Empowering Educators with Ethical and Evidence-Based Practices
The main purpose of the New Generation Pedagogical Research
Department (NGPRD) is to train mentors who will provide individualized support to
teachers across the kingdom of Cambodia.
Most of these mentors are based in secondary schools, but
some work in teacher training institutions such as the NIE (National Institute
of Education) or TEC (Teacher training Colleges). A few alumni work for the Happy Cambodian Children initiative and provide pedagogical supports to a large network of disadvantaged schools, especially in rural areas where certified teachers are rare and schools must resort to contract teachers to fill their ranks.
Mentors provide technical, pedagogical and emotional support to
teachers. Unlike coaches they don’t limit their action to short-term technical
assistance, but engage in a more durable relationship with their mentees.
Mentees and mentors work together on a regular basis to create a real learning
community based on trust. They contribute to changing the school climate and
learning through small, but constant improvements.
To know more about mentoring, click here.
Conducting pedagogical research
As its name indicates, the NGPRD conducts research on
various pedagogical issues. It creates resources for Cambodian teachers
(in Khmer) and provide solid evidence to improve public policies in the field
of education.
Among these research projects, we can cite:
- An initial report, Evaluating the Effectiveness of Teacher Mentoring, released in 2019, before the graduation of the first cohort, to examine the needs of the future mentees. Among other things, it provided useful recommendations for the placement of the mentors.
- A Preliminary Research Report on Building Better Educators: The Role and Impact of Mentoring Program in Cambodian Public Schools released in June 2024. Key respondents were 229 mentees In New Generation Schools, Secondary Resource Schools and schools supported by mentors of the Happy Cambodian Children program. It highlighted the utility of mentoring from the perspective of the mentees, and some challenges that mentors face in their respective working environments.
- A larger survey among teachers in Cambodia, Understanding Teacher Professional Development Needs and Developing Teaching Guides for Public K–12 Educators in Cambodia. That survey reached 2,199 public-school teachers of all levels across the country, not only teachers involved in mentoring. Although this survey isn't directly related to the Master's degree, it contributes to our understanding of teachers' priorities regarding teaching methodology, which is one of our main subjects.
The NGPRD is also involved in research on digital education
and remote learning, in order to advise the MoEYS on this strategical endeavor.
All mentors trained at the NGPRD receive a course in English
about Research Methodology. This equips them with the necessary skills to
improve their pedagogical knowledge and become autonomous learners. Another
benefit of this course is to create a network of field researchers who can
facilitate data collection for the Center and conduct action research of their
own.
For more information, please consult the page on our current
research program and the syllabus for the methodology stream.
Improving Professional Ethics in Cambodian Public Schools
Even though the NGPRD trains mentors for other public schools as well, it continues to endorse the policies and ethical guidelines of the NGS program, especially regarding child protection and illegal fees. Mentors from NGPRD contribute to create high level schools that are free from corruption, exhibit high standards of governance and promote the best practices that will prepare young people to work effectively in the 21st Century.
Creating a Network of Teacher Trainers
The mentors from NGPRD also organize training workshops in
the kingdom of Cambodia.
They are organized in an alumni association: Cambodia Association for Mentoring (CAM) that participates to our events and support our publications.
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