Journal of Iberian and Latin American Research, 2015
The Argentinean peasantry has been severely ignored within the imagined rural geography of this c... more The Argentinean peasantry has been severely ignored within the imagined rural geography of this country, and until relatively recent times publically invisible. This article addresses this historic injustice by focusing on this hidden social group on the margins of Argentinean society. The article examines the prevalent theoretical conceptualisation of the peasantry in Argentina and identifies this sector in census data, where it is assimilated into the small agriculture producers group. The marginalisation of this sector, however, is being contested by the mobilisation and organisations of peasant communities across the country. This article discusses the formation and consolidation of two campesino-indigenous organisations in Northwest Argentina: Movimiento Campesino de Santiago del Estero-Vía Campesina (MOCASE-VC) and Red Puna y Quebrada. The discourses and praxes of these movements reflect not only the reconfiguration of marginalised campesino communities, which are often of indigenous origin, as autonomous and active social subjects, but also provide valuable lessons for how a different form of horizontal organisation is being pursued from below.
The proliferation of soybean monoculture and its expansion into previously marginal territories i... more The proliferation of soybean monoculture and its expansion into previously marginal territories in Argentina have resulted in land conflicts and attacks on peasant communities that possess land without having secured tenure. However, the rapid and intensive modernisation and industrialisation of agriculture production has had differentiated effect on different territories in Argentina. This article posit that understanding these differences requires an extended temporal analysis. While social research tends to focus on the present or recent past, this paper joins calls for greater attention to historical context and processes when examining current social dynamics and geographies. Focusing on the province of Santiago del Estero in Northwest Argentina, this paper provides a particular temporal-thematic approach for conducting such a historical path analysis, which here focuses on the province's changing agrarian structures and political shifts that resulted in a complex, irregular and subsequently unstable land tenure system.
We explore the idea that teaching students as ‘scholars’ can change their education within a valu... more We explore the idea that teaching students as ‘scholars’ can change their education within a values discourse that promotes certain personal attributes, including being engaged members of their uni...
Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, Mar 31, 2020
In this paper we examine the history and development of internal assessment practices at a univer... more In this paper we examine the history and development of internal assessment practices at a university in New Zealand. The work re-visits the 'assessment arms race' study and builds upon the key arguments presented so far. It was discovered that student demand in the early 1970s triggered the introduction of internal assessment and workloads quickly increased to problematic levels. When the institution moved from year-long courses to a semester and module structure in the 1990s, there was a further increase, and assessment levels have remained high and unchanging since. There were differences between sciences and arts-type subjects which suggest signature assessment practices. The results are explained through the arms race metaphor and some practical suggestions for alternative practices are given that should stimulate further debate on the potential for transforming assessment across higher education.
Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, Jan 15, 2021
Abstract This article examines how much ‘complex knowledge’ is assessed during a university degre... more Abstract This article examines how much ‘complex knowledge’ is assessed during a university degree and the extent to which a student has the opportunity to develop this. We conceptualise complex knowledge as any type of assessment that requires students to create and evaluate knowledge, and for which they may receive formative feedback. Such activities are associated with developing higher-order cognition, a set of skills that is poorly understood in the context of modular degree structures. The study analysed the foundational documents of 1135 modules between 1999 and 2018, and looked for the proportion of complex knowledge being assessed, as well as the weight assigned to the final examination and the number of internal assessments per module. Findings show a clear increase in the frequency of assessments involving complex knowledge over time in both Science and HSSC (humanities, social sciences, commerce) subject groups. Complex knowledge was also more prevalent in second- and third-year modules. We argue that more attention needs to be devoted to the quality of assessment in terms of its potential for enabling students to develop higher-order cognition. The study opens up important conversations about the appropriate amount of higher-order learning that a university graduate should experience.
ABSTRACT This point for departure piece is about university students working together and working... more ABSTRACT This point for departure piece is about university students working together and working for each other in the context of Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) and his concept of the ‘more capable peer.’ Much attention has been paid to what is learned, or the knowledge component of the ZPD. However, what seems to be absent in these accounts is an understanding of the interpersonal communicative processes involved in peer to peer relationships. What we address here is: what needs to be ‘more capable’ about a peer? And can the ZPD be seen as a person-centred affective zone of empathy and positive regard for others.
Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, Jun 13, 2016
Abstract This study examines the use of peer review in an undergraduate ecology programme, in whi... more Abstract This study examines the use of peer review in an undergraduate ecology programme, in which students write a research proposal as a grant application, prior to carrying out the research project. Using a theoretical feedback model, we compared teacher and student peer reviews in a double blind exercise, and show how students responded to feedback given by each group. In addition, students wrote a rebuttal for every feedback point before re-drafting and submission. Despite students claiming they could tell if the reviewer was a teacher or student, this was not always the case, and both student and teacher feedback was accepted on merit. Analysis of feedback types and rebuttal actions showed similar patterns between students and teachers. Where teachers differed slightly was in the use of questions and giving direction. Interviews with students showed the rebuttal was a novel experience, because it required a consideration of each comment and justification as to why it was accepted, partially accepted or rejected. Being a reviewer helped students to learn about their own work, and it changed the way they understood the scientific literature. In addition, some students transferred their new peer review skills to help others outside of the ecology programme.
Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, May 5, 2019
In this article, we examine graduate attributes as a conceptual framework. We theorise these are ... more In this article, we examine graduate attributes as a conceptual framework. We theorise these are rooted in the neoliberalisation of the university and the increasing importance of employability as a marker for quality university teaching. Graduate attributes vary across institutions but often include 'foundational' as well as 'nonfoundational' objectives, such as 'global perspective'. Our theorisation sheds light on how they are operationalised through graduate attributes frameworks, maintaining these are difficult to implement because of a lack of shared understanding of the components and concerns about academic freedom. We argue graduate attributes frameworks should be abandoned and replaced with 'powerful knowledge', which more adequately structures the knowledge, skills and attributes universities can confidently equip their graduates with. Powerful knowledge provides an outcome that serves the individual learner, employers, universities and society more broadly.
This paper examines the concept of 'powerful knowledge' and provides new perspectives on an impor... more This paper examines the concept of 'powerful knowledge' and provides new perspectives on an important emergent theory for education. We claim that the key to attaining powerful knowledge is 'epistemic access' to the discipline, which is access of the generative principles of knowledge creation. We draw on 15 years teaching and researching a university science programme in which undergraduate ecology students are trained as researchers during the 3 years they attend university. Hence, there is close alignment between teaching students to do research and powerful knowledge. In addition, it has been suggested that the 'power' in powerful knowledge is realised in what is done with that knowledge, that its purpose is social since it allows the holder to make a better contribution to society. We argue that in addition to such an aspirational 'outcome', it can be part of the process of education and early acquisition of powerful knowledge can influence all subsequent formal and informal learning experiences as the student progresses though university. A model for powerful knowledge is presented in which there is the possibility of powerful action after graduation, but this remains in the theoretical realm while there is very little empirical evidence supporting such a hypothesis for ecology students. Powerful action also questions the limits of responsibility for a teacher.
This paper explores barriers to realising the social purposes of higher education within a contex... more This paper explores barriers to realising the social purposes of higher education within a context of dominant hierarchical socio-cultural norms. Those norms are examined to reveal how they hinder students and teachers from engaging with critical thought and social justice issues in Malaysian higher education. The impact of these norms is examined from the perspective of students. Interviews with students found that such norms manifested themselves as barriers through (a) teacher authority, and (b) 'sensitive' content, which prevented students from expressing critical, dissenting views, and from having open discussions in the classroom. Additionally, fear resulted in self-censorship and the withholding of personal opinions on controversial topics. Sociocultural norms that perpetuate an unequal balance of power need to be subverted if higher education aims to play a role in achieving greater social justice. Limits on freedom of speech and critical thought must be reduced so students feel safe when engaging with provocative ideas.
This conceptual paper is concerned with the discursive and applied attributes of 'authenticity' i... more This conceptual paper is concerned with the discursive and applied attributes of 'authenticity' in higher education, with a particular focus on teaching science through student research. Authenticity has been mentioned in passing, claimed or discussed by scholars in relation to different aspects of higher education, including teaching, learning, assessment and achievement. However, it is our position that in spite of the growing appeal of authenticity, the use of the term is often vague and uncritical. The notion of authenticity is complex, has a range of meanings and is sometimes contested. Therefore, we propose here a practiceoriented and theoretically-informed framework for what constitutes authenticity within the context of teaching through research. This framework brings together aspects of the 'real world,' existential self, and embedded meaning, and aligns them with different outcomes relating to knowledge and to students. Different models of teaching through research with conflicting claims to authenticity are used to illustrate the framework.
Journal of Further and Higher Education, Oct 4, 2018
In this position paper we focus on students who are contracted to fulfil teaching roles. While an... more In this position paper we focus on students who are contracted to fulfil teaching roles. While an accepted practice, student teaching assistants (STAs) tend to lack teaching experience as well as having only limited subject and pedagogical knowledge. As such, there is a trade-off between employing them and maintaining quality in teaching. We identify assessment feedback and grading as particularly important aspects of teaching that are often beyond the capability of many STAs. Rather than suggesting that students should not teach, we provide a nuanced examination of who these students are and argue that assessment and grading should only be entrusted to STAs who can do these tasks to a satisfactory level. Ultimately, we call for a critical discussion on the merits of employing students as teaching assistants, taking into account the diversity within this group and within a teacher's roles.
Journal of Iberian and Latin American Research, 2015
The Argentinean peasantry has been severely ignored within the imagined rural geography of this c... more The Argentinean peasantry has been severely ignored within the imagined rural geography of this country, and until relatively recent times publically invisible. This article addresses this historic injustice by focusing on this hidden social group on the margins of Argentinean society. The article examines the prevalent theoretical conceptualisation of the peasantry in Argentina and identifies this sector in census data, where it is assimilated into the small agriculture producers group. The marginalisation of this sector, however, is being contested by the mobilisation and organisations of peasant communities across the country. This article discusses the formation and consolidation of two campesino-indigenous organisations in Northwest Argentina: Movimiento Campesino de Santiago del Estero-Vía Campesina (MOCASE-VC) and Red Puna y Quebrada. The discourses and praxes of these movements reflect not only the reconfiguration of marginalised campesino communities, which are often of indigenous origin, as autonomous and active social subjects, but also provide valuable lessons for how a different form of horizontal organisation is being pursued from below.
The proliferation of soybean monoculture and its expansion into previously marginal territories i... more The proliferation of soybean monoculture and its expansion into previously marginal territories in Argentina have resulted in land conflicts and attacks on peasant communities that possess land without having secured tenure. However, the rapid and intensive modernisation and industrialisation of agriculture production has had differentiated effect on different territories in Argentina. This article posit that understanding these differences requires an extended temporal analysis. While social research tends to focus on the present or recent past, this paper joins calls for greater attention to historical context and processes when examining current social dynamics and geographies. Focusing on the province of Santiago del Estero in Northwest Argentina, this paper provides a particular temporal-thematic approach for conducting such a historical path analysis, which here focuses on the province's changing agrarian structures and political shifts that resulted in a complex, irregular and subsequently unstable land tenure system.
We explore the idea that teaching students as ‘scholars’ can change their education within a valu... more We explore the idea that teaching students as ‘scholars’ can change their education within a values discourse that promotes certain personal attributes, including being engaged members of their uni...
Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, Mar 31, 2020
In this paper we examine the history and development of internal assessment practices at a univer... more In this paper we examine the history and development of internal assessment practices at a university in New Zealand. The work re-visits the 'assessment arms race' study and builds upon the key arguments presented so far. It was discovered that student demand in the early 1970s triggered the introduction of internal assessment and workloads quickly increased to problematic levels. When the institution moved from year-long courses to a semester and module structure in the 1990s, there was a further increase, and assessment levels have remained high and unchanging since. There were differences between sciences and arts-type subjects which suggest signature assessment practices. The results are explained through the arms race metaphor and some practical suggestions for alternative practices are given that should stimulate further debate on the potential for transforming assessment across higher education.
Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, Jan 15, 2021
Abstract This article examines how much ‘complex knowledge’ is assessed during a university degre... more Abstract This article examines how much ‘complex knowledge’ is assessed during a university degree and the extent to which a student has the opportunity to develop this. We conceptualise complex knowledge as any type of assessment that requires students to create and evaluate knowledge, and for which they may receive formative feedback. Such activities are associated with developing higher-order cognition, a set of skills that is poorly understood in the context of modular degree structures. The study analysed the foundational documents of 1135 modules between 1999 and 2018, and looked for the proportion of complex knowledge being assessed, as well as the weight assigned to the final examination and the number of internal assessments per module. Findings show a clear increase in the frequency of assessments involving complex knowledge over time in both Science and HSSC (humanities, social sciences, commerce) subject groups. Complex knowledge was also more prevalent in second- and third-year modules. We argue that more attention needs to be devoted to the quality of assessment in terms of its potential for enabling students to develop higher-order cognition. The study opens up important conversations about the appropriate amount of higher-order learning that a university graduate should experience.
ABSTRACT This point for departure piece is about university students working together and working... more ABSTRACT This point for departure piece is about university students working together and working for each other in the context of Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) and his concept of the ‘more capable peer.’ Much attention has been paid to what is learned, or the knowledge component of the ZPD. However, what seems to be absent in these accounts is an understanding of the interpersonal communicative processes involved in peer to peer relationships. What we address here is: what needs to be ‘more capable’ about a peer? And can the ZPD be seen as a person-centred affective zone of empathy and positive regard for others.
Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, Jun 13, 2016
Abstract This study examines the use of peer review in an undergraduate ecology programme, in whi... more Abstract This study examines the use of peer review in an undergraduate ecology programme, in which students write a research proposal as a grant application, prior to carrying out the research project. Using a theoretical feedback model, we compared teacher and student peer reviews in a double blind exercise, and show how students responded to feedback given by each group. In addition, students wrote a rebuttal for every feedback point before re-drafting and submission. Despite students claiming they could tell if the reviewer was a teacher or student, this was not always the case, and both student and teacher feedback was accepted on merit. Analysis of feedback types and rebuttal actions showed similar patterns between students and teachers. Where teachers differed slightly was in the use of questions and giving direction. Interviews with students showed the rebuttal was a novel experience, because it required a consideration of each comment and justification as to why it was accepted, partially accepted or rejected. Being a reviewer helped students to learn about their own work, and it changed the way they understood the scientific literature. In addition, some students transferred their new peer review skills to help others outside of the ecology programme.
Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, May 5, 2019
In this article, we examine graduate attributes as a conceptual framework. We theorise these are ... more In this article, we examine graduate attributes as a conceptual framework. We theorise these are rooted in the neoliberalisation of the university and the increasing importance of employability as a marker for quality university teaching. Graduate attributes vary across institutions but often include 'foundational' as well as 'nonfoundational' objectives, such as 'global perspective'. Our theorisation sheds light on how they are operationalised through graduate attributes frameworks, maintaining these are difficult to implement because of a lack of shared understanding of the components and concerns about academic freedom. We argue graduate attributes frameworks should be abandoned and replaced with 'powerful knowledge', which more adequately structures the knowledge, skills and attributes universities can confidently equip their graduates with. Powerful knowledge provides an outcome that serves the individual learner, employers, universities and society more broadly.
This paper examines the concept of 'powerful knowledge' and provides new perspectives on an impor... more This paper examines the concept of 'powerful knowledge' and provides new perspectives on an important emergent theory for education. We claim that the key to attaining powerful knowledge is 'epistemic access' to the discipline, which is access of the generative principles of knowledge creation. We draw on 15 years teaching and researching a university science programme in which undergraduate ecology students are trained as researchers during the 3 years they attend university. Hence, there is close alignment between teaching students to do research and powerful knowledge. In addition, it has been suggested that the 'power' in powerful knowledge is realised in what is done with that knowledge, that its purpose is social since it allows the holder to make a better contribution to society. We argue that in addition to such an aspirational 'outcome', it can be part of the process of education and early acquisition of powerful knowledge can influence all subsequent formal and informal learning experiences as the student progresses though university. A model for powerful knowledge is presented in which there is the possibility of powerful action after graduation, but this remains in the theoretical realm while there is very little empirical evidence supporting such a hypothesis for ecology students. Powerful action also questions the limits of responsibility for a teacher.
This paper explores barriers to realising the social purposes of higher education within a contex... more This paper explores barriers to realising the social purposes of higher education within a context of dominant hierarchical socio-cultural norms. Those norms are examined to reveal how they hinder students and teachers from engaging with critical thought and social justice issues in Malaysian higher education. The impact of these norms is examined from the perspective of students. Interviews with students found that such norms manifested themselves as barriers through (a) teacher authority, and (b) 'sensitive' content, which prevented students from expressing critical, dissenting views, and from having open discussions in the classroom. Additionally, fear resulted in self-censorship and the withholding of personal opinions on controversial topics. Sociocultural norms that perpetuate an unequal balance of power need to be subverted if higher education aims to play a role in achieving greater social justice. Limits on freedom of speech and critical thought must be reduced so students feel safe when engaging with provocative ideas.
This conceptual paper is concerned with the discursive and applied attributes of 'authenticity' i... more This conceptual paper is concerned with the discursive and applied attributes of 'authenticity' in higher education, with a particular focus on teaching science through student research. Authenticity has been mentioned in passing, claimed or discussed by scholars in relation to different aspects of higher education, including teaching, learning, assessment and achievement. However, it is our position that in spite of the growing appeal of authenticity, the use of the term is often vague and uncritical. The notion of authenticity is complex, has a range of meanings and is sometimes contested. Therefore, we propose here a practiceoriented and theoretically-informed framework for what constitutes authenticity within the context of teaching through research. This framework brings together aspects of the 'real world,' existential self, and embedded meaning, and aligns them with different outcomes relating to knowledge and to students. Different models of teaching through research with conflicting claims to authenticity are used to illustrate the framework.
Journal of Further and Higher Education, Oct 4, 2018
In this position paper we focus on students who are contracted to fulfil teaching roles. While an... more In this position paper we focus on students who are contracted to fulfil teaching roles. While an accepted practice, student teaching assistants (STAs) tend to lack teaching experience as well as having only limited subject and pedagogical knowledge. As such, there is a trade-off between employing them and maintaining quality in teaching. We identify assessment feedback and grading as particularly important aspects of teaching that are often beyond the capability of many STAs. Rather than suggesting that students should not teach, we provide a nuanced examination of who these students are and argue that assessment and grading should only be entrusted to STAs who can do these tasks to a satisfactory level. Ultimately, we call for a critical discussion on the merits of employing students as teaching assistants, taking into account the diversity within this group and within a teacher's roles.
Uploads
Papers by Nave Wald