Rationale For Education Research Articles

Analyzing the Peace through Tourism Concept: The Challenge for Educators

It is fair to say that tourism has become into one of the largest and faster growing industries of the planet. The tourism sector represents 3-5% of the GDP, jobs and investment in first world countries, and up to 30% in developing countries. As tourism continues to gain economic importance as a source of foreign exchange, so does the debate about its positive and negative effects in contemporary literature. There are several authors stating that international traveling promotes understanding and trust among people from different backgrounds. This line of thinking has brought up to surface the concept of Peace through Tourism. Sometimes regarded as an over-statement, this concept is a worth mentioning topic of debate. The present paper discusses both views on the subject; the supporting arguments defending it and the arguments stating that it is rather a naive conception of what tourism really is. The aim is to clarify the real scope of the notion of Peace through Tourism and propose a rationale and working concept for tourism educators. In addition, the paper presents some of the challenges that still lay ahead for tourism educators dealing with this topic.

Interactive education in public administration (1)

Schools of public policy and administration are increasingly adopting interactive case teaching (long used in business schools) as one of their primary pedagogical methods – not least because of its usefulness in both stimulating engagement by students and helping them turn that engagement into learning. This article and its companion piece (Interactive education in public administration (2): Strategies for teachers) acknowledge and explain this usefulness, but go beyond cases to also include other forms of what we call teaching ‘objects’. Starting with an outline of the educational rationale of interactive teaching, this article explains the nature of ‘objects’, how they enhance learning, their relevance specifically to public policy and administration, and what distinguishes good from poor objects. It focuses primarily on why teaching objects are used. The companion article sets out how to use them, laying out strategies for instructors.

The role of academic developers in transforming Bologna regulations to a national and institutional context

Academic developers (ADs) often participate in the implementation of programmes or reforms in higher education. Sometimes they agree with these and sometimes they disagree. This paper discusses possible agentic positions during a genuine policy implementation – the National Qualification Framework at a Norwegian university. Through reflexive interpretation, and by applying concepts from ‘discursive institutionalism’ the process of implementation from the national level to university departments is described and analysed. The actions and arguments of the ADs involved in the process are presented and their educational rationale is described. The ADs’ agency is discussed through educational and political science concepts and in light of power and of a tension between two competing world views: professional accountability and professional responsibility.

Influences on teachers’ use of participatory learning strategies in health education classes

Objective: Participatory learning strategies are integral to the effectiveness of school-based health education programmes; however, use of such methods is not the norm in teaching. The omission of participatory learning strategies is a common form of programme breakdown leading to erosion of positive learning and behavioural outcomes. Based on a survey of 75 Australian high school health education teachers, the study’s objective is to examine teachers’ perspectives on the factors that influence their use of participatory learning strategies. Results: Whilst it is often presumed that training is the most significant factor, this study found that teachers identify understanding the educational rationale for the approach, student engagement, confidence in class control, and having positive relationships with the students, along with practicalities such as having time to adequately prepare a class, as the most significant influences on their pedagogical choices. Conclusion: The study concludes that a better understanding of the reasons why teachers make particular choices in their delivery of programmes gives valuable insight into what teachers need in order to support uptake or maintenance of such approaches. This understanding may in turn contribute to health education programmes being delivered with a higher fidelity and better outcomes for students.

Board 233 - Program Innovations Abstract I’m new, I don’t know what to do! (Demystification of Technology for Appropriate High Fidelity Manikin (HFM) Integration) (Submission #1017)

Introduction/Background An alternate method of High Fidelity Manikin (HFM) programing, operation and demystification of technology integration has been implemented throughout the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facilitating standardized delivery of designed curricula. The VHA is the largest integrated health care system in the United States serving over 8 million enrolled Veterans including 153 Medical Centers with a total clinical provider population of over 300,000. Approximately 300 trainers throughout the VHA are responsible for integrating simulation training into their facilities competency and certification programs. These instructors are from varied clinical backgrounds with fewer than 100 having significant or standardized simulation experience or HFM programing experience. The Simulation Learning, Education, and Research Network (SimLEARN) program was established to integrate simulation process modeling, training, education and research throughout the VHA facilities. A gap analysis survey was disseminated throughout the facilities providing simulation based education. This survey identified 86% of the instructors were assigned to simulation education as an additional duty. Additionally, 77% of the facilities did not feel that their current simulation capability was able to meet their site’s educational objectives and the most frequently identified barrier to using simulation was a lack of trained simulation faculty (HAIG 2012). For SimLEARN to effectively deploy simulation curricula nationally, standardized operation of the HFM is critical. Currently there are two main Methods of HFM control, “Automatic” and “On the Fly”. The challenge of “Automatic” mode is it removes HFM physiology control from the operator and conversely the challenge of “On the Fly” operation requires individual changes to each physiologic parameter. Due to the varied background of clinical educators, lack of standardized training and minimal HFM programming experience a third option was needed. To fill this gap we created a HFM control method named “Semi-Automatic” which allows both flexibility and standardization. Methods Utilizing “Semi-Automatic” HFM operation, each curricula scenario was designed as an algorithmic flow sheet then programmed into a step-by-step list of learner actions, allowing the clinical simulation instructor to follow scenario progress in a top to bottom check-list manner. Selection of uniquely marked checklist steps changes all physiology parameters in accordance with the pre programmed scenario curriculum. HFM “On-the-Fly” operation can still be utilized at the discretion of the clinical simulation instructor based on learner’s medical interventions. “Semi-Automatic” operation enables the novice simulation operator an avenue for rapid physiology changes not offered by the “On-the-Fly” method and the flexibility not provided by the “Automatic” mode of HFM operation. A six month pilot program was implemented. A total of 58 clinical simulation instructors were given instruction on standardized operation of the scenarios and utilization of “Semi-Automatic” HFM operation. The learner backgrounds were various combinations of clinical and simulation experience. After each learner group completed the training course the scenario operation was evaluated and amendments implemented. Correspondence with the clinical simulation instructors post course has indicated a positive response to the operation and flow of the scenarios. An additional unintended outcome is the confidence and lack of anxiety the clinical simulation instructors have expressed due to the demystification of the technology interface. Multiple have stated they are able to concentrate on the educational rationale without the anxiety of “messing up” the scenario by inappropriate HFM operation. Results: Conclusion Utilizing the novel approach of “Semi-Automatic” HFM control facilitates standardized yet flexible control to the novice clinical simulation instructor while maintaining educational objectives of designed curricula. We feel that this third option mitigates the anxiety of technology integration into clinical education.

Understanding the rationale for preschool physical education: implications for practitioners' and children's embodied practices and subjectivity formation

This paper provides an overview of selected academic research literature that underpins contemporary preschool physical education. We highlight and interrogate diverse rationales and beliefs that serve to influence and structure preschool physical education in various forms. We speculate as to how preschool practitioners and children might engage in specific practices relative to these discourses. Our consideration of preschool physical education discourses relies upon a Foucaultian analysis of the major techniques of power and also raises possibilities of conceptualising subjectivity formation through his concept of the ‘technologies of the self’. Discourses related to motor skill development, play and physical activity, in particular, appear to be prevalent in the selected literature, along with a related pedagogical discourse concerning ‘structure and freedom’. These sometimes competing discourses arguably underpin competing agendas reflecting those who advocate supporting children's free play and those who propose more structured and interventionist practices in relation to young children's physical activity. We conclude that these diverse approaches lend themselves to interpretation and negotiation in the context of preschool physical education, with specific consequences for the embodied experiences and subjectivities of preschool practitioners and children.

Categorisation of Mapuche Ways of Conceiving Time and Space: Educational Knowledge of the Kimches

The object of this article is to present a categorisation of the ways in which time and space are conceived in the rationale of Mapuche family education. This approach considers knowledge of natural, social, and cultural elements that characterise the classification of time and space by kimches (sages) in the education of children and adolescents in the family environment. This knowledge, which is not covered in the school curriculum, would place school learning in context and provide a better quality education. A contextual analysis is made of the interviews in order to speak to the text in search of hidden meanings. Based on the results, the following categories are distinguished: seasonal cycles, periods of the day, and spatial conceptions present in Mapuche family education.

The use and production of OER & OCW in teaching in South African higher education institutions: Case Study

With thousands of materials having been produced and shared openly and freely on the Internet as Open Educational Resources (OER) or OpenCourseWare (OCW), the focus of the Open Education movement has shifted toward the need to demonstrate how such materials are being used, by whom and with what impact. This paper reports on the uses, the motivation for and perceived benefits of use, as well as the challenges of using or producing OER/OCW among academics at public Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in South Africa (SA). Findings revealed widespread use of OER/OCW amongst respondents in their teaching endeavors, with a number of reported benefits. Findings also revealed respondents’ educational rationale for using or producing OER/OCW. Identified challenges to using or producing OER/OCW are related to licensing issues, institutional challenges or infrastructural problems. The paper proposes several recommendations to advance the use and production of OER/OCW in SA public higher education.

Why do upper secondary school students study chemistry – and why they do not?

This study investigated the Finnish upper secondary school students’ opinions on the rationale of chemistry education and their reasons for choosing or not choosing advanced courses in chemistry. In first phase of the research 49 pre-service chemistry teacher students answered open questions about their opinions about the rationale of chemistry education as well as reasons for choosing advanced courses in chemistry in upper secondary school. The same students then interviewed 44 upper secondary students about their opinions on the topic. The survey used for the second phase of the study was based on the content analysis of the answers of chemistry teacher students and the transcriptions of the interviews of upper secondary school students. Four categories of rationales were found in the first phase of the study: (i) everyday life and health, (ii) environmental issues, (iii) general knowledge, and (iv) further studies and working life. Based on the data from the survey (N = 137), further studies and working life related reasons for teaching chemistry were considered most important. The reasons for choosing advanced courses in chemistry were divided in four categories: (i) interest, (ii) self-efficacy, (iii) utility value for university admission, further studies and working life, (iv) influence of parents, peers and teacher. Results indicate that interest in chemistry and utility value for university admission and further studies were the most important reasons for choosing advanced courses in chemistry. Boys and students with good grades in chemistry emphasized self-efficacy significantly more than the others. Girls emphasized utility value for university admission and further studies more than the boys. Influence of parents, peers and teacher was in average considered the least important category of reasons. The main reasons for not choosing advanced courses in chemistry were being more interested in other subjects and not needing chemistry for university admissions. To improve the number of people choosing advanced courses in chemistry, there is a need to improve interest in chemistry – especially as part of general knowledge of every citizen.

A descriptive examination of the types of relationships formed between children with developmental disability and their closest peers in inclusive school settings

Background One of the most commonly cited rationales for inclusive education is to enable the development of quality relationships with typically developing peers. Relatively few researchers have examined the features of the range of relationships that children with developmental disability form in inclusive school settings.Method Interviews were conducted with 25 children with developmental disability, aged 5 and 12 years, their 3 closest peers, and parents and teachers to examine 6 types of relationships.Results Behaviours associated with general friendship and acquaintance were the most commonly reported. Few dyads reported high rates of behaviour associated with special treatment, helping, ignoring, or intimate best friend relationships.Conclusions The relationships of the majority of dyads were characterised by friendship or acceptance, but evidence of more intimate relationships was limited. An important direction for future research is the examination of ways to encourage more intimate relationships.

Work-place based assessments (WBAs): an update

Abstract Work-place based assessments (WBAs) are now embedded in the curricula of nearly all Medical Royal Colleges as the principal tools of assessment of ongoing clinical training. They are also increasingly being used in most medical schools. They have been in place for more than 4 years and yet multiple problems still exist in their utility and deliverability. There appears to be a significant mismatch between the original educational theory supporting the WBA tools and their practical day-to-day usage. Most of these problems relate to their rushed implementation and apparent lack of clear purpose and this is compounded by the conflict with the increasing pressures of clinical service delivery. Most of the recent work in this area has concentrated on defining their role in keeping with the supporting educational evidence and redesigning the forms to reflect this. This review outlines the educational rationale behind these proposed and ongoing changes and how this is hoped to influence their practical future direction.

Remembrance education between history teaching and citizenship education

Commemoration and remembrance are integral elements of postmodern western culture. Although academic historians are increasingly inclined to acknowledge that there is no hard and fast dividing line between collective memory and professional historiography, they do not always welcome the increasing pressure from national governments and international organizations to guide and even regulate collective memory through history education or through so-called ‘remembrance education’. The rationale of remembrance education is that modern nations have a certain responsibility for crimes or suffering that has been caused in the past, and that recognition of this forms a component of education in democratic citizenship. Remembrance education thus becomes a general umbrella for education about ‘dark chapters’ from the past, with the Holocaust as most evident example. This article focuses on a single (sub)national case. Within the Flemish Community, which is the body responsible for education in Flanders and the Dutch-speaking schools in the federal Belgian capital Brussels, remembrance education has, since 2010, been an official part of the cross-curricular final objectives of secondary education. Starting from the concrete context in which this initiative originated and is currently being developed, we examine the complex relationship between remembrance education and history teaching. The differences and affinities between both, we argue, become visible by comparing the position of the academic discipline of history in both fields, by comparing the position of the present, the role of empathy and of a pedagogy of activation and by analysing the way in which ethical questions are dealt with. The absolute moral standards and the present-centred character of remembrance education are, for instance, far removed from the ambitions to stimulate historical and contextual thinking that are central to history education. Many of the real tensions between both, however, reproduce in magnified form the equally real inter¬nal tensions that characterize contemporary history teaching, with its simultaneous scientific and civic ambitions. But unlike remembrance education, history education does not regard memory as the starting point for knowledge or attitudes, but as a subject of critical historical research in its own right.

Foundations of Islamic Antidrug Abuse Education

Among the basic objectives of the Islamic Shari‘ah is to protect the human life and human intellect ‒ as such, the consumption of mind-altering and intoxicative substances is prohibited in Islam. Furthermore, Islam imposes criminal penalties on those who consume intoxicative substances such as wine. Muslim jurists (fuqahā) have provided descriptive accounts on the foundations of the Islamic antidrug abuse teachings, categories of mind-altering substances, and preventive laws. They also identified three categories of mind-altering substances: al-muskirāt, al-mukhaddirāt, and al-muftiraāt. This paper aims to explore the rationale and jurisprudential foundations of Islamic antidrug abuse education. While highlighting the philosophical background of the Islamic antidrug teachings, the paper presents the jurisprudential foundations of the legal penalties for drug abusers. The Qur’ānic terms and the Prophetic statements related to the subject will be referred to, while the opinions of Muslim jurists and theologians on the subject will be unveiled.

Foundations of Islamic Antidrug Abuse Education

Among the basic objectives of the Islamic Shari‘ah is to protect the human life and human intellect ‒ as such, the consumption of mind-altering and intoxicative substances is prohibited in Islam. Furthermore, Islam imposes criminal penalties on those who consume intoxicative substances such as wine. Muslim jurists (fuqahā) have provided descriptive accounts on the foundations of the Islamic antidrug abuse teachings, categories of mind-altering substances, and preventive laws. They also identified three categories of mind-altering substances: al-muskirāt, al-mukhaddirāt, and al-muftiraāt. This paper aims to explore the rationale and jurisprudential foundations of Islamic antidrug abuse education. While highlighting the philosophical background of the Islamic antidrug teachings, the paper presents the jurisprudential foundations of the legal penalties for drug abusers. The Qur’ānic terms and the Prophetic statements related to the subject will be referred to, while the opinions of Muslim jurists and theologians on the subject will be unveiled.

Taking leisure seriously: new and older considerations about leisure education

The subject of leisure education has ancient intellectual roots similar to those of leisure itself; and the attention to the subject within the World Leisure establishment dates back to the beginning of that organisation as well. But while the rationale for leisure education (education in, through, and about leisure) has been well developed and its approaches well documented, its purposes have not been critically examined. This paper examines flow and serious leisure as important objectives for educational interventions in the context of leisure, but it cautions against an overvaluing of these purposes to the exclusion of others. It asserts the need to educate about other leisure qualities, including relaxation, exploration, appreciation, and sociability that are at least as important to subjective wellbeing and to personal and community development. While discrimination of interest and focus of attention are appropriately addressed in leisure education, resisting an excessive narrowing of leisure repertoires and cultivating a relaxed openness to experience are also consistent with long-held leisure ideals.

Moving forward in inclusive education research

This paper aims to address conceptual and methodological challenges of doing research in the field of inclusive education and revisit school effectiveness research literature to inform future research. First, we present the rationale for inclusive education and briefly review the evolution of special needs education. Then, we discuss limitations of current research on inclusive education. Next, we present school- and classroom-level findings of school effectiveness research to highlight how it can influence the inclusive education research agenda. We conclude by presenting future directions for research.

Working to “Increase Respect and Reduce Stigma”: Thinking Through the Possibilities and Limits of an Antihomophobia Education Program in Paris

Drawing on the author's volunteer experience, this article uses the insights of queer pedagogy to review the rationale and practices of a French antihomophobia education (AHE) program. This analysis further serves to question three foundational aspects of AHE, namely the role of dialogue, identity politics, and the impetus of normalization. Although AHE opens up possibilities for creating more positive school cultures (for queer youth and others), it is essential to recognize how this work can shore up the heteronormative foundations that it hopes to unsettle, so that we can learn from current limitations and implement more effective models of intervention.

Towards a pre-service technology teacher education resource for New Zealand

The Pre-service Technology Teacher Education Resource (PTTER) was developed as a cross-institutional resource to support the development of initial technology teacher education programmes in New Zealand. The PTTER was developed through collaboration involving representatives from each of the six New Zealand university teacher education providers, Massey University, University of Auckland, University of Canterbury, University of Otago, Victoria University and University of Waikato, working with the National Technology Professional Development Manager. The framework for PTTER is built on four key elements considered to be essential to the education of technology teachers. The four elements are: philosophy of technology, rationale for technology education, technology in the New Zealand curriculum, and teaching technology. The PTTER is a web-based resource aimed at assisting technology teacher educators in the development of their teacher education programmes. The framework is a statement of shared philosophy, purpose and intent and is located on the Techlink website (www.techlink.org.nz). PTTER contains a range of teaching resources and strategies located within an overall framework for initial technology teacher education programmes. This paper describes the rationale for the PTTER framework, the process through which it was developed, explanation of each of the framework’s elements, and concludes with discussion of the framework’s implementation and future development.

The ACGME’s 2011 Changes to Resident Duty Hours: Are They an Unfunded Mandate on Teaching Hospitals?

Throughout America, teaching hospitals are struggling to meet the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education’s (ACGME) new resident duty-hour standards. Effective July 2011, the Common Program Requirements state that duty hours must be limited to 80 hours per week, averaged over a four-week period, including in-house call and moonlighting (although exceptions may be granted up to 88 hours “based on a sound educational rationale”). Residents must be scheduled for at least one duty-free day (without at-home call) every week, averaged over four weeks. Duty periods of interns must not exceed 16 hours. Upper level residents may be scheduled up to 24 hours of continuous duty, with up to four additional hours for transitions in care, but “strategic napping… is strongly suggested.” PGY-1 and intermediate-level residents must have eight duty-free hours between scheduled duty periods, and 14 duty-free hours after 24 hours of in-house duty. Residents must not be scheduled for more than six consecutive nights of night float, and higher level residents must be scheduled for in-house call no more frequently than every third night (averaged over four weeks). Finally, the ACGME mandated changes to the training environment to improve residents’ educational experience and to mitigate potential adverse effects of the duty-hour restrictions.1

From school to work: Promoting the application of pre-qualification interprofessional education in the clinical workplace

The rationale for Interprofessional Education (IPE) is based on the assumption it will improve practice. Despite evidence that it may modify attitudes and provide knowledge and skills for collaboration, there is little evidence about whether these skills can be transferred to practice. The aim of this research was to explore how midwifery students apply pre-qualification IPE learning to practice and to understand the factors in the clinical workplace that facilitate or hinder this application. A purposive sample of students, educators, Heads of Midwifery and new midwives from four universities throughout the United Kingdom participated in semi-structured interviews and focus groups. Emerging themes were developed using the principles of Grounded Theory. Participants articulated ways in which the clinical environment either promoted or prevented IPE in practice. The extent to which the clinical institution promoted IPE was made visible through the support for students during placements; the support for new midwives; and the evolution of professional roles. Buy-in for the IPE agenda in the workplace influences the ability of new midwives to apply IPE competencies to professional practice. The benefits of a theoretical foundation in interprofessional skills may be lost if students and new midwives find themselves working in contexts that do not make collaboration a priority.