Undertaking Educational Challenges in the 21st Century

Research from the Field

Edited by:
Cynthia S Sunal, University of Alabama
Kagendo Mutua, University of Alabama

A volume in the series: Research on Education in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Middle East. Editor(s): Cynthia S Sunal, University of Alabama. Oluseyi Matthew Odebiyi, Arizona State University. Kagendo Mutua, University of Alabama.

Published 2008

This is Book V in the series, Research on Education in Africa, the Caribbean and the Middle East. The series strives to encourage the presentation of evidence based investigations using data collected on site from the three world regions it considers. A strong focus is on data specific to a nation or to a region within a nation, as we recognize that nations are diverse, often encompassing regions with unique cultural and geographic characteristics. The data are rooted in the voices of individuals and communities. Such evidential data are analyzed and interpreted within the context of the complex human and natural environments from which they are derived. Chapters in the books within the series describe investigations that are part of an effort to continue the publication of an annual compilation of research studies in the three world regions upon which the series focuses. The series, therefore, indicates that the need to develop modern, self-sufficient, independent, and post-colonial societies is being balanced with the need to strengthen cultural values and identities within these three world regions. Book V in the series focuses on how the educational challenges found in these three world regions are addressed. The chapters specifically examine related recent research, identify useful investigative methodologies, identify accomplishments in meeting challenges, and consider unresolved challenges. The overarching questions presented below were derived from an analysis of the questions, methods, and conclusions presented in the studies appearing in this book. These overarching questions described here reflect the connections between educational issues that emerged in the 20thcentury and issues identified in the 21st century.

CONTENTS
Undertaking Educational Challenges in the 21st Century: Research From the Field, Cynthia Szymanski Sunal and Kagendo Mutua. P A R T O N E: RESEARCH ON EDUCATION IN AFRICA. Decolonizing Schooling: Toward a Culturally Relevant, Curriculum in Rural Kenya, Maylan Dunn, C. Sheldon Woods, and Moses Mutuku. Educating the African Newcomer Student in Western New York: The Case of Sife and Multilingual Learners, Mulu-tsehay B. Belete, Haoua M. Hamza, and Touorouzou H. Some. Implementation of Competency-Based Curriculum Reform n Primary Schools in Benin: Perceptions of Teachers, Supervisors, Students, and Parents, Gado Issaou, Kelani Raphael, and Mark van’t Hooft. Research on Mathematics and Reading Education in Sub-Saharan Africa: Cases of Botswana and Lesotho, Gibbs Y. Kanyongo, James B. Schreiber, and Launcelot I. Brown. I Want to Make a Difference in Their Lives: A Case Study on Learning from the Lived Experiences of Nine South African Teachers Working with Underachieving Students, Maria J. Oreshkina and Katherine H. Greenberg. P A R T T W O: RESEARCH ON EDUCATION IN THE CARIBBEAN. Dared Men Leading: The Role of Community Centeredness on Educational Leadership Practices in Trinidad and Tobago, Dennis A. Conrad and Launcelot I. Brown. P A R T T H R E E: RESEARCH ON EDUCATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST. A Critical Analysis of the Inclusive Education Policy in Greek Cyprus, Panayiotis Angelides. Turkey 2010: Transforming Education to Meet Challenges, Necmi Aksit. Teacher Interpersonal Behavior and Students’ Subject-Related Attitudes in General and Vocational Science Classes in Turkey, Perry den Brok, Sibel Telli, and Jale Cakiroglu. Evaluation of the First Step to Success: Early Intervention Program with Turkish Children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Selda Ozdemir. Learning Processes and Epistemological Beliefs of Saudi Arabian and American Students: Translation Process and Initial Results, Saddliga Al-Ghalib, James B. Schreiber, Ronald R. Schmeck, Gibbs Kanyongo, and Launcelot Brown. International Advanced Studies as a Head Start for an Academic Career: The Case of Israeli Graduate Students in the United States, Dorit Tubin and Orit Lapidot. Epilogue: Undertaking Educational Challenges in the 21st Century, Lucy Avraamidou. About the Contributors.