Educational Debate Research Articles

A Look Back: The ongoing special education debate in Kappan

The conversation about how schools can best serve children with disabilities stretches back for decades, long before the passage of IDEA. Teresa Preston traces how Kappan authors deliberated over where and how students should receive special education services. Although authors have generally supported educating students with disabilities alongside their nondisabled peers, many have expressed skepticism about the benefits of full inclusion for every child. Others have noted that many of the strategies employed in special education might also benefit all students and suggested that special education expand its reach.

There’s nothing as practical as understanding the nature of theory: A phenomenographic study of management educators’ implicit theories of theory

Although teaching in Business Schools takes a theory-driven perspective, there are multiple different interpretations of what this means. We make a contribution by examining how management educators define ‘theory’ and explore how differing definitions lead to variations in the way that teaching is conceptualised and designed. We adopt phenomenographic methods to reveal a five-level hierarchy of theory definitions ranging from simple descriptive notions of ‘theory as an idea’ to more explanatory definitions with causal and practice implications. This hierarchy shapes the way management educators design their teaching with those with the most sophisticated understanding of theory being the most practically focused in their teaching. Although all the interviewees view theory as having an interventional purpose to shape or change managerial action, management educators are haphazard in the ways they teach students to apply theory. We conclude by discussing the implications of these findings for the essential–non-essentialist debate in management education and suggest avenues for future research.

The Impact of Collaboration Between Science and Religious Education Teachers on Their Understanding and Views of Argumentation

Teachers’ understanding and teaching of argumentation is gaining more attention in science education research. However, little is known about how science teachers engage in argumentation with teachers of different subject taking an interdisciplinary perspective that may inspire new pedagogical ideas or strategies. In particular, the positioning of argumentation at the juncture of science and religion is rare. This paper reports an empirical study involving science and religious education (RE) teachers who collaborated on teaching argumentation in three secondary schools in England. Their interdisciplinary collaboration was sustained by a series of professional development sessions over 18 months. Analysis of the interview data unfolds how the teachers’ collaboration impacted their understanding of argumentation and views of teaching their subject. Through working relationally in exploring and teaching argumentation, the science teachers reflected more notable changes than their RE counterparts. Science teachers came to appreciate student voice in the learning process and the role of argumentation in fostering students’ scientific reasoning. The paper is a salient step to researching argumentation in a cross-curricular terrain, particularly in relation to RE. It also sheds light on how collaborating with teachers of another subject bolstered science teachers’ professional development and broke subject barriers.

Introduction: Education, Identity, and Development in Contemporary Taiwan

Abstract Mass formal education is a feature of modern societies all too often taken for granted or overlooked in mainstream sociological analysis. In this respect, the field of Taiwan studies is no exception. This introductory essay sets the three papers of this topical section in historical and comparative perspective, particularly in relation to East Asia. The papers show how education policy in contemporary Taiwan has evolved in a context of vibrant democracy, economic transition, demographic squeeze, and, looming over all, the threat from the Chinese mainland. Our focus falls especially on higher education and language instruction, and their involvement in debates over economic prosperity, security, identity, and Taiwan’s place in the world. A central theme of this introductory essay is the way in which educational debate in Taiwan is conditioned by awareness of insecurity—at individual, familial and societal levels. The intensely competitive, human capital-oriented approach to education that predominates there is bound up in complex ways with the insecurities of life on this island.

Semesters or Quarters? The Effect of the Academic Calendar on Postsecondary Student Outcomes

There exists a long-standing debate in higher education on which academic calendar is optimal. Using panel data on the near universe of four-year nonprofit institutions and leveraging quasi-experimental variation in calendars across institutions and years, we show that switching from quarters to semesters negatively impacts on-time graduation rates. Event study analyses show that the negative effects persist beyond the transition. Using transcript data, we replicate this analysis at the student level and investigate possible mechanisms. Shifting to a semester: (i) lowers first-year grades, (ii) decreases the probability of enrolling in a full course load, and (iii) delays the timing of major choice. (JEL I23, I28)

Entrepreneurship Education and Design Thinking: A Conceptual Threshold for Their Integration in Indonesian Higher Education

Many ongoing discussions in design thinking show similarities to the current entrepreneurship education debate on integrating both disciplines in the con-text of higher education. In that case, some articles, mainly from the devel-oped countries, have addressed this issue, though fragmentedly. In contrast, this integration-educational type is rarely found in developing countries, par-ticularly Indonesia. Additionally, very few studies have broadened the dis-cussion to include the teaching entrepreneurship-design thinking process cy-cle and the conceptual threshold to support the integrated teaching process. This paper uses the narrative literature review and in-depth qualitative case-study discussion as the methodology. It aims to establish a conceptual link and threshold between these two areas and provide conceptual strategies for integrating and teaching them in Indonesian higher education. In doing so, this paper has essentially reviewed and reconciled both parts of the entrepre-neurship education and design thinking discourse. The details and signifi-cance of the conceptual threshold have also been reviewed. The finding of this study is the five-main entrepreneurship-design thinking process cycle (i.e., understanding the problem comprehensively, generating ideas, experi-menting iteratively, testing the solutions, and implementing solutions). The process strongly incorporates the "empathy-reflect-visualize" cycle and the integrated conceptual threshold as a teaching support tool. This conceptual study provides new pathways for enriching current teaching and research practices of entrepreneurship education and design thinking.

Characteristics of Blockchain Technology In Educational Development

The worldwide education implementation process has not been able to keep up with contemporary events. The education sector is now dealing with a number of issues, including the problem of verification and the presence of a third party in the management of certificates, which are micro and macro outputs of a company's learning process. The existence of a beacon of Blockchain technology, which is frequently referred to as a revolutionary solution to the current educational debate. In the education business, the merger of education with blockchain technology will usher in a new era. There are numerous reasons for this solution, but I don't believe they are sufficient to describe the features of blockchain in detail from the perspective of education utilizing blockchain, which examines the presence of blockchain for education based on scientific investigations. These features of blockchain will be highly valuable as a literary platform for scholars who will begin fundamental research and applications that will lead to blockchain for education in the future. Aside from that, there will be recommended solutions in the form of a framework for the cost, storage space, and speed of blockchain technology. As a result, this research can also serve as a basis for the new blockchain as a predecessor of technology-based governance blockchains.

Mobilização do legado de Pierre Bourdieu 20 anos depois: a atualidade de um debate para a educação

ABSTRACT This article proposes at discussing Pierre Bourdieu’s legacy for debates in Education, 20 years after his death. It begins with exhibition of unpublished works by and about the sociologist, which can help the task of appropriation and use of his theoretical framework of analysis. As a way of attesting to the fruitful use of its framework, an exhibition of unpublished research carried out in databases that contemplate postgraduate productions is carried out, trying to quantitatively and qualitatively identify theses and dissertations that refer to the sociologist in the title, abstract or between the keywords, predisposing that the authors use it to weave their arguments and the inference of empirically produced data, and from it, build knowledge in Education. The text ends with the recovery of what was exposed throughout the article, culminating with the support of the argument of the essential presence and mobilizations of Bourdieu for Brazilian educational scientific field.

5 Academic Activism and Living with Sedition in the 21st Century: Reflections from India

Abstract Academic activism has a long tradition in Indian higher education. Students across the universities actively participated in the Indian freedom movement and students and teachers were booked under the sedition1 law by the colonial government. Sedition law was brought by the colonial government to curb all the forms of protests by the people for independence, which has continued under the Indian penal code till today. Although India became free in 1947, colonial law exists and has been misused by the different consecutive governments in power over the seven decades. In recent years, universities have become the site of conflicts in India due to the continuous suppression of the voices of students and academics. There has been an increase in the diversity of the students and faculties from underrepresented groups in the university spaces and so new forms of questions are being asked with respect to discriminatory practices based on caste, class, gender and other markers of identity. Academic freedom as well as academic activism have been questioned by the dominant ruling groups. The suicide of doctoral student Rohith Vemula at the University of Hyderabad and the arrest of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) President Kanhaiya Kumar with other students have created new debates in Indian higher education about the importance of academic freedom and the role of academic activism in reviving the idea of a university as well democracy in the production of knowledge and fight against existing inequality, exclusion and injustices in the campuses as well as in the Indian society. Academic activism is deeply rooted within the idea of democracy and universities are the sites of critical consciousness. The present study uses primary as well secondary sources in understanding the idea of academic activism in Indian higher education in the 21st century. For the primary sources, the researcher interviews two former JNU scholars charged under the sedition law as well the academic activists in higher education in India. The study finds that protests against the closure of common fellowship in higher education as well as protests against the privatisation of higher education in the form of an increase in fees in public universities have revived the academic activism in Indian higher education. The study also finds that the demands for higher education as a common good by the academicians and students in public universities has sort of unsettled the neoliberal idea of universities. Academic freedom and academic activism need to be protected for the production of knowledge in higher education and as a global common good for a just and equitable society.

The Influence of Debates in High School English Education on Students’ Critical Thinking

The Influence of Debates in High School English Education on Students’ Critical Thinking

A experiência remota do Pibid na Unidade Integrada Municipal Senador Alexandre Costa de Codó – MA: O PIBID e o projeto enfrentamento do bullying através do ensino remoto

The worldwide spread of COVID-19 demanded a readaptation in all sectors of society, especially in the area of ​​education, where it brought to the center of the educational debate the use of technologies and their financial, operational and human challenges for carrying out non-essential school activities. face-to-face in Basic Education. The reflections made in this work are based on the application of a project in the remote format of the Institutional Scholarship Program for Initiation to Teaching (PIBID) carried out at the Senador Alexandre Costa Municipal Integrated Unit, in the municipality of Codó, Maranhão. During the experience of the project, some difficulties and challenges were faced for the realization of the seminars, meetings and the production of audiovisual materials for the pedagogical ones that were carried out remotely. The article also interprets the experience of remote teaching and how it will reflect on the professional lives of teachers and fellows, who had to reinvent themselves in the face of extraordinary situations in times of a pandemic.

Concepções de Educação do Campo: uma revisão sistemática de literatura

Este estudo tem como objetivo analisar as concepções de Educação do Campo presentes em artigos científicos publicados na base do Scielo e na Revista Brasileira de Educação do Campo no período de 2016 a 2021. Para tanto, utilizamos a revisão sistemática de literatura na tipologia meta-análise qualitativa e, a partir do protocolo de revisão, realizamos as buscas com os descritores “educação do campo”, “concepção” e “escola do campo”. Após o mapeamento das produções, leitura dos títulos, palavras-chaves e dos resumos, aplicando os critérios de inclusão e exclusão, foram selecionadas e analisadas nesse estudo treze (13) obras para responder à questão de pesquisa: quais as concepções de Educação do Campo presentes em artigos científicos publicados na base do Scielo e na Revista Brasileira de Educação do Campo no período de 2016 a 2021? A pesquisa evidenciou que as obras avaliadas apresentam uma concepção de Educação do Campo na perspectiva do direito, fruto das lutas dos movimentos sociais campesinos. Evidenciou ainda que apenas 5,67% dos artigos publicados nas bases selecionadas sobre o tema Educação do Campo debatem a questão das concepções.
 Palavras-chave: educação do campo, concepções, escola do campo.
 
 Conceptions of Rural Education: a systematic literature review
 ABSTRACT. This study aims to analyze the concepts of rural education present in scientific articles published in Scielo database and in Revista Brasileira de Educação do Campo, from 2016 to 2021. Therefore, we have used a systematic literature review in a qualitative meta-analysis typology and, based on the review protocol, we have performed searches with the descriptors "rural education", "conception" and "rural school". After mapping the productions, reading the titles, keywords and abstracts, applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, thirteen (13) works were selected and analyzed in that study to answer the question: what are the conceptions of rural education present in scientific articles published in Scielo database and in Revista Brasileira de Educação do Campo – Brazilian Journal of Rural Education, from 2016 to 2021? The research has showed that the evaluated works present a conception of rural education from the perspective of law, the result of struggles of peasant social movements. It has also showed that only 5.67% of the articles published in the selected databases on the subject of rural education debate the issue of conceptions.
 Keywords: rural education, conceptions, rural school.
 
 Concepciones de Educación Rural: una revisión sistemática de la literatura
 RESUMEN. Este estudio tiene como objetivo analizar los conceptos de educación rural presentes en artículos científicos publicados en la base de datos Scielo y en la Revista Brasileira de Educação do Campo, de 2016 a 2021. Por lo tanto, utilizamos una revisión sistemática de la literatura en una tipología de metaanálisis cualitativo y, con base en el protocolo de revisión, realizamos búsquedas con los descriptores "educación agrícola", "concepción" y "escuela rural". Luego de mapear las producciones, leer los títulos, palabras clave y resúmenes, aplicando los criterios de inclusión y exclusión, se seleccionaron y analizaron trece (13) trabajos en este estudio para dar respuesta a la pregunta de investigación: ¿Cuáles son las concepciones de Educación Rural presentes en los artículos científicos publicados, en la base de datos Scielo y en la Revista Brasileira de Educação do Campo, de 2016 a 2021? La investigación mostró que los trabajos evaluados presentan una concepción de la Educación Rural desde la perspectiva del derecho, resultado de las luchas de los movimientos sociales campesinos. También mostró que solo el 5.67% de los artículos publicados en las bases de datos seleccionadas sobre el tema de Educación Rural debaten el tema de las concepciones.
 Palabras clave: educación rural, concepciones, escuela rural.

Prototyping Inconvenience: A pedagogical experiment on designing for debate in design education

With design having more impact than ever, there is an increased need for critical inquiries into design research and education that engage designers to question established disciplinary assumptions. One prevailing myth is the convenience ideal: the obsession with comfort, efficiency, smoothness, and smartness that relates to a trend of envisioning super-convenient futures. By combining iterative prototyping, anti-solutionist strategies, and tactics of critical and speculative design, we built a counter-approach to conventional design processes: Inconvenient Design. With convenience as the topic for debate, we explored its potential in the course Stranger Things–Prototyping Inconvenience. This paper provides an overview of the approach and course format, using examples of student projects to illustrate how it encouraged them to reflect and debate directly in the design process in a tangible way, enabling them to craft alternatives. Lastly, we discuss the opportunities our methodological approach can bring to design research and education.

The fragile boundary between ‘education’ and ‘educationalisation’: some personal reflections on the often exaggerated educational aspirations of museums

Although the origins of school museums and museums of children and childhood do not coincide directly, they nevertheless have moved into the same direction during the past decades. Especially because chil­dren are an important part of the visitors, a lot is invested by these mu­seums in educational support and activities. Pedagogical arguments form the backbone of their mission statements. A bit against the tide of this trend, I want to pay attention here to the often exaggerated educa­tional aspirations. To my mind the boundary between “education” and “educationalisation” is a fragile one and can be easily exceeded if the cultural-historical context of the museum content is ignored too much. Educating young people does not necessarily mean taking them by the hand and leading them through well-developed work packages, but is related to the more complex process of Bildung – the formation of a per­son, which usually starts, in view of attitudes and behaviour, by reflec­tion about self-identity as well as societal values and norms. In my opin­ion the encounter with well-chosen artefacts of former pedagogical mentalities and realities in museums of education, children and child­hood, can be helpful in this respect. Therefore, my plea for more cul­ture-historical contemplation and less educational strategy in represent­ing education, children and childhood is not to be understood as phasing efforts in this sector. On the contrary, the shift of emphasis from the neoliberal focus on efficiency, management, and social relevance (also in terms of a possible instrumentalization) of educational history towards more scientific, cultural-historical underpinning will need continuous support.

The Challenge of Inequality in University Education: Is the District Quota Scheme Addressing Socio-Economic Disparities in Access to University Education in Uganda?

Access to university education is one of the fundamental educational questions in contemporary educational debates. This is because university education is seen as having an array of benefits to individuals, their households, and their nations. However, the challenge of inequality in terms of gender, income, location, and socio-economic status has constrained some individuals and households to access quality university education. In 2005 the government of Uganda introduced the District Quota Scheme to address the social inequalities in accessing university education. This study examined how the District Quota Scheme is addressing the rural-urban divide in access to university; how the District Quota Scheme has increased access to university education for children with parents who have low levels of education; and whether the District Quota Scheme is improving access to university education for children from low-income families. Following the social constructivist research paradigm and integrating both quantitative and qualitative research methods, the study found a change in access to university education by students from rural areas, students whose parents have lower levels of education, and those from low-income families as a result of introducing the District Quota Scheme. The study recommends that the government of Uganda and other stakeholders in the higher education sector should address the structural challenges to ensure that mainly the socially disadvantaged students take the biggest advantage of this scheme.

Together or separate? Contributions from neuroeducation to the debate on sex segregation in schools

This article analyses the debate on the desirability of separating children by sex in schools. The study reviews the neuroscientific arguments that can inform decisions on this issue. The author starts from the understanding that the education debate should centre its decision not on neuroscientific findings, which are still inconclusive, but on a proposal that evaluates the aim of education. As a new field of study, neuroeducation has the opportunity to draw into the dialogue all the disciplines participating to that end.

Grade retention and school entry age in Spain: a structural problem

Grade retention has been the focus of the education debate in Spain for decades. On average, more than 30% of students have repeated at least one grade before they finish (or dropout from) their compulsory studies. The present research provides new evidence on this issue by investigating the influence of Spain’s school entry age upon students’ grade retention. Using data from 15-year-old students who participated in the PISA 2006, 2009, 2012 and 2015 assessments, we implement a regression discontinuity analysis. Our key finding is that students who were born late in the year (younger students) are more likely to repeat a grade. Yet, once they reach secondary education, the disadvantage they suffer due to their younger school starting age seems to disappear. Hence, the key reason why younger students have lower PISA scores than older students in Spain is due to their increased likelihood of repeating a grade, rather than being due to their relative age per se. To avoid these artificial disadvantages of younger students and unfair retention, we suggest that policymakers inform families about this school entry issue and also make the school entry law more flexible. This would facilitate parents of younger children to choose whether to delay their children’s school enrolment or not.

Geography Achievement and Opportunity to Learn: A Focus on Teacher Quality

The relationship between teacher quality and student achievement is often at the heart of educational debates about student success. In this study, we leverage data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) to explore relationships between geography achievement in the 8th grade and various indicators of teacher quality. We found positive associations between achievement, years of teaching experience, and teacher participation in workshops, curriculum committees, and other forms of training and professional development. However, the benefits of teaching experience, training, and professional development are not uniformly experienced by different groups of students.

School uniforms and student behavior: is there a link?

Whether or not schoolchildren exhibit better behavior in the context of wearing uniforms has been a longstanding area of debate in education. Nonetheless, there has been little empirical inquiry into the benefits or drawbacks of school uniform policies. To contribute new insights to the dialog, the present investigation used nationally representative data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Kindergarten Class of 2011 (n = 6,320) to examine students’ social-behavioral and engagement outcomes across the elementary school years as a function of school uniform policies. In general, students in schools that required school uniforms did not demonstrate better social skills, internalizing and externalizing behavior, or school attendance as compared with students in schools without school uniforms. These associations were true across both public and private schools. There was, however, some indication that low-income students in schools that required uniforms demonstrated better school attendance than low-income students in schools that did not.

Revisiting the Progressive Education Debate: Ontario Schooling in the 1950s

This paper explores the debate over progressive education in Ontario pedagogy during the 1950s and expands upon the work of previous scholars who argue that schooling in the 1950s was neither strictly traditional nor progressive but rather a blend of the two approaches. This study expands upon previous research by looking at various school boards in the province. Drawing upon original research from provincial and school board archives, as well as professional education journals, I conclude that although traditionalism was a common approach in Ontario education, the reality was that the 1950s were not as conservative as some scholars have argued, and that there was more nuance in pedagogy, with pockets of progressive experimentation throughout the province.