Learning Equity: Sampling Challenges of Who, What, Where and How?

Group Submission Type: Formal Panel Session

Proposal

Research on learning gaps among marginalized populations in high-income countries has been a longstanding area of interest (e.g., OECD 2020, UNESCO, 2022, and others), along with substantial effort to create measurement tools for diverse populations. Still, the scientific community has, to date, invested only modest effort in understanding and narrowing learning differences among marginalized children in LMICs. The growth in interest has raised multiple challenges, particularly related to the sampling of children (the “who”); “what” is sampled in terms of skill assessments (e.g. literacy and numeracy); the “where” in terms of which populations should be prioritized, and how programs can better achieve learning equity (the “how”).

The structure of many education systems was not initially designed to equip all children with basic skills but rather to prepare a select group of typically advantaged pupils for progression to the next stage of education. With the greatly expanded access to education as part of the UN goals, there has been an even greater increase in the dispersion of pupils’ learning outcomes – raising both inequality and inequity in the form of pyramidal education and learning outcomes.

While reducing inequality in learning levels is desirable, it is also important to also ‘raise the floor’ of those most in need. Enabling education systems to make this change requires both diagnosis of the problem and finding solutions that can work for the most marginalized populations, where disadvantaged pupils’ learning outcomes seldom meet either national curricular expectations or international benchmarks as provided by assessment regimes such as PISA and TIMSS.

In the present panel we provide recent research in five papers that address the topic of improving learning equity in LMICs. The gaps in learning and schooling in many societies are at the root of protest movements, and it is our sense that reducing gaps in education can promote greater dialogue and resilience across and withing countries.

The present papers are provided by senior scholars in the field. The first paper – entitled “The challenge of “who” in learning equity: The paradoxical need to both broaden and narrow sampling” – considers learning equity issues within marginalized populations in global and local contexts. Building on recent research, the paper concludes with recommendations for reducing learning inequities that have only become more prominent in the current pandemic, and the potential for improvement of other SDGs. The second paper – “Cultural diversity and learning gaps: Overcoming the “imaginary student” in Latin America” – considers research in Latin America on sample, in particular, among indigenous groups on learning equity. The third paper - entitled “Can learner-centered pedagogy contribute to learning equity?” asks “how” new pedagogical approaches can improve learning for vulnerable population in Tanzania. The fourth paper m change” – entitled “Shifting power and accountability for learning equity: Transformative education system – analyzes “what” impacts power relationships can make on learning equity. The fifth paper – entitled “Teacher mismatch and the challenge of learning equity in sub-Saharan Africa” – focuses on teachers, and “how” mismatches in teacher pedagogy can significantly impact learning equity.

Following these five papers and there will be two discussants, well-known for their work in this field.

The overall focus of this panel is to expand the conversation about learning equity in low-income countries with a focus on three key questions: who, what, where and how. Even though the UN SDG4 clearly mandates a focus on issues of inclusion and marginalization in LMICs, there are many challenges that make change very difficult. The overall purpose of this panel is to consider the challenges that have impeded learning equity, and consider ways to better overcome them.

This is one of two CIES panel proposals on the growing topic of learning equity.

Sub Unit

• General Pool

Organizer

• Daniel A Wagner, University of Pennsylvania

Chairs

• Daniel A Wagner, University of Pennsylvania

• Moses Oketch, University College London (Ucl)

Individual Presentations

• The challenge of “who” in learning equity: The paradoxical need to both broaden and narrow sampling - Amrit Thapa, University of Pennsylvania; Daniel A Wagner, University of Pennsylvania

• Cultural diversity and learning gaps: Overcoming the “imaginary student” in Latin America - SYLVIA IRENE SCHMELKES, U IBEROAMERICANA, A.C. - UIB540920IT3

• Can learner-centered pedagogy contribute to learning equity? - Nozomi Sakata, Hiroshima University

• Shifting power and accountability for learning equity: Transformative education system change - Khadijah A Fancy, Cambridge Education

• Teacher mismatch and the challenge of learning equity in sub-Saharan Africa - Moses Oketch, University College London (Ucl)

Discussant

• Suguru Mizunoya, UNESCO IIEP