1,721,023 research outputs found
Balancing local cultural values and donor expectations in institutional practice : A case study of the NGO Light House as an agent of HIV/AIDS prevention in Bangladesh
No full textThis study explores how a local NGO in Bogra, Bangladesh is balancing influences of surrounding, local cultural values and external donor assistance in its HIV/AIDS prevention practice. Having stayed in the country for some time earlier, I returned for my field work in the autumn of 2008. The NGO’s name under study is Light House.
Informing my theoretical perspective is the work of A. Giddens, focusing on the tension between tradition and modernity. P. Berger and T. Luckmann’s theory of the social construction of reality has been relevant to understand the way knowledge is established in the interplay between individual and community, presenting a model of interpretation of the Light House reality as continuously constructed between influences from local cultural values and donor expectations. In particular, a discussion of discourses of gender, sexuality and disease, linking it to HIV/AIDS, was vital to capture Light House’s universe of meaning.
My methodological approach has been utilizing a combination of ethnographic principles and a case study design, being cautious to reflect on the possible misconstructions following the differences between my own culture of origin and the culture under study.
Light House is situated within the local community. This enables the NGO to specify HIV/AIDS preventive actions which both adjusts to and opposes to local cultural values, and it informs Light House to know obstacles from possibilities in its daily strategies. Local cultural values may direct the attention in certain directions and also limit the possibilities of action.
Light House receives their funding from external donors. Donors decide what to do and partly how to do it. Donors instruct the NGO of who is regarded as target groups, and influence by emphasizing espoused values in tune with values of the human rights. The donors also exert influence by exercising rather firm control through daily phone calls and frequent requests for management reports, revealing values-in-use which differ from their espoused values.
As a conclusion, the two-fold donor influence of human rights- guided espoused values portraying an orientation towards the individual and ‘equality’ on the one hand, and the values-in-use of ‘charity’ and control on the other, dominated Light House to a degree that reduced space for local initiative, long term planning, and locally derived strategies
Erik Andreas Fjeldstad Kontroversielle holdninger og handlinger: En kvalitativ studie av hvordan lærere håndterer elevers kontroversielle holdninger og handlinger
No full textTemaet i denne studien er læreres forhold til elevers kontroversielle holdninger og handlinger, óg formålet har vært å undersøke problemstillingen:
Hvordan håndterer lærere elevers kontroversielle holdninger og handlinger.
Det teoretiske rammeverket i studien ser på flere sider av lærerprofesjonen – klasseledelse, læringssyn, kunnskapsgrunnlag, rolleforståelse og personlig bakgrunn, óg har alle det til felles at de undersøker en bred forståelse av læreryrket som motsats til en streng og regelbundet yrkesutøvelse. Teoriene undersøker hvordan lærere som går utenfor egne rammer og utvider sin egen kunnskapsforståelse sammen med elevene skaper gode relasjoner og trygge inkluderende klasserom. Empirien i undersøkelsen bygger på kvalitative semistrukturerte forskningsintervju av fem lærere, hvorav to sosiallærere fordelt på barne-, ungdoms- og videregående skolen. Bakgrunnen for oppgaven er mine egne opplevelser som elev i skolen, óg som lærerstudent i voksen alder. Dessuten er det en aktuell problemstilling i dag, skolen er stadig gjenstand for mange meninger utenfor skolen om skolens formål i dagens samfunn. Skolen får i takt med samfunnsutviklingen nye oppgaver og skal nå også bidra til elevenes livsmestring. Det ansvarliggjør skolen og lærerne på nye områder som ikke bare kan knyttes til faglig kunnskapsformidling, men som også krever at lærere i større grad også blir omsorgspersoner for sine elever. I tilfeldig sammensatte klasser i dag er det mange ulike verdisyn og elevenes bakgrunn kan i stor grad variere. I studien undersøkes det hvordan lærere jobber med de utfordringene og mulighetene som klasserommet presenterer i dagens skole, med elevers ulike meninger, verdisyn. Studien viser at lærerens rolle i dag innebærer å ha nære relasjoner til elevene sine óg deres foreldre. De må være forberedt på å tilpasse seg, både faglig og sosialt, til det uforutsette og tåle å stå i utfordrende situasjoner. Informantene uttrykker alle et stort engasjement for sine elever, samtidig som det reflekteres over utfordringer knyttet til skolens regelverk og rutiner som ikke alltid klarer å fange opp sårbare elever. Det blir desto viktigere for informantene å jobbe med sitt eget kunnskapsgrunnlag og stille seg undrende til sine elever og ikke blir forutinntatte. Lærere har i dag mange roller som krever ulike kompetanser og erfaring. Lærere som støtter hverandre og deler et felles kunnskapsgrunnlag er et godt utgangspunkt for å videreutvikle sine ferdigheter og bedre ivareta sine elever
Israeli schools as agents of citizenship: The role of history in creating civic identities
No full textEducation has a unique opportunity to affect people’s attitudes and behavior. It can
both encourage respect and promote cooperation between peoples, as well as fuel
conflicts by reinforcing social divisions, prejudices and mistrust. The purpose of this
study is to investigate how education is used as a tool in the development of civic
identities among Jews and Arabs living in Israel and how distinct narratives are dealt
with in the subject of history. Narratives are conveyed to the younger generation
through the subject of history, which makes history an essential aspect in the
development of a history consciousness. Consequently, the subject of history can be
an important forum for reconciliation and conflict-resolution.
The study was conducted at two Israeli Arab high schools and two Israeli Jewish high
schools. Altogether, 36 Arab and Jewish students as well as one Arab English teacher
participated in focus group interviews. Additionally, three semi-structured interviews
were conducted with two Jewish and one Arab history teacher.
The findings of this study reveal that questions of citizenship are controversial.
Although the individuals vary in their conceptions and opinions of citizenship, there is
a divided civic identity among Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs. A majority of the Arab
respondents regard citizenship merely as a judicial status, while most Jewish
respondents additionally add a feeling of belonging to the state as crucial.
Furthermore, this study reveals that the creation of civic identities and a critical
history consciousness depend on each teacher’s willingness to include various
narratives and perspectives when teaching history. The teacher participants, with
exception of one teacher, all teach history in accordance with their own particular
narrative. As of spring 2011 it can be concluded that only students with teachers who
teach beyond the requirements of the Israeli Education Ministry are exposed to
history education that aims at greater understanding of “the other”, peace building and
overcoming prejudices. These findings indicate that it is the responsibility of
individual teachers to create environments open to debates and contradicting views.
One explanation emanating from this study is the important functions collective
memory and narratives hold in Israeli society as a result of the ongoing conflict.
Finally, the findings of this study show that the subject of history is regarded as of
minor influence compared to the importance of primary socialization, such as
knowledge received from home
Democracy and Schools in Southern Sudan : A Study of the Role of Primary Schools in Promoting Democracy
No full textMost democratic societies expect their schools to play an important role in helping citizens to develop a set of attitudes, values, beliefs and knowledge that are conducive to the maintenance of democratic institutions. There is no important task for a nation other than developing an informed and responsible democratic citizenry through education. Therefore, it is imperative that educators, policymakers, and members of civil society should concern themselves with streamlining democratic issues in the educational programs in the primary schools for the advancement of democratic institutions and governance. Internal demands for democracy and the rule of law combined with the externally driven democratization and good governance projects has left some African states to experience a transition from one-party system of governance, military rule or civilian dictatorships to various forms of political pluralism systems of government. Yet schools, the very institutions expected to prepare students for democracy have not been given adequate attention for playing a central role in the mission of preparing young citizens for democracy. The purpose of this study is to determine how primary schools in South Sudan promote practices of democracy. In that regard, this study sought to answer the following research questions: 1) What are the education policies of the Government of South Sudan on the promotion of democracy in primary schools? 2) What are the pupils and teachers perception of democracy? 3) How do primary school organizational structures contribute to the practices of democracy?
The empirical part of the thesis was based on a fieldwork study of three primary schools in South Sudan. A qualitative research approach was used and in all twenty participants consisting of pupils, teachers, head teachers and government officials were interviewed. Observation of activities in the schools was also done together with a study of documents as source of information. The following theoretical concepts informed the conduct and execution of this research study: democracy, citizen participation and socialization.
The following major findings featured out in this study: There are policies for fostering democratic values and behaviours in primary schools of South Sudan. These policies include, inter alia, a South Sudan education policy for inculcating democratic values and practices in learners by encouraging participatory learning, development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills. The study has also revealed a South Sudan education policy for the involvement of local community through SMC (School Management Committee) and PTA (Parents and Teachers Associations) as the school governing bodies with managerial powers over financial management; disciplinary management; co-curricula activities management; teacher and learner welfare management. Other roles include overseeing mobilization of resources by the community. There is also a South Sudan government education policy that requires prefect systems to be formed in a democratic manner at every public primary school as pupils’ representative for establishing formal channels of communication between learners and the school administration.
The findings further indicate that both pupils and teachers’ perception of democracy is that they view democracy as a way of governing society. In general, their understanding of democracy is that democracy is a method. It is has to do with participation in voting or election and institutions of the school such as the prefects, the school management committees and the parents and teachers association. Moreover, their concept of democracy includes knowledge on the government, democratic systems, legislative power, and the structure of parliament. In that regard and in my own point of view, their concept of democracy is that it is not a way of life or process but rather it is a way of governing
Teenage motherhood : dilemma or delight? : a study of the life world of adolescent mothers in Buenos Aires
Get PDFMaster in International Education and Development (NOMA)This thesis is based on six weeks of fieldwork in Buenos Aires, Argentina in the autumn 2009. It investigates the lived experiences of a group of teenage mothers who have grown up in institutions. Although biomedical literature states that pregnancy is risky in medical terms only at the very start of the teenage years, adolescent pregnancy is as a norm depicted as a public health problem, or even a ‘social epidemic’, by policymakers, public officials, the press and the public at large. Commonly, teenage pregnancy is understood as a cause of poverty, rather than the consequence of it. This perception is not necessarily in accordance with the opinions of the mothers themselves. While appreciating that every case is individual and that the circumstances under which my informants became pregnant is not subject for generalisations, the objective of this thesis is to explore the informants' experience of motherhood from the moment of conceiving to the present in an effort to understand their views on teenage pregnancy.
The theoretical framework of Amartya Sen, Martha Nussbaum, Erving Goffman and Howard Becker will be used to analyse the girls' perceptions of their own capabilities and notion of stigma. The study will be contextualised by drawing an overview of the legislative framework for pregnancies and abortions in Argentina and the available support system.Denne oppgaven er basert på et seks ukers feltarbeid i Buenos Aires, Argentina høsten 2009. Oppgaven undersøker erfaringene til en gruppe tenåringsmødre som har vokst opp i institusjoner. Selv om medisinsk litteratur hevder at graviditet, sett fra et biologisk synspunkt, bare er risikabelt tidlig i tenårene, er tenåringsgraviditet en norm som er fremstilt som et offentlig helseproblem og en ’sosial epidemi’ av beslutningstakere, politikere, pressen og offentligheten generelt. Ofte forstås tenåringsgraviditet som en årsak til fattigdom, ikke som konsekvensen av den. Denne oppfatningen er ikke nødvendigvis i samsvar med det mødrene selv mener. Til tross for forståelsen for at hver graviditet er unik, og mine informanter ikke kan være gjenstand for generaliseringer, er målet for oppgaven å undersøke informantenes syn på mammarollen, fra det øyeblikket de ble gravide til i dag, i et forsøk på å forstå deres meninger om tenåringsgraviditet.
Det teoretiske rammeverket utviklet av Amartya Sen, Martha Nussbaum, Erving Goffman og Howard Becker vil bli drøftet i forhold til jentenes oppfatning av sine egne evner, samt begrepet stigma. Dette vil bli satt i kontekst ved å finne paralleller med det juridiske rammeverket for svangerskap og aborter i Argentina, samt tilgjengelige støtteordninger.La tesis se basa en seis semanas de trabajo de campo realizado en otoño de 2009 en Buenos Aires, Argentina, y tiene por objetivo investigar las experiencias de un grupo de madres adolescentes que han sido criadas en instituciones. A pesar de que la literatura biomédica defiende que el embarazo conlleva gran riesgo solamente al principio de la adolescencia, tanto políticos y funcionarios públicos como la prensa y el público en general lo consideran un problema de salud pública, o incluso una ‘epidemia social’. El embarazo adolescente se entiende comúnmente como una de las causas de pobreza, en lugar de una consecuencia de ésta. Esta percepción, sin embargo, no es necesariamente compartida por las propias madres. Si bien cada caso analizado es único y las circunstancias en que mis informantes se quedaron embarazadas no son generalizables, el objetivo de esta tesis es explorar la experiencia de las adolescentes desde el momento de la concepción hasta el presente, en un esfuerzo por comprender sus puntos de vista sobre el embarazo adolescente.
El marco teórico aplicado se basa en las contribuciones teóricas de Amartya Sen, Martha Nussbaum, Erving Goffman y Becker Howard, para analizar las percepciones que tienen las niñas en cuanto a sus propias capacidades y a la noción de estigma. El estudio será contextualizado trazando una visión general del marco legislativo Argentino en tema de embarazo y aborto, así como del sistema de apoyos disponible. Suponiendo que el sistema jurídico es reflejo de la sociedad, se discutirá también la influencia de la religión en estas leyes
Democracy and Schools in Southern Sudan : A Study of the Role of Primary Schools in Promoting Democracy
Get PDFMaster i flerkulturell og internasjonal utdanningMost democratic societies expect their schools to play an important role in helping citizens to develop a set of attitudes, values, beliefs and knowledge that are conducive to the maintenance of democratic institutions. There is no important task for a nation other than developing an informed and responsible democratic citizenry through education. Therefore, it is imperative that educators, policymakers, and members of civil society should concern themselves with streamlining democratic issues in the educational programs in the primary schools for the advancement of democratic institutions and governance. Internal demands for democracy and the rule of law combined with the externally driven democratization and good governance projects has left some African states to experience a transition from one-party system of governance, military rule or civilian dictatorships to various forms of political pluralism systems of government. Yet schools, the very institutions expected to prepare students for democracy have not been given adequate attention for playing a central role in the mission of preparing young citizens for democracy. The purpose of this study is to determine how primary schools in South Sudan promote practices of democracy. In that regard, this study sought to answer the following research questions: 1) What are the education policies of the Government of South Sudan on the promotion of democracy in primary schools? 2) What are the pupils and teachers perception of democracy? 3) How do primary school organizational structures contribute to the practices of democracy?
The empirical part of the thesis was based on a fieldwork study of three primary schools in South Sudan. A qualitative research approach was used and in all twenty participants consisting of pupils, teachers, head teachers and government officials were interviewed. Observation of activities in the schools was also done together with a study of documents as source of information. The following theoretical concepts informed the conduct and execution of this research study: democracy, citizen participation and socialization.
The following major findings featured out in this study: There are policies for fostering democratic values and behaviours in primary schools of South Sudan. These policies include, inter alia, a South Sudan education policy for inculcating democratic values and practices in learners by encouraging participatory learning, development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills. The study has also revealed a South Sudan education policy for the involvement of local community through SMC (School Management Committee) and PTA (Parents and Teachers Associations) as the school governing bodies with managerial powers over financial management; disciplinary management; co-curricula activities management; teacher and learner welfare management. Other roles include overseeing mobilization of resources by the community. There is also a South Sudan government education policy that requires prefect systems to be formed in a democratic manner at every public primary school as pupils’ representative for establishing formal channels of communication between learners and the school administration.
The findings further indicate that both pupils and teachers’ perception of democracy is that they view democracy as a way of governing society. In general, their understanding of democracy is that democracy is a method. It is has to do with participation in voting or election and institutions of the school such as the prefects, the school management committees and the parents and teachers association. Moreover, their concept of democracy includes knowledge on the government, democratic systems, legislative power, and the structure of parliament. In that regard and in my own point of view, their concept of democracy is that it is not a way of life or process but rather it is a way of governing
Aid and higher education in Ethiopia: Foreign donor‘s influence in the higher education system with emphasis on quality
Get PDFMaster i flerkulturell og internasjonal utdanningThis research examines the relationship between the Ethiopian Government and the foreign donors in connection with the higher education system in Ethiopia. The quality factor is singled out and analysed. As an area lacking researched, this relationship is vital in understanding of the cooperation between the stakeholders. The influence that foreign donors have in the higher education sector is the main area of attention of this thesis, with special interest put on how these actors see and use the term quality in their work. In order to shed light on this the research uses qualitative methods consisting of semi-structured interviews with central persons within the foreign donors, Government apparatus, and in the higher education sector in Ethiopia. What this research found was that the foreign donors have an influential position within the higher education sector in Ethiopia, not mainly financially but through redirecting funding away from the sector and with few donors supporting central institutions. In addition there is little sign of equal partnerships, and the use of foreign ‗experts‘ and expatriate staff are deepening dependency. The understanding of quality is ambiguous both between the Government of Ethiopia and the foreign donors and within those two camps as well. What is important to point out is that quality is seldom used in projects, although that‘s where their focus lies, but has instead been replaced by the term capacity. However, my research shows that too little research is conducted on the status of the Ethiopian higher education sector, of the work that the foreign donors perform in that sector, and of the relationship between the different stakeholders that are currently operating in the sector. The consequence of this is foreign donors that is having un-proportionally loud voices in the higher education sector and projects that do not target the right problems due to lack of research. Furthermore the projects do not include Ethiopian staff and professionals in an including manner, which lowers the status of both the Ethiopian professional and the status of the higher education system. Lastly, the quality aspect is surrounded with questions about everything from its definition to how one should work with increasing the quality in a higher education system that is struggling with spiking enrolment rates
Balancing local cultural values and donor expectations in institutional practice : A case study of the NGO Light House as an agent of HIV/AIDS prevention in Bangladesh
Get PDFThis study explores how a local NGO in Bogra, Bangladesh is balancing influences of surrounding, local cultural values and external donor assistance in its HIV/AIDS prevention practice. Having stayed in the country for some time earlier, I returned for my field work in the autumn of 2008. The NGO’s name under study is Light House.
Informing my theoretical perspective is the work of A. Giddens, focusing on the tension between tradition and modernity. P. Berger and T. Luckmann’s theory of the social construction of reality has been relevant to understand the way knowledge is established in the interplay between individual and community, presenting a model of interpretation of the Light House reality as continuously constructed between influences from local cultural values and donor expectations. In particular, a discussion of discourses of gender, sexuality and disease, linking it to HIV/AIDS, was vital to capture Light House’s universe of meaning.
My methodological approach has been utilizing a combination of ethnographic principles and a case study design, being cautious to reflect on the possible misconstructions following the differences between my own culture of origin and the culture under study.
Light House is situated within the local community. This enables the NGO to specify HIV/AIDS preventive actions which both adjusts to and opposes to local cultural values, and it informs Light House to know obstacles from possibilities in its daily strategies. Local cultural values may direct the attention in certain directions and also limit the possibilities of action.
Light House receives their funding from external donors. Donors decide what to do and partly how to do it. Donors instruct the NGO of who is regarded as target groups, and influence by emphasizing espoused values in tune with values of the human rights. The donors also exert influence by exercising rather firm control through daily phone calls and frequent requests for management reports, revealing values-in-use which differ from their espoused values.
As a conclusion, the two-fold donor influence of human rights- guided espoused values portraying an orientation towards the individual and ‘equality’ on the one hand, and the values-in-use of ‘charity’ and control on the other, dominated Light House to a degree that reduced space for local initiative, long term planning, and locally derived strategies
Israeli schools as agents of citizenship: The role of history in creating civic identities
Get PDFMaster i flerkulturell og internasjonal utdanningEducation has a unique opportunity to affect people’s attitudes and behavior. It can
both encourage respect and promote cooperation between peoples, as well as fuel
conflicts by reinforcing social divisions, prejudices and mistrust. The purpose of this
study is to investigate how education is used as a tool in the development of civic
identities among Jews and Arabs living in Israel and how distinct narratives are dealt
with in the subject of history. Narratives are conveyed to the younger generation
through the subject of history, which makes history an essential aspect in the
development of a history consciousness. Consequently, the subject of history can be
an important forum for reconciliation and conflict-resolution.
The study was conducted at two Israeli Arab high schools and two Israeli Jewish high
schools. Altogether, 36 Arab and Jewish students as well as one Arab English teacher
participated in focus group interviews. Additionally, three semi-structured interviews
were conducted with two Jewish and one Arab history teacher.
The findings of this study reveal that questions of citizenship are controversial.
Although the individuals vary in their conceptions and opinions of citizenship, there is
a divided civic identity among Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs. A majority of the Arab
respondents regard citizenship merely as a judicial status, while most Jewish
respondents additionally add a feeling of belonging to the state as crucial.
Furthermore, this study reveals that the creation of civic identities and a critical
history consciousness depend on each teacher’s willingness to include various
narratives and perspectives when teaching history. The teacher participants, with
exception of one teacher, all teach history in accordance with their own particular
narrative. As of spring 2011 it can be concluded that only students with teachers who
teach beyond the requirements of the Israeli Education Ministry are exposed to
history education that aims at greater understanding of “the other”, peace building and
overcoming prejudices. These findings indicate that it is the responsibility of
individual teachers to create environments open to debates and contradicting views.
One explanation emanating from this study is the important functions collective
memory and narratives hold in Israeli society as a result of the ongoing conflict.
Finally, the findings of this study show that the subject of history is regarded as of
minor influence compared to the importance of primary socialization, such as
knowledge received from home
Aid and higher education in Ethiopia: Foreign donor‘s influence in the higher education system with emphasis on quality
No full textThis research examines the relationship between the Ethiopian Government and the foreign donors in connection with the higher education system in Ethiopia. The quality factor is singled out and analysed. As an area lacking researched, this relationship is vital in understanding of the cooperation between the stakeholders. The influence that foreign donors have in the higher education sector is the main area of attention of this thesis, with special interest put on how these actors see and use the term quality in their work. In order to shed light on this the research uses qualitative methods consisting of semi-structured interviews with central persons within the foreign donors, Government apparatus, and in the higher education sector in Ethiopia. What this research found was that the foreign donors have an influential position within the higher education sector in Ethiopia, not mainly financially but through redirecting funding away from the sector and with few donors supporting central institutions. In addition there is little sign of equal partnerships, and the use of foreign ‗experts‘ and expatriate staff are deepening dependency. The understanding of quality is ambiguous both between the Government of Ethiopia and the foreign donors and within those two camps as well. What is important to point out is that quality is seldom used in projects, although that‘s where their focus lies, but has instead been replaced by the term capacity. However, my research shows that too little research is conducted on the status of the Ethiopian higher education sector, of the work that the foreign donors perform in that sector, and of the relationship between the different stakeholders that are currently operating in the sector. The consequence of this is foreign donors that is having un-proportionally loud voices in the higher education sector and projects that do not target the right problems due to lack of research. Furthermore the projects do not include Ethiopian staff and professionals in an including manner, which lowers the status of both the Ethiopian professional and the status of the higher education system. Lastly, the quality aspect is surrounded with questions about everything from its definition to how one should work with increasing the quality in a higher education system that is struggling with spiking enrolment rates
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