Primary Education System Research Articles

Educating the Roma: The Struggle for Cultural Autonomy in a Seminomadic Group in Norway

This paper will discuss the rationale of a group of Norwegian Roma who have resisted the government’s attempts to educate them since the early 1960s. Behind the scenes these Roma claim that a school education is irrelevant for their children yet, when faced with school authorities, they comply. The authorities have used different approaches to promote education for Rom children however, their success is questionable. So what is at stake here? What is wrong with education from the Roma’s point of view and how do the authorities respond? This article opens with a presentation of the history and background of the Norwegian Roma. It then presents the Norwegian system of public primary and lower secondary education and their attempts to accommodate Rom children. It critically examines the concept of education and the unquestioned and self-evident understanding of schooling as a liberating force per se. It further makes use of Bourdieu’s analysis of symbolic capital and habitus and discusses the Roma’s resistance to education and why symbolic capital developed through public school education is not converted to the Rom field.

The persisting challenge of age-for-grade non-compliance in post-free primary education in Kenya

This article examines the prevalence of non-compliance on the age-for-grade policy in the post-free primary education system in Kenya. We utilised data from the 2009 cohort of enrolled primary schoolchildren. The analysis revealed non-compliance to be a persisting concern in the school system, characterised by both under-age and over-age enrolment at the age-for-grade level of analysis in spite of the introduction of free primary education in 2003. Irrespective of the nature of non-compliance, overcrowding in the lower grades is more prevalent, with potential for adverse compromises in quality of learning and the attendant added dimension of the mismatched grade-for-age curricula.

RECURRENCE OF THEFTS IN THE SYSTEM OF ACQUISITIVE CRIMES AND ITS PREVENTION

The article focuses on the status of acquisitive crimes in Russia, including the territory of the Siberian Federal district. The article presents points of views of different scientists, makes the analysis of criminal cases considered by the Octyabrsky District Court of Novosibirsk in 2011-2014 against perpetrators of repeated thefts, describes the main types of thefts in the Russian Federation and their share in the overall structure of crimes, reflects the main reasons for their occurrence and objects of theft, analyzes the thefts of other people’s properties committed in complicity, as well as crimes that have not been completed for reasons not depending on criminals, i.e. attempted crimes. The article proposes effective measures to prevent theft, both at the level of the state and of the victims, includes recommendations for the protection of houses from burglars. It is recommended to revive by the government the pioneering institute in the primary education system of the country, to revive the national ideology and the devotion to the Homeland, law and society, conscientious attitude to labour and public property, the development of spiritual culture, to organize leisure and instill moral and ethical norms of behavior of juveniles.

Effects of Implementing the Preparatory Grade in Romania on School Organization

The preparatory grade was introduced in our educational system in 2012 and it has the role of a linking bridge between kindergarten and school, facilitating the child's adaptation and integration in the school environment.The purpose of the study is the investigation of the impact of implementing the preparatory grade in the primary education system on the management of these institutions, as regards the adjustment of the ergonomic framework, the timetable, curricular management, the continuous training of the teachers who teach preparatory grades.

The Origins of Kura Kaupapa Māori

Kura kaupapa Māori provide a unique primary school education system that immerses children in Māori language and culture. Interviews with founding members from the first Auckland kura give a critical sense of the aspirations that guided them in their struggle to set up the kura kaupapa Māori initiative. The desire to provide suitable schooling for their children, educated in a pre-school Māori immersion environment, led to a political and legal battle to provide an education validating traditional Māori knowledge. The narratives inform of the hardship endured in the setting up of kura kaupapa Māori without government assistance, and clarify the political strategies employed to establish kura. The restructuring of New Zealand’s Education Department opened a space for the development of kura kaupapa Māori, leading to legislation in 1989 and formal recognition in 1999 of the Te Aho Matua document, the guiding philosophy for the majority of kura today.

METHODOLOGY OF PROFESSIONAL PEDAGOGICAL EDUCATION: THEORY AND PRACTICE (theoretical and methodological foundations of vocational teacher education)

The study is aimed at investigating a justification of the new approach to the problem of vocational education development through the prism of interdependence research methodology and practice. This conceptual setup allows determining the main directions for teacher training modernization of vocational schools. The authors note that the current socio-economic situation in our country has actualized the problem of personnel training. Politicians, economists and scientists’ speeches are all about the shortage of skilled personnel. They see the main reason of this catastrophic situation in the present system of primary and secondary vocational education. At least they concern over the current practice of pedagogical personnel training of vocational education who are to restore the system of vocational education. Our country, Russia has a great positive experience in solving this problem. Scientific-methodological centre for vocational teacher education is the Russian State Vocational Pedagogical University under the scientific direction of Academician of the Russian Academy of Education, G. M. Romantsev. The reflection of scientifictheoretical bases of this education led the authors to the analysis and designing (formation) of existent and new professional and pedagogical methodology. Methods . The fundamental position of A. M. Novikov on the generality of the research (scientific) and practical activity methodology has become the theoretical platform of the present study. Conceptual field, conceptual statements and professional model are presented as the whole system (or integrating factor). The theoretical framework has determined the logic of the study and its results. Scientific and educational methodology differentiation in terms of the subject of cognitive activity has allowed identifying the main scientific and practical disciplines of vocational teacher education. The creative concept as the subject ground is instrumental analysis of methodology taking into consideration the target orientation, principles and approaches to the organization and its’ methods of scientific and educational activities implementation. The qualification structure formation of the teachers’ vocational training and providing advance principles of education are considered to be the most important conditions for the development of vocational teacher education. Scientific novelty . The research demonstrates creating the project of further vocational teacher education development in the post-industrial society. The pedagogical innovations transforming research findings into educational practice are considered to be the main tool of integration methodology means. Practical significance . The research findings highlight the proposed reforms for further teachers training system development of vocational institutes, which are in need of drastic restructuring. In the final part of the article the authors recommend some specific issues that can be discussed at the methodological workshop.

METHODOLOGY OF PROFESSIONAL PEDAGOGICAL EDUCATION: THEORY AND PRACTICE (THEORETICAL AND METHODOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS OF VOCATIONAL TEACHER EDUCATION)

The study is aimed at investigating a justification of the new approach to the problem of vocational education development through the prism of interdependence research methodology and practice. This conceptual setup allows determining the main directions for teacher training modernization of vocational schools. The authors note that the current socio-economic situation in our country has actualized the problem of personnel training. Politicians, economists and scientists’ speeches are all about the shortage of skilled personnel. They see the main reason of this catastrophic situation in the present system of primary and secondary vocational education. At least they concern over the current practice of pedagogical personnel training of vocational education who are to restore the system of vocational education. Our country, Russia has a great positive experience in solving this problem. Scientific-methodological centre for vocational teacher education is the Russian State Vocational Pedagogical University under the scientific direction of Academician of the Russian Academy of Education, G. M. Romantsev. The reflection of scientific-theoretical bases of this education led the authors to the analysis and designing (formation) of existent and new professional and pedagogical methodology. Methods. The fundamental position of A. M. Novikov on the generality of the research (scientific) and practical activity methodology has become the theoretical platform of the present study. Conceptual field, conceptual statements and professional model are presented as the whole system (or integrating factor). The theoretical framework has determined the logic of the study and its results. Scientific and educational methodology differentiation in terms of the subject of cogni live activity has allowed identifying the main scientific and practical disciplines of vocational teacher education. The creative concept as the subject ground is instrumental analysis of methodology taking into consideration the target orientation, principles and approaches to the organization and its’ methods of scientific and educational activities implementation. The qualification structure formation of the teachers’ vocational training and providing advance principles of education are considered to be the most important conditions for the development of vocational teacher education. Scientific novelty. The research demonstrates creating the project of further vocational teacher education development in the post-industrial society. The pedagogical innovations transforming research findings into educational practice are considered to be the main tool of integration methodology means. Practical significance. The research findings highlight the proposed reforms for further teachers training system development of vocational institutes, which are in need of drastic restructuring. In the final part of the article the authors recommend some specific issues that can be discussed at the methodological workshop.

Mission accomplished? School mission statements in NZ and Japan: what they reveal and conceal

Primary schooling, where the majority of students start learning formally about social interaction and civic expectations, reflects much about a nations’ approach to education and the goals for their citizens. After a brief comparison of the purpose of education in both New Zealand and Japan, through the use of textual and content analysis, this paper firstly analyzes school mission (vision) statements to explore the degree of diversity that exists within the public school sector in New Zealand and Japan. One hundred and fifty primary school mission statements in New Zealand and Japan were examined and grouped according to content and common themes based on a modified and simplified version of Stemler and Bebell (The school mission statement: values, goals, and identities in American education, Routledge, New York 2012)’s rubric. Next, the results of this survey were compared with a previous Japanese one (BERD) (School education statements. The present state of education 2010), then cross-culturally by an examination of the main concepts that emerged in both countries. Finally, the paper attempts to shed light on the overall differences that exist between the two nations’ primary education systems and what these reveal about its role in the respective societies in terms of the fostering of citizens for potential future contribution in the world.

Studying of Russian Folk Tales in the Context of Intercultural Dialogue at Schools with (Non-Russian) Language Learning

The relevance of this study is due to new approaches to of primary education system, other criteria knowledge and competences assessment of primary school students in literary reading. School practice and the introduction of national educational standards at primary school dictate the need of study of Russian folk tales in the context of the dialogue of cultures at schools with native (non-Russian) language of the Republic of Tatarstan. The purpose of this article is to research and develop science-based methods of l Russian and Tatar folk tales studying based on the dialogue of two cultures. A leading method of this problem study is a pedagogical experiment (ascertainment, formation and control stages) as well as the method of expert estimations, statistical processing of the quantitative results of the study. The main results of the research are the formation of new method of studying of Russian and Tatar folk tales at elementary school based on the dialogue of two cultures. The suggested methodical system of learning of Russian and Tatar folk fairy tales, household tales and tales about animals domestic, is effective, provides a deep knowledge of the younger students, the ability to analyze and compare Russian and Tatar folk tales on the subject, the ideological content of artistic features. The article can be useful for teachers of higher educational institutions and primary school teachers in the application of this technique to the study of Russian and Tatar folk tales in the context of dialogue of cultures.

Changing the Learning Environment in the College of Engineering and Applied Science Using Challenge Based Learning

Over the past 20 years there have been many changes to the primary and secondary educational system that have impacted students, teachers, and post-secondary institutions across the United States of America. One of the most important is the large number of standardized tests students are required to take to show adequate performance in school. Students think differently because they are taught differently due to this focus on standardized testing, thus changing the skill sets students acquire in secondary school. This presents a critical problem for colleges and universities, as they now are using practices for and have expectations of these students that are unrealistic for the changing times. High dropout rates in the colleges of engineering have been attributed to the cultural atmosphere of the institution. Students have reported a low sense of belonging and low relatability to course material. To reduce negative experiences and increase motivation, Challenge Based Learning (CBL) was introduced in an undergraduate Basic Electric Circuits (BEC) course. CBL is a structured model for course content with a foundation in problem-based learning. CBL offers general concepts from which students derive the challenges they will address. Results show an improved classroom experience for students who were taught with CBL.

Descriptive Qualitative Method of Evaluation from the Viewpoint of Math Teachers and Its Comparison with the Quantitative Evaluation (Giving scores) Method (A Case Study on the Primary Schools for Girls in Zone 1 of Tehran City)

In recent years, one of the most important developments which have been taking place in the primary school education system is the development of the qualitative-descriptive method of evaluating the students' achievements. The main goals of the qualitative-descriptive evaluation are improving the quality of learning and promoting the level of mental health in teaching-learning environments. Therefore, based on the the raised hypothesis, the purpose of this study is to investigate the teachers' perspecives regarding the descriptive and quantitative methods of evaluation.Using survey sampling method and multi-stage cluster sampling method, 30 teachers, teaching through the qualitative (descriptive) method in zone 1 of Tehran were selected. A questionnaire, developed by the researcher of this study, was used to compare the qualitative (descriptive) method of evaluation with quantitative evaluation method in order to explore the viewpoints of teachers.Using 1-sample sign test, the results revealed the positive view of teachers towards descriptive evaluation. From the perspective of teachers, quantitavie evaluation has had negative impacts on the mental health of families and students for years. Hence descriptive method of evaluation must match the content of textbooks and whatever the teacher has taught.

EFQM Dimensions in Greek Primary Education System

The European Award of Quality (EFQM model) is a largely known model, which an institution can apply in order to implement Total Quality Management Principles in order to achieve excellence. In the present research the criteria of the EFQM model are recorded based on international literature. Subsequently, the views of primary education teachers are recorded and analyzed in the light of “enablers” criteria highlighting the dimensions of the Greek Educational Reality. Main purpose of this research is the deeper analysis of the embedded interactions among “enablers” criteria of EFQM model. Both reliability and validity were estimated and analyzed. In the research 366 teachers of Primary Education participated. Finally, ways contributing to Continuous Improvement were recommended.

Развитие системы образования в республике Туркменистан

The article describes the system of education in the republic of Turkmenistan, the stages of its reform undertaken in the past decade and problems arising from the changes in the first years of the country´s independence. Particular attention is paid to such issues as decreased time of training, unsatisfactory volumes of subjects, teachers dismissal as a consequence, the transition from five to two-year training in higher education institutions, bringing students to harvest cotton during the school year, weak material and technical base of educational institutions, lack of equipment, lack of complete sets of textbooks, etc. The article presents the main indicators of the state and development of the education system at the moment. Considered in detail are the system of primary, secondary and higher education, their specific features. Particular attention is paid to the importance of establishing private universities in the country as a necessary element of competition in the education market and to attract highly qualified teachers from Turkmenistan and from abroad. The author identifies the need to analyze the structure of demand for labor, in order to plan the number of graduates of vocational education institutions in accordance with the needs of the labor market. The author highlights the essence of the reforms in education in the country at the present stage. The article stresses the need for further modernization of the contemporary system of education in Turkmenistan to ensure all segments of the economy are supplied with highly qualified specialists and, as a result, successful integration into the system of international economic relations is taking place.

A School in Every Village: Educational Reform in a Northeast China County, 1904–1931, by Elizabeth R. VanderVen

A School in Every Village: Educational Reform in a Northeast China County, 1904-1931, by Elizabeth R. VanderVen. Contemporary Chinese Studies Series. Vancouver, University of British Columbia Press, 2012. xvi, 222 pp. $37.95 US (paper). Beginning in the mid nineteenth century, the Qing Dynasty faced a collection of imperial powers from Europe and Japan that were bent on carving China up into their own spheres of interest. The Qing proved completely incapable of resisting these encroachments, which gradually convinced a large number of Chinese by the dawn of the twentieth century that major reforms in all walks of life were a prerequisite for national survival. Education thus became one of many battlegrounds for a new generation of reformers seeking to bring modernity to China. A School in Every Village explores the establishment of a modern, state-led primary education system in Haicheng County, viewed by most contemporary Chinese as a remote backwater near the frontier with Korea. Though the main text of this work comes in at a crisp 169 pages, VanderVen has made excellent use of hitherto unexplored local archival materials from Haicheng County in her rich study. This title is part of UBC Press's Contemporary Chinese Studies Series, a long-running collection of high-quality works. At the dawn of the twentieth century, primary education in this corner of rural northeast China was a disorganized affair in the few villages where it existed, which was typical of the country as a whole. VanderVen drew the title of her work from the wish of Song Dynasty philosopher Zhu Xi--unfulfilled for 700 years--to bring education to children of all under heaven (p. 2). The Qing, and several other dynasties before it, had previously attempted to bring public education to mral areas such as these without success. Thus, the significance of the process that VanderVen examines is that it marked the first time that the Chinese state provided open, mass education through the entire country. Though typically derided as conservative, reactionary, and crippled by indecision in its final years, the Qing in actuality was relatively progressive on educational reform beginning in 1904. High-profile administrators tasked with the education file introduced a new three-tiered system and did away with the antiquated civil service exams that required candidates to study the Confucian classics. A Ministry of Education was set up in 1905 and given authority to push sweeping reforms that included standardization, state oversight, and the introduction of western subjects, including both hard and soft sciences and physical education. …

Study on the Establishment of Balanced Development Model of Primary and Secondary Education

The integration of urban and rural education is aimed at scientific and balanced development together. Based on the evaluation system and significance of urban-rural primary and secondary education, this study analyzes related policies and existing assessment model of urban and rural balanced development, establishes the statistical model of balanced development of urban-rural primary and secondary education evaluated by balanced development coefficient, combined with high scientificity, effectiveness, and operability.

The home–school interface in religious and moral formation: the Irish case

With the student body across Europe becoming more diverse, the issue of religious education in schools has come to receive greater attention. In the context of the specific historical and institutional context of the Irish primary educational system, this paper addresses aspects of the religious and moral formation of primary school children. The methodology employed in this study is qualitative: it is based on in-depth interviews with school principals, teachers and parents, and focus groups with students in five case-study schools. The paper examines the role of both home and school in the development of religious and secular beliefs. It also examines the way children are active agents in their own moral development, specifically how they mediate and interpret three sets of influences, namely formal school-based religious instruction, the broader school climate, and the implicit values and beliefs communicated by school, parents and the wider family.

DH v Czech Republic Six Years Later: On the Power of an International Human Rights Court to Push Through Systemic Change

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) is often portrayed as the most developed regional human rights court, one which wields the power to influence practices in its Member States. In 2007, the Grand Chamber of the Court issued a famous ruling in the case DH v Czech Republic, which condemned discrimination of Roma children in education. The problem criticized in the DH case is of a systemic character; in order to comply with the ECtHR's judgment, the Czech Republic would have to change its whole system of primary education. In our article, we discuss the ability of an international human rights body to push through a significant change in one of its Contracting Parties. We seek to draw more general propositions from the case study of DH v Czech Republic which can be tested by further studies – we try to identify factors and circumstances which support or hinder an international human rights court in its effort of pushing through a systemic change.

Challenges in Continuing Education of Primary and Preschool Teachers in Romania: Teachers – Students’ Parents Communication

Teacher-parent communication which is part of parents’ involvement in school activities is a particular topic in the field of education. I propose an analysis of this issue in the present research paper. Based on the answers offered by 60 teachers from preschool and primary school educational system in Romania, teachers who answered a questionnaire with open questions on the topic of teacher-parent communication, we made an inventory of the main problems that they signaled and the solutions they identified in practice (tools, communicative and discourse strategies successfully used), as a premise for proposing topics to be approached during teachers’ continuing education in pre-school and primary school educational system in Romania.

Code-related aspects of emergent literacy: How prepared are preschoolers for the challenges of literacy in an EFL context?

Mauritian children are Kreol speakers who learn to read and write in English and French when they join the primary education system. The government-mandated preschool curriculum mentions the need for the preschool to prepare them for the literacy challenges of the primary school. The aim of this paper is to consider whether preschool children develop code-related literacy skills in their final year at preschool, in readiness for their first year at primary school. I refer to data collected from a longitudinal study of two comparable groups of Mauritian preschoolers. Using data from a pre-test and post-test of their code-related skills, I show how inadequately prepared they seem to be in terms of code-related skills and interest in print-related activities. Some reasons for the findings are explained, highlighting how the ‘emergent literacy’ discourse of the preschool curriculum has evaded the skill aspects of ‘emergent literacy’. Some culturally sensitive recommendations are provided.

Short trips and central places: The home-school distances in the Flemish primary education system (Belgium)

This paper examines the extent to which home-school trip length in northern Belgium is influenced by the spatial distribution of the school sites, and to what extent this distribution contemporarily functions according to propositions of central place theory. Furthermore, from a sustainable mobility perspective, it is evaluated if the primary school network's density supports a daily urban system based on short distances. The results indicate that the overall system's density meets the requirements of a non-motorized system, while the distribution confirms central place mechanisms. The majority of the pupils live within walking or cycling distance from their school, while opportunities exist to further reduce this distance by choosing an alternative school. However, depending on the structure of the concerned settlement, school accessibility varies considerably. Finally, the results suggest that recent increases in school trip length and motorization are mainly caused by non-spatial factors.