Free primary education policy and pupil school mobility in urban Kenya

This paper examines pupil school mobility in urban Kenya using African Population and Health Research Centre (APHRC) household survey data which contain information on pupil transfers between schools. The aim is to identify which school characteristics attract the greatest demand for incoming transfers. The analysis reveals that there are frequent transfers in the slums than in the non-slum settlements; that transfer are in favour of private schools; and that quality is the main motivation for the transfers. Quality schools are perceived to have good discipline and better teacher performance. Given these results, should the Kenya government recognise the ‘low cost’ schools found in the slums which serve nearly half of the pupils and devise mechanisms of funding them?     

The influence of price on school enrollment under Uganda's policy of free primary education

This study uses household survey data to estimate determinants of schooling in Uganda, with a model that includes the price of school. Uganda's universal education policy offered free tuition, fees, and supplies to up to four children per family, including two daughters. The empirical method includes an estimation of a child-specific price of schooling. Despite widespread subsidies, the cost of primary school remained an obstacle under this policy, but the effects of price were similar for boys and girls. Regressions by wealth quintile estimate nonlinear effects of wealth and price, suggesting that there are opportunities to expand education through targeted cash transfer and subsidy policies.     

中国城市和农村小学教师对融合教育态度的比较研究

This study investigated the attitudes of primary school teachers from the selected rural and urban areas in China toward inclusive education. The results indicated that, (1) teachers’ attitudes are composed of three dimensions: positive and negative effects of inclusion, and benefits of segregated special education; (2) most surveyed teachers demonstrated positive attitudes toward segregated special school education while supporting inclusion; (3) rural and urban teachers held significantly different attitudes toward inclusion, and urban teachers were more negative toward inclusion than rural ones; and (4) teachers’ attitudes were not essentially influenced by resources, teaching years or relevant special education training.      

The challenges of beginning teachers in urban primary schools

This study provides insight in the variety of urban-related challenges that beginning teachers experience in urban schools. Literature on urban teaching focuses on teaching children from low socio-economic status (SES) and/or culturally diverse backgrounds. In many European cities, however, schools are populated by both children from relatively high and from low-SES backgrounds. This study examined the problems and challenges of beginning teachers in Dutch urban primary schools. Teachers were interviewed at schools with different student populations. Results showed that, although many of the challenges that beginning teachers experienced concern the same themes, their actual manifestation differed related to schools’ student populations. For instance, the problem of ‘parental contact’ referred to both the extreme involvement and demands of highly educated wealthy parents at some schools and the diverse backgrounds of parents at other schools. Results of the study can be used to develop adequate preparation and support for beginning urban teachers.     

小学生欺负问题的干预研究

Intervention research on school bullying was conducted in a primary school with an action research method. After conducting a five-week intervention program, the occurrence ratio of being bullied on the way to school and back home and the degree to which children were bullied dropped significantly, but the rate of reduction in grade three was greater than that of grade five. Moreover, pupils’ sense of security in school and the teachers’ awareness and problem-solving ability were also improved. __________ Translated from Jiaoyu Yanjiu 教育研究 (Educational Research), 2008, (2): 95–99     

Pre-service education for primary school English teachers in Indonesia: policy implications

Although English is only an extra-curricular subject at primary level in Indonesia, expectations over the improved quality of the teachers are exceptionally high . This is the case in the past few years in which the low proficiency of primary English teachers and their lack of teaching competencies have repeatedly been pointed out as major constraints. Unfortunately, it remains unclear whether this problem is attributed to the delivery of pre-service education in preparing primary school English teachers. This paper gathered data from teachers, language teacher educators, primary school principals, members of educational boards, and educational consultants. The data were analysed using Grounded Theory in order to examine the adequacy of pre-service education in Indonesia to prepare primary school English teachers as well as factors that contribute to its efficacy or lack thereof. The findings of the study demonstrate the need for specific preparation for primary school English teachers as well as further training for teacher educators. This present study is highly relevant to Indonesia and other Asian countries where teacher efficacy is a major concern.     

数字化教育资源在小学教育中的应用研究

信息技术和教育改革的发展,使数字化教育在现代小学教育中的地位逐步提升。如何高效的利用数字化教育资源已成为当今小学教育热点。现代小学教育应基于数字化教育资源,为小学教育提供理论基础,提升现代小学教育质量,加快数字化教育设施建设的步伐。     

在小学教育中两个立体教育的结合

苏霍姆林斯基提出教育的和谐性、全面性。而小学教育是儿童真正接受教育的开始,根据小学儿童的身心发展的阶段性和规律性,只有在不同的发展阶段,给予适当的教育方法,才能使他们身心在教育过程中得到发展与提高,才能有效地促进儿童发展的协调性。     

Audio-visual education in urban school systems

Summary impressions In some ways, this report shows progress in audio-visual education. The work is being headed up by more widespread adoption of central coordination, more classroom teachers are prepared to use audio-visual materials in their classes, and there is more wide-spread use of the materials. On the other hand, there are some urgent needs that become so evident from these data. “More time” is the need, “more central coordination” is the need, “more adapted classrooms” is the need, and separately and behind all these is the need for “better support.” This article is a digest of a report given at the DAVI national convention in Los Angeles in April. The address was entitled “A First Look at Findings of the NEA Survey of the Status of Audio-Visual Education in City and County School Systems.” Victor Hornbostel is assistant director of the Research Division of the National Education Association and supervisor of the survey which is reported.     

小学英语教育当中的情感教育

情感是人们对于现实当中的客观事物所进行的反映。虽然在英语教学的过程当中,它不是理论性的因素。但是其在英语教育中对于学生的影响可谓是至关重要的。在本文中,我们将对小学英语教育当中情感的重要性进行简要的分析,依据小学英语教学现状,为其进行相应对策的提出。     

The effect of modular education on school dropout

Modular education refers to the division of conventional courses into smaller components or modules. Each module enables students to obtain a partial certificate that can be combined into a qualification. This article evaluates whether modular education, which is widely used in secondary and tertiary education, has been effective in reducing school dropout. For this purpose, the study exploits a policy change in the Flemish Community of Belgium, which recently introduced modular education for some programmes. Using a difference-in-differences framework with diverse adoption dates per school, the results indicate that modular education may significantly reduce school dropout by 2.5 percentage points, with the largest effects on foreign origin students. Therefore, modular education is likely to be an effective policy to tackle school dropout and reduce the ethnic attainment gap. Additionally, students enrolled in modular education are more likely to be employed and to incur higher earnings on the labour market.     

The effect of in-service education and training (INSET) programmes in mathematics and science on classroom interaction: a case study of primary and secondary schools in Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of the Strengthening of Mathematics and Science in Secondary Education (SMASSE) and the School-based Teacher Development (SbTD) programmes on classroom interaction in secondary and primary schools in Kenya. It was a case study which focused on four districts, and included holding interviews with 185 teachers, observing lessons and holding focus group discussions with pupils and students. It was established that, while teachers evaluated the two INSET programmes as having been effective in exposing them to a student-centred approach, this was not reflected in their classroom practices which were largely teacher dominated. This is partly attributed to large classes, the use of English as a second language and pressure to cover the syllabuses in preparation of the national examinations. It is however, recommended that the Ministry of Education mainstream INSET programmes in its policy for teacher development in the country.     

Parents and school communities in Japan and Scotland: contrasts in policy and practice in primary schools

In this paper Japanese and Scottish cultural and ideological expectations about the role of parents and communities in schools are examined. Findings from three case studies of a Japanese school, a Scottish school and a group of Japanese parents sending their children to a Scottish school show that there are clear policy differences between the two countries. These differences reflect each country's problems and the purposes of the educational reforms that have been introduced and the different strengths and weaknesses of the two systems. The policy differences in the two systems and how these are translated into practice are examined from the perspective of parents and the wider school community. It is argued that what is missing from the policy and practice context in both countries are the resources to enable teachers, parents and other members of the community to work as equal partners.     

第二语言习得与小学英语教育

本分析了小学英语教育中存在的师资素质不高、教学课时少、以及教学方式单一的现状，运用第二语言习得理论，提出了加强师资培训、创设习得环境、丰富教学活动等对策，力图提高我国小学英语教学水平。     

National policy,local awareness: implementing environmental education in the primary schools of northern Greece

In this essay the author uses a sample of Greek primary school teachers to investigate environmental education awareness in three counties of northern Greece. The author begins by outlining the status of environmental education in Greek primary schools. The author then states the study’s rationale by defining the term ‘awareness’ and moves on to discuss the methodological considerations that guided the project. This is followed by a presentation of the study’s findings. Here the author shows that environmental education awareness is influenced by several philosophical notions about nature and that its implementation is mediated by both local and state factors. This then allows the author to offer recommendations for enhancing the current practices of environmental education and discuss future perspectives for it in Greece.     

Toward improved knowledge and policy on urban education

The essays in this volume mark a watershed in the study of urban public education in the United States. By virtue of their intellectual breadth and substantive concern for the welfare of city schools and students, these papers forecast an integration of political and organizational analysis of education in the big cities ‐connecting the structures and processes of policy‐making with the structures and processes that comprise the everyday lives of school administrators, teachers and students. These essays derive their theoretical and practical import from their ultimate focus on how city schools work and on the experiences that their students have in schools and classrooms. This focus on consequences for schooling as it is experienced in the city school marks a significant departure for students of urban school politics and policy in the US.     

浅谈小学美术课堂游戏中的德育教育

通过创设生活情境、倡导合作学习、勇闯游戏难关、创造个性发展的空间等课堂教学手段，使学生在玩儿中学，在学中感悟。提倡教师在教学中运用游戏，在游戏中渗透德育教育。