Continuing education: agent of change; proceedings.

Sponsored by National Institute of Mental Health, Continuing Education Branch, and University of Chicago, Center for Continuing Education.

National labor movements in the postwar world.

Mode of access: Internet.

The role of the English language in the context of national development vision 2025 with specific reference to agriculture in Tanzania

After thirty years of vacillation, the Tanzanian government has made a firm decision to Swahilize its secondary education system. It has also embarked on an ambitious economic and social development programme (Vision 2025) to transform its peasant society into a modern agricultural community. However, there is a faction in Tanzania opposed to Kiswahili as the medium of education. Already many members of the middle and upper class their children to English medium primary schools to avoid the Kiswahili medium public schools and to prepare their children for the English medium secondary system presently in place. Within the education system, particularly at university level, there is a desire to maintain English as the medium of education. English is seen to provide access to the international scientific community, to cutting edge technology and to the global economy. My interest in this conflict of interests stems from several years' experience teaching English to students at Sokoine University of Agriculture. Students specialise in agriculture and are expected to work with the peasant population on graduation. The students experience difficulties studying in English and then find their Kiswahili skills insufficient to explain to farmers the new techniques and technologies that they have studied in English. They are hampered by a complex triglossic situation in which they use their mother tongue with family and friends, Kiswahili, the national language for early education and most public communication within Tanzania, and English for advanced studies. My aim in this thesis was - to study the language policy in Tanzania and see how it is understood and implemented; - to examine the attitudes towards the various languages and their various roles; - to investigate actual language behaviour in Tanzanian higher education. My conclusion is that the dysfunctionality of the present study has to be addressed. Diglossic public life in Tanzania has to be accommodated. The only solution appears to be a compromise, namely a bilingual education system which supports from all cases of society by using Kiswahili, together with an early introduction of English and its promotion as a privileged foreign language, so that Tanzania can continue to develop internally through Kiswahili and at the same time retain access to the globalising world through the medium of English.

German-Irish corporate relationships:the cultural dimension

The thesis raises the question of whether or not in an age of internationalisation and globalisation, the cultural differences which exist between Germany and Ireland are still relevant to German-Irish corporate relationships or have internationally accepted best practices removed culture from the equation? The first three chapters establish the theoretical framework of the thesis by outlining the broadly culturalist/institutionalist approach, based on the work of Hofstede and Maurice et al, to be pursued, profiling the business cultures of both countries by analysing the components of their respective national institutional frameworks, and the examining existing approaches to the study of mother company-foreign subsidiary relationships. Chapters four to seven constitute the empirical section of the thesis. Using the interviews carried out with two sample groups (Sample Group A: 15 German mother companies and 14 of their Irish operations and Sample Group B: 7 Irish mother companies and 9 of their German operations), the mother companies in both groups are examined to see whether or not they demonstrate characteristics which are in keeping with their national business cultures. Their foreign operations are then analysed as is the mother company-foreign subsidiary relationship to determine whether or not any mother company influences are visible. The general approaches adopted by the two groups of mother companies to their foreign operations are compared and contrasted. Finally, differences in national attitudes and values are identified and their impact assessed. The analysis reveals that despite existing pressures towards convergence, the cultural differences between both countries are still relevant to the relationship particularly at the level of attitudes and values and although similarities in the mother company approaches to their subsidiaries are present, national specificities may nevertheless be detected.

The Central Agency for Jewish Education: Fifty years of Jewish education in Dade County

The purpose of the study was to provide a historical record of the Bureau of Jewish Education/Central Agency for Jewish Education and its role in Jewish education in Miami since its inception in 1944 as well as to provide a sociological context within which to view the growth and development of the community. During the past 50 years of the Agency's existence, Dade County's Jewish population has undergone many changes including a huge population increase in the 1960s and 1970s and then a decrease in the 1980s and 1990s, and a shift from postwar business class of store owners to turn of the century professional class.^ The methodology used in this study was threefold. First, document analysis of formal and informal documents dating from 1944 to the present was conducted. Second, personal interviews were conducted with the Executive Directors of the B.J.E./C.A.J.E., long-time B.J.E./C.A.J.E. staff, present staff, Greater Miami Jewish Federation leaders, and lay leadership of C.A.J.E. Third, national trends in Jewish education were cited as a basis for the comparison and contrast of the achievements of C.A.J.E.^ The historiography concluded that the Agency had come full circle in its programs. Analysis of the services provided to religious and day schools, early childhood education, the High Schools, teacher services, adult education, and the library indicated that in some areas C.A.J.E. was an innovator, in other areas it followed national trends, and in others it was deficient. Recommendations included a reeducative process for the community with Jewish education made top priority, more visibility and publicity for the work of C.A.J.E. that would enhance its prestige and improve support, and holistic planning of programs for the future. ^

International education and the post-9/11 syndrome: A study of international educators in selected Miami-area colleges

This dissertation investigated the relationship between the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and the internationalization agenda of U.S. colleges and universities. The construct, post-9/11 syndrome, is used metaphorically to delineate the apparent state of panic and disequilibrium that followed the incident. Three research questions were investigated, with two universities in the Miami-area of South Florida, one private and the other public, as qualitative case studies. The questions are: (a) How are international student advisors and administrators across two types of institutions dealing with the post-9/11 syndrome? (b) What, if any, are the differences in international education after 9/11? (c) What have been the institutional priorities in relation to international education before and after 9/11? Data-gathering methods included interviews with international student/study abroad advisors and administrators with at least 8 years of experience in the function(s) at their institutions, document and institutional data analysis. The interviews were based on the three-part scheme developed by Schuman (1982): context of experience, details of experience and reflection on the meaning of experiences. Taped interviews, researcher insights, and member checks of transcripts constituted an audit trail for this study. Key findings included a progressive decline in Fall to Fall enrollment of international students at UM by 13.05% in the 5 years after 9/11, and by 6.15% at FIU in the seven post-9/11 years. In both institutions, there was an upsurge in interest in study abroad during the same period but less than 5% of enrolled students ventured abroad annually. I summarized the themes associated with the post-9/11 environment of international education as perceived by my participants at both institutions as 3Ms, 3Ts, and 1D: Menace of Anxiety and Fear, Menace of Insularity and Insecurity, Menace of Over-Regulation and Bigotry, Trajectory of Opportunity, Trajectory of Contradictions, Trajectory of Illusion, Fatalism and Futility, and Dominance of Technology. Based on these findings, I recommended an integrated Internationalization At Home Plus Collaborative Outreach (IAHPCO) approach to internationalization that is based on a post-9/11 recalibration of national security and international education as complementary rather than diametrically opposed concepts.

Effects of real -time captioning and sign language interpreting on the learning of college students who are deaf or hard of hearing

College personnel are required to provide accommodations for students who are deaf and hard of hearing (D/HoH), but few empirical studies have been conducted on D/HoH students as they learn under the various accommodation conditions (sign language interpreting, SLI, real-time captioning, RTC, and both). Guided by the experiences of students who are D/HoH at Miami-Dade College (MDC) who requested RTC in addition to SLI as accommodations, the researcher adopted Merten’s transformative-emancipatory theoretical framework that values perceptions and voice of students who are D/HoH. A mixed methods design addressed two research questions: Did student learning differ for each accommodation? What did students experience while learning through accommodations? Participants included 30 students who were D/HoH (60% women). They represented MDC’s majority minority population: 10% White (non-Hispanic), 20% Black (non-Hispanic, including Haitian/Caribbean), 67% Hispanic, and 3% other. Hearing loss, ranged from severe-profound (70%) to mild-moderate (30%). All were able to communicate with American Sign Language: Learning was measured while students who were D/HoH viewed three lectures under three accommodation conditions (SLI, RTC, SLI+RTC). The learning measure was defined as the difference in pre- and post-test scores on tests of the content presented in the lectures. Using repeated measure ANOVA and ANCOVA, confounding variables of fluency in American Sign Language and literacy skills were treated as covariates. Perceptions were obtained through interviews and verbal protocol analysis that were signed, videotaped, transcribed, coded, and examined for common themes and metacognitive strategies. No statistically significant differences were found among the three accommodations on the learning measure. Students who were D/HoH expressed thoughts about five different aspects of their learning while they viewed lectures: (a) comprehending the information, (b) feeling a part of the classroom environment, (c) past experiences with an accommodation, (d) individual preferences for an accommodation, (e) suggestions for improving an accommodation. They exhibited three metacognitive strategies: (a) constructing knowledge, (b) monitoring comprehension, and (c) evaluating information. No patterns were found in the types of metacognitive strategies used for any particular accommodation. The researcher offers recommendations for flexible applications of the standard accommodations used with students who are D/HoH.

Implementação das diretrizes operacionais para a educação básica nas escolas do campo: embates e limitações do trabalho docente no Rio Grande do Norte

Considering the situation of neglect existing in Brazilian public education and, specially, in the process of rural schooling, this dissertation aims to analyze the process of implementation of the Operational Guidelines for Basic Education in Rural Schools (DOEBEC), regulatory framework of the national policy of rural education. On it, we analyze the conditions of teaching work in rural schools of Rio Grande do Norte (RN), in 2010. The sample of the survey has as reference the representativeness of the chosen universe in relation to the totality of rural schools belonging to the state of RN. To answer the goals of the research, we opted to present a critical analysis of the following points: 1) Implementation of the DOEBEC; 2) Conditions of teaching work and teaching training. The points or categories of research were chosen based in the determinations of the DOEBEC (Resolution CNE/CEB n. 01/2002). For the data collection in the referred schools, we opted for the realization of interviews with the teachers and managers of these teaching establishments, in 2010. It was also utilized, for the characterization of school attendance in rural schools of RN, in 2010, official statistical data available by the State Secretary of Education and Culture (SEEC/RN). The analysis of the statistical data and of the primary data collected in field research indicated that the conditions of teaching work are still an obstacle to the development of the educative work of the teacher in rural areas. According to interviews with the participants of the research, we realized that the DOEBEC, despite being sanctioned in 2002, were still dimly known and discussed by the interviewees of the referred schools in 2010. Thus, we propose that the implementation of the policy of rural education in RN, instituted by DOEBEC’s legal landmark, and reaffirmed by the Rio Grande do Norte’s Charter to Rural Education (Brazil, 2005), is rethought and reconsidered, in the sense of ensuring that the changes proposed in this legal text, inherent to the school functioning, to the conditions of teaching work, to the rural schools’ management, to the remuneration and valorization of teaching work, to the teaching training, to the conditions of school transport, among others, be turned into concrete actions to improve the quality of education offered in the rural schools of RN state.

Implementação das diretrizes operacionais para a educação básica nas escolas do campo: embates e limitações do trabalho docente no Rio Grande do Norte

Considering the situation of neglect existing in Brazilian public education and, specially, in the process of rural schooling, this dissertation aims to analyze the process of implementation of the Operational Guidelines for Basic Education in Rural Schools (DOEBEC), regulatory framework of the national policy of rural education. On it, we analyze the conditions of teaching work in rural schools of Rio Grande do Norte (RN), in 2010. The sample of the survey has as reference the representativeness of the chosen universe in relation to the totality of rural schools belonging to the state of RN. To answer the goals of the research, we opted to present a critical analysis of the following points: 1) Implementation of the DOEBEC; 2) Conditions of teaching work and teaching training. The points or categories of research were chosen based in the determinations of the DOEBEC (Resolution CNE/CEB n. 01/2002). For the data collection in the referred schools, we opted for the realization of interviews with the teachers and managers of these teaching establishments, in 2010. It was also utilized, for the characterization of school attendance in rural schools of RN, in 2010, official statistical data available by the State Secretary of Education and Culture (SEEC/RN). The analysis of the statistical data and of the primary data collected in field research indicated that the conditions of teaching work are still an obstacle to the development of the educative work of the teacher in rural areas. According to interviews with the participants of the research, we realized that the DOEBEC, despite being sanctioned in 2002, were still dimly known and discussed by the interviewees of the referred schools in 2010. Thus, we propose that the implementation of the policy of rural education in RN, instituted by DOEBEC’s legal landmark, and reaffirmed by the Rio Grande do Norte’s Charter to Rural Education (Brazil, 2005), is rethought and reconsidered, in the sense of ensuring that the changes proposed in this legal text, inherent to the school functioning, to the conditions of teaching work, to the rural schools’ management, to the remuneration and valorization of teaching work, to the teaching training, to the conditions of school transport, among others, be turned into concrete actions to improve the quality of education offered in the rural schools of RN state.

Cooperative or collaborative learning: Is there a difference in university students’ perceptions?

The hypothesis that the same educational objective, raised as cooperative or collaborative learning in university teaching does not affect students’ perceptions of the learning model, leads this study. It analyses the reflections of two students groups of engineering that shared the same educational goals implemented through two different methodological active learning strategies: Simulation as cooperative learning strategy and Problem-based Learning as a collaborative one. The different number of participants per group (eighty-five and sixty-five, respectively) as well as the use of two active learning strategies, either collaborative or cooperative, did not show differences in the results from a qualitative perspective.

Healthcare Staffs’ Experiences and Perceptions of Caring for People with Dementia in the Acute Setting: Qualitative Evidence Synthesis

Background Dementia is a global issue, with increasing prevalence rates impacting on health services internationally. People with dementia are frequently admitted to hospital, an environment that may not be suited to their needs. While many initiatives have been developed to improve their care in the acute setting, there is a lack of cohesive understanding of how staff experience and perceive the care they give to people with dementia in the acute setting. Objectives The aim of this qualitative synthesis was to explore health care staffs’ experiences and perceptions of caring for people with dementia in the acute setting. Qualitative synthesis can bring together isolated findings in a meaningful way that can inform policy development. Settings A screening process, using inclusion/exclusion criteria, identified qualitative studies that focused on health care staff caring for people with dementia in acute settings. Participants Twelve reports of nine studies were included for synthesis. Data extraction was conducted on each report by two researchers. Methods Framework synthesis was employed using VIPS framework, using Values, Individualised, Perspective and Social and psychological as concepts to guide synthesis. The VIPS framework has previously been used for exploring approaches to caring for people with dementia. Quality appraisal was conducted using Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) and NVivo facilitated sensitivity analysis to ensure confidence in the findings. Results Key themes, derived from VIPS, included a number of specific subthemes that examined: infrastructure and care pathways, person-centred approaches to care, how the person interacts with their environment and other patients, and family involvement in care decisions. The synthesis identified barriers to appropriate care for the person with dementia. These include ineffective pathways of care, unsuitable environments, inadequate resources and staffing levels and lack of emphasis on education and training for staff caring for people with dementia. Conclusions This review has identified key issues in the care of people with dementia in the acute setting: improving pathways of care, creating suitable environments, addressing resources and staffing levels and placing emphasis on the education for staff caring for people with dementia. Recommendations are made for practice consideration, policy development and future research. Leadership is required to instil the values needed to care for this client group in an effective and personcentred way. Qualitative evidence synthesis can inform policy and in this case, recommends VIPS as a suitable framework for guiding decisions around care for people with dementia in acute settings.

La biblioteca juvenil activa

Las bibliotecas son depositarias del conocimiento históricamente acumulado e intermediarias entre éste, y la sociedad. En consecuencia, la función primordial de las bibliotecas ha sido la de proporcionar este conocimiento a las sociedades, comunidades e individuos, para que estos lo utilicen en la solución de los más variados problemas de investigación, educación, recreación o, en general, de relación con su vida y el medio social y natural en que ésta se desenvuelve.Una biblioteca juvenil debe, en consecuencia, tener como función primordial, la de poner a disposición de los jóvenes de una sociedad determinada, el conocimiento que éstos necesitan para resolver sus problemas de educación, recreación o de existencia en general.Esta función puede ser cumplida por la biblioteca juvenil, dentro de los marcos del sistema formal de educación, como biblioteca escolar, o fuera de él como biblioteca pública. En el primer caso, el acento de la función estará puesto en contribuir a la solución de los problemas que plantee al joven la escuela o el liceo. En el segundo, en contribuir a solucionar los problemas de otro tipo, existenciales, o recreativos.En un país como Venezuela, en el que la población es mayoritariamente joven, obviamente, es la biblioteca juvenil la más usada. De hecho, las pocas bibliotecas públicas que existen en el país cuentan con la juventud como principal usuario y, acorde con esta realidad, las prioridad des del Estado en la construcción del sistema nacional de bibliotecas, han sido asignadas a este sector de la población gran parte de los recursos destinados por el Estado al desarrollo de servicios bibliotecarios han sido asignados al desarrollo de redes de bibliotecas públicas para niños y jóvenes y al desarrollo de un sistema nacional de bibliotecas escolares.

What would physical educators know about movement education? A review of literature, 2006-2016

This review paper identifies the conceptual underpinnings of current movement research in Physical Education. Using a hermeneutic approach, four analogies for movement education are identified: the motor program analogy, the neurobiological systems analogy, the instinctive movement analogy, and the embodied exploration analogy. Three issues related to logical consistency and its relevance for movement education are raised. The first relates to tensions between the analogies and educational policy. The second concerns differences among the four analogies. The third issue relates to the appropriateness of specific analogies for dealing with certain movement contexts. In each case, strategies for improvement are considered. The paper is concluded with a brief summary along with reflections on issues that require further attention.

Visuacy, imagination, and engagement

Australia’s National Review of Visual Education (DEEWR, 2009) asserts the primacy of visual language ability, or ‘visuacy” in problem-solving. This paper reports on a recent university/schools research project with ‘at risk’ middle school students in which visuacy was promoted as a primary medium for obtaining data relating to issues of immediate concern to the students. Using a students-as-researchers approach, the project investigated middle school students’ perspectives on school engagement and disengagement. In this project, novice researchers used a variety of data gathering methods including photography, video interviews and drawn images as well as more traditional verbal methods, such as interviews, and quantitative methods, such as questionnaires. Engaging student imagination was a key focus of the approach taken by the project, acknowledging that student participants may be reluctant to enter dialogue with teachers and researchers on matters to which they have previously had little input. Students who have previously been marginalized and prevented from contributing their voices to educational forums often have difficulty in adjusting to the novelty of collaborative research with adults (Rudduck, 2003) and may be uncertain of their own place in the relationship that defines teacher/student interactions. It is argued that the project’s promotion of visuacy, alongside more traditional literacies and numeracy in education research, helped to overcome these concerns, engaged the imaginations of the student researchers, and provided a medium for the expression of the voices of marginalised young people.

Effective models of employment-based training

Australia needs highly skilled workers to sustain a healthy economy. Current employment-based training models have limitations in meeting the demands for highly skilled labour supply. The research explored current and emerging models of employment-based training to propose more effective models at higher VET qualifications that can maintain a balance between institution and work-based learning.