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Sub-Saharan African countries are increasingly recognizing the contribution of post basic education to economic growth and social development. However, policy makers in many poor countries struggle to balance expansion and upgrading of post-basic education reform against competing development priorities. They must consider how and sometimes whether, to fund post-basic education in the face of demographic growth, limited public resources, and political and social imperatives. In its new poverty reduction and growth strategy, the Madagascar Action Plan (MAP), the Government of Madagascar made the transformation of its education system one of the key pillars of its development agenda. An important decision was the reform of basic education, covering primary and junior secondary education, including extension of the basic education cycle to 10 years. The Government's new Education for All (EFA) plan provides the policy framework and operational strategies for basic education, covering changes to curricula and learning materials, teaching methods and student assessment. The EFA plan was endorsed by donors and the reform of basic education launched in 2008.The main purpose of this report is to provide analytical inputs for the development of post-basic education reforms. Specifically, the report identifies and prioritizes: (i) the need for change in the structure, content and delivery of Madagascar's post-basic education and training system, and (ii) the key reforms in financing, governance and sub-sector management required to support changes to the structure, content and delivery of the post-basic system.

Enhancing the role of private sector partners in education can lead to significant improvements in education service delivery. However, the realization of such benefits depends in great part on the design of the partnership between the public and private sectors, on the overall regulatory framework of the country, and on the governmental capacity to oversee and enforce its contracts with the private sector. Under the right terms, private sector participation in education can increase efficiency, choice, and access to education services, particularly for students who tend to fail in traditional education settings. Private-for-profit schools across the world are already serving a vast range of usersâ€\"from elite families to children in poor communities. Through balanced public-private partnerships (PPPs) in education, governments can leverage the specialized skills offered by private organizations as well as overcome operating restrictions such as salary scales and work rules that limit public sector responses. 'The Role and Impact of Public-Private Partnerships in Education' presents a conceptualization of the issues related to PPPs in education, a detailed review of rigorous evaluations, and guidleines on how to create successful PPPs. The book shows how this approach can facilitate service delivery, lead to additional financing, expand equitable access, and improve learning outcomes. The book also discusses the best way to set up these arrangements in practice. This information will be of particular interest to policymakers, teachers, researchers, and development practitioners.

In adult education, the concept of self-directed learning has great importance. This term arose in the field of adult education in the 1970s and is still a widely used term in the field. Annual symposiums have been held by the International Society for Self-Directed Learning since 1986, dedicated to the promotion of self-directed learning. The society also publishes an international journal of self-directed learning. A term of more recent origin is self-regulation, used by some authors sometimes interchangeably with self-direction. This review article focuses on the term self-directed learning, which is the term most frequently used in adult education. Many consider the tendency for self-direction to be a fundamental difference between children and adults in a learning situation. This article deals with some factors that affect the understanding of self-directed learning. At the beginning is given a short case story and an account for different perceptions of self-directed learning. This is followed by a clarification of different aspects of self-directed learning, such as why it is advisable, what affects the tendency to self-directed learning, and if self-direction is essentially innate or learned. The situational aspect is dealt with separately as a relatively self-contained aspect of self-directed learning. The presentation is based on a literature study.

This department focuses on literacy leaders, including school and instructional leaders, teachers, and external partners, who are working to improve outcomes for adolescent and adult learners in a wide range of education settings. Columns investigate the challenges and complexities inherent in such work and share lessons learned, impactful strategies and approaches, and promising pathways forward.

Background Higher Education Institutions (HEI) in South Africa (SA) have no coursework postgraduate programmes to upskill the existing expertise of optometrists in any specialised optometric field. It is currently unknown what would be a suitable strategy for teaching, learning and assessment, should postgraduate educational opportunities be made available in SA. This study aimed to explore pedagogical strategies for developing specialised postgraduate coursework in optometry for South African HEIs. Methods A concurrent mixed methods study sequentially followed by a modified Delphi survey was conducted from March 2023 to September 2023. Four online focus group discussions (Microsoft Teams) with optometric educators from HEIs in SA was conducted concurrently with an online questionnaire (EvaSys Survey System V.8.2) with conveniently sampled optometric practitioners. After data merging, a Delphi survey with identified education experts was conducted to draw definitive conclusions from disparate findings of the merged data. A 70% consensus target was achieved through a two-round qualitative and quantitative online survey. Results In-person procedural skills development was preferred with online training as a supplementary modality. For content knowledge, online modalities were the option of choice. Optometric practitioners preferred a continuous assessment strategy (72.0%) but remained mostly neutral about the value of summative assessments (38.7%). Optometric educators also preferred continuous assessments but did note that for high stakes assessments, summative assessment should be retained. This notion was endorsed by the Delphi panellists. Conclusion The pedagogy proposed for postgraduate programmes was underpinned by the Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) model. A continuous assessment strategy imbedded in a competency-based education approach would best serve the purpose of coursework programmes within a work-integrated learning system for working professionals. The empirical evidence generated could form part of a broader framework for postgraduate coursework programmes for optometry in SA.

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in applying Augmented Reality (AR) to create unique educational settings. So far, however, there is a lack of review studies with focus on investigating factors such as: the uses, advantages, limitations, effectiveness, challenges and features of augmented reality in educational settings. Personalization for promoting an inclusive learning using AR is also a growing area of interest. This paper reports a systematic review of literature on augmented reality in educational settings considering the factors mentioned before. In total, 32 studies published between 2003 and 2013 in 6 indexed journals were analyzed. The main findings from this review provide the current state of the art on research in AR in education. Furthermore, the paper discusses trends and the vision towards the future and opportunities for further research in augmented reality for educational settings.

Although many studies in recent years have examined the use of gamification as a motivational strategy in education, evidence regarding its effects on intrinsic motivation is inconsistent. To make the case for or against the adoption of gamification in education, this study examines its effects on students’ intrinsic motivation and the underlying motivational factors: perceived competence, autonomy, and relatedness. In this review, we analyzed the results of studies comparing gamified learning with non-gamified learning published between 2011 and 2022. The results of our meta-analysis of 35 independent interventions (involving 2500 participants) indicated an overall significant but small effect size favoring gamified learning over learning without gamification (Hedges’ g = 0.257, 95% CI [0.043, 0.471], p = .019) with no evidence of publication bias. Gamification also exerted a positive and significant effect on the students’ perceptions of autonomy (Hedges’ g = 0.638, 95% CI [0.139, 1.136], p = .012) and relatedness (Hedges’ g = 1.776, 95% CI [0.737, 2.814], p = .001), but minimal impact on competence (Hedges’ g = 0.277, 95% CI [0.001, 0.553], p = .049). To further investigate the possible reasons for the small impact on intrinsic motivation, a systematic review of 31 studies was conducted. The findings revealed two major challenges encountered in the adoption of gamification to increase students’ intrinsic motivation: students’ lack of perceived competence and lack of perceived autonomy in gamified classes.

Background Self-Directed Learning (SDL) is a theory of andragogy in which adult learners take their own initiative to identify and tailor their individual learning process and outcomes. In undergraduate medical education, SDL aims to develop medical students into lifelong learners. This study aims to estimate the overall effectiveness of self-directed learning compared to traditional didactic learning (TDL). Methods We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis according to the PRISMA statement. A systematic search was used across PubMed, Scopus, Embase and Google Scholar to identify peer-reviewed articles spanning from January 1, 2014, to May 30, 2024. Key words used were “self-directed learning” AND “undergraduate medical education.” Forest plots were generated with the Open Meta-analyst Software, comparing SDL and TDL. Results A total of 2,955 titles and abstracts were screened for eligibility, of which 95 articles met the eligibility criteria for full-text review. Following a more detailed screening, 19 articles met the criteria for inclusion in the systematic review and 14 articles met the criteria for inclusion in the meta-analysis. The systematic review included 2,098 students while the meta-analysis included 1,792 students. The overall mean difference for all studies was 2.399, 95% CI [0.121–4.678], and I 2  = 98.56%. Conclusion Self-directed learning compared to traditional didactic learning is an effective learning strategy in medical undergraduate education and has the potential to aid in students’ learning and improve their cognitive performance. Moreover, SDL nurtures qualities such as autonomy, curiosity, and self-regulation, which are essential for success in the ever-evolving field of medicine.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, digital technologies for distance learning have been used in educational institutions worldwide, raising issues about social implications, technological development, and teaching and learning strategies. While disparities regarding access to technical equipment and the internet (‘the digital divide’) have been the subject of previous research, the physical learning environment of learners participating in online learning activities has hardly been investigated. In this study, the physical-spatial conditions of learning environments, including technical equipment for distance learning activities and their influence on adult learners in academic continuing education during initial COVID-19 restrictions, were examined. Data were collected with an online survey sent to all students enrolled in an Austrian continuing education university, together with a small number of semi-structured interviews. A total of 257 students participated in the survey during the 2020 summer semester. Our findings provide insights in two infrequently-studied areas in learning environment research: the physical learning environment for online learning and the learning environment in academic continuing education. The study illustrates that students in academic continuing education have spacious living conditions and almost all the equipment necessary for digitally-supported learning. According to gender and household structure, significant differences were found regarding technical equipment, ergonomic furniture and availability of a dedicated learning place. In their learning sessions during the restrictions, students reported low stress levels and positive well-being. The more that they perceived that their physical learning environment was meeting their needs, the higher were their motivation and well-being and the lower was their stress. Their learning experience was further improved by the extent to which they had a separate and fixed learning place that did not need to be coordinated or shared with others. The study contributes to the literature on creating conducive learning environments for digitally-supported online learning for adult learners.