10:45 - 11:45 p.m.
Paper Presentations
Re-conceptualizing Educational Leadership and Management for Global Sustainability
Ms. Yolanda Henry
Impact of Principal’s Leadership Style on Students’ Engagement with TVET at a High School in Jamaica: A Case Study
Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) has been identified as one of the most important drivers in a country’s social and economic development. The Ministry of Education in Jamaica has articulated its TVET Sector Policy Goal which provides a national agenda for the development and sustainability of TVET at all levels within the education system (Aguilera & De Latona, 2015). It is, therefore, essential that students pursuing TVET at the secondary/high school level be fully engaged in the learning process in order to improve, not only their educational outcomes, but national outcomes as well. Students’ levels of achievement are inextricably linked to student engagement, thus, the need to establish the extent to which a principal’s leadership style affects engagement, and by extension, educational achievement. This qualitative case study was designed to gain an in-depth understanding of how the leadership style of a principal, at a rural high school in Jamaica, impacts the engagement and academic outcomes of students who pursue TVET programmes within her school. Both primary and secondary data were compared to form a coherent picture of the issue under investigation. Findings from the study suggest that the principal’s leadership was eclectic and positively impacted student engagement. Students’ academic and employment outcomes were also enhanced. This was attributable to both the principal’s involvement in the teaching and learning process and the positive interplay among multiple stakeholders. Thus, the research provides the basis for further exploration in establishing a nexus between principal’s leadership style and student engagement."
Mrs. Alana Holder and Prof. Godfrey A. Steele
A Classical Approach to Studying an Organization's Bureaucracy and Communication Functions: Reimagining Life-Long Learning for Organizations
AUTHORS: Alana Holder, Godfrey A. Steele. An organization can be defined in various ways (Miller, 2015, p. 11). There are many hierarchical layers within bureaucratic organizations which impede the ability of employees to ensure easy workflow. Communication within such organizations tends to be slow, because of all the red tape that is involved in decision making. Such bureaucracy allows management to maintain control of all their employees and effect policies to ensure that there is a strict adherence to the established rules and procedures. The classical approach focuses on meeting the goals of the organization. As a classical theorist, Weber addressed how organizations are characterized and how individuals within the hierarchical structure communicate. Using Weber’s ideal theory of organizations, this study investigates the link between the bureaucratic organizational structure and the nature of communication in a selected organization. Using textual analysis samples of documents such as letters, photographs, memoranda and notices, the researchers will explore whether the organization does communicate formally with the strict application to rules and procedures.
Ms. Selecia Oscar and Prof. Godfrey A. Steele
Education in the Catholic Church’s Organizational and Communication Structure
To gain a better understanding of the functionality of organizations that operate in a manner similar to a traditional management style, it is necessary to identify the factors that contribute to the education of members in contributing to organizational goals. The church's structure in terms of duties and tasks, as well as a comparison of traditional organizational theoretical applications, can be used as reference points in the communication content, communication direction, communication channel, and communication style for internal and external communication among publics. Through textual analysis of data such as photos and documents, and observing behaviors, this can demonstrate the facets of communication functions within the structure of the Catholic Church. These management structures are found in any organization as the structure of the Catholic Church is similar to Henri Fayol's theories, a classical theorist that provides insight into standardized managerial structures, proven to stand the test of time and function effectively.
Re-envisioning Teacher Education for Future Policy and Practice
Dr. Jacqueline Kirk, with Alexia Walters, Natasha Ofwono
The Power of Diverse Perspectives in Teacher Education: A Duo-ethnographic Study
Although professional educators often find that their values, beliefs, and assumptions about teacher practice are in conflict with those of their colleagues, who were raised and educated in different contexts, this study indicates that sharing knowledge from lived experiences and education in diverse contexts and cultures can lead to deeper professional knowledge, improved practice, and informed teacher education. Through duo-ethnographic discussions, our group of three researchers from Jamaica, Uganda, and Canada, expose and interrogate our personal narratives about teaching. The process of sharing stories, reflecting on them together, and allowing the discussion to take root initiates reflection on personal beliefs about education but it also invites reflection on how shared knowledge establishes deeper understandings about teacher education and teaching practice.
This study follows duo-ethnographic methodology (Norris & Sawyer, 2012). In duo-ethnography, researchers focus on sharing how their prior experiences have developed their current understandings. Researchers are encouraged to articulate their narratives, not only as a way of understanding self but also to provide a contrasting image for partner(s) to engage in self-reflection. In this study, we engaged in three rounds of duo-ethnographic dialogue focused on: 1) early childhood and early learning, 2) schooling and teacher education, and 3) Teaching practice and experience. Each round began after we completed a journaling activity to prepare stories that would illustrate the knowledge, beliefs, values, and assumptions learned during that phase of our lived curriculum or currere (Pinar, 1994). The discussions were recorded and transcribed. Then, we engaged in a thematic analysis (Vaismoradi, Jones, Turunen, & Snelgrove, 2016) of the transcripts and journals to establish important themes. The findings include individual critique of our own perspectives, as well as collective knowledge about implications for policy and practice in teacher education.
Mr. Joseph McKenzie
Transitioning from Teacher to Teacher Educator: A phenomenology of the experiences of six Jamaican College Lecturers.
Teacher educators in Jamaica have a wide range of challenges at the initial stage of teaching at the teachers’ college level. These include being untrained, unprepared, and unsupported as they navigate the journey of becoming a teacher educator. These issues are widely examined from multiple perspectives in many countries throughout the world. However, very few studies have examined the lived experience of teacher educators within the Jamaican context. Therefore, a phenomenological study was conducted to explore the lived experience of six Jamaican teacher educators capturing the essence of their transitioning from teacher to teacher educator. My findings revealed my participants had different beliefs and ideologies about teaching as teacher educators before they assumed that role. They were also challenged by trying to manage their heavy workloads, roles, and responsibilities, with little support. They were unprepared to teach at the tertiary level. Recommendations for further research include development of professional standards for teacher educators at this level of teaching which should be culturally relevant to teacher education in Jamaica and mentoring and induction programmes for teacher educators at the start of their career. To this end, I propose a structured programme of preparation and training for Jamaican teacher educators that can help improve their early career experiences and support their professional transition.
Dr. Verna Knight
Evaluating the Outcomes of Teacher Education in the Caribbean: Professional Skill Levels and Continuous Professional Development Needs
Effective teaching has long been an issue of global concern. Research over the years confirm that of all the variables which have the potential to improve student achievement, quality teachers constitute the most powerful element. Although the research has often failed to provide a consensus on what factors support or signal teacher quality, there is general consensus that improving teacher quality is key to improving the quality of education overall. In the Caribbean, interest has especially in recent years, been centered around the quality of teachers, teacher education, and how current policies and practices in the training of teachers can be improved to better support the needs of all Caribbean learners. This paper presents the results of a mixed method research study which examined assessment data collected from 506 primary teachers across six teacher training colleges who pursued the Associate Degree in Education programme. Final year teachers’ performance is evaluated in four core content areas, over a 5-year span. Teachers’ performance was measured both in terms of the raw scores obtained as part of the Teaching Practicum Assessment, as well as the qualitative descriptions of teachers’ teaching performance as reported on the completed Assessors’ forms submitted. The research sought to determine 1) what was the average professional skill level of the trained Caribbean teacher; and 2) what were the most critical professional development support needs of the average Caribbean teacher post teacher certification. Teachers’ performances were evaluated across five professional development profiles which ranged from beginner to exemplary. The results revealed the dominant professional development profile as being “emerging practitioner”, and highlights several key areas of common weaknesses for the final year teachers. The results of this research offers insight for informing but current reforms in teacher training, and continuous professional development support for teachers in the Caribbean.
Breaking Barriers to Inclusive Education
Dr. Elna Carrington-Blades
Collaborative Consultation: A Pathway for Inclusive Education in Trinidad and Tobago Schools
This paper described collaborative consultation as a process, triadic in nature and as a service delivery option in schools for students with special educational needs (SEN), students marginalized for a variety of reasons and those students at-risk for failure. This study was conducted during the ongoing pandemic; therefore, responses were provided in context. This study analyzed the written responses of a convenience sample of 60 participants: general education teachers, special education teachers and student support services administrators. The participants in the study were post graduate students enrolled in studies leading to a masters’ degree in education. The overarching question that guided this research sought responses to: what was the most outstanding issue related to collaborative consultation in a familiar secondary school? Specific sub-questions probed for responses to descriptions in two broad categories: barriers and possibilities impacting collaborative consultation in the following areas: ethics, problem solving skills, communication and interpersonal skills and consulting about students with emotional and behavioral problems/learning and academic problems/social and economic problems. The data were collected over a three-month period and analyzed using the coding software MAXQDA. Results of the study were presented in broad themes which described critical issues in developing collaborative consultation in the Caribbean context. The resulting broad themes which emerged included: fidelity, transitioning, response to intervention and system level issues. Thematic discussions and recommendations followed.
Ms. Judy-Ann Allison Auld
Exploring Inclusive Education Practices in Grenada: An Ethnographic Study of District and School Management Teams
Internationally, legally binding instruments and non-binding declarations, led especially by the United Nations (UN) and other regional organizations, have set the framework for achieving inclusion in education. Presently, 95% of countries in Latin America and the Caribbean have regulations, under their Ministries of Education, that promote the inclusion in education of persons with disabilities (The Gem report, 2020). In 2014, Grenada ratified the convention on the rights of persons with disabilities demonstrating a commitment to inclusive education. Consequently, this country has attempted to include students identified with Special Educational Needs (SEN) in general education classrooms. Although many studies sought to investigate inclusion efforts in the region, the researcher found that very few attempted a holistic view at what is actually happening on site, where inclusion is being implemented. Through an ethnographic exploration of four primary schools in two educational districts in Grenada, this research seeks to provide a clearer understanding of how District Education Officers, School Principals and Senior Management Teams accept, interpret and enact inclusive education. This research will be approached qualitatively, utilizing an interpretive paradigm (Creswell, 2014), grounded in the theory of social constructivism (Kuhn, 1970). The researcher will immerse herself in the daily lives of her participants, for 4 months, as she seeks to better understand how district and school leaders construct meaning from their experiences in various administrative and managerial contexts. Data will be collected through observation, interviews and document analysis and analyzed using thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke, 2006). The researcher hopes that her findings will produce a richly detailed, and comprehensive portrait of the inclusion process, which can suggest guidelines to policy makers and education planners for including learners with SEN in general education classrooms.
Mrs. Shaneen Kennedy
A Mixed Methods Comparative Case Study Exploring the Effects, on Students’ Social-Emotional Learning, of Teaching Language Arts in the Virtual Classroom
Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) is linked to the advancement of learning outcomes and improve academic performance. Educators agree that it is essential to address students’ social and emotional needs in the learning process because how students feel and think about each other and themselves affect the ways they learn in school. At the primary level of schooling, social and emotional learning enhances students’ abilities to: build resilience, develop a growth mindset, acquire self-knowledge, set and achieve personal and collective goals, demonstrate empathy for others, practice collaborative problem-solving and make responsible decisions (CASEL, 2020). These personal and interpersonal skills provide a foundation for success in school, and later at work, in relationships as adults and overall psychological well-being. Even with these evidential benefits of SEL at the primary level of schooling, there is still a lack of clear understanding of how teachers and schools might support social and emotional learning. Additionally, there is value in integrating SEL into online instruction, especially for primary school students. This sequential exploratory mixed methods study will examine practices that promote primary school students’ social and emotional learning in the virtual Language Arts classroom. A comparative case study of one public and one private primary school using a random convenient sample of teachers and students will be conducted. Data will be collected using semi-structured interviews, observations, a focus group, document inquiry and survey. This presentation will (1) describe and situate the context, theoretical framework and methodology guiding the research (2) discuss preliminary findings emerging from a pilot of the study. The value of a SEL framework that is culturally and linguistically sensitive to the Barbadian context in supporting the breaking down of barriers to inclusive education and to enhance students’ success and social-emotional learning online will also contribute to the broader discourse of the presentation.
12:00 - 12:30 p.m.
Poster Presentations
Advancing Evaluation and Assessment Processes in Education
Professor Jerome De Lisle and Ms. Carla Kronberg with Raenelle-Lee Harris; Hana Subratti; Dudnath Nagessar; Coletta Brathwaite; Devika Lackan
Advancing Formative Assessment through the use of the FPSI model in Trinidad and Tobago
In the global South, the emphasis on public examinations as the dominant discourse has restricted the potential of classroom assessment (CA) to mediate student learning. Consequently, CA practices often mimic examinations rather than meaningfully supporting student development. Several teachers advocate the numerous benefits of implementing formative assessments (FA) in their classrooms but few are able to make this a reality.
This structured poster presentation highlights the journey of nine M.Ed. students/educators as they attempt to implement FA using the Formative, Performance, 21st Century Skills and Integrated (FPSI) Model (De Lisle, 2011). This Model was designed to be adaptive to participants’ needs and the classroom’s unique context. The case studies highlight the model’s implementation at different educational levels and disciplines. Educators experienced cognitive dissonance between their existing practices and the model, but with mediated assistance, they found the model promoted deep student engagement. We discuss: CA within the global South; the role of universities in learning, unlearning and relearning CA; and the Model’s utility in developing transversal skills. This session will provide educators with a platform to share their stories about implementing FA as a way to engender praxis and add to the conversation on transforming CA practices within the global South.
Posters:
The FPSI Model in a Form 3 Music Class- Raenelle-Lee Harris
The FPSI Model in a Form 1 Science Class - Hana Subratti and Dudnath Nagessar
The FPSI Model in a Form 3 Literature Class- Coletta Brathwaite
The FPSI Model in a Form 4 HSB Class - Devika Lackan
12:30 - 1:00 p.m.
Poster Presentations
Inclusiveness & Promoting Sustainable Innovation in Education
Dr. Charmaine McKenzie, Mrs. Michelle Stewart-McKoy, Dr. Jayne McGuire
[Pro] Active Learning Online: Removing Barriers to Learning
Academic, environmental, social, and technological barriers can impede students’ success and achievement in higher education, especially as we move toward sustainable online learning environments. Strategies taken from neuroscience will be explored as a platform for creating deep and meaningful learning experiences in synchronous and asynchronous settings. Using digital technologies, teachers/facilitators can create opportunities for innovative, interactive and authentic contextualized experiences for today’s Caribbean students. When we recognize, restructure, and remove barriers to access, students are empowered to realize their full academic potential and become lifelong learners, the ultimate sustainable outcome. This poster presentation will focus on select strategies aimed at reshaping educational practices, and reigniting student to student connection, while removing barriers to learning online.
Mrs. Claudia Jacob-Burnette & Raenelle-Lee Harris
The Implementation & Management of Inclusive Education through Continuous Professional Development (CPD)
Inclusive education is positioned at the forefront of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals supported by various legislative and policy documents attempting to foster a seamless education system. The Trinidad and Tobago Ministry of Education (MOE) has pledged its commitment to improved and sustainable educational practices with a clear drive to make education accessible to all learners. In its drive for inclusion, the MOE launched a pilot Diagnostic Programme in 1999 and established the Student Support Services Division (SSSD) in 2004. The SSSD founding principles of inclusive education is rooted in changes and modifications in content, approaches, structures, and strategies to make education accessible to all learners in the least restrictive environment. The success of inclusive education is dependent on adequately trained teachers with high efficacious levels especially during this time of educational reform and recovery. However, literature has shown that continuous professional development (CPD) in Trinidad and Tobago (TT) is given less importance and many training sessions focus on examinations and assessments. While some research on CPD exists, there is a dearth of research on CPD focusing on inclusive education in TT. Many teachers have expressed that they lack training in teaching in an inclusive environment and this acts as a barrier towards the implementation of inclusive education. This phenomenological study explores the experiences of teachers with CPD as a measure for implementing and managing inclusive education in TT, and aims to understand how teachers’ experiences with CPD have shaped their ability to implement and manage inclusive education. The research also aims at filling the gap in research on CPD which focuses on inclusive education in TT. Ultimately, it is hoped that this research spurs further discussion on the need for adequately trained teachers in inclusive education, reduce barriers towards inclusive education, and make education accessible to all learners.
Denise
The Incorporation of Values in the Pre-service Teacher Preparation Curriculum
Jamaica’s goals of transforming the country is being guided by the Vision 2030 Jamaica – a National Development Plan. To achieve this and other goals, teacher preparation curriculum should not only be a guide to the acquisition of knowledge and skills but education for the pre-service teachers in understating more about values and its relationship to achieving sustainable development of a society. The purpose of this exploratory single case study was to explore how values are incorporated into the pre-service teacher preparation curriculum (formal). This exploratory single case study was conducted at a selected rural teachers’ college in Jamaica. In stage 1 of the research, an examination of 87 course outlines of the three units (Human Ecology, Computer Studies and Business Studies). The course outlines of the three units of the institution that were examined and analyzed also involved a collective review and analysis of elements of the course outlines: the learning objectives/outcomes, content, activities and assessments. The findings showed that values (Earth Charter and Vision 2030) are represented in only two elements of a course outline: the learning outcomes, and the content. Of the 87 course outlines reviewed, core values were in a few instances represented in 25 course outlines, 18 of which were course outlines of General Education and Professional Studies. The values that were represented in a few instances were: good work ethics, discipline, responsibility, and integrity. However, these values were not represented throughout the pre-service teacher preparation curriculum.
1:00 - 2:00 p.m.
Paper Presentations
Re-envisioning Teacher Education for Future Policy and Practice
Dr. Boris Krichevsky
Expanding Teacher Education Toward More Equitable Futures
The divide between the university and PK-12 school system remains one of the most significant barriers to effective preparation of new teachers identified by researchers and policy makers. Historical obstacles such as, disconnects between coursework and field work, misalignments between professional knowledge and skilled practice, and competing goals among organizations continue to plague the work of teacher preparation. This paper investigates the university-school relationship in three teacher education programs, each representing a positive exemplar of a class of similar programs offered across the US. The multi-case study draws on third-generation activity theory and activity system analysis as frameworks for examining the partnerships culturally, historically, and institutionally. Findings reveal tensions and multilevel contradictions between activity systems afforded and constrained partnership development.
Mrs. Shawntelle Morgan
Secondary Teachers’ Beliefs, Knowledge and Practice of Disciplinary Literacy Pedagogy: The Case of CSEC History Instruction in Barbados
Disciplinary literacy focuses on subject-specific ways of reading, writing, and reasoning in each discipline to meet the literacy needs of adolescent learners. Problems with reading and writing during adolescence can be attributed to various reasons, including lack of vocabulary knowledge, limited knowledge of content as well as challenges working with various text structures (Lee and Spratley, 2010). While research has shown that the challenges faced by adolescents differ to that of their younger peers, little emphasis is placed on the literacy needs of these learners in the Caribbean context. The purpose of this triangulation mixed-methods case study is to examine the disciplinary literacy pedagogical practices of CSEC History teachers in Barbados. The study includes teachers of Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) History and CSEC History students. Using a pragmatist approach, the triangulation mixed-methods case study will be used to gain insight into the disciplinary literacy pedagogy of CSEC History teachers. The qualitative aspect of the study seeks to explore secondary CSEC History teachers’ knowledge and beliefs about disciplinary literacy in the CSEC History classroom, while the quantitative phase will examine teachers’ perceptions of Disciplinary Literacy in the CSEC History classroom as it relates to their academic and professional qualifications, subject discipline and tenure. Both qualitative and quantitative techniques will be used to observe and understand the relationship between CSEC History teachers’ knowledge and beliefs about Disciplinary Literacy and their CSEC History instruction practices. CSEC History students’ knowledge and understanding about Disciplinary Literacy will also be explored. The quantitative data in this study will be collected through the use of questionnaires while the qualitative data will be accessed via interviews, document analysis, observations, and focus groups. This paper presentation will report on the preliminary findings of the pilot study conducted over the last three months.
Mrs. Andrea Burnett
An Investigation into Teacher Continuous Professional Development in Barbados: Opportunities, Access and Quality
A fundamental aspect of developing the skills to teach effectively is the opportunity to learn various techniques on an ongoing basis to hone the specific pedagogical knowledge and skills needed to teach a particular subject effectively. Continuous professional development is therefore crucial to improving teacher quality (Neuman, & Cunningham, 2009; Zepeda, 2013; Darling-Hammond et al, 2017). The Sustainable Development Goals were pronounced as means to create a world where all humanity can thrive. In relation to teachers, the sustainable development goals initiative recognizes that teacher training and professional development is fundamental to the achievement of all the goals, not just Goal 4 which speaks to the need for quality education for all. The strategies to achieve Goal 4 include providing teachers with adequate training and support. A research study which investigates the status of teacher continuous professional development in Barbados is timely and needed, especially since there is no formal requirement for teachers to undergo continuous training. The importance of CPD to quality education is not only related to the Barbadian context but is recognized globally and is therefore engrained in various policies, regulations and initiatives. It is hoped that the results of this ongoing study would be used as a resource to support education policy development regarding standards for continuous professional development of teachers in Barbados.
Mrs. Medita Adina Wheatley
Achieving the Ultimate Goal of Teaching and Learning
The ultimate goal of teaching and learning should be the building of cognitive structures which allow a human being to generate new thoughts and to do new things. These structures make it possible for learners to function independently in different domains and on different cognitive levels. Without this ability it wouldn't be possible for human beings to reach their full potential as contributors to the maintenance of a world that is ever-changing, even as it requires personal development of stable frames of reference. Education systems generally have not been able to achieve this goal on a global scale, as is acknowledged by the United Nations' push for quality education in its Sustainable Development Goals. Some level of success has been achieved in some places, partially on account of differentiated instruction, but if there is inadequate understanding of the process that leads to the building of cognitive structures, quality education on a global scale will remain a mirage. The facilitation of the process requires an understanding of brain science, educational psychology, epistemology, by all stakeholders - policy makers, administrators, teachers, parents, and even employers - and the availability of teachers who are able to apply concepts in creative ways. Piaget's theory of cognitive development revolutionized the approach to teaching during the first half of the twentieth century, but not for everyone. Brain science has verified the authenticity of this theory. Furthermore, Rueven Fuerstein, a student of Piaget, has provided verifiable proof that mediated learning can produce the cognitive structures which are required for creative thought and action. It is left for teacher training institutes to reimagine their programmes in a way that prepares high calibre individuals to deliver instruction that can produce the needed outcomes.
Dr. Mervin Chisholm, Mrs. Michelle Stewart-McKoy
Educating Tomorrow’s Faculty Utilizing Critical Faculty Development Initiatives
Faculty development work in universities and colleges in the Anglophone Caribbean proceeds in an environment bedeviled by problematic socio-political, cultural, and harsh economic realities. In this regard, there is need for faculty development initiatives that are mindful of the context. Hence, faculty development is not merely about up skilling faculty in teaching and learning but involves critical appraisal of context and determining the ethical pedagogical approaches required. Accordingly, this paper uses the conceptual dialogical engagement approach to present and discuss the theoretical framework and the practical approaches of a certificate in university teaching programme geared at the development of an organic intellectual (Gramsci, 1971) rooted in the Caribbean soil. This organic intellectual is understood to be an activist-thinker-scholar in pedagogy. The theoretical frames of critical pedagogy and critical faculty development are used to demonstrate the importance of developing faculty who are critically conscious of pedagogy and attendant contextual, global, social and political issues that one must navigate as university teachers. The paper proceeds by unveiling the model of faculty development utilized in the programme, the Caribbean University Teaching Reflective Model (CUTRM). A model that situates university teaching and learning within a social and historical context of the university, the society and the international community and calls for use of metacognition in faculty development. Then, insights are offered on the use of the critical faculty development, faculty development as deconstruction and reconstruction and the reflective teaching arrangement. The paper concludes by noting that the responses of participants based on their reflective writings are indicating transformation in understanding of the faculty’s pedagogical role and the development of the Caribbean organic intellectual.
Ms. B. Anthazia Kadir
Advancing Evaluation and Assessment(s) toward More Equitable Relational Strategies
Evaluation and Assessment processes in the Caribbean often have long been tied to structures and systems rooted in an assembly line model. Arguably the mandates set out by governments, policymakers, and stakeholders are structured through a plantation regime dating back to colonization in the Caribbean. These compliant evaluations and assessments are said to gather the "cream of the crop" to sustain the economy, thus making it viable for generations to survive. In this spirit of competitiveness regarding evaluation and assessments, the region's education systems were in many ways unable to withstand the disruption of the pandemic in 2020 and 2021. The questions surrounding the Caribbean Examination Council 2021 examination results indicate that a more just system is needed to ascertain students' capabilities and skills. These indicators are ripe for re-shaping evaluation tools to a learner-centered relational model rather than maintaining the same testing regimes that breed inequalities within the systems. Therefore, this presentation in part seeks to answer the following questions:
•To what extent are the Anglophone Caribbean education evaluation and assessments strategies repeating oppressive ideals that mirror the colonial intentions of schooling and education in the Caribbean region?
•How can more just and equitable evaluation and assessment(s) strategies transform students' sense of belonging and commitment to regional development and sustainability?
•How can a process of re-envisioning Teacher Education towards policies and practices that attend to remembering the spirit of the work contributes to re-conceptualizing evaluation and assessments in education?
To this end, this presentation will explain why advancing evaluation towards a human approach is often complicated and time-consuming. With practical examples, I will then propose how a more flexible relational approach to assessments and evaluations can provide opportunities for students to become the ""ideal Caribbean person"" set out by the CARICOM, Human Resource Development 2030 Strategy.
Teacher Education & Promoting Sustainable Innovation in Education
Ms. Andrea K. Veira and Dr. Andrew A. Hunte
Demonstrating Reflective Sustainable Pedagogical Practices in University Teaching
An ultimate goal of future sustainable university teaching is effective self-examination of pedagogical practices in particular post-Covid-19 education. This study presents a self-reflective examination of university lecturers’ teaching of courses in education over a twelve-week semester in 2021 at two universities in the Caribbean. The lecturers were both new academics with limited university level teaching experience and were desirous of pedagogical self-efficacy during delivery of their assigned courses. The lecturers taught courses in research methods to in-service and pre-service teachers. Each lecturer conducted self-studies to facilitate improvement of their teaching and learning with the assistance of faculty mentors who examined their strategies and students’ feedback through an external lens. The lecturers use of questionnaires, focus group interviews, informal discussions and feedback from course activities allowed the collection of relevant information on students understanding and perceptions of content within the courses. The mentors provided independent views and interpretations along with recommendations on improving delivery of the courses. Through a reflective cycle of self-evaluation, student feedback, external mentor review and pedagogical modification, the lecturers garnered and incorporated recommendations to modify their course delivery. The self-evaluation facilitated the adoption of sustainable pedagogical practices that can be maintained by the lecturer and adopted by their student teachers in their future role as educators. The interplay between instructor, external faculty reviewer and students created a catalyst for responsive instructional change, effective mentoring, and future sustainable pedagogy. This study’s findings can potentially illicit much needed professional development that motivate lecturers’ self-perceptions of their own teaching effectiveness.
Dr. Kenneth Connell
Clinical Transition Selective Clerkship (CTSC): A novel clerkship delivered during the COVID-19 pandemic to minimize clinical training gaps
An innovative, blended, and supplementary clerkship to minimize clinical training gaps identified during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Objectives:
1. To identify training gaps in junior clerkship rotations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
2. To develop a Clinical Transition Selective Clerkship (CTSC) during Year 4.
3. To seek student feedback on organization and management of the CTSC.
Design and Methods:
An online cross-sectional survey of medical students during June-September 2021to identify training gaps. In response to identified gaps, the 4-week CTSC was developed to provide further opportunities to develop core competencies. Results: Just under half of students reported the opportunity to observe (45.7%) and perform (44.5%) core skills >3 times during the medicine junior clerkship. For the surgical clerkship, 48.3% observed and 44.2% performed core skills 1-3 times. For child health, 39.6% observed and 34.8% performed skills 1-3 times. More than half of respondents (55.3%) expressed concern that they missed the usual clinical clerkship training experiences during online rotations. Three-quarters (74.5%) expressed the need to acquire additional clinical experience. The majority of students rated the following aspects of the CTSC as ‘Good’ or better: clarity of goals and objectives (58.3%); educational value/amount learned (56.2%); professionalism of faculty (66.7%) and other clinical staff (75%); usefulness of feedback (75%); workload challenge/level of material appropriate (70.8%); overall rating/quality of CTS (60.4%). However, the following aspects were rated as ‘Poor’ or “Fair’: organization and coherency (77.1%); commitment of coordinators (64.6%); CTS achieved stated goals (62.5%). Conclusion: Our study identified training gaps in junior clerkship rotations during the COVID-19 pandemic. The CTSC provided opportunities to develop clinical competencies disrupted by the pandemic.
Mrs. Beverley Brathwaite
Teachers’ and Parents’ Perceptions of Intervention Practices for Autistic Children at a Special Needs School in Barbados
The study investigated the views of parents and special needs teachers of educational practices at a special school for children on the autism spectrum. The purpose was to provide an understanding of the barriers as well as the facilitating factors faced by these two stake-holders as they go about implementing the intervention practices used by the school in order to give a voice to the challenges these two stake holders encounter. The relationship that exists between them was also examined. The methodology used was a qualitative case study. Focus groups and face to face interviews were the procedures used for collecting data from the participants, which comprised 12 parents and 4 special needs teachers. A semi-structured interview format was used. Interviews were structured using an interview protocol to ensure focus on the issues that were to be explored. The results of the study revealed that there were many barriers encountered by both sets of participants as well as facilitators to the implementation of the intervention practices. Both parents and special needs teachers were very positive about the cooperation and partnership between them. Themes that emerged regarding barriers and facilitators that impacted intervention practices included:
- For teachers, lack of input from multidisciplinary team to IEPs, and frustrated, overwhelmed parents, were barriers. Facilitators included, using students’ areas of strengths and interests, communication and collaborating with parents, and structure of the intervention program.
- For parents, long referrals to get appointments with the multidisciplinary team of professionals, insufficient help from family members or spouses. Facilitators were, positive relationships with child’s teacher and seeing progress that their child had made as a result of the intervention.
These findings could be used to strengthen existing programs at the school and to assist in planning professional development for staff.
2:15 - 3:15 p.m.
Round Table
Inclusive Education & Psychological Wellbeing Through Schools
Ms. Talyjah T. Hyatt
Inclusive Education: A Phenomenological Study of Cultures and Practices in Primary Schools of Anguilla
Inclusive education has been conceptualized as identification and removal of factors which exclude students from participating in education (Ainscow, Dyson, Goldrick & West, 2011) and Mittler (2012). Lack of policy guiding special and inclusive education, barriers to learning faced by vulnerable groups of students, inadequate preparation of teachers, teachers’ attitudes toward inclusive education, continued practice of segregating students with disabilities and lack of resources hamper inclusive education in Anguilla (Caribbean Development Bank, 2009; UNESCO EFA, 2000; UNICEF, 2011 & UNICEF 2012a). To achieve inclusivity requires change in education to produce inclusive school policies, cultures and practices (Slee, 2011). Therefore, the phenomenological study will explore the stakeholders’ experiences regarding the cultures and practices in primary schools of Anguilla. The study is framed within the qualitative paradigm of research and based on the framework ‘Index for Inclusion’ (Booth and Ainscow, 2012). The study will seek to answer the following central research question: (1) How do cultures and practices in Anguilla's primary schools align with the ‘Index for Inclusion’ (Booth and Ainscow, 2012)? Using non-random sampling, the study will purposively sample principals, teachers, students and parents to explore their experiences of the phenomenon being studied. The study will utilize an interpretivist approach to obtain multiple realities and experiences from the participants (Creswell, 2007). By use of non-participatory observations, document analysis, semi-structured interviews and focus group the study will obtain the participants’ experiences. Data analysis will be performed with Coleizzi, Paterson and Williams’s (2002) Methods of Analyzing Qualitative Data. In acknowledging the limitations imposed by non-inclusive education, this study is interested in uncovering the degree inclusive cultures and practices in Anguilla’s primary schools also seeks to guide policy development and provide recommendations for how the schools can progress toward inclusivity.
Dr. Lisa Phillip-Lovelace
Literacy Learner Differences in multicultural inclusive schools in Trinidad and Tobago
This paper presents an auto-ethnographic study that explores the lived experience of a primary school teacher from 2008 to 2017 as the question what factors contribute to learner differences of literacy in the multicultural inclusive schools in Trinidad and Tobago is addressed. This nine-year journey uses five schools from three educational districts as the background for this enquiry and narrative of the lived experiences, identifies disparity of resources, socio-economic, hidden disabilities and disillusioned teachers as factors that contributed to the learner differences in literacy in the multicultural schools in Trinidad and Tobago.
Dr. Penny Moore
Enhancing Children and Young People's Well-being in the Caribbean
I would like to discuss (either as paper presentation or roundtable) a low-intensity therapeutic intervention for low mood and anxiety for adolescents developed by the world renowned Anna Freud Centre for Young Families in the UK and delivered by UCL. The interventions utilize an evidence based guided self-help method grounded in CBT principles to treat low mood and anxiety in adolescents. The purpose is to increase access to mental health support (by for example providing support on site in schools) and intervene when young people first start presenting with these problems so that they don’t get worse and reach crisis point. I would like to discuss how these interventions could be adapted and utilized in the context of the Caribbean to protect adolescent’s mental health and well-being and support young people experiencing difficulties.
Paper Presentations
Empowering Teachers & Promoting Sustainable Innovation in Education
Dr. Debra Ferdinand-James; Ms. Karlene Nelson; Ms. Yolanda Tugwell
Sustaining graduate research via the Virtual Reading Room: A mixed methods study of TVET graduate students in a Caribbean Higher Education Space
Graduate students have distinct information needs that necessitate developing specific abilities for preparing their research theses. In keeping with the digital transformation trajectory of the global higher education landscape, a virtual reading room (VRR) for directed reading and writing library hours was created to support graduate students enrolled in a School of Education’s Leadership in Technical and Vocational Education and Training and Workforce Development (LTVET/WFD) programmes. Such research support has a Vygotskian orientation in which the expert, like the more knowledgeable research librarian, provides guided support to the novice, like the less knowledgeable graduate research student in addressing the following: graduate students' challenges in accessing library resources essential to their research projects. Two librarians were assigned to the two student groups (MA/MPhil) for facilitating library instruction and research in the VRR, which also helped to develop attributes of the UWI graduate that include IT skilled, critical thinker, information literate, and effective communicator. While much research has been done on the traditional reading room at libraries, research on virtual reading room use is now emerging in the scholarly literature, especially in a Caribbean higher education context. The purpose of this research study is to explore LTVET/WFD graduate students’ reactions to the use of a VRR for sustaining their graduate research. A mixed methods study design was used in administering a self-reported questionnaire with both open- and closed-ended questions for collecting, analyzing, and integrating qualitative and quantitative data for understanding LTVET/WFD graduate students’ reactions to the VRR. The study results revealed more favorable than unfavorable reactions to the VRR, which can narrow the gap in the global scholarly literature for a Caribbean perspective on VRR’s. These findings can also help to inform policy and practice for supporting graduate research students at The UWI, Mona campus in an era of digital transformation.
Mrs. Tamara Scott McFarlane
Developing Sustainable Education Partnerships in one Community College in Jamaica: A Case Study
The changing and competitive global educational landscape has become increasingly complex and require institutions, particularly Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), to create innovative ways of leveraging resources, expertise and competencies to, not only establish and strengthen visibility, but to ensure that their primary purpose is realized. In fact, the traditional ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to education was found to be poorly adapted to individual needs and to the society at large (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, 2012); therefore, it is critical for HEIs to provide more engaging experiences for their constituents. The purpose of this case study was to determine the impact of educational partnerships in assisting HEIs to maintain global relevance, remain viable in this competitive educational landscape as well as improve education equity and opportunities for all. The study examined three partnerships that exist within the community college under investigation utilizing interviews with the individuals who have direct oversight of said programmes. The data gathered was examined using a thematic approach and the results indicated that there are some key principles for establishing sustainable educational partnerships. The principles include the establishment of clearly defined goals, institutional commitment and strong leadership which are critical to leveraging support for the programmes of higher education institutions.
In conclusion, HEIs have recognized that, by themselves, they will be unable to create individuals who are fully equipped for work, contribute to society and achieve their full potential. Therefore, they need effective educational partners to facilitate the exchange of people, ideas and methods. While there is no blueprint for the establishment of sustainable educational partnerships, the findings from this case study can serve as a reliable guide for establishing and maintaining educational partnerships.
Dr. Charmaine Bissessar
An Auto-ethnographic Study of My Experiences in Educating Academics in Implementing Technology during COVID-19: Implications for Social Resiliency
This paper consists of the author’s reflections in educating the educators during the COVID-19 pandemic. The author poses two fundamental questions to herself. These questions are: (a) What are the factors affecting the implementation of technology during the COVID-19 pandemic? (b) What measures were taken to ensure that these factors were mitigated? Descriptive and in vivo coding will be used to place the data into themes. Themes include digital divide, connectivity, and bandwidth issues. Agile leadership was implemented to ensure that the digital divide among staff were diminished. Specific measures were taken by the administration to ensure a seamless transition from face-to-face to emergency education. The main issues expressed by educators were that of lack of technological knowledge and the difference between digital natives and immigrants. This qualitative methodology implementing the epistemological interpretivist paradigm will seek to understand my experiences of educating the academics during the COVID-19 pandemic and its implications for social resiliency. The issue of subjectivity will be discussed since the author is the main participant, therefore, bracketing, reflexivity, journaling, and memoing will be implemented to capture some of the factors affecting subjectivity. Implications for future studies and recommendations are made for the implementation of technology in the curriculum during emergency education and beyond.
Empowering Teachers as Agents for Sustainable Change
Dr. Carmel Roofe
Currere and sustainable teacher professional development in Jamaica
The call for postcolonial schooling practices continue to dominate discussions in postcolonial societies such as Jamaica. Remnants of the colonial heritage impact how teachers function in Jamaican classrooms, how curriculum is perceived, interpreted, and enacted. As such teachers as products of a colonial education system need to engage in professional development to interrogate self and confront colonial remnants in ways of knowing, being, and doing and build capacities within themselves to recognize coloniality. This is critical if teachers are to offer postcolonial schooling practices as required in the 21st century and beyond. Professional development that is directed by teachers results in more lasting change. Currere's autobiographical approach offers teachers opportunities to actively engage in inquiry into their past and present experiences. Professional development through the use of Currere serves as opportunity for sustainable teacher professional development as any practice for change is led by the teacher as his/her critical consciousness is awaken. Through narrative analysis of a sample of written Currere from a cohort of 30 in-service teachers two questions are used to identify elements of coloniality embedded in teachers’ practices.
(1) What do in-service teachers indicate as the origins of their teaching methodologies or approaches to pedagogy?
(2) What do in-service teachers indicate influenced them in becoming a teacher?
Answers to these questions provide insights into how remnants of coloniality impact positively or negatively how teachers function. Consequently, serving as opportunities to empower teachers to create changes to their practices. This presentation will highlight the criticality of teachers interrogating self as an opportunity for sustainable professional development, explain the process of Currere, and provide narratives of in-service teachers’ Currere to illustrate how in-service teacher development can offer Currere as a sustainable way of teacher professional development in Jamaica.
Dr.Therese Ferguson; Carol Hordatt Gentles; Carmel Roofe; Sharon Bramwell-Lalor
ESD Capacity-Building in Teacher Education: A Collaborative Action Research Approach by Teacher Educators
Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is a global imperative to enhance knowledge, skills, values and action in support of sustainability at global, regional and national levels. Global movements and programmes such as the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD), the Global Action Programme (GAP) on ESD and, more recently, the ESD for 2030 Framework, have prioritized capacity-building of educators and trainers as an essential area of priority. With this in mind, a group of teacher educators, all members of the ESD Working Group working in different specializations within the School of Education at The University of the West Indies (Mona, Jamaica), undertook a collaborative action research project to infuse ESD into selected undergraduate and postgraduate courses during the spring semester of the 2018/19 academic year. Data collection comprised pre- and post-infusion concept maps with students in the courses, and pre- and post-infusion reflection by the lecturers. This presentation will share (i) the general collaborative action research processes undertaken by the teacher educators to enhance group capacity, as well as to support group and individual infusion efforts and (ii) illustrative examples of specific approaches and practices utilised by Working Group members to infuse ESD into course content and activities. It is hoped that this approach and the illustrative practices can serve as useful exemplars for other teacher educators within the Caribbean and beyond as they undertake their own efforts to reorient teacher education for sustainability.
Dr. Sharon Jaggernauth
Taking up the challenge: Secondary school teachers experiences of remote teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic in TT
Trinidad and Tobago, like 210 countries globally, is facing unprecedented changes in schooling due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The rapid transition to online teaching in March 2020 is now in its second year. Teachers responded to numerous challenges including technological readiness, inequity of resources and pedagogical limitations, as well as assuming the roles of change agents. The challenges of teaching during the pandemic portends a re-envisioning of Caribbean education for the 21st century. This study investigated the experiences and perspectives of teachers in Trinidad and Tobago as they navigated online teaching. Two cohorts of teachers (n=149) from the blended Postgraduate Diploma in Education at The UWI, St. Augustine were surveyed. The data offered insights into teachers’ agency and adaptability during the pandemic. Teachers reported using various technological tools and applications. Their professional learning consisted of free online content and training, as well as their experience of technology integration within the diploma programme. Their students responded positively to visuals and the flexibility of the learning environment, but student engagement was hampered by connectivity issues, device availability, and the loss of peer interactions. Teachers were challenged by the increased time required for preparation and online teaching, increased expectations of availability to parents and students outside traditional working hours, and lengthier workdays. However, they welcomed the flexibility of time and space, absence of daily commute between home and school, learning new teaching techniques and technologies, and improved lesson preparation. The data indicate that given an enabling environment comprising access to and availability of technology, professional learning and collegial support, teachers are empowered to use technology in flexible and adaptive ways to meet students’ learning needs. The richness of these data lends itself to envisioning a 21st-century Caribbean education that incorporates a blended learning model that supports agility, innovation and sustainable educational practice.
3:30 - 4:30 p.m.
Paper Presentations
STREAM-lining Education Curriculum for the Future
Dr. Sharon Jaggernauth
An Arts-based Approach to teaching Mathematics. A Different Way to Curriculum-Integrate
OECD-PISA 2015 highlighted Trinidad and Tobago’s students’ struggle with applying mathematical concepts and skills to problem-solving and decision making. CXC’s examination reports reflect the same problem Caribbean-wide. Mathematical problem solving relies on mathematical modelling, which students often struggle with when solving real-world word problems. Integrating the Arts into the curriculum develops students’ skills in language, reading and mathematics, and improves their mathematics appreciation and performance. Arts-based learning activities sparks students’ creativity and sharpens their focus on learning mathematics. We investigated how exposure to Arts-based (music and visual arts) learning activities over eight 75-minute lessons, influenced Grade 9 students’ ability to model and solve real-world problems related to arithmetic and geometric progressions. The sample of 28 students at one secondary school in Trinidad and Tobago. The multi-method quasi-experimental design permitted data collection through various methods, including student surveys and reflective journals, teacher’s classroom observations and reflective journal, and formative and summative assessments. Qualitative data were analyzed thematically, and quantitative data were analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics. Results indicate that students were in awe of the connection between Music, Art and Mathematics. They enjoyed learning and over time, more readily recognized arithmetic and geometric progressions in the natural world. Their interest in and motivation for learning mathematics steadily increased over time. Their ability to model and solve word problems improved over time. We concluded that Arts-based learning activities positively influenced students’ mathematics appreciation and performance. We note that integrating Arts-based activities into mathematics instruction is challenging and requires teacher collaboration for successful implementation. The outcomes are rewarding for students and teachers.
Dr. Joanne Nazir & Sharmila Harry
Illustrating the of Teaching Sustainability Education in O ’Level English Literature through an Eco critical Analysis of Breath, Eyes, Memory
Environmental and sustainability education (ESE) refers to the multiple traditions of learning that take place at all levels of the education system which seek to support the long-term well-being of the Earth and its systems in all their diversity and richness ((ESE-TE, 2022). It is established that while work in ESE, has been growing in the Caribbean since the 1980’s, more needs to be done (Ferguson, 2020). An examination of school curriculum documents which guide teaching in regional schools indicate that while some efforts have been made to infuse ESE into some subjects, very little progress has been made in incorporating it into the teaching of English, especially in a Caribbean context. One pedagogical technique that can be applied to address this situation is ecocriticism: an explicit method to discern ESE themes in cultural artefacts (Stephens, 2010). In this presentation participants will be introduced to the main tenets of ecocriticism as a pedagogical tool for English Literature. The viability of the technique will be illustrated by focusing on the ecocritical themes in the novel Breath, Eyes, Memory (Danticat, 1994), a West Indian novel currently read in CXC O’level English literature. The presentation should be of interest to educators interested in the teaching of English literature and more broadly to those interested in pedagogies for greening school curricula. It fits well within the conference’s theme of reimagining education for global sustainability.
References
ESE-TE Environmental and Sustainability Education in Teacher Education (2022). About ESE-TE. http://eseinfacultiesofed.ca/about.html
Danticat, E. (1994). Breath, Eyes, Memory. Random House Inc.
Ferguson, T. (2020). Environmental and sustainability education in the Caribbean: Crucial issues, critical imperatives. Environmental Education Research, 26(6), 763-771.
Stephens, J. (2010). Ecocriticism. In D. Rudd (Ed.), The Routledge companion to children's literature (pp. 168-169). Routledge.
Prof. Jerome De Lisle / Ms. Tracey Lucas
Why does a STEM identity matter?
The Center for Advancement of Informal Science Education (2018) considers STEM identity to be a social identity in which the student thinks of themselves as a STEM learner who knows about, uses, and contributes to the field of science. STEM identity is therefore best understood as a sense of self, capturing what the person is and intends to become. We argue that creating a strong, positive STEM identity has primacy in programmes that intend to change student career orientations, and thereby influence the leaking STEM pipeline. In this participatory mixed methods study, we were guided by critical realism and the Educative, Values-Engaged (EVE) evaluation model (Greene et al., 2006). We gathered quantitative and qualitative information on engagement, identity, and career plans from students engaged in an out-of-school national STEM programme. We report on findings from a survey of 340 students and 39 focus group interviews with 137 participants. We found positive outcomes for all three constructs with extremely high measures of engagement; however, career plans of young people were more closely linked to the development of positive STEM identities. Constructed Thematic Maps suggested that identity and career orientation to STEM were closely connected. Five post-analysis supplemental focus group interviews with a subset of 29 economically and socially disadvantaged students suggested that STEM identities were a powerful tool that could influence and redirect career plans for these students. Although STEM identity is supposed to operate by creating a set of positive expectations leading to engaged learning, engagement appears to be a separate variable to identity and likely operates somewhat independently in the overall mechanism of programme change. We explore programme design strategies to build STEM identity in school and out of school programmes.
Advancing Evaluation and Assessment Processes in Education
Dr. Chloe Walker
Examinations, for Better or for Worse: A Critical Policy Analysis of Covid-19 Educational Policy Responses in the English-Speaking Caribbean
The Covid-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented disruptions to educational systems in the Caribbean, and the world over. The pandemic, like most crises, has served to reinforce existing inequalities within the education sector, and its broader socio-economic context. Although much work has been done in investigating the problems of Education in Emergencies (EiE), the current pandemic presents several new challenges and concerns.
With increased uncertainty, frequent school closures, and complete reliance on digital technologies, educational stakeholders have been forced to adopt emergency remote learning protocols. Notwithstanding the many educational changes necessitated by the Covid-19 pandemic, one thing has remained constant — the Caribbean’s commitment to high stakes examinations, specifically the Secondary School Entrance Examinations (SSEE), and the Caribbean Examinations Council’s Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC), and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE). Using a critical policy analysis framework, this paper seeks to assess the educational policy responses of 13 English-speaking CARICOM member states: Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Monserrat, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago during the first 18-months of Covid-19 pandemic, with a particular focus on their decisions regarding SSEE, CSEC, and CAPE. The paper argues that the regional governments’ collective commitment to high-stakes examinations has not only further reinforced educational inequalities (which were already exacerbated by the pandemic), but that this commitment - particularly during the early stages of the crisis - represents a significant educational policy failure. More poignantly, the paper argues that their failure reaffirms a fundamentally deep-rooted and largely unquestioned belief in the reliability and necessity of high-stakes examinations as the best method of assessment, even in times of emergency. This belief and its subsequent manifestation in recent policy is a quintessential testament to enduring legacies of colonial education in the English-speaking Caribbean.
Mrs. Murella Sambucharan-Mohammed
A Mixed Methods Study of Trust in Public Examinations during the COVID-19 Pandemic - The Case of Trinidad and Tobago
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted educational and social challenges worldwide. In the face of the crisis, high-stakes public examinations have persisted in some Caribbean territories at ages 11+, 16+ and 18+. Critical decisions about selection, placement and certification hinge on the interpretation and use of these examinations. In Trinidad and Tobago, stakeholders have expressed concern about these assessments. Stakeholder trust is central to the legitimacy of public examinations and the education system hence, this issue was investigated using a qualitatively driven, convergent mixed methods study. Stakeholders involved in the 2020-2022 sittings of the examinations responded to online surveys and participated in focus group interviews to capture their lived experiences and perspectives on credibility, fairness and the utility of Caribbean examinations. Qualitative findings gleaned through reflexive thematic and cross-case analysis highlighted that stakeholders’ perceptions of trust varied according to their socio-economic context. Stakeholders' views reflected emerging assessment literacy levels revolving around experiences with changes to examination structure and the impact of access to educational opportunities as a variable of fairness. Quantitatively, positive correlations were observed between trust and perceptions of examination management as well as trust and perceived examination fairness. Data was integrated using a triangulation model that emphasized crystallization. Integrated findings supported that perceptions of trust and legitimacy of public examinations varied depending on stakeholders’ demographic and experiential contexts. This study underscores the evolving public examination context and brings to the fore issues of equity, stakeholder agency and the need for continuous and transparent dialogue between users and managers.
Ms. Sandra Minott
Towards The Development of the BMA / AMB Scale
The paper explores the mathematical iteration of the Jamaican Speech Continuum towards the development of a psychometric instrument that could provide a microscopic insight into the various strands of creole in the written English of Creole influenced grade 4 emergent writers. The findings provide fresh views on reading and writing outcomes within selected grade 4 Jamaican coeducational classrooms. The paper takes a mixed methods approach along the lines of Exploratory Research, having two tested pilots. Soon, other details on Corpus Linguistics emerge.
Engendering Cultural and Indigenous Practice in Education
Ms. Shauntelle Nurse
A Grounded Theory Study of the Internationalization of Higher Education in the Global South
The internationalization of higher education is now considered a policy initiative to be implemented by universities across the globe. Internationalization has been recognized as a reciprocal project (Altbach & Knight, 2007) but the abundance of scholarship on IHE, primarily generated in the Global North, reveals that current conceptualizations of IHE present a one-dimensional view of IHE, privileging IHE from the perspective of the Global North. In doing so IHE has been critiqued for perpetuating Western universalism in the field of IHE. This proposal is a response to those critiques and seeks to theorize IHE from the Global South, thereby interrupting Western universalism. This will be accomplished by undertaking a grounded theory inquiry of IHE at a regional university in the Anglophone Caribbean. This study will seek to provide a theory that reflects the reality of IHE from a non-Western standpoint. It will add to the literature of IHE allowing for a more comprehensive outlook. This study seeks to provide a way for IHE stakeholders from the Caribbean to critically engage with IHE initiatives instead of following prescriptive norms that may work against their self-interests.
Dr. Lisa Philip-Lovelace, Dennis Conrad, Theresa Abodeeb-Gentile
The Importance of Culturally Responsive Material in School in Trinidad and Tobago-Principal’s Perspective
This phenomenographic study explores the experiences of principals on the importance of using culturally responsive material in Catholic primary schools in Trinidad and Tobago. years. The participants included twelve principals from Trinidad who have served in their confirmed appointed position for more than two years and who had also been teachers in Trinidad and Tobago for a minimum of twenty years. Data collection included semi-structured interviews with deductive and inductive analysis resulting that there was no significant emphasis on using culturally responsive material in promoting inclusive education. However, they suggested ways they did try to incorporate material in their schools and suggested ways to do so in future.
Dr. Mervin E. Chisholm
Unpacking Caribbean Emancipatory Pedagogy (CEP): A Pathway to liberation in educational practice
In post emancipation Caribbean societies, there has been an ongoing search for liberation (Bristol, 2012; Chisholm, 2021; Hamid, 1973; Smith, 1984) from the traumatic experiences of colonization. Concerns about the historic Caribbean pedagogical project (especially as it has manifested itself in the Anglophone Caribbean in oppressive ways) have generated much interest in the quest for emancipatory approaches. In this regard, Caribbean Emancipatory Pedagogy (CEP) has been developed. This emerging pedagogical approach is concerned with best practices that result in liberation from oppression. In this regard, this paper offers a model on how to engage in CEP. It recognizes that CEP draws from ongoing reflections on Caribbean pedagogical practice and allied theoretical and pedagogical perspectives and these are reflected in the model. The oppression emanating from the historic Caribbean pedagogic project and its continuance in the psyche of the people (Barnett, 2020; Lalor, 2018) has demonstrated that efforts to engage in practices that offer liberation must continue and the model is informed by a framework which will guide its utilization. The framework is guided by the following five focus questions:
1. What is the rationale and what are the objectives of pedagogical action in CEP?
2. What content areas should command attention in the pursuit of emancipatory learning?
3. What are the contextual realities/issues that affect students’ emancipatory learning in their educational journey (formal, informal and non-formal)?
4. What is the pedagogical action needed to initiate students into the pathways of emancipatory learning?
5. How is critical reflection on teaching and learning used to achieve emancipatory learning?