The political and economic arguments in contemporary classroom teacher effectiveness research and inquiry

This paper outlines in broad detail the specific political and economic parameters that influence public education. In doing so, the paper examines the policy-making debate within Australia centred on effective classroom teaching practice instruction. The paper implies that significant and global political and economic considerations invariably force governments to act thus exerting influence and control over educational matters including classroom teaching practice. To this extent, public education policy-making must grapple with prevailing political and economic considerations in so far as they involve and require an educational response.&nbsp

The problem of underachievement in numeracy : using bourdieu and critical theory to interpret academic achievement

The paper considers the achievement gap experienced by Victorian public school students. The paper uses a methodological approach informed by critical theory to interpret achievement levels between students from high and low socio-economic status. It analyses and discusses documented data and in doing this, reflects upon the work of Bourdieu emphasizing the reproductive nature of contemporary schooling.&nbsp

The class/teacher effects distortion : a critique of purely positivist teacher effectiveness research and inquiry

The current educational context, with its emphasis upon outcomes and accountability, explicitly centralizes the work and role of the classroom teacher in the learning process. This paper argues that the teacher effectiveness debate increasingly represents an intensified incursion into the classroom in the belief that social and educational disadvantage may be overcome if improvements to the effectiveness of teachers and classroom instruction and practice occur.&nbsp

Symbolic capital and the problem of navigating English language teacher practice: the case of Indonesian pesantren

English is the most widely taught and learned language in the world. Within the broader literatures on the worldwide spread and dominance of English as a key skill for 21st century education, the use of English(es) and English Language Teaching (ELT) in the context of schooling in Asian countries represent an important research direction. Our paper contributes to these debates by exploring the problem of English language teachers’ beliefs about their pedagogical practices in Indonesian pesantren schools. The system of religious pesantren schools provides a unique research context to examine teacher practice in classrooms where English is not assigned the assumed de facto status of a ‘global lingua franca’. In engaging a Bourdieusian lens, this paper explores teachers’ perceptions of the (lack of) symbolic and linguistic capital of English language learning in pesantren, the emergent tensions, and how these frame teacher beliefs and practice. In so doing, this paper aims to contribute to the broader debates in the field that seek to critically analyse and reframe the hegemonic status of English as a global educational commodity of political-economic power

Social Inclusivity in Teaching: In Pursuit of Students’ Advanced Capabilities

The study explores social inclusivity in primary schools in Indonesia, focusing on three main elements: acceptance of student diversity, empowerment of student agency, and establishment of democracy in the classroom. This research uses qualitative methods with case study methods. The data collection process obtained from curriculum documents, lesson plans, interviews, and observations are used to describe existing practices and opportunities for increasing social inclusivity. The collected data were analyzed in depth to illustrate existing practices and opportunities for increasing social inclusivity in primary school education settings in Indonesia. The research identifies three important aspects of social inclusivity: accepting diversity, empowering agency and student voices, and upholding democracy. Although the curriculum recognizes diversity and some teaching practices involve student voices, there is still room to promote more intact democratic practices in the classroom. The implication of this study is to emphasize the need for an equitable and participatory learning environment in the context of primary education. The findings emphasize the importance of acknowledging cultural diversity, encouraging student engagement, and strengthening democratic principles in the context of primary education in Indonesia

Bridging homes and classrooms: advancing students’ capabilities

This paper investigates the capabilities of remote rural teachers in Indonesia’s Probolinggo Regency to make meaningful pedagogic connections between students’ homes and their classrooms. The term capabilities is derived from Sen’s to Nussbaum’s capabilities approach, which refers to substantive freedom or opportunities that a person holds to do and to be a certain thing that he or she considers valuable. Informed by the capabilities approach (CA), the study involved classroom observations, teacher interviews and examination of Indonesian curriculum documents (teachers’ syllabi and lesson plans). Making connections between homes and classrooms enables students to critically engage in their learning and makes knowledge more meaningful in terms of solving real-life issues or problems. Teachers need to accommodate ‘local’ knowledge that exists in homes and communities thereby strengthening relationships between communities and schools; something synonymous with social justice aspects of the CA. Data generated for the study indicate that teachers encounter significant impediments in making connections between homes (communities) and classrooms (schools). In addition, while participants demonstrate that they are in part committed to the notions of ‘connections’ and ‘inclusivity’, their classroom practices still need strengthening in their adherence to the general substance of the CA

The (mis)identification of ineffective classroom teaching practice : critical interrogations of classroom teacher effectiveness research

This paper critiques specific forms of classroom teacher effectiveness research. In doing so, the paper suggests that education policy-making deems and employs teacher effectiveness research as a promising and capable contrivance for the identification of ineffective classroom teaching practice. The paper engages with this policy debate by using a specific policy example from the Australian state of Victoria, the Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) Blueprint for Government Schools (2003/2008). Moreover, the attention given to &ldquo;teacher effectiveness&rdquo; as the means by which school systems aim to reverse student under-achievement positions classroom teachers as the controlling authority over educational outcomes. Indeed, teacher effectiveness is the defining quality of a policy-making debate that at its core dispenses with broader considerations of possible influence thought to substantially affect the learning outcomes of public school students.<br /