Popular Education Research Articles

How Can an Urban Botanical Garden in a Densely Built-Up Landscape Develop Sustainably with Urban Renewal?—The Case of Shanghai Botanical Garden

Urban botanical gardens collect, preserve, research, and utilize important regional plant resources and serve as ecologically friendly cores of development and renewal for urban organisms. Meanwhile, they offer garden landscape displays and public science education. Furthermore, biodiversity conservation has become important globally. Here, the connotation of urban botanical gardens is interpreted, the functional evolution of urban botanical gardens is examined, and the challenges of sustainably developing urban botanical gardens in the context of biodiversity conservation are analysed. Taking the Shanghai Botanical Garden as an example, the abilities of urban botanical gardens in high-density downtown areas to coexist with urban spaces and thrive along with cities—thus enhancing their five core functions of ex situ conservation, scientific research, popular science education, garden horticulture, and public service—are discussed. These discussions provide references for the sustainable development of urban botanical gardens in similarly high-density city centres.

The revival of radical popular education in Italy as a new form of cultural and class struggle: The case of popular schools in Rome

The aim of this article is to examine the revival of popular schools in Italy, focusing on the ‘network of Roman popular schools’. This is a little researched but highly relevant topic in sociology nowadays, due to the innovative way it links politics and education in an increasingly unequal society. Inspired by research gathered over 4 years of participant observation and 28 in-depth interviews, I describe the way in which popular educators combine social mutualism, typical of Italian Antagonistic Left movements, with critical pedagogical practices: education is considered by activists as a way of doing politics by other means, in line with the origins of popular education enacted by the labor movement in the two past centuries and in particular with the pedagogical experience promoted by Lorenzo Milani, in turn capable of uniting Gramscian and Freirian thought. Popular educators address their educational actions to the social recognition of subaltern students, who are otherwise stigmatized by the dominant culture. In this way, a very interesting counter-hegemonic practice seems to be generated that entails not only the learners’ identity but also that of the educator themselves. This analysis leads to the identification of new popular education as a form of class and cultural struggle aimed at restoring social recognition to the working class.

“Once We Found Our Groove, . . .”: A Study of Preservice Music Teachers Engaged in a Popular Music Education Experience

The purpose of this intrinsic case study was to examine the perceived benefits and challenges of implementing informal learning practices through popular music education for preservice music teachers. Specifically, we sought to understand why and how preservice music educators would perceive benefits and challenges from their experiences in a modern band. We conducted a study with five preservice music teachers in a modern band outside of the curriculum in a music teacher education program. We collected the data for 9 weeks, gathering multiple interviews, participants’ written responses, artifacts, and researchers’ field notes. Three overarching themes emerged from the data analysis: (a) a self-navigating process of aural-based learning, (b) autonomy with freedom, and (c) reflective educators. Our findings indicated that the ultimate goal of informal learning practices in music teacher education may not be limited to mastering musical skills but should include improving problem solving and classroom decision making.

INTEGRATIVE COMMUNITY THERAPY: REPERCUSSIONS ON WORKERS IN A MUNICIPALITY IN PARAÍBA

Objective: To understand the repercussions of integrative community therapy (ICT) on professionals in a city in Paraíba. Methodology: This is an exploratory-descriptive study with a qualitative approach, using Bardin's content analysis technique. Workers from the Specialized Social Assistance Reference Center, Social Assistance Reference Center, Family Health Support Center, and Popular Education Center in the city of Nova Palmeira, Paraíba, participated in the research. Results: After analyzing the speeches, the following empirical categories emerged: Benefits of ICT: Redefining the way of being, in which it was observed that there were positive repercussions on both the personal and professional lives of workers; and ICT Circles and their main limitations according to the participants. Conclusion: The activity enables new ways of relating collectively to others. It is noticeable that the use of this tool provides the development of empathy, resilience, self-esteem, among others. Therefore, it is necessary to promote TCI circles more widely among workers and the community in general, thus allowing them to become a means of social inclusion.

Modelagem na/da Educação do Campo e suas relações com a Educação Popular de Paulo Freire

This work presents and deepens some discussions carried out in the context of doctoral research that deals with the articulation between Mathematical Modeling and Countryside Education. In this way, we seek to highlight some intertwinings between Countryside Education and Mathematical Modeling with the ideals of the Popular Education perspective proposed by Paulo Freire that were noticed during the investigative process. To carry out the research, we analyzed one thesis, ten dissertations and 24 articles that deal with the articulation of Mathematical Modeling with Rural Education, published between 2008 and 2023 in Brazil. The analysis of the material allows us to demonstrate that, based on the relationships/approximations found between these two perspectives, we recognize that freirean assumptions are at the basis of the connection between Modeling and Countryside Education and, therefore, we realize Modeling in/of Countryside Education as a potential for teaching and learning in countryside schools. We were able to conclude that the proposal for a Mathematical Modeling in Countryside Education takes into account the educational project of the Movement for Countryside Education (its pedagogical principles and the specificities of peasant territories). Furthermore, Modeling activities need to be combined with the concept of Critical Mathematics Education, proposed by Ole Skovsmose (2001; 2007; 2008; 2014), and be conceived in the socio-critical perspective of Modeling, which foresees teaching for transformation and social justice.

The Practical Exploration of The Effective Integration Path of Zigong Dinosaur Culture and Kindergarten Curriculum

Zigong dinosaur culture is a valuable natural heritage in China, which contains rich scientific information and educational value, and also carries a profound dinosaur culture. This study explores how to integrate Zigong dinosaur culture into kindergarten curriculum, and puts forward specific implementation strategies. First of all, the article introduces the scientific and historical value of Zigong dinosaur culture, emphasizing its important role in popular science education, tourism development, and cultural exchanges. Then, it elaborates the educational value of Zigong dinosaur culture in kindergarten curriculum, including stimulating children 's interest, enhancing natural science cognition, and promoting interdisciplinary learning and cultural identity. Finally, in the part of implementation strategy, the paper puts forward some suggestions on curriculum planning, teaching activity design, teacher training and home cooperation. The research shows that through reasonable curriculum planning and teaching activity design, Zigong dinosaur culture can be effectively integrated into kindergarten education, so as to improve teaching quality and enhance children 's interest in learning. At the same time, it also provides new ideas for kindergarten curriculum reform.

Reform Strategies for the Popular Music Public Course Based on Key Competences

This study aims to explore the application potential of international music teaching methods in the reform of public basic courses of popular music in Chinese universities. Using mixed research methods, the applicability of Dalcroze, Kodaly, and Orff teaching methods was systematically evaluated through expert interviews, teaching material development, and a quasi-experimental design. The study found that these methods have high overall applicability in the Chinese higher education environment (average rating 4.183/5), but require localization adjustments. Based on this, the innovative textbook "Fundamentals and Applications of Popular Music" (IOC value 0.920) and a 12-week teaching plan (IOC value 0.880) were developed. The results of the 16-week teaching experiment showed that the students in the experimental group were significantly better than the control group in terms of music theory knowledge, appreciation ability, creative ability and learning interest (p<0.01). This study proposes a curriculum reform strategy that integrates innovation, technology empowerment, and interdisciplinary integration, providing theoretical basis and practical guidance for improving the quality of popular music education in colleges and universities. Future research directions include expanding the sample scope, conducting long-term follow-up studies, and deepening cross-cultural comparative analysis.

Beyond the Screen: Debunking the Myth that Online Education Means Being Alone

Background: Nursing education has shifted to online learning environments due to rapid advancements in technology and the COVID-19 pandemic. Some nursing educators and students misunderstand that online learning is isolating and lonely. Method: This literature review explores the impact of online learning on students' emotional well-being and challenges the belief that it is inherently lonely. It examines global events, the growth of online nursing programs, and the myth of online nursing education as isolating and depressing. Results: Online learning is a popular and effective education method that caters to diverse learners and contexts. The instructor's role is crucial in ensuring student satisfaction and engagement, fostering community and interaction among online learners. Conclusion: Online learning is a rich and rewarding experience, with supportive instructors. This series will explore ways to break the myth of loneliness and foster community in the online environment.

Enlightenment through Reading: The Impact of Miscellaneous Books in Folk Education in Huizhou, China

The evolution of folk education in ancient China was inextricably linked with advancing pedagogical methods and educational resources. The introduction of folk enlightenment reading materials, serving as pivotal tools for literacy and vocational training, significantly influenced the landscape of popular education. This transformation was characterized by three main developments: an expansion of the educational demographic, a shift from traditional Confucian curricula to practical, life-oriented content, and the integration of common vocational knowledge, laying the groundwork for professional expertise. The textbook “Four Words in Miscellaneous Characters” ( 四言杂字), a prominent example from the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Huizhou, epitomizes this shift. It reflects the local values of prioritizing agriculture and commerce and the reverence for literacy and culture while documenting essential local practices in marriage, dowry, and medicinal herbs. This text serves as a valuable lens through which to examine the linguistic and cultural norms of the Huizhou region.

Shaping reflective political leaders

ABSTRACT Unlike many other countries, in Sweden there are more significant paths to political leadership than the university degree. Most Swedish political parties offer leadership training programmes that include practical and ideological content and several have a design rooted in the popular education movement. This article explores how party political training for leaders happens in practice, using data from interviews, surveys, text files and ethnographic field notes. Using reflection and ideology as theoretical concepts, the study shows how reflection is used for different aims, and how it can shape participants ideologically. Ideology, in terms of describing what is good, is communicated from the top down in these courses in a general way. In terms of showing what is possible and desirable to either legitimise or challenge, these programmes leave that open to negotiation among the participants, which implies a confidence in their competence by virtue of being elected. Allowing different interpretations risks undermining the party's ideological core; however, since popular education methods are not negotiated, participants are required to reflect deliberately and listen to each others views on the issues under discussion. This can be understood as a safety line as it most likely leads to self-sanitation from the party's perspective.

Gut as teacher

This paper reports on a short course for working class people, in Cape Town, South Africa. It outlines how a ‘gut pedagogy’, that is, a practice of teaching through the body that takes the digestive system as ‘teacher’, is the starting point for ‘reading the world’. The journey of food as life and energy-giving substances from the world, through the body, back into the world, illustrates how systems are entangled with each other. The gut pedagogy is deliberately centred within a part of the body that mediates between inside and outside, yet is rarely spoken about. The practice is rooted firmly within feminist popular education that re-connects what has been separated – body and mind, humans and more-than-humans, the gut and the brain. Feminist practice respects and surfaces different ways of knowing, both rational and gut instinct. The paper shows that we can learn from our bodies, if we listen: about health, about the interconnectedness of all life, about the need to respect life and work together to maintain our planet.

A Platform of Serious Video Games Co-built for the General Interest

In a context where training takes place both in initial courses and in lifelong continuing education, the use of games offers a way of promoting effective and sustainable learning: by its very nature, this medium is an open work in which players can become involved and give meaning to their learning. Ikigai - Games for Citizens offers a unique ecosystem for creating serious, expert video games and offering them free of charge to people who want to learn while having fun, as well as producing a set of learning-related data that can be used for research and customizing training courses. By bringing together universities, Grandes Ecoles, research laboratories, associations, and institutions, Ikigai is a collaborative consortium of general interest, implementing the co-construction of videogame services between scientific experts, video game professionals and educational engineers. Together, they are producing a centralized platform of serious games and associated services that can be used by teachers at a moderate cost by pooling resources: the building blocks of each game can be reused in other games developed. The consortium is committed to general interest and popular education by making the games available free of charge to members and the general public. The decentralized infrastructure set up by Ikigai, which respects privacy by design, means that game usage data can now be collected on a national scale, but conceptually it could extend much further. The data collected in compliance with the RGPD will eventually be used to draw up enriched user profiles to offer personalized courses, teaching recommendations and progress monitoring as close as possible to the learner, using AI in particular. Ikigai is also heavily involved in the construction of new digital standards in education, which are needed to ensure the interoperability of data for lifelong monitoring of learners. But also, for the digital education ecosystem, to guarantee a sovereign, efficient, coherent, and sustainable cloud on a European scale.

STAKEHOLDER ANALYSIS IN E-LEARNING EDUCATION OF THE DIGITAL ECONOMY

Successful implementation of e-learning platforms in education requires careful consideration of all parties involved, commonly referred to as stakeholders. Understanding their interests, power and expectations is key to strategies for creating e-learning educational platforms. The article examines the principles and methods of stakeholder analysis for the development of e-learning platforms in education. In particular, the research work identified the main groups of stakeholders of e-learning processes, dividing them into different groups. Various analytical tools were also used for stakeholder analysis, such as the stakeholder map, which determines the power and influence of a group of stakeholders on the development of e-learning educational projects. Moreover, the article analyzed the development of the online education market at the global level in recent years. In particular, the educational app sector in the world was examined, including the number of educational apps and the usage of educational apps in recent years. It also analyzed the world’s most popular online education course applications, which have become more integrated into workers’ career development. In this regard, the development of various online learning platforms in Kazakhstan is also relevant in the era of the development of new digital technologies. This topic affects not only the individual perspectives of students but also the country’s competitiveness in the global economy. Keywords: e-learning education, digital economy, digital transformation, stakeholder analysis, stakeholder map, IT project.

Digital musicianship in post-pandemic popular music education

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about dramatic changes in popular music education, underscoring the importance of technology in both practice and transmission. Nevertheless, the celebration of technological integration as a one-stop solution has led to some challenges remaining overlooked and unsolved, resulting in an increasing mismatch between popular music education and the growth of online musical engagement among young people. Framed by the notion of digital musicianship, this position paper presents an overview of the adoption of technology in popular music education within the lockdown period, in the process raising concerns about whether such revisions can adequately address the challenges faced by popular music education. This leads to a discussion of a potential revamp of digital musicianship as a response to the continued and expanding presence of technology within popular music education and the post-pandemic teaching and learning environment. The authors assert that digital musicianship should encompass learners’ ability to perceive and adopt technologies for online and remote music-making, and critically evaluate their validity and quality in various contexts. Additionally, there is a need to critically address the homogeneity of musical cultures and technological determinism embedded within the design of music technology, alongside tackling the issues of inequality and accessibility.

Reimagining Arts Education and Practice in the Digital Space

This paper investigates the urgent need to reassess arts education, particularly popular music education, in the digital space. It highlights the importance of pedagogical preparedness among educators while examining the gaps, challenges, and opportunities digital tools present. Integrating these technologies is essential for fostering students' creativity, critical thinking, and digital literacy (Rexhepi et al., 2024). Using a constructivist paradigm and a qualitative research approach, the study analyses existing data to evaluate digital adoption in popular music education. The findings suggest that while digital tools offer significant benefits, their integration is incomplete, with many educators relying on traditional methods. The study acknowledges limitations, mainly focusing on teacher-centred data with less emphasis on student experiences. As education systems worldwide confront rapid technological advancements, traditional frameworks in arts education face significant challenges. This research examines the transformative potential of digital tools in popular music education, emphasising the need for professional development and systemic support to equip educators with the necessary skills. The paper stresses the importance of addressing these challenges to create an environment where digital tools enhance traditional popular music education. Moreover, it considers how digital transformation reshapes the roles of educators and students, offering opportunities for more dynamic and interactive learning experiences. The study also explores the potential of digital tools to democratise access to quality popular music education, breaking down barriers related to geography and economics. Ultimately, this paper advocates for a balanced approach to digital integration, ensuring that innovation complements essential pedagogical principles.

Exploring the Boundaries of Digital Popular Music Education in Kenya

With technology enhancement and digitalisation of teaching and learning, creative arts and performance are evolving daily. Additionally, the empirical review indicates that Kenya has already embraced these developments even though much must be done. Music education, which relies on creative arts and performance is among the benefactors of digitalisation of learning and teaching. Therefore, the digitalisation of popular music enhances the genres as instructional tools; facilitating access would help improve pedagogical contexts, easing learning and teaching. This study investigates the implementation and impact of Popular Music Education (PME) in Kenya, addressing the challenges and opportunities inherent in integrating digital technologies into the PME curriculum. Using a qualitative research approach, with phenomenological design through the pragmatic paradigm, the research assesses the effectiveness of digital tools in enhancing musical skills and knowledge among students while considering infrastructural and socio-economic barriers. Findings reveal that the digitalisation of PME holds significant potential for improving access, delivery, and quality of learning and teaching but is constrained by resource limitations, connectivity issues, teacher development, and digital teaching and instructional tools. This study contributes to understanding how digital advancements can be tailored to fit the unique context of poorly developed counties in Kenya to offer 21st-century PME. The study is limited to the availability of contextualised data in Kenya that can depict the exactness of digital capabilities in the teaching and learning of popular music in Kenya.

The Adventures of MouseGirl: An Undergraduate’s Perspective on her Data Visualization Project and the Need for STEAM in American Education

Abstract The author’s unique arts-science research experience involving data visualizations of complex mouse brain data leads her to recognize that education in America needs to adopt the increasingly popular STEAM education movement. This is a view that many others, both students and professors, increasingly share in the light of their own successes with learning and accessibility using STEAM methods. These successes also show the importance of incorporating the arts into STEM education. In this article, the author will discuss her data visualization in the context of advocating for the importance of STEAM education and collaborations in general.

Silent stages: COVID-19 as a catalyst for change in Canadian El Sistema and Sistema-inspired programmes

Abstract El Sistema and Sistema-inspired programmes have become increasingly popular community music education and social welfare initiatives that aim to benefit socially and economically disadvantaged youth. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic significantly disrupted many of these programmes. The purpose of this research was to investigate how eight Canadian El Sistema and Sistema-inspired programmes adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic. We interviewed eight teachers and eight administrators and found that their programming was impacted in relation to four themes: (a) an increased emphasis on social curricula, (b) pedagogical shifts, (c) inclusion of diverse musical voices and (d) adopting anti-racism perspectives. The COVID-19 pandemic response served as a significant catalyst for change for Canadian El Sistema and Sistema-inspired programmes, utilising the disruption to rethink and address participant needs.

Students Want to Build Anti-racist Praxis: How to Support Them in the Classroom with Grassroots Organizers

While university institutions have been legally codified as sites of free expression and academic autonomy, university administrations consistently repress student-led campus rebellion and activism against racism. With the resurgence of intersectional and transnational anti-racist and anti-war student activism across college campuses, how can sociology educators pedagogically invest in students’ desires to build anti-racist praxes within and beyond the university? Informed by experiences with mutually constructive grassroots spaces and undergraduate courses, I argue that educators of race, including but not limited to sociologists, must engage with grassroots and community organizers (especially organizers who are racially minoritized and queer, femme, and/or gender non-normative) and incorporate their learning tools for popular and political education. First, I use the example of “community agreements” to show how educators can incorporate political and popular education tools into their race courses to help their students build their anti-racist toolkits. Second, I discuss two examples of how educators can collaborate directly with working class and racially minoritized grassroots organizers and invite them into the classroom. I end with a call to support community-centered learning spaces beyond the university classroom, as it can strengthen anti-racist pedagogy. Despite academic and state repression, I highlight the long-held tradition and responsibility of educators to support their students’ anti-racist critiques and action. Continuing June Jordan’s anti-racist pedagogical legacy (along with others alike), the university can only survive through co-learning and co-building with students and grassroots organizers, especially racially minoritized ones.

Blockchain Technology Application and Potential in the Global Securities Trading Market

With the rapid development of financial technology, blockchain technology is gradually permeating the global securities trading market. This paper delves into the current status of blockchain technology applications in this field, covering key aspects such as trade settlement and clearing, securities issuance and trading, identity verification, and compliance management. Through detailed case studies, it powerfully demonstrates its significant reduction in settlement cycles and intermediate links, thereby improving trade efficiency; its substantial reduction in operational costs and additional expenditures due to human errors, thereby lowering costs; and its effective resistance to cyber-attacks through data encryption and tamper-proof characteristics, thereby enhancing security. At the same time, it explores the positive role of blockchain technology in improving market trust by offering transparent transaction records and reducing information asymmetry. The paper further analyzes the challenges faced by blockchain technology in the global securities trading market, including issues with technology maturity such as performance scaling and interoperability, regulatory and compliance issues such as incomplete legal frameworks and policy uncertainties, industry acceptance issues such as conservative attitudes from traditional institutions and insufficient technology popularization education, and security risks such as emerging vulnerabilities and private key management risks. On this basis, it provides a forward-looking outlook on the potential and development trends of blockchain technology in the global securities trading market in the future, including integration trends with other emerging technologies, its role in promoting cross-border transactions and financial market integration, the possibility of innovative financial products and services, and the resulting changes in market patterns. In summary, this paper provides a comprehensive and systematic study of the current status, advantages, challenges, and future development of blockchain technology in the global securities trading market, offering valuable references and insights for further development in this field.