Sierra Leone Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2017 - Statistics Sierra Leone (Statistics Sierra Leone, 2018)

Head Teachers' Professional Management Needs and Concerns: Evidence from an Educational District in Ghana. - Suaka, Peter Lonyian; Kuranchie, Alfred (African Educational Research Journal, 2018)

Re-orienting Education Management Information Systems (EMIS) towards inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning - Subosa, Miguel; West, Mark (UNESCO, 2018)

Importance of e-learning in higher education: a study - Suresh Babu, G.; Sridevi, K. (International Journal of Research Culture Society, 2018)
This study investigates the importance of using e-learning in teaching in higher education. In the institutions of higher education, the issue of utilizing modern information and communication technologies ICT) for teaching and learning is very important. This study gives a scholarly background to the study by reviewing some contributions made by various researchers and the institutions on the concept of e-learning, particularly its usage in teaching and learning in higher educational institutions. It looks at the scope, importance, the role elearning plays in higher educational institutions and the advantages and disadvantages of its adoption and implementation in higher education.
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

Digital Literacies for International Teacher Education: a Ghanaian perspective - Taner, Lisa (The Open University, 2018)
Teacher education in Sub Saharan Africa has been highlighted as key in helping to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education across the continent. Digital technologies that support new modes of teacher education can improve access and quality in developing regions (Moon and Villet, 2017a, b; Moon, 2007; Power, 2013), however little is known about how teachers develop digital literacies to enable them to effectively use these new resources, nor the ways in which student teachers are introduced to the technologies they need to support their professional development. Given the scarcity of research in this area and with teacher support and preparation having been the least examined topics in mobile learning research, this project investigated the ways in which student teachers in one College of Education in Ghana participate in learning experiences that develop their digital literacies to support their professional development throughout the college course, both on campus and in school placements. Using ethnographic approaches within a sociocultural theoretical rationale, the aim of this research was to address the gap in literature by examining the ways in which student teachers participate in learning experiences that develop their digital literacies during their training at a College of Education in Ghana. In view of the slow pace of ICT infrastructure advancement in Ghanaian schools, tutors at one college of education are encouraging the use of student teachers’ personal devices such as mobile phones to support their professional learning, both on campus and in the absence of other equipment in school placements. Smartphone use was found to be an enabling tool for students, whose formal and informal use of communication tools such as WhatsApp supported their developing professionalism and gave them access to new ways to locate and use materials for teaching and their wider professional development, including the academic requirements of their courses.
Keywords: ___working_potential_duplicate

Digital literacies for international teacher education: a Ghanaian perspective - Taner, Lisa (The Open University, 2018)
Teacher education in Sub Saharan Africa has been highlighted as key in helping to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education across the continent. Digital technologies that support new modes of teacher education can improve access and quality in developing regions (Moon and Villet, 2017a, b; Moon, 2007; Power, 2013), however little is known about how teachers develop digital literacies to enable them to effectively use these new resources, nor the ways in which student teachers are introduced to the technologies they need to support their professional development. Given the scarcity of research in this area and with teacher support and preparation having been the least examined topics in mobile learning research, this project investigated the ways in which student teachers in one College of Education in Ghana participate in learning experiences that develop their digital literacies to support their professional development throughout the college course, both on campus and in school placements. Using ethnographic approaches within a sociocultural theoretical rationale, the aim of this research was to address the gap in literature by examining the ways in which student teachers participate in learning experiences that develop their digital literacies during their training at a College of Education in Ghana. In view of the slow pace of ICT infrastructure advancement in Ghanaian schools, tutors at one college of education are encouraging the use of student teachers’ personal devices such as mobile phones to support their professional learning, both on campus and in the absence of other equipment in school placements. Smartphone use was found to be an enabling tool for students, whose formal and informal use of communication tools such as WhatsApp supported their developing professionalism and gave them access to new ways to locate and use materials for teaching and their wider professional development, including the academic requirements of their courses.
Keywords: _Source:Intuitive; _THEME: Curriculum and resources; _THEME: Education management; _THEME: Open systems; _THEME: School management; _THEME: Teacher Professional Development; __:import:01; __:match:final; __:matched; __:study_id:2426091; ___working_potential_duplicate; __finaldtb

Digital literacies for international teacher education: a Ghanaian perspective - Taner, Lisa (The Open University, 2018)

Digital Literacies for International Teacher Education: a Ghanaian perspective - Taner, Lisa (The Open University, 2018)
Teacher education in Sub Saharan Africa has been highlighted as key in helping to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education across the continent. Digital technologies that support new modes of teacher education can improve access and quality in developing regions (Moon and Villet, 2017a, b; Moon, 2007; Power, 2013), however little is known about how teachers develop digital literacies to enable them to effectively use these new resources, nor the ways in which student teachers are introduced to the technologies they need to support their professional development. Given the scarcity of research in this area and with teacher support and preparation having been the least examined topics in mobile learning research, this project investigated the ways in which student teachers in one College of Education in Ghana participate in learning experiences that develop their digital literacies to support their professional development throughout the college course, both on campus and in school placements. Using ethnographic approaches within a sociocultural theoretical rationale, the aim of this research was to address the gap in literature by examining the ways in which student teachers participate in learning experiences that develop their digital literacies during their training at a College of Education in Ghana. In view of the slow pace of ICT infrastructure advancement in Ghanaian schools, tutors at one college of education are encouraging the use of student teachers’ personal devices such as mobile phones to support their professional learning, both on campus and in the absence of other equipment in school placements. Smartphone use was found to be an enabling tool for students, whose formal and informal use of communication tools such as WhatsApp supported their developing professionalism and gave them access to new ways to locate and use materials for teaching and their wider professional development, including the academic requirements of their courses.
Keywords: ___working_potential_duplicate

EdTech for Learning in Emergencies and Displaced Settings: A rigorous review and narrative synthesis - Tauson, Michaelle; Stannard, Luke (Save The Children, 2018)
Globally, according to UNESCO (2017), 264 million children of primary and secondary school age are out school. UNESCO also estimates that worldwide roughly 100 million young people are fully illiterate. While data on attendance, enrolment, and literacy can be difficult to gather in fragile and conflict-affected settings, estimates suggest that children in these settings are roughly three times more likely to be out of school than children living in stable, but low-income countries.
Keywords: IMPORT_FROM_DFID_RITE; Important; Read; _THEME: Teacher Professional Development; ___working_potential_duplicate; auto_merged

DIGITAL LEARNING INNOVATIONS FOR SYRIAN REFUGEES AND HOST COMMUNITIES EXTERNAL EVALUATION REPORT .pdf - Tawileh (2018)
This report presents the key findings of the Digital Learning Innovations project implemented by the International Education Association (IEA) to test the potential of technological and pedagogical innovations to improve the quality and accessibility of learning in and outside the classroom for Syrian refugee children and host communities in Lebanon and Jordan, with a primary focus on children ages 14 to 18. The project had two components, the first was implemented in Lebanon at 41 schools and led by IEA, and the second was implemented in Jordan at 14 UNICEF-affiliated Makani centres and led by Birzeit University.
Keywords: Google Scholar/ "refugee education" ICT; RER theme_pedagogies and modalities

Implementation Models: Evidence and lessons from randomised evaluations - Teaching at the Right Level (Teaching at the Right Level, 2018)

ICT Facts & Opportunities in Jordan - Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (2018)

Pakistan is home to the most frenetic education reforms in the world - The Economist (2018)
Keywords: auto_merged

Third Medium Term Plan 2018-2022 - The National Treasury and Planning (2018)

Safe Schools: The Hidden Crisis - Theirworld (2018)

Situational Analysis: UNICEF Tanzania Decentralization and Local Governance Support Strategy (Mainland and Zanzibar) - Tidemand, Per (UNICEF, 2018)

An Investigation into Implementation of ICT in ECD and Primary Schools, in the Light of Free Laptops at Primary One: a case study of teachers implementing ICT into their teaching practice - Tonui, Betty C.; Kerich, E.; Koross, R.; J, K.; Moi, Too (2018)
Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have been touted as being potentially powerful tools that can be used to facilitate the implied educational change and reform. Implementation of ICT in higher education learning environments is a complex task. Teachers and students, but also management, administration and ICT support are affected by and affect the implementation. To facilitate the change processes better the first step is to actually understand what problems and challenges implementation of ICT leads to and how it affects practice. Although classical instructional methods will continue to be used in the teaching-learning process, it is also true that Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) can be harnessed to become powerful pedagogical tools. Proceeding from the premise that there are many ways to use new technologies for teaching and learning, the paper presents literature on the possibilities and challenges of integrating ICT into teaching-learning, the rationale for adopting and using ICTs for learning-teaching, as well as the key factors that influence the adoption and use of ICTs in teaching and learning both from a general perspective and in a technical education context. The paper then outlines and discusses findings of a study designed to investigate the possibilities and challenges of using Information Communication Technology (ICT) in teaching-learning procedures in primary school institutions in Kenya using data obtained from a Tinderet District school in the Rift valley

Lebanon - Media Landscape - Trombetta, Lorenzo (2018)

Interactive voice response interventions targeting behaviour change: a systematic literature review with meta-analysis and meta-regression - Tsoli, Stergiani; Sutton, Stephen; Kassavou, Aikaterini (BMJ Open, 2018)
Objective  A number of promising automated behaviour change interventions have been developed using advanced phone technology. This paper reviewed the effectiveness of interactive voice response (IVR)-based interventions designed to promote changes in specific health behaviours. Methods  A systematic literature review of papers published between January 1990 and September 2017 in MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, PsycINFO, SCOPUS and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) was conducted. From the total of 2546 papers identified, 15 randomised control trials (RCTs) met the eligibility criteria and were included in a random effects metaanalysis. Meta-regression analysis was used to explore whether behaviour change techniques (BCTs) that were used in the interventions were associated with intervention effectiveness. Results  Meta-analysis of 15 RCTs showed that IVRbased interventions had small but significant effects on promoting medication adherence (OR=1.527, 95% CI 1.207 to 1.932, k=9, p=0.000) and physical activity (Hedges’ g=0.254, 95% CI 0.068 to 0.439, k=3, p=0.007). No effects were found for alcohol (Hedges’ g=−0.077, 95% CI −0.162 to 0.007, k=4, p=0.073) or diet (Hedges’ g=0.130, 95% CI −0.088 to 0.347, k=2, p=0.242). In the medication adherence studies, multivariable meta-regression including six BCTs explained 100% of the observed variance in effect size, but only the BCT ‘information about health consequences’ was significantly associated with effect size (β=0.690, SE=0.199, 95% CI 0.29 to 1.08, p=0.000). Conclusion  IVR-based interventions appear promising in changing specific health behaviours, such as medication adherence and physical activity. However, more studies are needed to elucidate further the combination of active components of IVR interventions that make them effective and test their feasibility and effectiveness using robust designs and objective outcome measures.
Keywords: ___working_potential_duplicate; auto_merged

Interactive voice response interventions targeting behaviour change: a systematic literature review with meta-analysis and meta-regression - Tsoli, Stergiani; Sutton, Stephen; Kassavou, Aikaterini (BMJ Open, 2018)
Objective  A number of promising automated behaviour change interventions have been developed using advanced phone technology. This paper reviewed the effectiveness of interactive voice response (IVR)-based interventions designed to promote changes in specific health behaviours. Methods  A systematic literature review of papers published between January 1990 and September 2017 in MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, PsycINFO, SCOPUS and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) was conducted. From the total of 2546 papers identified, 15 randomised control trials (RCTs) met the eligibility criteria and were included in a random effects metaanalysis. Meta-regression analysis was used to explore whether behaviour change techniques (BCTs) that were used in the interventions were associated with intervention effectiveness. Results  Meta-analysis of 15 RCTs showed that IVRbased interventions had small but significant effects on promoting medication adherence (OR=1.527, 95% CI 1.207 to 1.932, k=9, p=0.000) and physical activity (Hedges’ g=0.254, 95% CI 0.068 to 0.439, k=3, p=0.007). No effects were found for alcohol (Hedges’ g=−0.077, 95% CI −0.162 to 0.007, k=4, p=0.073) or diet (Hedges’ g=0.130, 95% CI −0.088 to 0.347, k=2, p=0.242). In the medication adherence studies, multivariable meta-regression including six BCTs explained 100% of the observed variance in effect size, but only the BCT ‘information about health consequences’ was significantly associated with effect size (β=0.690, SE=0.199, 95% CI 0.29 to 1.08, p=0.000). Conclusion  IVR-based interventions appear promising in changing specific health behaviours, such as medication adherence and physical activity. However, more studies are needed to elucidate further the combination of active components of IVR interventions that make them effective and test their feasibility and effectiveness using robust designs and objective outcome measures.
Keywords: ___working_potential_duplicate

Technology comprehension: Scaling making into a national discipline - Tuhkala, Ari; Wagner, Marie-Louise; Nielsen, Nick; Iversen, Ole Sejer; Kärkkäinen, Tommi (2018)

Designing appropriate learning technologies for school vs home settings in Tanzanian rural villages - Uchidiuno, Judith; Yarzebinski, Evelyn; Madaio, Michael; Maheshwari, Nupur; Koedinger, Ken; Ogan, Amy (Association for Computing Machinery, 2018)
Smartphone- and tablet-based learning systems are often posited as solutions for closing early literacy gaps between rural and urban regions in emerging economies. These systems are often developed based on experiences with students in urban contexts, limiting their success rates with children from rural areas who have had little to no prior exposure to technology. To explore how such technologies are used in different learning contexts, we deployed an early literacy learning application in school and home settings in a rural village in Tanzania. We use Rogoff's theory of instructional models to understand and describe the interaction between learners, adults, and peers. We found that in the presence of a school teacher, the instructional model was primarily "adult-run" where information was almost entirely disseminated by the teacher, while in home settings, the instructional model was similar to a "community-of-learners" model where children collaborate with other peers and adults to achieve their learning goals. We use these instructional models to surface six themes of support and scaffolding that were expressed differently across settings, and discuss the benefits and drawbacks of the instructional models observed in providing support across these themes.
Keywords: Early Literacy; Educational Technology; Sub-Saharan Africa

Data Protection Act 2018 - UK Data Protection Act (2018)

Human Development Indices and Indicators: 2018 Statistical Update: Senegal - UNDP (2018)

A Lifeline to learning: leveraging mobile technology to support education for refugees - UNESCO (2018)

A Lifeline to learning: leveraging mobile technology to support education for refugees; 2018 - 261278eng.pdf - UNESCO (2018)

Enhancing social inclusion through innovative mobile learning in Uruguay: case study by the UNESCO-Fazheng project on best practices in mobile learning - UNESCO Biblioteca Digital - UNESCO (2018)

Global education monitoring report, 2019: Migration, displacement and education: building bridges, not walls - UNESCO (UNESCO, 2018)

MTB MLE resource kit: Including the excluded: promoting multilingual education - UNESCO (UNESCO Office Bangkok and Regional Bureau for Education in Asia and the Pacific, 2018)

Proportion of schools with access to basic facilities, all schools - UNESCO (2018)

UNESCO Competency Framework for Teachers Version 3. - UNESCO (2018)

UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers - UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, 2018)

UNESCO ICT competency framework for teachers version 3 - UNESCO (2018)
UNESCO developed the ICT Competency Framework for Teachers (ICT CFT) as a tool to guide pre and in service teacher training on the use of ICTs across the education system. The ICT CFT is intended to be adapted to support national and institutional goals by providing an up-to-date framework for policy development and capacity building in this dynamic area. The ICT Competency Framework for Teachers (ICT CFT) Version 3 is a response to recent technological and pedagogical developments in the field of ICT and Education, and incorporates in its structure inclusive principles of non-discrimination, open and equitable information accessibility and gender equality in the delivery of education supported by technology. It addresses the impacts of recent technological advances on education and learning, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Mobile Technologies, the Internet of Things and Open Educational Resources, to support the creation of inclusive Knowledge Societies. [Publisher summary, ed]
Keywords: auto_merged

UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers: version 3. - UNESCO (2018)
UNESCO developed the ICT Competency Framework for Teachers (ICT CFT) as a tool to guide pre and in service teacher training on the use of ICTs across the education system. The ICT CFT is intended to be adapted to support national and institutional goals by providing an up-to-date framework for policy development and capacity building in this dynamic area. The ICT Competency Framework for Teachers (ICT CFT) Version 3 is a response to recent technological and pedagogical developments in the field of ICT and Education, and incorporates in its structure inclusive principles of non-discrimination, open and equitable information accessibility and gender equality in the delivery of education supported by technology. It addresses the impacts of recent technological advances on education and learning, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Mobile Technologies, the Internet of Things and Open Educational Resources, to support the creation of inclusive Knowledge Societies. [Publisher summary, ed]

Sustainable Development Goal 4 : 4.a.1 Proportion of schools with access to basic facilities, all schools - UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2018)

UIS Statistics - UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2018)
Keywords: ___working_potential_duplicate

UIS Statistics - UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2018)
Keywords: ___working_potential_duplicate

UIS Statistics - UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2018)
Keywords: ___working_potential_duplicate

Guidance for developing gender-responsive education sector plans | Documents | Global Partnership for Education - UNGEI; GPE; UNICEF (2018)
The Guidance developed by GPE and UNGEI, with support from UNICEF, has been designed to help deliver on the commitment of the Sustainable Development Goals and Education 2030 to achieve gender equality in education. The tool will help developing countries put in place gender-sensitive policies, plans and learning environments, with a view to transform the way education systems function.

UNHCR Global Trends 2018 - UNHCR (UNHCR, 2018)

Ghana (GHA) - Demographics, Health & Infant Mortality - UNICEF (UNICEF DATA, 2018)

Human Centred Design (HCD) - UNICEF (2018)
Creating solutions for children using the Human Centred Design approach

Raising Learning Outcomes: the opportunities and challenges of ICT for learning - UNICEF (2018)

Raising learning outcomes : the opportunities and challenges of ICT for learning - Appendix II - UNICEF (2018)

Revised Evaluation Policy of UNICEF - UNICEF (2018)

The Out-of-School Children Initiative (OOSCI) - UNICEF (UNICEF, 2018)

Education budget brief 2018: Tanzania - UNICEF Tanzania (UNICEF, 2018)

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2016/17 - UNICEF; Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (2018)

Punjab: Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2016/17 - UNICEF; Government of Punjab (2018)

Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey - USAID (2018)

USAID Impact Evaluation of the Makhalidwe Athu Project (Zambia): Endline Report - USAID (2018)
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

Narrative Assessment: A new approach to evaluation of advocacy for development - Van Wessel, Margit (Evaluation, 2018)
This article proposes an approach to monitoring and evaluating advocacy that integrates theory of change and storytelling. This approach, called Narrative Assessment, addresses the feasibility of objectivity and evidence in the complex context of advocacy and proposes an evaluation methodology rooted in alternative conceptualizations of rigour and of evaluator roles. The approach centres on practical judgment and the construction and examination of stories through interaction between advocates and monitoring and evaluation specialists. The article discusses how Narrative Assessment can be useful in the evaluation of advocacy in terms of (1) monitoring and evaluation specialists’ orientation toward programmes; (2) the interpretation of outcomes; (3) the assessment of outcome relevance; (4) reflection and learning and (5) the communication of programme results. The approach builds on lessons drawn from evaluation of eight advocacy programmes in international development.

Global Parents' Survey 2018: India findings - Varkey Foundation (2018)
The biggest and most comprehensive survey of parents’ hopes, fears and aspirations around the world.

Real girls, real lives, connected: A global study of girls’ access and usage of mobile, told through 3000 voices. - Vodafone Foundation (Vodafone Foundation, 2018)

Learning at the bottom of the pyramid: Science, measurement, and policy in low-income countries - Wagner, D.A.; Wolf, S.; Boruch, R.F. (UNESCO-IIEP, 2018)

Learning as Development: Rethinking International Education in a Changing World - Wagner, Daniel (2018)
Keywords: ___working_potential_duplicate

Learning as Development: Rethinking International Education in a Changing World - Wagner, Daniel (2018)
Keywords: ___working_potential_duplicate

Learning as Development: Rethinking International Education in a Changing World - Wagner, Daniel (2018)
Keywords: ___working_potential_duplicate

Technology for Education in Low-Income Countries: Supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals - Wagner, Daniel A. (ICT-Supported Innovations in Small Countries and Developing Regions: Perspectives and Recommendations for International Education, 2018)
Information and communications technologies (ICTs) are increasingly available, even in developing countries, leading to a number of pressing questions. Will ICTs for education (ICT4E) improve learning and educational quality? Might they increase the ‘digital divide’ with negative consequences for equity? What can ICT4E offer to help assist in the achievement of the new UN Sustainable Development Goals? The present review addresses these questions and uses of ICT4E in developing countries. First, a short overview is provided of how ICT4E intersects with the learning outcomes and the quality of education, including contemporary perceptions of what does and does not work in ICT4E. Second, an ICT4E framework is suggested as a way to reconceptualize the parameters currently in use that will lead to more effective ICT4E design solutions. Third, ICT projects in four key education subsectors – early childhood, basic as well as secondary education, and teacher education – help to disaggregate where and how interventions have been made in recent years. Finally, a set of investment domains in ICT4E is described, along with a set of specific suggestions to advance the field. The paper concludes with the suggestion that measurable, sustainable, and scalable design solutions in ICT4E are the best way to assist in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Keywords: Design solution; Framework; ICT4E; Learning; Technology; UN SDGs

Technology for Education in Low-Income Countries: Supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals - Wagner, Daniel A.; Lubin, Ian (ICT-Supported Innovations in Small Countries and Developing Regions: Perspectives and Recommendations for International Education, 2018)

Improving students’ independence and collaboration with blended learning - Wahyuni, Erly (Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Community Development (AMCA 2018), 2018)
Now that web-based learning has emerged as a major trend in higher education. Many people have opportunities to develop and enhance independent or collaborative learning through a material which can be supported by technology and online learning. This study was aimed at 1) finding out how Blended Learning was implemented to improve students’ independency and collaboration in listening class, 2) finding out how Blended Learning can improve students’ independency and collaboration, 3) finding out students’ response toward the implementation of Blended Learning in listening class. The subjects of this study are an English lecturer and the second semester students of English Dept. which consists of 28 students who are taking Listening Class. The research designs used are descriptive qualitative and quantitative research. The instruments of this study are observation, interview, and open-ended questionnaire with likert scale. The techniques of data analysis for quantitative research uses a simple percentage and qualitative research is with data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion: drawing or verifying. The result of the research showed that 1) the use of blended learning in teaching listening offered ways for lecturer to be more effective in the teaching and learning process, 2) blended learning was able to improve students’ indepedency and collaboration in listening class, and 3) this study demonstrated the positive response for the students.
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) for Professional Teacher and Teacher Educator Development: A Case of TESSA MOOC in Kenya - Wambugu, Patriciah W. (Universal Journal of Educational Research, 2018)
This study intends to present a bespoke teacher professional development MOOC designed by Teacher Education for Sub-Saharan Africa (TESSA) team that allows MOOCs to become a viable means offering cost-effective, quality professional teacher development. TESSA is a network of teachers and teacher educators, working to improve classroom teaching in Africa. TESSA MOOC is an innovative approach to capacity building for teacher educators and teachers across Africa. The study presents outputs of an evaluation of TESSA MOOC course undertaken by Kenyan teachers and teacher educators. The experiences of the participants were that the TESSA MOOC was a new but interesting, appealing and flexible course. In addition, the participants were able to learn from one another and what they learnt may impact on their pedagogical skills. Key challenges identified include difficulties in downloading of materials due to lack of internet connectivity and use of ICT phobia for learning. MOOCs represent an untapped potential for teacher professional development that can be a cost and resource effective means to deliver quality education to teachers and teacher educators. Therefore, the teachers and teacher educators may need to exploit this learner based TESSA MOOC to build capacity for teaching.
Keywords: Educational Quality; Faculty Development; Foreign Countries; Information Technology; Online Courses; Teacher Education; Teacher Educators; Teacher Effectiveness

MOOCs as an alternative for teacher professional development: examining learner persistence in one Chinese MOOC - Wang, Qiong; Chen, Bodong; Fan, Yizhou; Zhang, Guogang (Peking University, 2018)
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have developed into a significant international movement, showing great promise in addressing equity, quality, and efficiency issues in global education. To date, many MOOCs have been developed specifically for teacher professional development (TPD). In this regard, an important empirical question remains to be addressed: How and to what extent can MOOCs support equity, quality, and efficiency in teacher professional development? To help fill this knowledge gap, this study, conducted from 2014 to 2016, focused on persistent teacher-learners in a TPD MOOC that was offered for seven consecutive rounds by the X-Learning Center of Peking University. The study found that more than 15% of the 105,383 teachers who enrolled in this MOOC were persistent teacher-learners, defined as learners who enrolled in multiple rounds. Data analysis showed that these persistent teacher-learners had diverse motivations for re-enrollment, including refreshing conceptual understanding, achieving higher scores, earning course certification, and discussing practical problems. The study also found that the persistent teacher-learners developed self-regulated learning skills in the course of multiple rounds of the MOOC and showed significantly higher learning achievement than one-time enrollees. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of both clicklog data and interview data revealed additional insights into the persistent teacher-learners’ learning within the MOOC and their real-world teaching practice beyond the MOOC. Overall, this study contributes to an improved understanding of the potential of MOOCs as an alternative TPD delivery mode in developing countries and sheds light on the future design of effective TPD through MOOCs.
Keywords: __:import:01; __:match:final; __:matched; __:study_id:2425977; __finaldtb; tpdsysrev_potential_duplicate; ⛔ No DOI found

Big hurdles thwart Jubilee’s laptops plan. Daily Nation - Wanzala, O.; Nyamai, E (2018)
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

Laptops lie idle in schools on lack of skilled tutors - Wanzala, Wednesday (Business Daily, 2018)
Lower primary public school teachers are not using technology in classrooms due to computer illiteracy.

Online learning performance and satisfaction: do perceptions and readiness matter? - Wei, Huei-Chuan; Chou, Chien (Distance Education, 2018)
The current study proposes a comprehensive structural model to determine whether online learning perceptions and online learning readiness affect students’ online learning performance and course satisfaction. A questionnaire was voluntarily completed by 356 undergraduate students enrolled in a cross-campus, general education, asynchronous online course in Taiwan. The structural equation modeling analyses indicated that students’ computer/Internet self-efficacy and motivation for learning exerted a direct, positive effect on their online discussion score and course satisfaction. Furthermore, it was found that students’ computer/Internet self-efficacy for online learning readiness had a mediated effect not only on online learning perceptions and online discussion score but also on online learning perceptions and course satisfaction. The findings of this research are helpful for both academics and practitioners of online learning to design online courses that particularly emphasize computer/Internet self-efficacy.
Keywords: course satisfaction; learning readiness; online learning perceptions; student performance

Outcome Harvesting: Principles, Steps, and Evaluation Applications - Wilson-Grau, Ricardo (2018)

Missed Opportunities : The High Cost of Not Educating Girls - Wodon, Quentin; Montenegro, Claudio; Nguyen, Hoa; Onagoruwa, Adenike (2018)

Liberia launches “getting to best in education” program - Woods Baysah, David (Global Partnership for Education, 2018)

Balochistan : Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) Performance Assessment Report - World Bank (2018)
Balochistan : Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) Performance Assessment Report (English)

From Growth to Development: Priorities for Sustainably Reducing Poverty and Achieving Middle-Income Status by 2030 - World Bank (2018)

Government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) - South Asia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka | Data - World Bank (2018)

IDA Project Paper on a Proposed Additional Credit to the Republic of Senegal for a Quality Improvement and Equity of Basic Education Project - World Bank (2018)

Incidence of malaria (per 1,000 population at risk) - Sierra Leone, Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) | Data - World Bank (2018)

Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people) - World Bank (2018)

Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people) - Sub-Saharan Africa - World Bank (2018)

Nigeria: Human Capital Index Summary - World Bank (2018)

Pakistan@100: Shaping the Future - World Bank (World Bank Group, 2018)
Pakistan@100: Shaping the Future articulates the reforms that are necessary for Pakistan to accelerate and sustain growth, and become an upper middle-income country by 2047, when it turns 100 years old.

Project Appraisal document on a grant from the Global Partnership for Education to the Republic of Madagascar - World Bank (2018)

Pupil-teacher ratio, secondary - Tanzania | Data - World Bank (2018)

World Development Report 2018: Learning to realize education’s promise - World Bank (World Development Report, 2018)
World Development Report 2018: LEARNING to Realize Education’s Promise
Keywords: C:Low- and middle-income countries

Bangladesh - Third Primary Education Development Program (English) - World Bank Group (2018)

Universal Service and Access Funds: An Untapped Resource to Close the Gender Digital Divide - World Wide Web Foundation (2018)

Sierra Leone population 2020 - WorldPop (2018)
RF-based gridded population distribution datasets produced in the framework of the Global Project - Funded by The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (OPP1134076)
Keywords: Population distribution, Population, Dasymetric disaggregation

On the margins or at the center? Distance learning in higher education - Xiao, J (Distance Education, 2018)

XPRIZE and UNESCO - XPRIZE (XPRIZE, 2018)
Four years ago, when we first decided to conduct the field test for the Global learning XPRIZE in Tanzania, we were looking for a partner willing to take a chance on something audacious.

Understanding the Potential of Digital Interventions to Support English Language Learners in Rwanda - Yoon, Semee; Kim, Hyunju; Connor, Jacqueline (Global Engagement and Empowerment (IGEE) at Yonsei University; Enuma, Inc., 2018)

Mode of tele-communication and software used by children with hearing impairment - Zahra, Arjamand; Khan, Sikander Ghayas; Butt, Ayesha Kamal; Noreen, Hafsa; Saeed, Muhammad Imtiaz; Iftikhar, Nayab (Biomedical Research, 2018)
Objective: The study is being conducted to find out mode of tele-communication and software used by children with hearing impairment. Methodology: This cross-sectional study was done at special education centers and schools in Lahore and Sheikhupura. Data was collected from children with hearing impairment by using a questionnaire of 11 items about the modes of tele-communication and software used by children with hearing impairment. Sample size was 362 which was calculated by using online sample size calculator. The population includes male and female children with mild, moderate, severe and profound hearing impairment studying in special education schools of Lahore and Sheikhupura. All these children use hearing aid and have congenital bilateral hearing loss. Results: This study shows that almost 80% population of children with hearing impairment know about computer and mobile. They also have awareness about the use of computer, Facebook, e-mail etc. In addition, 40 to 50% children with hearing impairment use Skype, Facebook and e-mail as a communication tool. Conclusion: The conclusion from this study is that most of the children use computer and mobile on daily basis in schools and homes for communication. Mild to moderate hearing loss children benefit from these devices between the ages of 10 to 20 y.

The impact of cognitive and non-cognitive feedback on students' achievement in a distance learning environment - Zeichner, Orit (Journal of Educational Technology, 2018)
This paper deals with the field of "feedback intervention" in a distance learning environment. The study examines the influences of two types of feedback: cognitive content-oriented feedback designed to meet the student's cognitive needs relating to the curriculum, and non-cognitive feedback that refers to motivational-affective aspects of the learning process, in the form of axioms relating to the student's ability, on one hand, and the effort that the student puts into the learning process, on the other. The purpose of this study was to examine the differential effect of different types of feedback on the student's coping variables (cognitive assessment), i.e. the sense of threat and challenge, self-efficacy, and achievement. The rationale for choosing feedback axioms for motivation is based on recent theoretical models which focus on students' perceptions and beliefs as elements that affect their learning motivation. The study was conducted on 171 subjects divided into three study groups. Each group received a different type of feedback: content feedback, effort feedback, or ability feedback. The findings indicate that groups which received feedback relating to more than content show improved motivation, an increased sense of challenge and improved achievement in comparison to the group which received content feedback only. Small differences were found between the ability feedback and effort feedback groups.
Keywords: Academic Achievement; Cognitive Processes; Comparative Analysis; Distance Education; Educational Technology; Feedback (Response); High School Students; Learning Processes; Learning Strategies; Mixed Methods Research; Questionnaires; Self Efficacy; Student Attitudes; Student Motivation

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

Localization & Translation Are Not The Same - But What's The Difference? - Clear words translations (Clear Words Translations, 2017)
If you're wondering what the difference is between localization and translation, check out this article before you start going global.

World Report 2018 - Human Rights Watch (2017)
World Report 2018 summarizes key human rights issues in more than 90 countries and territories worldwide, drawing on events from late 2016 through November 2017.

Books or laptops? The effect of shifting from printed to digital delivery of educational content on learning - Bando, Rosangela; Gallego, Francisco; Gertler, Paul; Fonseca, Dario Romero (Economics of Education Review, 2017)
Information and communication technologies can be used for educational purposes, but these devices may also pose as distractors that may tamper with the learning process. This paper presents results from a randomized controlled trial in which laptops replaced traditional textbook provision in elementary schools in high poverty communities in Honduras. We show that at the end of one school year, we fail to reject that there were no differences between laptop and textbook provision on mathematics and Spanish test scores and in non-academic outcomes related to coding and verbal fluency.
Keywords: Computers; E-learning; Education; RCT; Technology; Textbooks

Pathways to Educational Success Among Refugees: Connecting Locally and Globally Situated Resources - Dryden-Peterson, Sarah; Dahya, Negin; Adelman, Elizabeth (American Educational Research Journal, 2017)
This study identifies pathways to educational success among refugees. Data are from an original online survey of Somali diaspora and in-depth qualitative interviews with Somali refugee students educated in the Dadaab refugee camps of Kenya. This research builds on Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model to consider both the locally and globally situated nature of resources across refugees’ ecosystems. Analysis examines the nature and content of student-identified supports and their perceived influence on access to and persistence in school as well as the mediating role of technology. The findings suggest consideration of both locally situated relationships and globally situated relationships as critical educational supports. Implications include leveraging naturally occurring virtual relationships to support educational success of refugees and other young people who are physically isolated from access to needed supports in their local region.
Keywords: Google Scholar/ refugee education technology; RER theme_pedagogies and modalities

Thematic Analysis: Striving to Meet the Trustworthiness Criteria - Nowell, Lorelli S.; Norris, Jill M.; White, Deborah E.; Moules, Nancy J. (International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 2017)
As qualitative research becomes increasingly recognized and valued, it is imperative that it is conducted in a rigorous and methodical manner to yield meaningful and useful results. To be accepted as trustworthy, qualitative researchers must demonstrate that data analysis has been conducted in a precise, consistent, and exhaustive manner through recording, systematizing, and disclosing the methods of analysis with enough detail to enable the reader to determine whether the process is credible. Although there are numerous examples of how to conduct qualitative research, few sophisticated tools are available to researchers for conducting a rigorous and relevant thematic analysis. The purpose of this article is to guide researchers using thematic analysis as a research method. We offer personal insights and practical examples, while exploring issues of rigor and trustworthiness. The process of conducting a thematic analysis is illustrated through the presentation of an auditable decision trail, guiding interpreting and representing textual data. We detail our step-by-step approach to exploring the effectiveness of strategic clinical networks in Alberta, Canada, in our mixed methods case study. This article contributes a purposeful approach to thematic analysis in order to systematize and increase the traceability and verification of the analysis.

How (Not) to Fix Problems that Matter: Assessing and Responding to Malawi's History of Institutional Reform - Bridges, Kate; Woolcock, Michael (World Bank, 2017)
Malawi can be understood as a microcosm of institutional reform approaches in developing countries more broadly. A common feature of such approaches, whether implemented by government or donors, is reform initiatives that yield institutions that "look like" those found in higher-performing countries but rarely acquire the same underlying functionality. This paper presents a retrospective analysis of previous institutional reform projects in Malawi, as well as interviews with Malawi-based development practitioners. The paper finds a plethora of interventions that, merely by virtue of appearing to be in conformity with "best practices" elsewhere, are deemed to be successful yet fail to fix underlying problems, sometimes in contradiction to internal and public narratives of positive progress. This unhappy arrangement endures because a multitude of imperatives, incentives, and norms appear to keep governments and donors from more closely examining why such intense, earnest, and long-standing efforts at reform have, to date, yielded so few successes. This paper seeks to promote a shift in approach to institutional reform, offering some practical recommendations for reform-minded managers, project teams, and political leaders in which the focus is placed on crafting solutions to problems that Malawians themselves nominate, prioritize, and enact.
Keywords: Capacity Building; Civil Service; Development Effectiveness; Governance; Institutions; Legitimacy; Public Administration; Public Sector; Reform

Endline Evaluation Report Step Change Window - Coffey International (Coffey International Development LTD, 2017)

Not just for special occasions: supporting the professional learning of teachers through critical reflection with audio-visual information - Saito, Eisuke; Khong, Thi Diem Hang (Reflective Practice, 2017)
Despite increased use of professional learning communities in the teacher education field, they do not necessarily guarantee change in teachers’ daily practice. This study is a multiple case study of three school leaders in Vietnam to connect their teachers’ learning and practice by utilising visual records. In the cases studied, we see a progression of models of joint reflection based on visual information, from only occasional reflection to daily critical reflection, the latter of which the authors call ‘vide-flection’ referring to a process for people to consider their actions, thoughts, or experiences by utilising video-recorded images. For joint vide-flection, school leaders visit every classroom for several minutes every day to observe the wellbeing and learning of pupils and video-record struggles or breakthroughs in children’s learning; they share those images with teachers to jointly reflect on the situations. Through this vide-flection, teachers develop more detailed awareness of pupils needs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]
Keywords: ADULTS; AUDIOVISUAL aids in education; AUDIOVISUAL materials; CRITICAL thinking studies; DATA analysis software; DESCRIPTIVE statistics; EDUCATION; FOCUS groups; INTERVIEWING; PROFESSIONAL education; PROFESSIONAL employee training; REFLECTION (Philosophy); RESEARCH funding; Reflective practice; SCHOOL administrators; TEACHER training; TEACHING; THEMATIC analysis; VIETNAM; Vietnam; __:import:01; __:match:final; __:matched; __:study_id:2099873; __finaldtb; critical reflection; professional learning; teacher professional development; vide-flection

CONSORT-Equity 2017 extension and elaboration for better reporting of health equity in randomised trials - Welch, Vivian A.; Norheim, Ole F.; Jull, Janet; Cookson, Richard; Sommerfelt, Halvor; Tugwell, Peter; Symposium, CONSORT-Equity and Boston Equity (BMJ, 2017)
We outline CONSORT-Equity 2017 reporting standards, an extension to the CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) statement that aims to improve the reporting of intervention effects in randomised trials where health equity is relevant. Health inequities are unfair differences in health that can be avoided by reasonable action. We defined a randomised trial where health equity is relevant as one that assesses effects on health equity by evaluating an intervention focused on people experiencing social disadvantage or by exploring the difference in the effect of the intervention between two groups (or as a gradient across more than two groups) experiencing different levels of social disadvantage, or both. We held a consensus meeting with diverse potential users from high, middle, and low income countries, including knowledge users such as patients and methodologists. We discussed evidence for each proposed extension item from empirical studies, reviews, key informant interviews, and an online survey, aiming to improve clarity of reporting without imposing undue burden on authors. The new guidance contains equity extensions to 16 items from CONSORT 2010 plus one new item on research ethics reporting, with examples of good practice and a brief explanation and elaboration for each. Widespread uptake of this guidance for the reporting of trials where health equity is relevant will make it easier for decision makers to find and use evidence from randomised trials to reduce unfair inequalities in health.
Keywords: _C:Bulgaria BGR; _C:Canada CAN; _C:India IND; _C:Madagascar MDG; _C:Malawi MWI; _C:Mexico MEX; _C:New Zealand NZL; _C:Norway NOR; _C:Pakistan PAK; _C:Thailand THA; _C:Uganda UGA; _C:United States USA; __C:scheme:1

Internet access and education: key considerations for policy makers - Internet Society (2017)
The Internet has immense potential to improve the quality of education, which is one of the pillars of sustainable development. This Internet Society briefing outlines ways in which policymakers can unlock that potential through an enabling framework for access to the Internet. It sets out five priorities for policymakers: infrastructure and access, vision and policy, inclusion, capacity, and content and devices. Together these represent key considerations for unlocking access to the Internet in support of education.

Allô École! Using mobile technologies to connect government, teachers, and parents - World Bank (World Bank, 2017)
A World Bank pilot is promoting a mobile social accountability platform « Allô École! » to increase accountability in the primary education sector of the DRC.
Keywords: C: Democratic Republic of Congo

Open data in developing economies: Toward building an evidence base on what works and how - Verhulst, Stefaan; Young, Andrew (African Minds, 2017)
In essence, the book seeks to answer the following key questions: • What makes open data uniquely relevant to developing economies? • How can the impact of open data in developing economies be captured and evidence be developed? • How can open data be leveraged as a new asset for development?
Keywords: Andrew Young; Open Data in Developing Economies: Toward Building an Evidence Base on What Works and How; SSRN; Stefaan Verhulst

20 innovative edtech projects from around the world - Trucano, Mike (World Bank Blogs, 2017)
Also available in: Español | Français what did I miss? For the past two decades, I've worked on issues at the intersection of the education and technology sectors in middle- and low-income countries and emerging markets around the world. It's been a fascinating job: Over the past 20 years, I've ...

Not just for special occasions: supporting the professional learning of teachers through critical reflection with audio-visual information - Saito, Eisuke; Khong, Thi Diem Hang (Reflective Practice, 2017)
Despite increased use of professional learning communities in the teacher education field, they do not necessarily guarantee change in teachers’ daily practice. This study is a multiple case study of three school leaders in Vietnam to connect their teachers’ learning and practice by utilising visual records. In the cases studied, we see a progression of models of joint reflection based on visual information, from only occasional reflection to daily critical reflection, the latter of which the authors call ‘vide-flection’ referring to a process for people to consider their actions, thoughts, or experiences by utilising video-recorded images. For joint vide-flection, school leaders visit every classroom for several minutes every day to observe the wellbeing and learning of pupils and video-record struggles or breakthroughs in children’s learning; they share those images with teachers to jointly reflect on the situations. Through this vide-flection, teachers develop more detailed awareness of pupils needs.
Keywords: Reflective practice; Vietnam; critical reflection; professional learning; teacher professional development; vide-flection

Use of digital game based learning and gamification in secondary school science: The effect on student engagement, learning and gender difference - Khan, Amna; Ahmad, Farzana Hayat; Malik, Muhammad Muddassir (Education and Information Technologies, 2017)
This study aimed to identify the impact of a game based learning (GBL) application using computer technologies on student engagement in secondary school science classrooms. The literature reveals that conventional Science teaching techniques (teacher-centered lecture and teaching), which foster rote learning among students, are one of the major concerns in Pakistan Education system. This leads to student disengagement in science lessons eventually resulting in student absenteeism and dropouts from the schools. This study consisted of five stages: (1) examining the impact of Digital Game-Based Learning (DGBL) and gamification on engagement, learning and gender difference, and literature related to using DGBL models for instructional design; (2) planning learning activities and developing a GBL application based on a specific content in Science; (3) conducting an intervention with a sample of 72 participants of 8th grade (aged 12–15) in a low cost private school of Pakistan following quasi-experimental research framework; (4) observing behaviour and emotions of the participants during science lessons; (5) conducting pre and post tests to assess the learning outcomes of participants followed by focus groups discussion. Analysis from Friedman test, Mann-Whitney U test, and Wilcoxon Signed Rank test show that the GBL application has a positive influence on student engagement. However, GBL application was not equally effective for all students since girls outperformed boys in terms of engagement and learning outcomes. This study gives insights into the development of better educational games to promote student learning.

Disability in and Around Urban Areas of Sierra Leone - Trani, Jean-Francois; Bah, Osman; Bailey, Nicki; Browne, Joyce; Groce, Nora; Kett, Maria (2017)

Fighting Illiteracy in the Arab World - Abu Hammud, Muwafaq; Jarrar, Amani G. (International Education Studies, 2017)
Illiteracy in the Arab world is becoming an urgent necessity particularly facing problems of poverty, ignorance, extremism, which impede the required economic, social, political and cultural development processes. Extremism, violence and terrorism, in the Arab world, can only be eliminated by spreading of knowledge, fighting illiteracy. The study shows that illiteracy rate among males in the Arab world is 25% for males, (46%) for Females. Results of the study show that if the educational situation in all Arab countries does not change, illiteracy rates will increase in the Arab world, and the number of illiterates in the Arab world will reach 49 million in the category of age of 15 years, and by 2024,it may reach 5.5 million of youth (15 - 24 years). The study identifies factors affecting the rise of illiteracy in the Arab world, particularly: Low economic level of many Arab countries, the growing security, political turmoil and internal problems experienced by most Arab countries, Social reasons, and random policies and contradiction in the trends and areas of combating illiteracy. The study concluded that illiteracy has a significant impact on social behavior, and that democracy, political participation, violence, cultural development, respect, pluralism, and accepting diversity, are all affected by illiteracy. The study recommends that Arab governments must formulate clear strategies linked to development plans to save 100 million Arab citizens who suffer from illiteracy, and ignorance. Illiteracy is to be taken seriously because it entails misunderstanding democracy, lack of youth interest in political affairs, corruption, and therefore the absence of comprehensive reform programs.

EIA- A Teacher Education Project in Bangladesh: An Analysis from Diversified Perspectives - Karim, Abdul; Mohamed, Abdul Rashid; Prof., School of Educational Studies, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia, richsesusm@gmail.com; Rahman, Mohammad Mosiur; Graduate Research Student, School of Languages, Literacies and Translation, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia, mosiurbhai@gmail.com (International Journal of Instruction, 2017)
English in Action (EIA) is an ongoing teacher education project which places mobile technology at the centre of its action. Most of the studies carried out focused on the changes EIA brought in teachers’ classroom actions. Along with this, they also explored the classroom to observe whether the input given during training program is implemented in real life. No study has been conducted that compares and contrasts the components of mobile learning in general and the components EIA is using. This study, particularly, drew a comparative analysis between the mobile learning and EIA initiated mobile learning to reveal the extent it matched or mismatched to the components of mobile learning. It also scrutinized teachers’ behavior in the classroom after participating in EIA. It also penetrated to find the contents to be reviewed. Qualitative method was used to conduct this study. The result revealed that the components of EIA match to the mobile learning ones to the extent that EIA entails those suiting the context. Few elements were seemed absent as they are less suitable in such context. Besides, teachers were found bringing changes in their classrooms. The introduction of action research and reflective teaching were suggested to add to EIA’s program.

A Survey of ICT Capacity in Ghana's Public Colleges of Education (Transforming Teacher Education and Learning, 2017)
The survey of ICT capacity at 40 colleges of education (CoEs) reflects a considerable amount of work, by many people. The National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE) acknowledges with thanks, Consumer Insights Consult (CiC) research team, Cyprian Ekor, Elvis Akpabli, Emmanuel Mireku, George Asare, Kennedy Amedume, Daniel Amewuda, Philemon Opoku. NCTE staff, Jacob T. Akunor, Anthony Dzidzornu, Emmanuel Attey Yebuah, Ebenezer Osei Adu, Nicholas Ameyaw and Kwaku Gyampoh. Transforming Teaching and Learning in Ghana (T-TEL) staff, Dr. Björn Haßler, Dr. Rosie Lugg, Mr. Charlie Gordon, Ms. Beryl Opong-Agyei, Dr. Rich Tobin and Ms. Caroline Jordan. Particular thanks is extended to Jacob Tetteh Akunor, who led this exercise on behalf of the NCTE and to the Senior managers, ICT tutors, ICT technicians and student teacher participants at all 40 CoE that participated, and gave so generously of their time and expertise.
Keywords: _DOILIVE; _not_EdTechHub; _zenodoODE; dode_eth-src-dode

Pakistan uses regulations to tighten grip on INGOs - Naviwala, Nadia (Devex, 2017)
Byzantine and ambiguous legal processes, unclear regulations, and ad hoc security requirements hinder the work of international NGOs in a country where distrust of foreign funded entities runs deep.
Keywords: ___working_potential_duplicate

100 Women: 'We can't teach girls of the future with books of the past' - Perasso, Valeria (BBC News, 2017)
Research suggests women are either written off or portrayed in stereotypes roles in primary school textbooks from all over the world.

To take learning seriously, start by measuring it - World Bank (World Development Report 2018: Learning to Realize Education's Promise, 2017)

When cost-effective interventions are unaffordable: Integrating cost-effectiveness and budget impact in priority setting for global health programs - Bilinski, Alyssa; Neumann, Peter; Cohen, Joshua; Thorat, Teja; McDaniel, Katherine; Salomon, Joshua A. (PLOS Medicine, 2017)

Shades of Grey: Guidelines for Working with the Grey Literature in Systematic Reviews for Management and Organizational Studies - Adams, Richard J.; Smart, Palie; Huff, Anne Sigismund (International Journal of Management Reviews, 2017)
This paper suggests how the ‘grey literature’, the diverse and heterogeneous body of material that is made public outside, and not subject to, traditional academic peer-review processes, can be used to increase the relevance and impact of management and organization studies (MOS). The authors clarify the possibilities by reviewing 140 systematic reviews published in academic and practitioner outlets to answer the following three questions: (i) Why is grey literature excluded from/included in systematic reviews in MOS? (ii) What types of grey material have been included in systematic reviews since guidelines for practice were first established in this discipline? (iii) How is the grey literature treated currently to advance management and organization scholarship and knowledge? This investigation updates previous guidelines for more inclusive systematic reviews that respond to criticisms of current review practices and the needs of evidence-based management.
Keywords: -FullBiblioUHMLgen; -GeneralCitations; -missingHU; DL4D cited; NOTdocs.opendeved.net; publicImportV1

Examining the impact of instructional technology and material design courses on technopedagogical education competency acquisition according to different variables - Gokdas, Ibrahim; Torun, Fulya (Kuram ve Uygulamada Egitim Bilimleri, 2017)
The need to integrate technology into education has made necessary a thorough examination of teachers’ technopedagogical competencies. While training preservice teachers, it is of particular importance that they acquire technopedagogical education competences during their preservice education. Practical and theoretical course content and Instructional Technology and Material Design (ITMD) courses are thought to be essential for preservice teachers’ technopedagogical education competency acquisition. However, the role of ITMD courses in preservice teachers’ technopedagogical education competency acquisition has remained obscure in the literature. As such, the study aims to describe the effect that ITMD courses have on technopedagogical education competency acquisition. The research was conducted with a total of 186 preservice teachers studying in the departments of classroom teaching and preschool teaching in a Faculty of Education in Turkey. The research data were gathered using the Technopedagogical Education Competency Scale (TPACK-deep), developed by Kabakci Yurdakul, Odabasi, Kilicer, Coklar, Birinci, and Kurt. This five-point Likert type scale consists of a total of four factors, i.e. design, proficiency, ethics, and exertion. The internal reliability coefficient of the 33-item scale was .95. The scale was applied by faculty members in-line with the course description designated by the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) as a pre- and post-test at the beginning and end of the semester that the course was given. A paired samples t-test and CHAID (Chi-squared Automatic Interaction Detection) analysis were incorporatedly employed to analyze the data. The research showed that ITMD courses influenced preservice teachers’ acquisition of technopedagogical education competencies. The following were observed to be critical predictor variables in technopedagogical education competency acquisition: having received computer training prior to taking the ITMD courses and the average time one spends using a computer per day.
Keywords: Communication; Computers; Core curriculum; Early childhood education; Education; Educational technology; Knowledge; Learning; Mathematics; Pedagogy; Preschool education; Science education; Social research; Students; Teacher education; Teaching methods; Web 2.0; __:import:01; __:match:final; __:matched; __:study_id:2095985; __finaldtb

Sierra Leone 2015 Population and Housing Census: Thematic Report on Disability - Kabia, Francis; Tarawally, Umaru (Statistics Sierra Leone, 2017)

Teachers and the Teaching Profession in Sierra Leone: A Comprehensive Situation Analysis - Wright, Cream (TSC, 2017)

Spatial models for the rational allocation of routinely distributed bed nets to public health facilities in Western Kenya - Macharia, Peter M.; Odera, Patroba A.; Snow, Robert W.; Noor, Abdisalan M. (Malaria Journal, 2017)
In high to moderate malaria transmission areas of Kenya, long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) are provided free of charge to pregnant women and infants during routine antenatal care (ANC) and immunization respectively. Quantities of LLINs distributed to clinics are quantified based on a combination of monthly consumption data and population size of target counties. However, this approach has been shown to lead to stock-outs in targeted clinics. In this study, a novel LLINs need quantification approach for clinics in the routine distribution system was developed. The estimated need was then compared to the actual allocation to identify potential areas of LLIN over- or under-allocation in the high malaria transmission areas of Western Kenya.
Keywords: ANC utilization; Equity; LLINs allocation; Spatial modelling

Aspirations and the Role of Social Protection: Evidence from a Natural Disaster in Rural Pakistan - Kosec, Katrina; Mo, Cecilia Hyunjung (World Development, 2017)
Citizens’ aspirations are increasingly recognized as an important dimension of their well-being. Those with high aspirations set ambitious goals for themselves, and those with low aspirations may fall prey to a poverty trap. Do natural disasters negatively impact aspirations? If so, can governments blunt these effects? We consider Pakistan’s devastating 2010 floods—and the government’s uneven relief efforts—to analyze these questions. We first show that the extreme rainfall generating this disaster significantly reduced aspirations, even when current levels of household expenditure, wealth, and education are taken into account. Individuals experiencing 2010 monsoon season rainfall that was one standard deviation higher than average had aspiration levels 1.5years later that were 0.15 standard deviations lower than those of similar individuals experiencing just average levels of rainfall. This is the same negative shock to aspirations that one would experience as a result of a 50% reduction in household expenditures. Moreover, the negative effect of natural disasters on aspirations is especially strong among the poor, and among those who are most vulnerable to weather shocks. However, exploiting exogenous variation in flood relief access, we show that government social protection can attenuate these negative impacts. Individuals in villages that received Citizens Damage Compensation (Watan Card) Program flood relief—providing cash equivalent to 9.4% of annual household expenditures in each of the three years following the disaster—saw significantly lower declines in aspirations than did those in similarly affected villages without this relief. This offers a new understanding of social protection; it not only restores livelihoods and replaces damaged assets, but also has an enduring effect by easing mental burdens, and thus raising aspirations for the future. The negative effects of natural disasters and the efficacy of government relief programs may thus be underestimated if aspirations are ignored.
Keywords: Pakistan; South Asia; climate change; political economy of development; political psychology; state capacity

ECT 300 Educational Technology: What are some of the limitations of using live radio broadcasts in teaching? - Nasib, Tim (somi, 2017)
CHAPTER 6  EDUCATIONAL BROADCASTING 6a v).Analyze some of the limitations of using live radio broadcasts in teaching. 6.7 Limitations of live radio broadcasts. As mentioned earlier in this unit eve…

General equilibrium effects of (improving) public employment programs: experimental evidence from India - Muralidharan, Karthik; Niehaus, Paul; Sukhtankar, Sandip (National Bureau of Economic Research, 2017)
Public employment programs may aﬀect poverty both directly through the income they provide and indirectly through general-equilibrium eﬀects. We estimate both eﬀects, exploiting a reform that improved the implementation of India’s National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) and whose rollout was randomized at a large (sub-district) scale. The reform raised beneﬁciary households’ earnings by 14%, and reduced poverty by 26%. Importantly, 86%of income gains came from non-program earnings, driven by higher private-sector (real) wages and employment. This pattern appears to reﬂect imperfectly competitive labor markets more than productivity gains: worker’s reservation wages increased, land returns fell, and employment gains were higher in villages with more concentrated landholdings. Non-agricultural enterprise counts and employment grew rapidly despite higher wages, consistent with a role for local demand in structural transformation. These results suggest that public employment programs can eﬀectively reduce poverty in developing countries, and may also improve economic eﬃciency.

Targeted Remedial Education: Experimental Evidence from Peru - Saavedra, Juan E; Näslund-Hadley, Emma; Alfonso, Mariana (Inter-American Development Bank, 2017)
Improving learning among low-achieving students is a challenge in education. We present results from the first randomized experiment of an inquiry-based remedial science education program for low-performing elementary students in a developing-country setting. Third-grade students in 48 low-income public elementary schools in Metropolitan Lima who score at the bottom half of their school distribution in a science test taken at the beginning of the school year are randomly assigned to receive up to 16 remedial science tutoring sessions of 90 minutes each. Control group compliance with assignment is close to perfect. Treatment group compliance is 40 percent, equivalent to 4.5 tutoring sessions, or a 4 percent increase in total science instruction time. Despite the low treatment intensity, students assigned to the remedial sessions score 0.12 standard deviations higher on a science endline test, with all gains concentrated among boys. We find no evidence of remedial education producing within-student spillovers to other subject areas (math or reading) or spillovers on other students in the classroom. We conclude that low-intensity remedial education can have an effect on science learning among low-achieving students.

Do School Electriﬁcation and Provision of Digital Media Deliver Educational Beneﬁts? First-year Evidence from 164 Tanzanian Secondary Schools - Seo, Hee Kwon (University of Chicago, 2017)

Implementation Completion and Results Report (TF-14253, TF-14358) - World Bank (World Bank Group, 2017)

Guidance on Conducting a Systematic Literature Review - Xiao, Yu; Watson, Maria (Journal of Planning Education and Research, 2017)
Literature reviews establish the foundation of academic inquires. However, in the planning field, we lack rigorous systematic reviews. In this article, through a systematic search on the methodology of literature review, we categorize a typology of literature reviews, discuss steps in conducting a systematic literature review, and provide suggestions on how to enhance rigor in literature reviews in planning education and research.
Keywords: CitedIn:BIBBTVET

The National Bank of Rwanda - ICDL (ICDL Africa, 2017)
The National Bank of Rwanda strives to be a world class Central Bank that contributes to economic growth & development, by using robust monetary policy tools to maintain stable market prices. The Bank ensures financial stability in a free market economy as it embraces innovations, diversity, inclusiveness, and economic integration. The Central Bank of Rwanda …

Repositories of Open Educational Resources: An Assessment of Reuse and Educational Aspects - Santos-Hermosa, Gema; Ferran-Ferrer, Núria; Abadal, Ernest (The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 2017)
Keywords: OER; evaluation; higher education; open educational resources; repositories; reuse

Systems Approaches to Public Sector Challenges: Working with Change - OECD (OECD, 2017)

External Validity: The Next Step for Systematic Reviews? - Avellar, Sarah A.; Thomas, Jaime; Kleinman, Rebecca; Sama-Miller, Emily; Woodruff, Sara E.; Coughlin, Rebecca; Westbrook, T’Pring R. (Evaluation Review, 2017)
Background:Systematic reviews?which identify, assess, and summarize existing research?are usually designed to determine whether research shows that an intervention has evidence of effectiveness, rather than whether an intervention will work under different circumstances. The reviews typically focus on the internal validity of the research and do not consistently incorporate information on external validity into their conclusions.Objectives:In this article, we focus on how systematic reviews address external validity.Methods:We conducted a brief scan of 19 systematic reviews and a more in-depth examination of information presented in a systematic review of home visiting research.Results:We found that many reviews do not provide information on generalizability, such as statistical representativeness, but focus on factors likely to increase heterogeneity (e.g., numbers of studies or settings) and report on context. The latter may help users decide whether the research characteristics?such as sample demographics or settings?are similar to their own. However, we found that differences in reporting, such as which variables are included and how they are measured, make it difficult to summarize across studies or make basic determinations of sample characteristics, such as whether the majority of a sample was unemployed or married.Conclusion:Evaluation research and systematic reviews would benefit from reporting guidelines for external validity to ensure that key information is reported across studies.
Keywords: external validity; systematic reviews

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

How 30% of Children Taught Themselves to Read - Curious Learning (Curious Learning, 2017)
In April our colleague Markos traveled from Addis Ababa to Wonchi, a remote village in Ethiopia. His goal: to track down 20 children who had participated in a digital learning pilot, four years ago. What he found stunned our team – all six of the children he tested had taught themselves to read, usi

65 % of Nigerian schools lack electricity, says UN chief - Lawal, Iyabo (The Guardian (Nigeria), 2017)

Teacher Coaching: What We Know - Evans, David (World Bank Blogs - Development Impact, 2017)
“Teacher coaching has emerged as a promising alternative to traditional models of professional development.” In Kraft, Blazar, and Hogan’s newly updated review “The Effect of Teacher Coaching on Instruction and Achievement: A Meta-Analysis of the Causal Evidence, ” they highlight that reviews of the literature on teacher professional development (i.e., ...

Higher education reforms: Latin America in comparative perspective - Bernasconi, Andrés; Celis, Sergio (Education Policy Analysis Archives, 2017)
This article introduces a special issue of EPAA/AAPE devoted to recent higher education reforms in Latin America. The last two decades have seen much policy development in higher education in the region, examined and discussed by scholars in each country, but dialog with the international literature on higher education reform, or an explicit comparative focus, have been mostly absent from these works. By way of presentation of the papers included in this issue, we first provide an overview of major policy changes in higher education in the Latin American region since the 1990s. We then turn to the six works in this special issue to describe the theories and methods supporting them. Next, we illustrate how general analytic categories can be derived from single or multi country case studies to illuminate themes capable of cutting across the particulars of national contexts, with their unique traditions, policy paths, and politics. Our three common threads are, first, the types of drivers for reform, that is, how policy change originates, either bottom-up from the institutions, or top-down from the government, and various possibilities in between. Second, understanding challenges to institutional autonomy in a continuum of intensity of state intended intervention in higher education. Third, explaining different levels of strain between public and private sectors in higher education based on conditions of competition for economic resources. While the papers in this special issue do not cover all countries, nor all issues on which policy has been crafted in the last two decades across the region, the collection of articles herein account for topics of enduring importance: faculty work in Ecuador, financial aid in Colombia, public policy decentralization in Argentina, quality assurance models in Colombia and Uruguay, the emerge of new institutions and universities in Argentina and Uruguay, and social justice, access, and inclusion in higher education, in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Ecuador. The articles presented in this special issue provide much insight onto higher education policy in Latin America and, additionally, offer ample opportunity to develop social science knowledge on the basis of strong comparative work.
Keywords: Change in universities

Improving Literacy Instruction in Kenya Through Teacher Professional Development and Text Messages Support: A Cluster Randomized Trial - Jukes, Matthew C. H.; Turner, Elizabeth L.; Dubeck, Margaret M.; Halliday, Katherine E.; Inyega, Hellen N.; Wolf, Sharon; Zuilkowski, Stephanie Simmons; Brooker, Simon J. (Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 2017)
We evaluated a program to improve literacy instruction on the Kenyan coast using training workshops, semiscripted lesson plans, and weekly text-message support for teachers to understand its impact on students’ literacy outcomes and on the classroom practices leading to those outcomes. The evaluation ran from the beginning of Grade 1 to the end of Grade 2 in 51 government primary schools chosen at random, with 50 schools acting as controls. The intervention had an impact on classroom practices with effect sizes from 0.57 to 1.15. There was more instruction with written text and more focus on letters and sounds. There was a positive impact on three of four primary measures of children’s literacy after two years, with effect sizes up to 0.64, and school dropout reduced from 5.3% to 2.1%. This approach to literacy instruction is sustainable, and affordable and a similar approach has subsequently been adopted nationally in Kenya.
Keywords: Africa; Classroom Observation Techniques; Dropout Rate; ERIC, Current Index to Journals in Education (CIJE); Early Childhood Education; Effect Size; Elementary Education; Elementary School Students; Elementary School Teachers; Faculty Development; Foreign Countries; Grade 1; Grade 2; Handheld Devices; Improving Learning in Sub-Saharan Africa Using Rigorous Research Designs; Intelligence Tests; Intervention; Interviews; Kenya; Literacy Education; Maximum Likelihood Statistics; Pretests Posttests; Primary Education; Program Effectiveness; Promising Interventions Are Great, but Are They Enough?; Questionnaires; RCT; Randomized Controlled Trials; Raven Progressive Matrices; Rural Schools; Statistical Analysis; Teacher Improvement; Teaching Methods; Telecommunications; What We Are Learning About Early Education in Sub-Saharan Africa; __:import:01; __:match:final; __:matched; __:study_id:2096051; ___working_potential_duplicate; __finaldtb; early grade reading; literacy instruction

Understanding Sierra Leonean and Liberian teachers’ views on discussing past wars in their classrooms - Shepler, Susan; Williams, James H. (Comparative Education, 2017)
Various curricular and textbook initiatives exist to aid in the national processes of coming to terms with past violence, often serving the political goals of the victors, sometimes supported by international transitional justice institutions. Sierra Leone and Liberia each experienced a devastating civil war during the 1990s and into the 2000s, and each is struggling to rebuild shattered education systems. In addition, each country has experienced a set of post-conflict transitional justice initiatives: Truth and Reconciliation Commissions in each, and a Special Court for Sierra Leone. Although their respective ministries of education have attempted to address peace education through UNICEF-sponsored curriculum revision processes, those efforts have not yet reached the majority of serving teachers, so a discussion of teachers’ actual practices is vital. This article uses interviews with teachers in rural and urban Sierra Leone and Liberia to discuss whether and how teachers talk about past war in their classrooms; whether they think it is important to discuss past conflicts, and if so, why; and what kind of curricular support would help them better teach about the wars. The article discusses how and why teachers embrace or subvert official efforts through their classroom practices, and compares the Sierra Leone and Liberia contexts and results. This research will help us to understand teachers’ own perspectives on addressing past conflict in their classrooms, and perhaps help policy-makers better implement their peace education initiatives.
Keywords: Education; Liberia; Sierra Leone; teachers; teaching about conflict; transitional justice

Enhancing peer interaction: an aspect of a high-quality learning environment in Finnish early childhood special education - Syrjämäki, Marja; Sajaniemi, Nina; Suhonen, Eira; Alijoki, Alisa; Nislin, Mari (European Journal of Special Needs Education, 2017)

Using Randomised Controlled Trials in Education - Connolly, Paul; Biggart, Andy; Miller, Sarah; O'Hare, Liam; Thurston, Allen (BERA/SAGE Research Methods in Education, 2017)

Promoting Student–Teacher Interactions: Exploring a Peer Coaching Model for Teachers in a Preschool Setting - Johnson, Stacy R.; Finlon, Kristy J.; Kobak, Roger; Izard, Carroll E. (Early Childhood Education Journal, 2017)
Peer coaching provides an attractive alternative to traditional professional development for promoting classroom quality in a sustainable, cost-effective manner by creating a collaborative teaching community. This exploratory study describes the development and evaluation of the Colleague Observation And CoacHing (COACH) program, a peer coaching program designed to increase teachers’ effectiveness in enhancing classroom quality in a preschool Head Start setting. The COACH program consists of a training workshop on coaching skills and student-teacher interactions, six peer coaching sessions, and three center meetings. Pre-post observations of emotional support, classroom organization, and instructional support using the Classroom Assessment Scoring System of twelve classrooms assigned to peer coaching were compared to twelve control classrooms at baseline and following the intervention. Findings provide preliminary support that the peer coaching program is perceived as acceptable and feasible by the participating preschool teachers and that it may strengthen student–teacher interactions. Further program refinement and evaluation with larger samples is needed to enhance student–teacher interactions and, ultimately, children’s adaptive development.
Keywords: Classroom quality; Head Start; Peer coaching; Professional development; Professional learning communities; Student–teacher interactions

Through the Looking Glass: Can Classroom Observation and Coaching Improve Teacher Performance in Brazil? - Bruns, Barbara; Costa, Leandro; Cunha, Nina (World Bank Group, 2017)
Keywords: ___working_potential_duplicate

Mozilla releases research results: Zero rating is not serving as an on-ramp to the internet - Dixon, Denelle (The Mozilla Blog, 2017)
Can digital literacy and Equal Rating solutions help connect the unconnected? Today, 4 billion people live without the internet. There’s a global debate about how to connect the unconnected, but ...
Keywords: ___working_potential_duplicate

Fiscal Consolidation to Accelerate Growth and Support Inclusive Development: Ghana Public Expenditure Review - World Bank (World Bank, 2017)
Ghana has experienced an extended period of robust growth since the early 2000s, supported by a favorable external environment and large investment inflows, particularly in the extractive industries. In 2011, as the start of oil production drove a surge in per capita income, Ghana graduated from low-income to lower-middle-income status. Despite the key role of the extractive industries, recent growth has been relatively inclusive, and Ghana achieved its Millennium Development Goal of halving the poverty rate by 2015. However, macroeconomic conditions have deteriorated since 2012, giving rise to substantial domestic and external imbalances. Although external shocks have underscored Ghana's vulnerability to global commodity and financial markets, the recurring nature of its imbalances reflects deeper structural deficiencies in its macroeconomic policies and public financial management (PFM) framework. A heavy focus on commodity exports has accelerated Ghana's recent growth, but the country's economic outlook increasingly hinges on a narrow range of volatile commodity prices.
Keywords: Agricultural Productivity; Fiscal Policy; Health; Macroeconomic Policy; Pay Reform; Public Education; Public Expenditure; Public Financial Management; Public Wages; Revenue Management; Taxation

ISR-Mongolia: Improving Primary Education Outcomes for the most vulnerable children in rural Mongolia (P130760) - World Bank (The World Bank, 2017)

Republic of Yemen - Restoring and expanding energy access : power sector reengagement note - Huenteler, Joern Thorsten; Khanna, Ashish; Badiei, Sara; Matsuo, Tyeler Marissa; Maier, Elisabeth; Fernstrom, Erik Magnus (The World Bank, 2017)
Already before the conflict, much of Yemen’s population was deprived of basicelectricity services. Even before the conflict, Yemen was considered the least electrifiedcountry in the MENA region, with a pre-crisis access rate from all sources of only 55percent. The country’s per capita electricity consumption stood at 243 kWh in 2013,almost one-sixth of the regional average (The World Bank Group, 2016). There had been little progress in the electricity sector over the last decade. The sectormade little progress on improving operational efficiency and quality of service or inreducing high electricity losses, while costing the country over 10 percent of its GDPannually through direct and indirect subsidies (The World Bank, 2013). The ongoing conflict has significantly worsened the electricity supply situation from an already low level, with severe impact on health, education, water and sanitation, and the private sector, which all rely heavily on a functioning power supply.The top-down model of service delivery has been replaced by a combination of locally managed urban public services and a private-sector driven bottom-up model. The poor have limited access to solar so far, and there are concerns about the qualityof the installed technology.Because the limited functionality of the energy sector has severe consequences for other sectors and the overall Yemeni economy, restoring electricity supply will be a priority for any in-conflict or post-conflict engagement.A recent review of the World Bank’s interventions over the last 15 years in the energy sector concluded that alternative models for procurement and/or project implementation may be needed for in-conflict or post-conflict interventions.New, project-specific public sector institutions created for the purpose ofinfrastructure development were no panacea.Distributed infrastructure investments, while also not as successful as anticipated, tended to work better.The proposed priorities represent sequential steps the electricity system is re-built from the bottom up, both technically and institutionally.The proposed priorities and sequencing are underpinned by a vision for Yemen’spower sector that involves a stronger role for the private sector and moredecentralized service provision.

Social skills matter, but how do we measure and grow them in the classroom? - Pocinki, Allegra; Reeves, Richard V. (Brookings, 2017)
Most researchers and parents agree that effective social and emotional skills are essential to a child’s development and success as an adult. But how much do we know about these skills, how to meas…

Interrogating Gender Divides in Technology for Education and Development: the Case of the One Laptop per Child Project in Ghana - Steeves, Leslie; Kwami, Janet (Studies in Comparative International Development, 2017)
The One Laptop per Child (OLPC) project aims to make low-cost computers accessible to the “world’s poorest children,” presuming that the gadgets will support their empowerment via education. The project’s success globally, however, has been mixed at best, with many countries terminating their purchases due to cost, inadequate infrastructure, and negative side effects. In October 2010, Ghana suspended the country’s 3-year participation. This study examines the complex history and failure of OLPC Ghana in two pilot schools, one urban and one rural, with particular attention to gender bias. The analysis draws on interviews with government personnel, students, and teachers in the pilot classes. Despite lacking electric power in the rural community, UNDP’s Millennium Villages Project played a strong support role, making OLPC somewhat more effective with less of a gender divide in the rural school than in the urban school in Accra. Both pilot schools faced severe sustainability challenges raising decade-old questions about modernity and technological determinism. Further, in both schools, particularly the urban school, a digital divide by gender was evident.
Keywords: C: Ghana

The effect of blended learning on student performance at course-level in higher education: A meta-analysis - Vo, Hien M.; Zhu, Chang; Diep, Nguyet A. (Studies in Educational Evaluation, 2017)
The present paper analyzes the impact of blended learning (BL) on the academic achievement of higher education students. A meta-analysis (k=51 effect sizes) was conducted to perform a statistical synthesis of studies contrasting student performance in BL conditions with traditional classroom instruction. We include disciplines and instructors’ end-of-course evaluation method as moderating variables. The results show that BL demonstrates a small summary effect (g+=0.385, p<0.001) compared to traditional teaching methods A significantly higher mean effect size was found in STEM disciplines (g+=0.496) compared to that of non-STEM disciplines (g+=0.210). Nevertheless, the weighted mean effect sizes reveal no significant differences regarding of end-of-course assessment methods, namely one-moment and multiple-component assessment. The finding confirms that BL is significantly associated with greater learning performance of STEM-disciplined students than with traditional classroom practice. Accordingly, discussion concerning the findings and implications for future research are elaborated.
Keywords: Blended learning; Discipline; Higher education; Meta-analysis; Student performance

Effects of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) on Students' Academic Achievement and Retention in Chemistry at Secondary Level - Hussain, Ishtiaq; Suleman, Qaiser; ud Din, M. Naseer; Shafique, Farhan (Journal of Education and Educational Development, 2017)
The current paper investigated the effects of information and communication technology on the students' academic achievement and retention in chemistry. Fifty students of 9th grade were selected randomly from Kohsar Public School and College Latamber Karak. The students were grouped into equivalent groups based on pretest score. In order to collect data, pretest posttest equivalent groups design was used. Mean, standard deviation and independent samples t-test were applied through SPSS for data analysis. Based on statistical analysis, it came to light that information and communication technology positively affects students' academic achievement and retention and ICT was found more compelling, effective and valuable in teaching of chemistry when contrasted with conventional techniques of teaching. It is recommended that information and communication technology should be used in teaching chemistry for enhancing students' academic achievement at secondary level.
Keywords: Chemistry; Computer Uses in Education; Conventional Instruction; Foreign Countries; Influence of Technology; Pretests Posttests; Retention (Psychology); Science Achievement; Science Instruction; Secondary School Science; Secondary School Students; Statistical Analysis

Sindh Public Expenditure Review - World Bank (World Bank, 2017)
Sindh has the potential to become a high middle-income province in Pakistan, but it lags far behind in terms of economic, social and development indicators. Sindh is also the most industrialized province, resource-rich and endowed with the country’s largest natural gas and coal reserves. In sum, it has the potential to become a high-growth and high-income region. Nonetheless, Sindh has yet to translate this potential into commensurate economic and social development. The province faces major developmental challenges. Sindh’s weak social indicators are partly the result of the inadequate reach and low quality of public service delivery. This Public Expenditure Review focuses on provincial finances and their utilization with the objective of identifying possible reforms to expand the resource envelope and ensure better value for money by improving the management and efficiency of public spending. It includes two important components: (i) a detailed analysis of the major revenue challenges and the various expenditures, including development spending and; (ii) and in-depth assessment of how some of the key government priorities are undertaken, such as education, health, and social protection. The hope is that by better understanding the constraints, reforms can be designed and implemented to maximize Sindh’s potential and promote a more equitable and productive path.
Keywords: Education; Finance; Fiscal Trends; Health; Inequality; Labor Force Participation; Policy; Poverty; Public Expenditure; Public Sector; Social Protection; Vulnerability

About the Systems Theory in the Field of Education Sciences - Nicolescu, Bogdan N. (2017)

Problems of drop-out students in Indian slum - Siddiqui, Tarannum (International Education and Research Journal, 2017)
The purpose of this paper is to find out the problems of drop-out students at elementary level, specially living in slum areas of India. Educational facility at elementary level and its relationship with infrastructural facilities is the main focus of this paper. Paper highlights the role of government to improve elementary education in slum areas of the country with special focus on drop-out students. Paper is mainly based on primary and secondary data/ information. Study has taken a total sample of 50 households (25 from each district) by using random sampling technique in the urban areas namely- Madiyaon slum of Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh and Dharavi slum of Mumbai in Maharashtra. Intensive interviews have been conducted to procure purpose full information. The numbers of upper primary schools were found half of the primary schools in slum areas. Acording to RTE Act no students could be stop or retained in any class of primary section. To stop drop out situation at elementary level of education, paper recommends opening more government upper primary schools in the slum areas. Due to limited sample size, the research results may lack generalisation. Therefore, researchers and research institutions are encouraged to test the proposed propositions further. Dropping out from elementary education in slum areas are an unexplored area of research which has been covered in this paper.
Keywords: Elementary education in slum areas.; Indian slums; Problems of drop-out students; ⛔ No DOI found

A Study on Using Serious Games in Teaching German as a Foreign Language - Alyaz, Yunus; Spaniel-Weise, Dorothea; Gürsoy, Esim (Journal of Education and Learning, 2017)
The interest in Digital Game-Based Language Learning (DGBLL) has increased considerably in recent years although being a relatively new approach. Despite the interest that DGBLL took, the studies in the context of German as a Foreign Language (FL) are quite limited. Moreover, DGBLL in the Turkish context is not prevalent. Due to this gap in the literature, a research project was launched at a big state university in Turkey in 2014 to explore the potentials and limitations of DGBLL. The study focuses specifically on serious games for FL teaching and learning. The aim of the project, in addition to the promotion of linguistic skills of the learners, is to contribute to the development of professional qualifications of the future FL teachers. The present research aims to report on the pilot study of the project. A one group pre-test post-test research design was used in the study. Quantitative data was collected via two opinion questionnaires implemented at the beginning and at the end of the process as well as a receptive vocabulary test. Qualitative data was collected via semi-structuted interviews and game diaries that participants kept. Two serious games for German was selected and used with traditional dictation, transcription and reading comprehension activities. The results of an 11-week gaming activity indicated significant differences between pre- and post-tests in vocabulary. Additionaly, age was found to be an important factor that affects participants’ attitudes towards serious games. The results indicate that the participants found game activities useful for the development of other language skills.

Supporting Parenting through Differentiated and Personalized Text-Messaging: Testing Effects on Learning During Kindergarten - Doss, Christopher; Fahle, Erin; Loeb, Susanna; York, Ben (2017)
Recent studies have shown that texting-based interventions can produce educational benefits in children across a range of ages. These studies vary in their focus from broad curricula on child development, to reminders about missing work, to steps needed in order to enroll in college. Given the potential effectiveness of texting, as well as the ease of systematically varying
Keywords: ___working_potential_duplicate; ⛔ No DOI found

Computer Laptop Project Strategy for Basic Education Schools in Kenya - Wambugu, Geoffrey M.; Ogenga, Stephen; Shikali, Casper; Muliaro, Joseph (2017)
Kenya’s Vision 2030 recognizes the enabling role of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and anchors some of its key aspirations upon the availability and adoption of computers for schools. The overall objective of this strategy paper is to provide direction for acquisition of equitable and efficient laptop computers to all pupils in public primary schools. The existing education policy on ICT is imbedded in three documents namely; e-Government Strategy, National ICT Policy and Sessional Paper No. 1 of 2005 which is a Policy Framework for Education, Training and Research. There is a need therefore to consolidate these documents into one. The overall objective of the consolidation is to merge and integrate education policy on ICT including the scope, usage, administration and ways to address innovations and attendant Intellectual Property Rights. In the process of strategic planning for utilizing ICT in education, key stakeholders require to be consulted. In addition to the above mentioned, specific stakeholders include the National ICT integration and innovation Centre, Kenya Institute for Curriculum Development, Center for Mathematics, Science and Education in Africa, Teacher Service Commission, Primary Teacher Training Institutions, Universities and the National ICT Steering Committee. The strategy identifies the following as key weaknesses that hamper the implementation of ICT projects: slow integration of ICT in operations and programs; inadequate human and financial resources in some key service areas to meet the rapidly growing work-related demands. In addition there exists lack of appropriate learning facilities and/or infrastructure in some education and training institutions and inadequate number of trainers in modern technology coupled with a mismatch of skills learnt and demands of the labour market. It is also noted that the legal framework is non-harmonized and this inhibits the performance of Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. Further, a number of policy frameworks are yet to be operationalized thus hampering delivery of services. The strategy also identifies a Strategic Model for Laptop Project and an implementation matrix.
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

Performance Oriented Information and Communication Technology (ICT): Model for Education Purpose in Pakistan. A Bahawalpur District Case Study - Qadri, Salman; Shah, Rehan Ali; ul Rehman, Muzammil; Ullah, Saleem; Shah, Ali Nawaz; Ali, Muhammad Zaman; Ahmed, Muhammad Munawer (International Journal of Computer Science and Network Security, 2017)
Information technology brought a dramatic change in our society. In third world countries such as Pakistan is also trying to get involve this technology in every field of life. In this decade, information technology is being used in several disciplines such as education, health, agriculture and business etc. It has given a positive impact on all of these disciplines especially E-banking, E-learning and E-commerce etc. This study focuses the implementation of information and communication technology (ICT) framework to boost the progress of different less develops areas in Pakistan. This study also describes the complete methodology with all of its benefits and constraints on implementation and also proposed a framework to improve the efficiency and accuracy in education department in primary to higher level in Bahawalpur district and its five sub districts (tehsil) and also take the case study of The Islamia University Bahawalpur within city sub campuses by utilizing the successful implementation of information and communication technology for the betterment of education.
Keywords: E-Classes; ICT Infrastructure; IT-Centers; Information and Communication Technology; integration; teachers; ⛔ No DOI found

Reaching the Unreached Through Open and Distance Learning (ODL) in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan - Ferreira, Frances (Commonwealth of Learning (COL), 2017)
GIRLS Inspire is a Commonwealth of Learning (COL) project established to mobilise the power of open and distance learning (ODL) to provide secondary schooling and skills development training to women and girls who are prevented from attending schools by barriers such as early marriage, cultural norms and distance from schools. This final report to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) Australia reflects on the work that has taken place since January 2016. It is framed around the project’s objectives and provides a rich account of activities that took place, presented in both quantitative and qualitative forms.
Keywords: ___working_potential_duplicate

Mobile Identity Construction by Male and Female Students in Pakistan: On, In, and Through the Phone - Hassan, Bushra; Unwin, Tim (Information Technologies & International Development, 2017)
This article reports on focus group research in Pakistan about the symbolic value and use of mobile phones by students in constructing their identities on the phone, in the phone, and through the phone. A striking conclusion is the difference between how men and women use their phones, and we provide accounts of the harassment and bullying of women through their mobiles.
Keywords: Pakistan; identity; mobiles; students; symbolism; ⛔ No DOI found

Plugged in: How media attract and affect youth - Valkenburg, Patti; Piotrowski, J.T. (2017)

A randomized-control trial for the teachers’ diploma programme on psychosocial care, support and protection in Zambian government primary schools - Kaljee, Linda; Zhang, Liying; Langhaug, Lisa; Munjile, Kelvin; Tembo, Stephen; Menon, Anitha; Stanton, Bonita; Li, Xiaoming; Malungo, Jacob (Psychology, Health & Medicine, 2017)
Orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC) experience poverty, stigma, and abuse resulting in poor physical, emotional, and psychological outcomes. The Teachers’ Diploma Programme on Psychosocial Care, Support, and Protection is a child-centered 15-month long-distance learning program focused on providing teachers with the knowledge and skills to enhance their school environments, foster psychosocial support, and facilitate school-community relationships. A randomized controlled trial was implemented in 2013–2014. Both teachers (n=325) and students (n=1378) were assessed at baseline and 15-months post-intervention from randomly assigned primary schools in Lusaka and Eastern Provinces, Zambia. Multilevel linear mixed models (MLM) indicate positive significant changes for intervention teachers on outcomes related to self-care, teaching resources, safety, social support, and gender equity. Positive outcomes for intervention students related to future orientation, respect, support, safety, sexual abuse, and bullying. Outcomes support the hypothesis that teachers and students benefit from a program designed to enhance teachers’ psychosocial skills and knowledge.
Keywords: Sub-Saharan Africa; orphaned and vulnerable children; psychosocial support; randomized controlled trial; schooling and education

Integrating ICT into Teaching and Learning Biology: A Case for Rachuonyo South Sub-County, Kenya - Mwanda, Gideon; Mwanda, Samwel; Midigo, Ronnie; Maundu, John (American Journal of Education and Information Technologies, 2017)
The purpose of this study was to find out the extent of integration of computer technology into teaching and learning Biology in secondary schools of Rachuonyo South Sub-County, Kenya. The target population consisted of students and biology teachers in the Sub-County. Data was collected by use of questionnaires and an observation check list. From the study, most schools had few computers; teachers had inadequate training on use of computer applications; most teachers did not use computer technology for personal growth and instructional purposes. Inadequate number of computers in the sampled schools was the major challenge facing the integration of computer technology into the instruction process. The study recommends increased accessibility of computers, adequate training on use of computer technology and development of a policy framework to guide on the path to effective computer integration into instruction process.
Keywords: ⚠️ Invalid DOI

Ecological Systems Theory - Ettekal, Andrea; Mahoney, Joseph (2017)
Ecological systems theory explains how human development is influenced by different types of environmental systems. Researchers, policy makers, and practitioners are interested in the opportunities and risks associated with how youth spend their discretionary time outside the regular school day. One of the primary settings in which youth spend their out-of-school hours is in organized activities, which include extracurricular activities, after-school programs, and activities at community-based organizations. Much research on out-of-school activities has utilized ecological systems theory to understand how activities foster positive, healthy development of youth from different backgrounds.

Lessons Learned from World Bank Education Management Information System Operations: Portfolio Review, 1998-2014 - Abdul-Hamid, Husein; Saraogi, Namrata; Mintz, Sarah (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2017)
Keywords: Accountability; Data Integration; Data Quality; Data Utilization; Education; Education Management; Emis; Enabling Environment; Information System; Management Information Systems; Monitoring and Evaluation System; Planning; Sustainability; System Procurement; System Soundness; Unique Id; ___working_potential_duplicate

The Impact of Teacher Effectiveness on Student Learning in Africa - Buhl-Wiggers, Julie; Kerwin, Jason; Smith, Jeffrey; Thornton, Rebecca (Rise Programme, 2017)
Teaching quality is known to be critical for students’ education and life prospects in developed countries. However, little is known about how teacher quality affects student learning in Africa. This paper presents the first estimates of teacher value-added from an African country, using data from a school-based RCT in northern Uganda. Exploiting the random assignment of students to classrooms within schools, we estimate a lower bound on teacher effects. A 1-SD increase in teacher quality leads to at least a 0.14 SD improvement in student performance on a reading test at the end of the year. Shifting teachers from the 10th to the 90th percentile of quality increases performance by 0.36 SDs –comparable to the most effective education interventions conducted in Africa. Our results also suggest that an increase in teacher quality can make other education interventions more efficient.
Keywords: C:Uganda; NULP

Possible Potential of Facebook to Enhance Learners' Motivation in Mobile Learning Environment - Raza, Mehwish (International Association for Development of the Information Society (IADIS) International Conference on Mobile Learning, 2017)
Facebook is world's leading social network, 29% of its active members represent Pakistan. This study utilized Facebook for teachers' in-service training. Thirty teachers from different parts of Pakistan took part in this training that lasted for ten weeks. The researcher tested the impact of three independent variables namely: social interactions, quality of experiences and behavior on learners' motivation (dependent variable). The hypothesis of this study propose a positive impact of independent variables on the dependent variable, the research was able to prove the hypothesis. [For the complete proceedings, see ED579190.]
Keywords: Educational Technology; Elementary School Teachers; Elementary Schools; Foreign Countries; Handheld Devices; Hypothesis Testing; Interaction; Likert Scales; Pretests Posttests; Private Schools; Questionnaires; Social Media; Statistical Analysis; Student Motivation; Teacher Attitudes; Technology Uses in Education; Telecommunications; Training

GraphoGame Teacher Training Service: evaluation report - School-to-School International (STS) (Agora Center, University of Jyväskylä, Finland, 2017)
Keywords: __:import:01; __:match:final; __:matched; __:study_id:2425917; ___working_potential_duplicate; __finaldtb; auto_merged

Public financial management and health service delivery: Necessary, but not sufficient? - Welham, Bryn; Hart, Tom; Mustapha, Shakira; Hadley, Sierd (2017)
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

Community Participation in School Management in Developing Countries - Nishimura, Mikiko (Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education, 2017)
Community participation in school management has great potentials for removing mistrust and distance between people and schools by nurturing transparency of information and a culture of mutual respect and by jointly pursuing improvement of school by sharing vision, process, and results. Individual and organizational behavioral changes are critical to increase the level of participation. In countries where the administrative structures are weak, the bottom-up approach to expanding educational opportunity and quality learning may be the only option.Nevertheless, when community participation is implemented with a top-down manner without wider consultation on its aims, processes, and expected results, the consequences are likely to be conflicts between actors, a strong sense of overwhelming obligation, fatigue, inertia, and disparity in the degree and results of community participation between communities. Political aspects of school management and socio-cultural difference among the population require caution, as they are likely to induce partial participation or nonparticipation of the community at large. Community participation in school management will result in a long-term impact only if it involves a wide range of actors who can discuss and practice the possibilities of revisiting the definition of community and the way it should be.

Effects of ethnoscience instruction, school location, and parental educational status on learners’ attitude towards science - Fasasi, Rasheed Adekunle (International Journal of Science Education, 2017)
This study investigated the effect of Ethnoscience instruction and moderating effects of school location and parental educational status on students' attitude to science. It employed pretest-posttest, non-equivalent control group quasiexperimental design. Participants were 352 Junior Secondary School 1 (aged 9–12 years) students from two schools, each in urban and rural areas of Ìbàdàn, southwestern Nigeria. Instruments used are: Teachers Instructional Guide on Ethnoscience instruction, Teachers Instructional Guide on Modified Lecture Method and Attitude Toward Science Scale (r = 0.86). Three null hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. Data were analyzed using Analysis of Covariance. Significant main effect of treatment on attitude to science (F(1, 347) = 296, p < 0.05) was recorded, with Ethnoscience instruction group performing better than the Modified Lecture Method group. Effect size of treatment was strong (η2 p = 0.46). Also recorded were significant main effects of school location (F(1, 347) = 10.2, p < .05) and parental educational status (F(1, 347 = 3.37), p < 0.05) on students' attitude to science with weak effect sizes (η2 p = 0.029 and η2 p = 0.019 respectively). Learners in rural schools performed better than those in urban schools and those from lowly educated parents had better performance than highly educated parents. Ethnoscience instruction promoted learners' attitude to science. Therefore, its use in educational instruction, especially among traditional science learners, should be explored.
Keywords: Ethnoscience instruction; attitude towards science; parental educational status; school location

The genius of frugal innovation - Radjou, Navi (ideas.ted.com, 2017)
Human creativity is a natural, infinitely renewable resource — and it’s coming up with smart, cheap solutions to people’s biggest problems. Strategist Navi Radjou explains.

Sesame Street to introduce new character - a muppet with autism - Reporters, Telegraph (The Telegraph, 2017)
Children's show Sesame Street is to introduce a new character with autism.
Keywords: Children; News; Standard; Television

Studying engagement and performance with learning technology in an African classroom - Mutahi, Juliet; Kinai, Andrew; Bore, Nelson; Diriye, Abdigani; Weldemariam, Komminist (Association for Computing Machinery, 2017)
In this paper, we study the engagement and performance of students in a classroom using a system the Cognitive Learning Companion (CLC). CLC is designed to keep track of the relationship between the student, content interaction and learning progression. It also provides evidence-based engagement-oriented actionable insights to teachers by assessing information from a sensor-rich instrumented learning environment in order to infer a learner's cognitive and affective states. Data captured from the instrumented environment is aggregated and analyzed to create interlinked insights helping teachers identify how students engage with learning content and view their performance records on selected assignments. We conducted a 1 month pilot with 27 learners in a primary school in Nairobi, Kenya during their maths and science instructional periods. We present our primary analysis of content-level interactions and engagement at the individual student and classroom level.
Keywords: developing countries; education; engagement; learning analytics; mobile development

Contextualized-OLPC education project in rural India: measuring learning impact and mediation of computer self-efficacy - Ale, Komathi; Chib, Arul; Loh, Yvonne (Educational Technology Research and Development, 2017)
The One Laptop per Child (OLPC) initiative has been at the forefront of introducing low-cost computers in developing countries. We argue that the problem is not as much as a focus on the provision of affordable technologies, but the lack of consideration of deeply contextualized implementation design and the lack of understanding of psychological mechanisms at the user-level that influence learning impact. A longitudinal quasi-experimental design among nine rural Indian primary schools involved pre- and postexperiment measures conducted with both test (n = 126) and control groups (n = 79). The study objective was to prioritize local contexts during technology implementation design in order to attain educational impact in terms of improved learning outcomes for students. The Contextualized-OLPC education project utilized strategies identified by the Technology- Community-Management model to address contextually germane factors of teacher training, unbiased gender access, and local language use. A second objective was to assess impact of technology introduction while countering extant techno-determinist approaches of impact assessment. We first demonstrated that technological knowledge was associated positively with functional literacy. We situated the experiment in the social cognitive theory to demonstrate that computer self-efficacy mediates the relationship between technological literacy attained as a consequence of the Contextualized-OLPC education project and a specific learning outcome, functional literacy. Overall, the research illustrated that giving primacy to mere deployment of OLPC laptops has limited relevance to children, both in use and outcome. In support, the results demonstrated the role of contextualized technology in rural classrooms alongside an understanding of user psychology that influence learning impact.

Teacher’s Guide, Part B: Teaching Mathematics (P 1-3) (2017)

Pre-Primary Education in Mongolia: Access, Quality of Service Delivery, & Child Development Outcomes - Ali, Rabia; Temourov, Moukim; Igarashi, Takiko (The World Bank, 2017)

Open Schooling: Addressing the Challenge of Out-of-School Youth - Commonwealth of Learning (2017)
Goal 4 of the Sustainable Development Goals aims to ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning. One target is to ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education by 2030. Yet, this is impossible to achieve within present mainstream education systems. A new way of thinking about schooling is required. // Open Schooling is a model to address this problem without having a disruptive effect on mainstream schooling – a symbiotic relationship, where both systems can benefit from another, is possible. // A multidimensional approach is required. Part of the solution is to improve teaching and learning in conventional schools in order to decrease dropout and increase throughput, while also providing access to quality learning opportunities to out-of-school youth through innovative open schooling. Open schooling

Expenditures and Revenue Management - Morrell, Lance (2017)

Pre-Primary Education in Mongolia: Access, Quality of Service Delivery, & Child Development Outcomes - World Bank (World Bank, 2017)

Pre-primary education in Mongolia : access, quality of service delivery, & child development outcomes - March 2017 - World Bank (World Bank, 2017)
Pre-primary education in Mongolia : access, quality of service delivery, & child development outcomes - March 2017 (English)

Girls’ Schooling and Women’s Literacy: Schooling Targets Alone Won’t Reach Learning Goals - Pritchett, Lant; Sandefur, Justin (Center for Global Development, 2017)
Using the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data on the ability of women at various levels of schooling attainment to read a simple sentence, we show that reaching universal completion of grade six among girls would not bring the world anywhere close to the goal of universal female literacy. These calculations are based on the empirical relationship between grades completed and ability to read, a descriptive ‘learning profile.’ The large literature on schooling and life outcomes suggests simple correlations are a reasonable guide to causal effects, and the typical concern is over-estimation of the true return to schooling—implying our calculations using a descriptive and not causal learning profile are a best-case scenario. This best case is often not at all good: the learning profile is so weak in Nigeria that even if all women had completed grade six, adult female illiteracy would only have fallen from 58 percent to 53 percent. In contrast, children in many other countries do learn to read in much higher numbers and enrolling outof-school girls would dramatically reduce illiteracy. For instance, in Ethiopia the same calculations yield a reduction in illiteracy from 82 to 25 percent. But across nearly 50 developing countries with available data our calculations suggest 40 percent of women would be illiterate even if all women completed at least grade six. Achieving new Sustainable Development Goal targets of universal literacy and numeracy will require both achievement of universal schooling and dramatic improvements in the learning profile in most developing countries.

The International Encyclopedia of Organizational Communication - Scott, Craig R.; Barker, James R.; Kuhn, Timothy; Keyton, Joann; Turner, Paaige K.; Lewis, Laurie K. (Wiley, 2017)

Wikipedia:WikiProject Wiki Loves Women/Ghana - Wikipedia (Wikipedia, 2017)

Aprender a Ler (ApaL) - USAID (World Education, Inc., 2017)

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

What Do Teachers Know and Do? Does It Matter? Evidence from Primary Schools in Africa - Bold, Tessa; Filmer, Deon; Martin, Gayle; Molina, Ezequiel; Rockmore, Christophe; Stacy, Brian; Svensson, Jakob; Wane, Waly (Policy Research Working Paper, 2017)
School enrollment has universally increased over the past 25 years in low-income countries. However, enrolling in school does not guarantee that children learn. A large share of children in low-income countries learn little, and they complete their primary education lacking even basic reading, writing, and arithmetic skills—the so-called "learning crisis." This paper uses data from nationally representative surveys from seven Sub-Saharan African countries, representing close to 40 percent of the region's total population, to investigate possible answers to this policy failure by quantifying teacher effort, knowledge, and skills. Averaging across countries, the paper finds that students receive two hours and fifty minutes of teaching per day—or just over half the scheduled time. In addition, large shares of teachers do not master the curricula of the students they are teaching; basic pedagogical knowledge is low; and the use of good teaching practices is rare. Exploiting within-student, within-teacher variation, the analysis finds significant and large positive effects of teacher content and pedagogical knowledge on student achievement. These findings point to an urgent need for improvements in education service delivery in Sub-Saharan Africa. They also provide a lens through which the growing experimental and quasi-experimental literature on education in low-income countries can be interpreted and understood, and point to important gaps in knowledge, with implications for future research and policy design.
Keywords: Education; Education Policy; Learning Crisis; Public Service Delivery; Teacher Absenteeism; Teacher Effectiveness; Teacher Performance

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

EdTech East Africa (Edtech Meetup, 2017)

Ghana Reads (Open Learning Exchange Ghana, 2017)

International Telecommunications Union (2017)

Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (2017)

National Information Technology Agency (2017)