Table of Contents
- Research Article
Cultural Sensitivity and Diversity in Religious Education Textbooks: A Case of Junior Secondary Schools in Botswana PDF Baamphatlha Dinama This qualitative study investigated the extent to which the junior secondary schools religious education textbooks used in Botswana promote cultural sensitivity and diversity. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from participants who were purposively sampled in three selected junior secondary schools in an urban setting. The results revealed that religious education textbooks are perceived to be culturally insensitive and deemed to promote the dominant cultures. In fact, religious education textbooks marginalise the cultures of the ethnic minorities which is a reflection of political and social orientations of nation building project which propagates the cultures of the dominant ethnic groups. In addition, the textbook prescription guidelines are somehow ambivalent since they are not clearly articulated hence subject to abuse. The study concluded by suggesting a review of the curriculum which is presently assimilationist, examination-oriented and largely influences how religious education textbooks are written. Textbook writers need to access credible sources as they engage in the writing of textbooks. - Research Article
Manifestation of the Freirean Pedagogy in a Unique Pre-Service Teacher Education Programme for Ethiopian Immigrants in Israel PDF Eti Gilad, Shosh Millet The unique pre-service teacher education programme for Ethiopian immigrants implemented in the Achva Academic College integrates two key approached to value-oriented education, the pluralistic approach and the particularistic approach. The fundamental assumption underpinning the planning of a unique pre-service teacher education programme for Ethiopian immigrants is providing a response and equal opportunity to a population that comes from a different culture and socioeconomic status: to learn, acquire a profession, be integrated in the labour market and constitute an example to Ethiopian pupils at school. This paper presents the perception of the Freirean pedagogy and the manifestation of its characteristics in the unique programme. In order to demonstrate the principles of the critical-Freirean pedagogy embodied in the programme, we adopted a method of content analysis of interviews and documents which accompanied the programme. The case study illustrates the applied and practical components of the Freirean pedagogy principles, which facilitated the implementation of the programme and the success thereof. The insights derived from the study can benefit any educational initiative of designing a unique education programme for a minority group that experiences difficulties. - Research Article
Is the dispute over the images ended? PDF Andreas Pawlas To understand modern thinking about images it is necessary to give an historically informed account account of the function of a belief in the images - even in the current supposedly secular age. And it is to see that even in this secular age, in which reason seems to have abolished every sort of believing and faith, images have regained power over the believing and faith of the people.
It can be observed that images beeing "released" from the sphere of faith in the Reformation times now are used as instruments of a new "faith", whose manipulative target is only the economic (and eventually, probably politically) exploitation of the followers of their faith. - Research Article
System of Group of Communities in Kurdistan (KCK): An Assessment of State, Federalism, KCK Practices and International Developments PDF Serkan Kekevi KCK is a pyramidal sovereignty structure which ultimate goal seceded from Turkey to establish an independent Kurdish state. KCK argues that, its system based on only self-governance, but as seen KCK Contract describes new type "˜internal and external' sovereignty, it can not be reconciled with federalism and/or confederalism. In this context, if KCK Contract examined; KCK system compared with examples of the federal governments and KCK practices analyzed in southern part of Turkey, KCK's targets can be seen more clearly. In this study KCK system and strategies are discussed.