Educational Values in Complex Systems

This article argues that it in order to analyse educational values within a complex system, greater attention must be paid towards understanding the utility of education and the contexts, discourses, and narratives surrounding the purpose of schooling in society. An Educational Values Evaluation and Design (EVED) framework is put forward as a means to effectively understand the alignment – or misalignment – of educational values within a complex system. This is particularly relevant for inclusion and diversity in education in that various elements must be in place beyond legal frameworks promoting access in order for inclusion to be meaningful and effective. This article presents the case study of Bhutan to support the EVED framework that was a result of two years of qualitative field research.

Gross National Happiness Education in Bhutanese Schools: Understanding the Experiences and Efficacy Beliefs of Principals and Teachers

Since 2010, the Bhutanese education system has emphasised values education through its own unique approach known as 'Educating for Gross National Happiness' (referred to as GNH Education). This policy outcome emerged from the concern, shared by some Bhutanese leaders and educators, over the apparent deterioration of human values among youth in Bhutan. GNH Education was regarded by the Government of the day as critical for the sustained development of Bhutan. With GNH Education in place, the intention was that GNH values and principles would eventually be deeply embedded in the consciousness of every youth in Bhutan through implementation of an holistic approach to student development led by principals and teachers as key change agents. This study investigated the nature of principals' and teachers' self- and collective efficacy beliefs with respect to capabilities for GNH Education. Also of interest were their lived experiences, as they were involved in implementing GNH Education in its early stages and their relationships to different facets of GNH Education school contexts. Knowledge generated from this study was intended to contribute to an understanding of how schools (principals and teachers) have responded to the GNH Education challenge in local and national contexts

Strategies for encouraging behavioural and cognitive engagement of pre-service student-teachers in Bhutan: an action research case study

This action research enquiry interrogates my own teaching practices in the context of new cultures of pedagogy in Bhutan. Teaching at the tertiary level for the last 11 years, I have realised that student engagement, particularly behavioural and cognitive engagement, has not been satisfactory. This motivated me to undertake an action enquiry to improve my teaching to engage student-teachers more in their own learning. The analysis of baseline survey data collected from a class of 29 final-year Bachelor of Education Primary pre-service student-teachers in a curriculum studies module confirmed three areas of concern about my capacity to encourage student engagement: lack of open communication in my classes, lack of care and concern, and inability to provide active learning opportunities. I implemented intervention strategies in my teaching to address these concerns. Ongoing data about the effectiveness of the intervention strategies were collected through observations of lessons by a critical friend and by maintaining a self-reflective diary. Post-intervention data were gathered using the same questionnaire, through interviews conducted by a critical friend with four randomly selected student-teachers and research diaries. I have noticed measurable improvement in all three areas of concern that facilitated enhancement of both behavioural and cognitive engagements of student-teachers. However, I also realise that there is still room for improvement in the areas of motivating students to change their mindset about activity-based teaching and the need for me to show more interest in their personal and professional problems

Exploring Bhutanese primary school teachers’ technological knowledge

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the normal functions of schools globally. Online learning is a new concept in Bhutan. Nonetheless, classes have begun using various online learning platforms to continue their operations during the pandemic. This study examined primary school teachers’ perceived information technology knowledge and proficiency. The participants of this study consisted of 124 primary teachers from two western districts of Bhutan. Data were collected using an online survey. The study’s findings suggested that although the majority of participants (98.2%) had access to personal digital devices, slow internet connection and high internet data subscription charges (60.7%) were cited as significant challenges. Findings also revealed that a small percentage of the participants, less than 12 (9.7%) teachers in this study preferred to teach entirely in an online learning environment. The results of multiple linear regression suggested that only technological pedagogical knowledge (TPK) [t = 2.68, p = .008, β = .236] and perceived information technology proficiency of teachers (PITP) [t = 3.55, p = .001, β = .306] were statistically significant predictors of technological knowledge (TK)

Bhutanese Teachers' Pedagogical Orientation in the Primary Classes: A Factor on Quality Education

In recent years, Bhutan has taken huge steps to provide education to all Bhutanese children. However, the poor performance of the high school graduates in the Call Centre interview and their failure to get selected for employment due to their poor communication skills in English ignited widespread debate amongst the general public on the quality of education in Bhutan. Educators believe that this claimed decline is a misperception rather than the reality. Thus, this paper attempts to study this issue by examining the pedagogical practices in primary schools through teaching observations and interviews with a sample of teachers from different schools in western Bhutan. The findings indicate that teacher dominated lessons generally prevail in the primary classrooms with detrimental student learning outcomes. This situation has implications about teacher education programmes and other stakeholders. Thus, it sends a message that there is a risk of declining quality in education if appropriate measures are not adopted

Exploring Bhutanese primary school teachers’ technological knowledge

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the normal functions of schools globally. Online learning is a new concept in Bhutan. Nonetheless, classes have begun using various online learning platforms to continue their operations during the pandemic. This study examined primary school teachers’ perceived information technology knowledge and proficiency. The participants of this study consisted of 124 primary teachers from two western districts of Bhutan. Data were collected using an online survey. The study’s findings suggested that although the majority of participants (98.2%) had access to personal digital devices, slow internet connection and high internet data subscription charges (60.7%) were cited as significant challenges. Findings also revealed that a small percentage of the participants, less than 12 (9.7%) teachers in this study preferred to teach entirely in an online learning environment. The results of multiple linear regression suggested that only technological pedagogical knowledge (TPK) [t = 2.68, p = .008, β = .236] and perceived information technology proficiency of teachers (PITP) [t = 3.55, p = .001, β = .306] were statistically significant predictors of technological knowledge (TK)

The Teacher Apprenticeship Program in Bhutan: An Evaluation

The Teacher Apprenticeship Program was introduced in 2000 to meet a severe shortage of teachers in Bhutan and to relieve pressure on the teacher education institutes as they extended the period of pre-service training. This study focused on the effectiveness of the program and employed semi-structured interviews and questionnaires in order to capture the experiences and problems of the apprentice teachers. The study found that teacher apprentices reported remarkable experiences that contributed to a sound foundation for becoming competent and dedicated teachers. Several changes were recommended to recruitment criteria, school placements, the induction program, apprenticeship guidelines and mentoring. The research also discovered that the stakeholders needed to have a common vision about the program in order to establish a more collaborative atmosphere