Media literacy and audiovisual languages: a case study from Belgium

This article examines the use of media in the construction of a “new” language for children. We studied how children acquire and use media literacy skills through their engagement in an educational art project. This media literacy project is rooted in the realm of audiovisual media, within which children’s sound and visual worlds are the focus of inquiry. Using an ethnographic approach, we examined the engagement in the project of participating children, and we analyzed how they used this “new” discourse as a tool to express themselves. Our analysis focused on how the project was received by children, and on the potential for educational media art projects to stimulate media knowledge.

Connaissance raisonnée des medias et langages audio‐visuels: une étude de cas en Belgique

Cet article étudie l’usage des medias dans la construction d’un nouveau langage pour les enfants. Nous avons étudié la façon dont les enfants acquièrent et font usage de compétences liées à la connaissance raisonnée des medias en s’impliquant dans un projet artistique éducatif. Ce projet sur la connaissance raisonnée des medias s’enracine dans les médias audio‐visuels au sein desquels les mondes visuels et sonores des enfants font l’objet de notre enquête. En ayant recours à une approche ethnographique, nous avons examiné l’implication dans le projet des enfants qui y participaient et nous avons analysé la façon dont ils utilisaient ce nouveau discours comme instrument de leur propre expression. Notre analyse a mis l’accent sur la façon dont le projet a été reçu par les enfants et sur le potentiel des projets artistiques reposant sur les médias éducatifs pour stimuler la connaissance des medias.

Medienkompetenz und audiovisuelle Sprachen: Eine Fallstudie aus Belgien

Dieser Artikel untersucht die Nutzung von Medien in der Entwicklung einer “neuen” Sprache bei Kindern. Wir untersuchten wie Kinder Medienkompetenzen bei ihrer Auseinandersetzung mit einem pädagogischen Kunstprojekt erwarben und verwendeten. Dieses Medienkompetenzprojekt basierte in dem Bereich der audiovisuellen Medien, wobei die auditorischen und visuellen Welten der Kinder im Mittelpunkt der Untersuchung standen. Durch die Verwendung eines ethnographischen Ansatzes untersuchten wir, wie sich die an dieser Studie teilnehmenden Kinder mit dem Projekt auseinandersetzten. Wir analysierten zusätzlich, wie die Kinder diesen “neuen” Diskurs benutzten, um sich selbst auszudrücken. Unsere Analyse konzentrierte sich darauf, wie das Projekt von den Kindern aufgenommen wurde, sowie auch auf das Potenzial von pädagogischen Medienprojekten für die Förderung von Medien‐Wissen.

Alfabetismo mediático y los lenguajes audio‐visuales: un estudio de caso de Bélgica

El presente artículo examina el uso de los medios en la construcción de un nuevo lenguaje para los niños. Hemos estudiado como los niños adquieren y aprovechan sus competencias en alfabetismo mediático cuando se involucran en un proyecto artístico educativo. Este proyecto de alfabetismo mediático está arraigado en el reino de los medios audiovisuales en el cual los mundos sonoros y visuales de los niños son el foco de la presente encuesta. Utilizando una metodología etnográfica, hemos examinado la implicación en este proyecto de los niños participantes y analizado como aprovechaban este « nuevo » discurso como una herramienta para expresarse. Nuestro análisis enfoca la manera de acoger el proyecto por parte de los niños y el potencial de los proyectos artísticos basados en los medios educativos para incentivar el conocimiento de los medios.     

Teachers' biographies and educational development: a Kenyan case study

Over the last decade there has been a growing interest among academics in the lives and work of teachers in industrialised countries. Many of these studies have sought to understand how teachers perceive their work and how they develop their particular professional identities. There is a growing recognition of the impact of teachers' own biographies on their training and on curriculum development and implementation. This paper examines the perspectives of a group of Kenyan educators, advisors and inspectors, from different regions, who have taken part in a national project designed to strengthen primary education through the in-service training of teachers. The aim is to examine the potential of biographical research to provide new insights into the processes of educational development. The participants in the research reflect on their own career development and life histories; on their identities, both professional and personal; and on the impact of these on their work. Drawing on an issue which divided the group, that of gender equality, the paper considers some of the biographical and cultural factors which permit and restrict development.     

课例研究:如何从教育模式走向教育实践

课例研究作为一种教师专业化发展模式已经引起教育研究者和教育者的广泛关注.作为从日本移植的一种教育模式,如何充分理解与改进课例研究,发挥其对改进课堂教学的潜在意义,是一个在理论与实践方面都有重要意义的问题.课例研究作为一种教育研究方法在进一步发展中应进行的三类研究:发展有关课例研究的核心特征的理论;阐明课例研究的机制;课例研究的方法论和证明路线.     

Significant signs: a case study of citation practices in educational research

Citations have a central role in the dynamic process of knowledge development and as measures of research performance – yet little is known about their role in educational research or the qualities they are assumed to measure. Based on a citation context analysis, this study shows how a paradigmatic reference within classroom research has been used in 90 articles in educational research journals. Four types of content and four citation functions were identified in the immediate context of the citation symbols. Surprisingly, no critical citations or discussions of the validity of the cited study were found. The results are discussed in relation to the conditions for communication within a field without disciplinary cohesion.     

Deconfessionalising RE in pillarised education systems: a case study of Belgium and the Netherlands

This article reflects on the place of RE in a pillarised education context, taking into account the fact of religious diversity and pluralisation among the school population on the one hand, and the freedom of religion and education of faith-based schools on the other. Particular attention will be given to Belgium and the Netherlands, which do not only have a comparable pillarised education model, but also have a quite similar religious landscape. After a brief historical sketch of the educational systems in both nations, attention will be given to the present situation and to the challenges of religious diversity and secularism in faith-based schools. In order to meet these challenges, recent developments concerning RE in Belgium and the Netherlands are discussed. In conclusion, we will outline some suggestions for the future of RE in faith-based schools in a pillarised education context.     

Cars and Nature: a case study in environmental economics for educational programs

Environmental education needs to include the economic dimension. For example, the formulation of public policy to achieve environmental goals needs to include appropriate economic incentives to guide human behavior, otherwise, the policies may not be effective and may even be counter‐productive. Using the car as a focal point for integration, the proposed case study for science and economics students examines the design of appropriate economic incentives to engender less driving, identifies the pros and cons of alternative policies and helps educators conceptualize the interdisciplinary relationships between automobile use and other social issues, such as highway safety, air and water quality, taxation issues, geographic sprawl of development throughout the countryside, disruption of wildlife habitat and migration patterns, etc. The United States’ strategy of requiring automobile manufacturers to produce vehicles with increasingly higher fuel efficiency may be counter‐productive to the extent that getting more miles per gallon lowers the cost of driving each mile, other factors remaining the same, thus giving consumers an incentive to travel more miles.     

Neo-democracy in educational policy-making: a critical case study of neoliberal reform in Massachusetts

This paper explores changes to the educational policy-making arena through case study analysis of a Massachusetts law passed in 2012 that limits seniority-based job protections for public K-12 teachers. I use data from interviews with policy stakeholders, observations of public meetings, and policy artifacts to explore struggles over democratic engagement in what unfolded as a highly undemocratic policy development process. Using the policy cycle framework, I explore the ways that political pressure and political discourses shaped the policy development process through various contexts of political struggle. Ultimately, I argue that the case is indicative of what I am calling ‘neo-democratic’ decision-making, in which high-level interest group conflict leads to narrow forms of democratic engagement.     

Barriers to prisoner participation in educational courses: Insights from a remand prison in Belgium

International Review of Education - This article examines the profile of prisoners who do not take part in formal education while being incarcerated (e.g. language or ICT courses) and the barriers...     

Recovering lost histories of educational design: a case study in contemporary participatory strategies

Past practices shape and limit the design imagination of teachers, pupils, parents, governors, and others concerned with designing modern schools. Bringing histories of education to the table in the participatory design process of new school buildings and curricula is necessary. Schools having an extraordinary past have the potential to draw from that prefigurative practice. This paper reports a case study on how the Kees Boeke School in The Netherlands recently has returned to its own history in addressing the needs of its current and future learners in a redesign project. Through addressing the question of how the redesign might reflect a reconnection with the original vision of education espoused by Boeke—learning in relative freedom, with awareness of responsibilities for own and community’s well-being—the school management, architects, teachers, and students took part in a participatory design process. That process and the resulting school design is discussed. From this case study we argue that past adventures in education can inspire current redesign. Past experiences as well as concerns and beliefs about the future are an inevitable influence on initiatives to realise schools for the future, both for schools with experimental and those with traditional histories.     

The potential for developing educational farms: a SWOT analysis from a case study

ABSTRACT

Purpose: Educational farms (EFs) serve a number of social and economic functions and are part of the debate about new learning environments, multifunctional agriculture and firm diversification. Through the analysis of a case study, this paper aims to identify strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) of EFs and key factors for setting a development strategy.

Design/Methodology/Approach: A direct survey to EFs in Molise region (IT) was implemented during April-May 2017 and results were assessed following a SWOT approach.

Findings: Strong motivation and connection with agritourism activities are strengths of EFs in the region; small size, unskilled staff, lack of structured educational pathways, and limited profitability are the main weaknesses. Farms opportunities come from a territory rich in rural landscapes, environmental resources, and typical food products, and from a growing demand for educational tourism. Obstacles are in the institutional sphere and due to the absence of regional networks. Based on SWOT findings, key factors for EFs development are discussed.

Practical implications: EFs development requires innovative educational and managerial tools, a more concerted and proactive role for multiple stakeholders, and the implementation of a network approach. Study findings solicit actions from public institutions and advisory services to improve farmers’ skills.

Theoretical implications: The paper contributes to the theoretical debate about the need for a multidisciplinary approach in dealing with the analysis of EFs.

Originality/Value: The analysis underlines the importance of internal and external drivers in stimulating farms and institutions to support diversification strategies, rural development and transformation processes in inner areas.     

Multilingual educational trends and practices in Lebanon: A case study

This paper reports on the multilingual background, language education policies and practices in Lebanon. Specifically, it shows how the multilingual make-up in the country is translated into language policies in schools. A survey of 30 private school principals, middle managers and teachers was administered online to obtain their views on school policies, problems, successes, concerns and quality ranking. Results showed that a great deal of work has been done to introduce a language of instruction and a third language as decreed by the Ministry of Education and at the same time keep the national language, Arabic, alive. The main concerns of the participants were the need for teacher training programmes and resources. Although the research implies that the school systems, in keeping up with this multilingual milieu, could be contributing to the death of the national language as well as producing students who are not fluent in any of the languages, there continues to be an attempt to keep alive a quality multilingual educational context which contributes to a cohesive society.     

Identification of Greek beekeepers' educational needs,a case study

Abstract

This study was conducted to identify the Greek beekeepers' educational needs. A questionnaire was mailed to 1000 beekeepers selected at random from a list of subscribers to a beekeeping journal published monthly. The questionnaire consisted of 16 items related to course instruction and other questions regarding their demographic characteristics.

For data analysis three statistical techniques were used: (i) factor analysis, (ii) Kruskal-Wallis test and (iii) Mann-Whitney U test. From the factor analysis, the 16 items related to course instruction were grouped into four factors indicating beekeepers' preference on those topics. Using demographic characteristics, beekeepers' preference to educational needs was identified.

It is necessary to provide a quality education for adult beekeepers which must be flexible enough to meet the needs of farmers and which is also supported by the local community. The findings aided authors in recommending procedures for the organisation of future seminars meaningful for the Greek beekeepers.     

Superior educational attainment and strategies of land inheritance in post-famine Ireland: a case study

To date no major study exists on the impact of the Great Famine on patterns of participation in superior education in Ireland, or on the impact of superior education on the life courses and inheritance potential of boys from small farming families. This paper provides a historical analysis and interpretation of patterns of participation in superior education in post-Famine Ireland. It explores the impact of superior educational attainment on the life courses of boys from farming families and examines the strategies of inheritance adopted by their families in the post-Famine period. It is argued that micro-level research, utilising family reconstitutions and school records, is key to examining and understanding the relationship between the Famine, family background, strategies of inheritance and educational attainment in rural society.     

Capacity-building for educational managers in South Africa: a case study of the Mpumalanga Province

Wide-ranging changes in the education system have rendered many serving school principals ineffective in the management of their schools. Many of these serving principals lack basic management training prior to and after their entry into headship. Changes in education thus increase their problems and this causes untold harm to the education of the learners. This research deals with the quantitative data and qualitative analysis about the perceptions of 172 principals and 28 district/circuit managers in the Mpumalanga Province on their satisfaction with the programme and its effectiveness in facilitating learning.Questionnaires were used to gather the above data that was subsequently analysed using mean scores, frequencies and percentages. Responses from open-ended questions, in addition to the structured questionnaires, were recorded and categorised for the purpose of qualitative analysis.Results of the research show that principals and district/circuit managers were satisfied to very satisfied with the quality and adequacy of their training and agreed that the training was effective to very effective. A general tendency of higher mean scores among district/circuit managers than among principals was observed. Findings from the qualitative analysis supported and elaborated on the findings of the quantitative data.     

The leeway of qualitative educational research: A case study

This article presents a case study into the question of how research-internal and research-external factors influence the leeway of qualitative research, and ultimately determine which questions can and cannot be addressed in research. First an overview is presented of the position of qualiative research in the field of education in The Netherlands. This position is then analysed by situating educational research in the particular research political context. In the second part of the article the authors focus on effective schools research, one of the strongest research programmes in Dutch educational studies, in order to show the consequences of the lack of a qualitative tradition.     

E-learning services acceptance in higher educational institutes: A case study in Brunei

This research studies on the e-learning services acceptance in higher education institutions in Brunei Darussalam. This research has seven hypotheses, relating to independent, intermediary, and dependent variables. The independent variables include lecturer’s characteristics, design of learning contents, teaching materials, and playfulness; while the intermediary variables are perceived benefits and perceived ease of use. On the other hand, the dependent variable in this research is the intention to use e-learning. Multiple regression analysis were conducted to test the hypotheses proposed. Data analysis from this research has confirmed that the lecturer’s characteristics, teaching materials, perceived ease of use and the intention to use e-learning corresponds to the perceived benefits. Meanwhile, the design of learning content and the intention to use e-learning are positively related to the perceived ease of use and lastly, the variable playfulness is positively related to the intention to use e-learning.     

Sustaining environmental pedagogy in times of educational conservatism: a case study of integrated curriculum programs

Although the global call for environmental education is persistent, on a local or regional level, this call can be confronted by educational policies that drive environmental education out of the curriculum. This paper reports on a qualitative case study of the factors contributing to the sustainability of three teacher‐driven integrated curriculum programs (ICPs). Four key factors were identified: financial self‐sufficiency and physical isolation (program separation); and visibility of teachers in the school and support from a broad network of allies (political connection). This paper suggests that ICPs can be further supported by fostering pedagogical kinships and expanding counter‐praxis discourse. The paper also highlights the importance of ‘ground‐up’ programs in sustaining environmental education in periods of educational conservatism.     

Gender,school management and educational reforms: a case study of a primary school in Hong Kong

Across the globe, many countries have incorporated new managerialism and marketization to reform their education systems. Feminist studies have already pointed out that these changes are gendered and masculinized and have documented their impacts on women teachers in secondary, higher and further education. Yet interestingly, while primary teaching is a feminized occupation, the ways that these changes and the associated practices are gendered and affected women teachers are relatively under‐researched . This article, based on a case school in Hong Kong, attempts to fill this gap. By teasing out the gendered assumptions embedded in management strategies, it will show how an entrepreneurial school has attempted to succeed in a competitive educational market by exploiting young women, discriminating motherhood and forging competition among women of different educational qualifications. While making visible the patriarchal interests and masculine norms of the school, the article also aims to illuminate the contradictions and tensions inherent in, or generated, by those strategies.     

不言放弃:一位父亲教育信念的个案研究

本文运用质性研究的方法,透过一位普通父亲十几年如一日,在执着的毫不放弃的教育过程中,把自己在幼年时近乎“不开窍”的儿子,逐渐培养成一名大学生的故事,从中归纳他的教育行为、教育经验的积累过程;透过其教育行为的背后,挖掘其深层次的教育信念;从而洞察在一个孩子的成长背后,父母为孩子所做的最有意义的东西。