ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
English Language Education Policy in Colombia and Mexico
Author: Roux, Ruth
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Educational Policy,Ideology,Language Teachers,Higher Education,Teacher Education,Educational Legislation,Elementary Secondary Education

English language education policies have attracted the attention of researchers in applied linguistics and English language teaching world-wide in the last few years. Some contend that English language skills are vital if a country is to participate actively in the global economy and individuals are to have access to knowledge for social and economic development (Richards, 2008). Others claim that behind the spread of English is a growing transnational business with headquarters in Britain and the USA (Canagarajah, 1999; Phillipson, 1992). The problem is that language policies are ideological although the ideology may not be acknowledged by practitioners or theorists (Ricento and Hornberger, 1996). ELT professionals--teachers, material designers, textbooks writers, program developers, administrators, consultants or academics--are involved in one way or another with the processes that involve the spread of English and they need tools to investigate how the language became so dominant and why, to teach and use English in a way that suits their needs. This paper presents the approach proposed by Ricento and Hornberger (1996) to analyze foreign language education policies. Then, the approach is used to examine the English language education policies in Colombia and Mexico. The aim is to acquire a better understanding of how the ideology transmitted with, in and through English language has penetrated these two Latin American countries. [For complete volume, see ED567040.]
Brain Drain in Higher Education: Lost Hope or Opportunity?
Author: Odhiambo, George
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Subjects: Higher Education,College Faculty,Foreign Countries,Brain Drain,Employment Patterns,Labor Market,Immigration,Colleges,Migration,Teaching Conditions

The flight of human capital is a phenomenon that has been of concern to academics and development practitioners for decades but unfortunately, there is no systematic record of the number of skilled professionals that many African countries have continued to lose to the developed world. Termed the &quot;brain drain&quot;, it represents the loss of highly skilled professionals from a source country to a recipient country. Kenyan higher education institutions for many years have seemed to operate on the assumption that there will always be people ready to join the institutions as academic staff hence no emphasis on retention. The situation has gradually changed in the last two decades as public higher education institutions in Kenya have continued to face a number of challenges with regard to numbers and quality of academic staff. This led the Ministry of Education-Kenya (2006) to advice the institutions to show more eagerness to recruit, develop and retain qualified academics. However, it is clear that these challenges have not been met. This paper critically examines the migration and brain drain in public higher education institutions in Kenya and its implications and suggests that the institutions should continue to explore strategies on how best to use the skills and experience of emigrant academics, and how to minimise their outflow. [For complete volume, see ED567040.]
Institutions' Espoused Values Perceived by Chinese Educational Leaders
Author: Pang, Nicholas Sun-Keung
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Educational Attitudes,Administrator Attitudes,Values,Institutional Characteristics,Statistical Analysis,Confucianism,Ethics,Collectivism,Humanism,Leadership Training,Likert Scales,Management Development,Administrative Principles

This paper presents some key findings of a quantitative study which assessed a group of Chinese educational leaders' value orientations. A survey instrument &quot;The Institutional Values Inventory&quot; was used to investigate their perspectives on the values espoused by their institutions in terms of traditional Confucian ethics and values of hierarchical relationship, collectivism, humanism, and self-cultivation. It discusses implications for leadership preparation and practice in an increasingly globalized context. [For complete volume, see ED567040.]
Social Service Community Education as an Area of Training and Participation for Social Development
Author: García, Amelia Molina
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Rural Areas,Community Education,Community Programs,Social Networks,High School Students,Elementary Education,Training,Student Role,Tutoring

This paper presents the conditions and characteristics of a rural community education program in the Mexican context. The scheme of operation and participation of young people called Community Instructors (Instructores Comunitarios or IC) is innovative and worthy of recognition as a learning area, not only for school purposes but as one which promotes the development of social awareness and commitment for the common welfare. One in which identity-projects and social networking contribute in favor of the development of autonomy of participating subjects as well as of the social commitment, both for providing educational services and in their future everyday life. The data was obtained from the results of a research on indicators and processes for the formation of a political culture in ICs of CONAFE-Hidalgo (Molina, 2008 and 2011). [For complete volume, see ED567040.]
The Implementation of the Validation of Acquired Experience (VAE) in France Would Be a Cultural Revolution in Higher Education Training?
Author: Lafont, Pascal
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Higher Education,Program Implementation,Program Validation,Lifelong Learning,Educational Principles,Continuing Education,Teacher Researchers,Training Methods,Educational Practices,Educational Experience,Educational Change

This contribution shows the conditions of a change of prospect in higher education which is based on institutional and policy positioning in favor of the implementation of the devices of Validation of Acquired Experience (VAE) which is used to deliver a whole or components of a qualification (certification) on the basis of the knowledge and skills of the applicant acquired through experience, and on the initiatives of the individuals in education and the formation throughout their life. These devices appear in the political discourses like a new appropriateness of access to certification and recognition of a right qualification taking into consideration competence acquired during &quot;the courses of experience&quot;. Nevertheless, the intention of social justice and equity, is it compatible with a reduction of the costs related with the courses of continuing education by the process? If the public policies do not contribute as much to the resolution of uncertainties economic and social perceived by the questioned actors that the political discourses it suggest, it is because the device reveals new sources of socio-cognitive conflicts and a modification of the representation of the professional paths of the candidates. However, a cultural revolution in higher education training could precede with acceptance by the educative community of higher education (the teaching researchers) while considering the &quot;conscientisation&quot; necessary, it means of transmitting a know-how, an attitude and a knowledge--all these being the foundations of the candidates' skills--the difference between what the candidates believe they know and what they actually know, finally to question the candidates about the antinomy between legitimate and illegitimate knowledge, all these have to be present in the candidates' reflection, without their being necessarily aware of them. [For complete volume, see ED567040.]
E-Learning, State and Educational System in Middle East Countries
Author: Rashidi, Hamid
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Electronic Learning,Educational Technology,Technology Integration,Educational Change,Political Issues,Internet,Cultural Influences,Social Attitudes

E-learning has provided men with new opportunities in teaching-learning procedures. A historical review of educational systems literature reveals that e-learning has spread out among people much faster than any other learning methods. E-learning as a state-of-the-art technology, has caused great innovations in materials development in those societies in which new methods and procedures could hardly ever been accepted. Technological innovations and the development of telecommunications such as Television Stations and Channels, Satellites, Mobile, and Internet have made it possible for the children and teenagers in the Middle East to access the latest news and information. Of course, these developments have endangered both political and educational systems in some aspects. The present paper while pointing to some of the recent development in the field of e-learning in the Middle East, tries to examine the political and educational systems reactions to this phenomenon. [For complete volume, see ED567040.]
More than Mere Law: Freedom of Religion or Belief
Author: Holsinger, Ellen S.
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Subjects: Civil Rights,International Law,Religion,Freedom,Curriculum,Inclusion,Human Dignity,Global Approach,Global Education

Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights establishes that all people, simply because they are human, enjoy the right to freedom of religion and that governments have the obligation to ensure the protection of that right. Yet we witness a world increasingly divided by religious tradition. The failures of many governments to ensure and protect religious liberty, and the impunity with which violators of religious liberty carry out their agenda of violence, fear and hate are commonplace. The language of human rights is an integral part of the concept of our inter-connectedness as humans. To ensure that Freedom of Religion is understood as an unalienable principle of society, the Universal Declaration and the language of human rights should be integrated into the obligatory curriculum of schools everywhere. [For complete volume, see ED567040.]
Changing Times, Changing Roles: FE Colleges' Perceptions of Their Changing Leadership Role in Contemporary UK Politico-Economic Climate
Author: Nwabude, Aaron A. R.
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Adult Education,Educational Change,Leadership Role,Colleges,Literature Reviews,Interviews,Institutional Mission,Role of Education,School Community Relationship,Politics of Education,Transformational Leadership,Employment Qualifications,Educational Attitudes,Content Analysis,Questionnaires,Statistical Analysis,Qualitative Research

The work reported in this paper is part of a study that explored some of the roles of Further Education Colleges in the United Kingdom. The paper is based largely on literature from books and on-line resources and short interviews from five British further education colleges, but also on the author's views and experience. The major aim of the essay was to explore the notion and beliefs that the further education colleges are the champions of leadership in education within our society. The study also aimed at examining the institutional factors from the perspective of leaders, and how these may impact on their mission statements, and the engagement of people and community in learning where they are situated. The paper found that the colleges, in addition to fulfilling the primary role of developing talent and innovation capacity of the community by encouraging people to have a second chance at education and leisure, providing vocational qualifications and other great learning that are below level two, they also engage in the social challenges that face the community, for example, faith issues, extremism and drugs. They are the power base in which to build the creativity sector of the community, which will drive directly the country's competitiveness. They are nonetheless, associated traditionally with transactional model of leadership which builds on order and accountability. However, there are still few institutional challenges faced by the colleges in general, which included the issues of raising the aspiration of young people and removal of racial tension which characterised the past. There is also the issue of working with young people in the community and, actually making sure they begin to trust and to view colleges in a positive light. Finally there is little evidence of institutional enthusiasm for working in partnership with other Agencies in order to promote well being, ensuring students' work continues. [For complete volume, see ED567040.]
The Origins of Religion as an Historical Conundrum: Pedagogical and Research Methodological Implications and Challenges
Author: van der Walt, Johannes L.
Date: 2012-06-00
Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Subjects: Research Methodology,Religious Factors,Religion,Holistic Approach,Teaching Methods,Barriers,Humanism,Humanization,Educational History

For the last five years the authors have been involved in a research project entitled &quot;Creating Diagogic Space.&quot; The project aims at determining to which extent conditions such as the presence/absence of social justice, the creation/lack of social and human capital, respect/non-recognition of human rights, the (non-) recognition of individual and group values and so forth, impact on the diagogic space: the space in which people may enjoy the freedom to educate their children, and for their children to be educated in accordance with the educators' preferred spiritual, religious and value system(s). A significant part of the research revolves around the concepts/constructs of religion and/or spirituality. The authors initially discovered that all manifestations of religion showed the same basic structure, with spirituality at its epicentre or core, but later concluded that the &quot;numen&quot; (the numinous) seems to lie even deeper than spirituality. These investigations led them to understand that they could not evade the issue of looking at the &quot;origins&quot; of religion. In this paper they explore two sets of implications and challenges flowing from their understanding of the roots of religion and spirituality. After giving an account of what they understood to be those origins, they reflect about its pedagogical as well as its research methodological implications and challenges. [For complete volume, see ED567040.]
ICT Competences for Teachers in 21st Century--A Design Framework for Science Primary Teacher Education Courses
Author: Guerra, Cecília
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Subjects: Information Technology,Teacher Competencies,Science Teachers,Teacher Education,Instructional Design,Higher Education,Technological Literacy,Pedagogical Content Knowledge,Constructivism (Learning),Science Education,Problem Based Learning,Science Instruction,Science Process Skills,Educational Strategies,Content Analysis,Participant Observation,Semi Structured Interviews,Foreign Countries

One of the challenges higher education institutions face is to effectively endow science primary teachers with competences on &quot;how&quot;, &quot;where&quot;, &quot;when&quot; and &quot;whether&quot; to use technological resources (software and hardware) in teaching contexts. Teachers' Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPCK) requires knowing about how to represent subject matter (i.e. sciences) with technology from a socio-constructivist approach. A qualitative methodology following a design-based-approach is adopted in this study with the intention to develop a design framework of technology enhanced science education for the professional development of primary teachers. The study identifies strategies for TPCK development of science primary teachers, particularly in higher education (under and postgraduation courses). The paper presents some of the results of the study, which suggest that the combination of problem-based approaches (pedagogy) with research-based technological resources (technology) could be a way to develop innovative science lessons for pupils. [For complete volume, see ED567040.]
Environmental Education: From the Perspective of Scientific Knowledge for Constructivist Learning
Author: Giron, Graciela
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Subjects: Environmental Education,Constructivism (Learning),Educational Planning,Educational Change,Sustainable Development,Critical Thinking,Reflection,Educational Philosophy,Ethics,Social Problems

Environmental education is not merely a modern form for the didactics of natural science, but is, on the contrary, an educational process that integrates ecological knowledge, philosophy, politics, economics and sociology, among others. This is because its purpose is to change the relationships of production, social structures of economics and cultural patterns, which include both the individual and the collective, with the intention that the present generation, and future ones, should change how they live, so as to develop the members of contemporary industrial society in a new historical context of a worldwide environment. In this chapter, the authors argue it is necessary to bring introduce an environmental education which will transform and reform in educational planning, where management will be in the vanguard of change, guiding and participating in the struggle to transform the school to promote critical thinking, first among teachers and later in the studies of their students, so that they can promote activities and remedial action and raise questions about the environmental problems that result from the globalisation of the world through a consumerist economy. It is essential and urgent in the twenty first century that a new vision based on critical thinking is constructed that will promote changes in attitude that are not merely cosmetic. It follows that there is a need for an environmental education which promotes constructivist learning and helps in the rebuilding of the ways we think to bring about sustainable development to control, reduce and improve the present environmental crisis. The article goes on to explore philosophy in environmental education, environmental ethics, constructivist learning in environmental education, and the nature of environmental problems in environmental education. The authors conclude that in the governance of companies producing goods and services there have been established norms and/or laws that in many of the cases are not sufficient to prevent environmental pollution. For this reason it is necessary to investigate new strategies that allow for critical and reflective thought about our activities as human beings. This will bring about a modification in relationships of production, socio-economic structures and cultural patterns, that embraces the individual and the collective with the intention that present and future generations change the way they live, to encourage members of contemporary industrial society in a new, historic and global environmental context. [For complete volume, see ED567040.]
Comparative and International Education and the Teaching Profession: The Case of Marc-Antoine Jullien
Author: Karras, Konstantinos G.
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Subjects: International Education,Comparative Education,Case Studies,Teacher Education,Intellectual History,Profiles,Educational Practices,Performance Factors,Questionnaires

In this paper an attempt is made to prove how Jullien's ideas and concerns about education - especially about teachers and teachers education--written in his &quot;Esquisse&quot; still apply. Interpretations concerning Jullien's writings remain open and encourage a fertile dialogue in Comparative and International Education and Teachers Education today. Many researchers of Comparative and International Education put emphasis on Jullien's questionnaire as they consider it strictly structured; up to a certain point, but not always, and descriptive with a rationalistic and statistical approach. Nevertheless, a great number of qualitative and pedagogical questions are located in it. According to some researchers, these questions are far ahead of their time and deal with issues that are met in previous similar studies (for instance the questions on teachers, teacher education, teaching material and ethos at school, relations between parents and teachers, the importance of physical, as well as health and moral education, renewal of curricula and teaching methods, interest in pedagogical/educational innovations in schools etc). Many of the education problems mentioned in it seem to exist even in our modern world today. [For complete volume, see ED567040.]
Validation of Skills, Knowledge and Experience in Lifelong Learning in Europe
Author: Ogunleye, James
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Lifelong Learning,Program Validation,Mixed Methods Research,Skill Analysis,Educational Experience,National Standards,Evaluation Criteria,Evaluation Methods,Achievement Tests

The paper examines systems of validation of skills and experience as well as the main methods/tools currently used for validating skills and knowledge in lifelong learning. The paper uses mixed methods--a case study research and content analysis of European Union policy documents and frameworks--as a basis for this research. The selection of the case study countries was not scientific, but based partly on geography and partly on similarities in national systems of vocational education and training or in the general application of lifelong learning policies. The paper finds variations in the systems of validation across the European Union region; and there seems to be an absence of coherence and comparability in the practices and systems of validation within and between member states. The paper offers an original contribution to, and a fresh insight into, our understanding of the tools for validating learning in the European Union region. [For complete volume, see ED567040.]
Also a Door to the inside of a New House--Yet Another Use for Comparative Education
Author: Wolhuter, Charl
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Subjects: Comparative Education,Relevance (Education),Student Motivation,Teaching Experience,Educational Needs,Educational Objectives,Student Educational Objectives,College Programs,Foreign Countries

The author has been involved in cross-national research regarding the motivations of students for studying Comparative Education. A wide variety of motivations were identified, depending on national context. This paper begins by summarizing those findings. On a recent bout as guest professor teaching Comparative Education at a Canadian university, yet another interesting employment of Comparative Education was discovered, namely that of introducing international students (from an extra-Western context) to Western education and its philosophical superstructure and the exigencies of studying at a Western university; thus preparing these students for studying at a North American university. This paper reports on that experience. [For complete volume, see ED567040.]