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Large-scale, evidence-based interventions face challenges to program fidelity of implementation. We developed implementation strategies to support teachers implementing an evidence-based HIV prevention program in schools, Focus on Youth in The Caribbean (FOYC) and Caribbean Informed Parents and Children Together (CImPACT) in The Bahamas. We examined the effects of these implementation strategies on teachers' implementation in the subsequent year after the initial implementation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected from 79 Grade 6 teachers in 24 government elementary schools. Teachers completed training workshops and a pre-implementation questionnaire to record their characteristics and perceptions that might affect their program fidelity. School coordinators and peer mentors provided teachers with monitoring, feedback, and mentoring. In Year 1, teachers on average taught 79.3% of the sessions and 80.8% of core activities; teachers in Year 2 covered 84.2% of sessions and 72.9% of the core activities. Teachers with "good" or "excellent" school coordinators in the second year taught significantly more sessions on average (7.8 vs. 7.0, t = 2.04, P < 0.05) and more core activities (26.3 vs. 23.0, t = 2.41, P < 0.05) than teachers with "satisfactory" coordinators. Teachers who had a "good" or "satisfactory" mentor taught more sessions than teachers who did not have a mentor (7.9 vs. 7.3; t = 2.22; P = 0.03). Two-level mixed-effects model analysis indicated that teachers' program fidelity in Year 1, confidence in the execution of core activities, and school coordinators' performance were significantly associated with Year 2 implementation dose. Implementation of FOYC + CImPACT was significantly associated with improved student outcomes. Teachers maintained high fidelity to a comprehensive HIV prevention program over 2 years during the COVID-19 pandemic. Future program implementers should consider additional implementation support to improve the implementation of school-based programs.

Parts of this contributing article for educators was taken from a presentation given on December 1, 2022, by Dr. Patrice J. Pinder in collaboration with the University of the West Indies' (UWI) Mona Faculty of Science and Technology who hosted a UNESCO sponsored Disaster Heritage Webinar, i.e., Disaster heritage -- Jamaica National Commission for UNESCO (jncunesco.gov.jm). The webinar presentation focused specifically on natural disasters such as catastrophic storms or hurricanes like the powerful Category 5 Storm--Hurricane Dorian, which hit the Bahamas' northern islands of Abaco and Grand Bahama on September 1, 2019. Hurricane Dorian caused major damages to homes and properties, and resulted in loss of lives. The presentation and this current paper were developed as educational advisory guides to give teachers and other education professionals ideas on how to help young children to cope after natural disasters. Thus, it is important for teachers to help young children (students) to undergo various coping mechanisms in order to build resilience. Using stories/storytelling sessions, games, and comic sketches are some of the suggested tools and strategies that can be used with young children to help them better cope after psychologically disturbing events like the Bahamas' Hurricane Dorian.

The unprecedented introduction of COVID-19 in Spring 2020 has created an academic earthquake in higher education. There was an instant halt to academic programs, student support, the learning environment, instructional methods, and delivery at all levels. Teacher educational programs were no exception. These programs consist of both coursework and a culminating practicum. There was an instant need to conceptualize a model that would assist with transitioning pre-service teachers from a traditional teaching practicum to a virtual teaching practicum. This model would ensure the demand was met from the Ministry of Education for qualified teachers despite the global pandemic. Hence, a team of researchers at the University of The Bahamas designed and developed two virtual teaching practicum models. They were the foundational platform for transitioning pre-service teachers from traditional to virtual teaching practicums. Implications for theory and practice are also discussed. [The page range cited on the .pdf (pp. 1-29) is incorrect. The correct page range is pp. 1-28.]

We utilized Schlossberg's transition theory (1984) as the framework for understanding how international students from the Caribbean arrive at the decision to remain within the United States after completing their highest earned degree and joining the diaspora. Using a phenomenological research design with a sample of six international students who remained within the United States after completing their highest earned degree, we examined the underlying considerations participants made during their decision-making process. Results revealed that all six participants relied on economic, political, and social considerations, which contributed to their decision to remain in the United States.

Adolescents experiment with risk behaviors, including delinquency, substance use, and sexual activity. Multi-level social factors, such as having high-risk peers, neighborhood risks, and parental monitoring, influence adolescents' behaviors. We modeled transition patterns in Bahamian adolescents' risk behaviors across three high school years and examined the effects of multi-level factors. We collected data from 2,564 Bahamian adolescents in Grade 10 and follow-ups through Grade 12. We used latent transition model to identify adolescents' risk statuses. Further analyses used multinomial logistic regression to explore the effects of multi-level factors on assignment to those latent statuses and transitions. We identified four distinct statuses: "low risk" (47.9% of the sample at baseline), "alcohol use" (36.8%), "alcohol use and sexual activity" (5.5%), and "high risk" (9.8%). Males were more likely to be in higher-risk statuses at baseline and to transition from a lower-risk status in Grade 10 to a higher-risk status in Grade 11. Social risk factors were significantly associated with higher-risk statuses at baseline. Neighborhood risk and peer risk involvement continued to affect transitions from lower to higher risk; parental monitoring did not have a significant effect in later years. Our findings have important implications for developing targeted and developmentally appropriate interventions to prevent and reduce risk behaviors among middle-to-late adolescents.

This paper analyses the current state of postcolonial and decolonial science teaching, based on a systematic review of the literature, with a special focus on the European context. It shows that currently, a very narrow view on postcolonial science teaching prevails, limiting its scope to former colonies. A total of 227 articles published 2013-2022 were identified using meta-interpretation combined with systematic searches. 43 of these articles were selected for the sample and analysed. Included were only articles reporting on teaching practice in regular science classes in secondary school. The analysis identified as the main theme the question of how to coordinate Indigenous knowledge systems and Western science in the classroom. Further, translanguaging and pedagogy of justice are used as approaches toward decolonising science education. One striking finding in the analysis is the absence of de-/postcolonial approaches from European countries. This indicates that teaching practice in Europe might currently not undergo decolonisation. This contradicts Aimé Césaire's observation that both the colonised "and" the colonisers were decivilised during colonialism and need decolonisation [Césaire, A. (1955). "Discours sur le colonialisme" [Discourse on colonialism] (6th ed.). Présence Africaine]. In this article, the different approaches toward decolonisation and an outline of decolonial science teaching for the European context are presented.

Background: Few studies have investigated the effects of teacher training and continued support on teachers' delivery of evidence-based HIV prevention programs. We examined these factors in a national implementation study of an evidence-based HIV risk reduction intervention for adolescents in the sixth grade in the Bahamas. Methods: Data were collected from 126 grade 6 teachers and 3,118 students in 58 government elementary schools in the Bahamas in 2019-2021. This is a Hybrid Type III implementation study guided by the Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, Sustainment (EPIS) model. Teachers attended 2-day training workshops. Trained school coordinators and peer mentors provided biweekly monitoring and mentorship. We used mixed-effects models to assess the effects of teacher training and continued support on implementation fidelity. Results: Teachers who received training in-person or both in-person and online taught the most core activities (27.0 and 27.2 of 35), versus only online training (21.9) and no training (14.9) (F = 15.27, p < 0.001). Teachers with an "excellent" or "very good" school coordinator taught more core activities than those with a "satisfactory" coordinator or no coordinator (29.2 vs. 27.8 vs. 19.3 vs. 14.8, F = 29.20, p < 0.001). Teachers with a "very good" mentor taught more core activities and sessions than those with a "satisfactory" mentor or no mentor (30.4 vs. 25.0 vs. 23.1; F = 7.20; p < 0.01). Teacher training, implementation monitoring, peer mentoring, teachers' self-efficacy, and school-level support were associated with implementation fidelity, which in turn was associated with improved student outcomes (HIV/AIDS knowledge, preventive reproductive health skills, self-efficacy, and intention to use protection). Conclusion: Teachers receiving in-person training and those having higher-rated school coordinator and mentor support taught a larger number of HIV prevention core activities. Effective teacher training, implementation monitoring, and peer mentoring are critical for improving implementation fidelity and student outcomes.

Open educational resources (OER), are openly licensed text, media, and other digital and analog assets that are useful for teaching, learning, and research. Recent research has shown that in courses where open textbooks are assigned, students perform as well as or better than students in similar courses with commercially licensed textbooks. Despite cost savings and demonstrated effectiveness, perceptions about quality, relevance, ease of access, and other concerns persist. The objectives of this study were twofold: (a) to develop a practical and reusable measure for evaluating open textbook quality in terms of pedagogy, openness, accessibility, and relevance; and (b) to use the measure to rate the quality and relevance of open textbooks for use in higher education in The Bahamas. The study confirmed the viability of the quality measure as a practical tool to assess open resources and found that the open textbooks studied were accessible and well matched to course content, but of varying quality. More study is needed to explore ways to increase faculty adoption, use, adaption and production of OER.

The purpose of this study is to explore the factors that impact the experience of Caribbean nontraditional adult learners encounter while pursuing higher education in the United States and perceived support systems needed by Caribbean adult learners to be successful. On this premise, this qualitative study was conducted. A total of 15 Bahamian students participated. Data was collected via semi structured interviews and analyzed utilizing open coding. The major themes that emerged with regards to influential factors that impacted their experiences were: (a) financial constraints, (b) lack of support, and (c) cultural differences and adaptation. As it relates to support systems needed by Caribbean students, the major themes that emerged were: (a) family, (b) faculty/mentors, and (c) a network of friends.

Attrition has affected special education for decades. Understanding the influence of job satisfaction upon employee retention is vital in developing a country's work force. This qualitative study consisted of 12 participants and explored the influencing factors of Bahamian special educators' withdrawal from public education. Job Satisfaction and Social Cognitive Career Theory grounded this study, emphasizing the influence of experiences upon career decisions. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and analyzed via open coding. Findings revealed that Bahamian special educators left special education because of (a) lack of support, (b) inadequate training, and (c) burnout, resulting in poor job satisfaction.

Regional scholars in the Caribbean context have long advocated for quality early childhood education. The majority of their contributions however, focus primarily on curriculum, policy, and to a lesser extent, teaching practices. In this article, we broaden the scope of extant literature by conceptualizing a model for Caribbean early childhood education, one which draws on and supports an anti-colonial and decolonizing perspective. Specifically, we interrogate the enduring legacy of colonialism on teaching and learning practices--and illustrate how these manifest in contemporary schooling processes. Equally significant, we examine and critique underlying epistemologies that frame current regional approaches, and offer an alternative framework that accents cultural knowledges in curriculum, pedagogy and teacher education. In response, we foreground childhood decolonization as integral to the development of positive racial and cultural identity, and in such vein, offer curricula, pedagogical and institutional (i.e., teacher education) suggestions consonant with an anti-colonial and decolonizing approach to early childhood education in the English-speaking Caribbean.

The strong presence of culturally relevant materials in classrooms is seen as an indicator of good teaching but the development and use of these materials is under-investigated. Similarly, the actual construction and use of culturally relevant materials for literacy assessment purposes is under-reported. This paper examines the development and field-testing of culturally appropriate reading assessment materials for primary-school children in the Bahamas. The construction of culturally relevant assessment materials relies on the deep and intimate knowledge of the context and the use of the materials involves analyses from several perspectives: estimation of readability levels, creation of a range of question and activity types, analyses of students' performance and comparison with other literacy performance indicators. This paper describes the development and field-testing of culturally relevant materials in the Bahamas.

Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) programs connect students at campuses in two or more different countries to investigate global realities from a cross-cultural perspective through asynchronous (e.g., digital forums) and/or synchronous (e.g., Zoom meetings) digital engagement. As many scholars have noted, COIL collaborations between institutions. COIL collaborations between institutions in differing cultural contexts have several benefits, including: (1) students use outside knowledge to create and assess posts in online discussion forums (Beckmann & Weber, 2016); (2) students are provided an international perspective on the course content (Rubin, 2017); and (3) they are often afforded the opportunity improve second language skills (Kasper & Weiss, 2005). In this article, the authors describe an online COIL collaboration between an English as an Second Language (ESL) class at the Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) of the City University of New York and a first-year writing course at the University of the Bahamas (UB). They have found that even though the language proficiency levels might be different between the two classes, COIL collaborative activities foster the development of writing skills, oral presentation skills, as well as critical thinking.

Relevancy, or how learners perceive science and technology (S&T) as important to their current and future lives, has grown in importance internationally. The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology of The Bahamas has stated that cultivating students' science relevancy for all students, regardless of gender (male/female), or socioeconomic factors (SES) like location (rural/urban) or type (public/private) of K-12 schooling, is vital to national development. This study presents findings from a 2018-2019 sampling of 1105 secondary students from co-educational public and private schools in both rural and urban areas among the inhabited major and minor islands of The Bahamas to explore Bahamian students' science interests and what factors they find attractive in careers by variables of gender and SES. Using data from four batteries of the ROSE questionnaire querying students' science interests and attributes desirable in a future career, independent sample t-tests revealed significant differences for gender and school type in both categories. Further, item level Mann-Whitney U analyses revealed nuanced significant differences in regard to gendered science interests and desired attributes of a future career with far fewer significant differences by SES factors. This baseline of science relevancy provides insight to strategies for enhancing Bahamian students' S&T experience.

Education systems in once-colonised locations cannot escape the abiding legacy of colonisation. Science, in particular, has played a prominent role in the reasonings and rationalisations of the colonial process. When considered in the context of an education system established by imperial powers, it is difficult to reconcile processes of self-determination without examining perceptions of the past, present, and future roles of science education. This exploratory study examines the knowledge-power dynamic of science education as articulated by high school science education stakeholders in The Bahamas. A selection of students, teachers, and administrators described their own understandings of the history, present positioning, and future direction of science education. When analysed within a knowledge-power framework, the underlying structure sees science education as a fundamental tool in the migration of people and ideas, revealing a complex relationship between the pragmatic needs of individuals and shared motivations to elevate national standing. The study provides insights that will help inform science educators as they develop decolonising strategies in contexts that have been bruised by the colonial heritage of science education.

Technical efficiency is the ability of a firm to produce its maximum output using a set of inputs or to minimise the use of its inputs to produce a certain level of output. When a firm is operating at its most efficient, operating costs can be minimised, profits maximised and competitiveness improved. This study investigates the role of a firm's human capital in impacting its technical efficiency. It uses the Productivity, Technology, Innovation survey (PROTEqIN) conducted for a sample of 13 Caribbean countries in 2014 and comprises 1,966 firms. To account for differences in efficiency of firms, a Stochastic Frontier Analysis is used to estimate the production function as well as technical efficiency scores. The efficiency scores are then regressed against workforce characteristics and other firm-specific control variables using a Tobit estimator with robust standard errors. The results suggest that workforce characteristics, in particular workforce composition in terms of the proportion of managers to total workforce and graduate and post-graduate education play an important role in influencing firm efficiency, perhaps more so than other firm-specific variables. Lastly, government technical assistance programmes in the Caribbean also act to improve firm technical efficiency.

The development, quality and impact of environmental and sustainability education (ESE) in the Caribbean have received increased attention from a growing body of education researchers over the past few decades. This is not surprising given that the region has been grappling with various environmental, social, and economic sustainability issues, and education remains widely regarded as a key mode of response by a range of stakeholders, networks and commentators. Drawing on local to wider perspectives and initiatives, formal and non-formal ESE activities have been undertaken, to enhance knowledge and awareness, develop values, hone skills, and promote behaviours consistent with sustainable development. Whilst this increased engagement is significant and heartening, I argue that there is still scope for a renewal of focus in ESE in the Caribbean, honing in on four main areas: climate change education, the environment and violence nexus, teacher education, and universities as models of and for sustainability. These areas are consistent with regional sustainability imperatives and the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as well as ripe for deeper research-practice interlinkages. An overview of existing fields of educational inquiry in the Caribbean is offered, along with the four foci for further and future research, with the hope that new, emerging and established academics (as well as practitioners) work productively together to engage these crucial issues and critical imperatives for ESE.

Bahamian classrooms are comprised of students with varying disabilities (emotional, physical, mental, and learning), and these students are failing to meet the requirements of their various grade levels due to inadequate interventions critical to addressing their individual needs. For these needs to be met in mainstream classrooms, Inclusive Education is inevitable. Consequently, a qualitative phenomenological study was conducted to survey perceptions of primary school teachers towards this practice. The sample included teachers from various schools within New Providence, The Bahamas. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews. Responses were qualitatively analyzed for themes and main concepts through open-coding. The study emphasizes the need to recognize teachers' perceptions towards inclusive education as a fundamental aspect of the practice's success in primary schools. Findings indicated that ninety percent of the teachers interviewed expressed negative perceptions of inclusive education. It was also revealed that the most prevalent influencing factors of the teachers' negative perceptions were lack of training in special education and inclusive education, and lack of resources. Twenty percent of the teachers expressed positive perceptions of inclusive education, stating however, that the success of such a practice depends greatly upon a myriad of elements.

Despite the paradigm shift globally regarding the adoption of inclusive education, teachers still have varying preconceived misconceptions about its successful implementation and practices in the general education classroom. This qualitative study focused on teachers' perception of adapting inclusive education policies and procedures in The Bahamas and its implication for adult education. The participants of the study were teachers (n-18) in the K-12 educational system in The Bahamas. The findings from this study revealed that there was a vast misconception of the definition of inclusive education. Secondly, five overarching factors that influenced teachers' perception of inclusive education were (a) lack of training, (b) insufficient resources and (c) administrative support, (d) teachers' attitudes and (e) inadequate /misconception of information regarding inclusive education. The study further provides an overview for implications for education and training of general education teachers charged with the resp

This paper characterizes household spending in education using microdata from income and expenditure surveys for twelve Latin American and Caribbean countries and the United States. Bahamas, Chile, and Mexico have the highest household spending in education and Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay have the lowest. Tertiary education is the most important form of spending, and most educational spending is performed for 18- to 23-year-old individuals. More educated and wealthier household heads spend more in the education of household members. Households with both parents present and those with a female main income provider spend more than their counterparts. Urban households also spend more than rural households. On average, education in Latin America and the Caribbean is a luxury good, whereas it may be a necessity in the United States. No gender bias is found in primary education, but at secondary school age and up households invest more in females than in males.

We describe how a group of secondary mathematics teachers posed and solved a real-world problem. The problem was posed by teachers on a sandbar off the coast of an island in the Bahamas, where panoramic views of water meeting sky spurred the teachers to wonder how far away they could see. We analyze how the teachers translated the natural question, "How far can we see?," into a mathematical problem they could solve. In particular, we focus on how the teachers used their bodies and different perspectives to negotiate and, eventually, mathematically control, different scales of space.

To enhance scientific literacy in the general public efforts are needed that both inspire and engage the learner. Often such efforts are provided through school programs or science learning centers, however, in many rural communities such resources are unavailable. Alternate strategies are needed to provide individuals with quality educational opportunities. One such option is the development of short-term science camps. Science camps can provide both researchers and teachers with the opportunity to disseminate important scientific findings and concepts to a broad audience. Here, we present a brief guide for those educators interested in developing a short-term science camps as a means to promote scientific education and literacy. The aim of this guide is to discuss the potential benefits and caveats associated with running a science camp in rural areas and provide educators with a template assessment for evaluating students' knowledge and perceptions of science. We also discuss the results of a pilot camp offered to seven students in the rural international community of the Exuma Cays, Bahamas. We used using pre- and post-knowledge assessments as well as student self-evaluations to evaluate the effectiveness of the camp. Our findings suggest that these short-term outreach activities can have a positive impact on the scientific literacy and long-term career goals of the participants. (Contains 2 figures, 4 tables, and 1 footnote.)

The purpose of this study was to investigate the level of self-reported job satisfaction and motivation among teachers in the Bahamas and Jamaica. A total of 168 Bahamian (n = 75) and Jamaican (n = 93) teachers completed the Teacher Motivation and Job Satisfaction Survey. Overall results indicate that teachers in the Bahamas reported higher levels of job satisfaction as compared to teachers in Jamaica. Other findings relating to job satisfaction and motivation are discussed, and various aspects of job satisfaction are discussed in relationship to the principles of Invitational Education. (Contains 2 tables.)

The purpose of this qualitative study was to learn what motivated students to enroll in the first formal training program in educational administration in the history of The Bahamas. This research considers the intersections of motivation, career paths, and educational histories of those who live and work in schools in The Bahamas. Open-ended, audiotape recorded, interviews were conducted with each of the 18 members of a cohort of Master's degree candidates at The College of The Bahamas. Data revealed that motivations for program enrollment ranged from an intrinsic desire to obtain a graduate degree, to the belief that the degree would support entrepreneurial efforts within the Bahamian education system. Interviews also revealed a double standard for women who work in Bahamian schools, in terms of advancement to administrative positions. Implications center on the need to address the gender oriented double standard, as well as the need to increase the cultural value of education in The Bahamas. (Contains 2 tables and 3 notes.)

Girls and young women are bearing the heaviest burden of the rising HIV epidemic in the English-speaking Caribbean. Previous research has highlighted the importance of understanding geographical and sociocultural factors in the spread of HIV among this population. This paper reports an exploratory case study which assessed the role of social capital in health and HIV awareness among girls and young women in a rural, isolated community on Andros Island, Bahamas. We examined features of rural community life such as social networks, community engagement, safety and trust in relation to the health and HIV/AIDS awareness of school-aged girls living in this environment. Using focus group discussions and structured writing exercises, we collected information from 18 schoolgirls aged 9 to 16 years about community structure, friendship networks, participation in community life, and issues of safety and trust. We further explored concepts of health and perspectives on HIV/AIDS. Findings revealed a close-knit community in which girls were social as well as economic participants. Girls felt safe, trusted their elders and had an awareness of health and HIV related issues. These social capital elements can play an important role in HIV prevention for girls in the rural caribbean. (Contains 1 table.)

Few questionnaires have been developed to screen for potentially poor implementers of school-based interventions. This study combines teacher characteristics, perceptions, and teaching/training experiences to develop a short screening tool that can identify potential "low-performing" or "high-performing" teachers pre-implementation. Data were gathered from 208 teachers and 4,411 students who participated in the national implementation of an evidence-based HIV intervention in The Bahamas. Sensitivity and specificity were evaluated for the detection of "low-performing" and "high-performing" teachers. The validity of the screening tool was assessed using receiver operating characteristics analysis. The School Pre-implementation Screening Tool consists of seven predictive factors: duration as teacher, working site, attendance at training workshops, training in interactive teaching, perceived importance of the intervention, comfort in teaching the curriculum, and program priority. The sensitivity and specificity were 74% and 57% in identifying "low-performing" teachers and 81% and 65% with "high-performing" teachers. The screening tool demonstrated an acceptable/good validity (area under the receiver operating characteristics curve was 0.68 for "low-performing teachers" and 0.78 for "high-performing" teachers). Our brief screening tool can facilitate teacher training and recruitment of engaged teachers in implementation of school-based interventions.