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The article focuses on the World Bank's Education Sector Policy Paper, which highlights issues and trends in the development of education. It examines the relationship between education and development. The significance of education can be shown in the following ways: education as a basic need; education as an instrument to support programs designed to meet other basic needs and education as an activity that sustains overall development. Meanwhile, a set of problems that affects educational development include equality in educational opportunities; internal efficiency of educational systems; management of educational systems and source of funds for education.

While some academic health centers have organizational structures to support educational scholarship, such as Medical Education Research Units (MERU), many education scholars may lack access to such institutional resources to support their research agenda and professional growth. In 2014, as part of an externally funded education grant, three faculty educators established a unique education data management system Research & Evaluation Data for Educational Improvement (REDEI). Lacking an institutional MERU, they established an educational research community of practice (CoP) using REDEI as the research dataset. The senior faculty member's effort to facilitate the group is funded by the Dean's Office. The CoP meets every 2 weeks to generate research ideas, discuss analytic approach and strategy, review analyses designed to address or explore a research question, and plans for manuscript development. Our CoP has grown from 3 to 18 members representing faculty educators, administrators, and staff across many departments in the School of Medicine. As of 2021, the REDEI system contains performance data on 1,246 students across all years of undergraduate medical education. To date, we have published 11 peer-reviewed educational research manuscripts. Five learners have served as coauthors (three medical students and two residents), three of whom were first authors. Eleven additional papers are in process. This community of practice supports productivity, provides mentorship, overcomes barriers, and is flexible enough for people to join when they can or when an area of interest is actively under development. We are working on educational interdisciplinary research grant submission and creating collaborations with other institutions. Our focus remains on honing skills in grantsmanship, identification of impactful research questions, application of rigorous methods and instrumentation to address them, and refining process of budget development, timelines, and other planning strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses articles in the issue on topics including innovation in academic education; similarity between the modern patent system and the protection the Ancient Greeks; and innovation in Great Britain wave energy.

This paper utilizes social cognitive learning theory to guide and explain the development of prototype educational experiences for information systems concepts. The paper applies the major framework of social cognitive learning theory, its recognition of the reciprocity and interaction among cognitive, behavioral, environmental, and physiological/affective influences. In this learning process, it is argued that people learn from a variety of experiences and from the observation of the actions of others. This paper uses social cognitive learning theory to explain the structure for an MIS educational experience, and applies a group support system (GSS) in a course module with specific learning objectives. Finally, the paper describes an MIS classroom experience (a module covering systems analysis [SA] methodology) which has been used to apply the GSS to prototype MIS problems (working scenarios with questions and organizational data). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article comments on the Educational Sector Policy paper of the World Bank. The paper explores the educational problems in developing countries. The author compares it with the 1974 paper of the Bank, claiming that the present paper is more clear in terms of recognizing the complexity of the social and political forces at work on the educational scene in developing countries. However, he criticizes the paper's view of the purposes of education. He suggests that it lacks diachronic perspective on the processes of growth and adjustment in the past.

The article presents a reprint of the paper "A Conference Overview," by Jane Marceau which appeared in the 1979 issue of the journal "Social Science Information." The articles gave an overview of the papers presented at the EGOS conference. The papers presented at the EGOS colloquium were diverse and illustrated the range of data and approaches useful in the analysis of many of these problems. Some, basing themselves on micro-oriented studies of business practices and, especially, of what managers actually do, hence of the distinctions between the title and the post, attempted to use such data to examine wider problems of the utilization of expertise within firms and innovations in promotion and control policies in large businesses. Basing themselves on business organizations, these studies used the analysis of conflicts and policy innovations within particular firms to address questions concerning the relationships between business and its environment, the education system being included in the latter. Other papers analyzed major economic changes occurring in Europe after 1945 and the implications of corresponding changes in business organization.

The article presents an analysis to define the term "educational studies." Looking at a series of conferences held in the summer and autumn of 1977, that some kind of definition might result from considering such conferences. Firstly, there was the seventh world congress of the International Association for the Advancement of Educational Research at Ghent, Belgium, in July. Some fifty nationalities were present at this meeting so possibly it was not the ideal occasion for seeking an agreed definition. In fact, though the congress had a central, unifying theme, 'Self-Realization through Education', the plenary papers almost served as illustrations of the variety of approach to educational studies in different areas of the world. From Poland came emphasis on the search for quality of life and the place of art in education while from the U.S. and Canada came a complex review of aims, objectives, innovations, methods, numerous research findings. Individual papers in discussion group sessions offered equally rich variety, ranging from educational television for adults in Quebec, Canada through Yoruba myths and pupils' understanding of science concepts to school counselling in Iran.

The paper explores some of the key themes and discussion points that were aired at the Association of Learning Technology conference in 2004. It discusses the findings of several of the keynote speakers and presenters within the context of the relationship between technology, practice and innovation. It references the papers presented in the technology infrastructure and new technology strands of the conference to examine whether educational technology currently has an appropriate balance between innovation and good practice. It then presents a case study of application in practice through some of the development activities that a national funding body, the JISC, has put into place. Finally, it draws conclusions about how well the learning technology community is achieving appropriate balance between innovation and technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this paper is to explore the design and implementation of early years educational policy in England in the period 1997-2004. First to be described are the innovations in policy (i.e. the promise), followed by the 'evidence base' for new policy (i.e. the research), the delivery of new services (i.e. the achievement), and finally the tensions and gaps which remain (i.e. the shortfall). The paper will focus on evidence concerning expansion of services and on the benefit of early years education on children's development. It is argued that early years education in England has been transformed through the following: integration of education and care at local and national level, the introduction of the Foundation Stage Curriculum 3-6 years and its birth-3 years supplement, and the firm focus on families as well as children in the delivery of services. There are, however, gaps and tensions to be resolved before the overall vision can be achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a letter from the editor of "Comparative Education" concerning the February 2009 issue. The issue discusses the potential and impact of international collaboration in the areas of research, performance assessment, policy formulation, and international development cooperation. Papers in the issue include a paper concerning how international quality assurance and evaluation mechanisms are influencing policy formulation worldwide and a paper about the impact of educational innovations in Japan.

This paper focuses on the production and use of learning resources within an engineering curriculum that support the development of independent learners. The most important contribution is to propose pragmatic learning approaches which improve the student learning experience and reward their engagement. The paper gives evidence that the introduction of new learning resources and approaches need not be labour intensive, expensive or complicated and thus be both cost effective and straightforward to implement, creating a win/win scenario for the staff and students. Several examples of novel learning resources and approaches developed by the author for use within an engineering curricula are presented and evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses a university-wide pilot designed to encourage academics to creatively explore learner-centred applications for digital audio. Participation in the pilot was diverse in terms of technical competence, confidence and contextual requirements and there was little prior experience of working with digital audio. Many innovative approaches were taken to using audio in a blended context including student-generated vox pops, audio feedback models, audio conversations and task-setting. A podcast was central to the pilot itself, providing a common space for the 25 participants, who were also supported by materials in several other formats. An analysis of podcast interviews involving pilot participants provided the data informing this case study. This paper concludes that audio has the potential to promote academic creativity in engaging students through media intervention. However, institutional scalability is dependent upon the availability of suitable timely support mechanisms that can address the lack of technical confidence evident in many staff. If that is in place, audio can be widely adopted by anyone seeking to add a new layer of presence and connectivity through the use of voice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The literature on the re-use of learning materials has largely focused on the development of materials. This paper explores how re-use can be stimulated after learning materials have been developed and made available. We searched for and developed guidelines that support staff and/or management most frequently adopt in cases of (un)successful re-use of existing digital teaching and learning materials and methods by teachers in higher education. In a grounded theory approach, we collected existing guidelines from 11 literature studies, and developed new guidelines from 19 (mainly Dutch) case studies. Through constant comparison, we developed 'low-level' guidelines, which were classified into high-level guidelines. Five high-level guidelines turned out to be robust when subjected to repeated comparison with the case studies. Further, this paper elaborates existing guidelines by showing specific elaborations of them in our case studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This year sees the 40th anniversary of the first policy paper regarding the use of computers in higher education in the United Kingdom. The publication of this paper represented the beginning of the field of learning technology research and practice in higher education. In the past 40 years, policy has at various points drawn from different communities and provided the roots for a diverse field of learning technology researchers and practitioners. This paper presents a review of learning technology-related policy over the past 40 years. The purpose of the review is to make sense of the current position in which the field finds itself, and to highlight lessons that can be learned from the implementation of previous policies. Conclusions drawn from the review of 40 years of learning technology policy suggest that there are few challenges that have not been faced before as well as a potential return to individual innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores some of the indigenous sources available in Ethiopia as a resource for philosophy and philosophy of education. In the process it makes a small contribution to the ongoing debate among philosophers as to whether there is a distinctive African philosophy. The paper illustrates, first, what is sometimes referred to as the ‘deep knowledge’ underlying more day-to-day beliefs in Ethiopia (or more specifically in this case those of the Amhara-Tigre cultural complex) and their application in ‘educational magic’ and, secondly, the 17th century philosophical writing of Zara Ya'eqob and Walda Heywat, which is remarkable for its Enlightenment-style attachment to reason and argumentation. Two more directly educational indigenous sources are then explored: the educational thought and practice of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and non-formal education in villages. Finally, the paper considers the relevance of these sources to contemporary educational development and suggests that they merit continuing attention and reference both from the point of view of preserving cultural identity and continuity and also, more pragmatically, because there are ideas, values and practices in the tradition which have continuing relevance for Ethiopians grappling with educational development issues today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the author's commentary on the Educational Sector Policy paper of the World Bank regarding the criteria and methods of generating education cooperation projects for external funding. It refers to the World Bank's Education Policy Summary which states "A review of Bank experience suggests that methods of generating educational projects have not been adequate." The author claims that the paper fails to consider a number of special features of foreign assistance which apply to all sectors including education. Meanwhile, some of the criteria of generating education cooperation projects are as follows: it should be clearly requested by the recipient country and it should be carefully related to the recipient country's resources as well as to it needs.

The article presents the author's commentary on the World Bank Educational Sector Policy Paper regarding the role of language in education. He claims that the issues surrounding language policy and the problems raised in implementation of this policy are discussed in the paper in a confusing manner. Instead of focusing on the more complex dimensions of both language policy formulation and implementation, the Paper refers to many isolated aspects of the policy. The author also argues that the paper fails to connect the role of language to issues of educational planning and development.

This paper sets out to report upon the findings of a case study of an 'innovative' school in England. Specifically, the research focusses upon the way in which the school has engaged with the neoliberal policy context in which increased autonomy and diversification of provision is promoted in England as a driver of standards. Using Bourdieu's conceptualisation of symbolic capital, the findings suggest that within this autonomous system, 'innovative' localised policy-making can arguably misrecognise the role such 'innovation' plays in helping to maintain structures, which may contribute to ensuring the field, and its competitive nature, is protected rather than challenged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Current policy discourses emphasise the importance of evidence in education, including evidencing the impact of teacher professional learning on student outcomes. Randomised controlled trial (RCT) designs are promoted to measure ‘impact’. Recent debates about this reflect longer standing methodological disputes. Advocates of comparative approaches contend that these are uniquely capable of establishing causality. However, others dispute this and consider their application in education as often being flawed. Whilst acknowledging the importance of these debates, our concern is how RCTs and similar evaluation designs are specifically used to evaluate innovations in which professional learning is important. Purpose: Arguably, professional learning is often under-theorised within experimental and quasi-experimental designs. The purpose of this paper is to address this by encouraging developers of innovations and evaluators to consider a proposed typology of professional learning and other important relevant methodological issues. This is so that developers of innovations that involve professional learning are better able to theorise their endeavours and to support more appropriate design of RCTs and other forms of evaluation of innovations. Sources of evidence: Theoretical and methodological literature from diverse fields is drawn on, namely: descriptions of RCT implementation and process evaluation designs; research on effective professional development; and theoretical models of professional learning. Insights and theories from this literature are used to develop and illustrate the typology and to identify methodological concerns and potential ways to address these. Main argument: In trials of those innovations that involve professional learning, there is both assessment of the extent to which professional learning occurs and also of whether resulting changes in practice improve outcomes. A novel typology of three different ways that professional learning may occur in innovations is proposed. This is related to the centrality (or not) of professional learning to the innovation’s success and related to the form and purpose of the professional learning involved. The three analytical categories described are pedagogical professional learning, technical professional learning and curriculum professional learning. Based on this typology, features of professional learning that are likely to lead to impact on student outcomes are discussed. Tensions are identified between the implementation of experimental and quasi-experimental designs and interpretation of resulting evidence. Further, tensions are identified between the complex and recursive nature of pedagogical professional learning systems and the models of linear pathways in some RCT designs. This is illustrated by discussing examples of innovations and trials. Conclusion: The proposed typology and greater theorisation of professional learning can support more robust evaluation design. It is important to assess rigorously teacher learning alongside changes in student outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The UK has access to a wealth of high-quality social science data and resources, through the UK Data Service. These data have been well used in research, and attention is now increasingly turning to their inclusion in the undergraduate curriculum. This paper describes how the data can be used in the teaching of methods courses, as well as being integrated into substantive courses. The UK Data Service is described in brief, followed by an example firstly of quantitative, then qualitative, data resources in teaching and learning. The data and resources lend themselves to a huge variety of disciplines, including those involved in health and social care education. As the UK embraces the challenge to improve the student experience in the teaching of research methods, the UK Data Service is particularly well positioned to address this. This paper provides examples and pointers to work that is ongoing and being further developed through the UK Data Service. Engagement with teachers is critical to enable further work to be developed in this important area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gap between educational outcomes and labour market demand is one of the most important issues concerning researchers and specialists in the field of educational planning and policy-making. Innovation, entrepreneurship, diversity and creativity characterize the globalized, high-tech labour markets. Whilst striving for a sustainable future, Oman is still grappling with entrenched, traditional methods of education. These educational methods are incapable of meeting diverse learning needs or producing young people, equipped to readily take their places in the workforce. Structured interviews with key figures in Oman were conducted to gauge the prospect of a vision of education which encompasses alternative schools, programmes and pathways to enhance opportunities for all students and facilitate outcomes that better match demands created by an increasingly sophisticated working environment. This paper is produced at a time when planning is underway for Vision 2040 and provides insight into the challenges and opportunities for alternative education in Oman. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on classroom-based research that was designed to monitor the integration of information and communication technology (ICT) in a teacher-guided collaborative online learning context to encourage students' critical response to literary texts. The study investigates the premise that an ICT project where children read books and then use email communication to exchange responses with other learners will support critical thinking. Videos of classroom observations, journals and rap sheets were analysed for individual students' levels of critical awareness. Improvements in critical thinking were measured using linguistic analysis. Teachers and students were also interviewed for attitudes to technology use related to learning. Although there were gains in critical thinking, there was little student engagement with technology. The discussion problematises the integration of technology in the classroom through a repositioning of collaboration in a blended learning context known as book raps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many educators advocate, promote and encourage the dreams of agency, control, ownership and choice amongst students whilst educational institutions take the responsibility for provision, equity, access, participation and standards. The institutions traditionally procure, provide and control the technology for learning but now students are acquiring their own personal technologies for learning and institutions are challenged to keep pace. These allow students to produce, store, transmit and consume information, images and ideas; this potentially realises the educators' dream but for institutions is potentially a nightmare, one of loss of control and loss of the quality, consistency, uniformity and stability that delivered the dreams of equity, access and participation. This paper traces the conflicting dreams and responsibilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Web-based lecture technologies (WBLT) have gained popularity amongst universities in Australia as a tool for delivering lecture recordings to students in close to real time. This paper reports on a selection of results from a larger research project investigating the impact of WBLT on teaching and learning. Results show that while staff see the advantages for external students, they question the extent to which these advantages apply to internal students. In contrast both cohorts of students were positive about the benefits of the technologies for their learning and they adopted similar strategies for their use. With the help of other technologies, some external students and staff even found WBLT useful for fostering communication between internal and external students. As such, while the traditional boundary between internal and external students seems to remain for some staff, students seem to find the boundary much less clear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article introduces the themes of the papers featured in the March 2006 issue of "ALT-J: Research in Learning Technology." Contributing author Mike Wald examines how Automatic Speech Recognition can be re-conceptualized as a technology. Steve Green and colleagues point out the extent to which best practice can be considered in a single standard. Authors Martyn Cooper and Sheryl Burgstahler discuss responsibility at an institutional or program level.

Comprehensive national educational change is a complex and often difficult process. In countries such as Viet Nam where the government exercises tight control over social and economic development strategies, wide scale changes to an education system are often not possible. Viet Nam's increasing engagement with private sector development has, however, enabled greater flexibility for improving and strengthening its education system. In response to Viet Nam's transition to a market economy, educational planners have had to consider strategies for making the education system more responsive to current and future labour demands. Accordingly, beginning in the early 1990s, the Government of Viet Nam put in place policies to enable the education system to 'modernise'. Guided by the principle that an investment in education is an investment in economic development, the government has pursued and continues to pursue an agenda of educational reform by means of curriculum reform. Early evidence indicates that despite an initial rapid development and implementation of change-driven policies and strategic directions, the pace of reform is slowing down. The thesis of this paper is that a programme of substantial education change and innovation in Viet Nam is actually a programme of cautious reform based on select targeting of particular school populations, in this case, populations in the larger cities, economic priority zones and urban areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schools of education are increasingly experiencing a demand to infuse technology into social studies methods courses to meet both national and state technology standards. However, since most preservice teachers' coursework is taken in the arts and sciences, it is particularly important that these students experience effective teaching using technology in courses outside of the college of education (Cooper & Bull, 1997). Evidence suggests that one of the greatest challenges for college and university faculty is integrating technology into their instruction (Green, 1999). If preservice teachers only see technology utilized in their education courses, they are less likely to integrate technology in their future classrooms. This paper reports the results of a qualitative research study about the innovative and effective use of technology in an undergraduate history course. In addition, the paper provides a discussion of the implications of the strategies utilized in the course for social studies teacher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the concerns, parameters and silences emerging in the field of English research on contemporary educational restructuring. The research effort oriented to the investigation of Thatcherism and the marketisation and its neglect of alternatives to Thatcherism is noted. This pattern of emphases and silences in research seems to have arisen as a result of changes in the research-policy context, and because of the way Thatcherism has been conceptualised in educational research. I argue that these devolopments have encouraged a narrowing of both research and political horizons in education. I suggest that a more comprehensive framework for analysing educational restructuring can be developed by recontextualising Thatcherism and drawing on recent social science research on institutional design. Such aframework would appear to offer a basis for tackling the empirical and normative work of assessing probable futures and the possibilities of preferred futures in the practical work of education reform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to draw attention to the extent to which liberatory pedagogical intentions can function as part of a technology of surveillance unless, as socially critical educators, we actively work against our own tendency to totalising educational discourse It notes a number of folkloric traditions in pre-service teacher education that derive from discursive practices which position students ether as inevitably acting out a well-documented scenario or as 'victims' of the dominant technocratic model of teacher education This paper suggests a way forward for teacher educators through the application of post-positivist theorising to what has come to be understood as 'proven' by past and current educational research. This process is exemplified in the discussion by the application of post-structuralist deconstructive techniques to avant garde educational text in order to bring forward for scrutiny the binary oppositions in our own 'transformative' educational discourse. The implications of 'advocacy' research are discussed and a plea made for pedagogy that intervenes in socially critical practices by making problematic our own 'versions' of student teacher needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses the themes of the papers featured in the June 2005 issue of the journal "ALT-J, Research in Learning Technology." Influence of rhetoric on creativity and innovation; Review of learning technology-related policy; Examination of the pedagogy of transnational online learning.

Recent changes to the landscape of higher education and the student environment generally has brought renewed focus on the need for pedagogical innovation. The importance of student satisfaction and the accompanying rising expectations of the technologically savvy generation of students have brought significant challenges to an academic community already busied with the pedagogically sound delivery of undergraduate taught courses. This new environment has inevitably led to a demand for tools that can assist convenors to meet those challenges without overburdening already tight workloads. This paper presents evidence on the innovative use of one such tool in the form of an over web classroom response system, introduced with the aim of meeting the challenges of the new era in higher education. We suggest that the use of this type of technology can increase student satisfaction and enjoyment as a driver for creative engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction to the journal is presented in which the editor discusses an article related to learning technology, e-learning research, and transformational practice in learning process.

The article presents information about discussions that took place at the annual meeting of the Standing Conference on Studies in Education in 1977. These discussions were based on issues related to educational attitudes and economic survival. In the opening lecture of the meeting, relationships between population growth or decline and educational policies and decisions are pointed out. This gave a new insight into the different aspects of educational developments. These discussions provided good foundations for the exchange and development of views on educational attitudes and economic survival. They reveal that interpretations of population trends vary widely and so the future of the human race diverge drastically. A critical insight into contemporary statements about the needs of the economy for scientific and other vocational training for girls reveals the divergence that exist between current statements about the need to develop women workers' skills and the harsh realities of occupations.

The article discusses the insights that brought many brilliant theories in sciences. This paper looks into the double image projected for science in contemporary society providing for knowledge and methods for solving problems of many sorts. Another image is the danger force it poses to the human race as inventions proliferate but leaning on the perverted side threatening our welfare and human values as well as the harmony in nature. There are two tests used in this study to find out how science have been taught in the past few years.

This paper examines a core leadership strategy for transforming learning and teaching in distance education through flexible and blended learning. It focuses on a project centred on distributive leadership that involves collaboration, shared purpose, responsibility and recognition of leadership irrespective of role or position within an organisation. Distributive leadership was a core principle in facilitating the transformation of learning and teaching through a Teaching Fellowship Scheme that empowered leaders across a regional distance education university. In parallel, a design-based research project analysed the perceptions of the Teaching Fellows in relation to blended learning, time/space, peer learning, innovation and equity issues in relation to distance education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing a coherent 14-19 phase of education and training has been a major feature of the last ten years of the Labour government. This has been the case, too, of the Welsh Assembly Government since its establishment in 1999 with its separate education policy and arrangement. The English 'project' might be characterised by (i) a more holistic approach to the total welfare of the young person, reflected in the attempt to join up the various services which affect welfare in general and educational achievement in particular; (ii) the 'personalisation' of learning; (iii) collaboration or partnership between the different providers of education and training; (iv) a reform of the whole system of qualifications; (v) a revamp of the training and apprenticeship system; and (vi) increased central 'management' of the system to ensure targets are reached. The Welsh 'project' has been different in many respects—an interesting contrast as the two systems increasingly diverge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews educational effectiveness theory, concentrating on the time stability of the teacher and school effect. The contribution of longitudinal studies investigating the long-term effect of schools and teachers to modelling educational effectiveness is discussed. Findings of a longitudinal study on the progress of students (N=1681) in mathematics during their first four years at the primary school are presented. Results of this study reveal that traditional approaches of measuring educational effectiveness tend to overestimate the short-term effects of teachers and student background factors and underestimate the long-term effects of teachers and schools. Implications of findings for the theory of educational effectiveness and especially for the concepts of teacher and school effects and their stability are drawn. Finally, suggestions for establishing evaluation mechanisms to improve practice are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contemporary North American insecurities and fears are the focus of this article. In the first section, the inter-related concepts of insecurity, fear and vulnerability are theorised, and the argument put forward that these have come to constitute a dominant discourse in contemporary North American society. In the second section of the paper, the components of this discourse are presented by reviewing what North Americans fear, including terrorism, crime and violence, and the 'Other'. Comparisons and local manifestations of this discourse in Canada, Mexico and the US are described. The final section turns to the educational implications (effects) of this discourse as it has been taken up across the three nations. While other comparativists have focused on phenomena such as globalisation and neo-liberalism to explain contemporary education reform, the author argues that it is the discourse of fear and insecurity that now underpins educational reform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analysis of teachers' agency as multifarious change, embedded in educational reform in the global era, stands largely unexamined in educational policy. Although the concept of teachers as agents has political implications, beyond this, examining teachers' agency offers ways of describing and reviewing changes to teachers' work and relations within evolving education systems. Local systems draw from globally orientated education policies, which continue to influence to the way that local systems redesign education. In the global context, education systems are complex interactions between structure and agency, evidenced as 'multiplicity undergoing change'. In other words, there is dynamic and dialectic interplay between structure and agency. Teachers' agency, germane to dynamic interplay, means that teachers are not only engaging in the reproduction of structural change aligning globalization-driven reforms to their work and practice, but also, in adapting and reacting to new structural conditions, they are transformed through their actions. In this paper, the focus becomes teachers' agency as a framework for understanding how teachers are redesigned and reassembled to do things differently within restructured education systems. Finally, the discussion considers the possible consequences of teachers work and practice, given teachers' agency relative to the macro policy of superfigures and the transitional national/global structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

E‐learning is in a rather extraordinary position. It was born as a ‘tool’ and now finds itself in the guise of a somewhat wobbly arrow of change. In practice, changing the way thousands of teachers teach, learners learn, innovation is promoted and sustainable change in traditional institutions is achieved across hundreds of different disciplines is a demanding endeavour that will not be achieved by learning technologies alone. It involves art, craft and science as well as technology. This paper attempts to show how it might be possible to capture and model complex strategic processes that will help move the potential of e‐learning in universities to a new stage of development. It offers the example of a four‐quadrant model created as a framework for an e‐learning strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technologies do not follow some pre-determined and inevitable course from their context of production to their context of use, and technologies used in schools are no exception. Rather, technologies and their use in the classroom are socially contextualised. They are often appropriated in ways unanticipated by their developers, locking into institutional arrangements and reflecting elements of the prevailing social relations in and around the particular context(s) of application. Through the discussion of a particular technology (the Logo programming language) as a case study in educational innovation, this article demonstrates how the use of technologies in schools is 'socially shaped'. The paper looks into the place that Logo occupied within the institutional and organisational cultures of US and UK mainstream schools after its introduction in the early 1980s. It discusses the ways in which Logo was received in the educational arena and was implicated in the politics of educational innovation at a time of conservative restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a study of the benefits and obstacles perceived by preservice teachers when considering the use of computer technology in social studies classes. We chose a purposive sample of education students who are in programs at technology rich institutions to begin exploring how emerging teachers would define the benefits and obstacles. We review existing research on teachers' attitudes toward technology, the barriers to technology use, and factors that facilitate technology integration. We then share our own findings, which include preservice teachers' perceptions of the benefits and potential downfalls of using technology. We identified five perceived benefits: data collection; improved student computer skills; dynamic sound and images; instructional variety; and communication tool. Obstacles include: accessibility; differing ability levels; dependability; and supervision of students. A discussion of the juxtaposition of these benefits and obstacles, and the implications for teacher educators is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tertiary education redefines its role in research and innovation, acting as a proponent of the research and innovation culture, creating real-world solutions, and bridging the gap between decision-making, governance, and innovation. We empirically explore tertiary education's effect on innovation and national intellectual capital's role. The empirical findings of the 2SLS and instrumental variable fixed effect model with Driscoll-Kraay robust standard errors, based on panel evidence from 79 economies from 1995 to 2017, show that tertiary education has a positive and substantial effect on innovation performance as determined by patent and trademark applications. Comparable results are obtained using instrumental variable panel quantile regression as robustness tests to support the findings. Also, theoretically, the result shows that national intellectual capital reinforces the impact of tertiary education as a catalyst for technological progress. The findings support R&D data policies that support specific digital innovation, skills, knowledge creation, and diffusion. Proactive policy frameworks should be adopted to promote national intellectual capital through internet infrastructure for economic inclusion that fosters innovativeness; tertiary education using digital technology redefines creativity, stimulates cooperation, and aids in forming innovative ecosystems; boosting government and private grants to university academics allows for identifying ideas with the greatest long-term potential. Tertiary education and technological progress in a panel of 79 economies from 1995–2017 were examined. Empirical results using 2SLS, IV fixed effect model with Driscoll-Kraay robust standard errors, and IV panel quantile regressions indicate tertiary education is essential to innovation. National intellectual capital reinforces the impact of tertiary education to promote technological progress. The findings support R&D data policies that support specific digital innovation, skills, knowledge creation, and diffusion. Proactive policy frameworks should be adopted to promote national intellectual capital through internet infrastructure for economic inclusion that fosters innovativeness. Tertiary education using digital technology can redefine creativity, stimulates cooperation, and aids in forming innovative ecosystems. Boosting government and private grants to university academics allows for identifying ideas with the greatest long-term potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Science symbolises education as an integral element in attaining environmental sustainability. Even after having elite-level human intelligence, this universe faces adverse effects of ecological deprivation. Therefore, this study specifically investigates the role of ecological innovation and economic growth on educational performance in BRICS nations. The present study selected the recent year's data of BRICS nations to explore the repercussions of ecological innovation and the countries' GDP income, and chooses the potential statistical technique name CS-ARDL method. In addition, this study uses other testing tools such as the CD test, unit root analysis tests, Westerlund and Edgerton test, and Bai and Silvestre-I-Carrion cointegration test to explore the role of these variables on educational performance. The estimated outcomes of the unit root test and CD test signify the structural breaks and heterogeneity in the data, but later Pesaran and Yamagata (2008) test resolved the relative issues. Therefore, long-run and short-run analyses of the CS-ARDL method identified the positive and significant affluence of ecological innovation (GIN) and economic growth (GDP) on educational performance (EDU). Thus, some dynamic policies are introduced in the below section to nourish the educational system of BRICS countries with the help of ecological innovation and economic progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the author's experiences using technology in teaching macroeconomic principles. Electronic mail evaluations of both the book and lectures are required, with each student constructing a Web page that displays at least six economic sites with annotations. PowerPoint slides are also displayed with a video projector. Students' suggestions are contained in the weekly evaluations. Some evaluations seem to be biased with compliments rather than constructive criticism. Students also have complained about computer crashes and the unavailability of e-mail.

This article presents a research capitalist development and the system of apprenticeship in West Africa. It aims to evaluate the indigenous or non-formal education as an important element in the informal sector of the economy. This form of education has provided prospective solutions to the chronic problems in urban Africa. The two academic areas which this paper focuses is the role of informal against the formal economic activity and the critique of formal school-based education within the capitalist system.

The article presents the author's commentary on the Educational Sector Policy paper of the World Bank regarding the lack of success that has been experienced in efforts to reform educational systems worldwide. According to the author, the development efforts in education suffer from a misleading idea of how to accomplish reform. He presents these two arguments regarding the quality of education: substantial reforms of education are unlikely to succeed while the working conditions, self-image and morale of teachers remain as low and poor as they are and the ability to change is not much helped by current managerial methods and dispositions in education, both those of ministries and external aid agencies. Lastly, he suggests ways on how to improve the quality of education.

The article reports on educational planning which is currently in the state of continuous change. Educational planners current practice tends to be too limited to pencil and paper exercise with an economic bias whereas it should involve specialists and institutions in the education sector as well as other sectors including community on a long-term developmental process. Educational planning scene is dominated by quantifiers mostly from the discipline of econometrics or economics. Future educational planning should be best approached with a good sceptism. Every country must have its own capacity for continuous educational planning, research and development in the search for education appropriate in the national context that has quality, relevance and efficiency.

The article traces the impact of mass breakthoughts witnessed in the field of education at school and college level in 1960s on education in 1970s in various countries. In Europe, it is largely the "upper secondary" level which is likely to be impacted. The impact in the U.S. is likely to be different from Europe due to various reasons. The paper primarily concerns the mass elites of Europe and Japan. It analyzes how the whole situation might appear to an economist, and how the perceptions of recent and prospective changes are related to perceptions of the nature of people and their variabilities in potentials for learning and productive life. 1960s was a decade of fantastic world-wide expansion in educational establishments, both public and private. Educators offer a viewpoint which is different from economists. For them, one of the more interesting implications of the economist's way of thinking must be with respect to the use of student time even among pupils too young to participate in the labour force. Pupil time is inherently limited, and hence costly.

In higher education (HE) settings, staff and students are often end-users of a variety of educational technologies, tools and platforms, including Learning Management Systems (LMSs). As technological evolution is constant, transitioning to a new system may be a familiar occurrence. For technology to support educational purpose more fully, further insight needs to be gained into how staff and students actually experience the process of transition. This article focuses on this area in the context of institution-wide transition to a new LMS. The study's aim was to explore how academic teaching staff and students experienced a university-wide technological change process: namely, a process of changing to a new LMS. Data were collected through a series of interviews with staff who were involved in the first stage of the change process. In addition, students enrolled in the first tranche of subjects undergoing transition participated in surveys. Data were analysed using a qualitative, comparative analysis approach; student and staff perspectives were compared, and the points of intersections and divergences between the viewpoints were located. Detailed analysis helped identify factors that contributed to a smooth transition, while also showing how staff expectations of student behaviours and needs were not always aligned with students' own approaches to technology-assisted teaching and learning, which tended to be predominantly pragmatic. Feedback gleaned from investigating stakeholders' transition experiences can contribute in a valuable way to informing change processes and support empowering change. The findings highlight how positioning LMS transition as a student-centred and education-led process, rather than as a large-scale technology project, has potential to support staff and students to have a positive and relatively seamless transition experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]