Status Quo and Outlook of the Studies of Entrepreneurship Education in China: Statistics and Analysis Based on Papers Indexed in CSSCI (2004–2013)

Abstract

We utilized cross tabulation statistics, word frequency counts, and content analysis of research output to conduct a bibliometric study, and used CiteSpace software to depict a knowledge map for research on entrepreneurship education in China from 2004 to 2013. The study shows that, in this duration, the study of Chinese entrepreneurship education experienced a progression through three stages, an “exploratory stage of learning from foreign models,” a “developmental stage geared toward employment problems,” and a “transformative stage promoting cultivation of student abilities,” and featured three primary characteristics, “multidisciplinary fusion,” “imbalanced regional distribution,” and “policy orientation.” In the future, popular fields in the study of entrepreneurship education are to be concentrated in the three areas, namely “entrepreneurship education and talent cultivation,” “entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial environments,” and “entrepreneurship education and innovation education.”     

Chayanov and social agronomy in Russia (1918)

Abstract

In an effort to stimulate innovation and development, notions like “projects”, “planning”, “participation” and “platforms” have become increasingly important. This article evaluates critically current practices of these notions, and the modes of thinking which underlie such practices. Drawing on case-study material, it also points to the practical problems associated with various conceptual omissions. In doing so, the author reflects on the artificiality of the various types of boundaries which can be associated with projects. Similarly, attention is drawn to the shortcomings of the implicit rationalism that characterizes mainstream planning models. Furthermore, contradictions and difficulties are identified in various modes of thinking which are associated with participatory approaches (e.g. in relation to the evaluation of endogenous development capacity, need assessment, target group differentiation, and the celebration of consensus and accommodation). Finally, the author points to various opportunities for improving intervention practice.     

Developmental dyslexia: emotional impact and consequences

ABSTRACT

Learning disabilities are associated with mental health, behavioural and social difficulties. Developmental dyslexia is a particularly salient example of a learning disability that is associated with social and emotional consequences that are not considered primary features of the disorder. These issues can remain and, in some cases, escalate in adulthood. Practitioners should be made aware of the consequences of the emotional impact of such learning disabilities. The following is a comprehensive review of over 100 journal articles investigating the emotional consequences of developmental dyslexia. Articles published between 1980 and 2018 were found using keywords “dyslexia” and “emotion” or “internalizing behaviour”, “externalizing behaviour”, “depression” or “anxiety”. This review provides an overview of the literature investigating the emotional consequences of developmental dyslexia and suggestions to avoid or at least minimize these consequences on the individual, their family and society are provided.     

What I expect and fear next year: measuring new teachers’ possible selves

Possible selves theory describes the relation between self-concept and regulation of future-oriented behaviours. This theory helps conceptualise issues related to teacher development, including preparation and retention, but few researchers have done so. The validation of a Likert-type instrument intended to measure ‘new teacher possible selves’ is described. Student teachers in the United States (n?=?335) completed the new measure in their final practicum semester. Results from two confirmatory factor analyses indicate that data fit well the models of new teacher expected and feared possible selves. Limitations and future research directions are discussed.     

Personal Transformation and Readjustment in “Homecoming”

ABSTRACT

Studies support the observations by college psychotherapists that students returning from study abroad adventures often have a difficult time readjusting to being back “home.” We consider what the internal developmental challenges might be that relate to this transitional step. We weave first-hand comments of students into our article.     

Improvisation,planning and the creative process

Abstract

We anticipate and create the future in many ways. Through active planning, improvisation, and even procrastination, we move beyond the moment. The purpose of this paper is to argue that future oriented processes are creative processes. By engaging in formal and informal educational activities children learn to create the future from the present and the known from the unknown. In this paper I explore the uses of improvisation and planning as vehicles for creativity by describing some of my work as well as research and ideas of others in the fields of psychology, anthropology, and education     

The school as a workplace: Extending democracy to schools

The author has a thorough knowledge of the educational scene in the USA. His critical analyses of the “modern” educational theories developed by J. Holt, H. Kohl, Ch. Silbermann, I. Illich and others, and of their — as yet unresearched — application to institutionalized learning and socialisation processes provide very informative insights into the on-going discussion on reform, even outside his own country. Stopsky points to four factors which have had a pronounced influence on the objectives, direction and progress of curriculum reform:

1. The student movement and the stimuli it generated in the civil rights movement and the relations with the “Third World”.
2. The subculture of youth, accompanying this protest movement and partly caused by its lack of success, with its typical phenomena of drug consumption and social disintegration.
3. The disappointment at the failure of the propagated educational reform to establish, e.g., equality of chances and improve the quality of life, and the effects of raising the standards of performance demanded of under-privileged pupils by means of drastic restrictions on admission and entrance examinations implying social selection for higher educational courses.
4. The development of “anti-curricula” in the form and content of “open” or neohumanist education. The favourable reports on experiments with these “pupil-centred” curricula in British schools created a fascinating response from teachers and pupils in the USA, but most colleges rejected the innovation as being anti-intellectual and decided in favour of a “competency based” or “performance based” curriculum.

In this future-oriented paper F. Stopsky attempts to free school from the odium of suffering individual oppression and the resulting fear of the pupils, and to turn it instead into a place where children and adults will work without repression.     

A critique of neo-Hahnian outdoor education theory. Part one: Challenges to the concept of “character building”

Abstract

Within the diverse and sometimes amorphous outdoor education literature, “neo-Hahnian” (NH) approaches to adventure education are exceptional for their persistence, seeming coherence, and wide acceptance. NH approaches assume that adventure experiences “build character”, or, in modern terminology, “develop persons”, “actualise selves”, or have certain therapeutic effects associated with personal traits. In social psychological terms NH thought is “dispositional”, in that it favours explanations of behaviour in terms of consistent personal traits. In this paper I critically review NH OAE in an historical context, and draw on Ross' and Nisbett's (1991) seminal review of dispositional social psychology to argue that OAE programs do not build character, but may provide situations that elicit certain behaviours. For OAE research and theory, belief in the possibility of “character building” must be seen as a source of bias, not as a foundation. The conceptual analysis I develop provides not only a basis for critique, but also offers a way forward for OAE.     

Gahvora cradling in Tajikistan: Cultural practices and associations with motor development

In Tajikistan, infants are bound supine in a “gahvora” cradle that severely restricts movement. Does cradling affect motor development and body growth? In three studies (2013–2018), we investigated associations between time in the gahvora (within days and across age) and motor skills and flattened head dimensions in 8–24-month-old Tajik infants (N = 269, 133 girls, 136 boys)) and 4.3–5.1-year-old children (N = 91, 53 girls, 38 boys). Infants had later motor onset ages relative to World Health Organization standards and pronounced brachycephaly; cradling predicted walk onset age and the proficiency of sitting, crawling, and walking. By 4–5 years, children's motor skills were comparable with US norms. Cultural differences in early experiences offer a unique lens onto developmental processes and equifinality in development.     

The scene of the classroom

Abstract

Prakash Nair has made comments about the kind of spatial planning that educationists should make for the purpose of improving, and refining the architectural model of the school that can be adopted in the twenty-first century. These remarks imply that an “old” and out-dated architectural model needs to be replaced by one that is better suited to the kinds of workers that children will become when they graduate, so that schools can more effectively prepare students for the workforce to come. In this article, I argue that his proclamation that “the classroom is obsolete” should be interpreted in the context of neo-liberalism, alongside similarly hyperbolic claims by Francis Fukuyama in 1989 that the fall of the Berlin Wall signified the “end of history”. By addressing the rhetorical structure of such remarks, I deconstruct Prakash Nair’s promise to build a better future for education. Additionally, I argue that educational researchers may benefit from thinking of the classroom as a fictional place, a “scene” that does not always bear identical and universal attributes, owing to the diversity of cultural and geographical contexts in which classrooms are found.     

Toward a critical rhetoric of risk communication: Producing citizens and the role of technical communicators

In this article, we build on arguments in risk communication that the predominant linear risk communication models are problematic for their failure to consider audience and additional contextual issues. The “failure”; of these risk communication models has led, some scholars argue, to a number of ethical and communicative problems. We seek to extend the critique, arguing that “risk”; is socially constructed. The claim for the social construction of risk has significant implications for both risk communication and the roles of technical communicators in risk situations. We frame these implications as a “critical rhetoric”; of risk communication that (1) dissolves the separation of risk assessment from risk communication to locate epistemology within communicative processes; (2) foregrounds power in risk communication as a way to frame ethical audience involvement; (3) argues for the technical communicator as one possessing the research and writing skills necessary for the complex processes of constructing and communicating risk.     

Monetary Reward Versus the National Ideological Agenda: career choice among Chinese university students

Abstract

This paper studies university students’ job‐selection criteria as an indicator of how socio‐economic forces have deconstructed the state‐supported value system in China in the course of reformatting a society in which money‐power has risen to combat not only political control but moral forces. The analysis is based on the surveys conducted by Chinese researchers in various institutes and different regions between 1990 and 1995. The study suggests the increasing importance of “a good income” in graduate job selection, which is a reflection of a set of new concepts competing with the official ideology. Growing market forces, translated into educational reform as “economic efficiency”, have undermined the effectiveness of political‐moral education. Because of the collapse of traditional values and the lack of new ethical standards of conduct, “money talks” has become a norm guiding social behaviours and personal relationships, and has helped form a force to resist the power of political‐moral education.     

A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Modularized,Computer-Assisted,Self-Paced Approach to Developmental Math

Abstract

Community colleges are a large sector of postsecondary education. In 2016–2017, the United States had nearly 1,000 public 2-year postsecondary institutions (community colleges), serving almost nine million students, representing 39% of all undergraduates. The majority of entering community college students require developmental (or remedial) math. Success rates in the developmental math course sequence and college more broadly are discouragingly low. Policymakers, practitioners, and researchers alike are eagerly searching for reforms to improve success rates, but there is a dearth of causal evidence on the effectiveness of most proposed reforms. We sought to answer the following question: what effect does a modularized, computer-assisted, self-paced approach to developmental math (compared with a more “traditional” direct-instruction course alternative) have on students’ likelihood of completing the developmental math course sequence? Findings from a randomized controlled trial (n =1,403) are presented. The program was well implemented; however, we did not find evidence that this approach was superior to the “traditional” math class. Although these results are disappointing, they are important because modularization and self-paced computer-assisted instruction are popular reforms.     

COMPASS-AIM: A University/P–12 Partnership Innovation for Continuous Improvement

COMPASS-AIM is a set of processes and tools used by participants in a research–practice partnership (RPP) to improve organizational capacities and individual and team competencies for organizational learning and improvement. The “COMPASS” team includes teams of teachers and school leaders who work with a university researcher and expert professional developers. Improvement teams begin by COMParing practices in their own setting to those in higher performing schools identified through research. The next few phases involve Assessing priorities based on those comparisons, Selecting levers (i.e., drivers) to improve a priority area, and Setting a SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound) goal or goals designed to address the priority area. Once a “COMPASS” team establishes a goal or goals, the process has it take AIM at Action planning, Implementation, and Monitoring progress through periodic “check the pulse” meetings. Throughout these phases, participants use self-assessment tools, case studies, and a variety of other research reports to inform their work. This research utilization-focused approach bridges research and practice, while accommodating for variability in desired outcomes, affordances, and constraints for change in different school and district contexts.     

Institutional researchers as knowledge managers in universities: Envisioning new roles for the IR profession

Abstract

Using concepts from Davenport and Prusak's “Working Knowledge” and other recent research on knowledge management, this article discusses the processes through which institutional knowledge is created, managed and transferred throughout the university and ways in which institutional researchers can improve these processes. A special emphasis is placed on the need to strengthen the “knowledge brokerage” function ‐ an essential role that institutional researchers are expected to play in large universities. Important principles of knowledge management are illustrated with examples from the author's university.     

Technocracy,educational structures and libraries: historical notes from the United States

This paper discusses the application and effects of technocratic ideology in schooling and educational policy in the United States, and traces it up through present planning for ‘virtual libraries’ and rethinking of educational structures. This is done by reviewing the development of educational structures and policies and by looking at selected developmental/historical periods in American life when technocratic ideology was particularly influential in schooling and educational policy. Through this process the authors establish ideological connections between technocracy, education and the new educational processes that virtual libraries represent. In this analysis virtual libraries are the newest site of the extension, deepening and possible totalizing of the values of technocratic educational policy and processes.

The paper begins with a brief definition of the concept of technocracy which is placed in its historical context. An overview of the historical periods of dominant technocratic ideology in American education is then presented. The overview covers particular eras from the early nineteenth century through the 1980s, tracing the manifestations of technocracy in educational practice and policy (the early industrial era, the era of Scientific Management and social efficiency, the Sputnik era and the push for computers in education). The paper then turns to an analysis of current technocratic education reforms and the connections to the “virtual library”. The virtual library is representative of this historical technocratic pattern, and‐‐at least as currently envisioned‐‐is the next technocratic extension into education. The paper concludes with a summary analysis of this trend.     

Secondary agricultural education from a “learning to learn” perspective

Abstract

This article argues the importance of adopting a “learning to learn” perspective in secondary agricultural education: school organisational development should take place in the perspective of active learning by students. Three factors affecting innovation processes are discussed: school policy-making capacity, school in-service training policy, and professional orientations of teachers. Moreover, a program to support schools for secondary agricultural education while implementing a “learning to learn” approach is presented. The implementation process is tuned to the individual teacher and teacher coaching and in-service training are provided. In this respect, the need for school management and school policy reflecting a clear educational perspective is stressed: fostering the quality of students' independent learning should take a central position on all levels in the school. Therefore, the school organisation as a whole should become a “learning organisation”.     

Education for future-oriented citizenship: implications for the education of twenty-first century competencies

Globalization and the knowledge economy have opened up worldwide agendas for national development. Following this is the emphasis on the social dimension, otherwise known as social capital. Much of social capital includes “soft skills” and “twenty-first century skills”, which broadly cover critical, creative and inventive thinking; information, interactive and communication skills; civic literacy, global awareness and cross-cultural skills. Proactively, the Singapore government is preparing for Curriculum 2015, a new curriculum that would develop student attributes, embedded in the “confident person”, “self-directed learner”, “active contributor”, and “concerned citizen”. Significantly, a new curricular initiative, Character and Citizenship Education, emphasizes the integrative nature of citizenship and twenty-first century competencies and has been implemented in all schools in Singapore from 2011. This future-oriented approach to citizenship education emphasizes the significance of individual initiatives and the intellectual capital of citizens. This paper analyses features of this particular approach to citizenship education, and its strengths and significance, which may be viewed as an integrative “total curriculum approach” with a “whole-society” perspective. In addition, the challenges of teaching twenty-first century skills will also be highlighted. This departs from the conventional paradigm of socialization, but to help students develop attributes for a future society to come.     

Chapter 10: Saying Good-bye to the Guru

Summary

A young adult devotee of a High Demand Group (“cult”) was engaged in brief intermittent developmental (BID) therapy, initially aimed at assisting him to critically assess his cult involvement. Over a five-year period, BID therapy helped him cope with two subsequent post-cult crises. Successfully negotiating these crises allowed further consolidation of his identity, and facilitated continued development of autonomy.     

A Position Statement on Social Justice,Physical Education,and Bullying: A Figurational Sociological Perspective

ABSTRACT

Bullying is increasingly considered to be an important moral, political, and social issue within modern society. Academic research on this issue has mostly been examined through a psychological lens, often using questionnaire data to examine and explain the prevalence of different types of bullying. In this position statement, we apply a figurational sociological perspective to examine issues of school-based bullying in physical education. We critically reflect on attempts to position bullying amongst young people as a “social justice” issue and argue that core figurational principles might potentially help researchers strive toward a more reality-congruent means of conceptualizing the power-relationships that are inherent within bullying. We further maintain that the development of a more detached understanding of issues relating to bullying might provide a more adequate basis to contribute to future ongoing policy development.