Skip to main content

Active Learning Reform in the Maldives: What Works for Whom Under What Circumstances

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Book cover Teaching and Teacher Education

Part of the book series: South Asian Education Policy, Research, and Practice ((SAEPRP))

Abstract

Given the widespread promotion of learner-centred pedagogies globally, this chapter provides an analysis of the conditions under which teacher can implement active learning pedagogy in the Maldives. This study used design-based research, a participatory, interventionist approach, to investigate the enabling conditions for pedagogical reform in a local island school. The intervention was developed to promote innovation through a structured framework balancing teacher instruction and active learning methods. Data on teachers’ practice were collected detailing the factors influencing teachers’ use of the model. The findings were categorised across three broad areas: the clarity and accessibility of the model; teachers’ professional learning and the need for school-based support; and at the school level, the need to develop a reform-minded school community.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Alexander, R. J. (2015). Teaching and learning for all? The quality imperative revisited. International Journal of Educational Development,40, 250–258. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2014.11.012.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Altinyelken, H. K. (2010). Pedagogical renewal in Sub-Saharan Africa: The case of Uganda. Comparative Education,46(2), 151–171. https://doi.org/10.1080/03050061003775454.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Altinyelken, H. K. (2011). Student-centred pedagogy in Turkey: Conceptualisations, interpretations and practices. Journal of Education Policy,26(2), 137–160. https://doi.org/10.1080/02680939.2010.504886.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Altinyelken, H. K. (2012). A converging pedagogy in the developing world? Insights from Uganda and Turkey. In A. Verger, M. Novelli, & H. K. Altinyelken (Eds.), Global education policy and international development: New agendas, issues and policies (pp. 201–221). London: Bloomsbury. Retrieved from http://dare.uva.nl/record/1/390543.

  • Asim, S., Chase, R. S., Dar, A., & Schmillen, A. (2017). Improving learning outcomes in South Asia: Findings from a decade of impact evaluations. World Bank Research Observer,32(1), 75–106. https://doi.org/10.1093/wbro/lkw006.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ball, D. L., & Cohen, D. K. (1999). Developing practice, developing practitioners: Toward a practice-based theory of professional education. In G. Sykes & L. Darling-Hammond (Eds.), Teaching as the learning profession: Handbook of policy and practice (pp. 3–32). San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barrett, A. M. (2007). Beyond the polarization of pedagogy: Models of classroom practice in Tanzanian primary schools. Comparative Education, 43(2), 273–294. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/29727829.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brock, A. (2009). Moving mountains stone by stone: Reforming rural education in China. International Journal of Educational Development,29(5), 454–462. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2009.04.015.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brock, C., & Crossley, M. (2013). Revisiting scale, comparative research and education in small states. Comparative Education,49, 388–403. https://doi.org/10.1080/03050068.2013.803782.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, J., & Isaacs, D. (2005). The World Café: Shaping our futures through conversations that matter (1st ed.). San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crossley, M. (2010). Context matters in educational research and international development: Learning from the small states experience. Prospects,40(4), 421–429. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11125-010-9172-4.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crossley, M., Bray, M., & Packer, S. (2011). Education in small states: Policies and priorities. London: Commonwealth Secretariat.

    Google Scholar 

  • Design-Based Research Collective. (2003). Design-based research: An emerging paradigm for educational inquiry. Educational Researcher, 32(1), 5–8. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3699927.

  • Di Biase, R. (2009). Implementing active learning reform in the Maldives: Challenges and opportunities. International Journal of Educational Reform,18(4), 283–299.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Di Biase, R. (2015a). Learning from a small state’s experience: Acknowledging the importance of context in implementing learner-centred pedagogy. International Education Journal: Comparative Perspectives, 14(1), 1–20. Retrieved from http://openjournals.library.usyd.edu.au/index.php/IEJ/article/view/6940.

  • Di Biase, R. (2015b). Policy, pedagogy, and priorities: Exploring stakeholder perspectives on active learning in the Maldives. Prospects,45(2), 213–229. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11125-015-9346-1.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Di Biase, R. (2017). Mediating global reforms locally: A study of the enabling conditions for promoting active learning in a Maldivian Island school. International Education Journal: Comparative Perspectives,16(1), 8–22.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fisher, D., & Frey, N. (2008). Better learning through structured teaching: A framework for the gradual release of responsibility. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ginsburg, M. (2010). Improving educational quality through active-learning pedagogies: A comparison of five case studies. Educational Research,1(3), 62–74.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gordon, M. (2009). The misuses and effective uses of constructivist teaching. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice,15(6), 737–746. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540600903357058.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hardman, F., Abd-Kadir, J., Agg, C., Migwi, J., Ndambuku, J., & Smith, F. (2009). Changing pedagogical practice in Kenyan primary schools: The impact of school-based training. Comparative Education,45(1), 65–86. https://doi.org/10.1080/03050060802661402.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hufton, N., & Elliott, J. (2000). Motivation to learn: The pedagogical nexus in the Russian school—Some implications for transnational research and policy borrowing. Educational Studies,26(1), 115–136. https://doi.org/10.1080/03055690097772.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jónsdóttir, S. R., & Macdonald, A. (2013). Pedagogy and settings in innovation education. In L. V. Shavinina (Ed.), The Routledge international handbook of innovation education (pp. 273–287). London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leu, E., & Price-Rom, A. (2006). Quality of education and teacher learning: A review of the literature. Educational Quality Improvement Project (Vol. 1). Washington, DC: American Institutes for Research. Retrieved from http://www.equip123.net/docs/E1-QualityEdLitReview.pdf.

  • Leyendecker, R., Ottevanger, W., & Van den Akker, J. J. H. (2008). Curricula, examinations, and assessment in secondary education in Sub-Saharan Africa. Washington, DC: World Bank. Retrieved from http://elibrary.worldbank.org/doi/abs/10.1596/978-0-8213-7348-4.

  • McKenney, S., & Reeves, T. (2012). Conducting educational design research. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • McNair, S. (2009). Child friendly schools perception study. Malé, Maldives: UNICEF, Maldives Country Office.

    Google Scholar 

  • Megahed, N., Ginsburg, M., Abdellah, A., & Zohry, A. (2012). The quest for educational quality in Egypt. Quality and Qualities, 48–74. Retrieved from http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-94-6091-951-0_3.

  • Mohammed, R. F., & Harlech-Jones, B. (2008). The fault is in ourselves: Looking at “failures in implementation.” Compare: A Journal of Comparative Education, 38(1), 39–51. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057920701420825.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mohammad, R. F., & Kumari, R. (2007). Effective use of textbooks: A neglected aspect of education in Pakistan. Journal of Education for International Development,3(1), 1–12.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mtika, P., & Gates, P. (2010). Developing learner-centred education among secondary trainee teachers in Malawi: The dilemma of appropriation and application. International Journal of Educational Development,30(4), 396–404. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2009.12.004.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O’Sullivan, M. (2004). The reconceptualisation of learner-centred approaches: A Namibian case study. International Journal of Educational Development,24(6), 585–602. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0738-0593(03)00018-x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schoenfeld, A. H. (2009). Bridging the cultures of educational research and design. Educational Designer, 1(2), 1–23. Retrieved from http://www.educationaldesigner.org/ed/volume1/issue2/article5/index.htm.

  • Schweisfurth, M. (2011). Learner-centred education in developing country contexts: From solution to problem? International Journal of Educational Development,31(5), 425–432. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2011.03.005.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schweisfurth, M. (2012). Learner-centred education and teacher professionalism at the local-global nexus. In T. Seddon & J. Levin (Eds.), Educators, professionalism and politics: Global transitions, national spaces, and professional projects (pp. 172–183). Hoboken: Taylor & Francis. Retrieved from http://unimelb.eblib.com.au/patron/FullRecord.aspx?p=1101396.

  • Schweisfurth, M. (2013). Learner-centred education in international perspective: Whose pedagogy for whose development? Education, poverty and international development. New York: Routledge.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Schweisfurth, M. (2015). Learner-centred pedagogy: Towards a post-2015 agenda for teaching and learning. International Journal of Educational Development,40, 259–266. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2014.10.011.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shafeega, F., Ahmed, Z., Abdulla, S., Shafeeg, F., George, P., & Austin, D. (2005). Child centred programmes in the primary schools: A study of key and replicable features. Malé, Maldives: Maldvies College of Higher Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shareef, A. (2007). The implementation of the child friendly schools program in the Maldives (MEd thesis). University of East Anglia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shareef, A. (2011). School-based professional development in the Maldives: What are we achieving?. Malé, Maldives: Centre for Continuing Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shareef, K. (2008). Mentoring relationships for collaborative professional development practices in Maldivian primary schools (MEd thesis). University of Waikato.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shiuna, M., & Sodiq, A. (2013). Improving education in the Maldives: Shareholder perspectives on the Maldivian education sector. International Journal of Small Economies, 4(1), 23–38. Retrieved from www.maldivesresearch.org.

  • The World Bank. (2014). Youth in the Maldives: Shaping a new future for young women and men through engagement and empowerment. Sri Lanka Maldives Country Unit: Social Development Unit, The World Bank.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNDP. (2014). Maldives Human Development Report 2014. Malé, Maldives: The Ministry of Finance and Treasury and the United Nations Development Programme in the Maldives.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNICEF. (2004). Child friendly schools in East Asia and the Pacific: How friendly can they be?. Bangkok, Thailand: UNICEF.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNICEF. (2010). Research report for the master planning of CFS advocacy campaign. Malé, Maldives: UNICEF, Maldives Country Office.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNICEF. (2014). Longitudinal study on the impact of curriculum reforms (2012–2013). Malé, Maldives: UNICEF, Maldives Country Office.

    Google Scholar 

  • Westbrook, J., Durrani, N., Brown, R., & Orr, D. (2013). Pedagogy, curriculum, teaching practices and teacher education in developing countries. London, UK: UK Department of International Development. Retrieved from https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/305154/Pedagogy-curriculum-teaching-practices-education.pdf.

  • Wheatcroft, L. (2004). Evaluation of the quality learning environment in the priority Schools project. Malé, Maldives: UNICEF Maldives Country Office.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rhonda Di Biase .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Di Biase, R. (2019). Active Learning Reform in the Maldives: What Works for Whom Under What Circumstances. In: Setty, R., Iyengar, R., Witenstein, M.A., Byker, E.J., Kidwai, H. (eds) Teaching and Teacher Education. South Asian Education Policy, Research, and Practice. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-26879-4_8

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-26879-4_8

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-26878-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-26879-4

  • eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics