Educational Development Projects Research Articles

External influence, policy transfer and national ownership: A case on primary education of Bangladesh

This paper aims to explain ‘how the development partners have worked to transfer policies in primary education of Bangladesh’, followed by an assessment of national policy ownership in context of external policy influence in the sector. The external development partners’ mode and nature of the policy influence has taken the form of ‘emulation’ in primary education sector. Emulation entails making, by the development partners, the funds and policy ideas available for reforms in educational development projects and programmes. They have tried down various modalities and by the way they have consolidated their position in directing primary educational development by introducing sector-wide approach. Together with this, they have imported many reforms from the outside in the education system. Empowering schools to prepare school improvement plans within the second primary education development program is an example of external policy transfer. This raises questions about government's leadership in educational development policies. Lack of national policy ownership weakens ministerial accountability to the government or the parliament. National capacity constraints, uncertainty of national education policy, and resistance of the domestic interest groups to local reforms are some of key bottlenecks towards promoting national stewardship in policy domain.

Using Social Media as a Managerial Platform for an Educational Development Project: Cofimvaba

This paper contains a qualitative analysis of selected excerpts from the managerial communication records of the Cofimvaba e-textbook project. This project is conducted in the Eastern Cape, a province of South Africa. The component managers of the project use Whatsapp, a popular social media platform to engage in managerial communication. The researchers found that this unconventional platform proved to be an excellent anchor for managerial communication on the project.

The Effect of the School Internal Environment of Secondary Education on Daily Work of Teaching Staff: A Systemic Approach

This article focuses on exploring the School Internal Environment and on identifying disorders that appear in the workplace of the Teaching Staff of Secondary Education, in order to record the effects of these problems in natural (physical) and mental balance and health of the teachers. It is based on a sample of 188 teachers, 65 men (34.6%) and 123 women (65.4%) who work in High and Senior High Schools of the city of Karditsa (Thessaly, Greece). It focuses most on the effect of the Schools’ Location, the Schools’ Organizational and Operational Structure, the Head Teachers, the Schools’ Human Resources as well as the Media and the Teaching Methods of the Personnel in their daily work. The results demonstrate especially that the Head Teachers’ institutional weakness to control the students’ behaviour and the school internal physical and psychological climate affect negatively the teachers’ daily work. On the other hand, especially the development of educational projects, the location (site of installation) of the school unit, the Head teachers’ incentive policy and both the Head teachers’ and the colleagues’ behaviour affect positively the teachers’ daily work. Finally, the findings shed light on the factors that can contribute to the creation of necessary conditions which could improve the working environment of the Teaching Staff of Secondary Education. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n13p244

English

Within middle school classrooms a diverse body of students require specialized instruction and science teachers with unique abilities to implement a reform-based science curriculum. To achieve the goal of success for all, students who are English language leaners and with exceptionalities, such as learning disabilities, and emotional and behavioral disorders, are often assigned paraeducators to support science learning. However, professional development often focuses on immersing paraeducators through a broad model of curricular modifications and general support strategies. This study reports findings of a three-year professional development project for middle level science teachers and paraeducators designed to increase science conceptual understanding and inquiry skills development. The overarching goals were to: 1) increase middle level science teachers ability to explain science concepts, and 2) develop paraeducator's ability to directly assist in delivering inquiry-based science for students with Individualized Educational Plans identified with learning disabilities and emotional and behavioral disorders. A total of 13 science teachers collaborated with 11 paraeducators to identify practices impeding reform-based science instruction, address misconceptions, and modify delivery of instruction and assessment. The model for collaborating with science teachers enabled paraprofessionals to experience science as inquiry and expand their understanding of the vital role paraeducators have in supporting science learning. This mixed methods research design utilized data collected from the STEBI-A (and modified version for paraeducators), RTOP, and reflective journals to determine project impact. Analyses of the data reveal change in conceptual understanding, perceptions, and methodologies by which teachers and paraeducators collaborate to implement science instruction. The model demonstrates strategies for shifting the paradigm of paraeducators as silent partners to active participants in teaching inquiry-based science in middle schools.

Computers, Language Arts and Change: Southern Illinois University’s Teacher Renewal Institute

The Renewal Institute for Practicing Educators at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale is a state funded staff development project for teachers in small, rural school districts. One of the In...

Recommender Thermometer for Measuring the Preparedness for Flood Resilience Management

A range of various thermometers and similar scales are employed in different human and resilience management activities: Distress Thermometer, Panic Thermometer, Fear Thermometer, fire danger rating, hurricane scales, earthquake scales (Richter Magnitude Scale, Mercalli Scale), Anxiety Thermometer, Help Thermometer, Problem Thermometer, Emotion Thermometer, Depression Thermometer, the Torino scale (assessing asteroid/comet impact prediction), Excessive Heat Watch, etc. Extensive financing of the preparedness for flood resilience management with overheated full-scale resilience management might be compared to someone ill running a fever of 41̊C. As the financial crisis hits and resilience management financing cools down it reminds a sick person whose body temperature is too low. The degree indicated by the Recommender Thermometer for Measuring the Preparedness for Flood Resilience Management with a scale between Tmin=34,0̊ and Tmax=42,0̊ shows either cool or overheated preparedness for flood resilience management. The formalized presentation of this research shows how changes in the micro, meso and macro environment of resilience management and the extent to which the goals pursued by various interested parties are met cause corresponding changes in the “temperature” of the preparedness for resilience management. Global innovative aspects of the Recommender Thermometer developed by the authors of this paper are, primarily, its capacity to measure the “temperature” of the preparedness for flood resilience management automatically, to compile multiple alternative recommendations (preparedness for floods, including preparing your home for floods, taking precautions against a threat of floods, retrofitting for flood-prone areas, checking your house insurance; preparedness for bushfires, preparedness for cyclones, preparedness for severe storms, preparedness for heat waves, etc.) customised for a specific user, to perform multiple criteria analysis of the recommendations, and to select the ten most rational ones for that user. Across the world, no other system offers these functions yet. The Recommender Thermometer was developed and fine-tuned in the course of the Android (Academic Network for Disaster Resilience to Optimise educational Development) project.

Lecturers and librarians in collaboration The common pursuit of scholarly thinking in the Special Education Programme

During 2012 the Special Education Teacher Training Programme at Malmö University ran the education development project "From experience-based practice to scholarly thinking". The background of the project was the fact that the students' practical teaching experience had not been sufficiently utilized and scientifically processed, while at the same time the courses in Philosophy of Science and Research Methodology were perceived to be distancing and difficult to absorb. The aim of the project was to allow theory and practice to mutually enrich one another in a clear manner in the progression towards scholarly thinking. All lecturers of all the courses within the Special Education Programme, met together with two librarians to discuss perceptions of what scholarship is and why a research based approach is important in Special education and in the profession Special education teacher. Together we brainstormed ideas and suggestions of learning activities which together could form a progression to develop a research based approach among students. One idea that has already been launched is Spanarverkstad (a version of Journal Clubs) where articles chosen by students ranged from practical education journals to scholarly journals, are discussed. Another form has been Idea Seminars where representatives from the special education field offer to come up with thesis ideas. Another activity is when lecturers from the Philosophy of Science and Research Methodology courses talks about the research methods that they have personal experience of and perspectives on scholarly thinking. They meet the students in a panel debate where the students have the chance to put forward questions. One developing idea is to encourage students to record their experiences and thoughts in writing. Namely a genre-based pedagogy which could be called something along the lines of "From blog to academic article and vice versa". The aim with the round table discussion is to have the opportunity to exchange experiences, thoughts and ideas of how the collaboration between lecturers and librarians can become a strategic partnership in the pursuit of developing students' scholarly thinking. The round table discussion begins with a presentation of the project "From experience-based practice to scholarly thinking". Afterwards we would like to give the participants the chance to pose questions and discuss how librarians and lecturers can jointly contribute to achieve this goal. How can librarians and lecturers work together to prepare students for a profession where a research-based approach is an important factor in school development? Another point we want to bring into the discussion is what librarians can contribute to a teaching team when it is focusing on planning tutorials for students in higher education? What do lecturers see the librarians' roles as within the team? These are a few examples of questions which could be asked or could be worth developing.

Fostering Creativity Through Educational Video Game Development Projects: A Study of Contextual and Task Characteristics

The increasing demand for creative individuals in the labor market requires well-prepared professionals, capable of enhancing competitiveness through new ideas and innovative actions. Educational programs should, therefore, rely on approaches and learning environments that foster creativity. In this study, video game development projects were used as an approach to foster creativity in educational contexts. Conceptual frameworks focused on contextual creativity enablers indicate that specific environment and task characteristics can facilitate the development and expression of creativity. This study explored the extent to which students perceived that educational game development projects mimicking real-world dynamics recreated contextual conditions appropriate to foster creativity, and whether they associated these conditions with their self-perceived creativity improvement. Questionnaires were administered to 38 students enrolled in 2 educational game development programs. Findings suggest that video game development creates a remarkable setting to promote and facilitate the expression and development of students' creativity, due to characteristics of the task and of the work environment generated by this activity.

Residents’ Attitude towards Educational Tourism in Malaysia

Introduction: Educational tourism is known as an imperative sector in the tourism industry to expand its sustainability. Malaysia is increasingly recognized by students from around the world as the preferred choice for continuing education. Methods: This study used the data collected through a cross-sectional survey among residents in the Klang Valley, Malaysia. Interviewed questionnaires were used during the survey from December 2010 to January 2011. Results: The results showed that there is a significant difference in attitudes of local residents towards educational tourism. The finding also revealed that attention should be focused on the attitudes of residents with various job sectors. Conclusion: The difference between the residents' job is a critical issue in analyzing the impact of educational tourism and community development projects in Malaysia.Keywords: community development, educational tourism, residents, attitude

Educational Change and International Trade in Teacher Development

The study in one country to support the development of education in another is a regular event in the field of contemporary tertiary education, and it is likely to grow as developing countries accelerate their educational development projects and as Western universities seek international student funding. This article reports the case study of a specific teacher development project and examines the degree to which local development goals were met (or not) within an overtly international study experience, and uses the context and findings of the case to develop a discussion about fair academic trade. Because the stake holders in cross-national education are not univocal, it uses a number of different critical lenses to examine the findings and explore the complexities of the learning contract and its outcomes. It then offers a working model that nominates key elements for fair academic trade, and briefly reports on further collaborations that are growing out of the case study.

No Peace in the House: Witchcraft Accusations as an “Old Woman’s Problem” in Ghana

In Ghana, older women may be marginalized, abused, and even killed as witches. Media accounts imply this is common practice, mainly through stories of “witches camps” to which the accused may flee. Anthropological literature on aging and on witchcraft, however, suggests that this focus exaggerates and misinterprets the problem. This article presents a literature review and exploratory data on elder advocacy and rights intervention on behalf of accused witches in Ghana to help answer the question of how witchcraft accusations become an older woman’s problem in the context of aging and elder advocacy work. The ineffectiveness of rights based and formal intervention through sponsored education programs and development projects is contrasted with the benefit of informal conflict resolution by family and staff of advocacy organizations. Data are based on ethnographic research in Ghana on a rights based program addressing witchcraft accusations by a national elder advocacy organization and on rights based intervention in three witches camps.

Citizenship Competencies and the Program of Education in Sexuality and Construction of Citizenship (PESCC): A Review of the Implementation of a Public Policy in Institutions of Primary and Secondary Education in Bucaramanga, Colombia

Civic education is becoming increasingly important in the Colombian context and is part of the educational priorities of the national government. Therefore, it has launched the Program of Sex Education and Construction of Citizenship (PESCC) that integrates the standards in civic competencies with those of Social and Natural Sciences in the development of educational projects that promote the exercise, respect and promotion of human, sexual and reproductive rights. The aim of this paper is to analyze the use of these competencies in the creation of the pedagogical matrices of the educational institutions involved in the implementation process of the PESCC and the use standards set by the Ministry of National Education (MEN). This implementation was carried out in 24 public institutions in the city of Bucaramanga, Colombia, using the conceptual and methodological tools provided by the MEN. The conclusions suggest that educational innovations in citizenship must be accompanied by an evaluative process of the transformation of the institutions and the different actors of the educational community, in order to know the real impact of these initiatives on school life. Finally, some reflections are included for the implementation of this type of educational policies.

Introduction to molecular gastronomy and to its applications in science education

This article looks at the history of molecular gastronomy, how it is defined and used in teaching natural sciences. The article also discusses the cooperative molecular gastronomy education research and development project started in 2011, as well as an affiliated continuing training project for teachers. The project involves developing new research-based and meaningful approaches to teaching sciences, especially chemistry and home economics, in cooperation with teachers.

Student academic partners: student employment for collaborative learning and teaching development

During 2008, Birmingham City University (BCU) began to develop approaches to enable students to have a greater ownership of the enhancement of learning and teaching at the university in order to break down some of the real and perceived barriers between students and staff. This work led to the development of the Student Academic Partners scheme which employs students to work in collaboration with staff on educational development projects spanning across the university. At a time when a number of institutions are considering student employment following the HEFCE funded project in 2009, this paper considers opportunities for student engagement in educational development and provides a case study of student employment at BCU as a cross-institutional approach to embedding collaboration between students and staff for learning and teaching development. Locating the scheme within the literature, practice and evaluation, we offer four principles for facilitating an institutional culture of collaborative educational development and evaluate the impact of the investment on students, staff and the institution as a whole.

Impact of Education Expansion on Employment in Bangladesh : Comparing Two Cases of Villages in Remote and Suburban Rural Settings

A number of institutions and organizations such as the government, NGOs, international development partners and agencies and religious groups have been working to develop education in Bangladesh. Educational development projects related to the Education for All (EFA) have contributed to the development of the education sector. As a result, enrolment rates have increased significantly over the past two decades in Bangladesh, not only in primary schools but also at the secondary level. As a result, it is increasingly common to find individuals with Secondary School Certificate (SSC), Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and even higher education degrees in the population at large. Still, 85% of the population of Bangladesh lives in rural areas. At this point, the most important questions are whether educated rural people are able to find employment after graduation and whether educational development policies expand people's life options. This study compares educational development in two regional settings, one in the western part of the country and the other in the east. The aim is understand educational attainment in two different geographical settings—one in a remote rural area far from industry and the other a semi-urban rural area closer to industry.

Reworking practice through an AfL project: an analysis of teachers’ collaborative engagement with new assessment guidelines

In recent years, the concept of Assessment for Learning (AfL) has travelled across countries, giving rise to a range of educational policy initiatives and school development projects. While researchers have focused on issues such as how formative assessment can support student learning and lead to more efficient classroom practices, less attention has been paid to the collaborative work required to develop shared assessment practices at the school level, and to the integration of AfL‐related principles and tools in the collective practice. This paper focuses on the challenges emerging for a teacher team engaging with an AfL project in a lower secondary school in Norway. By employing concepts and perspectives from social practice theory, AfL is understood as a problem complex that needs to be explored and developed locally. We have analysed data from seven video‐recorded meetings of an AfL team, supplemented by interviews and field notes, in order to make visible the micro processes of teachers' collaborative work. The analysis shows how the teachers needed to rework historically established practices and principles, which in turn called for a negotiation and re‐contextualisation of new concepts and artefacts in their efforts to develop shared assessment practices. This again required ways of representing existing practices and imagining future scenarios. Based on these observations we recommend that AfL projects be understood in their wider curricular, institutional, and social contexts, and that the constructive dimensions of teachers' collaborative work in such projects should be acknowledged.

Constellations of Support and Impediment: Understanding Early Implementation Dynamics in the Research and Development of an Online Multimodal Writing and Peer Review Environment

In this article, the authors trace teachers' experiences while participating in an educational technology development and research project focused on the creation and use of an online writing and peer review environment. They follow teachers from their initial expectations of the program, to their response to professional development training sessions, planning sessions, student account setup, and to their initial attempts at utilizing the digital learning environment in the classroom. In so doing, the authors suggest that the path toward and away from successful classroom implementation of emerging learning technologies is a multiple, shifting, and interrelational one, influenced by constellations of factors including affect, administrator support, student buy-in, research and development team knowledge and availability, district priorities, and the amount of upheaval in the personal lives of teachers.

Multiplying the Effect of Professional Development: Teachers Training Teachers

This article describes the effects of participation and collaboration in an in‐service professional development project for secondary content area teachers referred to as turnaround training. The participating teachers were experienced, skilled practitioners in their content areas (math, science, social studies, or English language arts) who were challenged with meeting the needs of students who were learning English as well as course content. The goal of the professional development project was to improve student performance by enhancing the skills of the secondary teachers. The authors found that the training project enhanced the technical skills of participants for working with English language learners. Furthermore, these newly minted English as a second language (ESL) “experts” negotiated their professional identities as they translated what they learned about multicultural competence, second language acquisition, and teaching ESL into turnaround training sessions for their colleagues.

The Conflict and Intervention in an Educational Development Project : Lesson Study Analysis Using Activity System in Palestinian Refugee Schools

The Conflict and Intervention in an Educational Development Project : Lesson Study Analysis Using Activity System in Palestinian Refugee Schools

Collaborative learning and competence development in school health nursing

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the process and learning outcomes of peer collaboration in a Danish health developmental project in school health nursing. The paper explores how peer collaboration influences the school nurses' collaborative learning and competence development.Design/methodology/approachThe article is based on data from a three‐year health educational development project at primary schools in Denmark. These data are observations from 12 reflective workshops with school nurses, two questionnaire surveys, and five focus group interviews with five of the six sub‐projects after the project was over. In the workshops, the questionnaire surveys and the focus group interviews the school nurses were asked to reflect on the developmental process, their collaboration, own and mutual pedagogical competence development.FindingsSystematic peer collaboration between school nurses qualifies their learning and ability to reflect on practice, their communication with colleagues and children, and the development of new and innovative approaches to school health nursing. The introduction of peer collaboration, however, takes time and energy and it can be a challenge to introduce peer collaboration into a working culture in which school nurses traditionally work alone under prominent work and time pressures.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is explorative. Further research could explore the connection between collaborative learning among school nurses and the development of their competences in school health nursing.Practical implicationsThe paper outlines how and why collaboration among school nurses should be introduced in a more systematic way into school health nursing.Originality/valueThe paper investigates the connection between informal educational activities for SNs and possible learning outcomes for practice. Specifically, the paper looks into different ways in which SNs collaborate and the findings contribute to new understandings of how SNs' practice can be organised in order to stimulate school nurses' participation and collaborative learning and increase the quality of school health nursing.