The purpose of this study is to classify the learner-centered teaching methods that have been verified to be effective for academic achievement in Nigeria from the perspective of learners’ decision-making. In doing so, I utilized Moston’s spectrum theory which can classify learning and teaching styles according to the degree of decision-making between learners and teachers. To this end, a narrative review was conducted to identify 11 empirical studies that examined the effects of learner-centered teaching methods on academic achievement in Nigeria, and to analyze how the actions made by decision-making delegated from the teacher to the learner is linked among teaching styles in the methods used. The results showed that effective leaner-centered teaching methods in Nigeria were categorized into six styles: practice, self-checking, inclusion, guided discovery, convergent discovery, and learner designed individual program style. Furthermore, the results revealed that learners’ decision-making behaviors that particularly influence academic performance include cooperative learning, self-monitoring, and self-evaluation. The results also suggest that teaching methods that aim at problem solving, and inquiry-based discovery may have the opposite effect on academic achievement if learners’ existing knowledge is not sufficient. This study presents useful suggestions for the development of learner-centered teaching methods in Nigeria.

Due to its limited duration of international cooperation, recipient country stakeholders must undertake necessary measures upon its completion. Thus, it is crucial to generate self-reliance and sustainability throughout the cooperation period. This paper centers on endogenous development theory, which associates self-reliance and sustainability. It aims to analyze a case of “Strengthening of Mathematics and Science in Secondary Education (SMASSE)” Projects in Kenya from the perspectives of endogenous development and education borrowing theories. The objective of promoting research on endogenous development is to shift the view towards developing countries and explore the role, differentiation, and relationship of international cooperation within the context of educational development history in those nations. The study also sought suggestions for future research that reconsiders international educational cooperation from an endogenous development perspective. This paper defines endogenous development in education as “the conscious and proactive process that a society, country or region engages in internal and external interactions to critically examine, accept, revise, and construct its knowledge and systems, from its own context and others”.

We conducted an analysis through a case study of SMASSE Projects, Phase 1(1998 - 2003), Phase 2 (2003 - 2008), and Phase 3 (2009 - 2013), focused on secondary mathematics and science in-service teacher training in Kenya by a literature review of publicly available information such as reports, websites, and newsletter. The data analysis findings substantiated that the in-service teacher training programs have undergone an initiative-taking process of revision and construction by Kenyan stakeholders, commencing with the JICA project and persisting to the present. The attitude of the experts, who delegated the initiative and decision-making to counterparts, could have contributed to the observed process.

The advocacy of the usefulness and necessity of community participation in educational expansion and decentralization led to a search for ways to manage schools that involve the community. Moreover, the importance of democratic management of schools involving the community has come to be emphasized. On the other hand, communities involved in schools have diverse backgrounds, and it is difficult to encourage community participation in areas where access to schools is limited. In particular, while there is collaboration between communities and schools in informal settlement in Africa, it is difficult to gain community understanding in schools where the level of education provided is low. Therefore, this study examines why it is necessary for communities and schools to collaborate in informal settlement and what is needed for collaboration. Using the Abese district, an informal settlement in Accra, the capital of the Republic of Ghana, as a case study, research was conducted from the perspective of both the community and the teachers. The research revealed that (1) the Abese clan people expect schooling that leads to higher education and higher income from School A, but School A does not have the school facilities to meet their expectations, and (2) there is a lack of opportunities for School A and the community to exchange opinions and build consensus. As a solution, it was considered that building a relationship between the school and the community by taking advantage of the unique strengths of Abese, a clan society with the chief as its leader, would be effective in overcoming the challenges of the educational environment at School A.