Conference Presentations

Kelsey Shanks University of Exeter, UK Education was once considered a neutral, technical activity;yet, over the past decade, the international education agenda has shifted in line with the wider ‘do no harm’ debate to recognize education’s potential influence over spheres of security, governance and economics. With 1in3 of the world’s 121 million out-of-school children living in fragile or conflict-affected situations (GPE,2016), the relationship between education and conflict has received targeted efforts. Yet, despite academic and practitioner focus, Reisman and Janke (2015) stress that conflict-sensitivity still needs to be “better understood and adopted by all partners.” This paper explores the necessary processes required to ‘institutionalise’ conflict-sensitive practices within education-focused humanitarian organisations, highlighting key obstacles and opportunities.

Meghna Nag Chowdhuri University of Cambridge, United Kingdom

For more than a decade globally, and more recently in India, education policy has focused on how children participate in classrooms. This (re)imagination falls within a larger shift towards a more constructivist perspective, where “learning takes place through interactions” (NCERT, 2006, p. 17). Based on this, reformed textbooks have been developed, incorporating text that encourages student participation. However, what is often missing from the discourse is teacher’s voice (Batra, 2005). Thus, despite the reformed textbooks, it is not understood whether such a change is realised in classrooms or (and) accepted by teachers. This paper focuses on the reformed primary-level mathematics textbooks to explore this link — nature of ‘student participation’ in the mathematics textbooks, compared to teachers views and practices. Mathematics is one of the most crucial subjects of primary schooling, and a key indicator of basic skills across the Southern context (ASER, 2016). Yet it continues to play the role of a gatekeeper in education, especially for those from under-privileged communities (Khan, 2015).

The data discussed, is part of a three-year-long project exploring the teacher-textbook relationship in primary government school classrooms in Delhi. The study was conducted in four schools, with a focus on 10 teachers. The data includes reform-based textbooks, 44 classroom observations, and 16 semi-structured interviews.

The textbook anticipates students’ engagement in classrooms in primarily three ways: explanation tasks (oral and written), generation tasks (creating their own tasks), and construction tasks (creating physical materials). The paper argues that although a few of the teachers are starting to approach these ways of student engagement, especially those involving explanation;the construction and generation tasks are not as frequently seen. Further, teachers’ understanding of how these tasks can be used meaningfully for mathematics learning is vague. These results have implications for teacher-training policies, textbook development and mathematics education research.

Issoufou Ouedraogo Hiroshima university, Japan Yukiko Hirakawa

Literacy and numeracy, as emphasized in the Declaration for Education For All (EFA) in 1990, are essential tools for learning. However, EFA Global Monitoring Report 2014 pointed out that many children leave schools without acquiring literacy and numeracy. In Burkina Faso, PASEC (Programme d’Analyse des Systèmes Educatifs de la Conférence des Ministres de l’Education) [Francophone Africa Educational Systems Analysis Program] revealed that about 40% of grade 6 students failed at acquiring basic skills in French and math necessary for life and for further studies, though the rate of students who reached grade 6 was only about 60%. The purpose of this longitudinal study is to find out factors influencing students achievements in rural Burkina Faso. Zondoma Province was purposively chosen as an area that had relatively high enrolment rate and low completion rate. Then, 30 schools and 967 students were chosen randomly. Questionnaires, school checklists, French and math tests were employed to collect data. French and math tests were developed based on PASEC tests and other tests used in other developing countries. The tentative results showed that there was a large difference among schools. A two level Hierarchical Linear Model will be used to clarify proportion of school variance and student variance, and school and students factors that significantly affect student achievement. The results will provide basis of discussion for quality improvement of elementary schools.

Key words: school achievements, primary school, Mathematics, French, Burkina Faso

Ousmane Ndiaye, Yukiko Hirakawa Hiroshima University, Japan

The crucial role of education as a key lever to a sustainable development and social justice is widely acknowledged in the International community. Especially, making students acquire basic literacy and numeracy is the minimum but crucial goal to be attained. How to attain this goal within limited educational resources is a common challenge in most developing countries.

This study used data obtained by tests and questionnaire from 835 Grade 5 students in 30 schools in a rural area in Senegal, namely Sedhiou Province. The target area was chosen as an area in which 100% gross enrolment had been achieved, while dropout rate was high.

The results of preliminary analysis clarified that many students in Grade 5 had not acquired basic literacy and numeracy. About a half of the students could not retrieve clearly stated information in a simple short sentence. In math, though 0% could do calculation in addition, the rates of right answer went down to less than 60% in subtraction and multiplication. The achievement gap among schools were very large. It was strongly suggested that subtraction, multiplication and division were not taught in some schools, as the rates of right answer were 20% or less. Using hierarchical linear regression analysis, the research tries to find out school and student factors that significantly influence the student achievement.

Rafael Mitchell REAL Centre, Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, UK Pauline Rose, REAL Centre, Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge

African education research is often ‘overlooked and undervalued’ in global policy debates (Maclure 2006). This paper reports on a project to catalogue education research from sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) for the purpose of raising its visibility and strengthening the evidence base for national, regional and global policy and practice. The paper combines large-scale bibliometric analysis of education research outputs from 48 countries in SSA with a qualitative study of the priorities of African researchers and policy actors. The study highlights the perspectives of African research and researchers with respect to informing the Education Sustainable Development Goal. Attention is given to areas of convergence and tension between global policy agendas and African researchers’ priorities for knowledge production.

The quantitative analysis draws from structured searches of academic and grey literature databases, together with a process of expert consultation. The search sought to identify social science research outputs with implications for education policy and practice conducted by researchers in SSA over the period 2007-2017. Patterns and trends are identified regarding publication type, thematic foci, research methods, funding, and citations. The qualitative component derives from semi-structured interviews with African researchers and a range of non-academic stakeholders, including representatives of government agencies and NGOs. Thematic analysis was informed by previous studies of evidence use in education policy-making (Brown 2014).

The paper considers lessons for the identification of research topics, research design and dissemination to enhance the visibility of African research in national and global policy debates. It further aims to support future research partnerships to inform the SDGs which are grounded in African knowledge and expertise.

References

Brown, C., 2014. Advancing policy makers’ expertise in evidence-use: A new approach to enhancing the role research can have in aiding educational policy development. Journal of Educational Change 15, 19–36.

Maclure, R., 2006. No Longer Overlooked and Undervalued? The Evolving Dynamics of Endogenous Educational Research in Sub-Saharan Africa. Harvard Educational Review 76, 80–109.

Ntimi Mtawa University of the Free State, South Africa There are four decades worth of cross-contextual research that supports Service-learning (SL) as effective pedagogical practice in universities in the Global North. However, relatively little is explored regarding its potential to advance citizenship (Nussbaum, 2010;1997;McCowan, 2012;Annette, 2005), conscientization (Cipolle, 2010) and civic agency (Walker and McLean, 2013) among students and in the broader society, especially in the African context. Using the capability approach (CA) as developed by Amartya Sen, Martha Nussbaum and others, this article draws attention to the potential ways in which SL impacts students in the direction of the above-mentioned values. The paper uses qualitative data gathered through interviews with 16 lecturers and 4 focus groups with 48 students in two faculties from the case of one South African university. These results were analysed using core constructs of CA to determine how SL impacts students’ citizenship, conscientization and civic agency. The findings indicate that students involved in SL develop capabilities and capacities that cut across issues of citizenship, conscientization and civic agency, which are fundamental for flourishing individual and wider society. These capabilities and capacities include inter alia., affiliation, informed vison, social and collective struggle, empathy and caring, dealing with diversity, agency and aspiration for change in communities. These values are likely to be fostered because SL offers students opportunities to interact among and between each other, engage with people in need and encounter complex issues in communities. The study is significant because it contributes to the search for an educational practice that can enable universities to foster citizenship, conscientization and civic agency. These are critical issues that need to be cultivated among students in an increasingly connected, complex and unequal world.

Farzana Bardai University of Sussex, England Capacity development is viewed as a means to improve sustainable access to quality education in conflict and post conflict states. Capacity development is intended to supports government actors to be more effective in creating policies to improve education systems. INGO’s (International Non-Governmental Organizations) play a crucial role in this regard, particularly in various ways including supporting formulation of policy, budgeting, building government capacity, as well as education provision. Much aid in conflict context is spent on supporting INGOs to develop state capacity to rebuild education systems. However, there is little research that grapples with “the security and development needs of the social, economic and political context” (Davies, 2009, p.6), in relation to education capacity development in conflict-affected countries. In this context, the paper is based on research conducted for a doctoral study that focuses on the role and programs of INGOs working in the education sector intended to support the capacity development of government officials. This paper aligns itself to the BAICE’s Education in conflict, crisis and times of uncertainty (Education, conflict and peace building) theme by focusing on the neglected topic of how INGOs support state capacity. Using the theoretical work produced by Novelli et al (2014), Davies, (2009, 2011) and Rizvi et al, (2010), this paper provides an empirical analysis of the role of INGOs in the complex context of Afghanistan. The research utilizes a case study mix method approach, drawing data from interviews, questionnaires and documents. This paper argues that global and local actors influence the implementation of education capacity building programmes by INGOs in Afghanistan, and the effects can be seen when examining education policies. This paper contributes to the understanding of how capacity is developed by INGOs in conflict-affect countries, in a globalising context in which nation state autonomy is challenged.

Irfan Ahmed Rind Sukkur IBA University, Pakistan

Extremism in Pakistan has been a major concern as it links to terrorism and religious fundamentalism. Historically, fundamentalist discourse promoted religious authority and fixity of knowledge, which was used by military dictators to legitimize their military coups. Politically motivated religious and government schools target young venerable minds;systematically shape their epistemology to the fixity of knowledge;provide them the knowledge that aligns with their political agendas, and encouraged them to violently react on anything or anyone that contradicts their fix knowledge. Teachers play a vital role in shaping students’ epistemology by transmitting the politically informed knowledge which is embedded in curricula. The effective shaping of students’ epistemology also depends on teachers’ epistemological beliefs, which they have developed during their teacher trainings and education.

Realizing the importance of teachers in challenging the extremist forces deeply embedded in social fabric of Pakistan, USAID has focused on reforming teacher education and spent around $75 million since 2009. Along with many other initiatives, the most significant is the replacement of old traditional teacher certificate courses with new four year B.Ed elementary and secondary degree programs for pre-service teachers. Although the USAID led teacher education reforms have been studied from different dimensions, i.e., aims & objectives of the reforms (Fazal, Khan, & Majoka, 2014) , teacher educators’ perception of reforms (Reba & Inamullah, 2014), impact of reforms on social status of teachers (Khalid 2014), sustainability of reforms (USAID 2008), the implications of such reforms on extremism have not been studied yet. This study specifically focuses on understanding the philosophy that drives these reform initiatives, (2) locates it in policies, curriculum, instruction, and assessments of new B.Ed (Hons) elementary program , and (3) exams the extent to which the new B.Ed (Hons) elementary program shapes student teachers’ epistemology, and their attitude towards the fixity of knowledge.

Osman Sadeck Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), South Africa Yusuf Sayed ( University of Sussex and Cape Peninsula University of Technology) Toyer Nakidien (Cape Peninsula University of Technology) Anil Kanjee (Tshwane University of Technology)

This paper reports on the Western Cape component of the Assessment for Learning in Africa (AFLA) project that focuses on Assessment for Learning (AfL) in challenging contexts. The project is a collaborative project between Oxford University, Aga Khan University, Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) and Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT). The project aims to investigate how teachers can develop and sustain high quality AfL teaching practices towards enhancing the learning of mathematics. Although the evidence shows that formative assessment can improve attainment, questions remain regarding the implementation, replication and scaling-up of teacher assessment capacity development programmes.

The project is being conducted in challenging contexts in Tanzania (Aga Khan University), Gauteng (TUT) and Western Cape (CPUT). In the Western Cape, teachers at six poor rural primary schools in the Cape Winelands area were selected to participate in a two-year AfL programme. The programme comprises three components, viz. five workshop/ training sessions, classroom-based implementation and classroom-based support.

Towards the end of the first phase of the project, we have found that teachers are taking to the new AfL techniques and strategies and are implementing them but at varying levels of complexity. Some of the reasons for this are competing priorities of the teachers, language and context, and the perception that the programme is lumping ‘extra work’ on the teachers.

Also, in the Western Cape language, both in delivery and materials, play a role in the level of engagement of the teachers. The timing of the sessions is also a factor that needs to be addressed. Finally, initial indicators suggest that factors such as context crucially affect implementation levels.

Key Words: formative assessment;assessment for learning;learner engagement;professional development;teachers’ practice.

Alba Castellsagué Universitat Autònoma of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain Silvia Carrasco, Universitat Autònoma of Barcelona Development in Nepal is an ineludible issue, deeply imbricated in both discourses and practices (Fujikura 2001;Pigg 1993;Shrestha 1995). Starting from the colonial influence from the British Empire, through its ‘opening’ in the 50’s and 60’s to the international “agents of development”, until becoming nowadays one of the most prioritized countries for international aid intervention worldwide. Education emerges as the main ingredient on both development discourses and practices, and it particularly applies to the situation of girls and women, through programs targeting the promotion of access to schooling in the rural areas of the country (Robinson-Pant 2000). This paper explores the discursive construction of development and education categories in Nepal, through the analysis of narratives of 10 Nepali women, from rural and urban spots. We identify common trends and singularities in the way they describe their lived realities, focusing on education and development. Findings show narratives that are clearly intertwined, where education appears to be closely linked to development. Both are conceptualized as external and dichotomic, and women apparently situate themselves as passive recipients. Predominant narratives mainly refer to material issues, but some women’s views bring about political, personal or social issues and dimensions. Methodological challenges also arise concerning the limitations of approaches based on interviews when exploring narratives and the need to situate them within a wider ethnographic context. The paper shows how global and institutional discourses are assumed and internalized by the people, as outcomes of cognitive imperialism (Battiste 2005). However, it also reveals how women negotiate, re-signify and challenge such discourses from their particular local realities and experiences as active producers of meaningful cultural forms.

Asma Jahan Mukta The University of Newcastle, Australia Principal Supervisor: Tom Griffiths, Associate Professor, The University of Newcastle Co-Supervisor: Dr Heather Sharp, Senior Lecturer, The University of Newcastle The principles of the United Nations and UNESCO have a great impact on global agendas for national development, and education is often expected to play a leading role for poverty reduction. This reflects a broader policy context globally that tends to emphasise a narrow concept of development, focused primarily on measurable economic growth, and de-emphasising other aspects of social and cultural change that education can promote. The critical question is how education can contribute to reducing poverty and delivering social, cultural and economic development for all people. Clearly, the complex relationship between education and development needs further exploration. This paper critiques how the notion of education is constructed in the global policies of education and development in terms of delivering national development. Using discourse analytic approach, this paper examines how multilateral agencies have articulated the relationship between education and development in the global policies for Least Developed Countries since 1990. More particularly, how the official links between school education and development, which includes expected outcomes of school education in relation to development is imagined directly or indirectly in the policy is the core interest of the paper. In what ways the dominant global logic of expanded mass schooling for individual upward mobility and national development reflected in global policy is discussed critically.

Sílvia Azevedo Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences of the University of Porto, Portugal Maria Brandão and António Magalhães Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences of the University of Porto

This paper aims to explore how development is construed in the discursive field of International Development Cooperation (IDC) in Higher Education (HE) in Cape Verde.Under a globalized range of international agendas/policies different interpretations and practices have reconfigured the discursive field of IDC. Supranational and transnational organizations have been the privileged actors in setting priorities, strategies and policies, raising the question about the kind of ideological effects and about national development agendas. Since 2000 that HE in developing countries has been determinant for the economic and societal development (WB, UNESCO, 2000) and internationalization through knowledge circulation, a crucial factor for those countries who want to participate in a globalized world (Beerkens, 2004). Despite the fact that in Cape Verde the first public university was established in 2006, IDC has always played a key role in the development of HEI.

The analysis draws on Political Discourse Theory as theorical-methodological framework (Laclau & Mouffe, 1985;Howarth, 2000). It focuses on articulation practice to identify and describe discourses that fixate the meaning of development in IDC in HE. A corpus of ten in depth interviews with political actors of cooperation between HEIs in Portugal and Cape Verde and documents were analysed.

Accordingly, we propose that the discursive struggle between the fixation of meaning of development by reference to external (hegemonic) forces and fixation of meaning of development by reference to national identities point out to two development cooperation discourses, a discourse by resistance and a discourse by accommodation. This open a debate on the role of knowledge production in HEI in developing countries to support sustainable IDC.

Eva Bulgrin University of Sussex, United Kingdom Beginning 1990, Benin followed the international trend to decentralise its governance system. In the 2009 policy, the government of Benin articulated the need to devolve and de-concentrate pre- and primary education, among other sectors. While the Incheon Declaration of the World Education Forum 2015 (UNESCO, 2015, p. 4) points out the importance of ‘legal and policy frameworks that promote […] participatory governance’, the Sustainable Development Goals no longer explicitly address good governance. The question of how to achieve ‘free, equitable and quality primary […] education’ (target 4.1.) in the decentralised context of Benin through an appropriate institutional setting remains central to my research. My research explores the context of influences as it relates to educational decentralisation, the context of policy production and the context of practice(s) (Ball, 1993). This paper draws on 70 extensive bilateral and group interviews with high and middle-ranking officials from different Beninese ministries, town councils, and school actors. My findings suggest that centralisation rather than decentralisation is becoming prevalent despite advocacy by International Organisations in favour for decentralisation. In this context, this paper focuses on how various actors at different levels involved in delivering pre- and primary education mediate the decentralisation policy. In particular, the paper explores their vision for ‘free, equitable and quality primary […] education’ (target 4.1.) in the context of the current policy framework. It argues that the aspirations of the population conflict with the political will of high-ranking education officials. By giving voice to my research participants, this paper sheds light on alternative narratives about how the governance of pre- and primary education in Benin can be reimagined. By doing so, it contributes to the understanding of how participatory governance may support the target of quality education.

Faith Mkwananzi University of the Free State, South Africa As migration intensifies globally, facets of human development such as health, education, well-being, hunger, poverty and gender disparities remain issues of concern. As a result, social justice efforts, and the realisation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) become constrained. As such, attempts to address any of issues justice or sustainable development have direct and/or indirect implication on each other. Based on the findings of a case study on “Lives and educational aspirations of marginalised migrant youth” living in Johannesburg, South Africa conducted between 2014 and 2016, this paper provides a multidisciplinary conceptualisation of social justice and human development as critical elements of sustainable development. Using first-hand accounts of 12 marginalised Zimbabwean migrant youth who completed their O’level education in South Africa, the paper illustrates how an informal schooling system designed specifically for refugee minors created space for the advancement of young migrant’s multiple capabilities and well-being. In the same vein, the paper demonstrates how, through individual and group agency, education can potentially be used as a tool to address injustices and promote human and ultimately sustainable development. Drawing on Amartya Sens capability concept of agency, complemented by a theorisation of oppression (powerlessness, violence, exploitation, marginalisation and cultural imperialism) by Iris Young to understand social justice, I argue that fostering educational capabilities could potentially contribute to addressing wider issues of social justice in developing countries. To conclude, I demonstrate how the juxtaposition of empirical lives, and a multidisciplinary theorisation of human development and social justice provides an understanding of the potential role of education in response to recent global issues of concern, such as migration;thus creating spaces for on-going dialogue on the potential contribution of education for sustainable development.

Helen Longlands UCL Institute of Education, University College London, UK Elaine Unterhalter, UCL Institute of Education Rosie Peppin Vaughan , UCL Institute of Education The paper reports on initial attempts to develop an innovative indicator framework for gender equality in education linked with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which is to be reviewed through critical participatory discussion at local, national and international levels. The paper situates this initiative (a collaboration with colleagues in the UK, South Africa, Malawi, and selected UN organisations) within the debate about the strengths and weaknesses of metrics and indicators to convey information about complex processes of inequalities. It outlines some of the institutional resources the development of these indicators require, and poses questions regarding the opportunities metrics and indicators present for stakeholders to engage with accountability processes concerning education, equalities and rights. The harsh critique of metrics inserting forms of distancing, distortion, and deformations of democratisation are placed against the arguments of those who see the development of alternative metrics around equalities as helping take debates around social justice to new terrains and concerns. The paper reviews the strengths and limitations of the gender parity indicators in SDG4, as well as the way SDG4.7 is to be measured according to discussions in the IAEG (the Inter-Agency Expert Group on SDG Indicators).

Purna Kumar Shrestha VSO International, UK

To achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 targets, the world will need to increase the supply of teachers, especially in developing countries and small island developing states. Teacher motivation is a key factor for increasing the supply of qualified teachers. However, in many countries, teacher motivation is reported to be low. The reasons for teachers’ low motivation are varied. Less is known about the factors affecting teacher motivation in the pre-primary education sector.

Pre-primary teachers suffer from poorer prestige than primary and secondary teachers. Teachers at the pre-primary level are overwhelmingly female and in many countries, do not receive any formal educational training. Even less is known about the motivation of pre-primary teachers from an inclusion and equity perspective. Do male teachers face barriers to becoming pre-primary teachers? Is pre-primary teaching force representative of the ethnic and social diversity in the country? Do governments have a policy to facilitate the training of teachers with special needs?

International Task Force on Teachers for Education 2030/UNESCO and VSO International commissioned participatory action research in Cambodia and Rwanda to have a better understanding of the current state and challenges that affect the motivation of pre-primary teachers in developing countries from an inclusion and equity perspective. The paper presents the views of pre-primary teachers and stakeholders with regards to factors that affect the motivation of pre-primary teachers and their recommendations how to increase the supply of pre- primary teachers , how to keep teachers motivated to remain in the profession and how to make pre-teaching force representative of the ethnic, linguistic and social diversity in the country.

Tingting Yuan Bath Spa University

This paper is looking at the SDG Goal 4 and one of the means of implementation – scholarship, by investigating the role of China Scholarship Council (CSC) and its contribution to the country’s international position and development strategy.

In the area of vocational and higher education, the SDG Goal 4 targets on the equality (- equal access especially gender equality) rather than the equity and quality (- the distribution of resource and the outcomes). ‘Scholarship’ as one of the three means of implementation, would be evaluated through the ‘volume of official development assistance flows for scholarships by sector and type of study’. As only count ODA countries such as Australia, France and Japan which are seen as the largest contributors, there is a blank space for us to think about the contribution of the non-ODA countries and the possibilities of a more mutual and effective model of the popularisation of higher education.

As both of an importer and exporter, China has made huge effort on its scholarship system in the last decade. The China Scholarship Council (CSC) is now playing the key role dealing with all of the scholarship application for domestic and oversea applicants as well as related international affairs and has such a unique role among Chinese government, Chinese local authorities, Chinese universities, foreign embassies and foreign universities. It provides more than six types of Chinese scholarships to foreign applicants and also provide different levels of scholarships for Chinese students and researchers to study abroad. By looking at the system, function and the service of CSC, it is hoped to find some implications to the achievement of SDG 4 and the contribution of the non-ODA countries in the knowledge transformation, particular the knowledge of non-Westernised development, within the post-2015 era.

Yiran Zhao University of Cambridge, UK The rise of neoliberalism in the West in late 1970s has helped entrench the politics of aspirations and individualism. During the same time, China underwent economic reform led by Deng Xiaoping. The growing autonomy in the market gave rise to increasing amount of social stratifications in society, reflected in terms of the inequalities in economic, social and cultural resources. In order to achieve better life outcomes, Chinese people are driven to move up the social ladder, primarily through investment in education. This study empirically analyses the role of education in promoting equality of opportunities and outcomes in the Chinese context. With data drawn from the 2012 Chinese General Social Survey, regression analyses are used to evaluate the impact of educational level on change in self-perceived social status. This subjective measure is argued to be a stronger indicator for one’s experience of social mobility than instruments developed in Western contexts, such as the occupational status by Blau and Dancun and the class classification measure by Goldthorpe and his colleagues. By accounting for contextually specific factors such as Guanxi (social capitals) and Hukou (rural-urban divide), this paper also evaluates their implicit and explicit influence on facilitating or undermining the impact of education on social mobility. Moreover, this study addresses an underexplored topic in the Chinese context, i.e. the emotional costs associated with the overemphasis on thriving in a competitive society by “overcoming” one’s social origin. By drawing from Bourdieu’s analysis of the hysteresis effect and making connections with the deeply rooted structural inequalities, this paper calls for rising attention on the emotional wellbeing of highly educated but socially immobile people.

Ishmael Jeko Midlands State University, Zimbabwe Quality education (SDG4) is catalytically connected to the attainment of all the other Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with social justice being regarded as a critical anchor value for structuring quality education systems. The 2030 sustainable development agenda is instrumentally leveraged on a socially just education system which guarantees access, inclusion, participation and recognition of all human beings so as to lead to generalized well-being. This new international thrust towards development presents an opportunity for countries in the global south to re-align their education systems with principles of social justice so that they can redirect themselves onto an inclusive and equitable development trajectories. Zimbabwe is one such country in the south which pursued an education reform agenda intended to redress persisting colonial injustices and inequalities, largely focusing on the primary and secondary education. However, not much has been done yet to deal with social injustice in university education, yet universities arguably play a critical role in developing and enhancing appropriate capabilities so that students can attain what their valued beings and doings. Employing an eclectic theoretical lens, this article critically analyses forms, nature and implications of social injustices in the university education system in Zimbabwe so as to facilitate ameliorative engagement with such issues in policy contexts. The paper argues that university spaces and curricula in Zimbabwe need to be fundamentally reconfigured in line with values of social justice so that the university experience can enable optimal flourishing of differently gendered, racialized and classed students.

Juan De Dios Oyarzun Universidad Catolica de Chile, Chile Alejandro Carrasco, Universidad Catolica de Chile Access to an inclusive and equitable quality education is a matter for international research and a global educational goal (UN, 2015). In terms of educational access and quality, the development of a market-based schools environment in different countries, reinforces rational choice assumptions and discourses, where parents, as consumers, choose schools rationally following objective academic quality criteria. Chile has been recognized as an important case of neoliberal educational policies, with a market based educational system and free school choice, where, each school has its own admission process and may select students based on academic and social criteria. Since 2015, the system has been undergoing significant reforms. The Inclusion Law (2015) prohibited student selection by schools, and created a new online centralised school admission system (NSAS) utilizing lottery assignment for oversubscription, and giving equal school access to all families to public and private-subsidized schools. However, school choice, and its rational choice assumptions, remain, as parents select their school through the NSAS, based on objective information provided through the online platform. This paper seeks to challenge the dominant rational choice assumptions in school choice criteria from the perspective of the parents, deepening understanding of their educational quality perceptions, and the influence of the NSAS on said perceptions. 80 parents were interviewed from different social class backgrounds allowing for comparisons across the diversity of experiences. Interviews were conducted in order to detect the influence of this new system on parents’ definitions of educational quality. Results show middle-class parents are influenced by the objective school information provided through the NSAS, but their understanding of educational quality remains strongly influenced by the social status of schools;while parents from deprived contexts still base their choices on non-academic and practical criteria. This study challenges dominant discourses about rational choice’s influence on quality and access in education.

Kalyan Kumar Kameshwara University of Bath, UK Andres Sandoval Hernandez, Department of Education,University of Bath Robin Shields, Senior Lecturer in Higher Education Management,International Centre for Higher Education Management (ICHEM), University of Bath

This paper seeks to explore and examine the differences between the two of the most acclaimed school-education systems, which are, firstly, the Scandinavian contexts and, lately, the East Asian countries. The comparative analysis is based on the latest The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA 2015) data which captures various student level and school level characteristics along with the learning scores across various countries.

In the latest large-scale PISA assessment data on Mathematics scores, the East Asian countries (which includes Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Japan, China, South Korea & Vietnam) occupy the top ranks of the chart with an average score of 535 in comparison to Scandinavian countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway & Sweden) whose mean score is at 504.5 units. The two cross cultural contexts vary at various fronts and multiple levels.

This study brings forth and highlights the factors that explain and contribute to the difference in the average mathematics scores between the two contexts. It also marks the differences at student level and school level characteristics thus demonstrating the plurality in school-education models thriving for excellence & efficiency over a ‘one-model fit all’ or a universal or standardised model of school-education systems. It challenges the current frameworks and interventions adopted in enhancing learning outcomes globally. This work seeks to contribute to debates on policy focus by arguing for how school-education systems can be different and diverse (rooted and developed in the own socio-cultural and economic contexts) but also be efficient and best at producing higher learning scores.

Malgorzata Anielka Pieniazek Institute of Education, UCL, UK This presentation will challenge the dominant power imbalances in the field of academic knowledge around Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that lead to exclusion of Southern perspectives (Soudien, 2015) by considering new trajectories for educational research and proposing a dialogue with the non-Western epistemologies. The presentation will focus on the field of Global Education, a rapidly growing terrain of academic research that covers adjectival educations (Development Education, Human Rights Education, Education for Sustainability, Global Citizenship Education, etc.) and can also be understood as an approach to teaching and learning that aims at raising awareness of the complex and interdependent local and global problems (Bourn, 2015). I will present evidence showing that the ideas and perspectives from the Global South have often been underrepresented, mediated by NGOs, or excluded from the international debates (Jooste and Heleta, 2017). In the search for alternative approaches to studying global issues, I will present the discussion on the concept of Ubuntu. Ubuntu can be understood as a knowledge system grounded in sub-Saharan African perspectives, traditions, and realities, that emphasises the aspect of shared humanity between people and the importance of obligations that human beings have towards each other that lead to solidarity (Eze,2017). It can be observed that through these values, Ubuntu resonates with the human rights discourse, concepts of cosmopolitanism and global citizenship (Swanson, 2015). By engaging in a dialogue with various understandings and contestations of the term, I will argue that it worthy of attention, because firstly, it demonstrates the potential to empower communities for action for local and global citizenship by adhering to locally relevant values and knowledge systems. Secondly, it contributes to the discussions about cognitive justice within academia and finally, it provides a linkage between the concepts of global citizenship and cosmopolitanism by addressing the tensions between universalism and non-dominant perspectives.

Madeleine Kapinga-Mutatayi Centre for Instructional Psychology and Technology;Faculté de Psychologie et des Sciences de l’Education, Unikin, DRCongo, Belgium Pierre Mukendi, Faculté de Psychologie et des Sciences de l’Education, Unikin, DRCongo Jan Elen, Centre for Instructional Psychology and Technology

Students’ Approaches to Learning (SAL) represents a well-established framework. Some researchers reported successful adaptation of instruments assessing SAL over different contexts whereas other delivered unsatisfactory results. In this paper, the usability of an instrument tuned to an African context was tested in a European context. The ‘Congolese Approaches to Learning Questionnaire’ (CALQ) was developed in DRCongo to assess SAL. The current paper examines the tool reliability and cross-cultural validity based on data gathered in a Belgian French-speaking context. The Confirmatory Factor Analysis showed that the original 4 factors model represents a good fit (SRMR=.0440, CFI= .95) (Hu & Bentler, 1999). Reliability of scales were tested by Cronbach’s alpha. The scales Studying in group, Studying by testing, elaborative studying and receptive studying respectively yielded the following Cronbach’s alpha values: .92, .84, .90, and .88. We conclude that the CALQ may be considered as a valid instrument to assess SAL in different contexts.

In fact, the approaches to learning as measured by the CALQ might have been considered as cultural specific approaches if the current analysis was not conducted in a Belgian setting. This study shows that specific approaches uniquely identified among Congolese students could also be retrieved with Belgian students. In sum, the current paper makes some advances in students learning field: (1) In validating a new instrument assessing SAL in different contexts, (2) In questioning the current individualistic view of SAL. Furthermore, by mentioning studying in group as a strategic way to go about learning, this study corroborates Tang’s (1993) findings. Given also that most of researchers consider the cooperation, one of instructional methods as a major determinant of learning outcomes (Kyndt, Raes, Lismont, Timmers, & Dochy, 2013), the present study calls for further investigation of studying in group as an approach to learning.

Elizabeth King University of Melbourne, Australia Since the 1990s many of the policies and programmes developed by the Cambodian Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MoEYS) and its development partners have hinged on building teacher capacity. Acknowledging the centrality of teachers to achieve SDG 4, and the importance of developing teachers’ skills, knowledge and capacities throughout their careers, this paper explores the issue of teacher capacity development in Cambodia. It considers the extent to which Sen’s Capability Approach (1999) might form an alternate model to build teacher capacity in Cambodia. Data for this study was drawn from in-depth interviews with educators in government primary schools, ministry officials and advisers in three distinct geographical locations together with an examination of policy documents and relevant grey literature. Findings suggest that teachers are best placed to understand their capacity development needs and the situations in which they teach. Indeed, the emphasis that Sen’s Capability Approach places on individuals being active agents in their development appears to offer a sustainable, grassroots approach to develop teacher capacity on an ongoing basis. However, given the prevailing political norms such an approach would require a fundamental re-think in how the MoEYS conceptualises capacity development.

Sara Clarke-Habibi University of Cambridge, Switzerland This paper examines how the recontextualization of international peacebuilding discourses in post-conflict school contexts yield divergent peacebuilding logics and practices that uncritically reproduce social privilege and division. Based on observation, document analysis, interviews and focus groups conducted in 2014, seven secondary schools in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) are evaluated against an original five-item rubric that measures the extent and coherence of a school’s peacebuilding engagement as reflected in its official educational mission, its stance on diversity recruitment among teachers and students, its integration of peace themes and pedagogies into the curriculum, its degree of inter-community engagement, and its de facto policy on peacebuilding participation. Evaluation reveals significant variation in peacebuilding inclusiveness within and between the schools. This heterogeneity in peace learning in BiH is partly attributable to the recontextualization of international peacebuilding discourses among regional education authorities, whose mandates are strongly influenced by political ideologies and interests associated with BiH’s governing ethnic groups. However, the study finds it is school directors who exercise day-to-day decision-making power and their often very personal interpretations of ‘peace’ ultimately define which peacebuilding logic is adopted and operationalized throughout the school, as evidenced by sharp differences in institutional practice within ethnic communities. These different peacebuilding logics produce contestable ‘peaces’ that feed into political stalemates at the state level. Previous studies have tended to gloss over differences in school practice. This paper argues that a more nuanced and critical analysis is necessary for tracking how international peacebuilding discourses translate into local practices. It raises questions about what inclusive peacebuilding in education really means and requires at the school level, and offers a new tool for assessing and reducing gaps between peacebuilding theory and practice in educational settings.

The Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) in South Africa has conceptualised Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) as transformative and developmental in addressing unemployment, inequality and poverty (DHET, 2012). Priority has been placed on increasing access to this form of post-school education. More women are being enrolled in the traditionally predominantly male fields such as engineering studies. Until the end of apartheid in South Africa, there was limited technical skills training for women. However, the main reason behind extending education to previously disadvantaged groups such as women has mainly been informed by human capital theory. The conception of human capital theory, that women’s technical education should be fostered because this will contribute to employment creation and economic growth is put under scrutiny in this paper. To foster broader outcomes, engineering education needs to be multi-dimensional, be instrumentally, intrinsically and socially useful (Walker, 2015). This paper reflects on the experiences of women students as well as their valued capabilities in order to make a case for a capabilities informed TVET education. I draw from SDG Goal 4, to explore if TVET in its present form can foster education for sustainable development. From the preliminary findings, women students have indicated that they have benefited from TVET. TVET has opened opportunities for further studies, employment as artisans and entrepreneurship ventures. However, in most cases this is not what actually happens. Does TVET provide an educational experience that encourages women to take control of their lives? It is emerging that this is being fostered but to a limited extent. To an extent, TVET can be viewed as reproducing the unequal power relations that exist in society. This can be seen through male dominance in classrooms and lack an educational experience that empowers women students as critical, imaginative thinkers or social activists.

Zaiboenisha Ahmed Cape Peninsula University of Technology, South Africa Environmental inequality concerns the intersection between environmental quality and social hierarchies and in particular the unequal distribution of power and resources in society. This paper reports on some of the research findings of a larger study and specifically considers science teachers’ awareness of and attitudes towards the environmental conditions under which their students and local communities live. The term ‘environment’ refers to a broad system involving interacting biophysical, economic, political and social dimensions. Processes associated with these dimensions are typically regulated by individuals from higher socio-economic strata, with access to decision-making and economic activity centers, allowing them to act in favor of financial profit and against lower socio-economic status populations. The greatest effects on the health of individuals and populations globally result from environmental degradation and social injustice. These two inequalities operate in consort and their consequences include increased poverty, overcrowding, acute and chronic medical illnesses and human rights abuses. After more than two decades of democracy, thousands of South African citizens continue to suffer the effects of degraded and poor quality environments, rooted to a large extent in its colonial and apartheid past. This study involved a number of Natural Science teachers from across the spectrum of high schools in the Cape Town metropole. It showed that not only are teachers aware of the kind of conditions to which their students are exposed in their close environments, but that they are also open to engaging with and incorporating issues involving social and environmental injustice in their science lessons. Some of the reasons cited for this were personal empowerment, social transformation and making science content relevant to their students.

Colleen Howell University College London, Institute of Education, United Kingdom Elaine Unterhalter, University College London, Institute of Education Stephanie Allais, REAL Centre, University of the Witwatersrand Jibrin Ibrahim, Centre for Democracy and Development, Abuja * This paper explores the relationship between higher education and the public good in the African context, drawing on research that is being undertaken as part of a three-year research project on Higher Education and the Public Good in four African countries – Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa. A central concern of the project, explored through the perceptions and insights of a range of higher education stakeholders in each of the countries, is with the connections and disconnections that emerge when the relationship between higher education and the public good is conceptualised and made meaning of in each of the country contexts. In discussing some of the emerging findings from the fieldwork and from a literature review undertaken for the project, the paper argues that fundamental to these concerns is recognising that context matters! So key contextual factors, both similar and different in the four countries, and contemporary and historical in nature, are central to shaping how the relationship between higher education and the public good is understood. Important here is that understandings of higher education and the public good are strongly bound within particular historical moments, where institutional purposes shaped by the political, social and economic imperatives of these moments are key influences in defining this relationship. Similarly, how individuals are positioned within or in relation to a higher education system, often through existing patterns of inclusion and exclusion impacting on a system, affects how they understand and make sense of this relationship. The paper argues in conclusion then that, if the importance of context is recognised, how we judge the contribution (or not) of universities to society and measure the quality of their offerings requires more than the deployment of decontextualized ‘indicators’ of perceived excellence – a persistent criticism levelled at existing global ranking systems. * The following are the members of the project team: Elaine Unterhalter;Stephanie Allais;Moses Oketch;Tristan McCowan;Christine Adu-Yeboah, Ibrahim Oanda, Jibrin Ibrahim, Louise Morley;Colleen Howell;Siphelo Ngcwangu, Samuel Fongwa, Bothwell Manyonga;Palesa Molebatsi;Lerato Posholi;Mthobisi Ndaba;Cecilia Selepe.

Joyce Raanhuis Centre for International Teacher Education, CPUT, South Africa Yusuf Sayed, Centre for International Education, University of Sussex &Centre for International Teacher Education, CPUT Policy and research initiatives in post-apartheid South Africa require that teachers act as agents of social cohesion (Sayed et al 2017). This agenda is especially relevant for post-conflict countries where issues of the past, inequality and reconciliation still dominate the society (Smith et al 2016;Salmi 2000). In that respect, continuing professional development (CPD) of teachers presents a key tool in enabling teachers to answer this call. There are numerous policy initiatives in South Africa that address issues of social cohesion in education, and teachers’ roles in promoting this agenda (NPC 2012). However, CPD for social cohesion in South Africa is a neglected area of research, despite its importance for building peaceful and tolerant societies. In this context, the paper addresses this gap by evaluating selected CPD programmes for social cohesion to understand what influences such programmes have on teachers’ classroom practices, and to juxtapose these views alongside stakeholder perspectives of the goals of such interventions. The paper is informed by a realist evaluation approach (Pawson &Tilley 1997, 2004) and draws on empirical data collected in 2017 of three selected programmes, facilitated respectively by a teacher union, an NGO and the government, in one province in South Africa. The data is complemented by interviews with 30 teachers in seven high schools, their principals, six policymakers, four CPD programme managers and four facilitators. Additionally, teachers had been surveyed and programmes and classrooms observed. Preliminary findings of this study highlight the importance of considering the positionality of CPD programme managers and facilitators regarding the design and delivery of CPD for social cohesion and the accessibility of such programmes to teachers in post-apartheid South Africa. This paper aims to contribute to new knowledge about CPD for social cohesion, by inserting theoretically informed and empirically grounded research into this crucial but under-researched arena. Keywords: Social cohesion, Teachers, Continuing Professional Development, South Africa REFERENCES: National Planning Commission (NPC). (2012). National Development Plan 2030. Our Future – Make it Work. Pretoria: Government Printer. Pawson, R. and Tilley, N. (2004) Realist Evaluation. London: Sage Publications. Pawson, R. &Tilley, N. (1997). Realistic Evaluation. London: Sage Publications. Salmi, J. (2000). Violence, democracy, and education: an analytical framework (English). LCSHD paper series;no. 56. Washington, DC: World Bank Sayed, Y., Badroodien, A., Omar, Y., Balie, L., McDonald, Z., de Kock, T., Salmon, T., Raanhuis, J., Singh, M, Robinson, N. and Nakiden, T. (2017). Engaging Teachers in Peacebuilding in Post-conflict Contexts: Evaluating Education Interventions in South Africa. Cape Town: Centre for International Teacher Education (CITE), Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT). Smith, A, S. Datzberger and McCully, A. (2016). The Integration of Education and Peacebuilding. Synthesis Report on Findings from Myanmar, Pakistan, South Africa and Uganda. UNICEF-PBEA. Research Consortium on Education and Peacebuilding. Ulster University.

Luana Martin &Anne Julia Köster European University Viadrina, Germany CUiB is a board game that supports children of 8+ years to learn about complex global issues such as migration, climate change, food security, health, pollution, sustainable agriculture or overexploitation of natural resources. The game uses the idea of migrant birds to explore current environmental challenges as well as what causes people to migrate. Employed as an educational tool in primary and secondary schools, CUiB promotes cooperation and it fosters the pupils’ conscientization about the importance of environmental protection and sustainable development. By playing CUiB, the children cultivate, on the one hand, their understanding that migration of people is just as natural as the migration of birds, and, on the other hand, their respect for fundamental rights. This kind of ludic pedagogical instruments can be applied in formal as well as non-formal educational settings to help children grow into responsible global citizens. In our presentation we introduce CUiB and its links to the concepts of ludic learning (Schrier, 2014), environmental conscientization (Freire, 2000) and global citizenship education (UNESCO, 2017) in order to show that its application in pedagogic praxis contributes to reaching the seventh target of the fourth sustainable development goal, which is to “ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development […] and global citizenship” (UN, 2016).

Tejendra Pherali UCL Institute of Education, United Kingdom Arif Sahar, UCL Institute of Education As the global attention is concentrated on Islamic State (IS) activities in Syria and Iraq, the IS fighters seem to be exploiting the conditions of state fragility in Afghanistan to expand their influence in several districts. It has been reported that IS has a significant dominance in 11 out of 24 districts in the eastern province of Nangarhar where, they control all aspects of community life including, education. Drawing upon qualitative interviews and focus group discussions (N=31) in Kabul and Nagarhar which is considered the IS headquarters in the region, this paper explores the multitude of ways IS is controlling educational processes in Afghanistan. We find that both state and non-state actors compete for control over education, both formal institutions as well as social and cultural discourses about learning. Unlike Taliban who have the nationalist agenda against Western interventions (of all kinds including, education), the IS approach to radicalisation seems to be much more strategic, ideologically broad and aimed at long term political gains in the form of a ‘Caliphate’. Through their brutal tactics, IS fighters influence access, contents and pedagogies to establish their Jihadist ideology, which underpins a wider religious and political justification of the ‘struggle’ against the West and production of a new generation of jihadists. Our research finds that rural communities in Afghanistan play a critical role in shaping the political terrain such as, establishing the conditions under which state sovereignty is contested, negotiated and challenged. As such, they serve the dual purpose: strengthening state authority by sustaining public services including, education;and creating a space for non-state actors to promote alternative ideologies. Finally, we argue that understanding the latter can contribute to critical reflection of the existing education policies and reclaim educational spaces for Afghanistan’s peaceful future.

Tomoya Sonoda University College London, Institute of Education, UK This paper examines how aid agencies and donors use empirical evidence and account for decision-making in education planning in a politically contested environment of Syria. Whereas the Syrian government has deliberately denied humanitarian access to opposition-held areas, some major donors, sympathetic to certain groups in the opposition, finance humanitarian aid to those areas and are reluctant to deliver aid in government-controlled areas. These contesting interests create political tensions around production of and access to reliable data and raise questions about how evidence is used in education planning. Substantial research on international aid and effective implementation suggests that the use of scientific measurement – i.e. observable data and research on ‘what works’ – is imperative in aid policy and practice. However, it also reveals that different forms of power often come into play in the process of evidence generation, evaluation and use – i.e. data manipulation and denial of access to particular information. Arguably, the interplay between power and evidence that is embedded in social development realms becomes infused with political disputes in conflict settings. However, little research has examined how the evidence base is practised and negotiated under these conditions. The paper draws on semi-structured interviews with practitioners from UN agencies, NGOs and donors delivering aid to education in the Syrian crisis context. It employs Roy Bhaskar’s critical realism as a theoretical framework to illustrate that the real world can be stratified by three domains of reality – the ’empirical’, the ‘actual’ and the ‘real’. The paper attempts to locate the accounts practitioners present within these three domains and problematize dominant aid practice in which educational needs and priorities are often interpreted and identified on the basis of empirical evidence. The paper invites critical reflexivity and allows for awareness of the underlying discourses that are beyond empiricism.

Peter Kelly Plymouth University, UK Imke Von Bargen, Paderborn University, Germany Professional knowledge in education in England has two dominant sources of production. First, what Whitty and Furlong (2017) call the new science of education, which promises to find out ‘what works’ through the application of rigorous research, typically in the form of randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews. This is an example of what Bernstein (1996;1999) calls ‘regional’ knowledge. Second, a practical knowledge tradition which includes the ‘competencies and standards’ model ascendant under neoliberalism, what Bernstein calls ‘generic knowledge’. This leads to a responsive professionalism, facilitated by the tests and associated technologies. German educational thought, what Bernstein calls a ‘singular’, has traditionally dominated in Germany, where professionalism has remained relatively autonomous, emphasising reflective decision-making. More recently, whilst some continue to resist the use of test data to discern ‘what works’ this and evidence-based practice are increasingly valued, and represent the emergent position.Four state schools, two comprehensive and two grammar, in each of England and North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany were selected as representing a similar geographical, sociocultural and economic diversity for each country. Two mathematics lesson observations followed by teacher interviews were conducted in one class of 13 year old children in each school to ascertain the dominant instructional and regulatory discourses in classroom curriculum and pedagogy (Bernstein, 1990;1996). Three boy-girl student-pairs in each class, were then selected;as low, middle and high-attainers by their teachers (where attainment is their anticipated test score level). Teachers and student-pairs participated in an extended semi structured interview following the second observation. Our analysis explored the place of professional knowledge alongside the subjective experiences of students in each country, considering how the professionalism discourse shapes vertical and horizontal mathematics discourses. We contrast student groups and school types. We do this to understand the effect of each professionalism discourse on inequalities student achievement.

Caroline Casey University of York, United Kingdom University or Apprenticeship? Motivations for choice of pathway in qualifying as a Solicitor in England & Wales The study explores the stratification of opportunities to qualify into the Solicitors’ profession in England and Wales, looking at the graduate route and the new Solicitor Apprenticeship route into Law, and how these are understood, experienced and negotiated by those from different backgrounds. The research is particularly interested in the experience of those from widening participation backgrounds (those typically underrepresented in the legal profession). Purpose The research aims to challenge the notion that widening of the bottleneck to qualification as a solicitor through the introduction of the degree apprenticeship route is closing the gap in access to the profession for those from underrepresented backgrounds. An inductive approach has been adopted using thematic coding to analyse the motivations, experiences and perspectives of those seeking qualify as Solicitors. The study draws on the sociology of education and of the professions to inform the discussion. This is an interesting and timely study as there are significant changes underway in the Solicitors’ profession with the Solicitors’ Qualifying Examination (SQE) due to replace the usual university pathway from 2020 – will this level the playing field on access or increase the role of choice of degree institution? Findings So far, preliminary findings based on 13 interviews suggest that the choice of pathway may be influenced by individuals’ attitude towards risk with some viewing the apprenticeship as a guaranteed route to full qualification and therefore less risky, others held different views. This is an under researched topic given that the Solicitor Apprenticeship was only introduced two years ago. As such, this research provides a unique insight into the perspectives of those seeking to qualify as solicitors in this new education and training regime, accessing their motivations for choosing the route followed and their experiences of it. A stratified sampling frame provides for useful comparisons to be drawn (Miles & Huberman, 1994, cited by Creswell & Poth, 2018).

Sihem Salem PhD student in the Department of Education, York University, UK Education plays a vital role in creating active global citizens. Higher education institutions are important sphere where students can be encouraged to take an active role in their global community and transform the actual reality. This can merely be attained through the implementation of participatory methods in English as a Foreign Language classrooms namely critical pedagogy. However, some English as a Foreign Language Classrooms are dominated by the use of the banking model of education which may result in creating passive conformist citizens who are less likely to engage in overcoming the existing global issues and attaining a more just and sustainable world. Accordingly, this research is being conducted primarily to explore how students in English as a Foreign Language Higher Education Institutions in the Algerian context are prepared for active global citizenship and to examine whether critical pedagogy is used by teachers to raise their students’ critical consciousness and support them to challenge the status quo. This research is also an attempt to investigate teachers’ and students’ attitudes towards the importance of employing critical pedagogy for global citizenship in English as a Foreign Language Classrooms. Besides, this research is undertaken to identify the challenges encountered by teachers when trying to incorporate this educational approach in the teaching and learning process. To achieve these aims, a mixed-methods approach will be adopted through classroom observation, administering a questionnaire to students and conducting a semi-structured interview with teachers. The results of this study will mainly be addressed to the ministry of Higher education in Algeria to integrate global citizenship education in the curriculum.

Maiko Okuda Hiroshima University, Japan Bright K. Dey Motivation for Learning is believed to have direct impacts on the Global inequalities in knowledge production and exchange. This makes motivation a critical element in promoting learning. However, there are still many teachers who prefer to use some forms of motivation techniques which may cause students or learners to be unmotivated. Such situations or conditions lead to the learners’ reluctance to have a habit of learning and expressing themselves whether in or out of the classroom. In addition, the teaching technique also affects the learners’ motivation when it is not interesting enough or when it is less interactive. Many studies assert that verbal and tangible rewards used by teachers might decrease intrinsic motivation, while others claim that the use of rewards can have positive effects if used appropriately (Brophy 2010). Other studies also hold the belief that the level of the teachers’ own motivation determines their choice and appropriate use of “tangible rewards” for motivating students (Hoffman 2008). This research compared “the use of tangible rewards for motivating students” in the two countries;thus, Japan and Ghana. The research was conducted through interview consisting of specific content. The sampling by interview and questioners for Elementary school teachers. In analyzing the results, it was found that Education in Japan is high quality and the national GDP is also high, but the student performance averages (Motivation of learning) are low. On the other hand, Ghana’s GDP is lower than Japan, but Motivation to learn is high. This means that there may be possibly different reasons for inequalities in knowledge and drop-out in the contexts of the two countries. It was also found that encouraging learning through or with rewards is a basic teaching tactic (learning habits). The technique was quite effective in some schools to enhance students’ motivation to learn although many students must still practice to study by themselves, especially when teachers limit the reward tool to “praise” only. Part of the tangible rewards must associate with the benefits of having an education. While students get a sense of accomplishment from rewards, some teachers have difficulty using rewards to motivate Grade 3 and Grade 4 students. Therefore, another study should be conducted using other techniques or the same technique should be applied in different classes to get and observe results. Keywords: motivation, tangible rewards, Experience, GDP, Drop-out, learning

Keith Lewin Over the last three decades well over half a trillion dollars has been disbursed as aid to education through bilateral and multilateral agencies. New global campaigns seek to massively elevate levels of aid to education and quadruple its volume and transform education systems that have so far proved resistant to change. National investment has combined with external assistance to help some low income countries transform their education systems. In other countries progress has been disappointing raising the question as to whether more aid of the same kind will make a difference in future. Comparative educationists have an opportunity to give voice to their different experiences with development aid to identify those approaches that are more effective at accelerating sustainable educational development and which are likely to reduce long term aid dependence in the future.

Julio Rivadeneira-Barreiro University of York, United Kingdom This mixed methods study aims to understand how government policy on higher education (HE) has influenced major choice at two public Ecuadorian universities. Giddens’ (1984) Structuration Theory is used to understand how structure (HE policy) has influenced agency (student prospects and access to desired majors). This paper presents findings on two research questions to understand the extent to which the Ecuadorian government’s message about the importance of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects has influenced major choice of current Ecuadorian undergraduates (RQ1), and their motivations for major choice (RQ2). 128 first-year undergraduates (Arts and STEM university) completed an online survey on their motivations for major choice, and further exploration was done by interviewing 43 survey respondents. Data were analysed using SPSS and NVivo software. The survey results suggest that government policy was not the main influence of subject selection since the majority of respondents mentioned that government message had no influence in major choice. Nevertheless, from those who mentioned an influence, STEM students were almost twice as likely to report that government messages had influenced their decision. This may suggest that government assertions on the importance of STEM to the production matrix of Ecuador have yielded some influence on current students. Regarding main motivations, there is some consensus across subject areas and institutions. Relatives, friends and teachers were the main sources of influence. Lecturers’ academic profile and major uniqueness were mentioned by more STEM participants, while free-of-charge education was mentioned by more Arts respondents. Implications for HE policy makers will be discussed;with consideration of how a change in the paradigm that guides HE, from economic value to wellbeing creation, causes a change in the agency of HE prospects to pursue their wished majors. Keywords: Buen Vivir, career decision-making, higher education, government message, change of the production matrix, STEM, mixed methods. Intersectional inequalities and social exclusion

Dimitra Spyropoulou PhD Student, Department of Educational Sciences and Early Childhood Education, University of Patras, Greece Amalia A. Ifanti, Professor of Educational Planning and Policy, Department of Educational Sciences and Early Childhood Education, University of Patras, Greece Financial crisis and austerity measures in Greece impact on students’ health and attitudes. Additionally, during their studies, students may live far from their families and they may go through difficult problems. The university’s role is to promote health and create a sustainable and healthy learning and living environment for their students. This goal will be achieved through the policies for health promotion, which are developed in universities. Factors such as anxiety and lifestyle, economic problems and academic obligations may hinder students from adopting universities’ health promotion policies. However, each student has his/her own personality and social background, which affects the way he/she adopts these policies. Students’ age, gender, socioeconomic status, social capital are some of the factors which may influence them. The purpose of this review paper is to explore the effects of economic crisis on students’ health and wellbeing. In particular, we aim to explore the available data about the impact the financial crises has on students’ health and wellbeing and to present the Greek universities’ health promotion policies in order to promote their students’ health and wellbeing. Summing up, it is widely known that Greece is affected more than any other country in Europe by the financial crisis. Job insecurity, income decrease and poverty are among the most common consequences of crisis in the students’ life. The raise of unemployment in Greece is a problem that creates insecurity in students’ life. This situation creates anxiety and unhappiness for students and affects their health and wellbeing. Therefore, it is necessary that universities foster health promotion policies in order to improve their students’ quality of life and wellbeing.

Gabriella de Camargo Hizume University of São Paulo, Brazil Afrânio Mendes Catani, Univeristy of São Paulo MERCOSUR is a South American regional organization created in 1991, originally formed by Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. In spite of its economic features, education was a concern since the first regional initiatives and the Educational Sector was formed in its first year. The circulation of academic staff and degree holder professionals was considered a priority theme in the Educational Sector due to conceptions related to some main ideas, for instance: higher education as a human right, the social and economic development related to higher levels of education, the globalization process and the consequent internationalization of higher education. To promote this, a Working Group integrated by specialists from the participating countries understood that the first step would be the equivalence between the diplomas and the creation of a regional accreditation system for quality assurance. In 2002, after some adjustments, the final version of an experimental system, titled “Experimental Mechanism for Accreditation of Undergraduate Courses for the Recognition of Diplomas in MERCOSUR, Bolivia and Chile (MEXA)”, was presented for three careers: agronomy, engineering and medicine. The MEXA was based on a self-evaluation, a peer evaluation, and an accreditation dictate. To implement the MEXA, each participating state indicated a National Accreditation Agency that established the National Accreditation Agencies Network, linked to the Educational Sector of MERCOSUR, to coordinate the process. It was applied from 2003 to 2006 and considered as a regional public policy to be taken as a priority to higher education. In 2008, a permanent system was set up, the Regional Accreditation System for undergraduate courses of MERCOSUR, a foundation for other programs like the Regional Mobility Program for accredited undergraduate courses and a mechanism for undergraduate diploma recognition. Nowadays, the ARCU-SUR System is applied to ten careers in nine countries, although it isn´t consolidated as of yet.