Volume 19, Number 1, 2024

EN:

Many public institutions, including universities and colleges, have committed to Indigenous engagement – the institutional effort to engage with experiences, histories, and perspectives of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples in meaningful ways. In many areas of institutional endeavour, these commitments have frequently included a focus upon spiritual orientations of Indigenous peoples as a central aspect of their knowledge and worldviews. In this study, we sought to acquire knowledge on moral understandings that were resident in the consciousness of Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers situated at universities across Canada. Findings revealed that personal and communal experiences informed a developed sense of responsibility that may be situated in the unique manifestations of their respective knowledge systems, heritages, and consciousnesses. Although non-Indigenous orientations such as those of Christianity informed the narratives of some, a prevailing sense of traditional identity emerged from participants.

EN:

Two years after the introduction of the new Teaching Quality Standard in Alberta, Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers from eight teacher education programs came together to examine how teachers were weaving Indigenous knowledges into their classrooms. The fifth competency of the standard requires that all Alberta teachers possess a foundational knowledge of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit and apply that knowledge in the classroom. Two hundred and forty-seven teachers, both non-Indigenous and Indigenous, responded to a survey, and another 30 participated in follow-up interviews. Results point to challenges and successes that teachers have experienced, the people that support their work, and how the integration of Indigenous knowledges acts as a tool to combat racism against Indigenous Peoples. Although teachers reported increased efficacy in applying a foundational knowledge of Indigenous Peoples, a multicultural perspective prevented some from understanding the unique nature of racism against Indigenous Peoples.

EN:

This article draws on the social identity theory to understand the real life schooling experiences of the migrant learners (from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zimbabwe) within three South African schools. It adopted a qualitative, narrative research methodology, using open-ended interviews and photovoice as its methods of data collection. The findings reveal complex and pervasive dynamics of xenophobia. These took the form of denigrating stereotypical constructions of African migrants and resulted in the mistreatment, exclusion, and rejection of the African migrant learners. The study recommends further research on issues on African migrant learners schooling experiences in South Africa and for schools to embrace acceptance of African migrant learners for enhancing an inclusive schooling agenda.

EN:

This study sought to understand the factors that teachers and school management team members perceived as having the potential to boost teacher well-being in rural schools and the role the principal plays in promoting teacher well-being. A stratified sample of school managers and teachers from a rural high school in the Mopani district of the Limpopo province participated. A total of fourteen semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with seven teachers, yielding four enablers to teacher well-being and three roles which principals could play to support teacher well-being. The findings revealed that strong principal-teacher relationships, disengaging from work to socialize, adaptability, and a green school physical environment promote teacher well-being. The role of the principal in supporting teacher well-being is multi-faceted, encompassing the creation of a positive school culture and traditions, developing and maintaining a conducive green school environment, and promoting teacher adaptability.

EN:

This qualitative study showcases the viewpoints of Chinese international students and university professionals about the services offered at a francophone university in Montreal regarding “welcoming” and “integration.” Semi-directed interviews were conducted among 22 participants, of which 14 were students and 8 university professionals. Using the concept of care, we conducted a thematic analysis. According to the analysis, students mention the lack of effective support, while university professionals discuss the support offered and its pitfalls. In terms of recommendations, we stress the importance of tackling current structural issues rather than putting the responsibility for the quality of the experience on students’ shoulders. We also emphasize that professionals who provide services directly to students must be given proper training and resources through universities to enable them to change the current paradigm and offer services that reflect the concept of student care.

EN:

As connectivism is increasingly accepted as a theory of learning for the digital age, scholars and practitioners in education often overlook the dilemma that this creates for its most ardent advocates. In the academic literature, we increasingly find scholarly works that present insouciant descriptions of connectivism. However, such practices often underplay or ignore critiques of connectivism, allowing many of our contentions about its epistemological character and pedagogical effectiveness to calcify. In fact, it is becoming increasingly difficult to rationalize why so many educators have endorsed connectivism as a new theory of learning when there continues to be a need for more empirical testing and greater philosophical substantiation. To illustrate this paradox, this paper examines Stephen Downes’s consideration of connectivism and his connectivist model of literacy. Using the dialogic philosophy of Mikhail Bakhtin, it introduces an architectonic model of connectivism and multiliteracies as an alternative discourse and pedagogical paradigm. A key finding from this study suggests that the lack of attention to capitalist practices, power, and the intermediality of texts in networked learning help to conceal the ways in which connectivist practices rearticulate behaviorism.