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This mini-ethnographic case study examined the enactment of the mother tongue (MT) medium of instruction policy in teaching information and communication technology (ICT) to preschoolers or early childhood development (ECD) learners in a Zimbabwean school. The study employed an eclectic cognitive sense-making, ethnography of language policy and planning (ELPP), and technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge (TPACK) framework to look into practices of one preschool teacher, Mrs K, in her quest to enact the mother tongue policy. Despite her 26 years of experience in teaching preschoolers, Mrs K had not received adequate training on teaching ICT, a new subject in the ECD curriculum. While at first glance, she appeared to be abiding by the policy, some of her lessons proved to be teacher-dominated, and the classroom dialogue formulaic thus undermining the all-pervading learner-centred pedagogy on which the new curriculum edifice was premised. The paper thus explores the complex interplay of knowledge of content, technology and pedagogy; experience; cognitive and other contextual factors in impacting teacher sense-making and enactment of the mother tongue policy in teaching ICT to pre-school learners. One major factor which appeared to be influencing teacher understanding of policy was lack of ICT content knowledge and knowledge of how to teach ICT using both English and MT. The policy reformers seemingly rushed to implement the curriculum without capacitating teachers on how to use the mother tongue to teach ICT at ECD level. The study thus proposes strategies for teacher professional development in ICT, particularly for resource-constrained environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Derived from an ethnography of working cultures and practices at a bike shop in the North of England, this paper rests on a critical application of social practice theories of literacy (Literacy Studies) in order to explore the complex and heterogeneous literacy practices of cycle technicians. Drawing on a series of vignettes constructed from the ethnographic data, the paper demonstrates the variety of experiences of both formal and informal learning that underpin the literacy practices of the cycle workshop. In addition to providing an account of a qualified and specialist workforce that is under-represented in extant research literature, the paper also provides an exemplar for ethnographic research as a vehicle for exploring literacy practices. The paper also suggests that ongoing debates concerning transferable workplace skills can be enriched through considering situated, contextualised literacy events. The paper concludes by arguing that for cycle technicians, and perhaps other occupations as well, Literacy Studies can generate rich and complex accounts that unpack the textual practices found alongside the occupational expertise and competence being observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper draws on recent doctoral research examining how students aged 12–14 make sense of the Holocaust during their history lessons on the topic. The research was ethnographically informed, and explored, through observing the 'real life situation' [Yin, Case Study Research, 2] of their history lessons, how students' ideas about the Holocaust developed over time. The author is a former history teacher, conducting an ethnographically informed study in classrooms which were not their own, which required transitioning from teacher to researcher. This article is a reflexive [Brewer, Ethnography, 130–133] discussion of the challenges experienced making this transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diaspora communities use school education as a central way to reproduce their identity throughout generations. However, religious institutions, clubs and specific events can also perform a role in reproducing the groups' cultural identity, working as non-formal spaces of education. We examine how diasporic Armenian families in Brazil perceive the roles that formal and non-formal education play in supporting the conservation of their Armenian identity. The paper draws from an ethnographic study conducted in Armenian ethnic institutions in Sao Paulo. Participants expressed having ambiguous feelings towards these organisations, valuing their educational features distinctly. While they do not perceive the everyday practices of the Armenian school as having a central role in reproducing cultural identities, they acknowledge that non-formal educational spaces and one-day events are pivotal to celebrate these identities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mental health difficulties and educational trajectories of adolescents with care-experience is a pervasive international concern. This article explores how digital technologies can facilitate self-reflective dialogues and informal education opportunities for adolescents with care-experience. Extracts from vlogs created during an ethnographic project working with adolescents (n = 10, six males and four females, M age = 15.3 years, age range: 14–18 years) and carers (n = 35, ages and gender not sought) in four English residential homes are thematically analysed. Three major themes were constructed: richness of everyday identity; complexities of in care identity; and renegotiating narrative traumas. Themes illustrated how engagement with a blended intervention (featuring digital and face-to-face elements) created opportunities for trusted adults to support the mental health, identity and educational needs of adolescents with care-experience. The paper concludes by critically discussing the educational implications for those working with this group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]