(2015). Place and Culture-Based Professional Development: Cross-Hybrid Learning and the Construction of Ecological Mindfulness. Cultural Studies of Science Education, v10 n1 p121-134 Mar. This paper approaches mindfulness, an awareness of internal and external realities, as a culturally-shaped habit of mind. Findings of a cross-cultural study and popular sayings that reflect America's cultural orientation to consumption and competition are contrasted with findings from Hawaiian language newspapers, traditional cultural practices, and Hawaiian sayings that indicate an orientation to ecological mindfulness that increased the resilience of fragile social ecosystems. Marginalization of indigenous culture, language, and knowledge and cultural differences between teachers and indigenous students are proposed as a contributing factor to lower science performance of Native Hawaiian students in mainstream schools. Two professional development projects designed to reduce conflicts between culture and science instruction are presented. Findings from these projects suggest alignment of science inquiry with indigenous cultural knowledge and practices oriented to sustainability… [Direct]
(2018). Enhancing Professional Learning through Mobile Devices for Pre-Service Teachers in Remote Communities: An Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Example. International Journal of Mobile and Blended Learning, v10 n4 Article 2 p13-31. This article details the construction of a Grounded Theory to explain the concept of enhancing professional learning through mobile devices. The research data was delimited to the behaviours and beliefs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander pre-service teachers enrolled in two community-based initial teacher education programs in very remote communities in Australia. Four educational uses of mobile devices were identified: accessing content, handling administration, collaborating for academic support and sharing personal encouragement. The use of mobile devices enabled adults to choose times of study, choose places of study, complete assessment relevant to their course and achieve a career goal. Three elements that impact the educational use of mobile devices were identified (i.e. context, precursors and catalyst). Seven categories underlie the concept of enhancing professional learning through mobile devices: fostering access, facilitating customisation, promoting collaboration,… [Direct]
(2018). From School to VET: Choices, Experiences and Outcomes. National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) The transition from school to further education and work is a milestone in the life of a young person. Many young people go on to further education or training after leaving school, which often leads to viable job opportunities. This report is a summary of recent research by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) about the transition of school students into the vocational education and training (VET) system, including their experiences during, and their outcomes after, engagement with the sector. Data is included from the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY), the National VET Provider Collection and the National Student Outcomes Survey (SOS). Connections between the themes identified in the research and the data related to VET students' experiences and outcomes are highlighted. This summary explores the following questions: (1) What influences young people to undertake VET post-school?; (2) What factors support young people to complete VET?; and (3)… [PDF]
(2017). It Takes a Village: An Indigenous Atayal After-School Tutoring Program in Taiwan. Childhood Education, v93 n4 p280-288. The Boyo After-School Tutoring Program in Hsinchu County, Taiwan, is a unique training program developed by the Boyo Social Welfare Foundation. The primary focus of this nonprofit foundation, established in 2008, is providing tutoring and support to indigenous youths. The Boyo Foundation also serves to build the capacity of unemployed village members who have neither the educational level nor the formal experience typically required to become tutors…. [Direct]
(2017). Social Constructs Regarding the Physical and Sexual Energy of Whites, Indigenous South Americans and Blacks in Spanish and Colombian Primary School Reading Books between 1900 and 1960. History of Education, v46 n5 p578-594. This article analyses the manner in which the physical and sexual energy of the white, native South American and black populations was represented in reading books for elementary school children in Spain and Colombia between 1900 and 1960. Ninety reading books from representative authors were examined. It was found that the ideal of extraordinary physical vigour attributed to the white male was decisive in justifying Spanish imperialism, the superiority of the male in the patriarchal family and the intervention of authorities in administering people's bodies. In the case of Spanish texts, the might attributed to the white race was shown as having a motive of pride, whereas in the Colombian case, the mixture with Native Americans and blacks tended to be used as an explanation for the "weakness" of Colombians. Evidence is also found of the way in which education was implicitly conceived as a process of cultural "whitening"…. [Direct]
(2017). The Connotations of "Botho Philosophy" and Its Potential Contribution towards Environmental Conservation: The Case of Tlokoeng Community in Lesotho. Environmental Education Research, v23 n9 p1230-1248. This paper explores innovative environmental education strategies to conserve biodiversity in a rural-based context, in Lesotho. A case study approach was employed to investigate the community's conception of botho philosophy and how it might promote nature conservation. Focus Group Interviews were conducted with 105 participants. The responses were analyzed to determine the community's emerging definition and conception of botho. The findings indicate features of botho that parallel the ones that are found in the literature. In addition, botho was described metaphysically as a holistic spiritualised worldview that is concerned with a harmonious co-existence with others, nature and the Creator and empirically, in terms of moral attributes that foster co-existence within the socio-economic and natural systems. It is illustrated that botho can contribute towards environmental education discourse and nature conservation and thus diversify the pre-dominantly Euro-centric knowledge… [Direct]
(2017). Decolonizing Place in Early Childhood Studies: Thinking with Indigenous Onto-Epistemologies and Black Feminist Geographies. Global Studies of Childhood, v7 n2 p99-112 Jun. This article aims to center Indigenous onto-epistemologies and Black feminist geographies in considerations of place, environment, and "nature" in early childhood studies. We consider how these perspectives might enact knowledge-making that politicizes, unsettles, and (re)stories place-based studies of childhood. In particular, we are interested in possibilities for unsettling the dominance of EuroWestern knowledges in both normative and critical encounters with nature/culture and human/non-human dualisms in environmental and place-based childhood studies, particularly in working from the premise that anthropogenic vulnerabilities, anti-Blackness, and settler colonialism are intimately entangled within North American contexts. While noting the tensions between posthuman geographies, Indigenous onto-epistemologies, and Black feminist geographies, we consider how together they might enrich critical place-attuned early childhood studies. Our intent is to contribute to ongoing… [Direct]
(2008). From Peanut Butter to Eid … Blending Perspectives: Teaching Urdu to Children in Canada. Diaspora, Indigenous, and Minority Education, v2 n2 p154-164 Apr. The focus of this article is to examine the notions of language learning, heritage (referring to tradition) and ancestry (descendants & properties passed on), and cultural identification for Urdu-speaking immigrant children now living in Canada. This article provides a detailed ethnographic account of an innovative language program developed to teach Urdu to children within the Canadian context. The author draws on the research of Taylor (1983) to show that the evolution of literacy transmission is highly dependent on the childhood experiences of individual educators and evolves through the interplay of their unique biographies and educative styles, including the use of various texts. Questions explored include the following: What types of texts are used? What are the students' reactions to the texts? What are the teacher's practices within the classrooms? What kind of an impact does the learning of Urdu have on the identity construction of these children? (Contains 3 figures and… [Direct]
(2008). Lessons in "Letting Go": Exploring Constraints on the Culturally Relevant Teaching of Mathematics in Bermuda. Diaspora, Indigenous, and Minority Education, v2 n2 p115-134 Apr. Culturally relevant pedagogy has been highly regarded in its ability to impact the mathematics education outcomes of Black children as it is framed from the "wisdom-of-practice" of exemplary teachers, and recasts teaching as an intellectual, cultural, political, and social endeavor. This study illuminates the challenges in drawing potential by examining the personal and systemic challenges faced by four primary teachers in Bermuda as they endeavored to utilize perspectives of culturally relevant pedagogy to frame mathematics instruction. Through the lens of reconceptualized critical theory and a model for the culturally relevant teaching of mathematics, a collective case study was organized. Two major challenges to instruction emerged: (1) teachers' conceptions concerning the authority of the mathematics text as the "official" curriculum, and the sole legitimate source of mathematical knowledge; and (2) teachers' conceptions regarding institutional authority and… [Direct]
(2008). Multilingualism in Emerging Diasporas: A Tibetan Case Study. Diaspora, Indigenous, and Minority Education, v2 n3 p188-216 Jul. This study examines the multilingual and multiliteracy practices of a group of Tibetan female youths from South Asia (India, Bhutan, Nepal) newly arrived in Toronto, Canada (N = 24). The main data are derived from a questionnaire surveying their language practices across contexts indicating the roles of education, community, and society in multilingual maintenance and loss. In addition, this study considers how language ideology and the other sociocultural factors have impacted on participants' language and literacy preferences and practices. The results indicate specific multilingual and multiliterate patterns within the diaspora with differences between South Asia and North America. As female youths, the participants offer an indication of future trends in cultural and linguistic participation given the unequal influence of women on family language practices. (Contains 10 tables and 4 footnotes.)… [Direct]
(2008). Nation and Ethnic Identity Self-Definitions in a Canadian Language Class. Diaspora, Indigenous, and Minority Education, v2 n2 p135-153 Apr. An ethnographic study of a Canadian, undergraduate, advanced Hebrew course composed of heritage language learners of diverse backgrounds examined the fluctuating notion of nation and shifting national membership affiliations. Data collection techniques included participant observation and in-depth, semistructured, focus group and individual interviews of 10 students. The professor found varied constructions of national identity mediated by the influence of the learning and usage of modern Hebrew. Although all students and the professor were Jewish and identified as such, two predominant categories ("Canadians" and "Israelis") were formed and imposed and divided the classroom when students gathered as a group. However, on further examination in individual interviews, contradictory self- and other identifications emerged based on individuals' relations to Hebrew. (Contains 1 table.)… [Direct]
(2008). Survival, Adjustment, and Acculturation of Newly Immigrated Families with School-Age Children: Cases of Four Korean Families. Diaspora, Indigenous, and Minority Education, v2 n1 p4-24 Jan. The number of Korean migrants in the United States has steadily increased in recent years. Korea has struggled with a new social phenomenon: "exodus Korea." Despite its potential impact on the sending and receiving countries, the issue of the increasing number of Korean migrants has not received much research attention in its impact on schools and society. Four Korean migrant families' experiences in the United States were examined. Data were collected via participation, observation, interviews, and orally told stories. Although the families had some common goals for life in the United States, the traits of each family's life in the United States displayed their own uniqueness. Areas that require more research and practical sensitivity were discussed for addressing the issues migrant families face. (Contains 3 tables and 6 footnotes.)… [Direct]
(2008). The Tale of Two Noras: How a Yup'ik Middle Schooler Was Differently Constructed as a Math Learner. Diaspora, Indigenous, and Minority Education, v2 n2 p90-114 Apr. This case study seeks to explain why a Yup'ik middle schooler, Nora, from a remote Alaskan village, was differently constructed as a math learner by her 6th- and 7th-grade math teachers. When a culturally relevant curriculum was used in 6th grade, Nora had a greater opportunity for leadership, ownership of knowledge, collaborative problem solving, conceptual learning, and participation in decolonized, culturally sustainable knowledge than when in a Western-style classroom based on the "No Child Left Behind Act"-motivated reforms 1 year later. (Contains 3 figures and 5 footnotes.)… [Direct]
(2008). Toward True Partnership: A Case Study of Researching in Cross-Cultural Contexts. Diaspora, Indigenous, and Minority Education, v2 n3 p217-232 Jul. Aotearoa New Zealand has two main cultures ("Maori," the Indigenous people; and "Pakeha," New Zealanders of European extraction). This article describes the journey of 2 researchers, 1 from each culture, coming to an understanding of how to bridge the cultural divide and research in respectful, culturally sensitive ways. (Contains 1 figure, 1 table, and 4 footnotes.)… [Direct]
(2008). What Does Empowerment in Literacy Education Look Like? An Analysis of a Family Literacy Program for Guatemalan Maya Families. Diaspora, Indigenous, and Minority Education, v2 n3 p169-187 Jul. Educators in the field of "family literacy" have identified multiple approaches to family literacy programs (FLPs), and have underscored the need to identify and make explicit the philosophical orientations of their own programs. This was the task undertaken in this article, which focused on a FLP in south Florida that served the needs of Guatemalan Maya families where the adults were unable to read or write in any language upon program entry. This study analyzed the educational practices of the FLP to ascertain its ideological underpinnings, according to a tripartite typology derived from scholarship in literacy, multicultural, and immigrant education. This article addresses the complexity of identifying such ideological situatedness including the need to examine diverse program elements, the manner in which a program could have multiple ideological strands, and the ambiguity that sometimes emerges in such "readings" of programs in "real-world" contexts…. [Direct]