Narratives of Experience in Education: Living and Working Through Poverty in a Rural Community

In this study, I use my own experiences in education as a former elementary student, research assistant, and as a current secondary school teacher, to examine how living in a marginalised rural community challenged by poverty affected my formal education. The purpose of this study was to use stories to: (a) explore my formative elementary education growing up in a community that was experiencing poverty, and; (b) to examine the impact and implications of these experiences for me as a teacher and researcher considering the topic of poverty and education. This study used narrative inquiry to explore stories of education, focusing on experiences living and working in a rural community. My role in the study was both as participant and researcher as I investigate, through story, how I was raised in a marginalised, rural community faced with challenges of poverty and how I relate to my current role as a teacher working in a similar, rural high school. My own experiences and reflections form the basis of the study, but I used the contributions of secondary participants to offer alternative perspective of my interpretation of events. Participants in this study were asked to write about and/or retell their lived stories of working in areas affected by challenging circumstances. From my stories and those of secondary participants, three themes were explored: student authorship, teaching practice, and community involvement. An examination of these themes through commonplaces of place, sociality and time (Connelly and Clandinin, 2006) provide a context for other educators and researchers to consider or reconsider teaching practices in school communities affected by poverty.

La problématique de l'effectivité du droit de l'enfant à la santé et à l'éducation dans les situations de conflit armé interne en Afrique: réflexions à la lumière de la crise en Côte d'Ivoire

Avec l’entrée en vigueur de la Convention des droits de l’enfant (CDE) en 1990, la communauté internationale a formellement matérialisé sa volonté de faire des droits de l’enfant, des droits à protéger en tout temps. La CDE vient compléter le dispositif juridique mis en place par le droit international humanitaire (DIH) pour protéger lesdits droits en période de conflit et inspirera la Charte africaine des droits et bien-être de l’enfant. Les Etats s’engagent ainsi à en faire une réalité, quelles que soient les circonstances. Mais l’engagement juridique est confronté aux conflits armés internes qui remettent en cause les droits fondamentaux clairement énoncés, notamment le droit à la santé et à l’éducation et qui favorisent la violation de ces droits. Dans ce mémoire, nous nous sommes interrogés sur les éventuelles causes qui peuvent expliquer que les engagements juridiques ne soient pas politiquement traduits en réalité concrète. Il s’agit de vérifier si le dispositif juridique de protection ne porte pas en lui-même les germes de cette violation. Une autre hypothèse serait que l’absence de reconnaissance formelle de la responsabilité des groupes armés non étatiques impliqués dans ces conflits, en ce qui concerne le respect des droits pourrait être un élément qui favorise les violations. Ainsi, dans la première partie, après avoir retracé l’évolution historique et juridique de la reconnaissance des droits de l’enfant, nous nous sommes inscrits dans le contexte du conflit en Côte d’Ivoire entre 2002 et 2011, pour montrer les impacts des conflits armés internes sur la jouissance des droits de l’enfant, notamment à la santé et à l’éducation. La deuxième partie nous permet de relever d’une part, les insuffisances du dispositif de protection, les lacunes relatives à la non prise en compte formelle des entités armées non étatiques, et de faire des réflexions en termes de perspectives pour une meilleure effectivité du respect des droits de l’enfant en période de conflit armé non international, d’autre part.

Utilidad de la relación estratégica comunitaria y el marketing en empresas el sector salud

La necesidad de involucrar el concepto de comunidad y sus estrategias con el sector salud, generan el problema de investigación de determinar ¿Cuál es la utilidad de la relación estratégica comunitaria y el marketing en empresas del sector salud? El sector salud ha apartado las actividades relacionales con sus clientes, el cual es caracterizado por la atracción, desarrollo y mantenimiento de relaciones con los clientes. El objetivo de la investigación es determinar cuál es la utilidad de la relación estratégica comunitaria y el marketing en empresas del sector salud y los objetivos específicos son: describir el uso de comunidad e Identificar la utilidad de aplicar las estrategias comunitarias en el sector. La metodología es la investigación y análisis de caso, estudiando una organización relevante dentro del sector salud, anexando fuentes de información secundarias como que aporten a los resultados. El análisis arroja una brecha entre la teoría y la utilización de comunidad, donde la organización la define como sus clientes y empleados. Posteriormente cabe determinar si son aplicadas las estrategias comunitarias por la compañía, donde se encontró que algunas lo son. Al encontrar el uso de estrategias cabe estudiar si generan utilidad a los resultados demostrando que conservar y mejorar relaciones con los clientes es de beneficio para la compañía, sin dejar de atraer nuevos clientes para ampliar las posibilidades de ser una compañía rentable y perdurable. Finalmente se establece un eje estratégico que genere un impacto positivo a la empresa - comunidad para crear relaciones más efectivas y rentables.

Efectividad del uso de los conceptos y estrategias comunitarias en empresas del sector de servicios sociales y de salud.

Este estudio analiza la existencia de conceptos y estrategias comunitarias en relación de cómo una empresa en el sector de servicios sociales y salud entienden las estrategias de mercadeo y la influencia en el desempeño que pueden tener en su relación con el entorno. Para esto, se utilizo un enfoque de estudio de caso seleccionando un caso representativo con una empresa dentro del sector. Se definieron proposiciones y protocolos. Varias fuentes de evidencia fueron utilizadas como documentos, reportes de desempeño financiero y otra información de diferentes sectores relacionados; los mismos fueron analizados en el marco de la evidencia lógica. Se concluye que la empresa en el sector de servicios sociales y salud no utilizan conceptos ni estrategias comunitarias y que se podrían beneficiar del uso apropiado de estrategias comunitarias en su relación con la comunidad.

Formació d'educadors en ciutats històriques en el marc de l'educació per a la sostenibilitat. Estudi de cas del Programa d'educació ambiental i coneixement de la ciutat de Girona

La tesi s'estructura al voltant de dues grans finalitats: la primera és identificar les destreses i capacitats professionals, basades en l'educació per a la sostenibilitat, necessàries per als educadors no formals que treballen en ciutats històriques. La segona consisteix en aportar un procés avaluatiu -dirigit a la finalitat anterior- d'un programa educatiu en funcionament: el Programa d'educació ambiental i coneixement de la ciutat de l'Ajuntament de Girona. S'aporten uns resultats per al cas d'estudi -punts forts, punts febles i propostes de millora- que poden induir als canvis i a la transformació del Programa. Quant a la formació d'educadors en ciutats històriques, s'identifiquen dotze àmbits formatius i seixanta-cinc destreses i capacitats professionals per a la seva formació. Els àmbits formatius són els següents: comunicació; dinamització de grups; pensament crític; visió holística de la realitat; compromís amb l'entorn; valors per a la sostenibilitat; visió històrica i patrimonial del medi; visió de futur del medi; metodologies i habilitats docents; avaluació i investigació; teories i pràctiques de l'educació per a la sostenibilitat; coneixements disciplinaris. Els àmbits i les destreses i capacitats professionals són justificats a partir dels resultats del cas d'estudi i dels marcs teòrics utilitzats en el desenvolupament de la investigació.

Fatores do abandono escolar precoce e motivações para o regresso em educação de adultos

A presente investigação tem como objetivo analisar e compreender os motivos que levaram um grupo de adultos a frequentar um processo de formação, depois de terem abandonado precocemente a escola formal, quando seria de esperar a sua frequência. Sendo Portugal um país em que se tem verificado um elevado abandono escolar precoce, apesar das melhorias nas últimas décadas, torna-se necessário conhecer as razões desse abandono e, ao mesmo tempo, procurar compreender as motivações dos adultos para o regresso a um percurso educativo. Numa altura em que as experiências e as aprendizagens informais e não formais assumem um lugar de destaque no currículo individual, assim como a aprendizagem ao longo da vida, torna-se pertinente a reflexão acerca da necessidade crescente demonstrada pela população adulta em atualizar os seus conhecimentos e ver formalmente reconhecidas as competências adquiridas ao longo da sua vida. Assim, foi realizada uma análise documental de entrevistas efetuadas aos adultos, antes da frequência da sua formação, num Centro de Novas Oportunidades. Os resultados obtidos foram discutidos à luz da investigação recente neste domínio.

Language, education and ethnicity: whose rights will prevail in an age of globalisation?

Education and ethnicity cannot be discussed without taking language into account. This paper will argue that any discussion of ethnic minorities cannot ignore the question of language, nor can any discussion of human rights ignore the question of language rights. Unfortunately, in today's globalised world, governments and minorities are faced with conflicting pressures: on the one hand, for the development and use of education in a global/international language; on the other for the use and development of mother tongue, local or indigenous languages in education. Language complexity and ethnic plurality were largely brought about as a result of the creation of nation-states, which were spread around the world as a result of European colonialism. European languages and formal education systems were used as a means of political and economic control. The legacy that was left by the colonial powers has complicated ethnic relations and has frequently led to conflict. While there is now greater recognition of the importance of language both for economic and educational development, as well as for human rights, the forces of globalisation are leading towards uniformity in the languages used, in culture and even in education. They are working against the development of language rights for smaller groups. We are witnessing a sharp decline in the number of languages spoken. Only those languages which are numerically, economically and politically strong are likely to survive. As a result many linguistic and ethnic groups are in danger of being further marginalised. This paper will illustrate this thesis both historically and from several contemporary societies, showing how certain policies have exacerbated ethnic conflict while others are seeking to promote harmony and reconciliation. Why this should be so will be explored. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Peaceful coexistence? The role of religious schools and NGOs in the growth of female secondary schooling in Bangladesh

Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), runs a large number of non-formal primary schools in Bangladesh which target out-of-school children from poor families. These schools are well-known for their effectiveness in closing the gender gap in primary school enrolment. On the other hand, registered non-government secondary madrasas (or Islamic schools) today enrol one girl against every boy student. In this article, we document a positive spillover effect of BRAC schools on female secondary enrolment in registered madrasas. Drawing upon school enrolment data aggregated at the region level, we first show that regions that had more registered madrasas experienced greater secondary female enrolment growth during 1999–2003, holding the number of secular secondary schools constant. In this context we test the impact of BRAC-run primary schools on female enrolment in registered madrasas. We deal with the potential endogeneity of placement of BRAC schools using an instrumental variable approach. Controlling for factors such as local-level poverty, road access and distance from major cities, we show that regions with a greater presence of BRAC schools have higher female enrolment growth in secondary madrasas. The effect is much bigger when compared to that on secondary schools.

Design and use of mobile technology in distance language education : Matching learning practices with technologies-in-practice

This thesis focuses on the adaptation of formal education to people’s technology- use patterns, theirtechnology-in-practice, where the ubiquitous use of mobile technologies is central. The research question is: How can language learning practices occuring in informal learning environments be effectively integrated with formal education through the use of mobile technology? The study investigates the technical, pedagogical, social and cultural challenges involved in a design science approach. The thesis consists of four studies. The first study systematises MALL (mobile-assisted language learning) research. The second investigates Swedish and Chinese students’ attitudes towards the use of mobile technology in education. The third examines students’ use of technology in an online language course, with a specific focus on their learning practices in informal learning contexts and their understanding of how this use guides their learning. Based on the findings, a specifically designed MALL application was built and used in two courses. Study four analyses the app use in terms of students’ perceived level of self-regulation and structuration. The studies show that technology itself plays a very important role in reshaping peoples’ attitudes and that new learning methods are coconstructed in a sociotechnical system. Technology’s influence on student practices is equally strong across borders. Students’ established technologies-in-practice guide the ways they approach learning. Hence, designing effective online distance education involves three interrelated elements: technology, information, and social arrangements. This thesis contributes to mobile learning research by offering empirically and theoretically grounded insights that shift the focus from technology design to design of information systems.

Melhorias em arranjos produtivos locais: lições de dois casos nordestinos

The research contemplates the dilemma faced by small rural communities producers¿ in north-eastern Brazil maintaining last longing relationships. Due to difficult social conditions in distant regions, small producers utilize practices of commercial exclusivity to obtain sustainability. In the Lago do Junco community case, located in the state of Maranhão, the babaçu oil exports¿, the social environmental appeal guarantee the cluster participants sustainability and the representation of women in society. But social problems related to the lack of formal education e the absence of relationship with local aid organizations causes the non compliance with market demands, leading the cluster to a non-innovative trap. In the honey community case in Simplício Mendes, located in the state of Piauí, the closest relationship with the external aid agents increased the conversion of market demands in reality. The analysis reveal possibilities on obtaining economic sustainability for small producers thru the conscientious utilization of nature resources guaranteeing the harmony between the environmental preservation and the development of both activities, apiculture in Piauí and babaçu oil processing in Maranhão.

Imprensa e educação ambiental: poluição do ar por dióxido de enxofre (SO2) no município do Rio de Janeiro

Este trabalho tem como objetivo primeiro analisar o tratamento que a grande imprensa dispensou às notícias relativas à poluição do ar por dióxido de enxofre (S02) no município do Rio de Janeiro, nos anos de 1982-83. Foram consultados os seguintes diários: Jornal do Brasil, O Globo, Ultima Hora, Tribuna da Imprensa e O Dia. O primeiro capítulo apresenta a situação administrativa, legislativa e histórica do município do Rio de Janeiro, após o que julgamos importante a apresentação dos vãrios conceitos existentes sobre meio ambiente. Fornecemos também um quadro da situação ambiental de nosso municfpio. O capítulo terceiro discute então o que vem a ser educação ambiental sob vãrios pontos de vista. Procuramos também situar os jornais como educadores não formais e questionamos o cumprimento, pelos jornais da função que lhe e primeira: informar a população dos fatos que a cerca.

Narrativa autobiográfica como prática de formação e de atualização de si : os grupos referência e o grupo reflexivo na mediação da constituição identitária docente

The thesis: "autobiographical narrative as practical continuous training and updating of itself: the groups-reference and the reflexive group in the mediation of identity construction of teaching" begins in the founder matter: "What are the implications of groups-reference in the process of identity formation and the teaching role of teachers which is participating of the research? This object of study deals with the continuing education of teachers of Basic Education and the role of the reflective group as space-time of (re) construction of educational knowledge, for the recognition of yourself. The thesis defends that the autobiographical narrative, as a pedagogical tool and research, for the initial and continuous training, is presented as theoretical and methodological foundation necessary for identity formation of the teacher. The research is limited to the qualitative approach with a focus on the autobiographical narrative. The participants are six teachers, three teachers and three students-teachers. The corpus comprises six autobiographical narratives, six reports of successful experiences, two studies on the biographical work, and six individual testimonials about the impact in personal and professional life. The data analysis was to reference Dausien and Alheit (2006), Bruner (1997), Contreras (2002), Delory-Momberger (2007), Freire (2005), Giddens (2002), Josso (2004), new (1988, 2002), Passeggi (2001, 2002), Pineau (2004), Ricoeur (2004), Souza (2006), Tardif (2002) and Vygotsky (2005). The research revealed that the formation of identity as a teachers of the educators occurred in the reference group, involving the formal, non-formal and informal of the processes of knowledge , in a movement of alternation training that includes yourself, the other and the ambient. Also revealed that the pedagogical choices of the teachers studied aimed at minimizing educational gaps that were lived in both field personal and social; that the personal identity is configured as an identity narrative and the methodology of the biographical work, through the mimesis of continuing education, provided the passage from the group reflective to the group of reference

Educação ambiental: mediações sociais e políticas e a indolência do Poder Público à sua inclusão no ensino formal

As a result of the prediction of irreversible changes on necessary conditions to maintain life, including human, on the planet, environmental education got the spotlight in the political scenario, due to social pressure for the development of individual and collective values, knowledge, skills, attitudes and competences towards environmental preservation. In Brazil, only in 1999 the right for environmental education was officially granted to people, having the status of essential and permanent component in the country s education. Since then, it has been Government s duty, in each federal branch, to plan actions to make it happen, in an articulate way in all levels and modalities of the education process, both formally and informally. This work of research has environmental education in the school as subject matter, and aims on analyzing social and political mediations established between this National Environmental Education policy and the contexts associated to the legislative production process, the political nature of the conceptions about environmental education that underlie Law 9.795/99 (Brazil, 2009c) and also Rio Grande do Norte Government s actions and omissions related to the imperative nature of the insertion of environmental education in the schools ran by the state, during the ten years this law has been in force. The investigation of the subject matter was led by a social and historical understanding of the social and environmental phenomena, as well as of the education system as a whole, considering that only through a dialectical view we can see the real world, by destroying the pseudo-concreteness that surrounds the topic. While analyzing, we assumed that in face of the dominance of a social organization in which market regulations rule on environmental ones, by developing individual and collective critical conscience, environmental education can become a threat to dominant economical interests in exploiting natural resources. The results of this research suggest that as an educational practice to be developed in an integrated, continuous and permanent fashion in all levels and modalities of formal education, environmental education has not yet come to pass in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, due to the neglect and disrespect of the government when facing the need of promoting the necessary and legally appointed measures to make it present in the basic education provided by the state. The legislators silence when it comes to approving a regulation on environmental education essential to define policies, rules and criteria to teaching the subject in the state and the omission from the public administration regarding critical actions in order to integrate in public schools the activities related to the National Environmental Education Policy, represent a political decision for not doing anything, despite the legal demand for an active position. This neglecting attitude for the actualizing of strategically concrete actions, urgent and properly planned for the implementation of environmental education in schools in a multidisciplinary way, exposes the lack of interest the predominant classes have in such kind of education being made available, as it could be developed based on a critic political view, becoming a political and educational action against dominance. When analyzing the basic principles and fundamental goals in Law 9.795/99 (Brazil, 2009c) the development of a critic environmental education is really possible and concurs with the National Environmental Education Policy, reflecting the social and political mediations established between this public policy and the contexts associated to its legislative production process, which are responsible for approving a regulation which also represents the mind of the people about environmental protection above anything else

Guiando almas femininas: a educação protestante da mulher em impressos confessionais no Brasil e em Portugal (1890-1930)

This paper treats confessional printings as a non formal space for the female education. It reflects on the importance of the woman s role to the diffusion of Protestantism in general, and its Presbyterian trend in particular, besides commenting on the proliferation of printings at the First Republic and its relation with education. In this study, Brazilian Northeastern is seen as a relevant space to the diffusion of Protestantism in Brazil; especially on what concerns the relations between Rio Grande do Norte and Pernambuco. Thereby some fountains were fundamental, as the confessional printings, that is, newspapers, magazines, prospects and other materials recollected in archives located in Natal/RN and Recife/PE, and São Paulo. It was also provided a brief incursion on Portuguese confessional printings kept in Oporto, PT. New Cultural History was chosen as theoretic-methodological guide, franchising ways inside the history of book and reading with the help of concepts like Interdependence, Social Configuration (ELIAS, 1993, 1994) and Representation (CHARTIER, 1990), considering that the survey worked out culture-manufactured products that is, intentional materials. It is well known that publishing, or better, the dissemination of printed material used to be associated to Protestants missionary practices since Reform began and, as what concerns the investigated period, in Portuguese and Brazilian lands indistinctly. Printing material in general books, booklets, fragments, as well as the press itself played a central role in divulging reformed ideas, their social options and the means of being and intervening in the world. In this regard, the confessional printings established themselves as an educative, although non schooled, informal space, but, all considered, relevant, seen that they dialogue with another important demand of that social group: formal, literate education. Because it dealt with the diffusion of a printed culture supported by the written word, it required of that group a different modus operandi: formal education. The first letters schools at first, then the high schools later represented spaces established for the circulation of printing material in order that they should be read, divulged and comprehended. This survey intends at last to take a look at Protestantism which, in this context of self-affirmation, reserved a specific place to woman by working out a non formal educational proposal disseminated by printing material. Three models were highlighted in the reformed proposal: Christian education in itself, household education, whose references of motherhood and care towards the neighbor were present and, at last, education to the public space, with emphasis on the practice of teaching. This study also offers a brief dialogue between Brazil and Portugal because, when some periodic printing, book or something like that got to be published in one margin of the Atlantic Ocean, the other margin surely was affected by that feat, received it, divulged it, corroborating the argument in support of the circulation of these printings. It was not only the same language that survived in both maritime coasts; some protestant specificities also crossed out along that sea

Educação ambiental em Natal/RN: um olhar sobre a implementação de práticas em uma escola da rede municipal de ensino

This work provides a discussion involving the development of practices in Environmental Education (EE) in Natal-RN city, taking as reference the Programa Vamos Cuidar do Brasil com as Escolas (PVCBE). The EE is emphasized by importance it takes within the context of the reforms carried out in Brazil to formal education, especially from the decade of 1980. The investigations focus the effect of PVCBE in promoting the EE. We take as theoretical - methodological base the global/national guidelines on EE, carried out the non-participant observation, document analysis, and application of questionnaires and use of statistical techniques in the data tabulation. The results indicate that there has been reasonable progress to the achieving of an implementation policy of EE clearly qualitative, with a better coordination among municipal policymakers and the schools involved. It has been also noticed that there is a gap between what the law provides for a formal EE and what is carried out in practice. Despite the limitations noted, we must remember that actions have been achieved. Even considering that they are isolated action; they already show that there are possibilities of follow ways to processes based on the criteria of integration, reflexive action, quality and autonomy