Distance education and teacher professional development in the Caribbean : a case study of programme development.

This thesis examines the role of distance education in teacher professional
development in the Caribbean. It does so through a case study of the
University of Sheffield's collaborations with regional partners to provide
courses at Certificate, Diploma and Masters level. The thesis critically
reviews the origins and development of this programme in the context of
educational policy and practice in Trinidad and Tobago and explores the
subsequent 'caribbeanisation' of the programme. The research, which
examines the underlying philosophy that has been driving the
programme since its inception, is informed by a close reading of Freire
and recognition of the importance of understanding and respecting the
cultural inheritance and practices of the learners. Though the research is
located within the Caribbean, consideration is given to the effects of
globalisation on the education systems of small island developing states
and how world classifications are constructed in a manner which tie these
countries into states of dependency. Particular attention is given in the
thesis to the nature of education collaborations within the settings of
developing countries and their role in challenging the cultures of silence
which envelop the relationship between developed and developing
countries. The thesis argues that distance education is primarily about
'education' and less about 'distance' and that the hidden curriculum is as
powerful in this context as it is in a traditional face-to-face University
environment.