Occupational Social Work Education for Employee Assistance Practice

ABSTRACT

This article explores the current state of Occupational Social Work/Employee Assistance (OSW/EA) education. It examines the relationship between social work curricula, field placement experiences, and entry-level employment opportunities in the OSW/EA field. It is based on an educational initiative called the Partnership for Employee Assistance Education. Drawing on the OSW/EA literature, surveys, and focus group materials, the article concludes that the nature of OSW/EA is being reshaped by information technology, shifting demographics, globalization, and evolving terms and conditions of employment. The authors discuss how the graduate-level OSW/EA curriculum and field placements are being transformed to reflect these trends. Concepts such as Organizational Social Work and organizational intelligence are discussed. Innovative educational strategies are recommended. Finally, the authors argue that the contemporary workplace offers potential opportunity for innovative social work practice and education.     

Massification of higher education,graduate employment and social mobility in the Greater China region

Globalisation and the evolution of the knowledge-based economy have caused dramatic worldwide changes in the character and functions of education, particularly higher education. In the search for global competitiveness, many emerging economies have begun to expand their higher education systems, which has significantly affected the relationship between higher education and graduate employment. Recently, international comparative studies have suggested that increasing enrolment in higher education does not always promote upward social mobility, and can intensify inequality in education. This article critically examines the impact of the expansion of higher education in East Asia on graduate employment and social mobility in the context of an increasingly globalising economy and changing labour market needs. The article discusses emerging trends in the Greater China region, with a particular focus on Hong Kong, Guangzhou and Taipei, and argues that the massification of higher education has not necessarily led to more occupational opportunities for youth or opportunities for upward social movement, particularly since the significant changes in the global labour market after the 2008 global financial crisis. On the contrary, the intensification of ‘positional competition’ among college graduates seems to reflect growing social inequality.     

The Teacher–Learner Relationship: Considerations for Social Work in the Digital Age

ABSTRACT

In light of a rapidly changing educational landscape, this paper will discuss the implications of online education for the teacher–learner relationship, which is a critical aspect of academic and professional development for the social work student. As technology revolutionizes relationships, how will we ensure the intra-and interpersonal nature of social work education? The pursuit of accessible and flexible educational opportunities presently driving social work education threatens to undermine this important alliance. The centrality of relationship is discussed here in the context of current trends in distance learning. Relational-Cultural Theory and Transactional Distance Theory are posited to provide evidence for the significance of relationship in learning.     

远程继续教育和企业教育的新型关系与合作机遇

在许多大型企业中,企业培训部门向企业大学的发展和转变,改变了企业教育的理念、模式以及实践,企业教育与远程继续教育的关系也随之发生了根本性的变化,产生了前所未有的新型关系和教育合作机遇。本文旨在分析远程继续教育和企业教育的关系变革和教育合作的机遇及优势。文章分为四个部分,第一部分介绍企业大学兴起的背景和现状;第二部分阐述企业培训部门转向企业大学后,在教育目标、教育策略、管理模式、课程类型、教学模式、学习对象六个方面产生的变革;第三部分分析远程继续教育和企业教育产生的新型关系,表明企业大学和远程继续教育走向一致的发展趋势;第四部分分析远程继续教育机构和企业大学教育合作的机遇和优势,说明双方的合作能够达到优势互补,通过分享办学理念和优质教育资源,取得良好的社会效益和成本效益,最终获得远程继续教育机构、企业大学以及企业员工的三赢成效。     

教学研究型大学初期阶段的办学思考

由教学型大学建设成教学研究型大学,是社会政治、经济、文化形势发展和大学自身发展的需要。教学研究型大学是介于教学型大学与研究型大学之间的过渡层次,强调教学与科研并重、教学与社会服务相辅相成、研究生教育与本科生教育并举,本科教学是学校的中心工作。通过对教学研究型大学的内涵进行研究与阐述,提出了由教学型大学向教学研究型大学过渡阶段即教学研究型大学的初期阶段的一些办学思考。     

Higher education in Kenya: an assessment of current responses to the imperative of widening access

Higher education is a key factor in a nation’s effort to develop a highly skilled workforce for competing in the global economy. In this paper, current trends in accessibility, equity, participation and financing of higher education in Kenya are examined. The paper explores the challenges which need to be confronted and discusses the way forward for reforming higher education policies in Kenya to widen access and advance equity by suggesting a number of strategies. It highlights the need for programmes and policies focusing on improving access to quality secondary education experiences; increasing aspirations and application to higher education; and the improvement of policies on financial support to disadvantaged students through the already existing Higher Education Loans Board. It concludes with a number of recommendations including a new revenue allocation particularly to the rising numbers of higher education aspirants from low income, rural, ethnic minorities and women.     

在德育中促进职业学校学生的个性发展

学校道德教育的最高目的是促使学生个性的健康发展,这也是德育本身固有的规律。职校的德育应从市场经济的要求出发,潜心研究学生个性发展的规律,注重对学生的个性培养与个性发展,加强教育的针对性,为学生未来能更好地适应社会发展起重要作用。本文针对职校学生实际,分别阐述了思想政治教育与人的个性培养的关系,指出了德育是培养学生个性发展的重要途径。     

The Forgotten Minority: Exploring Deficiencies in Access to Education and Technology in Rural America

ABSTRACT

Rural Americans often face challenges in education and, as a result, long-term economic stability due to a deficiency in access to digital resources, minimal opportunities for advanced education, and a lack of community support and value placed on educational achievements. This article explores these deficiencies through the theoretical framework of social cognitive career theory (SCCT). Further, by focusing on a literature review of current studies as well as nationally published news articles, potential solutions are discussed, including increased attention from educational institutions, fostering family engagement and support, funding and grants, and technology access and support.     

Philosophy and Practical Education: a review

Developing learning programmes to enhance the formation of generic skills is an international concern in education and training policy. This paper provides a broad survey of the development of generic skills policy in England from 1975 to 2002, drawing on both the economic and educational literature. It demonstrates that, despite an evident demand for generic skills in the English economy, successive waves of education and training policy intended to stimulate the supply of such skills have failed to deliver the desired results. Such failure is accounted for using a policy instruments and institutions framework. This suggests that the failure of generic skills policy can be attributed to a combination of weak policy design, the interaction of generic skills policy with other market‐led reforms of education and training in England, and broader exogenous socio‐economic trends. The paper concludes that current initiatives to develop key skills for all 16–19 learners in England are unlikely to succeed without substantial changes in the current education policy environment.     

Fostering creative engineers: a key to face the complexity of engineering practice

Recent studies have argued a shift of thinking about engineering practice from a linear conception to a system understanding. The complexity of engineering practice has been thought of as the root of challenges for engineers. Moreover, creativity has been emphasised as one key capability that engineering students should master. This paper aims to illustrate deeply why engineering education needs to foster creative students to face the challenges of complex engineering work. So a literature review will be provided by focusing on the necessity of developing creativity in engineering education. As the literature demonstrates, this paper reveals the understanding of complexity in engineering practice and the roles of creativity in engineering practice. In addition, the barriers to creativity in current engineering education and some implications of pedagogic strategies will be discussed. So this paper contributes to rethinking the engineering profession in a social context and a link between creativity research and engineering education.     

社会教育与其他教育关系之争的历史考察

社会教育与学校教育、家庭教育的关系以及与其相近、相关的各种教育关系之争,是近代教育现代化进程中的一次教育大讨论,引起众多教育家以及教育学者的关注,留下了大量的富有启发性的言论和教育观点。社会教育与各种教育关系之争,源起于国外各种教育思潮的影响以及学习外国教育的失望,肇始于国内教育对象的复杂性与多样性,具有深刻的教育思想渊源与教育制度探索的背景。这些争论“话语”具有丰富的教育学价值与教育史价值,为探索适应国情的,具有中国特色与中国价值的教育学思想体系、话语体系以及制度体系,为书写中国近代国民教育史,留下了宝贵的本土经验。     

The poverty trap of education: Education–poverty connections in Western China

Traditional studies of development and education focus either on the benefits of education for lifting the poor out of poverty, or on the vicious circle created when poor cannot afford education. This paper adds to the traditional view by also focusing on the poverty trap that is created for families that invest heavily in education without obtaining returns. It offers another perspective on the new education–poverty trap, with the burden of educational costs as cause of poverty and deprivation for low- and middle-income families. Data from a large-scale survey of the Western regions of China shows that the cost of higher education is far beyond low- and middle-income families’ affordability. Chinese households face a dilemma: borrowing money to educate a child or avoiding debt but foregoing education and mobility. While already acknowledged as a major social problem in China, the new poverty–education connection has so far received relatively little scholarly attention.     

Changes in Chinese education under globalisation and market economy: emerging issues and debates

Fuelled by forces of globalisation, China has gradually shifted from a centrally planned economy to the ‘socialist market economy’. This study examines changes in Chinese education under globalisation and market economy, focusing on the teaching and living conditions of teachers. The study reveals that the profound transformation of social and economic life has resulted in significant changes to education in China, as manifested in curriculum reform, increased disparity between rural and urban education, marginalisation of minority education and lack of accessible and affordable education for the children of migrant workers. The recent changes have also had tremendous impact on teachers in terms of their workload, payment, wellbeing, social status and teaching and living conditions. The study contextualises the concept of globalisation by examining its impact on China through marketisation and privatisation. Its analysis demonstrates a withdrawal of the state from provision and financing of public education. It also reveals a number of social injustices and inequities whose reduction and elimination require the Chinese government to take immediate and active measures.     

Metrics and outcomes of conservation education: a quarter century of lessons learned

We conducted a systematic literature review to analyze evaluations of conservation education programs on a global scale in order to better understand (1) temporal and spatial trends in conservation education program evaluations over the last 25 years, (2) patterns in the types of conservation-related issues addressed through these programs, (3) metrics that indicate effectiveness of conservation education programs, and (4) methods and timeframes used to draw conclusions about program outcomes. Findings indicated that there is a need to better connect the types of issues addressed through conservation education programs with metrics that would indicate success in addressing these issues and the actual outcomes measured and reported. As well, there is an opportunity to employ a variety of metrics and methods for evaluating program outcomes, particularly in developing countries, by focusing on cognitive and behavioral components as well as social and ecological ones. Finally, shifting to a more comprehensive strategy for evaluating multiple outcomes in different cultural contexts would provide opportunities for utilizing mixed methods and qualitative approaches in partnership with community stakeholders.     

教学设计视域：大学教学模式的局限与走向

本文以教学模式的基本构成要素作为考察思维框架,在教学设计视域的观照下,认为当前大学教学模式主要存在十大局限:即客观主义倾向的教学理念、低阶能力的培养目标、重知轻行的价值取向、“权威-依存”的师生关系、方法滞后的信息技术应用、单一化的教学组织形式和方法、程式化的教学设计、机械接受为主的学习方式、标准化的培养方式,以及背离学习者发展的教学评价。针对上述局限,作者进而论述了目前国内外大学教学模式改革的十大走向:即建构主义的教学理念、高阶能力的培养目标、知行合一的价值取向、双主体和互动对话的师生关系、建构主义的技术应用观、多样化的教学组织形式和方法、弹性、灵活、递归的教学设计、创新性的学习方式、个性化的培养方式,以及促进学习者发展的教学评价。     

当前获取高等教育机会的不均等——依附于经济之上的社会资本的作用

本文首先分析了教育与社会的关系,教育在社会中的重要地位,从社会学的角度分析了社会系统中教育的功能,然后进一步分析了我国当前社会中高等教育存在的机会不平等的现状,最后从社会资本的角度来对当前社会中高等教育机会不平等的问题进行分析。     

试论21世纪德育面临的形势和任务

21 世纪是知识经济、科学技术迅速发展的世纪。在研究新世纪学校德育面临的形势和面临的挑战的时候，需要认真分析德育与社会主义市场经济的关系，重点强调学校德育应加强具有中国特色的社会主义教育，社会主义市场经济教育，价值观教育，个人利益与社会整体利益关系等诸多方面的教育。学校德育在新世纪里必须找准位置，更新观念，创造有中国特色社会主义新型的德育体系。     

Models of transformative learning for social justice: comparative case studies of non-formal development education in Britain and Spain

This paper presents comparative case studies of non-formal development education by non-profit organisations in two European countries. The study aimed to explore the extent to which such activities provide opportunities for transformative learning. The research was qualitative and began with interviews with educators across 14 organisations in Britain and Spain. Case studies were then identified, purposefully selecting interesting non-formal activities. This paper presents four activities and analyses their potential for transformative learning, drawing together ideas from the literature and the cross-case analysis of the perspectives of development education practitioners. By using the framework of transformative learning pedagogies, this research can inform non-formal education with aims regarding social justice in a range of contexts. It is argued that while there are scarce opportunities for sustained non-formal development education, these cases contribute to knowledge by providing examples of how participative methodologies can generate critical thinking and thus offer learning opportunities that are transformational.     

Challenges and prospects for improving teacher education and development through the National Policy Framework on Teacher Education and Development

Abstract

This paper examines the prospects for improving teacher education and development in South Africa through the National Policy Framework on Teacher Education and Development (NPFTED). The key elements of the policy framework are critically analysed in terms of their limitations and their potential for improving teacher education and development as a crucial means to improve learner performance. The paper looks at the current realities in teacher education and development, the progress made and opportunities available, the identifiable gaps, and the proposals for closing the gaps. Possibilities and constraints in the current situation, as they are described in the NPFTED, are discussed. These include globalisation, the challenges facing a fledgling nonracial democracy, the legacy of skewed development under apartheid, current social inequalities, conditions in rural schools, declining recruitment trends, large mismatches between the supply and demand of teachers, HIV/AIDS and other diseases among teachers, the limits of the current planning, information and communication systems, and the situation in education faculties in higher education institutions. The paper concludes that the challenges are formidable, but that proper planning and synergisation of objectives and resources by government, higher education institutions, labour unions, the private sector and the public can contribute to significant improvements.