Education In Flanders Research Articles

Studying the legacy of second-chance adult education in Flanders

Every year, third-year bachelor students participating in a course on adult education at the University of Leuven (Belgium) conduct an interview with adult educators working within a particular setting of adult education, such as civic integration courses, detention education, etc. In this article, we elaborate on one particular case, viz., adult educators working in second-chance education for adults who still want to obtain their secondary diploma. We show how their profession as an adult educator can become a common concern for both third bachelor students of educational sciences and for adult educators in second-chance adult education celebrating in 2021 their 40 years of existence in Flanders. This means that our analysis in this article will also show how a university can become a place where their daily professional practice as adult educators, viz., their ambitions and doubts, ambiguities and contradictions, can fully materialize as collective study material.

Worlds apart? An empirical assessment of education as a social boundary among young people in Flanders

ABSTRACT Educational tracking refers to the grouping of students based on their academic abilities. Although tracking has been intensively debated in terms of its impact on academic outcomes, this study assesses whether educational tracks effectively constitute a social boundary between youth. Data from 11 surveys (Total N = 38,372) gathered among pupils enrolled in secondary education in Flanders were used to assess to what extent young people’s educational track position relates to a wide range of opinions and behavior in general (471 outcomes) and the potential moderating role of gender and migration status. Subsequently, we focused on indicators that refer to intergroup processes (i.e. cross-track friendships and perceived contempt). Educational differences are especially large for tastes, indicators of lifestyle, and societal attitudes. Moreover, we find that differences in educational track position are connected with perceived status differences and constitute an important structuring factor regarding their friendships.

Pre-Service Teachers’ Perceptions on the Use of Heritage in Secondary Education and Their Reception of Educational Materials from the Heritage and Museum Sector: A Case Study in Flanders (Belgium)

There has been a growing policy interest in establishing connections between heritage and education. Nevertheless, there seems to be very little evaluation or critical reflection on what actually happens in practice, and it remains unclear how heritage education is employed in countries throughout Europe. The aim of this paper is to assess the current status of heritage education in Flanders (the Dutch-speaking northern part of Belgium) via a literature review and an exploratory case study. The perceptions and opinions of pre-service teachers (n = 17) were investigated using three instruments: a questionnaire, document analysis, and the think aloud method. The results show that the pre-service teachers had a traditional interpretation of heritage, mainly relying on well-known and monumental examples and following a rather historical–artistic conception. However, it was found that their opinions were positive towards the use of heritage as an educational resource, and their evaluations of educational materials from the heritage and museum sector provided detailed information concerning teachers’ desires and needs in this regard. The implications of this study should encourage initial teacher training in Flanders to further consider the epistemological and methodological challenges in the emerging field of heritage education.

De Vlaamse Beweging en de patstelling van het Nederlands in de publieke overheid en het onderwijs in het jonge België (1830–1850)

Although the freedom of language use was anchored in the Belgian Constitution of 1831,in practice it led to almost complete Frenchification of public life, because civil servantscould choose their own language. Dutch thus became the language of the countryside andthe lower classes. Secondary and higher education were exclusively French speaking. TheFlemish Movement came into being as a reaction to this. Cultural associations werefounded and standards for Dutch language established. A petition in 1840 revealed theextent of the problem – the Flemish Movement demanded language equality and theestablishment of a Flemish Academy. Although there was partial success in 1850(Dutchification of primary and secondary education in Flanders), the petition alsoprovoked a hostile reaction among French speakers who accused the Flemings of antibelgitude. The Flemish Movement therefore issued a pro-Belgian manifesto. But thegovernment remained French speaking, so there was a stalemate.

Study design: The social wellbeing of newly-arrived adolescent migrants in reception education in Flanders (socNAMs).

socNAMs provides a comprehensive and comparative dataset for researchers to identify how students' recent migration and their school setting relates to their social wellbeing, particularly regarding their feelings of loneliness. Results: This study design article delineates a quantitative cross-sectional research study (socNAMs) which successfully developed three questionnaires that were administered with unique and hard to reach populations, newly-arrived adolescent migrants (NAMs) and school staff offering reception education in Flanders, Belgium. At the individual level, socNAMs collected information on: (1) socio-demographic variables of NAMs; (2) migration and family context; (3) social relationships; (4) school experiences; (5) self-perceived wellbeing (physical and social); and (6) experiences with discrimination. The questionnaire developed for NAMs is available in 16 languages. To gain a further understanding of the impact of the school environment on NAMs, socNAMs collected contextual information primarily concerning school social capital by including data collected from teachers and reception-class coordinators. The final sample included 1379 NAMs, 50 teachers and 26 reception-class coordinators, from 35 schools offering reception education. In this article, we present the rationale for this study, the methodology of sampling and recruitment, the development and content of the questionnaires, some preliminary descriptive results and the strengths and limitations of the study. Future empirical studies will address the research aims outlined in this protocol paper. In addition, we highlight the opportunities that the dataset provides for advancing research regarding the social wellbeing of NAMs in varying school and national contexts.

Staying on track in higher secondary education in Flanders (Belgium). Mechanisms explaining social inequality in educational choice

ABSTRACT This article analyses the mechanisms that contribute to differences in educational choice in the transition from the second to the third stage of secondary education in Flanders, a highly tracked educational system. The study programme chosen in the eleventh grade, besides being quite predictable from the educational position in the tenth grade and school performance, is also affected by social class, ethnic background and gender. Using data gathered from pupils, their parents and their teachers, this study (N = 4389) tests a broad range of factors put forward by rational action theory, cultural reproduction theory and the Wisconsin status attainment model. As proposed by rational action theory, relative risk aversion affects educational choice. However, it does not explain the SES effect. Pupils’ academic self-esteem and their time perspective do have some potential to explain SES differentials in educational choice, as hypothesised by rational action theorists, and as can be expected from cultural explanations for educational inequality as well. In addition, expectations of significant others (parents, as well as teachers) are important predictors for subsequent educational choice and explain part of SES differences. Finally, classic cultural indicators of the parental home do not seem to affect educational choice beyond their effects on performance.

Mood disorders in higher education in Flanders during the 2nd and 3rd COVID-19 wave: Prevalence and help-seeking: Findings from the Flemish College Surveys (FLeCS)

To examine the prevalence of 12-month mood disorders and receipt of mental health treatment among a volunteer sample of higher education students during the 2nd and 3rd COVID-19 wave in the Flanders region. Web-based self-report surveys were obtained from 9101 students in higher education in the Flemish College Surveys (FLeCS) in Flanders, Belgium. As part of the World Health Organization's World Mental Health–International College Student Initiative, we screened for 12-month mood disorders (major depressive episode (MDE), mania/hypomania), and service use. We used poststratification weights to generate population-representative data on key socio-demographic characteristics. 50.6% of the respondents screened positive for 12-month mood disorders (46.8% MDE, of which 22.9% with very severe impact). Use of services was very low, with estimates of 35.4% for MDE, 31.7% for mania, and 25.5% for hypomania. Even among students with very severe disorders, treatment rates were never higher than 48.3%. Most common barriers for not using services were: the preference to handle the problem alone (83.4%) and not knowing where to seek professional help (79.8%). We found a high unmet need for mood problems among college students; though caution is needed in interpreting these findings given the volunteer nature of the sample. A reallocation of treatment resources for higher education students should be considered, particulary services that focus on innovative, low-threshold, and scalable interventions.

Islamonderwijs aan de Vlaamse Hogescholen: een stand van zaken

In this article, we elaborate on the current state of Islamic education in Flanders. Due to a difficult start, the school subject is, up until the present day, highly contested and challenged. In order to increase its quality, several initiatives have been taken over the past decades. One of these initiatives is the establishment of teacher training programs for Islamic religious education. The article first discusses the complex story of the instutionalization of Islam in Belgium. Subsequently, an overview of the different trajectories regarding the professionalization of Islamic education is given. In order to make the reader familiar with these trajectories, we focus on the curriculum of Islamic religious education in two Flemish university colleges. Contents, subject didactics, teaching internships and student testimonies clarify the teaching strategy. In conclusion, we argue that there is still room for quality improvement. In this regard, this article provides useful recommendations such as increasing the number of inspectors, updating the curriculum, and providing innovative learning materials.

Distance mathematics education in Flanders, Germany, and the Netherlands during the COVID 19 lockdown—the student perspective

In March 2020, many schools worldwide were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This closure confronted mathematics teachers with the challenging transition to emergency remote teaching (ERT). How did students experience ERT, and how did these experiences relate to context variables and to their teachers’ beliefs and practices? In particular, what didactic approaches and formative assessment practices did secondary mathematics students experience, and which beliefs did they hold concerning digital mathematics education? How were these student experiences and beliefs related to student context variables (gender, need to support family, personal home equipment), teacher beliefs, delivery modes, and student appreciation of mathematics? To investigate these issues, we set out online questionnaires for mathematics teachers and their students in Flanders—the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium—, Germany, and the Netherlands. Data consisted of completed questionnaires by 323 mathematics teachers and 2126 of their students. Results show that even though students preferred regular face-to-face teaching, they were content with the quality of their teachers’ distance mathematics teaching. Students reported that they were taught new topics often, but did not experience teachers initiating peer feedback. High student appreciation of mathematics, good home environment, and more synchronous delivery of ERT were related to ERT experiences and more positive beliefs concerning digital mathematics education. These findings have implications for ERT teaching strategies in future, as well as for hybrid teaching practices.

Citizenship and educational track membership of Grade 12 students in Flanders: a variable- and person-centered approach

ABSTRACT Educational tracking can lead to different citizenship outcomes. Most studies on the relationship between citizenship and educational track membership applied a variable-centered approach, comparing averages between tracks but not considering differences between students within a track. Person-centered approaches have shown that different citizenship profiles exist, but scholars never investigated the relationship between these profiles and track membership. Using data from the 2016 National Assessment on Civic and Citizenship Education in Flanders (Belgium), the present study combined both approaches to study democratic citizenship norms among Grade 12 students. The variable-centered approach showed that students in general education scored higher on good democratic citizenship items than students in technical and vocational education. However, a person-centered approach found seven distinct good democratic citizenship profiles containing students from each track. Hence, this study challenges stereotypical views of students’ views on citizenship in different educational tracks.

Distance Learning and School-Related Stress Among Belgian Adolescents During the COVID-19 Pandemic

To improve our understanding of the mental health consequences of the shift to distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, this study examined which factors are associated with increased school-related stress in adolescents. The sample consists of 16,093 adolescents, aged 12 to 18, who were enrolled in secondary education in Flanders, Belgium in May 2020. Stepwise binomial logistic regressions were used to investigate associations between the (online) learning environment, family-, and peer-related factors and increased stress in adolescents, controlling for sociodemographic characteristics. Results show that overcrowding, financial difficulties, and domestic violence are risk factors for increased stress, while social support and no material deprivation are protective factors. These findings suggest that, in addition to distributing the necessary materials for distance learning, also social policy efforts are required to compensate for the negative effects of distance learning. Without this, distance learning may fail to deliver equal educational opportunities and outcomes.

IGARSS 2021 High School Program Green in the City [Education

Supported by the IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society (GRSS) High School and Undergrad Student Outreach Program (HSUSO), the educational chairs of the 2021 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium IGARSS 2021 developed a remote sensing school project targeting 16- and 17-year-old pupils in the third grade of secondary education in Flanders, Belgium. HSUSO was led by Dr. Linda Bailey Hayden and Dr. Josée Lévesque. The Green in the City project focused on the role of urban green in cities. Using dedicated course materials, including knowledge clips, manuals and tutorials, and data sets for several Belgian cities, the project offered hands-on training in basic remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) skills. By exploring spectral reflectance properties of different materials, participating students learned how to map urban green from satellite data and analyze the relation between urban green and other environmental and socioeconomic variables at the intra-urban scale. The project reached more than 500 students from 20 schools. Given the success of the project, plans to roll out an international version of the program are in the pipeline.

Dawn of Philosophy Education in Flanders

Dawn of Philosophy Education in Flanders

Do international classes pay off? A cost-benefit analysis of the internationalisation of higher education in Flanders

Internationalisation is a major trend in higher education worldwide. Yet, little evidence is given on the net impact of international students on national economies. This study addresses this gap by estimating the benefits against the costs driven by international students in Belgium and its Flemish region in particular. Using a unique combination of various sources of micro-data, the results show net positive benefits that exceed costs by a factor ranging between 2.4 (lower bound) and 3.1 (upper bound) times. The results vary highly with the level of education, as the ratio is the lowest for doctoral students (1.2–1.6) and highest for master students (5.1–6.3). The effect is mainly driven by a high stay rate of international students, who are likely to work in the country after graduation. When considering indirect effects, our results show that there are no significant peer effects due to the presence of international students in the classroom.

Turkish Language and Turkish Culture Education in Flanders, Belgium: A model proposal

Purpose: In this paper, language and culture classes (TLCL) in Belgium are chronologically presented from past to present and based on the challenges and problems faced, a case study was conducted. Furthermore, an integrated model is presented to address the problem of suspended and ill-structured Turkish language education in the Flemish Region. Design/Methodology/Approach: Since 30 June 2016, Turkish language and culture classes have been suspended in the Flemish Region of Belgium, a federal state composed of communities (Flemish, French, and German-language) and regions (Flemish, Walloon, and Brussels Capital), which makes it problematical for the Turkish community to keep its language and culture alive through classes. Since 2016, some local NGOs have been able to organise ‘Turkish-language and culture classes’ in the Flemish Region through programmes funded by the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities in Turkey. While this appears to be a short-term solution to the problem of suspended Turkish language classes at schools, a new model should be drafted in order to adopt an institutionalised and longitudinal school-based approach as a long-term solution. Findings: For an effective Turkish-language and culture teaching and learning process, some important and sustainable measures should be taken into account. A negligence suspension after 2016 has affected Turkish-language and culture teaching and learning processes, heralding a period of regression. Pursuant to a Protocol signed by the Flemish Government and Turkish Government, TLCL were resumed in Flanders in the 2019-2020 academic year, with a model-based approach presented in this study. Highlights: This educational model came about thanks to a theme-based, multilingual approach, which is integrated successfully in Flemish schools by bilingual, local teachers living in Flanders.

Implementing task-based language education in primary education

Abstract This article provides a critical analysis of the language policy measures that were taken by the Flemish government (Belgium) to improve the quality of the teaching of the national language (Dutch) in compulsory education in Flanders and in the Flemish education system in Brussels. It builds on Van den Branden (2006a), which documented the implementation of task-based language teaching (TBLT) in primary, secondary and adult education in Flanders in the period between 1995 and 2005. Focusing on primary education, this article examines the different periods and trends in the government’s attempts to push the innovation of Dutch language education, and analyses its impact on the practice of teaching the language of schooling. The article highlights the gradual shift in focus from introducing TBLT materials and supporting the individual teacher to mandating the design of a school-wide language policy involving the whole school team, and from a top-down implementation to a more bottom-up driven, collaborative innovation process. The major aim of the article is to identify the factors that impacted on the effects of the innovation policy, against the backdrop of the growing influx of pupils who do not acquire Dutch (the main medium of instruction) as their mother tongue.

Language policy in higher education in Flanders: Legislation and actual practice

Abstract This article discusses a number of linguistic aspects of the internationalisation and anglicisation of higher education in Flanders. We aim to combine an overview of the applicable legal measures with the most detailed and complete information to date on the actual linguistic practices in universities and university colleges. To this end, we collected the most recent available data from a variety of official reports and databases on parameters including the number of English bachelor and master programmes currently on offer, the relative share of students involved in these international programmes, as well as the extent to which students and professors meet official language requirements. Next to these English-focused aspects, we also supply new figures on the required mother tongue proficiency to enrol in the regular Dutch-based curriculum (theory versus practice). The situation in the Dutch-speaking community of Belgium is then compared to that of the French-speaking Community, once again based on figures and data that were collated from a variety of official sources. All data indicate that the actual impact of anglicisation in Flemish universities and university colleges remains limited and unproblematic, compared to the situation in many other medium-sized language communities. The closing discussion advocates a language policy for higher education in Flanders that combines a strong focus on mother tongue proficiency with a solid training in English for academic purposes.

‘Oh, this is really great work—especially for a Turk’: a critical race theory analysis of Turkish Belgian students’ discrimination experiences

ABSTRACT Students of Turkish descent suffer various forms of discrimination in education in Flanders (the northern part of Belgium). Nevertheless, few studies have documented how these discrimination experiences are situated within structures of ethnic inequality in education. Adopting a critical race theory approach, experiences of Turkish Belgian university students were analysed to expose deficit assumptions towards ethnic minorities and push against inequity in education. The accounts of students show the exclusionary treatment they were exposed to despite the dominating discourses of colorblindness in education. Students’ experiences with peers highlight the pervasiveness of racism that targeted ethnic minority students based on their ethnic and social class background. Lack of minority representation, ubiquitous microaggressions, and exclusionary curriculum shape students’ experiences at university context and affirm White normativity. These findings highlight the urgency of challenging against systems and structures of racism in education. The implications for research and practice are detailed in the concluding section.

The policy shift towards citizenship education in Flanders. How can it be explained?

ABSTRACT In 2018 the Flemish Government agreed to introduce citizenship education for all students in secondary schools. This is new, since Flanders does not have an elaborated tradition of citizenship education. After a presentation of the political genealogy and the content of the new educational goals, the article analyses which theoretical framework can be used to explain this policy shift in Flanders. Conventional theories such as ‘interest groups’ and ‘rational choice’ do not serve the purpose. We argue that the policy transformation can better be explained by a combination of both the ‘path dependent explanation’ and ‘the paradigm creates politics approach’. While the paradigm shift has certainly played a big role, it does not offer the full explanation why Flanders formulated official learning goals for citizenship education. The path-way change has been initiated by a small reference in a parliamentary document to a European text in an early stage of the overall reform process of the educational goals in Flanders.

Leadership as a lever for inclusive education in Flanders: A multiple case study using qualitative comparative analysis

Belgium ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2009, which implies that an inclusive education (IE) system at all levels should be realized. Consequently, recent legislation in Flanders (Belgium) aims to reduce the current segregated school system, which has caused some resistance from practitioners. This study examines the way in which leadership that promotes IE can reduce this resistance. Leadership is defined in terms of the dimensions put forward by Robinson and Timperley (2007): (a) providing educational direction; (b) ensuring strategic alignment; (c) creating a community that learns how to improve student success; (d) engaging in constructive problem talk; and (e) selecting and developing smart tools that facilitate IE. Based on case study research in 20 schools (10 primary, 10 secondary), a crisp-set qualitative comparative analysis was conducted to identify (combinations of) leadership dimensions associated with the willingness of school team members to include students with special educational needs (SEN) in mainstream schools. The results reveal that schools in which leaders provide educational direction towards a more inclusive school system, and that engage in constructive problem talk and select and develop smart tools in support of IE, are more willing to include students with SEN.