Journal of Comparative Studies and International Education (JCSIE)

Editorial

Emmanuel Jean-Francois — Tue, 22 Dec 2020 22:35:16 +0000

Editorial

Comparative Review of Educational Reforms, Policies, and Systems: A case of China and Ghana

Eric Atta Quainoo, Frank Quansah, Francis Adams, Ernest Opoku — Tue, 22 Dec 2020 22:30:03 +0000

In contemporary times, there is a greater movement of learners not merely moving from one nation to the other but also from a continent to another, and each single national education system profits from each other. A classic case is the movement of students from Ghana to China, with the number of students studying in China reaching up to 6,500 and Ghana ranking first (in student migration to China) among African countries for four consecutive years. Ghana’s bond with China, however, goes beyond education to social and economic connections. The over-arching aim of the review is to provide readers with comprehensive information on education in the two countries. This review is not an attempt to evaluate or judge the quality of education in either China or Ghana, but to provide valuable understandings of the driving forces, which have wrought the outcomes and inputs of their educational system, and to offer a clear direction on impending needs and obstacles that both nations faced in their educational journey. The review comparably highlights the educational flight of both nations emphasizing the educational reforms, policies, and structures.

Comparing Diversity and Inclusion in the Education of North American Countries: A Critical Perspective on the U.S. and Canada

JOSEPH ABON — Tue, 22 Dec 2020 00:00:00 +0000

The educational systems of Canada and the U.S. of America (U.S.) have been a subject of focus over the years within the larger context of global comparison of educational systems. The study of educational operations in both countries has generated patterns of comparison based on similarities of colonialism, landmass, multi-ethnicity, culture, diversity, and numerous traditions related to the settlement of different immigrants within these two countries. This study compares the U.S. and Canada through the dynamics of diversity and inclusion within the educational policies and practices of both countries. More specifically, this study analyzes the similarities and differences in ways that diversity and inclusion influence education in the U.S. and Canada.

Correlation Between Diversity and Type of Skills for Innovation Management: A Theoretical Model

Nomita Sharma — Tue, 22 Dec 2020 00:00:00 +0000

The right mix of diversity and skill sets can help a better management of innovation. The nature of diversity and innovation is multidimensional in terms of their applications in the business environment. Diversity is studied across six demographic verticals: gender, age, race and ethnicity, sexual orientation of employees, religion and beliefs, and disability. The paper is an attempt to uncover the underlying relation between diversity and type of skill sets required for the management of innovation. The research methodology includes a literature review and analysis of key publications relating diversity and type of skills required for management of innovation. Variables have been studied under (a) Diversity attributes– demographic verticals: gender, age, race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion and beliefs, and disability and (b) Skill set attributes – communication skills, technical knowledge, analytical skills, human relation skills, reading skills, and writing skills. In addition to the literature review, a few individual interviews were conducted in three sectors: education (primary education), hospital (Pediatrics) and information technology (software development) to conclude the study. The three selected sectors are knowledge intensive sectors. The result shows that there is correlation with respect to age and gender and skill sets in the selected sectors.

Comparative Language and Education for Development Policies Between the Gambia and Ghana: Advocacy for Change

Ousainou Sarr — Tue, 22 Dec 2020 00:00:00 +0000

This study adds to the scholarship of Achebe (1965) and Ngugi (1992) on the use of the English language in early childhood education. Secondly, it explores the use of education for development in the Gambia and Ghana. This is significant because both countries share a similar political history and education systems. The purpose of the review is to analyze the similarities and differences between the Gambia’s and Ghana’s educational systems with respect to language and education as a roadmap to socio-economic development. The study’s conceptual framework is House (2004) GLOBE dimensions of culture, which was used to analyze these countries language and education for development policies. On its data collection, the inquiry uses secondary data and policy documents. The findings show that Ghana is more assertive than the Gambia in its policies on language in early childhood education and education for national development. Furthermore, Ghana’s policymakers are more willing to roll out policies geared towards language and education for development. Consequently, the study enables policy borrowing since it identifies and offers recommendations for language policies and education for development in both countries.

The State of Instructional Technology in Pre-colonial, Colonial and Post-colonial Africa: A Survey of Literature

Godwin Haruna — Tue, 22 Dec 2020 00:00:00 +0000

This article examines the evolution of instructional technology in pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial Africa’s educational system through a survey of existing literature. It stresses the position that education pre-dates colonization of Africa as customary education taught morals and the essence of communal living from the cradle with the goal of molding decent human beings who would preserve the cultural heritage of the people. However, with colonialism, beginning with the Portuguese, who first introduced their brand of education in the continent, the earlier focus was fundamentally altered to making the African embrace the mannerisms and ways of life of the colonists. This trend continued with the British, French, and German colonial administrators who balkanized Africans among themselves. As the literature on the subject revealed, what started as distance learning through the aid of radio and television metamorphosed into many variants. The paper noted that the emergence of the computer and the accompanying internet connectivity has made instructional technology a challenge and opportunity in many educational settings across the continent.

The Opportunities and Challenges of Online Instruction in Transnational Education and Learning

Michael Fonkem — Tue, 22 Dec 2020 00:00:00 +0000

This study reports on the opportunities and challenges of online instruction in transnational education and learning. The purpose of the study was to reconsider the opportunities the online teaching/learning mode provides learners and instructors and identify and analyze challenges faced by both learners and instructors using the online option in higher education. The article argued that the quest to make more strategic gains from online education programs comes with challenges to both learners and instructors as teaching/learning are likely to suffer in the online instruction mode. Although the online mode provides learners the opportunities for higher education they may otherwise not have and employment for instructors, the article claims that high teaching/learning standards and effectiveness seem to be compromised in online instruction considering that relationships play a key role in optimizing an individual’s intelligence (Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 1999; Marzano et al., 2005; Fonkem, 2012) and consequently the individual’s ability to perform teaching and learning tasks.

Review of The Dream-Keepers by Gloria Ladson-Billings

Ahmad Aseery — Tue, 22 Dec 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Ladson-Billings’ The Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of African American Children (2009) underlines the integral role of culture in education. The writer focused on the experiences of African Americans in the U.S. education system that is heavily marred by racism. The book allows readers to reflect on the importance of an education system that is all-inclusive for students from different cultural backgrounds. On this note, Ladson-Billings has highlighted some significant issues affecting youngsters from minority groups and low-income families during the learning process. The book is credible since the writer based the highlighted theories on classroom observations and interviews to provide a snapshot of eight teachers identified by principals and parents as having strategies that can transform an archetypal classroom to one that offers excellent education to African American children.