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Increasing attention to climate change and the current global economic crisis has underscored the need for approaches to education that equip and empower people of all ages to deal with uncertain environmental, economic and political futures. A range of educational and research initiatives already exist which could support this aim, however, policy and discussion continue to focus on technical solutions or 'knowledge transfer' without seriously engaging with the content of education. This paper suggests that education responses are needed which attend to provision of both appropriate educational infrastructure and relevant knowledge and skills. It also explores the connections between education for sustainable development (ESD) and education quality, and argues that these frameworks already support potentially effective education responses to climate change.

Published abstract reprinted from 'International journal of educational development', copyright 2010, with permission from Elsevier. Show less

This paper examines the implementation of British Council English language teaching projects at Chinese universities. The study argues that the key to successful cross-cultural communication is an informed appreciation of the perception gap that separates donor and recipient. Cultural sensitivity and the use of a culturally appropriate methodology are of fundamental importance in educational development projects. The study argues that a local willingness to promote change is the key to sustainability of innovation. Rather than a focus on the transfer of technical skills in classrooms, the successful long-term impact of development projects depends upon professional empowerment and emancipation for the teachers.

Published abstract reprinted from ‘International journal of educational development’, copyright 2005, with permission from Elsevier. Show less

The conviction is gaining ground that education, not only for children, but also for youth and adults, is vital in conflict-affected areas to (re)build a strong society. This article discusses the constructive role of non-formal education in a post-conflict situation. Concepts of international cooperation and partnerships on the one hand and non-formal education and lifelong learning on the other hand are used to build a framework for analysing a micro development project in a conflict-affected area in North-Western Uganda. The analysis highlights the dynamics that play a role when people collaborate in rebuilding their communities.

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In this paper it is claimed that the relation between literacy and power is complex. What people do with literacy has effects on power relations but literacy is not democratic per se. Drawing from two cases from Tanzania and Rwanda it is argued that plans for adult education and literacy education should consider the perspectives of target groups. The use of the notion of literacy practices enables the study of situated literacies and of how people relate to literacy. This gives planners tools to take the views of ordinary members of the public into account which is a prerequisite for literacy plans that claim to have democratic effects.

Published abstract reprinted from ‘International journal of educational development’, copyright 2008, with permission from Elsevier. Show less

Policymakers in many developing countries regard upper-secondary technical and vocational education and training (TVET) as a key element in economic growth and poverty reduction. Unfortunately, there is evidence that upper-secondary TVET programs in developing countries experience high rates of dropout. The overall goal of this study is to examine the dropout rates and reasons for dropout among upper-secondary TVET students in China. To meet this goal, [the authors] have three specific objectives. First, [the authors] seek to produce high-quality estimates of dropout rates among students in upper-secondary TVET schools in one coastal and one inland province of China. Second, [the authors] seek to identify which students drop out from upper-secondary TVET. Third, [the authors] test whether financial constraints, math and computer achievement, and parental education and migration status correlate with TVET dropout. Drawing on data from a survey of 7414 upper-secondary TVET students in two provinces of China, [the authors] find dropout rates of 10.7 per cent across both provinces and as high as 22 per cent in poorer inland areas, suggesting major gaps and disparities in Chinese TVET dropout rates. Furthermore, [the authors] find that baseline academic performance and maternal education and migration status are strong correlates for student dropout.

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This article explores the multifaceted experiences of beginning basic school teachers in Southern Province, Zambia, through a qualitative study comprised of interviews with 35 basic school teachers. [The] research examines the uniqueness of beginning teacher experiences in the global South, and points to the need to recognize the implications of 'Education for All' for this particular sub-group of the teaching population. [The authors] found that these teachers faced significant personal and professional difficulties, while receiving little support. Nevertheless, teachers expressed a commitment to the profession. Recommendations are provided to suggest improvements to the transition and socialization process for future beginning teachers.

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This article investigates conceptually and practically what it means for schools to engage in the practice of continuous improvement. The analysis draws upon prior research and discussion to predict core elements of the practice of continuous improvement in schools. The predictions are then applied to a case study of continuous improvement efforts in a Pakistani secondary school that was involved in a 10-year school-university school improvement partnership. The article concludes with a set of eight empirically based propositions about the practice of continuous improvement in schools.

Published abstract reprinted from ‘International journal of educational development’, copyright 2009, with permission from Elsevier. Show less

This study reexamines the return on education (ROE) in Indonesia to solve the puzzle between the high ROE from previous studies and the low enrollment rate for higher education by taking into account endogeneity and sample selectivity issues. This study finds the [ordinary least squares] OLS estimates of ROE in between 10 per cent and 12 per cent. After controlling for unobserved family background using sibling data, the household fixed effect estimate indicates ROE reduces from 10.8 per cent to five per cent. This study argues ROE is not as high as previously estimated and may explain why the enrollment rate for college has been stagnating in Indonesia.

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This article explores the extent to which Chinese school leaders espouse dichotomous or integrated Chinese and Anglo-American leadership and management preferences. Data are drawn from questionnaires completed by school leaders and from semi-structured interviews with individual school leaders from different parts of China. The exploratory study shows that Chinese school leaders perceive a coexistence of Chinese and Anglo-American leadership and management values, rather than the domination of one over the other. The findings suggest that it is important to understand the impact of national cultures on leadership and management. Differences between Chinese and Western culture and leadership and management are open to the challenge of stereotyping, and should not be over-stressed, as school leaders are working in an increasingly interconnected and interdependent world, and are exposed to and socialized into cultures of a multileveled polity ranging from the school to the local, national, and even global levels.

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This paper challenges constructions of the ‘gendered illiterate Indian villager’ as a homogenous group of people who are empowered through acquiring literacy. I strive to displace homogeneous representations of gendered ‘illiterate’ subjects through ethnographic accounts of diverse people’s realities in different villages in Bihar, India. I argue that the circumstance under which a relationship between gendered adult education subjects and adult education programmes gets constructed impinges on notions of: norms, interpreting and translating others, networks and empowerment within and outside the context of adult education programmes.

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