Global Education Review (Mercy College, New York)
Not a member yet
347 research outputs found
Sort by
An Explanation of My Educational Principles: Friedrich Froebel’s Letter to Max Leidesdorf
No full textAccess to Friedrich Fröbel’s essential writings continues to be a challenge for non-German-speaking scholarship. Many essential writings have never been translated, and existing translations are outdated. This article discusses the challenges of translating Fröbel by translating and analyzing one of the essential letters during the establishment of kindergarten. The article demonstrates the benefits of such modern translations by translating essential parts and arguments of this letter. Furthermore, the article discusses key ideas and terms of Fröbel’s pedagogy of kindergarten and play by comparing key passages from the letter with Fröbel’s general concept, as outlined in his various writings on kindergarten
Bridging the gap between theory and practice with the dual-focus approach of Design-Based-Research
Full text linkIntroduction to part two of the special issue, "Bridging the gap between theory and practice.
Enhancing subject-specific interests through interdisciplinary teaching units
Full text linkDue to its constructivist nature, interdisciplinary teaching appears ideal for increasing students\u27 interests in subjects (Brassler, 2020; Kramer & Wegner, 2021). Although many argue in favor of a more comprehensive implementation of interdisciplinary teaching in schools, many practical barriers arise during the realization that need to be resolved following the design-based research approach (DBR) (Kramer & Wegner, 2022b). Especially at the upper secondary school level, implementation seems to be difficult. The question arises of how interdisciplinary instruction can be usefully implemented in the upper grades. As a first potential solution, interdisciplinary project days were developed in the subject combination of biology and physical education and evaluated with the help of an initial study. The prototypes developed increased both students’ situational interests and their perceptions of the utility value of the subjects involved (Kramer & Wegner, 2021; 2022a). However, the implementation process could be optimized, as it currently depends on reducing other school subjects. Therefore, following the iterative cycle of DBR, a new prototype was developed involving interdisciplinary units within the regular subject lessons.
The second prototype was empirically evaluated with a control-group design. In contrast to the first prototype, only descriptive trends were found, indicating that the interdisciplinary units trigger situational interest and stabilize individual interest. However, this cannot be supported statistically. Due to a high data dropout, the sample size should be increased, and the trends should be further investigated. In terms of practical feasibility, the second prototype has an advantage as it does not require any cancellation of subject lessons. However, implementing a second subject may reduce the time available for subject-specific content
Quality of Research Based on Design-Based Research Approach: Using an Example from Early Childhood Talent Research
Full text linkOver the past decades, the demand for scientific research to link theory and practice so that innovative solutions can be developed through research has steadily increased (Klees & Tillmann, 2015; Sandoval & Bell, 2004). In this context, the design-based research (DBR) approach was developed, which examines the research object and the research setting from multiple perspectives through a cyclical-iterative process (Shavelson et al., 2003; Reinmann, 2005). The connection between research and practice is not only relevant for school contexts, but also for early childhood education (Schäfers & Wegner, 2021a). Therefore, the project “Kleine BegInNa” utilizes the DBR approach. A preliminary examination revealed that early promotion has a great influence on the children\u27s later school performance, yet that there is not any test to survey their competences. However, this is essential in order to be able to offer appropriate support. In the prototyping phase, a scientific talent test for pre-school aged children was developed. This test was validated in several cycles in the assessment phase (Schäfers & Wegner, 2022a). The last validity test for the elicitation of the internal structure by an exploratory factor analysis shows that both the loadings and the screeplot, output one factor. This one factor solution explains 43.56% of the variance. This may be the “scientific talent” factor, which needs to be verified in further studies and by confirmatory factor analysis. While Reinmann (2022) has established comprehensive standards for science and methodology in DBR, we also focus on what extent conventional quality criteria for qualitative and quantitative research can be applied to a DBR approach
“I was born in this country!”: The importance of implementing discussions about Black Lives Matter in early childhood education and care
Full text linkThe aim of this study is to address the importance of implementing discussions about Black Lives Matter in early childhood education and care. The article starts with presenting the background of the study, describing how talking about race and whiteness may perceive difficult to address for both preschool teachers as well as early childhood educators. Using two narratives from my own research history, I employ a postcolonial perspective, using the theories of Frantz Fanon, as a lens to discuss the narratives. The article has a critical perspective, acknowledging how we today still live in a world that continues of being affected by the effects of colonization. In this section, I discuss why saying children are “colorblind” is problematic. Furthermore, I try looking towards a more decolonializing and liberating pedagogy, troubling recent matters regarding skin color. Finally, I address the importance of implementing discussions about Black Lives Matter in early childhood education and why raising awareness about this movement could be so important for our society generally and future preschool teachers in particular
Using Functional Analysis and Conditioning Play Procedures to Increase Play and Decrease Stereotypy in a Student with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Full text linkThe present study used functional analysis and tested for the effects of a treatment package on the increase of play and decrease of stereotypy with a student with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who attended an inclusive international school in Hong Kong. The treatment package was a partial replication of a toy conditioning procedure from Tsai & Greer (2006). The play used was games on an iPad. The functional analysis conducted suggested that the high rates of stereotypy observed were being maintained through automatic reinforcement. Furthermore, the student was chosen to be in this study due to his observed high rates of stereotypy and limited community of reinforcers. Results show a correlation between the play conditioning procedure and subsequent reduction in stereotypy
The Making and Remaking of the British Elite: “Born to Rule” by Aaron Reeves and Sam Friedman
Full text linkA review of Born to Rule: The Making and Remaking of the British Elite by Aaron Reeves and Sam Friedma
Semantic gaps in the theory and the practice of physical and sports education in the Italian context
Full text linkNowadays, we face a profound fragmentation of knowledge, which is addressed in distinctive ways, conforming to the specifics of each field of knowledge and having a specific lexicon and ways to interpret reality. To better understand and communicate the complexity of the reality of motor and sports sciences in Italy, it is necessary to study its ontology based on a holistic and comprehensive approach such as System Thinking (ST). So, this preliminary review aimed to verify the coherence of terminology used by Italian academics (who study methodologies related to teaching) and practical communities (who live the reality of daily teaching) in motor and sports sciences, specifically regarding the didactic of physical and sports education. For this purpose, according to Design Based Research (DBR), a first investigation of the interpretative semantics of the discipline’s specific terms was accomplished with the support of multiple sources of information such as documents, databases, and brainstorming performed by experts (representing the guiding team and stakeholders from all considered communities). Moreover, the frequency of some terms and keywords considered in European (ERC) and Italian (CUN) legislation was assessed to contextualize better the impact of common practice community keywords on the scientific and regulatory community. Successively, the studies that analyzed the terms from 2000 to 2020 in the leading scientific search engines (SCOPUS and Web of Science) were also investigated. Results indicate that in the CUN and ERC areas, there is a total absence of the most relevant lemma to the community of practice. Furthermore, significant terms such as play, sports education, psychomotricity, and gymnastics are less considered or unconsidered in the specific scientific and didactic fields. Possible solutions for a specific semantic model to reduce the gap are finally hypothesized and presented
Reconciling Caring and Market Imperatives in Global Early Childhood Education and Care Practice: A Systematic Literature Review
Full text linkGlobally, early childhood education and care (ECEC) practitioners face the unique challenge of balancing market-driven demands with caregiving imperatives, navigating these competing rationalities in complex and multifaceted ways. This study systematically reviews 32 empirical accounts from academic scholarship to answer the question: how do early childhood practitioners balance the market imperative with the imperative to care? Educator efforts are dimensionalized according to three levels of professional engagement: micro- (interpersonal, caring-learning interactions), meso- (organizational and community-level engagement), and macro- (collective or national systems of provisioning and governance). Grounded in the concept of discursive governance, the discussion examines how market and caregiving imperatives are negotiated at both interpersonal and structural levels within ECEC. The findings highlight how educators prioritize care when resisting commodification pressures, illustrating the relational nature of teaching and learning and the importance of stakeholder governance for meaningful early learning experiences. Embracing the complexity and multiplicity of these negotiation efforts is crucial for advancing equitable ECEC experiences, recognizing that education depends on the balancing of both economic and social imperatives to sustain social reproduction and cohesion in liberal market economies. 
Toward Effective Provision of Under-Five Childcare Services: Experiences from Marginalized and Vulnerable Communities in Tanzania
Full text linkThe aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of the provision of under-five childcare services taking experiences from marginalized and vulnerable communities in Tanzania. This interpretive study employs phenomenology design to investigate the views of stakeholders based on childcare services. The focus was to determine the childcare interest, needs and requirements of caregivers living in vulnerable and marginalized communities in Tanzania and across the world. This study was grounded by parenting and child-rearing theory which emphasizes in caring for young children from the early stages. The findings indicated that the situation of children and childcare services amongst marginalized and vulnerable communities was not satisfactory. Several NGOs and Networks have been supporting childcare services with minimal support from the government. The Government and the responsible ministries and departments are responsible for reducing the vulnerability of children and their families through accessible, comprehensive, and integrated quality childcare services. This study recommends that to improve the current situation and attain the quality provision of childcare services the government policy planners in collaboration with childcare service providers and practitioners need to establish a strong commitment to the provision of quality childcare services and programs in marginalized and vulnerable communities