Scaling and ‘systems thinking’ in education: reflections from UK aid professionals

Gibbs, E. Michael; Jones, Charlotte; Atkinson, Jess; Attfield, Ian; Bronwin, Rona; Hinton, Rachel; Potter, Amy E.; Savage, Laura

doi:10.1080/03057925.2020.1784552

Cited by 10 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Determined to alleviate the education inequalities of disadvantaged communities, the international agencies (United States Agency for International Development, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the UK Department for International Development) became resolute that they should allocate funds only to programmes that could be backed up by large-scale research evidence of their effectiveness and their specific modality (de Souza Leão & Eyal, 2019). 1 The growing trend became investments in programmes that used what we might call a systems lens to deal with education problems at scale and improve learning levels for all (Gibbs et al, 2021). The partnership between Governments or Non-Governmental Organizations working with disadvantaged communities and researchers using RCTs was a perfect match.…”

Section: Context and Development Of Rcts In The Mid-1990smentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Claims for external validity are made with care since they attract strong criticism within the RCT research community itself. They are contrasted by those who state that interventions that work in one context cannot be recommended to poor communities from different contexts because evaluation studies cannot take account of the specific characteristics of communities, nor explain the reasons behind a behavioural change (Gibbs et al, 2021;Jones et al, 2009;Tomlinson et al, 2015). As long as RCT-based evaluations and other related research studies do not explain (and most RCT scholars say that they are not meant to explain) how the identified variables of an intervention (and their best modality) work to improve results, their external validity is constrained.…”

Section: How Do Rcts In Education Evaluations Work?mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Randomized control trials in education (RCTs): What is their contribution to education theory about teaching?

Shalem

Clercq

2023

J. educ. (Univ. KwaZulu-natal)

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Random Controlled Trials (RCTs) have become one of the most sought-after approaches to impact evaluations of large-scale educational interventions in developed and developing countries. In this paper, we examine the contribution of RCT-based evaluations of large-scale early grade interventions to education theory about teaching. After a brief introduction of the development context of RCT-based evaluations, we examine the research model of RCTs in education and some of the knowledge claims made by RCT scholars, with specific attention to their claims about changing modes of teaching. We then introduce, briefly, five multi-pronged interventions to improve early grade reading in three developing countries (India, Kenya, and South Africa). Finally, we discuss two key educational ideas about teaching supported by these early grade interventions and locate them in education theory about teaching. Our argument is that these ideas about teaching are not new; they are debated by education researchers and because RCTs' evaluation research does not provide empirical analysis of these ideas, it cannot be integrated by teacher educators and education researchers into knowledge about teaching and teacher education and development. Teaching is not seen as an empirical object to be theorised by this massive growing research field. If collaboration and dialogue were to emerge between development economists, education researchers, and teacher educators, RCTs' findings of educational interventions could contribute to what is already known in educational theory about teaching.

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Section: Context and Development Of Rcts In The Mid-1990smentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: How Do Rcts In Education Evaluations Work?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Randomized control trials in education (RCTs): What is their contribution to education theory about teaching?

Shalem

Clercq

2023

J. educ. (Univ. KwaZulu-natal)

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Within the field of health care, systems thinking has proven to be valuable in terms of health-promoting practices (Naaldenberg et al , 2009), supporting decision-making in IDC (Duryan et al , 2014) and advancing evidence-based practice (Augustsson et al , 2019). While reflecting on systems thinking in education, Gibbs et al (2021) underline the necessity to shift the focus away from the intervention itself toward the specific context in which it is applied, including leadership, the delivery system, landscape and cultural and political norms, before identifying the other requirements in the system. In accordance with Best and Holmes (2010), we investigate the nature of evidence and knowledge, leadership, networks and communications within the organizational context.…”

Section: Theoretical Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

Motives and strategies of CEOs for stimulating sharing and application of knowledge in the care and support for people with intellectual disabilities

Kersten

Taminiau

Weggeman

et al. 2022

JKM

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Purpose Within intellectual disability care organizations (IDCOs), it is vital that professionals share and apply knowledge to improve the quality of care for their service users. Given that chief executive officers (CEOs) play a pivotal role in enabling these processes, this paper aims to investigate both the underlying motives and strategies behind CEOs’ organizational knowledge leadership and their contribution to improving these knowledge processes. Design/methodology/approach In this exploratory qualitative study, 11 CEOs from IDCOs in the Netherlands who are actively involved in knowledge management within their organizations were interviewed. An inductive thematic analysis was conducted. Findings CEOs’ motives for stimulating knowledge processes among professionals in IDCOs arise from the internal (e.g. the CEOs themselves) and external (e.g. policy) contexts. This study also identified four strategies adopted by CEOs to stimulate sharing and application of knowledge: providing organizational conditions for effective knowledge processes; focused attention on talent development; acknowledgment and deployment of knowledge holders; and knowledge-driven participation in collaborative partnerships. These strategies are used in combination and have been shown to reinforce one another. Practical implications An overview of strategies for stimulating knowledge processes is now available. Originality/value The results display the leadership of CEOs in knowledge strategies. Insights into their perceptions and values are provided while elaborating on their motives to take this role.

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“…First, the centralised nature of education planning is suggested to be at odds with efforts to decentralise the education system and building local-level capacity (Iyer & Rossiter, 2018). This often results in limited ownership and significant knowledge gaps at lower levels of the education system, which are in turn exacerbated by an over-reliance on inefficient modes of information communication and dissemination (Asegdom et al, 2019;Gibbs et al, 2020;Mitchell, 2015;Yadete, 2012). Secondly, the top-down nature of the system and upward nature of accountability upon which the education system is predicated leads to a lack of flexibility in adapting nationally/regionally mandated plans to local contexts, which limits the ability of school principals to respond to local challenges (Mitchell, 2015;Yadete, 2012).…”

Section: Challenges In Local-level Capacitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Primary school-level responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in Ethiopia: Evidence from phone surveys of school principals and teachers

Yorke,

Rose,

Woldehanna

et al. 2021

pie

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Located at the intersection of the education system, the school and community, school principals now have the responsibility for the effectiveness of school-level responses to the COVID-19 crisis. This includes translating directives into practice during school closures as well as supporting teachers to continue to provide learning and responding to local needs, including the specific needs of disadvantaged students. Subsequently, teachers have a direct responsibility for supporting students during school closures, especially those who are disadvantaged. This article aims to provide an understanding of the response of school principals and teachers during school closures using data collected in Ethiopia through phone surveys with 127 school principals and 316 teachers in August 2020. We explore the support school principals received from the government during school closures as well as contact by school principals and teachers with parents and caregivers. Our findings suggest an important role for the local government in supporting school-level responses to the COVID-19 pandemic while parents and caregivers are important in helping to cater for the needs of disadvantaged groups.

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Scaling and ‘systems thinking’ in education: reflections from UK aid professionals

Cited by 10 publications

References 15 publications

Randomized control trials in education (RCTs): What is their contribution to education theory about teaching?

Randomized control trials in education (RCTs): What is their contribution to education theory about teaching?

Motives and strategies of CEOs for stimulating sharing and application of knowledge in the care and support for people with intellectual disabilities

Primary school-level responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in Ethiopia: Evidence from phone surveys of school principals and teachers

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