Participatory action research in culturally complex societies: opportunities and challenges     

Vishalache Balakrishnan  Lise Claiborne 《Educational Action Research》2017,25(2):185-202

One of the aims of participatory action research (PAR) is to bring realities of lives closer together through dialogue and ‘conscientization’, raising critical awareness among participants from all backgrounds. Promoting participation often assumes a power shift from the decision-makers to the majority of society, who can be the end-receivers of decisions made. Once some kind of awareness is achieved, the participants should be able to challenge the causes of their perceived oppression, or resolve the suffering that is endured, if that is what they hope to achieve. However, the situation is more complex in many contemporary societies, in which there are not only differing cultural beliefs related to religion, but different ontologies about being and living in the world. There is much contemporary debate about the possibilities of critique that take on board divergent sociomaterial realities within the same classroom. Practical and structural differences can pose challenges to conducting PAR research. In this article, we address the distinctive nature of PAR in relation to a culturally diverse group of participants. We argue that research using a PAR framework can result in subtle ethical challenges, which also provide insights for opportunities and strategies. Drawing from the authors’ experiences in multicultural education and working with culturally diverse youth and postgraduate students, opportunities and challenges of applying a PAR approach are discussed. We conclude with the suggestion that PAR remains consistent with its original transformative goals, but also remain open to further explorations of activism that address pressing contemporary concerns within culturally complex societies.  相似文献   

Academic drift in Danish professional engineering education. Myth or reality? Opportunity or threat?     

S. H. Christensen  E. Erno-Kjolhede 《European Journal of Engineering Education》2011,36(3):285-299

This article examines whether and, if so, to what extent academic drift can be said to have taken place in Danish professional engineering education. If the answer is affirmative, what were the driving forces behind it and what are the consequences – if any? First, a theoretical and conceptual framework for the discussion is introduced. This is followed by a case study of institutional change in higher education in Denmark, with a particular emphasis on two institutional examples, the two previously independent engineering colleges that recently merged with universities. The two examples are based on data gathered in interviews with teachers and management in these two engineering colleges (now both part of a university). In conclusion, based on the findings the questions posed in the title of this article are addressed and possible benefits and drawbacks of increased academisation of professional engineering education are discussed.  相似文献   

Special needs students in higher education     

Lise Фen Jones Rune Krumsvik 《美中教育评论》2008,5(3):58-67

The topic in this paper is how former special needs students with academic competence from upper secondary school succeed in education on a higher level. The study concentrates on students who at their start in upper secondary education were registered with problems of concentration, difficulties in reading, writing or mathematics. The main part of this paper will base on qualitative interviews with nine former special needs students. Seven out of the nine informants were registered with reading and writing difficulties. However, it is also possible to compare these informants with longitudinal data from a larger group of students who have been followed prospectively since spring 1996. Theoretically the study is based on life course research with special emphasis on social transitions. In transitional processes between different educational arenas gatekeepers＇often play important roles. This study will examine how such gatekeepers, e.g. teachers, may facilitate or obstruct these transitions for a vulnerable group like former special needs students.  相似文献   

Routes of Knowledge: Toward a Methodological Framework for Tracing the Historical Impact of International Organizations     

Ivan Lind Christensen  Christian Ydesen 《欧洲教育》2015,47(3):274-288

Recent trends in the historiography of international organizations are occupied with tracing their historical impact on national contexts. There is, however, no consensus on how to conduct this type of analysis methodologically. This article examines the methodological challenges arising from this type of research. While a great deal of inspiration can be gathered from contemporary impact assessment studies, substantial conceptual and theoretical development is needed to make the idea of “impact” operational and feasible in historical studies. It is, we argue, through the focus on impact levels, space, and movement that the idea of tracing the historical impact of international organizations becomes a promising research agenda.  相似文献   

A model driven framework to address challenges in a mobile learning environment     

Ferial Khaddage  Rhonda Christensen  Wing Lai  Gerald Knezek  Cathie Norris  Elliot Soloway 《Education and Information Technologies》2015,20(4):625-640

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Healthy competition and unsound comparison: reforming educational competition in Singapore     

Søren Christensen 《Globalisation, Societies & Education》2015,13(4):553-573

It is frequently claimed that the ‘competition state’ responds to external competition by making competition increasingly central to its internal processes as well. This article discusses education reform in Singapore as departing from the opposite position. In Singapore ‘excessive’ competition in education is now targeted by policy-makers as a major obstacle to making Singapore education competitive in the global ‘knowledge economy’. Nevertheless, the consequence of education reform does not seem to be a reduction of educational competition as such, but rather a transition from an ‘academic’ to a ‘holistic’ form of competition, raising new questions of educational equity and fairness.  相似文献   

The industrial dynamics of Open Innovation—Evidence from the transformation of consumer electronics     

Jens Frslev Christensen  Michael Holm Olesen andJonas Sorth Kjr 《Research Policy》2005,34(10):1533-1549

This paper addresses how the Open Innovation concept, as recently coined by Henry Chesbrough, can be analyzed from an industrial dynamics perspective. The main proposition of the paper is that the specific modes in which different companies manage Open Innovation in regard to an emerging technology reflect their differential position within the innovation system in question, the nature and stage of maturity of the technological regime, and the particular value proposition pursued by companies. The proposition is analyzed through an in-depth study of the current transformation of sound amplification from linear solid state technology to switched or digital technology within the consumer electronics system of innovation. The analysis especially addresses the complex interplay between technology entrepreneurs and incumbents, and demonstrates that Open Innovation sometimes has to be conducted under conditions of high transaction costs.  相似文献   

The Case for creative abrasion experts speak out on knowledge management     

Barbara Cowley‐Durst  Hal D. Christensen  Duane Degler  Douglas Weidner  Michael Feldstein  Gary J. Dickelman 《Performance Improvement》2001,40(7):9-15

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Perceived discomfort in running: scale development and theoretical considerations.     

G Tenenbaum  G Fogarty  E Stewart  N Calcagnini  B Kirker  G Thorne  S Christensen 《Journal of sports sciences》1999,17(3):183-196

The aim of this study was to develop a discomfort questionnaire to elicit the feelings and thoughts of people engaged in running activities. Ten runners who completed a particularly demanding 9-km run were asked to express their feelings and thoughts during the run they had just completed. These responses were recorded and later used as the first pool of items (k = 36). The questionnaire was then given to 171 runners in different distance races throughout the 1995 competitive season. These responses were analysed using exploratory factor analytic techniques and Rasch probabilistic analysis, as well as traditional reliability and validity procedures. The final version of the questionnaire consisted of 32 items divided into eight correlated subscales: proprioceptive symptoms, leg symptoms, respiratory difficulties, disorientation, dryness and heat, task completion thoughts, mental toughness, and head or stomach symptoms. These eight categories can be collapsed into three global categories suggested by researchers of pain: sensory-discriminative, motivational-affective and cognitive-evaluative. Rasch analysis suggested that the motivational-affective and cognitive-evaluative dimensions (i.e. the psychological) are the most experienced (i.e. rated highest). The eight subscales have ecological validity and were found to alter with the demands of different running distances.  相似文献   

Social and Emotional Learning in the Kindergarten Classroom: Evaluation of the Strong Start Curriculum     

Thomas J. Kramer  Paul Caldarella  Lynnette Christensen  Ryan H. Shatzer 《Early Childhood Education Journal》2010,37(4):303-309

There has been increasing interest in the promotion of social and emotional learning in schools, and research has shown positive outcomes. However, relatively few studies have been conducted in kindergarten classrooms or considered the feasibility of kindergarten implementation. This study examined the effects of Strong Start on the social and emotional competence of 67 kindergarten students, using a time-series design. Four kindergarten teachers taught the ten Strong Start lessons in their classrooms. Results indicated gains in students’ prosocial behaviors and decreases in internalizing behaviors, as rated by teachers and parents. Implementation integrity and teachers’ ratings of social validity were high, suggesting the program’s feasibility and potential effectiveness in natural classroom settings. Limitations and implications are discussed.  相似文献