The preference of Asian overseas students for the United States: An examination of the context

Asian students in increasing numbers have over the postwar period decided to go overseas for tertiary education, and an increasing proportion of those overseas students have selected the United States as their place of study. Eight elements of the changing context of Asian-American relations are identified which influence the Asian preference for American higher education:

1. The improving Asian-American political links
2. The increased volume of Asian-American economic exchange
3. The sharp increase in Asian immigration to the United States
4. The increasing similarity in the structure and content of Asian and American educational systems
5. The absorptive capacity of American higher education
6. The quality of American higher education
7. The complementarity of Asian demand and American supply
8. The opportunities provided in American higher education to cover educational costs through part-time work

     

Implementing the 1981 Education Act

This article examines factors affecting the development and implementation of Education Policy with special reference to the 1981 Education Act for England and Wales. Research is reported about professional practice and administrative behaviour in special education assessment. Six professional and administrative factors are identified which may affect the implementation of the new special education legislation:

1. The nature of the professional domain of special education assessment;
2. The emergence of competing definitions of special educational need and good practice;
3. The concern for professional and administrative accountability;
4. The concern for the rights of users of special education provision;
5. The politicisation of special education through the development of interest groups;
6. The market relations between supply and demand in special education provision.

     

Focus folklore: Reflections of focus teachers on the SCI-TEC in-service project

In June 1988, the SA Minister of Education announced the allocation of $650,000 to boost science and technology in State primary schools. Subsequent allocations have raised funding for Phase 1 and 2 of this ‘SCI-TEC Project’ to over $1m. This level of funding for science and technology in primary schools is unprecedented in Australia. During 1989 the Independent Schools Board sponsored a pilot project along similar lines and in 1990 the Disadvantaged Schools Program of the Catholic Education Office followed suit. Although different structures have been provided, an interactive approach to in-service has been the underpinning for all three projects. This paper examines what has happened in each of these projects so far, and reviews the strategies used to:

1. develop interactive models of in-service education.
2. involve teachers as effective change agents in their schools
3. enhance the impact of focus teachers working in neighbouring schools
4. record the insights of all participants in the projects
5. maintain accountable procedures when using a model of in-service which rejects a ‘top-down’ approach.

     

Teaching teachers to teach ICT integration—T3

Based upon a nation wide campaign called Public Private Partnership—Schools in the Net (PPP-SiN) (Public Private Partnership—Schule im Netz (PPP-SiN), 2000) we were able to initiate an externally financed project of in-service teacher education. The paper describes the realization of this project. Reflections are given on why teachers hesitate to integrate ICT into their teaching. Media competencies are recognized to be key in this context. We reflect upon the following five questions:

1. How do we educate the right thing as well as educate the right way?
2. Which ambient conditions must be met?
3. Which preliminary actions have to be taken and implemented?
4. Which tools, methods and instruments do we need?
5. How do we make sure that the transfer of learned knowledge will take place to find its way into successful teaching?

     

School counseling in Israel. Issues and developments

This study investigated how Israeli teacher-counselors view their actual performance and what it is that teacher-counselors themselves feel should be their ideal roles. Counseling services were introduced into the educational system in Israel in 1960. Due to the fact that there was an urgent need to help students in their vocational plans and with their learning difficulties (Klingman and Ajzen, 1978), supervisors in The Ministry of Education suggested that teachers who have at least three years of teaching experience start a two year in-service training program in order to prepare them as specialists in helping pupils in the elementary schools plan for their future. A second objective was to help exceptional children with their learning problems. These goals caused the teacher with two years of special training to add a new role to his/her educational and teaching role. This dual role has been called ‘Teacher-counselor.’ In 1960, thirty four teacher-counselors started their work in different schools in Israel. Their major work was concentrated on disadvantaged children and with 7th and 8th graders helping them with their learning difficulties. To prevent overlapping with other helping professions and confusion concerning this new profession, a follow up study was conducted by Malinovski and Malinovski (1964) in order to define the role of the teacher-counselor. They have defined it to include eight activities which teacher-counselors were found to be involved with:

1. Help students adjust to school and community.
2. Help students reach self-understanding.
3. Provide information needed for vocational plans.
4. Help students understand their interests, values, and aptitudes.
5. Help students in human relationships.
6. To be a consultant for teachers and other professional workers.
7. Help parents in decision making concerning vocational plans for their children, and assist them in coping with behavioral problems.
8. Referral to special institutions when needed.

Since its origins in 1960, school counseling in Israel has been developed rapidly. This is reflected especially in the increasing number of teacher-counselors (43 teacher-counselors in 1964 to 800 teacher-counselors in 1976 and to 1366 teacher-counselors in 1981). Teacher-counselors now work not only in the Ministry of Education but also in the Ministry of Labor providing vocational services to teenagers who dropped out of school and who are encouraged to work and learn at the same time. As mentioned earlier, originally teacher-counselors were certified teachers who were selected after three years of experience in teaching and then they participated in a two-year program of in service training to become teacher-counselors. This state of affairs did remain for long. Soon after the introduction of the counseling services, universities responded to the newly created need and developed academic programs (for B.A. and then M.A. degrees) in counseling education. This evolution in training programs took place in the mid 1960's and brought a new sense of professionalism to the field of counseling. Until the mid seventies, universities limited admissions to counselor training to only those candidates who were already certified teachers with at least three years of experience. Currently, admission is not limited to teachers only but includes ‘fresh’ in-experienced students who can be admitted when they qualify on two criteria: Academic achievement and personality variables. The latter development has two significant meanings. First, the quality of students has become higher as they are selected from a larger population. Second, it is well known in Israel that for the teaching profession there exists what is called in Israel ‘negative selection: the less able go to teacher training seminaries to become teachers. Thus, by limiting admission to programs of training counselors only to graduates of these seminaries, the educational system's weaknesses were perpetuated. By widening the range of potential candidates not only has the quality of students and departments greatly improved, but also the educational system has gained much from these highly able counselors even though they are less experienced.     

Analysis of problem solving strategies on electricity problems in 12 to 13 year olds

Strategies implemented by 12–13 year olds to solve electricity problems are examined. Three factors account for observed strategies:

1. type of problem representation, itself dependent on the knowledge base;
2. cognitive personality dimensions;
3. form of problem statement.

Individual interviews were conducted. Each problem statement contained a perceptual ‘trap’ designed to induce contradictory responses. Strategies were coded for accuracy, latency, justification and control. Five types of problem solving strategies were observed:

1. a strategy based on misconceptions such as the vanishing current model;
2. a similar strategy but greater verbalization of doubt;
3. rush to use formulas;
4. sequential analysis of circuit;
5. application of principles learned in class.

Analysis shows that the target problems fell into two classes: problems that triggered automatic (canonical or calculatory) responses, and problems which were much more disruptive. The latter differentiated students who could handle contradictions and control their responses. Mention is also made of difficulties caused by the signified/signifier relationship.     

Counselling approaches in Nigerian traditional communities

Guidance and counselling services, which were introduced to Nigeria in 1959, have recently undergone rapid growth. While the approaches of the formalized guidance services have been largely Western, traditional means of approaching an individual's problems have always existed within Nigerian communities. This article identifies areas of traditional counselling that might be used alongside those of the Western system. The special areas examined were those of mural guidance, vocational counselling, marriage counselling and emotional counselling. Findings include the following:

1. Every adult in the society who possesses relevant experience in any problem area is capable of playing the role of a counsellor at least for that particular problem.
2. An individual who is considered in need of guidance is invited into counselling.
3. The early knowledge that work is essential for every adult provides individuals with appropriate skills of choosing satisfying vocations.
4. Individuals proposing marriage undergo counselling.
5. Divination offers a reassuring approach to counselling situation.

     

Career Guidance in Further,Higher and Continuing Education: — Expectations,programmes, training

This is a report on three working groups of the IRTAC European Consultation ‘Career Guidance in Further, Higher and Continuing Education’, University of London, December 16–20, 1983. The three working groups focused their discussion on the following themes:

- The expectations of those contemplating further and/or higher education.

- The selection and training of the career guidance team.

- The design, implementation and evaluation of career guidance programmes.

     

Numeration a l'ecole elementaire

This paper presents results of research concerning the construction of the concept of natural integers by children. By testing the same children, whose school history was known with accuracy, at one year in tervals, we have sought to determine:

— How their competence in counting and numeration evolved during this period.

— What the mechanisms of this evolution were.

— What role school learning played.

     

Planification a long terme du systeme pedagogique Hongrois

This study is concerned with the problem of perspective planning of education. First it considers the underlying conception of the educational system, indicating what are the essential factors in Hungary's national education. The authors then seek, by means of a systems theory conception to give this education a place in society, and in civilization — bearing in mind that national education is “a system of relative independence”. From here they go on to examine the patterns imposed by planning for perspective development. An important section examines planning as a process and considers it as an essential concomitant of the strategy of development in the following phases:

1. the politico-scientific process of formulating the conception.
2. the process of checking the continuing validity of the conception.
3. the decision-making process by which the conception is accepted.
4. the process of initiating and implementing the conception.

The thinking of practitioners of national education may come to regard planning as a permanent and continuing activity. A method of planning the process of continuing-development must be created on three levels, that of the great corporations concerned, that of regional directors, and that of experts in educational practice.     

Etude en temps réel de la production eEcrite chez des enfants de sept et huit ans

The aim of this research is to study on-line written production in children. Twelve seven year old children and twelve eight year old children were asked to compose two texts (a narrative and a report). They were filmed as they wrote in order to investigate the temporal caracteristics of their composition (pauses, rates…). The results show three main findings:

- the rates increases from seven to eight year old.

- pauses times varied according to the syntactic organisation of the next sentence.

- longer pause times are localized after punctuation marks and before connective.

     

Some reflections on the link between education and employment

The ILO's World Employment Programme, launched officially in 1969, constitutes the major contribution of the International Labour Organisation to the Second Development Decade in the area of employment objectives and policies. The general aim of the World Employment Programme (WEP) is to provide concrete and specific guidelines to policy-makers and planners on policies and measures which enable them to choose those development strategies which have a greater weight attached to productive employment creation, and to assist in their implementation. The following activities have recently been undertaken to give practical effect to the World Employment Programme. First, so-called comprehensive employment strategy missions have been sent to Colombia, Ceylon, Iran and Kenya (ILO, 1970, 1971, 1972a, 1972b). In the light of a definition and diagnosis of the employment problem in these countries, these missions have proposed a long-term strategy based on fundamental changes in key areas of development policy, including education and training. They have also drawn up an immediate programme of action to face the most urgent problems. Second, regional teams have been established in Latin America and Asia, and several subregional teams are in the process of being constituted in Africa. Set up with a view to making a comprehensive investigation of employment problems in the countries of the region and assisting them in formulating employment policies and programmes, they are keeping under review the progress and obstacles encountered and identifying needs for further direct assistance. Third, a major research programme has been launched. The principal elements of the WEP's research programme are the following major projects which are currently being carried out or are about to start:

1. population and employment;
2. technology and employment;
3. income distribution and employment;
4. education and employment;
5. international trade and employment;
6. urban employment problems; and
7. feasibility of emergency employment schemes.

This article gives a brief account of the insights already gained and the work under way in the area of education and employment.     

A plan for the development of a conceptually-based mathematics curriculum for disadvantaged children I: Theoretical foundations

The purpose of this two-part article is to point the way towards more sophisticated educational technologies with specific reference to educating the disadvantaged. In Part I, after summarizing some of the current problems in educating the disadvantaged, a new theory of structural learning is proposed and relationships between this theory, educational technology, and curriculum development are made explicit. This conceptual framework then is used as a basis for planning curriculum development in education. Part II shows in more detail how this plan may be applied in the real world with special reference to three specific projects:

1. An efficient and self-instructional way to diagnose and teach the basic arithmetical skills of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
2. A systematic way of teaching children how to read critically based on a behavioral analysis of the process in terms of logical reasoning.
3. A plan for in-service teacher education which deals with mathematical processes (as opposed to content).

     

Children’s writing of argumentative texts: Effects of indirect instruction

This study reports on grade 4 children’s (Ss) knowledge of constraints and characteristics of persuasive written requests (RQ).

1. All Ss wrote a first RQ asking money to improve their computer lab.
2. Experimental (E) and control (C) Ss evaluated 4 different RQ.
3. selected and ordered, out of 30 scrambled sentences, those appropriate for a “good” RQ.
4. A week later, E Ss had a collective “training discussion” on requests.
5. A week later, E and C Ss wrote a second RQ asking money for their science lab.

Results pertaining to different aspects of the produced RQ showed that the training did have some effects but both groups improved in their II RQ. The results were interpreted as suggesting that both groups actually learned what an appropriate request is by carefully evaluating the 4 requests and by constructing a request from a sentence list.     

All welcome! Everyone belongs!: Leadership from voices seldom heard

Two basic points are made in this article:

-We must make a choice whether we ‘isolate’ people from or ‘include’ people in our communities. Including people is the only viable option.

-The key to ‘including’ people is with the very people we most often label as ‘the problems’. These ‘problem people’ can help generate answers when we learn how to listen, and when we offer genuine learning opportunities and valid partnerships with those who have been ‘missed’ and discarded.

Examples from various Frontier College programs illustrate these points and elaborate the central philosophy of the College (Student Centred Individualized Learning — SCIL), which is based on the beliefs that:

-All are welcome

-All belong

-All can learn

-All have contributions to make

The programmes are focused on ‘literacy’, which is a great deal more than reading and writing — it is about what kind of society we want. Literacy is a tool for ‘inclusion’ in communities. It is hard work, and includes love and tears, grief and joy, families and friends. It is based on the Right to Learn, and builds dignity, self esteem and choices.     

Some aspects of children's ability to solve mathematical problems

This survey presents the essentials of a study concerning problem solving ability in children aged 12–13. It forms part of a large project concerning the impact of calculators and computers in school mathematics and the consequences for certain basic abilities. The contents of the survey are in brief:

? definition of problem solving ability;

? test construction;

? interviews;

? supplementary investigations.

     

A hypertext open learning system for writers

In this article I describe three key design issues which underlie a CIRG project building an open learning hypertext package for teaching writing skills. These are issues in:

? combining flexible materials with fixed structures;

? giving students real flexibility in learning;

? the nature of interaction in hypertext writing teaching.

I outline a design strategy to meet problems in all these areas.     

Environnements Informatisés et Mathématiques: quels usages pour quels apprentissages?

Mathematics, seen as a model of pure science, often conveys the image of a science constructing itself in quite poor technological environments; it nevertheless develops by elaborating (and by exploiting) powerful material and symbolic tools. Actually mathematics teaching is closer to this image of mathematics than to mathematical practice: its goal seems to transmit a form of culture rather than efficient computation tools and theoretical means of their control (Kahane, 2002). This situation is viable if the tools can be held at distance, outside the classroom; it is no longer viable when computation tools (essentially calculators) are imported by students themselves inside the classroom and integrated into their mathematical practice. Thus established conflict between the social legitimacy of these tools and their school illegitimacy (Chevallard, 1992) deeply destabilises mathematics teaching itself. We present here a general framework to think about the integration of the tools in the teaching and learning of mathematics. More precisely, we propose:

1. A theoretical approach, which allows us to understand the influence of tools on human activity and in particular on professional and school education processes;
2. An analysis of computerized learning environments, which shows the importance of students' control of their own activity;
3. Some elements that help to think about the temporal and spatial organization of study in such environments and to guide students' activity;
4. A reflection about the conception of pedagogical resources, which is all the more necessary if one wants to facilitate an evolution of teachers' practices.

     

The university and the technical revolution in Japan: A model for developing countries?

This article discusses the role of the university in Japan's technological and industrial development. In the first part the historical development of the university in terms of technological and industrial development is treated in four sections, as follows:

1. 1868–1886 - higher education and Westernization;
2. 1886–1914 - Japan's industrial revolution and the university;
3. 1914–1945 - industrial development between the wars and the expansion of the university;
4. 1945-the present - the new university system and post-war industrial progress.

In the second part of the article some of the problems observed in the above historical treatment are discussed under the following headings: Westernization of a non-Western society, coordination between education and industry, the government and freedom of the university, and nationalism and internationalism. Throughout the whole period of development, the university in Japan has played a crucial role in introducing Western science and technology into Japan and in training the personnel necessary for technological and industrial progress. While the university has to be given credit for this important contribution it has to be noted that the state itself made an equally important contribution by ensuring that industry was coordinated with the university. Such initiatives on the part of the state did, however, raise questions about the academic freedom of the university. The Japanese university thus played an important part in terms of the development of the national interest; it has, however, been criticised recently for being less ready to develop that spirit of internationalism which the modern world requires.     

Effects of social insertion mode on performance and interaction in asymmetric dyads

So as to study the effect of socio-cognitive mediation in 96 children aged 5 to 6 we introduced and manipulated 2 factors:

1. —One was an ego-boosting representation of the subject’s ability to perform the task. Forty-eight children carried out a classification task individually. Then, twenty-four of them were told how excellent their performance has been. The other twenty-four children were not told anything. They formed the “expert” group.
2. —The other was the representation the children had of others. Each “expert” child was paired with a partner chosen from the children who had not performed the first task (“novice” subjects). Half of them were told how good has been the partner they were going to work with. Twelve of these children were given that information in the presence of their partner and twelve in his or her absence. The twenty-four remaining novices were not told anything.

The results show that:

1. performance was superior when children worked in dyads, and that dyad composition had an effect on the results.
2. Different interaction modes were observed, depending on dyad composition.

It seems that the way a child is seen by his her partner rather than the way he or she sees himself, so far as a task is concerned, determines both interaction mode and level of achievement.