Education response to COVID 19 pandemic,a special issue proposed by UNICEF: Editorial review

This editorial paper presents 11 papers related to the special issue proposed by UNICEF on the Education Response to COVID-19. The COVID-19 pandemic provoked an education emergency of unprecedented scale. At its onset in February 2020, school closures were announced in the worst-hit countries. At the peak of the crisis, 90 per cent of learners worldwide had had their education disrupted. Some learners, especially those from the most marginalised population groups, were put at risk of permanent dropout, provoking long-term and significant negative effects on children’s life-long wellbeing and the socio-economic development of their communities and countries. This special issue, which received contributions from UNICEF staff and various researchers, focuses on the impact of school closures, the effectiveness of remote learning solutions, equity implications, the mitigation of learning loss and notions around re-opening better. Different research perspectives and evidence is gathered to help strengthen policy considerations and future planning. The conclusion emphasizes building on the innovative solutions generated by the response to the crisis to make education systems more resilient, whilst also reinforcing the focus on equity and inclusion so that pre-existing disparities are not exacerbated in the future.     

Can social integration in schools be mandated: Evidence from the Right to Education Act in India

Although Affirmative Action policies have been enforced in many countries, their consequences are highly understudied, especially in the context of developing economies. Section 12(1)(c) of the Right to Education (RTE) Act enforced in 2009 is the first attempt to introduce affirmative action in primary schools in India. The act requires all private schools to reserve at least twenty five percent seats for children from economically weaker sections. To understand the effect of the act on i) social integration and ii) academic outcomes, we asked 1500 children (grades one to three) from four schools to answer friendship surveys and short tests in Mathematics and English. The schools in our sample vary considerably in constitution and were intentionally chosen to understand the impact of the act in different school settings. The friendship surveys show strong homophily i.e. non-RTE students cite other non-RTE students as friends, while RTE students chose to be friends primarily with other RTE students. Trends in test scores reveal that students admitted under the RTE quota score significantly lower than non-RTE students. However, RTE students who have a higher share of non-RTE friends have better test scores, suggesting that affirmative action may have a positive influence on learning outcomes for RTE children. Further we note that commitment from the school authorities and systematic monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of the act will go a long way in bringing out some of the benefits that this act was designed to achieve. Our findings have important policy implications with respect to ensuring proper implementation of the Section12(1)(c) of the RTE act in schools across the country.     

An analysis of the reach and effectiveness of distance learning in India during school closures due to COVID-19

In India, more than 276 million children and youth were out of school for extended periods since March 2020 due to school closures in response to COVID-19. A key challenge has been how to measure the impact of responses to continuity of learning both to ensure more effective responses in the event of further disruptions, but also to help the education community conceptualize more creative and effective approaches to learning, through blended and flexible approaches. This study reflects on the findings from a UNICEF survey targeting parents and adolescents across 6 states in India, and identifies lessons learned for addressing learning inequities during future school closures. We focus on measuring three key variables – access to technology, their utilization, and perceived learning for different profiles of children. As students began learning from home, technology access rates in households were initially used to determine the estimated maximum reach of different distance learning modalities during school closures. Beyond access, we find significant variations in adolescents’ use of technology for learning purposes and their perceptions of learning, linked to the type of remote learning modality, gender, location and type of school. We discuss the implications for government strategies and policies to ensure better utilization of technologies which are available in households and to address equity gaps in learning opportunities.     

上海“体教结合”举措下竞技体育后备人才“学生-运动员”双重角色的认同、冲突与转化

“体教结合”是解决当前我国竞技体育发展问题的重要途径和举措。传统的体育后备人才培养模式只重视专项体育技能的发展而忽视了文化教育的重要性，不利于个体的全面发展。“体教结合”更重视人的全面发展，体育与教育的融合，使得竞技体育人才逐渐从运动员这一单一角色向“学生-运动员”双重角色转变。研究以角色认同为切入口，探讨上海“体教结合”举措下，角色的转变对体育竞技后备人才的影响。选取上海体育学院中国乒乓球学院少年班学员作为“学生-运动员”样本，选取国家乒乓球青年队及部分省市队队员作为职业运动员样本，使用结构化心理测量工具，对比两类受访者在运动与学业上的角色认同、心理倦怠与动机变量的差异。得出：在上海“体教结合”举措下，竞技体育后备人才认同“学生-运动员”双重角色，他们在学业任务中的卷入程度更高；双重角色使运动员在运动任务与学业任务上的主观价值感存在差异，表现出双重角色之间的冲突，但对个体的整体人生规划并不冲突；双重角色之间的转化，对于“学生-运动员”的心理健康存在促进效应。     

From objects to subjects: Repositioning teachers as policy actors doing policy work

Within policy discourses, teachers are positioned as objects of reform who enact policies under rational systems of observation and accountability and are, therefore, situated as de-professionalized actors lacking expert knowledge. This research project asks relatively straight-forward questions: If practicing teachers were given a voice in political debates over urban education policy and reform, what would they say? What macro-level policy problems would they identify as being important? Findings indicate the primary policy problems include Systemic Inequity and Bad Policy. The primary policy solutions include, Schools as a Community Resource; Shared Decision-Making; Contextual Goals; and Time, Space and Resources.     

Diverging discourses: Examining how college students majoring in communication define diversity

Colleges and universities in the United States often promote diversity through a neoliberal lens by framing diversity as a celebration of individual differences or a commodity that students can gain by attending their institution. In communication courses, diversity has been conceptualized through both neoliberal and critical lenses, but limited research has investigated how communication students define and explain diversity. The focus of this study was to understand how communication students define diversity. We performed thematic analyses on open-ended survey responses to investigate how communication students define diversity. Four themes emerged from our analyses: (a) diversity is a mechanism for unifying communities, (b) diversity is an affirmation of individual differences, (c) diversity is a harbinger of acceptance and equality, and (d) diversity is a disruptive force that re-centers the voices of traditionally marginalized people. Our findings indicate most communication students define diversity through a neoliberal lens. However, 3% of our participants conceptualized diversity through a critical lens by explaining that diversity should create space for those who are marginalized to have their voices heard. We conclude by providing recommendations for communication instructors to incorporate more critical conversations about diversity into their classrooms and foster diverging discourses about diversity across communication curricula.     

应用型人才培养模式下的“开放式”体育教学改革与研究——以莆田学院为例

本文采用文献资料、个案研究等方法,对莆田学院应用型人才培养模式下的“开放式”体育教学改革进行调查研究,旨在剖析其改革的具体方法,并提出以下建议:(1)宏观方面,建议政府出台支持政策,积极引导校企合作,建议企业依据自身需要,将相关需求的市场信息反馈给学校,实现地方社会事业、学校和企业的“三方”共赢。(2)微观方面,学校积极提升自身的“软”与“硬”实力,结合市场需求,充分利用校企合作的市场机遇,调整人才培养模式,充分运用现代信息技术,实现体育教学理念、教学内容要和方法、教学时间和空间、教学评价体系上的开放,培养满足市场需求的专业技术人才。     

反兴奋剂基础知识考试情况分析--以反兴奋剂教育准入试题为例

近年来,兴奋剂问题逐渐成为我国体育行业的关键问题,兴奋剂问题的影响逐步扩大。为保证中国体育健儿干干净净参加比赛,需要建立长效教育机制,将反兴奋剂教育融入到训练、比赛及日常生活中去。本文通过对河北省2018年反兴奋剂基础知识轮训考试成绩进行汇总分析,发现反兴奋剂教育工作中的难点以及突出问题,并对今后教学工作提出探索性意见。     

小学体育欣赏教学的实践策略分析

身体是革命的本钱,保持身体健康是生活学习的前提。为了学生身心的健康发展,就有了体育学科,因此,体育教师要对课程精心设计,以保证教学质量。然而,在现阶段的教育教学中,传统教学模式已经不再适合于学生,为了学生的健康发展,教师需要实行更为有效的教学方式。基于此,本文将针对欣赏教学在小学体育中的实践策略进行分析。     

中职体育教学中学生团队意识的培养探析

当前,我国社会市场对人才的要求越来越多,而在众多要求中团队精神已经成为学生学习、求职、从事行业工作必备的条件。中职生是一群特殊的群体,其专业学习具有很强的职业性与目的性,在为中职生开展的体育教学中培养学生的团队意识非常重要。本文结合笔者多年的工作实践,探讨中职体育教学培养学生团队意识的策略,以供参考。