Papers by Shermaine Barrett
Measuring the impact of adult education policies
This article explores factors, issues and recommendations that must be considered when measuring ... more This article explores factors, issues and recommendations that must be considered when measuring the impact of adult education policies. It is based on a study that polled the perspectives of adult education practitioners, academics and policy decision-makers on the critical principles and appropriate measures necessary to determine the impact of adult education policies.
ProQuest LLC eBooks, 2014
Jamaica is a part of the Anglo-Caribbean countries. It is located in the central Caribbean approx... more Jamaica is a part of the Anglo-Caribbean countries. It is located in the central Caribbean approximately miles from Cuba and 100 miles from Haiti. It is the largest of the English speaking Caribbean islands and is the largest demographic unit of the region with a population of approximately 2.7 million. Along with its other British Caribbean neighbors Jamaica shares a heritage of British colonization which lasted for over 300 years (Sherlock & Bennett, 1998). This experience undoubtedly impacted the identities, and culture, of the region including that of Jamaica and Jamaicans with experiences with racism, and the effects of a relationship built on oppression and violation of basic human dignity (Preece, 2009). This plantation-based colonization left a legacy of "cheap labor, color-coded racism, low productivity, anti-intellectualism within the middle class, absenteeism in the land-owning elite, and a general reactionary tendency to mimic metropolitan attitudes and inclinations" (Demas, 2009, p xv) with which emerging nations like Jamaica has had to contend throughout their process of growth and development as sovereign nations. Jamaica celebrated its 50 th year as an independent nation in 2012 having obtained its independence from the British in 1962. The accompanying period of celebration provided an excellent opportunity for us to assess our progress as a nation. Against this backdrop an analysis of the contribution of adult education to the nation's development as is the aim of this study is not only informative but timely. Many adult education scholars acknowledge the strong interlocking between adult education and the context in which it takes place (Fenwick, Nesbit, & Spencer, 2006;
Constructing a Qualitative Voice
As graduate students who are becoming qualitative researchers, our task is daunting, particularly... more As graduate students who are becoming qualitative researchers, our task is daunting, particularly because we come from a quantitative background. Our journey requires a complete shift in the way we see ourselves as researchers and propels us to start searching for and strengthening that creative Voice we were taught to silence in our thinking and writing. For us, the challenge lies in having to deconstruct the positivist self which is so ill at ease with the “I”, flexible boundaries, reflexivity and self –revelation. The challenge lies in becoming comfortable working within a paradigm that welcomes creativity, ingenuity and the Self. These challenges create tensions as we struggle to design, conduct and report research that reflects our grasp of the essence of what it means to be qualitative researchers
Based on a review of literature this paper takes us into the historical roots of technical vocati... more Based on a review of literature this paper takes us into the historical roots of technical vocational education (TVE) in Jamaica and argues that its birth and growth was enabled in the main by two key legislations: the Emancipation Act of 1834 and later, the HEART Act of 1982. The paper illuminates the contributions of these two Acts in enabling and supporting the provision of technical vocational education in Jamaica as the nation transitioned from a plantation society to a more industrialized society. In so doing the paper shows how the emancipation Act of 1834 created a change in the economic and social context of the Jamaican society thus changing forever the educational landscape of the society and enabling the birthing of a system of vocational education. It goes on to discuss how the government and people of Jamaica built on these early beginnings of vocational education to establish a fairly well organized system for the provision of technical and vocational training enabled through the HEART Act of 1982 and the amendment of the act which followed.
Interrogating the Third Space: Three Voices One Research Perspective
Bhabha (1994) contends that there is an intermediate space in-between subject positions that disp... more Bhabha (1994) contends that there is an intermediate space in-between subject positions that displaces hegemonic practices. He notes this is a third space which is productive, reflective and engenders new possibilities. In this research project three researchers from 3 different research backgrounds and academic disciplines drew on Bhabha’s third space theory to reflect on their experience in conducting a collaborative research. The collaborative research process created a third space where the researchers were able to share their perspectives and challenge ideas to achieve consensus. Utilizing a critical narrative inquiry approach the researchers shared their experiences on working with each other in a collaborative research project. They sought to explore: 1) How three different perspectives of research contributes to the research process? 2) What the collaborative research practice looks like? 3) How this process can contribute to new positions in qualitative research? Data were collected through the researchers’ critical narrative/reflections on the process. Narratives were analyzed using a cross case thematic analysis. Preliminary findings revealed that the research process was not linear and prescriptive but more so a descriptive process which created a space for new understandings about collaborative research to emerge. Additionally, whereas there were initial challenges in understanding each other’s perspectives the critical collaborative dialogue opened the window for what we call a third space
Measuring the impact of adult education policies
This article explores factors, issues and recommendations that must be considered when measuring ... more This article explores factors, issues and recommendations that must be considered when measuring the impact of adult education policies. It is based on a study that polled the perspectives of adult education practitioners, academics and policy decision-makers on the critical principles and appropriate measures necessary to determine the impact of adult education policies.
Building the capacity of adult educators to create inclusive classrooms
How can we build the capacity of adult educators to create inclusive classes within the context o... more How can we build the capacity of adult educators to create inclusive classes within the context of student diversity? This article outlines a process through which adult educators can develop a better understanding of themselves in terms of their values, moral perspective, biases and prejudices and identify how these traits influence their interactions with their students. The assumption is that reflexivity, the willingness to self-reflect, enables instructor self-knowledge, which leads to better self-management and context management, resulting in turn in being better able to create an inclusive learning environment.
Qualitative Research within the Context of a Technical University: Perspectives of Members of Faculty
University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. January 2014. Major: Work and Human Resource Educatio... more University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. January 2014. Major: Work and Human Resource Education. Advisor: Rosemarie Park. 1 computer file (PDF); ii, 231 pages, appendices A-H.
Constructing a Qualitative Voice
Education for Sustainable Development: A Framework for Jamaica
This paper proposes a framework for conceptualizing, planning for and implementing an education a... more This paper proposes a framework for conceptualizing, planning for and implementing an education agenda for sustainable development within the Jamaican context. The strategic questions informing this framework are: What is the context within which sustainable development is being proposed? What are the educational needs that arise within the given context? and what mechanism would best facilitate these needs thus satisfying the sustainable development objectives? The central thesis of the paper is that “sustainable development ultimately depends on enhancing people’s capacities as individuals and groups to improve their own lives and to take greater control over their own destinies” (Ogun, 1982 p.2). Thus, education is contended to be a critical tool for achieving sustainable development. The educational implications of sustainable development within the Jamaican context are therefore assessed using the national social policy goals (2003) as the agenda for sustainable development. Th...
Education for Sustainable Development: A Framework for Jamaica
The Fourth Pan Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning, Oct 30, 2006
Education for Sustainable Development: A Framework for Jamaica
The Fourth Pan Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning, Oct 30, 2006
Jamaica's Natural Heritage: A diversity of Flora and Fauna
On "Reflexivity" in Qualitative Research: Two Readings, and a Third
Qualitative Inquiry, Jan 1, 2001
Reflexivity has become a signal topic in contemporary discussions of qualitative research, especi... more Reflexivity has become a signal topic in contemporary discussions of qualitative research, especially in educational studies. It shows two general inflections in the literature. Posi-tional reflexivity leads the analyst to examine place, biography, self, and other to under-stand how they ...
Drafts by Shermaine Barrett
Based on a review of literature this paper takes us into the historical roots of technical vocati... more Based on a review of literature this paper takes us into the historical roots of technical vocational education (TVE) in Jamaica and argues that its birth and growth was enabled in the main by two key legislations: the Emancipation Act of 1834 and later, the HEART Act of 1982. The paper illuminates the contributions of these two Acts in enabling and supporting the provision of technical vocational education in Jamaica as the nation transitioned from a plantation society to a more industrialized society. In so doing the paper shows how the emancipation Act of 1834 created a change in the economic and social context of the Jamaican society thus changing forever the educational landscape of the society and enabling the birthing of a system of vocational education. It goes on to discuss how the government and people of Jamaica built on these early beginnings of vocational education to establish a fairly well organized system for the provision of technical and vocational training enabled through the HEART Act of 1982 and the amendment of the act which followed.
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Papers by Shermaine Barrett
Drafts by Shermaine Barrett