Participation as Quality Education: Case Study of a Teacher Education Program in Pakistan

• In Event: The Whole World’s Talking: Conceptualizing the Universality of Dialogic Learning in Localized Contexts

Abstract

Objectives Whereas participatory and dialogic learning have become central areas of interest for educational researchers and policymakers; there is less clarity about the discourses and practices that can both underpin and undermine these processes. Based on an ethnographic study, this paper shows how participatory and dialogic learning in a teacher education program that trains women from marginalized communities in Pakistan is shaped by the local cultural.
Theoretical Framework In the global world, the notion of “participation” has become central to the construct of quality education and teacher education (Diniz-Pereira, 2002; Mundy, 2002). International development agencies such as the World Bank and United Nations are increasingly using participatory approaches to develop and implement teacher education programs as part of educational reforms for Third World countries. Drawing on the critiques of international development paradigms (Cook & Kothari, 2001; Kothari, 2005; Hickey & Mohan, 2005; Williams, Veron, Corbridge, & Srivastava, 2003), this paper illustrates the significance and implications of dialogic learning and participatory teacher education in local contexts.
Methods and Data Sources This project consisted of an ethnographic study of a teacher education program managed by a transnational development organization. The organization recruited and trained women from rural and low-income communities to work as teachers in schools serving girls from these locales. In-depth interviews were conducted with teachers and teacher trainers, and participatory observations were carried out in teacher training sessions as well as in elementary classrooms. Both inductive and deductive coding methods were used to code for relevant themes (Corbin & Strauss 2008)
Results This study shows that despite employing globally recognized standards for participatory teacher trainings, the organization was not able to solicit effective dialogue, especially when disagreements arose with the teacher trainer or when critical assessments were elicited from women teachers. Employing data collected in this study, the organization introduced critical pedagogy and made policy changes in their teacher-training model, which enhanced the level and quality of teacher participation. First, the organization made paramount the teachers’ reflections of the content and pedagogy of the trainings. However, more importantly responses were re-positioned as collaborative dialogues between teachers and teacher trainers rather than impersonal processes that alienated constituents. Secondly, post-training-assessments were conducted through informal meetings of teacher trainers and staff. Based on this data, it is posited that women teachers were better able to react to the performance of teacher trainers through the local discourse that valued equal respect and collaboration as opposed to any institutionalized hierarchal discourse.
Significance These findings raise important questions about the notion of “dialogue” and “participation” integral to the international development and education projects aiming to empower marginalized communities in the Third World. Using the case study of a transnational development organization, this paper demonstrates both the challenges and possibilities inherent in designing and implementing participatory and dialogic learning communities, and highlights the need for the educational researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to pay close attention to the localized meaning of participation.

Author

• Ayesha Khurshid, Florida State University