The Possibilities and Ways to Improve the Culture Sensitiveness

The Possibilities and Ways to Improve the Culture Sensitiveness

Of the Quality Standards of School Education in Mongolia

Abstract

Referring to the relevant literature, it is known that the dimensionality of the quality of education is more culturally and contextually recognized. Thus, it compels us to question how many dimensions it has in Mongolian contexts and how to identify its cultural dimensions that can function to measure student’s culture acquisition.  In fact, the question regarding a number of the dimensions of education quality has been investigated to some extent especially in international arena whereas the second one has been, however, neglected so far because of its complexity and complicatedness.  As a matter of fact, we have been practically challenged by measuring the degree of students’ culture acquisition and socialization as well as their morality.  The reason behind it is that such educational standards that are able to judge the quality of teaching and learning in terms of measuring students’ culture acquisition, yet measuring their students’ academic performance,  have not been designed yet. Consequently, it is reasonably questioned how to improve the degree of culture sensitiveness of the quality standards of education in Mongolia.

In response to this question, this study aims to examine the possibilities and ways to improve the culture sensitiveness of the quality standards of school education in Mongolia.  Under this purpose, it is intended to identify the set of properties or characters of cultural aspects of school education which can shape cultural measurements into the quality standards of school education whereby measuring students’ culture acquisition.  In accordance with the research aim, this study is also intended to examine whether cultural contents and values in school education hold such characters or properties that can shape cultural constituencies and dimensions of the quality of education and whether the quality of school education in Mongolia be standardized so that students’ culture acquisitions are sensitively measured.

Using mainly qualitative research methods, namely survey with open-ended questions, interviewing and document analysis as well as system’s approach, it will set up cultural measurements into the quality standards of school education in Mongolia whereby measuring students’ culture acquisition, especially social and moral culture acquisition. In doing so, the degree of culture sensitiveness of the quality standards of school education in Mongolia in both theoretical and practical senses will be advanced.

 This research is worthwhile in terms of increasing school effectiveness and efficiency in Mongolia through running the quality standards with culture sensitiveness that will affect tremendously to judge students’ culture acquisition.  In addition, it is also  theoretically vital in terms of bringing in ideas and procedures to set up cultural dimensions into educational evaluation and assessment whereby measuring students’ culture acquisition rather than their academic performances.

Introduction

It is mostly acceptable that a primary goal of schooling is to prepare students to work and live in a future society that might be pictured by uncertain features caused by constant changes. Thus, school effectiveness ought to be judged by the degree of the preparedness of students for engaging in future adult life in future society with uncertainties.  As for Mongolia, it is, however, considered controversially. Its controversy is that among some other countries, Mongolia is placed at the top in terms of quantitative indicators of educational performance, namely enrolment rate, the ratio of boys and girls in schools and literacy rate whereas it is ranged at the end in terms of qualitative indicators such as employment rate, quality life, a human development index.  As a matter of fact, the development index of Mongolia in terms of Educational for All is 0.916 whereby listing at the 67th place out of 127 countries (EFA report 2007).  On the other hand, a recent study indicates that there is no big difference between the poor peoples and the non-poor ones in terms of being satisfied with life quality. In fact, a number of people holding higher degree in education constitute more 10 percent of the whole poor population (National Statistics Office 2002).  Those figures prove that school effectiveness and the quality of education are unsatisfactory and irrelevant to our society wherein we have practised the values of democracy and free economic market for the last two decades.  Therefore, it is undoubtedly reasonable to question how to make sure how well our students are prepared for future uncertainties triggered by constant changes. In turn, it leads us to reconsider measurements of the quality of education in the terms of measuring students’ culture acquisition.

In accordance with research findings appeared in relevant literature, it is evidenced that the dimensionality of the quality of education is more culturally and contextually recognized rather than globally and internationally. In fact, it is known that there are the deficiencies of knowledge and experience as well as evidence in setting up cultural measurements into the quality standards of school education whereby measuring students’ culture acquisition.  Under this circumstance, it is consequently, questioned how to determine a cultural dimension of education quality which can function as measurements and/or norms to define, measure and assure the quality of educational services whereby judging the extent to which students are subjected to acquire appropriate cultures by schooling in Mongolia. The need to find the answer to the challenging question within Mongolian contextual reality compels us to conduct this research.

The Statement of the Problem

The study aims to reexamine the possibilities and ways to regard cultural values and contents as measurements or norms of the quality standards of school education in Mongolia.  Accordingly, this research is intended to find answer to such two questions:

1.      Do cultural contents and values in school education hold such characters or properties that can shape cultural constituencies and dimensions of the quality of education?

2.      Does the quality of school education in Mongolia be standardized so that students’ culture acquisitions are sensitively measured?

To respond to the questions, the following tasks will be realized:

1.      Review cultural contents in existing curricula and identify cultural identities and values that are regarded as underpinnings of student preparation for living and working effectively and efficiently in future society with uncertainties

2.      Generate criteria and indicators that are used to select cultural identities and values so that they can encompass cultural constituencies and dimensions of the quality of school education,

3.      Identify such cultural constituencies and dimensions of the quality of education using the indicators and criteria

4.      Set up cultural measurements into the quality standards of school education in Mongolia so that they can function to measure the degree of students’ culture acquisition?

   Theoretical Background

The nature of the quality of education remains debatable yet in terms its constituencies and dimensions. In fact, no single identification that can determine the number of the dimensions of education quality has been founded yet.  However, the quality of education tends to embody the multiple constituencies and dimensions that are highly likely to be recognized culturally and contextually rather than internationally and globally with reference to research findings displayed in current relevant literature.

As far as the research papers focused on the nature of education quality are concerned, it is notable that the quality of education tends to have multi-dimensions. In fact, a number of the dimensions range from 5 to 10 in accordance with current relevant literature.  As Cheng & Tam (1997) pointed out, the quality of school education, to large extent, comprises three broad constituencies, namely, input, process and output ones. Moreover, Taken together diverse definitions recommended by UNESCO (2005) that varied from time to time, it is highly likely to be noted that notions such as lifelong learning, relevance, accessibility and respectfulness to learner’s right, might be weighted up in determining the constituent parts of education quality as well as its dimensionality. At the same time, UNICEF stresses the child-centered approach founded upon child rights to the quality of education that emphasizes equity and relevance to school education (Wilson, cited in EFA Global Monitoring Report, 2005).

As a whole, it is remarkably noted again that the quality of education centers round such culturally-contextually-understood–notions such as lifelong learning, relevance, accessibility and respectfulness of child rights and equity in terms of the sights of the international education bodies and the existing literature. Therefore, it might embrace multiple constituencies and dimensions that are likely to be culturally and contextually determined.

With respect to aforementioned research findings, it is hypothesized that cultural measurement of the quality standard of school education in Mongolia that can function as norms or criteria to judge students’ culture acquisition are likely be culturally and contextually established.

   Delimitations and Limitations

School normative culture as Halliman (2005) pointed out, covers three components such as academics achievements, social culture and moral culture. As a matter of fact, there has been much effort to measure students’ academic achievements at both the national and international levels. Due to such effort, a variety of norms and criteria as well as indicators to assess student performances and evaluate school effectiveness is displayed in different reports. For instance, at the international level, PISA and TIMSS as well as OECD studies brought diverse indicators and criteria that potentially serve norms and criteria in measuring students’ academic achievements. Moreover, at the national level, many countries, for instance, Mongolia, have created a bank of tests that serves as a tool to measure student academic skills in school subjects, namely mathematics and science. However, there are great deficiencies of both effort and evidence towards taking into account student’s culture acquisition as judging the quality of education as well as school effectiveness. For this reason, this research will focus only on the possibilities and ways to measure students’ acquisition of social and moral culture in school education in Mongolia.

Methods and Procedures

In this research, we will utilize mainly qualitative research methods such as surveys with open-ended questions, interviewing and document analysis as well as systematic approach.

In order to review cultural contents in existing curricula and to identify cultural identities and values that ought to deliver students so that they underpin to prepare them for further society in terms of living and working effectively and efficiently, we will conduct two different cross-sectional surveys. One will be a survey with open-ended questions that aims to reveal attitudes and opinions of parents, employers and policy makers towards the interrelationships between students’ culture acquisition and quality measurement of educational services. A number of survey participants of three targeted personnel such as parents, employers and policy makers will be limited by 40 percents of the whole population (approximately 1200 schools). That is to say,    the survey will site approximately 300 out of 1200 schools. For one particular school, 40 percentages of the whole parents of students (on average, 320 parents per school) will comprise a parent sample whereas 40 percentages of employers and policy makers (approximately 40 employers, 10 policy makers) engaging business in the same province or area where the selected schools run educational services, will be regarded as an employer sample. Therefore, 64000 parents, 1200 employers, 400 policy makers will take part in this survey.  

Apart from collecting individual attitudes and opinions about the interdependence between students’ culture and quality of education, we will conduct one-on one interviewing with school principals and methodologists in order to review social and moral norms existing into school education practice. The interviewee will be the principals and methodologists who work at the same schools sited by the previous survey. A number of interviewee will be estimated at about 600-700 personnel.

In addition, we will review and analyze policy documents that bear cultural values and contents in formal school education. Texts reviewed by document analysis will vary from the constitution through governmental regulations to school moral rules and orders in Mongolia.

Data Analysis and Interpretation

After collecting information and text data regarding the interrelationship and interdependence between students’ cultural acquisition and quality measurement through three major channels open-ended question surveys and interviewing as well as document analysis, the  research will utilize the systematic approach and analysis in order to analyze and interpret them whereby identifying the set of characters of cultural constituencies of the quality of education which can shape cultural measurement in quality standards of education whereby measuring the degree of students’ culture acquisition. This analysis and interpretation will be carried out through three phases such as open coding, axial coding and selective coding in accordance with grounded theory research design.

At the phase known as open-coding, we will analyze and group information and data collected by the afore-mentioned three methods into categories using criteria and indicators for being cultural constituencies of the quality of education. As a result, relevant themes bearing the characters or properties of cultural contents and values in school education so that can comprise cultural components of the quality of education will be identified.

At the second phase referred as axial coding, we will identify the main categories or the set of properties of cultural contents and values which will indicate the strong interdependence between students’ culture acquisition and quality measurement in comparison to the rest of the categories. At the end of this identification, we will generate the core properties of cultural values and contents in school education that might underpin cultural dimensions and norms to measure students’ culture acquisition into quality standards of school education. In this phase, we will identify the features that can function as criteria to distinguish cultural measurements from cultural components in terms of setting up new measurements into the quality standards of school education in Mongolia.

In the third phase named as selective coding with reference to the research design of the grounded theory, we will set up cultural measurements or norms into quality standards which functions to measure students’ culture acquisition.

  Expected Outcomes and Discussion

At the end of this research, we will reach following outcomes:

·         Cultural constituencies of the quality of school education embedded into Mongolian contextual reality.

·         Cultural measurements made into the quality standards of school education which functions as norms to measure students’ culture acquisition.

·         Report on current circumstance of cultural contents and values in school education in Mongolia.

The research findings, namely cultural constituencies of the quality of school education along with cultural measurements of the quality standards of school education in Mongolia will be discussed as follows:

 At the end of this research, we will organize the national conference where the representatives of all stakeholders and organizations such teachers, parents, employers, policy makers will be invited to discuss the research findings and its compatibleness as well as consistency.  

Beyond the research conference, we will send the research report along with its findings to the research site where surveys and interviewing has conducted so that research findings will be critically reviewed and discussed by the participants of the research.

After discussing nationwide, we will reflect on the cultural constituencies of the quality of education as well as cultural measurements of the quality standards with regard to critical points and arguments extended by relevant organizations and personnel. As a result of this modification, the research findings will be extended to the policy makers who are in charge of improving the quality standards of school education in Mongolia.

The Significance of the Study

This research will provide the theoretical orientations and practical ways for making cultural measurement into the quality standards of school education in Mongolia whereby measuring students’ culture acquisition. Thus, it will bring a great deal of contributions to improving culture sensitiveness of the quality standards of school education in Mongolia in a practical sense.  Moreover, in a theoretical sense, the expected findings and techniques used to identify and set up cultural measurements in the quality measurements of educational services will be mostly likely to be exchanged at an international arena in terms of assessing students’ culture acquisition.

Further Conclusion and Recommendation

The dimensionality of the quality of education will be recognized culturally and locally. Thus, the establishment of the measurements of the quality standards is highly likely to be tackled in particular context.  Thus, the task to improve the culture sensitiveness of the quality standards of school education in Mongolia will be realized in our contextual features.  One way to improve the degree of culture sensitiveness of the quality standards is to set up cultural measurements into the quality standards of school education. Since culture as many scholars pointed out, is a complicated term the essence of which is not easily expressed in one single definition, studies on both determining cultural constituencies in the quality of education and establishing cultural measurements into the quality standards of school education is mostly related to the real life and practices of schooling in Mongolia. Therefore, the research data collection and analysis as well as interpretation will favor to utilize the qualitative methods such as open-ended question surveys, one-one interviewing and document analysis along with system approach. 

The determination of the cultural constituencies of the quality of education and setting up the cultural measurements into the quality standards of school education in Mongolia will contribute to defining, assuring and measuring not only students’ academic performance but also their culture acquisition and development of sociality and morality. Moreover, the measurement of students’ culture acquisition will facilitate the judgment of school effectiveness and efficiency in terms of how well students are prepared to live and work in future society.

As long as students’ culture acquisition is taken into consideration in terms of the quality measurement of education, it might be recommended that the allocation policy of government budget for running educational system should be reconsidered in terms of providing different, but necessary conditions under which students can acquire different cultures that are equally considered.  It is meant that per-child funding of educational budget should be advanced in terms of its culture sensitiveness with regard to the new requirements of the quality standards bearing cultural measurements.

REFERENCES

Cheng, Y.C. & Tam, W.M 1997, Multi-models of quality in education, Quality Assurance in Education, vol.5, no.1, pp.22-31.

Halliman, T, M 2005 The normative culture of school and student socialization,  cited in Hedge, V, L &Scheneider, B (ed.) The social organization of schooling, Russell Sage Foundation, New York.

Ministry of Education, Culture and Science 2007, EFA Report (draft), Ulaanbaatar, p.6.

National Statistics Office of Mongolia, the World Bank, UNDP 2004, Household Income and Expenditure, Living Standards Measurement Survey: Main Report, 2002-2003, Ulaanbaatar, p.41.

Pigozzi, M 2004, The 10 dimensions of quality in education, research paper presented at the meeting of Resource pack of curriculum development, Tokyo, UNESCO.

UNESCO 2005, EFA Global Monitoring Report, Paris, pp.27-31.   htt://portal.unesco.org/education/en/ev.php-URL_ID.