Navigating nature,culture and education in contemporary botanic gardens

Increasingly, humans are an urban species prone to ‘plant blindness’. This demographic shift and situation has implications for both individual and collective perceptions of nature, as well as for addressing ‘ecophobia’ and encouraging ‘biophilia’ through education. Contemporary humanity occupies a world in which extensive physical change, both in the landscape and its related organisms, is occurring . Education-related debates on these issues links to the noted phenomenon of a ‘bubble wrap generation’ growing up within ‘nature-deficit’ childhoods in ‘megalopolitan cities’. Indeed, some commentators consider that 'nature has already disappeared' and exists only in protected spaces. Such perceptions have consequences for education in ‘presented world’ settings such as zoos, botanic gardens and natural history museums. This editorial, and its associated collection of papers, considers the critical relationships between nature, culture and education in contemporary botanic gardens and the ways in which visitors navigate their journeys, as demonstrated by research.     

Relating social inclusion and environmental issues in botanic gardens

Botanic gardens have been evolving, responding to the changing needs of society, from their outset as medicinal gardens of monasteries and university gardens to more recently as organizations that contribute to the conservation of plant genetic resources. Considering that social and environmental issues are deeply intertwined and cannot be tackled in isolation from one another, a new challenge is now presented to botanic gardens: How can they redefine their purpose and expand their current roles in conservation, research, amenity and education in order to continue to be socially relevant? Empirical data regarding the impact of pilot community projects run by four UK botanic gardens show how it is possible in practice to address social, economic, political, neighbourhood, individual and group dimensions of exclusion whilst achieving public participation in plant conservation. This study presents the evaluation results regarding the outcomes of the Communities in Nature initiative which illustrated how botanic gardens can grow a social role and be socially relevant institutions that engage with their communities and address issues of social and environmental importance. Recommendations suggest that addressing social issues should target addressing the causes of exclusion as much as the effects.     

拉丁美洲高等教育大众化探析

拉丁美洲国家在二十世纪六七十年代基本实现了高等教育大众化 ,采取的主要政策与措施包括改革公立高等教育 ,发展多层次的私立高等教育 ,创建公私立学校趋同的新型办学模式等。拉美国家高等教育大众化的成果是明显的 ,但也带来了职业分层化和投资效益低下等问题 ,其过度发展高等教育 ,忽视基础教育的教训应引起我们的警觉     

Making education reform work for the poor: accountability and decentralization in Latin America

We build upon and examine critically the framework for analysing accountability set forth in the World Bank’s World Development Report 2004 (WDR04) through a review of selected literature studying accountability‐focused reforms in three Latin American countries – Brazil, Colombia and Chile. We examine the successes and pitfalls of the three accountability‐related reforms (which also involve some type of decentralization) in fostering institutional environments in which the key actors involved in provision are held responsible for fulfilling their roles in providing education services. We apply the WDR04 framework in our analysis of the process of implementation and impact of different types of accountability‐focused reforms in the three countries. The framework was conceptualized by analysing case studies such as ours for a broad range of sectors, and now has widening influence in the policy‐making community, thus justifying a critical assessment. We discuss common challenges impeding implementation of the reforms, most notably political and technical challenges and discuss how well the framework and report capture and emphasize such challenges. In studying the impact of the reforms, we find that their effects are generally more positive in less poor communities and discuss the need for a strong central state to monitor and address such issues.     

The political economy of higher education in the era of neoliberal globalization: Latin America in comparative perspective

During the last two decades, Latin American universities have experienced intense pressure to abandon the main principles established in the 1918 Córdoba Reform (i.e., autonomy and autarchy). While funding for public higher education has declined, they are pressured to relinquish a large portion of institutional autonomy in order to accommodate to market demands and to a new set of control strategies emanating from the state.We argue that current changes in Latin American higher education cannot be examined in isolation from larger political and economic changes in the region, which in turn are related to the dynamics of globalization. After the decline of socialist and welfare-state models, neoliberal regimes have become hegemonic in many parts of the world. In most countries, changes in financial arrangements, coupled with accountability mechanisms, have forced universities to reconsider their social missions, academic priorities and organizational structures. Concerns about equity, accessibility, autonomy or the contribution of higher education to social transformation, which were prevalent during previous decades, have been overshadowed by concerns about excellence, efficiency, expenditures and rates of return. The notion that higher education is primarily a citizens right and a social investment – which has been taken for granted for many decades – is being seriously challenged by a neoliberal agenda that places extreme faith in the market.Though we focus on the international dimension of university change, it is important to note that global trends are promoted, resisted and negotiated differently in each national context and in each individual institution. In the emerging knowledge-based society, the polarization between North and South is expected to increase even further if the scientific and technological gaps are not narrowed. Latin American universities have a crucial role to play in this regard. The paper is organized in two parts. The first describes the context of university change, focusing on issues of globalization and neoliberalism. The second examines the main features of university restructuring in comparative perspective, with a particular focus on Latin America.     

Pocket School: Exploring mobile technology as a sustainable literacy education option for underserved indigenous children in Latin America

Literacy is a human right unequally distributed among the world's population. Despite global efforts to fight illiteracy, high illiteracy rates continue to jeopardize access for many to basic schooling, life-long learning, health, and environment safety. Illiteracy also hinders the economic prosperity of the poorest societies in this digital age. Among the underserved population in Latin America, many of the indigenous children are the poorest of the poor who hardly have access to formal and stable schooling. This paper reviews the literature addressing education inequality issues in Latin America and possible opportunities with mobile learning technology to counter the effects of the education inequality. Also, this paper suggests mobile technology design considerations to meet the particular learning needs of the extremely underserved and underachieving indigenous children in Latin America.     

The social condition of higher education: globalisation and (beyond) regionalisation in Latin America

This article aims to discuss the relationship between higher education (HE), globalisation and regionalism projects focusing on HE in Latin America and Brazil. It is claimed that HE has predominantly taken the diverse, yet concerted and co-ordinated routes of globalisation and regionalisation and, by doing so, been profoundly transformed. The first section considers a set of theoretical categories in relation to the phenomena of globalisation and regionalisation. The second section analyses the global and regional dimensions of HE in Latin America, exploring: (1) the Common Market of the South (MERCOSUR), along with the processes and mechanisms put into place to settle MERCOSUR's Educative Sector. It is argued that despite the political relevance of this regional project, its major developments are still harbouring important but preliminary preparations for future regional positioning and empowerment; (2) it is argued that the commodification, privatisation and ‘marketisation’ of HE, having occupied the centre stage in determined nations of the world, have become the founding conditions of a global market in HE; and (3) the Brazilian HE policies are examined in order to develop an argument about the decisive role played by national government in promoting and adjusting the process of globalisation and the regionalism project for HE.     

拉美地区双语教育的发展困境及归因

拉美双语教育在20世纪80年代完成制度化后仍处于教育体系边缘,发展始终步履维艰,不容乐观。一方面政府当局未充分调动各方资源驱动改革,另一方面土著民族缺少必要资源推进改革。困境的根源来自于拉美主流意识形态中单语和单文化主义及种族主义对双语教育的压制和束缚,其背后反映的是土著民族现实诉求与殖民主义历史遗留这一根本性冲突。     

Patterns of theory use in qualitative research in higher education studies in Latin America: a geopolitical interpretation

The relationship between theory and qualitative research has been extensively examined in the literature and has emerged as a problematic matter. This debate has been driven forward mainly in Anglo-Saxon countries and has done scant justice to an understanding of these issues in regions of the South. This paper addresses this matter by drawing on a geopolitical perspective. The study here provides an analysis of 24 papers by Latin-American researchers in higher education, as included in the Web of Science between 2006 and 2015. Theories in Latin America are mainly produced in the North and exhibit two patterns: (i) critical perspectives are used to address local problems – ‘epistemic problematization’; and (ii) a nuancing of Northern theories so as to contextualize them – ‘epistemic nuancing’. Suggestions are also made for a new configuration of knowledge production in higher education studies – a model of knowledge from and for the South.     

拉丁美洲医学教育的变化、趋势与挑战

泛美医学院校协会(PAFAMS)董事PA Pulido等人撰文[Medical Teacher,2006,28(1):24-29]分析了拉丁美洲医学教育的多种影响因素,认为该地区的医学院校无计划地高速增长,质量得不到有效保障,卫生人力分布不合理.他们认为开展医学院校认证是解决上述问题的一条途径,并介绍了该地区医学院校认证的进展情况和趋势.     

Learning analytics initiatives in Latin America: Implications for educational researchers,practitioners and decision makers

This study presents several Latin American research initiatives in the field of learning analytics (LA). The study’s purpose is to enhance awareness and understanding of LA among researchers, practitioners and decision makers, and to highlight the importance of supporting research on LA. We analyzed case studies of LA research conducted at four levels of the educational system (the national, institutional, classroom and student levels), which were implemented in four countries (Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico and Uruguay). Diversified cases were selected to demonstrate the use of LA in primary, secondary and higher education, and to allow the inclusion of different types of datasets. These cases also showed the development of legal frameworks for handling ethical issues, and they met the requirements for data privacy protection in Latin America. The study concludes with a discussion of the findings and their implications for further research and practice in the field of LA for teaching and learning.     

Environmental art as an innovative medium for environmental education in Biosphere Reserves

A key goal of Biosphere Reserves (BR) is to foster environmental education for sustainable development. In this study we systematically analyse two cases in which environmental art is used as a mechanism to engage communities in ‘building environmental understanding’, in Noosa BR in Australia and North Devon BR in the United Kingdom. Data were derived through document analyses, site visits, questionnaires and semi-structured interviews conducted with the audience, artists, and residents. The study concludes that environmental art can build understanding through (1) exchanging ideas and providing dialogue (2) building a sense of place (3) clarifying and enhancing the understanding of information and issues, and (4) generating concern. Consequently environmental art should be considered an innovative addition to the suite of environmental education tools used in other BRs and community organisations that aim to educate about the environment.     

Environmental education in Latin American and the Caribbean: the challenges and limitations of conducting a systematic review of evaluation and research

Abstract

This systematic review extends the boundary of prior reviews in the environmental education (EE) field by analyzing publications focused on Latin America and the Caribbean (LATAM). We examined peer-reviewed literature and dissertations/theses in four languages (English, French, Spanish and Portuguese) published between January 2000 and February 2018 to examine outcomes of EE interventions occurring in both formal and nonformal settings among LATAM youth up to age 18 years. Our findings reflect recurring critiques of EE, such as the field’s limited empirical research and a bias toward measuring knowledge gain. Our findings also highlight themes specific to LATAM, related to issue-based EE programs, EE versus Education for Sustainable Development, barriers to EE implementation and potential challenges posed by bias, privilege and power in LATAM-based EE research. Access to potentially appropriate publications was limited by weaknesses in search databases. Only a small selection of LATAM countries is represented in publications that met the search criteria, limiting our capacity to draw stronger conclusions about the region as a whole.     

从人力资本理论看拉丁美洲经济主义教育模式

二战后，在人力资本理论的推动下，多数拉美国家重视教育在发展中的地位和作用，大力增加对教育的投入。20世纪80年代以后，由于债务危机和经济危机的影响，用于教育的开支被大幅度削弱。通过探讨拉丁美洲的外债对教育的影响，分析拉美教育政策中需要改革以有效地适应经济发展的某些方面。     

Influence of teachers and schools on students' civic outcomes in Latin America

The authors investigated to what extent teachers' practices and school characteristics can influence students' civic knowledge, civic attitudes, and future participation in Chile, Colombia, and Mexico and how this can be related to their specific curricular structures and educational content. It uses data from the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study. The results show that in Chile, Colombia, and Mexico, teacher practices and attitudes relate to the civic outcomes. Although teachers' practices and attitudes significantly predict students' civic knowledge, this relationship does not seem relevant for students' expected participation and students' attitudes toward diversity. Still, the democratic environment of the school is a relevant variable in the case of expected participation of students and their attitudes toward diversity, which shows a possible indirect influence of teachers through the school environment. The results are discussed in relation to the civic education curriculum in place in the countries analyzed.     

拉丁美洲基础教育公校民营现象探析*

在教育投入不足,难以保证全民基础教育供给量的情况下,拉丁美洲各国政府在基础教育领域积极推行公办民营等公私合作办学模式,利用民间资源,扩大基础教育的惠民范围,优化教学质量,其成效十分明显。具体做法包括管理承包-专业服务或课程设计、经营承包、教育服务承包、学校建筑服务承包、学校建筑与教育服务承包等,值得借鉴。     

Identifying the Macro-Level Drivers of Adolescent Fertility Rate in Latin America: The Role of School-Based Sexuality Education

This study seeks to explain macrolevel drivers of adolescent fertility rate using a panel data set derived from 17 Latin American countries over a period of 16 years (1997–2012). While many studies of adolescent fertility have focused on individual-level explanations, this study explores whether adolescent fertility rate is correlated to country-level determinants, specifically legislation adoption that guarantees access to school-based sexuality education, emergency contraception, and abortion. After controlling for other country-level factors, we find that countries that have adopted legislation on school-based sexuality education and those with legal access to abortion (under one or more restrictions) have lower adolescent fertility rates.     

拉丁美洲教育公平指标的发展及启示

教育指标是近年来国内外教育研究的热点问题之一,而教育公平指标的研究是其中非常重要的一个组成部分,开发科学合理的教育公平指标体系是深入了解和有效解决教育不公平的关键。作为经济和文化都相对落后的发展中国家,近年来,拉丁美洲国家开始不断致力于教育公平指标的开发和研制。深入了解和反思拉丁美洲教育公平指标的发展进程以及发展教育公平指标过程中面临的挑战,可以给我国的教育公平指标研究提供经验和启迪。     

Postgraduate programmes on environmental water resources engineering and management in Greek universities

The management of complex water problems is nowadays being practised through new ways and approaches. Therefore, water engineers, planners and managers should be appropriately educated through modern undergraduate curricula and by well-designed postgraduate specialisation programmes. Within this framework, a study of the specific characteristics of an ensemble of 14 postgraduate programmes in various fields of environmental water resources engineering and management, offered by Greek universities, is presented. Detailed information and data regarding the formats, structures, educational processes and curricula contents of these programmes are analysed and critically discussed. Similarities and differences among them are depicted and synthesised, in order to reveal individual as well as collective qualities and deficiencies in relation with the overall current needs for engineering postgraduate specialisation in water-related issues.     

Human rights education and the research process: action research as a tool for reflection and change

Human rights education (HRE) aims to achieve a change of mindsets and social attitudes that entails the construction of a culture of respect towards those values it teaches. Although HRE is a recent field of study, its consolidation in Latin America is a fact. During the latest decades several authors have carried out research related to HRE that has made it easier to understand the process of inclusion of HRE in public policies as well as reflection about research processes as a whole. They favour a discussion about the most frequently used strategies and tools, how the latter contribute to strengthen the production of knowledge in HRE, and to what extent there is an actual interrelation between theory and practice. This research article intends to show the state of these questions in HRE, building on the research and studies carried out in Latin America during the last 10 years. At the same time, the article aims to discuss the importance of action research for HRE, understanding its potential as a tool for reflection and change. In general terms, this research article concludes that the studies on HRE rely more on field research and experience report than on action research methodology. The article is concluded noting an important and current challenge for HRE: a more frequent use of participatory action research in human rights-related work, so the knowing-understanding and applying fields can be constructed.