Fundamentalism or pluralism: Iranian youth’s orientation

Islamic fundamentalism is an extreme perception of Islam that views ‘the “Other” as the enemy demonized’ against the ‘West’, which also views the Muslim ‘enemy within’. In contrast, pluralism perceives ‘others’ as different people, with different values from us. While the fundamentalist seeks to engage in war with the enemy/other, pluralism tolerates difference/conflict with others in peace and in the spirit of mutual acceptance. This article spells out the potential contributions to research regarding fundamentalism stemming from different approaches in Iran. Drawing on data collected from 31 individual in-depth interviews with Tehranian high school students and 206 questionnaires that were filled in by students who were randomly selected from 4 of 19 zones of Education in Tehran, their perceptions about pluralism and fundamentalism will be presented. The aim is to help move debate about fundamentalism beyond the pejorative labelling and to explore the concept of fundamentalism and pluralism in an Iranian context. As a case study, Tehranian pre-university students’ point of view about fundamentalism and pluralism will be discussed, in order to comprehend attitudes to fundamentalism and pluralism on the part of Iranian young people.     

How the ICT Development Level Influences Students’ Digital Reading Literacy: A Multi-level Model Comparison Based on PISA 2018 Data

The purpose of this study is to systematically showcase and evaluate how students’, schools’, and countries’ Information and Communication Technology (ICT) development levels influence students’ digital reading literacy by using the data of the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2018 and the multi-level model approach. It is found that the ICT development at each level has a significant positive effect on students’ digital reading literacy, and there is a significant interactive moderating effect between different levels. The gap in ICT development levels between the countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and developed economies has a “Matthew effect” in widening the digital reading literacy gap in the short term, but in the long run, the faster growth of the countries participating in BRI in ICT development levels will narrow the gap and alleviate the effect. China should make use of its advantages in ICT development to engage in global education governance, facilitate the co-development in both the ICT development level and the digital reading literacy for the countries participating in BRI, and contribute to the development of global education by opening up a new way of development.     

Between the Under-Labourer and the Master-Builder: Observations on Bunge’s Method

Mario Bunge has repeatedly discussed contributions to philosophy and to science that are worthless at best and dangerous at worst, especially cases of pseudo-science. He clearly gives his reason in his latest essay on this matter: ??The fact that science can be faked to the point of deceiving science lovers suggests the need for a rigorous sifting device??. Moreover, this sifting has its rewards, as ??sometimes intellectual gold comes mixed with muck??. Furthermore, the sifting device is a demarcation of science, which answers interesting questions: what is valuable in science and what makes it tick? The question is under dispute. So before coming to it we should admit a few preliminary ideas that are more difficult to contest than ideas that purport to demarcate science.     

Impact of the 2015 Nepal earthquakes on children’s schooling: focusing on individual children’s enrolment flow

This study examined the impact of the 2015 Nepal earthquakes on children’s schooling by focusing on individual children’s enrolment flow, particularly from public to private schools, which is becoming a worldwide trend in recent years. The results revealed that the total number of attendees at target schools recovered to pre-earthquake levels 2 months after the disaster; however, flow towards private schools was impeded, especially among ECD (early childhood development) children. The earthquake disaster sharply distinguished children who can go to a private school and those who cannot do so. Moreover, it impeded access even to public schools for children in a vulnerable position.     

Jocasta’s Crime and Fanyi’s Punishment: Reflection on Oedipus the King and Thunderstorm

From Oedipus the King and Thunderstorm, the masterpiece of tragedies, the author intended to throw light on the Jocasta and Fanyi, two female characters bearing sharply different cultural, social and religious mark, though, depicted similarly as unacceptable roles obsessed with the freak love and strong lust drive for their sons. Thus from the angle of respective emotional motivation, the author made a reflection on Jocasta’s crime and Fanyi’s punishment.     

Freedom’s Children: A Gender Perspective on the Education of the Learner-Citizen

Drawing on Ulrich Beck’s theory of “freedom’s children”, the present contribution examines contemporary concerns about educating young people for citizenship as well as educating them about citizenship. Under the first theme, the author focuses on the citizen as learner, highlighting some of the gender- and class-related inequalities that are typically associated with individualisation. Under the second theme, she looks at the learner as citizen in view of the fact that citizenship education courses often prepare learners for a gender-divided world – even though the processes of individualisation have themselves significantly reshaped contemporary gender relations. In light of current challenges facing citizenship education, the study concludes by reflecting on gender-related dimensions of individualisation and their implications for democracy and the learner-citizen.

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Zusammenfassung DIE KINDER DER FREIHEIT: EINE GESCHLECHTSBEZOGENE PERSPEKTIVE AUF DIE BILDUNG DES LERNENDEN BüRGERS – Indem er sich auf Ulrich Becks Theorie der ,,Kinder der Freiheit“ stützt, untersucht der vorliegende Beitrag zeitgen?ssische Bemühungen, junge Menschen sowohl zur Staatsbürgerschaft hin zu erziehen als auch sie über die Staatsbürgerschaft zu belehren. Unter der ersten überschrift konzentriert sich die Autorin auf den Bürger als Lernenden, indem sie einige der geschlechts- und klassenspezifischen Ungleichheiten betont, die typischerweise mit der Individualisierung verbunden werden. Unter der zweiten überschrift wirft sie einen Blick auf den Lernenden als Bürger, und zwar unter Berücksichtigung der Tatsache, dass Lernende in Kursen für staatsbürgerliche Erziehung h?ufig auf eine Welt vorbereitet werden, die nach Geschlechtern getrennt ist – auch wenn die Prozesse der Individualisierung ihrerseits die gegenw?rtigen Beziehungen zwischen den Geschlechtern in bedeutender Weise umgeformt haben. Im Licht aktueller Herausforderungen, mit denen die staatsbürgerliche Erziehung konfrontiert ist, schlie?t die Untersuchung, indem sie über die geschlechtspezifischen Ausma?e der Individualisierung und ihre Implikationen für die Demokratie sowie den Bürger als Lernenden reflektiert.

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Resumen HIJOS DE LA LIBERTAD: LA PERSPECTIVA DE GéNERO EN LA EDUCACIóN DE LOS CIUDADANOS – Haciendo referencia a la teoría de Ulrich Beck contenida en su libro Hijos de la libertad, esta contribución examina asuntos de relevancia actual relacionados con la educación de las personas jóvenes para la ciudadanía y sobre la ciudadanía. Bajo el primer aspecto, la autora se concentra en el ciudadano como alumno, realzando algunas de las desigualdades de género y de clases, típicamente relacionadas con la individualización. Bajo el segundo aspecto, la autora enfoca al alumno como ciudadano, en vista del hecho de que los cursos sobre ciudadanía muchas veces preparan a los educandos para un mundo dividido en géneros, pese a que los procesos de individualización les hayan deparado unas relaciones entre los géneros sustancialmente remodeladas. A la luz de los retos que actualmente debe afrontar la educación ciudadana, el estudio termina con una reflexión sobre las dimensiones de la individualización en cuanto a su relación con los géneros y a los efectos que pueden tener para la democracia y los ciudadanos en formación.

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Résumé LES ENFANTS DE LA LIBERTé : UNE PERSPECTIVE SEXUELLE SUR L’éDUCATION DE L’ APPRENANT-CITOYEN – Partant de la théorie d’Ulrich Beck sur les ? enfants de la liberté ?, la présente contribution examine les préoccupations contemporaines à propos de l’éducation des jeunes gens à la citoyenneté et autour de la citoyenneté. Quant au premier thème, l’auteur se concentre sur le citoyen en tant qu’apprenant, mettant sur le devant de la scène certaines des inégalités relatives aux différences de sexe et de classes sociales qui sont associées de fa?on typique à l’individualisation. Avec le deuxième thème, elle se tourne vers l’apprenant en tant que citoyen eu égard au fait que les cours d’éducation à la citoyenneté préparent souvent les apprenants à un monde divisé en sexes différents – même si les processus d’individualisation ont eux-mêmes refa?onné significativement les relations contemporaines en matière de différences sexuelles. Au vu des défis actuels face à l’éducation à la citoyenneté, l’étude conclut sur une réflexion sur les dimensions relatives à la différence de sexe de l’individualisation et leurs implications pour la démocratie et l’apprenant citoyen.

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The author: Madeleine Arnot received her MA from Edinburgh University and PhD from the Open University. She is Professor in Sociology of Education and is Professorial Fellow at Jesus College at Cambridge University. She has acted as a gender expert for the Council of Europe, an international consultant for the UNESCO Education for All: Gender Monitoring Project and on equal opportunities policies. Her work has involved projects on women and citizenship, pupil consultation, gender-education policy and refugee and asylum-seeker children’s education. Contact address: Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, 184 Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 2PQ, UK. E-mail: mma1000@cam.ac.uk.     

Ontario’s Plowden Report: British influence on Canadian education in the 1960s

Treading in the footsteps of past generations, Ontario policy advisers journeyed throughout the United Kingdom in the summer of 1966 to directly understand the educational reforms that were being undertaken in that country. On their return, these consultants brought back a number of innovations for discussion with their parent committee in the hopes of possible adaptation by the province. When their final submission was tabled two years later, the ‘Hall-Dennis Report’ (as it became popularly known) went on to reflect the tone for education in the province for a generation. This study examines the impact that Britain’s educational policies in the 1960s, and especially the ‘Plowden Report’ of 1967, may have had on the recommendations found in the Hall-Dennis Report. As well, it ties these two reports to the longstanding legacy of British influence on the Ontario education system ^{1 1}A first version of this work was presented at the History of Education Society Conference, held in London, 26–28 November 2010. Thanks are expressed to the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada for its support of this endeavour. .     

Wordsworth’s ‘We Are Seven’: Reflections on the Secondary English Classroom

English teachers select texts for the edifying qualities they possess: a good poem, novel or film can act both as a window looking out over different lives and as a powerful mirror for reflection. When teachers reflect on their professional practice, however, they generally look to education theory, to research or to action learning strategies. But if great works of literature strengthen a student’s empathetic, critical and reflective capacities, they can do the same for the English teachers who prescribe them. The article does not advocate for a rejection of pedagogical expertise in favour of pure literary criticism, but it does consider that these two aspects of English teaching can be brought together for the purposes of professional reflection and development. Using William Wordsworth’s lyric ‘We Are Seven’ as an example, it aims to illustrate how a close reading of the poem leads naturally and effectively from an analysis of content to more general considerations of why and how we teach.     

Impact of Contact With Grandparents on Children's and Adolescents’ Views on the Elderly

Stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination against the elderly (ageism) may manifest themselves in children at an early age. However, the factors influencing this phenomenon are not well known. Using both explicit and open-ended questions, this study analyzed the influence of personal and familial parameters on the views of 1,151 seven- to sixteen-year-old Belgian children and adolescents on the elderly. Four factors were found to affect these views: gender (girls had slightly more positive views than boys), age (ageism was lowest in 10- to 12-year-old, reminiscent of other forms of stereotypes and cognitive developmental theories), grandparents’ health, and most importantly, quality of contact with grandparents (very good and good contacts correlated with more favorable feelings toward the elderly, especially in children with frequent contacts).     

India’s arrival on the modern mathematical scene

Modern mathematics, and modern science in general, was embraced enthusiastically in the Indian subcontinent quite early, thanks to a large extent to the tradition of learning going back to the ancient times. By the early decades of the 20th century the Indian mathematical community had made important research contributions in diverse areas of mathematics, including number theory, real and complex analysis, diffrential geometry, diffrential equations, algebra, combinatorial mathematics and applied mathematics. Interaction with world leaders in the field, reforms in the educational system, establishment of societies for actively pursuing study and discussion of mathematics, publication of mathematical journals, were some of the major progressive steps taken. Apart from the indigenous leadership, participation of a few enlightened foreigners in the process also paved the way for the advancement of the subject in the country. We recount here the story of the early developments of the mathematical scene in India, and of the various players involved.     

Single‐parent families: the role of parent’s and child’s gender on academic achievement

Using national survey data, the present study investigated whether adolescents living with parents of their same gender fare better on academic achievement than their peers living with opposite‐gender parents. Multiple analyses of covariance (MANCOVA) procedures were employed to examine the effects of the children’s gender in single‐father and single‐mother families on students’ academic achievement, as measured by four dependent variables (reading test score, mathematics test score, English teachers’ evaluation, and mathematics teachers’ evaluation) while controlling the covariate, socioeconomic status. The results indicated that there were no benefits in same‐gender single‐parent households. Furthermore, daughters in single‐father homes performed better than other parent and child combinations on academic achievement. Implications of these findings are discussed.     

Mothers’ Perceptions of the Climate of Their Children’s Schools: Covariations With Children’s Academic Adjustment in Families of Mexican Origin

Although Latinx parents’ perceptions of the climate of their children’s schools may play a role in their children’s academic adjustment, research examining this idea is sparse. Every 2 years beginning when children were in fifth grade (M_age = 10.86 years) until they were in 11th grade, Mexican-origin mothers (N = 674) reported on their perceptions of the climate of their children’s schools; information on children’s academic adjustment was collected from children and mothers. Multilevel modeling indicated that when mothers had more positive school climate perceptions, their children valued school more and performed better in school, but did not necessarily hold higher educational expectations. The findings suggest the importance of schools in creating welcoming environments for Mexican-origin parents.     

Women’s Perceptions Using the CenteringPregnancy Model of Group Prenatal Care

A qualitative nonexperimental thematic analysis was conducted at a hospital-based midwifery practice to explore the views of participants in group prenatal care and its impact on pregnancy, birth, and postnatal care. Ten women and three support people, recruited through purposive sampling, shared their feedback on the program. The findings conveyed three broad themes: program experience, midwife relationship, and support. Women enjoyed the opportunity for in-depth learning, and peer-group support led to normalizing of pregnancy concerns. Having support people as participants also helped during pregnancy, birth, and child care. The findings showed the enhanced opportunity for education, learning, and interpersonal support provided by CenteringPregnancy to expectant mothers had a positive impact on their pregnancy experiences.     

吴舟桥:Wu’s Model,医匠底色

吴舟桥迎来了学医的第十一个年头。他曾不止一次地面对这样的调侃——你都学医了你还不后悔?或是这样的疑问——花了这么长的时间值不值?在北医三院外科楼一间休息室里,吴舟桥再次回忆起这些问题。他说,他喜欢学医,这件事毫无疑问。当天,吴舟桥的白大褂里面,是一件黑色衬衫。配上他的棕色尖头皮鞋,蓝色格纹长裤,这一身在欧洲留学期间置办来的打扮,     

Students’ Outcome Expectation on Spiritual and Religious Competency: A Hierarchical Regression Analysis

In this study, 74 master’s-level counseling students from various programs completed a questionnaire inquiring about their perceived program environment in relation to the topics of spirituality and religion (S/R), program emphasis on nine specific S/R competencies, as well as their outcome expectations toward being S/R competent through training. The results of hierarchical regression analysis supported the impact of both learning environment and specific S/R competencies on student outcome expectations. Implications for counselor educators are considered.