Alternative Population and Education Trajectories for Pakistan

Pakistan faces today high levels of population growth entailing a large population of schooling age, and low levels of economic development, with increasing spread of poverty and unemployment over the past few decades. While education has been emphasized by the government and international development agencies to play a central role for the successful development of Pakistan, progress realized at all levels have been meager and this for two main reasons: The investments in education have been too low and the schooling age population has been growing too fast. With 35 per cent of its population below age 15 in 2010, Pakistan was spending less than 3 per cent of its GNP on education. Consequently still 39 per cent of 15-24 year old Pakistani women were illiterate in 2008 and 21 per cent of men (UNESCO database). Still Pakistan is experiencing a decline in birth rates and population growth begins to level off as part of the demographic transition. The last Demographic and Health Survey of Pakistan conducted in 2006-2007 shows that highly educated women are at the forefront of the fertility decline with a total fertility rate (TFR) of 2.3 children -- close to replacement -- contrasting with the TFR of 4.8 for women with no education. The paper will explore through multi-state population projections by levels of educational attainment how the potential fertility and educational developments could impact on future population growth and on the human capital of the country to 2050. The next few decades will be crucial for Pakistan as the majority of its population will be of working age -- at present the median age in Pakistan in 21.7 years. The demographic bonus could however transform into demographic distress and social unrest if decision makers fail to improve education levels and to develop the economy to provide work opportunities for the coming generation of more educated male and female Pakistani. The objective of this paper is two folds: (a) To emphasize human capital development in Pakistan and changes in levels of educational attainment, especially of women and its impact on the demographic transition, and (b) to look at how women's education can influence fertility and limit population growth

Becoming women 'scientists’: negotiating gendered constructions of science at university in Rwanda

This study focuses on the experiences of young women pursuing careers in science disciplines at the University of Rwanda. It explores the gendered constructions of science and how young women negotiate these constructions to study science subjects at university. Traditionally, sciences are male-dominated subjects and continue to be an area where women are a minority. This thesis argues that the underrepresentation of women in science disciplines within higher education from the Rwandan context is largely due to the social roles expected of women as mothers and caretakers, which has led to them being less likely to take a science degree. Although studies on the underrepresentation of women in science have proliferated, there is still inadequate research on women’s experiences of the lives they encounter while studying science subjects at university. Moreover, an investigation of these experiences leads to an understanding of the gendered construction of these subjects from within the Rwandan context. By employing a qualitative research methodology underlined with a feminist and case study approach, the study explores the experiences of women pursuing careers in science subjects. The researcher shares the experiences of these young women using research tools including interviews, reflective diaries and analysis of documents. As this study demonstrates, an individual’s family background, domestic roles, community expectations and schooling experiences at primary school, secondary school and university, among other factors, have a significant influence on young women’s decisions to study science disciplines at university. Moreover, instead of the young women continuing to see themselves as people who are unfit to study the subjects that tend to be constructed in masculine terms, the young women included in this research have pursued careers in science and subverted these constructions. This thesis also argues that the policy adopted by the post- genocide government to encourage the recruitment of women in positions of power has played a role in motivating young women to reconceptualise themselves and engage with roles for which they would previously have been considered incapable of. This study may act as a springboard for similar studies elsewhere in terms of investigating conditions under which women study traditionally male-dominated subjects. Furthermore, this study can offer insights on how the Government of Rwanda could pursue issues of affirmative action, to enable more young women to enroll on science degrees at tertiary education level

Computerized reading assessment using the star reading software

This thesis focused on the use of a computerized reading assessment program called Star Reading. Reading has been one of the most difficult areas across the curriculum to assess. Reading asssessment differs widely from teacher to teacher, and has traditionally been very subjective

Design attributes of educational computer software for optimising girls' participation in educational game playing

Recent research on girls in science education in Australian primary schools indicates a participation rate lower than that of boys. This inequality could lead subsequently to reduced opportunities for girls entering the workforce in their adult years. Many studies have attempted to reveal why this situation has arisen and a variety of strategies for increasing girls' participation has been suggested. A relatively new strategy that does not appear frequently in the research literature is the use of educational computer game software. An important question arises: does the game software used in primary school science education reflect design attributes favoured by boys and, if so, do these attributes actively discourage girls' participation by making them feel uncomfortable or stressed? My case study was designed to identify design features of computer games that girls prefer so that these features can be included in educational computer game software designed for science education, as well as the other Key Learning Areas. Through interviews, surveys and observations my interpretive study obtained the opinions and views of over 200 children in two suburban Australian primary schools in which I work as a teacher-librarian. In this role I purchase educational computer games and organize special classes for students to play them. From my analysis of the data I make recommendations that reflect girls' preferred design attributes for educational computer games. I also generate a checklist of criteria from my interpretations that may result in the purchase of software that could not only enhance girls' participation and success in primary school science, the curriculum area of greatest personal interest to me, but also in other Key Learning Areas of primary education.

IMPACT OF A VIRTUAL ZOO ON THE LEARNING AND EFFECTIVENESS MOTIVATION OF CHILDREN WITH READING DIFFICULTIES IN THE INITIAL PHASE OF LITERACY

In this paper, it was verified the effectiveness of a virtual zoo in the learning (reading) process of children in the initial phase of literacy. Pre- and post-test were applied using a synthetic didactic material, in which the linguistic capacity of letter recognition is considered. The pre-test was performed by 74 children between seven and nine years old, 37 girls and 37 boys. Twenty of these children, 12 girls and 8 boys, showed reading difficulties. These children performed the post-test after using the virtual zoo. They were separated into two groups, experimental (GE) and control (GC), with GE performing all phases of the virtual zoo (being, word recognition, syllables and letters of the alphabet), while CG used only the letter recognition. The number of attempts was recorded. The T-Student statistical test showed that the virtual zoo provided a significant improvement (bilateral p ≤0.05) in the post-test in relation to the pre-test. During the intervention with the virtual zoo, aspects of children’s motivation / playfulness and behavior were also evaluated. The results showed that the implemented characteristics acted significantly different in the motivation of girls and boys.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Mathematics, technology, and gender: Closing gender differences with a high school web site

This project focuses on using technology to help motivate young females to make use of a high school web site to lesson anxieties and increase interest in mathematics and the use of technology. Additionally, it acts as a model to create an educational web site that brings about better communication within a community

Online Safety in the Pacific: A Report on a Living Lab in Kiribati, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands

With cable internet systems rolling out across the Pacific, access to affordable and fast digital connectivity in the region is set to rapidly expand, opening up unprecedented opportunities for children but also potentially exposing them to new risks of harm. Child online safety in the Pacific region thus stands at a critical juncture. However, there is very little rigorous and reliable evidence to guide policy and decision making in relation to children’s digital practices and online safety This report presents the key findings of research undertaken to map the challenges and opportunities that technology presents for children in the Solomon Islands, Kiribati and Papua New Guinea. The project deployed a qualitative, participatory research methodology developed by the Young and Resilient Research Centre and previously deployed in over 70 countries. From December 2019 to March 2020, the Young and Resilient Research Centre at Western Sydney University, ChildFund Australia and Plan International Australia conducted half-day creative workshops conducted separately with 96 children aged 10-18; 58 parents and carers; and 50 representatives of government departments, local and international NGOs, schools, police, telecommunications companies, religious organisations and community leaders. Workshop activities explored key themes relating to each group’s perceptions and experiences of children’s digital media use and online safety, with the overall aim of generating an evidence base for ChildFund Australia’s and Plan International Australia’s future child protection programming in the Pacific region. Activities included writing, discussion, polls, and arts-based tools. Participants were engaged individually, in small groups, and as a whole group. Overall, despite different cultural practices and contexts at play in the three countries that participated in the study, across the sample, there were remarkable similarities in children’s, parents’/carers’ and other adult stakeholders’ experiences of navigating online safety issues for and with children