Global Journal of Transformative Education (2020) Vol 2 DOI 10.14434/gjte.v2i1.31758 Open Access Published by the Global Insitutute of Transformative Education (http://www.gite.education) © Coronel-Molina & Ndemanu, 2020. Open Access This journal is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial NonDerivative 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction without revision in any non-commercial medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, Transformative Education from Multiple Perspectives: Second Volume of the Global Journal of Transformative Education Serafín M. Coronel-Molina1 & Michael T. Ndemanu2, Editors-in-Chief Full listing of authors and contacts can be found at the end of this article. The Global Journal of Transformative Education (GJTE) is an open-source, peer-reviewed journal de- signed to share high impact educational research and practical applications germane to transformative edu- cation worldwide. GJTE publishes academic articles on high impact practices in the area of pedagogy, curricu- lum, learning environment, educational policy, instruc- tional materials, and reviews of educational resources that support transformative teaching and learning in PK-20 institutions and adult education programs. GJTE is focused on sharing educational research and re- search-based practices with all stakeholders in the de- sign and implementation of transformative education. Articles are offered as resources for teacher educators, teachers, school leaders, policy makers, community groups, and academic researchers. Content may include research articles, lesson plan ideas, assessment and management strategies, book reviews, and discussions about curriculum and connections between schools and communities that are geared toward maximiz- ing educational outcomes for learners. It is becoming increasingly clear that traditional educational models are no longer sufficient to benefit vast sectors of the world’s population; hence the need for new, transfor- mative education models. And it will take transforma- tive research to light the way to these new educational paradigms. Most of the articles published in this second volume of GJTE were initially reviewed and accepted for pre- sentation at the 2020 World Conference on Transfor- mative Education (WCTE) in Cape Coast, Ghana, under the theme, “The Future of Africa and the Role of Trans- formative Education.” The conference was postponed to a later date due to COVID-19. A call for papers was then sent out for to the would-be conference participants to submit their manuscripts to be considered for publica- tion in the second volume of GJTE. All the submissions underwent a rigorous double-blind peer-reviewed process prior to being accepted for publication. Out of several manuscripts submitted, eight were found to meet the standards and rigors of transformative edu- cation ideals as enunciated on our website, www.gite. education This volume is composed of eight articles that delve into transformative education from multiple perspec- tives. They focus on diverse topics such as learning spaces, science curriculum and pedagogy, schooling and pedagogy, school and democracy, health education, geography of education, and education and develop- ment. The articles included in this volume cover four geographical locations which include Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, and Cameroon. The contributions are relevant to scholars, educators, practitioners, educational poli- cymakers, graduate students, governmental and non- governmental organizations, academic institutions, and grassroots organizations interested in transformative education across the globe. The first article, titled “Implications of Outdoor En- vironment on Children’s Learning Experiences in Public Preschools in Borabu Sub-County, Kenya” is authored by G. N. Ayaga and E. K. Okaya. Their research was im- pelled by the evident failure of the current competen- cy-based learning paradigm in Kenya, particularly for early childhood learners. It is known that environmen- tal quality is key to enhancing learning, so they set out to investigate the implications of an outdoor environ- ment on children’s learning experiences in public pre- schools. They found that a rich outdoor environment proved beneficial to preschoolers’ learning experiences and development of locomotor and rhythmic movement abilities, as well as to their general academic achieve- ment and development of various social, emotional and https://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/gjte https://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/gjte Coronel-Molina & Ndemanu, Transformative Education from Multiple Perspectives 2 cognitive skills. Based on the findings of their study, the authors make recommendations for the incorporation of outdoor play in the preschool curriculum. The second article, “Effect of Hands-on Science Activities on Ghanaian Student Learning, Attitudes, and Career Interest: A Preliminary Control Study” by H. Beem, focuses on junior high school-aged students in Ghana and their participation in STEM-focused classes. More specifically, it examines the effect of training the teachers of these students to employ hands-on activi- ties using low-cost, locally available resources on stu- dent learning outcomes, attitudes towards learning sci- ence, and interest in STEM majors or careers. Although objective results (e.g., exam scores) were mixed across schools, more subjective measures, such as students’ engagement in class and enjoyment of science, im- proved significantly. These effects were disproportion- ately visible among females, who experienced decidedly greater learning gains, increases in engagement, and a shift in interest towards STEM majors and careers than their male counterparts. T. J. McConnell and B. Giorgio-Booher coauthored the third article, “Collaborative Teams for Self-Publish- ing: A Model for Creating Locally Relevant Educational Books.” Realizing that the learning materials are still mostly Eurocentric and not culturally responsive in many developing countries, these two authors share a model used to develop a series of books called Con- servation Tales. They developed these books, which were designed to make education more relevant and accessible for children, in collaboration with university faculty, students, and scientists, and leveraged the skills of artists, writers, and content experts from among these groups to provide a rich learning experiences for readers while also offering affordable options for self-publishing. In the article, “Classroom Democracy and Learning Outcomes in Primary Schools in Francophone Africa,” A. M. Njong offers a look at existing data on student performance and indicators of classroom democracy to evaluate the impact of democratic practices in the classroom on learning outcomes. The results show the importance of both teachers and parents in the process of children internalizing democracy in the classroom, and further highlight the importance of preserving and promoting indigenous cultural values, because they facilitate learning achievements. With respect to health education, E. N. Nwagu au- thored “Transformative Learning Potentials of Trainee Health Workers in Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria.” In this article, she focuses on health workers in training and the impact of transformative learning and demograph- ic characteristics on their absorption of the material. This was a descriptive study based on self-reporting by the respondents (learners). Participants indicat- ed a high degree of transformative learning, with the most frequently selected learning components being field trips and presentations. Students felt that such hands-on activities gave them a better understanding of health, illness, and health care. The study demonstrated the importance of discussion and debate in developing critical reflection among learners. In current educational research, the geography of education analyzes the disparity of educational outcomes based on the geographical location of the schools students attend. The urban and rural schools in Ghana exhibit that disparity. M. K. Nyatsikor, W. K. Abroampa, K. Esai-Donkoh examine the difference between rural and urban environments in “The Impact of School Locale on Pupils’ Competencies in Selected Subjects: Does It Matter More for Specific Regions in Ghana?” They were specifically interested in student competency on English and Mathematics tests at the primary level. Results showed statistically significant differences in achievement between rural and urban school pupils both nationally and regionally, with urban schoolchildren outperforming rural ones on both tests. Rural school children in the Eastern Region were the most disadvantaged. The paradigm flipped in Northern Region, where rural schoolchildren achieved higher av- erage scores than their urban peers. This would suggest that it makes a significant difference in which part of the country a child attends school, and leads to the con- clusion that it is necessary for resources for schools and communities to be equitably distributed and effectively utilized in order to provide quality inclusive education for all pupils. In the next article, B. O. Nyatuka discusses “Educa- tion for Sustainable Development in Kenya: Rhetoric and Reality in Basic Education.” The importance of sustainable development is becoming increasingly clear, and the role of education in forming responsible global citizens to believe in and engage in such prac- tices cannot be overlooked. The ultimate goal of such education is to foster ideal policies and practices for enhancing the social, economic, and ecological viability of present and future generations. This article offers a review of research on the importance of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), reflecting on its utility for realizing the objectives of Kenya’s Competency- Global Journal of Transformative Education (2020) Vol 2 Coronel-Molina & Ndemanu, Transformative Education from Multiple Perspectives 3 Global Journal of Transformative Education (2020) Vol 2 Based Curriculum (CBC), particularly with regard to the acquisition of core competencies like creativity, prob- lem-solving, and self-efficacy. The author presents some of the challenges that ESD implementation faces, as well as some of the pertinent pedagogical theories and their implications, and relevant legal and policy frameworks. In the final article, “Transformational Leadership and Wealth Creation in Educational Organizations: The Case of Higher Education in Cameroon,” P. P. Teneng explores the education industry and the influx of edu- cational subsidiary enterprises created by graduates who have been unable to find jobs upon graduation. Most of these enterprises end up failing within five years. This raises the question of what prevents these small- and medium-sized education businesses from thriving, which is the question Teneng seeks to answer in this survey study of 210 small and medium-sized educational firms. The findings suggest that a lack of transformational leadership, due in large part to a lack of leadership or wealth creation education, is a major contributor to the failure of these businesses. The au- thor makes recommendations for transformational and strategic leadership education to be a required part of higher education curricula, to introduce students to the business world through meaningful partnerships and quality entrepreneurship courses. Invitation to Prospective Authors We invite authors keen on transformative education from all walks of life to consider GJTE as an avenue for dissemination of their ideas germane to curriculum and teaching. GJTE accepts submissions for its Open Call, with no deadlines for submissions, and no publishing fees for authors. The journal’s website includes Author Guidelines to help prospective authors with formatting specifications, and an online Submissions system to help with the submission, review and editing process. New authors are invited to register in the system. GJTE also invites readers to join our Editorial Board of Re- viewers by selecting the “reviewer” role and indicating content expertise. Acknowledgments The Global Journal of Transformative Education (GJTE) is a singular publication venue since its main objective is to share educational research and re- search-based practices on transformative education from local and global perspectives. Despite the great amount of time and effort we have invested in the con- ceptualization, development, implementation, produc- tion, and publication of this second volume, we could not have done all this by ourselves. The publication of this volume is the result of the hard work and dedica- tion of many people. First of all, our profound gratitude goes to the Global Institute for Transformative Educa- tion (GITE) and its founding members for their sus- tained sponsorship to make this volume happen. We are deeply thankful to Tom J. McConnell, who provided us with invaluable assistance in his role as Managing Ed- itor, taking care of the daily operations of GJTE. We are also grateful to our colleagues who serve on the Edito- rial Board, as well as to institutions, friends, colleagues, and social media networks from around the world for their help in publicizing the GJTE website and Facebook page widely. We would also like to thank all the contributors to this second volume for choosing GJTE to publish their work. Many thanks to IUScholarWorks for hosting GJTE’s website. Without the generous assistance and contribution of all these great people and institutions, GJTE would never have become a reality. We are equally grateful to our colleagues worldwide who spent significant number of hours reviewing the papers. We thank them for their time and diligence in the review process. We also owe an immense debt of gratitude to Fred Bay for his continuous generous dona- tions to GITE for transformative education conferences, which have been the springboard of GJTE. We wish him a long life. 1Serafín M. Coronel-Molina (scoronel@indiana.edu) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA. Authors 2Michael T. Ndemanu (mtndemanu@bsu.edu) is an Associate Professor of Education in the Department of Educational Studies at Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana, USA. GJTE is published by the Global Insitutute of Transformative Education https://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/gjte https://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/gjte https://gite.education/ https://gite.education/ https://gite.education/