Education Commons^™

Experiencing Shadow Education: The Rural Gambian Context, Colleen King

Master's Capstone Projects

The purpose of this study is to gain insights into the practices that emerge at the community and school level to promote change and to understand the underlying values at play in local educational practice compared to and inside the larger structure of national or state level educational planning. The phenomenological approach to this study focuses on the lived experience in the provision, monitoring and receiving of educational services in the rural Gambian context. Attitudes and perceptions are explored, divorced from assumptions about universal educational goals. This provides a descriptive, rather than evaluative, record of the relationship and meaning that …

Recognizing Culture In Experiential Education: An Analysis And Framework For Practitioners, Valerie J. Kurka

Master's Capstone Projects

Experiential education is an intentional educational process that relies on experiential learning theory. This paper categorizes common features of experiential education and analyzes them with a cultural framework. Common features of experiential education include individual development, student-centered teaching, individual challenge and learning, challenge-by-choice, “emotional safety”, and reflection/processing activities. The features of experiential education that I have analyzed have basic cultural assumptions of high individuality, low power distance, low uncertainty avoidance, high achievement, emphasis on internal control, and possible interaction with ascriptive dispositions and masculine characteristics. These assumptions may have implications for practitioners practicing cross-culturally. In an increasingly global world and …

Contemplative Education: How Contemplative Practices Can Support And Improve Education, Judith Johannes

Master's Capstone Projects

The purpose of this study is to explore how contemplative education can have a viable role in education. In the first part of this thesis I will share my own personal experience with contemplative practices and how they led to my personal growth and transformation.

The second part will give some brief insights about the benefits the ancient wisdom traditions Hinduism and Buddhism attributed to contemplative practices. They claim that those practices help to reach a state of expanded awareness and stillness of the mind. Contemplative practices such as mindfulness, which is a Buddhist meditation technique, were used to better …

Description Of A Species For International Education: Zoos A Literature Review, Thomas A. Coon

Master's Capstone Projects

Zoos are an international phenomenon and are behaving strongly as complex multifaceted educational institutions. With hundreds of institutions around the world and hundreds of millions of annual visitors zoos, as a community, have a tremendous international and educational reach. However, despite these characteristics, zoos consistently remain off the radar of the comparative and international education field. The strongest reason for this, perhaps, is that literature, research and discussion about zoos, education and learning has largely remained confined to literature published by and for zoo professionals and within zoo industry journals. With regards to the international education field this is unfortunate …

Assessing Stakeholders Perceptions On Private Tuition In Zanzibar, Mshauri Abdulla Khamis

Master's Capstone Projects

This study investigated the perceptions of key education stakeholders on the issue of private tuition in Zanzibar. The key stakeholders invited to participate in this study were parents, head teachers, Advanced School Students (ASSs) and Senior Education Officer from the Ministerial level. The study sought their perceptions on factors that influence the growth of and access to private tuition, its advantages and disadvantages. The purpose of this chapter is to present a general overview of the study. The chapter has seven sections: the motivation and rationale for conducting this study; the context of the study including my personal working experience …

How The Chameleon Overcame Its Complex: Engage And The Formation Of A Prefigurative Social Movement, Philip W. Mangis

Master's Capstone Projects

U.S. students who participate in justice-oriented study abroad programs face great challenges reintegrating to life in the United States. In addition to working through culture shock, these students ultimately confront the dilemma of putting into practice a newfound transformed worldview that runs counter to hegemonic norms. Faced with the challenge of negotiating this dissonance, students can choose to blend in and conform to the status quo while struggling internally with their un-actualized perspective transformation – like a chameleon with a complex – or they can find ways to resist assimilation by acting on their transformation and taking action in the …

Atlas Program Profile Analysis Framework Data From: Adult Transitions Longitudinal Study, Laura Gluck

Master's Capstone Projects

This paper explores the theoretical basis and past research exploring what helps adults to learn effectively in the Adult Basic Education (ABE) setting. Information on eleven ABE-to-college transition programs was compiled through the Adult Transitions Longitudinal Study (ATLAS) data collection. Statistical analyses of the resulting program-level variables were conducted to examine their effect on transition course participants’ college outcomes. Four of the twelve variables analyzed were found to significantly impact the likelihood of participants enrolling in college and successfully earning at least three credits: 1) whether the program uses grades versus pass/fail marks; 2) whether the program has a documented …

“We Lost Our Culture With Civilization” – A Critical Analysis Of The Internalization Of The Development Discourse Vis-À-Vis Systems Of Knowledge In Senegal, Karla Giuliano Sarr

Master's Capstone Projects

Critical analysis of the complex interplay between development ideals and local conceptualizations of knowledge forms and education methods are essential if we are to promote holistic, responsive, and culturally appropriate development efforts. Since the end of World War II, and the independence movements that greatly changed geopolitics in the 1960s and 1970s, development prevails as the dominant paradigm in current relations between countries of the North and South (Escobar, 1995; Rahnema & Bawtree, 1997). Development, intrinsically linked with neo-liberal policies and globalization (Peet, 1999), defines not only how Northerners perceive the South, but also, how Southerners perceive themselves, their ways …

Theatre Of The Oppressed A Manual For Educators, Gopal Midha

Master's Capstone Projects

Promoting social equity and justice, I think, are not just important but essential qualities in a good educator. My experience as a graduate student at University of Massachusetts helped me understand and practice different ways in which this could be done. For instance, I learnt how I could promote social justice through changes in curriculum, co-operative learning, inter-group dialogues or multicultural education. However, my search was for a method that did not require literacy as a pre-requisite and that went beyond mere conversations about social justice. One of the key elements of the power structures which lead to oppression, I …

Assessment Practice And Perception Of Social Science Instructors In Afghanistan, Delawar Darmal

Master's Capstone Projects

This thesis has been prepared with three objectives in mind. First, investigating and identifying the problems and challenge of assessment is essential to the quality of education as well as to the reform of education in Afghanistan. Any reforms and the improvement of education are greatly based on the findings of research. Therefore, this project is targeting to facilitate this process.

Second, this research project is aiming to explain the assessment that is practiced in Higher Education of Afghanistan. This is essential to two critical issues. It is useful not just to Afghan instructors to know about the assessment practices …

Civics And Citizenship Education In Schools In Afghanistan, Mohammad Tariq Habibyar

Master's Capstone Projects

This thesis focuses on the status of civics and citizenship education in schools in Afghanistan. My purpose for this study was (a) to understand what is taught about civics education in classrooms, (b) what concepts of civics education are addressed in the national curriculum and the text books, and (c) what role civics education plays in Afghan schools to produce productive citizens. My assumption is that schools have direct impact on civics understanding of the students and how they use their civics knowledge in everyday life. Civics education raises students’ political, governance, and social awareness and informs them about their …

The Role Of An Educational Website In Providing Better Opportunities For Kabul Education University, Siddiqullah Barikzai

Master's Capstone Projects

Technology has played an important role in improving and expanding education worldwide. Website is a part of technology through which institutions and companies can easily and cheaply share and advertise their profiles with rest of the world.

Kabul Education University (KEU) where I used to teach is a newly established (2003) university in Kabul (the capital city); it trains professional teachers for secondary schools. The university did not have a website till recently (June 2009), while all other public universities in Kabul had it. So, I developed a website for it due to the demand of the university administrators, teachers, …

Research On Undergraduate Mathematics Education In Afghanistan: How Students Understand And Learn The Concept Of “Function”, Ahmad Khalid Mowahed

Master's Capstone Projects

The purpose of this study was to explore undergraduate students’ conception of the concept of function in the education faculty of Balkh University, Afghanistan. In particular, the focus was to see what difficulties they had in learning the concept and to determine those factors that impeded/facilitated the learning of the concept in the curriculum. The research methodology was an exploratory approach where both qualitative and quantitative methods were used to analyze the data. The theoretical basis for the study was David Tall’s theory which focuses on understanding one’s knowledge and learning. David Tall’s theory was used to analyze qualitative data …

Assessment Practices: Student’S And Teachers’ Perceptions Of Classroom Assessment, Sayed Ahmad Javid Mussawy

Master's Capstone Projects

The primary aim of this study is to explore pre-service teachers’ perceptions of classroom assessment. A secondary purpose is to explore the faculty members’ perceptions of classroom assessment and their expectations of students’ learning. This study examines what assessment approaches are being used in Baghlan Higher Education Institution, School of Education. In addition, the investigator was interested in learning the extent to which assessment results were used to improve students’ learning and classroom instruction.

Education Faculty Math Curriculum And In-Service Teachers Needs, Sayed Sarwar Yaqubi

Master's Capstone Projects

This study accomplished as an education master thesis and addresses the following issue- the education faculty math curriculum in Jowzjan University in Afghanistan and the in-service teachers’ needs. I conducted this study on third-year in-service teachers who are studying at the Jowzjan University in Afghanistan. This study was conducted as qualitative study; there were 11 participants from the third-year in-service teachers. The methodology system was interview with participants. Because of the lack of time I did just one time interview with the participants. There were not class observation and group discussion. The finding from this study revealed some important and …

The Effects Of English Teaching Methods Course Of The English Department Of Kabul Education University On Secondary School English Teachers, Ali Hikmat

Master's Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

Planning Disaster Resilient School Facilities: The Consultative Development Of The Inee Guidance Notes For Safer School Construction, Darren Hertz

Master's Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

Integrated Development: Best Practices For Girls’ Education, Rebecca Paulson

Master's Capstone Projects

Integrated development takes into consideration the multidimensional nature of every issue. This thesis focuses on the issue of girls’ education and examines the many interconnected barriers which prevent girls from attending school specifically in the context of Niger, but also on a broader level. There must exist a supportive environment which enables girls to be able to access, attend and succeed in school, and this supportive environment must be created across sectors by addressing the many issues which prevent girls’ schooling: cost, health, physical access, culture and tradition etc. Multi-level and multisectoral partnerships of local and international NGOs and the …

Farmer Literacy Practices: A Comparative Study Of Farmers In Kurnool District Of Andhra Pradesh, India, Konda Reddy Chavva

Master's Capstone Projects

ABSTRACT The goal of the study was to understand farmer literacy practices, and how farmer participants perceive the usefulness of Farmer Water School (FWS) training. Studying the farmer literacy practices was to help identify farmer friendly methods, and design effective messages for dissemination on crop choices, decisions, and sustainable groundwater management. To understand the usefulness of FWS training to farmers, a comparative study of FWS participants and non-FWS pa11icipants' perceptions on crop-water management, crop choices, and agriculture practices was undertaken. The study focused on the farmers of Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh, India.

The research questions driving this study included: …

Coordination By Default Or By Design Implementing Education Programs In Post-Conflict: The South Sudan Experience, Sarah Kahando

Master's Capstone Projects

The process of rebuilding and reconstruction after war is a long, demanding and arduous process. Different actors are involved, drawn from the local community, neighboring countries and international arena. The actors come with various expectations, interests, resources and demands in programs implementation. Each actor has their own way and understanding of doing things based on where they have come from. To further complicate the process, coordination issues, whether planned or unplanned, become an imperative and have to be addressed or further strengthened so as to meet the objectives of the various actors involved. Implementing education in post conflict countries has …

Palé Fransé Pa Di Lespri Pou Sa! A Postcolonial Analysis Of Language, Identity And Power In The Haitian Context, Vanessa Mériné

Master's Capstone Projects

In line with the Haitian proverb withing my title, I will attempt to reveal that "to speak French does not necessarily mean that you are smart!" by using a postcolonial analysis to elaborate on the role of language in shaping identity and power in Haiti. this broader objective will require that I elucidate on how language constructs and is constructed by modern society through its usage as both a constitutive and communicative practice and as a geo-political and cultural identity marker. Understanding the postcolonial condition of language in the Haitian context is a complex endeavor because it requires a …

We’Re Coming Out! – “Home” And “Away” Identities In The Field Of International Education: An Emotional Construction And Negotiation Of The Self, Paul St. John Frisoli

Master's Capstone Projects

Once upon a time, there was a young man from the country of Federation. In this era of postmodernism, Paul St. John Frisoli held fragmented and multiple identities that were at times complimentary and contradictory. He believed that whether he was angry, happy, frustrated, or satisfied that emotions offered clues to these identities. One day, Paul left for the islands of Banga Sharini where he worked on the WEZAP radio project that was funded by the Federation Agency for International Development (FAID). During his stay, he developed new Consultant and Foreign Identity selves while leaving his “home” identities of the …

Permanently Temporary: Roma Refugee Youth Seeking Schooling, Karen N. Binger

Master's Capstone Projects

This study investigates the experiences of education in exile from a small case study of Roma refugee male youths from Kosovo temporarily settled in Macedonia as ‘asylum seekers.’ These refugees are at an overlooked age where they have slipped through the cracks between the post-war, short-term relief and longer-term development efforts in terms of education. Many of the frustrations of this community stem from their difficulties in accessing education, and their uncertain legal limbo or ‘permanently temporary’ situations.

As adolescents, refugees, and Roma, the youth are at a triple jeopardy of marginalization and invisibility. Through conversations with four Roma refugee …

Multicultural Training For Korean Teachers, Bokeong Cheong

Master's Capstone Projects

The main focus of this Master’s project, Multicultural Training for Korean Teachers, is to generate recommendations for multicultural training for elementary and secondary school teachers in Korea. The background is in the current circumstance that Korea is being illuminated as a newly emerging multicultural society. The two factors illustrated as the primary reasons for this shift are the increase of foreign immigrant workers and internationally married couples centered in Korean rural areas. While these foreign populations contribute to the economic development of society in both rural and urban areas, the majority of Koreans view them in negative and prejudiced ways. …

Undocumented And Undefined: College Admission Policies For America's Hidden Class, Jenise Holloway

Master's Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

Voices Of Islam: A Photovoice Project, Erin Michelle Myers

Master's Capstone Projects

With the goals of counteracting Islamaphobia, this project aims to change the discourse about Islam and its people, by creating a counter-narrative to the narrative that has been engineered by the U.S. government and the world.

The Photovoice project will be housed at the West Springfield Islamic Center. Ten to sixteen participants of Islamic faith between 18 and 100 years old, will form the core working group.

The overarching themes of the project are "the truth about Islam and its people" and "the politics of spiritual well-being--how we can stop the process of dehumanization." The participant group will select 3 …

Socio-Academic Interaction As Predictors Of Academic-Performance For Vietnamese Government Scholarship Recipients In Us Graduate Programs, Duc-Le Nguyen

Master's Capstone Projects

This study investigates the predictability of social interaction and academic interaction to academic performance. Descriptive analysis, multiple regression analysis, factor analysis and correlation analysis of data provided by 71 students who are Vietnamese Government Scholarship Recipients in graduate programs all over the United States indicate that socio-academic interaction can be used as predictors of students' academic performance but only 15% of the predicted variance is explained by the model. The length of students' US sojourn has effect on both social and academic interaction and degree sought by students has effect on academic interaction. Gender and length of exposure to English …

The War On Aids: The Abc's Of Fighting This War, A Historical Perspective, Laura A. Ivey

Master's Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

Peace Education As A Coexistence And Reconciliation Tool: The Context Of The Conflict Between Armenia And Azerbaijan, Rovshan Sadigbayli

Master's Capstone Projects

Lasting peace requires more than signing a formal political agreement between adversaries. Genuine peace-building in the post-conflict settings must also include efforts aimed at reconciling opposing groups or nations.

Peace-building measures will necessarily involve formal and non-formal education and training programs aimed at changing negative attitudes and perceptions of the other side, as well as fostering peaceful coexistence and reconciliation between former belligerent parties. These activities fall under broader category of peace education as a coexistence and reconciliation tool. Peace education programs should be implemented both within formal educational systems and at the society-level.

Peace education programs in the regions …

U.S. Adult Education For Democratic Social Change, Jennifer Cannon

Master's Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.