Strengthening Gender-Based Civil Education in the Education System and its Significance in Preventing Violence Against Women

This study examines the contradiction between the role of university students as role models in defending freedom of expression and the reality of Indonesia’s higher education system, which remains entrenched in hierarchical structures and a culture of conformity. Using a qualitative research method through literature review and descriptive analysis, this study reveals how Indonesian students face a dilemma: on one hand, they are expected to be agents of social change; on the other, they must operate within a system that restricts their freedom of expression. The findings indicate that this contradiction creates structural tensions that weaken the effectiveness of students as role models for freedom of expression. This study recommends the need for reforms toward a more democratic and participatory higher education system to support the role of students as agents of social change. Background: Historically, university students have played a crucial role as agents of social and political change in Indonesia. From the independence movement to the Reformasi era in 1998, students have consistently been at the forefront of advocating for various social issues, including the right to freedom of expression. This role has positioned them as role models within society in promoting democratic values and human rights. However, the current reality within Indonesian higher education institutions reveals a fundamental contradiction. The system, which still upholds hierarchical authority and emphasizes conformity, often restricts students’ space for expression. The top-down academic structure, strong seniority culture, and institutional control mechanisms create a paradoxical environment for students who are expected to be champions of freedom of expression. Objective: To examine the contradiction between the role of university students as role model s in advocating for freedom of expression and the hierarchical and conformist structure of Indonesia’s higher education system. Methods: This research employs a qualitative method by integrating a conceptual approach, a statute-based (legal) approach, and a case-based approach. Results: Normatively, students are positioned as agents of change and role models in upholding freedom of expression—in their thoughts, attitudes, and actions. However, in practice, Indonesia’s higher education system, dominated by hierarchical values and a culture of conformity, becomes a structural barrier that limits such freedom. This contradiction leads to a range of multidimensional impacts. Conclusion: The contradiction between the ideal role of students as role models of freedom of expression and the hierarchical nature of the higher education system has generated psychological, social, and intellectual consequences that hinder the development of their critical thinking. Therefore, structural and cultural reforms within university environments are essential to creating an inclusive, democratic, and dialogic academic space.

Can universities be agents of progressive social change? How would we know if a university was acting as an agent of social change? Drawing on four case studies, I raise a number of questions to problematize our understanding of the university as an agent of social change. I outline a number of contributing factors that appear to explain successful cases. I conclude by arguing the relevancy of these cases for larger, and more traditional, sociological projects.

The article highlights meaningful value of the concept “educational environment” and the following terms related to it such as educational system, educational field, educative, teaching and educational, educational and developmental environment based on a thorough analysis of research background. The analysis of the specified category has been conducted in the context of life space of a pre-school education establishment. The attention is focused on the developmental orientation of educational environment in pre-school within the conditions of the content integration of pre-school education. The emphasis is placed on the symbiotic relationship and interdependence between educational environment in pre-school and a child’s personality and singularity. The author points out that the specific character of the educational environment like any other one means that it cannot be comprehensible without collation with the relevant agent transforming it and at the same time being transformed. The analysis of scientific sources gives grounds to state that such phrases have become stable as educative, educational, formative, lifelike, professional, educatory, health-maintaining, teaching and educational, natural, socio-cultural, social environment, educational system. The metaphysical interpretation of the environment is connected with the idea of a system: when we pick out a certain system for consideration, everything that does not belong to it becomes its external environment and those things that belong are its internal environment. Based on the available reasonable conclusions about the components of the environment we came to the conclusion about the structure complexity of the studied conception. Concurrently, it is summed up that the educational environment of a school is a fertile ground to ensure the harmony of human relations between an educator and a pupil, a beneficial area fro development of a child’s unique personality. Taking into account the analysis of different approaches and considerations of scholars the conclusion has been made that the educational environment of pre-school is a synthesis of conditions providing the qualitative development of personality, a source for formation of a system of values.

Aim: Is theoretical substantiation and experimental verification of the ways of formation of spiritual values of a person in specially organized conditions of the social and educational environment. Methods. To solve the goal, the following methods of scientific research were used : theoretical: the analysis of scientific literature to determine the theoretical and methodological foundations of the research and the implementation of the historical and pedagogical analysis of the problem, to study the semantics of the key concepts of the research; empirical: pedagogical observation, questionnaires, interviews, testing, pedagogical experiment (determining and formative) to determine the level of formation of spiritual values of younger schoolchildren, statistical methods for processing the obtained results. Results. We conducted an experiment. The analysis of the data of the experiment convincingly indicates an increase in the level of formation of spiritual values in the experimental group as a result of the purposeful formation of values and their correction in the conditions of the social and educational environment. Indicators of benevolence, altruism, and harmony with the environment are also telling. This shows that students are more responsible for the tasks assigned to them, and value family and friendships more. Conclusion. As a result of practical pedagogical activity, the stages of correction of a person's spiritual values have been identified. The principles of the formation of spiritual values of a person are defined. The analysis of the data of the experiment indicates an increase in the level of formation of spiritual values as a result of the purposeful formation of values and their correction in the conditions of the social and educational environment. Achieving high results in the formation of spiritual values is determined by a high level of psychological culture, competence, and adequacy of the teacher, which makes it possible to create emotional comfort, increase the activity of students, and optimize their communication skills for creative potential. Originality. The concept of human spirituality is defined. Considered spiritual values as the highest achievements of humanity. The classification of the system of social values is disclosed. The main indicators of a person's spirituality are considered. In the course of the experiment, we used personal creative tasks (both diagnostic and corrective), which can unlock the cognitive activity of the individual. Keywords: spiritual values, personality, culture, abilities, creative potential, social environment,educational environment.

Beneficial effects of ethnic and social diversity in a higher educational institute can be realized only if different ethnic groups effectively integrate into the educational and social environment in which they live and study. Though located in an area of ethnic majority, the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ruhuna (FAUR) has be-come a tertiary education institute with a reasonable proportion of other ethnic communities since 2012. Students of minority ethnic communities may perceive the new learning environment unwelcoming which may in turn ad-versely affect their academic performance. Objective of the present study was to compare the academic perform-ance and perception of educational environment between ethnic minority (Tamil and Muslim) and majority (Sinhala) students, following three degree programs in FAUR. Perception of randomly selected ethnic minority (n=53) and majority (n=83) students were determined using a modified version of DUNDEE DREEM question-naire. Students’ agreement on each of the 50 statements in five domains; students’ perception of learning (SPL), teachers (SPT), academic self-perception (SAP), atmosphere (SPA) and social self-perception (SSP) were recorded on a five point Likert scale. Semester grade point averages (SGPA) of 320 Sinhala and 53 Tamil and Muslim stu-dents, representing three Degree programs were used for the academic performance analysis. SGPA of the ethnic minority (Tamil and Muslim) students (2.267±0.08) was significantly lower than that of Sinhala students (2.747±0.03). Ethnic minority students recorded lower SGPA values in all three degree programs, both academic years and semesters. The percentage of students having higher academic grades was significantly higher among ethnic majority students. There was a higher rate of examination avoidance either by not applying or by submit-ting medical certificates, among minority students. Ethnic minority students held significantly higher total percep-tion score and perception scores with respect to SPL, SAP and SAP. It was concluded that though ethnic minority students held better perception towards the educational environment of the FAUR, their academic performance are lower than ethnic majority students. Students perceptions towards the educational environment and their aca-demic performance were found to be two different constructs each determined by different factors.

This conference provides a unique opportunity to capture a snapshot in time of where we are in the educational technology landscape. Landscape denotes static, a snapshot in time. However, the educational technology environment is dynamic and constantly changing. While at times the technological change and demands for technological change can be overwhelming, change needs to become an accepted, integral and well managed part of our educational environment. Concepts presented here have been taken from the environment management discipline and are used as metaphors for understanding change and transformations in technology enhanced learning environments. The strong environmental metaphor and associated language has been deliberately chosen because it helps us to focus on our key role as educators which is to create the best possible learning environment for our students. This paper introduces a social ecological systems analysis approach to understanding changes in organisations and the impact of outside factors on our learning environment. The Adaptive Cycle Framework is introduced as a predictive tool for understanding changes and transformations in our educational technology environment, and to thus determine a pathway to maximise opportunities afforded by change. This paper draws on an ongoing PhD study in which the focus is on managing change in technology enhanced learning environments. The Adaptive Cycle Framework is illustrated within the context of a case study of a regional university’s changing educational technology environment as a means to better manage for the long term.

Sustainability entails meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. It has become a major norm of behaviour of various societal groups in recent years and it is an increasingly prominent topic of academic research, public policy making and marketing practice. The core idea of sustainability is based on the rethinking of consumption. Numerous researchers emphasize that consumption patterns are seen as a major contributor to the current environmental and social problems. On the one hand, companies recognize stakeholders' expectations and respond to them by committing to more sustainable activities, while on the other hand, consumers are also expected to behave sustainably and in doing so contribute to sustainable development. This expectation has led to seeing consumers as 'agents of social change'.Sustainability entails meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. It has become a major norm of behaviour of various societal groups in recent years and it is an increasingly prominent topic of academic research, public policy making and marketing practice. The core idea of sustainability is based on the rethinking of consumption. Numerous researchers emphasize that consumption patterns are seen as a major contributor to the current environmental and social problems. On the one hand, companies recognize stakeholders' expectations and respond to them by committing to more sustainable activities, while on the other hand, consumers are also expected to behave sustainably and in doing so contribute to sustainable development. This expectation has led to seeing consumers as 'agents of social change'.

The purpose of this study was to explore how girls in Eastern Uganda experienced a corporate-funded sport, gender and development (SGD) martial arts program. This study used 19 semi-structured in-depth interviews, participant observation and document analysis. Results revealed that while the martial arts program increased the young women's confidence, challenged gender norms, augmented their social networks, improved their physical fitness and was useful for providing them with employment opportunities, the program also attempted to ‘govern’ their sexuality and sexual relations with boys and men by promoting individual avoidance and encouraging the use of self-defense strategies against potential abusers. To conclude, I argue that girl-focused SGD programs such as the one studied here impel young women to be the agents of social change and to cope with the potential resistance (e.g., from some of their family and community members) to their participation in SGD programs by building their self-esteem, confidence and self-responsibility. Despite this – and as the ‘new agents of social change’ – these young women still must navigate the structural inequalities that tend to marginalize their lives in the first place.

Language development is progressive and starts from the first years of life. The fullness of the development of linguistic abilities, at the level of expression, comprehension and use of language, will depend on the genetic bases of each child and on the communicative interaction at home and in different environments. It is important to identify the most relevant aspects during the developmental period of language in order to prevent and timely address situations that could interfere with the development of language skills in children. Considering Noam Chomsky’s proposal, the child achieves the acquisition of the mother tongue through a cognitive process that allows the development of linguistic competence. After going through intermediate states and receiving linguistic stimuli in a community, the child internalizes the grammar of the language of his community, reaches a stable state and, consequently, will be able to produce and understand linguistic messages. The objective of this article is to base the process of acquisition of linguistic skills, analyze and contrast the influence of family, educational and social environments during the process of language development. For this, the application of a self-administered survey to 110 parents of children of 3, 4 and 5 years of age has been considered, in order to obtain information that allows knowing some aspects in relation to coexistence in family, social and educational environments with their minor children, and to establish the influence on the language development process.

Book Review| February 01 2022 Review: Museums as Agents for Social Change: Collaborative Programmes at the Mutare Museum, by Njabulo Chipangura and Jesmael Matago Museums as Agents for Social Change: Collaborative Programmes at the Mutare Museum by Njabulo Chipangura and Jesmael Matago. Routledge Museums in Focus series. New York: Routledge, 2021. xii + 138 pp.; illustrations, notes, bibliography, index; clothbound, $59.95; eBook, $20.65. Julia Wells Julia Wells Rhodes University in Makhanda Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar The Public Historian (2022) 44 (1): 116–118. https://doi.org/10.1525/tph.2022.44.1.116 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Julia Wells; Review: Museums as Agents for Social Change: Collaborative Programmes at the Mutare Museum, by Njabulo Chipangura and Jesmael Matago. The Public Historian 1 February 2022; 44 (1): 116–118. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/tph.2022.44.1.116 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentThe Public Historian Search This is a feisty book which tackles the heavy legacy of colonial museums in Africa today. The authors carefully explain just how awkward a museum, as an institution founded to support race-based colonial assumptions, can be. Throughout Africa, colonizers built museums both to celebrate their own claims to technological superiority and to hold the indigenous people in place as curious others. This book demonstrates how such apparent handicaps can be turned inside out and put to good use. It includes a series of case studies of initiatives successfully undertaken at the Mutare Museum in Mutare, Zimbabwe. As a guide not only to what is wrong with museums, but to a host of remedial actions, it is a book that should be of interest to anyone interested in museum management throughout Africa. In fact, it should be required reading for all decisionmakers and funders within the sector. The lessons can easily... You do not currently have access to this content.

From “snowflake generation” to “agents of social change”: Recognizing the voice of Spanish young people in the post-pandemic era

Events become meaningful through the symbolism and affective outcomes associated with participation. They can become mediators of social change, inspiring thought and critique through participation, and changing society and social structures. Challenges to the norm are often characterized by the violence of wresting power, but other forms of peaceful change making are also achievable through planned events. This case study examines the myriad ways in which a lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community event challenges Singaporean society's conceptualization of identity, extending the bounds of comfort and acceptance to enact social change. Pink Dot—a 1-day gathering in support of the LGBT community—grew out of the community's pursuit for openness and inclusivity. It champions social exchange and network building while asserting the LGBT community's legal right to equality. The case study made use of secondary data as a basis for examining Pink Dot's impact as a critical event in the realm of social change. It found that while Pink Dot was strong in enabling general acknowledgment of the LGBT community and broad social acceptance, the event was limited in its ability to influence the eradication of discriminatory laws, impeding progress toward equality. The findings contribute to the literature on social cause engagement, while extending understanding of critical events as agents of change. This article also develops a conceptual framework to evaluate the efficacy of using events as agents of social change and encourage further debates and modification of the framework in other contexts.

The “new student activism,” as it is often called, is a hot topic in higher education as well as in the popular press and social media. As a college student in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, a long-time student affairs professional, a scholar and practitioner of service-learning, and an academic teaching a course on social change, the author contemplates what educators have learned through their work with service-learning and civic engagement that enables them to create a campus environment that supports student activists as agents of positive social change. She shares a set of questions for educators to grapple with as they navigate the complexities of today’s student activism.

<span>We presume that models and theory in instructional design inform professional practice, but theory has not been consistently built from the professional experiences of instructional designers. This study draws on the observations of five instructional designers who discuss their professional identities, their communities of practice and their roles as agents of social and institutional change. This study is embedded in two theoretical positions: instructional design as a social construct that is expressed in professional communities of practice, and critical pedagogy, in which designers act as agents of social change.</span>

In Chapter 7, the author focuses on the role of non-human animals as agents of social and political change. This role is not usually acknowledged in theory or in animal activism, because non-human animals are not seen as political actors or as agents of social change, even though they act politically and influence human political institutions and practices. This is problematic because it does not recognize non-human animal agency, and reinforces viewing them as mute, in contrast to human actors, which reaffirms anthropocentrism and unequal power relations. We therefore need to explore non-human animal activism and possibilities for interspecies political change. In this chapter, the author first discusses non-human animal acts of resistance, and investigates whether these acts can be seen as civil disobedience. She then turns to the relation between non-human animal oppression and the oppression of human groups via a discussion of intersectionality. This is followed by a discussion of the question of speaking for others, and options for assisting other animals as activists. The final section discusses how stray dog agency can function as a starting point for change.