ERIC ED356757: Distance Education in Papua New Guinea.

169 Pages·1991·3.5 MB·English

by  ERIC

DOCUMENT RESUME
IR 015 976
ED 356 757
Avalos, Beatrice, Ed.
AUTHOR
Distance Education in Papua New Guinea.
TITLE
Papua New Guinea Univ., Port Moresby.
INSTITUTION
REPORT NO
ISSN-0031-1472
PUB DATE
91
NOTE
169p.
Education Research Librarian, Port Moresby In-Service
AVAILABLE FROM
College, P.O. Box 1791, Boroko, NCD, Papua New Guinea
(subscription, 10 Papua New Guinea Kina or $40
U.S.).
PUB TYPE
Collected Works
Serials (022)
Papua New Guinea Journal of Education; v26 n2 Oct
JOURNAL CIT
1990 v27 n1 Apr 1991
EDRS PRICE
MF01/PC07 Plus Postage.
Access to Education; Developing Nations; *Distance
DESCRIPTORS
Education; Economic Factors; Elementary Secondary
Education; English (Second Language); Foreign
Countries; Higher Education; Library Education;
Mathematics Education; Models; *Nontraditional
Education; Program Evaluation; Science Education;
Social Sciences; Teacher Education
*Papua New Guinea
IDENTIFIERS
ABSTRACT
The theme of this special double serial issue is
"Distance Education in Papua New Guinea." The following articles are
(1) "Distance Education in Papua New Guinea" (John Lynch);
featured:
(2) "Distance Education in Papua New Guinea: Context, Issues and
Prospects" (Michael Crossley and Richard Guy);
(3) "Distance
Education at the University of Papua New Guinea: Issues and
(4) "Distance Education and the
Developments" (Howard Van Trease);
Professional Development of Teachers in Papua New Guinea" (Michael
(5) "Past and Future Distance Education Models of the
Crossley);
Advanced Diploma in Teaching--Goroka Teachers' College" (Norma
(6) "Up There with the Angels: Provincial University
Simpson);
Centers in Papua New Guinea" (Graeme Kemelfield);
(7) "Distance
Education at the Pacific Adventist College: An Evaluation" (Laurie
(8) "What Matters in Face-to-Face and Distance Learning of
Meintjes);
Matriculation Mathematics?" (Gurcharn Singh Kaeley); (9) "The
Economics of Distance Education" (Gerard Guthrie); (10) "Distance
Education, Text and Ideology in Papua New Guinea" (Richard Guy);
(11)
"Developments and Directions in Social Science Distance Education at
the University of Papua New Guinea" (Anne Crossley); (12) "Distance
Education and the Education of Librarians in Papua New Guinea--A Note
on Planned Developments" (John Evans);
(13) "Teaching Science by
Distance Education: A Perspective" (Geryk John);
(14) "Distance
Education in Papua New Guinea: Access, Equity and Funding Issues at
the College of Distance Education and the University of Papua New
Guinea" (Dikana Kema and Richard Guy); (15) "The Papua New Guinea
Association for Distance Education: Background and Purpose" (Michael
Monsell-Davis); (16) "In Search of an Effective English Language
Placement Test for Extension Studies at the University of Papua New
Guinea" (Angela Phillip). Two brief research notes--"School
Organization Climate and Student Discipline" (Arnold Kukari); and
"The Feasibility of Universal Primary Education for the Southern
Highlands Province in Papua New Guinea" (Sam Kari). (ALF)
PAPUA NEW GUINEA
JOURNAL
OF EDUCATION
N
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
VID
Office of Educational Re3arCh and letprOveanen1
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION
CENTER fERICI
:' This document haS Deen reproduced as
tiO
received ,,ore me oe,son or orpae.zalioe
originating al
Minor changes have been made to amp,Ove
reproduction (Wanly
Points Of view Of opinions staled., thtSCIOCL,
rneni Co not neCeSSahlV represent official
OE RI position or policy
Special Issue on:
Distance Education in Papua New Guinea
Volume 27
Volume 26
Number 2
Number 1
April 1991
October 1990
"PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS
MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY
0
2
TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
BEST COPY AVAILABLE
INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)."
PAPUA NEW GUINEA JOURNAL OF EDUCATION
Beatrice Avalos
Editor (acting)
University of Papua New Guinea
Michael Crossley and Richard Guy
Editorial Assistance:
University of Papua New Guinea
Jim Robins
Division of Educational Research
National Research Institute
Kwapena Makara, Thomas Seta, Clemens Runawery
Editorial Board:
National Department of Education
Beatrice Avalos, Thomas Webster, John Evans
University of Papua New Guinea
Sheldon Weeks, Naihuo Ahai, John Khambu
National Research Institute
Elizabeth Morove, Mathilda Aring
Production:
National Research Institute
Taita Aihi
Distribution:
Port Moresby In-Service College
Department of Education Printshop
Printing:
This journal is published by the National Department of Education, the University of Papua New
Guinea and the National Research Institute. The views contained herein are those of the authors
and not necessarily those of the publishers, editors or printers.
ISSN NO. 0031-1472
3
CONTENTS
Foreword
Distance Education in Papua New Guinea
104
John Lynch
Editorial
Distance Education in Papua New Guinea:
105
Context, Issues and Prospects
Michael Crossley and Richard Guy
ARTICLES
Distance Education at the University of
111
Papua New Guinea: Issues and Developments
Howard Van Trease
Distance Education and the Professional
129
Development of Teachers in Papua New Guinea
Niichael Crossley
Past and Future Distance Education Models
143
of the Advanced Diploma in Teaching
- Goroka Teachers' College
Norma Simpson
Up There With The Angels: Provincial
159
University Centres in Papua New Guinea
Graeme Kemelfield
Distance Education at the Pacific
165
Adventist College: An Evaluation
Laurie Meintjes
What Matters in Face-to-Face and Distance
177
Learning of Matriculation Mathematics?
Gurcharn Singh Kaeley
The Economics of Distance Education
169
Gerard Guthrie
Distance Education, Text and Ideology
201
in Papua New Guinea
Richard Guy
RESEARCH REPORTS AND SURVEYS
Developments and Directions in Social
217
Science Distance Education at the
University of Papua New Guinea
Anne Crossley
11
Distance Education and the Education
225
of Librarians in Papua New Guinea
A Note on Planned Developments
John Evans
Teaching Science by Distance Education:
229
A Perspective
Geryk John
Distance Education in Papua New Guinea:
237
Access, Equity and Funding Issues
at the College of Distance Education
and the University of Papua New Guinea
Dikana Kema and Richard Guy
The Papua New Guinea Association for Distance
247
Education: Background and Purpose
Michael Monsell-Davis
In Search of an Effective English Language
251
Placement Test for Extenson Studies
at the University of Papua New Guinea
Angela Phillip
RESEARCH NOTES
School Organisation Climate and
259
Student Discipline
Arnold Kukari
The Feasibility of Universal Primary
260
Education for the Southern Highlands
Province in Papua New Guinea
Sam Kari
BOOK REVIEW
Evans, T.E. (Ed.) Research in Distance
2.62
Education One, Deaklin University, Geelong
Helgi Eyford
NOTES ON CONTRIBUTORS
265
5
FOREWORD
As we move into the 1990s, it is most appropriate that the Papua New Guinea Journal of Education
should be producing a Special Issue on distance education in Papua New Guinea
The 1980s have seen the demand for education at all levels increase dramatically in Papua New
Guinea. Successive governments have stressed universal primary education and the expansion of
other components of the formal education sector, and considerable attention has been paid to non-
formal education. At the same time, the 1980s have been seen inadequate financial support to our
education system, personnel problems which prevent schools and education institutions from
4
being adequately staffed, and personal problems of many kinds which prevent a large number of
Papua New Guineans from furthering their education.
But in addition to all of this, the 1980s have also seen the beginning of a real expansion in distance
education, a trend which will surely continue into the 1990s.
Distance education provides a
relatively cheap and cost-effective way of satisfying the increasing demand for education without
the prohibitive financial costs which other delivery systems can incur. The man or woman living
and working in a rural town or village may have no real chance of furthering his or her education
by attending a school, college or university in one of the larger cities. This may be due to family
pressures, inability to be released from work, lack of sponsorship, or a whole host of other reasons.
such individuals have a very real chance of furthering their education by enrolling
How..
through College of Distance Education, UPNG'S external programmes, and similar bodies, at no
significant cost to themselves, their families, or their employers.
It takes motivation, and sheer
hard work, but it can be done.
The growth in distance education in recent years, especially at the upper secondary and tertiary
levels, has been phenomenal. Where not long ago a few hundred Papua New Guineans were
enrolled at UPNG in a 'bits-and-pieces' programme that was limping along, now many thousands
are enrolled in a variety of programmes, and the next few years will see further expansion in
enrolments and in courses and programmes offered through this mode.
There are, however, still many problems which have to be faced and solved. On the one hand
there are the administrative, academic and financial problems - improving delivery systems,
problems of decentralisation and coordination, difficulties in funding and staffing, and major
issues of curriculum and course design. On the other hand there are the student-related problems
- reducing attrition rates, maintaining motivational levels, the problems of standards and so on.
These problems, and many other, will be with us for some time. But the recent pleasing positive
approach towards distance education from a number of quarters should provide a reasonable
context in which the solutions to these ,iroblems can be found.
John Lynch
Vice-Chancellor
University of Papua New Guinea
104
EDITORIAL
DISTANCE EDUCATION IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA: CONTEXT
ISSUES AND PROSPECTS
Michael Crossley and Richard Guy
The 1980s were difficult times for education world wide as public spending upon social services
was challenged and financial resources were increasingly turned towards the more directly
The search for improved "efficiency' and "cost-
economically productive sectors of society.
effectiveness" dominated much of the educational planning and policy debate of the decade, and
financial support for innovative ventures inevitably declined. In Papua New Guinea times were
also hard and the attention of educationalists, planners, and policy-makers was rapidly focused
upon financial matters, problems of budgetary constraint and ways of rationalising, and
maximising the use of scarce resources.
At the higher education level, for example, the search for ways of reducing the large and disparate
range of separate institutions dominated the agenda - and markedly influenced the concerns and
priorities of the new National Higher Education Plan which recently reported that:
The present higher education situation is characterised by an unacceptably high
unit costs of producing graduates, high student attrition rates, and much
wastage and underutilisation of resources (building, equipment, teaching staff
...) (Commission for Higher Education 1990:i)
On the other hand, while economic constraints dominated the educational debate, and greater cost
effectiveness was seen to be essential, commitment to improve access to educational opportunities
was staunchly defended by Papua New Guinean decision makers.
In this difficult socio-economic context distance education attracted considerable attention as a
viable strategy for increasing access to educat' 3n, and better utilising existing resources, in a more
cost-effective manner. Perhaps somewhat ironically, it can be argued that as budgets contracted
distance education came of age and came to be accepted as an important component of education
systems worldwide.
The international influence of the British Open University (Perry 1976) is well known, but the 1980s
were marked by the spread of similar institutions throughout developing countries. In India for
example, the Indira Gandhi National University was established in 1985, and in Thailand the
Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University has successfully grown to attract widespread attention
both at home and abroad.
Perhaps the most notable international development of the 1980s was the establishment of the
Commonwealth of Learning (COL) initiative in 1988, with its Headquarters in Vancouver, Canada.
To cite the first COL Newsletter:
The Commonwealth of Learning has three overall goals; To promote the sharing
of distance teaching materials, and to support the development of new course
Papua New Guinea Journal of Education Vol.26, No.2, 1990 and Vol.27, No.1, 1991
105
matenals which meet particular needs in the various countries of the
To strengthen institutional capacities by providing staff
Commonwealth
fostering communications, establishing an information
services
training,
network on distance education and supporting collaboration in evaluation and
research. To assist distance education institutions to provide better services to
students, improving study support systems, and facilitating the transfer of credit
between Commonwealth institutions.
Such goals reflect both the extent of international interest in distance education and high-level
commitment to collaborative strategies for support and action across the developed and
developing countries of the Commonwealth. Times will indeed be exciting for distance educators
if such initiatives prosper.
Returning closer to home, the Pacific region itself is especially notable for work in this field with
the regional University of the South Pacific (USP) being recognised as a world leader in distance
education; and attracting international attention to its thriving network of university centres, its
wide range of external courses, and its pioneering work with satellite and telecommunications
systems (Crocombe and Meleisea 1988).
Collaboration has already been initiated between USP and UPNG with regard to distance
education but, as Monsell-Davis and Naidu (1989) point out "UPNG has been much slower in
adult
distance
building education,
and
of
teaching
despite
programmes
the
viable
recommendations of numerous official reports from 1964 onwards" (1989: 185-186). According to
these authors the demands of regional governments (contributing to the University of the South
Pacific budget) for a university presence in their islands, strengthened the effcrts of early
supporters for external studies and university centres at USP. Such pressures were less significant
in Papua New Guinea.
As the papers in the present volume amply demonstrate, however, the momentum of the distance
education movement has increased at all levels of the education system throughout the 1980s in
Papua New Guinea. Moreover, 15 March 1990 saw the formal establishment of the Papua New
Guinea Association of Distance Education with the aim of promoting "the sound and effective
practice of distance education throughout Papua New Guinea, and to foster a wider appreciation
and understanding of the theory behind that practice" (PNGADE 1990: 1).
This Special Issue of the Papua New Guinea Journal of Education was planned to support such
nationwide developments by better informing distance educators about the many and varied
The collected papers also draw attention to common issues
initiatives already underway.
experienced by distance educators in Papua New Guinea, in addition to highlighting the prospects
for this mode of teaching and learning in a nation where educational and training opportunities
remain especially limited in the many isolated, rural and inaccessible parts of the country.
Attention is also given to more theoretical aspects of distance education by some of our
contributors while many focus upon the practical and logistical dilemmas that must be faced by
those charged with translating policies and plans into successful practice.
Howard Van Trease provides frank and wide-ranging reflections on the development of distance
education at the University of Papua New Guinea during the latter part of the 1980s. Much of
what he writes about substantiates Professor John Lynch's description, in the foreword to this
106
8
volume, that not long ago' distance education was limping along in Papua New Guinea. The
It is a
paper describes many of the substantial gains made in distance education since that time.
lengthy paper but it will be of interest to future scholars in that it is one of the few papers which
documents the early growth and development of distance education by a central player in those
events. The argument outlines long overdue steps for distance education to take within the
University if it is to enter a new phase of growth and development. Above all the paper highlights
the need for effective organisational planning and the development of an adequate infrastructure
to support distance education initiatives. This is not surprising and adds further weight to the
argument that these two areas represent the most serious shortcomings in distance education
throughout the developing world (Jenkins 1989).
Distance education in the developing world has probably been most extensively used in the area of
Michael Crossley reviews international
teacher education (Brophy and Dudley 1983).
developments in external teacher education and outlines the prospects that distance education
offers for the inservice education of teachers in Papua New Guinea. He advocates improvements
to existing inservice education, which emphasises the expansion of subject knowledge and basic
skills competencies, by suggesting that notions of critical reflection and reflective teaching be
incorporated into future distance materials and courses.
is often claimed that distance education can improve the access of women to educational
It
opportunities especially in the developing world (Mandie-Filer 1989).
Norma Simpson is
concerned about women and distance education in terms of organisational models which, in
themselves, may discriminate against the wide participation of women in distance education
programmes; she then illustrates from a practitioners point of view, possible solutions to this issue.
Dikana Kema and Richard Guy look more closely at the issue of female involvement in distance
education in Papua New Guinea and provide a statistical analysis of relevant participation rates.
They also analyses the funding arrangements for distance education and, despite significant
growth in enrolments throughout the country, conclude that funding is disproportionate to
enrolments.
Part of the folklore of distance education is the claim that it is a cost effective response to
educational problems in the developing world. This has been an extensively researched issue
(Rumble 1988) and Gerard Guthrie reminds us of the need to examine this issue carefully. He
points out that the viability of distance education programmes is dependent on the crucial
relationship between the size of student populations and the cost of producing materials. The size
of enrolments in programmes in Papua New Guinea may not warrant a large investment in
distance education but the lack of mainstream educational development, the exceedingly high cost
4
of providing such facilities, and the difficult nature of the geographical context, will continue to act
s an impetus for the development of distance education in this country.
Distance education courses are conducted in the English medium in Papua New Guinea which for
a
the majority of students is their second and in many cases their third language. Angela Phillip's
paper discusses the need to assess the proficiency of students in English language before engaging
in appropriate distance education courses.
Her research suggests that a cloze test is the most
desirable placement instrument in Papua New Guinea. Geryk John, who is also concerned with
entry standards, discusses the considerable difficulties that students encounter with science based
courses. He suggests ways to overcome these problems but the issue of laboratory time, which is
107
9
of concern to all science based distance education courses throughout the world, takes on an
additional dimension in Papua New Guinea.
Gurcharn Singh Kaeley investigates socioeconomic, entry style and instructional variables in
relation to students and mathematics distance education courses, and concludes that there are
significant relationships between these variables and the achievement of distance education
students undertaking mathematics in Papua New Guinea. Anne Crossley outlines the context of
social science distance education and the substantial constraints affecting practice. Attrition and
success rates in these courses are documented and the author argues that it is now timely for the
priority of rapid quantitative expansion in enrolments to be augmented by one which pays
increased attention to the quality of the materials produced, and of the support services offered in
Papua New Guinea. It has been argued elsewhere (Monsell-Davis and Naidu 1989) that one way
of achieving quality in distance education is through the efficient use of resources and sharing
John Evans outlines some of the
existing courses with other distance education institutions.
limitations and possibilities of this in relation to efforts made to share librarianship courses
between the University of Papua New Guinea and the University of the South Pacific.
The number of institutions which are incorporating distance education methodologies into their
practice is expanding in Papua New Guinea. The Seventh Day Adventist Church has adopted a
distance education strategy for the South Pacific and Laurie Meintjes documents many of the
problems faced by the distance education unit at the Pacific Adventist College as it attempts to find
a foothold alongside conventional education. There is a suggestion in his paper of the potential for
wasteful duplication of distance education resources in a relatively small country or region, which
may become a larger issue as more and more organisations take up distance education. His article
illustrates the diversity of organisations in distance education in Papua New Guinea which has
provided some of the stimulus for the establishment of the Papua New Guinea Association for
Distance Education about which Michael Monsell-Davis writes in some detail. The growth in
institutional diversity suggests that sociological and ideological implications of distance education
will need to be addressed before too long in this country.
Graeme Kemelfield provides us with an interesting insight into this area and the responsiblities
that face distance education. He debates the role of provincial university centres in Papua New
Guinea which are major student support structures for distance students, but also have important
roles to play in the area of continuing education. The paper details some of the activities of the
North Solomons University Centre which have an identifiable ideological base. Recent events in
the North Solomon. Province illustrate, rather graphically, the relationship that university centres
may establish with the wider community and that they are not isolated from evolving political and
social contexts in the community that they serve. Ideology in distance education is an issue that
equally concerns Richard Guy but in terms of the ideology that is contained in the form of text
which is so central to distance education. He outlines the form of text in terms of technocratic,
Examples of text are provided and he discusses the
interpretive and critical rationalities.
consequences that the form of text has for student learning.
This collection of papers is a significant addition to the relatively small body of literature relating
to distance education in Papua New Guinea. The value of this collection may be measured partly
in terms of its immediacy. A concern to assist in the continuity of development is also reflected by
the fact that a number of important players in events, who have left or are shortly to leave Papua
108