Harding, Regan (2009). Early Vocational Education and Training Programs for Young Aboriginal Learners: Perceptions of Practitioners and Young People. Occasional Paper. National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) The perceptions of students, school and technical and further education (TAFE) staff involved in V Tracks, an early intervention program for Aboriginal school students are explored in this paper. The study identifies outcomes, challenges and recommendations for future program design. Overall, V Tracks was found to improve student engagement in school and provide greater insights into the available education, training and employment pathways for students. National Centre for Vocational Education Research's (NCVER's) Building Researcher Capacity program funded this paper, which is based on research undertaken by a novice researcher in the Community of Practice scholarship program. Appendix includes a section titled Tracks and Deadly Days: TAFE-schools initiatives to increase the retention and engagement of young Aboriginal learners in education, employment and/or training. (Contains 9 figures and 1 footnote.)… [PDF]

Roth, Wolff-Michael; van Eijck, Michiel (2009). Authentic Science Experiences as a Vehicle to Change Students' Orientations toward Science and Scientific Career Choices: Learning from the Path Followed by Brad. Cultural Studies of Science Education, v4 n3 p611-638 Sep. Bringing a greater number of students into science is one of, if not the most fundamental goals of science education for \all\, especially for heretofore-neglected groups of society such as women and Aboriginal students. Providing students with opportunities to experience how science really is enacted–i.e., \authentic science\–has been advocated as an important means to allow students to know and learn about science. The purpose of this paper is to problematize how \authentic\ science experiences may mediate students' orientations towards science and scientific career choices. Based on a larger ethnographic study, we present the case of an Aboriginal student who engaged in a scientific internship program. We draw on cultural-historical activity theory to understand the intersection between science as practice and the mundane practices in which students participate as part of their daily lives. Following Brad, we articulate our understanding of the ways in which he hybridized the… [Direct]

Castellano, Maria; Quirino de Luca, Andrea; Sorrentino, Marcos (2011). The Interface of Environmental and Humane Education as an Emerging and Relevant Dialogue: A Point of View from Brazil. Canadian Journal of Environmental Education, v16 p93-105. This article addresses the interface between environmental and humane education, as a theoretical and practical emerging field in Brazil. We begin by presenting conceptual similarities that, in our view, underpin and justify the need for a growing connection between the two fields of research and educational practice. We then describe an experience of an educational workshop conducted in Campinas-Sao Paulo that sought to bring the two fields closer, involving the screening and discussion of a Brazilian documentary about the meat industry. We consider the possibility that drawing environmental and humane education together may contribute to changes in favour of all forms of life. (Contains 2 notes.)… [PDF] [Direct]

Auld, Glenn (2007). Talking Books for Children's Home Use in a Minority Indigenous Australian Language Context. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, v23 n1 p48-67. Members of the Kunibidji community are the traditional owners of the lands and seas around Maningrida, a remote community in Northern Australia. Most of the 200 members of the Kunibidji Community speak Ndjebbana as their first language. This study reports on the complexities of transforming technology to provide Kunibidji children with access to digital texts at home. The printed Ndjebbana texts that were kept at school were transformed to Ndjebbana talking books displayed on touch screen computers in the children's homes. Some results of the children's interaction around these touch screens are presented as well as some quantitative results of the computer viewing in the homes. The processes of rejecting technological determinism, upholding linguistic human rights of speakers of minority languages and viewing technology as practice rather than a set of artefacts are discussed in this paper. The results of this study highlight the need for speakers of minority Indigenous Australian… [Direct]

Yan, Chunmei (2009). Convergence and Divergence: Examining Perceptions of Chinese and Expatriate Project Implementers on Cross-Cultural Teacher Training Programmes. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, v39 n6 p691-706. This article reports on a study of perceptions of Chinese and expatriate personnel on a Sino-British English teacher training programmme on a range of issues with regard to the programme. Semi-structured one-to-one interviews were conducted to gather information from 17 Chinese and three British project participants. It was found that there existed convergences and divergences in the two sides' views. This article argues that the convergences may have been induced by the project implementers' collaborative work experience on the programme and the advantages of the top-down approach adopted for this programme, whilst the divergences may have been caused by cultural differences, the lack of communication between the two sides, and the drawbacks of the top-down approach. This study suggests that perception gaps can occur between local and expatriate personnel and that it is necessary for both sides to adapt to and support each other in order to enhance mutual understanding and… [Direct]

Larson, Sidner (2009). Contemporary American Indian Studies. American Indian Quarterly, v33 n1 p18-32 Win. In his keynote address to the Fifth Annual American Indian Studies Consortium in 2005 David Wilkins began by commenting on earlier attempts to formally organize such a gathering in ways that might help establish and accredit Indian studies programs. He said he had the sense that the thrust of earlier meetings \was really an opportunity for Native academics, graduate students, and their allies to meet, chat, socialize, and network.\ As he investigated the possibilities of more fully engaging the many powerful topics confronting Native nations, both within and outside the academy, Wilkins was reassured to discover that the consortium intended to take up Elizabeth Cook-Lynn's provocative essay, \Who Stole Native American Studies?\ Both Wilkins's and the consortium's willingness to more carefully consider American Indian higher education signals a major shift in focus, a shift from an attitude that vital issues can most effectively be confronted through the legal system to a realization… [Direct]

Lewthwaite, Brian; McMillan, Barbara (2010). "She Can Bother Me, and that's because She Cares": What Inuit Students Say about Teaching and Their Learning. Canadian Journal of Education, v33 n1 p140-175. In this study, we have investigated, through interviews, conversations, questionnaires, and observations, perceptions of learning success of northern Qikiqtani (Baffin Island) of Nunavut Inuit middle years (grades 5-8) students and the classroom pedagogy influencing their success, in particular their learning in science. Most of the processes identified as contributors to successful learning were culturally located. Students also placed importance on teachers who cared not only for them as people, but also for their performance as learners. Based upon students' information, we have presented a profile of the characteristics of effective teachers in Inuit schools to promote learning within a positive environment. (Contains 5 footnotes.)… [PDF] [PDF]

Ghenai, Chaouki, Ed. (2012). Sustainable Development–Education, Business and Management–Architecture and Building Construction–Agriculture and Food Security. InTech Securing the future of the human race will require an improved understanding of the environment as well as of technological solutions, mindsets and behaviors in line with modes of development that the ecosphere of our planet can support. Some experts see the only solution in a global deflation of the currently unsustainable exploitation of resources. However, sustainable development offers an approach that would be practical to fuse with the managerial strategies and assessment tools for policy and decision makers at the regional planning level. Environmentalists, architects, engineers, policy makers and economists will have to work together in order to ensure that planning and development can meet our society's present needs without compromising the security of future generations. Better planning methods for urban and rural expansion could prevent environmental destruction and imminent crises. Energy, transport, water, environment and food production systems should aim for… [Direct]

Corbett, Michael (2007). Travels in Space and Place: Identity and Rural Schooling. Canadian Journal of Education, v30 n3 p771-792. This analysis draws on interview data from a three-year study of educational decision making of youth living in a coastal community in Atlantic Canada. Students whose educational and mobility aspirations extend outside the known spaces of the community develop the ability to negotiate multiple social spaces in and out of school. The school- successful "floater" identity position is assumed by youth comfortable in a variety of social groups and situations ranging from peer cliques to interactions with teachers and other institutional authority figures. This contrasts with more localized identity positions, marked by strong and exclusive identification with local networks. (Contains 5 notes.)… [PDF] [Direct]

Timothy, Joe T.; Waldrip, Bruce G.; Wilikai, Wilson (2007). Pedagogic Principles in Negotiating Cultural Conflict: A Melanesian Example. International Journal of Science Education, v29 n1 p101-122 Jan. This paper draws on the personal experiences of three researchers: an "outsider" (or western-oriented) science teacher, a science teacher educator who has lived in Melanesian countries for almost a decade, and a national researcher who was born and educated in Melanesia. During a recent interpretative research study of the problematic relationship between the traditional world-views of Melanesian villagers and the official school science views of young Melanesian people, Bruce became increasingly aware of the importance of conducting culture-sensitive interpretative research. Bruce and Joe describe three people with different experiences and approaches to education. Mindful of the important role of the outside teacher researchers in providing essential information for the local contextualisation of school science curricula, we propose a number of culture-sensitive practices when working in Melanesian cross-cultural contexts. Karsoon: I like Melanesian ways. I wanted to… [Direct]

Finlayson, Mary; Kidd, Jacquie (2009). When Needs Must: Interpreting Autoethnographical Stories. Qualitative Inquiry, v15 n6 p980-995. Autoethnographical research, though interesting and satisfying to conduct, presents a challenge to graduate students who are required to engage in data analysis to meet the needs of their degree. This article tells the collaborative story of how one such student balanced her academic, methodological, ethical, and personal imperatives and developed the notion of "motif" as a beginning point for the effective interpretation of autoethnographical stories. Each motif in this research consisted of a collective story, vignette, art, and literature review. (Contains 2 notes.)… [Direct]

Gillespie, Joan; Mohajeri Norris, Emily (2009). How Study Abroad Shapes Global Careers: Evidence from the United States. Journal of Studies in International Education, v13 n3 p382-397. What is the impact of study abroad on U.S. college students' career paths? What factors of education abroad differentiate alumni who later worked or volunteered for international organizations in the United States and/or in other countries compared with alumni who did not pursue global-career experiences? This article presents findings that address these questions, as indicated by data from a survey the Institute for the International Education of Students conducted of 17,000 participants of its programs between 1950 and 1999. The study illustrates the significant career impact of study abroad on the majority of respondents. The career impact and continued use of foreign language are much greater for alumni who worked internationally than for those who did not. Study abroad for a full year, host university course enrollment, internship participation, and host family living arrangements are all program factors that correlate strongly with future international work. (Contains 7 tables.)… [Direct]

Brinkman, Sally; Goldfeld, Sharon; Guhn, Martin; Hertzman, Clyde; Janus, Magdalena (2009). Reply to Li, D'Angiulli and Kendall: The Early Development Index and Children from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Backgrounds. Early Years: An International Journal of Research and Development, v29 n1 p83-87 Mar. This article presents a response to the paper by Li, D'ngiulli and Kendall (2007). The authors address two key aspects of this paper. The first concerns a number of errors and misconceptions in the paper that the authors think are important to clarify and correct. The second issue relates to the significant amount of research and effort that has taken place since this article was first written, particularly the increasing amount of effort, both in Canada and in Australia, to engage the Indigenous/Aboriginal populations…. [Direct]

Herman, R. D. K. (2008). Reflections on the Importance of Indigenous Geography. American Indian Culture and Research Journal, v32 n3 p73-88. Using storytelling from his experiences with the Western Apache, Keith Basso elaborates the notion that \wisdom sits in places,\ that is, the way in which social and cultural knowledge and guidance–wisdom–is based on experience. Because experience occurs in places, landscapes (and their stories and place names) can come to encode social and cultural knowledge. This notion of geography as philosophy would not have been foreign to the ancient Greeks to whom the discipline is often traced, but geography today, with some notable exceptions, is only slowly returning to the quest for wisdom. As an academic discipline, geography must struggle against the limitations of the larger (post)modern episteme within which it is situated. A genuine engagement with Indigenous geography may open a pathway out of this fix. In this article, the author considers Indigenous geography, its challenges and its offerings. His starting point is values in the world, and because \rationality\ is fraught, his… [Direct]

Witt, Norbert (2007). What if Indigenous Knowledge Contradicts Accepted Scientific Findings?–The Hidden Agenda: Respect, Caring and Passion towards Aboriginal Research in the Context of Applying Western Academic Rules. Educational Research and Reviews, v2 n3 p225-235 Sep. The statement in the title, what if Indigenous Knowledge contradicts accepted scientific findings (Fowler, 2000), is an expression of the dilemma people who research Indigenous Knowledge think they find themselves in when they are confronted with different interpretations of what it means to be human, or, as I may summarize it, with different cultural interpretations of human existence. I sense a certain amount of fear in this statement, which, indeed, suggests an Indigenous interpretation that threatens the accepted scientific worldview. The question is, of course, who the accepting entity is and what the acceptance is measured on. The statement was made by an academic (PhD) executive of a diamond company who, responsible for inclusion of Indigenous Knowledge in the environmental assessment the company had to do before starting the mine, suspects contradictory interpretations on land use by the Indigenous people who occupy the land that should be developed by the company he… [PDF]

de Souza, Marian; Rymarz, Richard (2007). The Role of Cultural and Spiritual Expressions in Affirming a Sense of Self, Place, and Purpose among Young Urban, Indigenous Australians. International Journal of Children's Spirituality, v12 n3 p277-288 Dec. This article sets out to discuss the impact that urban living has had on the lives of young Indigenous people. It will seek to discover some of the problems that occur when there is a meeting of two cultures, in this case the Indigenous culture of Australian Aboriginal people and the mainstream culture that has been derived largely from west European traditions which, in turn, was born out of Western Christian perspectives. As well, it will explore the challenges faced by minority groups who live in pluralist contexts when they attempt to hand on their ways to their young people, in particular, the difficulties faced by urban Indigenous Australians who try to ensure that their young people will develop knowledge about their cultural and spiritual heritage. Finally it will examine how the rights of young Indigenous people need to be protected so that they can continue to develop their particular identity and at the same time take their place with pride and integrity in the pluralist… [Direct]

Noguchi, Fumiko (2010). Identifying Key Elements of Community-Based ESD: ESD-J's Projects to Collect ESD in Practice in Japan and Asia. Online Submission, Global Environmental Research v14 p137-146. Since its establishment in 2003, the Japan Council on the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD-J) has paid close attention to informal learning processes in community-based efforts to promote local sustainable development. ESD-J carried out two projects to collect information on and visualise community-based ESD practice: the "Asia Good ESD Practice Project (AGEPP)" (2006-2008), covering the Asian region, and the "ESD x Biodiversity Project" (2009-2011) at the national level. This article presents key elements of community-based ESD, derived from the observed cases of ESD in practice documented through these two projects. (Contains 9 figures, 1 box, and 3 online resources.)… [PDF]

Guilfoyle, Andrew; Hutchins, Teresa; Jackiewicz, Stephanie; Saggers, Sherry; Sims, Margaret; Targowska, Anna (2008). Indigenous Child Care–Leading the Way. Australian Journal of Early Childhood, v33 n1 p56-60 Mar. We believe that the Australian early childhood sector is not performing well. The incidence of poor outcomes for children is increasing, and we believe that current service delivery is not capable of addressing this. We argue that, as a sector, there is an abundance of evidence of the kinds of programs and initiatives that could address our national concerns, and review some of that evidence. We also point out that there is considerable knowledge in Australia, based on Australian programmes and experience, that can be used to build a different early childhood sector with the potential to significantly impact on growing disadvantage. We conclude with the principles or themes around which such initiatives should be developed and a call to advocate for the development of such services. Appropriate services supporting all of our young children, their families and their communities, have the potential to make a huge impact on our society, and we can no longer hide from our… [Direct]

George, Maggie; McLaughlin, Daniel (2008). Re-Framing Mainstream Assessment: Colleges Use Native Philosophies of Growth and Reflection. Tribal College Journal of American Indian Higher Education, v19 n4 p18-22 Sum. Speaking at faculty orientation before Dine College's Cultural Center in August 2004, the late Robert Roessel, a founder of Navajo Community College, described hopes that tribal leaders of the 1950s and 1960s had envisioned for tribal colleges. Designing programs of higher learning that work from and advance Native knowledge remains a core challenge at the 37 institutions that now constitute the tribal college movement. In this article, the authors argue that assessment, despite its linkages to mainstream structures and ideologies, offers important opportunities for accomplishing the objectives of the founders of tribal colleges. They report on work both provisional and incomplete in which they have been involved as tribal college insiders, consultants, and consultant-evaluators for outside agencies. To the extent that assessment is framed by Native philosophies of growth and reflection, they believe that tribal college educators may appropriate normative processes so as to promote… [Direct]

McGray, Robert; Taylor, Alison; Watt-Malcolm, Bonnie (2007). Struggles over Labour Power: The Case of Fort McMurray. Journal of Education and Work, v20 n5 p379-396 Nov. This article argues that partnerships for vocational education and training (VET) reflect contradictions within capitalism and labour power, and therefore should be analysed within the broader context of industrial and workplace relations. Therefore, in contrast to a consensual model, we posit an understanding of social partnerships as sites of struggle and negotiation. Our analysis of interview data suggests tensions between employers, educators and unions over who can deliver training and how training is to be delivered and regulated. These tensions have implications for access to apprenticeship opportunities and for how apprenticeship operates. We argue that a greater understanding of the social, political and economic contexts in which work experience programs operate is needed to move beyond partnerships that seek to produce appropriately skilled labour. (Contains 9 notes.)… [Direct]

Helme, Sue; Lamb, Stephen (2011). Closing the School Completion Gap for Indigenous Students. Resource Sheet No. 6. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare School completion rates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students are well below the rates for non-Indigenous students. The target of halving the gap by 2020 in Year 12 (or equivalent) attainment rates between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students is a major national challenge. This paper discusses the causes of low completion rates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and provides strategies for improving their retention rates. (Contains 2 figures.) [This paper was produced for the Closing the Gap Clearinghouse.]… [PDF]

(2011). Ministry of Education 2010/11 Annual Service Plan Report. British Columbia Ministry of Education This report outlines the Ministry of Education's achievements during the fiscal year ending March 31, 2011. It reflects the Ministry's progress over the past year; in particular their efforts to expand early learning programs, introduce flexibility in their education system through personalized learning, and inspire life-long learning for British Columbia families. This Annual Service Plan Report provides data and discusses the results related to the measures in the Ministry of Education "2010/11-2012/13 Service Plan."… [PDF]

Butler, Caroline F.; Menzies, Charles R. (2007). Returning to Selective Fishing through Indigenous Fisheries Knowledge: The Example of K'moda, Gitxaala Territory. American Indian Quarterly, v31 n3 p441-464 Sum. The historical abundance of salmon along the west coast of North America has been significantly reduced during the last two centuries of industrial harvest. The life histories of many twentieth-century fisheries have been depressingly similar: initial coexistence with indigenous fisheries; emergence of large-scale industrial expansion followed by resource collapse; introduction of limited restrictions on fishing effort, which become increasingly severe, making it hard for fishing communities to survive and to reproduce themselves. Yet for nearly two millennia prior to the industrial extraction of salmon, indigenous peoples maintained active harvests of salmon, which are estimated to have been at or near median industrial harvests during the twentieth century. Part of the explanation for salmon stock collapses in the twentieth century resides in the different methodologies used by the indigenous and industrial fisheries. In this paper the authors argue that a reintroduction of… [Direct]

Gulson, Kalervo N. (2007). "Neoliberal Spatial Technologies": On the Practices of Educational Policy Change. Critical Studies in Education, v48 n2 p179-195 Sep. This paper explores the spatial dimensions of neoliberalism, in relation to educational policy change in the inner-city of Sydney, Australia. It offers a response to Peck and Tickell's challenge that studies of neoliberalism are often undertaken as discrete macro- or micro-analyses without attention to the links between, and across, these scales. The paper posits the notion of "neoliberal spatial technologies," a bricolage of neoliberalism, governmentality and relational space, to contribute to cross-scalar understandings of neoliberalism in relation to inner-city educational policy change. An adumbrated analysis is presented of the practices surrounding the outcome of educational policy change in inner-Sydney. The paper concludes that these practices, drawing on discourses of neoliberalism and relational space, constitute particular students as possible neoliberal educational subjects. (Contains 7 notes.)… [Direct]

Du Toit, Petrusa; Forlin, Chris (2009). Cultural Transformation for Inclusion, What Is Needed?: A South African Perspective. School Psychology International, v30 n6 p644-666. Internationally, a move towards inclusive education has been adopted as the preferred model in most education systems. Yet there are still many jurisdictions that find that they simply do not have the resources necessary to embark on such a major development as inclusion. A critical issue in many such regions has been the difficulty in reforming traditional cultures that act as almost impassable barriers to change. This is further problematic when much of the rhetoric about embracing inclusion has posited the idea that schools can transform their culture by simply changing their own practices. This article considers the viability of schools being able to adopt an inclusive culture by themselves without a well developed support system and with very limited resources. An eco-systemic research approach is employed to examine the cultural barriers to inclusion that exist within ten schools across one regional district in South Africa. It is argued that for inclusion to become a reality… [Direct]

(2007). Australian Vocational Education and Training: Research Messages, 2006. National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) Research messages 2006 is a collection of key messages from research projects published or completed by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) in 2006. It covers work undertaken by both NCVER and external researchers through the following programs: (1) National Vocational Education and Training Research Evaluation Program; (2) National Vocational Education and Training Statistical Program; (3) National Adult Literacy and Numeracy Program; (4) NCVER Core Research Program; and (5) NCVER consultancy work. The summaries are clustered under five broad themes used by NCVER to organise all of its vocational education and training (VET) research and analysis: (1) Industry and employers; (2) Students and individuals; (3) Teaching and learning; (4) VET system; and (5) VET in context. Twenty-nine pieces of work are included, and each summary provides details of how to access the full research reports. [Support for this publication was provided by the Australian… [PDF]

Hillman, Kylie; Thomson, Sue (2010). Against the Odds: Influences on the Post-School Success of "Low Performers". National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) The link between academic achievement and labour market outcomes is well established. But how well does a student's achievement in a test predict their later success in life? This study examines this question, with "success" considered to encompass satisfaction with life together with the extent to which young people are fully occupied with education, employment or a combination of these. Low performers in mathematics in the 2003 Programme for International Student Assessment were the focus. The study found that "low performing" status has little impact on future success. Further, students who saw the value of mathematics for their future success were more likely to achieve this success. (Contains 9 tables, 5 figures and 13 footnotes.)… [PDF]

(2009). VET in Schools, 2007: Terms and Definitions. Support Document. National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) This document covers the data terms used in the "VET in Schools, 2007" report. The primary purpose of this document is to help users of the report understand the specific data terms used in it. Terms that appear in the report are listed in alphabetical order with the following information provided for each: (1) Definition: a brief explanation of the term; (2) Classification categories: defined categories that apply to each term are listed, where applicable; and (3) Source: a description of the source of this information, including details of any calculations or derivations. [Funding for this document was provided through the Australian Department of Education, Science and Training. This document was produced as an added resource for the report "VET in Schools, 2007." For the main report, see ED507234.]… [PDF]

Hewson, Mariana G.; Ogunniyi, Meshach B. (2008). Effect of an Argumentation-Based Course on Teachers' Disposition towards a Science-Indigenous Knowledge Curriculum. International Journal of Environmental and Science Education, v3 n4 p159-177 Oct. With the increased global awareness of the negative impact of scientific, technological and industrial activities on the environment and copious examples of sustainable practices existing in many an indigenous community, the new South African science curriculum statement has called on science teachers to integrate school science with the Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS). In response to this call, this study used an Argumentation-Based course (A-B course) to enhance teachers' understanding of the Nature of Science (NOS) and IKS and their ability to integrate science and IKS in their classrooms. Nine teachers participated in the course over a six-month period. Using questionnaires and interviews, the teachers' conceptions of, and awareness about the NOS and IKS were assessed before and after the course. Altogether, five of the teachers were interviewed and three of them completed a delayed questionnaire nearly two years after the course. After participating in the course, the… [PDF]

Sonn, Christopher C. (2008). Educating for Anti-Racism: Producing and Reproducing Race and Power in a University Classroom. Race, Ethnicity and Education, v11 n2 p155-166 Jul. In this paper I explore some of the issues associated with teaching about race, culture, and ethnicity in a psychology program. These curriculum initiatives are part of a broader agenda of raising awareness about racialised oppression and exclusion and contributing to the development of ways of researching and practicing psychology that are transformative and culturally sensitive. I overview the broader context and describe our subject and the guiding principles. This is followed by a description and analysis of two events in the classroom that illustrate the ways in which students differentially respond to the challenges posed by writings that challenge taken-for-granted understandings of race. Part of the analysis shows that students can often engage in the reproduction of oppressive practices and invest in whiteness. It is suggested that more than single semester subjects are required to promote and support the development of critical capacities for anti-racism practice…. [Direct]