From international aid to international cooperation: Some thoughts in retrospect (II)

In the early part of the period developing countries saw in the adoption of formal education systems and procedures a sure way to solve their problems of development. The international and donor agencies concerned with aid put their weight behind a Western model of schooling — to the neglect of indigenous learning systems. The record showed an impressive amount of growth of schooling in the developing countries — with aid policies focused on higher, secondary and technical education, i.e. those sectors providing training for needed manpower. This massive introduction of schooling procedures may be regarded as cultural intervention.Results did not come up to expectations since much of the population was not reached and wastage rates remained high. A phase of reappraisal followed, in which education was thought of less as the outcome of schooling and more as the enhancement of many types of learning opportunities helping people to grow. The psychological basis of this changing view lay in the concept of intelligence, since many types of intelligence (the pluralistic concept) can be seen to emerge from the differing cultural backgrounds found in human societies. If education is concerned with advancing and creating such intelligences, formal schooling is only one of the means. A corresponding shift could then be seen in aid policies, with greater readiness to support nonformal educational procedures.The author believes that awareness of the dangers of cultural intervention has brought about a better understanding of what the world now needs from education — the cultivation of integrative intelligences (as against pure specialization) and encouragement of mythic intelligences derived from the value and symbol systems of our many cultures. In this way, aid from developed to developing countries is being synthesized into a cooperative search for a better education.

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Zusammenfassung Zu Beginn der Epoche sahen die Entwicklungsländer in der Übernahme formaler Bildungssysteme und -verfahrensweisen einen sicheren Weg zur Lösung ihrer Entwicklungsprobleme. Die internationalen und sonstigen Träger der Entwicklungshilfe setzten sich mit ihrem Gewicht für ein westliches Schulungsmodell ein — unter Vernachlässigung der einheimischen Lernsysteme. Die Statistik zeigte eine eindrucksvolle Zunahme des Schulwesens in den Entwicklungsländern — wobei die Politik der Helfer auf höhere, sekundäre und technische Bildung konzentriert war, also auf die Bereiche, welche die notwendigen Arbeitskräfte ausbilden. Diese massive Einführung von Schulungsverfahren kann als kulturelle Einmischung betrachtet werden.Die Ergebnisse entsprachen nicht den Erwartungen, weil ein großer Teil der Bevölkerung nicht erfaßt wurde und weil die Ausfallszahlen hoch blieben. Nun folgte eine Phase der Besinnung, in der man Bildung weniger als Ergebnis der Schulbildung betrachtete und mehr als den Ausbau vieler Arten von Lernmöglichkeiten zur Entfaltung der einzelnen Menschen. Das psychologische Fundament dieser veränderten Anschauung lag im Begriff der Intelligenz, denn aus der unterschiedlichen kulturellen Vergangenheit der verschiedenen Gruppen der menschlichen Gesellschaft gehen viele Arten von Intelligenz hervor (das pluralistische Konzept). Geht es der Bildung darum, solche Intelligenzen zu wecken und zu fördern, dann ist die formale Schulung nur ein Mittel dazu. Eine entsprechende Verschiebung zeigte sich dann bei der Hilfspolitik in der größeren Bereitschaft, nicht-formale Bildungsverfahren zu unterstützen.Der Verfasser meint, die Erkenntnis der Gefahren kultureller Einmischung habe zu einem besseren Verstehen der gegenwärtigen Bildungsbedürfnisse der Welt geführt — nämlich Kultivierung integrativer Intelligenzen (statt reiner Spezialisierung) und stärkere Berücksichtigung mythischer Weisheit aufgrund der Wert- und Symbolsysteme unserer vielen Kulturen. Auf diese Weise wird sich die Hilfe entwickelter Länder für Entwicklungsländer einordnen in ein gemeinsames Suchen nach besserer Bildung.

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Résumé Dans la première partie de la période, les pays en voie de développement virent dans l'adoption des systèmes et des procédures d'éducation conventionnelle un moyen sûr de résoudre leurs problèmes de développement. Les organisations internationales et donatrices s'occupant d'aide au développement, appuyèrent un modèle occidental de scolarité au détriment des systèmes indigènes d'apprentissage. Le résultat montra un essor impressionnant de la scolarité dans les pays en voie de développement avec la politique d'assistance centrée sur l'éducation technique, secondaire et supérieur, c'est-à-dire sur les secteurs de formation de la main-d'uvre demandée. Cette introduction massive des procédures de scolarité peur être, semble-t-il, regardée comme une intervention culturelle.Les résultats n'ont pas répondu aux ésperances car une grande partie de la population n'était pas touchée et le taux de déperdition d'effectifs demeurait élevé. Une phase de réévaluation suivit, au cours de laquelle l'éducation fut considérée moins comme le résultat de la scolarité que comme le relèvement de nombreux types de chances d'apprentissage aidant les gens à se développer. Le concept d'intelligence était à la base psychologique de ce changement d'opinion car on peut voir de nombreux types d'intelligence (le concept pluraliste) émerger des différents milieux culturels existant dans les sociétés humaines. Si la préoccupation de l'éducation est de créer et de faire progresser de telles intelligences, la scolarité conventionnelle n'est plus qu'un moyen parmi d'autres. Un changement correspondant pouvait alors être observé dans les politiques d'assistance. Il se traduisit, de la part des diverses organisations, par un plus grand empressement à apporter leur concours aux programmes de l'éducation non-conventionnelle.L'auteur croit que la conscience des dangers de l'intervention culturelle a aidé à une meilleure compréhension de ce dont le monde a besoin de trouver maintenant dans l'éducation — la mise en valeur des intelligences intégratrices (en opposition à la spécialisation pure) et l'encouragement des intelligences mythiques provenant des systèmes de valeurs et symboliques de nos nombreuses cultures. De cette façon, l'assistance des pays développés aux pays en voie de developpement est en train d'être synthétisée en une recherche coopérative pour une meilleure éducation.

     

Exploring the relationship between homework task difficulty,student engagement and performance

This article considers the relationship between differential homework task difficulty, student engagement and performance across four Irish post-primary school sites. A total of 236 participants completed all elements of this study. All participants were junior cycle students, aged between 12 and 16 years. The study employed a standardised test–retest approach, with a one week interval between tests. Between testing, participants were randomly subdivided into three cohorts. Each cohort received homework questions of different difficulty levels to complete for one week. The results of this study found that Cohort A, who received the least difficult homework tasks, completed the most non-compulsory questions. Although Cohort A demonstrated higher levels of engagement, no statistically significant difference was found in the change in performance scores of the three cohorts. The results highlight the negative impact of increased task difficulty on student engagement with independent homework tasks. The findings suggest that in order to support student engagement it is important that teachers afford ample opportunity for student success when designing self-directed tasks such as homework.     

New peace,new teachers: Student teachers' perspectives of diversity and community relations in Northern Ireland

This paper reflects upon student teachers' conceptions of inter-community relations and the preparation they receive to address issues of diversity and mutual understanding. The study in Northern Ireland is set against a backdrop of political, social and educational change, where a shared, peaceful future appears possible. Student teachers at a Catholic institution and a predominantly Protestant institution indicated a willingness to engage with issues concerning diversity and inter-community relations, despite having a limited knowledge of the concepts. However they also demonstrated clear views about the relevance and value of the preparation they received. The findings are evaluated using multicultural theory.     

Explaining the academic performance of community college students who transfer to a senior institution

The academic performance of 361 community college students was investigated after their transfer to a comprehensive university. The predictor variables included personal, environmental, demographic, and pretransfer academic measures. The criterion was grade point average (GPA) at the senior institution. Analyses included moderated linear regression and a branching algorithm which forms subgroups to best explain criterion scores (AID-3). The academic pattern and performance at the community college was found to be very important to the relevance of specific factors related to the curriculum selected at the senior institution.     

Exploring practicum: student teachers’ social capital relations in schools with high numbers of pupils living in poverty

The complexity of practicum in initial teacher education, in terms of the range of diverse social relations and differing school contexts, provides a challenge for teacher educators worldwide, aiming to guide and shape opportunities for student teachers learning to teach. This challenge is further compounded by societal problems linked to child poverty. Drawing from social capital theory, this paper explores the kinds of social relations that are currently associated with student teachers’ practicum experience in schools located in areas of social and economic deprivation or with significant proportions of pupils living in poverty. The paper brings to the surface types of social relations that are beneficial to mitigating the effects of poverty on educational outcomes. The case is made that practicum does not currently support the principles of social capital theory by enabling student teachers to develop an understanding of how to make connections, and develop the social relationships required to support positive educational outcomes for the children and young people in such contexts. Findings indicate that more effective ‘joint practice’ is required to better support student teachers’ professional learning.     

Diagnostic considerations in children with reading disability

Summary Nine out of ten children with reading disability are found to have a basic syndrome consisting of signs related to lack of clear-cut cerebral dominance. Two of these nine children have additional signs suggestive of structural brain damage. One out of ten children with reading disability does not have any of these findings. The methods of detecting these groups are described and therapeutic implications indicated. The data described in this paper have been previously reported in: SILVER, A. A. and HAGIN, R., “Specific Reading Disability: Delineation of the Syndrome and Relationship to Cerebral Dominance,” COMPREHENSIVE PSYCHIATRY, 1, 2 (April, 1960), pp. 126–134. The author is indebted to Dr. Rosa A. Hagin for permission to use this material. From BULLETIN OF THE ORTON SOCIETY, Vol. XI, 1961, pp. 5–12.     

The impact of information technology on the efficacy of tuition fee collection: a case in Jamaica

Most governments in both developed and developing countries are reducing their financial support to universities. This condition is further compounded in Jamaica because the Jamaican government has shifted its focus and support from tertiary to early childhood education. As a result, both students and universities in Jamaica are experiencing financial difficulties. In an effort to overcome the challenges, one major university in the country has embarked upon a series of initiatives. These initiatives include, as a central element, the use of information technology (IT). Hence, this research seeks to answer the pivotal question, ‘How does the use of information technology enable a Jamaican university to manage tuition fee collection in a manner that is effective yet sensitive to students’ financial situation?’ The survey found a significant relationship between the IT system and students being financially cleared at the release of examination results. In addition, the majority of students paid their tuition fees each semester via multiple payment options, and 64% of the Billing and Receivables staff believed that the IT system was effective in collecting tuition fees. These insights should assist universities’ decision makers in identifying the best suite of financial strategies to enhance tuition fee collection.