Commerce and the Hungarian Educational System

Abstract

Klàra Tompa describes how teaching aids used to be provided in Hungary, and how that system is now changing, with commerce and the Ministry of Education working together with the aim of ensuring that provision of teaching aids is most effective for the teachers and the classes.     

Educational research in Europe

Summary This article is divided into three parts. It begins with an overview of the historical background of educational research as a scientific discipline which emerged in Europe towards the end of the nineteenth century and gives two definitions: the first characterizes educational research as to its content, the second as to its functions. The second part deals, one by one, with the national and international structures of educational research and development. The article ends with a series of views on the prospects for educational research, deliberately looking beyond the European framework. Original language: French Armin Gretler Graduated in sociology at the University of Geneva and took post-graduate courses at the Bologna Centre of the Johns Hopkins University, the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies and at Pittsburgh State University. Vocational education researcher at the International Labour Office (ILO) from 1963 to 1968. Independent researcher from 1968 to 1971. Director of the Swiss Co-ordination Centre for Research in Education (CSRE) in Aarau since 1971. Member of Parliament for the Canton of Aargau from 1979 to 1993, member of that canton's Education Council from 1977 to 1989. Founding member of the Société suisse de recherche en éducation and of the European educational Research Association (EERA). He has published several books and many articles on educational research.     

Tradition and modernization: Educational consequences of changes in Hungarian society

Summary The problem of preserving tradition and initiating modernization has caused headaches for educational policy makers and theorists in Hungary for centuries. The perennial problem has been joined by several new problems as the country tries to find its way from Stalinist totalitarianism to pluralist democracy. In education this change is marked by the shift from crude political indoctrination and from an officially-imposed value system to critical thinking and the plurality of values. The paper follows the major changes in educational philosophy and policy in the past forty years with a special focus on recent developments. A short summary is provided of the educational programs of different political forces and an outline of the basis of a possible new educational philosophy is given.

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Zusammenfassung Jahrhundertelang haben sich Entscheidungsträger und Theoretiker im Erziehungsbereich in Ungarn über das Problem der Erhaltung der Tradition bei gleichzeitiger Einführung von Modernisierungen den Kopf zerbrochen. Mehrere neue Probleme kamen zu diesem Dauerproblem hinzu, da das Land versucht, seinen Weg von stalinistischer totalitärer Staatsform zu pluralistischer Demokratie zu finden. Im Bereich der Erziehung macht sich diese Veränderung in einer Verlagerung von nackter politischer Indoktrination und offiziell auferzwungenem Wertesystem zu kritischem Denken und vielfältigen Wertvorstellungen bemerkbar. Der Artikel verfolgt die wichtigsten Veränderungen in Erziehungsphilosophie und-politik der letzten vierzig Jahre, besonders im Hinblick auf die jüngsten Entwicklungen. Eine kurze Zusammenfassung beinhaltet die Erziehungsprogramme verschiedener politischer Kräfte und gibt einen Überblick über die Grundsätze einer möglichen neuen Philosophie über die Erziehung.

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Résumé Pendant des siècles le problème de la préservation de la tradition et de l'introduction de la modernisation fut un casse-tête pour les responsables et les théoriciens de l'éducation en Hongrie. Plusieurs nouveaux problèmes sont venus se greffer à cette question pérenne depuis que la Hongrie s'efforce de passer du totalitarisme stalinien à une démocratie pluraliste. Dans le domaine de l'éducation, ce changement est marqué par le passage d'un rude endoctrinement politique et d'un système de valeurs, imposé officiellement à une penséc critique et à une pluralité de valeurs. Le présent article examine successivement les changements majeurs qui sont intervenus dans la philosophie et la politique éducatives au cours des quarante dernières années en mettant un accent particulier sur les événements récents. On donne un bref résumé des programmes éducatifs des diverses forces politiques ainsi qu'une esquisse de la base d'une nouvelle philosophie éducative envisageable.

     

Educational reforms,cultural clashes and classroom practices

This article presents an ongoing study of educational policy enactment in Singapore lower primary English classrooms. It explores how teachers react to and interpret educational reforms in their classroom practices against a backdrop of traditional cultural values. Using a prescribed coding scheme, the article presents the instructional organisational patterns and participation structures of the lessons. Through a systematic analysis of the enacted curricula, the paper examines classroom practices as well as teaching and learning activities in Primary 1 (7–8 years) and Primary 2 (8–9 years) English lessons in Singapore. The results suggest that there are cultural clashes between major educational reforms which emphasise independent/critical thinking and ‘Asian values’ which promote respect for authority and conformity.     

New Features of Educational Media Development in Hungarian Secondary Education

Abstract

In 1994 Eger, a city of long standing cultural and educational tradition, hosted the Agria Media ‘94 ICEP Conference. The conference aimed at providing an analysis of new challenges gradually emerging with the development of educational media. The present paper will look at the main subject, giving an overview of new features of educational media in Hungarian secondary education.     

爱因斯坦教育思想及其对我国高校教学改革的启示

在爱因斯坦看来,教育的目的是为社会培养有责任心的有个性的公民,而不是为统治阶级培养听话的机器。因此他强调教育工作者要为学生树立良好的榜样,尊重学生的人格,为他们创设良好的教育环境,给他们更多的学习自由,引导他们通过活动和交往主动地探究学习,不断提高他们的认识能力,帮助他们形成独立思考、勇于创造、不断追求新知识的良好习惯。爱因斯坦关于教育教学的论述,注重发挥学生的主体作用,强调让学生在活动和交往中学习,重视培养学生的认识能力、创新意识和探究习惯,重视培养教育学生的社会公德,极大地丰富和发展了当代教学理论,对我国高等院校的教学改革具有重大的现实意义。     

A Decade of Transformation: Educational Policies in Central and Eastern Europe

The changes in Central and Eastern Europe caused by upheavals at the beginning of the 1990s had great impact on the formation and implementation of educational policies. A comparison of patterns in Russia, Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic shows common features which were rooted in the collapse of the communist system. At the same time these transformation processes were marked by considerable diversity. To elucidate these commonalities and differences, the following problem areas are examined: (a) decentralisation of responsibilities; (b) financing and privatisation; (c) structural reforms; (d) curricular reforms; and (e) evaluation, assessment and examinations. These developments are considered in the light of various theories about how periods of social transformation unfold. The article helps to throw light on the differences between the countries of the region in terms of how the educational changes were perceived and carried out.     

Exploring Educational Opportunities for Foreign National Prisoners in Europe

ABSTRACT

To gain insight into the educational opportunities for European foreign national prisoners, an online survey was distributed among educational providers and prison managers (N?=?108). The results demonstrate that courses for learning domestic languages are most frequently offered. Other educational courses mostly relate to primary education and psychosocial courses. Based on the online survey, four organizations are investigated in depth to gain more information about how they work. We conducted 12 semi-structured individual and one group interview with professionals and prisoners. The results of the hybrid thematic analysis showed that different models exist to organize education for FNPs. The findings make contribution to the development of European pilot projects that provide distance education to FNPs offered by their home country.     

俄罗斯、匈牙利的教育财政改革及其对我国的启示

20世纪90年代以来,俄罗斯、匈牙利的教育财政政策从保守到开放,经费来源由单一的国家拔款到多渠道筹措,随之政府的财政责任也由集权走向分权。借鉴两国的有益经验,我国的教育财政改革应明确各级政府的责任,构建合理的、多元的经费投入结构并加大转移支付力度。     

The Hungarian Sport Culture

Historically, physical education “birthed” the discipline areas and was the umbrella term for the studies now included in the term kinesiology. In many places, the relationship between pedagogy and the disciplines grew uneasy with the desire of the field to gain academic respectability. This paper explores the status of the relationship between kinesiology and physical education at this point and time, the value of discipline knowledge for the preparation of teachers in physical education, and alternative perspectives on resolving some of the issues presented in the relationship between the two areas of study.     

Educational reforms and the practices of professional learning community in Hong Kong primary schools

Abstract

This study explored the characteristics of professional learning communities (PLCs) in Hong Kong primary schools. It investigated the profiles of the strengths of professional learning community in schools under study and particularly examined the practices in schools which were identified as strong PLCs. It extends research on PLCs in the Hong Kong context and formulates a quantitative perspective to compare and validate PLC variables across schools in Hong Kong. The Professional Learning Community Questionnaire (PLCQ) for Hong Kong schools was developed to assess the PLC practices in six different areas: leadership for teacher learning, collaborative learning capacity, student-focused orientation, a culture of sharing, mutual understanding and support, and continuous professional development. A composite construct, the Professional Learning Community Index (PLCI) expressed in quantitative terms was utilized to assess the strength of PLC in a school. The research findings show that within the schools which were identified as strong professional learning communities, both the school leaders and teachers had strong emphases on the six subscales of the PLC practices.