Problems of Education in the 21st Century

3-4

Authors: Editorial Board

Contents, Vol. 40, PEC, 2012

7-16

Authors: Ayodeji Olasunkanmi Abari, Mubashir Olayiwola Babatunde Mohammed, Idowu Olufunke Oyetola

The study investigated the relationship between Organizational Identity and Public and Private Senior Secondary School Effectiveness in South West Nigeria. To put the study on course, three hypotheses were formulated. In the same vein, three separate instruments were designed and constructed to collect pertinent data namely the School Identity Questionnaire (SIQ), the School Effectiveness Questionnaire (SEQ) and Performance Records of Students in West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE). While the first instrument measured identity, the other two simultaneously measured effectiveness. There was a total sample of 2,400 students from 120 sample schools at 20 students per 20 schools in each of the six South West States – Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun and Oyo. Also, a total of 120 principals participated in the study. The Questionnaires were subjected to content and construct validity as well as split-half reliability test. The reliability coefficient for the SIQ was found to be 0.86 and for the SEQ was 0.90. The data were subjected to descriptive and inferential statistical analysis employing the Pearson’s Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient Analysis to test Hypotheses 1and 2, and the Analysis of Variance to test Hypothesis 3. Results of the analysis indicate that there is no significant relationship between organizational identity and school effectiveness in the two categories of schools separately, public and private. However, a significant relationship was found to exist between organizational identity and school effectiveness in private schools only when WASSCE Results were used as a measure of effectiveness. Results also show that a significant difference exists in organizational identity and school effectiveness between public and private senior secondary schools irrespective of the instrument used in measuring effectiveness. Recommendations were then made, in the light of the results, among which are that some degree of autonomy should be given to senior secondary schools for them to grow and develop their identity and effectiveness and, that the identity and effectiveness should regularly be monitored and measured for school improvement purposes.

26-34

Authors: Peter Diedrichs, Berit Willen Lundgren, Peter Karlsudd

Previous research in the field of educational development has highlighted the importance of examination in the learning process. In most educational contexts tests and grades are the most important influences on the students’ learning strategies. A well planned examination strategy is seen as contributing to better learning. A test of flexible examination forms was carried out in the Linnaeus University’s teacher training program in Sweden. During a course in special needs education, 119 teacher trainees were given the opportunity to choose examination method at the start of the course. They were able to choose between four different examination methods and were in addition allowed to propose their own examination method. After the students had been examined they completed an evaluation on their newly acquired and previous examination experience and with the key question being which form of examination was most beneficial to the learning process. The results show that even if the students saw examination as an opportunity for learning and appreciated the option of freely choosing examination method, they did not choose the examination form according to its benefit for the learning process. On the contrary they chose the examination form that they expected to be the easiest path towards high grades.

45-64

Authors: Jingyi Dong

This research focuses its inquiry on the economic aspect of rural university students' life in China, but the discussion goes beyond the economic field. Massification in the Chinese higher education system has increased the chance for rural youths to receive tertiary education. However, there is rarely sufficient data to record their status quo on the campus. This research intends to fill up the gap by making a comparison between the rural students who are located at different levels in the higher education system. This comparative analysis eventually leads to such findings: Those at the higher extreme of the hierarchy, who have more subsidies, tend to experience more frustration under financial pressure than those at the lower extreme, who are insufficiently funded. Presumably, the former are more directly exposed to rural-urban disparity. While the latter experience less frustration, they are less prepared to impacts from the unfamiliar urban society. The research, eventually going beyond the economic problems, has exposed a process in which the rural youths are victimized by the system that discriminates against the Chinese peasants, in which the higher education system plays a critical role.

75-87

Authors: Dana Harwell, Mae Daniel

Research was conducted to determine if a holistic wellness model could promote teacher effectiveness with 54 teacher interns at a Mississippi campus. The purpose of this research was to determine whether holistic wellness as defined by creative self, coping self, social self, essential self, and physical self as measured by the 5F-Wel can be used to predict teacher effectiveness as measured by the STAI. The research question proposed for this study was: Is there a relationship between wellness as measured by the Five Factor Wellness Inventory and effective teaching as measured by the STAI? The research design was correlational. A convenience sample of voluntary participants among the 54 teacher interns was used. The predictor variables were the second order factor scores on the 5F-Wel. These factors are creative self, coping self, social self, essential self, and physical self. The dependent variable was the overall formative score on the Student Teacher Assessment Instrument (STAI). Effective teacher research supported the Student Teacher Assessment Instrument as a viable measure of teacher effectiveness. The results obtained show the predictor variables included in the multiple linear regression analysis did not predict teacher effectiveness as measured by the STAI at an accuracy greater than chance. A statistically significant relationship between the predictor variables and dependent variable was not found. Specifically, wellness as measured by the second order factors on the 5F-Wel did not predict teacher effectiveness as measured by the STAI in this study. Recommendations were to replicate this study using similar methodology in other geographical locations. Being that guidelines of state universities are of unison, it can be assumed that dissimilarities exist among the individual programs. Therefore, replicating this study at another university could provide dissimilar results or possibly indentify a specific characteristic from an intern population that would benefit from a holistic wellness model.

96-113

Authors: Thérèse Laferrière, Sylvie Barma, Fernand Gervais, Christine Hamel, Stéphane Allaire, Alain Breuleux

The Remote Networked School (RNS)/« École éloignée en réseau » is an initiative that aims at implementing an innovation with Internet-based technologies in support of teaching and learning as well as knowledge building in small rural schools. The first eight years of the RNS are examined applying Engeström’s activity theory framework, and more specifically the concept of expansive learning wherein we document the 7 stages. Tensions and contradictions are identified to provide an “inside” understanding of what matters when new technologies designed to support co-teaching and co-learning within and between classrooms are introduced. Two activity systems or more shared the same object such that students would engage actively in collaborative online discourse for solving authentic problems. To this end the trajectory of the RNS initiative had to overcome contradictions. As a result an expansive learning cycle was documented.

122-128

Authors: Anete Mezote

The objective of the research was to find out the most necessary competences of external relations specialists working in Latvia at the present moment, as well as to provide solutions for ensuring the acquisition of the necessary competences. In the research, the working environment of external relations specialists and data obtained in 2011 from surveying the graduates of the study program External Relations of Organizations, implemented at the Latvia University of Agriculture, are analysed. The results reveal that most of the skills needed for external relations specialists are related to cooperation with foreign partners, as well as that external relations specialists in Latvia most of all need to possess and improve cross-cultural communication competence, including awareness of cultural differences, as well as knowledge in specific business etiquettes and ways of communicating and thinking typical of different cultures. The necessary competences of external relations specialists should be improved by means of ensuring more cross-cultural communication opportunities and integrating the acquisition of more culture-specific etiquettes into the curriculum.

145-151

Authors: Alice Xavier, Maria Luiza Canedo

This article developes a critical reflection about a learning acceleration project facing the senior students of fundamental education . The project entitled Autonomia Carioca was prepared by a private institution and recently introduced in public schools of Rio de Janeiro, in the perspective of public-private partnership. The Project proposal is based on teacher training to deal with different languages, emphasizing the values construction, the self-esteem recovery and the study habits formation. Facing the challenge of dropout, 8500 students concluded the first stage of elementary education. This paper describes the objectives and methodology of the Project and also analyze work field observations and school principal interviews in a school in order to discuss challenges and opportunities. From the proposal of the Project to its implementation in the classroom, many factors were involved in the task of teaching the students who did not succeed in the traditional education. Some aspects discussed in this case study are: school director support, pedagogical attendance, teacher profile identification, classes’ arrangement, partnership with families and distinguished accompanying of students. The results point to the joint action of school agents as a determining factor for the success of the work.