Toward a social-contexts frame of reference for science education research

During recent decades there has been little research on social or cultural factors affecting science education. Recent literature reviews have indicated that of the studies addressing such factors, most focus on broad sociodemographic variables such as socioeconomic status, gender, ethnicity, and region. There is a need for research that depicts better-differentiated social contexts for science education in their full complexity. Social scientists from several other fields have recently developed a promising model for research in context. Three critical conceptual and methodological strands of the model are discussed, along with their implications for science education research.     

Philosophical and methodological beliefs of instructional design faculty and professionals

The purpose of this research was to probe the philosophical beliefs of instructional designers using sound philosophical constructs and quantitative data collection and analysis. We investigated the philosophical and methodological beliefs of instructional designers, including 152 instructional design faculty members and 118 non-faculty professionals. We used the Philosophy of Social Science Inventory, a 52-item questionnaire, to measure 20 beliefs within four categories. We probed four ontological beliefs (ontological realism, ontological relativism, physicalism, and idealism); five epistemological beliefs (epistemological relativism, fallibilism, epistemological objectivity, rationalism, and empiricism); three axiological beliefs (ethical realism, ethical relativism, and valueneutrality in research); and eight methodological beliefs (nomothetic, idiographic and critical methods, scientific naturalism, humanism, and quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods). Our research questions included (a) What are the predominant philosophical and methodological beliefs of instructional designers? (b) Do instructional design faculty and non-faculty instructional designers, identifying with different research methodologies, hold different sets of philosophical beliefs? and (c) What relationships exist between philosophical beliefs and age, gender, ethnicity, level of education, and/or years of service? Overall, the philosophical profile of instructional designers can reasonably be described as pragmatic. Belief characterizations of methodological subgroups (e.g., those identifying with qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods research) generally supported our hypotheses. Although demographic variables (except gender) were not singularly important, our analyses suggest that a combination of ethnicity, gender, research preference, and level of education can be used to predict philosophical and methodological beliefs.     

Gender,sexuality and schooling: Everyday life in junior secondary schools in Botswana and Ghana

In this paper, the focus is upon daily school practices in Junior Secondary Schools in Ghana and Botswana. The data from 12 ethnographic case studies have been used to explore how the institution of schooling is gendered. The analysis focuses predominantly on the informal practices of the hidden curriculum through a theoretical perspective that highlights these institutional processes as significant to the production of gender/sexual identities. Remarkable similarities in the pervasive and inequitable gender/sexual practices within schools across country contexts are discussed in three key areas: school management and duties, gender space and gender violence. These discussions of everyday school life illustrate the ways in which both normative institutional practices and human agency produce and regulate gender/sexual identities. This micro-level analysis provides important substantive and methodological insights into what goes on inside schools and into the contexts and experiences of schooling that are significant to policy discourses of gender, education and development.     

Evaluation of adult literacy education in the United States: A review of methodological issues

This is a critical review of methodological issues in the evaluation of adult literacy education programs in the United States. It addresses the key research questions: What are the appropriate methods for evaluating these programs under given circumstances. It identifies 15 evaluation studies that are representative of a range of adult literacy contexts at various evaluation levels; and reviews each study regarding evaluation designs, data sources, learner assessment tools, and indicators of program effectiveness. It summarizes methodological lessons learned regarding the evaluation of adult literacy education and identifies areas for further research.     

The educational imagination and the sociology of education in Australia

A remarkable feature of the sociology of education is its proliferation under a broad gamut of research themes and topics. Understanding the relationship of education to social reproduction and social change are pivotal to the sociology of education, and have fruitfully informed research in fields such as gender and education, vocational education and lifelong learning, policy sociology in education, cultural sociology of education, literacy, social justice and education, globalisation and education. Tracking the historical trajectory of the sociology of education in Australia, this article underlines the productivity of educational research and methodological advances in the fields of gender, literacy, and policy. It also points to the failure of the sociology of education and educational research to engage with the education system’s complicity in reproducing Indigenous and ethnic disadvantage. I argue for an sociology of education along lines envisaged by Emile Durkheim who recognised the importance of understanding education systems past and present, so that educators might comprehend the relationship of education to social change. New theories, methodologies and fields of education play an important role in informing understandings of contemporary education. However, if education and educational research are to inform social futures, they require an educational imagination able to account for achievements and deficiencies; an educational imagination able to undertake theoretical deliberations about the social and material conditions, struggles and occlusions that have and continue to constitute the purpose and practice of education.     

Gender and management in further education in Scotland: an agenda for research

Research on gender and education is somewhat limited in Scotland, and research that explores the further education sector from a gender perspective is particularly lacking. This paper argues for such work, and underlines its importance given the prominence of FE in the Scottish policy context as a key contributor to the knowledge economy and lifelong learning agendas of the Scottish parliament. The argument is also made that research on gender—including masculinities—may have particular salience in Scotland because of specific cultural assumptions and practices that inhibit the recognition of women in management. The paper reports on a small pilot study of senior women managers in the further education sector in Scotland, and draws on their experiences to advocate further research that is attentive to the gendered nature of organizations and the interrelationship of masculinities and managerialism.     

Faith and Freedom of Religion in U.S. Public Schools: Issues and Challenges Facing Teachers

Educators today are accustomed to discussing concepts of multiculturalism, race, class, and gender, but when it comes to religion, most new teachers and many seasoned teachers are confounded. This article provides a critical look at the treatment of religion in public education in the United States, and the potential marginalization of religion-minority and secular students in the public school. The intent is to help, especially beginning teachers, deliver equitable educational experiences for students of diverse faiths and worldviews. Content, curricular, and methodological recommendations for infusing a religious diversity unit within a teacher preparation course are offered.     

Teacher Perceptions of South Asians in Birmingham Schools and Colleges

The views of a range of teachers towards South Asians in schools and colleges in Birmingham are explored in this paper. Based on 23 teachers, often senior in nature, from 11 educational institutions (9 schools [1 independent, 2 selective, 6 comprehensive] and 2 further education colleges), analysis of attitudes is in relation to gender and religion; socialisation and language differences between South Asian groups; and teacher ethnicity and antiracist multicultural education policy. It was broadly found that teachers viewed the education of South Asians based on the modus operandi of the educational institution they represented as well as the way in which differing South Asians based on socio-economic status, ethnicity and gender were thought to act and behave. There are implications for how South Asians are perceived as individuals as well as groups by teachers, as well as how schools can make a real attempt to improve existing home-school relations.     

The Namibian inclusive education policy's response to gender nonconforming learners

The provision of education to children is a human right that most countries including Namibia are trying to achieve. Hence, through educational inclusion, educators strive for removal of barriers within education systems for all children to learn. The purpose of this study was to explore how the Namibian inclusive education (IE) policy responds to gender non-conforming learners. Drawing upon the Social Identity Perspective (SIP) and interviews with four education officers and employing a transformative case study, this study revealed that the Namibian IE policy does not clearly pronounce itself on inclusion of gender non-conforming learners. The study further discovered culture, religious beliefs, lack of training and lack of information on gender non-conformity as factors preventing teachers to interpret the IE policy statement in relation to gender non-conformity. The study recommends for the IE policy to have a clear statement and guidelines on handling of gender non-conformity issues in schools. The study further recommends for the programmes for in-service teacher training to integrate the content on sexuality and gender diversity. Moreover, through in-service teacher training, education officers should provide correct information on gender non-conformity to curb the discrimination towards gender non-conforming learners within the school communities.     

Beyond gender identity?

This paper focuses on the continuing significance of gender identity as a category of analysis within the field of gender theory and research in education. I begin by considering contemporary discussions of the limitations of research relating to gender theory and research in education. Following on from this, I explore some contemporary theorising on the category of gender within educational research in order to highlight ongoing debates that I perceive in the field. Finally, via a discussion of school toilets and gender performance, I consider how theoretical discourses relating to space and architecture might further develop the utility of gender as a category of analysis within education.     

Methodological considerations for studying science-in-the-making in educational settings

In this paper we explore the methodological implications of sociocultural approaches for the study of scientific knowledge and practices. Research in science studies and science education is reviewed with a focus on methodological considerations. Informed by empirically-based studies of scientific practices from multiple disciplinary perspectives, we describe our perspective for investigating science education which combines ethnography and discourse analysis. This theoretical position on the discursive nature of the social construction of school science-in-the-making forms the basis for theoretical and methodological critique and discussion. We provide a review of the history of nature of science (NOS) research to trace the methodological influence of Science and Technology Studies in science education. Four methodological issues associated with studying science as cultural practices are discussed: the local and contingent nature of situated definitions of science; theory dependence and coherence of research methodologies; attention to the study of school science-in-the-making; and reflexivity.     

Higher education and the economic and social empowerment of women -- the Asian experience

This paper examined the degree of socioeconomic empowerment of Asian women due to higher education (HE). Examples illustrate different cultural contexts and stages in development. Colonial administrations established the first modern educational institutions. These schools trained Western-oriented elites in Western and gender values. Uneven development led to increased socioeconomic differences and disparities by region, ethnicity, religion, and gender. The international focus on women's rights has helped with promotion of education for gender equity. But, the international economic climate has led to adverse outcomes for education. Educational mobility is restricted by exclusion or lack of access to HE. Most of the 15 countries with strong educational systems have minimal gender disparities in primary and secondary education, but even Japan has gender disparities in HE. In 9 South Asian countries, most girls are disadvantaged from birth through the school years. Women are not a homogenous group. Socioeconomic factors affect access to HE. Women are channeled into gender appropriate jobs. Gender division of labor and gender tracking in education limit course and occupational choices. Changes in labor market structures further affect the economic empowerment of female graduates. Demand for female labor migrants siphons off females. Access of women to positions of authority is limited. Women who do reach the top are viewed as role models. Gender based division of labor in the household has changed little. Only India and the Philippines have explicit, conscious policies to promote gender equity.     

How is gender integrated in the curricula of Dutch medical schools? A quick‐scan on gender issues as an instrument for change

Medical education has not taken on board the growing awareness of sex and gender differences. A nation‐wide project to incorporate sex and gender in medical education aims to establish longitudinal gender and sex specific curricula in all Dutch medical schools that move beyond sex and gender differences in reproduction. A baseline assessment was necessary to gain an overview on the state of the art of sex and gender in Dutch medical curricula and on the courses that were suitable to integrate sex and gender differences. A quick‐scan demonstrates that sex and gender differences beyond reproduction are mostly ignored. Results have been used to create the necessary commitment of policy‐makers in all Dutch faculties to take further steps towards establishing longitudinal gender‐specific medical curricula.     

A Retrospective Study of South Asian Further Education College Students and their Experiences of Secondary School

This paper evaluates the results from a survey of further education college students and the processes of their secondary schooling. Postal survey responses from 109 randomly sampled college students (aged 16-19) from three colleges in the city of Birmingham provide the empirical base for the current research. The objectives of the study are to retrospectively analyse the secondary school experiences of South Asian college students currently in further education, probing key educational processes by ethnicity and gender. Respondents revealed their approaches towards education in general, teachers, religion and culture and parents. The broad conclusion suggests that respondents had managed to develop mixed 'educational identities', encompassing elements of the home as well as the school, aimed at permitting the effective transition from further into higher education. Differences were found between Hindu, Sikh and Muslim respondents and between genders.     

A critical review on studies of relationship education in the gender equity education of Taiwan: 10 years and beyond

With discourse analyses, this paper attempts to review the research development of relationship education in Taiwan for nearly a decade after the Gender Equity Education Act was announced in 2004, including the research topics generated, the knowledge accumulated, and the results achieved. This paper focuses not only on how the power and impacts of the academic institutions evolves through the production process of knowledge from the research, but also on how the gender perspectives are placed or filled into the discourses. Tracking and reflecting on the discourses and the development of relationship education researches in Taiwan, this paper aims to examine the interwoven effects and influences that social cultures, structures, and institutional power play on the knowledge production and research development of relationship education. The trajectory of Taiwanese experience illustrates a good example for policy making and legislative initiatives in legislative procedures in regard to certain gender knowledge and subjects. It is essential to utilize and coordinate the national resources and academic institutions with further awareness for the direction and promotion of gender knowledge in order for the education and research to root, grow, and prosper.     

Reappraising the Apparent Underachievement of Boys at School

This article challenges two widely-held beliefs about the differences in the performance of boys and girls at school. The 'gap' between the achievement of boys and girls is not growing, and may be shrinking. The gap is not predominantly a problem of low achievement, nor is it uniformly distributed across the range of attainments. The gap, in favour of girls, mainly appears at the higher levels in any assessment. The change in understanding of the nature of the gender gap described here comes from simple methodological advances in the analysis of gendered results in examination and statutory assessments. The implications for research and policy in this area are substantial, since unless the nature of the problem is well understood research may be directed at explicating, and policy directed at ameliorating, a gender gap of a form which simply does not exist. For example, while disaffection from the process of education may be a very real problem and certainly one that is worthy of research, there is little evidence here that it is primarily a gender-related problem.     

Women,Education and Empowerment in Asia

ABSTRACT Education is widely perceived as an indicator of the status of women and even more importantly, as an agent for the empowerment of women. This article examines the relationship between education and several facets of empowerment, using the macro statistics on countries in Asia presented in the United Nations Human Development Report, 1995, which attempts to compute country specific 'Gender Empowerment Measures', as well as data from qualitative studies in selected representative countries. The study concludes that there is no positive linear relationship between education and the economic, social and political empowerment of women, as a consequence of the interface of gender ideologies and social and economic structural constraints. It further examines factors that surface from within education structures and content and from social and economic structures and gender relations within the family that constrain the role of education as an agent for the empowerment of women.     

Reflective Practice in Physical Education and Physical Education Teacher Education: A Review of the Literature Since 1995

Reflection and reflective practice are key concepts in the educational literature as well as in research on physical education (PE) and physical education teacher education (PETE). The purpose of this article is to review the current empirical knowledge base for reflection and reflective practice in PE and PETE from 1995 to 2011. The review includes empirical research published in peer reviewed journals on the topics on reflection and reflective practice in the contexts of PE and PETE. There were 33 articles included in the review. Most of the research is conducted in the PETE context, where it was found that pre-service teachers do develop their reflective capabilities. However, the results also indicate students make little progress on critical reflections. In the PE context, it was found that teachers express a need for reflective communities. Theoretical and methodological challenges with the reviewed literature are discussed and suggestions for further research proposed.