(2018). Creolizing the White Spaces of Teacher Education: Possibilities and Tensions of a Pedagogy of Mestizaje in the Crossroads. Review of Education, Pedagogy & Cultural Studies, v40 n1 p16-29. Mia Ang√©lica Sosa-Provencio is assistant professor of Secondary Education in the Department of Teacher Education, Educational Leadership, and Policy at the University of New Mexico. Her research focuses on framing education as a means for social justice with particular focus on teacher education that engages youth in their multiple identities and lived realities, especially young men and women who find themselves on the margins of public schooling. Born in Las Cruces, Sosa-Provencio is a proud native New Mexican with multigenerational roots dating back centuries in both Northern and Southern New Mexico and Ju√°rez, Mexico. In this article she uses Jane Anna Gordon's "Creolization of Political Theory" as a theoretical framework through which to more deeply understand the pedagogy pulsing through a curriculum lab in her teacher education program in New Mexico which has a diverse and critical faculty whose work lies in decolonization and antiracism…. [Direct]
(2015). Conversations about Science Education: A Retrospective of Science Education Research in "CJSTME". Canadian Journal of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education, v15 n4 p364-386. This review focuses on science education contributions to the "Canadian Journal of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education" (CJSMTE) from January 2001 through December 2014. Through a combination of content and citation analysis, we examine the journal as a location for conversations around specific themes and broader ideas related to science education. Conversations absent from the journal are also considered. This analysis provides a retrospective of the ways in which the CJSMTE has contributed to the field of science education and makes suggestions for future considerations…. [Direct]
(2020). Short-Term Study Trips in the Americas: Pedagogy and Logistical Best Practices. Journal of Teaching in International Business, v31 n4 p293-311. Using a case study, this paper explores the pedagogy and logistical best practices of leading short-term study trips to the indigenous highlands of Guatemala. The goals of community-engagement are to have students: 1) interact with people of different cultural, linguistic, political, and economic world views, expanding their range of diversity-training; and 2) think critically about poverty and human agency in a global context. Logistical considerations are a key component of the learning experience when markets suffer from asymmetric information and moral hazard. This paper contributes to the literature by highlighting the ways that planning, programming, and logistics need to be woven into sustainable approaches to community engagement. For this to be an ethical endeavor, local peoples should be involved with the development and execution of the program. A barrier to learning can be a perception by students that, given their comparative economic privilege, they are there to… [Direct]
(2013). Considering Indigenous Knowledges and Mathematics Curriculum. Canadian Journal of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education, v13 n1 p18-32. Across Canada, significant program changes in school mathematics have been made that encourage teachers to consider Aboriginal perspectives. In this article, I investigate one Aboriginal teacher's approaches to integrating Indigenous knowledges and the mandated mathematics curriculum in a Blackfoot First Nation school. Using a framework that explicates Western and Indigenous mathematics, I describe two approaches involving the construction of a model house and learning from place by visiting a sacred site. By problematizing the notion of integration, I claim that developing an understanding of Indigenous and Western worldviews might offer generative possibilities for this complex endeavor. (Contains 1 note.)… [Direct]
(2022). Discourses of Globalisation and Higher Education Reforms: Emerging Paradigms. Globalisation, Comparative Education and Policy Research. Volume 27. Globalisation, Comparative Education and Policy Research This book examines some of the major higher education reforms and policy shifts globally, particularly in the light of recent shifts in quality and standards-driven education and policy research. It critiques the neo-liberal ideological imperatives of current higher education and policy reforms, and illustrates the way that changes in the relationship between the state and higher education policy affect current trends in higher education reforms. Using diverse comparative education paradigms from critical theory to historical-comparative research, the chapters focus on globalisation, ideology and higher education reforms and examine both the reasons and outcomes of higher education reforms and policy change. The book analyses and evaluates the policy shifts in methodological approaches to globalisation and higher education reforms, and their impact on education policy and pedagogy. The book contributes in a very scholarly way, to a more holistic understanding of the nexus between… [Direct]
(2018). Curriculum Decision-Makers on Decolonising the Teacher Education Curriculum. South African Journal of Education, v38 n4 Article 1705 Nov. Over 21 years into democracy and the commitment for radical transformation in education, South Africa continues to adopt and adapt international imperatives and standardisations in pursuit of first world rankings. Ironically, notions of indigenisation, decolonisation and Africanisation of the curriculum have become catch words of the day. In the wake of the #FeesMustFall movement, a rethink of the curriculum for tomorrow, and the manner in which we think and speak about the curriculum, has come to the forefront. Through Pinar's method of currere, this paper demonstrates curriculum decision-makers' thinking about decolonising the curriculum. While some curriculum decision-makers perpetuate Western ways of thinking about the curriculum, others make a shift in their thinking towards a 're-humanising' approach to the curriculum. The present study maintains that curriculum decision-makers are catalytic agents, and are neither complacent nor at the mercy of Western knowledge and… [PDF]
(2017). The Cultural Obstacles of Counseling Licensure in Hong Kong. College Student Journal, v51 n2 p193-201 Sum. A comprehensive package of counseling credentialism comprises certification, registration, and licensing. Counseling in Hong Kong adheres to certification for which diverse counseling master's programs exist. In addition, counselors can register as members of professional counseling organizations such as the Hong Kong Professional Counseling Association and the Asian Professional Counseling Association. However, the 3 credentialing approaches remain incomplete because the development of professional counseling is susceptible to an absence of licensing in Hong Kong. This study is an attempt to identify the underlying cultural obstacles causing the lack of licensing from the perspectives of collectivism and "McDonaldization". Hong Kong people are infused with collectivism, resulting in the need to incorporate collectivism in individualism-based counseling. Nonetheless, a consensus regarding the indigenization of counseling in Hong Kong remains lacking. Collectivism also… [Direct]
(2017). Patterns of Participation in Year 9 Academic Testing and Factors Predicting Absence on the Day of Test. Educational Research for Policy and Practice, v16 n2 p109-127 Jun. Policies aiming to improve educational outcomes are typically based on academic testing data. However, such data only reflect the performance of students who completed the tests. It is possible that students who were absent have shared characteristics. The proportion of students absent out of all eligible school students and whether they have shared characteristics has not been investigated, as this is only possible through the use of linked administrative data. Participants were born in Western Australia in 1994 and 1995, and their birth records were linked to participation status in the Year 9 academic tests to determine the proportion of students who were absent. Logistic regression was conducted to investigate characteristics which predicted absence on test day. A proportion of non-Aboriginal (3.2%) and Aboriginal students (21.9%) were absent on test day. Risk factors which predicted the absence included contact with Child Protection and Family Services, history of maternal… [Direct]
(2017). A Personal Story of Teaching Aboriginal Art as a Non-Aboriginal Person. International Journal of Education & the Arts, v18 n20 May. This is an autoethnographic reflection of teaching Aboriginal art as a non-Aboriginal person. Over a period of ten months, a class of grade seven students was led through an inquiry into Aboriginal art including research and the creation of individual and group art pieces. The evolving curriculum was shaped by considerations of respect for individuals or groups, working with partial knowledge, as well as personal stories and histories. New perspectives emerge through re-examination of this experience through a metaphor of walking and wandering. This a/r/tographic treatment explores approaches for teaching in unfamiliar territories of cultural difference and acknowledges complicated conversations along the way…. [PDF]
(2017). Problematising and Reimagining the Notion of "International Student Experience". Studies in Higher Education, v42 n5 p933-943. This article considers whether it is appropriate to continue distinguishing between international and domestic student experiences and whether vertical institutional structures limit our thinking in the provision of relevant, targeted services and support. It reflects on the heterogeneous nature of the international student population and compares that with diversity among domestic students. Outlining some of the factors which can affect their experiences, it argues that the traditional distinction between international and domestic students may be increasingly difficult to sustain. It suggests we need greater nuance in service delivery, and that working laterally across the institution could result in a more comprehensive approach to internationalisation, diversity, social and cultural inclusion to better support students, regardless of provenance…. [Direct]
(2017). Indigenous Training and Employment. Policy Snapshot. National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) National Indigenous training and employment policy falls under the auspices of the Indigenous Advancement Strategy (IAS), an initiative which covers all facets of Indigenous social, economic, health and well-being across multiple Australian Government departments. Two of the main aims of the Jobs, Land and Economy component of the IAS are to increase the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in "real jobs" and train more people for local jobs in their communities. Some of the initiatives which lie under the Job, Land and Economy banner include the: (1) Community Development Program; (2) Employment Parity Initiative; (3) Vocational, Training and Employment Centres (VTEC); and (4) Indigenous Cadetship Support Programme. Much of the current policy agenda has been adopted from the recent Forrest Review recommendations. While it is too soon to critique the effectiveness of these initiatives in closing the gap in employment parity, this policy snapshot provides… [PDF]
(2006). Distance Education and the Issue of Equity Online: Exploring the Perspectives of Rural Aboriginal Students. Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, v35 p21-29. This paper explores Aboriginal perspectives of tertiary education "online" from rural and remote community locations in New South Wales. It does so within a frame of enquiry as to how neo-liberal educational policy reforms are impacting on equity issues in distance education "online". Accounts from Aboriginal university students in health point to a range of tensions between changes brought about by the reform in relation to student subjectivity and university governance, and culturally preferred ways of learning for many Aboriginal people. The paper offers suggestions for how these forms of educational governance can be reconciled with educational support needs of remote Aboriginal learners. (Contains 1 figure.)… [Direct]
(2019). The Struggle to Achieve Internal Legitimacy for Tribal Nations. Journal of Public Affairs Education, v25 n4 p524-541. Tribal nations have entered an era of nation building or the process by which a native nation enhances its foundational capacity for effective self-governance and self-determination. While many tribal nations have become more economically secure in recent years, legitimacy has remained elusive for some. Successful tribal nations, alongside struggling nations, often endure setbacks as citizens question and critique all actions of the tribal government. Focusing on developing legitimacy-building institutions will assist tribal nations not only gain validity in the eyes of their citizens, but also reconnect with the values of their community. This article suggests that tribal nations should re-evaluate their governing institutions to seek ways to insert culturally relevant legitimacy-building institutions, provides several best practices, and articulates ways in which the discipline of public affairs can help facilitate native nation building…. [Direct]
(2016). A History of Oral and Written Storytelling in Nigeria. Commission for International Adult Education, Paper presented at the American Association for Adult and Continuing Education (AAACE) Commission for International Adult Education (CIAE) Annual Pre-Conference (65th, Albuquerque, NM, Nov 6-8, 2016). Storytelling is a powerful process in adult education as a useful instructional approach in facilitating adult instruction and learning, especially during preliterate eras. What began as oral tradition has evolved to include written literature. A popular Eurocentric perspective in the early 19th century was that before the arrival of Europeans Africa was a savage continent devoid of culture. Once Nigerian authors began to produce novels and other written works, authors such as Chinua Achebe continued using storytelling to debunk this Eurocentric narrative. Achebe employed storytelling and proverbs to establish that the continent wasn't devoid of culture. This approach resonated with readers and reignited interest in the storytelling tradition. Achebe provided historical information using storytelling narratives to help readers learn about life and culture in prehistoric African societies before the invasion of Europeans. Storytelling in both the oral and written tradition can help… [PDF]
(2018). Measuring the Impact of a Community of Practice in Aboriginal Health. Studies in Continuing Education, v40 n1 p62-75. Effective strategies to enhance the competence of practising health professionals are limited. Communities of Practice are proposed as strategy, yet little is known about their ability to develop cultural competency and practice. This study aimed to measure the impact of a Community of Practice on the self-assessed cultural competency and change to practice of dietitians working in Aboriginal health. A mixed-method approach including a quantitative 16-item cultural-competency self-assessment tool (completed at baseline and after 12 months of participation) together with the qualitative most significant change stories were used. Quantitative and qualitative data were compared together for congruence and difference. All participants (n = 13) completed the cultural competency-self assessment and participated in the significant change story development. They reported that through networking and joint problem solving they increased competence (13 of 16 performance indicators) and… [Direct]