52,012 research outputs found

    Digital learning resources and ubiquitous technologies in education

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    This research explores the educators' attitudes and perceptions about their utilisation of digital learning technologies. The methodology integrates measures from ‘the pace of technological innovativeness’ and the ‘technology acceptance model’ to understand the rationale for further ICT investment in compulsory education. A quantitative study was carried out amongst two hundred forty-one educators in Malta. It has investigated the costs and benefits of using digital learning resources in schools from the educator’s perspective. Principal component analysis has indicated that the educators were committed to using digital technologies. In addition, a step-wise regression analysis has shown that the younger teachers were increasingly engaging in digital learning resources. Following this study’s empirical findings educational stakeholders are better informed about how innovative technologies can support our students. In conclusion, this paper puts forward key implications and recommendations for regulatory authorities and policy makers for better curricula and educational outcomes.peer-reviewe

    Educational Technologies. Analysis of Master dissertations carried out in Portugal

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    Acknowledging the importance scientific research may have in terms of the foundation, orientation and evaluation of the use of technologies in an educational context, it is only natural that there should also be greater knowledge on the research carried out in this particular field. This is what we set out to achieve in a recent conference held in Portugal on the theme Research in Education (1). Using the theme of the conference itself – Research in Education between 1960 and 2005 – as our basis, we decided to focus on what has actually been the object of research in our country within the framework of Educational Technology. We realised, at a very early stage, that there were hardly any studies in this field before Portuguese universities took on a more active role, nor in the field of educational technologies, particularly after the appearance of the first Masters courses at the University of Minho in 1987. Even though we are not aware of any in-depth study to characterise scientific research developed in Portugal in this area, several Portuguese authors have referred to this issue in some way or another (Abrantes, 1981, 1998; Blanco & Silva, 1993; Caldas, 2001; Fernandes, 1969;Ponte, 1994; Silva, 2000). On the other hand, since we have stated that a considerable part of research, in this particular field, focuses precisely on this academic qualification, we have decided to construct our analysis around this aspect. Therefore, in this article we present the result of the studies on Masters dissertations carried out in Portugal, with a view to furthering understanding of the studied themes, their theoretical and methodological frameworks, and to finding out where they are carried out, who does the research, what the collection techniques are and the type of data analysis used, just to mention some of the aspects around which our analysis is centred. This is an exploratory analysis within a restricted context, however, we hope that it may contribute to the acquisition of more profound knowledge regarding research practices in this specific field of Educational Sciences in Portugal

    Teaching and learning science in Palestine : dealing with the new Palestinian science curriculum

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    Since the establishment of the Palestinian Curriculum Development Centre in 1995 and the development of the First Palestinian Curriculum Plan in 1996, the Ministry of Education has introduced, for the first time in Palestinian history, textbooks for grades one, two, six, and seven. The need for a comprehensive evaluation process for these new curricula has been highlighted by many Palestinian intellectuals, thus questioning the efficacy of the technical approach followed by the Ministry of Education. In the first section, the paper briefly outlines, the specific challenges and tensions in teaching and learning science in the new Palestinian curriculum. I examine the complex history of science education in Palestine during the Israeli occupation and illustrate how the occupation has contributed to the above challenges and tensions. In the second section, the paper discusses the vision adopted by the Al-Qattan Centre for Educational Research and Development (QCERD) which takes an approach to curriculum evaluation and research from socio-cultural perspectives. This vision views the science curriculum as process and praxis, and focuses on what occurs in Palestinian science classrooms. It involves working directly with science teachers at the preservice and in-service levels, in order to encourage reflection, dialogue and critical inquiry. In the third section, the paper presents the results of ongoing research projects carried out by QCERD concerning curriculum evaluation. Taking the Palestinian school as a unit of analysis, and the science classroom as a laboratory in which each teacher is a researcher, educational theories are translated into a hypothesis that is testable in practice, and the science curriculum is developed and evaluated through a dynamic interaction of action and reflection. Additionally, the paper focuses on how science teachers mediate the overt science curriculum as well as the hidden curriculum, which is embedded in the daily interactions and regulations of school life. I argue that the science curriculum transmits authoritarian knowledge and values by placing the teacher at the center of the educational process, and by neglecting competencies that are necessary for democratic practices in the classroom. The paper concludes by offering a set of concrete policy recommendations about the importance of involving teachers in the process of curriculum evaluation in a way which empowers them as practitioners to reflect on the norms and values that are being presented in the science curriculum and the Palestinian curriculum as a whole.peer-reviewe

    English language in rural Malaysia: situating global literacies in local practices

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    This paper claims that underlying the naturalisation of teaching and learning of English in the Malaysian education system are ideological pressures and political dogmas, often emerging from colonial, urban/rural and even local ethnic conflicts and hierarchies. It suggests therein lie the inherent difficulties of teaching and learning English in rural communities in Malaysia. Three paradigms frame this view in the paper: the overarching view of literacy as a situated and variable social process; the use of an ethnographic perspective in investigating English language and literacy education in Malaysia; the stance on the need for Malaysians to acquire English as an additive rather than as a deficit philosophy

    Mission statements: site of social and ideological action /

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    Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro de Comunicação e ExpressĂŁo.Este estudo Ă© uma amostra de investigação de gĂȘnero como prĂĄtica social. Teoricamente, baseia-se na anĂĄlise tridimensional de um evento discursivo: o texto, a prĂĄtica discursiva e a prĂĄtica social (Fairclough, 1994). O objetivo deste estudo Ă© discutir como as MissĂ”es sĂŁo usadas pelas organizaçÔes ou instituiçÔes para estabelecer suas metas e planos estratĂ©gicos. A articulação destas metas e planos orienta as experiĂȘncias dos participantes e estabelece papĂ©is sociais. Desta forma, as MissĂ”es agem como portadoras de ideologias articuladas atravĂ©s de prĂĄticas discursivas nas quais conceitos e valores sĂŁo compartilhados entre os participantes, refletindo e moldando as diferentes identidades sociais contemporĂąneas. AtravĂ©s de uma anĂĄlise lingĂŒĂ­stica e crĂ­tica das MissĂ”es de Escolas de LĂ­nguas, pretendo enfocar questĂ”es sĂłcio-polĂ­ticas relacionadas Ă s filosofias do Ensino de LĂ­nguas Estrangeiras como, por exemplo, a hipĂłtese de que muitos discursos vinculados Ă  globalização tĂȘm facilitado a expansĂŁo da lĂ­ngua inglesa e, esta expansĂŁo por sua vĂȘz, tem facilitado a proliferação desses discursos (Pennycook, 1994). Portanto, alĂ©m de mostrar evidĂȘncias de que as MissĂ”es sĂŁo um 'site' de ação social e ideolĂłgica, este estudo tambĂ©m pretende intensificar a reflexĂŁo e conscientização dos professores de lĂ­nguas estrangeiras do modo como aspectos ideolĂłgicos ligados a valores sĂłcio-econĂŽmicos sĂŁo naturalmente articulados atravĂ©s da linguagem, particularmente atravĂ©s de gĂȘneros textuais, dentro de contextos especĂ­ficos

    Reflective, Humanistic, Effective Teacher Education: Do Principles Supported in the Deans’ Accord Make a Difference in Program Outcomes?

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    This study examines two Canadian teacher education programs in relation to reflec‐ tion‐based principles identified in the Association of Canadian Deans of Education’s Accord on Initial Teacher Education. In one program, data analysis indicated a strong link between the practice and beliefs of pre‐service teachers: they became more hu‐ manistic and their practices were more authentic. In the other program, the relation‐ ship between practice and beliefs was weak; practice tended to become more imita‐ tive of custodial mentor teachers, more accurately described as inauthentic. The study concludes that when reflection‐enhancing practices are prominent, teacher education programs more likely generate humanistic and authentic effective out‐ comes consistent with reflection‐based Accord principles. Key Words: beliefs about education, authentic practice, pupil control ideologies, educational effectiveness paradigms, reflective practice. Dans cet article, les auteurs analysent deux programmes de formation Ă  l’enseignement canadiens en lien avec les principes – axĂ©s sur la rĂ©flexion – mis de l’avant dans l’Accord sur la formation initiale Ă  l’enseignement de l’Association canadien‐ ne des doyens et des doyennes d’éducation. Pour l’un des programmes, l’analyse des donnĂ©es indique un lien Ă©troit entre la pratique et les croyances des futurs ensei‐ gnants, leur approche devenant plus humaniste et leurs pratiques Ă©tant plus authen‐ tiques. Pour l’autre programme, la relation entre la pratique et les croyances Ă©tait tĂ©nue ; leur pratique avait tendance Ă  imiter davantage les mentors et pourrait ĂȘtre dĂ©crite comme inauthentique. Les auteurs en concluent que lorsque des pratiques favorisant la rĂ©flexion jouent un rĂŽle important, les programmes de formation Ă  l’enseignement sont plus susceptibles de donner des rĂ©sultats humanistes et authenti‐ ques et ce, dans la logique des principes de l’Accord axĂ©s sur la rĂ©flexion.Mots clĂ©s : croyances au sujet de l’éducation, pratique authentique, idĂ©ologies quant au contrĂŽle des Ă©lĂšves, paradigme en matiĂšre d’efficacitĂ© pĂ©dagogique, pratique ré‐ flexive.

    Values in Science and in Science Education

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    Invited Key-note speaker ConferenceInternational audienceWe call values that which founds a judgment (good or bad, important or not, right or wrong, true or false, beautiful or ugly, expensive or cheap, ...). After giving some definitions, this paper analyzes the values that are identifiable inside science, and then inside science education. The value of science comes from its economical and political importance, but science seeks the truth by observing important values: a scientist must be honest, modest, always critical, rejecting any dogmatism and any fraud, but also creative, imaginative and able to work collectively. Nevertheless, a scientist is a human being with emotions and ideologies often interfering with his/her work and results. Some examples are discussed. Science must be separated from religion but the values of science and those of ethics overlap (bio-ethics, citizen values). UNESCO promotes Education for All, even if there are still important inequalities among countries. The values of science education are analyzed, and developed furtheron the example of ESD (Education for a Sustainable Development). They are then analyzed in some images of science textbooks, showing implicit ideologies linked to the scientific messages. They are also identified through different pedagogical styles. The analysis of teachers' conceptions, through an international survey covering more than 8 000 teachers, reveals deep differences among countries, as well as opposite systems of values, in interaction with social practices and actual or out-dated scientific knowledge, illustrating the KVP model as is also the case throughout this paper

    Teacher education in the UK in an era of performance management

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    In common with all education systems world wide, those of the United Kingdom have been subject to rapid change and development in recent years. Much of the management of this change has been supported by methods, including performance management of individuals, borrowed from industrial or commercial spheres of activity (Peters et al, 1999). This has led to a redefinition of concepts of teacher professionalism. In the two principal UK systems - those of England (often itself referred to as the UK system) and Scotland - there have been different emphases in terms of managing and developing the profession, although concerns of staff development and professional accountability are encapsulated in both. In this paper we argue, firstly, that staff development - of whatever variety - has to result in better learning for young people within schools. Secondly, we assert that the construction of teacher professionalism is a contested area in the UK, both in terms of initial teacher education and in terms of continuing professional development and that there has to be a recognition of this debate. Ultimately, however, both sides need to come together to create systems which support and develop pupil learning

    Modelling the intention to use technology for teaching mathematics among pre-service teachers in Serbia

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    This study aims to examine the variables that influence Serbian pre-service teachers’ intention to use technology to teach mathematics. Using the technology acceptance model (TAM) as the framework, we developed a research model to include subjective norm, knowledge of mathematics, and facilitating conditions as external variables to the TAM. In addition, we investigated the influence of gender and age on the behavioural intention to use technology. With data gathered from 313 participants using a survey questionnaire, structural equation modelling (SEM) analysis revealed that the proposed model in this study has a good fit and accounted for 5.4% of the variance in the behavioural intention to use technology. Pre-service teachers’ attitudes towards computers were found to be the only factor with direct influence on the intention to use technology. All other factors were found to have an indirect influence. Using multiple indicators, multiple causes (MIMIC) modelling, pre-service teachers’ intention to use technology was not found to be significantly different by age and gender. Various contributions to research and implications for teacher training are discussed
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