International mobility among Nordic doctoral students

This article discusses the advantages and disadvantages which a prolonged period at a foreign university, as part of his or her research training, offers the doctoral student. Despite increased interest in student mobility at the postgraduate level, little research on actual experiences of sojourns abroad among doctoral students has been conducted. The study shows that in general benefits far outweigh the problems related to such stays. Help with dissertation work, development of general research qualifications, and personal development are regarded as the most valuable experiences; whilst delays in work on a thesis, poor contact with professors at foreign institutions, and family and social problems seem to be the principal difficulties. A number of issues seem to inhibit the extension of foreign doctoral training among Nordic postgraduates: tensions and dilemmas within the research training programme, lack of time and funding, lack of motivation and internal support, nationally oriented theses, and family obligations. The study concludes that this kind of mobility is one means, albeit an important one, of enhancing the quality of doctoral training and stimulating young scholars' professional development.     

教育生态学视野下高职外语人才培养

人才培养是一个长期的过程,运用教育生态学的原理和方法来解决人才培养方式中存在的问题,也诠释了人才培养的内涵,以此来实现人才培养的目标。文章从教育生态学角度下对高职外语人才培养进行阐述,为人才培养提供理论和依据。     

社会流动与教育选择

There is a close interactive relationship between social mobility and educational selection. On one side, the character, direction, speed, level, methods and trends of social mobility affect the aims, goals, functions, scope, strategy, content and methods of choice in education. On the other side, the goals, basis and means of choosing education promote inter-generational social mobility, competitive mobility and structural optimization. In recent years, social mobility and educational selection are increasingly coming into contact in China, but there are still a lot of mutual constraints. In order to promote a coordinated operation and positive interaction between them, society should strive to create a stable democratic political environment, sustained and balanced economic growth, and an open and orderly employment system. Moreover, we need to open up the education system, balance the allocation of resources, strengthen the function of choice and enable education to play a more value-oriented role.     

Bridging East and West educational divides in Singapore

In Asia, we are witnessing an era where the pendulum of power is swaying towards the East with the rising economic strength of China and India. Singapore is at the ‘crossroads’ between the East and West of these most populous nations on earth. Although Singapore may appear the most Westernised country in Asia, she is nevertheless a multicultural Asian society. Having the most open economy in the world, Singapore is affected by the process of globalisation. This takes on an added dimension and speed as nations compete for talent and find ways to internationalise and transform their education for sustainable competitive advantage. Singapore's education system, regarded as one of the best performing in the world, offers a unique opportunity to explore the issues where East and West culture, values and systems meet. This article discusses and highlights what happens when East and West converge. In particular, the discussion will focus on the themes of East and West schism, globalisation and Singapore's aspirations to be a global hub, rankings and branding in education, and the use of the English language.     

Healthy competition and unsound comparison: reforming educational competition in Singapore

It is frequently claimed that the ‘competition state’ responds to external competition by making competition increasingly central to its internal processes as well. This article discusses education reform in Singapore as departing from the opposite position. In Singapore ‘excessive’ competition in education is now targeted by policy-makers as a major obstacle to making Singapore education competitive in the global ‘knowledge economy’. Nevertheless, the consequence of education reform does not seem to be a reduction of educational competition as such, but rather a transition from an ‘academic’ to a ‘holistic’ form of competition, raising new questions of educational equity and fairness.     

新加坡华文教学改革对汉语国际推广的启示

新加坡华文教学随着语言环境变迁不断进行调整与改革。在不影响英语强势地位的前提下,上世纪90年代调整与改革的侧重点是：强调华语作为母语学习,传承民族文化和传统价值观。而当前华文教学改革的侧重点是：以激发全体学生学习华语的兴趣为基本目标,强调华语的工具性价值。在当前汉语国际推广的新形势下,新加坡华文教学改革在方向、思路、举措等多方面具有启迪和借鉴意义。本文从汉语国际推广本地化、编写针对性教材、改进教学方法、加强师资队伍建设等方面论述了新加坡华文教学改革可资借鉴之处。     

Instructions for students with special educational needs in Chinese mainstream classrooms: modifications and barriers

“Learning in Regular Classrooms” (LRC) has been the main strategy to universalize compulsory education for children with special educational needs in China after 1980s. Methods such as whole-class teaching combined with individual tutoring, differentiated teaching, and cooperative learning have been widely practiced in general classrooms for students with special educational needs. However, high instructional quality for students with special educational needs in mainstream classrooms is far from being realized, and this is due to the lack of expertise, support and resources, and effective assessment measures. The authors conclude that efforts are needed to change the education system from the current rigidity toward a more flexible system to better accommodate diverse needs in general classrooms.     

Norwegian students abroad and foreign students in Norway

Norwegian students abroad and foreign students in NorwayCountry report on Norway     

中外合作数字媒体设计专业人才培养模式研究

中外合作办学的数字媒体设计专业人才培养要以数字媒体设计专业特点为根本,适应中国国情及数字媒体产业发展需求。在明确专业人才培养目标和培养方案的基础上,通过构建科学课程体系、设置特色课程关系、拓展多样化教学形式、强化创新实践教学理念、发展数字实验室等一系列教学举措,探讨适应我国数字媒体设计产业发展的中外合作专业人才的培养方法,实现数字媒体设计专业人才素质和水平的提升。     

Pupil mobility and educational achievement in schools: an empirical analysis

One of the problems facing education policy-makers is how to raise achievement in schools. Improving schools and raising achievement requires, at the very least, an understanding of the factors influencing performance in schools. Previous research has looked at a number of factors, including quality of teaching and learning, patterns of resource use, gender, ethnicity, social class and socio-economic background in schools, but there has been little empirical research into the effect of pupil mobility on school performance. Pupil mobility in schools also has implications for many important policy areas, such as school funding, target-setting and league tables, and yet it is only just beginning to be recognized as an important policy issue. This paper examines the relationship between pupil mobility and educational achievement in an inner city LEA. The performance of three cohorts of pupils at key stages 2 and 3 and GCSE are analysed by the mobility factor to illustrate the effect of pupil mobility on educational attainment. This is followed by a discussion of the causes of pupil mobility in schools and strategies adopted by schools to address mobility problems. The final section of the paper addresses the implications of the empirical evidence for school improvement strategies and funding allocations.     

International students in transnational mobility: intercultural connectedness with domestic and international peers,institutions and the wider community

International students’ connectedness with their peers, institutions and the broader community significantly affects their learning and wellbeing. It is important to understand their multiple desires for intercultural connectedness in order to nurture it. This paper analyses the motives and nature of international students’ intercultural connectedness. It is based on a study that includes more than 150 interviews and fieldwork with international students and staff from 25 vocational education colleges in Australia. Drawing on Blumer’s symbolic interactionism theory as a conceptual framework, the study found international students’ motivation to engage in intercultural connectedness is linked to not only their desire for respect and recognition for intellectual, cultural and linguistic capacities and diversities but also for employment aspirations. The research shows various dimensions in which intercultural engagement is seen to encompass not only empathy, sociability and equity but also employability. The findings suggest meaningful interaction is essentially bound to reciprocal learning.     

Impact and adjustment: foreign students in comparative perspective

Foreign study is a multifaceted phenomenon - its impact is felt on academic institutions in both the host and sending countries, on the economies of nations, and of course on the individuals involved. With more than one million students studying abroad, foreign study has assumed considerable importance in higher education planning. This article considers the many aspects of foreign study and discusses the interrelationships of these elements. The policies of the host nations, for example, have an impact on higher education planning in the sending countries. The non-return of foreign students, traditionally referred to as the brain drain, is considerably more complex than was once thought since Third World graduates settled in the industrialized nations often retain contacts with their home countries and increasingly return after a period abroad. This article also considers the various push and pull factors which determine the constantly changing flow of foreign students.This study was supported by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Centre for Educational Research and Innovation. It was presented at the International Seminar on Higher Education and the Flow of Foreign Students, convened by the Hochschul-Informations-System, with support from the Federal Ministry of Education and Science and the Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Arts in Hannover, Germany on 26th–28th April 1990.     

The geographic mobility of academic talent: Some evidence from sociology

The structure of geographic mobility from doctorate training to present employment is explored among sociologists. Disparate patterns of geographic movement are exhibited across regional cohorts of graduates. The geographic mobility system is also explored after controls are applied for extent of professional involvement and chronological age at receipt of the doctorate degree. A moderately strong correspondence between the academic quality of the Ph.D. region and that of the present job region is reported.     

Discourses of antagonism and desire: marketing for international students in neighbourhood schools

This paper explores the consequences of these discourses for the ways that international students are identified and positioned within school communities. My argument is developed in four sections. The first describes my ongoing exploration into the impact of international student programmes in Australia. The second exemplifies my argument: exploring the day‐to‐day experiences of vice principals in two Victorian government state secondary schools as they market their schools, and examining the systemic and ontological discourses played out within those conversations. The third interrogates discourses of identity and difference, neo‐liberalism and naïve cosmopolitanism which I find shape teacher conversations about international student programmes. In the final section, I argue that the impact of the discourse formations implicit in teacher talk about international student programmes has been the objectification of international students and their ambivalent inclusion within the school community.     

非汉文化圈留学生汉字习得的几点探索

在汉语预科教学中,汉语强化教学是最重要的组成部分,而在汉语强化教学中,汉字是亟待突破的一个难题,尤其是针对非汉文化圈国家的留学生,如何帮助这部分学生高效习得汉字对于汉语预科教学具有突破性的意义。针对非汉文化圈国家的留学生所面临的汉字学习难问题,本文将根据已有的教学理论和探索实践,提出几点针对汉字教学模式的改革,帮助留学生尽快度过汉字学习的困难阶段,从而将汉字的学习转化成一种自然的习得。     

论零起点留学生汉语口语教学

针对对外汉语口语教学的讨论,探索一些比较适合零起点留学生的口语教学方法、途径。以提高对外汉语口语教学的效果和学生实际运用汉语进行交际的能力。