Post-development theory and comparative education

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Paradoxical inscriptions of global subjects: critical discourse analysis of international schools' websites in the Asia-Pacific Region

This paper presents an analysis of Asia-Pacific international school web pages, and explores the expressed purposes of schooling, with regard to the kinds of students/subjects that the schools purport to produce. Using the concept of globalization as a 'master' analytical frame, it is argued that despite claims to offering students unique experiences, international school web pages reproduce similar discourses in the construction of the student as an individual, member of a community and world-changing global citizen. Importantly, it is argued that while such discourses are often contradictory, this is nowhere more exemplified than in the claims to produce global citizens

Implications and ways forward for multigrade teaching

Numerous issues concerning multi-grade (MG) teaching have arisen in this volume and at the conference that preceded it. In this final chapter we draw together a range of pertinent aspects for enhancing and expanding MG teaching and learning. We consider the implications of three sets of issues, related to (1) stakeholder partnerships, (2) teacher education, and (3) policy

Agency as discursive practice: from 'nobody' to 'somebody' as an international student in Australia

As more and more students pursue an international education, there is a need to investigate how these students deal with the demands of their study programs in the new academic context. This paper introduces one such student, a Thai English teacher named Woody, and looks at the ways that he engaged with a Master of Education program in Australia. I analyse the transcripts of two interviews that I conducted with Woody in his first semester using Fairclough's model of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). The analysis is interested in the social and institutional demands that Woody identified as impacting on the course, and the strategic action that he took in response to them. I argue that by undertaking this action, Woody was 'working' as an agent of his own change. The analysis highlights a proactive and strategic engagement on Woody's part, a point that has been missed in much of the literature on the international student experience in Australia

Feasibility and acceptability of clean birth kits containing misoprostol for self-administration to prevent postpartum hemorrhage in rural Papua New Guinea

Objective To determine the feasibility and acceptability of providing clean birth kits (CBKs) containing misoprostol for self-administration in a rural setting in Papua New Guinea. Methods A prospective intervention study was conducted between April 8, 2013, and October 24, 2014. Eligible participants were women in the third trimester of pregnancy who attended a prenatal clinic in Unggai Bena. Participants received individual instruction and were then given a CBK containing 600 μg misoprostol tablets for self-administration following an unsupervised birth if they could demonstrate their understanding of correct use of items in the CBK. Data regarding the use and acceptability of the CBK and misoprostol were collected during postpartum follow-up. Results Among 200 participants, 106 (53.0%) had an unsupervised birth, and 99 (93.4%) of these women used the CBK. All would use the CBK again and would recommend it to others. Among these 99 women, misoprostol was self-administered by 98 (99.0%), all of whom would take the drug again and would recommend it to others. Conclusion The findings strengthen the case for community-based use of misoprostol to prevent postpartum hemorrhage in remote communities. Large-scale interventions should be planned to further evaluate impact and acceptability

Environmental influences on Adelie penguin breeding schedules, endocrinology, and chick survival

To understand how the social and physical environment influences behaviour, reproduction and survival, studies of underlying hormonal processes are crucial; in particular, interactions between stress and reproductive responses may have critical influences on breeding schedules. Several authors have examined the timing of breeding in relation to environmental stimuli, while others have independently described endocrine profiles. However, few studies have simultaneously measured endocrine profiles, breeding behaviour, and offspring survival across seasons. We measured sex and stress hormone concentrations (oestrogens, testosterone, and corticosterone), timing of breeding, and chick survival, in Adelie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) at two colonies in two different years. Clutch initiation at Cape Bird South (CBS; year 1, ~14,000 pairs) occurred later than at Cape Crozier East (CCE; year 2, ~ 25,000 pairs); however, breeding was more synchronous at CBS. This pattern was probably generated by the persistence of extensive sea ice at CBS (year 1). Higher corticosterone metabolite and lower sex hormone concentrations at CBS correlated with later breeding and lower chick survival compared to at CCE - again, a likely consequence of sea ice conditions. Within colonies, sub-colony size (S, 50-100; M, 200-300; L, 500-600; XL, >1000 pairs) did not influence the onset or synchrony of breeding, chick survival, or hormone concentrations. We showed that the endocrine profiles of breeding Adelie penguins can differ markedly between years and/or colonies, and that combining measures of endocrinology, behaviour, and offspring survival can reveal the mechanisms and consequences that different environmental conditions can have on breeding ecology.C.E. Ninnes, J.R. Waas, N. Ling, S. Nakagawa, J.C. Banks, D.G. Bell, A. Bright, P.W. Carey, J. Chandler, Q.J. Hudson, J.R. Ingram, K. Lyall, D.K.J. Morgan, M.I. Stevens, J. Wallace, E. Möst