The study explores how sense of global connectedness can be enhanced by creating opportunities for cross-cultural dialogue in higher education. Thematic analysis of randomly selected 15 learning journals, students' reflections on their learning during an international seminar was used to identify students' significant learning experiences. The results emphasise the added value of diversity (geographical, disciplinary, cultural, social) among students, faculty and invited presenters for creating meaningful learning. Furthermore, they suggest that designing an integrated approach of contents, contexts and activities for critical engagement in global dialogue and knowledge generation in higher education can open up new perspectives to students in education and thereby increase their sense of global connectedness. The research addresses internationalization of higher education, contributes to the development of international study programmes and provides means to enhance inclusion of global issues in higher education policies, curricula and practice.

This paper discusses how a variety of qualitative methods could be used for investigating the engagement of the voices on the ground, where the change is expected to happen. It also reviews how qualitative research approaches involve students and teachers, the so-called "target groups" of educational development, as subjects, rather than objects. The qualitative methods are presented here for their potential in engaging the voices on the ground. Actor-centred inquiry and participatory action research consist of data collected, analysed and reported, in collaboration between researchers and the research subjects. Enabling the subjects as autonomous actors to take part in the analysis of their own learning and education provides a means to bring deeper cultural and social knowledge into the development processes. In this way research may promote ownership of educational development. Furthermore, the actors' voices are key factors in the re-definition of global, national and local educational development targets for the EFA beyond 2015.

This is a final submitted pre-print version. To cite the article:Posti-Ahokas, H. 2013. Empathy-based stories capturing the voice of female secondary school students in Tanzania. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 26(10), 1277-1292.Tanzania, like many other African countries, has had a rapid expansion of its secondary education sector. This has resulted in large numbers of secondary school graduates struggling to build a future through continuing education or finding employment. 2 Students are faced with the difficult task of assessing their opportunities in the face of various challenges and making plans to build a better life. The research presented uses empathy-based stories to identify which elements were considered important by the students in determining their success in education. The analysis of narrative data represents a shared cultural meaning on the social and cultural support available to students. The findings suggest that using empathy-based stories as a methological tool can provide valuable insights for culture-sensitive and intercultural research through its ability to widen the context of discovery.

Abstract:The recent discourse on sustainability science calls for interdisciplinary research. The home economics science approach ranges from individual actions to the involvement of communities and societies at large, and thus it can provide important perspectives on cultural sustainability. The aim of the research is to study the linkage between cultural sustainability and service sector education to support the creation of sustainable professions. In the present small-scale empirical study, the food service degree curriculum of a Finnish vocational college and teachers' group interview data were analyzed to find how cultural sustainability is presented in the curriculum and how it is understood by teachers and integrated into teaching practices. Previous cultural sustainability research identifies four perspectives of cultural sustainability: (1) vitality of cultural traditions; (2) economic starting point; (3) diversity together with maintenance of local culture; and (4) possible influence on the balance between human actions and environment. Findings indicate that sustainability, including cultural sustainability, is integrated in the curriculum and considered important by teachers. Translating these into practice remains a challenge. The balance between human and nature was mostly understood as recycling, use of public transport, sustainable consumption, and taking trips to the nature nearby. Cultural sustainability as a concept is not well known, although themes such as multicultural issues, equality, charity, and environmental responsibility were included in teachers' practical lessons daily. Feasts and celebrations in learning were opportunities to view cultural sustainability widely. This paper provides a way forward for the teachers to develop further their pedagogical practices.

The principles of inclusive education largely accepted by governments of different countries require differentiated classroom instruction to meet the diverse needs of individual students. Despite this, teachers have differing experiences and understandings about implementing differentiated instruction (DI) and heterogeneous classrooms. This narrative study aimed at exploring the meanings of DI in the Eritrean context, where teachers are not explicitly familiar with the concept, although their teaching practices reflect some level of differentiation. The research data consisted of 17 narrative interviews with Eritrean mathematics and science teachers. The results of the narrative analysis showed that the teachers constructed five meanings of DI in their narratives: as a caring orientation, as a flexible pedagogic approach, as a selfreflective process, as a failed attempt and as a demanding approach. The majority of the narratives were found to produce positive meanings of DI, and the teachers constructed strong agency towards carrying out DI. These examples of sophisticated DI practices in the teachers' positive narratives could be utilised to implement DI, even in situations where teachers have limited resources and training and in contexts with large class sizes.