Theatre for Development as a Model for Transformative Change in Nigeria

This study examines the role of theatre for development (TFD) as a model for social transformation in Nigeria, historicizing its relationship to community theatre while illuminating significant innovations in authorship and participation. In addition, the article explores TFD as a relational and performative process in which stakeholders participate directly—the notion of audience response is in fact central to the tremendous success of TFD in Nigeria. Based on a long history of successful programming, I argue that theatre for development is imperative in realizing the change necessary for holistic advancement of the Nigerian polity.     

Book reviews

Book reviewed in this article: DE CASTELL, S., LAKE, A. AND KIERAN E. (eds) GARDNER K. (1986) Reading in Today's Schools. EVANS, T. (1987) English in the Primary School. PEARSON, H. (1987) Children Becoming Readers. TOVEY, D. R. and KERBER. J. E. (eds) (1986) Roles in Literacy Learning. NASH, w. (1986) English Usage. A Guide to First Principles. DAVIES, F. (1986) Books in the School Curriculum. INGHAM. J. with BROWN, v. (1986) The State of Reading. ADAMS. J. (1986) The Conspiracy of the Text: theplace of narrative in thedevelopment of thought. HARRIS. R. (1986) The Origin of Writing. READ, c. (1986) Children's Creative Spelling. WEBSTER, A. and MCONNELL. c. (1987) Children with Speech and Language Difficulties. KIERAS, D. E. and JUST, M. A. (eds) (1984) New Methods in Reading Comprehension Research.     

Book reviews

Book reviewed in this article: BLOOM, W. (1987) Partnership with Parents in Reading. DURKIN. K. (ed.) (1986) Language Development in the School Years. WEBSTER, A. (1986) Deafness, Development and Literacy. BESNER, D., WALLER, T.G. and MACKINNON, G.E (eds) (1985) Reading Research: Advances in Theory and Practice. PERERA, K. (1984) Children's Writing and Reading: Analysing Classroom Language. STEIN. NANCY, L. (ed.) (1986) Literacy in American Schools. Learning to Read and Write. DE BEAUGRANDE, ROBERT (1984) Text Production. Advances in Discourse Processes XI.     

Understanding the prospect of success in professional training: an ethnography into the assessment of problem-based learning

One of the most fundamental innovations in higher education is the introduction of the method known as problem-based learning (PBL). While literature has largely focused on its learning goals and the transition from lectures to tutorials, little research has problematised why this is a successful methodology and what we consider as students’ success. Drawing upon various ethnographic techniques, the authors analyse PBL as a field of expectations in light of Expectation-Value Theory. Beyond merely showing that PBL is a culturally constructed practice, the article elaborates on how students’ expectations inform practices, performance and evaluation, which is important for assessing the successfulness of the method. By discussing students’ expectations, dynamics and power relations, the present article is a contribution to the research addressing what has come to be known as the ‘black box’ of PBL.     

Book reviews

Book reviewed in this article: HARRIS, M. AND COLTHEART, M. (1986) Language Processing in Children and Adults: An Introduction. THOMSON, M. (1984) Developmental Dyslexia. PAVLIDIS, G. Th. And FISHER, D.F. (1986) Dyslexia: Its Neuropsychology and Treatment. GRONER, R., McCONKIE, G. and MENZ, C. (eds.). (1985) Eye Movements and Human Information Processing. LUNZER, L., GARDNER, K., DAVIES, F. and GREENE, T. (1984) Learning from the Written Word. DAVIES, F. and GREENE. T. (1984) Reading for Learning in the Sciences. FYFE, R. and MITCHELL, E. (1985) Reading Strategies and their Assessment. DAIUTE, C. (1985) Writing and Computers. MOORE, P. (1986) Using Computers in English: A Practical Guide. DUFFY, THOMAS M. and WALLER, ROBERT (eds) (1985) Designing Usable Texts. HARTLEY, JAMES (1985) Designing Instructional Text-2nd Edition. GILLIAN KLEIN (1985) Reading into Racism. Bias in Children's Literature and Learning. CATHERINE WALLACE (1986) Learning to Read in a Multicultural Society. The Social Context of Second Language Literacy. LEVINE, K. (1986) The Social Context of Literacy     

Racial Formation and Success among Korean High School Students

This article ethnographically examines the relationship between success, racial identity, and racial formation among Korean students in one New Jersey public high school. Using Racial Formation theory (Omi & Winant, [1986. Racial formation in the United States from the 1960s to the 1990s. New York: Routledge]; Winant, [1994. Racial conditions: Politics, theory, comparisons. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press]), the author demonstrates how students at this particular high school use competing racial projects of neutrality and visibility to embrace and/or contest the dominant, white notion of what it means to be an academically successful student. The findings emphasize the need to look beyond cultural explanations of success and failure to include an analysis of the ways that schools themselves affect the constantly shifting terrain of racial formation. Melissa Marinari is a PhD candidate at Teachers College, Columbia University in the Department of International and Transcultural Studies. She has also been a high-school teacher of Spanish since 1992     

Schools and Industry: Some Organizational Considerations (Part 2)

In this article the author argues that the somewhat laissez‐faire attitude to curriculum reforms of the 1960s and 1970s led to their demise. The Bains Report (1972) marked recognition of the need for management techniques to promote corporate objectives successfully. A synthesis of the work of Schwab (1969), Everard (1982), Shipman (1983) and Dalin (1978) leads the author to suggest a simple ‘systems approach to management’ as a realistic framework for curriculum innovation. In conclusion, the author stresses that this model will not guarantee success, but provides a systematic approach for would‐be innovators.     

Impacts on college administration: Management information systems and management by objectives systems

Forty-nine private liberal arts colleges received grants from the Exxon Education Foundation to improve their management procedures. Research was conducted to determine the success of the management innovations, and the impact of the process on the college's management. About half the colleges had innovations that completely failed because of staff turnover, inadequate administrative support, or other causes. In the other, more successful group the research showed a number of positive impacts of the projects: (1) Management Information Systems were quite useful in providing comprehensive management data, in analyzing hot spots of trouble, and increasing sophistication of administrators; (2) Management by Objectives projects increased administrative and faculty morale and insured more adequate planning, and (3) combinations of both MIS and MBO projects produced the strongest positive impact. Both types of projects, however, failed to link planning with budgeting, a major flaw.     

The partnership between project management and organizational change: Integrating change management with change leadership

The nature of project management is change. Even though all knowledge areas in the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) are rooted in controlling change, none of these areas specifically addresses the human elements of change. There is a significant distinction between directly controlling change relative to the nonhuman aspects of a project ( change control) and effecting change in the human dimensions of a project through leadership ( change leadership). This article characterizes the distinctive activities of change leadership and change control and their interrelationship throughout the project life cycle. Although distinct, change control and change leadership are interdependent and mutually supporting—both are needed to support project success.     

The third generation Logical Framework Approach: dynamic management for agricultural research projects

Abstract

The Logical Framework Approach (LFA) is a project design and management tool which has been used by many foreign assistance agencies during the past 20 years. Recent innovations in LFA theory and practice have led to a Third Generation of LFA use resulting in its increased effectiveness and practicality as a tool for designing, implementing and evaluating agricultural research projects. Amongst these innovations are: 1) team-based (or participatory) use of the LFA; 2) guidelines for applying the LFA to research projects; 3) LFA software, enabling much more dynamic use of the approach; 4) better integration of the LFA with other project implementation tools; 5) better understanding of practical indicators for project performance and supporting monitoring and evaluation methods and; 6) a better understanding of the critical success factors required for sustainable and effective LFA use within institutions. Lessons are derived from efforts to introduce the Third Generation LFA to the National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) in Morocco.     

A causality analysis of the link between higher education and economic development

The aim of this article is to shed light on the relationship between higher education and economic development by means of econometric tools designed to evaluate the existence and direction of causality: cointegration and Granger-causality tests. The results show a significant causality from national higher educational effort (proxied by the number of students per capita, i.e. not engaged in productive activities) to economic development for four countries: Sweden (1910–1986), United Kingdom (1919–1987), Japan (1885–1975) and France (1899–1986). However, such a causality link has not been found for Italy (1885–1986) or Australia (1906–1986). This suggests that this relationship is indeed not mechanistic as already pointed out by some social scientists.     

A Model of Future-Oriented Motivation and Self-Regulation

This article presents a theoretically grounded model of motivation and self-regulation that places personally valued future goals at its core. We attempt to integrate two lines of theorizing and research that have been relatively independent of one another: the social–cognitive perspective on self-regulation (e.g., Bandura, A., 1986) and theories of more future-oriented self-regulation (e.g., Markus, H., and Nurius, P., Am. Psychol. 41: 954–969, 1986; 1986; Nutin, J., Motivation, Planning, and Action: A Relational Theory of Behavior Dynamics, Erlbaum, Hillsdale, NJ, 1984; Raynor, J. O., Motivation and Achievement, Winston, & Sons, New York, Chap. 7, pp. 121–154, 1974). We argue that personally valued future goals influence proximal self-regulation through their impact in the development of proximal subgoals leading to future goal attainment. The development of a system of proximal subgoals increases the likelihood that proximal tasks are perceived as instrumental to attaining future goals. Proximal tasks that are perceived as instrumental to reaching personally valued future goals have greater overall incentive value and meaning than proximal tasks lacking this instrumental relationship, and their impact on task engagement is correspondingly greater. Research supporting these claims is reviewed and the implications of this model of future-oriented self-regulation for research and intervention are discussed.     

Why use information and communications technology? Some theoretical and practical issues

Abstract

This article is concerned with theoretical issues of pedagogy and how they relate to the use of information and communications technology (ICT) in teaching. The article reviews the context of recent developments in ICT pedagogy. It also draws upon thinking about pedagogy which derives from learning theories. These provide a theoretical framework for research by the authors into the Smart Schoolinitiative in Malaysian schools. This initiative is attempting to change the pedagogy of Malaysian schools in a radical way. This involves the use of ICT alongside other innovations and a refocusing of the learning agenda for school-aged pupils. Some early impressions of the initiative are presented     

Farmers’ Visions on Soils: A Case Study among Agroecological and Conventional Smallholders in Minas Gerais,Brazil

Abstract

Purpose: Why do farmers not take better care of their soils? This article aims to give insight into how farmers look at soil quality management.

Design/methodology/approach: It analyses diverse land management practices and visions on soils and soil quality of ten agroecological and 14 conventional smallholder farmers in Araponga, Minas Gerais, Brazil. As agroecological farming (that is, managing soils with minimum use of external inputs) requires more complex knowledge, it is assumed that agroecological farmers would be more knowledgeable on soils compared to conventional farmers. This case study tests the hypothesis that differences in land management practices between agroecological and conventional farmers can be explained by differences in their knowledge on soils.

Findings: The hypothesis turned out to be faulty: agroecological and conventional farmers do not differ in what they know about soils, but how they use their knowledge in their farming strategy. Both groups of farmers have different but rational farming strategies.

Practical implications: Designing policies and measures to make farming more environmentally friendly and more sustainable as two-way knowledge exchange between farmers and science (and not as one-way knowledge transfer from science to farmers), to benefit from vital and context-based farmers’ knowledge and to ensure successful implementation of more sustainable land management practices.

Originality/value: By analysing farmers’ visions on soil quality management and farming strategies, this study shows that farmers’ knowledge is valuable for farmers, for scientific knowledge on soil quality management and for policies which are to be effective and adapted to the local environment.     

Scaling-up Sustainable Land Management Practices through the Concept of the Rural Resource Centre: Reconciling Farmers' Interests with Research Agendas

Abstract

Purpose: Formal agricultural research has generated vast amount of knowledge and fundamental insights on land management, but their low adoption has been attributed to the use of public extension approach. This research aims to address whether and how full participation of farmers through the concept of Rural Resource Centre (RRC) provides new insights for the development of alternative and farmers-based extension methods.

Design/Methodology/Approach: Using the Concept of RRC, this research assesses the role of farmers in on-farm demonstrations and scaling-up of land management practices, and investigates effective ways to enhance beneficial interactions between researchers, extension workers and farmers in view of improving adoption.

Findings: The findings suggest that farmers can effectively participate in demonstrations and scaling-up of agricultural practices. This participation is enhanced by judicious incentives such as higher crop yields that motivate farmers and influence adoption. The current success of the approach stems from the fact that farmers, extension workers and researchers jointly implement the activities and their different aims were achieved simultaneously: scientific results for researchers, better agricultural practices for extension workers, and economic success and free choice for farmers.

Practical implications: This research concludes that farmers have the capacities to play an innermost role in demonstrations and scaling-up of agricultural practices. However, there is a need to build and strengthen their capacities to facilitate their participation and contribution.

Originality/Value: The article demonstrates the value of the preponderant role of farmers in on-farm demonstrations and scaling-up practices by exhibiting the beneficial interactions between researchers, extension workers and farmers.     

BOOK REVIEWS

Book Review in this article: Calkins, Lucy McCormick: The Art of Teaching Writing (1986). Newkirk, Thomas; Attwell, Nancie (eds): Understanding Writing (2nd edn. 1986) Heinemann, Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Hansen, J.; Newkirk, T.; Graves, D.: Breaking Ground: Teachers Relate Reading and Writing in the Elementary School Hansen, Jane: When Writers Read Suzanne Wenman, Principal Lecturer Bissex, Glenda L. and Bullock, Richard H. (Ed): Seeing for Ourselves. Barbara Pym is an advisory teacher for Language with Essex Education Authority. Marshall, Margaret R.: An Introduction to the World of Children's Books, 2nd Edition. Elizabeth Cripps teaches at the Essex Institute of Higher Education. Christopher, John: When the Tripods Came. Gary Hemming is a pupil at Simon de Montfort Middle School in Hereford and Worcester.     

E‐learning: you don't always get what you hope for

Despite substantial growth in the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) throughout western societies, there is much evidence of technology‐led innovations within Higher Education (HE) failing to achieve the anticipated transformations in learning and teaching. This paper reviews evidence from research and evaluation studies relating not only to e‐learning, but also to wider HE practices. It argues that the use of ICT does not, in itself, result in improved educational outcomes and ways of working. It considers contextual factors that are of greater significance in determining how and why e‐learning is used in HE. Students' engagement with e‐learning relates to their expectations and conceptions of learning and to assessment demands. Academics need to re‐assess their own beliefs and practices concerning teaching and assessment and their impact on the experience of learners. Both teachers and learners need to understand why e‐learning activities are to be undertaken and the rewards expected to be derived.     

‘If they can say it they can write it’: Inclusive pedagogies for senior secondary physical education

Pedagogical practices are fundamental to teachers' work, and in the spaces of schooling impact significantly on students' success and achievement (Evans, J. 1986. Physical Education, Sport and Schooling: Studies in the Sociology of Physical Education. London: Falmer Press.). This is especially the case for students from disadvantaged backgrounds who are deeply reliant on schooling for their educational resources. This article explores the interrelationships between pedagogical practices, the physical education curriculum at the senior secondary level and learning by both students and a teacher in a school located in an area of socio-economic disadvantage. Action research investigating a pedagogical redesign of a unit of ‘Skill Acquisition’ is the specific focus. Of key interest are pedagogical practices that incorporated opportunities to learn ‘about’ Skill Acquisition ‘through’ and ‘in’ movement. These practices attempted to develop and apply scientific literacies specific to the human movement sciences, which are important for academic success in senior secondary physical education. Findings reveal high student engagement, increasing utilisation of scientific literacies and application of new learning to life-world situations. We argue that pedagogical practices that integrate learning ‘about’ ‘through’ and ‘in’ movement disrupt default modes of teaching theoretical concepts in physical education, which diminish opportunities for academic success amongst students from low-socio-economic backgrounds.