Educational Assessment in Saudi Arabian Schools

This profile describes the methods of assessing pupils' learning which are currently in use in the Saudi system. It starts with some very general information on Saudi Arabia and then describes the main features of the Saudi educational system, with special reference to the structure of the curriculum, its design and its development process. It then explains the assessment itself and guidance and regulation from the Ministry of Education. It concludes with a few recommendations for the future.     

教育割裂--一种不良的文化现象

“百名学者评论中国教育”专栏,以教育研究者的角度,就教育理论和实践中的热点、焦点、难点、冰点问题发表各种建设性见解。一事一议,或提出问题,或分析评论,力求形成百家争鸣、百花齐放之势,激活中国之教育学术。特邀教育界有影响的专家学者参与,以教授和博士为主办成一个高层次论坛。各位同仁可就教育理论与实践中的重要问题写成评论,每篇2000-3000字为宜,诚请各位同仁在百忙中赐教赐稿。     

The counsellor and changing Canadian sexual mores

To date, the counsellor in North America has been inadequately trained, and consequently ineffective in dealing with client problems involving human sexuality. The purpose of this paper is to help the counsellor increase his awareness and understanding of the sexual attitudes and behaviour of the clients with whom he interacts in the therapeutic setting. This task is undertaken by examining the empirical findings from some current Canadian sex research to determine some of the dominant changes in attitudes that have occurred within the past decade. The findings from this research have indicated that there has been a major change in the personal outlook of Canadian youth, as well as the viewpoint of the public at large, leading to a more general acceptance of a permissive sexual ethic. There are also signs that public attitudes toward prevalent social codes of sexual behaviour are being reappraised and redefined. The implications of these changes in Canadian sexual mores as a significant factor in the counselling process are discussed.     

游走于教育与技术之间的教育技术学学科

教育技术学是一门综合性的学科,它包括教育科学领域和技术学科领域,并且二者之间相互交叉,“你中有我,我中有你”,导致教育技术学的研究对象———教育技术比较复杂。本文对教育技术理论研究现状进行总结,对教育技术学专业未来的出路进行一些思考,提出基于科学的教育技术、基于技术的教育技术以及基于实践的教育技术三种教育技术学本科生培养取向。     

Educational reforms,cultural clashes and classroom practices

This article presents an ongoing study of educational policy enactment in Singapore lower primary English classrooms. It explores how teachers react to and interpret educational reforms in their classroom practices against a backdrop of traditional cultural values. Using a prescribed coding scheme, the article presents the instructional organisational patterns and participation structures of the lessons. Through a systematic analysis of the enacted curricula, the paper examines classroom practices as well as teaching and learning activities in Primary 1 (7–8 years) and Primary 2 (8–9 years) English lessons in Singapore. The results suggest that there are cultural clashes between major educational reforms which emphasise independent/critical thinking and ‘Asian values’ which promote respect for authority and conformity.     

Doing critical cultural and ideological technology

The field of mathematics education is contested by different sub-cultures. The dominance of psychological approaches is challenged by sociological ones. Within the latter, consensus theory is the norm. A defect of this theory is its neglect of power, conflict and inequality in society. To remedy this there is a need for critical cultural and ideological technology (CCIT).An application of critical cultural and ideological technology (CCIT) is reported in the field of mathematics education. This involves identifying the ideologies about society which are to be found in curriculum materials, identifying the social location of the text and identifying possible actions. A step-by-step method is set out and applied to a particular classroom problem.     

日本教育技术学的发展现状

近年来,日本教育技术学的发展极快,其理论研究与教育应用密切相关,特别是在教学、教师教育、信息教育、教学设计等领域成果颇丰.本文旨在对日本教育技术学的发展现状作一较全面的介绍,以期对我国教育技术学的发展提供可用的借鉴.     

教育技术与课程整合--教育改革的光明通途

在当前我国积极推进教育现代化、信息化的大背景下,倡导和探索教育技术与具体学科课程整合的教学,对于教育改革的成功进行,对于发展学生的"信息素养",培养学生的创新精神和实践能力,提高教师树立现代教育观念和掌握现代教育技术,改变传统的教学结构,提高教学效率和效益有着十分重要的现实意义.本文试以教育技术与课程整合为途径对现代教育改革的成功进行作分析和探讨.     

Educational Support for Saudi Students with Learning Disabilities in Higher Education

Disability laws in Saudi Arabia mandate that higher education institutions provide support for special needs learners in order to ensure educational opportunities equivalent to opportunities for their nondisabled peers. These institutions experience challenges, however, in providing the necessary support to undergraduate and postgraduate students with learning disabilities (LDs). We conducted an exploratory study to assess educational support requirements and affordances for undergraduate and postgraduate students with LDs attending institutions of higher education in Saudi Arabia. We completed semistructured interviews with 22 special needs learners diagnosed with a LD (16 undergraduate and six postgraduate). The findings suggest that additional support services are needed for undergraduate and postgraduate students with LDs attending Saudi institutions of higher education.