The issue of funding higher education: Global patterns compared to South African case:

In the past 30 years, since c. 1990, a higher education revolution has taken place in all parts of the world. This has been a costly exercise, and while the global higher education revolution can boast an enrolment explosion and has opened the doors of higher education to many, it has taken place within the parameters of the neoliberal economics, meaning that the imperatives of social justice and equity have not been adequately responded to. The pivot between this contextual force of neoliberal economics and the contextual imperative for social justice in higher education is funding. South Africa is part of this global revolution, although the specific contextual ecology of the country too has had an impact on the form this revolution has been taking on. In this article, the issue of higher education funding in South Africa is investigated from the theoretical framework and with the methodological apparatus of comparative and international education. This framework and methodological apparatus are explained. Then the main tenets and context of the worldwide higher education revolution vis-à-vis the imperatives of social justice and equity are reconstructed, and the South African case is interpreted and assessed against this global canvas in order to suggest a forward trajectory for South African higher education

The international impact of Education research done and published in South Africa

The aim of this article was to determine the international impact of Education research in South Africa, through a citation analysis of articles published in the South African Journal of Education from 2000 to 2010 The citation impact (nationally as well as internationally) was found to be low. The international impact has been particularly poor, both quantitatively (in terms of the number of citations) and qualitatively (in terms of the standing of the publications in which this research does get cited, seen in the context of the hierarchy of scholarly publications). The article shows that certain topics of research in South Africa fail to break through to the international arena at all, such as research on the current restructuring of education in South Africa. Research that was cited most often in international journals dealt with research methodology, creativity and entrepreneurship education, beliefs and perception studies, and language-in-education in South Africa. In conclusion, a number of recommendations are made for raising the international profile of Education research that is done in South Africa and for further research in pursuance of that objective.Keywords: Education research; impact; internationalisation; South African Journal of Educatio

Clarifying the Present State of and Trends in Comparative Education from an Analysis of Journal Articles

The aim of this research is to explicate the present state of and developments within the field of Comparative Education, by means of an analysis of articles published in Canadian and International Education and the Comparative Education Review, two eminent journals in the field. The following aspects of articles published in the two journals, since their inception till the end of 2006, were analyzed: levels of analysis of articles number of units covered by articles geographical areas which articles deal with modes of education articles deal with and themes/topics focused on. From the analysis, two features of the field became visible. On the one hand a striking consistency, on the other hand potential for a considerable broadening of levels of analysis, of geographical areas, and of modes of education. Theoreticians in the field make reasoned cases for such broadening, and articles analyzed revealed that incipient moves towards them are taking place. However, much scope for the expansion of the field along these lines exists. Some of these are pointed out. Cette recherche analyse plusieurs articles de deux revues éminentes, l’Education canadienne et Internationale et la revue Comparative Education Review dont le but sera d’expliquer l’état présent ainsi que l’évolution des recherches en Éducation Comparée. Les articles ont été choisis, depuis la création des revues jusqu’à la fin de 2006, sur la base des caractéristiques suivantes : Niveau d’analyse de l’article; Quantité d’éléments couverts par article; Zones géographiques visées par les articles ; Méthodologies éducatives visées par l’article; Thèmes/sujets analysés. L’analyse présente deux caractéristiques principales. D’un côté, il existe une consistance frappante, et de l’autre, un grand potentiel pour diversifier d’avantage les différents niveaux d’analyse, les zones géographiques, ainsi que les méthodologies éducatives visées. Les spécialistes du domaine acceptent cette diversification. Plusieurs articles analysés démontrent qu’un mouvement récent de diversification est en train de se développer. Les objectifs de développement doivent cependant être mieux définis. Quelques possibilités sont indiquées dans cet article

From ‘borrowing’ to ‘learning’ in international comparative study: a critical reflection

The state of public education debate, which to a great ex ten t on ly ref lects policies and practices ab road, is exam ined. Th e process of lea rning from others should replace the process of borrowing (of usually inappropriate policies/practices) from others. Two examples of the issues involved in the debate on pub lic education, namely, Outcomes-Based Education and Medium of Instruction, were analysed through reference to media reports and discussions and through applying the time-honoure d, seasoned and responsible principle of ‘learning’ rather than ‘borrowing’ from others, as prescribed by the science of Comparative Ed uc atio n. It was found that journalists and guest authors summarily employed policies and practices from abroad to m otivate the ir own p oin ts of view and even used these as points of departure for political discourses. There was no sign of a scie ntific factoring-in of contextual similarities and differences between South African education system s and tho se abroad. This is a highly questionable and dangerous practice. In this regard Comparative Education ists have an important role to play in supplying a superstructure of relevant knowledge to inform eduacation policy formulation

A transitiological study of some South African educational issues

In this study enrolment numbers and levels, as well as language-in-education, were viewed from a linear, comparative perspective. In the era prior to 1994, black and white learners not only attended separate schools but the segregated schools had different policies regarding medium of instruction. Resistance to the language policy regarding black education culminated in the 1976 uprisings. This led to the scrapping of both Afrikaans and black home languages as language of instruction in black schools. After the uprisings, black schools followed a policy of decreasing bilingualism. After 1994, in the spirit of democracy, official and educational status were granted to eleven languages. Deep-seateddistrust and fear, that home-language education would lead to  impoverishment, social and political isolation, and disempowerment, caused the majority of South African learners to prefer English rather than their home language as language of instruction. From a linear comparison, it transpires that the language-in-education situation in the classroom has changed very little since 1994. Enrolment numbers and levels, particularly the disparities between white and black, were other points of criticism regarding the education system before 1994. Prior to 1994, compulsory education had only been fully implemented with regard to thewhite and, to a lesser extent, Indian and coloured sections of the population. The vision that the ANC had in 1955, that “the doors of learning shall be open”, was only reflected in policy documents and laws. Both primary-school and secondary-school enrolment numbers showed an increase after the ANC government came to power. The net enrolment numbers (1995–2004) for primary education showed a decrease from 95.0% to 87.4%,but the enrolment numbers for secondary education showed an increase from 56.0% to 67.2%. Despite the latter positive statistics, it would appear that the objective of universal educationhas still not been realised in South Africa

Dealing with incidents of serious disciplinary problems amongst learners: A comparative study between South Africa and selected countries

Teachers in South African schools battle with problems in learner discipline. Research indicates that teachers are at a loss as to handling these situations. The aim of this article is to survey incidents of serious learner misconduct in a representative selection of education systems abroad to extract any guidelines that might be applicable to South African schools. Eight education systems were surveyed: Brazil, England, Turkey, Singapore, Malaysia, China, Australia and New Zealand. The international systems surveyed in this article developed promising models, namely the National Safe Schools Framework (NSSF) in Australia, the Response Early Intervention and Assessment Community Health (REACH) programme in Singapore, the National Education Plan in the state of São Paolo, Brazil, and the two models in the category of positive disciplinary approaches in New Zealand, namely the Respectful Schools: Restorative Practices in Education and the New Zealand Minister of Education’s Positive Behaviour for [a] Learning Action Plan. A study of these international practices and underlying principles for dealing with discipline in pedagogical situations (Christian or secular) could provide guidelines for South African teachers and education authorities

Is the Ideal of Universal Adult Literacy in the World by the Year 2030 Statistically Attainable?

The aim of this research is to determine how attainable the ideal of universal adult literacy is for the year 2030, projecting from current statistics and trends. After centuries and even millennia of slow growth, by the middle of the twentieth century the majority of the world’s adults were literate. From then on adult literacy levels rose sharp and feverish efforts were launched to eradicate adult illiteracy. Globally adult literacy levels are rising. However, projecting present trends into the future results in the prediction that by 2030 the global adult literacy level will still be 10 percent short of the level of universal adult literacy. Painting a bleaker picture is absolute number of adult illiterates globally. The problem can largely be pinned down to a few countries, and it is on these countries into which scholars and literacy efforts should zoom in

Editors\u27 Introduction

The inaugural issue of FIRE: Forum for International Research in Education begins a new chapter in the scholarly and professional discussion of comparative and international education research, policy, and practice. Comparative and international education research has become increasingly isolated from educational policymaking as well as school- and classroom-level decisionmaking as the amount and diversity of research in the field has grown. FIRE is an international, peer-reviewed publication, which seeks to bridge this gap by promoting interdisciplinary scholarship on the use of internationally comparative data for evidence-based and innovative change in educational systems, schools, and classrooms worldwide. FIRE provides an open source and widely accessible platform for disseminating research on education from multiple cultural, organizational and national perspectives. To introduce FIRE to the community of researchers, policymakers, and educators this introduction provides an overview of the journal’s hallmark characteristics and suggestions for manuscript and special issue topics. Die erste Ausgabe von FIRE: Forum for International Research in Education schlägt ein neues Kapitel in der wissenschaftlichen und akademischen Diskussion über vergleichende und internationale Bildungsforschung, -politik und -praxis auf. Mit der Zunahme und Diversifizierung von Forschung hat sich die Internationale und Vergleichende Bildungsforschung zunehmend von Fragen der Bildungspolitik aber auch der Entscheidungsfindung auf der Ebene von Schule und Klassenzimmer isoliert. FIRE ist eine internationale, peer-reviewte Publikation, die versucht, diese Lücke zu schließen durch die Förderung interdisziplinärer Forschung über die Verwendung von international vergleichenden Daten für evidenzbasierten und innovativen Veränderungen in Bildungssystemen, Schulen und Klassenzimmern weltweit. FIRE bietet eine freie und allgemein zugängliche Plattform zur Verbreitung von Forschung zum Thema Bildung aus verschiedenen kulturellen, organisatorischen und nationalen Perspektiven. Diese Einleitung möchte FIRE den Vertreter_innen von Forschung, Politik und Praxis vorstellen und einen Überblick über den Qualitätskennzeichen und Merkmale des Journals anbieten und zugleich einige Vorschläge für Manuskripte und Themen für Sonderhefte unterbreiten

Preface to special edition on learner discipline problems in schools

No abstract available

Handling learner discipline problems: A psycho-social whole school approach

Learner discipline is a problem in South African schools. The most serious aspect is addressing learner-discipline problems. Research has shown that teachers are at a loss for effective methods for maintaining discipline. The literature that does exist pertaining to methods of maintaining discipline, invariably enumerates a host of techniques in a ‘bag of tricks’ fashion: behaviouristic, like treating symptoms, that is, the behavioural manifestation rather than addressing the causes of that behaviour, paying no attention to the psychic dynamics and social context behind poor discipline. This is at variance with the fact that learner-discipline problems have a causal base which reaches far beyond the individual teacher–individual learner interaction. At the levels of the school, family and society, as well as at the level of the spiritual and social functioning of the child and how that might result in discipline problems, and how that should be taken into account when addressing learner discipline problems, a host of literature has been published in recent years. This article surveys this literature, synthesising it in a systematic way that shows a broader and more extensive way of approaching the issue of the problems of addressing learner discipline in South African schools. Although the problem of ill discipline in schools is not limited to or absent from schools that educate on biblical principles, the discussion in the literature occasionally ventures into a brief mention of how the problem could be approached from a holistic and integrated Christian perspective