THE HUMANITIES AND THE SOCIAL SCIENCES IN TRANSITION

The humanities and the social sciences particularly suffered under communism because of the susceptibility of their disciplines to political and ideological manipulation. Nevertheless, in some of them the intellectual climate was more liberal in the Academy than in the universities. With transition, a much reduced research staff has adopted new approaches to research and to the definition of areas of research, one of which is a reevaluation of the recent history of the Czech Republic. A major task of the humanities and the social sciences is permanent reflection on the human condition.     

创新教育的价值与实践探索

实施创新教育 ,是当前教育改革面临的新课题 ,具有十分重要的意义。我们要从深化素质教育的角度 ,以崭新的观点 ,系统地探讨创新教育的价值、内容和途径。     

PERSONOLOGICAL RESEARCH ON CREATIVITY IN THE PERFORMING AND FINE ARTS

The artist, the musican, the writer, the sculptor are all people who possess specific traits and personality attributes which the vast majority do not. Certain character traits are associated with talented artists which other people do not see in themselves. Society possesses an image of the characteristics or traits which set the creative apart from the “normal” population. In the past these generalizations may have been true: Many creative individuals may have been sensitive, temperamental, or irritable. However, the question arises whether these stereotypes are still true in today's industrial and service society.     

THE ROLE OF CREATIVITY IN EXPLAINING GIFTEDNESS AND EXCEPTIONAL ACHIEVEMENT

In addition to exceptional cognitive abilities and domain‐specific aptitudes, creativity potentials are frequently used to explain high achievement in science and technology. In the Guilford tradition, research focuses increasingly on convergent versus divergent thinking, that is, a suspected dichotomy between intelligence and creativity. Despite important insights about the relationship of ability and creativity, a number of important questions remain unanswered. These relate not only to conceptualization and measurement problems regarding the hypothetical construct “creativity”, but also to its diagnosis and nurturance in childhood and adolescence. It would appear that, in view of current research paradigms, the roles of ability and creativity need to be redefined in order to predict and explain excellent achievements more reliably. Advances are mostly expected from synthetic approaches. Consequently new theoretical models and empirical research results will be presented. Finally, some consequences for the explanation of high ability as well as excellent performances in school, university, and at work will be discussed     

论民族声乐的吐字发音技巧

吐字发音是歌唱的重要技巧。十三辙作为汉字吐字的语音练习,已经被广泛地应用于歌曲的演唱和声乐教学当中。但因其归韵复杂,韵内各字的发音规律不统一,记忆和运用的难度比较大。笔者在总结多年教学经验的基础上,以发音位置为依据,分析了汉语拼音和汉字发音位置的变化规律,把汉字发音归入四个类别,提出了吐字发音的两个技巧即调整时长、转韵调整和两条原则即情感优先、兼顾辨析,使汉字吐字发音在演唱中的处理方式得到进一步简化。     

THE VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY OF ORAL EXAMINATIONS IN ASSESSING COGNITIVE SKILLS IN MEDICINE1

In order to attempt to assess aspects of clinical competence, not adequately assessed by other means, the Center for the Study of Medical Education, University of Illinois College of Medicine together with the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery developed oral examinations in formats specifically designed to yield information on high level cognitive functioning. The examinations were administered to 784 candidates for certification in January 1968. Reliability of the oral problem-solving component score pooled from four examiners was approximately .50. Assessment of content, construct, and concurrent validity made by questionnaire and factor analytic studies indicated that the oral tests identified factors not measured by multiple-choice tests and, therefore, significantly improved the relationship between supervisory evaluations and test scores.     

RECENT TRENDS IN CREATIVITY RESEARCH AND THEORY IN WESTERN EUROPE

Compared to the number of articles in the American literature, creativity is a relatively neglected topic in psychological/educational research and theory in Western Europe. There are no scientific creativity schools or research centres; progress depends more or less on the personal interest of researchers in creativity, leading to studies and papers which are scarce and dispersed in national (sometimes international) journals. To a high degree this work has been stimulated and influenced by developments in American creativity research in the fifties and sixties. Nevertheless, apart from the American oriented work there is a more or less typical European line of creativity research and theory. This review is based upon more than 200 articles published in the last two decades. Twelve trends will be formulated, emerging especially from recent creativity assessment and testing devices; other topics are creativity in everyday settings, in business and management, and different approaches in fostering and training creativity.     

ORIENTATION OF STUDENTS IN THE HUMAN AND SOCIAL SCIENCES TOWARDS INDUSTRY

The article highlights the Project, Magister in den Beruf (the Master of Arts and the Professions) launched at the University of Heidelberg in 1992. The rationale for the project was that the vacancies in some traditional careers like teaching, journalism, the printing industry, tourism, etc., can no longer absorb the growing number of graduates in the human and the social sciences. Consequently, undergraduates tend to prolong their studies or, on the contrary, to drop out, while graduates end up accepting employment beneath their intellectual levels, despite the fact that society will, in the future, require a large number of highly trained professionals. The two aims of the project are to familiarize interested students with certain sectors of the business world (e.g., public relations, advertising, personnel management, continuing education, etc.) and to inform the body of employers about the key qualifications of graduates. The means to this end include foundation courses in economics, talks given by employers and trainees, guided visits to enterprises, trade fairs, and internships.     

SIMULATIONS AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS

Simulations differ from games and informal dramas and their benefits have not been fully realized because of misunderstandings and a subject‐bound approach. Most simulations have been used at college level or with adults, and little has been done in the secondary schools, partly due to a shortage of suitable material. The author's eight graded simulations are designed to give practice in communication skills‐‐discussing, organizing, interviewing, assessing materials, presenting a case and speaking in ‘public’,‐‐all on the level of adult responsibility. Although intended mainly for sixth‐form and college level, experiments have been carried out with fourth forms in secondary schools. There was a high degree of motivation and involvement and the simulations achieved their aim of giving practice in communication skills.     

THE TASKS OF ACADEMIES OF SCIENCES AND THE REFORM OF THE HUNGARIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

The different national Academies of Sciences are as varied as their individual histories and the societies of which they are a part. At the same time, they all have certain characteristics in common. An Academy is usually the highest ranking scientific body in its country. It is independent of higher education institutions, of political parties, and of the state, even if it receives state subsidies. Among the special features of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, one can cite the fact that its General Assembly includes two hundred representatives of the Hungarian scientific community who serve three‐year terms but cannot participate in elections for new Academy members and that its forty research institutes and eighty research groups that are located and function in universities have a high degree of autonomy in regard to the Academy as such.     

CONFLICTS IN CREATIVITY

Creative thinking involves both emotion and personality, including enough confidence and courage to consider new approaches to problems, rather than hiding in the security of familiar and accepted ways of thinking. The conflict is between the need for emotional control for academic excellence and the need for a more free and open minded approach. Youngsters who were extremely successful academically were found to be creatively inhibited because of the narrow focus and pressure of their school education. The problem for teachers is to enable intellectually gifted pupils, who have the ability to achieve top grades in examinations, to keep a playful, creative approach to their work and general outlook. An environment in which the exceptionally able child can prosper all round must be balanced This implies enough time with other people to make good social relationships and develop interests outside study areas.