Graduate School of Education
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The Graduate School of Education (GSE) at Nazarbayev University aspires to become an influential, world-class graduate school of education, effecting change in educational thinking, policy and practice at all levels of education through scholarly research, quality teaching and persuasive argument. Through its research, teaching and scholarship, the GSE is committed to working to improve education for all, sustaining a vision of education which enables individuals to maximize their own potential, free from the constrains of poverty and background, within a context of mutual understanding and global interdependence.
The GSE at Nazarbayev University shall:
engage in educational research, teaching and scholarship at the highest international standard,
mediate such research, teaching, and scholarship, locating it within broader contemporary frameworks, and
enhance capacity-building in educational research, teaching and scholarship.
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Item Open Access Reconceptualization of teacher education experiences from the context of a multicultural developing country(Sage Publications, 2005) Ashraf, Dilshad; Khaki, Jan-e-Alam; Shamatov, Duishon; Tajik, Mir Afzal; Vazir, NilofarTeacher education in developing countries faces great challenges attributable to economic constraints, including shrinking resources, the low status of teachers—exacerbated by declining incentives—and an entirely theoretical approach in teacher training programs. These challenges are further intensified by variations in the trainees’ cultural, regional, and religious backgrounds and by the lack of collaboration between different education sectors. In this context, the Aga Khan University Institute for Educational Development (AKU-IED) in Karachi, Pakistan, is attempting to provide contextually appropriate, effective teacher education programs for Pakistan and other developing countries. This article draws on the authors’ personal experiences in the teacher education programs at AKU-IED and on studies that examine the impact of these programs on participants. Several studies show that teacher education transforms teachers’ beliefs and practices if accomplished through more effective approaches. The article discusses how teacher education programs are conceptualized and implemented in the multicultural context of AKU-IED, where the course participants come from various developing countries and diverse backgrounds.Item Open Access Teaching and trading: Local voices and global issues from Central Asia(Aga Khan University, Institute for Educational Development, Karachi, 2005-05) Niyozov Sarfaroz, Shamatov, DuishonThis paper is based on an analysis of data gathered through two qualitative studies conducted by the authors in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, I accompanied by our continuous involvement in, and reflections on, the transformation process in the region, as well as by our review of other studies of education and society done by international agencies (e.g., Khorog Joint Research Team, 2001; Kuder, 1996), and individual scholars (Humphrey, 2002; Keshavjee, 1998; Ries, 2002). The paper presents a complex picture of teachers' life and work in Central Asia. It examines how teachers are seeking various means for survival and coping with the multiple challenges they face in their everyday practices, In particular, we discuss the role of trade and trading in teachers' lives, hoW and why they become traders, what effect it has on their lives and practices, and what are the implications of this impoverishment and intensification for education and society in Central Asia. The collapse of the USSR, one of the most dramatic events of the 20th century, has hit teachers, who had seemed to be at the top of the social ladder in the communist system, hardest; it demoted them to the bottom of the social hierarchy in the new market-oriented post-Soviet landscape. Faced with enormous economic, social, and psychological hardships of life and work, a great number of teachers became traders, leaving their teaching jobs partially, or even completely, in order to make a. living. Thus, for many teachers, trading has become an important weapon in their struggle for survival. Trading, in other words, has not only offered a way out for teachers, but has also become a profession that affects their status, position, values and reasons for teaching. Their success, as well as the increasing apathy of officials towards the teachers' plight, has made those who remain in the profession also see trading: and commercial businesses as a way out of the poverty, while maintaining their dignity and also continuing the teaching to which, for a variety of reasons, they remain committed.Item Open Access Beginning teachers’ professional socialization in post-Soviet Kyrgyzstan: The challenges and coping strategies(Aga Khan University, Institute for Educational Development, Karachi, 2006) Shamatov, DuishonThis qualitative study examines and develops an in-depth understanding of two beginning teachers’ professional socializations in post-Soviet Kyrgyzstan. The study is a historical and descriptive account that provides insights into the impact of socio-political upheaval on the lives of two beginning teachers. The study focuses on the challenges the teachers faced in their initial stages of work and on how they addressed these. The teachers’ professional socialization stories are described in three realms: classroom, school and community. The study examines in greater detail the professional and relational challenges that the two beginning teachers faced while interacting with their pupils, administrators, colleagues, pupils’ parents and education officials. In addition to the typical challenges of adjusting to school culture, rules and regulations and classroom management faced by beginning teachers, these individuals had to deal with additional tribulations that have manifested after and because of the collapse of the former USSR. These include insufficient resources for schools, inadequately qualified and inexperienced colleagues, high student drop-out rates, a constantly changing curriculum, lack of textbooks, low salaries with frequent delays and deductions.These young teachers, despite their circumstances, emerge as caring and considerate individuals who adopted a variety of responses, including maintaining their values and performance, while at the same time attempting to influence others as they protected themselves from criticisms. The combination of social strategies and micropolitical tactics proved useful in examining the beginning teachers’ broader positions and specific tactics of addressing the crucial challenges. The study offers insights for school administrators, experienced teachers and education authorities at district, provincial and national levels. It points out the importance of assisting beginning teachers in improving performance, retention and long-term personal and professional well-being. The thesis also highlights some of the major challenges of conducting qualitative studies in the Central Asian context. Finally, the study also revealed that there is a need to develop educational research capacity in Kyrgyzstan, a situation which must be addressed in order to improve the educational system.Item Open Access Trading or teaching: dilemmas of everyday life economy in Central Asia(Global Oriental Ltd, 2006) Niyozov, Sarfaroz; Shamatov, DuishonThe paper discusses the effects of the collapse of the Soviet Union on teachers' life and work in Badakhshan and Osh provinces of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. Challenging some of the assumptions of the Soviet studies about the interaction between teaching and other sources of moneymaking by teachers, the paper illus trates continuities and changes in the pre -Soviet, Soviet and post-Soviet times in terms of role, nature, forms, and ethics of trading and commercial activities in the life of the teachers in the two countries. The paper draws from the two ethnographic case studies carried out in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan between 1999 and 2005. The drastic actual changes in the status and work of the teachers in post Soviet Central Asia has presented teachers with tough choices. One of such choices was whether to become involved in trading and commerce. Teachers' experience of trading and commercialisation has been contradictory: necessary, possible, rewarding; yet challenging and often disgusting and contrary to the very morality of the teaching profession. The teachers' life and work serves as windows to the larger issues that have both local and global ramifications. The challenges teachers face in the paper speak to basic issues of human experience: dignity,j ustice, hope, equity, care and humanity. The paper's major argument is that while teachers are increasingly gaining from their involvement in trading, it is the societies that are losing, both by loss of the best teachers and by the implications of trading and commercial activities on the education systems in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. The policy makers must make decisions about how teachers could be provided with conditions that enable them to focus on the major priority of their work for the benefit of the future generations of Central Asia.Item Open Access Researching education and society in Central Asia(Aga Khan University, Institute for Educational Development, Karachi, 2006-02) Niyozov Sarfaroz, Shamatov, DuishonAlthough researching of and publishing on different aspects of the society in Central Asia and the post-Soviet world has become a popular activity in the international context, little attention is paid to the concept, processes, and conditions of researching in Central Asia itself. Yet, the quality of the research outcomes, which depend on the above factors, and which constitutes a foundation for policy and practice decisions, including in education is of paramount importance. This paper is about themes, concepts, issues and challenges involved in the process of understanding and carrying out research in Central Asia. It draws upon the outcomes of a number of experiences, namely: (a) the presenter’s personal experiences of conducting research in Central Asia, (b) interviews and informal conversations with a number of scholars involved in studying education and society in Central Asia, and (c) review of literature on research. The concepts and processes of researching are connected with literature on Soviet and post-Soviet research conditions. The paper highlights implications for the quality of research products, researching capacity, conditions of researching, and for training local and external researchers to undertake qualitative inquiry in Central Asia. Writing a paper on the challenges of educational research in Central Asia is a challenging task for a number of reasons, the most important of which is the dearth of reliable and valid data due to the underdeveloped research tradition in Central Asia, the lack of research facilities, critical scholarship and a lack of confidence in sharing the research data for identifying solutions to the problems.Item Open Access Hopes and Fears for the Future: Voices of Children from Kyrgyzstan(CiCe, 2007) Joldoshalieva Rahat, Shamatov, DuishonThis study identifies children’s hopes and fears for the future and the role of education in Kyrgyzstan. Like other children, they were concerned about the environment, crime, violence, poverty and health but also about the revival of their national identity. Many worried about political and economic instability, hoping the new political regime would bring prosperity. They appeared to be active consumers of media, but their understanding of local and global issues was often superficial and their actions were teacher-directed and sometimes tokenistic.Item Open Access Challenges of Improving Teachers’ Assessment Practices(Journal of Research and Reflections in Education, 2007-06) Shamatov, DuishonThis article reports the outcomes of a qualitative case study which explored how school teachers develop their assessment while attending an in-service teacher education programme. Semi-structured interviews and document analysis were two methods used to explore the Master of Education students at Aga Khan University Institute for Educational Development (AKU-IED). These students come from developing countries in Central Asia, South Asia and East Africa. Prior to joining AKU-IED, most of these students have had experienced assessment practices characterized in my study as ‘traditional’, teaching and learning have been geared towards examinations and tests. The selective purpose of assessment selects and rejects people, and social reproduction is maintained by the traditional assessment. Additionally, traditional assessment has often caused great deal of psychological discomfort and elements of ‘unproductive competition’ reflecting on extrinsic reward in schooling. At AKU-IED, the M.Ed. students have a very intensive transformative learning experience. They are encouraged to critically examine their existing educational philosophy, including assessment notions. As a result, many students re-modify their assessment theories and practices. After the completion of the M.Ed. program the students are potentially in a position where they are able to influence assessment practices, to varying degree, when they return to their home work environments.Item Open Access Trait Emotional Intelligence and Academic Performance: Controlling for the Effects of IQ, Personality and Self-Concept(Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 2011) Ferrando, Mercedes; Prieto, María Dolores; Almeida, Leandro S.; Ferrándiz, Carmen; Bermejo, Rosario; López-Pina, José Antonio; Hernández-Torrano, Daniel; Sáinz, Marta; Carmen Fernández, MariaThis article analyses the relationship between trait emotional intelligence and academic performance, controlling for the effects of IQ, personality, and self-concept dimensions. A sample of 290 preadolescents (11-12 years old) took part in the study. The instruments used were (a) Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire—Adolescents Short Form (TEIQue-ASF); (b) Children’s Personality Questionnaire (CPQ; Form A, Part A); (c) IQ test TIDI-2; (d) Adaptation Questionnaire (CAI-1); and (e) academic performance. A positive and significant correlation coefficient between trait EI measured by the TEIQue-ASF and general academic performance was found. The TEIQue-ASF showed incremental validity to predict general academic performance, after controlling for intelligence, personality, and self-concept characteristics.Item Open Access The impact of global university rankings on higher education management and policy in Kazakhstan(Evaluation in Higher Education, 2012) Sagintayeva, Aida; Kurakbayev, KairatThis paper discusses the relevance of global ranking systems as a policy instrument of strategic planning, quality management and public accountability of higher education institutions (HEI) in Kazakhstan. Being one of the world’s fastest growing economies, Kazakhstan has set priorities on developing a knowledge-based society for global competition. Celebrating its 20th anniversary of independence from the former Soviet Union, the nation has become the first of five Central-Asian countries to introduce its higher education institutions in global rankings. Yet, there is little empirical work or theoretical treatment of the influence of global rankings on the government’s educational policy of Central Asian states. In addition, both the increasing impact of global and national rankings of HEIs in Kazakhstan and the government’s decision to motivate local academic institutions to take top tiers in global ranking systems prompt us to better understand how higher education institutions respond to the rankings.Item Open Access The impact of standardized testing on university entrance issues in Kyrgyzstan(M.E. Sharpe, Inc, 2012) Shamatov, DuishonIn Kyrgyzstan, the breakup of the USSR raised many issues related to equity and fairness in education, one of which is the distribution of public funds to support scholarship admissions to higher education institutions. After 1992, public institutions could begin to charge tuition fees, but as a legacy of the USSR, Kyrgyzstan continues providing “budget-funded places” (public scholarships) for higher education study. In recent years, the number of these scholarships has been shrinking, resulting in increased competition for budget-funded places, and unfortunately, their distribution has been unfair and discriminatory against students from remote regions and poorer families. To address these issues, the merit-based National Scholarship Test (NST) was introduced in 2002 to identify the most deserving youth, irrespective of where they live and their backgrounds. Moreover, as a crucial part of the test implementation, quota categories have been introduced to ensure the proportional representation of youth from various geographic backgrounds at institutions of higher education. In the years since its introduction the NST has achieved both successes and setbacks. Generally considered a huge step forward, the NST has been able to impact equity in education on a broad scale. However, challenges still remain.Item Open Access Exploring Practices Determining School Effectiveness: A Case Study in Selected South African Secondary Schools(International Journal of Educational Sciences, 2012) Botha, R. J.; Makoelle, TsedisoWhen parents choose a school for their children to attend, especially a secondary school, they usually look for an effective school’ so that their children can receive what they regard as a good, quality education. In this process, it is most common that parents evaluate or assess the effectiveness of secondary schools on the basis of the school’s academic results or outputs. But what other factors, apart from academic results, constitute school effectiveness?Item Open Access The State of Inclusive Pedagogy in South Africa: A Literature Review(The Journal of Sociology and Social Anthropology, 2012) Makoelle, TsedisoThe states of inclusive pedagogy in South African schools remain bleak and teachers are in the dark about what constitutes an inclusive pedagogy in the South African context. This is despite policy changes since the advent of the new educational dispensation in 1994. In this review article the researcher presents the background in terms of inclusive education developments, both within historical and policy contexts.Item Open Access Teachers’ Pedagogical Approaches in Kyrgyzstan: Changes and Challenges(Geneva, UNICEF Regional Office for Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States., 2012-09) Shamatov, DuishonThis chapter describes pedagogical approaches that are used by teachers in primary and secondary schools of Kyrgyzstan, and presents the results of a study, conducted in 2013, which was designed to increase understanding of pedagogical approaches and thereby contribute to future reforms in national education policies and educational practices for improved learning.Item Open Access Cовременные системы образования: осмысление опыта управления в условиях реформирования(Северо- Восточный федеральный ун-т им. М.К. Аммосова. Ин-т непрерывного профессионального образования СВФУ., 2013) Михайлова, Е.И.; Мамчак, С.; Мамчак, Ст.; Чоросова, О. М.; Мардахаев, Л. В.; Мельничук, О. А.; Филиппов, Г. Г.Настоящая книга представляет собой первое научно-методическое издание, в котором обобщается опыт управления системой образования Республики Саха (Якутия) в условиях реформирования с конца 1980-х по 2003 г. В издании представлен обзор многогранной деятельности Министерства образования РС(Я) и органа управления образованием отдельного муниципального образования (г. Якутск) в период с конца 1980-х по 2003 г. Практика разработки стратегии развития региональной системы образования в Республике Саха (Якутия) осмыслена с точки зрения не только обобщения опыта пройденного пути, но и соотнесения деятельности по реформированию регионального образования с фактическими результатами и оценкой эффективности разных подходов и технологических решений в сравнении с лучшими образцами зарубежной педагогической практики на примере системы образования США.Item Open Access Opportunities for faculty to influence academic matters at Kazakh National University and Eurasian National University(Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Education, 2013) Sarinzhipov (Саринжипов), Aslan (Аслан)Kazakhstan's higher education system is based on the Soviet governance structure, limited academic freedom and no autonomy from the state. In such a system faculties are contract employees delivering predesigned courses with no incentive to bring new ideas and methods. But employers and the general public are concerned with the mismatch between market demand and curricula of universities. Qualitative research based on two case studies collected evidence on the opportunities for faculty to influence academic affairs of the two most prominent research universities in Kazakhstan. The study gave a detailed picture of state controls, hierarchical structures and limited role of faculty at the higher education institutions under investigation. The national universities of Kazakhstan were also compared with the University of West Florida, a public research university of similar size which is based on academic freedom, shared governance and faculty authority over academic matters. Conceptual framework for the analysis is based on the theory that university governance differs from other organizations in its involvement of faculty in decision making on academic affairs. The power is shared with faculty because of their recognized knowledge and authority in teaching and research in their particular professional fields. ^ The study identified that the national universities in Kazakhstan are established regulated and run like government organizations with a hierarchical structure. The existing centralized and stricter controlled environment results in frustrated and demotivated faculty who are not able to produce good quality teaching and research. Universities are required to produce similar academic programs and courses and offer a limited number of majors approved by the inter-ministerial committee. Structures of degree programs are set according to State Standards and contain certain share of mandatory courses which are provided by the Ministry. The universities are managed by the rectors who have wide powers especially in hiring and promotion of faculty as well as on other academic matters. ^ The research identified a number of shortcomings and mismatches with international theory and international best practice. If national universities are to develop they have to be allowed to compete and have freedom to innovate. The national universities need the governing boards to be introduced. Increasing faculty participation will be central to promoting key values of higher education such as academic freedom, autonomy and transparency. Empowering faculty will contribute to their greater responsibility and engagement in developing higher education institutions and their core functions of teaching, research and community service.Item Metadata only Nazarbayev University: Integration of Western and Central Asian Educational Systems(Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2013-10-10) Seidimbek, Ayana; Ayana, SeidimbekAbstract In 2010 the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, attended the opening ceremony of a new university in Astana, the capital city of Kazakhstan. The ambitious enterprise, named Nazarbayev University, enjoyed unprecedented privileges, such as complete independence and autonomy from the Ministry of Education and Science in determining its academic policies and curriculum, as well as exorbitant state funding in order to bring in the brightest minds of universal scholarship, and to partner with some of the most globally-reputed universities such as University College London, University of Cambridge, Carnegie Mellon University, University Wisconsin-Madison and others. All with the aim of ultimately creating an educational basis and infrastructure for a high-quality international university through adopting Western educational standards, and incorporating them with the best practices of Central Asian and ex-Soviet Union educational systems to offer world-class education to 20,000 students every year. Will the project idea be able to sustain itself for the years ahead and what are the problems in the teaching process and management that the university is experiencing during the first years of its establishment? The aim of this paper is to browse through and analyze some of the topical issues.Item Open Access ҚАЗАҚСТАН РЕСПУБЛИКАСЫНДА 2015–2020 жж. БІЛІМ БЕРУДІ РЕФОРМАЛАУДЫҢ СТРАТЕГИЯЛЫҚ БАҒЫТТАРЫН ЖҮЗЕГЕ АСЫРУ(2014) Сағынтаева, Аида; Бриджес, Дэвид; Кэннинг, Мэри«Қазақстан Республикасының 2015-2020 жылдарға арналған білім беру жүйесін реформалаудағы стратегиялық бағыттарды әзірлеу» жобасының бірінші кезең бойынша (2013 ж.) қорытынды есебі Қазақстан Республикасы Білім және ғылым министрлігінің тапсырысы бойынша Назарбаев Университеті Жоғары білім беру мектебімен іске асырылды. Аталмыш ғылыми жұмыстың негізгі мақсаты - білім беру жүйесінің мықты және осал тұстарын анықтау, сонымен қатар кейіннен білім беру саласының барлық деңгейлерін модернизациялау үшін Қазақстан Республикасы білім беру жүйесінің диагностикасын өткізу.Item Open Access Exploring factors contributing to school improvement in South African secondary schools in the free state province(International Journal of Educational Sciences, 2014) Makoelle, TsedisoSince the advent of the new educational dispensation in 1994, the South African National Department of education has embarked on a process of enhancing the improvement of pass-rates in secondary schools. However, despite these efforts the process has not been very smooth as some schools have not improved or least show signs of the improvement of their performances. This paper therefore explores factors contributing to school improvement in secondary schools...Item Open Access Changing Teacher Beliefs and Attitudes towards Inclusion in South Africa: Lessons from Collaborative Action Research(The Social Science Journal, 2014) Makoelle, TsedisoWorldwide there is a challenge to change teacher beliefs and attitudes towards implementing full inclusive education. This paper therefore reports on a collaborative action research process that sought to change teacher beliefs and conceptions about inclusion. The study was conducted qualitatively and adopted a critical emancipatory stance. Data were collected during action research stages through collaborative action research meetings, research diaries, participant observations and interviews. The data were then analysed using both group interpretative and inductive analytical frameworks. The findings indicated, inter alia, that while change through participation is crucial, changing teacher beliefs and attitudes about inclusion requires local context-relevant practices that teachers can relate to.Item Open Access School Effectiveness and Inclusion: Cases of Selected Secondary Schools in the Free State, South Africa(International Journal of Educational Sciences, 2014) Makoelle, TsedisoThe promulgation of the White Paper 6 in 2001 has laid the basis for the implementation of inclusive education in South Africa. However, South Africa has both effective schools which are known of quality teaching and learning and also less effective schools with poor teaching and learning. School effectiveness is mostly thought to be at the heart of effective implementation of educational practices including inclusive education. Therefore this paper examines the relationship between school effectiveness and the extent to which it impacts the practice of inclusion in secondary schools.