Adult education programmes of NGOs operating in Non-Western contexts: a review of empirical literature

ABSTRACT

Adult education is a key component of worldwide collaborative efforts to achieve social justice aims, such as the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Such collaborative efforts require the involvement of all sectors, including non-governmental organisations (NGOs). In particular, given the prevalence of globalising and neoliberal influences on development, NGOs providing adult education programmes must navigate complex political and financial hurdles in addition to cultural differences. To evolve our understanding of the role NGOs and their efforts play in international development education, this systematic literature review investigates adult education programmes of NGOs operating in Non-Western contexts. Findings indicate programmes require stakeholder commitment to social justice, concerted efforts to adapt to social and economic contexts, and intentional cultivation of local and international partnerships. While findings align with a general understanding of effective practices within different cultural contexts, this synthesis of empirical work provides a foundation for deeper understanding of how to implement such culturally relevant practices and improve the path forward for NGO adult education programmes and partnerships.     

Filmmaking education and enterprise culture: an ethnographic exploration of two filmmaking education contexts and their relation to bedroom culture and the creative workplace

ABSTRACT

Filmmaking education has never been firmly integrated into schooling and in past years has suffered from cuts to funding for formal and non-formal arts education and youth work. It continues to exist only by drawing on creative industry and cultural consumption practices as well as state funding. In this paper, we explore the filmmaking education contexts we encountered while doing our own pieces of year-long ethnographic research. These contexts import ‘enterprising’ ways of thinking, doing and being from the creative workplace and ‘bedroom culture’. Located across life’s domains, they address enterprising subjects who take pleasure in work, make use of leisure and are always learning. We argue that these filmmaking education contexts support young people to develop their private creative practice and introduce them to the possibility of work in the creative industries but, because of the enterprise culture in which they are entangled, uncritically address these young people as enterprising subjects.     

基于Scratch的儿童编程教育教学模式的设计与构建——以小学科学为例

儿童编程教育与基础课程的融合已成为编程教育领域研究的重要课题。儿童编程教育融入学科教学是转变与重塑计算教育观念的一次新尝试,也是推广与普及儿童编程教育的创新举措,更能助力编程教学与学科知识彼此协同发展。Scratch具有算法简化、媒体丰富的图像空间,自上而下、分而治之的修补理念,设计建造、交流协作的自由情境等特征优势,成为“用编程学”的媒介首选。基于此,文章以基于设计的研究为设计原则,并以4P学习法为理论基础,构建了以小学科学内容为案例的儿童编程与学科融合的教学模式,以期丰富与优化小学科学教学方式并探索推广多样化的儿童编程教学形式。     

Capital,inequality and education in conflict-affected contexts

Abstract

Piketty’s Capital in the Twenty-first Century has brought the issue of inequality to the centre of political debate. This article explores contemporary research on the relationship between education and inequality in conflict-affected contexts with a view to seeing how Piketty’s work speaks to these issues as a field of research and practice. The article provides a critique of Piketty’s approach, arguing for a broader, interdisciplinary and holistic approach to exploring and addressing inequality in education in conflict-affected contexts in their multiple economic, cultural and political dimensions. In doing so the article also lays out an analytical framework inspired by cultural political economy for researching education systems in conflict contexts which seeks to go beyond narrow human capital framings of education and address the multiple potential of education to promote sustainable peace and development in and through education.     

Encouraging the transformation of personal epistemology

Educators assume a positive relationship between epistemological development and learning. But our understanding of this relationship is limited because it focuses mostly on higher education, and supporting data are biased by gender, ethnicity, and geography. The purpose of this study was to identify factors that encourage changes in Malaysian women's epistemology. Within a cultural framework, two questions guide this study: (a) How does higher education stimulate changes in epistemology in other cultural contexts, and (b) What factors other than higher education encourage changes in epistemology? Based on constant comparative analysis of in-depth interviews with 14 Malaysian women, the author identified three cultural factors that encourage transformation of thinking and knowing: family support of education for women and girls, formal and informal learning experiences, and extended international opportunities. Epistemological development occurs as a woman negotiates conflict between her cultural and personal models of self.     

场馆教育理念下幼儿食育推进策略研究

场馆作为一种文化传承的社会性机构,肩负着特殊的教育功能与任务。当前幼儿食育存在"餐桌"食育、完成"任务"、脱离幼儿生活等问题。针对这些问题,从场馆教育理念角度审视,幼儿食育可表征为教育的情境性和全域性、以"学习者"为本、走向学生生活世界三个层面。以此为基点,研究认为可通过加强幼儿园与场馆合作、建设虚拟场馆教育平台、组建具有创设能力的师资队伍、制定合理的幼儿食育评价标准四条路径推进幼儿食育发展和完善。     

多元文化背景下的幼儿美术课程研究

幼儿美术教育从某种意义上讲就是一种文化教育,在多元文化背景下的幼儿美术课程,呈现开放性和发展性特点,本着"立足民族、面向世界"的基本原则,本文试图探索一条将幼儿美术教育与幼儿因整体课程相结合途径,统整幼儿因、家庭、社会各方面的教育资源,引导幼儿与民间艺术、经典艺术、视觉文化对话,通过与多元艺术的对话,引导幼儿关注艺术与生活、艺术与社会文化背景的关系,帮助他们了解人类不同文化之间的相似性及其独特性,使他们学会分享共同的文化,容纳和接受不同的文化。     

Multicultural Education and Newcomer Youth: Re-Imagining a More Inclusive Vision for Immigrant and Refugee Students

In this article, we draw attention to the discourses and practices of multicultural and culturally relevant education as curricular contexts with long-lasting implications for newcomer youth. To best serve immigrant and refugee students and more explicitly include them in the field's discourse, we argue for a conceptual move to widen the scope of multicultural education and culturally relevant pedagogy. We highlight the tremendous contributions multicultural education approaches have made to equitable education, while also examining the ways in which some of their widespread theoretical framing have yet to address the particular needs of immigrant and refugee youth. We then suggest conceptual shifts to widen their scope to include newcomer youth's varied experiences and identity positions. These shifts are (a) advancing the role of genuine cross-cultural relationships over traditional forms of cross-cultural competence in multicultural educational spaces and (b) abdicating the search for cultural authenticity implied in some multicultural education practice in favor of facilitating cultural agency for newcomer youth.     

The Teaching/Learning Relationship in the First Years of School: Some Revolutionary Implications of Vygotskya's Theory

During the last twenty years, Vygotsky's theory has increasingly been cited when considering aspects of early education. Most commonly, however, a single concept (the zone of proximal development) has been used to represent the theory, and treated as synonymous with the view that a teacher's job is to scaffold the children's learning. By contrast, in this paper we stress the fact that Vygotsky's theory is one that requires attending to what individuals bring to interactions, what goes on during those interactions, and the cultural contexts (as they have developed over historical time) of the individuals involved. Equally important, we stress that Vygotsky's view of interactions between teachers and children involves the concept of obuchenie, a Russian term meaning both teaching and learning, rather than scaffolded instruction. To take this position seriously involves making dramatic changes in the process of education as typically practiced. For this reason Vygotsky's theory has revolutionary implications, examples of which we discuss in the final section.     

Combining Work and Learning in the Informal Economy: Implications for Education, Training and Skills Development

Although education is identified as a key determinant of economic development and poverty eradication, this relationship is only possible when educationists are able to provide a comprehensive picture of the educational process in working life. In this paper it is argued that if systems of education and training are to cater to both the formal and the informal labour markets, then they need to take into account the traditions and values of the system of vocational learning in working life, cater to the requirements of local development and be based on an understanding of the kinds of competencies people in the informal economy want, need and utilise, the socio-economic and cultural contexts within which they work, and how they cope and sustain their livelihood strategies.     

Combining Work and Learning in the Informal Economy: Implications for Education, Training and Skills Development

Although education is identified as a key determinant of economic development and poverty eradication, this relationship is only possible when educationists are able to provide a comprehensive picture of the educational process in working life. In this paper it is argued that if systems of education and training are to cater to both the formal and the informal labour markets, then they need to take into account the traditions and values of the system of vocational learning in working life, cater to the requirements of local development and be based on an understanding of the kinds of competencies people in the informal economy want, need and utilise, the socio-economic and cultural contexts within which they work, and how they cope and sustain their livelihood strategies.     

幼儿教育中幼儿阅读能力的培养

在幼儿教育中培养幼儿的阅读能力是遵循幼儿自身发展的需要,也是社会发展的需要。社会的发展需要高素质的人才,人才的培养首先要从幼儿的阅读能力下手,让幼儿形成良好的阅读习惯,为将来更好地学习科学文化知识奠定基础。幼儿由于年龄小,各种知识学习刚刚起步,因而在培养幼儿阅读能力前,首先要帮助他们树立良好的自信心。其次,在日常生活中要坚持引导幼儿阅读,让他们养成良好的阅读习惯。只要这样坚持,就一定能够取得预想的效果。     

Cross-Cultural Analysis of Social Competence and Behavior Problems in Preschoolers

A multi-national study using the Social Competence and Behavior Evaluation Inventory (SCBE-30) was conducted to investigate preschool children's social and emotional development across cultures. A total of 4,640 children from eight participating countries, including Austria, Brazil, Canada, China, Italy, Japan, Russia, and the United States were evaluated by their preschool teachers. The main objective of the study was to validate the SCBE-30 in each country and build a cross-cultural data set for the investigation of universals, as well as cultural differences, in the development of preschool children's social competence and the frequency and type of their behavioral problems. Results provide a clear case for the structural equivalence of the SCBE-30 across all samples, for universals in the structure of early social behavior, and possibly some differences that may be attributed to culture. The pattern of gender differences found in North American samples was found to generalize across cultural contexts as preschool boys were universally reported to be significantly more aggressive and viewed as less socially competent than girls. Age differences were also found in all eight samples reflecting increasing competence in older children, however age trends in the prevalence of behavior problems were culture specific.     

Self and the other in the Confucian cultural context: Implications of China’s higher education development for comparative studies

The central purpose of China’s modern higher education has been to combine Chinese and Western elements at all levels including institutional arrangements, research methodologies, educational ideals and cultural spirit, a combination that brings together aspects of Chinese and Western philosophical heritages. This, however, has not been achieved. There is an urgent need for critical examination of the long-term consequences of grafting American academic practices onto a Chinese base. This article examines the tensions in the interactions in higher education between the traditional Chinese and the imposed Western modes of thinking. Borrowing a definition of the structure of culture, this paper reveals the various extents to which layers of Chinese higher education have achieved any degree of success. It finds that with a strong catch-up mentality, China’s contemporary higher education policies are responsive to Western influences. These are however only applied as panic-stricken and expedient band-aid remedies, rather than as strategies based on systematic understanding of cultural contexts. Accordingly, Chinese universities are uncritical towards the European-American model and its variants. This article warns that without an infusion of traditional education values, universities in China risk losing touch with their cultural contexts in their quest for world-class status.     

'No goats in the mother city': using Symbolic Objects to help students talk about diversity and change

This paper reports on a first year project in a South African engineering foundation programme which attempted to bring a cultural studies perspective to teaching academic literacy. Students identify and investigate everyday objects that have symbolic meanings in their communities. Objects are seen as catalysts for enabling student narratives to emerge, and are a way of exploring the tensions between convention and change in cultural practices. A project such as this breaks disciplinary frames, working across diverse contexts such as engineering and cultural studies. The aim is to begin to explore some of the complexities around ‘development’ in contexts of diversity and change, globalization and relocalization.     

Metaphor in Context: an examination of the significance of metaphor for reflection and communication

This article shows how metaphor is basic to language structure. It is illustrated with practical examples of how metaphor is found within different social and cultural contexts, irrespective of historical time. Numerous examples are given of how metaphor works in efforts to communicate meaning. From an early age, young children are initiated into the use of metaphor. This appears to be understood intuitively, and examples of words games and riddles are given to show how children become familiar with the symbolic use of language. It is discussed how this early facility to engage in ‘word play’ forms a basis for future development of language skills, helping children move on from familiar contexts which are understood intuitively by transferring their skills in order to interpret metaphorical language empirically in unfamiliar contexts. Theories concerning ‘dead’ and ‘living’ metaphors are explored, and attention is drawn particularly to the need to teach children how to rediscover the original meaning of Biblical metaphors, many of which have become so embedded in language and culture that they have lost their metaphorical significance. It is discussed how the interpretation and use of metaphor extends the capacity to reason and think reflectively, and the importance of education in developing this potential: this is required in many of the recently published Agreed Syllabuses of religious education and the Model Syllabuses of religious education, and would help address the requirements of the Education Reform Act (1988) concerning pupils’ spiritual and moral development.     

Proposing a center on aging and well-being: Research,education, and practice considerations

ABSTRACT

This environmental scan aimed to discover research interests and educational needs of faculty, graduate, and undergraduate students to inspire research, education, and practice in the development of a center on aging and well-being for older adults. The scan consisted of a search of university faculty and researchers regarding research on aging; a survey of graduate students and faculty about interests in aging research and needs of undergraduate students; and key informant interviews. Results offer a conceptualization based on the pillars of research, education, and practice. An inventory of researchers with various levels of expertise and interested in aging was created. Participants offered their perceptions of strengths, as well as challenges and strategies for success. These results will be a catalyst for planning and successful development of a center on aging and well-being. This article addresses a gap in the literature and will assist others undertaking a similar initiative in various geographical and cultural contexts.     

落实教育政策 应对儿童性早熟

从上个世纪六十年代开始,世界上出现了较为普遍的儿童体格发育和青春发育年龄提前的趋势,我们称之为儿童性早熟。近年来这种病的发病率更是显著提高,可以说,儿童早熟是一个全球问题,其后果十分严重,而由此引发的一些社会问题,教育难逃其咎。文章从家庭、社会、学校三方面对教育发出呼吁,希望我们的教育从实际行动上发挥它应有的育人作用,实施真正人性化的教育,帮助儿童身心健康地成长。     

裴斯泰洛齐和谐发展教育思想及对幼儿素质教育的启示

裴斯泰洛齐认为人人都要受教育 ,教育应是适应自然的教育 ,这种自然教育应是完美自然的觉醒 ,教育的目的是促进儿童天性的发展 ,教育的方法应是非强制性的。教育要促进儿童的和谐发展 ,就是要协调发展儿童的体、德、智各方面的才能 ,不能偏废任何一方面。这给我们的幼儿教育一些启示 :在幼儿素质教育中 ,应遵循儿童发展的天性 ,协调发展儿童各方面的才能。     

Emotionsethnologische Untersuchungen zu Scham und Besch?mung in der Schule

At school, adolescents experience a variety of shame and shaming situations, which accompany important processes of social inclusion and exclusion. Shame could thereby be understood as a form of ??social fear?? constituting an emotional dimension, which specifically promotes social conformity. However, there are surprisingly few contributions from the fields of education science or school-sociology concentrating on this subject-matter. Therefore, within our emotion-anthropological study on ??multi-cultural?? classrooms, we give special emphasis on the theme of shame. The central question of this article is: What are the social functions of shame in the school context? Moreover: To what extent do differing cultural standards influence the experience and expression of shame? Our results show that shame-related situations in everyday school life, among others, are defined by peer norms. Furthermore, the forms of emotion-reactions demonstrate how behavior patterns are mediated by their social and cultural contexts. Shame and shaming constitute significant emotional dimensions in every-day school life. Future studies examining this theme, particularly in heterogeneous contexts, would only enrich the debate on questions of school culture.