Dynamics of Community
Participation, Student Achievement and School Management: The Case of Primary
Schools in a Rural Area of Malawi
Taniguchi, Kyoko; Hirakawa, Yukiko
Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, v46 n3 p479-502
2016
School management
in many sub-Saharan African countries has been enhanced through community
participation in an attempt to improve education quality. This study uses field
research in a rural district of Malawi to assess how community and parent
participation differs between schools, the intentions of communities and
parents when carrying out activities in schools, and the mechanism promoting
active participation in schools. In high-achieving schools, but not in
low-achieving schools, communities and parents were actively involved in events
aimed at improving student achievement. Communities and parents considered most
highly prioritised activities that directly influenced student achievement,
including hiring volunteer teachers, arranging extra classes and holding mock
examinations. Community participation did not directly improve student
achievement. Instead, when communities and parents actively participated in a school,
school management improved, ensuring better student achievement. The
implications of this finding are discussed in relation to community
participation.
Descriptors: Foreign
Countries, Community
Involvement, Academic
Achievement, School
Based Management, Primary
Education, Rural Areas, Developing
Nations, Parent Participation, Student
Improvement, Educational
Quality, Public Schools, Questionnaires, Grade 6, Statistical
Analysis, Semi Structured Interviews, Focus
Groups, Differences, Educational
Planning, Educational
Improvement, School
Effectiveness
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325
Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax:
215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
International Review of Education, v64 n1 p65-84 Feb
2018
Against a United
Kingdom policy background of attempts to widen higher education participation
in a socially inclusive direction, this article analyses theory, policy and
practice to understand why past efforts have had limited success and to propose
an alternative: an "anchor institution" model. A university and a
private training provider were the principal partners in this venture, known as
the South-West Partnership (pseudonym); the model was developed by them to meet
the particular needs of mature female students who want and/or need to study
part-time in a rural, coastal and isolated area of south-west England. While
the concept of "anchor institutions" has previously been used in
government social policy, and in higher education to promote knowledge
transfer, it has not yet been adopted as a method for widening participation.
The research study presented in this article investigated the effectiveness of
the model in widening higher education participation in the context of the
South-West Partnership. The study was conducted within an interpretivist
theoretical framework. It accessed student voices to illustrate the character
of education required to widen participation in vocational higher education by
mature female students in rural communities, through semi-structured
qualitative interviews on a range of topics identified from relevant
theoretical literature, and by drawing on the research team's professional
knowledge and experience. These topics included student aspirations and career
destinations, motivations, access, learning experiences, and peer and tutor
support. It is hoped the findings will inform the future development of adult
vocational higher education provision in rural areas, where opportunities have
been limited, and encourage further application of the anchor institution model
for widening participation elsewhere.
Descriptors: Foreign
Countries, Higher Education, Access
to Education, Rural Areas, Partnerships in Education, Models, Vocational
Education, Females, Adult
Students, Semi Structured Interviews, Academic
Aspiration, Occupational
Aspiration, Student Motivation, Learning
Experience, Peer Relationship, Tutors, Educational Opportunities
Springer. 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013. Tel:
800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-348-4505; e-mail:
service-ny@springer.com; Web site: http://www.springerlink.com
A Different Result of
Community Participation in Education: An Indonesian Case Study of Parental
Participation in Public Primary Schools
Fitriah, Amaliah; Sumintono, Bambang;
Subekti, Nanang Bagus; Hassan, Zainudin
Asia Pacific Education Review, v14 n4 p483-493 Dec 2013
Parental
participation in school management is regarded as a good thing according to the
rationale that local people know better and are able to be more responsive to
their own needs. However, little is understood about the implications of the
School Operational Support policy for community participation in education.
This study investigated parental participation in the context of education
decentralisation with regard to the changing situation in which the Indonesian
government provides sufficient funds for school operational costs. Using a
qualitative inquiry, researchers collected data through document analyses,
questionnaires and interviews with stakeholders of two public primary schools
in Depok, Indonesia. The study found that prior to the Free School Program,
parental participation was limited to parents' financial contribution and
associated matters. However, since school was made free, parents' involvement
in school budgeting has become very limited; they are no longer engaged in the
planning of allocations, and neither they nor the school committees are able to
make inputs into decision making; even the functions of the school committees
are limited to rubber stamping the school budget.
Descriptors: Foreign
Countries, Parent
Participation, School Community Relationship, Qualitative
Research, Inquiry, Questionnaires, Interviews, Stakeholders, Elementary
Schools, Decision Making, Administrative Organization
Springer. 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013. Tel:
800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-348-4505; e-mail:
service-ny@springer.com; Web site: http://www.springerlink.com
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