‘Soviet’ in teachers’ memories and professional beliefs in Kazakhstan: points for reflection for reformers, international consultants and practitioners

This paper is a part of a three-year study, ‘Internationalisation and reform of secondary schooling in Kazakhstan’, jointly conducted by an international team of UK- and Kazakhstan-based researchers in 2012–2014. The study was conceived as a mechanism to support education reform in the country. This was achieved through reconstructing the education policy narrative of the last two decades and understanding the effects of the newly established Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools and the Centres of Excellence in-service professional development programme on the larger system. While the focus of the study was on Kazakhstan’s educational present, the references to the previous system of education, which was often referred to as Soviet, traditional, but also successful, fundamental and the best in the world, were numerous. These continuous references to the past prompted the authors of this paper to address the questions: What memories and practices of Soviet education are still dominant in the field of education in Kazakhstan? How do these beliefs continue to shape educational debate in the country? In support of its argument, the paper draws on the literature on Soviet schooling and contemporary education reform, interview data with national and international teachers in Kazakhstan, and field observations. The resultant narrative, which brings together the analysis of educational change and changes in teachers’ beliefs, may appeal to many involved in the construction of the contemporary reform agenda

Governamentalidade como Ferramenta Conceitual na Pesquisa de Políticas Educacionais

Este artigo trata da governamentalidade, como ferramenta conceitual, na pesquisa em Ciências Humanas; particularmente, em estudos sobre políticas educacionais. Examinam-se as principais definições de governamentalidade apresentada por Foucault (1991). Argumento que a governamentalidade não constitui um enquadramento teórico fechado, mas é operacionalizada como ferramenta analítica genérica. A percepção “desigual” de governamentalidade nos estudos educacionais é discutida na segunda parte do ensaio. Há uma clara lacuna no estudo das políticas educacionais em contextos não-liberais na perspectiva da governamentalidade. Usando a pesquisa de Tikly (2003), aplico o conceito de “governamentalidade emergente” para uma compreensão da elaboração de políticas, como tecnologias de governo na Ucrânia pós-comunista. As possibilidades e limitações desta tentativa teórica são discutidas na parte final do ensaio

Testimonies of Syrian Academics Displaced Post 2011: Time, place and the agentic self

This article explores the experiences of protracted displacement in a group of 19 displaced Syrian academics now living in Turkey who are often referred to as the precariat that is, a group or collective of people who are living in conditions of high unpredictability, insecurity and uncertainty. As part of a small-scale collaborative professional enquiry , semi-structured interviews with these academics were conducted to understand the social, affective and professional experiences, needs and concerns of the academics during and after their forced displacement. The key concepts of precarity and crises of selfhood, alongside memory and testimony, inform the analysis. This article seeks to provide an account of this collective experience and its complex character and concludes with observations on how one might understand the constraints on professional agency and how might one support displaced academics in such contexts. Solidarity in exile and the development of political friendships are argued for as a principle to inform all work.CARA and Soros Foundatio

Self-Tracking, Governmentality, and Nursing and Midwifery Council's (2016) Revalidation Policy

In April 2016 the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) introduced a new revalidation continuous professional development (CPD) policy. This policy states that revalidation is the responsibility of nurses, and although employers are urged to support the revalidation process, the NMC clearly states that employers have no legal requirement to provide either time or funds for the CPD activities of nurses and midwives (NMC, 2014, 2016; Royal College of Nursing, 2016). The aim of this professional development policy is to ensure that nurses and midwives maintain their professional competency and to promote public safety and confidence in nurses and midwives. A closer look at the process of revalidation suggests that several measures have been introduced to ensure that nurses and midwives conform to the CPD policy, and this paper examines the influence of governmentality and neoliberalism on the NMC's self-tracking revalidation policy. It will be recommended that the responsibility for the revalidation process should be shared by nurses, midwives, and their employers, and that time and money should be allocated for the professional development of nurses and midwives

Sticking and tipping points: a case study of preschool education policy and practice in Astana, Kazakhstan

This article presents a case study exploring how national guidance for kindergartens in Kazakhstan was interpreted in practice. Document analysis of the State Education Standards of Preschool Upbringing and Education, together with stakeholder interviews and observations of six Astana kindergarten settings, illustrates how competing perspectives on preparing children for school can both promote and limit opportunities for child-led activity in early education. The article considers postcolonial and neocolonial pasts and their potential to influence the present, identifying potential sticking points that may limit change processes. The article suggests processes for building locally grounded praxis in order to create tipping points where child-initiated pedagogy could become a more frequent feature of practice

Governamentalidade como Ferramenta Conceitual na Pesquisa de Políticas Educacionais

Este artigo trata da governamentalidade, como ferramenta conceitual, na pesquisa em Ciências Humanas; particularmente, em estudos sobre políticas educacionais. Examinam-se as principais definições de governamentalidade apresentada por Foucault (1991). Argumento que a governamentalidade não constitui um enquadramento teórico fechado, mas é operacionalizada como ferramenta analítica genérica. A percepção “desigual” de governamentalidade nos estudos educacionais é discutida na segunda parte do ensaio. Há uma clara lacuna no estudo das políticas educacionais em contextos não-liberais na perspectiva da governamentalidade. Usando a pesquisa de Tikly (2003), aplico o conceito de “governamentalidade emergente” para uma compreensão da elaboração de políticas, como tecnologias de governo na Ucrânia pós-comunista. As possibilidades e limitações desta tentativa teórica são discutidas na parte final do ensaio

Principles and methods of economic diagnostics of regional market of consumer goods and services development

В даній статті досліджено методичні підходи до оцінки формування та функціонування регіонального ринку споживчих товарів та послуг, визначено ключові принципи та методи економічної діагностики даного ринку в регіоні. Виявлено перелік факторів, від яких залежить достовірність проведеної діагностики, і, відповідно, подальший розвиток регіонального ринку споживчих товарів. In this article investigational methodical going near the estimation of forming and functioning of regional market of consumer goods and services, certainly key principles and methods of economic diagnostics of this market in a region. Found out the list of factors, which authenticity of the conducted diagnostics, and, accordingly, subsequent regional market of consumer goods development, depends on

Governmentality as a Conceptual Tool in Education Policy Research

Este artigo trata da governamentalidade, como ferramenta conceitual, na pesquisa em Ciências Humanas; particularmente, em estudos sobre políticas educacionais. Examinam-se as principais definições de governamentalidade apresentada por Foucault (1991). Argumento que a governamentalidade não constitui um enquadramento teórico fechado, mas é operacionalizada como ferramenta analítica genérica. A percepção desigual de governamentalidade nos estudos educacionais é discutida na segunda parte do ensaio. Há uma clara lacuna no estudo das políticas educacionais em contextos não-liberais na perspectiva da governamentalidade. Usando a pesquisa de Tikly (2003), aplico o conceito de "governamentalidade emergente" para uma compreensão da elaboração de políticas, como tecnologias de governo na Ucrânia pós-comunista. As possibilidades e as limitações desta tentativa teórica são discutidas na parte final do ensaio.This paper analyses governmentality as a conceptual tool in social science research; in particular, in education policy studies. I examine the main definitions of governmentality put by Foucault (1991). I argue that governmentality does not constitute a closed theoretical framework, but rather is operationalised as a generic analytical tool. The uneven perception of governmentality in education studies is discussed in the second part of the paper. There is a clear gap in the studies of education policy in illiberal contexts through the perspective of governmentality. Taking Tikly’s (2003) research as a point of reference for my study in progress, I attempt to apply the concept of "emerging governmentality" to an understanding of policy-making, as technologies of government, in post-communist Ukraine. The possibilities and limitations of this theoretical endeavour are discussed in the final part of the paper

Governmentality as a Conceptual Tool in Education Policy Research

Este artigo trata da governamentalidade, como ferramenta conceitual, na pesquisa em Ciências Humanas; particularmente, em estudos sobre políticas educacionais. Examinam-se as principais definições de governamentalidade apresentada por Foucault (1991). Argumento que a governamentalidade não constitui um enquadramento teórico fechado, mas é operacionalizada como ferramenta analítica genérica. A percepção desigual de governamentalidade nos estudos educacionais é discutida na segunda parte do ensaio. Há uma clara lacuna no estudo das políticas educacionais em contextos não-liberais na perspectiva da governamentalidade. Usando a pesquisa de Tikly (2003), aplico o conceito de "governamentalidade emergente" para uma compreensão da elaboração de políticas, como tecnologias de governo na Ucrânia pós-comunista. As possibilidades e as limitações desta tentativa teórica são discutidas na parte final do ensaio.This paper analyses governmentality as a conceptual tool in social science research; in particular, in education policy studies. I examine the main definitions of governmentality put by Foucault (1991). I argue that governmentality does not constitute a closed theoretical framework, but rather is operationalised as a generic analytical tool. The uneven perception of governmentality in education studies is discussed in the second part of the paper. There is a clear gap in the studies of education policy in illiberal contexts through the perspective of governmentality. Taking Tikly’s (2003) research as a point of reference for my study in progress, I attempt to apply the concept of "emerging governmentality" to an understanding of policy-making, as technologies of government, in post-communist Ukraine. The possibilities and limitations of this theoretical endeavour are discussed in the final part of the paper