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Copyright of Chinese University Education Journal is the property of Chinese University of Hong Kong and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Education Policy Analysis Archives / Archivos Analíticos de Políticas Educativas / Arquivos Analíticos de Políticas Educativas is the property of Educational Policy Analysis Archives & Education Review and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The importance of providing institutional assistance to adult learners with visual impairment throughout the COVID-19 pandemic cannot be overemphasised. This paper examined the experiences of adult learners with visual impairment, whose studies were significantly affected by the implementation of lockdown and social distancing that led to their dropping out from one university in Eswatini. Using phenomenological design, three adult learners with visual impairment, who dropped out of the university, were chosen to participate in the study. Adult learners responded to a semi-structured interview guide during the individual conversations. The data were analysed using qualitative thematic analysis. Ethical considerations such as informed consent and anonymity were observed. The findings revealed the themes of social isolation, personal challenges, and lack of institutional assistance. Adult learners with visual impairment reported that there was no support received from the institution. Furthermore, adult learners indicated that some lecturers excluded them by not communicating and providing suitable materials for their condition. The participants acknowledged the awareness of using technology during the COVID-19 pandemic; however, they stated the lack of devices, inadequate technology skills, and their reliance on sighted adult learners and peers to read the content for them. This paper suggests that lecturers at this university in Eswatini be trained on how to teach and support adult learners with visual impairment, and the institution should consider developing a comprehensive education policy to cater to all different adult learners. Comprehensiveness has always been a challenge for adult learners with disabilities generally, but the pandemic has escalated it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Australian Federation of Modern Language Teachers Associations (AFMLTA) is committed to expanding, domestically and internationally, the high profile of our federation as the peak body for languages educators in Australia. An important part of this commitment is engaging in strategic collaborative partnerships and advocacy at national and international levels. This paper reports on the Association for Language Learning UK (ALL) Conference Language World in Sheffield, England, in which the authors participated during March 2023. Language World offered a packed program with speakers from across the languages sector, with a large number coming from primary and secondary schools. Additionally, many involved in languages education governance in the UK also participated, providing insights into the challenges and successes in languages education policy in the UK. In this paper, stimulating and useful learning from Language World is showcased, which can be used to inform both how we support languages education in Australia and how we continue to engage with partners and collaborators around the world on matters of current concern and interest Through this learning we provide connection with the AFMLTA Professional Standards for Accomplished Teaching of Languages (AFMLTA, 2021), and in particular the dimension of "Active engagement with wider context". We explore how accomplished teachers of languages establish relationships to wider contexts and are able to connect the local to the global through collaborative partnerships and comparison of our respective policy documentation to support teachers and teaching of languages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper sheds light on the professional experiences and identities of male educators of color (MEC) participating in monthly group gatherings throughout an academic year in a geographic region where male educators of color represent an inordinately low percentage of the overall school and district wide faculty. This paper examines how a group of MEC members perceived the value and importance of professional spaces that allowed for open discourse and community building through collectively organized and planned monthly gatherings. The researchers opened the group up to include individuals in their preservice teaching years to those reaching the height of school leadership or near retirement, sustaining dialogue across undergraduate students, preservice teachers, practicing teachers, school and district administrators, and university faculty. Discussants questioned policies and practices that presented barriers to male educators of color in systems of education and explored ways to navigate challenges. Gatherings allowed participants to belong and be heard in a setting that recognized accomplishments, shared concerns, and cultivated a supportive community. We posit that communicative action groups such as MEC provides deliberative interaction and critical professional development for members to reflect upon and deconstruct experiences in TK-12 settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Education Policy Analysis Archives / Archivos Analíticos de Políticas Educativas / Arquivos Analíticos de Políticas Educativas is the property of Educational Policy Analysis Archives & Education Review and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Education Policy Analysis Archives / Archivos Analíticos de Políticas Educativas / Arquivos Analíticos de Políticas Educativas is the property of Educational Policy Analysis Archives & Education Review and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Education Policy Analysis Archives / Archivos Analíticos de Políticas Educativas / Arquivos Analíticos de Políticas Educativas is the property of Educational Policy Analysis Archives & Education Review and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Lifelong education has proven to be a significant challenge in the policy arena. The combination of formal education and labor-centered institutions has pressed the development of different mechanisms to understand the role of human capital accumulation in socioeconomic mobility and organizational performance. While the narratives of lifelong education have primed labor and educational studies across developed economies, in the case of developing economies, those logics appear contested by development economics conditions. In this paper, I use the context of the expansion of the graduate educational market and its policy reforms to analyze how a developing economy copes with a change in the availability of a highly educated workforce. Using panel and pseudo-panel data, I examine the evolution of educational returns for the graduate workforce in Chile between 1990 and 2018, considering the differences between industries and public and private sectors. The results point out that there are no public-private differences and high heterogeneity across economic sectors. The policy- and individual-level consequences are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper traces the location of the principles of India’s Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, in the country’s most recent National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, and the documents leading up to the policy. It draws on the capability development approach and critical theory that facilitate understanding education as a fundamental right, moving beyond the narrow understanding of education as a mere instrument for the global economy. It also draws on global education policy literature and critical policy analysis lens to examine the assumed policy rationality. Based on a qualitative document analysis the paper argues that the policy does not demonstrate a commitment to the ideas of public-funded elementary education, child-centered democratic learning environment, and bridging the gap between equity and quality. The recommendations signal a further dilution of the RTE mandates. The policy statements and linguistic choices show an allegiance to neoliberal discourses reflecting the influence of global education policy transfer without systematic consideration of the realities of Indian school education. This approach indicates a missing link between the policy aims and social justice, that does not bode well on the educational rights of the marginalised children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acknowledging the reproductive function of schools, this paper explores three pivotal periods of Irish second-level education over the past century and considers how these periods were influenced by the political context at that time. The analysis shows that an insular nationalistic period that used schools as a vehicle for social and cultural reproduction was replaced from the 1960s to the present with an economically outwardly looking period that used schools as a vehicle to advance economic development while maintaining their reproductive function. Throughout this time, a meritocratic rhetoric dominated that downplayed continuing educational inequalities. The paper highlights how the political backdrop to these changes goes some way to explaining the nature of the policies and practices implemented and argues for greater attention focused on the political backdrop to education policy in general. With the fragmentation of the political homogeneity that once dominated Irish politics and in the context of a rise in populism globally, the paper raises questions about how this changing political climate is likely to influence future educational policy, particular policies focused on educational disadvantage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Education Policy Analysis Archives / Archivos Analíticos de Políticas Educativas / Arquivos Analíticos de Políticas Educativas is the property of Educational Policy Analysis Archives & Education Review and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Dialogos (14159945) is the property of Universidade Estadual de Maringa and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper provides estimates of returns to education by nature of employment by gender from 1993–94 to 2017–18 and also separates returns from vocational and general education in India. The paper addresses the sample selectivity issue arising from the endogenous choice of employment status in a Mincerian wage earnings equation using the multinomial-selection approach. The study found positive and incremental marginal returns with levels of general education accruing on self-employed workers, both male and female, albeit with a huge gender wage gap. The graduate level of education renders high returns for both male and female self-employed workers. On the other hand, vocational education and training (VET) is found to be beneficial only for self-employed men and not for self-employed women. Given the insignificant returns to VET for women, it is uncertain how women may benefit from the reforms in vocational education brought about through the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. Unless there is a significant expansion in skilled jobs, no amount of policy reforms towards developing skills of labour force would fructify. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper offers a case-study of the use of grounded methodology in a historical study on the role of education during Zimbabwean liberation war (1965-1980). It examines the strengths and limitations of grounded methodology in this context and develops a detailed approach for the use of grounded methodology in the collection, analysis, and compilation of the data to form a narrative. The methodology was employed to study the use of education as an ideological, political, and physical tool of war by both the Rhodesian Front government and the Zimbabwean African People's Union (ZAPU) and its military wing, the Zimbabwean Independence People's Army (ZIPRA). Overall, this paper highlights ways in which grounded theory can be used as a conceptual and analytic tool, and its advantages and limitations therein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Education Policy Analysis Archives / Archivos Analíticos de Políticas Educativas / Arquivos Analíticos de Políticas Educativas is the property of Educational Policy Analysis Archives & Education Review and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Education Policy Analysis Archives / Archivos Analíticos de Políticas Educativas / Arquivos Analíticos de Políticas Educativas is the property of Educational Policy Analysis Archives & Education Review and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Education Policy Analysis Archives / Archivos Analíticos de Políticas Educativas / Arquivos Analíticos de Políticas Educativas is the property of Educational Policy Analysis Archives & Education Review and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Education Policy Analysis Archives / Archivos Analíticos de Políticas Educativas / Arquivos Analíticos de Políticas Educativas is the property of Educational Policy Analysis Archives & Education Review and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Acta Paedagogica Vilnensia is the property of Vilnius University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Papers: Revista de Sociologia is the property of Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista Española de Sociología is the property of Federacion Espanola de Sociologia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In a neoliberal era of education, there has been a shift of policy focus to performativity and evidence-based practice, coupled with neoconservative ideology of a more traditional knowledge-led curriculum. The resultant, extant education policy context has received criticism due to its teach to test culture, the concomitant narrowing of curriculum and the highly prescribed, scrutinised and 'authorised' pedagogic practices prevalent in schools. The paper draws on empirical qualitative data from three modern foreign languages (MFL) secondary school teachers in high poverty contexts in the North West of England. The study examines how these teachers describe their pedagogical practice within the confines of the current policy landscape and how they respond to curriculum and assessment requirements. The paper concludes that, despite the limiting effects of the prescriptive approaches in the current educational system, there are opportunities for teachers to promote unauthorised pedagogies in their classrooms that respond to their specific contexts. However, it acknowledges a shift in teachers' professional identity and questions the current discourses associated with teachers' professional knowledge. In response to this, I call for better recognition of the politicised and antidemocratic nature of current education policy and for us to equip teachers to become public intellectuals with the professional confidence to act for social change by reclaiming pedagogic discourses and practices that benefit pupils living in poverty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 21st Century is known for both technological innovations and pedagogical advancements in education and research. The credit directly goes to newly invented digital disruptions with exceptionally growing needs, known as MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses). For a developing economy like India, quality higher education is a great asset for its social and economic growth. Access, equity, and quality are the chief concerns in successfully accomplishing the vision of Indian Higher Education. Positioned second in population; third in the education system; and emerging youth nation; India can reap the maximum benefits of MOOCs for catering varied and fast-changing educational needs of modern learners. MOOCs can help Education Policy 2020 fulfill its vision of providing qualitative education to its citizen. It needs total revamping of higher education through judicious mixing of technology and pedagogy through MOOCs. This research paper is descriptive in nature and evaluates the meaningfulness of MOOCs in higher education in India. Critically examines the potential of MOOCs, challenges, and future prospects with respect to access, equity, and quality concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the face of the complexities of problem-solving, experts are gaining centrality in policymaking (Weiss, 1979). At the same time, they are increasingly challenged in their legitimacy, which is not only technical but also political. Challenges to the legitimacy of experts suggest that other types of legitimacy are important for policymaking. Issues of legitimacy are particularly important for sound policymaking when the authority of experts and the value of evidence are contested and when the debate over policy solutions is particularly conflictual and ideological. In this paper, I use three exploratory cases of the use of expertise in education policy in Italy to show how policymakers design different advisory committees to enhance different types of legitimacy (epistemic, bureaucratic, and political). The findings suggest that while policymakers design advisory committees primarily to meet their legitimacy needs, the legitimacy of a decision requires different types of sources to generate consent and to allow for the impact of expertise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Education Policy Analysis Archives / Archivos Analíticos de Políticas Educativas / Arquivos Analíticos de Políticas Educativas is the property of Educational Policy Analysis Archives & Education Review and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Every aspect of the Australian education system is a colonial construct, which was established across the continent and adjacent islands as part of the ongoing British colonisation process. As such, in contemporary music classrooms in Australia, there are decisions made every day that perpetuate settler futurity. This paper explores five ways forward, beginning with a critical evaluation and implementation of education policy, and extending to decisions around curriculum, pedagogy, place and space, and community engagement that can support the decolonising of the music classroom in order to support all students, regardless of their cultural contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper follows on from the previous bulletin (Redford 2022), which covered the education remit of the Parliament's Education, Children and Young Peoples Committee between September 2021 and January 2022. The following bulletin covers the major pieces of work of the Education, Children and Young People Committee from February 2022 to January 2023. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is based on a systematic literature review of published research on the educational application of Virtual Lab. The paper focuses on the use of the mobile Virtual Lab application for learning science practicals in rural school context. This paper analyses the theoretical aspects of using VL in teaching and learning of science practical experiments. The previous studies published in national and international journals and conference proceedings on science education and technologies in education, and regarding the benefits of using VL in science education, are discussed as references for integrating VL in teaching of science practicals in the rural school context. A systematic review method was adopted in this paper to explore articles that focus on Virtual Labs and the use of Virtual labs in teaching and learning. However, the aim of this paper is to provide science teachers in rural schools and education policy makers with a better understanding of the constraints and the benefits of using VL technology in mediating learning of science practical experiments and encourage teachers to adopt the use of VL as technology for conducting science practical experiments. In addition, this paper also addresses the possible factors that may affect learners' learning of science practical experiments using VL technology in rural school educational settings, giving educational policy makers and curriculum developers enlightenment as to the effective integration of VL technology in science education. We conclude by providing suggestions and recommendations on the use of VL in teaching and learning of science practical experiments in rural schools beyond COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The changing scenario of higher education institutions due to industry demands, announcement of new education policy 2020 has given us a wakeup call regarding the competencies needed for the academic leadership. This paper attempts to identify the main competencies required for a leader in an academic scenario, the outcomes of the presence or absence of these competencies and the most preferred means of developing these competencies among the academic leaders in the current higher education context. The current paper has used Cranwell and Daly approach for studying the existing literature. The core academic leadership competencies identified based on the literature review are Personal capability, Interpersonal capability, Intellectual capability, Skills and knowledge, Administrative competencies, Competencies of social responsibility, Institutional competencies and Personal knowledge and Skill. And for the development of the same a systematic leadership development program needs to be developed to ensure academic leadership effectiveness in research universities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Education Policy Analysis Archives / Archivos Analíticos de Políticas Educativas / Arquivos Analíticos de Políticas Educativas is the property of Educational Policy Analysis Archives & Education Review and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article examines the spatial dynamics of youth educational subjectivity formation. Drawing on qualitative interviews conducted in sparsely habited northern Finland, the article focuses on the experiences of 15–16-year-old young people making choices regarding post compulsory education. Employing a sociospatial-relational framework, the paper explores how youth educational subjectivities are constructed in relation to educational policy discourses and structural opportunities, as well as young people's own imaginaries of life and education in specific places. In attending to spatiality in a regional context, the analysis brings into view multiple spatialities that are present when young people are making choices regarding education and mobility. The article concludes that the formation of young people's educational subjectivity is best understood as a relational process that is inherently a sociospatial one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Education Policy Analysis Archives / Archivos Analíticos de Políticas Educativas / Arquivos Analíticos de Políticas Educativas is the property of Educational Policy Analysis Archives & Education Review and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Education Policy Analysis Archives / Archivos Analíticos de Políticas Educativas / Arquivos Analíticos de Políticas Educativas is the property of Educational Policy Analysis Archives & Education Review and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Digital learning platforms have been used as teaching aids in many countries; however, their success factors are not well established in Thailand. The primary objective of this study was to identify and confirm the success factors to promote digital learning platforms in Thailand from instructors' perspectives. The sample included 788 Thai instructors. The confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) method indicates a good fit of a four-factor model to the observed data. The CFA construct revealed four success factors in promoting digital learning platforms: education policy, online classroom management, online learning system, and training method. The results explain the influence each of the four factors. Finally, this paper proposes guidelines for the promotion of digital learning platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the educational field by focusing on an integrated teacher education program [ITE] in Norway and OECD policy. The author centers attention on Norwegian teacher education and how globalization through such international agents as the OECD has had impact on national policy documents. Basil Bernstein's concept of pedagogical identities has been used to guide the analysis (Bernstein, 2000). The findings reveal a pedagogic schizoid identity in the policy documents regulating the ITE program. A non-direct transmission between OECD policy and the educational policy in Norway is reaffirmed. However, concurrently, the entrance of new discourses into the Norwegian educational field is acknowledged through a 'pedagogic schizoid identity'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Covid-19 pandemic and the associated lockdown regulations suddenly elevated the importance of blended learning in South Africa and worldwide. This has prompted various international and national institutions into action, providing various support services to enhance fast digital adoption in higher education and facilitate out of classroom learning. In this regard, this paper views the pandemic as a necessary evil that can catalyse the adoption of digital learning, particularly, in rural-based universities of South Africa that have been lagging in the digital education front. The paper reviews recent literature and document opportunities that are emerging from the Covid-19 pandemic. These opportunities can assist rural-based universities to sustainably adopt blended learning, catch up with the elite universities, and bridge the digital divide that is still apparent in South Africa. The paper is based on a review of articles, educational policy documents, and government gazettes. The Atlasti version 8 software was utilised to synthesise the literature. It was concluded that various opportunities exist for rural-based universities. To enhance effective digital transformation in rural-based universities, there is a need for alignment of national policy with realities in different institutions, improve human digital apprehension capacity, and increase collaborations between education technologists and education institutions as well as behavioural change among higher education managers. These changes can enable rural-based universities to build on the opportunities presented by the pandemic and digitalise their education programs to align with the inevitable demands of the 4th industrial revolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For more than a decade, Australian higher education has engaged with open educational practice (OEP). This paper presents findings from a study investigating the institutional approaches to OEP in Australian universities. Interviews were conducted with representatives from 10 Australian universities. The findings of a thematic analysis reveal organisational context, business processes and educational design as key themes through which OEP is enacted within Australian universities. Together, these themes document Australian universities experiences of and with OEP and contribute to addressing the need for translational research in Australian higher education. This research contributes to a growing evidence basis to construct an understanding of the dimensions of OEP for practical action. Implications for practice or policy: • University policymakers should enact institutional open education policy to signal support and provide clarity. • Learning designers and academic staff can leverage OEP to catalyse student-centred, authentic pedagogical transformation. • OEP advocates need to address the root problem of sector-wide lack of awareness. • Australian institutions should recognise existing pockets of good OEP engagement and more strategically codify or connect these practices to realise the benefits of OEP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, the educational policy, in many countries, promotes equal access for all students, including those with disabilities, to the general school, against all forms of social exclusion. Inclusion, in an innovative sense of the concept of diversity, focuses on the active participation and interaction of a heterogeneous student population in the general classroom. “E-inclusive” pedagogy refers to teachers’ decisions about the use of technology in the educational process with a view of compensating their developmental deficits and making functional use of their strengths. The aim of this paper is to propose tech tools and e-services for the access and active participation of students with sensory and motor disabilities in the educational procedures of the mainstream school and examine the role of teachers in realizing their inclusion / e-inclusion, as the main facilitators and modulators of the classroom settings to an open learning and development student-centered ecosystem. The results showed that teachers who accept as equal members of the school community all their students and incorporate flexibly new technologies into their teaching strategies to meet their unique needs, providing them with authentic opportunities for interaction and learning, contribute catalytically to their academic and social achievements, preparing them for substantial employment and integration opportunities in community life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ideas about the nature and purpose of education shape the language that is used to talk about teaching. This influences teaching practice. Research on education policy shows a significant move in New Zealand toward the idea that education is a commodity to be traded in the market place. In this context a language of learners and of outcomes emphasises a production output role for teachers over wider concerns for children and their wellbeing. This paper considers the origins of market ideas and suggests that commercialising education has implications for how teachers relate to children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Acta Paedagogica Vilnensia is the property of Vilnius University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper follows a line of logical argumentation to claim that what Samuel Messick conceptualized about construct validation has probably been misunderstood by some educational policy makers, practicing educators, and classroom teachers. It argues that, while Messick's unified theory of test validation aimed at (a) warning educational practitioners and policy makers of the undesirable social consequences of test use and (b) entreating educators and test developers to think of a facet-driven item-banking-based construct-specific criterion-referenced common metric for any construct of interest in educational and other settings, his message has been misunderstood as a plea for alternative ways of evaluation and specifically a qualitative shift in educational assessment. The paper (a) draws on the conceptual differences between 'test function' and other construct-irrelevant peripheral 'affordances' to which any test can be put, (b) argues that the moment of truth for the qualitative camp has arrived, and (b) invites everyone to admit that even if qualitative assessment, 'thick' descriptions of achievement, and differentiated portraits and profiles of student performance might be much thicker than traditional norm-referenced psychometric tests, they are no match for any minimalistic facet-driven criterion-referenced common metric, nor is any of them an option. The paper suggests that the right way out is through an iron-clad criterion-referenced Occam'srazor-proof common metric for each construct of interest, perhaps the only option that is sure to transform the soft science of educational assessment into a hard science of educational measurement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper draws upon a wider study deploying a 'Contexts of Influence' policy analysis framework applied to a developing nation--Nepal. The specific focus of the investigation was a policy into practice analysis of civics and citizenship educational curriculum goals. Themes around teaching and learning related to national identity, democracy, cultural diversity and global education were explored at the macro, meso and micro policy levels. The paper identifies some gaps and tensions in policy making in Nepal within and between the contexts of influence, text production and practice. The findings of this paper indicate that the relationships between the various contexts of influence in Nepal are not quite as dynamic as in some other studies that have applied the policy cycle model. There is an asymmetry of power with the policymakers in charge. The paper reflects upon how both textbooks and teaching practice might benefit from a greater sense of agency and empowerment in order to stimulate more creative and multi-perspectival classroom practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Education Policy Analysis Archives / Archivos Analíticos de Políticas Educativas / Arquivos Analíticos de Políticas Educativas is the property of Educational Policy Analysis Archives & Education Review and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)