Reconsidering Development (RD - E-Journal - Universiy of Minnesota)
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Development Discourse on Language of Instruction and Literacy: Sound Policy and Ubuntu or Lip Service?
Full text linkBoth humanist and quality concerns should have made language of instruction a priority in educational development, yet there has been no clear trajectory. This study explores whether the advantages of L1-based approaches as documented in the scholarly literature have been reflected in the development discourse over time, based on an analysis of all twelve UNESCO Global Monitoring Reports. We investigated three hypotheses using macro-analyses on the frequency of language-in-education mentions and the co-occurrence of these with mentions of early grade reading, and a micro-analysis of content associated with language. While we found no consistent trend in language-in-education terms over time, there has been more mention in reference to early grade reading, challenging support for longer-term use of L1 to support learning. More detailed mentions of language, however, appear to be aligned with sound policies and practices, and simple mentions presume that L1-based approaches are important for effective educational development
Language of Instruction: Research Findings and Program and Instructional Implications
Full text linkThe question of language of instruction is at the top of the educational agenda in many countries around the world. Decisions about language of instruction (including what mother tongue languages to teach, in what grades, when to transition to the national language or international language) and efforts to develop materials and instructional strategies to support the language(s) selected are well underway. This article reviews a study of language of instruction conducted in the United States that has a rigorous study design and compelling results. Its outcomes and implications can provide helpful guidance for selecting languages of instruction and for planning programs and instruction in contexts around the world. It also raises interesting questions about the impact of context (including time, place, and participants) on implementation of programs and instruction based on research. It concludes with support for the strong design and findings of the study reviewed and, at the same time, cautions about matters of the context in which instruction takes place and language choice in instruction
Stakeholders’ Roles in Education Language Policy Research in West Africa: A Review of the Literature
Full text linkThis paper provides an overview of West Africa-based language policy and practice (LPP) research, examining ethnographic and participatory action research from the last 15 years. These methodologies are of particular importance given their social justice orientation and the manner in which they prioritize the research participants throughout the research process, an important consideration given the historical, sociocultural, sociopolitical and post-colonial context of this region. Examining the literature provides valuable lessons for development agency personnel and researchers alike. This paper calls readers to reconsider how we include stakeholders in our work and research endeavors, and to what extent these initiatives allow stakeholders to influence and advance their contexts. Readers are invited to reconsider to what degree research serves to capacitate or restrict the same stakeholders that development efforts intend to reach
English for Peace in Algeria
Full text linkEnglish has the power to help bring socioeconomic prosperity and sociolinguistic peace to Algeria’s increasingly free market and complex multilingual situation. A hermeneutic approach toward the study of texts and part of a questionnaire are used to theorize about potential roles English could play in Algeria’s sociolinguistic context. It is found that an increasing number of social, cultural, and academic programs by the United States and the British Council could contribute to the spread of English in a peace-fostering manner. Algerians’ bottom-up initiatives, including those of teachers and social media users also have the potential to contribute to deethenicized worldly English that could be used to access more information and training opportunities. It is hoped that the spread of English, a language many Algerians seem to favor, could promote sociolinguistic peace and contribute to socioeconomic development
Measuring the Influence of Language on Grant-Making by U.S. Foundations in Africa
Full text linkAccording to the grant database maintained by the Foundation Center in New York City, American philanthropies made 13,565 grants to Africa between 2003 and 2013. These grants total nearly $4 billion. However, these grants were not equally distributed between countries. One important factor affecting a country’s ability to attract grants is its official or primary language. While there are more Francophone African countries than Anglophone, Lusophone and Arabic countries, most funding from U.S. foundations went to countries where English is the dominant language. Our study’s main finding confirms the foundations’ general tendency to mainly make grants to English-speaking institutions. This finding suggests that U.S. foundations applied a geopolitical strategy of investment and maximization along former colonial lines, in particular former British colonies. U.S. foundations’ geopolitical agenda might not be formulated with specific post-colonial considerations. Nonetheless, colonial lines emerge as clear demarcations between Africa’s new knowledge societies. These lines are reinforced by the foundations’ grant-making strategies
Under the Invisible Hand? Market Influences on Community-Engaged Scholarship in Malawian Higher Education
Full text linkMarket-based practices have turned African faculty members into entrepreneurs. This has resulted in faculty members selling their knowledge and skills through consultancies and research related projects in a bid to raise enough money for their universities and themselves. While university culture has shaped this conundrum, dwindling local government support and competitive international donor funding mechanism have compounded the challenges for community-engaged scholarship (CES). This paper explores faculty motivations and barriers of market-based approaches to community-engaged scholarship. It explores implications of the increasing pressure of the entrepreneurial university in shaping faculty motivations to conduct community-engaged scholarship in Africa using a case of Malawian faculty in public higher education
The 2010 Microfinance Crisis in Andhra Pradesh, India and its Implications for Microfinance in India
Full text linkThis paper looks at the trajectory followed by microfinance in India and specifically focuses on the state of Andhra Pradesh. In 2010 a law by the state government of Andhra Pradesh halted operations of private microfinance organizations in the state, adversely impacting their recovery and liquidity. This crisis, although not wholly unexpected, still shook the industry both in the state and across the country. This paper analyzes the impact of the crisis specifically on Andhra Pradesh and in general on the industry in India and provides recommendations for the way ahead, both for the government via the regulatory route and microfinance organizations in their operations. Once considered to be an ideal development strategy, microfinance has lost much of its sheen in recent years and is increasingly under fire
“I Would Like to Live a Better Life:” How Young Mothers Experience Entrepreneurship Education in East Africa
Full text linkThis paper examines the capabilities, values, and constraints of young mothers participating in a youth entrepreneurship program in Tanzania and Uganda. Entrepreneurship education is an increasingly popular development strategy for vulnerable and out-of-school youth. The ultimate value of these programs rests in the ability of these youth to convert the knowledge and skills they acquire into valued livelihood opportunities. It is therefore important to understand the characteristics, experiences, and needs of the participants, as well as the socio-economic conditions that shape their abilities to apply their newly acquired knowledge and skills. Findings from this study suggest young mothers enter the program with more dependents, greater economic vulnerability and more business skills than their peers, and require additional social supports in order to take full advantage of their training opportunities
Cambodia and the ASEAN Economic Community: Opportunities, Challenges, and Implications for Human Resource Development
Full text linkThe purpose of this paper is to examine the opportunities, challenges, and implications for human resource development (HRD) for Cambodia in joining the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Economic Community in 2015. The paper starts by providing an overview of ASEAN as a regional institution and the rationale for the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) 2015. The second section outlines and discusses current HRD practices in Cambodia, which include the country’s National Strategic Development Plan and Rectangular Strategy, higher education system, vocational and technical education system, and HRD through the private sector. What follows is an in-depth analysis ofthe main HRD challenges facing Cambodia, namely ASEAN integration challenges, mismatches between education and employment, problems with higher education and technical and vocational education systems, challenges in technology development and HRD, and a lack of awareness and engagement in the AEC processes. The paper concludes by discussing the implications for research and practices as regards Cambodia’s integration in the ASEAN Economic Community
Higher education mission and vision in Rwanda: A comparative and critical discourse analysis
Full text linkThis article considers the influence of changing higher education discourses on the mission and vision statements of public and private institutions of higher education attended by Rwandan students. Applying a vertical case study approach that draws on critical discourse analysis, the study examines the degree to which the mission and vision statements of these higher education institutions are characterized by divergence or convergence with global trends. Additionally, it considers the spaces that exist for higher education initiatives to address themes that diverge from dominant higher education discourses. The findings demonstrate the potential for higher education institutions to resist the narrowness of dominant neoliberal global trends toward entrepreneurialism, while also supporting claims and reinforcing concerns that these trends are widespread. They suggest that private higher education institutions within Rwanda and international scholarship programs that allow students to study in other countries create spaces for higher education to diverge from a primarily human capital framework and respond to broader social concerns. The study highlights the significant role and responsibility of external funding partners in shaping how higher education institutions contribute to economic, political and social change