Do principal-educators have the ability to transform schools?: A South African perspective

Post-1994 South Africa adopted a new education system that would seemingly break with the past practices of the apartheid education system (Naicker, 1999) and produce citizens prepared for a democratic dispensation in South Africa. Accordingly, the new system of outcomes-based education was introduced in order to create the critical mass needed for the transformation of society. Thus, schools would become the sites where democratic practices for democratic citizenship would be fostered. Government duly promulgated the applicable policy documents (55 and 67).     

Do we click in the right way? A meta-analytic review of clicker-integrated instruction

Clickers, formerly known as instant response systems, have gradually become an integral part of the classroom. Though several reviews on research into clicker-integrated instruction have been published within this decade, the controversy over whether clicker-integrated instruction is effective to enhance students' learning gains has not been settled because the early reviews mainly focus on students' perceptions toward and acceptance of clicker-integrated instruction. Furthermore, so far there is no consistent and clear framework to explain why the use of clickers is effective or ineffective to facilitate academic learning outcomes. Based on the literature from the 1970s to the early 2010s, this review article identifies and summarizes the theoretical aspects accounting for possible relations between clicker-integrated instruction and academic learning outcomes. The theoretical aspects are subsequently evaluated and expanded in reference to primary studies. The results suggest that the superior effect of clicker-integrated instruction, compared to conventional lectures, stands on firm empirical ground. In addition, engaging students in explaining and justifying their answers to clicker questions is highly recommended because such an instructional strategy is associated with positive and strong effect sizes on academic learning outcomes.     

Conclusion: what have we learned?

The results of the nine studies reported on in this special issue suggest quite clearly that a book-based program consistently accelerates the language acquisition of school children in situations where (1) they are learning a second language; (2) they have minimal access to interesting reading materials; and (3) their teachers are themselves teaching in a second language. In this closing chapter, a set of generalizations derived from these studies is presented. More specifically, three areas are discussed: (1) the link with other empirical studies; (2) theoretical issues raised by the results of the studies; and (3) policy questions raised by the results of the studies.     

The cost and financing of the right to education in India: Can we fill the financing gap?

India's Parliament passed the Right to Education Act in 2009, which entitles all children 6-14 years old to at least eight years of schooling. This paper examines the cost of achieving this right to education, and asks whether India can fill the financing gap that must be filled if the right is to be realized. The paper notes the very considerable increase in central and state government allocation implied by the Act, and finds that there will be difficulties in finding the resources, given the large fiscal deficit occasioned by the global economic crisis. However, the paper goes on to suggest a series of measures that can be taken so that the right to schooling is no more denied or delayed.     

Teacher education and PK outcomes: Are we asking the right questions?

Recent studies do not find consistent relationships between teacher degree, major, and certification, and PK outcomes (Early, D. M., Bryant, D. M., Pianta, R. C., Clifford, R. M., Burchinal, M. R., Ritchie, S., et al. (2006). Are teachers’ education, major, and credentials related to classroom quality and children's academic gains in pre-kindergarten? Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 21, 174–195; Early, D. M., Maxwell, K. L., Burchinal, M., Bender, R. H., Ebanks, C., Henry, G. T., et al. (2007). Teachers’ education, classroom quality, and young children's academic skills: Results from seven studies of preschool programs. Child Development, 78, 558–580), raising questions about the impact of the degrees and certifications of PK teachers on children's learning. The researchers note that these findings do not support the conclusion that teacher education does not matter for children's learning. However, they do not provide specific directions for policymakers who decide on the minimum requirements for teacher qualifications in PK programs. This commentary raises issues for researchers and policymakers about whether PK is part of a K-12 educational continuum, how teachers are prepared to teach, how research is designed to inform policy, and the importance of developmental science in policy-relevant education research. As part of a future PK-16 education system, we propose that the BA be the entry requirement for PK as it is for K-12 teachers, followed by professional education combined with extensive classroom experiences.     

Early childhood education and care: Do we need to develop the physical literacy of educators?

The early years are critical for physical literacy (PL) and physical activity (PA). With increasing numbers of children attending early childhood education and care (ECEC), educators play a significant role in childhood development and may influence young children’s PL journey. Educators receive minimal training in PL and PA, but receive increasing direction to integrate these concepts into ECEC learning. The purpose of this study was to assess educators’ PL, then determine which components of their PL were associated with self-reported intentions and behaviours to promote PL and PA. Educator PL was moderate, while self-reported intentions and behaviours to provide PL and PA opportunities were high. Only one component of PL was associated with intentions and behaviours. The PL of educators may not inform their intentions and behaviours to provide PL and PA within ECEC frameworks.

     

Outdoor education: Research topic or universal value? Part Two

Abstract

This paper follows the theme of part one in that it sets out to discover if the history of outdoor education provides its modern exponents with a legacy of prescribed conservatism or alternatively a form of education which embraces, or is capable of embracing, diversity of theory and practice. Focusing on local authority residential outdoor education centres it begins with the 1970s through the 1980s and ends with the 1990s.

Secondary sources are used and include government and civil service education circulars as well as the body of literature that relates to outdoor education. The paper analyses how discussions of philosophical underpinnings and aims, together with the public perception of safety and risk came to influence the practice of outdoor education. This leads to a discussion of terminology and the role of outdoor education as a curricular subject. The influence of market forces on the provision of outdoor education and the increasing call for cost effectiveness is analysed in relation to the increasingly diverse range of activities coming under the umbrella term of outdoor education.

The evidence shows that throughout this period significant changes regarding the nature of outdoor education are observable. However, within this flux one point is clear. The body of outdoor education literature attaches more importance to outcomes relating to personal and social education than environmental education and this point will be the bridge between part two and part three.     

Basic skills provision for the have‐nots: a rights hoax? Re‐examining international standards on the right to education

In the present era of accelerating globalisation of the labour market and education, access to knowledge of value has become increasingly complicated. This study enquired into the rights to post‐compulsory basic education by analysing the contemporary standard‐setting instruments of the United Nations, the Council of Europe and the European Community. An analytical scheme was developed that suggested four interconnected areas of education legislation, disregard of which cumulatively maintains exclusion of educationally disadvantaged individuals from knowledge and skills with proper value in the job market. The four thematic aspects identified were rights, recognition, resources and representation. Findings indicate that the international regimes examined are not unequivocal and thereby leave room for manoeuvre. The study concluded that legal strategies for the abolishment of skills deficiency traps should be rethought. Instead of relying on rights‐talk, we should increasingly move to the recognition of functional skills deficiency and its reduction.     

Searching the Web to learn about a controversial topic: are students epistemically active?

Students are making an increased use of the Web as a source for solving information problems for academic assignments. To extend current research about search behavior during navigation on the Web, this study examined whether students are able to spontaneously reflect, from an epistemic perspective, on the information accessed, and whether their epistemic metacognition is related to individual characteristics, such as prior knowledge of the topic and the need for cognition. In addition, we investigated whether Internet-based learning is influenced by the activation of spontaneous epistemic metacognition in the search context. Forty-six psychology and engineering university students were asked to research information about a controversial subject in order to write an essay. They were also asked to think aloud during their research. Both qualitative and quantitative analyses were performed. As revealed by their spontaneous reflections, all participants were epistemically active, although to different extents and levels. As expected, there was evidence that students activated beliefs about the four epistemic dimensions identified in the literature, especially about the credibility of an electronic source and the criteria for justification of knowledge. Prior knowledge was not related to activation of epistemic beliefs in the search context, while the need for cognition significantly associated with aspects of source and its content evaluation. Two patterns of epistemic metacognition were identified and they significantly influenced Internet-based learning. Students who spontaneously generated more sophisticated reflections about the sources as well as the information provided, outperformed students who were active only at the first epistemic level. Educational implications are drawn.     

Do you want your child to have a certified teacher?

This study examines how the teaching staff composition with respect to certification affects student achievement in compulsory Swedish schools. We apply an instrumental variable to estimate the effect of the share of non-certified teachers on student achievement (measured by grade point average, GPA). We find statistically significant negative effects on the GPA. The effect is stronger for students with highly educated parents. A one percentage point increase in the share of non-certified teachers is expected to decrease student's GPA by, on average, 1.8 standard deviations per year. This is a substantial effect considering the large differences in the shares of non-certified teachers across schools and municipalities.     

Embracing and harnessing diversity in the US workforce: what have we learned?

Cultural diversity in the US includes race, ethnicity, gender, disability, age, sexual orientation, religion, and other aspects of culture. American ethnic and racial minorities currently account for 31% of the US population, and growing. Their career development issues include the barriers they regularly encounter, such as discrimination; inequitable access to resources; and language, religious, and cultural differences. Career counselors and vocational psychologists in the US have been actively studying these issues for many years and have some successes to report.