Reform Implementation and the Realities within which Teachers Work: A Namibian case study

Abstract

Implementation is currently considered a critical stage of educational reform. This article focuses on the pivotal role of teachers in the achievement of effective implementation. They ultimately implement reforms. The teacher's role in the reform process however, has received little empirical research attention and tends not to be seriously considered by policy makers. This article discusses the ndings of a three-year (1995)(1996)(1997) research study in Namibia which suggests that the failure of policy makers to take into account the realities within which teachers work, their 'classroots realities', led to the development of English Language Teaching reforms that were signi cantly beyond teachers' capacity. Consequently, teachers did not successfully implement them. The article explores this within a framework of objective and subjective 'classroots reality' implementation factors. In view of the paucity of empirical research that explores implementation, this framework can improve our understanding of the depth and complexity of the implementation process and provide useful guidelines upon which policy makers can draw.

Losing ground: a critical analysis of teachers’ agency for peacebuilding education in Sri Lanka

“…This paper critically analyses the education system in (post-) war Sri Lanka and in specific the role of teachers, as teachers can be perceived as important actors in the implementation and success of educational initiatives. However, drawing from the literature, we can argue that teachers do not act in isolation from their environment (Welmond, 2002;O'Sullivan, 2002;Vongalis-Macrow, 2007;Weldon, 2010), but even more so as strategic actors in an often-politicised context (Lopes Cardozo, 2009;. We build on and aim to contribute to the on-going debates about the importance of the role of teachers in peacebuilding processes.…”

Lithuanian, Polish and Slovenian Case in Experience of Different Methods Using in a Student-Centred Process

“…Lea et al (2003) also found that different interpretation of SCL meant that "<…> many institutions or educators claim to be putting student-centred learning into practice, but in reality they are not". O'Sullivan (2002) says the concept of SCL can be credited to Hayward in as early as 1905 and, later, to Dewey's work in 1956. In its many forms and incarnations, SCL, or facets of it, also occur in the work of Piaget and Vygotsky but any real paradigm shift towards SCL in its current form occurs in the latter decades of the 20th century.…”

Implications of Teacher Competence and Medium of Instruction on the Implementation of Kenyan Sign Language Curriculum in Secondary Schools in Kenya: Analytical Assessment

“…The process of curriculum implementation has been described as a "black box" (O'Sullivan, 2002) in which challenges to implementation can arise. The complexities of and incongruent relationship between curriculum policy and its practice are indicators of the implementation problems (Elmore & Sykes, 1992).…”