School Stakeholders' Experience with Navigating ICT Policy Reforms in Singapore

Using qualitative research inquiry methods, this inquiry attempts to explore how school stakeholders cope with incessant and seemingly endless transformations in schools. The central phenomenon to be studied focuses on how school stakeholders “make sense” of educational reform. In order to do this, an exploratory case study of two target schools taking part in policy reform initiatives directed at ubiquitous use of Information Communication and Technology (ICT) in a Singapore context would be the locus of this inquiry. Using Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), interviews, and observations this inquiry investigates and builds emerging explanations to sense-making experiences of stakeholders. Policy learning narratives of actors involved in the ICT-education reforms would be analysed using the lens of Actor-Network Theory (ANT). Findings from this exploratory inquiry provide insights to ongoing debates on policy learning experiences of school stakeholders in periods of uncertainty

Investigando narrativas de docentes en formación sobre política lingüística e identidad durante su práctica

ABSTRACT: This narrative inquiry aims to unveil the incorporation of policy agency within the construction of teacher identity of pre-service teachers in their academic practicums. Drawing on a critical-sociocultural approach to narrative inquiry, language policy, and teacher identity, the narratives of five students of an English teaching program in Medellín, Colombia, were examined. Their reflections and decision making on foreign language policies regulating their pedagogical practices at various schools show their social and critical awareness. Teaching represents a high moral load for them as they embrace a humanistic perspective. However, their narratives also pose challenges to language teaching programs in helping pre-service teachers to build micropolitical agency supported on solid theoretical knowledge to participate in policymaking. On the one hand, their narrations of the policy appropriation process they undertook show their frustration and disappointment in trying to participate when policy structures and other policy arbiters were close to them. On the other hand, when policy structures and arbiters openly allowed their policy participation, their actions and reflections focused on methodological concerns but rarely addressed social or critical awareness regarding curriculum design and development. Therefore, supporting pre-service teachers in strengthening their identities with solid theoretical constructs should be a priority because they will build micropolitical agency to overcome political tensions and negotiate their policy participation.RESUMEN: Esta investigación narrativa tiene como objetivo develar la incorporación de la agencia política dentro de la construcción de identidad docente de los docentes en formación en sus prácticas académicas. Partiendo de un enfoque crítico-sociocultural de investigación narrativa, política lingüística e identidad del maestro, se analizaron las narraciones de cinco estudiantes de una licenciatura en lenguas extranjeras con énfasis en inglés en Medellín. Sus reflexiones y decisiones sobre las políticas de lenguas extranjeras que regulan sus prácticas pedagógicas en varias escuelas muestran su conciencia social y crítica. La enseñanza representa una gran carga moral para ellos, pues adoptan una perspectiva humanista. Sin embargo, sus narrativas también plantean desafíos a los programas de enseñanza de idiomas al ayudar a los docentes en formación a construir una agencia micropolítica apoyada en conocimientos teóricos sólidos para participar en la creación de políticas. Por un lado, sus narraciones sobre el proceso de apropiación de políticas muestran su frustración y desilusión al intentar participar cuando las estructuras de políticas y otros árbitros de políticas se les cerraban. Por otro lado, cuando las estructuras políticas y los árbitros permitian abiertamente su participación política, sus acciones y reflexiones se centran en preocupaciones metodológicas, pero rara vez abordan la conciencia social o crítica con respecto al diseño y desarrollo del currículo. Por lo tanto, apoyar a los docentes en formación en el fortalecimiento de sus identidades con construcciones teóricas sólidas debería ser una prioridad porque construirán una agencia micropolítica para superar las tensiones políticas y negociar su participación política

Education policy: process, themes and impact

Education policy is high on the agenda of governments across the world as global pressures focus increasing attention on the outcomes of education policy and on the implications for economic prosperity and social citizenship. However, there is often an underdeveloped understanding of how education policy is formed, what drives it and how it impacts on schools and colleges. Education Policy: Process, Themes and Impact makes these connections and links them to the wider challenges of educational leadership in a contemporary context

Decolonising globalised curriculum landscapes: The identity and agency of academics

This article explores how academics in a higher education institution (HEI) make sense of the challenges that they encounter in a neoliberal context typified by an increasingly globalised curriculum landscape. Two key questions are explored: What are the contours of the shifting boundaries which define the ‘global curriculum’ in HEI contexts? How do academics navigate and make sense of this fluidity in an uncertain and disputed landscape? Using reflections on practice emanating from the redesign of educational courses to respond to a rapidly changing student cohort, this inquiry takes an auto-ethnographic approach, offering the perspectives of five academic staff from a UK-based HEI through the lens of their lived experiences, and acknowledging the emerging shifts in identities that they experience and the need to confront tensions in this curriculum space. We conclude that our own scrutiny of, and critical reflections on, our identity and positionality as teachers and education practitioners represent a form of decoloniality, enabling us to find ways to share what we know without excluding knowledge outside it and to welcome contributions and possibilities beyond our own experiences. In terms of how we should act, we recognise that it must be through a dialectic that does not seek cultural supremacy or sovereignty

Transforming Education in Indonesia: The Impact and Challenges of the Merdeka Belajar Curriculum

The "Merdeka Belajar" initiative, introduced by Indonesia's Ministry of Education, represents a significant shift towards a student-centred learning approach. This manuscript aims to analyse the development, implementation, and outcomes of the Merdeka Belajar curriculum. The objectives are to evaluate the curriculum's impact on fostering critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills among students and to identify the challenges faced during its implementation. The methodology involves a comprehensive literature review and content analysis, drawing on existing research and policy documents to provide a detailed overview of the curriculum's principles and pedagogical foundations. The results indicate that the Merdeka Belajar curriculum has positively influenced students' engagement and learning outcomes by promoting autonomy and integrating 21st-century skills. However, significant challenges persist, including logistical issues, teacher preparedness, and digital resource disparities. The findings suggest that while the curriculum has made strides in transforming Indonesian education, further efforts are needed to address these challenges. Recommendations include enhancing teacher training programs, improving infrastructure to support digital learning, and fostering greater collaboration between educational stakeholders. By addressing these areas, the Merdeka Belajar curriculum can more effectively achieve its goal of preparing students for the demands of the modern world

Print media coverage of digital land registration in Kenya: A case of daily nation and standard newspapers.

Kenya\u27s nascent digital land registration system has already captured the attention of the nation\u27s print media. This study investigated how two prominent newspapers, The Daily Nation and The Standard, framed and presented this complex issue, potentially shaping public perception and influencing policy decisions. Key findings reveal a contrasting media landscape. While existing research explored media coverage of digital land registration elsewhere, understanding its portrayal within Kenya remained a critical gap. Anchored in Framing Theory and agenda-setting Theory, the study employed a strategic selection approach where months were strategically chosen based on their significance or key events because of the buildup of the coverage of the articles related to digital land registration after and before the piloting into 66 land registries and during the launch of digital land registration. The researcher used directed quantitative content analysis of articles from these newspapers published over a specific period,, between January 2018 and June 2021. Utilizing a structured code sheet, the analysis delved into the prominence, overall tone, frame messages, and utilized sources of coverage. This systematic examination illuminated the newspapers\u27 distinct framing strategies and their potential impact on shaping public opinion and policy decisions concerning digital land registration in Kenya. The Daily Nation exhibited a more optimistic tone, highlighting potential societal advancement and individual empowerment while acknowledging challenges through a neutral lens. This framing suggests an effort to sell the benefits and build trust. The Standard, however, adopted a more critical approach, raising concerns and potential downsides. This framing reflects a watchdog role, holding the initiative accountable and encouraging public scrutiny. These contrasting narratives hold significant weight. The Daily Nation\u27s optimism could sway readers towards acceptance and support, while The Standard\u27s critical lens encourages scrutiny and potentially fuels anxieties. Understanding these media dynamics is crucial for navigating the complex relationship between media, public perception, and, ultimately, the success of this transformative policy shift

Muslim Youth Experiences in South Florida Communities

Peace education scholars and practitioners continue to call for the centering of the voices and lived experiences of marginalized students (Bajaj, Ghaffar-Kucker and Desai, 2016). Situated in this urgent tradition, this presentation presents data from focus groups with young Muslim community members in S. Florida in the post-9/11 era. As a religious and ethnic minority group in South Florida, Muslim students would seem to be uniquely vulnerable in this time of rising xenophobia and Islamophobia. This particular study builds on the researcher’s prior work regarding the “school to terror pipeline” impacting France’s Muslim students (Duckworth 2016), and how teachers approach teaching about the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 (Duckworth 2014).The study’s key methodology is qualitative focus groups, as they are especially well suited to eliciting data on group processes and dynamics, shared narratives and individual narratives (Cooper and Finley, 2014). Our focus groups explore youth experiences within schools of course, but also within the community at large. Neither schools nor students exist in a vacuum. We consider some of the following questions. How do local Muslim youth (defined here as 13-18 or so) perceive their schools, communities and world? What challenges, if any, do they feel they face particular to their identity as young Muslims, especially given the narrative and structural violence of the recent 2016 US election? If they perceive themselves as well integrated and valued as community members, can we determine what school and community leaders may be doing well?While situated within the broad, overall project of peace education to advance inclusion of marginalized and vulnerable students, the study also addresses the urgency of this particular moment in US history. For example, we know from local reporting and from the Southern Poverty Law Center that hate crimes against Muslim students (as well as black students, Jewish students and immigrants) have spiked (Sayre, 2017) and that FL ranks second in the US in activity of hate groups (Bordas, 2017). How do young Muslims in south FL explain and understand this? How do they cope?Finally, the presentation will look to draw insights from the qualitative focus group data in terms of classroom peace building. What tools can peace education offer? What pedagogical strategies can we design to interrupt narrative violence and promote the inclusion and equality needed for a school and community culture of peace? I will develop observations and guidelines based on the data our focus groups elicit. The more clearly we understand these experiences and hear the voices of S. Florida’s Muslim students, the better peace educators will be able to respond