Higher Education and Women: Deconstructing the Rhetoric of the Education for All (EFA) Policy

The Education for All initiative is one of the best known and most widely referenced policies in the development field. This paper investigates the extent to which the most recent EFA conference in Dakar (2000) addresses the complex issue of women and higher education. Two questions guide this inquiry. First, what are the basic concepts and definitions used in a feminist policy analysis? Second, to what extent, and in what ways is the topic of higher education and women referenced in the document (Dakar Framework for Action, 2000).2 2. Full text available at ?http://www.unesco.org/education/efa/ed_for_all/dakfram_eng.shtml?. View all notes Employing content analysis, this paper reveals the EFA policy's minimal attention to tertiary education for women throughout the world.     

Literacy for All: Findings from an Australian study

This article summarises some of the major findings of a study published in 2000 for the Commonwealth government of Australia. It argues that school systems in Australia are moving towards the goal of literacy for all and suggests some of the factors that are and may be contributing to its achievement.     

Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) Programs in R

We provide a brief overview of two R packages that can conduct exploratory factor analysis (EFA): psych and EFAutilities. After introducing EFA and the exemplar data used in this paper we discuss best practices for EFA. Next, we describe the approaches used in the two packages for EFA. During this explanation, we provide sample code and discuss the usage and results of two empirical datasets. Finally, we highlight the similarities and distinctions of each package on modeling EFA.     

Literacy for All: a Consideration of the Many Opportunities for Language Acquisition

There are lots of opportunities in a classroom day for the development of literacy. Reading aloud to children is one of the most important of these. Carole Silva here reminds us of the potential of this activity and gives several practical suggestions for working with children.     

All in the Family: Connecting Home and School with Family Literacy

Family literacy has come of age during the past quarter of a century. This article provides a brief review of family literacy history and components. Pedagogical implications for teachers of primary grade students are considered, and suggestions given for increasing home–school literacy involvement through the following types of initiatives: sharing information, increasing access to materials, and implementing strategies that invite family involvement.     

Mind the Gap: Looking for Evidence-Based Practice of Science Literacy for All in Science Teaching Journals

Science literacy for all is the central goal of science education reforms, and there is a growing importance of the language arts in science. Furthermore, there are strong calls for teacher professionalism and self-directed professional learning that involve evidence-based best practices. This raises questions about whether science teaching journals?? recommendations are anchored to high-quality evidence. We found that (a) most National Science Teacher Association journals?? science literacy recommendations have weak or no evidence base and (b) those with evidence reference teaching journals, teacher resource books, and literacy education more often than science education research. We concluded that all participants in the knowledge production cycle and transfer process??authors, editors, and reviewers??need to encourage evidence-based practices anchored to ongoing reforms and to literacy and science education research.     

Building research capacity for African institutions: confronting the research leadership gap and lessons from African research leaders

This study explores the meaning and competencies of ‘research leadership’ in the African context and investigates strategies for developing it. Data for the study were gathered through an online survey that targeted recipients of research grants/support from key research funders to selected African institutions. The recipients of these grants were either research leaders or team members. The study employs a mixed methodology approach with empirical data drawn from focus group discussions and online surveys of English-speaking research leaders and research teams whose research work was supported by the selected funding institutions. In line with literature of leadership styles in Africa, our results suggest that preferred research leadership style for African researchers is different in some ways, especially with its attention to the ‘human touch’. Respondents preferred ‘people/relationship orientated’, ‘task­orientated’ and ‘democratic/participative’ styles of leadership, all of which have strong elements of Ubuntu (humaneness). The study also showed that leadership development for many in Africa involves mostly ‘learning by doing’ and informal mentoring, and less formal training opportunities. We explore policy implications of our findings with reference to research leadership development in African institutions, paying particular attention to challenges faced by female research leaders, and stress that research leadership development in Africa must be seen as a long-term and continuous activity and calls for more formal leadership development opportunities to complement the existing informal approaches.     

全民教育视野中的全球幼儿教育——全民教育全球监测报告(2007年)对全球幼儿教育的关注

联合国教科文组织发布的以“增强基础:幼儿保育和教育”为题的2007年全民教育全球监测报告对全球幼儿教育作了分析。该报告根据各国提供的信息,阐述了幼儿保育和教育的重要意义,分析了全球幼儿保育和教育发展的现状、各国幼儿保育和教育计划的发展走势,提出了实现全球幼儿教育目标的建议。     

Stereotype threat in manual labor settings for African American and Caucasian participants

Stereotype threat has primarily been studied with regard to test performance in academic settings, testing aptitude, ability, and intelligence, and it has been found to cause both behavioral and cognitive decrements. Although there is research on stereotype threat in the workplace, this too is usually conducted in upper‐level or more academically based job tasks. This article concentrates on how stereotype threat affects those in manual labor workplace settings. This research, however, sought to test subjects on a behavioral task in a workplace setting to see if the results mirror those in academia. Stereotype threat in academic settings has been shown to cause both behavioral and cognitive decrements. It was theorized that stereotype threat would cause performance decrements for the African American participants. Participants were undergraduate students—60 Caucasian and 60 African American. All performed two manual labor tasks, sorting and assembling nuts and bolts, and a math test, half while under stereotype threat and half without stereotype threat manipulation. Results yielded significant differences between the two conditions for African Americans on both the academic and nonacademic/manual labor tasks.     

Community as Classroom: Dilemmas of Valuing African Indigenous Literacy in Education

The interface between school and indigenous knowledge of local plants is rarely a focus of attention in classrooms. The transfer of indigenous knowledge from everyday life to schoolwork is not always valued or encouraged, and indigenous ways of knowing may not be recognized by teachers. This article defines and documents the interplay between indigenous folk knowledge and modern (western) curriculum practice in African schools within the framework of critical theory. It raises important questions of cultural identity at a time of economic and educational globalization. First, the author explores the definition of indigenous knowledge, second, he examines the dilemmas that undermine and undervalue efforts to integrate indigenous education in the formal school curriculum and third, he outlines the rationale for valuing indigenous literacy and makes some suggestions as to how this may be achieved.     

Including children with special educational needs in the Literacy Hour: a continuing challenge

This paper reports on a study to examine whether the framework for teaching the Literacy Hour can provide an inclusive learning environment for pupils with special educational needs. Carol Miller, Penny Lacey and Lyn Layton, all members of the Inclusion, Special Education and Educational Psychology Group in the School of Education at the University of Birmingham, used a survey and case studies to provide examples of organizational strategies and activities in literacy teaching. The authors go on to evaluate the extent to which these approaches promote inclusion in the Literacy Hour. They conclude that, while most children were included, some were engaged in alternative activities which were, in reality, focused on the development of communication skills. The authors close their article with a call for further research.     

The needs and perceptions of South African Grade 4 educators,teaching English second-language (ESL) learners

Abstract

Although mother tongue education is recommended by policymakers, researchers and language learning authorities, the reality in South Africa is that many parents/caregivers and learners believe that English is the best choice as Language of Learning and Teaching. Many English second-language (ESL) learners experience barriers to learning, because of a limited English proficiency. An empirical study was conducted to identify the needs and perceptions of Grade 4 educators regarding ESL learners with a limited English proficiency. The following factors were targeted in the study: demographic factors; language issues; educators' perception of learners with language barriers; and teaching of ESL learners who have limited English proficiency. The findings suggest that educators teaching ESL learners are in need of support.