The role of language in science education: Some reflections from Fiji

One of the issues identified in a recent study of science teaching and learning in Fiji's primary and secondary schools was the problems faced by students in coping with scientific terminology, and in expressing ideas in their own words (Muralidhar, 1989). In this paper, some examples from the study are used to illustrate the extent of the problem and to discuss the implications for teaching and learning science. It is argued that the quality of communication is an important factor in promoting the understanding of science, especially when the main sources of information for the majority of students are the textbook and the teacher. Specializations: Science teacher education, curriculum in action, problem solving, curriculum evaluation, naturalistic research.     

Local language a medium of instruction: challenges and way forward

The paper reports on a participatory action research study conducted in six rural primary schools in Uganda in 2013 to establish why children taught in the local language had difficulties in reading and writing. Findings through interviews, focus group discussions, reviews of exercise books and lesson observations indicated that though it was easier for pupils to learn the concepts in the local language; challenges ranging from poor translation, inadequate teachers’ language proficiency, lack of instructional materials, high pupils’ enrolment, lack of administrative support and teacher-centred approach of teaching, affected pupils’ learning to read and write. Participants recommended adopting the child-centred pedagogy, incorporating instructional materials, conducting continuous assessment and recording pupils’ competencies attained in reading and writing. Teachers need to engage more in Participatory action research in order to reflect on their practices and pupils’ learning, and collaboratively decide what works best and what needs improvement in their classrooms.     

Norwegian deaf teachers' reflections on their science education: implications for instruction

In this study, undertaken in an attempt to expand our understanding of science learning by deaf students, five teachers are interviewed about their views, based on their own experiences as Deaf students. They are all my former students and were among the first to successfully complete the upper secondary school with a university entrance certificate from a Norwegian school for deaf students. Physics was their major subject. These teachers see the systematic work in class discussions, especially on the concepts of physics, as a major contributor to their success, and they try to use similar methods in their own teaching. They believe that a thorough discussion of a topic using sign language prior to the reading of the textbook is crucial.     

Comparing task-based instruction and traditional instruction on task engagement and vocabulary development in secondary language education

The purpose of this study was to investigate and compare the impact of task-based instruction (TBI) and traditional instruction (TI) on the motivation and vocabulary development in secondary language education. The focus of the study was to also find out the perceptions of teachers about implementing these two instructional methods in their teaching practices. The participants were 97 students and 2 teachers engaged in the 7th grade EFL program at a private school in Istanbul, Turkey. Data was collected quantitatively from a vocabulary check test and motivation scale, as well as qualitatively from semi-structured interviews. The findings revealed that implementing TBI had positive impact on students' vocabulary development as well as their motivation. In line with these findings, it was also suggested that teachers perceived TBI to be a more effective method to be incorporated in secondary grade language practices. Based on the gathered findings, suggestions for redesigning and implementing the existing 7th grade EFL program were provided.     

The status of sign language instruction in institutions of higher education: 1994-2004

Surveys of sign language programs in institutions of higher education in the United States, conducted in 1994 and 2004, are compared to reveal changes over time. Data are presented concerning the institutional environment of programs, program administrators, and instructors. Institutions examined in 2004 were on average 5 years older than those examined in 1994. More institutions accepted sign language for general education and foreign language requirements. Program administrators in 2004 were more likely to have primary duties as teachers rather than administrators, and to have greater understanding of the subject matter. Faculty in 2004 had more education and teaching experience. Full-time faculty showed increases in the proportion who were Deaf and the proportion who were in tenure-track positions. Program staff size increased. Overall, evidence indicates that sign language has become more accepted as an academic discipline and that programs are more entrenched at their institutions.     

文化意识--提高英语教学效率的新空间

从社会建构主义理论出发,探讨文化意识在英语教学中的作用,以实例说明社会即文化环境与学生、教师三者之间的关系,在不同的层面寻求培养文化意识与英语教学的结合点,使学生在教师指导下,在文化意识的背景下构建对语言的理解和运用,从另一个角度探索提高英语教学效率的新途径,寻求英语教学中素质教育的新思路。     

Inquiry-based science teaching in community secondary schools in Tanzania: role played by the language of instruction

Cultural Studies of Science Education - Developing learners’ critical thinking skills through inquiry-based teaching has been an important aspect of science education. This is an exploratory...     

Critical perspectives on testing teaching: reframing teacher education for English medium instruction

The investigation reported here provides a basis for considering the role of corrective and transformative critiques in producing knowledge through testing teaching for reframing teacher education in response to, and as an expression of, the globalisation of English. This knowledge-producing approach to critique begins with a literature review of prior testing models of content and language integrated learning through English medium instruction (EMI) programmes. Delphi procedures were employed with a panel of 30 experts from three focus groups, namely teachers, testing experts, and teacher evaluation administrators. A comparison of relative importance of the indicators generated through this study via the analytic hierarchy process yielded practical implications for reframing the internationalisation of education using EMI. The analysis of interviews with teachers was used to critically rework or otherwise correct the testing model. Through adopting the practice of critique as a knowledge-producing venture, this study offers a model of EMI testing that can contribute to improvements in the organisation of professional learning and change, as well as certification procedures.     

知识经济社会下中等职业教育课程设置的思考

知识经济社会的发展对劳动者提出了新的要求，针对当前中等职业教育课程设置存在的问题．提出应根据知识经济社会的要求去培养高素质的劳动者，并提出较为具体的课程设置建议。     

Participatory action research: Collective reflections on gender,culture, and language

The focus of this article is the experiences of three undergraduate students who engaged in a participatory action research (PAR) project with a group of preadolescent Latina girls attending a public school in Boston, MA, USA. The aim of the 2-year project was to explore how the girls constructed knowledge about girlhood and other gender-related issues.     

The language of instruction in Chinese communities

Conclusion The number of Chinese receiving their education in Mandarin will continue to increase steadily as a result of the implementation of essentially similar national language policies in the People's Republic of China, and in the Republic of China on Taiwan. The import of these policies will also be reflected in language developments in other Chinese communities such as Hong Kong and Singapore.     

Disciplinary differences in the use of English in higher education: reflections on recent language policy developments

In post-Bologna Europe, there has been a noticeable increase in English-medium instruction. In this article we take the case of Sweden as an illustrative example of the wider disciplinary issues involved in changing the teaching language in this way. By 2008 the use of English in Swedish higher education had risen to such an extent that it had to be regulated at the governmental level and through university language policies. Such policies have attempted to provide generalised pragmatic guidelines for language use across educational programmes. In this paper we argue that such general policies fail to take into consideration fundamental disciplinary differences and their potential impact on language use. We present a theoretical argument about the knowledge structures of disciplines, relating these to the disciplinary literacy goals of educational programmes. We then illustrate our argument using data from an extensive survey carried out at a major Swedish university. We conclude that the disciplinary variation in the use of English can be seen as a product of different knowledge-making practices and educational goals. This conclusion problematises “one-size-fits-all” language policies which only deal with general features of language use and do not allow for discipline-specific adjustments.     

Subtle discourses on equality in the Finnish curricula of upper secondary education: reflections of the imagined society

Assurance of citizens’ social rights and minimization of social differences have been central tenets that have framed the educational policy of Finland and the other Nordic welfare states. Equality has been on the official agenda in educational politics and policies since the comprehensive school reforms of the 1960s and 1970s. However, the conceptualization of equality has fluctuated, reflecting the political climate in which the policy statements have been created. In this article, we analyse Finnish curricular documents concerning upper secondary education from the 1970s to the 2010s in order to find out how the aims of educational equality are presented. Drawing on different conceptualizations of equality and social justice, as well as feminist theorizations of intersectionality, we scrutinize how gendered, classed and ethnised patterns are emphasized, challenged or muted in documents. Through the longitudinal data of this study it is possible to analyse the growing impact of this neo-liberal educational restructuring into Finland, which has a reputation for equal education and excellent records in the Programme for International Student Assessment tests. Hence, we ask how the Finnish society as an imagined community is reflected in the documents of different decades.     

The political economy of education and inequality: reflections on Piketty

Piketty’s Capitalism in the twenty-first century provides a superb, detailed historical analysis of the evolution of income and wealth inequality. Piketty demonstrates vast and increasing inequality that he argues might possibly be tempered in the future by economic growth and educational expansion supplemented by government redistributive policies. However, Piketty has little understanding of the reproductive nature of education, the limits of economic growth, or the fundamental problems of capitalism. In this paper, I depart from a political economy perspective to examine the bankruptcy of the underlying neoclassical economic theory he relies upon. In particular, I discuss how Piketty mistakenly sees capitalism as, in large part, a meritocracy, and the implications for education.     

Sustaining literacy from mother tongue instruction in complementary education into official language of instruction in government schools in Ghana

This paper presents evidence on literacy trajectories for children in Ghana who enrolled in a Complementary Basic Education programme taught in mother tongue and transitioned into government schools. At the point of transition, we find that children who enrolled in government schools where the language of instruction differed from instruction in their mother tongue did not perform as well in literacy. After a year in government schools, those taught in another local language caught up. By contrast, those who transitioned into English did not. Our evidence reinforces the benefits of mother tongue and local language instruction for progress in literacy.     

从语言的媒质特征看多媒质语言整合的意义维度

鉴于语境意义的发散性改变了言语所指向度的深度模式,显示了言语行为与媒介环境下多元用法的横向关系相应的众语狂欢、能指漂浮现象,对语言的媒质特征的观照在某种程度上恰为语境意义的发散性向度提供了一个内聚的视角。文章试图通过对传播领域中语言媒质特征的观照,审视媒介汇聚语境下语言媒质整合的意义维度,强调对使用语言的媒介环境的觉察对于语言建构意义模式的作用,并结合媒介素质教育,提出建设语文教育新内涵的远景目标。     

The dynamics of teaching at a distance in Tanzania: reflections from the field

In this paper, pedagogical issues drawn from a study to examine the nature and quality of correspondence tuition are analysed. The paper observes that effective correspondence tuition depends on a number of factors ranging from the tutors’ academic competence to their professional experience, values and assumptions about distance learning. Given the novelty of the distance mode of delivery at university level in Tanzania, there is a need for an induction programme for newly recruited tutors to provide them with the core skills and techniques of distance teaching. Recruitment of additional tutors, as well as continued professional development, is crucial for the enhancement of student feedback and quality of correspondence tuition.     

The politics of adult education: state,economy and civil society

There has been a recent general resurgence of interest in civil society, a resurgence that is also found in adult education. Radical adult educators, in particular, view civil society as the privileged sphere of radical learning and social change. It is seen as the site to engage in democratic struggle, social movements and political change. This new elevation of civil society is tied into a wider crisis on the political left ? the crisis of socialism. This crisis is reflected in the wider debates on the politics of civil society, a debate centred on the differences between Marxist and post-Marxist definitions of civil society. The purpose of this paper is to clarify this debate, and outline its implications for adult education theory and practice. To this end, the paper examines the history of the civil society idea, a history demonstrating that analyses of civil society need to be placed alongside understandings of the state and the market. These understandings of political and economic society provide the bases for two very different political agendas - socialism and radical democracy. The paper discusses how these two agendas impact on adult education, in particular how different analyses of the state/economy/civil society relationship suggest divergent conceptions of social conflict.     

Academic freedom and civil society: some personal reflections

Academic freedom is considered from the standpoint of Academia, students and higher learning institutions. The article raises some important principles including the notion of Dual Status that relate to academic freedom from the standpoint of Civil Society. Based upon the current situation in Egypt and from the author's experience as University President, the article focuses on academic freedom as a condition for the effective functioning of academic work by staff, students and institutions.