why education is upheld as such a promising mechanism, despite the numerous obstacles it faces given contemporary developments, particularly the increasing pressures of globalisation that move steadily weakened nation‐states away from interventions to foster social justice. Lack of consensus within the women's and feminist movements, limited efforts to change teacher training programmes and scant attention to the work of women‐led non‐governmental organisations (NGOs) in the provision of alternative education are identified as key elements in need of attention if transformative knowledge is to be secured.

Models of Lifelong Learning and the Knowledge Society

Abstract: Many of the current policy debates in Europe focus on what kind of ‘knowledge economy’ or ‘knowledge society’ would be best in the future if it is to combine both economic competitiveness and social cohesion. Should European economies move increasingly towards the so‐called Anglo‐Saxon model of flexible labour markets and high employment rates—with the increasing income inequalities that attend them—or would some new form of the European Social Model be more appropriate for Europe's traditional concerns with matching economic competitiveness with social cohesion? This article explores the different models of the ‘knowledge economy/society’ which can be identified in the European Union and how different models of Lifelong Learning support these. The analysis is confined to western European member states, and some of their major OECD competitor states, since it is too early yet to identify knowledge economies in the transformation states of central and Eastern Europe. Whereas traditional political economy a...

Private Provision of Elementary Education in India: Findings of a Survey in Eight States.

Abstract: Private sector growth in education is the new neo‐liberal mantra. Based on data generated by a representative sample survey in eight states, six of which account for two‐thirds of the children out of school in India, this paper examines the private sector in elementary education in India, and compares its characteristics with government schools. It argues that the majority of private schools at the lower end of a segmented private sector do not contribute to gender and social equity. Despite their better physical facilities their teachers are poorly paid and trained; and although their outcome and process indicators are better than for government schools, they remain unregulated and offer a poor alternative to low quality government schools.

Private schooling and mental models about girls' schooling in India

Abstract: This paper presents disadvantaged households’ ‘mental models’ about low-fee private (LFP) schooling for their daughters in a study in Lucknow District, Uttar Pradesh It argues that assumptions in the dominant discourse on girls’ schooling in India obscure the complex negotiations and trade-offs disadvantaged families make when considering schooling choices for their daughters Furthermore, they obscure a focus on change resulting from and intertwined with changing socio-economic structures and institutional contexts for schooling over time The changing institutional context for education through increased LFP provision is the focus for analysis Data show that participants were not selective in choosing the LFP sector by gender, and thought of it as representing the best chance for their daughters’ livelihoods

Models and meanings of Lifelong Learning: progress and barriers on the road to a Learning Society

Abstract: Lifelong Learning has risen prominently in recent years to the top of policy agendas in many countries. An international academic literature has focused on many aspects of educational systems of Li...

Private schools as battlefields: contested visions of learning and livelihood in Nepal

Abstract: Current policy and programme considerations of the role of the private sector in the promotion of schooling reform and the achievement of Education For All encompass a somewhat narrow arena of debate. Discussion of the relative merits of private / state schools remain based on measurable, yet partial, markers of efficiency and effectiveness. Further, while the rhetoric of partnership increasingly infuses discussion of private sector—state relations, this may mask more than it illuminates. Critical questions around the potential disjuncture between profit‐orientation and social concerns are broadly sidelined. Drawing on insights from Nepal, where private schools have become key sites of struggle in the conflict between Maoist insurgents and the state, this paper argues for a more critical and politically engaged approach to understanding the contribution of private schooling to learning and livelihoods.

Teachers Talking: The Role Of Collaboration in Secondary Schools in Bangladesh.

Abstract: Teacher collaboration and support given from one teacher to another, focused on improving teaching and learning in the classroom, are notable by their absence in secondary schools in Bangladesh. This article identifies a number of constraints to developing a collaborative culture including the difficulty of the curriculum, the perceived low ability of many students, the teachers' own educational background and contextual factors which influence teachers' motivation. It suggests that informal collaboration for mutual support has the potential to increase teacher motivation but that this will only be achieved through building more collaborative ways of working through formal programmes grounded in classroom observation. It questions the validity for Bangladesh teachers of the model of teacher development programmes focused on teacher collaboration which emphasise teaching the ‘perfect’ lesson and suggests that without attention to student learning such programmes are unlikely to lead to increased collaborat...

Chinese primary school mathematics teachers working in a centralised curriculum system: a case study of two primary schools in North‐East China

Abstract: Mainland China has a highly centralised curriculum development system. A study of two schools in northeast China, one in a rural area and the other in an urban area, indicates that the primary mathematics curriculum has been widely adopted by teachers at the classroom level. Feeling the intense pressure generated by the national mathematics Olympiad,1 teachers in the urban school tended to give more difficult mathematics problems to their students in the hope that above‐average students would perform well in the competition. In the rural school, the ability of students was more varied and generally lower. Teachers there worked very hard to push their students to meet the national requirements. The driving force behind this was the county‐wide public examination in which students' performance was taken as an indicator of teachers' competence. Teachers in both schools also have not taken effective steps to adapt the curriculum for students' individual differences. A comparison of the practices between the t...

A knowledge economy and a learning society: a comparative analysis of New Zealand and Australian experiences

Abstract: This paper examines discourses and developments of the knowledge economy and learning society in Australia and New Zealand. It outlines the international context of the rise of the knowledge‐based economy and sets the New Zealand and Australian debates against this backdrop. A current heightened emphasis on education and learning in both countries is closely aligned with the key imperatives of economic development and competitiveness. Older models of the learning society based more on cultural and humanistic aspirations remain evident and competitive with economic models. Prospects for further innovative development in education and learning across the life course, and across a broader population in democratic societies are considered. The paper concludes that notwithstanding the current influence of singularly economic discourses shaping conceptions of the learning economy and society there is no definitive or triumphant model of the learning society prevailing in Australia and New Zealand.

Civic service through schools: an international perspective

Abstract: Civic service, which refers to activities that seek to improve the local, national or international community either through community service or service learning, is widespread in secondary schools around the world. Despite this pervasive presence, there are few studies that approach the subject from a cross‐comparison perspective. This article addresses this gap by providing a comprehensive review of the international literature on civic service in terms of history, theory, research and practice. In terms of history and theory, the article brings together the work of several key proponents of civic service who, despite working in different countries and continents, placed civic service high in their educational agenda. In terms of research, it presents the most up‐to‐date research on the potential benefits and pitfalls of civic service. In terms of practice, it lists various limitations related to its implementation and presents possibilities for overcoming these. This section stresses the importance of...

An examination of the vocational education and training reform debate in Southern Africa

Abstract: This paper explores the role that vocational education and training (VET) can play in Southern African responses to major socio‐economic challenges. It argues that this role will be most pronounced if it is articulated within a broader educational and economic vision that is shared by a range of stakeholders in society and supported by an adequate funding base, effective information systems and qualified and motivated planners and implementers. However, it cautions that it is also important to remember that VET reform will not in itself transform economies or societies. The paper argues that there is considerable convergence within Southern Africa around 10 themes of VET reform. It argues that there is much that is of merit in the current broad package for VET transformation but that it is essential that it is carefully critiqued and that elements are adapted to national circumstances and visions.

Social exclusion and adult engagement in Lifelong Learning—some comparative implications for European states based on Ireland's Celtic Tiger experience

Abstract: This paper provides an overview of some of the reasons for the extraordinary growth in what was traditionally seen as a peripheral economy on the Celtic fringe of North West Europe. Learning, innovation and social capital offer important clues behind the story of the Celtic Tiger. However, there is a downside to this story: Ireland continues to rank as one of the most unequal out of a group of 18 industrialised countries. Given the global emphasis on knowledge as central to the enhancement of opportunities at the individual and societal level, we focus on one crucially important equity dimension—that of opportunities for participation by the majority of the population, namely adults, in education and training. The question we pose is: to what extent does Ireland offer a model of a knowledge society for all, as opposed to a knowledge economy for some? We highlight a number of implications and questions which we regard as important for Lifelong Learning in Ireland and other members of the ‘new’ Europe seeki...

Sensitive educational research in small states and territories: the case of Macau

Abstract: This paper explores the sensitivities of conducting educational research in small states and territories, where the very act of conducting research, aside from its purposes or focuses, is itself a sensitive matter. The paper takes a ‘critical case study’ of Macau and examines cultural, educational, political, micro‐political, interpersonal and practical issues, overlaid by characteristics of Chinese culture, that must be factored into the planning and conduct of research in the territory. It suggests that compromises and trade‐offs have to be made in educational research in small states and territories, and argues that researchers must anticipate a range of problems in advance, and, through ingenuity, networking and sensitivity, overcome them. The magnification of sensitivities in small states and territories contributes to their special educational ecology; investigating these is frequently an interpersonal as well as a research matter.

Pupils' views on equity in schools

Abstract: This paper presents student perspectives on what they consider to be a fair and equitable national education system, based on their own experiences of primary and secondary level schooling by the age of 13 or 14. A survey of 5432 students in five countries involved a questionnaire administered as part of an EU‐funded project to develop indicators of equity in European school systems. Overall, the UK students reported favouring an egalitarian system where all students were treated in the same way, and this was largely what they felt that they experienced. In this respect, they differed from their peers in the other EU countries, a substantial proportion of whom thought that the least able should receive more support and attention in class, but who found that more attention was actually given to the more able. The UK students also appeared to be more self‐confident about their ability to succeed in school. We discuss these results in terms of policies for school allocation, student assessment and the format...

Blurring boundaries: towards a reconceptualisation of the private sector in education

Abstract: This Special Issue of Compare stems from papers presented to the eighth United Kingdom Forum for International Education and Training (UKFIET) Oxford International Conference on Education and Devel...

Inter‐school working involving private school outreach initiatives and government schools in India

Abstract: Drawing upon empirical data from a multiple case study of ‘private school outreach’ initiatives in India, this paper compares linkages with government schools initiated by two of the cases with the intent of rendering them more conducive to the education of children not in school. This inter‐school working was rooted in cultures of resource sharing maintained by the two cases of private school outreach which was evident in the relations between their private schools and ‘outreach programmes’. Further, differences in resource sharing cultures had implications for how the two cases sought to influence change through their relations with government schools, and who they recruited as agents of change. Despite these differences, the managements of both cases found that long‐term responsive relationships based on respect were critical to build capacity within the government schools and enable them to become resource centres and loci of change in their own right.

Lifelong Learning Policies in Mexico: Context, Challenges and Comparisons.

Abstract: For Mexico, a country characterised by a high degree of inequality both with regard to income and education, concepts such as the ‘knowledge‐based economy’ and Lifelong Learning are even more elusive than in other countries Given its poor school system and the large part of the adult population who are without any basic educational qualifications, the country's challenge is to engage in a catch‐up race with other nations, especially the two NAFTA partners in the North, the US and Canada While education is recognised in principle to hold the key for greater equality and prosperity, education reform policies are half‐hearted and largely uncoordinated, and the public resources for education totally insufficient Lifelong Learning is paid lip service to by the government, yet its potential for providing a frame for a more coherent and efficient education system is not seriously discussed nor considered, let alone realised

Promise or reality? Physical education1 in schools in Europe

Abstract: Most European governments have committed themselves through legislation to making provision for physical education in schools but they have been either slow or reticent in translating this into action in schools. Consequently, there are perceived deficiencies in school physical education provision, specifically in curriculum time allocation, subject and teacher status, financial, material (inadequacies in facility and equipment supply) and qualified teaching personnel resources and the quality and relevance of the physical education curriculum. The crux of the issue, according to the Council of Europe Deputy General Secretary, is ‘a gap between promise and the reality’. This article explores the theme of ‘promise’ and ‘reality’ by drawing from data generated by a number of international, national and regional surveys and an extended longitudinal literature review, which together highlight the extent of the alleged ‘gap’. It examines recent inter‐governmental and non‐governmental initiatives to address rel...

Education on population matters in Europe: results from a comparative survey among students in five European countries

Abstract: In 1996–1997, within the framework of the European Observatory for Population Education and Information, a comparative survey was conducted among students in final classes of secondary education in several European countries. On the one hand, the survey attempted to assess the effects of education on population in terms of knowledge acquired; the issues addressed in the questionnaire pertained to knowledge of demographic facts and trends (such as the ageing of Western societies and immigration). On the other hand it tried to ascertain students' opinions on demographic trends. What are young people's views on intergenerational solidarity, how tolerant are they towards immigrants, what are their views on recent changes in family structures? This knowledge is important since it is young people's attitudes and future behaviour that will help to shape both the social tissue and the economic prosperity of the European and world population. In this article we present a comparative analysis of survey results obta...

What Citizenship Responsibility Means to Botswana's Young Adults: Implications for Adult Education.

Abstract: Politicians and other leaders in Botswana have recently expressed concerns that the country's ‘youth’ is not taking its citizenship responsibilities seriously. This is in a context of rapid change and development in the last thirty years since Botswana's independence in 1966. The study described here explored the learned perceptions of citizenship responsibility amongst a selection of Botswana's young adults and youth leaders. These perceptions were analysed in relation to theories of social capital citizenship and learning. The findings suggest that the influences of globalisation are producing a shift from traditional communitarian citizenship values to ones of ‘enlightened self interest’. However, civil society is under‐developed and needs nurturing through an educational strategy that encourages participatory approaches to development. Some of the arguments articulated here are elaborated on in a book (Preece & Mosewunyane, 2004).

Gandhian Education in Bali: Globalisations and Cultural Diversity in a Time of Fundamentalisms.

Abstract: The paper presents findings from a research project undertaken at the Taman Rama Gandhi School in Bali during the first anniversary week of the Bali Bombings in 2003. It explores the school's response to four key components of Gandhi's model of Basic Education (Nai Talim) and shows that the claimed curriculum is framed by two contradictory discourses: a globalisation from above discourse and a Gandhian discourse of tolerance and peace, more consistent with a globalisation from below discourse. The argument is made that the curriculum's commitment to the neo‐liberal capitalist values of the globalisation form above discourse may ultimately thwart the emphasis upon peace and tolerance in the discourse from below.

Artisan training and employment outcomes in Tanzania

Abstract: There has been a long‐standing debate about the cost‐effectiveness of artisan training in low‐income countries in Africa. During the 1990s, World Bank personnel were at the forefront of a wide‐rang...