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Education for Social Transformation: Initiatives and Challenges in the Contexts...
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Education for Social Transformation: Initiatives and Challenges in the Contexts of Globalization and the Sustainable Development Goals

A special issue of Education Sciences (ISSN 2227-7102).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2019) | Viewed by 59205

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Richard Maclure

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
Interests: education and governance in the global South; education for social transformation; children's rights; youth studies; international aid to education; participatory action research

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In response to the imperative of nurturing the capacity of children and young people to fully understand and effectively address the multi-faceted dilemmas of globalization, growing numbers of teachers, school administrators, and educational scholars have embraced the notion of education for social transformation (EST).  Acknowledgment of EST has likewise crept into the policy-making discourse of governments and international organizations, and is prominent in numerous pronouncements of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), notably Goal # 4 (“To ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”).  Conceptually EST consists of two strands: the social justice strand which focuses on goals such as human rights, inclusiveness and equity, global citizenship, and participatory democracy; and the environmental strand that aims to generate active support for environmental protection and the attainment of a more sustainable balance between human activity and the natural ecology. Pedagogical initiatives such as student-centered inquiry, teaching as a form of guidance and mentorship, and the promotion of communities of learning exemplify efforts to foster and expand the practice of EST. 

Yet EST is not without considerable challenges. While social transformation is commonly regarded as necessitating struggle against prevailing power structures, EST is a learning-by-doing process which, especially for children and young people, depends substantially on the power as well as the guidance of educators, family members and other adults. It must likewise contend with the contradiction of striving to connect learning with action for social change in the context of education systems and policy-making forums that continue to reinforce many of the values and structures that EST challenges. This special edition of Education Sciences will consist of studies that critically examine the promise as well as the limitations of child- and youth-oriented EST, thereby contributing to the theory of EST and its further development in practice.

References

Azaola, M. C. (2014). Community school programmes in Latin America: Imagining the long term impact of developing pupils’ agency. International Journal of Education Development, 38: 80–86.

Bellino, M. E., & Adams, J. D. (2017). A critical urban environmental pedagogy: Relevant urban environmental education for and by youth, Journal of Environmental Education, 48(4): 270-284.

Borish, D., King, N., & Dewey, C. (2017). Enhanced community capital from primary school feeding and agroforestry program in Kenya. International Journal of Educational Development, 52: 10–18.

Bourn, D., and Issler, S. (2010). Transformative Learning for a Global Society. In G. Elliott, C. Fourali, & S. Issler (eds.), Education and Social Change: Connecting Local and Global Perspectives (pp. 225–237). London and New York: Continuum.

Brissett, N., & Mitter, R. (2017). For function or transformation? A critical discourse analysis of education under the Sustainable Development Goals, Journal for       Critical Education Policy Studies, 15(1): 181–204.

Brown, E.J. (2015). Models of transformative learning for social justice: Comparative case studies of non-formal development education in Britain and Spain, Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 45(1): 141-162.

Freire, P., & Shor, I., 1987. A Pedagogy for Liberation: Dialogues on Transforming Education. Basingstoke, U.K.: Macmillan.

Hickling-Hudson, A. (2011). Teaching to Disrupt Preconceptions: Education for Social Justice in the Imperial Aftermath. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 41 (4): 453–465.

Kurubacak, G., & Yuzer, T. V. (2011). Handbook of research on transformative online education and liberation models for social equality. Hershey, PA: IGI Global. https://www.igi-global.com/gateway/book/41893

Maclure, R. (2017). Youth reflexivity as participatory research in Senegal: A field study of reciprocal learning and incremental transformations, Social Inclusion, 5 (3): 251 – 261.

Manteaw, O. O. (2012). Education for sustainable development in Africa: The search for pedagogical logic, International Journal of Educational Development, 32: 376–383.

McCowan, T. (2010). School democratization in prefigurative form: Two Brazilian experiences. Education, Citizenship and Social Justice, 5(1): 21–41.

McInerney, P., Smyth, J., & Down, B. (2011). ‘Coming to a place near you?’ The politics       and possibilities of a critical pedagogy of place-based education, Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 39(1): 3-16.
Mezirow, J. & Associates, eds. (2000). Learning as Transformation: Critical Perspectives on a Theory in Progress. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass.

Ontong, K., & Le Grange, L. (2015). The need for place-based education in South       African schools: The case of Greenfields Primary, Perspectives in Education, 33(3): 42–57.

Payne, P. G. (2016). The politics of environmental education. Critical inquiry and education for sustainable development, Journal of Environmental Education, 47(2): 69-76.

Reis, G, & Ranilce, G.-I. (2012). The death and life of a school-based environmental education and communication program in Brazil: Rethinking educational leadership and ecological learning, Applied Environmental Education & Communication, 11: 123–132.

Toukan, E. (2017). Expressions of liberal justice? Examining the aims of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals for education. Interchange, 48(3): 293–309.

Prof. Dr. Richard Maclure
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Education Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • education for social transformation
  • social justice
  • environment
  • globalization
  • Sustainable Development Goals
  • power
  • contradictions

Published Papers (8 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 5746 KiB  
Article
Vertical Gardens: Sustainability, Youth Participation, and the Promotion of Change in a Socio-Economically Vulnerable Community in Brazil
by Waleska Carolina do Valle Santos, Diandra Singh, Livia Delgado Leandro da Cruz, Luis Paulo de Carvalho Piassi and Giuliano Reis
Educ. Sci. 2019, 9(3), 161; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci9030161 - 26 Jun 2019
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 5088
Abstract
This article is situated within the intersection of education for social transformation (EST) and ecojustice education (EJE). We have described the benefits of youth participation in an after-school science program offered to socio-economically vulnerable populations in São Paulo (Brazil). More specifically, we explored [...] Read more.
This article is situated within the intersection of education for social transformation (EST) and ecojustice education (EJE). We have described the benefits of youth participation in an after-school science program offered to socio-economically vulnerable populations in São Paulo (Brazil). More specifically, we explored participants’ changing views of sustainability as they engaged in a 24-week project of their choice: The cultivation of a vertical herb garden. The analysis of our discussions and extensive field notes revealed that during the time participants cared for the garden, they developed: (a) A more accurate (refined) conceptualization of sustainability, (b) an appreciation for alternative and viable ways of producing food in urban settings, and (c) a stronger relationship with one another. In the end, involvement in the vertical garden project proved to be a powerful example of how science education can transform the livelihood of youth by expanding their views on human interconnectedness with all forms of life. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Education for Social Transformation: Initiatives and Challenges in the Contexts of Globalization and the Sustainable Development Goals)
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14 pages, 748 KiB  
Article
Examining Gender Safety in Schools: Teacher Agency and Resistance in Two Primary Schools in Kirinyaga, Kenya
by Catherine Vanner
Educ. Sci. 2019, 9(1), 63; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci9010063 - 21 Mar 2019
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 4225
Abstract
This article introduces Stein, Tolman, Porche, and Spencer’s concept of gender safety in schools (GSS) as a useful framework for providing a gendered analysis of safety and equality at the school level within the global context of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 [...] Read more.
This article introduces Stein, Tolman, Porche, and Spencer’s concept of gender safety in schools (GSS) as a useful framework for providing a gendered analysis of safety and equality at the school level within the global context of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 goal of equitable, inclusive and quality education for all. This article examines practices that support as well as undermine GSS in two primary schools in Kirinyaga County, Kenya. In these schools, individual teacher agency was the main factor enhancing GSS. Teachers’ efforts were, however, constrained by competing discourses emphasizing hierarchical administration and a narrow understanding of the school’s responsibilities. Teacher agency, therefore, was insufficient to systematically protect students and foster gender equity. The article suggests that teacher agency to enhance GSS in Kenya could be expanded through teachers’ collective empowerment using community-based networks alongside the integration of monitoring and evaluation processes in existing gender equality and child protection policies. It further recommends the GSS framework as a means for monitoring SDG 4’s commitments to gender equality and child protection in schools. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Education for Social Transformation: Initiatives and Challenges in the Contexts of Globalization and the Sustainable Development Goals)
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14 pages, 256 KiB  
Article
Emancipatory Education and Youth Engagement in Brazil: A Case Study Bridging the Theory and Practice of Education for Social Transformation
by Veriene Melo
Educ. Sci. 2019, 9(1), 23; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci9010023 - 24 Jan 2019
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 7636
Abstract
Actualizing education beyond the scope of traditional schooling and incorporating elements of critical pedagogy and social transformation are essential for efforts aiming to reduce inequalities and enhance the livelihoods of excluded populations. This article examines emancipatory education through a Freirean lens by considering [...] Read more.
Actualizing education beyond the scope of traditional schooling and incorporating elements of critical pedagogy and social transformation are essential for efforts aiming to reduce inequalities and enhance the livelihoods of excluded populations. This article examines emancipatory education through a Freirean lens by considering its dimensions of critical pedagogy, both in practice and in theory. Drawing from a case study of an NGO-led initiative enabling hundreds of young people from the favelas of Rio de Janeiro to formulate and implement their own ideas for social action, the article examines the links between the program’s objectives and practices and the aspects of the negotiated curriculum, problem-posing education, dialogical learning, and praxis that form the theoretical underpinnings of emancipatory education. The case study findings, which highlight the stages of the educational program, reveal how young people are empowered to challenge prevailing environments of exclusion and advance practices of positive community social regeneration. The study, thus, provides evidence of a form of education for social transformation (EST) which can contribute meaningfully to a peaceful struggle for social change while simultaneously redefining and humanizing education as a practice of emancipation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Education for Social Transformation: Initiatives and Challenges in the Contexts of Globalization and the Sustainable Development Goals)
20 pages, 241 KiB  
Article
Incremental Transformations: Education for Resiliency in Post-War Sri Lanka
by Thursica Kovinthan Levi
Educ. Sci. 2019, 9(1), 11; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci9010011 - 08 Jan 2019
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 4547
Abstract
There is growing evidence to support the relationship between levels of gender inequality in a society and its potential for conflict. Positive attitudes to gender equality in and through education strengthen social cohesion; consequently, there is a need for gender-transformative education for peacebuilding. [...] Read more.
There is growing evidence to support the relationship between levels of gender inequality in a society and its potential for conflict. Positive attitudes to gender equality in and through education strengthen social cohesion; consequently, there is a need for gender-transformative education for peacebuilding. Drawing on the 4Rs (representation, redistribution, recognition, and reconciliation) framework in conjunction with the idea of incremental transformation with a focus on resilience, this study examines how eleven ethnic minority high school girls from Sri Lanka understand the transformative role of education in their lives as it relates to peace and gender equality. Education was a source of hope for the participants of this study and thus contributed to their resilience. However, rather than fostering and capitalizing on this resilience to build social cohesion and peace, education and the school systems are silencing them. This silencing is evident in the acceptance and normalization of militarization in their communities, daily experiences of gender-based violence (GBV), and the message, through the formal and informal curriculum, that gender equality has been achieved in Sri Lanka. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Education for Social Transformation: Initiatives and Challenges in the Contexts of Globalization and the Sustainable Development Goals)
14 pages, 795 KiB  
Article
Education for the Sustainable Global Citizen: What Can We Learn from Stoic Philosophy and Freirean Environmental Pedagogies?
by Kai Whiting, Leonidas Konstantakos, Greg Misiaszek, Edward Simpson and Luis Gabriel Carmona
Educ. Sci. 2018, 8(4), 204; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci8040204 - 19 Nov 2018
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 14137
Abstract
In support of sustainable development, the United Nations (UN) launched its Global Education First Initiative (GEFI) with the aims of accelerating progress towards universal access to education, good quality learning and the fostering of global citizenship. This paper explores how and to what [...] Read more.
In support of sustainable development, the United Nations (UN) launched its Global Education First Initiative (GEFI) with the aims of accelerating progress towards universal access to education, good quality learning and the fostering of global citizenship. This paper explores how and to what extent Stoic virtue ethics and critical Freirean ecopedagogies can advance the UN’s vision for progressive educational systems with transformative societal effects. We propose an integrated solution that provides ecopedagogical concepts a more robust philosophical foundation whilst also offering Stoicism additional tools to tackle 21st-century problems, such as climate change and environmental degradation. The result of the paper is the preliminary theoretical underpinnings of an educational framework that encompasses planetary-level concerns and offers a fuller expression of the terms “sustainable development” and “global citizen”. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Education for Social Transformation: Initiatives and Challenges in the Contexts of Globalization and the Sustainable Development Goals)
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12 pages, 205 KiB  
Article
Education for Social Transformation (EST) in the Caribbean: A Postcolonial Perspective
by Nigel O.M. Brissett
Educ. Sci. 2018, 8(4), 197; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci8040197 - 12 Nov 2018
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 5898
Abstract
This paper critically examines the possibilities of education for social transformation (EST) in the context of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). This is a region with a history of colonialism and embodies some of the central dilemmas of globalization, such as inequality and environmental [...] Read more.
This paper critically examines the possibilities of education for social transformation (EST) in the context of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). This is a region with a history of colonialism and embodies some of the central dilemmas of globalization, such as inequality and environmental precarity. Thus, conceptually, EST holds great promise for social justice and environmental sustainability. The paper argues, however, that EST can be relevant to the region only if it takes account of the enduring deep-seated legacy of asymmetries of power, exploitation and inequality in the broader society and within the education system resulting from colonialism and now exacerbated by globalization’s processes. Using postcolonial theory as the analytical frame, the paper highlights these challenges to EST in the context of the Caribbean and also identifies educational principles for EST to be a catalyst for social transformation in the region. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Education for Social Transformation: Initiatives and Challenges in the Contexts of Globalization and the Sustainable Development Goals)
13 pages, 328 KiB  
Article
Twenty-First Century Learning as a Radical Re-Thinking of Education in the Service of Life
by Patrick G. Howard
Educ. Sci. 2018, 8(4), 189; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci8040189 - 29 Oct 2018
Cited by 25 | Viewed by 11898
Abstract
The education reforms called for in 21st century education initiatives have been characterized as radical. International efforts to reformulate education for 21st century teaching and learning are well-funded initiatives by coalitions including governments, not-for-profit organizations, and large corporations. This article is a critique [...] Read more.
The education reforms called for in 21st century education initiatives have been characterized as radical. International efforts to reformulate education for 21st century teaching and learning are well-funded initiatives by coalitions including governments, not-for-profit organizations, and large corporations. This article is a critique of the emergence of 21st century learning showing that a preoccupation with competencies and skills can be interrogated for that to which 21st century learning gives voice, but also for that which it silences. The fundamental question of the purpose of education, or for what do we educate, is virtually absent in most discussions of 21st century learning. Finally, I offer an alternative curricular vision to the techno-optimistic belief in progress prevalent in the discourse of 21st century learning. In the call for radical reform, I propose another understanding of the word “radical,” one that includes an ecocentric, life affirming understanding that roots education in a life code of value and in a living community of relations large enough to embrace the multidimensionality, the responsiveness, and responsibility at the heart of the pedagogical relation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Education for Social Transformation: Initiatives and Challenges in the Contexts of Globalization and the Sustainable Development Goals)
10 pages, 211 KiB  
Article
Understanding Student Participation in the Internationalised University: Some Issues, Challenges, and Strategies
by Neil Murray
Educ. Sci. 2018, 8(3), 96; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci8030096 - 29 Jun 2018
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4325
Abstract
The globalisation of higher education has resulted in an increasingly culturally and linguistically diverse student demographic and, with it, a number of significant challenges as well as frequently cited benefits. This article looks specifically at the issue of student participation, highlighting, in particular, [...] Read more.
The globalisation of higher education has resulted in an increasingly culturally and linguistically diverse student demographic and, with it, a number of significant challenges as well as frequently cited benefits. This article looks specifically at the issue of student participation, highlighting, in particular, its culturally contexted nature and the need for pre- and in-service teacher training and development programmes that raise teachers’ intercultural awareness and furnish them with the skills and strategies needed to manage the effects of diversity on patterns of participation in the classroom. It offers a number of concrete proposals for dealing effectively with participation-related issues in the classroom. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Education for Social Transformation: Initiatives and Challenges in the Contexts of Globalization and the Sustainable Development Goals)
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