The reconstruction of Palestinian education: between history,policy politics andpolicy making

This paper reflects on the key actors in education policy making in Zimbabwe. It looks at the contextual complexities that characterized policy-making in this country to make sense of the contestations that the state had to confront and accommodate. The policy network approach is employed as an analytical framework to clarify how, in particular non-state actors, have had an impact (or not) on educational governance through influences on policy. Policy documents, research reports and the reactions of non-state actors to these aspects are examined to explore the impact of the latter on policy making. The significant roles of the various policy networks are also given attention to establish how they have affected the reconfiguration of the state. The argument developed is that in spite of the ostensibly strong state, education policy formulation has been a product of compromise between policy networks and the predilections of those in office. As a political and contested enterprise it had to accommodate both local and international concerns.     

Social pedagogy in schools: student teacher attitudes in England and Norway

This study explored the views of student teachers in England and Norway regarding the extent to which they felt the school should take the lead role (in comparison to the roles played by parents and other professional agencies) in addressing the needs of pupils identified by the school as experiencing a problem. A questionnaire comprising 30 problem areas was developed and distributed to student teachers at two universities in England and at two universities in Norway. A total of 542 student teachers participated in the study. The findings indicated that the ratings by student teachers in both countries of these problem areas fell broadly into four main groupings (in terms of the strength of feeling that the school should take the lead role): these concerned poor basic core attainment, disaffection, anti-social behaviour, and unhealthy lifestyles, respectively, except for one very important caveat: concerns regarding bullying received a high rating and were located in the first grouping. These findings are interpreted in the context of whether schools might be ready to adopt a social pedagogical approach to offering targeted support to pupils experiencing such problems and the implications this may have for inclusive education and initial teacher education.     

Exploring pharmacy students chosen career path: a year-on-year perspective

Higher Education - There are many factors that motivate students to choose a particular academic major, whether it is due to interest, salary, or family. Government policies and...     

Religiosity and Education: The Views of Greek Student Teachers on the Religious Education Course

The correlation of student teachers’ religiosity with their views on the religious education course that they are called on to teach in Greek public schools is the subject treated in the present survey. The five main features of religiosity, that is, (1) religious faith, (2) religious knowledge, (3) religious experience, (4) participation in a religious group or community, and (5) daily practice and conduct, were assessed for 1009 student teachers. With the help of data processing and cluster analysis, a causal relationship was found between their religiosity and their views on religious education.     

An integrated assessment of the effects of Title I on school behavior,resources, and student achievement

We examine the effects of Title I on school behavior, resources, and academic performance using a rich set of school finance and student-level achievement data from one large urban school district using a regression discontinuity design. We find that Title I eligibility raises Federal revenues of schools by about $460 per student. This is partially offset by decreases in revenues from state categorical aid grants, so that the net increase to schools is about $360 per student. We find no impact on overall school-level test scores, but also no impact among the subgroups of students most likely to be affected by Title I. A novel finding is that schools appear to respond to the incentives embedded in the Title I allocation process by manipulating the fraction of their students signed up for free lunch to secure more Federal funds.     

Informal learning: A case study of local curriculum development in Indonesia

Conclusion This paper has examined the informal learning of the Lamaholot people, a relatively small cultural community living in the regency of Flores Timur in eastern Indonesia. The informal learning in Lamaholot areas is different from the formal learning imposed by a central educational board in Jakarta. Informal learning is part of everyday life, and is used to preserve Lamaholot culture, while the formal learning is designed to help students participate in modern economic activities, even though it threatens the survival of the local culture. In order to build a school system that promotes both the acquisition of new knowledge and the preservation of Lamaholot culture, the incorporation of informal approaches into formal learning becomes a necessity. Models and strategies discussed in this paper indicate that it is feasible to implement such an integrated approach. Certainly it is better to try and fuse the traditional with the modern, rather than to perpetuate the imposition of an exclusive national curriculum that is detrimental to the development of local Lamaholot culture. By giving the Lamaholot people the right to preserve their culture within the context of the school, Lamaholot children will be able to acquire modern knowledge without losing their cultural identity. A senior lecturer at the University of Nusa Cendana, Kupang, Nusa Tingara Timur (NTT), Indonesia. At present he is a doctoral candidate in the School of Education at Flinders University in Adelaide, South Australia. His thesis focuses on cultures of knowledge and learning, and incorporates a case study of local curriculum development in the regency of Flores Timur, NTT, Indonesia.     

Early childhood teachers' understanding of inclusive education and associated practices: reflections from Greece

This paper focuses on Greek regular and special preschool teachers' understanding of inclusion; their views about the engagement of children with disabilities in typical day routines/activities; and their preferred strategies for facilitating children's engagement in classroom activities. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with 77 teachers (45 regular and 32 special educators) drawn from 47 preschool mainstream settings in Greece. The analysis revealed that teachers hold conflicting and restrictive beliefs about inclusive education. Further, the teachers' accounts indicated that most of the children with disabilities were experiencing significant difficulties in their engagement during free-play as well as structured/semi-structured activities. Lastly, teachers identified a range of strategies that they deployed for promoting children's involvement in classroom activities. The paper concludes by highlighting the need to shift away from a narrow individualistic-deficit assumption of disability towards a socio-constructivist conceptualisation of ‘diversity’ and the establishment of genuinely inclusive school cultures.     

Einf��hrung von Leistungspr?mien an ?sterreichischen Universit?ten �C eine rechtliche Analyse

Die Universit?ten stehen untereinander zunehmend in einem Wettbewerb. Nicht zuletzt aus diesem Grund sind Bestrebungen festzustellen, die eigenen Mitarbeiter zur Erbringung besonderer Leistungen zu animieren. Einen m?glichen Ansatzpunkt stellt in diesem Zusammenhang die Schaffung monet?rer Anreize durch leistungsbezogene Pr?mien dar. Auf Grund der heterogenen Mitarbeiterstruktur und der damit verbundenen Vielzahl an anzuwendenden dienstrechtlichen Vorschriften, stellt sich jedoch die Frage nach der Rechtsgrundlage für die Einführung derartiger Leistungspr?mien. Der vorliegende Beitrag untersucht daher die M?glichkeiten und Grenzen der Implementierung von leistungsbezogenen Entgelten an den ?sterreichischen Universit?ten.