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Papers by JOHN L O N G O ROMBO

Research paper thumbnail of Inclusive Education for Exceptional Individuals A Pacific Perspective

Research paper thumbnail of Science Education and Curriculum Reform in Papua New Guinea

Research paper thumbnail of Teacher Professional Development in Papua New Guinea, Challenges and Opportunities for Educators

Springer Nature Pte Ltd Singapore, 2019

Teacher Professional Development plays an important role in terms of up-skilling and updating tea... more Teacher Professional Development plays an important role in terms of up-skilling and updating teachers to be professional experts in their specialized subject areas. Whilst professional development can take many forms, they have to be contextualized so that the intended knowledge and skills can meet teacher professional needs in different jurisdictions and educational contexts. In Papua New Guinea education system, different professional development strategies have been used such as in-service programs, short courses, workshops, further studies among others. The Lahara Program to do the Postgraduate Diploma in Education for would-be teachers is one of these many teacher professional development programs in PNG today. It is meant to train the untrained teachers to be High School and Secondary classrooms teachers.

Research paper thumbnail of School cultural features and practices that influence inclusive education in Papua New Guinea: A consideration of schools in Southern Highlands Province

The thesis may be consulted by you, provided you comply with the provisions of the Act and the fo... more The thesis may be consulted by you, provided you comply with the provisions of the Act and the following conditions of use:  Any use you make of these documents or images must be for research or private study purposes only, and you may not make them available to any other person.  Authors control the copyright of their thesis. You will recognise the author's right to be identified as the author of the thesis, and due acknowledgement will be made to the author where appropriate.  You will obtain the author's permission before publishing any material from the thesis.

Research paper thumbnail of Inclusive Education for Exceptional Individuals: A Pacific Perspective

This book is a welcome contribution to the growing body of international literature on inclusive ... more This book is a welcome contribution to the growing body of international literature on inclusive education. Featuring a diverse range of accomplished scholars from the Pacific region, the text illustrates how various communities develop educational practices to create inclusive experiences for children and youth. As such, this text holds a universal appeal for educators interested in creating and sustaining accessible classrooms for all.

David J. Connor (PhD)
Professor and Chairperson, Department of Special Education, Hunter College, City
University of New York, USA, and co-author of ‘Rethinking Disability: A Disability
Studies Approach to Inclusive Practices’, http://hunter-cuny.academia.edu/
DavidJConnor.

Research paper thumbnail of School cultural features and practices that influence inclusive education in Papua New Guinea: A consideration of schools in Southern Highlands Province.

Inclusive education is a recent phenomenon in the education system in Papua New Guinea. It is abo... more Inclusive education is a recent phenomenon in the education system in Papua New Guinea. It is about giving equal educational opportunities to all children, whether with disabilities or not in the regular school or classroom. Schools are considered as social institutions that should endeavour to enhance all children’s lives through appropriate teaching and learning practices. However, the school culture, which is generally defined as ‘how things are done here’ is vital for the promotion of inclusive practices. The main aim of this study was to identify the school cultural features and practices that influenced or did not influence inclusive education, and the impact on inclusion. Teachers and school administrators appeared to play a vital role in enhancing inclusive practices through their practices. The study was based on an interpretive/naturalistic research paradigm, the qualitative research approach and the case study methodology. Four schools were studied and categorised as rural and urban settings. The main purpose of categorisation was to identify some similarities and differences in terms of how inclusion was promoted in these schools. Teachers and school administrators were chosen as the main participants. The primary source of data collection was semi-structured interviews. Interview questions were developed for both teachers and school administrators respectively. A non-participant observation method was used as a support instrument to collect more data from selected research participants based on the preliminary interview data. The results suggested the existence of four broad school cultural features and practices. These included staff understanding of special and inclusive education concepts, leadership and organisation, school cultural features/practices and implications for staff, and policies. Teachers and school administrators appeared to have limited knowledge and understanding about what constitutes special and inclusive education practices. However, the school leadership, collaboration and inspection practices minimally influenced inclusive practices. At the same time other school cultural features such as the outcomes-based education curriculum and ecological assessment seemed to have the potential to influence the outcomes of the process of inclusion. The results suggest the value of Callan Services as a school support service agency to influence inclusive education in the Southern Highlands Province. It was noted that children with disabilities were already part of the education system. Though the teachers and school administrators claimed this to be inclusive education, according to the literature this was a manifestation of functional mainstreaming practices. The teachers and school administrators and the Department of Education at the provincial and national levels appeared to take less responsibility in disseminating information pertaining to inclusive practices. The teachers and school administrators received limited support and information from the national and provincial Departments of Education. Therefore, the special education policies developed at the national level had not trickled down to the school level. This situation created a gap between inclusive education policy and practice. One of the major channels of communication and connection was through the inspectors and their inspection practices, but this appeared to have been under- utilised.

Research paper thumbnail of Science Education and Curriculum Reform in Papua New Guinea

The Papua New Guinea education system considers science as a core subject for all primary and sec... more The Papua New Guinea education system considers science as a core subject for all primary and secondary schools. However, the teaching and learning of science concepts poses problems due to certain factors such as resources, trained staff, equipment and other host of factors. At the same time the outcomes based curriculum has added more problems for the teaching of science as a subject in schools. Hence, this chapter argues that the science education needs to be contextualised to meet the local needs in PNG.

Research paper thumbnail of Inclusive education: policies, teachers' attitudes and perspectives

Inclusive education is a worldwide phenomenon widely advocated in the recent past. It is a philos... more Inclusive education is a worldwide phenomenon widely advocated in the recent past. It is a philosophy as well as a principle and/or practice that is based on human rights and social justice. It advocates that children with special needs have to be educated along their normal peers in the regular classrooms. In order to achieve this direction, teachers in inclusive classroom play a major part through their attitudes and actions both in Papua New Guinea and elsewhere. The review shows that depending on the kind of attitudes exhibited by teachers, children with special needs can be either included or excluded from the mainstream education system. Inclusive education policies also play a major part to influence the way teachers form their attitudes towards inclusion.

Research paper thumbnail of Inclusive Education for Exceptional Individuals A Pacific Perspective

Research paper thumbnail of Science Education and Curriculum Reform in Papua New Guinea

Research paper thumbnail of Teacher Professional Development in Papua New Guinea, Challenges and Opportunities for Educators

Springer Nature Pte Ltd Singapore, 2019

Teacher Professional Development plays an important role in terms of up-skilling and updating tea... more Teacher Professional Development plays an important role in terms of up-skilling and updating teachers to be professional experts in their specialized subject areas. Whilst professional development can take many forms, they have to be contextualized so that the intended knowledge and skills can meet teacher professional needs in different jurisdictions and educational contexts. In Papua New Guinea education system, different professional development strategies have been used such as in-service programs, short courses, workshops, further studies among others. The Lahara Program to do the Postgraduate Diploma in Education for would-be teachers is one of these many teacher professional development programs in PNG today. It is meant to train the untrained teachers to be High School and Secondary classrooms teachers.

Research paper thumbnail of School cultural features and practices that influence inclusive education in Papua New Guinea: A consideration of schools in Southern Highlands Province

The thesis may be consulted by you, provided you comply with the provisions of the Act and the fo... more The thesis may be consulted by you, provided you comply with the provisions of the Act and the following conditions of use:  Any use you make of these documents or images must be for research or private study purposes only, and you may not make them available to any other person.  Authors control the copyright of their thesis. You will recognise the author's right to be identified as the author of the thesis, and due acknowledgement will be made to the author where appropriate.  You will obtain the author's permission before publishing any material from the thesis.

Research paper thumbnail of Inclusive Education for Exceptional Individuals: A Pacific Perspective

This book is a welcome contribution to the growing body of international literature on inclusive ... more This book is a welcome contribution to the growing body of international literature on inclusive education. Featuring a diverse range of accomplished scholars from the Pacific region, the text illustrates how various communities develop educational practices to create inclusive experiences for children and youth. As such, this text holds a universal appeal for educators interested in creating and sustaining accessible classrooms for all.

David J. Connor (PhD)
Professor and Chairperson, Department of Special Education, Hunter College, City
University of New York, USA, and co-author of ‘Rethinking Disability: A Disability
Studies Approach to Inclusive Practices’, http://hunter-cuny.academia.edu/
DavidJConnor.

Research paper thumbnail of School cultural features and practices that influence inclusive education in Papua New Guinea: A consideration of schools in Southern Highlands Province.

Inclusive education is a recent phenomenon in the education system in Papua New Guinea. It is abo... more Inclusive education is a recent phenomenon in the education system in Papua New Guinea. It is about giving equal educational opportunities to all children, whether with disabilities or not in the regular school or classroom. Schools are considered as social institutions that should endeavour to enhance all children’s lives through appropriate teaching and learning practices. However, the school culture, which is generally defined as ‘how things are done here’ is vital for the promotion of inclusive practices. The main aim of this study was to identify the school cultural features and practices that influenced or did not influence inclusive education, and the impact on inclusion. Teachers and school administrators appeared to play a vital role in enhancing inclusive practices through their practices. The study was based on an interpretive/naturalistic research paradigm, the qualitative research approach and the case study methodology. Four schools were studied and categorised as rural and urban settings. The main purpose of categorisation was to identify some similarities and differences in terms of how inclusion was promoted in these schools. Teachers and school administrators were chosen as the main participants. The primary source of data collection was semi-structured interviews. Interview questions were developed for both teachers and school administrators respectively. A non-participant observation method was used as a support instrument to collect more data from selected research participants based on the preliminary interview data. The results suggested the existence of four broad school cultural features and practices. These included staff understanding of special and inclusive education concepts, leadership and organisation, school cultural features/practices and implications for staff, and policies. Teachers and school administrators appeared to have limited knowledge and understanding about what constitutes special and inclusive education practices. However, the school leadership, collaboration and inspection practices minimally influenced inclusive practices. At the same time other school cultural features such as the outcomes-based education curriculum and ecological assessment seemed to have the potential to influence the outcomes of the process of inclusion. The results suggest the value of Callan Services as a school support service agency to influence inclusive education in the Southern Highlands Province. It was noted that children with disabilities were already part of the education system. Though the teachers and school administrators claimed this to be inclusive education, according to the literature this was a manifestation of functional mainstreaming practices. The teachers and school administrators and the Department of Education at the provincial and national levels appeared to take less responsibility in disseminating information pertaining to inclusive practices. The teachers and school administrators received limited support and information from the national and provincial Departments of Education. Therefore, the special education policies developed at the national level had not trickled down to the school level. This situation created a gap between inclusive education policy and practice. One of the major channels of communication and connection was through the inspectors and their inspection practices, but this appeared to have been under- utilised.

Research paper thumbnail of Science Education and Curriculum Reform in Papua New Guinea

The Papua New Guinea education system considers science as a core subject for all primary and sec... more The Papua New Guinea education system considers science as a core subject for all primary and secondary schools. However, the teaching and learning of science concepts poses problems due to certain factors such as resources, trained staff, equipment and other host of factors. At the same time the outcomes based curriculum has added more problems for the teaching of science as a subject in schools. Hence, this chapter argues that the science education needs to be contextualised to meet the local needs in PNG.

Research paper thumbnail of Inclusive education: policies, teachers' attitudes and perspectives

Inclusive education is a worldwide phenomenon widely advocated in the recent past. It is a philos... more Inclusive education is a worldwide phenomenon widely advocated in the recent past. It is a philosophy as well as a principle and/or practice that is based on human rights and social justice. It advocates that children with special needs have to be educated along their normal peers in the regular classrooms. In order to achieve this direction, teachers in inclusive classroom play a major part through their attitudes and actions both in Papua New Guinea and elsewhere. The review shows that depending on the kind of attitudes exhibited by teachers, children with special needs can be either included or excluded from the mainstream education system. Inclusive education policies also play a major part to influence the way teachers form their attitudes towards inclusion.