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For the forty-fifth time, the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) is sponsoring the publication of these Proceedings. Papers published in this volume were presented online and onsite during the annual AECT Convention. The Proceedings of AECT's Convention are published in two volumes. Volume #1 contains papers dealing primarily with research and development topics. Papers dealing with the practice of instructional technology including instruction and training issues are contained in Volume #2. This year, both volumes are included in one document.

Five papers from the sessions of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions 1992 conference on classification, indexing, and cataloging are presented. Three papers deal with knowledge classification as it relates to database design, as it is practiced in India, and in a worldwide context. The remaining two papers focus on training catalogers and educating users. The following papers are included: (1) "Application of S. R. Ranganathan's Postulates and Principals of the General Theory of Knowledge Classification to Database Design and Information Retrieval" (A. Neelameghan); (2) "Classification and Indexing in India: A State-of-the-Art" (M. P. Satija); (3) "Guidelines for Subject Authority and Reference Entries (GSARE): A First Step to a Worldwide Accepted Standard" (Werner Stephan); (4) "Training Non-Cataloguers about Cataloguing" (Barbara J. Ford); and (5) "Educating Users about Catalogues and Cataloguing: The Impossible Dream" (Sharon A. Hogan). References follow most papers. (SLD)

Twelve papers delivered at a joint meeting at the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions annual meeting of the Children's Libraries, Public Libraries, and Libraries for the Blind sections of the Division of Libraries Serving the General Public are presented. Most of the papers deal with library services to children, but several are devoted to literacy issues and services to the blind. The following papers are included: (1) "Promotion of Reading Habits through Home Libraries" (S. Panandiker); (2) "Katha and Its Literacy Projects" (G. Dharmarajan); (3) "Children's Books and Children's Libraries in India" (M. Rao); (4) "Illiteracy and Blindness" (A. Leach); (5) "Guidelines for Public Libraries Working with Illiteracy" (B. Thomas); (6) "A Review of the Draft Document 'International Guidelines for Public Libraries Involved in Literacy Work: A Developing Country View'" (H. K. Raskroka); (7) "A Country Overview of Inter-Library Loan Services of Special Format Material for the Visually Handicapped in India" (V. S. Rawat); (8) "Literacy and Development in the Third World: Could Librarianship Make a Difference?" (R. Gassol de Horowitz); (9) "International Cooperation on Library Services to the Visually Handicapped: Outcome of the Asian Seminar" (H. Kawamura); (10) "Thai-Laos Project on Books for Young People" (S. Singlamanan); (11) "Promotion of Literacy of Handicapped Children in India through Library Services" (C. D. Tamboli); and (12) "Meeting the Needs of Students at an International School" (B. Sen). Several papers are followed by references. (SLD)

Eight contributed papers given at a general session of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions 1992 annual meeting are presented. These papers deal with a variety of library issues, and are generally, but not exclusively, focused on developing countries. The following papers are included: (1) "Community Information Centres in the Developing Countries with Special Reference to India" (V. Venkatappaiah and T. V. Prafulla Chandra); (2) "Managing University Libraries in Southern Africa in the 1990s: Perception of Challenges and Solutions" (L. Pakkiri); (3) "Thailand's Experiences in Strengthening Information Infrastructure: An Example of an Attempt To Develop the Asia and Oceania Information Infrastructure" (K. Choochuay); (4) "Information Policies and Government Guidance in Nigeria: What Hope for Rural Communities?" (L. I. Diso); (5) "Library and Information Services for Disabled Individuals" (S. Mishra); (6) "CD-ROM Implementation in Developing Countries: Impacts for Improving Services" (M. Keylard); (7) "National Information Policy and the Third World Countries" (K. Navalani); and (8) "Manpower Preparation for Development and Implementation of Information Policies" (S. ur Rehman). (SLD)

Eleven papers delivered at the annual meeting of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions for the Division of Management and Technology are presented. Some were presented at a roundtable on audiovisual media, and others are from sessions on library buildings and equipment, information management, and statistics in library management. The following papers are included: (1) "Sound Archives in All India Radio" (H. M. Joshi); (2) "International Market for Spoken Books" (V. Arora, I. Bell, and M. Jenkins); (3) "Talking Books in Arabic, Kurdish, Turkish, and Urdu" (S. Tastesen); (4) "Library Building in the Tropics: The Saint Martin Experience' (B. Hodge); (5) "Model Architectural Design of a Library: Advantages and Defects of the Soviet Experience" (A. Zimonenko); (6) "Automated Strategies for Social Development" (K. S. Oswalt); (7) "Computer and Software for Information Services: An Overview of Mexican Progress" (J. Lau and M. Castro); (8) "Adapting Technologies for Library Processing Projects: Africa, Asia, and South America" (A. R. Pierce); (9) "Librarianship: Profession, Semi-Profession or Mere Occupation?: Surveying the Process of Change and Development in British Librarianship Today" (M. Freeman); (10) "Probability, Statistics and Library Management" (S. K. Basu); and (11) "Le Mesure de la satisfaction des usagers: Statistiques et enguetes aupres du public" (M.-D. Heusse) (French text). (SLD)

Fifteen papers delivered for the Division of General Research Libraries at the 1992 International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions annual meeting are presented. These papers deal with national libraries, parliamentary (legislative) libraries, and university libraries. The papers are: (1) "Seeking Alternatives to National Libraries" (E. W. B. Williams); (2) "The Role of National Library as a Bibliographic Centre in a Multi-Lingual Situation: The Indian Context" (K. Dasgupta); (3) "Developmental Strategies of Computerized Legislative Information Services" (K. M. Ku); (4) "The Russian Parliamentary Library: Its History, Functions and Proposed Automation" (J. Shraiberg); (5) "Rethinking a Library: Knowledge for Legislators and the Library of Congress of Chile" (X. Feliu, M. Delano); (6) "Parliament of India and Information Management" (C. K. Jain); (7) "Information Services in a University Library--Will the 21st Century Bring Us Anything Different or Will It Be More of the Same" (A. J. Evans); (8) "The Changing Role of the University Library--Crafting a More Effective Role for the Library" (F. K. Groen); (9) "University Libraries in India" (K. A. Isaac); (10) "Library and Reference, Research, Documentation and Information Services to Members of Parliament in India" (G. C. Malhotra); (11) "Tripura Legislative Assembly Library: A Study" (S. Debnath); (12) "Library and Information Services in Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly" (S. S. Rajamani); (13) "Library Reference and Research Services in Rajasthan Legislative Assembly" (C. P. Gupta); (14) "The Needs of University Libraries in Developing Countries" (G. G. Allen); and (15) "The Finnish Universities' Research Database Project" (P. Kytomaki). (SLD)

The following 19 papers were delivered at the 1992 annual meeting of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions for the Division of Education and Research: (1) "Across the Frontiers: Impact of Foreign Journals in Library Science in India: A Citation Analysis" (M. A. Gopinath); (2) "Children and Reading in Israel" (I. Sever); (3) "Investigations into Reader Interest and Reading in Lithuania, 1918-1990" (V. Rimsa); (4) "Ethnic and Social Problems of Reading in Kazakhstan" (R. Berdigalieva); (5) "The USA Experience: Views and Opinions of an Asian American Librarian" (S. H. Nicolescu); (6) "The Implications for Libraries of Research on the Reading of Children" (M. L. Miller); (7) "Women's Status in Librarianship, the UK Experience" (S. Parker); (8) "Women's Interests in Librarianship, Resources on Women: Their Organization and Use" (H. Parekh); (9) "Information for Research on Women and Development" (A. Vyas); (10) "The Contribution of S. R. Ranganathan's Scientific School to the Informatization of Education for Library Science in the World" (J. N. Stolyarov and E. A. Nabatnikova); (11) "Library and Information Science Education Policy in India" (N. L. Rao and C. R. Karisiddappa); (12) "The Market in the Gap: Continuing Professional Education in the South Pacific" (J. Evans); (13) "Continuing Education Programmes for Teachers in Library and Information Science and Academic Library Professionals in South India" (A. A. N. Raju); (14) "Continuing Professional Education in China: A Decade Retrospective" (D. Xiaoying); (15) "Grounded Theory and Qualitative Methodology" (D. E. Weingand); (16) "Research in the Outskirts of Science: The Case of Mexico" (J. Lau); (17) "Society's Library: Leading to the Realization of the Five Laws--In Memory of Dr. S. R. Ranganathan" (L. Minghua); (18) "The Role of Library and Information Science Reviews in the Development of the Profession and Services" (M. Poulain); and (19) "Journal Publications in Africa: The Trouble with Authors and Readers" (L. O. Aina). Several papers are followed by references. (SLD)

Eleven papers delivered for the Division of Libraries Serving the General Public at the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions 1992 annual meeting are presented. Most deal with library services to multicultural populations, including those of developing countries. The following papers are included: (1) "Library Provision to Indians Living in Malaysia" (K. S. Mun); (2) "Library Services to Indians in Canada" (U. Prasada-Kole); (3) "Library Services to the Indian Population in the United States" (R. N. Sharma); (4) "The Southern Ontario Multilingual Pool: A Model for Cooperative Library Service Development" (S. Skrzeszewski); (5) "Meeting Information Needs of Slow, Average and Gifted Learners" (M. Kapoor); (6) "The Application of Information Technology (IT) in Public Libraries in Developing Countries" (P. Borchardt); (7) "The Role of the Public Library in Combating Illiteracy" (B. Thomas); (8) "The First UNESCO Library Pilot Project" (S. N. Khanna); (9) "'Transformation': The ODA Trainer Development Project for Central and State Training Institute Librarians in India" (M. Freeman); (10) "User Education around the World: The UNESCO Survey of Library and Information User Education Programmes in Some Developing Countries" (O. Kokkonen); and (11) "Ask the Same Questions and Get a Different Answer--A Case Study in Library Opening Hours Surveys" (J. Frylinck). Most papers are followed by references. (SLD)

Eight papers for the Collections and Services Division of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions that were given at the 1992 annual meeting are presented. These papers deal with the acquisition and exchange of library materials, interlending, and serial publications. The following papers are included: (1) "Why Won't You Accept My Order? Global Acquisitions Solutions" (T. Leisner); (2) "South Asian Literature: Acquisition and Processing in West European Libraries" (G. F. Baumann); (3) "The Interlibrary Loan (ILL) Protocol: Progress and Projects" (L. Swain and P. Tallim); (4) "Sci-Tech Libraries: New Approach to Interlibrary Loans" (E. Eronina); (5) "Improving Interlending through Goal Setting and Performance Measurement" (J. Willemse); (6) "OSIRIS, a Microcomputer Based Online Serials Information, Registration and Inquiry System" (S. Santiago); (7) "Serial Publications in India" (P. K. Gupta); and (8) "Basic Serials Management Handbook" (J. Szilvassy). Most papers are followed by references.

Nine papers delivered at the Division of Libraries Serving the General Public at the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions 1992 annual meeting are presented. In addition to papers about libraries for disadvantaged persons, papers on services to children and young people and to the general public through mobile libraries, are presented. The following papers are included: (1) "UNESCO Public Library Manifesto" (B. Thomas); (2) "An Introduction to the International Guidelines for Library Services to Prisoners: Ze zitten hier niet voor hun zweetvoeten" (F. E. Kaiser); (3) "An Overview of Library Services in an Ageing Society: Emphasis on New Trends in Scandinavian Countries" (K.-J. Carlsen and K. Thulin); (4) "The Importance of Library and Reading in the Rehabilitation Process of the Disabled People" (F. Czajkowski); (5) "Multicultural Library Services for Immigrants in Queens County, New York" (A. A. Tandler); (6) "From Reading Promotion to Media Literacy--Public Library Services for Children and Young People" (I. Glashoff); (7) "Mobile Libraries in Finland--Culture Brought to Your Doorstep" (T. Haavisto); (8) "Mobile Libraries and the UNESCO Manifesto for Public Libraries" (T. H. Tate); and (9) "Mobile Library Service with a Special Reference to Delhi Public Library" (S. N. Khanna). (SLD)

This document contains six papers about and from a roundtable discussion of poverty alleviation, work, and adult learning. The "Introduction" (Madhu Singh) presents an overview of the roundtable. "Work-Related Adult Education: Challenges and Possibilities in Poverty Areas" (Enrique Pieck) describes work-related adult education strategies and argues that training alone is insufficient for poverty areas. Competence reform in Norway is examined in "The Future of Work and Adult Learning: The Norwegian Case" (Ole Briseid). "The New Role of Adult Education Institutions: From Schools to Learning Agencies" (Peter Krug) explains why educational institutions must become open learning centers and act as facilitators of the transition between schools and universities and continuing education. "Trade Unions and Adult Vocational Learning for the Informal Sector" (Christine Nathan) discusses the situation of women construction workers in India and suggests how trade unions can help them through adult education. Adult vocational education's responsiveness to those it serves is considered in "Ethical Implications of Contemporary Trends in Work and Adult Vocational Learning" (Richard D. Bagnall). Concluding the document are abstracts and the tables of contents of two United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Institute for Education publications on work-based learning. (MN)

The following 21 papers were delivered for the Special Libraries Division of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions at its 1992 annual meeting: (1) "From Indochina to Afghanistan: Arts from Abroad in Parisian Libraries" (M. F. Macouin); (2) "The Indonesian Archeology Photograph and Documentation System (IAPDS) in Leiden" (H. I. R. Hinzler); (3) "The Collection Development and Organisation of Art Materials: The Cultural Center of the Philippines in Context" (E. R. Peralejo); (4) "Resources for the Conservation of Southeast Asian Art" (S. G. Swartzburg); (5) "The Moravian Mission and Its Research on the Language and Culture of Western Tibet: A Case Study for Collection Development" (H. Walravens); (6) "The National Art Library and the Indian Collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London" (J. F. van der Wateren); (7) "Collection Development and Acquisition of Art Materials with Special Reference to South and South-East Asia: A Case Study of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts" (A. P. Gakhar); (8) "Map Collection of the National Library and Its Users' Pattern" (D. K. Mittra and A. K. Ghatak); (9) "Russian Maps of Asia" (N. Ye. Kotelnikova); (10) "A Survey of Maps and Atlases Published in India" (A. K. Ghatak); (11) "Government Libraries in India: An Overview" (M. K. Jain); (12) "Technology as an Agent for Communication" (E. J. Valauskas); (13) "Changing Duties: Relations between Library and Information Work" (A. G. A. Staats); (14) "Access to Scientific and Technical Information: The Greenlight or Not?" (D. Stoica); (15) "Initiatives To Facilitate Access to S&T (Science and Technology) Information in India" (A. Lahiri); (16) "Improving Access to Scientific Literature in Developing Countries--A UNESCO Programme Review" (A. Abid); (17) "Science, Technology and Libraries in French-Speaking Africa" (H. Sene); (18) "Productivity, Impact and Quality of Scientific Work at the UNAM (National Autonomous University of Mexico): Actions for their Acknowledgement" (P. Dector); (19) "The Post-Perestroyika Sci-Tech Libraries: Will They Survive?" (A. Zemskov); (20) "Access to Information and Science Development in the Developing World" (S. Arunachalam); and (21) "Manuscript Collections in Indian Libraries with Special Emphasis on National Library" (S. Akhtar). (SLD)

Organized to focus world-wide public attention on the massive gender inequalities in many areas of the world, a seminar entitled "Women and Literacy Development--Constraints and Prospects" was held in Sweden during August 1991. This book presents conference papers by female literacy experts from 12 developing nations (three in Latin America, five in Africa, three in Asia, and one in the South Pacific Region) on the literacy situation for girls and women in their respective countries. Papers in the book are: (1) "Women and Literacy Development in the Third World: A Rapsodic Overview" (Eve Malmquist); (2) "Women and Literacy Development in India" (Anita Dighe); (3) "Women and Literacy Development in Pakistan" (Neelam Hussain); (4) "Flowers in Bloom: An Account of Women and Literacy Development in Thailand" (Kasama Varavarn); (5) "Women and Literacy Development in the South Pacific Region" (Barbara Moore); (6) "Illiterate Rural Women In Egypt: Their Educational Needs and Problems: A Case Study" (Nadia Gamal El-Din); (7) "Women and Literacy Development in Botswana: Some Implementation Strategies" (Kgomotso D. Motlotle); (8) "Women and Literacy Development in East Africa with Particular Reference to Tanzania" (Mary Rusimbi); (9) "Women and Literacy Development in Mozambique" (Teresa Veloso); (10) "Women and Literacy Development: A Zimbabwean Perspective" (Maseabata E. Tsosane and John A. Marks); (11) "Women and Literacy Development in Mexico" (Geraldine Novelo Oppenheim); (12) "A Post-Literacy Project with the Women of the Indian Community of San Lorenzo, Colombia" (Mirvan Zuniga); (13) "Gender Subordination and Literacy in Brazil" (Fulvia Rosemberg); (14) "Women and Literacy: Summary of Discussions at the International Linkoping Seminar" (Ulla-Britt Persson and Neelam Hussain); and (15) "Concluding Remarks, Suggestions and Recommendations" (Eve Malmquist). (RS)

The aim of the International Society for Technology, Education, and Science (iHSES) conference is to offer opportunities to share ideas, discuss theoretical and practical issues, and connect with the leaders in the fields of "humanities," "education" and "social sciences." It is organized for: (1) faculty members in all disciplines of humanities, education and social sciences; (2) graduate students; (3) K-12 administrators; (4) teachers; (5) principals; and (6) all interested in education and social sciences. [Individual papers are indexed in ERIC.]

Case studies and seminar reports are provided that were presented at an international seminar to examine field experiences in using a culture-based approach to nonformal education. Part I, containing an introductory paper and nine case studies, focuses on indigenous institutions and processes in health, family planning, agriculture, basic education, and conscientization. The introductory paper discusses indigenous sociocultural forms as a basis for nonformal education and development. Seven countries are represented in the case studies: Indonesia, Bolivia, Java (Indonesia), Upper Volta, Botswana, India, and Bali (Indonesia). Section II focuses on the performing arts in both mass campaigns and community nonformal education programs. An introductory paper overviews folk media, popular theater, and conflicting strategies for social change in the third world. The seven case studies consider the specific strategies used in Brazil, Sierra Leone, China, India, Mexico, Jamaica, and Africa. Section III contains the seminar reports developed from discussions of the four regional working groups: Latin America, Africa and the Caribbean, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. A summary of plenary discussions is also provided. (YLB)

Twenty-five papers presented at the conference include papers on the role of the site coordinator in a distributed education network in Ontario; student support systems in the Open University of Israel; the dilemmas of designing a computer mediated communication support system; interactive libraries; tutoring in technical science in the Open University of the Netherlands; research supervision at a distance; the role of tutoring and group support in distance education; the relationship between interaction and independence; distance education in India; applications of telecommunications for interactive tutoring; and cost effectiveness analysis of projects that increase student interaction in distance education. Most of the papers include references. The individual papers are briefly reviewed in the introduction, and continuity from papers presented at two earlier conferences is discussed. (GL)

Indian English is a variety of the English language used as a second language by Indian bilinguals. This paper reports on a computerized survey of the grammar of Indian English, consisting of the classification of 230 expressions "of whose standing there might be some question" by a group of linguists and teachers of English in India, in order to determine the status of these expressions in current Indian English usage. Each expression was classified in one of the following categories: (1) Literary English; (2) Colloquial English; (3) Popular or Illiterate Speech. Results of the survey lead to the conclusions that Indian English is based on written English style, and that there are considerable similarities between Indian English and its sister languages in England, America, and elsewhere. It further appears that not only have Indian languages Indianized the English language, but English has contributed substantially to the Indian languages as well. Indian English can justifiably be viewed as the result of the union of British English and Indian cultural-linguistic context. (DB)

Information on teaching and research in international law for countries of the Asia-Pacific region is presented in proceedings of a 1984 conference sponsored by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. In addition to a regional overview, suggestions are offered for promoting regional cooperation in international law. Challenges in the teaching and study of international law, problems areas for students graduating in international law, and problems of the profession are considered. Status reports for nine countries on teaching and research in international law are provided by conference participants as follows: Australia (James Crawford), India (M. L. Upadhyaya), Indonesia (Komar Kantaatmadja), Japan (Onuma Yasuaki), Republic of Korea (Chi Young Pak), Pakistan (M. A. Mannan), The Philippines (Adolfo S. Azcuna), Sri Lanka (A. R. B. Amerasinghe), and Thailand (Vitit Muntarbhorn). Appendices include: a conference program, list of participants and brief introductory conference addresses by Jae Hoon Choi, E. Hyock Kwon, Bong-shik Park, and Yogesh Atal. (SW)

The "International Society for the Social Studies (ISSS) Annual Conference Proceedings" is a peer-reviewed professional publication published once a year following the annual conference. The following papers are included in the 2014 proceedings: (1) Legal Profession in the Technological Era with Special Reference to Women Lawyers in Coimbatore District of Tamil Nadu, India (G. Barani and S. Pavithra); (2) Proof in the Pudding: A Mix of Integrative and Interactive Strategies in Middle School Literacy (Ruth S. Busby, Todd Stork, and Nathaniel Smith); (3) History Teachers as Historian: Conducting Historical Research (Hayden Call); (4) Using the Library of Congress to Create DBQ's and Book Backdrops (Daniel A. Cowgill, II.); (5) Crowdsourcing for Digital Social Science Learning Companions: A Theory, Model, & Explanation (Charles Cummings); (6) Altering Student Perceptions of Research Practices through Wikipedia: Report on Action Research (Charles Cummings); (7) Teacher Created Prescriptive Interactive Content (TCPIC), SAMR, and Modernizing Remediation in Social Science Education (Charles Cummings); (8) Using Inquiry & Literacy Strategies to Investigate Climate Change (James S. Damico and Mark Baildon); (9) College Readiness for Rural Youth Initiative: Creating a Climate for Success (Jason Hedrick, Mark Light, and Jeff Dick); (10) Pedagogy of oppression: Reconstruction narratives in Mississippi history text books 1887-1976 (Kenneth V. Anthony); (11) Blending of Social Studies in Digital Age (Lakhwinder Jit Kaur); (12) Preparing Global Citizens to Lead and Serve: Positive Youth Development in Online Environments (Mark Light, Jason Hedrick, and Jeff Dick); (13) Instructional Strategies to Use with Primary Sources: A Practical Teaching Workshop (Karen Larsen Maloley); (14) Junior Achievement in Middle Level Education (Leisa A. Martin); (15) "History's Actually Become Important Again." Early Perspectives on History Instruction in the Common Core. (Paul B. McHenry); (16) Learning to Collaborate: Exploring Collective and Individual Outcomes of Special and General Educators (Anthony Pellegrino, Margaret P. Weiss, Kelley Regan, and Linda Mann); (17) Choosing to Break the Bubble: P-12 Teachers, Curricular Development and the Modern Civil Rights Movement (Anthony Pellegrino, Katy Swalwell, and Jenice View); (18) Heritage and Regionalisation in Portugal: Monuments and Community Identity (Fernando Magalhs); (19) Knowing the ROPES: Building Community and Citizenship Dispositions (Deb Sheffer and Barbara Swanson); (20) Relevance of Social Studies and Digital Era (Devinder Singh); (21) Preservice Social Studies Teachers' Conceptions of and Experiences with Discussion as a Pedagogical Tool (Rory Tannebaum); (22) Social Justice in Social Studies Teacher Education: What is our Message? (Juan Walker, Ann Marie Smith, Andrew L Hostetler, Sean M Lennon, and Laura Rychly); (23) Theoretical Cognitive Principles Applied in the Social Studies Classroom: Procedure of Primary Sources (Juan Walker, William B. Russell, III., and John Pagnotti); (24) The History of the Handshake: Its Place in the Classroom in the Digital Age (Beau Michael Whitsett); (25) International Reductions in Compulsory Geography Education and Teacher Preparation: A Multi-national Pilot Study (Patrick C. Womac); (26) Creating a Space for Social Justice through Dialogic Interactions in a Writing Workshop (Elsie L. Olan and Jeffery Kaplan); and (27) Writing Workshop Fostering Social Justice through Creative Writing and Dialogic Interactions (Jeffery Kaplan and Elise L. Olan). (Individual papers contain references.) [For the 2013 proceedings, see ED545197.]

A review of past trends in adult literacy in developing countries shows that the following factors have been crucial to achieving large-scale literacy results: the state as the prime mover; political will or national commitment; a favorable development context; continuous mobilization activities; a broad conception of literacy; broad collaborative involvement; central coordination; postliteracy and other follow-up efforts; and dual strategy combining universal primary education and adult literacy. Despite the arguments against large-scale adult literacy campaigns by nongovernmental organizations and international agencies, well-resourced, well-planned initiatives have taken place in Latin America, Africa, and India. Learner- and community-based approaches are becoming more popular; however, the World Bank's policies regarding adult literacy have had a detrimental effect on efforts to link adult and child literacy through intergenerational approaches. Although the need for literacy teaching is greatest in developing countries, literacy remains a concern in industrialized countries. The literacy of tomorrow should not be a static condition inasmuch as the level of literacy required to function in everyday life is constantly shifting upward. The challenge is to provide citizens with lifelong access to literacy and learning-rich environments. Meeting this challenge requires removing the word "remedial" from the literacy vocabulary and coordinating hitherto separate fields of education. (MN)

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were developed by the United Nations in 2015 to encompass universal respect for equality and non-discrimination regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, and cultural diversity. Since 2000, Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) have aligned with SDG 4.3 by developing higher education institutions (HEIs) which aims to "By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university". This was intended to create equal opportunities and permit full realisation and prosperity of human rights and human dignity. This paper explores the effectiveness of managing racial integration in BRICS HEIs and illustrates remarkable progress in research and policy enactment. Particular attention is devoted to the period from the mid-2000s when evidence around the globe exposed the presence of many forms of violence, which inhibit management of effective racial integration. Based on case studies from selected BRICS countries (South Africa, Russia, and Brazil), this paper explores how the management of racial integration is being addressed within these contexts. [For the complete Volume 20 proceedings, see ED622631.]

The implementation of stricter immigration policies by many countries has increased the number of people searching for alternative routes, such as seeking assistance from travel agents or migrant smugglers. This shift has created a new opportunity leading to an increase in travel agents and migrant smugglers, particularly in countries like India. This paper is based on ethnographic research with travel agents, who are running the migrant smuggling business in India. We have found that they initially operated as conventional travel agents providing services such as ticket booking and visa assistance. However, due the profitable and economically rewarding opportunities in illicit migrant smuggling, they have expanded into this lucrative business. Further, this paper explores their interpretations of migrant smuggling as a service provided to their clients, and the ethics they follow in their enterprises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To investigate to what extent the stakeholders believe in females having attributes of transformational leadership to rise at higher positions in institutions of higher education in India while implementing New Education Policy in India. To know where we are right now and where we need to go in terms of promoting female leaders in Indian higher education. Methods: Both qualitative and quantitative methods are used. Qualitative responses from 10 Indian women leaders are collected from those 03 qualitative responses are quoted in the paper and considered in the analysis. MLQ* tool (Multifactor leadership Questionnaire) used to collect responses of 51 different stakeholders of higher education. Findings: The study shows that female leadership can be trailblazing in organizational management in institutions of Higher Education in India while implementing the New Education Policy. The results anticipate providing insights to initiate Indian policymakers and recruiting bodies to motivate women to take up leadership positions. Originality and Cognitive Value: The area of the prospects of transformational female leadership in Indian higher education in the context of implementation of New Education Policy in India is a novel exploration as education policy is implemented recently in 2020 and gender equity is a major aspect of concern in achieving Sustainable development Goals. [For the full proceedings, see ED654100.]

This paper examines teachers' adaptive approaches with regard to Environmental Studies (EVS) within primary classrooms of government schools located in suburban Mumbai in India. 'Environmental Studies' (EVS), is a significant aspect of school curricula; integrating concepts and issues of science, social studies and environment education. While the effectiveness of curricular activities and materials for EVS in fostering student learning is often examined, teachers' implementation of these resources have received relatively inadequate attention in scholarly research. The local conditions in government schools, as well as the nature of reform curriculum and teacher training form the background to the complexities involved in adaptive teaching. We find that different adaptive methods are developed by some teachers over time in response to their documentation of local concerns and resources. We also find that the teachers' strong sense of professional agency is reflected in their explorations with curriculum-adaptation possibilities. Additionally, teachers' varying levels of trust in the design of existing textbook activities may affect their pedagogical decisions. We propose that delving into teachers' local knowledge provides insights into their perspectives and practices regarding student learning. Studying teachers' adaptive approaches is therefore imperative, and has critical implications for curriculum design and teacher professional development efforts. [For the full proceedings, see ED654100.]

The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between the percentage of expenditure on public education of a country and the effect that each percentage mark has on the economic growth, and therefore Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of a country. The goal of this paper is to explore how investment in education impacts the economic growth of a country through the production of more skilled workers in the workforce. This paper aims to draw a comparison between the BRICS countries, and a representative number of the countries in the European Union to compare the investment, process and product delivered through these groupings. By looking at the production function from a Marxist perspective it is inevitable to notice that the error coefficient is significantly higher within the BRICS countries than in the European Union, which is reflected in the rate of economic growth. This paper would be of interest to economists, education policy makers, researchers, and scholars.

This study was conducted in Maharashtra, India with children studying in a regional medium (Marathi) government school. In Marathi, the translation of the word 'about' is not very commonly used. The aim of the study was to see how the children used uncertain language about prediction while engaged in a statistical investigation and how children would respond to the uncertain language introduced by the researcher. The findings suggest that children did not use the equivalent word for 'about' without prompting from the researcher. The study has the potential of exploring and impacting the influences of language on the learning of statistics in a non-Western culture.

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have become a prominent alternative source of learning for engineering and science students. This rising proclivity for MOOCs among students is based on multiple factors. Several studies have focused on factors that affect MOOCs usage, and most of them have used the Motivation theory. These studies have primarily focused on intrinsic motivations and tangible benefits of MOOCs. However, they have rarely examined why students spend on MOOCs. This paper examines why students are paying only for a certain courses on MOOCs. Our analysis uses the theory of consumption value (TCV) to explain this phenomenon. This study uses a survey method to investigate the students' pursuit of various courses on different MOOC platforms. The survey questionnaire elicited students to share information about MOOCs they have pursued, either free or paid. Our analysis reveals that personal motivations, negative classroom experiences and different learning reasons influence Indian students to pursue MOOCs. The expenditure analysis of students on MOOCs shows that students find Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) courses are more valuable than courses from any other discipline. Finally, we discuss the findings and interpret its implications with respect to future of learning in higher education. [For the full proceedings, see ED630948.]

Higher education equips people to inculcate the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in today's world. In India, National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 focuses on key reforms in higher education that make ready the next generation to flourish and succeed in the new digital age. So the higher education system should ensure the quality meets the same. In this regard, the system needs to instill in students the hope for their success. Despite this, some students are lacking it because of the prevailing educational practices. The pass percentage of undergraduate students is not so high. This means that higher education is lacking something. The present paper reports on a qualitative exploration study using sequential semi-structured interviews on the perceptions and attributions of academically failed undergraduate students from the Malappuram District of Kerala (N=10). Reasons for their academic failure attributed to the Teacher, Curricular, Transactional, Learner and Institutional related practices in their undergraduate programme were identified and suggestions there for improvement of higher education practices were derived. The recommendations by the young learners can be implemented to make the higher education system more learner-friendly and the findings here will help to enhance the curricular reforms and improve the excellence of higher education.

Timely analysis of trends and issues in TVE can help TVE stakeholders cope with rather than oppose them. Educating in the direction of the trend and resolving the important issues can maximize TVE's chance of success. The purpose of this paper was to identify trends and issues in the TVE in 10 Indo-Pacific countries. To achieve this purpose, a cross-country analysis with a word cloud analysis was employed. Consequently, the following nine trends were identified: (1) Accelerated adaptation to emerging technologies and the evolution of industry; (2) Improving or diversifying TVE accessibility and increasing the enrollment rate; (3) Enhancing alignment between the TVE and higher education sectors; (4) Promoting employment-based, work-based, or competency-based learning models; (5) Strengthening TVE educators'/trainers' practical skills, industrial working experience, or qualification requirements; (6) Gearing TVE with lifelong learning; (7) Encouraging employer or industry involvement in TVE; (8) Enhancing quality assurance and autonomy in the TVE system; and (9) Providing more career counseling or career exploration. In addition, the following six issues were identified: (1) TVE does not have the same positive public image as academic education; (2) Insufficiency of qualified TVE trainers/teachers; (3) Extreme challenges to teach hands-on skills online; (4) Weak involvement of social partners; (5) Fragmentation of TVET management; and (6) The continued lack of a well-constructed qualification framework and quality assurance system.

Taking the premise that construction or meaning making largely depends on the existing knowledge and experience, this paper uses an analogy of learning the culinary art and learning to teach. This paper attempts to clarify the characteristics of signature pedagogy of teacher education focusing on the threshold concept of constructivism by using the analogy of culinary skills as the contextual/environmental element. It is assumed that the analogy helps the student teachers to comprehend the meaning of the abstract idea of constructivism because in the cultural context of Kerala most student teachers are clear about what it means to learn how to learn cooking. This paper fits into the theme of this conference as future teachers and teacher educators would learn how to relate something as abstract as constructivism with something intimately connected with life and cultural environment as learning to nourish oneself and the younger ones. While cooking facilitates nourishment of body, teaching facilitates learning and development of mind. Building upon the analogy between these two essential process of sustaining and developing human life and culture, this paper augments its arguments with the concepts of signature pedagogy and threshold concepts and elaborates on how these ideas would help to further clarify and improve the theory and practice of constructivism in teacher education. [This paper was published in "Environmental Psychology: Perspectives on Teacher Education" p19-28 2017 (ISBN 978-81-933464-0-2).]

This paper is based on the retrospective reviews of the Information Systems study group who went on the international study tour to India to learn, network and collaborate with academics, students and industry professionals overseas. The paper addresses concerns of local Australian Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics recruiters and identifies how a well-planned educational study tours could in the future help graduates meet industry and recruiters' demands. It furthermore identifies that 21st century international business ventures and global partnerships require future graduates to not only be skillful in their professions but also be global citizens, know and understand different cultures, easily adapt to new environments, skillfully negotiate business deals, mindfully communicate and swiftly learn to apply and follow local rules, customs and regulations. [For full proceedings, see ED571459.]

In this study, we explore the possibilities of utilizing and implementing an e-Education platform for Indian school-level curricula. This study will demonstrate how the e-Education platform provides a positive result to the students' learning and how this tool helps in managing the overall teaching processes efficiently. Before describing the overview of this e-Education methodology, the current Indian education policies, and the curriculum implementation strategy in School-Level education will be discussed. We will extend our opinions on current state-of-the-art e-Learning methodologies employed in Finnish educational institutions and pursue a comparative study on Indo-Finnish education systems. In this paper, our views on the appropriateness of the developed platform ("ViLLE" e-Education Platform) towards Indian elementary-level curricula and its foreseen implementation impacts will be presented. At last, we will show that the chosen approach is green, environment-friendly, and highly aligned with the roadmap of reducing and eliminating paper consumption in academic institutions in the future. [For full proceedings, see ED571459.]

This paper notes that education needs to essentially lead to sustainable development serving two-fold purpose--eradicating the problems of unemployment and poverty; and ensuring equitable distribution of wealth while ensuring the right understanding leading to a peaceful, prosperous and developed world. In its current state, technical education doesn't seem to serve the above two objectives. The paper presents a holistic view of technical education in India. In order to ensure sustainable development for India in the contemporary global scenario, the paper finds technical education to be one of the core competencies that need to be developed. The paper observes that there seems to be no linkage between the "education" being provided in the country and these problems getting solved. In order to provide a real educational solution for all-encompassing development of India, the paper suggests that "what to do" is the real question for technical education than just "how to do". The paper suggests a model for the State (province) of Punjab in India to elaborate on the model of technical education for sustainable development. [For full proceedings, see ED571459.]

Homeschooling is an alternative method of teaching where parents take the responsibility of education and teach their children at home. This method of education is increasing worldwide. Various authorities around the world have taken note of this trend and recognized homeschooling as an alternative method of education in their legislation. The paper examines the educational policy and practice of homeschooling in the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) through a literature study, with the aim of comparing the five countries to hit. It also looks at what the BRICS countries can learn from each other regarding homeschooling. Most of the BRICS countries have education law that does not provide for homeschooling. In the countries where homeownership is legal, there are strict requirements that must be met. These requirements place a heavy burden on home school parents. However, it is clear from the investigation that homeschooling is increasing in the BRICS countries legally and illegally. There are also other similarities arising from the study.

Research on special education has showed that the use of digital technology for the special need children can help to simplify their educational process. Intellectual disability (ID) is a kind of developmental disorder. ID children need some kind of scaffolding during their learning process. Hence, as part of our ongoing research to design and develop an AR-based educational technology (ET) tool for ID children, we have conducted 3 studies. This paper describes our findings from these studies. Initially we have conducted a pilot study to investigate how Augmented Reality (AR) based educational application would help the mild and moderate ID children in learning English alphabets. Then we have conducted a survey to know the concern of special teachers about technology tools for ID children. In the third study, we have visited some of the special schools in Kerala to know more about the issues pertaining to the ID children. The results of these 3 studies warrant the need to design and develop some kind of AR/VR application for educating ID children.

Very few studies have given attention to parental support for children's play-based conceptual development in a home setting. The key aspect of this paper is to investigate how parental support aids development of children's mathematical and science concepts in collective play in the home context and what happens to the play during parent-child collective engagement. The data has been collected through video, audio and semi-structured interviews from four Indian families and their children (four to five years old and median age 4.5 years). For data analysis, Hedegaard's (2008a) three levels of interpretation--common sense, situated practice and thematic interpretations--were employed. Drawing upon Vygotsky's (2004) concept of imagination and creativity, Fleer's (2010, p. 140) pedagogical model of "collective and individual play" and Kravtsova's (2009, p. 22-23) concept of "subject positioning" are used for thematic analysis. The paper analyses the play experience of a five-year-old boy, Jay (pseudonym used) and his mother's co-construction of play in the home context. The findings of our analysis shows that the mother's interactive approach as an active play partner in Jay's play promoted his learning and development. The paper argues that the parents' active involvement in children's play is not only important to develop the play itself but also important for providing better learning opportunities for children.

A child's early years (0-8 y) are the critical development years, as this is when the foundation for learning is laid. A strong learning foundation yields better school performance and increases the likelihood of attaining higher education, resulting in major social and economic gains for society. The early childhood care and education of nearly 80 million Indian children, below the age of six, is covered by Integrated Child Development Services through 1.37 million Anganwadi centers (AWCs). Sixty percent of these children are from rural areas. Preschool education, immunization, health check-ups, referrals, dietary supplements, growth monitoring, and education on health and nutrition are provided at the AWCs. Forty-two percent of these rural children receive pre-school education at the AWCs, and the majority are from disadvantaged families. In this study for evaluating the status of early childhood education programs at rural AWCs, quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 71 AWCs across 25 villages in Haryana, to assess their physical setup, availability of learning resources, and administration and Anganwadi workers' knowledge, attitudes, and skills regarding early childhood education. The findings suggest that most of the AWCs do not have proper infrastructure, are not adequately safe, and compromise on health and hygiene. Further, learning resources are scarce and the Anganwadi workers are not trained well enough to impart knowledge and skills to children in a sustained manner. Many of them do not understand the importance of partnering with parents for children's holistic development. Although this study is limited to 71 AWCs in Mewat, the literature review indicates that these issues and challenges are common to rural villages, which is a serious concern for equity in preschool education. Thus, there is a need for several prompt reforms in early childhood education programs in rural areas of India to bring equity into preschool education. [For the full proceedings, see ED654100.]

This paper explores the dynamics of teamwork in a team-based Massive Open Online Course. The purpose of the study is to discover patterns and characteristics of the students in teams that completed the course. Many studies have revealed that a very small percentage of students complete Massive Open Online Courses. The percentage is even smaller in MOOCs that involve peer-assessment. This study aims to give conscious advice for future MOOC students on how to complete a team-based peer-assessed MOOC by studying the dynamics of successful teams. A qualitative research method was utilized in the study. Data were collected from observing the MOOC platform and conducting interviews with successful team members and team leaders. [For the full proceedings, see ED621557.]

This paper investigates learning related device usage of German and Indian students. For that purpose, an exploratory survey of students at the University of Hildesheim and the Symbiosis College of Arts and Commerce in Pune is executed. The aim of the research is to uncover basic patterns of overall device usage, studying behavior, employment of learning tools and assessment of e-learning. Collected data deliver a broad picture on students' needs with regard to e-learning support. Results show, students from Pune are engaged in e-learning more frequently than students from Hildesheim. For students from India, smartphones are the most important learning devices. For German students, laptops are more important. Although both groups are experienced in e-learning, the Indian students employ a wider range of resources. In addition, Indian students communicate more often with their peers and instructors via computer mediated communication channels than the Germans. Whereas German students talk about content related and organizational aspects of learning, Indians focus on content related topics when communicating with peers and instructors. [For the full proceedings, see ED621557.]

In view of the strengthening momentum in efforts to reforms in examinations in higher education of India and Kerala in particular, and holding that teacher education is in privileged position to initiate examination reforms in higher education by virtue of its link with both school education and the higher education, this paper focuses attention to a number of practical challenges in the scoring of answer scripts of B.Ed degree examinations. Investigating the length of answer scripts, reading speed of teacher educators, and requirement of number of scripts to be evaluated by teacher educators, this paper further explores the criteria applied by evaluators in scoring the scripts and the match/mismatch between the type of question included in the examination and the real scheme of scoring applied while evaluating the scripts. Employing analysis of question papers and answer scripts, and structured interview with evaluators in a centralized valuation camp in one university of Kerala, the study found that with an average speed of 136 words/minute in reading answer scripts among teacher educators, and length of answer scripts from 2352 to 3696 words depending upon the paper, the estimated time for reading a script ranges from 17.29 to 27.17 minutes. The actual time (7.85 minutes) spent on evaluation is less than half the estimated time. Evaluators reports valuing on "points only' "scanning for terms and phrases" "scoring by habit" etc. though the question papers frequently require the students to explain, describe, distinguish, define, bring about meaning, how and why questions apart from what questions, listing and outlining. Conducting and evaluating online examinations, multiple-choice-items and development of evaluation competencies and further strengthening of contents of measurement and evaluation at M.Ed level may help remedy the situation.

Current development in global migration flows reveals a rapid increase in student mobility through international education. However, the study of teacher education-migration nexus is relatively unknown in migration and education research. This paper aims to address such a lacuna. Taken from a larger longitudinal study, this paper offers a hermeneutic phenomenological examination of four international pre-service teachers undertaking Masters in Teaching in one large Australian university. They arrive on student visas with the intention to be qualified to teach, and gain permanent resident status, upon graduation in Australia. Such motivation is an important dimension of transnationalism situated within their social imagination of the West. Drawing on Appadurai's (1996) work on imagination, I identify two broad currents that shape their imaginations to migrate to Australia through teacher education studies, namely: Fitting-In that explores the forms, contents and workings of cultural constructions of power that are being played out in the teaching practicum sites; and Looking-Out that explores their continuous struggle to maintain balance between space and relationships which was not experienced back in their home country. These two currents provide nuanced engagements to understanding pre-service teacher-mobility, as a subset of student-migrants, in adopting the identity of a transnational profile. Such currents of imagination are central to understanding how Teacher Education can influence the intercultural adaptations of student-migrants to institutional practices in university and schools, and the ways in which Teacher Education has the potential to shape the capacities and productions of transnational subjects who embody specific forms of fitting-in and looking-out.

The context of this paper is studies worldwide on influence of phonological factors in language development of children. Such studies reveal the significance of Phonological Awareness in development language skills: including, predictive value of phonological short-term memory for reading skills in Grade 1. This paper throws light on factors in language learning that associate to failure in completion of lower primary grades in their first school. This paper analyses data obtained during a longitudinal study of school and pupil factors that leads to language difficulties in lower primary classes. The sample was cohort of students enrolled in grade 1 in the year 2010, in 11 coastal primary schools in Thrissur district (include government and aided schools). The sample was followed until 2013, through four academic years. This paper analyses phonological awareness and letter reading in Grade 1 of two distinct groups in the initial sample of 199 lower primary students. One group consists of those who successfully were promoted to Grade 4 in the same school by fourth academic year. Second group is of those who dropped out, retained or transferred to another school, before the completion of the first four years of schooling. Thus, this study tests difference, if any, in the performance of Phonological awareness and letter reading skills of groups that succeed and fail to successfully complete lower primary grades in their first school. This paper adds to understanding the problem of drop out and stagnation, which is traditionally attributed to poverty, child labour, malnutrition, and diseases among other societal and school factors. Implications are added. (Contains 4 tables and 4 figures.)

The instrument of pre-service teacher education is to ensure that entrant teachers holistically understand the concept of education. It is premised that after the pre-service preparation, teachers will be competent and committed to their task of developing values in the future citizens by providing younger generation with learning experiences for holistic development of mind-body, intellect and emotions. The most potent resource for teachers to develop values in their students is time and curricular prescriptions at their disposal in schools. Students imbibe values, if their teachers use these resources with required sense of purpose, planning, and commitment in different teaching acts like explaining, questioning, projects and assignments, examination and evaluation, feedback and reinforcement, dealing with student problems and, of course, in their less formal interaction with students. It is in this context that this study explored the preferred teaching behaviors of student-teachers who have almost completed their pre-service secondary teacher education course from University of Calicut, Kerala. The findings suggest that the student teachers are inconsistent in their preferences with respect to different aspects of teaching - like set goals, lesson planning, classroom explanation, questioning, reinforcing the student behaviours, giving projects, scoring the scripts, and student evaluation and self-evaluation. The paper argues that this inconsistent preference among student-teachers, if allowed to persist in their classrooms, will affect their students' ability to form coherent personalities with well-knit goals, actions, and preferences. Hence, the paper suggests teacher education curricula to give more opportunities for reflective practice such that future teachers formulate better-integrated styles of teaching (2 tables and 8 references included).

Difficulties in mathematics learning are a multi-faceted issue and the role of language in it is crucial. Language of mathematics includes mathematics text, discourse in classroom and language used in evaluation situations with its specific verbal, symbolic expressions, structure and function. Ambiguity arising from the difference between formal language of mathematics and the multiplicity of meanings in everyday language aggravates concerns related to the linguistic factors in mathematics learning. A distinction between difficulty from lack of knowledge of concepts and processes of mathematics and difficulty arising from fluency of expressing such skills in appropriate language is often vague. Hence, difficulties faced by students in relation to language of mathematics in different vernacular contexts is to be thoroughly studied for helping teachers to successfully impart the process of mathematization. This paper reports a preliminary diagnostic investigation through descriptive survey, with a mathematical language test to identify difficulty arising from language related aspects of mathematics learning in Malayalam language at elementary level. The sample consisted of 200 students in 7th standard (age 11-12) of Kozhikode and Malappuram districts of Kerala. Association between perceived difficulty in learning Mathematics and difficulties in mathematics language is also analysed. Excluding semantics, all others components of language of Mathematics are highly difficult. Furthermore, difficulties generated by all the components of Mathematical vocabulary, Morphology and pragmatics are contributing to perception of maths as a difficult subject. Unquestionably, the challenges in learning mathematics go beyond the language issues, but the linguistic challenges need to be addressed for students to be successful in attaining aims of mathematics learning.

This paper explains the concepts of Affirmative Action (AA) and Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) and the policies developed in post-Apartheid South Africa. It compares it to similar policies adopted in different contexts in Malaysia, India and the U.S.A. It explains and critiques the South African policies on AA and BEE, its history since 1994 and how class has replaced race as the determinant of who succeeds in education and the workplace. It analyses why these policies were essential to address the massive racial divide in education and the workplace at the arrival of democracy in 1994, but also why it has been controversial and racially divisive. The strengths and limitations of these policies are juxtaposed, the way it has benefitted the black and white elites, bolstered the black middle-class but has had little success in addressing the education and job futures of poor, working class black citizens in South Africa. The views of a number of key social analysts in the field are stated to explain the moral, racial, divisive aspects of AA in relation to the international experience and how South Africa is grappling with limited success to bridge the divide between the rich and poor. [For the complete Volume 15 proceedings, see ED574185.]

This volume includes three sections of the 2022 NORDSCI international conference proceedings: (1) Education and Educational Research; (2) Language and Linguistics; and (3) Sociology and Healthcare. Education and Educational Research includes 7 papers covering a full spectrum of education, including history, sociology and economy of education, educational policy, strategy and technologies. The category covers also pedagogy and special education. Language and Linguistics includes 3 papers related to theoretical, literary and historical linguistics as well as stylistics and philology. Sociology and Healthcare includes 11 papers related to human society, social structures, and social change, healthcare systems and healthcare services. [Individual papers from the Education and Educational Research section of these proceedings are indexed in ERIC.]

Various internal and external determinants influence an education system. External determinants include language, demographics, geography, technology, politics, and financial and economic trends. Religion is also one of these external determinants that can influence an education system, as well as the education systems of the. The BRICS member countries consist of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. The BRICS member countries are one of the most organized and supportive international cooperation organizations that currently exist. Religion is considered a controversial and sensitive topic. This research aimed to determine how religion as an external determinant influences the education systems of the BRICS member countries. The study focused on the differences and similarities that can be identified based on religion as an external determinant of the various education systems in the BRICS member countries. The BRICS member countries were deliberately chosen for this study because each member state is considered a secular country in terms of religion, yet each member state treats religion differently in their country. The comparative method was used during this study to identify the best practices from the BRICS member countries. The interpretive research paradigm was used during this study using the qualitative research approach. The document analysis was used during the study to analyse the content of policies, legislation, articles, and government publications using content analysis to be able to identify themes to be able to perform the comparison between the different education systems of the BRICS member countries. The findings from this study are as follows: Religion as an external determinant of an education system does have a significant influence on the education systems of the various BRICS member countries. It is very important to observe and describe these findings from the context of the various member states. [For the complete Volume 20 proceedings, see ED622631.]

This research focused on the structure for teaching as a component of the education systems of South Africa and India. India and South Africa form part of the BRICS grouping, and BRICS have set out certain development goals about quality education. This qualitative interpretive study utilised relevant documents from India and South Africa that focused on the structure of teaching. The relevant documents were analysed by employing content analysis. The structure for teaching in the national education system organises and formulates the framework for education in the applicable countries. The study aimed to identify differences and similarities regarding the following elements of the structure for teaching. The elements foci were educational levels and the medium of instruction. One of the aims was to enhance the structure for teaching and learning in the BRICS countries. This research forms part of a larger BRICS project that compares the four components of the education systems and its elements as well as the internal and external determinates of the BRICS member states. It will contribute to a BRICS Education Encyclopaedia. [For the complete Volume 20 proceedings, see ED622631.]

The diversity in educational contexts found in India should be viewed as a valuable feature and as a unique challenge. In an era of greater globalization and educational standardization, of policy borrowing and of international comparisons of achievement, there is a high demand and need to respect context and to appreciate how countries with different traditions and resources deal with the challenges of teacher education. For example, Indian cultural traditions have much to say about the virtues needed of teachers and the roles teachers played in developing its age old rich heritage. Reports say that Singapore seeks to draw upon its links to Asian traditions while it simultaneously appropriates ideas from Anglo-Saxon and continental traditions. This is not simply a matter of ensuring representation but a unique and distinct way of integrating traditions within which education and pedagogic systems are embedded that can provide valuable insights. Both researchers and policy makers want the same thing--high quality teachers. Both want evidence of what is likely to work best. While the practice is to rely on the best available evidence and scholarship, it is equally important to clearly set out some propositions to guide policy choices. The balance has been difficult to achieve; however, it is hoped that it could be achieved to a reasonable extent. In the context of curriculum revisions happened in the country as per NCTE [National Council of Teacher Education] norms, the present paper tries to find out whether the new direction tries to chisel out a workable quality assured teacher preparation scenario in the country.

The advent of Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) has led to the availability of large educational datasets collected from diverse international audiences. Little work has been done on the impact of cultural and geographic factors on student performance in MOOCs. In this paper, we analyze national and cultural differences in students' performance in a large-scale MOOC. We situate our analysis in the context of existing theoretical frameworks for cultural analysis. We focus on three dimensions of learner behavior: course activity profiles; quiz activity profiles; and most connected forum peer or "best friends." We conclude that countries or associated cultural clusters are associated with differences in all three dimensions. These findings stress the need for more research on the internationalization in online education and greater intercultural awareness among MOOC designers.