Use of national parks for outdoor environmental education: An Australian case study

Abstract

The need for environmental education through outdoor education experiences is becoming increasingly evident in outdoor education theory and practice. In Australia, this environmental focus is reflected in recent outdoor education curriculum documents, particularly in the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE). For many outdoor education teachers who do not have expertise in environmental education, this curriculum development presents a challenge. Outdoor education teachers frequently use National Parks to help them address this challenge.

The study examined the educational objectives and roles of teachers and park staff involved in environmental education through outdoor education in National Parks in Victoria, Australia. This paper discusses findings related to the teachers' educational objectives and roles while those of the park staff are examined in a separate paper. The findings indicate that the teachers often lack the environmental knowledge and skills needed to teach some aspects of the curriculum thus making the role of the park ranger or education officer particularly significant in educating teachers as well as students. Issues are raised about the training of outdoor education teachers and of park rangers to meet the environmental education needs of outdoor education students. Questions are also raised about the appropriateness of using National Parks for outdoor education purposes.     

Elementary Pre-Service Teacher Perceptions of the Greenhouse Effect

Environmental issues are an important topic both in national news, and in science education. Previous studies revealed that students hold many misconceptions relating to such issues as global warming, ozone depletion, and acid rain. This article expands on earlier work by Boyes et al. to examine pre-service teachers' views about these issues, especially global warming and the related term, the greenhouse effect, and the effect of their views on elementary student performance. Results support the findings of Boyes et al. that elementary education majors hold many misconceptions about these environmental issues, and these can effect their teaching of these topics in elementary classes.     

SWOT Analysis of Veterinary and Animal Science Education in India: Implications for Policy and Future Directions

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify and rank the SWOT issues of India's veterinary and animal science education.

Design: The data were collected at the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) from 168 post-graduate students. The two surveys generated 72% (N=121) and 68% (N=114) response rates, respectively. In the first stage, the vital SWOT issues were listed by respondents and in the second stage, they ranked the top eight issues on a Likert scale.

Findings: Uniform curriculum; merit-based admissions; and huge demand and employment prospects were perceived as major strengths. Gaps in curriculum revision and inadequate faculty, colleges and hands-on experience were perceived as key weaknesses. Regular curriculum revisions; novel instructional methods; and single admission tests were important opportunities perceived. Out-dated education model; urban biased admissions; and regional barriers were the major threats perceived.

Practical implication: The SWOT issues identified are similar to those faced by veterinary education programmes in many countries with minor variations.

Originality/value: The findings are of interest for veterinary faculties in developing and under-developed countries to harmonize their veterinary education systems on par with global norms. The related implications for policy and future directions are discussed.     

Linguistics and English Teaching: A Prefaced Bibliography

‘Given that language is of primary importance in education, how account for the indifference or hostility with which it is now regarded by so many teachersand theorists of education?’ William Walsh: The Use of Imagination ‘Every language, of course, seems simple to its own speakers because they are unconscious of structure. But English is anything but simple—it is a bafflingly complex organisation.’ Benjamin Lee Whorf: Language, Thought and Reality     

Colorism in the Classroom: How Skin Tone Stratifies African American and Latina/o Students

Although racial inequality is frequently studied in education, skin tone stratification has received less attention from educational researchers. Inequality by skin tone, also known as colorism, contributes to larger patterns of racial inequality for African Americans and Latina/os. Discrimination by skin tone affects many dimensions of life, including education, employment, housing, spousal status, criminal justice sentencing, and even levels of depression and self-esteem. Although skin tone differences in educational attainment are clearly documented, the actual social practices in schools that create these differences are not well understood. This article theorizes the classroom-level interactions between students, teachers, parents, and administrators that contribute to color-based discrimination in schools. Drawing on theories of social interactions and social structures—including the halo effect, the beauty queue, racial capital, and the school-to-prison pipeline—this article explores the many ways that color-based discrimination affects the educational trajectories of Latina/o and African American children.     

Information and advocacy: Forgotten components in the strategies for achieving inclusive education in South Africa?

Abstract

Commitment to a single, inclusive education system has been the aspiration of reform in education in a democratic South Africa as articulated in White Paper 6: Special needs education: Building an inclusive education and training system (Department of Education 2001). This article reports findings from a qualitative study which took place in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), which ascertained participants’ evaluation of the extent to which the policy ideals of inclusive education, as articulated in White Paper 6 were being achieved. Findings revealed that there was evidence of inclusive education beginning to be implemented in KZN in that barriers to learning for many students were being addressed and removed. The specific provision in policy documents directed towards children with disabilities was behind schedule, however, and there was little evidence of full inclusion of students with disabilities in regular education. One component that was furthest behind in the milestones was the implementation of the information and advocacy programme. Implications and further consequences of this are discussed.     

Globalization, endogenous development and education in Africa

Conclusion With this in mind, the globalization sought must be regarded not as an unwavering concept but rather as a process that all nations and regions are called upon to construct. To achieve this, they must pave the way for their own self-fulfilment. It falls to education in Africa to advance this process. Original language: French Mamadou Ndoye (Senegal) Minister of State for Basic Education and National Languages. He has extensive experience in both teaching and research. After being education inspector responsible for the Dakar city education district, he became researcher-educator at INEADE in Dakar in 1988. In 1993 he was appointed Minister of State for Literacy and the Promotion of National Languages. His many publications include:Ajustement structurel et éducation scolaire [Structural adjustment and formal education], (1991);Problèmes de réforme de l’éducation en Afrique [Problems of educational reform in Africa] (1990);Dette et éducation [Debt and education] (1989).     

Trade union studies in British universities: Changing patterns,changing problems

In Japan, the average span of human life is expanding rapidly and the gap in education between the elderly and the younger generation is becoming wider. Though local education authorities provide many courses for older groups, most of them are short and include too many subjects. Successful courses offer the elderly opportunities to learn about modern society in relation to their personal experiences. Kominkans (Citizens’ Public Halls) play an important role in enhancing co‐operative learning between generations.     

‘Soviet’ in teachers’ memories and professional beliefs in Kazakhstan: points for reflection for reformers,international consultants and practitioners

This paper is a part of a three-year study, ‘Internationalisation and reform of secondary schooling in Kazakhstan’, jointly conducted by an international team of UK- and Kazakhstan-based researchers in 2012–2014. The study was conceived as a mechanism to support education reform in the country. This was achieved through reconstructing the education policy narrative of the last two decades and understanding the effects of the newly established Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools and the Centres of Excellence in-service professional development programme on the larger system. While the focus of the study was on Kazakhstan’s educational present, the references to the previous system of education, which was often referred to as Soviet, traditional, but also successful, fundamental and the best in the world, were numerous. These continuous references to the past prompted the authors of this paper to address the questions: What memories and practices of Soviet education are still dominant in the field of education in Kazakhstan? How do these beliefs continue to shape educational debate in the country? In support of its argument, the paper draws on the literature on Soviet schooling and contemporary education reform, interview data with national and international teachers in Kazakhstan, and field observations. The resultant narrative, which brings together the analysis of educational change and changes in teachers’ beliefs, may appeal to many involved in the construction of the contemporary reform agenda.     

Agri-Manpower Forecasting and Educational Planning

Abstract

Purpose: Developing countries need to plan growth or expansion of education so as to provide required trained manpower for different occupational sectors. The paper assesses supply and demand of professional manpower in Indian agriculture and the demands are translated in to educational requirements.

Methodology: The supply is assessed from the output from agricultural education. The demand in various sub-sectors is assessed employing a mix of quantitative and qualitative forecasting tools. Based on the manpower gaps and extensive interactions with stakeholders, the manpower needs are translated into educational requirements.

Findings: The demand–supply gap in agricultural professionals would cumulate to about 200,000 by 2020, which would need additional annual supply of 10,000 each of diploma holders and graduates.

Practical implications: The study makes three main recommendations: first, to increase the supply of graduates and para-staff to cater to the emerging demand; second, agricultural education needs to meet the changing occupational structure; and third, responsibility for meeting agriculture education to be shared with the private sector.

Originality/value: The paper proposes a mixed method that could be used to forecast human resource requirement in number of sub-sectors having differential information availability and growth patterns in terms of quality and quantity. Since the approach facilitates forecasting in situations of data limitations, it has potential for similar applications in many developing countries.     

Learning approaches and cultural influences: a comparative study of Confucian and western-heritage students

With the advent of increasingly multinational student cohorts in many higher education institutes, the possible influence of ‘national culture’ on students’ learning approaches has become a focal point of attention. In particular, the claim that Asian (Confucian) students adopt (primarily) surface learning approaches has attracted much debate despite, or perhaps because of, relatively little empirical research on the matter. Similarly in Ireland, while much concern has been voiced regarding the existence of a culture of surface learning in higher education, few studies have been conducted on the matter. The purpose of this research is to strengthen our understanding of these two areas through empirical evidence. This study examines the preferred learning approaches of students (n?=?327) from 37 nationalities studying in a higher education institute in Ireland. Two hypotheses are tested: Confucian Asian students will have higher surface strategy learning scores than western students (Hypothesis 1) and Irish students will have higher surface learning scores than other western students (Hypothesis 2). The results indicate important differences in preferred learning approaches according to nationality and cultural cluster, where Hypothesis 1 is rejected and Hypothesis 2 is supported. The study is of particular interest to HE management and educationalists working with students entering higher education from diverse national backgrounds. Recommendations are made at an institutional level as to how HE management might address student surface learning approaches.     

Sociological Analysis and Education Management: the social context of the self‐managing school

In this paper I take issue with the claim of Ozga (1992) that because of the poor quality of many recent texts on education management, and their lack of a sociological perspective, they are not proper material for analysis in the British Journal of Sociology of Education. I argue that sociological analysis of such texts is an urgent priority because they have gained credibility among education practitioners and provide a spurious legitimacy to new right policy directions. This general argument is illustrated by focussing on four specific limitations of one of the most popular current texts on education management.     

The (d)(t)oxic lifeworld of early career postgraduate supervisors

In the context of higher education as social space or field in the Bourdieusian sense, exploring the lived experiences of early career postgraduate supervisors allow us to (re)consider the institutionalised rhythms, procedures and practices that shape graduate supervision. At the intersections of, inter alia, increasing numbers postgraduate students, the urgent need to transform SA higher education, and the need for appropriately qualified and experienced supervisors, many early career postgraduate supervisors are caught between understanding the doxa and orthodoxy shaping postgraduate supervision, and the necessary symbolic capital to formulate, engage with and practice heterodoxy. This article employs Bourdieu’s doxic schema (doxa, orthodoxy and heterodoxy) along with symbolic capital to make visible the doxic lifeworld experiences and journeys of early career supervisors. The research found that early career supervisors are often under-prepared, lacking symbolic capital and experiencing (toxic) shame.     

The Japanese academic profession

The historical background to the emergence of the Japanese system of higher education is described, attention being drawn to the link established between national aims and those of the university and to the system of gakubatsu (a form of patronage for graduates of a particular university). Post World War II expansion brought junior colleges (tanki-daigaku) into the sphere of higher education as well as universities (daigaku). Though formally and legally these classes of institution are equal they are in fact ranked according to the old system. Within universities there is also a ranking which is reinforced by gakubatsu. This ranking limits mobility in the academic profession; academic staff are likely to spend all their careers, undergraduate, postgraduate and as faculty members, at the same university. This system prevents Japanese scholars from taking posts abroad though it must also be pointed out that many Japanese academics go to great lengths to remain fully acquainted with western scholarship.     

Intercultural understanding through a ‘similar but different’ international teaching practicum

The ethnic and cultural diversity of many schools calls for teachers with well-developed intercultural understanding. Teacher education programmes have traditionally offered international fieldwork in bilingual settings to challenge ethnocentric attitudes to teaching. However, an international practicum in a ‘similar but different’ education system with English as the dominant language offers a different pathway, providing opportunities to deepen intercultural understanding and global education. This study investigates the impact of a three-week international teaching practicum in the American Midwest on two groups of Brisbane-based pre-service teachers in 2014 (n = 9) and 2015 (n = 4). Their reflective journals and reports indicate that international professional experience disrupts stereotypes and fosters global education and intercultural understanding. The paper presents key programme measures to promote intercultural understanding and concludes that the benefits of international teaching in a ‘similar but different’ education system are a nuanced understanding of cultural diversity and increased readiness for the classroom.     

FROM KNOWLEDGE TO WISDOM: A NEW CHALLENGE TO THE EDUCATIONAL MILIEU WITH IMPLICATIONS FOR RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

The epistemological paradigm, known as post-modernity, challenges some of the presuppositions of educational systems in general, and of religious education in particular. One of these presuppositions is the exaggerated primacy given to knowledge attained through reason. However, the paradigm shift invites us to make a transition from knowledge to wisdom—to the integration and transformation of knowledge into human experience. This transition helps us incorporate into the learning process those particular ways of learning that are preferred by many women, bringing us to a more holistic conception of religious education. It enables us to establish a new relationship between learners and educators in the model of a learning circle.     

Choosing teaching in Hong Kong: a strategy to survive the financial crisis?

Background:?Hong Kong is currently a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China. It has autonomy over many policy areas, including finance and education. It is a community of seven million people, which has changed its focus and identity significantly over the last 25 years, from predominantly manufacturing to a service and knowledge economy with particular strengths in financial services.

Purpose:?This paper will consider the market for teacher education places and the market for teachers, and explore the career intention and commitment implications of high numbers of well qualified applicants applying for teaching in the context of reduced work opportunities elsewhere, an increasing higher education focus on intake scores and the challenge, for the teaching profession and the education system, of teaching becoming less secure work.

Sources of evidence:?Governmental and institutional publications and data, along with research and survey findings, together with comparative literature underpin the reactions to past, present and possible future effects on teacher education in Hong Kong.

Main argument:?Given its financial focus, Hong Kong would be expected to suffer significantly during the recent financial crisis and that this would impact across all its sectors including Education and Teacher Education. In addition to the financial crisis, other changes have affected teacher education in Hong Kong, including major reforms in curriculum and school and higher education structure and a significantly diminished birth rate reducing posts in teaching, and raising concerns about job security.

Conclusions:?Hong Kong is a very prudently managed economy with substantial reserves and a commitment to ‘small government’ and the impact has been different from many other systems. Places on teacher education programmes remained unchanged. Applications for teacher education programmes however increased significantly during the crisis.     

Methodologies for problem solving: An engineering approach

Learning how to approach and solve problems which relate to real world situations is an integral part of the education of many higher and further education students and is particularly relevant to students studying for a professional or vocational degree. This paper outlines the nature of problems experienced by engineers and indicates how engineering students are taught to approach the identification and solution of the types of problems which they will experience as practicing professionals. Methodologies used are of general interest and may be applicable in other, unrelated, disciplines.     

Teacher education,the global financial crisis,frogs and bicycles

Background:?The extent to which the global financial crisis (GFC) has impacted upon teacher education in universities in Australia is potentially, like most other aspects of teacher education, a contested area.

Purpose, aims/questions:?The aim of this article is to examine the impact the GFC along with other funding constraints, has had on teacher education in Australia.

Sources of evidence:?On the surface we could cite some aspects of teacher education which may point to a significant impact of the GFC such as funding from the government not keeping pace with other OECD countries' spending on higher education in general and teacher education in particular, increased pressure to find appropriate practicum placements for students, increased staff/student ratios, reduction of hours for teaching in university courses, obsession with profit margins and cost-driver budget models. However, all of these issues were evident or at least immanent before we started hearing about the GFC. Alistair Mant in his book Intelligent Leadership (Crow's Nest, NSW: Allen and Unwin; 1997) employs the metaphor of frogs and bicycles to describe organisations and systems. Universities and most organisations are in fact more naturally like frogs than bicycles. They are organic in that all parts interact to create the whole and they are complex systems, which are not susceptible to technical, machine-like approaches. A bicycle is a machine and a frog is a living thing.

Main argument:?Governments view universities as bicycles or machines, and this thinking is further reinforced through the introduction of a market forces model. Teacher education when treated as a bicycle when it is really more of a frog, shows signs of adaptation for as long as it can cope with various bits being cut off, but then will become unsustainable. While the impact of the GFC in Australia generally was much less severe than in many other countries, the continued starving of teacher education of adequate funding over a long period has taken its toll as reflected in unduly high staff student ratios, an over-reliance on casual staffing, insufficient funds to support the requirements of practicum placements, unrealistic staff workloads, lack of succession planning and inability to innovate.

Conclusion:?The issues discussed in this article are likely to be attributable to a highly successful and prolonged period of economic rationalism and policies, which emanate from New Right ideologies. The influence of neo-conservative and neo-liberal policies is well in evidence in universities generally and in Australia, successive governments have underfunded higher education.