Frühpädagogische Ausbildungskonzepte in drei nordischen Ländern

In Germany, policy drives in recent years to implement first-time offcial early childhood curricula, coupled with new legislation guaranteeing entitlement by 2013 to a place in early childhood provision not only for three to six year olds but also for one and two year olds, are challenging the traditional parameters of professional work in early childhood services. Despite a flurry of initiatives by individual higher education institutions to introduce new forms of professional education/training for key workers, the required and desired professional profile is far from being clear. As one possibility of moving the discussion forward, this paper looks at current study routes and professional profiles of the core practitioners in early childhood centres in Denmark, Finland and Sweden. In each of these three Nordic countries the higher education study route leads to a bachelor degree. However. the professional profiles in each country differ considerably, ranging from a social pedagogy professional working outside the education system (Denmark), to an early childhood professional working both within a social welfare and education framework (Finland), or an early childhood and primary school professional operating within the education system (Sweden). Debating these varying profiles could be one way of clarifying both policy goals and the content of new higher education level initiatives in Germany.     

Institutional Diversity in UK Higher Education: Policy and Outcomes Since the End of the Binary Divide

Following the end of the binary system in 1992, UK higher education has witnessed a new approach to diversity based on institutional self‐determination within a common overall framework. Using analysis of statistical performance indicators, this paper shows that institutions have become more diverse, especially in terms of research activity. However, such diversity is unplanned and unco‐ordinated. Moreover, compared with some other countries, there is relatively little diversity in UK higher education. Further diversity will require radical changes within the university system, either by the operation of unfettered market forces or by increased intervention by Government or funding councils.     

Teacher Education for Research‐based Practice in Expanded Roles: Finland's experience

Preparing teachers for a research‐based professionalism has been the central mission of teacher education in Finland since the mid‐1970s. More recently, as a result of such national policy developments as school‐based curriculum development and local decision‐making, the conception of teachers' work and professionalism has expanded. Drawing on experience within the teacher education programmes at the University of Helsinki and Åbo Akademi University, this paper discusses some of the programmatic issues that these developments have raised in class‐teacher, i.e. “elementary”, teacher education programmes. We focus in particular firstly on the research thesis that is a part of every teacher education programme in Finland, and the hallmark of the research‐based professional ideal; and, secondly on the emerging issues that derive from the need to incorporate the expanded understanding of the teacher's role within the curriculum of teacher education.     

Psychology of education in the UK: development in the 1960s

This paper attempts an account and evaluation of the historical development of psychology of education in the 1960s in the UK. It contributes to both the history of the academic discipline of educational studies and to the history of higher education. Progress of the subject is introduced in the general context of university developments and the research environment of educational studies and then examines the growth of research and scholarship in psychology of education through an assessment of the contributions of individual psychologists, including the inheritance from pre‐1960s scholars, an analysis of the authorship of papers in the British Journal of Educational Psychology, and case studies of selected university centres of research excellence. A brief discussion of external research funding is followed by a consideration of advanced course development and the provision of suitable textbooks. The paper concludes with suggestions for further research.     

Northern Youth under the Siege of Educational Policy Change: Comparing youth's educational opinions in Finland,Sweden, Spain,Portugal and Australia

The question posed in this article is how differences between the five countries in the organisation of social policy and education are related to the educational opinions of the youth. In short, what we are dealing with here is how and to what extent social structures, ideologies and norms are transmitted to the level of attitudes. The theoretical framework used in the analysis is the welfare state typology by Esping-Andersen. Practically identical data sets were gathered approximately simultaneously in Australia, Finland, Portugal, Spain and Sweden, during January and February 2000. The youths were 15-16 years of age, in the last grade of obligatory education. For the piece of research introduced in this article, five variables and three background variables were chosen. The final pooled data file had 3008 cases (Finland 567, Sweden 413, Spain 788, Portugal 605 and Australia 635). Generally the educational opinions of the youth differed quite clearly along the lines of welfare state regime, although not in every case in the way expected. As the representative of the liberal welfare state mode, Australia clearly differed from the rest of the countries, especially concerning the competitiveness of pupils.     

Cross‐national differences in participating in tertiary science,technology, engineering and mathematics education

In many western countries attention is currently being given to the participation of students in tertiary Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education. This is a result of internationally competing economic ambitions, coupled with acute shortages on the STEM labour market, a declining interest among students for STEM education and a long‐lasting under‐representation of women. However, despite similarities concerning policy attitudes and identified problems, western countries differ considerably from each other concerning the percentages of students that choose STEM education and the proportion of female students included here. Based on an in‐depth study in Sweden, the UK, the US and the Netherlands, this article investigates the reasons for these cross‐national differences. At the heart of the explanations lie the accessibility of the STEM pipeline, the level of broad‐based interdisciplinary studies as opposed to compartmentalization and early specialization, labour market characteristics, social traditions and government policies.     

State-of-the-art of Computer-aided Learning in the Nordic Countries

The Nordic forum for computer-aided higher education organizes universities and colleges in the Nordic countries of Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland. This organization has its own newsletter, 1995 being its sixth year. Being editor of this newsletter brings me in contact with the main activities within the field of computer-aided learning in these countries. I have had the opportunity to see the good and the bad in these early years of computer aid in higher education. Many experiments over the years have given the needed basis for development of policies for universities and colleges so that they can meet modern students in the near future. It is becoming more and more important to acknowledge the future students' need for a university which is tuned in on education for the future.     

Conflicting perceptions and complex change: promoting web‐supported learning in an arts and social sciences faculty

This article discusses the processes and outcomes of an attempt to encourage academic staff to use a web‐supported learning package in a UK post‐1992 university. The researcher adopts an ‘insider’ approach to research, drawing on participant observation, an analysis of policy documents and a small number of semi‐structured interviews. The view of organisations as forming unitary ‘cultures’ that can be easily transformed, evident in some literatures on managing change, is critiqued. Instead, the existence of diverse cultures within universities is acknowledged, and conflict between groups is viewed as a useful method of problem solving. While no dramatic increase in the numbers of staff using the new technology was observed in the first year of implementation, the research suggests this is viewed not as a failure but indicative of the incremental and complex process of change within higher education institutions.     

An international comparison of equity in education systems

This paper uses pupil responses to the PISA study in 2000 for all EU countries. Using indicators of the pupil intakes to schools and their outcomes it computes segregation indices for 15 countries, and then tries to explain the resulting patterns in terms of the characteristics of national school systems. Segregation by sex in each country is explicable by its provision of single‐sex schools, religious schools, and the use of academic selection in allocating school places. Segregation by outcome is largely explicable by the use of academic (and other forms of) selection. Segregation by parental occupation or country of birth is lower in countries allocating places at school through elements of choice or with relatively little governmental control of schools rather than use of rigid catchment areas or selection. In all countries there are small gaps between the performance of boys and girls in reading, in favour of girls. This gap is generally smaller in countries with the highest overall scores. Overall, the Scandinavian countries of Sweden, Finland and Denmark show less segregation on all indicators, while Germany, Greece and Belgium show the most. The UK has below average segregation in terms of all indicators except sex, despite a commonly held but unfounded view that segregation in the UK is among the worst in the world.     

The Benefits of Part‐Time Undergraduate Study and UK Higher Education Policy: a Literature Review

Part‐time study in the UK is significant: nearly 40 per cent of higher education students study part‐time. This article reports on a literature review that sought to understand the economic and social benefits of part‐time study in the UK. It concludes that there are substantial and wide‐ranging benefits from studying part‐time. The article also aims to place the discussion in the current policy context by drawing attention to the fact that while part‐time study is seen as important for increasing the global competitiveness of the UK economy, expansion of higher education has tended to focus on the young, full‐time student; furthermore, part‐time study is less generously resourced compared to full‐time study. New policy pronouncements made in 2009 appear to recognise these policy contradictions, which state that most future growth will be in provision other than the full‐time, 3‐year undergraduate degree. Indeed, the Government's independent review of fees has recognized that parity of funding is an issue and its recommendations on part‐time study have been endorsed by the government.     

Reviews

Post‐compulsory education in the UK is growing in complexity. A little explored feature of this complexity is the development of collaborative arrangements between higher education institutions and providers of sixth form education under which students can study university modules whilst pursuing their sixth form studies. This article reports the findings of a recent project designed to explore the feasibility of such arrangements. A range of existing provision is identified focusing on both academic high achievers and students from socio‐economic groups that are currently under‐represented in higher education. The article reviews such arrangements in the context of government policy, the changing nature of sixth form and higher education, and the boundaries that have been drawn between what have traditionally been viewed as separate elements of the English and Welsh education systems. It considers the impact of such provision on the two main groups of students studied and highlights some of the issues arising out of these partnerships between higher education and sixth form institutions.     

Diversity,specialisation and equity in education

School diversity in the UK is not a new phenomenon. However, recent reforms to ‘modernise’ the secondary school system towards greater diversity of provision, primarily in England, needs to be explored in more detail. The article begins by proposing three phases in the development of state‐funded school diversity and provision between 1944 and 1997. It then goes on to consider such reforms with the introduction of a Labour government in 1997. We argue that school diversity under New Labour represents a distinct fourth phase within this broad policy agenda. While there is some continuity in the expansion of school diversity this most recent phase is characterised by greater governmental intervention and a stronger commitment to provide greater resources for schools in disadvantaged communities. However, the paper then critically analyses the relationship between recent programmes of education diversity and equity. In particular, we go on to discuss the extent to which critics’ fears about the emergence of a two‐tier system are justified. We conclude that while the fourth phase in the UK school diversity agenda may aim to be more equitable, complementary and collaborative it perhaps fails to recognise that the education system today is more competitive and consumer‐led.     

Towards Inclusive Learning Environments (TILE): Developing the ‘Roadmap for the Inclusion of Students with Special Educational Needs in Vocational Education and Workplace Settings’

Twenty years after UNESCO's Salamanca Statement enshrined international action for provision for children, youth and adults with special educational needs within the regular educational system, this article presents the current underpinning international and national UK context for developing inclusion in vocational education and training and workplace settings. This context is explored through the justification for developing an EU‐funded project entitled ‘Towards Inclusive Learning Environments (TILE)’ and the creation of an associated audit tool, the ′Roadmap for Inclusion′, by a partnership group consisting of universities and VET settings from Finland, the Czech Republic, Estonia and England.     

Institutional policies for part‐time undergraduate higher education in Scotland

Financial pressures, restrictions on full‐time participation and the public commitment to access and lifelong learning, suggest that part‐time provision may be increasingly important in undergraduate‐level higher education. However the scale and organisation of part‐time provision varies across institutions, and its future development may depend on decisions taken at institutional level. This paper describes Scottish institutions’ policies for part‐time provision of first degrees and Higher National Certificates and Diplomas (HNCs and HNDs). It is based on interviews with senior managers in all 23 Scottish higher education institutions (HEIs), and in 11 further education (FE) colleges. Most institutions planned to expand part‐time provision. New (post‐1992) universities were the most committed to expansion; non‐university HEIs and some old universities were the least committed. Policies for expanding part‐time provision were often part of a broader strategy for flexibility. The research revealed two contrasting models of flexibility: many universities pursued flexible integration, bringing full‐ and part‐time study into a common web of provision, whereas FE colleges typically pursued flexible differentiation, maintaining the distinctions between (and within) the modes. Institutional polices were influenced by four sets of factors: institutional mission, other institution‐specific factors, government policy and funding, and demand; funding arrangements and demand were seen as the main drivers. Finally, we question whether the greater formal autonomy of institutions led in practice to more independent decision‐making, and whether the trends anticipated by our interviewees are in fact well entrenched.     

Lessons to be learned? Parallels between Australia and Hong Kong in the development of distance education

Developments in the provision of distance education in Australia and Hong Kong are analysed in terms of eight phases, characterised by Government policies and institutional practices. Hong Kong appears to be progressing through the same developmental phases as Australia, but at later points in time. Both countries decided against forming a single national open university in favour of dispersed provision but neither followed recommendations to form a body to co‐ordinate course provision nationally. Both have experienced a period of uncontrolled and unco-ordinated expansion of distance education courses and Hong Kong is still in this phase, whereas Australia is now in the midst of belated attempts by its federal government to rationalise distance education at the national level along with higher education as a whole. We argue that much of the confusion surrounding these events could have been prevented by early planning and setting of clear policy guidelines, together with a recognition that implementation of higher education policy is by no means a straightforward matter. Hopefully there are lessons to be learned from this analysis: in the case of Hong Kong, that its current trend towards unco‐ordinated expansion may well lead to enforced contraction and rationalisation should economic growth trends be reversed, and, in the case of Australia, a clearer understanding of issues related to policy and implementation.     

The development of the special educational needs coordinator role in a higher education setting

UK higher education appears to have generally been slow to adopt an organised means of provision for special educational needs for its students. This may be due to the fact that, historically, relatively few disabled students entered UK higher education. However, there is a growing number of disabled students entering UK higher education institutions, and the figure is likely to increase. It is therefore important and, under the UK Special Educational Needs and Disability Act (2001), legally binding, that UK higher education institutions make appropriate adjustments to their activities so as not to disadvantage or discriminate against disabled students. In this article Mark Taylor examines the development of the special educational needs coordinator role in a higher education setting based upon a two‐year case study in a UK university.     

Reflections on citizenship education in Australia,Canada and England

In this article we describe the background to the recent development of citizenship education in Australia, Canada and England and then, following an account of our methods, discuss issues arising from an analysis of a sample of textbooks from these countries. We suggest that the current policies to introduce versions of citizenship education have emerged in these countries in the context of diverse challenges to the legitimacy of the nation state. We argue, generally, that all three countries tend, in the textbooks we have examined, to emphasize forms of citizenship education that may submerge citizen empowerment under essentially orthodox agendas. We see differences in textbooks between and within the three countries but argue that, despite many exceptions, we are able to characterize textbooks in Ontario, Canada as education in civics (provision of information about formal public institutions), those in England as education for citizenship (a broad‐based promotion of socially useful qualities) and those in Australia as social studies (societal understanding that emerges from the development of critical thinking skills related to existing academic subjects such as history and English).     

Recovering the Lost Métier of Philosophy of Education? Reflections on Educational Thought,Policy and Practice in the UK and Farther Afield

A Special Issue of the Journal of Philosophy of Education in November 2012 explored key aspects of the relationship between philosophy of education and educational policy in the UK. The contributions were generally critical of policy developments in recent decades, highlighting important shortcomings and arguing for more philosophically coherent approaches to educational policy‐making. This article begins by focusing on what the contributions to the Special Issue—particularly two of them—have to say about the relationship between philosophy of education and educational policymaking. It then goes on to argue that this relationship can best be understood through an exploration of education as a practice in its own right (as distinct from a subordinate practice). Such an exploration seeks to shed light on the proper métier of philosophy of education. In the course of the exploration the kind of thinking predominant in recent international patterns in educational policy is contrasted with a different kind of thinking which has yielded rich gains in Finland. Important distinctions are drawn between the inherent and extrinsic benefits of educational practice and between the internal and external politics of practice. These contribute to the articulation of philosophy of education as a distinctive discipline of thought and action which is necessary to the work of practitioners and policymakers alike.     

Globalization or Glocalization? Higher Education Reforms in Singapore

Globalization and the evolution of the knowledge‐based economy have caused dramatic changes to the character and functions of higher education in most countries around the world. However, the impacts of globalization on universities are not uniform though business‐like practices have been adopted to cope with competition in the global marketplace. The pressure for restructuring and reforming higher education is mainly derived from growing expectations and demands of different stakeholders in society. In recent years, widespread concerns over widened access, funding, accountability, quality, and managerial efficiency are perceived as the prominent global trends related to university education. Because of the divergent political, social, economic, cultural and historical backgrounds, national/local governments may adopt similar strategies in response to pressures generated from globalization. Nonetheless, through a close scrutiny of the ways that national policies are made, we may find that governments around the globe, particularly in East Asia, have tried to make use of the globalization discourse to address/justify the local policy/political agendas. This paper aims to examine the latest higher education reform initiatives proposed by the Singapore Government, with particular reference to reflect upon how the Singapore Government reforms its university systems in the context of globalization. It is argued that the latest comprehensive review of public university governance and funding brings about a changing role of the government in the regulation, finance and provision of higher education in Singapore and eventually alters the state‐university relationship.