Indigenous research in education
and dissemination of research findings are integral to the
work of the Institute. Members of staff publish in a variety
of local, regional, and international journals and books,
including those published by the Institute itself.
The research, done on an individual basis and as a collaborative
effort, is wide-ranging and reflects the research interests
and skills of staff members. It has resulted in greater understanding
of educational phenomena and suggested possible answers to
educational questions and solutions to educational problems.
Many studies have formed the basis for policy making.
Publications are listed under the following headings :
- Books and research reports
- Journals published or co-published by the Institute
- Articles and chapters in books, further categorized as:
- Exploring the Context of Education
- Investigating Curriculum Innovation and Development
- Supporting the Development of Teacher Education
- Textbooks and curriculum materials
Exploring the Context of Education
There is considerable interest within the Institute in how
gender affects socialization and education of children from
preschool to secondary level. One study found that young boys
and girls learn to value themselves differently and learn
different skills because they observe sex-typed behaviour
at home, and at school are given sex-differentiated tasks.
Later these children go on to secondary schools, where depending
on the type of school, they may have differing achievement
outcomes. Recent research found that the effect of single-sex
schools on academic achievement is greater for boys than for
girls. In coeducational schools, another study found that
girls are more represented in high-stream classes while boys
are more represented in low-stream classes. The low achievement
of low-stream boys is linked to the negative practices to
which they are subjected at school.
This conclusion, however, seems to be contradicted in another
study in which the data suggest that socioeconomic rather
than school factors and socialization may account for the
underachievement of boys. The impact of these in-school experiences
on the individual and society is discussed, and recommendations
for creating a more gender-fair environment are made. This
research helps to explain why males are underrepresented at
the tertiary level.
The historical context of schooling in Jamaica is described
in several articles, which attempt to trace the roots of present-day
educational phenomena. The research shows that the culture
of the primary and elementary schools and the teachers colleges
evolved in the late nineteenth century. This research shows
also, how educational inequality was deliberately created
at the outset to reflect and reinforce the gradations in society.
Elementary schools were designed to produce an orderly, obedient,
and docile working class, while secondary schools were to
prepare middle-class children to fit their pre-ordained station
in life. The strong educational links which existed between
Jamaica and the USA and Britain are explored and described.
Another paper highlights significant developments in technical/vocational
education since 1960. This provides useful background for
understanding current developments in that area.
The relationship of schools to the wider community is explored,
particularly in relation to technical and vocational programmes,
which are often seen as low-status options. One study captured
and documented the interaction between business organizations
and technical/vocational institutions in Jamaica and the benefits
derived from that interaction.
Investigating Curriculum Innovation and Development
The Institute was responsible to the Ministry of Education
and Culture, Jamaica, for the design and implementation of
the teacher education component of the Reform of Secondary
Education (ROSE). Several research studies were undertaken
to support this innovation. One aspect of the ROSE reform
was the new emphasis on student-centred enquiry methods in
the classroom. One study found that the quality of instructional
leadership, and the allocation of time for planning and for
the staff to collaborate were factors which determined the
success of the innovation.
Other studies call for curriculum change or renewal. Several
studies stress the need to make schools more child-sensitive
by transforming the curriculum and the learning environment.
There is a call for greater emphasis on the arts in education.
In addition, the non-inclusion of Jamaican popular music in
the music curriculum, although folk music is often taught,
is unacceptable. It is recommended, too, that the primary
school curriculum should be enriched by including literature
in the curriculum. The difficulties schools face in delivering
computer instruction are explored, and procedures provided
for integrating technology education at the primary level.
Supporting the Development of Teacher Education
Several issues and problems in teacher education are confronted
in the Institute’s research. One major issue is the
balance between theory and practice in the programme of training
for teachers. One paper, an important background study, takes
a historical look at the nature, place, and role of educational
theory and practice in the teacher education programmes in
Jamaican teachers colleges from the establishment of the first
colleges in the nineteenth century to the present.
Several papers address the early phases of learning to teach.
One study of reading in the colleges reported a disjuncture
between teaching methods student teachers were being trained
to use and the methods their tutors were using in the college
classroom. This suggests that one opportunity to teach by
example is being lost.
Learning to teach may begin in the teachers college, but
it continues throughout a lifetime of teaching, and provision
must be made to foster ongoing teacher learning at each phase.
The new or beginning teacher phase has received some attention
from the Institute, with studies of first-year teaching experiences.
Research shows that both college factors and school factors
impede new teachers’ progress in this critical period.
Knowledge of these factors helps college tutors prepare teachers
for the classroom. A similar study has been done of new teacher
educators’ experiences. This is a new area of research
since attention has hitherto been focused on new teachers.
The studies point to the need for more student-centred approaches
in the teachers colleges themselves. One music paper calls
on tutors to foster a learning environment in which students
are encouraged to experiment with sound and are exposed to
a broad musical repertoire. This emphasis is repeated in another
paper, which argues that changes and commitments at the institutional
level as well as at the level of the individual teacher are
necessary if a more participatory, student-centred approach
is to be effected. This change has become an imperative since
participatory methods are central to the newly revised curricula
for primary and secondary schools.
|
