Fatherhood in the twenty-first century

The twentieth century has been characterized by four important social trends that have fundamentally changed the social cultural context in which children develop: women's increased labor force participation, increased absence of nonresidential fathers in the lives of their children, increased involvement of fathers in intact families, and increased cultural diversity in the U.S.. In this essay, we discuss how these trends are changing the nature of father involvement and family life, and in turn affecting children's and fathers' developmental trajectories. We end with an eye toward the twenty-first century by examining how the children of today will construct their expectations about the roles of fathers and mothers as they become the parents of tomorrow. This life-span approach to fatherhood considers the broader sociohistorical context in which fatherhood develops, and emphasizes the urgent need to consider mothers, fathers, and family structure in future research as we seek to understand and model the effects of parenting on children's development.     

Preparing administrators for the twenty-first century

Our modern society is characterized by continuous change which is radically altering occupational structures, social behaviour, government priorities and individual lifestyles. Senior administrators in all types of educational institutions must be able to cope with the high levels of uncertainty and continuous adversity which this phenomenon generates. This article emphasizes the need for a new style of administrative behaviour in the education sector. During earlier eras, a reactive, conservative, leadership style was successful but in our contemporary society this is often inappropriate. Educational administrators in the future will have to be proactive, anticipatory, and flexible if they are to provide the institutions they serve with effective leadership. International intervisitation schemes are perceived as possessing potential for offering administrators new professional development experiences which will give them an opportunity to examine important managerial and administrative issues from a different perspective.     

Academic identities for the twenty-first century

The academic identities for the twenty-first century conference sought time and space to explore ways of being in a contemporary university sector beset by challenges. As visions for ‘the university’ become increasingly diversified, technologies impact and hybrid roles emerge, it is apposite to question the conditions of work and study in higher education. For staff and students alike, the notion of destabilisation can frame identities in response to changes in institutional priorities. Accompanying such destabilisation, however, are creative, resilient and autonomous appeals to some fundamental values that have long characterised academic life. The underlying spirit of the conference was one of hope. No matter how hostile some contemporary rhetoric, many still aspire to a higher education that cares, inspires and empowers. This review elaborates on these themes through summaries of some of the work presented. Its aim is to convey an impression of the conference to those unable to attend, and perhaps to provoke reflection on what it means to work and study in the university of the twenty-first century.     

Moral psychology for the twenty-first century

Lawrence Kohlberg slayed the two dragons of twentieth-century psychology—behaviorism and psychoanalysis. His victory was a part of the larger cognitive revolution that shaped the world in which all of us study psychology and education today. But the cognitive revolution itself was modified by later waves of change, particularly an ‘affective revolution’ that began in the 1980s and an ‘automaticity revolution’ in the 1990s. In this essay I trace the history of moral psychology within the broader intellectual trends of psychology and I explain why I came to believe that moral psychology had to change with the times. I explain the origins of my own social intuitionist model and of moral foundations theory. I offer three principles that I think should characterize moral psychology in the twenty-first century: (1) Intuitions come first, strategic reasoning second, (2) There’s more to morality than harm and fairness and (3) Morality binds and blinds.     

Using blended learning and out-of-school visits: pedagogies for effective science teaching in the twenty-first century

Background: Recent research and curriculum reforms have indicated the need for diversifying teaching approaches by drawing upon student interest and engagement in ways which makes learning science meaningful. Purpose: This study examines the integration of informal/free choice learning which occurred during learning experiences outside school (LEOS) with classroom learning using digital technologies. Specifically, the digital technologies comprised a learning management system (LMS), Moodle, which fits well with students’ lived experiences and their digital world. Design and Method: This study examines three out-of-school visits to Informal Science Institutes (ISI) using a digitally integrated fieldtrip inventory (DIFI) Model. Research questions were analysed using thematic approach emerging along with semi-structured interviews, before, during and after the visit, and assessing students’ learning experiences. Data comprised photographs, field notes, and unobtrusive observations of the classroom, wiki postings, student work books and teacher planning diaries. Results: We argue, that pre- and post-visit planning using the DIFI Model is more likely to engage learners, and the use of a digital learning platform was even more likely to encourage collaborative learning. The conclusion can also be drawn that students’ level of motivation for collaborative learning positively correlates with their improvement in academic achievement.     

Higher education professionals for the twenty-first century

This paper originated as a Plenary Presentation at the AUA Conference at the University of Keele in April 2004     

Peter rabbit hops into the twenty-first century

Summary Adults have tried to identify and to seek complex explanations for Potter's success. She explained it simply: “It is much more satisfactory to address a real live child. I often think that was the secret of the success of Peter Rabbit; it was written to a child—not made to order” (Lane, 1976, p. 183). She felt the more spontaneous the pleasure, the better the result. You are encouraged to heed Potter's advice. Address the real live child as you enjoy the pleasure of this adventure into the life and times of Beatrix Potter and all her animal friends.     

What action learning is not in the twenty-first century

This article is about what action learning is in the twenty-first century. In 1983 Reg Revans explained how action learning differed from seven phenomena with which it had been confused. This article explores how action learning differs from seven further phenomena with which it is currently confused. The article details similarities and differences between action learning and self-directed teams, coaching, focus groups, action research, seminars, problem-based learning and experiential learning.     

A review of twenty-first century higher education

This article is predominantly concerned with the global challenges associated with managing an academic workforce in an era characterised by increased demand for higher education. In scrutinising global trends in higher education and academic workforce management, the article will address two research questions. First, what are the global trends that most affect education in the twenty-first century? Second, what are the transformations that have taken place in the academic workforce amid these trends? Last, the article calls for a need for researchers to profoundly explore the management of the academic workforce cross-nationally between developed and developing economies, with a particular focus on Australia, Malaysia and Singapore.     

《嘉莉妹妹》——二十一世纪中国社会的现实诠释

本文通过对十九世纪时美国社会消费主义的诞生及消费型社会文化特征的诠释,分析了十九世纪末美国的贫富差距对当时的影响,即人们对物质的强烈追求和精神文化生活的极度匮乏,即产生了诸如劳资之间的矛盾,道德观念的败坏,人性的泯灭等问题,值得引起人们的日益关注。     

Approaching twenty-first century education from a cosmopolitan perspective

All over the world, educators and policy-makers are concerned about how best to prepare students to engage actively in an increasingly interconnected world. In this paper, I begin by arguing that twenty-first century education policies have largely been articulated in response to the exigencies of economic globalization. Further, a survey of the worldwide spread of twenty-first century education frameworks reveals that these are predominantly informed by Human Capital Theory. Conceptualized mainly by transnational and governmental organizations, such frameworks essentially steer education towards preparing students to compete successfully in the global economy. Next, utilizing findings from a case study of two schools in Singapore and the USA, I highlight how the concretization of twenty-first century education via school-level frameworks is similarly governed by the aims of Human Capital Theory and I discuss some of the resulting effects. Using these case studies as a platform for theory-building, the final section proposes ways in which twenty-first century education frameworks can be reconceptualized using two alternative theories—Human Capabilities Approach and Cosmopolitan Capacities Approach. I show how their incorporation in twenty-first century education frameworks can offer a more holistic and ethical vision of education conducive to our globally interconnected age.