This thesis is concerned with main cultural discourses of the second phase of Communism in Romania (1964-1989), period largely identical with that of Ceauşescu’s rule. A secondary aim of the thesis is to look at the post-1989 continuations of these publicly influential discourses with the aim of understanding how the educational system (HE, in particular) is positioned in relation to the cultural domain. With regard to the Communist period, the main assertion of the thesis is that analysis of these discourses reveals an underlying cultural mechanism equivalent with a central mode of governance employed by the Communist party. According to this assertion, the mission of this cultural mechanism, with origins in Lenin’s drastic distinction between the party and the proletariat and in the idea that the party must bestow consciousness on the proletariat, is to create and regulate positive avatars (heroes imbued with the best of humanity) for each social category so as to fulfill and safeguard the aims of the Party. For this reason, this device has been entitled the hero-mirror mechanism. The device has also been linked with religion and theology. This perspective has found that the mirror-mechanism corresponds to the notion of “imago Dei,” and its axes to the notions of “kenosis” and “imitatio Dei.” The assessment of these cultural discourses via the mirror-mechanism results in three dimensions of research, each with its own universes of investigation, and each with its own findings. In the first dimension, the mirror-mechanism deals with discourses as identity, and thus with the deconstruction of Romanian identity. If, as observed, the mirror-mechanism receives its first major blow in the 1980s and begins to crumble after 1989, what has replaced it since and with what implications for Romanian identity? The second dimension views the same discourses as mainly intellectual. Here, the notion of ‘inner utopia’ is highlighted as a dominant and recurring theme, and, therefore, as possibly the dominant feature of the Romanian cultural/political scene during and after Communism. If, because of the notion of ‘inner utopia,’ ‘true education’ is viewed as lying outside the provinces of formal institutions, what then is the educational role ascribed to the public space in relation to the HE system? Finally, the third dimension assesses these discourses in terms of their claims for anti-Communist resistance while providing a typology for elucidating such claims.

This thesis analyses poor law administration in Wigan Union from 1880-1900. The late-nineteenth century is fertile territory for poor law historians, and this study intends to further enhance our understanding of the period. Local studies are vital given that the weakness of central authority ensured a wide variety of practice amongst unions, and are essential to the development of a better informed national picture. With that purpose, the thesis focuses on the important Lancashire industrial town of Wigan. Analysis addresses selected themes that require greater attention from historians in order to facilitate a more developed understanding of the poor law. Chapter one analyses politics in relation to guardians’ elections before and after the democratisation of the boards in 1894. Chapter two explores the role of boards of guardians, both individually and collaboratively, as active political agencies and defenders of the public interest in relation to removal of Irish paupers and in battles over rating with canal and railway companies. Chapters three and four focus on what was arguably the greatest poor law controversy of the period – the ‘Crusade’ against outdoor relief, initiated nationally in 1870. Wigan Union was an apparent supporter of this ‘reform’ movement, but appearances were deceptive. Chapter five addresses the problem of the ‘casual poor’, another major national concern of the period. Analysis illustrates the detail of local practice and the nature of central-local relations between the guardians and the LGB. Chapter six examines the themes of dismissal of union officers and superannuation for those deemed to have given good public service, further illustrating conceptions of professionalism and central-local relations. From this analysis, the Wigan board emerges as a politically engaged institution; financially cautious but with a paternalistic sense of obligation to the poor and pragmatic rather than ideologically driven in its policy and practice. Strong local conceptions of identity, professionalism and public service are evident within a nuanced context of central-local relations.

This thesis attempts to describe, explain, analyse and assess the contribution of five teaching religious orders to the development of Catholic education in Glasgow from 1847, when, with the arrival of the Franciscan Sisters, Catholic religious life returned to Glasgow for the first time since the Reformation until 1918 and the passing of the landmark Education (Scotland) Act. It concentrates on the influence and achievements of the religious orders in their role as teachers and managers of a number of primary, secondary and night schools in Glasgow as well as the role of the Sisters of Notre Dame in their particular role as educators of Catholic teachers in Glasgow. In 1918 Catholics in Scotland reversed the decision they took in 1872 to remain outside the national system of education. From 1918 Religious education according to use and wont was to be allowed within well-defined limits, but would not be fostered by the civil authority, and provision was made for a revision of the teacher-training system. The thesis argues that the work of five religious orders, the Franciscans, the Sisters of Mercy, the Marists, the Jesuits and The Sisters of Notre Dame in Catholic education in Glasgow, made it feasible for Catholic schools to remain outside the state system after the 1872 Education (Scotland) Act and until the passing of the 1918 Education (Scotland) Act. Throughout the 46 years 1872-1918 the root problem for Catholic education was finding money to subsidise Catholic schools. The key to the grants was efficiency. The source of efficiency in schools was the Training College. As a result, the story of Catholic education up to 1918 is largely one of how the increasing financial burden, without any relief from the rates to which they contributed, was borne by every section of the Catholic community in the endeavour to provide their children with an education comparable to that given in the more favoured and progressive rated schools. The thesis argues that it was largely the contribution of the religious orders to Catholic education in Glasgow during the second half of the nineteenth century and until 1918 that enabled Catholics to achieve what they did in the 1918 Education (Scotland) Act. 1 The success of the 1918 Act from the perspective of the Catholic community in Glasgow therefore can be attributed largely to the work of the religious orders in Glasgow.

The current coalition government in England has expressed its commitment to establishing an autonomous teaching profession. This study argues that such autonomy cannot exist in a system that is ideologically driven by market forces and neo-liberal policy. The best situation that most teachers can hope to experience – barring a seismic shift in material conditions – is an earned and scrutinised autonomy, which is an oxymoronic concept. It is argued that the tight control exercised by the state over what happens in schools through its promotion of market forces, reinforces the ideological nature of schooling in England. The theoretical and ontological basis of the study resides in an orthodox Marxist perspective and analyses the way in which neo-liberalism has formed the basis for the material conditions under which teachers currently work. It develops this idea to demonstrate how this dominant ideology pervades current discourse about pedagogy and curriculum, reducing such discourse to a narrower consideration of ‘standards’. It considers how this diminution of what the curriculum has become has, in its turn, had an impact on teachers’ view of their professional autonomy. Data are gathered from two rounds of interviews with 22 serving teachers complemented by some written responses from them. Six others with a professional interest in education policy-making, four of whom are headteachers, are also interviewed. The conclusion is drawn that teachers’ autonomy remains restricted, with any independence of action largely contingent upon the production of outcomes measured against limited, pre-determined and ideologically driven outcomes. The study identifies a disconnection between the aspirations of teachers with regard to their professional autonomy and those of some, but not all, headteachers. A further disconnection between the aspirations of teachers and the policies of central government is also identified. Significantly, teachers may enjoy more professional autonomy in those schools which currently, and possibly temporarily, enjoy market popularity. In terms of a contribution to the debate about teacher autonomy, the study demonstrates that, notwithstanding the effects of the current policy ensemble, teachers maintain a sense of what education could offer young people that goes beyond the existing, reductive models that frame their working lives.

The graduation theses of the Scottish universities in the first half of the seventeenth century are at the crossroads of philosophical and historical events of fundamental importance: Renaissance and Humanist philosophy, Scholastic and modern philosophy, Reformation and Counterreformation, the rise of modern science. The struggle among these tendencies shaped the culture of the seventeenth century. Graduation theses are a product of the Scholasticism of the modern age, which survived the Reformation in Scotland and decisively influenced Scottish philosophy in the seventeenth century, including the reception of early modern philosophy. We can therefore speak of a ‘Scottish Scholasticism’, characterised by an original reception and interpretation of the long traditions of Scholastic philosophy and Aristotelianism. The aim of the thesis is the analysis of the general physics of the graduation theses: the two central theories are prime matter and movement. Natural philosophy is a particularly interesting case, and the main features of the graduation theses are the reception of Scholasticism alongside innovation within Scholasticism. Graduation theses adhere to the Scholastic tradition, especially Scotism, while being innovative in their opposition to Catholic forms of Scholasticism. Scottish Scholasticism can be then further qualified as an example of ‘Reformed Scholasticism’.

<p> Akiba Hebrew Academy was founded in Philadelphia in 1946 as the first community Jewish secondary day school in America. Akiba was a drastic departure and in effect, counter-cultural: an all-day secondary school program defined as community (not attached to a denomination and certainly not Orthodox), integrative (general and Jewish studies), and progressive, a term that carried weight in the Philadelphia marketplace, drawing talented faculty and skeptical parents to this yet unknown entity. Most Jewish parents were committed to public school education, favoring denominational supplemental religious schooling. </p><p> Despite Akiba&rsquo;s status as the first of its kind in American Jewish educational history, little has been written about it as a progressive school or about its leadership. Even less is known of the influence of the curriculum or the faculty on its graduates. Using archival material, this study examines the nature of the school&rsquo;s curriculum and especially the leadership of its visionary curricular architect, Louis Newman, from his selection as principal in 1951 until 1963, when he left the school for an appointment to a national curriculum initiative. It specifically explores to what degree the overt and hidden curriculum followed the founders&rsquo; initial intent. Through the use of narrative inquiry methodology, the use of participant interviews and the examination of archival material such as personal letters and communication, the study also investigates the impact of those decisions on administration, parents, faculty and early graduates in an effort to understand the influence of the school on the community and especially its students&rsquo; identities.</p>

Orientador: Ana Clara Bortoleto Nery / Banca: Maria Rita de Almeida Toledo / Banca: Dagoberto Buim Arena / Resumo: Com a presente dissertação de mestrado, objetivamos compreender os aspectos da constituição do campo educacional paulista entre os anos de 1911 e 1923, com especial atenção para a cidade de São Carlos/SP e a escola normal lá instalada. Delimitando este em objetivos específicos, a proposta é de desvelar como se deu a configuração do habitus professoral para o aluno-mestre e ompreender a importância da criação e manutenção das revistas Excelsior! e Revista da Escola Normal de São Carlos para o campo educacional. Considerando que a criação e a manutenção de revistas pedagógicas manifestam-se como uma forma específica do processo de organização do campo educacional, buscamos desvelar como se deu a configuração do habitus professoral para o aluno-mestre, tendo como eixo metodológico as contribuições de Pierre Bourdieu, principalmente nos conceitos de habitus e campo e Roger Chartier no que diz respeito aos aspectos historiográficos e materiais dos periódicos em estudo. Como resultado observamos a constituição de um habitus professoral específico, centrado na difusão de uma imagem do professor republicano, progressista e liberal. / Abstract: With this master's dissertation, we objectified to comprehend the aspects of the constitution of the educational field in the state of São Paulo between the years of 1911 and 1923, with special attention to the city of São Carlos/SP and the normal school installed there. Limiting this to specific objectives, the proposal is to reveal how the configuration of the teaching habitus to the master-student was created and understand the importance of the creation and maintenance of the periodics Excelsior! and Revista da Escola Normal de São Carlos for the educational field. Considering that the creation and maintenance of pedagogical periodics manifest themselves as a specific form of the organizational process of the educational field, we seek to reveal how the configuration of the teaching habitus to the master-student was created, having as a methodological axle the contributions of Pierre Bourdieu, specially on the concepts of habitus and field, and Roger Chartier when it comes to the historigraphical and material aspects of the periodicals that are being studied. As a result, we observe the constitution of a specific teaching habitus, centered on the diffusion of an image of a liberal, progressive and republican teacher. / Mestre

<p> This case study on Crellin Elementary School in Oakland, Maryland, examined the pedagogical practices of 7 teachers/administrator from the school. It examined implementation of placed-based education (PBE) using researcher observations and teachers&rsquo;/administrators&rsquo; narratives, two learning partners, and the former superintendent about the efficacy of the PBE learning model. This study also examined the commitment level of adopting critical pedagogies of place to meet the learning needs of students, many who come from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. Community members provided narratives of their connections to placed-based educational activities with Crellin and their insights on the impact on the community and the participating organization. The research study indicated that PBE can be a contributing factor in narrowing the achievement gap by focusing on the lower socioeconomic subgroup, using data from students who receive free and reduced-price lunch. Measurement tools included the Maryland State Assessment and Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers assessments scores between the years 2003 through 2010 and 2017. Other contributing factors determining the efficacy of PBE included leadership and sustainability and the number of highly qualified teachers, specifically at Crellin Elementary School. Benefits of PBE were also discussed, including teacher empowerment, community empowerment, and an enriched curriculum due to partnerships with academic experts. Recommendations included replication of a study on middle and high schools implementing the PBE learning model and its effects on student achievement. A recommendation was to track alumni student achievement including a longitudinal study of Crellin students&rsquo; academic performance through middle school and high school (e.g., Advanced Placement, Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career, SATs, and ACTs). </p><p>

This thesis expansively discusses the development of Islamic education and its curriculum in Jordan from both diachronic and synchronic perspectives, hitherto an under-researched area. However, it places special emphasis on most recent attitudes, approaches and policies surrounding the Islamic education curriculum in Jordanian schools. This is done by reviewing the most relevant literature available on the subject as well as by analysing the data collected during an extensive field work. It is stressed that although the study employs qualitative approach to contextualise the research, it largely relies on quantitative methods consisting of field work and interviews. Subsequently the final results demonstrate many positives in the process of the development in the curriculum of Islamic education. In addition, it suggests that much has been done in this regard since the beginning of the formal establishment of the education system in Jordan in early eighties. However, it admits that there is much to be done in terms of elevating the standard of the Islamic education curriculum. It suggests that there is a need for a constant drive to improve the content of the curriculum to bring Islamic education at par with the secular education. Finally, it recommends that the future development of the content of the Islamic education curriculum should indeed take place in view of the modern Jordanian context, but this process of development must not compromise the spiritual element that lay at the core of Islamic education.

In 2007 a new government-funded initial teacher training programme was introduced in China. Emergent problems associated with the implementation of this policy call for a new research agenda that is able to illuminate aspects of the history of teacher education in China. Through the exploration of the hidden and often untold stories of ordinary teachers’ lives from the past, this research project seeks to construct a more authentic and comprehensive historical account of teacher education in China from 1949 to 1982. It also strives to help in raising an awareness among teachers, researchers and policy makers of the significance of reflecting on the history of teacher education, in both individual and collective ways. Three types of qualitative sources, namely documentary, visual and oral data were assembled from archival and online searches, and by the conducting of 40 in-depth oral history interviews. Drawing on former student teachers’ testimonies, this thesis investigates key features and major trends marking the formal pattern of the Chinese teacher education system since the foundation of the People’s Republic of China. It is argued that despite a number of radical structural and theoretical changes brought about by political campaigns over time, from the perspective of the student teachers themselves, continuities were more fundamental in this particular historical period. Aspects central to these continuities were a tiered teacher education system and two major approaches to teacher training. Compared to teacher education in the higher education sector, the normal school approach was recognised as having a systematic advantage in preparing teachers for classroom teaching. This dissertation also scrutinises the impact of educational reforms upon the teaching profession and teachers’ identities (individual and collective) from a rhetorical perspective. Evidence from a variety of documents, visual materials and interviewees’ recollections suggests that, as an inherent linguistic and cultural characteristic of the Chinese language, metaphor, together with narratives and other literary devices, plays an important role in shaping key concepts relevant to teacher education in China. The thesis resists conventional perceptions which associate a collectivist ethos among teachers chiefly with political propaganda, attributing it rather with traditional Chinese cultural values.