Assessing pre-service English language teachers' learning using e-portfolios: Benefits, challenges and competencies gained - Kabilan, Muhamad; Khan, Mahbub (Computers & Education, 2012)
Assessment in learning is always of interest to practitioners, academics and researchers, and is always evolving with new implications. Alternative forms of assessment such as e-portfolios have gained recognition in documenting students’ learning, as it is synchronous with both product and process. Vast amount of literature narrates the relative advantages of e-portfolios across disciplines, institutions, and applications. In Malaysia, such alternative assessment practices are less explored so far in teacher education. In this study, 55 pre-service TESOL teachers from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) are required to create and maintain a personal e-portfolio. The aim of the study is to ascertain the future teachers’ practices with e-portfolios in their learning and to determine if these practices lead to teaching competencies. In addition, the study also aims to identify the benefits and challenges of using an e-portfolio as a tool for learning and self-assessment. Findings indicate that participants are appreciative of e-portfolios, as their performance and achievements are traced over time. It is also found that e-portfolios function as a monitoring tool, which helps the teachers recognize their learning and identify their strengths and weaknesses. Challenges are also noted, which include validity and reliability, interrupted Internet connection, negative attitudes participants, time constraints, workload and ethical issues. In terms of teacher competencies, it is found that six competencies emerge from the teachers’ practices of e-portfolios – (1) developing understanding of an effective teacher’s role; (2) developing teaching approaches/activities; (3) improving linguistic abilities; (4) comprehending content knowledge; (5) gaining ICT skills and; (6) the realization of the need to change mindsets.

Value for money and international development: Deconstructing myths to promote a more constructive discussion - Jackson, Penny (OECD Development Co-operation Directorate, 2012)

Assessing pre-service English language teachers' learning using e-portfolios: benefits, challenges and competencies gained - Kabilan, Muhammad Kamarul; Khan, Mahbub Ahsan (Computers & Education, 2012)
Assessment in learning is always of interest to practitioners, academics and researchers, and is always evolving with new implications. Alternative forms of assessment such as e-portfolios have gained recognition in documenting students' learning, as it is synchronous with both product and process. Vast amount of literature narrates the relative advantages of e-portfolios across disciplines, institutions, and applications. In Malaysia, such alternative assessment practices are less explored so far in teacher education. In this study, 55 pre-service TESOL teachers from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) are required to create and maintain a personal e-portfolio. The aim of the study is to ascertain the future teachers' practices with e-portfolios in their learning and to determine if these practices lead to teaching competencies. In addition, the study also aims to identify the benefits and challenges of using an e-portfolio as a tool for learning and self-assessment. Findings indicate that participants are appreciative of e-portfolios, as their performance and achievements are traced over time. It is also found that e-portfolios function as a monitoring tool, which helps the teachers recognize their learning and identify their strengths and weaknesses. Challenges are also noted, which include validity and reliability, interrupted Internet connection, negative attitudes participants, time constraints, workload and ethical issues. In terms of teacher competencies, it is found that six competencies emerge from the teachers' practices of e-portfolios--(1) developing understanding of an effective teacher's role; (2) developing teaching approaches/activities; (3) improving linguistic abilities; (4) comprehending content knowledge; (5) gaining ICT skills and; (6) the realization of the need to change mindsets. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)
Keywords: Academic Achievement; Alternative Assessment; ERIC, Current Index to Journals in Education (CIJE); Electronic Publishing; English (Second Language); Ethics; Evaluation; Faculty Workload; Foreign Countries; Higher Education; Information Technology; Internet; Language Teachers; Malaysia; Negative Attitudes; Portfolios (Background Materials); Preservice Teachers; Reliability; Teacher Competencies; Teacher Education; Teaching Methods; Validity; __:import:01; __:match:final; __:matched; __:study_id:2097613; __finaldtb

Assessing pre-service English language teachers' learning using e-portfolios: benefits, challenges and competencies gained - Kabilan, Muhammad Kamarul; Khan, Mahbub Ahsan (Computers & Education, 2012)
Assessment in learning is always of interest to practitioners, academics and researchers, and is always evolving with new implications. Alternative forms of assessment such as e-portfolios have gained recognition in documenting students' learning, as it is synchronous with both product and process. Vast amount of literature narrates the relative advantages of e-portfolios across disciplines, institutions, and applications. In Malaysia, such alternative assessment practices are less explored so far in teacher education. In this study, 55 pre-service TESOL teachers from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) are required to create and maintain a personal e-portfolio. The aim of the study is to ascertain the future teachers' practices with e-portfolios in their learning and to determine if these practices lead to teaching competencies. In addition, the study also aims to identify the benefits and challenges of using an e-portfolio as a tool for learning and self-assessment. Findings indicate that participants are appreciative of e-portfolios, as their performance and achievements are traced over time. It is also found that e-portfolios function as a monitoring tool, which helps the teachers recognize their learning and identify their strengths and weaknesses. Challenges are also noted, which include validity and reliability, interrupted Internet connection, negative attitudes participants, time constraints, workload and ethical issues. In terms of teacher competencies, it is found that six competencies emerge from the teachers' practices of e-portfolios--(1) developing understanding of an effective teacher's role; (2) developing teaching approaches/activities; (3) improving linguistic abilities; (4) comprehending content knowledge; (5) gaining ICT skills and; (6) the realization of the need to change mindsets. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)
Keywords: Academic Achievement; Alternative Assessment; ERIC, Current Index to Journals in Education (CIJE); Electronic Publishing; English (Second Language); Ethics; Evaluation; Faculty Workload; Foreign Countries; Higher Education; Information Technology; Internet; Language Teachers; Malaysia; Negative Attitudes; Portfolios (Background Materials); Preservice Teachers; Reliability; Teacher Competencies; Teacher Education; Teaching Methods; Validity; __:import:01; __:match:final; __:matched; __:study_id:2097613; __finaldtb; auto_merged

Assessing pre-service English language teachers' learning using e-portfolios: benefits, challenges and competencies gained - Kabilan, Muhammad Kamarul; Khan, Mahbub Ahsan (Computers & Education, 2012)
Assessment in learning is always of interest to practitioners, academics and researchers, and is always evolving with new implications. Alternative forms of assessment such as e-portfolios have gained recognition in documenting students' learning, as it is synchronous with both product and process. Vast amount of literature narrates the relative advantages of e-portfolios across disciplines, institutions, and applications. In Malaysia, such alternative assessment practices are less explored so far in teacher education. In this study, 55 pre-service TESOL teachers from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) are required to create and maintain a personal e-portfolio. The aim of the study is to ascertain the future teachers' practices with e-portfolios in their learning and to determine if these practices lead to teaching competencies. In addition, the study also aims to identify the benefits and challenges of using an e-portfolio as a tool for learning and self-assessment. Findings indicate that participants are appreciative of e-portfolios, as their performance and achievements are traced over time. It is also found that e-portfolios function as a monitoring tool, which helps the teachers recognize their learning and identify their strengths and weaknesses. Challenges are also noted, which include validity and reliability, interrupted Internet connection, negative attitudes participants, time constraints, workload and ethical issues. In terms of teacher competencies, it is found that six competencies emerge from the teachers' practices of e-portfolios--(1) developing understanding of an effective teacher's role; (2) developing teaching approaches/activities; (3) improving linguistic abilities; (4) comprehending content knowledge; (5) gaining ICT skills and; (6) the realization of the need to change mindsets. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)
Keywords: Academic Achievement; Alternative Assessment; ERIC, Current Index to Journals in Education (CIJE); Electronic Publishing; English (Second Language); Ethics; Evaluation; Faculty Workload; Foreign Countries; Higher Education; Information Technology; Internet; Language Teachers; Malaysia; Negative Attitudes; Portfolios (Background Materials); Preservice Teachers; Reliability; Teacher Competencies; Teacher Education; Teaching Methods; Validity; __:import:01; __:match:final; __:matched; __:study_id:2097613; __finaldtb

Remedial Education Programs to Accelerate Learning for All - Schwartz, Analice C. (Global Partnership for Education Working Paper Series on Learning, 2012)
Keywords: CHILD LABOR; CLASS SIZE; CURRICULUM; DISADVANTAGED GROUPS; EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES; EMPLOYMENT; ETHNIC MINORITIES; HIGHER EDUCATION; HUMAN RESOURCES; LITERACY; ORPHANS; QUALITY OF EDUCATION; READING; SCHOOLS; SECONDARY EDUCATION; SOCIAL SKILLS; TEACHER TRAINING; TEXTBOOKS; UNIVERSAL PRIMARY EDUCATION; UNIVERSITIES; VULNERABLE GROUPS; YOUTH

Mediamarx: Voice to the Voiceless - Kaliyadan, Ratheesh (Kheda Communication Project, 2012)

Determining the feasibility of an e-portfolio application in a distance education teaching practice course - Kecik, Ilknur; Aydin, Belgin; Sakar, Nurhan; Dikdere, Mine; Aydin, Sinan; Yuksel, Ilknur; Caner, Mustafa (The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 2012)
In this study we aim to conduct a complete evaluation of the e-portfolio application in the distance teaching practice course that is part of the Distance English Language Teacher (DELT) program at Anadolu University from the perspective of three groups: university supervisors, preservice teachers, and cooperating teachers. Using a survey on the needs of preservice teachers and how well these were met according to the three groups’ perspectives, we gathered qualitative and quantitative data on the feasibility of the e-portfolio application. Our analysis of the findings revealed that all three groups agreed about the needs of preservice teachers. And despite some minor variance in the perspectives of each group, we determined that e-portfolio applications can meet the majority of the planning, teaching, and reflection needs in the teaching process. We offer suggestions to improve eportfolio applications so they will better meet preservice teachers’ needs.

Building an inclusive definition of e-learning: An approach to the conceptual framework - Sangrà, Albert; Vlachopoulos, Dimitrios; Cabrera, Nati (The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 2012)
E-learning is part of the new dynamic that characterises educational systems at the start of the 21st century. Like society, the concept of e-learning is subject to constant change. In addition, it is difficult to come up with a single definition of e-learning that would be accepted by the majority of the scientific community. The different understandings of e-learning are conditioned by particular professional approaches and interests.

Technology and Child Development: Evidence from the One Laptop Per Child Program [IDB Working Paper No. IDB-WP-304] - Cristia, Julián P; Ibarrarán, Pablo; Cueto, Santiago; Santiago, Ana; Severín, Eugenio (2012)
Keywords: _THEME: Curriculum and resources

Can cost-effectiveness analysis integrate concerns for equity? Systematic review - Johri, Mira; Norheim, Ole Frithjof (International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care, 2012)
OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to promote approaches to health technology assessment (HTA) that are both evidence-based and values-based. We conducted a systematic review of published studies describing formal methods to consider equity in the context of cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA). METHODS: Candidate studies were identified through an unrestricted search of the Pub Med and EMBASE databases. The search closed on January 20, 2011. We identified additional studies by consulting experts and checking article bibliographies. Two authors independently reviewed each candidate study to determine inclusion and extracted data from studies retained for review. In addition to documenting methods, data extraction identified implicit and explicit notions of fairness. Data were synthesized in narrative form. Study quality was not assessed. RESULTS: Of the 695 candidate articles, 51 were retained for review. We identified three broad methods to facilitate quantitative consideration of equity concerns in economic evaluation: integration of distributional concerns through equity weights and social welfare functions, exploration of the opportunity costs of alternative policy options through mathematical programming, and multi-criteria decision analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Several viable techniques to integrate equity concerns within CEA now exist, ranging from descriptive approaches to the quantitative methods studied in this review. Two obstacles at the normative level have impeded their use in decision making to date: the multiplicity of concepts and values discussed under the rubric of equity, and the lack of a widely accepted normative source on which to ground controversial value choices. Clarification of equity concepts and attention to procedural fairness may strengthen use of these techniques in HTA decision making.
Keywords: Canada; Cost-Benefit Analysis; Decision Support Techniques; Health Resources; Health Services Accessibility; Health Status Disparities; Humans; Quality-Adjusted Life Years; Social Justice; Social Welfare

Determining the feasibility of an e-portfolio application in a distance education teaching practice course - Kecik, Ilknur; Aydin, Belgin; Sakar, Nurhan; Dikdere, Mine; Aydin, Sinan; Yuksel, Ilknur; Caner, Mustafa (International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 2012)
[...]teacher education programs have begun embracing various web-based distance learning models to allow teachers to pursue additional education and professional growth experiences (Frey, 2008; Aldridge, Fraser, & Ntuli, 2009; Ludlow & Brannan, 1999; Beattie, Spooner, Jordan, Algozzine, & Spooner, 2002). [...]e-portfolios enable students' personal and professional growth and lifelong learning in distance education (Genç-Kumtepe, 2009; Lin, 2008; Frey, 2008).
Keywords: Collaboration; Cooperating teachers; Distance education; Distance learning; Education--Adult Education; Feedback; Independent study; Interactive learning; Supervisors; Teacher education; Teaching; __:import:01; __:match:final; __:matched; __:study_id:2096507; __finaldtb; adult learning; interactive learning environments; teaching practice

Technology and child development: Evidence from the One Laptop Per Child Program [IZA Discussion Paper No. 6401] - Cristia, Julian; Ibarraran, Pablo; Cueto, Santiago; Santiago, Ana; Severin, Eugenio (Social Science Research Network, 2012)
Although many countries are aggressively implementing the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) program, there is a lack of empirical evidence on its effects. This paper presents the impact of the first large-scale randomized evaluation of the OLPC program, using data collected after 15 months of implementation in 319 primary schools in rural Peru. The results indicate that the program increased the ratio of computers per student from 0.12 to 1.18 in treatment schools. This expansion in access translated into substantial increases in use both at school and at home. No evidence is found of effects on enrollment and test scores in Math and Language. Some positive effects are found, however, in general cognitive skills as measured by Raven's Progressive Matrices, a verbal fluency test and a Coding test.
Keywords: _Source:Intuitive; education; experiments; technology

OER Adaptation and Reuse across cultural contexts in Sub Saharan Africa: Lessons from TESSA (Teacher Education in Sub Saharan Africa) - Wolfenden, Freda; Buckler, Alison Sarah Hemmings; Keraro, Fred (Journal of Interactive Media in Education, 2012)

The Need for Randomised Controlled Trials in Educational Research - Torgerson, Carole J.; Torgerson, David J. (The Need for Randomised Controlled Trials in Educational Research, 2012)
The first use of RCTs in education is uncertain. In the last century the use of the design pre-dated its use in medicine by at least a decade (although medical trials may have been undertaken in the 19th century). Forsetlund and colleagues (2007) identified two education trials conducted by Walters in 1931 and 1932, which predated the 1944 and 1948 medical trials run by the UK's Medical Research Council by more than a decade. The early interest in RCTs among some educational researchers was not sustained. Other, less robust, designs to demonstrate educational effectiveness were pursued. For example, quasi-experimental studies were often preferred, being relatively inexpensive, rapid to conduct and often able to generate politically attractive conclusions. However, their results are inherently less reliable than the results from RCTs as their internal validity is always potentially confounded by variables offering alternative explanations.

Working with the Grain and Swimming against the Tide - Booth, David (Public Management Review, 2012)
Research into the governance of public goods provision in Africa suggests that, on their own, bottom–up pressures from voters and service users are only a weak factor in improving performance. It confirms the importance of working with politicians and service providers as well as clients. However, getting ‘uptake’ of these findings into the practice of development agencies is difficult. In the dissemination of previous studies, certain propositions about the power of information and community monitoring have been heavily over-sold because they satisfy practitioners' hunger for simple, upbeat messages. Incentives, ideologies and vested interests inhibit the adoption of more complex findings.
Keywords: Africa; community monitoring; governance; public services; research uptake

Online learning community: A case study of teacher professional development in Indonesia - Sari, Eunice (Intercultural Education, 2012)
This paper investigates the concept of online learning community (OLC) to address the issues of teacher professional development practice in twenty-first-century Indonesia. Teachers in Indonesia are trained in a 'conventional way', hence, not ready to prepare the younger generations for entrance into the twenty-first-century complex life and work environment. The pedagogical transformation of a teacher can be facilitated through teacher professional development. Recent studies show that OLC holds great promise in improving teachers' professional practice. This paper presents key results of the introduction and trialling of OLC with Indonesian teachers and teacher educators between 2009 and 2010 and aims to explore the feasibility of this model to support professional development of teachers in this era. The social learning interactions among community members were examined using Scardamalia's Twelve Socio-Cognitive Determinants of Knowledge Building and Hoftsede's Cultural Dimension Review for Indonesia.

School-based teachers’ professional development through technology-enhanced learning in Bangladesh - Shohel, M. Mahruf C.; Banks, Frank (Teacher Development, 2012)
To promote significant pedagogical change, the most successful teacher education programmes for the global south happen in the school context. This paper is based on a pre-pilot intervention study of an international education development programme in Bangladesh. Technology-enhanced learning, in this case the use of the Apple® iPod® (iPod touch®), was used to support teachers’ teaching and learning in their school contexts. This paper presents evidence to demonstrate how such school-based technology-enhanced support systems impact on classroom practice and help teachers’ professional development. Using the case of a pre-pilot intervention in the Underprivileged Children’s Educational Programs schools, it explores the teachers’ professional development by analysing interviews with the teachers who were participating in the pre-pilot intervention programme, and draws the conclusion from the collected data that school-based teachers’ professional development through technology-enhanced learning is contributing significantly to in-service training in a resource-constrained context.
Keywords: AUDIOVISUAL education; BANGLADESH; Bangladesh; COMPUTER assisted instruction; ENGLISH language -- Study & teaching -- Foreign speakers; Education--Teaching Methods And Curriculum; Educational technology; LANGUAGE teachers; Learning; PROFESSIONAL education; Professional development; SECONDARY school teachers; TEACHER development; TEACHERS -- Attitudes; Teacher education; UCEP-Bangladesh; __:import:01; __:match:final; __:matched; __:study_id:2099954; ___working_potential_duplicate; hand-held device; school-based; teachers' professional development; teachers’ professional development; technology-enhanced learning

Motivation, personality, and development within embedded social contexts: an overview of self-determination theory - Deci, Edward L.; Ryan, Richard M. (The Oxford Handbook of Human Motivation, 2012)
"Motivation, Personality, and Development Within Embedded Social Contexts: An Overview of Self-Determination Theory" published on by Oxford University Press.

School Program of In-service Training for the Term (SPRINT) Programme in Zambia - A Case of Collaboration Towards Self-Reliant Education Development - Mubanga, Ruth (Japan Education Forum IX, 2012)

What influences teachers to change their practice - Webster, Alison; McNeish, Di; Scott, Sara; Maynard, Linda; Haywood (National Centre for Social Research for Centre for Understanding Behaviour Change, 2012)

Paradigm Shift in Language Planning and Policy: Game-Theoretic Solutions - Koffi, Ettien (DE GRUYTER, 2012)

Planning and designing educational technology for low-income communities: A participatory and proactive approach - Ezumah, Bellarmine (Disruptive Technologies, Innovation and Global Redesign: Emerging Implications, 2012)
This chapter is an excerpt of a study that addressed the above concern using the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) projects in Nigeria and Ghana as a case. It also situates the OLPC XO-laptop as a disruptive technology, because it aims at altering the existing pedagogy of the communities in which it was introduced through its constructivist approach. Moreover, as with most disruptive technologies, the XO laptop project is considered revolutionary, dramatically cheaper than regular laptops, convenient, and provides a different kind of learning content. As with the theme of this chapter, the XO laptop, although possessing disruptive technological qualities, was unable to achieve its goal due to lack of thorough planning and implementation of the adoption process. Results from the study informed the author to posit a model for technology adoption in low-income communities that is considered inclusive, participatory, and proactive, involving all stakeholders in setting up a policy. Such policy is expected to serve as benchmark for measuring the congruency of any proposed product whether disruptive or sustainable to the local need before its adoption.
Keywords: ___working_potential_duplicate

Is M-learning versus E-learning or are they supporting each other? - Ozuorcun, Nilcan Ciftci; Tabak, Feride (Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2012)
The massive changes in society and development of technology have an important effect on education. These changes affect all areas of education and this education continues, and is everywhere, at all times, using new technology. Mobile devices bring big opportunities to learners, to learn at all times, with no boundaries for education. Before M-learning, E-learning gave many advantages for learners while they were living faraway from school. In this study we try to explain the basic definitions of M-learning and E-learning, and try to find answers for the questions “is M-learning derived from E-learning” and “if it is derived, does M-learning support E-learning, or is M-learning in opposition to E-learning?” Is M-learning supporting E-learning, or are they in opposition??
Keywords: E-learning; M-learning

Virtual learning communities: Success factors and challenges - Wegener, R.; Leimeister, Jan Marco (International Journal of Technology Enhanced Learning, 2012)
Despite their didactical potential many Virtual Learning Communities VLCs fail in enhancing learning outcomes. Therefore, we synthesise factors most critical for establishing a successful VLC. Applying a structured literature review, we searched for studies dealing with VLCs in the well known databases Business Source Premier, Science Direct and ERIC. We identified, classified and synthesised 64 relevant papers. Results indicate that critical success factors include a strong instructor that acts in different facilitation roles, face-to-face meetings that help establishing social ties and well structured small-group assignments that scaffold the learning process. Main challenges are a lack of common goals, feelings of inhibition and technical problems. Based on the review, we offer concrete advice for instructors building up VLCs. We suggest that future research should focus on the design of methods and tools for instructors to facilitate the learning process in a less resource demanding way.

Special Needs Education: Country Data 2012 (European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education, 2012)

Status of implementation of the ICT Curriculum in Ghanaian Basic Schools - Acquah, Bernard Yaw Sekyi (Journal of Arts and Humanities, 2012)
Keywords: Content Knowledge; ⚠️ Invalid DOI

Exploring the Efficacy of Student Response System in a Sub-Saharan African Country: A Sociocultural Perspective - Learning & Technology Library (LearnTechLib) - Agbatogun, Alaba Olaoluwakotansibe (Journal of Information Technology Education: Research, 2012)

Access, Transitions and Equity in Education in Ghana: Researching Practice, Problems and Policy - Akyeampong, Kwame; Rolleston, Caine; Ampiah, Joseph Ghartey; Lewin, Keith M (CREATE Pathways to Access, 2012)
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

The Impact of ICT as Another Route to Overcome Learning Barriers for Students with SEN: A Case Study in an Egyptian Context - Al-Gawhary, Wedad; Kambouri, Maria (International Association for the Development of the Information Society, 2012)
The purpose of this case study was to measure the impact of using ICT in Individual Learning Programmes of students with learning disabilities. Twenty five students and thirteen teachers took part in the research which was based on classroom observations. The Kappa coefficient was employed as a measure to statistically quantify the students' acquisition and progress in learning computer and literacy skills through raters' observations. A high correlation between Keyboard, PowerPoint, and literacy skills (writing, reading, and maths) was revealed suggesting the significance and impact of keyboard training as an essential component towards achieving educational objectives. Moreover, thematic analysis of the teachers' interviews provided a further dimension for understanding factors influencing the ICT integration process. These results further confirmed the positive impact of computer skills training on the students' learning experience which also revealed a strong belief in the right of every child to all learning opportunities, particularly ICT regardless of his/her abilities.(Contains 2 tables.) [For the complete proceedings, "Proceedings of the International Association for Development of the Information Society (IADIS) International Conference on Cognition and Exploratory Learning in Digital Age (CELDA) (Madrid, Spain, October 19-21, 2012)," see ED542606.]
Keywords: Autism; Barriers; Case Studies; Cerebral Palsy; Communications; Computer Literacy; Computer Mediated Communication; Computer Software; Down Syndrome; Foreign Countries; Heterogeneous Grouping; Information Technology; Interrater Reliability; Mixed Methods Research; Semi Structured Interviews; Semitic Languages; Special Needs Students

New modes of teacher pre-service training and professional support - Anamuah-Mensah, Jophus; Banks, Frank; Moon, Bob; Wolfenden, Freda (Teacher education and the challenge of development: a global analysis, 2012)
Keywords: Economic development -- Effect of education on -- Developing countries.; Teachers -- Training of -- Developing countries.; Teaching -- Developing countries.

Design-Based Research: A decade of progress in education research? - Anderson, Terry; Shattuck, Julie (Educational Researcher, 2012)
Design-based research (DBR) evolved near the beginning of the 21st century and was heralded as a practical research methodology that could effectively bridge th...

From research & design milieu to a Living Lab: Ukombozi School in Tanzania - Apiola, Mikko-Ville; Lähde, Kristiina; Tedre, Matti; Pakarinen, Saila (IST-Africa 2012, 2012)
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

Australia-Indonesia for Pro-Poor Policy: the Knowledge Sector Initiative - Australian Agency for International Development (Australian Agency for International Development, 2012)

Introduction To Mixed Methods In Impact Evaluation - Bamberger, M. (2012)

Empowering Adolescent Girls: Evidence from a Randomized Control Trial in Uganda - Bandiera, Oriana; Buehren, Niklas; Burgess, Robin; Goldstein, Markus; Gulesci, Selim; Rasul, Imran; Sulaiman, Munshi (World Bank, 2012)
Nearly 60% of Uganda’s population is aged below 20. This generation faces health challenges associated with HIV, coupled with economic challenges arising from an uncertain transition into the labor market. We evaluate the impacts of a programme designed to empower adolescent girls against both challenges through the simultaneous provision of: (i) life skills to build knowledge and reduce risky behaviors; (ii) vocational training enabling girls to establish small-scale enterprises. The randomized control trial tracks 4 800 girls over two years. We …nd the programme signi…cantly improves HIV and pregnancy related knowledge, as well as corresponding risky behaviors: among those sexually active, self-reported routine condom usage increases by 50%. Furthermore, from a baseline of 21%, there is the near elimination of girls reporting having recently had sex unwillingly. On outcomes related to vocational training, the intervention raised the likelihood of girls being engaged in income generating activities by 35%, mainly driven by increased participation in self-employment. The …ndings suggest combined interventions might be more e¤ective among adolescent girls than single-pronged interventions aiming to change risky behaviors solely through related education programmes, or to improve labor market outcomes solely through vocational training.

Information and collective action in community-based monitoring of schools : Field and lab experimental evidence from Uganda - Barr, A; Mugisha, F; Serneels, P; Zeitlin, A (2012)

in Emergency and Post-Crisis Situations - Barry, Barbara; Newby, Landon (Global Education Cluster Working Group and IIEP-UNESCO, 2012)
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

Critical success factors for e-learning in developing countries: A comparative analysis between ICT experts and faculty - Bhuasiri, Wannasiri; Xaymoungkhoun, Oudone; Zo, Hangjung; Rho, Jae Jeung; Ciganek, Andrew P. (Computers & Education, 2012)
This study identifies the critical success factors that influence the acceptance of e-learning systems in developing countries. E-learning is a popular mode of delivering educational materials in higher education by universities throughout the world. This study identifies multiple factors that influence the success of e-learning systems from the literature and compares the relative importance among two stakeholder groups in developing countries, ICT experts and faculty. This study collected 76 usable responses using the Delphi method and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) approach. The results reveal 6 dimensions and 20 critical success factors for e-learning systems in developing countries. Findings illustrate the importance of curriculum design for learning performance. Technology awareness, motivation, and changing learners behavior are prerequisites for successful e-learning implementations. Several recommendations are provided to aid the implementation of e-learning systems for developing countries which have relevance for researchers and practitioners. Limitations as well as possible research directions are also discussed.
Keywords: AHP; Critical success factors; Delphi method; Developing countries; E-learning

Cognitive and socioemotional caregiving in developing countries - Bornstein, Marc H.; Putnick, Diane L. (Child Development, 2012)
Enriching caregiving practices foster the course and outcome of child development. We studied two developmentally significant domains of positive caregiving -- cognitive and socioemotional -- in more than 127,000 families with under-5 year children from 28 developing countries. Mothers varied widely in cognitive and socioemotional caregiving and engaged in more socioemotional than cognitive activities. More than half of mothers played with their children and took them outside, but only a third or fewer read books and told stories to their children. The GDP of countries related to caregiving after controlling for life expectancy and education. The majority of mothers report that they do not leave their under-5s alone. Policy and intervention recommendations are elaborated.

iPad Scotland Evaluation - Burden, K., Hopkins, P., Male, T., Martin, S., & Trala, C. (University of Hull, 2012)

Does Math Achievement h'APP'en when iPads and Game-Based Learning are Incorporated into Fifth-Grade Mathematics Instruction? - Carr, Jennie M (Journal of Information Technology Education, 2012)
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

Pre-service teacher training in Malawi: findings of a pilot study on the viability of media players for teacher development - Carrier, Carol; Finholt-Daniel, Matt; Sales, Gregory C (International Journal of Education and Development using Information and Communication Technology, 2012)
As part of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID funded Malawi Teacher Professional Development Support project, a sub-task was the piloting of an alternative technology that could be used for improving the quality and consistency of teacher continued professional development (CPD). The pilot, which included 26 open and distance learning (ODL) student teachers, was launched in the spring of 2011 using a low-cost portable MP3 multi-purpose device. A short course on numeracy, containing 5 weekly lessons, was piloted. Each lesson consisted of one or two readings, two videos, and an assignment that directed the learner to complete tasks and document their completion using the camera and audio recorder features of the media player. The viability of using the media player for CPD was evaluated on the ease of use, effectiveness of instruction, and potential for long-term scalability. The evaluation results demonstrated that, with a small amount if initial training, the devices were easy to use and they effectively deliver instruction. Scalability, however, is critical to the long-term success of an initiative based on these or similar devices. An analysis suggests that an affordable option worth considering is the systematic, shared use of media player devices within schools. This approach could dramatically reduce the cost of using this alternative technology for ODL training to pennies per lesson. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]
Keywords: Distance learning; Education; Learning; Malawi; Software; Student teachers; Teacher education; Teaching; __:import:01; __:match:final; __:matched; __:study_id:2096523; __finaldtb; ⛔ No DOI found

Edutainment Radio, Women’s Status and Primary School Participation: Evidence from Cambodia - Cheung, Maria (2012)
This paper explores the eﬀect of being exposed to education-entertainment (“edutaiment”) gender-related radio information on women’s status and primary school participation. Speciﬁcally, I examine one of the most popular radio stations in Cambodia using two identiﬁcation strategies. The ﬁrst exploits plausible exogenous variation in over-the-air signal strength between radio transmitters and villages within a district. The second exploits the variation across time and space in exposure. Using individual data, both approaches show that access to both entertaining and educating information about gender issues had a signiﬁcant impact on behavior by raising the women’s decision-making power within the household and increasing children’s primary school attendance. The impact was found in both poor and rural households conﬁrming that en radio broadcast is an eﬀective way to transmit information in the more marginalized areas. Suggestive evidence shows that the exposure also aﬀected attitudes towards domestic violence and the prevalence of son preference which is a stepping stone towards changing socially constructed gender norms. The eﬀect on investing in children’s human capital is also reﬂected by higher primary school enrollment three years after exposure.
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

Teacher educators’ perspectives of the introduction of ICT in education in Bangladesh - Chowdhury, M (Critical Literacy: Theories and Practices, 2012)
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

Tweens with the iPad classroom—Cool but not really helpful? - Culén, A., & Gasparini, A. (2012)
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

Education Fund for Sindh Pilot Programme: 2012/13-2014/15: Business Case - DFID (Department for International Development, 2012)

Digital Study Hall Biannual report 2012 - DHS (Digital Study Hall, 2012)

The Impact of Scripted Literacy Instruction on Teachers and Students - Dresser, Rocio (Issues in Teacher Education, 2012)
Today, effective and creative teacher designed instruction is being replaced by scripted reading programs. These programs are changing the role of the teacher in the classroom from professionals to mere transmitters of knowledge. The idea that the role of the teacher had changed became evident while conducting a study with elementary school teachers from a local school. The five participating teachers were concerned about their English learners (ELs) not meeting their academic requirements. They attributed their students' low-test scores to the fact that a large number of them were proficient decoders, but struggled with reading comprehension and content knowledge. They felt that the scripted literacy program was rushed and did not give them enough time to take a closer look at students' individual reading needs. This article begins with a brief overview of the initial study and presents some of the unexpected findings. The article also explores some of the unintended consequences of scripted reading programs as well as the claims made by some proponents. At the end, it provides some alternatives to scripted instruction. (Contains 1 figure.)
Keywords: Action Research; Decoding (Reading); Elementary School Teachers; English Language Learners; Individual Needs; Instructional Effectiveness; Literacy; Reading Comprehension; Reading Instruction; Reading Programs; Second Language Learning; Teacher Attitudes; Teacher Responsibility; Teacher Role; Teaching Methods; ⛔ No DOI found

The Digital StudyHall (DSH) - DSH (Digital StudyHall, 2012)

Incentives work: Getting teachers to come to school - Duflo, Esther; Hanna, Rema; Ryan, Stephen (American Economic Review, 2012)

Tablet vs. Paper: The Effect on Learners' Reading Performance. - Dundar, Hakan; Akcayir, Murat (International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 2012)
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

Life planning by digital storytelling in a primary school in rural Tanzania - Duveskog, Marcus; Tedre, Matti; Sedano, Carolina Islas; Sutinen, Erkki (Educational Technology & Society, 2012)
Storytelling is one of the earliest forms of knowledge transfer, and parents often use it for teaching their children values and knowledge. Formal schooling, however, is less inclined to use storytelling as a vehicle for knowledge transfer, and even less as a vehicle for modern self-directed, student-centered, and constructionist pedagogy. Research literature reports experiences on student-centered storytelling in schools, but there is little information about such learning environments using modern information technology. Using a case study approach, we collected qualitative data from a workshop that tested a number of constructionist pedagogical approaches and one-to-one computing technology in a hypercontextualized storytelling workshop. In that workshop, which took place in a Tanzanian primary school, pupils used their XO-1 laptops as digital media tools for expressing their dreams and solutions to overcoming challenges in life. Results of this study suggest that digital storytelling offers additional advantages when compared to traditional storytelling. Designers need to follow six principles for a successful digital storytelling workshop: commitment, contextual grounding, previous exposure to the context, involvement of local experts, atmosphere of trust, and realistic flexible planning.
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

Planning and designing educational technology for low-income communities: A participatory and proactive approach - Ezumah, Bellarmine (Disruptive Technologies, Innovation and Global Redesign: Emerging Implications, 2012)
This chapter is an excerpt of a study that addressed the above concern using the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) projects in Nigeria and Ghana as a case. It also situates the OLPC XO-laptop as a disruptive technology, because it aims at altering the existing pedagogy of the communities in which it was introduced through its constructivist approach. Moreover, as with most disruptive technologies, the XO laptop project is considered revolutionary, dramatically cheaper than regular laptops, convenient, and provides a different kind of learning content. As with the theme of this chapter, the XO laptop, although possessing disruptive technological qualities, was unable to achieve its goal due to lack of thorough planning and implementation of the adoption process. Results from the study informed the author to posit a model for technology adoption in low-income communities that is considered inclusive, participatory, and proactive, involving all stakeholders in setting up a policy. Such policy is expected to serve as benchmark for measuring the congruency of any proposed product whether disruptive or sustainable to the local need before its adoption.
Keywords: ___working_potential_duplicate

Preferences and skills of Indian public sector teachers - Fagernäs, Sonja; Pelkonen, Panu (IZA Journal of Labour & Development, 2012)
I25, J41, J45 Copyright Fagernäs and Pelkonen; licensee Springer. 2012
Keywords: Discrete choice experiment; Hiring quotas; India; Job preferences; Skills; Teacher recruitment

Academic achievement, technology and race: Experimental evidence - Fairlie, Robert W. (Economics of Education Review, 2012)

The effects of home access to technology on computer skills: Evidence from a field experiment - Fairlie, Robert W. (Information Economics and Policy, 2012)

The effects of home computers on educational outcomes: Evidence from a field experiment with community college students - Fairlie, Robert W.; London, Rebecca A. (The Economic Journal, 2012)

A study of online English language teacher education programmes in distance education context in Pakistan - Farooq, Muhammad U.; Al Asmari, AbdulRahman; Javid, Choudhary Z. (English Language Teaching, 2012)
Technology-based initiatives have transformed the process of teaching and learning activities at formal institutions generally and distance education institutions particularly. Distance education is at the heart of the digital age making maximum use of the emerging technologies. Researchers have favoured computer mediated communications (CMC) for improving the quality of teacher education in developing countries by providing access to more and better educational resources. The researchers designed a CMC-ELT blended model and offered online English language teacher education courses at post-graduate level. A group of students enrolled in MA TEFL programme of Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) Islamabad Pakistan, was selected randomly and was guided through CMC-ELT blended model. The results of the study showed that the online support in distance education enhanced students' performance in terms of access, interaction and cost. The effective use of online support in distance education can improve the quality of English language teaching programmes in Pakistan.
Keywords: Access to Education; Blended Learning; Computer Mediated Communication; Control Groups; Costs; Distance Education; ERIC, Current Index to Journals in Education (CIJE); Educational Quality; English (Second Language); Experimental Groups; Foreign Countries; Higher Education; Language Teachers; Masters Programs; Online Courses; Open Universities; Pakistan; Postsecondary Education; Pretests Posttests; Program Improvement; Second Language Instruction; Second Language Learning; Statistical Analysis; Student Attitudes; Student Characteristics; Teacher Education Programs; Teaching Methods; __:import:01; __:match:final; __:matched; __:study_id:2096524; __finaldtb

Tablet PCs–An Assistive Technology for Students with Reading Difficulties? - Gasparini, Andrea A; Culén, Alma Leora (2012)
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

Optical Needs of Students with Low Vision in Integrated Schools of Nepal - Gnyawali, Subodh; Shrestha, Jyoti Baba; Bhattarai, Dipesh; Upadhyay, Madan (Optometry and Vision Science, 2012)
Purpose To identify the optical needs of students with low vision studying in the integrated schools for the blind in Nepal. Methods A total of 779 blind and vision-impaired students studying in 67 integrated schools for the blind across Nepal were examined using the World Health Organization/Prevention of Blindness Eye Examination Record for Children with Blindness and Low Vision. Glasses and low-vision devices were provided to the students with low vision who showed improvement in visual acuity up to a level that was considered sufficient for classroom learning. Follow-up on the use and maintenance of device provided was done after a year. Results Almost 78% of students studying in the integrated schools for the blind were not actually blind; they had low vision. Five students were found to be wrongly enrolled. Avoidable causes of blindness were responsible for 41% of all blindness. Among 224 students who had visual acuity 1/60 or better, distance vision could be improved in 18.7% whereas near vision could be improved in 41.1% students. Optical intervention provided improved vision in 48.2% of students who were learning braille. Only 34.8% students were found to be using the devices regularly after assessment 1 year later; the most common causes for nonuse were damage or misplacement of the device. Conclusions A high proportion of students with low vision in integrated schools could benefit from optical intervention. A system of comprehensive eye examination at the time of school enrollment would allow students with low vision to use their available vision to the fullest, encourage print reading over braille, ensure appropriate placement, and promote timely adoption and proper usage of optical device.

Use of tablet technology in the classroom. - Goodwin, K. (NSW Department of Education and Communities, 2012)

Plan stratégique Gabon émergent Vision 2025 - Government of Gabon (2012)

National Information and Communication Infrastructure Implementation Plan 2012-2016 - Government of the Kingdom of Swaziland; Ministry of Information, Communications and Technology (Government of the Kingdom of Swaziland, 2012)

Mobile Learning as a chance to enhance education in developing countries – on the example of Ghana - Grimus, Margarete; Ebner, Martin; Holzinger, Andreas (mLearn, 2012)
Education has become one of the biggest public enterprises in Ghana, taking about 11 percent of the GDP, enrolling about a quarter of the population in schools and other educational services (EDU 2011). The need for content, the demands of young people, requesting material for self-conducted learning, the lack of teachers, the small proportion of trained teachers and the lack of equipment in schools in rural areas are a huge challenge. The advancement of technology and high mobile penetration rates in developing countries has broadened the horizon of education. One possibility to overcome the problems is the application of the concept of mobile learning (called m-Learning). At first, it is required to describe the current situation in Ghana; this includes the identification of stakeholders as well as corresponding and influencing factors, which have to be taken in consideration when planning a holistic m-Learning-model for Ghana. MLearning implies inherently a chance in the didactical approach. In the next step, together with a group of teachers in Ghana, research will be done, aiming at the implementation of a sustainable m-Learning concept for secondary education. Integrating teachers in the first phase is a necessity, since it supports the development of a pedagogical concept, which is necessary for a change in pedagogical practice to integrate m-Learning in daily practice.
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

What works to improve teacher attendance in developing countries? A systematic review - Guerrero, Gabriela; Leon, Juan; Zapata, Mayli; Sugimaru, Claudia; Cueto, Santiago (EPPI: Centre, Social Science Research Unit, Institute of Education, University of London., 2012)
Previous studies have found national averages of teacher absenteeism in developing countries that range from 3 percent to 27 percent. However, within countries absenteeism is larger in poorer, more isolated schools, contributing to unequal educational opportunities. The purpose of this paper is to report on a systematic review of research on the effectiveness of interventions aimed at increasing teacher attendance in developing countries, as measured by the rate of teacher attendance. Whenever data are available we also estimate the impact of these programmes on student achievement.
Keywords: potential solutions; ⛔ No DOI found

Indonesia's Quiet Springtime: Knowledge, Policy and Reform - Guggenheim, Scott (Indonesia Rising: The Repositioning of Asia's Third Giant, 2012)
There are reasons for thinking that this is at last Indonesia's moment on the world stage. Having successfully negotiated its difficult transition to...

An Intersectionality-Based Policy Analysis Framework - Hankivsky, Olena (2012)
Keywords: _C:Australia AUS; _C:Canada CAN; _C:Denmark DNK; _C:Ethiopia ETH; _C:Finland FIN; _C:France FRA; _C:Germany DEU; _C:India IND; _C:Ireland IRL; _C:Japan JPN; _C:Mexico MEX; _C:New Zealand NZL; _C:Norway NOR; _C:South Africa ZAF; _C:Sweden SWE; _C:Switzerland CHE; _C:United Kingdom GBR; _C:United States USA; __C:scheme:1

Teacher Education in Sub-Saharan Africa: formative evaluation report - Harley, Ken; Barasa, Fred Simiyu (Teacher Education in Sub-Saharan Africa (TESSA), 2012)
Keywords: __:import:01; __:match:final; __:matched; __:study_id:2457446; __finaldtb; auto_merged; ⛔ No DOI found

Teacher Education in Sub-Saharan Africa: formative evaluation report - Harley, Ken; Barasa, Fred Simiyu (Teacher Education in Sub-Saharan Africa (TESSA), 2012)
Keywords: __:import:01; __:match:final; __:matched; __:study_id:2457446; __finaldtb; ⛔ No DOI found

TESSA Formative Evaluation Report Executive Summary - Harley, Ken; Simiyu Barasa, Fred (Teacher education in sub-Saharan Africa, 2012)

Visible learning for teachers: Maximizing impact on learning - Hattie, John (Routledge, 2012)

The iPad as a Tool For Education - a case study - Heinrich, P. (2012)

iPad in education: A case study of iPad adoption and use in a primary school. - Henderson, S., & Yeow, J. (System Science (HICSS), 2012 45th Hawaii International Conference on, 2012)
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

Empowering personalized learning with an interactive e-book learning system for elementary school students - Huang, Yueh-Min; Liang, Tsung-Ho; Su, Yen-Ning; Chen, Nian-Shing (Educational Technology Research and Development, 2012)

Beyond Earthquakes: Leveraging GIS and Volunteered Geographic Information to Build Haitian Schools - ICTworks (2012)

Minimum Standards Handbook - Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (2012)

Systematic literature studies: Database searches vs. backward snowballing - Jalali, S; Wohlin, C (2012)

Mobile learning for teachers in Latin America: exploring the potential of mobile technologies to support teachers and improve practice - UNESCO Digital Library - Jara, Ignacio; Claro, Magdalena; Martinic, Rodolfo (2012)

The relevance of authentic learning activities in developing competency and confidence of integrating technology in teaching among pre-service teachers in Tanzania - Kafyulilo, Ayoub (The African Symposium: An online journal of the African Educational Research Network, 2012)
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

Gathering Feedback for Teaching Combining High-Quality Observations with Student Surveys and Achievement Gains - Kane, Thomas; Staiger, Douglas (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, 2012)

Viewing mobile learning from a pedagogical perspective. - Kearney, Matthew; Schuck, Sandra; Burden, Kevin; Aubusson, Peter (Research in Learning Technology, 2012)

Enhancing teachers' ICT capacity for the 21st century learning environment: Three cases of teacher education in Korea - Kim, Hyeonjin; Choi, Hyungshin; Han, Jeonghye; So, Hyo-Jeong (Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 2012)

The impact of a science education game on students’ learning and perception of inhalants as body pollutants - Klisch, Yvonne; Miller, Leslie M.; Wang, Shu; Epstein, Joel (Journal of Science Education and Technology, 2012)

What Are Learning Disabilities? - Learning Disabilities Association of America (2012)
Keywords: ⛔ No INSPIRE recid found

Pakistan: A Hard Country - Lieven, Anatol (PublicAffairs, 2012)
An expert's compelling portrait of the complex, volatile country now situated at the fulcrum of international concerns.

Comparison of 1:1 and 1:m CSCL environment for collaborative concept mapping - Lin, C.-P.; Wong, L.-H.; Shao, Y.-J. (Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 2012)

Split-attention and redundancy effects on mobile learning in physical environments - Liu, Tzu-Chien; Lin, Yi-Chun; Tsai, Meng-Jung; Paas, Fred (Computers & Education, 2012)

Turning on mobile learning in Latin America: illustrative initiatives and policy implications - UNESCO Digital Library - Lugo, Maria Teresa; Schurmann, Sebastian (2012)

Blended learning for academic resilience in times of disaster or crisis - Mackey, Julie; Gilmore, Fiona; Dabner, Nicki (Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 2012)
Blended learning can provide academic resilience in times of natural disaster, civil emergency, and crisis. While blended pedagogies are widely used in tertiary settings, very little has been written about the role of blended learning in times of crisis, or the pedagogical challenges of rapid course redesign to mitigate disruptive circumstances. This case study describes the immediate post-earthquake challenges of redesigning courses using different blends of face-to-face and online activities to meet the needs of on-campus, regional campus, and distance pre-service teacher education students. The research question asked, "What can be learned from the experiences of academic staff directly involved in the adaptation and redesign of blended courses in a time of disaster?" This descriptive case study employed quick-response research strategies to gather time-sensitive data while it was fresh in the minds of the participants. This article discusses key findings and concludes with recommendations to assist program and course leaders to prepare in advance for resilient blended learning in times of natural disaster, crisis, and emergency.

School-based teachers' professional development through technology-enhanced learning in Bangladesh - Mahruf C Shohel, M; Banks, Frank (Teacher Development, 2012)
To promote significant pedagogical change, the most successful teacher education programmes for the global south happen in the school context. This paper is based on a pre-pilot intervention study of an international education development programme in Bangladesh. Technology-enhanced learning, in this case the use of the Apple® iPod® (iPod touch®), was used to support teachers' teaching and learning in their school contexts. This paper presents evidence to demonstrate how such school-based technology-enhanced support systems impact on classroom practice and help teachers' professional development. Using the case of a pre-pilot intervention in the Underprivileged Children's Educational Programs schools, it explores the teachers' professional development by analysing interviews with the teachers who were participating in the pre-pilot intervention programme, and draws the conclusion from the collected data that school-based teachers' professional development through technology-enhanced learning is contributing significantly to in-service training in a resource-constrained context.
Keywords: Bangladesh; Education--Teaching Methods And Curriculum; Educational technology; Learning; Professional development; Teacher education; UCEP-Bangladesh; ___working_potential_duplicate; hand-held device; school-based; teachers' professional development; technology-enhanced learning

Teacher reflections and praxis: a case study of Indian teachers of English as a foreign language - Makarani, Sakilahmed A. R. (University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, 2012)
This case study engaged Gujarati English as Foreign Language (EFL) teachers in video-based reflection with the goal of increasing their reflective abilities and uncovering their understandings about reflective teaching practices in the Indian pedagogical and cultural context. The study aimed to explore, and gain a deeper understanding of how structural, institutional, and social dynamics of the larger socio-political cultural context of India affected the classroom teachers' thinking and their teaching practices. It was hoped that not only would the Gujarati teachers demonstrate an ability to reflect on their practice, but that they would also engage in a critical examination of the factors that impacted their context. The computer-based qualitative data analysis software, Atlas.ti, was used to analyze data using a grounded theoretical approach. The findings indicated that participants successfully engaged in reflection about their teaching using video as the tool for their professional development. Initially teacher participants had mixed feelings about recording and watching videos of their classroom instruction; however, teacher participants later enjoyed the experience, explicitly stating that such reflection helped them. The study also revealed that teacher participants perceived parental, social, institutional, and economic factors as influences on their students' learning, however these were simply identified as problems or conditions without any type of deeper critical analysis. Further, it was found that the teachers did not reach a critical level of reflection, nor did they consider taking action to address fundamental contextual issues. While this study showed that teacher reflection using digital video recordings of classroom practice can be a productive approach to meaningful teacher reflection in India, the study also demonstrated that teachers need specific exposure to deeper critical pedagogical thinking to go beyond simply identifying or blaming the social or economic issues embedded in their context. The study concludes with recommendations on how to reach critical teacher reflection. It is hoped that this case study will add to the growing body of research literature related to teacher self-reflection as a means to improving teaching practice and preparing teachers to take on social challenges in the Indian context. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
Keywords: Case Studies; Computer Software; Cultural Context; ERIC, Resources in Education (RIE); Economic Factors; English (Second Language); Foreign Countries; Grounded Theory; India; Indians; Language Teachers; Qualitative Research; Reflective Teaching; Second Language Instruction; Second Language Learning; Social Influences; Teacher Attitudes; Teaching Methods; Video Technology; __:import:01; __:match:final; __:matched; __:study_id:2096525; __finaldtb

The Promise of Preschool in Africa: A Randomised Impact Evaluation of Early Childhood Development in Rural Mozambique - Martinez, Sebastian; Naudeau, Sophie; Pereira, Vitor (The International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie), 2012)
Keywords: ⛔ No INSPIRE recid found

A breakthrough for Josh: How use of an iPad facilitated reading improvement. - McClanahan, B., Williams, K., Kennedy, E., & Tate, S. (TechTrends, 2012)

DES JOURNAL 2012.pdf - Meno, Yeba Judith Sama Mouokuio (Journal of Continuing, Open and Distance Education, 2012)
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

Gender bias in attitude towards girls in the Use of computers in selected schools in central Africa - Meno, Yeba Judith Sama Mouokuio (Journal of Continuing, Open and Distance Education, 2012)
Keywords: Equity of Access; ⛔ No DOI found

National Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Policy - Ministry of Communication Technology (Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2012)

The Relevancy of Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory in Early Childhood Education - Msangi, Bilhuda (JOURNAL OF ISSUES AND PRACTICE IN EDUCATION, 2012)
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

The effects of continuing professional development (CPD) though SPRINT on teacher classroom practices and student learning outcomes. In Collaboration toward Greater Autonomy in Educational Development - Mubanga, R (2012)

School Program of In-service Training for the Term (SPRINT) Program in Zambia -A Case of Collaboration Towards Self-Reliant Education Development - Mubanga, Ruth M (Japan Education Forum, 2012)
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

Research methods dictionary - Mugenda, Olive M; Mugenda, Abel G (Kenya Arts Press, 2012)

School-based professional development in one Lebanese school: how much is too much? - Nabhani, Mona; Bahous, Rima; Hamdan, Zeina (Professional Development in Education, 2012)
This case study examines the attitudes of the secondary and middle school teachers at one school in Lebanon regarding the effect of the school’s professional development (PD) programs on the quality of their teaching practices and motivation. It also examines teachers’ attitudes regarding PD as well as their recommendations to improve the quality of the PD program provided by their school. Questionnaires, focus group interviews and observations were conducted to collect and triangulate data results. Results show that teachers regard PD in their school as beneficial in general but able to be enhanced further. Although the attitude of novice teachers towards PD is more favorable than that of veteran teachers, findings show that the overall teachers’ attitude towards PD is a negative one. Modifications and suggestions to improve the quality of the PD activities are proposed by the teachers. The school offers a prosperous PD program, but its fruitfulness will remain limited unless an organizational structure is created.
Keywords: Lebanon; professional development; schools; ⛔ No DOI found

The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan - National Assembly of Pakistan (2012)

Fourth Population and Housing Census, Rwanda, 2012: Thematic Report: Characteristics of Households and Housing - National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR) (Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MINECOFIN), 2012)

Stimulating Demand for Research Evidence: What Role for Capacitybuilding? - Newman, Kirsty; Fisher, Catherine; Shaxson, Louise (Institute of Development Studies Bulletin, 2012)
There has been a great deal of interest in recent years in supporting evidence-informed policymaking in developing countries. In particular, there have been efforts to build the capacity of researchers and research intermediaries to supply appropriately packaged research information (for example in the form of policy briefs) to policymakers. While supply of research information is important, it will only be used to inform policy if it is accessed, valued and understood by policymakers. In this article, we discuss our understanding of demand for research from policymakers; the capacities which underlie it; and how these might be supported.
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

Appendix H Quality appraisal checklist – qualitative studies | Methods for the development of NICE public health guidance (third edition) | Guidance | NICE - NICE (2012)

Factors influencing the uptake of a mechatronics curriculum initiative in five Australian secondary schools - Nicholas, Howard; Ng, Wan (International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 2012)
While the ready-made LegoTM Robotics kits are popular in schools and are used by students at both primary and secondary year levels, using the Picaxe microcontroller (chip) to create simple electronic devices, including robotic devices is less popular. The latter imposes an additional challenge as a result of the need to construct the universal board with the chip in it—a challenge embraced in the cross-disciplinary mechatronics program in this study. This paper reports on how teachers from ﬁve Australian secondary schools put into practice technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPCK) developed from expert-led workshops and explores factors (intrinsic and extrinsic) that inﬂuenced the implementation. The results show that different strategies were adopted by the schools in implementing the programs. While teacher attitude played an important role in inﬂuencing the program’s success, being able to identify where the program sits within the curriculum and planning around timetable and facility constraints were also important factors to consider. The research indicated that teachers’ TPCK was most challenged in non-obvious areas such as diagnosing where faulty soldering joints were.

Life experiences of individuals living with dyslexia in Malaysia: A phenomenological study - Oga, Chan; Haron, Fatimah (Procedia-Social and behavioral sciences, 2012)
Keywords: ⛔ No INSPIRE recid found

Computerizing Primary Schools in Rural Kenya: Outstanding Challenges and Possible Solutions - Ogembo, Javier Gordon; Ngugi, Benjamin; Pelowski, Matthew (The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries, 2012)
This paper investigates the outstanding challenges facing primary schools’ computerization in rural Kenya. Computerization of schools is often envisaged as a ‘magic’, or at least a particularly efficient, solution to many of the problems that developing countries face in improving primary school education. However, while a great deal of consideration is given to the technical issues surrounding computer implementation, government policy makers, administrators, aid organizations and individuals participating in school computerization programs often have not carefully considered the contextual questions surrounding this endeavour. Specifically: 1.) what problems do rural schools actually want to solve with computerization; 2.) is computerization the most important priority for rural schools; 3.) are schools ready, in terms of infrastructure, for a computer in the classroom; or 4.) might there be better avenues for implementing access to the benefits of the digital age? These questions and the issue of school computerization are considered via results from a survey of thirty-seven rural Kenyan primary public schools. Results indicate that, while all schools had low ICT status making them primary targets for computerization, only eleven percent had at least one ICT compliant teacher, of which all were considered to require further training. In addition we found inadequate infrastructural preparedness – lack of access to electricity, internet; no classroom computer space, few desks, secure walls and protective roofing – posing severe challenges to the outstanding conception of computerization. We consider these results and make recommendations for better adapting programs for computer introduction, and also suggest the use of new innovative devices, such as cell phones, which might already have overcome many of the technical challenges found.
Keywords: ICT; cell phone; classrooms; computerization; primary schools; techno-literacy

Context and Appropriate Technology: The Unavoidable Partnership - Onguko, Brown (2012)
Teachers in rural parts of Kenya lack opportunities for professional development (PD). In addition, the teachers have no access to eLearning opportunities like their colleagues in urban parts. Among the factors that do not favor Kenyan rural teachers’ access to PD through eLearning include: lack of access to relevant technologies and lack of electricity. This paper shares research findings on provision of teachers’ PD through a blended learning approach, utilizing appropriate technologies in a rural school in western Kenya. Ten teachers and two Professional Development Teachers (PDTs) participated in this research. In the study, teachers’ needs assessment was done, to inform the instructional design on the topic: How to teach a large class of mixed ability students. The PD was implemented by engaging teachers in a variety of activities including: pairs of teachers collaboratively using a tablet to access self-study content; teachers studying through multimedia content; teachers planning and delivering lessons using activity-based learning and cooperative learning approaches; and PDTs and teachers participating in fortnightly face-to-face meetings. The findings of the study suggest that teaching practices of rural educators can be improved working with local experts to create locally-relevant content for needs-based PD, implemented in a blended learning approach while providing technology stewardship. Teachers accessed and studied through offline content; planned for and implemented cooperative learning and activity-based learning in lessons, using locally available materials; engaged in reflective conversations on successes and challenges; and spontaneously engaged in very lively professional dialogues. While teachers appreciated that it took long to prepare for active learning lessons, it was less strenuous to implement the lessons, because the students took responsibility for their own learning.
Keywords: __:import:01; __:match:final; __:matched; __:study_id:2096499; __finaldtb; ⛔ No DOI found

Teachers' professional development in a challenging educational context -- a study of actual practice in rural western Kenya - Onguko, Brown (University of Calgary, 2012)
This research adopted a design research approach, utilizing a mixture of methods including narratives, ethnographic observations, qualitative interviews and documentation of design artifacts. It was implemented in a challenging context in Western Kenya. The first research question for this study was: How might professional development (PD), offered through a blended learning approach and delivered by appropriate technologies, inform potential change to teaching practice in a challenging context in Kenya? Research question two sought to understand the implications of the professional development implemented in this study for teachers and professional development teachers (PDTs). Question three sought to understand the sustainability and scalability of the professional development approach The theoretical framework informing this research is based on activity theory- a needs-driven and goal directed process through tool mediation, and entails division of labor and isolation of partial tasks in a community of relationships (Vygotsky, 1978; Leont’ev, 1978; Engestrom, 1987; 1999; 2000; 2008). Key features of activity theory are active engagement and social interaction, which enabled teachers to collaboratively work with each other, studying through appropriate technologies to inform their teaching practices. Based on a review of literature, interviews with teachers and observation of teachers during face-to-face meetings in professional development and in their classroom practice, this study suggests that teachers in a challenging context can inform potential change to their teaching as a result of participation in locally developed content, delivered through blended learning on appropriate technologies. This study observes that through self-directed study on tablets, and occasional face-to-face interaction, teachers can transform into a community of learners that support each other in planning for their lessons. Content development involving local experts is critical to such interventions in challenging contexts, while drawing from global web content, harnessing open educational resources and being sensitive to local culture. Reflective conversations, professional dialogues and technology stewardship were all critical in informing teachers’ practice.
Keywords: __:import:01; __:match:final; __:matched; __:study_id:2457443; __finaldtb; ⛔ No DOI found

Digital Literacy: Definition, Theoretical Framework, and Competencies - Osterman, Mark D (2012)
This paper offers an overview of existing definitions and theoretical frameworks for digital literacy. The researcher makes recommendations for an agreed upon definition and theoretical framework and discusses implications for a relationship between digital and visual literacy skills.
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

Pedagogical framework of m-learning - Ozdamli, Fezile (Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2012)

Assessing user acceptance toward blog technology using the UTAUT model - Pardamean, Bens; Susanto, Mario (International Journal of Mathematics and Computers in Simulation, 2012)
Blogs are among the many commonly used technologies for education and learning. They are also both conversational technologies and constructivist learning tools. Their interactive, collaborative, user-friendly, and instant archival features have transformed blogs into effective tools for enhancing case-based teaching methods in the asynchronous nature of the online environment. This study investigated the student populace’s acceptance of the blog technology through the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) framework. UTAUT integrates eight theories from social psychology and sociology in order to examine the effects of major factors on behavioral intention and actual use of blog to learn e-business course materials and topic discussions. The results showed that both social influence and performance expectancy had a significant relationship with behavioral intention, whereas effort expectancy did not. In this study, behavioral intention did not have a significant relationship with actual usage level of blogs as a learning tool.
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

The Role and Impact of Public-Private Partnerships in Education - Patrinos, Harry Anthony; Barrera-Osorio, Felipe; Guaqueta, Juliana (World Bank, 2012)
The book examines five ways through which public-private contracts can help countries meet education goals. First, public-private partnerships can increase access to good quality education for all, especially for poor children who live in remote, underserved communities and for children in minority populations. Second, lessons for innovative means of financing education can be particularly helpful in post-conflict countries undergoing reconstruction. Third, lessons about what works in terms of public-private partnerships contribute to the development of a more differentiated business model especially for middle-income countries. Fourth, the challenge of meeting the education Millennium Development Goals in less than a decade is a daunting one in the poorest countries. Understanding new partnership arrangements within a broad international aid architecture in education can help bring us closer to those goals. Fifth, some very innovative public-private partnership arrangements are happening in Arab countries, and lessons can be drawn from their experience

Evaluations of situational judgement tests to assess non-academic attributes in selection - Patterson, Fiona; Ashworth, Victoria; Zibarras, Lara; Coan, Philippa; Kerrin, Maire; O’Neill, Paul (Medical Education, 2012)
Medical Education 2012: 46: 850–868 Objectives This paper presents a systematic review of the emerging international research evidence for the use of situational judgement tests (SJTs) for testing important non-academic attributes (such as empathy, integrity and resilience) in selection processes. Methods Several databases (e.g. MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Web of Science) were searched to retrieve empirical studies relating to SJTs published between 1990 and 2010. Personal contact with experts in the field was made to identify any unpublished research or work in progress to obtain the most current material. Finally, reference lists were checked to access other relevant journal articles and further research. All research studies were required to meet specific inclusion criteria selected by two independent reviewers. Results Over 1000 citations were identified during the initial literature search; following the review of abstracts, full-text copies of 76 articles were retrieved and evaluated. A total of 39 articles that adequately met the inclusion criteria were included in the final review. The research evidence shows that, compared with personality and IQ tests, SJTs have good levels of reliability, predictive validity and incremental validity for testing a range of professional attributes, such as empathy and integrity. Conclusions SJTs can be designed to test a broad range of non-academic constructs depending on the selection context. As a relatively low-fidelity assessment, SJTs are a cost-efficient methodology compared with high-fidelity assessments of non-academic attributes, such as those used in objective structured clinical examinations. In general, SJTs are found to demonstrate less adverse impact than IQ tests and are positively received by candidates. Further research is required to explore theoretical developments and the underlying construct validity of SJTs.

Assessing the policy influence of research: A case study of governance research in Viet Nam - Pellini, Arnaldo; Anderson, James H; Tran, Huong Thi Lan; Irvine, Renwick (Overseas Development Institute, 2012)

CAST methods in modelling: Computer aided systems theory for the design of intelligent machines - Pichler, Franz; Schwaertzel, Heinz (Springer Science & Business Media, 2012)

CASTOR: learning to create context-sensitive and emotionally engaging narrations in-situ - Pittarello, Fabio; Bertani, Luca (ACM, 2012)
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

Report on the Implementation of the Tuition Fee Free (TFF) Report - Policy, Planning, Research and Communication Division, Governmen of Papua New Guinea (2012)

From redistribution to recognition to representation: social justice and the changing politics of education - Power, Sally (Globalisation, Societies and Education, 2012)

The 'new' new technology: Exploiting the potential of mobile communications and open educational resources - Power, Tom (Teacher Education and the Challenge of Development: A Global Analysis, 2012)
Keywords: Economic development -- Effect of education on -- Developing countries.; Teachers -- Training of -- Developing countries.; Teaching -- Developing countries.

English in action: school based teacher development in Bangladesh - Power, Tom; Shaheen, Robina; Solly, Mike; Woodward, Clare; Burton, Sonia (The Curriculum Journal, 2012)
Keywords: Bangladesh; C:Bangladesh; English in Action; School Based Teacher Development; technologies

English in action: school based teacher development in Bangladesh - Power, Tom; Shaheen, Robina; Solly, Mike; Woodward, Clare; Burton, Sonia (The Curriculum Journal, 2012)
Keywords: C:Bangladesh

Incorporating the iPad in the mathematics classroom - Preciado-Babb, AP (IEEE, 2012)

Decision No. 630/Qd-Ttg Approving the Vocational Training Development Strategy - Prime Minister, Socialist Republic of Vietnam (2012)

Decision No. 1019/QD-TTg 2012 Approving the scheme for assisting the disabled in the 2012-2020 period in Vietnam - Prime Minister, Socialist Republic of Vietnam (2012)
The Prime Minister of Government in Vietnam - Decision No. 1019/QD-TTg 2012 approving the scheme for assisting the disabled in the 2012 2020 in Vietnam

Decision No. 711/Qd-Ttg Approving the 2011-2020 Education Development Strategy - Prime Minister, Socialist Republic of Vietnam (2012)
The Prime Minister of Government in Vietnam - Decision No. 711/QD-TTg approving the 2011-2020 education development strategy in Vietnam

An E-Learning Approach to Secondary School Education”: E-Readiness Implications in Kenya - Redempta, Kiilu (Journal of Education and Practice, 2012)
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has the potential to enhance access, quality, and effectiveness in education. This paper examines the E-readiness implication on the adoption of e-learning in secondary schools in Kenya. The paper provides an opportunity for reflection on e-learning adoption and the potential role ICT can plays in education. The review has established that up to date, less than 10% of secondary schools in Kenya offer computer studies as a subject in the curriculum despite its perceived potential. The few schools that have an ICT programme limit the number of candidates who take up the subject considering it a specialty irrespective its being an essential subject as other compulsory subjects like Mathematics and Languages. Whereas the processing of information to build knowledge is one of the essential literacy skills vital for the workforce in the 21st century, it is often overlooked in current educational practices. the question of ereadiness of Kenyan schools cannot be overlooked if Kenya plans to use education as a platform for becoming an e-society of the 21st century as envisaged in Vision 2030.Therefore, it is imperative that E-Readiness issues be effectively addressed lest new technology introduced further marginalizes the already deprived Kenyan children. Desktop review of relevant literature was guided by Current Situation Analysis (CSA) which is equivalent to Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) Analysis.
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

ICT for Education: A Conceptual Framework for the Sustainable Adoption of Technology-Enhanced Learning Environments in Schools - Rodriguez, Patricio; Nussbaum, Miguel; Dombrovskaia, Lioubov (Technology, Pedagogy and Education, 2012)
Currently, the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in education does not conclusively demonstrate significant effects on learning. However, not all ICT usage models are designed to affect student outcomes. Therefore, to accurately study the impact of ICT, the concept of an educational programme supported by ICT must first be defined. The authors propose the ICT for Education (ICT4E) programme, an evidence-based framework to determine a model's ability to produce improvements before having to evaluate its results. The framework has four components: implementation, intervention, transference and total cost. Based on an explicit definition of the outcomes pursued by a given programme, this framework supports the design of its activities to promote sustainable changes in pedagogical practices in schools and calculate the programme's total cost. The authors illustrate this with a programme implemented in six countries. In Chile, the ICT4E programme forms part of the policy for educational technology, evaluating the effectiveness and scalability of such initiatives. (Contains 3 tables and 3 figures.)
Keywords: Systems Framework; ⛔ No INSPIRE recid found

ICT for education: a conceptual framework for the sustainable adoption of technology-enhanced learning environments in schools - Rodríguez, Patricio; Nussbaum, Miguel; Dombrovskaia, Lioubov (Technology, Pedagogy and Education, 2012)

Education reform for the expansion of mother-tongue education in Ghana - Rosekrans, Kristin; Sherris, Arieh; Chatry-Komarek, Marie (International Review of Education, 2012)

Promoting education for sustainable development by using ICT enhanced problem based learning in a developing country - Roy, A.; Kihoza, P.; Suhonen, J.; Vesisenaho, M. (2012 IEEE Fourth International Conference on Technology for Education, 2012)
One of the goals of education is to create responsible citizens who can understand and respond to problems in their societies adequately. Such acts of responsibility may need knowledge, ability to think critically about the problem and some action towards a possible solution. Previous research shows that forest fires in Tanzania are serious social problem. Adequate education about this problem does not take place because of lack of number of teachers required and lack of qualification among the teachers. This study used ICT media to connect the expertise of local environmental officers to school students who creatively conducted projects-based-learning activities to solve local environmental conservation problems. These projects when followed by student presentations encourage and ensure that students learn about the problem well. Amix-method research approach shows that the use of video for learning and providing environmental education was ranked as being very effective by participants.
Keywords: Communities; Educational institutions; Fires; ICT enhanced problem based learning; ICT media; ICT supported pedagogical model; ICT4D; ICT4E; Project Based Learning; Reflection; Sociology; Vegetation; computer aided instruction; developing country; environmental education; environmental science computing; information technology; interactive video; learning videos; local environmental conservation problems; local environmental officers; problem solving; problems in developing world; projects-based-learning activity; responsible citizens; school students; social awareness; social issues; student presentations; sustainable development; technical presentation

Mapping the Mixed Methods-Mixed Research Synthesis Terrain - Sandelowski, Margarete; Voils, Corrine I.; Leeman, Jennifer; Crandell, Jamie L. (Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 2012)
Mixed methods-mixed research synthesis is a form of systematic review in which the findings of qualitative and quantitative studies are integrated via qualitative and/or quantitative methods. Although methodological advances have been made, efforts to differentiate research synthesis methods have been too focused on methods and not focused enough on the defining logics of research synthesis-each of which may be operationalized in different ways-or on the research findings themselves that are targeted for synthesis. The conduct of mixed methods-mixed research synthesis studies may more usefully be understood in terms of the logics of aggregation and configuration. Neither logic is preferable to the other nor tied exclusively to any one method or to any one side of the qualitative/quantitative binary. © The Author(s) 2012.
Keywords: ___working_potential_duplicate; aggregation; configuration; mixed research synthesis; systematic review

Can Online Education Technology Improve Excellence and Access at Berkeley? - Saxenian, AnnaLee (2012)
Keywords: ⛔ No INSPIRE recid found

Remedial Education Programs to Accelerate Learning for All - Schwartz, Analice C. (World Bank, 2012)

Check my school: A case study on citizen's monitoring of the education sector in the Philippines - Shkabatur, Jennifer (World Bank Group, 2012)

Teacher professional development using mobile technologies in a large-scale project: lessons learned from Bangladesh - Shrestha, Prithvi (International Journal of Computer-Assisted Language Learning and Teaching (IJCALLT), 2012)

Migration transitions revisited: Their continued relevance for the development of migration theory - Skeldon, R. (Population, Space and Place, 2012)

ICT4D, gender divides, and development: The case of Ghana - Steeves, H. Leslie; Kwami, Janet D. (Development Communication in Directed Social Change: A Reappraisal of Theories and Approaches. Singapore: Asian Media Information and Communication Centre (AMIC), 2012)
Keywords: Equity of Access; ⛔ No DOI found

A Professional Development Program for the Mother Tongue-Based Teacher: Addressing Teacher Perceptions and Attitudes Towards MTBMLE - Stone, Rebecca J Paulson (University of Massachusetts Amherst, 2012)

An intervention study of instructional methods and student engagement in large classes in Thailand - Tolley, Leigh; Johnson, Laurene; Koszalka, Tiffany (International Journal of Educational Research, 2012)

Mapping Open Educational Resources Around The World - Trucano, Michael (2012)
In the decade since the term 'open education resources' was formally identified and adopted by UNESCO, related "teaching, learning or research materials that are in the public domain or released with an intellectual property license that allows for free use, adaptation, and distribution" have been slowly but surely creeping into ...

10 tendances des technologies appliquées à l’éducation dans les pays en développement - Trucano, Michael; Hawkins, Robert; Jimenez, Carla (World Bank Blogs, 2012)

Language of Instruction: Unlocking Effectiveness of Education and Sustainable Development in Sub-Saharan Africa - Truong, Natasha (2012)
The choice of the language of instruction in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is a fundamental educational issue with ramiﬁcations for educational access and effectiveness and ultimately national development. Indigenous SSA languages have suffered devaluation in colonial and post-colonial SSA education, and this devaluation alienates the majority of SSA people, thus preventing them from participating in their own economic and political growth. Developmental policies that neglect to utilize local people’s talents and knowledge are failed policies. The language of instruction, speciﬁcally the use of the ﬁrst or native language (L1) as the medium of instruction, is the key to unlocking these talents and knowledge because doing so will foster knowledge acquisition and preservation of SSA cultures and identities. This will in turn liberate SSA from neocolonialism and pave the way to true progress.
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

The teacher salary system in Sierra Leone - Turrent, Victoria (2012)
Keywords: C:Sierra Leone; _C:Sierra Leone SLE; ⛔ No DOI found

Dar es Salaam Primary Schools: Do parents act to improve child learning? - Twaweza (Twaweza Brief No. 5, 2012)

A gender digital divide? Women learning English through ICTs in Bangladesh - Tyers, A (2012)
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

Youth and skills: Putting education to work - UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, 2012)

Youth and skills: putting education to work, EFA global monitoring report, 2012 - UNESCO (2012)

Nigeria Fact Sheet - United States Embassy in Nigeria (2012)

Transforming education for girls in Tanzania and Nigeria: Cross country analysis of endline research studies - Unterhalter, Elaine; Heslop, Jo (ActionAid, 2012)
This cross country summary of the findings from the endline study conducted for the TEGINT project highlights a number of issues of particular pertinence to the community of policy makers, practitioners, and researchers concerned with gender equality, rights and girls’ education. Firstly, the considerable expansion of education provision at primary and junior secondary levels enhances girls’ enrolment, attendance, progression, attainment and empowerment. However, there are regional and locational differences, and the effects of the emergence of private schools on gender equality and girls’ empowerment merits careful scrutiny. It is a matter of concern, that despite the introduction of free primary education, schools continue to charge levies and that the costs of improving education are being passed down to the poorest. Secondly, there are clear indications that girls’ clubs give an important space for girls to learn about their rights and confidence to articulate solutions to their problems. This is the case both when girls in clubs come from higher performing girls in terms of class position and more marginalised girls. Thus girls clubs, widely used in many projects throughout Africa, but not till now well evaluated, appear an important strategy to continue to support. Thirdly, rurality appears as a particular condition of marginalisation, associated with higher levels of gender inequality. This is evident from the lower levels of girls’ empowerment in rural schools, and differences in articulating solutions. Thus particularly engaged interventions are needed with girls in remote areas to support empowerment. Fourthly, while improving teacher qualifications and engagement with gender equality is a necessary condition for enhancing education rights for all children, this is not a standalone intervention, and needs to be supported by other initiatives, possibly associated with teachers’ pay, work conditions and status. Fifthly, an intervention like TEGINT, appears particularly useful in helping to break the silence around gender based violence, however, such an intervention cannot be seen in isolation from work on other aspects of gender inequalities, poverty, and limited social provision. In a country like Tanzania, where there is more legislation and political action around gender equality than in Nigeria, girls, even the poorest, appear more knowledgeable about rights. Gender equality and girls’ education cannot thus be separated from other initiatives on rights, social development and addressing injustice.

Comparative pedagogies and epistemological diversity: social and materials contexts of teaching in Tanzania - Vavrus, Frances; Bartlett, Lesley (Comparative Education Review, 2012)
This article examines how epistemological differences regarding knowledge production and material differences in the conditions of teaching influence teachers’ and teacher educators’ understandings of learner-centered pedagogy. Emerging from a 5-year collaboration between teams of US and Tanzanian teacher educators, the research focuses on six Tanzanian secondary schools whose teachers participated in a workshop on learner-centered pedagogy and pedagogical content knowledge. We find that teachers’ views of knowledge production are profoundly shaped by the cultural, economic, and social contexts in which they teach. We conclude not only that teachers’ working conditions are important contextual factors in comparative studies of schooling but that the conditions themselves need to be conceptualized more fully in theories of knowledge production and global/local reforms of teacher education.

Per diem policy analysis toolkit - Vian, T; Sabin, L (2012)

Data Resource Preview: Socio-Economic Development Strategy for the period of 2011-2020 - Vietnam Government (OpenDevelopment Vietnam, 2012)
The Eleventh Congress of Vietnam Communist Party has reviewed the implementation of Socio-economic Development Strategy for the period of 2001-2010 proposed by the Ninth Party Congress and has made...

Review of the use of ‘Theory of Change’ in international development - Vogel, Isabel (2012)
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

Low Cost Mobile Phones for Large Scale Teacher - Walsh, Christopher S; Shaheen, Robina; Power, Tom; Hedges, Claire; Kahtoon, Masuda; Mondol, Sikander (2012)
Education has the power to transform societies and contribute to social and economic development. In this paper we present the mobile technologies used for teacher professional development (TPD) and communicative language teaching in English in Action (EIA). The project aims to assist 25 million people access greater social and economic opportunities through English language teaching and TPD. EIA, in partnership with the Government of Bangladesh, will work with 80,000 teachers through a work-based programme of TPD using audio and visual resources on low cost mobile phones. With access to over 700 audio files aligned with the national textbook English for Today and professional development films that explain and then illustrate successful student-centred English teaching and learning, the project has already documented significant improvement in teachers’ and pupils’ English language competency. This paper provides an account of, and rationale for, the changes in the technologies used across two phases of the project, from the iPod Nano and Touch used in the pilot study with 690 teachers (2009-2010) to the low cost Nokia C1-01 mobile phone with a micro secure digital (SD) being used in upscaling to 12,500 teachers (2012-2014). We argue the low cost alphanumeric mobile phone with micro SD cards provides unprecedented opportunities to both deliver TPD and improve teachers’ and students’ communicative English language skills. The paper considers the unique suitability mobile phones present for resource constrained education systems in developing countries. Simultaneously we highlight the need for further application and research into the use of mobile technologies, not only for large-scale TPD projects, but for a diversity of international development projects and programmes which aim to achieve sustainable change at scale.

What professional development makes the most difference to teachers? - Walter, Catherine; Briggs, Jessica (University of Oxford Department of Education, 2012)

iPadiCan: Trialling iPads to support primary and secondary students with disabilities - Watts, Liz; Brennan, Sharon; Phelps, Renata (Australian Educational Computing, 2012)
iPads have only been on the market since April 2010 but have rapidly gained great attention within educational communities. While their potential to support teaching and learning has been advocated by many, as yet little empirical research has been released on their application in primary and secondary classrooms. This paper reports on an action research study which investigated the possible role of iPads in supporting learning for students with disabilities. The project sought to document the practical steps required to implement iPads in classrooms, the applications which might be most educationally effective, together with the perceptions of students, teachers, parents and teaching assistants (TAs). The study provides evidence of the significant potential of the devices for children with a wide range of disabilities and, through a number of brief vignettes, demonstrates their capacity to support both learning and socialisation.
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

An animated dictionary for hearing-impaired students in Thailand - Wicha, Santichai; Sharp, Bernadette; Sureephong, Pradorn; Chakpitak, Nopasit; Atkins, Anthony (Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, 2012)
As English increasingly becomes the international language, many ministerial and educational organisations have identified the need to improve the competence of Thai students in speaking English. While there is significant research devoted to developing software tools to support the teaching of English as a second language, they are mostly concerned with adult learners. This project focuses on addressing the need to improve the teaching of English as a second language to primary school children with hearing impairments. This paper presents the development of an educational software tool referred to as the Total Communication with Animation Dictionary (TCAD), which supports learners in the acquisition and retention of new English lexical knowledge and is based on the theoretical approaches of Total Communication and situated learning. A series of experiments was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of the TCAD in improving vocabulary acquisition and retention. Early results are promising with increased learner engagement and performance compared with traditional approaches.
Keywords: Hearing-impaired students; language acquisition; total communication with 3D animation

An animated dictionary for hearing-impaired students in Thailand - Wicha, Santichai; Sharp, Bernadette; Sureephong, Pradorn; Chakpitak, Nopasit; Atkins, Anthony (Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, 2012)
As English increasingly becomes the international language, many ministerial and educational organisations have identified the need to improve the competence of Thai students in speaking English. While there is significant research devoted to developing software tools to support the teaching of English as a second language, they are mostly concerned with adult learners. This project focuses on addressing the need to improve the teaching of English as a second language to primary school children with hearing impairments. This paper presents the development of an educational software tool referred to as the Total Communication with Animation Dictionary (TCAD), which supports learners in the acquisition and retention of new English lexical knowledge and is based on the theoretical approaches of Total Communication and situated learning. A series of experiments was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of the TCAD in improving vocabulary acquisition and retention. Early results are promising with increased learner engagement and performance compared with traditional approaches.
Keywords: Hearing-impaired students; language acquisition; total communication with 3D animation; ⛔ No INSPIRE recid found

A new face of education: Bringing technology into the classroom in the developing world - Winthrop, R.; Smith, M.S. (Brookings, 2012)

Automated teller machines (ATMs) (per 100,000 adults) - Sierra Leone - World Bank (2012)

Gender Equality and Development - World Bank (World Bank Group, 2012)

Challenges and strategies of working with learners with low vision: Implications for teacher training - Yalo, J. A.; Indoshi, F. C.; Agak, J. O. (Educational Research and Reviews, 2012)
Learners with low vision can be trained to increase their visual functioning through a planned programme of visual experiences. Such a low vision training programme was introduced in Kenya in 1994. However, despite its implementation over the last 15 years, challenges still persist among teachers who work with such learners. The purpose of this study was to document challenges that learners with low vision have on teachers’ performance when teaching learners with low vision in special primary schools for the visually impaired in Kenya. The study was carried out in 6 schools for the visually impaired respondents in the study including 78 teachers survey through questionnaire and observation. The study established challenges faced by teachers as lack of appropriate devices for learners, lack of adequate training of teachers and lack of regular teacher auditing. Strategies suggested to address the challenges were supply of low vision devices, low vision teams based at each school reconstituted to provide co-ordinated learning support and regular case conferencing be mounted to provide teacher support.

Gender bias in attitude towards girls in the use of computers in selected schools in Central Africa - Yeba, Judith Sama Mouokuio Meno (Journal of Continuing, Open and Distance Education, 2012)
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found; ⛔ No INSPIRE recid found

Mother tongue-based bilingual education in Papua New Guinea - Malone, Susan; Paraide, Patricia (2011)
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

Assessing e-learning acceptance by university students in Thailand - Teo, Timothy; Luan, Wong Su; Thammetar, Thapanee; Chattiwat, Wisa (Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 2011)
The aim of this study is to assess e-learning acceptance by students, using data collected from 377 students at three public universities in Thailand. Using the E-learning Acceptance Measure (Teo, 2010b), participants gave their responses to 21 statements on three factors hypothesised to measure e-learning: tutor quality, perceived usefulness, and facilitating conditions. Results showed that university students in Thailand have an above average level of e-learning acceptance (mean=111.36 out of 147). Among the user domains, age and perceived competence correlated significantly with the factors in ElAM. Using MIMIC modelling, students' e-learning acceptance was found to be significantly different by age and perceived competence.
Keywords: ⛔ No INSPIRE recid found

ICT use in the teaching of mathematics: Implications for professional development of pre-service teachers in Ghana - Agyei, Douglas; Voogt, Joke (Education and Information Technologies, 2011)
Included in the contemporary mathematics curricula in Ghana is the expectation that mathematics teachers will integrate technology in their teaching. However, importance has not been placed on preparing teachers to use ICT in their instruction. This paper reports on a study conducted to explore the feasibility of ICT use in mathematics teaching at senior high school levels in Ghana. Interviews and survey data were used for data collection. Preliminary results showed that mathematics teachers in Ghana do not integrate ICT in their mathematics instruction. Among the major perceived barriers identified were: Lack of knowledge about ways to integrate ICT in lesson and Lack of training opportunities for ICT integration knowledge acquisition. To overcome some of these barriers, opportunities of a professional development arrangement for pre-service mathematics teachers were explored. Findings from the study revealed specific features of a professional development scenario that matters for ICT integration in mathematics teaching in the context of Ghana. KeywordsICT use–Professional development–Computer competencies–Mathematics education–Computer attitude–Ghana

You use! I use! We use! Questioning the Orthodoxy of One-to-One Computing in Primary Schools - Larkin, Kevin (Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 2011)
The current orthodoxy regarding computer use in schools appears to be that one-to-one (1:1) computing, wherein each child owns or has sole access to a computing device, is the most efficacious way to achieve a range of desirable educational outcomes, including individualised learning, collaborative environments, or constructivist pedagogies. This article challenges this notion, suggesting instead that 1:2 computing is an appropriate means of achieving such aims in primary school. It further suggests that 1:2 computing is preferable to 1:1 computing to achieve a balance between productivity, student engagement, social activity, and individualised learning. This article draws on data collected during the 2009 school year from four Year 7 classrooms (11- to 13-year-old students) with varied patterns of access to netbook computers. The researcher collected detailed information from two pieces of software installed in each computer and analysed the data through an Activity Theory conceptual and methodological lens. Recommendations from this research will assist school leaders in making informed decisions regarding 1:1 and 1:2 computing.

Building a high-quality teaching profession: lessons from around the world - Schleicher, Andreas (International Summit on the Teaching Profession, 2011)

Digital Gender Divide or Technologically Empowered Women in Developing Countries? A Typical Case of Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics - Hilbert, Martin (Social Science Research Network, 2011)
The discussion about women’s access to and use of digital Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in developing countries has been inconclusive so far. Some claim that women are rather technophobic and that men are much better users of digital tools, while others argue that women enthusiastically embrace digital communication. This article puts this question to an empirical test. We analyze data sets from 12 Latin American and 13 African countries from 2005-08. This is believed to be the most extensive empirical study in this field so far. The results are surprisingly consistent and revealing: the reason why fewer women access and use ICT is a direct result of their unfavorable conditions with respect to employment, education and income. When controlling for these variables, women turn out to be more active users of digital tools than men. This turns the alleged digital gender divide into an opportunity: given women’s affinity for ICT, and given that digital technologies are tools that can improve living conditions, ICT represent a concrete and tangible opportunity to tackle longstanding challenges of gender inequalities in developing countries, including access to employment, income, education and health services.
Keywords: Damned Lies; Digital Gender Divide or Technologically Empowered Women in Developing Countries? A Typical Case of Lies; Martin Hilbert; SSRN; and Statistics

Culturally sensitive transformational learning: Incorporating the afrocentric paradigm and African feminism - Ntseane, Peggy Gabo (Adult Education Quarterly, 2011)
Informed by the Afrocentric learning paradigm, this conceptual piece argues that Mezirow’s version of the theory of transformative learning is useful, but it would be more so if applied to be culturally sensitive. Using Botswana cultural learning values as an example, the article demonstrates how the theory can be made culturally sensitive to an African learning context. African values identified to inform a collective process of transformational learning are that (a) there is no absolute knowledge because of the communal involvement in knowledge construction and knowledge acquisition, (b) spiritual obligation that is influenced by the metaphysical world means that the knowledge context is complex, (c) knowledge is communal because social change depends on collective responsibility, and (d) gender roles/expectations are critical for processing knowledge. In conclusion, the article argues that the continued marginalization of diverse cultural contexts denies new insight into the positive development of a useful critical theory such as transformational learning.

Role of Educational Technology at Primary School Level In District Karak (Khyber Pukhtunkhwa) Pakistan - Suleman, Dr (International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 2011)
The study was conducted to explore the role of educational technology at primary school level in District Karak (Khyber Pukhtunkhwa). The main objectives of the study were; to investigate the availability, usability and importance of educational technology; and to investigate whether primary school teachers are for the effective use of technologies for teaching learning process. The study was descriptive in nature. All the teachers and students at primary level in District Karak constituted the population of the study. Only three hundred and sixty six (366) primary school teachers; and two thousand and two students (2002) of primary schools (@ of 25% and 5% respectively) were selected randomly as sample of the study. The study was descriptive in nature. Two different questionnaires were prepared for teachers and students for the collection of data. After analysis of data, the researcher arrived at results that educational technology is very useful for the effective teaching learning process at primary level. It was found that educational televisions, radios, film strips, flip charts, VCRs, overhead projectors, multimedia projectors, educational softwares, computers, and internet facilities were not available in schools. Majority of the teachers were not using the available technology in their teaching learning process. It was also found that teachers were not trained for the effective utilization of educational technology.
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

Cost Effectiveness of Interactive Radio Instruction Program Karnataka: Basic and Program Cost Effectiveness - Bakshi, Shubhashansha (Working Papers, 2011)
The Program CEA extends to the study to an impact analysis of the Radio programs to assess whether the expenditure being made for this intervention is helping the students in improving their learning outcomes. This would then serve as a true measure of effectiveness that is; linking the outreach with the outcomes. This requires tracking a cohort of treatment and control groups over a period of three years. Also the study has documented the qualitative behaviour as observed in these groups. URL:[http://cbps.in/Publications.aspx].
Keywords: Attendance; CEA; Central Tendency; Cost Effectiveness; Enrolment; Interactive Radio Instruction Program; Karnataka; Qualitative analysis; Research; Teachers; cohort of treatment; data; outcomes; qualitative behaviour; school; villages

Human Rights-based Approach to Programming - UNICEF (UNICEF, 2011)
A human rights-based approach is a conceptual framework for the process of human development that is normatively based on international human rights standards and operationally directed to promoting and protecting human rights.

An extended systematic review of Canadian policy documents on e-learning: what we’re doing and not doing - Borokhovski, Eugene; Bernard, Robert; Mills, Erin; Abrami, Philip C.; Wade, C. Anne; Tamim, Rana; Bethel, Edward; Lowerison, Gretchen; Pickup, David; Surkes, Michael A. (Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology, 2011)

From design experiments to formative interventions - Engeström, Yrjö (Theory & Psychology, 2011)
So-called ?design experiments? have been presented as a radical alternative to traditional experimental designs in behavioral sciences. A closer scrutiny of design experiments shows that they share the basic linear methodology of traditional randomized controlled trials, and thus ignore resistance and agency of learners as a source of surprise and novelty. Formative interventions based on Vygotsky?s principle of double stimulation offer an alternative that builds on and purposefully fosters learners? agency. Formative interventions may be characterized with the help of an argumentative grammar which proposes (a) the collective activity system as a unit of analysis, (b) contradictions as a source of change and development, (c) agency as a crucial layer of causality, and (d) transformation of practice as a form of expansive concept formation. These four epistemic tenets are concretized with the help of analysis of data from a Change Laboratory formative experiment conducted in a Finnish hospital. The analysis shows that double stimulation is a multi-layered and longitudinal process in which both the initial problem situation (first stimulus) and the mediating conceptual tool (second stimulus) are reformulated and enriched in successive steps. Such a process of double stimulation generates a thirdness, a new concept for the activity under transformation.

GIS in Education Planning: The Kenyan School Mapping Project - Mulaku, G.C.; Nyadimo, E. (Survey Review, 2011)
School mapping consists of the building of geospatial databases of educational, demographic and socioeconomic data for educational institutions in order to support educational planning and decision making. Such databases contain data such as the geographic location of schools, the numbers of existing schools of different levels in the public and private sectors, their capacities, physical condition and facilities, enrolment and the number of teachers and their attributes. Also often included are data on related natural features and infrastructure such as rivers, roads, economic and administrative centers, medical facilities, religious facilities, etc. This paper describes the Kenyan School Mapping Project, whose objective was to collect such data for all Kenyan learning institutions and to integrate them in a GIS database that could be queried to provide useful information for educational planners, other professional users and average citizens. Results show that at the time of the project, there were nearly 73000 learning institutions in Kenya, ranging from early childhood schools to universities; useful information products on important educational indicators such as schools distribution, enrolments, pupil-teacher ratios and gender parity indices have also been generated from GIS analysis of the data. These results have demonstrated the utility of the database for its stated purpose and therefore shown the project to be a useful model that can be emulated by other developing countries.
Keywords: EMIS; GIS; KENYA; SCHOOL MAPPING

Organizing research and development at the intersection of learning, implementation, and design - Penuel, W. R.; Fishman, B. J.; Haugan Cheng, B.; Sabelli, N. (Educational Researcher, 2011)

Guided interaction as intercultural learning: designing internationalisation into a mixed delivery teacher education programme - Spiro, Jane (Higher Education Research & Development, 2011)
In this paper the process of building an international student community is explored. Strategies discussed include guided interaction within a virtual environment between home students studying in their own culture and international students studying at a distance. The context includes both the state and private sector in South East Asia, Latin America, Europe and the Middle East. The subject is a Master of Arts in Education for practising in-service teachers of English. Through exchanging teacher narratives, students identify shared concerns and values about their profession and recognise connections with their peers in apparently widely different cultural settings. Student and tutor evaluations suggest that participants developed the competence of recognising connections between their own meanings and behaviours and those of others. They also deconstructed their assumptions and unexamined beliefs through engagement with others. The paper concludes by analysing how these competences impacted on the self-knowledge and practice of the participants, and suggests the generative principles which made this learning effective.
Keywords: home student experience; intercultural competences; international competences; savoir être; task design for internationalization; teacher development; teacher reflection

Guided interaction as intercultural learning: designing internationalisation into a mixed delivery teacher education programme - Spiro, Jane (Higher Education Research & Development, 2011)
In this paper the process of building an international student community is explored. Strategies discussed include guided interaction within a virtual environment between home students studying in their own culture and international students studying at a distance. The context includes both the state and private sector in South East Asia, Latin America, Europe and the Middle East. The subject is a Master of Arts in Education for practising in-service teachers of English. Through exchanging teacher narratives, students identify shared concerns and values about their profession and recognise connections with their peers in apparently widely different cultural settings. Student and tutor evaluations suggest that participants developed the competence of recognising connections between their own meanings and behaviours and those of others. They also deconstructed their assumptions and unexamined beliefs through engagement with others. The paper concludes by analysing how these competences impacted on the self-knowledge and practice of the participants, and suggests the generative principles which made this learning effective.
Keywords: home student experience; intercultural competences; international competences; savoir être; task design for internationalization; teacher development; teacher reflection

Using interactive whiteboard technology-rich constructivist learning environment to minimize gender differences in chemistry achievement - Dhindsa, Harkirat S.; Shahrizal-Emran (International Journal of Environmental and Science Education, 2011)
In Brunei, more girls are enrolled at the institutions of higher education than boys. The aim of this study was to evaluate if a constructivist teaching approach, enriched with interactive whiteboard technology could empower males to minimize gender differences in achievement in Chemistry. Two groups of students were taught for six weeks: one group using the constructivist teaching approach enriched with interactive whiteboard technology and the other group using a traditional teaching approach. The results of the study demonstrated statistically significant gender differences in pre-test mean achievement scores of both the groups. There were statistically significant gender differences in post-test mean achievement scores for group taught traditionally, however, mean achievement scores of male and female students taught using constructivist approach were statistically non-significantly different. It is believed that this technique has potential to minimize gender difference in chemistry achievement. Implications of this research in Bruneian context are discussed and future research in this area is recommended. (Contains 1 figure and 6 tables.)
Keywords: Academic Achievement; Chemistry; Colleges; Constructivism (Learning); Educational Technology; Foreign Countries; Gender Differences; Grade 11; Likert Scales; Pretests Posttests; Questionnaires; Teaching Methods; ⛔ No DOI found; ⛔ No INSPIRE recid found

School Resources and Educational Outcomes in Developing Countries: A Review of the Literature from 1990 to 2010 - Glewwe, Paul W.; Hanushek, Eric A.; Humpage, Sarah D.; Ravina, Renato (National Bureau of Economic Research, 2011)
Developing countries spend hundreds of billions of dollars each year on schools, educational materials and teachers, but relatively little is known about how effective these expenditures are at increasing students' years of completed schooling and, more importantly, the skills that they learn while in school. This paper examines studies published between 1990 and 2010, in both the education literature and the economics literature, to investigate which specific school and teacher characteristics, if any, appear to have strong positive impacts on learning and time in school. Starting with over 9,000 studies, 79 are selected as being of sufficient quality. Then an even higher bar is set in terms of econometric methods used, leaving 43 "high quality" studies. Finally, results are also shown separately for 13 randomized trials. The estimated impacts on time in school and learning of most school and teacher characteristics are statistically insignificant, especially when the evidence is limited to the "high quality" studies. The few variables that do have significant effects - e.g. availability of desks, teacher knowledge of the subjects they teach, and teacher absence - are not particularly surprising and thus provide little guidance for future policies and programs.

Pretotype It: Make sure you are building the right it before you build it right - Savoia, Alberto (2011)

Strategies for reducing inequalities and improving developmental outcomes for young children in low-income and middle-income countries - Fernald, Lia; Alderman, Harold; Behrman, Jere; O'Gara, Chloe; Yousafzai, Aisha; Cabral de Mello, Meena; Hidrobo, Melissa; Ulkuer, Nurper; Ertem, Ilgi; Iltus, Selim (Lancet, 2011)
This report is the second in a Series on early child development in low-income and middle-income countries and assesses the effectiveness of early child development interventions, such as parenting support and preschool enrolment. The evidence reviewed suggests that early child development can be improved through these interventions, with effects greater for programmes of higher quality and for the most vulnerable children. Other promising interventions for the promotion of early child development include children's educational media, interventions with children at high risk, and combining the promotion of early child development with conditional cash transfer programmes. Effective investments in early child development have the potential to reduce inequalities perpetuated by poverty, poor nutrition, and restricted learning opportunities. A simulation model of the potential long-term economic effects of increasing preschool enrolment to 25% or 50% in every low-income and middle-income country showed a benefit-to-cost ratio ranging from 6·4 to 17·6, depending on preschool enrolment rate and discount rate.

The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses - Ries, Eric (2011)
Most startups fail. But many of those failures are preventable. The Lean Startup is a new approach being adopted across the globe, changing the way companies are built and new products are launched. Eric Ries defines a startup as an organization dedicated to creating something new under conditions of extreme uncertainty. This is just as true for one person in a garage or a group of seasoned professionals in a Fortune 500 boardroom. What they have in common is a mission to penetrate that fog of uncertainty to discover a successful path to a sustainable business. The Lean Startup approach fosters companies that are both more capital efficient and that leverage human creativity more effectively. Inspired by lessons from lean manufacturing, it relies on “validated learning,” rapid scientific experimentation, as well as a number of counter-intuitive practices that shorten product development cycles, measure actual progress without resorting to vanity metrics, and learn what customers really want. It enables a company to shift directions with agility, altering plans inch by inch, minute by minute. Rather than wasting time creating elaborate business plans, The Lean Startup offers entrepreneurs—in companies of all sizes—a way to test their vision continuously, to adapt and adjust before it’s too late. Ries provides a scientific approach to creating and managing successful startups in a age when companies need to innovate more than ever.

The effect of school neighborhoods on teacher retention decisions - Boyd, Donald; Lankford, Hamilton; Loeb, Susanna; Ronfeldt, Matthew; Wyckoff, James (Whither Opportunity? Rising Inequality, Schools, and Children's Life Chances, 2011)
A substantial body of research demonstrates that schools with large populations of poor, non-white and low-achieving students, on average have more difficulty attracting and retaining teachers (Boyd et. al., 2005; Boyd et al, 2009; Hanushek et. al., 2004; Ingersoll, 2001; Scafidi et. al., 2007). However, little work assesses the extent to which differences in the neighborhoods
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

ICT reform initiatives in Singapore schools: a complexity theory perspective - Toh, Yancy; So, Hyo-Jeong (Asia Pacific Education Review, 2011)
The past two decades have witnessed an exponential growth in the use of technology in our daily life. Notwithstanding its phenomenal influence, the use of technology in education remains sporadic and disjointed. The promise that technology will bring deep-seated changes in the way that educators teach and students learn remains, disappointedly, elusive. This paper argues that the lack of systemic frame of reference may have explanatory power over such less than impressive performance of ICT in education. Tracing the trajectory of Singapore’s ICT-related policies in the educational sector, this paper adopts the complexity lens to study the systemic policy changes that are imbued in the different stages of Singapore’s ICT-based reforms. In particular, the paper delves into the three constructs of complexity theory: self-organisation, coevolution and fitness landscape. By juxtaposing the interdependencies of these three concepts against the backdrop of Singapore’s educational landscape, the paper contends that the complexity theory perspective has the potential to help policymakers understand the dynamic and complex nature of reforms so as to devise multi-faceted solutions that will address the concerns of all key stakeholders in the learning ecology. Implications for policymaking are also discussed.

Quantitative Determination of the Relationship between Internal Validity and Bias in Software Engineering Experiments: Consequences for Systematic Literature Reviews - Dieste, Oscar; Grim´n, Anna; Juristo, Natalia; Saxena, Himanshu (2011 International Symposium on Empirical Software Engineering and Measurement, 2011)
Quality assessment is one of the activities performed as part of systematic literature reviews. It is commonly accepted that a good quality experiment is bias free. Bias is considered to be related to internal validity (e.g., how adequately the experiment is planned, executed and analysed). Quality assessment is usually conducted using checklists and quality scales. It has not yet been proven, however, that quality is related to experimental bias. Aim: Identify whether there is a relationship between internal validity and bias in software engineering experiments. Method: We built a quality scale to determine the quality of the studies, which we applied to 28 experiments included in two systematic literature reviews. We proposed an objective indicator of experimental bias, which we applied to the same 28 experiments. Finally, we analysed the correlations between the quality scores and the proposed measure of bias. Results: We failed to find a relationship between the global quality score (resulting from the quality scale) and bias, however, we did identify interesting correlations between bias and some particular aspects of internal validity measured by the instrument. Conclusions: There is an empirically provable relationship between internal validity and bias. It is feasible to apply quality assessment in systematic literature reviews, subject to limits on the internal validity aspects for consideration.
Keywords: Checklist; Context; Correlation; Inspection; Instruments; Quality Assessment (QA) of experiments; Quality Scale; Quality assessment; Software engineering; Systematic Literature Review (SLR); Systematics

Getting off the “Gold Standard”: Randomized controlled trials and education research - Sullivan, Gail M (Journal of Graduate Medical Education, 2011)

The Distribution of Teacher Quality and Implications for Policy - Hanushek, Eric; Rivkin, Steven (Annual Review of Economics, 2011)
It has become commonplace to measure teacher quality in terms of teacher value-added. Operationally, this means evaluating teachers according to the learning gains of students on various achievement tests. Existing research consistently shows large variations in teacher effectiveness, much of which is within schools as opposed to between schools. The policy implications of these variations are dramatic. But the underlying statistical modeling has become the subject of intense research, in part because of this direct use of value-added measures in policy discussions.

Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions - Higgins, Julian P. T.; Green, Sally (John Wiley & Sons, 2011)
Healthcare providers, consumers, researchers and policy makers are inundated with unmanageable amounts of information, including evidence from healthcare research. It has become impossible for all to have the time and resources to find, appraise and interpret this evidence and incorporate it into healthcare decisions. Cochrane Reviews respond to this challenge by identifying, appraising and synthesizing research-based evidence and presenting it in a standardized format, published in The Cochrane Library (www.thecochranelibrary.com). The Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions contains methodological guidance for the preparation and maintenance of Cochrane intervention reviews. Written in a clear and accessible format, it is the essential manual for all those preparing, maintaining and reading Cochrane reviews. Many of the principles and methods described here are appropriate for systematic reviews applied to other types of research and to systematic reviews of interventions undertaken by others. It is hoped therefore that this book will be invaluable to all those who want to understand the role of systematic reviews, critically appraise published reviews or perform reviews themselves. This title is also available as a mobile App from MedHand Mobile Libraries. Buy it now from Google Play or the MedHand Store.
Keywords: Medical / General

Technophobia among Female Undergraduate Students: A Challenge to Attainment of the MDGs in Nigeria - Achuonye, Keziah Akuoma; Ezekoka, Gertrude Kanayo (Journal of Education, Society and Behavioural Science, 2011)
Keywords: Millennium Development Goals (MDGs); Technophobia; computer; psychological gender; ⛔ No DOI found

Peer Effects, Teacher Incentives, and the Impact of Tracking: Evidence from a Randomized Evaluation in Kenya - Duflo, Esther; Dupas, Pascaline; Kremer, Michael (American Economic Review, 2011)
To the extent that students benefit from high-achieving peers, tracking will help strong students and hurt weak ones. However, all students may benefit if tracking allows teachers to better tailor their instruction level. Lower-achieving pupils are particularly likely to benefit from tracking when teachers have incentives to teach to the top of the distribution. We propose a simple model nesting these effects and test its implications in a randomized tracking experiment conducted with 121 primary schools in Kenya. While the direct effect of high-achieving peers is positive, tracking benefited lower-achieving pupils indirectly by allowing teachers to teach to their level. (JEL I21, J45, O15)
Keywords: Analysis of Education, Public Sector Labor Markets, Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration

Decentralisation policy and practice in Ghana: the promise and reality of community participation in education in rural communities - Essuman, Ato; Akyeampong, Kwame (Journal of Education Policy, 2011)
In 1987, the government of Ghana embarked on a process to decentralise education management to districts as part of wider social and democratic governance reforms. A central part of this reform was the prescription of active community participation in the affairs of schools within their locality. This paper explores the different meanings community participation had for school community stakeholders. It examines the multiple understandings of how community and school relations work and the factors which influence this relationship. Drawing on case study data, it argues that much of the theoretical and policy expectations on representation and participation in education by community members are only evident in form, but not as intended in practice. In poor rural contexts, it is often the local elite and relatively more educated members of the community, who become the new brokers of decision-making and, through their actions, close up the spaces for representation and participation by community members in the affairs of schools. Furthermore, the extent of community participation appears to be shaped by a ‘social contract’ based on the principle of reciprocity of roles between the community and schools, and that increasingly teachers feel accountable to the traditional hierarchical educational structure, and not to the community. The paper argues that the realisation of decentralisation policy in education has to contend with the realities of local politics of influence in the community, and tap into the positive side of this influence to improve education service delivery.
Keywords: Ghana; Parent Teacher Associations (PTA); School Management Committees (SMC); ___working_potential_duplicate; community participation; decentralisation policy

Education policy reform in Sri Lanka: the double-edged sword of political will - Little, Angela W. (Journal of Education Policy, 2011)
In 1997, the Government of Sri Lanka launched a comprehensive set of education reforms designed to promote equitable access to basic education and improvements in learning outcomes. The package of reforms arose as a political response to widespread youth unrest in the late 1980s and attracted considerable ‘political will’, a vague but much vaunted term in the international policy discourse. Yet, despite seemingly high levels of national political will, reform has not been plain sailing. Using evidence from interviews with policy elites and an analysis of policy texts and evaluations, this paper analyses the role of political will at national and local levels in policy formulation and implementation in a policy environment characterised by ‘patronage politics’. It explores the interaction between the political, administrative, technical, human resource and financial drivers and inhibitors of five reform components and argues that local-level political will, as well as national-level political will, has played a central role in determining whether formulated policies are translated into action on the ground. ‘Political will’ is a double-edged sword.
Keywords: Sri Lanka; policy implementation; political will

Provision of continuing professional development by resource centres in selected high schools of the Copperbelt province - Mwale, Kelly Kezala (2011)
The purpose of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of resource centres in providing Continuing Professional Development to high school teachers in the Copperbelt Province.Major concerns have been expressed by various stakeholders that not enough has been done in enhancing and strengthening the concept of Continuing Professional Development among high school teachers. The Teacher Resource Centres that are supposed to be custodians of In-service Training of Teachers(INSET) now Continuing Professional Development (CPD) are perceived not to have done enough. The establishment of Teacher Resource Centres throughout the country was meant to help upgrade the skills and competencies of teachers at both basic and high school levels. These Continuing Professional Development activities that should be on-going include School Programme of In-service for the Term (SPRINT), Demonstrate, Observe, Discuss and Implement (DODIS) and Subject Meeting at the Resource Centre (SMARC).A purposive sample of 8 teacher resource centres and 12 high schools giving the study a number of 84 respondents was selected.Data were collected by way of questionnaires, interviews and Focus Group Discussions. The major informants were the following: Headteachers, Heads of Department, Teachers and Resource Centre Coordinators.The results of the study revealed that Teacher Resource Centres were not effectively providing Continuing Professional Development (CPD) activities among high school teachers. The findings further revealed that the Continuing Professional Development activities such as School Programme of In-service for the Term (SPRINT), Demonstrate, Observe, Discuss and Implement (DODIS) and Subject Meeting at the Resource Centre (SMARC) were almost non-existent in high schools despite clustering them with basic schools.Generally, the findings indicated lack of commitment both by the coordinators in Resource Centres and school administrators. Further revelations by the study indicate that little or no effort has been given to school - based workshops, seminars, professional meetings and conferences. Additionally,constant monitoring of CPD activities was not given prominence by Resource Centre Coordinators hence the glaring lapses in the actual implementation of Continuing Professional Development programmes.Further analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data revealed that there was lack of significant advocacy and sensitisation on the difference between Continuing Professional Development activities and In-service Teacher Education tenable at colleges of education and universities. In view of the research findings, recommendations were made. Teacher Resource Centres ought to enhance advocacy and sensitisation of Continuing Professional Development activities. Pedagogical competences and skills would be strengthened at high school level if Teacher Resource Centres played their expected role of providing Continuing Professional Development to teachers. The study has also shown that school administrators did not apportion equal weight to Continuing Professional Development as they did with sporting activities. There is need to give both areas equal attention.

The effects of continuing professional development (CPD) through SPRINT on teacher classroom practices and student learning outcomes - Mazala, Chileya Mbasilu (2011)
This study looked at the effects of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) through School Programmes for In -Service for the Term (SPRINT) on teacher classroom practices and student learning outcomes. The purpose of the study was to find out if SPRINT had any effect on teacher classroom practice and student learning outcomes. The target population was all Ndola high schools. The sample consisted of 196 respondents that is, five head teachers, five deputy heads, fifteen heads of department, five School In- Service Providers (SIP), five Zone INSET Providers (ZIP) and twelve teachers from each of the five schools and one Resource Centre Coordinator. The sample also included one hundred grade twelve pupils, twenty randomly picked from each of the five schools Purposive sampling was used to select the schools, head teachers, heads of department, INSET providers and the subject coordinator. Teachers and pupils were selected using simple random sampling. Questionnaires, observations, interviews, Focus Group Discussions and documentary evidence were the research instruments used to gather information. A review of relevant literature and its implication for CPD was undertaken to provide interrogation framework for this study. Guskey's five levels of evaluation were used to structure the framework Data were analyzed by identifying and categorizing significant themes relevant to research objectives. The data were presented in form of tables, percentages,graphs and charts. Qualitative data from interviews were coded and emerging themes grouped into categories The themes and categories of initial data were compared with those of subsequent interviews. Categories were then regrouped to get the most significant categories and themes.The findings from this study indicated that teachers at all career stages expressed the desire to take part in Continuing Professional Development through SPRINT.Research findings also showed that SPRINT activities did impact on teacher classroom practice basing on the twelve observable skills recommended by The Ministry of Education. The findings from this study further revealed that SPRINT had an impact on student learning outcomes as shown by the average scores of students whose teachers took part in CPD and those whose teachers did not.Average scores for the latter were lower than the former category of students.The findings further revealed that although there was evidence of the effect of CPD through SPRINT on teacher classroom practices and student learning outcomes, this programme was hindered by weak organisational support.The results of the study showed that teachers were not enthusiastic about continuing with the CPD programme as it lacked adequate funding and support from both local administrators and the Ministry of Education. Teachers were not involved in identifying training needs and as such did not feel they were the owners of CPD Teachers also felt that this kind of CPD did not help in career progression as the credit system was not effective. At organizational level, this study found that policies and guidelines on how to organize and manage CPD were lacking.CPD leaders also did not have adequate training to prepare them for their roles. Because of this lack of training, CPD leaders could not carry out assessment of the effects of CPD through SPRINT on teacher classroom practices and student learning outcomes.On the basis of these findings, it is recommended that teachers should be in charge of their own CPD and be involved in needs assessment .Secondly, CPD leaders should be properly trained for their role and they should have clear job specifications. In addition, adequate funding for the programme should be made available by both the Government and the School Administration. The Ministry of Education also needs to formulate national policies and guidelines on management and evaluation of SPRINT .A standardized accreditation system which would enable teachers to experience career progression through SPRINT should also be put in place. Lastly, CPD through SPRINT should be made research based with teachers having access to INTERNET and good library facilities.

The behaviour change wheel: A new method for characterising and designing behaviour change interventions - Michie, Susan; van Stralen, Maartje M.; West, Robert (Implementation Science, 2011)
Improving the design and implementation of evidence-based practice depends on successful behaviour change interventions. This requires an appropriate method for characterising interventions and linking them to an analysis of the targeted behaviour. There exists a plethora of frameworks of behaviour change interventions, but it is not clear how well they serve this purpose. This paper evaluates these frameworks, and develops and evaluates a new framework aimed at overcoming their limitations.