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Descriptors:
Instructional Materials; Kindergarten; Ethnography; Foreign Countries; Educational Change; Early Childhood Education; Local Government; Young Children; Qualitative Research; Rural Areas; Educational History; Educational Policy; Mentors; Faculty Development; Social Change; Economic Change; Interviews; Teacher Attitudes; Administrator Attitudes

Abstract:
By far, literature regarding Chinese early childhood education and care (ECEC) has primarily focused on Youeryuan in urban settings. Youeryuan is the everyday Chinese term used for ECEC programs serving children ages three to six, which does include the U.S. version of the kindergarten year. This paper will refer to Youeryuan rather than the Western definitions of preschool or kindergarten so as to maintain authenticity. Furthermore, this paper will focus on the history and development of rural Youeryuan based on a qualitative study of the government-owned, privately operated Youeryuan that represent the current reform initiatives in early childhood in China. Through teacher and administrator interviews, onsite observations using ECERS-R, and school documents, the lead author immersed herself in rural Youeryuan as part of a larger ethnographic study in China in the midst of economic and educational transformations. The findings of this study revealed themes related to increased government investment, improved school policies, the lack of instructional materials, curriculum and instruction issues, local government support for professional development, administrative support for instruction, and the need for mentoring for teachers. (Contains 1 table.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Measures (Individuals); Agriculture; Farm Management; Foreign Countries; Indigenous Knowledge; Environmental Education; Climate; Innovation; Case Studies; Prediction; Extension Education; Information Technology; Rural Areas; Information Sources; Meteorology; Weather

Abstract:
Purpose: New innovative ways of communicating agrometeorological information are needed to help farmers, especially subsistence/small-scale farmers, to cope with the high climate variability experienced in most parts of southern Africa. Design/methodology/approach: The article introduces an early warning system for farmers. It utilizes short messaging system (SMS) to convey weather information and basic agronomic advice to 12 small-scale farmers in Makhado Municipality, Limpopo Province, South Africa. This case study demonstrates the usefulness of incorporating weather information on day-to-day farm management activities. Coded rainfall forecasts for light (0-5mm), medium (5-20mm) and heavy rainfall (greater than 20mm) were distributed three times a week to individual farmers and extension officers. Accompanying the forecasts were possible agricultural activities for the week. Findings: Extensive training of the farmers and extension officers is a pre-requisite for full comprehension of the coded SMS early warning system. The recommendations on farming conditions are not always adhered to due to farmers' indigenous knowledge and other factors like access to labour. Practical implications: Weather and climate information distributed to farmers has the potential to add value to the farming methods employed, hence positively impacting on rural food security. Originality/value: The article demonstrates that agrometeorological information must be packaged in such a way as to assist farmers and should be disseminated timeously and appropriately to maximize its utility or adoption. (Contains 6 tables and 2 figures.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Vocational Rehabilitation; Telecommunications; Rural Areas; Access to Computers; Counselor Client Relationship; Surveys; Electronic Mail

Abstract:
Telecommunication offers rural vocational rehabilitation (VR) clients a method of communicating with their VR counselor between face-to-face visits. Unfortunately, certain telecommunication methods may not be available to many rural VR clients or may pose barriers in the rehabilitation process. This article describes findings from an exploratory survey of 225 rural VR clients recruited from seven VR agencies across the United States. The mail-based survey explored client access to telecommunication, current telecommunication use during the VR process, and client attitudes about using telecommunication to receive VR services. Although 61% of respondents said they had personal access to a computer with Internet and 63% reported that email would be a "very" acceptable or "somewhat" acceptable method of communicating with their counselors, only 39% reported communicating via email with their counselors. Although a variety of factors play into the effectiveness of telecommunication as a VR service delivery mode, email communication might increase the frequency and productivity of VR client and counselor interactions. (Contains 2 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Leadership; Community Colleges; Higher Education; Rural Schools; Rural Areas; Leaders; College Presidents

Abstract:
Pending retirements underscore the need to develop community college campus leaders. Rural community colleges will be particularly hard-hit by changes in leadership as they represent the majority of 2-year colleges and face unique challenges given their location. To help address the anticipated leadership transition, the American Association of Community Colleges developed a set of competencies to frame critical skill areas and guide leadership development efforts. The research reported here showed both resource development and organizational strategy as areas of weakness for rural leaders and, paradoxically, the areas of most need. Leaders acquired competencies predominantly on the job, which has implications in planning development of future leaders. (Contains 2 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Conservation (Environment); Semi Structured Interviews; Social Influences; Surveys; Agricultural Occupations; Qualitative Research; Rural Areas; Decision Making; Agricultural Production; Rural Extension; Psychology

Abstract:
Purpose: The aim of this article is to present and apply a method to investigate farmers' socio-psychological determinants of conservation practice adoption, as an aid in extension, policy and conservation practice design. Design/methodology/approach: We use a sequential mixed method, starting with qualitative semi-structured interviews (n = 24), that serve as the basis for a quantitative survey (n = 138). The survey uses the expectancy value method to unravel the foundations of farmers' socio-psychological determinants. Findings: Some of the main findings are that non-adopters exhibit rational behaviour, given their own point of view of potential consequences of conservation practice adoption. Further, the majority of farmers are mainly under social influence by parties that are generally not involved in conservation practice promotion. Practical implications: Extension approaches should be targeted towards a broader range of issues and should involve local governments and rural dwellers. The results also suggest the value of co-learning and co-development in a combined farmer-researcher approach to design conservation practices such that the potential negative impact is reduced. Originality/value: The study has empirically proven that non-adopters in fact behave rationally, given their expectation about the broad range of issues they consider when thinking about conservation practice adoption. Its value is the introduction to agriculture of an approach that has proven its usefulness in general environmental psychology. (Contains 4 figures and 6 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Foreign Countries; Indigenous Populations; Educational Change; Rural Areas; Geographic Isolation; Culturally Relevant Education; Program Implementation; Program Effectiveness; Scaffolding (Teaching Technique); Educational Strategies; Mathematics Instruction

Abstract:
This article draws on the outcomes of a 4-year project where complex instruction was used as the basis for a reform in mathematics teaching in remote Aboriginal communities in Australia. The article describes the overall project in terms of the goals and aspirations for learning mathematics among remote Indigenous Australians. Knowing that the approach had been successful in a diverse setting in California, the project team sought to implement and evaluate the possibilities of such reform in a context in which the need for a culturally responsive pedagogy was critical. Elements of complex instruction offered considerable possibilities in aligning with the cultures of the remote communities, but with recognition of the possibility that some elements may not be workable in these contexts. Complex instruction also valued deep knowledge of mathematics rather than a tokenistic, impoverished mathematics. The strategies within complex instruction allowed for mathematical and cultural scaffolding to promote deep learning in mathematics. Such an approach was in line with current reforms in Indigenous education in Australia where there are high expectations of learners in order to break away from the deficit thinking that has permeated much education in remote Australia. The overall intent is to demonstrate what pedagogies are possible within the constraints of the remote context. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
School Choice; Rural Areas; Rural Education; Foreign Countries; Rural Schools; Educational Policy; Public Policy; Case Studies; Financial Support; Federal Aid; Marketing; Parent Attitudes

Abstract:
Market principles now dominate the education and social policies of many Anglophone countries, including Australia, but articulate differentially within specific contexts. Existing historical legacies, local economic and social conditions, and geographical settings interact with federal and state funding and transport policies to shape the nature of regional education markets and the choices families make in a rural school market in Australia. Through two school case studies, this article explores the effects of policy shifts on parental choice and student movement within a regional Victorian community. Informed by policy sociology, the article views the policy as a dynamic, often "ad hoc" process with contradictory effects. It indicates how an ensemble of federal and state funding and conveyancing policies enable some schools to develop marketing practices that reconstruct the local education market to their advantage through the introduction of transport and flexi-boarding policies. It demonstrates that education markets are not confined to urban settings and that while choice is not a new phenomenon in this rural area, federal and state funding and transport policies have reconfigured local markets and intensified the market work undertaken by schools and parents with, in this instance, unequal effects on the provision of schooling in a rural region. (Contains 78 footnotes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Academic Achievement; Class Rank; Academic Records; Grade Point Average; Rural Areas; Rural Education; Foreign Countries; Urban Schools; Rural Urban Differences; Disproportionate Representation; Selective Admission; College Admission; Educational Policy; Student Records

Abstract:
Despite a major expansion in the number of students in higher education, students from rural areas continue to be underrepresented at selective universities. To reduce the urban-rural imbalance of entry to selective universities, institutions in many countries of the world have implemented admission policies favoring rural students. Previous evidence has shown that rural students have lower academic performance than their urban peers, which leads to concern that rural students will reduce the academic excellence of selective universities. Using the introduction of a university admission policy favoring rural students in Taiwan and a unique administrative data set of students' academic records, we compare the academic performance of students from rural areas with that of their urban counterparts during their college years. The results show that rural students have consistently outperformed urban students in semester grade point averages and class rank percentile across time; however, the differences in academic performance are mainly attributed to the rural students' initial outperformance in the first semester of the freshman year. (Contains 6 tables, 2 figures and 11 footnotes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Water; Commercialization; Privatization; Neoliberalism; Global Approach; Ethnography; Rural Areas; Case Studies; Barriers; Resistance (Psychology)

Abstract:
Bottled water sits at the intersection of debates regarding the social and environmental effects of the commodification of nature and the ways neoliberal globalization alters the provision of public services. Utilizing Polanyi's concept of fictitious commodities and Harvey's work on accumulation by dispossession, this article traces bottled water's transformation from elite niche item to a product consumed by three fourths of U.S. households. Drawing on ethnographic research with participants in two cases of proposed spring water extraction from rural communities by industry leader Nestle Waters, we make two principal arguments. First, the case of bottled water necessitates a reevaluation of existing theoretical frameworks regarding water privatization and commodification. Municipal tap water networks pose substantial barriers to capital accumulation, leading one influential scholar to frame water as an "uncooperative commodity." However, bottled water's characteristics enable it to evade many of these constraints, rendering it a "more perfect commodity" for accumulation. Second, expansion of the market good of bottled water alters the prospects for the largely publicly provided good of tap water. We conclude that the growth of this relatively new commodity represents a more serious threat to the project of universal public drinking water provision than that posed by tap water privatization. (Contains 1 table and 8 footnotes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Context Effect; Animal Husbandry; Foreign Countries; Migration Patterns; Agricultural Production; Correlation; Risk; Agricultural Occupations; Rural Areas; Statistical Analysis

Abstract:
Using data from two postfrontier rural settings, Nang Rong, Thailand (N = 2,538), and Chitwan Valley, Nepal (N = 876), this article examines agricultural push factors determining the out-migration of young people age 15 to 19. We focus on different dimensions of migration, including distance and duration. Our study examines a wide array of agricultural determinants, each with its own potential effect on migration. These determinants include land tenure, crop portfolios, animal husbandry activities, and use of farm inputs. We link these proximal causes to two underlying mechanisms: risk and amenities. We examine these determinants using separate models across settings. Our results indicate that agricultural factors are significant determinants of migration in both contexts. However, different factors operate in different settings, indicating the importance of contextual variation in explaining the manner in which risks and amenities influence agricultural determinants of migration. (Contains 6 tables and 10 footnotes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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