Education technology: An evidence-based review - Escueta, Maya; Quan, Vincent; Nickow, Andre Joshua; Oreopoulos, Philip (National Bureau of Economic Research, 2017)
In recent years, there has been widespread excitement around the potential for technology to transform learning. As investments in education technology continue to grow, students, parents, and teachers face a seemingly endless array of education technologies from which to choose—from digital personalized learning platforms to educational games to online courses. Amidst the excitement, it is important to step back and understand how technology can help—or in some cases hinder—how students learn. This review paper synthesizes and discusses experimental evidence on the effectiveness of technology-based approaches in education and outlines areas for future inquiry. In particular, we examine RCTs across the following categories of education technology: (1) access to technology, (2) computer-assisted learning, (3) technology-enabled behavioral interventions in education, and (4) online learning. While this review focuses on literature from developed countries, it also draws upon extensive research from developing countries. We hope this literature review will advance the knowledge base of how technology can be used to support education, outline key areas for new experimental research, and help drive improvements to the policies, programs, and structures that contribute to successful teaching and learning.
Keywords: ___working_potential_duplicate

Public vs Private Quality Education at Primary Level in Pakistan - Farooq, Muhammad Sabil; Feroze, Nazia; Kai, Yuan Tong (International Online Journal of Primary Education, 2017)
Pakistan is an ethnically and religiously diverse country of over 190 million people. There are 22.6 million boys and girls out of school that's nearly half (44%) of all children in the country. This study was designed to assess comparative quality measures of primary level education at both public and private institutions of Pakistan. This study based on secondary data specially focused on ASER Pakistan Survey Report 2015 that was conducted in 146 rural districts of Pakistan, covering 83,755 households in 4,217 villages throughout the country. Detailed information was collected on 258,021 children (59% males, 41% females) aged 3-16 years. Out of these 219,609 children aged 5-16 years were tested for language and arithmetic competencies. It was found that Public schools lacking with trained teaching staff, well equipped classrooms and good policy and administration. While the other hand private schools deficient of well-educated staff, good infrastructure and self-motivation. It was recommended that the Government needs to realize this situation and to equalize the standards of public and private sector to achieve vigorous quality education at this level.
Keywords: Academic Achievement; Arithmetic; Educational Administration; Educational Policy; Educational Quality; Educational Resources; Elementary Education; Elementary School Students; Foreign Countries; Literacy; Mathematics Skills; Private Education; Public Education; Secondary School Students; Socioeconomic Influences; Teacher Competencies; ⛔ No DOI found

Education for Change: A Ministerial Strategic Plan - Federal Ministry of Education (Nigeria) (2017)

Reaching the Unreached through Open and Distance Learning (ODL) in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan - Ferreira, F (2017)
Keywords: ___working_potential_duplicate

Reaching the Unreached (RtU) through Open and Distance Learning (ODL) in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan - Ferreira, F; Cruz, C; Smith, K (2017)

Blended Beyond Borders: A scan of blended learning obstacles and opportunities in Brazil, Malaysia, & South Africa - Fisher, Julia Freeland; Bushko, Katrina; White, Jenny (2017)

Michigan's K-12 virtual learning effectiveness report 2015-2016 - Freidhoff, J (2017)

Tusome Midline evaluation 2017 final report from DEC - Freudenberger, Elizabeth; Davis, Jeff (2017)
Keywords: ⚠️ Invalid DOI

Mobile Data Plans in Kenya. Quantifying Women's Access to the Digital World - Gemeda, B.T.; Thakur, D. (Alliance for Affordable Internet, 2017)

The challenges of online learning: supporting and engaging the isolated learner - Gillett-Swan, Jenna (Journal of Learning Design, 2017)
Higher education providers are becoming increasingly aware of the diversity of their current and potential learners and are moving to provide a range of options for their engagement. The increasingly flexible delivery modes available for university students provide multiple pathways and opportunities for those seeking further education. In changing between and across modes, a one-size-fits-all approach is often used. That is, internal content is converted into a form deemed suitable for an external delivery. However, there is a significant problem with the one-size-fits-all approach for external students who feel or experience isolation. When compared to their internal counterparts, these students often face a number of barriers to their full participation in coursework units. These barriers may not be experienced by those engaging in these same units via face-to-face or blended enrolment modes and therefore present another type of learner to consider in the planning and implementation of learning activities online. The barriers to participation appear particularly evident in groupwork activities. The online environment also presents challenges for many academic staff who increasingly require higher levels of technological competency and proficiency on top of their regular academic workload. Drawing on reflections of several years of facilitating student learning online, this paper provides one lecturer’s perspective and critical commentary on some of the challenges faced by external students and the implications of an increasingly online delivery framework for practice.

Accountability in education: meeting our commitments - Global Education Monitoring Report (UNESCO, 2017)

Ghana Living Standard Survey - GLSS (2017)
Keywords: Adrenal Medulla; Aging; Animals; Animals, Newborn; Body Weight; Catecholamines; Dopamine beta-Hydroxylase; Epinephrine; Female; Humans; In Vitro Techniques; Maternal-Fetal Exchange; Metaraminol; Morphine; Morphine Dependence; Pregnancy; Rats; Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase

An Introduction to Systematic Reviews - Gough, David; Oliver, Sandy; Thomas, James (Sage, 2017)

Assessing the Impact of Early Learning Programs in Africa - Gove, Amber; Brunette, Tracy; Bulat, Jennae; Carrol, Bidemi; Henny, Catherine; Macon, Wykia; Nderu, Evangeline; Sitabkhan, Yasmin (New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, 2017)
We present results from early learning programs in six African countries: Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Tanzania, and Uganda. In partnership with ministries of education, RTI International has worked within government systems to support the design and deployment of locally contextualized materials, training, and assessment tools, with the goal of improving outcomes for early learners in primary schools, and in Kenya and Tanzania preprimary as well. Here we report on the experience and evidence of impact from specific programs in each country, including summary assessment results when available. In several countries with completed impact evaluations, there are significant and important learning gains of between 0.2 and 2.57 SD in effect size; in one case the percentage of students reaching grade‐level reading proficiency increased from 12% to 47%. In the context of increased urgency surrounding what UNESCO has called a “global learning crisis,” these experiences provide useful lessons for policymakers and practitioners alike.

Designing for Scale: Reflections on Rolling Out Reading Improvement in Kenya and Liberia - Gove, Amber; Poole, Medina Korda; Piper, Benjamin (New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, 2017)
Since 2008, the Ministries of Education in Liberia and Kenya have undertaken transitions from small-scale pilot programs to improve reading outcomes among primary learners to the large-scale implementation of reading interventions. The effects of the pilots on learning outcomes were significant, but questions remained regarding whether such large gains could be sustained at scale. In this article, the authors dissect the Liberian and Kenyan experiences with implementing large-scale reading programs, documenting the critical components and conditions of the program designs that affected the likelihood of successfully transitioning from pilot to scale. They also review the design, deployment, and effectiveness of each pilot program and the scale, design, duration, enabling conditions, and initial effectiveness results of the scaled programs in each country. The implications of these results for the design of both pilot and large-scale reading programs are discussed in light of the experiences of both the Liberian and Kenyan programs.

Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS-III) 2017–2022 - Government of Malawi (2017)

The ‘leave no one behind’ index - Greenhill, Romilly (Overseas Development Institute, 2017)
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

Learning and teachin with social network sites: A decade of research in K-12 related education - Greenhow, Christine; Askari, E (Education and Information Technologies, 2017)

Accelerating affordable smartphone ownership in emerging markets - GSMA (2017)

A Study on Implementation of `ICT in Education Training’ in Government Primary Schools - Haque, Z; Sarker, D; Rahman, Md; Ohiduzzaman, K; Ahammed, S; Islam, Md; Hasan, M (2017)

An Atlas of The Forty Colleges of Education in Ghana - Haßler, Björn; Akunor, J. T.; Nyamador, E. S. (2017)
Keywords: _DOILIVE; _not_EdTechHub; _zenodoODE; dode_eth-src-dode; dode_eth-trf2-dode

Using the confidence interval confidently - Hazra, Avijit (Journal of Thoracic Disease, 2017)
Biomedical research is seldom done with entire populations but rather with samples drawn from a population. Although we work with samples, our goal is to describe and draw inferences regarding the underlying population. It is possible to use a sample statistic and estimates of error in the sample to get a fair idea of the population parameter, not as a single value, but as a range of values. This range is the confidence interval (CI) which is estimated on the basis of a desired confidence level. Calculation of the CI of a sample statistic takes the general form: CI = Point estimate ± Margin of error, where the margin of error is given by the product of a critical value (z) derived from the standard normal curve and the standard error of point estimate. Calculation of the standard error varies depending on whether the sample statistic of interest is a mean, proportion, odds ratio (OR), and so on. The factors affecting the width of the CI include the desired confidence level, the sample size and the variability in the sample. Although the 95% CI is most often used in biomedical research, a CI can be calculated for any level of confidence. A 99% CI will be wider than 95% CI for the same sample. Conflict between clinical importance and statistical significance is an important issue in biomedical research. Clinical importance is best inferred by looking at the effect size, that is how much is the actual change or difference. However, statistical significance in terms of P only suggests whether there is any difference in probability terms. Use of the CI supplements the P value by providing an estimate of actual clinical effect. Of late, clinical trials are being designed specifically as superiority, non-inferiority or equivalence studies. The conclusions from these alternative trial designs are based on CI values rather than the P value from intergroup comparison.

LEAP From Pilot to Scale: Embedding Digital Reading within the Kenya National Library Service - Heavner, Rachel; Lowe, Zev; Mwachi-Amolo, Joan (2017)
Mobile technologies have become more normalized for data collection, education for displaced communities and interventions at a distance. Yet, questions remain around how to effectively bring these technology interventions from pilot efforts to broad scale adoption. Worldreader is demonstrating operational success in its digital reading programs in Kenya. In 2014, Worldreader, in partnership with the Kenyan National Library Service (knls), launched its digital reading program, called LEAP (Libraries E-reading Activities Partnership) in eight libraries. By December 2017, LEAP had successfully scaled to all 61 public libraries in the country. This paper outlines five key insights for moving from pilot to country-level scale: 1. Start slow, start smart 2. Leverage economies of scale 3. Step by step: Implement in phases 4. Manage change: Creating a unified vision of success 5. Implement sustainability from the start. These learnings can inform others leveraging technology to improve education around the world and contribute to strengthening an effective, responsible and efficient ecosystem of technology-enriched educational programs.
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

Measuring teacher classroom management skills: a comparative analysis of distance trained and conventional trained teachers - Henaku, Christina Bampo; Pobbi, Michael Asamani (Journal of Education and Practice, 2017)
Many researchers and educationist remain skeptical about the effectiveness of distance learning program and have termed it as second to the conventional training method. This perception is largely due to several challenges which exist within the management of distance learning program across the country. The general aim of the study is compare the classroom management skills exhibited by distance trained teachers to that of conventional trained teachers in their field of work. Teacher classroom management was classified into two multidimensional constructs consisting of effective behavior management skills and instructional learning format skills. A quantitative design strategy was adapted for the study. Primary data was collected using a questionnaire from 500 teachers-consisting of 250 conventional and 250 distance trained teachers--and 60 head teachers selected from basic schools across 10 regions in Ghana. Head teachers assessment of teachers served as a means of triangulating results obtained. Data obtained during survey was coded and entered into a SPSS statistical software and subsequently analysed using both descriptive and inferential methods. Results from the study reveal that there were no significant differences in all nineteen (19) items used in measuring teacher classroom control mechanism. Recommendations were made based on the findings of the study.
Keywords: Behavior Change; Classroom Techniques; Comparative Analysis; Conventional Instruction; Distance Education; ERIC, Current Index to Journals in Education (CIJE); Elementary Education; Elementary School Teachers; Foreign Countries; Ghana; Intermode Differences; Multidimensional Scaling; Questionnaires; Statistical Analysis; Teacher Surveys; Teaching Skills; Training Methods; __:import:01; __:match:final; __:matched; __:study_id:2096069; __finaldtb; ⛔ No DOI found

The USAID Pre-Service Teacher Education Program and Teacher Professionalization in Pakistan - Hina, Khushbakht (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2017)

ICT, education and social development in Latin America and the Caribbean – UNESCO Digital Library - Hinostroza, J. Enrique (2017)

The influence of data protection and privacy frameworks on the design of learning analytics systems - Hoel, Tore; Griffiths, Dai; Chen, Weiqin (2017)

EdTech Decision-Making in Higher Education. - Hollands, Fiona M.; Escueta, Maya (Online Submission, 2017)
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

A Study on the Implementation of the Strengthening Innovation and Practice in Secondary Education Initiative for the preparation of Science, Technology, English and Mathematics (STEM) Teachers in Kenya to integrate Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Teaching and Learning - Hooker, Mary (2017)

Factors Affecting Higher Education Quality in Bangladesh: An Attempt to Improve Higher Education Quality in Bangladesh through HEQEP. - Hossain, Md (International Journal of Science and Business, 2017)
To meet the globalization challenges raising higher education quality to the world standard is essential. Because Economic Factors, An Era of Competition, Demographic Realities, lack of infrastectural development ,Governmental Political and Legal Challenges, Religious Factors, internal conflicts among educational institutions, corruption etc affect quality of higher education in Bangladesh. Bangladesh Govt. has taken initiatives to develop the quality of tertiary education. Govt. plans to prepare university graduates in such way that they can successfully compete in the context of international knowledge society. The Government prepared a Higher Education Strategic Plan 2006-26, which was fully homegrown with participation of front-line academics from both public and private universities and representatives from think-tanks and the private sector. Accordingly, the Ministry of Education, with the assistance of the World Bank, has undertaken a Higher Education Quality Enhancement Project (HEQEP). The project aims at improving the quality of teaching-learning and research capabilities of the tertiary education institutions through encouraging both innovation and accountability and by enhancing the technical and institutional capacity of the higher education sector. he Higher Education Quality Enhancement Project (HEQEP) will comprise of the following 4 (four) components: (i) promotion of academic innovation in teaching-learning and research through an Academic Innovation Fun (AIF) allocating funds on a competitive basis to public and private universities; (ii) institutional capacity building at the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the universities; (iii) connectivity capacity building for universities and research centers through the development of the Bangladesh Research and Education Network (BdREN) ; and (iv) support to the operation of the project implementation unit. The University Grants Commission of Bangladesh is the implementing agency of the project. A HEQEP Unit has been established in UGC for implementation, management, monitoring and evaluation of the activities.
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

Mothers' and Fathers' Perceived Engagement in Children's Care and Schooling in Bangladesh: A Rural-Urban Comparison - Hossain, Ziarat; Atencio, David J. (Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 2017)
Couched within the bioecological systems theory, this paper examined whether (i) mothers and fathers differed in their perceived engagement with their school-age children's routine care, care on demand, academic interaction at home, and academic interaction at school; (ii) mothers' and fathers' engagement varied as a function of gender-of-child and rural and urban residence; and (iii) socioeconomic and support variables were associated with fathers' engagement with their children's care and academic work in twoparent rural and urban families in Bangladesh. Mother and father pairs from 40 rural and 41 urban families participated in the study. Mothers and fathers were separately interviewed to collect the data. Mothers spent more time in children's routine care and academic interaction at home than fathers did in both rural and urban families. Urban parents spent more time with their children than rural parents did. While rural mothers spent more time in sons' routine care and academic interaction at home than they did with daughters, urban fathers spent more time with sons' routine care than they did with their daughters. Whereas fathers' age and number of children negatively and length of marriage positively predicted fathers' engagement in children's routine care, fathers' age negatively and length of marriage and extra-familial support positively predicted fathers' engagement in children' academic interaction at home in rural families. Findings are discussed in relation to rural and urban fathers' changing roles in children's care and intellectual development in Bangladesh. Formulé dans la théorie des systèmes biologiques et écologiques, cet article examine dans quelle mesure (i) l'engagement des mères et des pères diffère dans les soins directs ou indirects donnés à leurs enfants d'âge scolaire, ainsi que dans leur suivi scolaire à domicile et à l'école; (ii) l'implication des mères et des pères varie en fonction du sexe de l'enfant et de son lieu de résidence rural ou urbain; et (iii) les variables socio-économiques et de soutien sont associées à la motivation des pères dans les soins et l'éducation de leurs enfants pour les familles biparentales rurales et urbaines au Bangladesh. La participation à cette étude comprend des couples mère-père provenant de 40 familles rurales et 41 familles urbaines. Les mères et les pères sont interrogés séparément pour la collecte de données. Les mères consacrent plus de temps que les pères aux soins directs des enfants et au suivi scolaire à domicile, aussi bien dans les familles rurales que les familles urbaines. Les parents en milieu urbain consacrent plus de temps à leurs enfants que les parents en milieu rural. Tandis que les mères en milieu rural consacrent plus de temps aux soins directs et suivi scolaire de leurs fils plutôt que de leurs filles, les pères en milieu urbain consacrent par ailleurs plus de temps que les mères aux soins directs de leurs fils. D'autre part, l'impact négatif de l'âge des pères et du nombre d'enfants ainsi que l'impact positif de la durée du mariage influent sur l'implication des pères dans les soins directs, tandis que l'impact négatif de l'âge des pères et l'impact positif de la durée du mariage et de la prise en charge extra-familiale présagent l'implication des pères dans le suivi scolaire des enfants à domicile chez les familles rurales. Les résultats sont examinés en rapport avec l'évolution du rôle des pères dans les soins et le développement intellectuel des enfants en milieu rural et urbain au Bangladesh. Basado en la teoría de los sistemas bioecológicos, este documento examinó si (i) las madres y los padres se diferenciaron de su participación percibida con el cuidado de rutina de sus hijos de edad escolar, el cuidado por encargo, la interacción académica en el hogar y la interacción académica en la escuela; (ii) la participación de las madres y los padres variaba en función de género de niño y de la residencia rural y urbana; y (iii) las variables socioeconómicas y las de apoyo se asociaron con la participación de los padres con el cuidado de sus hijos y su trabajo académico en las familias rurales y urbanas con dos padres en Bangladesh. Pares de un padre y una madre de 40 familias rurales y 41 urbanas participaron en el estudio. Las madres y los padres fueron entrevistados separadamente para recopilar la información. Las madres pasaban más tiempo con el cuidado de rutina de los niños y la interacción académica en el hogar que los padres en las familias rurales y urbanas. Los padres urbanos pasaban más tiempo con sus hijos que los padres rurales. Mientras que las madres rurales pasaban más tiempo en el cuidado de rutina y la interacción académica de sus hijos en casa que con sus hijas, los padres urbanos pasaban más tiempo con la atención de rutina de sus hijos que con sus hijas. Mientras que la edad del padre y el número de hijos negativamente predijeron la participación en la atención habitual de sus hijos y la duración del matrimonio predijo positivamente la participación del padre en la atención habitual de sus hijos, la edad del padre y la duración del matrimonio y el apoyo extrafamiliar predijeron positivamente la participación de los padres en la interacción académica de los niños de familias rurales. Los hallazgos se discuten en relación con los roles cambiantes de los padres rurales y los padres urbanos con el cuidado de sus hijos y el desarrollo intelectual de sus niños en Bangladesh.

Technology for Teacher Training - IDEAS (IDEAS | Institute of Development and Economic Alternatives, 2017)
The project will be introducing a new model of delivering in-service teacher training to government sector primary school teachers (PSTs), which builds upon the existing structure of cluster-based Continuous Professional Development (CPD) in Punjab.The Directorate of Staff Development (DSD) employs a cluster-based approach to in-service teacher training which constitutes a cascading model. Although the model […]

Scaling Innovation - IDIA (2017)

ICTs for non-formal education in rural Thailand - Intarat, Sudarat; Chanchalor, Sumalee; Murphy, Elizabeth (Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 2017)
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

ITU | 2017 Global ICT Development Index - International Communication Union (2017)

Digital Revolutions in Public Finance - International Monetary Fund (2017)
Digitization promises to reshape fiscal policy by transforming how governments collect, process, share, and act on information. More and higher-quality information can improve not only policy design for tax and spending, but also systems for their management, including tax administration and compliance, delivery of public services, administration of social programs, public financial management, and more. Countries must chart their own paths to effectively balance the potential benefits against the risks and challenges, including institutional and capacity constraints, privacy concerns, and new avenues for fraud and evasion. Support for this book and the conference on which it is based was provided by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation “Click Download on the top right corner for your free copy..."

2017 Global ICT Development Index - ITU (2017)

ICT Facts and Figures 2017 - ITU (International Telecommunication Union, 2017)

A Study on the Relationship between Self Directed Learning and Achievement in Information Technology of Students at Secondary Level - Jaleel, Sajna; O. M., Anuroofa (Universal Journal of Educational Research, 2017)
Education at any level has normally been based on some image of the future; that was not impossible in a world that was changing slowly. Today, educators are preparing learners for a world we cannot even predict, and self-directed learning has become an essential foundation for 21st century learners. In recent years teachers are giving importance to technology based education such as student centered education, technology based education, hands-on training, lab-based education and e-learning in the classrooms. The underlying rationale seems to be that students are better able to learn when they can control the flow of their experience, or when their learning is "self-directed." Teachers are also has an important place in Self Directed Learning environment. Their constant support and motivation is required for accelerating the effectiveness and also increasing the rate of achievement. Information Technology (IT) is becoming the subject of 21st century, because knowledge in IT plays a crucial role for the daily living. In this paper, the Investigators tried to find out whether there exists any relationship between Self Directed Learning (SDL) and Achievement in Information Technology of Secondary School Students for the total sample and also for the subsample Gender. The Investigators also tried to find out whether there exists any significant difference in the Self Directed Learning and Achievement in Information Technology of Students at Secondary Level based on Gender. Proper statistical techniques were used for collecting, standardizing and analyzing the data.
Keywords: Academic Achievement; Correlation; Independent Study; Information Technology; Secondary School Students; Secondary School Teachers

Classroom social climate, self-determined motivation, willingness to communicate, and achievement: A study of structural relationships in instructed second language settings - Joe, Hye-Kyoung; Hiver, Phil; Al-Hoorie, Ali H. (Learning and Individual Differences, 2017)

Effectiveness of Interactive Satellite-Transmitted Instruction: Experimental Evidence from Ghanaian Primary Schools. CEPA Working Paper No. 17-08. - Johnston, Jamie; Ksoll, Christopher (Stanford Center for Education Policy Analysis, 2017)
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

Open Government Case Study: Costing Sierra Leone’s Open Data Program - Joswiak, Naomi (Results for Development, 2017)
Keywords: ___working_potential_duplicate

Parental Roles in Provision of Mobility and Educational Resources for Children with Physical Challenges a Case of Joytown Special School, Kiambu County, Kenya - Kamau, Joyce (Journal of Education and Practice, 2017)
Children with physical challenges have developmental needs and rights like other children and due to their exceptionality they call for more attention in provision of adequate quality mobility and educational resources to enhance their holistic development. However, it is apparent that provision of resources to children with physical challenges has not been possible in Kenya due to various factors which are not yet understood. The study drive was to explore parental role in the provision of mobility and educational resources to children who are physically challenged. The study sought to establish parents' involvement in provision of mobility and educational resources. The study was carried out in Joytown Primary School for the Physically Challenged in Thika Town. The school was purposefully selected because it is best suited for the study since it caters for children in the category of special needs being addressed in the study that is physical challenges. Case study design was used. Target population of the study was 100 children with physical challenges, 200 parents and 4 teachers and the head teacher. Stratified random sampling method was employed to arrive at a Sample size of 30 children with physical challenges, purposive and opportunity sampling to arrive at 30 parents and purposive sampling to arrive at 4 teachers. Therefore, the total sample size was 64. The data were collected using various techniques which included questionnaires for the teachers, interview guides for parents and observation guides for children. Collected data were analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Quantitative methods entailed use of descriptive statistics such as frequencies and percentages which enhanced discussion of qualitative data which was organized into themes and categories and presented in discussion form. The study established that parental involvement in provision of mobility and educational resources is minimal. The main recommendation of the study is that government should have a budgetary allocation meant specifically for purchase of mobility and educational resources and maintenance of facilities since it's a noble course which would ensure that children are actively involved in learning activities therefore enhancing holistic development hence molding children with physical challenges to become self-reliant and productive citizens.
Keywords: Assistive Technology; Case Studies; Child Development; Educational Resources; Elementary School Students; Elementary School Teachers; Foreign Countries; Interviews; Observation; Parent Participation; Parent Role; Physical Disabilities; Physical Mobility; Questionnaires; Resource Allocation; Special Schools; Statistical Analysis; ⛔ No DOI found

Factors affecting e-learning adoption in developing countries -- empirical evidence from Pakistan’s higher education sector - Kanwal, Faria; Rehman, Mariam (IEEE Access, 2017)
E-learning has reshaped traditional education into more flexible and efficient learning in developed nations. However, e-learning remains underutilized and in the rudimentary stages of development in developing countries. Therefore, understanding the critical factors behind the adoption and acceptance of technology is a prime concern in developing countries like Pakistan. This paper provides and examines the adoption and acceptance baseline for e-learning systems by incorporating critical external factors in the technology acceptance model. A conceptual model-the Pakistan E-Learning Adoption Model-is proposed in the context of higher education. Data were collected from 354 learners at the Virtual University of Pakistan and structural equation modeling was employed to test the research hypotheses. The empirical investigation indicates that computer self-efficacy, Internet experience, enjoyment, and system characteristics are significant predictors of perceived ease of use, while system characteristics are a strong predictor of perceived usefulness. Moreover, the subjective norm is not found to be significant for perceived usefulness. The findings provide practical implications for policy makers, practitioners, and developers in successful e-learning systems implementation.
Keywords: Computational modeling; Computers; Context; Context modeling; Critical success factors for adoption; Electronic learning; Mathematical model; TAM; e-learning adoption; e-learning adoption in Pakistan

Lower Primary Levels Curriculum Designs, Volume 1: Kiswahili, Literacy and Indigenous Languages and English Activities - Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development, 2017)

Pre Primary One Curriculum Designs - Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (2017)

Blog-based professional development of English teachers in Mumbai: the potential of innovative practice under scrutiny - Khan, Atiya (Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 2017)
The professional development of teachers in India is still, by and large, based on formal and outdated professional learning traditions, often characterised by crash courses and one-off workshops. In education, blogs have proven to be an effective means of establishing and maintaining collaborative learning networks and helping members reflect on their professional practices. Information and communications technology (ICT) enabled practices of teacher professional development is still in its infancy in India. Moreover, there is limited research in India to secure foundational understanding of how and in what ways teachers of English in India use blogs for their professional development. This study explores the use of teacher reflective practice, teacher networking, and teacher collaboration, beyond formal ICT training, through blog-based professional development of English teachers in the Mumbai region of India. Using data collected from 32 teachers from three private schools in Mumbai, through ICT interactive workshop observations, questionnaires, interviews, and blog comments, this action case study explains whether and why blogging, as a learning community, has the potential to add significant value to existing professional development of English teachers in Mumbai.
Keywords: Action Research; Case Studies; Communities of Practice; Diaries; ERIC, Current Index to Journals in Education (CIJE); Electronic Publishing; English (Second Language); Faculty Development; Foreign Countries; India; Language Teachers; Participant Observation; Private Schools; Qualitative Research; Questionnaires; Reflective Teaching; Second Language Instruction; Semi Structured Interviews; Teacher Collaboration; Web Sites; Workshops; __:import:01; __:match:final; __:matched; __:study_id:2096053; __finaldtb

Blog-based professional development of English teachers in Mumbai: The potential of innovative practice under scrutiny | Australasian Journal of Educational Technology - Khan, Atiya (Australian Journal of Educational Technology, 2017)
The professional development of teachers in India is still, by and large, based on formal and outdated professional learning traditions, often characterised by crash courses and one-off workshops. In education, blogs have proven to be an effective means of establishing and maintaining collaborative learning networks and helping members reflect on their professional practices. Information and communications technology (ICT) enabled practices of teacher professional development is still in its infancy in India. Moreover, there is limited research in India to secure foundational understanding of how and in what ways teachers of English in India use blogs for their professional development. This study explores the use of teacher reflective practice, teacher networking, and teacher collaboration, beyond formal ICT training, through blog-based professional development of English teachers in the Mumbai region of India. Using data collected from 32 teachers from three private schools in Mumbai, through ICT interactive workshop observations, questionnaires, interviews, and blog comments, this action case study explains whether and why blogging, as a learning community, has the potential to add significant value to existing professional development of English teachers in Mumbai.

Education Blueprint: 2018-2030 - Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Elementary and Secondary Education Department (2017)

The use of computer-assisted instruction to improve the reading comprehension of students with learning disabilities: an evaluation of the evidence base according to the What Works Clearinghouse standards - Kim, Min Kyung; McKenna, John William; Park, Yujeong (Remedial and Special Education, 2017)

Blended learning effectiveness: the relationship between student characteristics, design features and outcomes - Kintu, Mugenyi Justice; Zhu, Chang; Kagambe, Edmond (International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 2017)
This paper investigates the effectiveness of a blended learning environment through analyzing the relationship between student characteristics/background, design features and learning outcomes. It is aimed at determining the significant predictors of blended learning effectiveness taking student characteristics/background and design features as independent variables and learning outcomes as dependent variables. A survey was administered to 238 respondents to gather data on student characteristics/background, design features and learning outcomes. The final semester evaluation results were used as a measure for performance as an outcome. We applied the online self regulatory learning questionnaire for data on learner self regulation, the intrinsic motivation inventory for data on intrinsic motivation and other self-developed instruments for measuring the other constructs. Multiple regression analysis results showed that blended learning design features (technology quality, online tools and face-to-face support) and student characteristics (attitudes and self-regulation) predicted student satisfaction as an outcome. The results indicate that some of the student characteristics/backgrounds and design features are significant predictors for student learning outcomes in blended learning.

Low-cost, familiar tech for teacher support: Evidence from a SMS campaign for early grade teachers in Malawi - Kipp, S (2017)

Tanzania 2017 field testing report: Can out-of-school children make learning gains with Kitkit School? - Kitkit School (Kitkit School, 2017)

Text mining in organizational research - Kobayashi, V.B.; Mol, S.T.; Berkers, H.A. (Organizational Research Methods, 2017)
Keywords: _Added-ailr-2024

Implementing the flipped classroom in teacher education: evidence from Turkey - Kurt, Gökçe (Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 2017)
The flipped classroom, a form of blended learning, is an emerging instructional strategy reversing a traditional lecture-based teaching model to improve the quality and efficiency of the teaching and learning process. The present article reports a study that focused on the implementation of the flipped approach in a higher education institution in Turkey. For this pretest-posttest quasi-experimental study, a classroom management course in a pre-service English teacher education program was flipped and its effectiveness was measured against a traditionally taught class. Quantitative and qualitative data came from 62 pre-service teachers (PTs) in two intact classes randomly assigned as the experimental and the control groups. Findings revealed a higher level of self-efficacy beliefs and better learning outcomes for the experimental group PTs in the flipped classroom compared to the control group PTs in the traditional classroom. PTs' perceptions of the flipped classroom were also positive.
Keywords: Blended Learning; Blended learning; Classroom Techniques; Classroom management; Classrooms; Control Groups; Conventional Instruction; ERIC, Current Index to Journals in Education (CIJE); Education; Education--Teaching Methods And Curriculum; Educational Technology; English (Second Language); Experimental Groups; Flipped classroom; Focus Groups; Foreign Countries; Higher Education; Homework; Language Teachers; Learning; Postsecondary Education; Pre-service teachers of English; Preservice Teacher Education; Pretests Posttests; Program Effectiveness; Qualitative analysis; Quasiexperimental Design; Reversing; Scores; Second Language Instruction; Self Efficacy; Statistical Analysis; Teacher education; Teachers; Teaching Methods; Teaching methods; Technology Uses in Education; Tests; Turkey; Video Technology; __:import:01; __:match:final; __:matched; __:study_id:2097427; __finaldtb; ⛔ No DOI found

Implementing the flipped classroom in teacher education: evidence from Turkey - Kurt, Gökçe (Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 2017)
The flipped classroom, a form of blended learning, is an emerging instructional strategy reversing a traditional lecture-based teaching model to improve the quality and efficiency of the teaching and learning process. The present article reports a study that focused on the implementation of the flipped approach in a higher education institution in Turkey. For this pretest-posttest quasi-experimental study, a classroom management course in a pre-service English teacher education program was flipped and its effectiveness was measured against a traditionally taught class. Quantitative and qualitative data came from 62 pre-service teachers (PTs) in two intact classes randomly assigned as the experimental and the control groups. Findings revealed a higher level of self-efficacy beliefs and better learning outcomes for the experimental group PTs in the flipped classroom compared to the control group PTs in the traditional classroom. PTs' perceptions of the flipped classroom were also positive.
Keywords: Blended Learning; Blended learning; Classroom Techniques; Classroom management; Classrooms; Control Groups; Conventional Instruction; ERIC, Current Index to Journals in Education (CIJE); Education; Education--Teaching Methods And Curriculum; Educational Technology; English (Second Language); Experimental Groups; Flipped classroom; Focus Groups; Foreign Countries; Higher Education; Homework; Language Teachers; Learning; Postsecondary Education; Pre-service teachers of English; Preservice Teacher Education; Pretests Posttests; Program Effectiveness; Qualitative analysis; Quasiexperimental Design; Reversing; Scores; Second Language Instruction; Self Efficacy; Statistical Analysis; Teacher education; Teachers; Teaching Methods; Teaching methods; Technology Uses in Education; Tests; Turkey; Video Technology; __:import:01; __:match:final; __:matched; __:study_id:2097427; __finaldtb; ⛔ No DOI found

Implementing the flipped classroom in teacher education: evidence from Turkey - Kurt, Gökçe (Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 2017)
The flipped classroom, a form of blended learning, is an emerging instructional strategy reversing a traditional lecture-based teaching model to improve the quality and efficiency of the teaching and learning process. The present article reports a study that focused on the implementation of the flipped approach in a higher education institution in Turkey. For this pretest-posttest quasi-experimental study, a classroom management course in a pre-service English teacher education program was flipped and its effectiveness was measured against a traditionally taught class. Quantitative and qualitative data came from 62 pre-service teachers (PTs) in two intact classes randomly assigned as the experimental and the control groups. Findings revealed a higher level of self-efficacy beliefs and better learning outcomes for the experimental group PTs in the flipped classroom compared to the control group PTs in the traditional classroom. PTs' perceptions of the flipped classroom were also positive.
Keywords: Blended Learning; Blended learning; Classroom Techniques; Classroom management; Classrooms; Control Groups; Conventional Instruction; ERIC, Current Index to Journals in Education (CIJE); Education; Education--Teaching Methods And Curriculum; Educational Technology; English (Second Language); Experimental Groups; Flipped classroom; Focus Groups; Foreign Countries; Higher Education; Homework; Language Teachers; Learning; Postsecondary Education; Pre-service teachers of English; Preservice Teacher Education; Pretests Posttests; Program Effectiveness; Qualitative analysis; Quasiexperimental Design; Reversing; Scores; Second Language Instruction; Self Efficacy; Statistical Analysis; Teacher education; Teachers; Teaching Methods; Teaching methods; Technology Uses in Education; Tests; Turkey; Video Technology; __:import:01; __:match:final; __:matched; __:study_id:2097427; __finaldtb; ⛔ No DOI found

Systems theory - Lai, Chih-Hui; Huili Lin, Sapphire (The international encyclopedia of organizational communication, 2017)

The evolution of school league tables in England 1992-2016: ‘Contextual value-added’, ‘expected progress’ and ‘progress 8’ - Leckie, George; Goldstein, Harvey (British Educational Research Journal, 2017)

Scaling Educational Innovations in Singapore: the roles of Policymakers, Practitioners, and Researchers - Lee, Shu-Shing (2017)
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

Comparative Judgement as a Promising Alternative to Score Competences - Lesterhuis, Marije; Verhavert, San; Coertjens, Liesje; Donche, Vincent; Maeyer, Sven De (Innovative Practices for Higher Education Assessment and Measurement, 2017)
To adequately assess students' competences, students are asked to provide proof of a performance. Ideally, open and real-life tasks are used for such performance assessment. However, to augment the reliability of the scores resulting from performance assessment, assessments are mostly standardised....

The SolarSPELL Offline Digital Library - Linzy, Kristen; Hosman, Laura (2017)
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

Fostering self-regulation in online learning in K-12 education - Lock, Jennifer; Eaton, Sarah Elaine; Kessy, Elaine (Northwest Journal of Teacher Education, 2017)

Doing a thematic analysis: A practical, step-by-step guide for learning and teaching scholars - Maguire, Moira; Delahunt, Brid (All Ireland Journal of Higher Education, 2017)
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

Using video to support in-service teacher professional development: the state of the field, limitations and possibilities - Major, L; Watson, Steven (Technology Pedagogy and Education, 2017)
Keywords: C: International; ⛔ No DOI found

Country Economic Overview - Malawi Consulate (2017)
Country Economic Overview The Malawi economy is agro based with agriculture contributing 37% of the national GDP and employing 80% of the total workforce....

Teachers’ conception towards the use of social networks as a tool for professional development in Tanzania government secondary schools: the case of Dodoma municipality - Manyama, Charles (University of Dodoma, 2017)
The current study sought to assess teachers' conception toward the use of social networks as a tool for professional development in Tanzania government secondary schools the case of Dodoma Municipality. Thus, the specific objectives of this study were to assess the influence of demographic characteristics on the use of social networks or as a tool for professional development. To assess teachers conception on the available social networks opportunity that can support professional development, to investigate teachers use of social networks available for professional development, to explore the perceived benefits of using social networks opportunity as a tool for professional development and to examine limitation that hinder teachers for professional development. The study was guided by social-cognitive theory, community of practice model (CoP) and technology acceptance model (TAM). A cross-section research design was used to collect data that involved 84 teachers‟ from ten secondary schools, six head of schools three quality assurers and one respondent from DEO office. SPSS computer program was used to analyze the data. Qualitative data were analyzes through content analysis and quantitative data were analyzed statistically using descriptive and inferential statistics by using SPSS Version 20, and Microsoft Excel were highly used. Linear regression techniques were used to seek whether there is a relationship between demographic characteristics and the use of social networks. The survey results showed that there is no significant relationship between demographic factors with the use of social networks as a tool for professional development. Either teachers have positive conceptions towards the use of social networks as a tool for professional development. Furthermore, teachers use SNs for communicating with their fellow from different groups but it is not effectively integrated into professional development. The findings indicate that, to a large extent, teachers agreed that SNs make them to be more creative and help them to improve their communication skills. In addition the findings indicated that teachers lack training on how to integrate SNs in TPD. Finally,the researcher recommend that, educational stakeholders should provide financial and material support to teachers in order to overcome challenge that limit the use of technology in teaching and learning.
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

Kenyan school system is trying sign language for all children - Mativu (2017)

The international encyclopedia of communication research methods - Matthes, Jörg; Davis, Christine; Potter, Robert (Wiley, 2017)

Investing in the crisis: Private participation in the education of Syrian refugees - Menashy, Francine; Zakharia, Zeena (Education International, 2017)

Strengthening Teacher Professional Development: Local and global communities of practice in Kakuma Refugee Camp - Mendenhall, Mary (Columbia University, 2017)
Keywords: C:Kenya / Rwanda

Supporting the education of marginalized girls in Kailali (STEM II) - Mercy Corps (2017)

Supporting teachers with mobile technology: lessons drawn from UNESCO projects in Mexico, Nigeria, Senegal and Pakistan - Miao, Fengchun; West, Mark; Hyo-Jeong, So; Toh, Yancy (UNESCO, 2017)

Blockchain security: What keeps your transaction data safe? - Miles, Curtis (2017)

An experimental study of the performance of prospective teachers of flipped classroom and non-flipped classroom - Minaz, Maksal; Tabassum, Rabia; Idris, Muhammad (Pakistan Journal of Education, 2017)
Video-recording of lectures and creating of podcasts for playback on the computer and other portable devices which accommodate the new formats of self-developed learning are identified as flipped classroom. The study was focused on the objective to Investigate performance of prospective teachers of flipped classroom and non-flipped classroom with respect to flipped classroom strategy. Therefore, null hypotheses were formulated; there is no significant difference between the mean scores of flipped classroom and non-flipped classroom of prospective teachers before and after treatment; Pretest posttest equivalent group experimental research design was taken for the study. A paired random sampling technique was employed to select the sample on the basis of pretest scores from the subjects.. Experimental group was named flipped classroom and control group was named non-flipped classroom. Treatment of flipped classroom strategy provided to the flipped classroom and the non-flipped classroom was thought through lecture demonstration method. Posttest was administered to collect data from both groups without delay after treatment of six academic weeks. Results of the study illustrated that there was significant difference between the performance of flipped and non-flipped classrooms prospective teachers. It was recommended that flipped classroom may be an integral part of curriculum of professional development courses in Pakistan.
Keywords: Education; Educational technology; Learning; Pedagogy; Podcasts; Professional development; Teacher attitudes; __:import:01; __:match:final; __:matched; __:study_id:2096864; __finaldtb; ⛔ No DOI found

Plan sectoriel de l'éducation 2018 - 2022 - Ministère de l'Éducation Nationale, Madagascar (2017)
Plan sectoriel de l'éducation pour la période 2018 -2022 pour une éducation de qualité pour tous, garantie du développement durable, préparé par le ministère de l'Education nationale de Madagascar

National Framework for Continuous Professional Development for Practicing Teachers - Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (United Republic of Tanzania, 2017)
Keywords: _B:important; _G:important; _G:reviewed; _Tanzania; _final_bib; _important

Feasibility study exploring e-learning initiatives at secondary schools in Tanzania mainland - MoEST (MoEST, 2017)

Using Tactile Letters As An Assitive Techology in Teaching Alphabet For Dyslexi Children: A Case Study - Mohamad, Mariam; Tan, Abdullah; Sabrina, Jessica (eLearning & Software for Education, 2017)
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

Can new modes of digital learning help resolve the teacher crisis in sub-Saharan Africa? - Moon, Bob; Villet, Charmaine (Journal of Learning for Development, 2017)
Sub-Saharan Africa, more than any other part of the world, is experiencing a crisis in finding sufficiently qualified teachers to meet the needs of expanding school systems. The professional development support provided to serving teachers is also inadequate in most countries. The most recent data on learner outcomes has revealed a worrying picture of significant under-achievement across the region. This paper argues that the teacher education and training structures of the last century will never be able to meet urgent contemporary needs. Given population growth, especially among the young, large-scale expansion of the teaching force and the associated teacher education systems will be the norm through to the middle years of the century and beyond. In this context the paper argues for a significant policy shift to expand quality teacher education and professional support at scale through a more school-based and digitally supported network model of provision. Examples of current digital programmes within the region are considered as well as the new technologies that are emerging with relevance to teacher education. The paper suggests a three-phase process through which national governments might move in making the necessary changes in policy and practice.
Keywords: Africa; Computer Uses in Education; ERIC, Current Index to Journals in Education (CIJE); Educational Change; Educational Policy; Electronic Learning; Faculty Development; Foreign Countries; Higher Education; Inservice Teacher Education; Online Courses; Postsecondary Education; Preservice Teacher Education; Resource Units; Teacher Shortage; ⛔ No DOI found

Teachers and teacher policy in primary and secondary education - Mulkeen, Aidan; Ratteree, William; Voss-Lengnik, Ilse (2017)

Availability of Resource Materials and Facilities for ICT Integration in the Public Primary School Curriculum in Kitui County, Kenya - Mwendwa, Nzwili K. (2017)
Throughout the world, the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is changing the face of education. This paper is a report of a study that was carried out in the months of May and June 2016 on the availability of resources and facilities for ICT integration in the public primary school curriculum in Kitui County in Kenya. The research purpose and objective of the study was: To find out the availability of resources and facilities for ICT integration in the public primary school curriculum in Kitui County. This study was guided by the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). It was informed by the pragmatic philosophy and the Mixed Method (MM) research approach. Data was collected from 388 public primary schools in Kitui County selected through stratified and simple random sampling methods. A total of 388 head teachers and 776 teachers participated in the study giving a total of 1114 respondents. The research instruments used were questionnaires for teachers, interview schedules for head teachers and observation checklists. The data collected was analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. The findings revealed that most of the schools were connected to electricity but lacked ICT resources such as desk computers, whiteboards, CD-ROMs and anti-viruses. Laptops were available in some of the schools but were not being used by teachers in direct instruction. They were mainly used in the storage of school records, teacher plans, examination questions and for examination registration exercises. Another finding was lack of internet connectivity in most of the schools that affected ICT integration in the curriculum. The study recommended that the education stakeholders and the government should partner in provision of ICT resources and facilities to facilitate integration of ICT in schools. It is hoped that this study will be useful in education policy making on ICT integration in schools in Kenya and other parts of the world.
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

Guide to the Accelerated Education Principles - Myers, Juliette; Pinnock, Helen; Lewis, Ingrid (Accelerated Education Working Group (AEWG), 2017)

Guide to the Accelerated Education Principles - Myers, Juliette; Pinnock, Helen; Lewis, Ingrid (2017)

Mathematics Education and Accessible Technologies for Visually Impaired Students in Bangladesh - Nahar, L; Jaafar, A; Sulaiman, R (Badioze Zaman H. et al. (eds) Advances in Visual Informatics. IVIC 2017. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 10645, 2017)
The learning process for the visually impaired students (VIS) is complicated because they are unable to get visual information. A lot of challenges and problems these VIS are facing to get education, especially in studying Mathematics. As a developing country, Bangladesh cannot afford for the costly Mathematics learning tools for VIS. The objective of this study is to analyze the current scenarios of learning Mathematics in different types of blind schools in Bangladesh. A survey is conducted in all three types of schools in order to achieve the objective. The survey was based on questionnaire comprising questions related to Mathematics learning, examination methods and learning difficulties. Survey results shows that they follow Braille system for reading and writing; however, they cannot write in Braille in the final examination. Taylor frame and abacus are the only options for counting numbers. This paper also tries to propose some key points to improve the current Mathematics learning process for the blind students.
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

ICT integration in teaching and learning in secondary schools in Tanzania: Readiness and way forward - Ngeze, Lucian V. (International Journal of Information and Education Technology, 2017)

Implications of the University of South Africa's (UNISA) shift to open distance e-learning on teacher education - Ngubane-Mokiwa, Sindile A. (Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 2017)
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

The funding of school education: Main findings and policy pointers - OECD (The Funding of School Education: Connecting Resources and Learning, 2017)
This study on school funding policies was conducted for a number of reasons:

Mainstreaming Equity in Education - Omoeva, Carina (FHI 360 Education Policy and Data Center / Education Equity Research Initiative, 2017)

Teachers' Attitude and Competence in the Use of Assistive Technologies in Special Needs Schools - Onivehu, Adams Ogirima; Ohawuiro, Onyiyeche Emilia; Oyeniran, Bunmi Juliana (Acta Didactica Napocensia, 2017)
This study examined teachers' attitude and competence in the use of assistive technologies in special needs schools. The descriptive survey method was employed for the study among 100 teachers who were drawn using purposive sampling technique from special needs schools in Osun State, Nigeria. Six research questions were generated while four hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. A researcher-constructed questionnaire tagged "Teachers' Attitude and Competence in the Use of Assistive Technology Questionnaire" ("TACUATQ") was used for data collection. The instrument was administered on 20 selected teachers outside the sample location through test-retest method; it yielded a reliability coefficient of 0.85 through Pearson Product Moment Correlation statistics. Data were analysed with percentage, mean and rank order, t-test and ANOVA statistical tools. The findings revealed that teachers have a positive attitude towards the use of assistive technologies. However, teachers were not competent in the use of assistive technologies. Gender and teaching experience did not influence teachers' attitude and competence in the use of assistive technologies. It was recommended among other things that teachers should be trained and re-trained on the use of assistive technology for students with speech disorders, visual impairments, hearing impairments, physical impairments and emotional and behavioural disorders.
Keywords: Assistive Technology; Elementary Secondary Education; Foreign Countries; Gender Differences; Questionnaires; Special Needs Students; Special Schools; Teacher Attitudes; Teacher Competencies; Teacher Surveys; Teaching Experience

Ghana Reads - Open Learning Exchange Ghana (2017)

OLE Ghana - Open Learning Exchange Ghana (2017)

Fiscal Decentralization in Ghana: Progress and Challenges - Osei, Edna (Institute for Fiscal Studies Ghana, 2017)

Effectiveness of an iPad Intervention to Support Development of Maths Skills in Foundation Year Children - Outhwaite, Laura (2017)

Bilingual Learning Spaces: Lessons From Using WhatsApp Videos in a Ghanaian Rural Context - Owoo, Mama Adobea Nii (Making a Difference: Prioritizing Equity and Access in CSCL, 2017)
This poster is a preliminary inquiry into the usage of audiovisual material for bilingual language education on the mobile application, WhatsApp, in a Ghanaian rural community. Participatory Action Research framework was used. Content creators and rural teachers observe and study the potential of Mobile Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (mCSCL) to re-conceptualize e-learning in rural spaces with online and offline discourses in Gã and English enabled by WhatsApp
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

MOOCs for in-service teachers: the case of Uganda and lessons for Africa - Oyo, B.; Kalema, B.M.; Byabazaire, J. (Revista Española de Pedagogía, 2017)
In recent times, computers and internet have penetrated secondary schools in Africa but with greater attention to students’ computer literacy than teachers. At the same time, previous studies on digital literacy of teachers are unsustainable and mainly skewed on pre-service teachers than in-service teachers. These realities point to the need to investigate and implement effective and sustainable initiatives for improving digital literacy and online life-long learning for in-service teachers in Africa. This paper therefore presents a specialised MOOC platform known as TEP (Teachers’ E-learning Portal) for digital literacy and online life-long learning for in-service teachers in Uganda. TEP is built for environments with inadequate access to computers, internet and technical assistance. As such, TEP is accessible online or offline, managed by accredited local universities in collaboration with beneficiary secondary schools, and runs on existing resources in schools (technical personnel, computers and internet). Results from initial implementation of a computer literacy MOOC through TEP indicate that irrespective of age, when teachers are adequately supported internally by their schools and externally by a university, can improve their digital literacy and subsequently engage in online life-long learning. In addition, the results both in terms of high percentage of teacher participants’ completions (89%) and high volume of educational e-content generated, confirm TEP as an effective, attractive, and self-sustainable MOOC platform for in-service teachers’ in resource constraint environments. The paper finishes with an analysis of the relevance of TEP to Africa.
Keywords: _Source:Intuitive; _THEME: Education management; _THEME: Teacher Professional Development; __:import:03; __:match:final; __:matched; __:study_id:2426079; __finaldtb

MOOCs for in-service teachers: the case of Uganda and lessons for Africa - Oyo, B.; Kalema, B.M.; Byabazaire, J. (Revista Española de Pedagogía, 2017)
In recent times, computers and internet have penetrated secondary schools in Africa but with greater attention to students’ computer literacy than teachers. At the same time, previous studies on digital literacy of teachers are unsustainable and mainly skewed on pre-service teachers than in-service teachers. These realities point to the need to investigate and implement effective and sustainable initiatives for improving digital literacy and online life-long learning for in-service teachers in Africa. This paper therefore presents a specialised MOOC platform known as TEP (Teachers’ E-learning Portal) for digital literacy and online life-long learning for in-service teachers in Uganda. TEP is built for environments with inadequate access to computers, internet and technical assistance. As such, TEP is accessible online or offline, managed by accredited local universities in collaboration with beneficiary secondary schools, and runs on existing resources in schools (technical personnel, computers and internet). Results from initial implementation of a computer literacy MOOC through TEP indicate that irrespective of age, when teachers are adequately supported internally by their schools and externally by a university, can improve their digital literacy and subsequently engage in online life-long learning. In addition, the results both in terms of high percentage of teacher participants’ completions (89%) and high volume of educational e-content generated, confirm TEP as an effective, attractive, and self-sustainable MOOC platform for in-service teachers’ in resource constraint environments. The paper finishes with an analysis of the relevance of TEP to Africa.
Keywords: _Source:Intuitive; _THEME: Education management; _THEME: Teacher Professional Development; __:import:03; __:match:final; __:matched; __:study_id:2426079; __finaldtb

The Predictive Validity of a Text-Based Situational Judgment Test in Undergraduate Medical and Dental School Admissions - Patterson, Fiona; Cousans, Fran; Edwards, Helena; Rosselli, Anna; Nicholson, Sandra; Wright, Barry (Academic Medicine: Journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges, 2017)
PROBLEM: Situational judgment tests (SJTs) can be used to assess the nonacademic attributes necessary for medical and dental trainees to become successful practitioners. Evidence for SJTs' predictive validity, however, relates predominantly to selection in postgraduate settings or using video-based SJTs at the undergraduate level; it may not be directly transferable to text-based SJTs in undergraduate medical and dental school selection. This preliminary study aimed to address these gaps by assessing the validity of the UK Clinical Aptitude Test (UKCAT) text-based SJT. APPROACH: Study participants were 218 first-year medical and dental students from four UK undergraduate schools who completed the first UKCAT text-based SJT in 2013. Outcome measures were educational supervisor ratings of in-role performance in problem-based learning tutorial sessions-mean rating across the three domains measured by the SJT (integrity, perspective taking, and team involvement) and an overall judgment of performance-collected in 2015. OUTCOMES: There were significant correlations between SJT scores and both mean supervisor ratings (uncorrected r = 0.24, P < .001; corrected r = 0.34) and overall judgments (uncorrected rs = 0.16, P < .05; corrected rs = 0.20). SJT scores predicted 6% of variance in mean supervisor ratings across the three nonacademic domains. NEXT STEPS: The results provide evidence that a well-designed text-based SJT can be appropriately integrated, and add value to, the selection process for undergraduate medical and dental school. More evidence is needed regarding the longitudinal predictive validity of SJTs throughout medical and dental training pathways, with appropriate outcome criteria.
Keywords: College Admission Test; Education, Dental; Education, Medical, Undergraduate; Female; Humans; Judgment; Male; Predictive Value of Tests; Reproducibility of Results; School Admission Criteria; Surveys and Questionnaires; United Kingdom; Young Adult

Mitigating threats to girls’ education in conflict-affected contexts: current practice - Pereznieto, Paola; Magee, Arran; Fyles, Nora (2017)
This report, co-produced by ODI and UNGEI, investigates girls’ access to education in conflict settings

EQUIP-Tanzania Impact Evaluation. Final Baseline Technical Report, Volume I: Results and Discussion - Pettersson, Gunilla; Rawle, Georgina; Outhred, Rachel; Brockerhoff, Stephanie; Nugroho, Dita; Kveder, Andrej; Beavis, Adrian; Ruddle, Nicola; Jasper, Paul; Wills, Gabrielle (Oxford Policy Management, 2017)

Implementing large scale instructional technology in Kenya | RTI - Piper, Ben; Oyanga, A; Meija, J; Pouezevara, S (2017)

Implementing large-scale instructional technology in Kenya: Changing instructional practice and developing accountability in a National Education System - Piper, Benjamin; Oyanga, Arbogast; Mejia, Jessica; Pouezevara, Sarah (International Journal of Education and Development using ICT, 2017)
Previous large-scale education technology interventions have shown only modest results. Building on results from an earlier randomized controlled trial of three different applications of information and communication technologies (ICTs) on primary education in Kenya, the Tusome Early Grade Reading Activity developed a national tablets program. The program provides tablets to each of more than 1200 instructional coaches in the country and includes a national database of classroom quality, which is used by the education system to monitor education quality. The tablets program helps coaches to...
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

Implementing large-scale instructional technology in Kenya: Changing instructional practice and developing accountability in a national education system - Piper, Benjamin; Oyanga, Arbogast; Mejia, Jessica; Pouezevara, Sarah (International Journal of Education and Development using Information and Communication Technology, 2017)
Previous large-scale education technology interventions have shown only modest impacts on student achievement. Building on results from an earlier randomized controlled trial of three different applications of information and communication technologies (ICTs) on primary education in Kenya, the Tusome Early Grade Reading Activity developed the National Tablets Program. The National Tablets Program is integrated into the Tusome activity by providing tablets to each of more than 1,200 instructional coaches in the country to use when they visit teachers. This enables a national database of classroom instructional quality, which is used by the education system to monitor overall education quality. The tools provided on the tablets are designed to help coaches increase the quality of their instructional support to teachers, and deepen the shallow accountability structures in Kenya’s education system. Using results of a national survey, we investigated the ability of the National Tablets Program to increase the number of classroom observations done by coaches and to improve student learning outcomes. Survey results showed high levels of tablet program utilization, increased accountability, and improvements in learning outcomes. We share recommendations regarding large-scale ICT interventions and literacy programs.
Keywords: Accountability; C:Kenya; Classrooms; Clinical trials; Developing countries--LDCs; Digital divide; Digital literacy; ERIC, Current Index to Journals in Education (CIJE); Education; Education reform; Educational Practices; Educational Quality; Educational Technology; Educational technology; Foreign Countries; Handheld Devices; Initiatives; Intervention; Interviews; Kenya; Learning; Literacy; Literacy programs; Literature reviews; Maine; National Surveys; Observation; Outcomes of Education; Portugal; Quality; Questionnaires; Reading; Schools; Software; South Korea; Statistical Analysis; Statistical Significance; Students; Teachers; Teaching; Technology Uses in Education; Telecommunications; Texas; Turkey; Uruguay; __:import:01; __:match:final; __:matched; __:study_id:2096038; __finaldtb; ⛔ No DOI found

Implementing large-scale instructional technology in Kenya: Changing instructional practice and developing accountability in a national education system - Piper, Benjamin; Oyanga, Arbogast; Mejia, Jessica; Pouezevara, Sarah (International Journal of Education and Development using Information and Communication Technology, 2017)
Previous large-scale education technology interventions have shown only modest impacts on student achievement. Building on results from an earlier randomized controlled trial of three different applications of information and communication technologies (ICTs) on primary education in Kenya, the Tusome Early Grade Reading Activity developed the National Tablets Program. The National Tablets Program is integrated into the Tusome activity by providing tablets to each of more than 1,200 instructional coaches in the country to use when they visit teachers. This enables a national database of classroom instructional quality, which is used by the education system to monitor overall education quality. The tools provided on the tablets are designed to help coaches increase the quality of their instructional support to teachers, and deepen the shallow accountability structures in Kenya’s education system. Using results of a national survey, we investigated the ability of the National Tablets Program to increase the number of classroom observations done by coaches and to improve student learning outcomes. Survey results showed high levels of tablet program utilization, increased accountability, and improvements in learning outcomes. We share recommendations regarding large-scale ICT interventions and literacy programs.
Keywords: Accountability; C:Kenya; Classrooms; Clinical trials; Developing countries--LDCs; Digital divide; Digital literacy; ERIC, Current Index to Journals in Education (CIJE); Education; Education reform; Educational Practices; Educational Quality; Educational Technology; Educational technology; Foreign Countries; Handheld Devices; Initiatives; Intervention; Interviews; Kenya; Learning; Literacy; Literacy programs; Literature reviews; Maine; National Surveys; Observation; Outcomes of Education; Portugal; Quality; Questionnaires; Reading; Schools; Software; South Korea; Statistical Analysis; Statistical Significance; Students; Teachers; Teaching; Technology Uses in Education; Telecommunications; Texas; Turkey; Uruguay; __:import:01; __:match:final; __:matched; __:study_id:2096038; __finaldtb; ⛔ No DOI found

An Evaluation of Computer Aided Learning (BRAC-CAL) in Secondary Schools in Bangladesh. - Power, T; Babu, R; Chowdhury, T (Research Monograph Series, 2017)

A Quasi-Experimental Study of the Classroom Practices of English Language Teachers and the English Language Proficiency of Students, in Primary and Secondary Schools in Bangladesh - Power, Tom; McCormick, Robert; Asbeek-Brusse, Elsbeth (2017)
English in Action (EIA) is an English language teacher development project based in Bangladesh that was intended to run from 2008 to 2017, but which was extended at the request of the Government of Bangladesh, with additional funding from UKAID, for a further year to 2018. By the time of the design of this study (2014-2015) EIA was drawing to the end of upscaling (phase III, 2011-2014) and entering institutionalisation and sustainability (phase IV, 2014-17, extended 2018). Successive prior studies had indicated substantial success in improving both teachers’ classroom practices and student learning outcomes, over the pre-project baseline (e.g. EIA 2011, 2012). The 2014 Annual Review of EIA recommended that in the final phase, EIA should explore whether it would be possible to carry out a study that compared a ‘counterfactual’ or control-group of teachers and students, to the ‘EIA’ or treatment schools: i.e. a Randomised Control Trial or Quasi-Experimental study. A proposal for a Quasi-Experimental study was developed in collaboration with DFID’s South Asia Research Hub (SARH), which also provided the additional funding necessary to implement such a study. The teachers and students who were the subject of this study, were the fourth cohort to participate in English in Action (together with teachers from ‘control’ schools, in the same Upazilas). This fourth EIA cohort included Schools, Teachers and Students from approximately 200 Upazilas (of approximately 500 in total) across Bangladesh, including some of the most disadvantaged areas (with reference to UNICEF deprivation index), such as Char, Hoar and Monga districts. Teachers took part in a school-based teacher development Programme, learning communicative language teaching approaches through carrying out new classroom activities, guided by teacher development videos that showed teachers, students and schools similar to those across the country. Teachers also had classroom audio resources for use with students. All digital materials were available offline, on teachers own mobile phones, so there is no dilution of the Programmes core messages about teaching and learning, by some intermediary coming between the teacher and the materials. Teachers were supported through these activities, by other teachers in their schools, by their head teachers and by local education officers. Some teachers from each area were also given additional support and guidance from divisional EIA staff, to act as Teacher Facilitators, helping teachers work through activities and share their experiences at local cluster meetings. Whereas previous cohorts of teachers had attended eight local teacher development meetings over their participation in the project, for Cohort Four, this was reduced to four meetings, with a greater emphasis being placed on support in school by head teachers, as well as support from local education officers. This change was part of the move towards institutionalisation and sustainability of project activities within and through government systems and local officers. The purpose of this study was both to provide the evaluation evidence required for the final phase of the EIA project and to contribute to the international body of research evidence on effective practices in teacher development in low-to-middle income country contexts.

EIA School-based teachers development - Power, Tom; McCormick, Robert; Eyres, Ian (EIA Schools: Body of Evidence, Project Closure Review Documents, 2017)

Building State Capability: Evidence, Analysis, Action - Pritchett, Lant; Andrews, Matt; Woolcock, Michael (2017)
"Building State Capability: Evidence, Analysis, Action" provides evidence of the capability shortfalls that currently exist in many countries, analyses this evidence and identifies capability traps that hold many governments back—particularly related to isomorphic mimicry and premature load-bearing.

The Student Attitudes Survey - Queen Rania Foundation (2017)

Female Teachers' Perceptions of Quality Education for Adolescent Girls in Rural Bangladesh: A Case Study - Rahim, N (2017)
The education of adolescent girls in Bangladesh must be pursued with the right combination of technology, practicality, and cultural sensitivity to achieve, among other objectives, the objectives of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The problem this study address is despite the availability of mobile-based curricula, such as video, mobile phones, and Short Message System (SMS) technology, female teachers in rural areas are not trained to plan and deliver curricula using mobile platforms. The purpose of this qualitative single case study is to explore barriers associated with female teachers’ training of the use of mobile-based technology in rural areas in Bangladesh. The sample is, randomly selected a minimum of eight local female teachers who had been teaching at least for two years in a rural school in Bangladesh. The data were collected to determine the local teachers’ perception on establishing quality education through virtual (email, mobile phone, IMO, zoom or Skype) interviews administered to these 8 local female teachers. The researcher gathered data from the local female teachers’ point of view based on their motivation to receive training in becoming proficient in English and the use of mobile technology in teaching. A content analysis tool was used for analyzing, interpreting, coding, and categorizing textual data where themes identified based on a comprehensive classification system. The findings from the data analysis would aid schools in recruiting, training, and retaining local female teachers to provide quality education to the adolescent girls. The data from the single case study provided information as to the use of mobile and web technologies in teaching and learning while local female teachers gain proficiency in the English language. The insight gained from this single case study may help develop future technology budgets, infrastructure, and curriculum needs. The findings from research revealed that the rural Bangladeshi school teachers noted that there is limited use of videos in the classrooms for teaching due to, in some parts, the lack of training by school administrators on strategies to use videos in their teaching. Some barriers to the use of videos is due to the lack of Internet connection, the lack of knowledge on the proper use of videos in their teaching, and the lack of administrators’ support for this type of curriculum change in the schools.

Pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs towards educational technologies integration in Tanzania - Raphael, Christina; Mtebe, Joel S (Journal of Learning for Development, 2017)
This study examines pre-service teachers’ (N = 386) self-efficacy beliefs towards educational technologies integration in the classroom at the two colleges in Tanzania that prepare secondary education teachers. Using regression analysis, the study found out that the determinants of self-efficacy beliefs among pre-service teachers towards educational technologies integration are support, perceived ease of use, performance expectancy, and social influence. The findings of this study enhance our understanding of factors that hinder teachers from integrating educational technologies into the classroom.
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

Computer Assisted Language Learning in Pakistan: Teachers' Perspectives - Rashid, Shaista (Journal of Asia Tefl, 2017)

Education data in four charts - Read, Lindsay; Atinc, Tamar Manuelyan (Brookings Institute, 2017)
In four charts, Lindsay Read and Tamar Manuelyan Atinc detail the quality and public availability of data from education ministries.

Information for accountability: Transparency and citizen engagement for improved service delivery in education systems - Read, Lindsay; Atinc, Tamar Manuelyan (Brookings Institute, 2017)
In a new report, Lindsay Read and Tamar Manuelyan Atinc shares insights into the nuanced relationship between information and accountability as it relates to improving service delivery in education systems.

Investigations into using data to improve learning: Philippines case study - Read, Lindsay; Atinc, Tamar Manuelyan (Global Economy and Development at Brookings, 2017)

European Framework for the Digital Competence of Educators: DigCompEdu - Redecker, Christine (Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 2017)
The teaching professions face rapidly changing demands, which require a new, broader and more sophisticated set of competences than before. The...

National Pre-Primary Education Policy 2017 - Republic of Kenya Ministry of Education (Republic of Kenya Ministry of Education, 2017)

Protecting the right to education for refugees - Rolla, Moumné; Sakai, Leticia (UNESCO, 2017)
With over 20.7 million people who are currently refugees, challenges are numerous in relation to access, quality, and equity. Yet education plays a key role in ensuring refugees can fully develop themselves, find a job and contribute to society. UNESCO has produced this paper which analyze how to protect and enforce the right to education of refugees.

Can outsourcing improve Liberia's schools? Preliminary results from Year One of a three-year randomized evaluation of partnership schools for Liberia - Romero, Mauricio; Sandefur, Justin; Sandholtz, Wayne Aaron (Center for Global Development, 2017)

Independent Samples T-Test - Ross, Amanda; Willson, Victor L. (Basic and Advanced Statistical Tests: Writing Results Sections and Creating Tables and Figures, 2017)
An independent samples t-test compares the means of two groups. The data are interval for the groups. There is not an assumption of normal distribution (if the distribution of one or both groups is really unusual, the t-test will not give good results with unequal sample sizes), but there is an assumption that the two standard deviations are equal. If the sample sizes are equal or very similar in size, even that assumption is not critical.

7 Years Government Programme: National Strategy for Transformation (NST1) - Rwanda Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (2017)

ICT : Rwanda and Republic of Korea Sign $7 Million to Support IT Development in Schools - Rwanda Podium (2017)

Co-creation of OER by teachers and teacher educators in Colombia - Sáenz Rodríguez, María del Pilar; Pino, Ulises Hernandez; Hernández, Yoli Marcela (Adoption and impact of OER in the Global South, 2017)
This chapter, based on research conducted by members of the Collaborative CoCreation of Open Educational Resources by Teachers and Teacher Educators in Colombia (coKREA) project, assesses whether and how a contextually based, bottomup approach to the promotion and advocacy of Open Educational Resources (OER) – in which teachers are encouraged to collaboratively co-create resources – supports the adoption of OER in Colombian schools. The study, conducted with public school teachers in southwestern Colombia, used a Participatory Action Research approach, in which the object of study is not external to the researchers, as the social practices under study are performed by the same subjects who are conducting the investigation. This allows teachers to identify possibilities of OER in their own educational practices, as well as the conditions required for their adoption, based on collective thinking processes immersed in their own sociocultural contexts. A call for research participation was issued to teachers who were experienced in using information and communication technologies (ICT) in their teaching. The data collection process was undertaken through administration of a series of online questionnaires (completed by 19 teachers), a survey (completed by 248 teachers), webinars (in which 28 teachers connected and 14 participated actively), unstructured telephone interviews (with 30 teachers) and a series of focus group discussions (with a cohort of 49 teacher educators, teachers and students). A face-to-face workshop was also conducted with teachers to provide an introduction to OER, after which they identified challenges to incorporating OER into their pedagogical practices and discussed their own OER-related activities.
Keywords: __:import:02; __:match:final; __:matched; __:study_id:3123702; __finaldtb; auto_merged

Co-creation of OER by teachers and teacher educators in Colombia - Sáenz Rodríguez, María del Pilar; Pino, Ulises Hernandez; Hernández, Yoli Marcela (Adoption and impact of OER in the Global South, 2017)
This chapter, based on research conducted by members of the Collaborative CoCreation of Open Educational Resources by Teachers and Teacher Educators in Colombia (coKREA) project, assesses whether and how a contextually based, bottomup approach to the promotion and advocacy of Open Educational Resources (OER) – in which teachers are encouraged to collaboratively co-create resources – supports the adoption of OER in Colombian schools. The study, conducted with public school teachers in southwestern Colombia, used a Participatory Action Research approach, in which the object of study is not external to the researchers, as the social practices under study are performed by the same subjects who are conducting the investigation. This allows teachers to identify possibilities of OER in their own educational practices, as well as the conditions required for their adoption, based on collective thinking processes immersed in their own sociocultural contexts. A call for research participation was issued to teachers who were experienced in using information and communication technologies (ICT) in their teaching. The data collection process was undertaken through administration of a series of online questionnaires (completed by 19 teachers), a survey (completed by 248 teachers), webinars (in which 28 teachers connected and 14 participated actively), unstructured telephone interviews (with 30 teachers) and a series of focus group discussions (with a cohort of 49 teacher educators, teachers and students). A face-to-face workshop was also conducted with teachers to provide an introduction to OER, after which they identified challenges to incorporating OER into their pedagogical practices and discussed their own OER-related activities.
Keywords: __:import:02; __:match:final; __:matched; __:study_id:3123702; __finaldtb

ICT and students' performance in Pakistan - Salam, Shafaq; Yang, Mengke; Shaheen, Aliya; Movahedipour, Mahmood; Zeng, Jianqiu (Human Systems Management, 2017)
Traditionally, education emphasizes on the use of textbooks for the acquisition of knowledge. However, educational settings around the world are now emphasizing on digital curricula that promote competences and performance. The purpose of this article is to examine the impact of use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) on students' performance. Knowing the importance of ICT for education, the private schools of Pakistan emphasize the use of ICT; however, public schools lag behind in the ICT infrastructure, thereby producing a digital divide. This research conducted a survey with 150 public and private school students of Peshawar District, in the KP province of Pakistan. The results show that the use of ICT acts as a catalyst for improving the quality of education and the students' performance. The study's findings can benefit policy makers who design ICT-based curricula and provide ICT infrastructure for public schools. Moreover, the study's results can help narrow the current digital divide, by providing a high-quality education to public school students.
Keywords: Public schools; comparative analysis; impact of ICT; performance; private; private schools; public-schools; skills

iPad: efficacy of electronic devices to help children with autism spectrum disorder to communicate in the classroom - Sankardas, Sulata Ajit; Rajanahally, Jayashree (Support for Learning, 2017)
Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are known to have difficulty in social communication, with research indicating that children with ASD fail to develop functional speech (Lord and Rutter, 1994). Over the years a number of Augmented and Alternate Communication (AAC) devices have been used with children with ASD to overcome this barrier and to facilitate communication. This article examines an Indian AAC tool called AVAZ (meaning sound), which is the first of its kind in India. The project reported also looks at the effectiveness of using AVAZ and the use of iPads by children with ASD in the classroom. Additionally, the article examines the suitability of using iPads for all learners in the spectrum. Twenty children between the ages of 4 and 10 years were selected to trial the use of AVAZ. They received three sessions weekly of 45 minutes over a period of 10 weeks. The feedback of the special educators who trained the children was analysed. The findings of this small scale study indicates that the children preferred using the AVAZ app and the iPad to pen and paper. Huguenin (2004) too indicated similar reports in using Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in enhancing children's motivation to learn and communicate. The trainers felt it could be used as an educational tool, and many more educational concepts could be added. Research also suggests that ICT can be used as a tool to tutor for educational purpose (Means, 1994). The AVAZ app could be recommended to children with ASD who are included in mainstream schools. This study was conducted at Sankalp, a special school in Tamil Nadu, Chennai.
Keywords: alternate and augmented communication; autism spectrum disorder; information and communication technology; social communication

The effect of the Ebola crisis on the education system’s contribution to post-conflict sustainable peacebuilding in Liberia - Santos, Ricardo; Novelli, Mario (University of Sussex, 2017)

Inclusive education: determinants of schooling in urban slums of Islamabad, Pakistan - Sattar, Usman; Zhang, Dunfu (American Journal of Sociological Research, 2017)
This paper seeks to identify the factors determining school enrollment in slum localities of Islamabad, Pakistan. A quantitative research design with the survey method was adopted to obtain data from household heads. The sample was consisted of 220 respondents. The data was collected with convenient sampling technique. A structured questionnaire was prepared as a tool for data collection. The data was analyzed with logistic regression model on STATA 0.9 software. The results disclosed that child’s gender, household income and household head’s education are important factors determining school enrollment in slum localities of Islamabad, Pakistan.
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

Tiyende! Let’s Walk! - Save the Children (2017)
Singilton Phiri Interactive Radio Instruction Specialist Save the Children in Malawi June 16, 2017 Before the introduction of sponsorship in rural Zomba in Malawi, walking...Read the full article...

How the study of cognitive growth can benefit from a cultural lens - Serpell, Robert (Perspectives on Psychological Science, 2017)

What curriculum? Which methods? A cluster randomized controlled trial of social and financial education in Rwanda - Shephard, Daniel D.; Kaneza, Yves V.; Moclair, Paul (Children and youth services review, 2017)

Inclusive Quality Education for Children with Disabilities - Singal, Nidhi; Ware, Hannah; Bhutani, Sweta Khanna (World Innovation Summit for Education & University of Cambridge, 2017)

Sierra Leone 2015 population and housing census: Thematic report on poverty and durables - Statistics Sierra Leone (Statistics Sierra Leone, 2017)

Sierra Leone Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2017, survey findings report - Statistics Sierra Leone (Statistics Sierra Leone, 2017)

Defining 'leave no one behind' - Stuart, Elizabeth; Samman, Emma (Overseas Development Institute, 2017)

Effect of Computer-Based Blended Learning Strategy on Secondary School Chemistry Students Retention in Individualised and Collaborative Learning Settings in Minna, Nigeria - Suleiman, M.S.; Salaudeen, B.M.; Falode, O.C. (Bulgarian Journal of Science and Education Policy, 2017)
This study investigated effects of Computer-based blended learning strategy on Secondary School Chemistry students retention in individualised and collaborative learning settings in Minna, Niger State, Nigeria. The study adopted a quazi-experimental design and three research questions and three null hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. Multi-staged sampling procedure was used to select a total of 120 (71 female & 49 male) students from three co-educational schools within the study area. The selected students were randomly assigned to experimental group I (Computer based blended learning in individualised setting) experimental group II (Computer based blended learning in collaborative setting) and the control group (lecture method). A multiple-choice question items on Chemistry that was developed, validated by the Chemistry experts was pilot-tested and a reliability coefficient of 0.74 was obtained using test re-test method. The achievement test was administered as instrument for data collection to students as pre-test, post-test and retention test. The data obtained from the administration of research instruments were analysed using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) statistics. The results indi-cated that Computer Based Blended learning strategy improved students retention in chemistry in collaborative learning settings better than in individualized learning setting and in lecture method. It was therefore recommended among others that students should be exposed to Computer based blended learning strategy in collaborative learning setting in order to aid their retention of chemistry concepts.
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

A tale of two communication tools: Discussion-forum and mobile instant-messaging apps in collaborative learning - Sun, Zhong; Lin, Chin-Hsi; Wu, Minhua; Zhou, Jianshe; Luo, Liming (British Journal of Educational Technology, 2017)
Computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) has shown considerable promise, but thus far the literature has tended to focus on individual technological tools, without due regard for how the choice of one such tool over another impacts CSCL, either in outline or in detail. The present study, therefore, directly compared the learning-related uses of an online discussion forum against such use of a mobile instant-messaging app by the same group of 78 upper-division undergraduate pre-service teachers in China. The participants were asked to use one of the two communication tools during the first of three learning activities, then to switch to the other during the second, and to choose their preferred tool for the third. Based on the results of content analysis, social-network analysis and a survey of the students' attitudes, it was found that while both tools facilitated collaborative learning, they appeared to have different affordances. Specifically, using the online discussion forum resulted in more communication aimed at knowledge construction, while using the mobile instant-messaging app resulted in more social interactions.

A tale of two communication tools: Discussion-forum and mobile instant-messaging apps in collaborative learning - Sun, Zhong; Lin, Chin-Hsi; Wu, Minhua; Zhou, Jianshe; Luo, Liming (British Journal of Educational Technology, 2017)
Computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) has shown considerable promise, but thus far the literature has tended to focus on individual technological tools, without due regard for how the choice of one such tool over another impacts CSCL, either in outline or in detail. The present study, therefore, directly compared the learning-related uses of an online discussion forum against such use of a mobile instant-messaging app by the same group of 78 upper-division undergraduate pre-service teachers in China. The participants were asked to use one of the two communication tools during the first of three learning activities, then to switch to the other during the second, and to choose their preferred tool for the third. Based on the results of content analysis, social-network analysis and a survey of the students' attitudes, it was found that while both tools facilitated collaborative learning, they appeared to have different affordances. Specifically, using the online discussion forum resulted in more communication aimed at knowledge construction, while using the mobile instant-messaging app resulted in more social interactions.

Supporting Headteachers in a Developing Country - Swaffield, Sue (Life in Schools and Classrooms, 2017)

Midline survey: Transforming teacher education and learning - T-TEL (2017)

The design and testing of multimedia for teaching arithmetic to deaf learners - Techaraungrong, Piyaporn; Suksakulchai, Surachai; Kaewprapan, Wacheerapan; Murphy, Elizabeth (Education and Information Technologies, 2017)
The purpose of the study reported on in this paper was to design and test multimedia for deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) learners. The study focused on counting, addition and subtraction with grade one (age 7) DHH learners in Thailand. The multimedia created for the study was informed by design considerations for DHH learners of arithmetic and aimed to minimize cognitive load. Testing took place over a period of 16 weeks during which learners alternated between 2 and 3 week sessions of one hour per day with multimedia (numbers 1–10) versus 2–3 week sessions of one hour per day with the teacher (numbers 11–20). Results of the design included features such as non-essential use of text, reliance on non-symbolic objects, user control, and signals to relevant content. Results of testing showed that learning with multimedia resulted in higher scores than learning with the teacher (Z = 4.545, p = 0.000). Post-intervention interviews highlighted the role of motivation, ease of comprehension and independent learner control of the multimedia. The conclusion highlighted the need for multimedia design principles that reflect a more inclusionary focus on children with special needs such as those featured in this study.

OpenLearn Create - The Open University (2017)

Understanding the relationship between teachers’ pedagogical beliefs and technology use in education: a systematic review of qualitative evidence - Tondeur, Jo; van Braak, Johan; Ertmer, Peggy A.; Ottenbreit-Leftwich, Anne (Educational Technology Research and Development, 2017)
This review was designed to further our understanding of the link between teachers’ pedagogical beliefs and their educational uses of technology. The synthesis of qualitative ﬁndings integrates the available evidence about this relationship with the ultimate goal being to facilitate the integration of technology in education. A meta-aggregative approach was utilized to analyze the results of the 14 selected studies. The ﬁndings are reported in terms of ﬁve synthesis statements, describing (1) the bi-directional relationship between pedagogical beliefs and technology use, (2) teachers’ beliefs as perceived barriers, (3) the association between speciﬁc beliefs with types of technology use, (4) the role of beliefs in professional development, and (5) the importance of the school context. By interpreting the results of the review, recommendations are provided for practitioners, policy makers, and researchers focusing on pre- and in-service teacher technology training.

20 projets EdTech innovants à travers le monde - Trucano, Michael (Banque Mondiale Blogs, 2017)
Cette page en : English | Español | العربية J’étudie depuis deux décennies des aspects à l’intersection entre les secteurs de l’éducation et de la technologie dans les pays à revenu faible ou intermédiaire et émergents. C’est un travail fascinant : au cours des 20 dernières années, j’ai été consultant, évaluateur ou ...

2017 ISTE Standards for Educators: From Teaching With Technology to Using Technology to Empower Learners - Trust, Torrey (2017)

A guide for ensuring inclusion and equity in education - UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, 2017)

Analyzing and Utilizing Assessment Data for Better Learning Outcomes - UNESCO (2017)

Cracking the code: girls' and women's education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) - UNESCO Digital Library - UNESCO (2017)

Enhancing Liberia Teacher Education Project through ICT Pedagogy - UNESCO (2017)

Exploiter le potentiel des TIC : Programmes efficaces d'alphabétisation et de numératie utilisant la radio, la télévision, la téléphonie mobile, les tablettes et les ordinateurs - UNESCO (UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, 2017)

Global Education Monitoring Report 2017/8: Accountability in education - meeting our commitments - UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, 2017)

ICT Transforming Education in Africa - UNESCO (2017)

Measuring Gender Equality in Science and Engineering : The SAGA Toolkit - UNESCO (2017)

Supporting teachers with mobile technology: lessons drawn from UNESCO projects in Mexico, Nigeria, Senegal and Pakistan - UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, 2017)

6 out of 10 children and adolescents are not learning a minimum in reading and math - UNESCO Institute for Statistics (News, Sustainable Development Goals, 2017)
New data from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics show that 617 million children and adolescents worldwide are not achieving minimum proficiency levels in reading and mathematics. The figure signals “a learning crisis” according to the UIS, which could threaten progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)....

More Than One-Half of Children and Adolescents Are Not Learning Worldwide - UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2017)

More than One-Half of Children and Adolescents Are Not Learning Worldwide - UNESCO; UIS (UNESCO, 2017)
This paper presents the first estimates for a key target of Sustainable Development Goal 4, which requires primary and secondary education that lead to relevant and effective learning outcomes. By developing a new methodology and database, the UIS has produced a global snapshot of the learning situation facing children and adolescents who are in school and out. The data show the critical need to improve the quality of education while expanding access to ensure that no one is left behind. The paper also discusses the importance of benchmarking and the concept of minimum proficiency levels.

VASYR 2017: Vulnerability Assessment of Syrian Refugees in Lebanon - Lebanon - UNHCR; UNICEF; WFP (ReliefWeb, 2017)
English Assessment on Lebanon about Coordination, Education and more; published on 15 Dec 2017 by UNHCR, UNICEF and 2 other organizations

Ministry of Education joins UN in launching Back to School campaign - UNICEF (2017)
The Ministry of Education and Higher Education and UN Agencies launch this year’s Back to School campaign celebrating school heroes.

Sierra Leone Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey - UNICEF (2017)

Learning Director's Training Manual - UNICEF Sudan (2017)

Learning directors toolbox - UNICEF Sudan (2017)

University of Melbourne to issue recipient-owned blockchain records - University of Melbourne (2017)

Early Grade Reading and Mathematics Project (RAMP) - USAID (2017)
The main goal of RAMP is to support the efforts of USAID Jordan and the MOE in instituting reading and mathematics teaching and learning methodologies, policy and practices within schools, communities and government entities that focus on improving learning outcomes for reading in Arabic and math in grades K‐3 for all public schools in Jordan.

Philippines: National Demographic and Health Survey - USAID (2017)

USAID Advancing Nutrition Gender Equality Strategy (August 2019) - USAID (2017)

Thematic brief gender, education and training | Capacity4dev - Vila, Blerina (2017)

Continuing the Conversation About Face-to-Face, Online, and Blended Learning a Meta-Analysis of Empirical Literature 2006-2017 - Wandera, Silas (Wilmington University (Delaware), 2017)
This paper serves two purposes. First, it statistically compares learning outcomes of face-to-face, online and blended learning instruction. Then it looks at the instructional practices that are associated with effective blended and online learning. A meta-analysis of 30 studies, with 3,687 participants, resulted in 36 effect sizes. The contrasts comprised of 21 studies that looked at blended learning vs. face-to-face education, eight contrasts that looked at online learning vs. face-to-face education, and seven contrasts that looked at blended vs. online learning. The observed summary effect size was a small effect size of 0.397 with Confidence Interval (CI) of 0.242 to 0.553, with a Z-total of 5.000, and significant p <0.000. This implies that the overall effect size in treatment condition (blended or online learning) is 0.397 standard deviations higher than the control condition (face-to-face or online learning). There were eight instructional practices; self-directedness, peer interactions, feedback, multiple learning ways, student orientation, instructor presence, multiple assessments, and accountability. Instructional practices with over 90% reported in studies included: accountability (100%), multiple assessments (92%), feedback (92%), and multiple learning ways (92%). All the instructional practices reported according to Cohen (1988) revealed a small average effect size. This meta-analysis recognizes that blended learning will be replacing face-to-face education and results showed a small significant gain in learning outcomes from a previous meta-analysis (Benard, Borokhovski, Schmid, Tamim, & Abrami, 2014a, 2014b; Means, Toyama, Murphy, & Baki, 2013; Vo, Zhu, & Diep, 2017; Zhao, Lei, Yan, Lai, & Tan, 2005).
Keywords: Blended learning; Education; Face-to-face; Hybrid learning; Instructional practices; Meta-analysis; Online learning

Technology Enters the Classroom: An Evaluation of Educational Technology Initiatives in Punjab - Waqar, Yasira; Bokhari, Tahira Batool (2017)
This article provides a critical review of educational technology initiatives of the Punjab government. The attributes of meaningful learning with technology are used as a criterion to evaluate the benefits of technology initiatives in the education sector. An historical perspective of the integration of technology in Pakistan is given in the beginning to have a clear idea as how technology was introduced in the private schools in 1990s and what are the latest trends in these schools? The initiatives of Punjab government are then elaborated by discussing the following projects: Daanish Schools, School Reform Roadmap, Technology to Improve School Processes and Digitized Textbooks and Intelligent Tutoring System. After an analysis of these initiatives, a review of educational technology initiatives in developing countries is done to compare the successful and not so successful projects of educational technology. The article concludes with suggestions for educationists and policy-makers in Pakistan.

Interactive Radio Instruction Brings Learning Back to Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo - War Child Canada (2017)

E-learning combats Southeast Asia's teacher shortages - Watanabe, Sadachika (2017)

Unfinished development projects in Ghana: Mechanising collective choice - Williams, Martin (Voxdev, 2017)
Project non-completion, commonly attributed to corruption or clientelism, is in fact often caused by an inability to prioritise public expenditure

The Impacts of Fast Track Transformational Teacher Training in Ghana - Wolf, Sharon (Innovations for Poverty Action, 2017)

Moving towards more participatory practice with Open Educational Resources (OER): TESS-India Academic Review - Wolfenden, Freda; Adinolfi, Lina; Cross, Simon; Lee, Clare; Paranjpe, Sandhya; Safford, Kimberly (The Open University, 2017)
The purpose of this academic review of TESS-India activity in three states (Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha) was to seek evidence for change brought about by TESS-India in teacher education in each of these states. The findings offer informed guidance on future trajectories for TESS-India activity and support discussions with key stakeholders in each of these states. The overarching goal of TESS-India is to support delivery of quality pedagogic change in teacher education and school classrooms. TESS-India activity is designed to meet identified professional development needs of teachers and teacher educators in each state. Thus it takes a slightly different form in each state, appropriate to local priorities and conditions. The Review focus was similarly differentiated in each state to align to TESS-India activity in that state. The review field work was carried out by academics from the Open University UK and the Head Academic, TESS-India Country Office, between 30 January and 4 February 2017. It adopted an essentially qualitative approach to understand educators’ (trainee teachers, teachers, local teacher educators and DIET faculty) experiences with the TESS-India resources and the influence of this engagement on their pedagogic practice. Data was generated from multiple sources including analysis of key documentation, semi-structured interviews with teachers, teacher educators and policy makers, and classroom observation. Teachers, teacher educators and SRG members were sampled at different locations within each state. The focus of TESS-India activity to date has been to strengthen the existing government (state) educational system at the elementary stage - SCERT, SSA, DIETS, DEO, DPC (SSA), BEO, BRP, BRC, CRCC, HT, Teacher, Child – in alignment with national policies, frameworks and the RTE Act. The project aims at supplementing and complementing GoI and State specific efforts and activities. Although TESS-India has produced original Open Educational Resources (OER) to support educators working in the secondary stage, as yet there is very little evidence of sustained TESS-India activity with this phase of schooling or with the TESS-India School Leader OER. The review findings are therefore focussed on activity at the elementary stage and are reported at different levels of the system in line with the TESS-India theory of change. The report found that use of TESS-India OER is contributing to quality change in classrooms with students and trainee teachers. • SRG members met by the review team were using the TESS-India OER and described how this use was prompting them to experiment with more interactive and participatory practices. • Teachers observed and / or interviewed by the review team were drawing on TESS-India OER to inform their lesson planning and subsequent teaching. Evidence seen by the review team (learning journals and learning plans) indicates that the practices being developed by these teachers are shared by other teachers in the cohort of teachers participating in TESS-India focus district activity. However the innovation in practice and transformation in pedagogy promised by TESS-India OER is still in the early stages and the evidence is highly emergent. But, critically, through engagement with the MOOC and other TESS-India learning resources, policy makers and lead teacher educators (for example SCERT Directors) are changing their thinking about teacher professional development, moving away from cascade models to a focus on continuous professional development and learning of teachers in their classrooms with support from teacher educators/ experts, either virtually or face-to face.
Keywords: C: India; __:import:01; __:match:final; __:matched; __:study_id:2457359; __finaldtb

Teacher educators and OER in East Africa: Interrogating pedagogic change - Wolfenden, Freda; Auckloo, Pritee; Buckler, Alison; Cullen, Jane (Adoption and Impact of OER in the Global South, 2017)
This study examines the use of Open Educational Resources (OER) in six teacher education institutions in three contrasting East African settings – Mauritius, Tanzania and Uganda – all of which had previous engagement with OER initiatives. Drawing primarily on interviews with teacher educators, the study examines how and when teacher educators engage with OER, the factors that support and constrain sustained OER engagement, and the influence of such engagement on their teaching practice. It seeks to answer the following three research questions: What kinds of OER are teacher educators aware of and how do they access them? How and for what purpose are they using the OER? What intended and enacted pedagogic practices are associated with OER use? The study takes a sociocultural approach, paying attention to the practices of teacher educators and the context and culture of the teacher education institutions within which they work, as well as the national policies relevant to these institutions. Surveys were sent to academic staff at each of the participating institutions who were, or had been, involved in curriculum development work involving OER. Male and female educators from different disciplinary backgrounds and with varying roles and periods of service within the institutions were targeted. From the respondents, selected individuals were asked to participate in semi-structured interviews concerning OER and their pedagogical practices. A total of 58 surveys were completed by teacher educators along with 36 in-depth teacher educator interviews and six institutional stakeholder interviews. The results of the study indicate that teacher educators’ understanding and use of OER is highly fragmented, with little traction at department or institutional level. At all the study sites there was dissonance between the ways in which individual educators are using OER and the dominant institutional values and discourse. There were also numerous structural and cultural factors acting to limit agency with regards to OER use. The demands of curriculum and assessment, professional identity, digital skills, provision of equipment and connectivity, values and weak cultures of collaboration all exerted an influence and enabled or constrained teacher educators’ efforts to achieve agency with OER. For a small number of teacher educators (OER “champions”), OER provides a tool for extending their agency to move towards more participatory practices. In their interviews, several of these educators spoke of the formative role of academic training and many were linked to external OER networks. These elements of historic identity formation influence how they respond to OER, and enhance their confidence to take risks in moving beyond conventional practice. Enabling educators to act in an agentive way with OER is not easy. Moving forward, attention should be given to issues of access so that educators are able to locate and view OER relatively easily and experiment with their use. This study recommends that time be made available for educators to enhance their skills in working digitally and to become familiar with principles of learning design such that these become integral dimensions of their professional identity. It is also argued that extending and deepening engagement with OER requires opportunities for professional dialogue and collaboration to support the development of productive educator identities with OER and transformation of the community’s field of practice.
Keywords: East Africa; Global South; Mauritius; OEP; OER; Open Education; Open Educational Resources; ROER4D; Tanzania; Uganda; _not_EdTechHub; _zenodoOTHER; agency; pedagogy; teacher education

MOOC adaptation and translation to improve equity in participation - Wolfenden, Freda; Cross, Simon; Henry, Fiona (Journal of Learning for Development, 2017)
There is an urgent need to improve elementary and secondary school classroom practices across India and the scale of this challenge is argued to demand new approaches to teacher professional learning. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) represent one such approach and one that, in the context of this study, is considered to provide a means by which to transcend traditional training processes and disrupt conventional pedagogic practices. This paper offers a critical review of a large-scale MOOC deployed in English, and then in Hindi, to support targeted sustainable capacity building within an education development initiative (TESS-India) across seven states in India. The study draws on multiple sources of participant data to identify and examine features, which stimulated a buzz around the MOOCs, leading to over 40,000 registrations and a completion rate of approximately 50% for each of the two MOOCs.
Keywords: Access to Computers; Access to Education; Attitude Measures; ERIC, Current Index to Journals in Education (CIJE); Educational Technology; Equal Education; Foreign Countries; Higher Education; India; International Programs; Large Group Instruction; Online Courses; Partnerships in Education; Postsecondary Education; Pretests Posttests; Program Implementation; Questionnaires; Surveys; Teacher Education Programs; Teacher Educators; Technology Uses in Education; United Kingdom; __:import:01; __:match:final; __:matched; __:study_id:2096064; ___working_potential_duplicate; __finaldtb; ⛔ No DOI found

Individuals using the Internet (% of population) - World Bank (2017)

Secondary Education Quality Improvement Program for Results (SEQUIP): Draft Environment and Social Systems Assessment (ESSA) - World Bank (United Republic of Tanzania, 2017)

Sierra Leone - Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2017 - World Bank (2017)

Smart Solutions to Improve Pakistan’s Education - World Bank (World Bank Group, 2017)
The Sindh School Monitoring System spreads across 15 districts and to the remotest parts of the province. Plans are underway to expand it to the entire province.

World Development Report 2017: Governance and the Law - World Bank (World Bank, 2017)
World Development Report 2017: Governance and the Law

Total expenditure on health: As a percentage of gross domestic product - World Health Organization (OECD Publishing, 2017)
This table includes data on total expenditure on health, as a percentage of gross domestic product. The table is part of the key tables collection on health.

United Republic of Tanzania - World Inequality Database on Education (WIDE); GEM report; WIDE (World Inequality Database on Education (WIDE), 2017)

Worldreader - Reports and Research About Mobile Reading - Worldreader (Worldreader, 2017)
We conduct research on our mobile reading programs and publish the results. Download our reports and research about mobile reading in the developing world.

Anasoma Mid-Term Report - Worldreader; R4D (Worldreader, 2017)
This report shows the initial findings of the first sprint of the Anasoma Research aimed at identifying barriers of and drivers to female mobile readership in Kenya.

Qaabdhismeedka Manhajka Waxbarashada Qaranka Soomaaliyeed - Xafiiska Horumarinta Manaahijta (Wasaaradda Waxbarashada, Hiddaha iyo Tacliinta Sare, 2017)

Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Census - Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (2017)
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

PRONUNCIATION BARRIERS AND COMPUTER ASSISTED LANGUAGE LEARNING (CALL): COPING THE DEMANDS OF 21ST CENTURY IN SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNING CLASSROOM IN PAKISTAN - Akhter, Farhat Perveen; Hisham, Dzakiria (2017)
Download Free Full-Text of an article PRONUNCIATION BARRIERS AND COMPUTER ASSISTED LANGUAGE LEARNING (CALL): COPING THE DEMANDS OF 21ST CENTURY IN SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNING CLASSROOM IN PAKISTAN

Comparing student performance in blended and traditional courses: Does prior academic achievement matter? - Asarta, Carlos J.; Schmidt, James R. (The Internet and Higher Education, 2017)
The performance of students in blended and traditional versions of a collegiate course is compared within the context of students' prior academic achievement. The blended version of the course used flipped and flexible instructional modes, in which only online lectures were available, class periods were used for complementary learning activities, and there was no punitive attendance policy. Significant differences in student performance between the blended and traditional versions were found within two of three zones of grade point averages. At low grade point averages, performance was higher in the traditional version of the course. At high grade point averages, performance was higher in the blended version. No significant difference was detected in the middle zone of grade point averages. Predictive models of student performance were also prepared for the two versions of the course. Partial effects from measures of prior academic achievement upon performance in the blended version were significantly different from partial effects provided by the same measures in the traditional version of the course.
Keywords: Achievement; Blended course; Performance differences; Traditional course; Zones

Personalized Learning: The State of the Field & Future Directions - 2017 - Groff, Jennifer (2017)
Personalized Learning: The State of the Field & Future Directions - 2017
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

1 - Introduction - Holtzblatt, Karen; Beyer, Hugh (Contextual Design (Second Edition), 2017)
User-centered design is a tried and true approach to product design. Start with an understanding of the user gathered via rich field interviews and build that understanding into your new product—then test and iterate the result with the user again. The first edition of this book introduced Contextual Design, a complete method to do just that. But over the last 10years, there's been a revolution in technology with smartphones and tablets providing constant, continuous connection with people, information sources, media, and the support structures of our lives wherever we happen to be. Our inquiry into the impact of these devices led to the development of the Cool Concepts, an articulation of what makes these devices loved. This new integration of technology into life requires new ways to understand and design, and therefore a revision of the Contextual Design method. This chapter motivates that redesign and discusses the principles driving the method: design for life, design in teams, and immersion in the life of the user.
Keywords: Business analysis; Contextual design; Contextual inquiry; Cool concepts; Design; Design for life; Design thinking; HCI; Human-machine interaction; Marketing; Mobile design; Product design; Requirements gathering; System design; UX; Usability; User experience; User research; User-centered design

Integrating ICT into Teaching and Learning Biology: A Case for Rachuonyo South Sub-County, Kenya - Mwanda, Gideon (International Journal of Education, Culture and Society, 2017)

A conceptual framework of virtual interactive teacher training through open and distance learning for the remote areas english teachers of bangladesh - Parvin, Irene (Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education, 2017)
Since we are living in the information age and the importance of the need for communication among people of different cultures is increasing day by day in the globalizing world, people need to learn the languages of different cultures, particularly English, which is the common language of this global communication. This need for learning English requires trained qualified teachers of English. A scan of those who are teaching English in schools of Bangladesh reveals that most of them are very limited in both English skills and teaching methodologies for English. This situation is exacerbated when one moves into the rural areas. Most of the teachers are staying far away from the teachers’ training colleges and also for different constraint like administrative, financial, time constraint and were also unable to receive any training due to family problems. So Distance Education has a great demand to them. ICT is an effective media of distance education. For many years, universities with a significant commitment to distance and open education institutions have been at the forefront of adopting new technologies to increase access to education and training opportunities. Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is an umbrella term that includes all technologies for the manipulation and communication of information. Bangladesh Open University (BOU) is till now belonging to the second generation of distance education model but due to the enhancement of technology in Bangladesh, BOU can proceed further. The main purpose of this study is to identify a suitable technology for developing a virtual interactive teachers’ training program for the disadvantaged English teachers of Bangladesh. Respondents were selected through random sampling and data were analyzed using both descriptive statistics and quantitative themes. From the opinion of the secondary English teachers their access and acceptability on ICT was identified and also a need analysis was done. It is hoped that the result of this study will encourage the policy makers to implement new ODL approaches for the training of disadvantaged rural English teachers.

Innovation in education: what works, what doesn’t, and what to do about it? - Serdyukov, Peter (Journal of Research in Innovative Teaching & Learning, 2017)
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present an analytical review of the educational innovation field in the USA. It outlines classification of innovations, discusses the hurdles to innovation, and offers ways to increase the scale and rate of innovation-based transformations in the education system. Design/methodology/approach The paper is based on a literature survey and author research. Findings US education badly needs effective innovations of scale that can help produce the needed high-quality learning outcomes across the system. The primary focus of educational innovations should be on teaching and learning theory and practice, as well as on the learner, parents, community, society, and its culture. Technology applications need a solid theoretical foundation based on purposeful, systemic research, and a sound pedagogy. One of the critical areas of research and innovation can be cost and time efficiency of the learning. Practical implications Several practical recommendations stem out of this paper: how to create a base for large-scale innovations and their implementation; how to increase effectiveness of technology innovations in education, particularly online learning; how to raise time and cost efficiency of education. Social implications Innovations in education are regarded, along with the education system, within the context of a societal supersystem demonstrating their interrelations and interdependencies at all levels. Raising the quality and scale of innovations in education will positively affect education itself and benefit the whole society. Originality/value Originality is in the systemic approach to education and educational innovations, in offering a comprehensive classification of innovations; in exposing the hurdles to innovations, in new arguments about effectiveness of technology applications, and in time efficiency of education.
Keywords: Educational technology; Implementation; Innovation; Time efficiency

Talking about education: exploring the significance of teachers’ talk for teacher agency - Biesta, Gert; Priestley, Mark; Robinson, Sarah (Journal of Curriculum Studies, 2017)
The interest in teachers’ discourses and vocabularies has for a long time been studied under the rubric of knowledge, most notably teachers’ professional knowledge. This interest can be traced back to Shulman’s distinction between different kinds of teacher knowledge and Schwab’s interest in the role of practical reasoning and judgement in teaching. Within the research, a distinction can be found between a more narrow approach that focuses on teachers’ propositional or theoretical knowledge and a more encompassing approach in which teachers’knowledge is not only the knowledge for teachers generated elsewhere, but also the knowledge of teachers. This is the ‘stock of knowledge’gained from a range of sources and experiences, including teachers’ ongoing engagement with the practice of teaching itself. In this paper, we focus on the role of teachers’ talk in their achievement of agency. We explore how, in what way and to what extent such talk helps or hinders teachers in exerting control over and giving direction to their everyday practices, bearing in mind that such practices are not just the outcome of teachers’ judgements and actions, but are also shaped by the structures and cultures within which teachers work.

10 things to know about how to influence policy with research - Tilley, Helen; Shaxson, Louise; Rea, Joanna; Ball, Louise; Young, John (Overseas Development Institute (ODI), 2017)
10 things you need to know if you want to use research to influence policy.

Looking like a state: The seduction of isomorphic mimicry - Andrews, Matt; Pritchett, Lant; Woolcock, Michael (Building State Capability: Evidence, Analysis, Action, 2017)
In this chapter we argue that isomorphic mimicry is a key “technique of successful failure” that perpetuates capability traps in development. In the context of this study, isomorphic mimicry is the tendency of governments to mimic other governments’ successes, replicating processes, systems, and even products of the “best practice” examples. This mimicry often conflates form and function: leading to a situation where “looks like” substitutes for “does”; i.e., governments look capable after the mimicry but are not actually more capable. We argue that this is endemic in development and has become a primary reason why countries do not build real capability even after years of policy and reform engagement and billions of dollars of capacity building work. We suggest that the tendency to so mimic is amplified by the current development ecosystem, especially where public sectors have become closed to novelty but open (and supportive of) agenda conformity. Such characteristics make it very hard for states to build the new capabilities needed, for their contexts, given their realities.

Meet us on the phone: mobile phone programs for adolescent sexual and reproductive health in low-to-middle income countries - Ippoliti, Nicole B.; L’Engle, Kelly (Reproductive Health, 2017)
mHealth as a technical area has seen increasing interest and promise from both developed and developing countries. While published research from higher income countries on mHealth solutions for adolescent sexual and reproductive health (SRH) is growing, there is much less documentation of SRH mHealth interventions for youth living in resource-poor settings. We conducted a global landscape analysis to answer the following research question: How are programs using mHealth interventions to improve adolescent SRH in low to middle income countries (LMICs)?

Four cautionary lessons about education technology - Evans, David (World Bank Blogs, 2017)
Technology in education is often seen as a solution. It holds promise, but caution is warranted.Photo: Charlotte Kesl / World Bank There is no denying that governments around the world are expanding investments in education technology, from inputs that students use directly (like Kenya’s project to put tablets in schools) to ...

Building State Capability: Evidence, Analysis, Action - Andrews, Matt; Pritchett, Lant; Woolcock, Michael (Oxford University Press, 2017)
This is an open access title available under the terms of a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence. It is free to read at Oxford Scholarship Online and offered as a free PDF download from OUP and selected open access locations. Governments play a major role in the development process, and constantly introduce reforms and policies to achieve developmental objectives. Many of these interventions have limited impact, however; schools get built but children don't learn, IT systems are introduced but not used, plans are written but not implemented. These achievement deficiencies reveal gaps in capabilities, and weaknesses in the process of building state capability. This book addresses these weaknesses and gaps. It starts by providing evidence of the capability shortfalls that currently exist in many countries, showing that many governments lack basic capacities even after decades of reforms and capacity building efforts. The book then analyses this evidence, identifying capability traps that hold many governments back - particularly related to isomorphic mimicry (where governments copy best practice solutions from other countries that make them look more capable even if they are not more capable) and premature load bearing (where governments adopt new mechanisms that they cannot actually make work, given weak extant capacities). The book then describes a process that governments can use to escape these capability traps. Called PDIA (problem driven iterative adaptation), this process empowers people working in governments to find and fit solutions to the problems they face. The discussion about this process is structured in a practical manner so that readers can actually apply tools and ideas to the capability challenges they face in their own contexts. These applications will help readers devise policies and reforms that have more impact than those of the past.