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Descriptors:
Instructional Materials; Kindergarten; Ethnography; Foreign Countries; Educational Change; Early Childhood Education; Local Government; Young Children; Qualitative Research; Rural Areas; Educational History; Educational Policy; Mentors; Faculty Development; Social Change; Economic Change; Interviews; Teacher Attitudes; Administrator Attitudes

Abstract:
By far, literature regarding Chinese early childhood education and care (ECEC) has primarily focused on Youeryuan in urban settings. Youeryuan is the everyday Chinese term used for ECEC programs serving children ages three to six, which does include the U.S. version of the kindergarten year. This paper will refer to Youeryuan rather than the Western definitions of preschool or kindergarten so as to maintain authenticity. Furthermore, this paper will focus on the history and development of rural Youeryuan based on a qualitative study of the government-owned, privately operated Youeryuan that represent the current reform initiatives in early childhood in China. Through teacher and administrator interviews, onsite observations using ECERS-R, and school documents, the lead author immersed herself in rural Youeryuan as part of a larger ethnographic study in China in the midst of economic and educational transformations. The findings of this study revealed themes related to increased government investment, improved school policies, the lack of instructional materials, curriculum and instruction issues, local government support for professional development, administrative support for instruction, and the need for mentoring for teachers. (Contains 1 table.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Educational Change; Grammar; Models; Language Usage; Pragmatics; Language Research; Language Classification; Discourse Analysis; Context Effect

Abstract:
The Functional Discourse Grammar model has a twofold objective: on the one hand, to provide a descriptively, psychologically and pragmatically adequate account of the forms made available by a typologically diverse range of languages; and on the other, to provide a model of language which is set up to reflect, at one remove, certain of the stages the analyst assumes the speaker would go through in producing such forms, in terms of the types of discourse acts that may be performed in so doing. The article argues that these goals do not sit easily the one with the other. In practice, the whole emphasis of the levels, components and modules provided by the grammar is designed to achieve only the first of the two objectives. The Contextual component is restricted to representing only those aspects of the context of a given utterance which have a systematic influence on the form of that utterance. So in practice, the analytic approximation to the speaker's performance of discourse act types is far removed from the complexity of the contextual factors which impinge on his or her actual utterance acts in some specific context. The problem is compounded by the lack of any systematic differentiation between considerations relating to the language system, and those having to do with the use of that system in some context. The need to provide for such a distinction is motivated here by a consideration of various types of indexical reference (specifically, "anadeixis" and anaphora) within a discourse. Here an important distinction is made between the nature of the indexical referring procedure being applied, and the particular expression types being used to carry it out. "In fine", the article argues that it is only by attempting to subsume the grammatical apparatus of the modular FDG system within a model of the wider utterance context in which it may be used by a speaker, that the problems raised earlier may be satisfactorily resolved. (Contains 2 figures.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Foreign Countries; Developing Nations; Profiles; Human Resources; Capacity Building; Principals; Elementary Schools; Secondary Schools; Educational Change; Instructional Leadership; Educational Legislation; School Administration; Program Implementation; Program Effectiveness; Rating Scales

Abstract:
In 1999 Thailand passed an ambitious national educational law that paved the way for major reforms in teaching, learning and school management. Despite the ambitious vision of reform embedded in this law, recent studies suggest that implementation progress has been slow, uneven, and lacking deep penetration onto classrooms. Carried out ten years after the launch of the reform law, the current research sought to expand on these earlier studies by examining the capacity of Thailand's principals to lead reforms in teaching and learning. The study developed a national profile of principal instructional leadership using a Thai Form of the "Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale" (Hallinger, 1994). The overall profile of 1195 primary and secondary school principals suggested a moderate level of engagement in two dimensions ("Creating a School Mission and Developing a Positive School Learning Climate") and a lower level of activity on the dimension, "Managing the Instructional Program". The results provide preliminary evidence which suggests that a more systematic human resource strategy is needed in order to ensure that Thailand's key school leaders have the knowledge, skills and motivation needed to support changes in teaching and learning envisioned in the nation's education reforms. (Contains 3 tables and 2 figures.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Educational Policy; Foreign Countries; National Security; Ideology; Educational Change; Political Influences; Economic Factors; Educational Legislation

Abstract:
The aim of this article is to analyse and show in detail the influence of the National Security and Development Doctrine, the main ideological prop of the 1964 civilian-military coup, on the education policy implemented by the regime. Special attention is given to the MEC-USAID agreements, the setting up of the Meira Matos Commission and the reform of elementary, middle and high school education, which was put into effect by the enactment of Law 5692/1971. It purports to show that their overriding purpose was to adapt the education system to the economic and political model in place at that time, so as to transform it into a tool for the promotion of national security and development as perceived by that doctrine. The article concludes that the changes that took place in Brazilian education can only be fully comprehended in the light of their interaction with the processes that fostered the manifestation of the National Security ideology in Latin America as a whole and Brazil in particular. (Contains 90 footnotes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Student Attitudes; Foreign Countries; War; Educational Change; Political Power; Educational History; Advantaged; Power Structure; Politics of Education; Social Class; Futures (of Society)

Abstract:
In this article, I reopen some of the seminal theoretical debates among critical scholars on the nature of educational reform, arguing that there has been a consistent tendency in the literature to dismiss or downplay the significance of "instrumentalist" analyses in favour of cultural/hegemonic and structuralist explanations. As a result, education scholars who advance the instrumentalist emphasis on elite intervention in the policy process and the importance of organised class action have often been dismissed as one-dimensional and conspiratorial. To support this argument--and, by extension, those made by instrumentalist theorists--I bring together historical evidence from Canada and the United States in three historical periods: the mid-nineteenth century, the early twentieth century and post-Second World War. In each of these historical periods, I demonstrate how the structure and purpose of educational institutions were modified largely at the behest of economic elites (closely associated with political power and the professional educational establishment) in order to shape and implement a particular model of educational reform. Central to my argument is that powerful economic actors have always recognised the political nature of schooling and that elite class consciousness is and has been well-developed with respect to educational issues. The concluding section outlines the implications of my arguments for the future of educational reform. (Contains 100 footnotes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Foreign Countries; Learning Experience; Social Work; Educational Change; Poverty; Socioeconomic Status; Comparative Analysis; Disadvantaged Youth; Case Studies; Underachievement; Assignments; College Preparation; Articulation (Education); Social Differences; Cultural Background

Abstract:
The state of tertiary education in South Africa is not adequately meeting the needs of its populace. The system in place does not effectively nor appropriately target the racial group of students which forms the democratic majority. This paper portrays the reasons why these students are not succeeding on the basis of a mismatch between their preparation at secondary level and their required or perceived level at a tertiary standard. This lack of responsiveness and adaptiveness shown by the pedagogical system to the effects of poverty and disadvantage on youth entering the tertiary system indicates a potential unintended bias towards students of higher socio-economic standing. This is demonstrated through a case example of social work students underperforming on a written assignment at the University of the Western Cape in South Africa. The article further contrasts the similarity and important differences between the American and the South African socio-educational contexts to illustrate the differences in approach needed within the South African example in order to examine American methods in dealing with similar problems when facing the integration and incorporation of students from differing backgrounds. It discusses the appropriateness of these methods in a South African context, as well as in the universal context of a local population. (Contains 2 tables and 2 notes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Higher Education; Community Education; Vocational Education; Foreign Countries; Criticism; Community Colleges; Institutional Mission; Comparative Education; Colleges; Case Studies; Economic Development; Educational Change

Abstract:
Long seen as adaptive, responsive, and flexible higher education institutions in the face of educational, economic, and social changes, the American community college model has been adapted in many parts of the world. However, the extent to which the American community college model could be successfully adapted and implemented depends on the political, educational, and socioeconomic contexts of each country. Therefore, to better understand how the American community college model has been adapted by other countries requires critical analysis of these systems case by case. This article aims to critically analyze how American community college models are adapted in other countries, particularly focusing on the systems in Taiwan and Turkey. The article starts with a literature review on the community college systems around the world and the accompanying challenges that these countries face in the adaptation process. Before presenting the Taiwanese and Turkish community college models in detail, their American counterparts are introduced to provide a theoretical/conceptual context for understanding international case studies. This article concludes with discussions on the commonality and differences of this form of higher education in Taiwan and Turkey and highlights emerging themes that draw attention to community college researchers, practitioners, and policy makers. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Psychological Patterns; Ethnography; Foreign Countries; Educational Change; Ideology; Religious Cultural Groups; Interaction; Group Dynamics; Role; Social Psychology

Abstract:
Based on an interactionist framework, this article examines how followers of a contemporary Chinese religious movement, Falun Gong, deal with a crisis situation and sustain their conviction in the absence of their charismatic leader. Data were collected during a yearlong ethnography of the Falun Gong in Chicago and Hong Kong. The findings reveal that followers experienced cognitive dissonance as a result of the Chinese authorities' suppression and their leader's disappearance. To cope with the external and internal threats, they engaged in frequent collective actions and discourses. These collective exercises allowed them to act out their shared ideology, reaffirm their ideological mentality, and activate their ideological passion. Through interaction and collective interpretation, followers not only reconstructed meanings out of the confusion, they also romanticized the charisma of their missing leader. This article asserts the critical role of doing ideology in sustaining a movement and integrates an interactionist, social psychological approach into the literature of social movements. (Contains 12 footnotes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Leadership; Foreign Countries; Disadvantaged Environment; Educational Change; Young Adults; Poverty; Children; Economic Climate; Case Studies; Secondary Schools; Intervention; Dropouts

Abstract:
The contemporary attempts to tackle poverty and child poverty in the United Kingdom have been seriously hindered by the effects of the economic crisis (Hirsch, 2008a; Mooney, 2011). The prevailing discourses of the recession and intergenerational poverty can lead to a view that the effects of child poverty and the consequent detrimental impact on school education and future prospects for some young people are intractable (Sinclair & McKendrick, 2009). There can be insufficient emphasis on the successful attempts, however fragile, to intervene in the cycle of deprivation. This article reports on research conducted in two contrasting groups of secondary schools in the city of Glasgow, located in areas of deprivation, as they work to secure initial positive school leaver destinations for young people. This small-scale case study highlights the importance of a strong leadership vision committed to initial positive school leaver destinations, but complemented by distributed leadership and support from external partners to enable sustained successes. It also highlights the importance of individual attention to all young people to support and motivate them and the effectiveness of intervention at an early stage. (Contains 3 tables and 10 notes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Social Justice; Children; Foreign Countries; Creativity; Student Diversity; Educational Policy; Inclusion; Professional Development; Innovation; Cooperation; Educational Change

Abstract:
This article connects arguments in the field of integrated and multi-professional working concerning the need to promote a strengths-based approach to children, childhood and children's services with writing about creativity in schooling. It utilizes strength-based and social justice approaches to encourage professionals who work with children and families to recognize the diversity of childhood and support children and families to collaboratively, creatively and flexibly develop solutions to their own life issues and their learning. It questions the extent to which schools are ready to be places that enable collaborative dialogue and considers whether targets and tests lead schools to stifle creativity. It draws from the CREANOVA project funded by the European Commission's Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) to demonstrate the quantitative basis for the argument that flexibility stimulates creativity, and demonstrates that creativity flourishes in environments that value autonomy, openness, supportive structures and collaborative relationships. This finding enables the article to conclude that a culture shift can be achieved that stimulates creativity and innovation in childhood if organizations recognize the abilities of children to stimulate each other's creativity, support children's freedom to learn collaboratively and challenge barriers to learning such as targets and top-down performance indicators. (Contains 3 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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