Implementation Of Educational Reforms Research Articles

Teaching global English in a local context: teachers’ realities in Mongolian public schools

ABSTRACT English has been increasingly used for global communication purposes, and educational systems in many countries have responded by prioritizing English language education over teaching and learning of other foreign languages. In Mongolia, the growing popularity of English resulted in the nationwide programmes on English Language Education that required skilled English language teachers to engage students in meaningful language learning opportunities. To date, no empirical studies on the impact of the new English language curriculum on Mongolian secondary teachers’ beliefs and practices have been reported in the literature. This study aims to address this gap by exploring secondary school teachers’ perceptions about the successes and challenges of teaching a global language in a local context. The findings suggest that Mongolian public school teachers face multiple challenges, including frequent curriculum and textbook changes, large class sizes, inadequate facilities and insufficient resources. At the same time, the findings of this study shed light on positive developments in the field of secondary EFL teaching in Mongolia. It is hoped that this study will inform policymakers and other stakeholders about on-the-ground understandings and implementation of educational reforms, as well as provide English teachers in similar contexts with strategies required to maintain effective EFL teaching practices.

The Creation and Development of Textbooks for Children with Cognitive Development Disorders

The implementation of reforms in education for children with cognitive development disorders requires that the historical aspect of the educational process should be reconsidered and scientifically justified, as well as the accomplishments of Ukrainian defectology should be creatively used. The relevance of the research lies in the need to overcome the fragmentarity of historical and pedagogical knowledge about the creation and development of textbooks for children with cognitive development disorders in Ukraine to justify and determine its characteristics and roles in modern correctional pedagogy. The research aims to identify the prerequisites for the emergence and the features of such processes as the creation and development of textbooks for children with cognitive development disorders in Ukraine in the period under study, as well as to highlight the scientific and practical value of the available accomplishments in the field to further improve such books for these children under modern conditions. Research methods include theoretical analysis; synthesis; comparison; systematization and classification of data from archival sources; historical-and-genetic, comparative, chronological, biographical methods; periodization; retrospective analysis. The research identifies and justifies the stages in the development of textbooks for children with cognitive development disorders in Ukraine, whose sequence is related to the development and reforms in the special education system, the elaboration of concepts, theoretical and methodological principles of education of children with cognitive development disorders, as well as the changes in organizational-and-pedagogical and scientific-and-pedagogical aspects. The research concludes that Ukrainian researchers and practicians regularly work on the improvement of textbooks’ content.

THE POLITICS OF EDUCATION REFORMS IN KENYA: CRITICAL ASSESSMENT OF THE EDUCATION SYSTEM FROM 1963-2020

The study conducted a critical appraisal of the education system and reforms in Kenya as influenced by the regime of the day. There are various factors that influence educational development in any particular country, namely political, historical, geographical, technological, religious, and ideological factors. The political factor is seen as the steering wheel of education in Kenya during pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial periods. There is no doubt that educational policies on system reforms are significantly dependent on political and social conditions, which are no longer consistent with the current predominant economic reality. This has made it difficult to come up with better, reliable, and sustainable policies. The historical design was adopted in reviewing educational development under the leadership of the four presidents of Kenya. So far, the first and the second presidents remain known as the ones who have brought the most educational changes in the country. The new 2-6-6-3 education system emphasizes continuous assessment tests rather than the end of cycle tests and is more competencies-based than exam-based (as is the 8-4-4 system). The policy designers in the education sector should comprehend and embrace education policies since they are expected to give effective leadership and management practices in the development of education. Good education development can only be realized when a country tries to separate educational policies from national politics, clear stipulation of educational policies and their role in national development and a sound implementation of educational reforms. This article digs deeper into education policies and implementation in Kenya in an attempt to provide recommendations and suggestions to improve the educational sector.

ВІДЧУТТЯ ПРИЧЕТНОСТІ ВЧИТЕЛІВ ЯК ПЕРЕДУМОВА УСПІШНОСТІ ОСВІТНЬОЇ РЕФОРМИ: МЕТОДИЧНІ ЗАСАДИ ДОСЛІДЖЕННЯ

The problems of management of educational reforms in the context of world practices have been analyzed. Based on the study of international experience, the premises for the successful implementation of educational reforms have been identified: decentralization and autonomy of schools; effective leadership of administrators as a factor in stimulating innovative changes among the pedagogical community; gradual steps of the reforms; well-established communication and high degree of trust between all stakeholders; consensus-based participation, as well as openness to communication and tolerant exchange of views; the subjective sense of belonging of the participants at all stages of educational reform. Based on the results of the analysis of modern scientific knowledge, it has been established that individuals who feel involved into the community tend to go beyond personal interests for the group goals and implement socially significant tasks. There have been identified approaches to the under-standing of the sense of teachers` belonging. It has been also stated that the consolidation of opinions at the level of collective interests and values, as well as a positive affective background contribute to the formation and high manifestation of the sense of belonging. The levels of teachers` belonging in the context of educational reforms have been identified through the questionnaire. There has been established a link between teachers' sense of belonging and their willingness to implement competency-based approach into learning.

School principals’ skills and teacher absenteeism during Israeli educational reform: Exploring the mediating role of participation in decision-making, trust and job satisfaction

The current study deals with the question of whether affective trust among the teaching staff and teacher participation in decision-making (PDM) might influence the relationship between principals’ skills (cognitive and interpersonal) and organizational outcomes (job satisfaction and teacher absenteeism) during the first year of educational reform implementation. The research model was further compared with schools that did not undergo the reform. Participants included 1370 teachers and 106 principals from 106 randomly selected elementary schools in Israel that implemented the “New Horizon” reform; and 1203 teachers from 101 schools which did not implement the reform. Results indicated that in the first year of reform implementation, only principals’ cognitive skills lead to PDM and affective trust among the teaching staff, the latter being positively related to teachers’ job satisfaction, which in turn is negatively related to teachers’ absenteeism during this year. Furthermore, affective trust and job satisfaction mediated the relationship between principals’ cognitive skills and teacher absenteeism in the first year of reform implementation. Regarding the differences between the two groups of schools, the model of schools with no reform implementation showed only a relationship between cognitive skills and PDM. The theoretical and practical implications of the study are discussed.

Інноваційне освітнє середовище: технології створення

The implementation of educational reforms in Ukraine requires the modernization of teacher training. The imbalance between the social demand for highly qualified pedagogical staff and the outdated teacher training system stimulates the development of innovative educational environments, which should ensure the formation of high-level professional competence of university students. The article describes the experience of modeling an innovative environment by means of a student-centered training and practice center, which performs educational activities based on competency and STEM approaches. The conceptual basis of the technology is the guiding principles of partnership pedagogy, STEM education, competency and transdisciplinary approaches, technologies of student-centered teaching. The content component of the technology is modeling of natural science and mathematical education on the basis of current educational standards for institutions of higher and secondary education. The procedural component of the technology is the set of innovative forms and methods of educational activity that are integrated into long-term socio-scientific projects. Modeling of innovative educational environment by means of STEM and Art education provided an opportunity to introduce social and scientific projects satellites: children and youth experimentarium "Time Line", "Bank of Science", "Interesting Science in the City Streets" and others. The results of the work of the educational scientific laboratory are the development and implementation of innovative forms of educational activity in the system of training of future teachers. Innovative technology of transdisciplinary approach in education can be implemented by means of STEM platforms. The Center's Scientific and Methodological Laboratory investigates the process of introducing higher education technologies, develops a network of interactive playgrounds based on the STEM approach and approves innovative forms of educational activity. The Elements of the developed innovative scientific infrastructure were introduced at the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics of the V.O. Sukhomlynskyi Mykolayiv National University and in the educational institutions that are partners of the project.

GENERAL AND PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION SYSTEMS OF UZBEKISTAN AND JAPAN: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

In recent years, there has been a rising global need to train and educate certain number of workers to possess high quality, relevant vocational skills which lead to an enormous increase in the demand for professional education. In our country, using the experience of developed countries is crucial for the implementation of education reforms. Reforms based on modern approaches today are an important factor in the development of general and vocational education systems in the Republic of Uzbekistan. Comparison of indicators of the educational reform process in different countries helps to detect and overcome shortcomings, enrich one’s own experience and find more fruitful and optimal ways of developing the educational system. In this article, based on the comparison method, the general trends and features of the development, modernization of general and vocational education in Uzbekistan and Japan are determined. Based on an analysis of the current state of the general and vocational education system of the Republic of Uzbekistan, practical proposals were developed for further improving the prospects for vocational schools based on Japanese experience.

Developing Primary EFL Students’ Multiliteracies Competence Through Drama Teaching: A Case Study in China

Multiliteracies competence has emerged as an important research field, yet it remains a great challenge for primary EFL teachers in China to develop students’ multiliteracies competence. With the implementation of educational reform in K12 education in China, the importance of cultivating multiliteracies competence for primary school students has become increasingly prominent. Meanwhile, in the current K12 education curriculum in China, the practice of offering English drama courses caters to the needs of enhancing students’ multiliteracies competence. This qualitative study aims to exlore: (1) how are dramas taught in primary EFL classes in China? (2) how is students’ multiliteracies competence developed through learning drama? The participant of this longitudinal narrative inquiry is an EFL teacher at a primary school in Southern China. Data include two-semester-long observation of the English drama classes in the school, weekly meetings on drama teaching, workshops with foreign drama experts and interview narratives, as well as documents such as the participants’ lesson plans, journals and students’ feedback. Findings show that EFL drama teaching in the primary school adopts multiliteracies pedagogy, drawing on a range of media and aiming to develop students’ all-around skills. Findings also reveal that students’ language competence and multiliteracies competence are indeed greatly enhanced through drama teaching and learning. Implications for further teacher development are discussed, including offering English drama education in pre-service programs, enhancing acting skills mentoring in internship and in-service training, and observing and reflecting on one’s own and their peers’ drama teaching practices and raising their multiliteracies awareness and intercultural awareness.

Análisis de la práctica educativa en secundaria de talleres, tecnologías y clubes a través de la historia de reformas y planes y programas

The purpose of this article is to analyze changes in plans and programs with the implementation of educational reforms in the area of workshops, technologies and clubs since the beginning of middle school. It shows how workshops and technologies were subjects that impelled the student in the preparation of a trade. In the reform of 2006, with the articulation of basic education and the curricular approach of 2011, whose purpose in the subject of technology was to take the student of know-how to know the processes necessary for the production of a service or product, and promoted the student to be analytical, conscious and enterprising. The last educational reform of 2013, applied in the plans and programs of 2017 that places the clubs to be determined to be carried out in four hours per week. The fundamental purpose then of this analysis is to glimpse the process of historical development that the reforms of the workshops, technologies and clubs in the middle school.

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF EDUCATIONAL REFORMS IN THE CONTEXT OF GLOBALIZATION AND GLOBAL TRANSFORMATION OF EDUCATION (THE EXPERIENCE OF TURKEY IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF THE XXI CENTURY)

The article deals with the problems of implementation of educational reforms in the conditions of globalization and world transfomation on the example of Turkey. In Turkey, educational reforms are actively carried out. The main objective is to prepare competitive young people for the labor market in their native country and abroad.According to the conducted analysis of scientific studies on educational reform in Turkey 2012, it is possible to allocate the following principal ways of its successful implementation: the development of preschool education should be one of the first links on the socialization of children and formation of their psychological readiness for learning; internationalization and international cooperation in the field of education as a strategic direction for the development of education; partici-pation at the international projects on independent assessment of the quality of education for an objective analysis of the country's education system and improve-ment of the content of education, curricula, methods and means of education; promoting the development of vocational education institutions, participate in national and international projects; the development of programs of academic mobi-lity of teachers to share positive experiences with their colleagues from other coun-tries who wish to develop their skills in certain fields of science and participate in international scientific research; promote the development of informal and distance education at all levels; special attention to the formation of entrepreneurial compe-tence of young people; promoting the development of information system of subjects of the educational process and the free access of students to electronic learning resources and ensuring their security in the information space; monitoring the educational achievements of young people and at the same time, the use of ICT to ensure quick receipt of the results of the statistical analysis; promoting the develop-ment of new Ukrainian education in rural schools; taking into account the centuries-old traditions of the country (culture, education, religion, etc.), which can not be

РЕФОРМУВАННЯ ОСВІТИ В УКРАЇНІ: КРИТИЧНИЙ АНАЛІЗ ПЕРШИХ РЕЗУЛЬТАТІВ, ПРОМІЖНІ ВИСНОВКИ, ЗАСТЕРЕЖЕННЯ ТА ПРОГНОЗИ НА ПЕРСПЕКТИВУ

The article highlights the most important aspects of the preparation and implementation of educational reforms, which are decisive for their effectiveness and efficiency. Namely:1. The definition of objectives and a systematic approach. Currently, there are different visions of the true purpose of the education reforms, which makes it difficult to implement the reforms.2. Thorough pedagogical experiment as a prerequisite for any significant pedagogical changes. Reforming the content and forms of education only by the results of a long and balanced pedagogical experiment.3. The commercial aspect of education reform: money for reform or reform for money. The commercial component should not dominate teaching.4. Modern approach to reforming classical forms and methods of teaching: evolutionary development or revolutionary denial. In particular, the project approach: – panacea or two-faced Janus. “The reverse side of the medal” of progressive technology. The weak link of the method of projects is the implementation of the control process for determining the degree of independence of performance.5. The priority of training highly qualified teaching staff as a guarantee of high quality education in the state. The main personnel problem is the lack of a sufficient number of appropriately motivated teachers of the proper level of qualification.Also in the article we present the results of a critical analysis of the implemented changes, made appropriate reservations and forecasts.Keywords: education Reform, system, training, pedagogical experiment, project method, pedagogical staff.

Confronting the challenges of Journalism Education in Rwanda in the context of educational reforms

Policy reforms aimed at improving access to and equity in tertiary education have meant that university classes are not only larger, but more diverse in terms of students’ competencies and experiences. Despite the increase in the size and diversity of student populations in universities, the financial, technological and human resources have not expanded at a similar rate, leaving academic programs struggling to improve the quality of educational experience, whilst teaching more students with less resources. This is particularly difficult in practice-based disciplines such as medicine, nursing and journalism, where coaching models and small-class learning experiences are seen as being the most effective way of nurturing work-ready graduates. Teaching journalism under these conditions is particularly problematic because of the dynamic changes being experienced across the media industries as a result of technological change and the changing media ecosystem.
 This article uses the University of Rwanda as a case study to examine the impact of tertiary education reforms on journalism education practices. Drawing on the ‘Practical Theory of Journalism Education’ and the ‘Educational Change Model’ perspectives, this paper calls for judicious implementation of educational reforms. It argues that by phasing the introduction of reforms, universities can better manage the change process in order to maintain quality educational experiences. However, this alone cannot ensure quality journalism education outcomes. Universities need to foster innovative teaching practices and approaches to learning in order to sustain quality when teaching large and diverse classes.
 Through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions, the findings illuminate how journalism education in Rwanda has changed its original orientation and pedagogy to include strategic initiatives, teaching innovations and expanded opportunities for students in response to policy reforms aimed at promoting an all-inclusive education sector.
 
 How to cite this article: 
 JJUUKO, Margaret; NJUGUNA, Joseph. Confronting the challenges of Journalism Education in Rwanda in the context of educational reforms Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in the South. v. 3, n. 2, p. 49-67, Sept. 2019. Available at: 
 https://sotl-south-journal.net/?journal=sotls&page=article&op=view&path%5B%5D=92&path%5B%5D=46
 
 This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
 To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

What role do teachers' beliefs play in the implementation of educational reform?: Nepali teachers’ voice.

In the implementation of national educational reform, evaluation reports frequently evaluate change to teachers' practice as limited. Information about the role that teachers' beliefs play in this process of change is absent from the discussion. This article explores the literature to design a framework through which teachers’ beliefs in the process of reform may be examined to identify their impact. The resultant framework is applied to research about Nepali primary school teachers undergoing reform in Kathmandu, Nepal. The findings are useful for designers of teacher professional development in reform contexts and educational leadership to differentiate between training requirements and alternative socio-cultural solutions to assist teachers to implement change.

TRADE UNION AS A SOCIAL PARTNER IN IMPROVING PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT FOR TEACHERS

Social dialogue involving all social partners is very important in shaping sectoral policies, therefore an implementation of educational reforms and their evaluation should take place in close cooperation between policy makers, employers' and workers' organizations. In 2018, within the context of current educational reforms in Latvia, the Latvian Trade Union of Education and Science Employees conducted an on-line survey of the teachers aiming to identify problems in teachers’ professional support. The survey indicated a gap between political debate and the reality faced by teachers in the process of implementation of reforms. The respondents acknowledged the role of the trade union in improving the professional support for teachers and emphasized its role in social dialogue to strengthen it. Although most of the teachers are satisfied with a professional support during introduction of competence-based educational content, respondents do not feel sufficiently involved in the planning and designing reforms. They believe that the needs of educators for the qualitative implementation of reforms are not being identified. Therefore, the trade union should focus on the protection of labour rights as well as the development of a professional support system and content of education policy.

The politics of quality reforms and the challenges for SDGs in education

• Main stakeholders in education politics, including teacher unions, business, parents, civil society, and policy networks. • Key areas of design and implementation of education reform, such as sequencing and compensation. • Strategies for building support for education reform through consultation, negotiation, and communication strategies. Understanding the politics of education reform is crucial to assess the challenges facing the SDG of quality education. This article surveys the small academic literature on the politics of reform as well as a wide range of empirical research on reform experiences across the world, with an emphasis on recent reforms in Latin America. We focus on teacher policy reforms, which play a central role in raising learning in primary and secondary schools, but pose three special challenges. First, they are contentious , often threatening the institutional interests of well-organized and politically powerful teacher unions. Second, implementation is opaque, as impact depends on classroom-level change that is difficult for reformers to monitor. And, third, benefits are long-term , usually well beyond the political tenure of reform champions. A close review of all major stakeholders – teacher unions, business, NGOs, religious authorities, international development agencies, and others – is a crucial first step to understanding potential sources of opposition and support. Strategic issues in policy design and implementation include: consultation, sequencing, compensation, negotiation, communication, and sustaining reforms.

No school principal is an island: From individual to school sense-making processes in reform implementation

Educational reform implementation in today’s fast changing world requires a critical transition from individual to school sense-making processes. Managing expectations from above (e.g. external demands) and below (e.g. internal school goals) while performing within multiple overlapping contexts, principals seem pulled in many different directions simultaneously. This article proposes the concept of sense-making as a collaborative framework, explaining how principals make sense with their teachers through dialogue and negotiation to improve their schools as they constantly seek to understand the unique contexts in which they operate. This holistic approach invites a new perspective on how to develop models for reforming education systems while paving the way for a collaborative sense-making process within unique school contexts.

Features of the Professional Training Teachers’ Decision- Making in the Conditions of a Competence-Oriented Education

The article deals with the directions of professional education development, which are related to the necessity of focusing on the labor market needs, namely the competent direction of future specialists’ training, the implementation of the conceptual provisions for the standardization of professional education. The relevance of the tendency of professional education’s orientation onto the modern labor market is defined in the article. The purpose of the article is to investigate the peculiarities of the professional activity of teachers of modern vocational education and their influence on decision-making processes. The authors of the article have made an attempt to substantiate the analysis of the peculiarities of introducing a competence-oriented approach into education as one of the effective ways of its reformation and improvement. It is identified the cause-effect character of the necessity of designing a common methodology for the formation of the specialist’s competence and the urgent solution of the problem of professional education standardization. The authors have also defined the main contradiction of this process, which is seen in the lack of involving business entities, those are the customers of the future specialists’ training, in the process of creating qualification standards. The authors have noted that nowadays the activity of teachers on standardization of professional education on a competence basis becomes the main direction of the implementation of modernization reforms in education. Therefore, in order to achieve objectivity in the professional training teachers’ decision-making, the authors of the article have proposed to apply ideas and methods of information- extreme intellectual technology. This method of information-extreme intellectual technology (IEI-technology) for data analysis is based on maximizing the information capacity of the system in the machine teaching process, grounded onto the algorithm of the information- analytical system on the adaptation of the graduation department’s study content to the labor market requirements. The authors have made a conclusion that, minding the further development of a model of competency education associated with the transition from the general theoretical understanding of the peculiarities of constructing subject-based educational programs, situational-simulation technologies and control-measuring methods that are adequate to practical implementation with the use of modern information systems, the special attention should be paid to the creation of educational standards, according to which educational programs and educational disciplines’ content will be formed, aimed at a competency rather than on material indicators.

DISTRIBUTED PARTICIPATION AND RESPONSIBILITY – IN COMPETENCE APPROACH REALIZATION IN EDUCATION

Humankind is facing unprecedented revolutions, all our old stories are crumbling, and no new story has so far emerged to replace them. How can we prepare ourselves and our children for a world of such unprecedented transformations and radical uncertainties. What and how should we teach a child that will help them survive and flourish in the 22nd century? What kind of skills will they need in order to get a job, understand what is happening around them and navigate the maze of life?In the publication topicality of all participants’, involved in the educational process, distributed partnership and responsibility has been raised and characterized in the context of the education reform implementation – in transition to the education based on competences. The need for teachers’ professional activity in efficient provision of cooperation with parents and the society is especially emphasized, as well as topicality for new productive cooperation models, which provide an opportunity to increase the new generation and society’s demand qualitatively for a new education content, knowledge, values and competences that are able to guarantee a purposeful and sustainable development both on the individual and Latvian national level.

DESCP factors: the ‘invisible’ impediments to reforms in education

ABSTRACT Policymakers often overestimate the power of agentic players in the system and their own as the causes for the successes and failures of reforms. These are but a small part of the powers in play. The article sheds light on contextual factors that are underestimated when planning and implementing reforms in education. The study utilises a case study method to explore three failed reforms in public education to identify the influence of DESCP (i.e. demographic, economic, social, cultural and political) factors on reform success. The study provides an in-depth understanding of why factors in the action environment are as important as agentic players when aspiring to improve national education. The analysis highlights the impact of DESCP factors on basic capacities toward successful implementation of educational reforms. The DESCP factors are discussed, their relevance to reform success is explicated, and their impact is exemplified with policy cases.

‘There should be more cooperation in setting the policy’: Israeli stakeholders’ perceptions of their appropriate role in implementing a new educational reform

ABSTRACTEffective implementation of educational reforms requires collaboration between stakeholders. The current paper describes and analyzes the findings of a qualitative research, which examined the perceptions of the three hierarchic levels of stakeholders, assigned by the Israeli Ministry of Education in 2010 to introduce and implement a new policy reform. The participant were 24 Ministry of Education district managers and superintendents, 74 District and Comprehensive Superintendents, and 21 school principals. This study emphasizes participants’ distinctions between their formal roles and their actual and appropriate roles in implementing the policy. Thus, this study sheds light on the process of implementing a top-down educational reform in a centralist educational system. The main finding was that participants from each hierarchic level aspired for more autonomy in the implementation process and expressed an interest in being involved in the earlier phases of constructing the policy.