Naturalism and Educational Administration: New directions

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to outline some new developments in a mature research program that sees administrative theory as cohering with natural science and uses a coherence theory of epistemic justification to shape the content and structure of administrative theory. Three main developments are discussed. First, the paper shows how to deal with the evaluation of theories (of, say, leadership) where there is a demand that a theory needs to be context relevant, but also comprehensive. The solution is to allow context to determine the scope of comprehensiveness. Second, the paper develops an argument structure employing a coherentist epistemology for how ethical claims can be incorporated into administrative theories. Finally, the paper, drawing on research in neuroscience, argues for the relevance of emotion in rational decision-making. Contrary to the belief that emotion compromises rationality, the paper argues that it is essential for rationality.     

Educational equity: A democratic principle at a crossroads

This is an examination of the criteria for determining if equitable education occurs through desegregation and the effects of other educational programs on these criteria—access, participation, and outcomes. Equity in access may not provide equity in either participation or outcome. Other federal educational policies may interfere with the achievement of equitable education by all three criteria.     

Educational research at the crossroads? An exercise in self-criticism

President of the International Academy of Education. Former Director of the Institute of Educational Research (1971–82), Chairman of the Governing Board of the International Institute for Educational Planning (1970–80) and Chairman of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (1962–78). He is the author of some fifty books and hundreds of articles.     

Schooling for the future in United States of America: Educational policy at the crossroads

A purposive sample of 10 senior educational policy leaders was interviewed for this Phase 2 of the study from across the US. Interview participants argued the need for: (1) more clearly defining the purpose and value of public education to the communities served; (2) the development of new stakeholder partnerships to accomplish this end; (3) visionary leadership to bring different and sometimes polarized groups together around the need for a quality system of public education; and (4) attracting the very best college graduates to a career of teaching as a professional. If these were accomplished, then the prospects for the favored ‘re-schooling’ scenarios becoming ‘best practice’ would improve greatly.     

十字路口上的现代教育—教育产业的过程、现在和将来

纵观人类教育史，教育在社会经济过程中大约经历了四个阶段，其第四阶段即是自20世纪末叶随着知识经济而初见端倪的。从此，教育在其赖以存在的社会经济结构中开始越来越显现出显著的生产性。教育实际上已经既是事业，又是产业；既是文化，又是经济；既依然具有上层建筑属性，又越来越成为经济基础一部分。200多年前由德国开创的现代教育制度正在走到一个新的十字路口。传统教育经济学仅仅停留在“外部论”的水平上，因为在其教科书中基本上只把教育当作一个其中没有“经济结构的几何点”。世界各国教育市场化改革的真正问题，并不在于公私之辨，而是垄断还是竞争之争，且还是和国家相应的社会、经济和政治基础的重建联系在一起的。     

Home,work, families and children: New labour,new directions and new dilemmas

This article considers the relationships between children, parents and the state in the context of changing global, social and family structures and policy developments, providing a case study of New Labour policies in Britain. It first considers the changing ideological discourses about families, parents, especially lone mothers, children, 'home' and 'work'. Secondly, it reviews the evidence about the changing socio-economic context and for what has been termed the fragmenting family. Thirdly, it provides an analysis of the New Labour government's approach to education, welfare and family policies, including the national child care strategy and supporting families consultation document. It sets this analysis in the context of changing political discourses and from a feminist perspective, arguing that the policies are not 'joined up' but fragmented and diverse, deriving from a variety of sources and targeted on a number of different groups. Thus it is difficult to argue that there is but one modernisation project or 'third way' being espoused by New Labour. However, the underlying theme of all the policy developments is economic and oriented to work. This involves a rebalancing of home and work and the involvement of parents, especially mothers, in work rather than education or child care. The measures taken to achieve this have been both coercive and controlling and involve new methods of surveillance and regulation through standards. Whilst New Labour has developed a new direction for families in balancing home and work, this is fragmented and diverse and covers a variety of policies from education - early childhood through to lifelong learning - and social services, to fiscal measures, to health and welfare and finally involving the Home Office in new parenting initiatives. The balancing of home and work has become the central business of government in its various and diverse activities.     

Formative assessment at the crossroads: conformative,deformative and transformative assessment

The theory and practice of formative assessment seems to be at a crossroads, even an impasse. Different theoretical justifications for the development of formative assessment, and different empirical exemplifications, have been apparent for many years. Yet practice, while quite widespread, is often limited in terms of its scope and its utilisation of the full range of possible approaches associated with formative assessment. The paper reviews these issues and explores them in relation to the development of formative assessment in higher education. HE is taken as ‘test case’ of the paradoxical implementation of formative assessment, whereby the aim is, ostensibly, to develop independent and critical learners, while in practice highly conformative assessment procedures are being designed and developed. The paper argues that developers also need to attend to the divergent possibilities inherent in formative assessment, if their aspirations for a more transformative practice are to be realised.     

The Distance Education journal at 40: crossroads and horizons

ABSTRACT

The development of distance education (DE) over the last 40 years is compared with the evolving content of the Distance Education journal during the same period. DE in general has been described as encountering a series of crossroad decision points, and as identifying numerous optimistic horizons beyond them. The decisions made and horizons sought have not always been prudent, however, and the journal’s critical approach and logical sequence of priorities have encouraged DE to avoid ill-considered options. Currently, the journal is challenged with helping the field to overcome mainstream educators’ lack of awareness of the traditional DE literature, media, and methods, and negative reactions to the effects of the massive open online course (MOOC). The approach taken by the journal during its first 40 years will help to overcome such problems and to keep the field on track.     

新的技术与新的挑战:教师支持与发展

远程教育教师是远程开放教育的促动者,是远程教育院校与学习者获取联系的纽带和桥梁.远程教育教师在实现远程教育教学目标的过程中发挥着重要的作用.本文着重研究新技术对教师和教学的影响,以及远程教育机构对教师提供的有效支持和帮助.     

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。