Educators in non-formal vocational education and training in Mozambique: a plea for recognition and professionalisation

Interest in vocational education and training (VET) is growing. This can be attributed to global socio-economic developments requiring continuously changing knowledge and skills. Adult education and training, particularly in non-formal education (NFE) contributes to provide these skills and knowledge for youth and adults. This puts pressure not only on programmes and facilities, but also on the educators. How do they cope with the changing demands? This paper focuses on educators in non-formal vocational education and training (NFVET) in Mozambique. It explores the perceptions, experiences and reflections of educators in NFVET working in training centres on the outskirts of Maputo. Semi-structured interviews and observations were used to get insight into the educators’ understandings and into the conditions in which their educational activities took place. The findings point to the need for the professionalisation of NFVET educators. This would contribute to the quality of their activities and to their status as professionals.     

The Heterogeneous Non-resident Student Body: Measuring the Effect of Out-Of-State Students’ Home-State Wealth on Tuition and Fee Price Variations

More than 40 years of research has found a positive relationship between increases in the proportion of non-resident students enrolling in an institution and increases in the tuition prices this institution charges to these same students. Notably, this line of research has consistently treated this non-resident student body as if they constitute a homogeneous group in terms of their socioeconomic well-being, when in reality these students come from states with differing levels of socioeconomic prosperity. Notably, given that tuition and fee charges to non-resident students are market-based, institutions charge what out-of-state students are willing to pay. Under this rationale, it follows that the wealthier the student body of an institution is, the more institutions will be able to charge them in terms of tuition and fees for their education. The purpose of this study is twofold. First, it offers a method to measure the level of wealth of the non-resident student body enrolling at an institution considering the level of wealth of these students’ home states, therefore creating a measure of heterogeneity of the non-resident student body. The second purpose is to evaluate whether this measure of heterogeneity is associated with larger increases in the net tuition and fee prices charged to these students compared to the increases related to the homogeneous structure that ignores these students’ home-state wealth. This twofold purpose was addressed utilizing a dataset built from regional, state, and institutional information of 1743 public and private not-for-profit 4-year institutions across the contiguous United States. Since all the outcome variables were found to be spatially dependent, spatial econometrics techniques were employed for model estimation. Results corroborated that treating non-resident students as a homogeneous structure rendered downwardly biased estimates of institutions’ abilities and/or decisions to set higher or lower tuition and fee prices compared to the estimates obtained using the heterogeneous structure. Considering current general disinvestment of states in higher education, the analysis of factors driving non-resident tuition and fee price-setting has become especially relevant for public policy officials and decision-makers at both the institution- and state-levels. Accordingly, this study examines a critical issue in the finance of higher education—the setting of institutional tuition and fees for non-resident students.     

Voting for Change: an International Study of Students’ Willingness to Support Measures to Ameliorate Climate Change

Research in Science Education - Voting for various pro-environmental governmental policies is an indirect, but potentially effective, action that citizens can take to reduce global warming (GW) and...     

Using Community-Based Research to Improve BSW Students’ Learning in Community Practice: Bringing the Macro into Focus for Traditional and Distance Learners

This article describes community–university partnership building, course development/management, and evaluation outcomes related to an intensive community-based research project that was integrated in two sections of an undergraduate course on community practice. Pre- and posttest data were collected from 60 BSW students who were enrolled in community practice and who participated in a community-based research project with their state’s fair housing office. The evaluation outcomes focus on changes in professional interest in macro practice, students’ self-efficacy, and differences in students’ learning experiences, based on traditional bricks-and-mortar or distance learning contexts. Results show that students experience increases in self-efficacy related to community assessment and intervention. Qualitative results show that students experienced shifts in their professional goals related to macro practice, increased competence and understanding, and personal transformation. A number of differences emerged between traditional and distance learners. Results are discussed in the context of curriculum development and next steps for institutionalizing CBR in community practice courses.     

Perceived legitimacy of decision making and academic governance patterns in higher education: A comparative analysis

This report relates the findings of two parallel studies of campus governance in Pennsylvania institutions. Patterns of decision making were described at six institutions in one study and perceived legitimacy of governance on the part of faculty was assessed on the same campuses. The findings of the studies are related for the purpose of exploring effects of decision issue, institution, and type of institution upon each pattern as well as upon ways in which governance patterns and perceived legitimacy covary. The conclusions suggest modifications in theory and research strategies for future work on the dynamics of campus governance.The authors appreciate helpful comments offered by Professor Marvin Peterson on a draft of this paper.     

L'enseignant-ressource en Milieu Urbain Défavorisé: une Intervention éducative Efficace

Studies on the efficacity of educational interventions among disadvantaged groups are contradictory. This article is part of the continuing debate on this topic. It reports the results of an empirical study of 1,567 pupils from the first and sixth grades, attending 20 primary schools in disadvantaged areas of Montréal, Canada. The aim of the study was to assess the effects of using "teachers as resource persons". The results indicate that intervention by "teachers as resource persons" has a positive effect on pupils' achievements. Furthermore, financial input is also positively linked with pupils' performance. The article interprets the main results of the study and comes to a positive conclusion about the usefulness of "teachers as resource persons" in disadvantaged urban areas.     

Technologies of disciplinary power in action: The norm of the ‘Good student’

We have completed a piece of research into the process of production of speech on the part of students as regards their idea of ‘the good student’, taking social postmodern theories as a conceptual reference and within the university context. The study tries to show how disciplinary technologies are a major influence in the make-up of particular types of students. It is an exploration of the discourses used by students reflecting their vision of university, teaching and learning. The aim is to understand their reasoning by means of the view they have of academic activity and life. Starting from Michael Foucault’s thoughts on power relations in the context of educational practices we present a plan of discourse analysis based on accounts made by the students themselves.     

L'enseignant-ressource en Milieu Urbain Défavorisé: une Intervention Éducative Efficace

Studies on the efficacity of educational interventions among disadvantaged groups are contradictory. This article is part of the continuing debate on this topic. It reports the results of an empirical study of 1,567 pupils from the first and sixth grades, attending 20 primary schools in disadvantaged areas of Montréal, Canada. The aim of the study was to assess the effects of using "teachers as resource persons". The results indicate that intervention by "teachers as resource persons" has a positive effect on pupils' achievements. Furthermore, financial input is also positively linked with pupils' performance. The article interprets the main results of the study and comes to a positive conclusion about the usefulness of "teachers as resource persons" in disadvantaged urban areas.