Exploring a systems approach to mainstreaming sustainability in universities: a case study of Rhodes University in South Africa

This paper explores the use of systems theory to inform the mainstreaming of sustainability in a university’s functions as it responds to sustainable development challenges in its local context. Offering a case study of Rhodes University, the paper shows how the use of systems models and concepts, underpinned by a critical realist ontology and an understanding of morphogenetic change processes, have the potential to enable universities to mobilise their operations to respond to local sustainability challenges. In this instance, the success of such an approach is shown to depend on commitments from the university community and the availability of enabling inputs, such as financial and human resources. The paper concludes with reflections and recommendations to inform further development of a newly emerging systems approach in sustainability mainstreaming at Rhodes University, and other institutions pursuing similar approaches and goals.     

Mainstreaming Gender into Schools in the Taiwan Context

Gender mainstreaming and gender equity education are specific practices for creating a gender-equitable society. Gender mainstreaming tools can be used to help educational institutions engage in more thorough consideration when implementing gender equity education. This article addresses gender mainstreaming, gender equity education, and the concept of gender mainstreaming in the education system, followed by a discussion of mainstreaming methods using two actual cases. The author argues that providing professional assistance and setting up a school gender equity education committee are ways to improve the quality of gender mainstreaming in schools. To promote gender mainstreaming in schools, education authorities can begin by proposing small-scale experimental programs and scale them up gradually. This will achieve superior results, and schools can also use the experiences of other schools as reference points.     

Emergent identity and dilemmatic spaces: pre-service teachers’ engagement with EAL collaboration

Integrationist policies that promote the mainstreaming of English language learners are well established in many English-speaking countries. This has led to the embedding of English as an additional language (EAL) methodology in teacher education, and also to the notion of collaboration between English language teachers and content area teachers. Teacher positioning is integral to the processes of collaboration, and in this article it is argued that both sociocultural identity constructs and the notion of dilemmatic spaces can be used jointly to explore this positioning. A framework that draws upon these two theoretical perspectives is discussed. It was developed to investigate pre-service teachers’ (PSTs’) perceptions of collaboration with EAL teachers, and is applied to three secondary PSTs who were undertaking an EAL methodology course in an Australian university.     

The place of special schools in a policy climate of inclusion

In November 2003, the Scottish Executive Education Department (SEED) commissioned the SCRE Centre at the University of Glasgow to evaluate the impact of Section 15 of the Standards in Scotland's Schools etc Act 2000 . The evaluation took place between January 2004 and August 2005. A major strand of the research was the impact of the presumption of mainstreaming on special schools, including an exploration of the changing role of special schools, and the changing demands on staff in special education. The evidence presented in this paper suggests that whilst there may be widespread support for specialist provision within a policy climate of inclusion, the sector has undergone significant changes in the last few years. These changes have had a particular impact on the curriculum, teaching and learning, and 'specialness' of special schools. However, not all of these changes are due to the impact of mainstreaming.     

Should Faculty Rank Be Included as a Predictor Variable in Studies of Gender Equity in University Faculty Salaries?

Many different approaches, almost all of which use some form of regression, have been used to study the issue of gender equity in university faculty salaries. One major point of contention in ail of these approaches is whether faculty rank, which is university conferred, should be included as a predictor variable. Two illustrations are presented to demonstrate how omitting faculty rank as a predictor variable from gender equity studies of university faculty salaries can lead to incorrect conclusions concerning gender discrimination. The first illustration uses hypothetical data constructed so that there is no difference in salary due to gender. However, when faculty rank is not included as a predictor variable in the regression model, there is a significant difference in salary due to gender. The second illustration uses actual data from a study of gender equity in pay at Bowling Green State University. This data set is used to construct a new data set that is totally free of gender bias. When a regression model omitting faculty rank is fit to this gender bias-free data, again a significant difference in salary due to gender is present. Therefore, it is recommended that faculty rank be included as a predictor variable in any model used to study gender equity relating to salary.     

研究型大学教学原则——以墨尔本大学教学九大原则为例

创办研究型大学是当前大学改革发展的一个重要走向,关于什么是研究型大学、如何建设研究型大学的问题学术界早已进行热烈的讨论。作为一所一流的研究型大学它不仅要在科研方面突出,更应该在教学方面有优越的表现。本文将以墨尔本大学为例,探讨研究型大学应该如何教学。     

Unravelling the gender bind,uncovering the heterogeneity of domination

ABSTRACT

Gender norms and learned practices of student teachers can influence their performance in practice, either fixing or challenging, gendered social norms and expectations. This paper shares the findings of a multi-year mixed-methods research project that explored the understandings of gender norms and experiences of students and staff within a large teacher-training college in Tanzania. Data was collected to inform a wider gender mainstreaming initiative across the institution. Using a blend of quantitative and qualitative methods, the findings identified a strict and rigid gender binary which seemed to inform attitudes and practices of teaching and learning. Furthermore, it uncovered heterogeneous forms of gendered domination that were experienced by staff and pupils within the institution. The findings suggest that stand-alone ‘female only’ gender mainstreaming strategies may not be sufficient to achieve a gender equitable environment within the institution. Rather, it suggests that a whole-of-community approach is necessary to unravel deep-rooted biases and to tackle diverse forms of domination that affect different members of the college community in different ways. Such findings are particularly important in light of the epistemic power that is conferred on teacher-graduates and that is transferred through teaching practices to communities across Tanzania.     

社会性别与发展:实践者的足迹与反思

在进行社会性别培训时,协助者的言行举止会影响参与者对性别平等和参与的认识,这不仅是培训技能的问题,而且是知识生产与再生产的过程。目前农业女性化已成趋势,但现有农、林业体制内普遍缺少性别敏感,因而不感应现实中的社会性别与发展问题,仍是以父权文化为特征的主流声音在制造政策,导致部分农妇边缘化。那些为生存和发展不得不选择流动的女性,又经常处于易受伤害的风险中,被骗或被拐卖,其身份和角色的转换使其处于多重困境。国家和社会应当是维护妇女权益的责任承担者,要在现有体制内促进社会性别机制化。无论哪个层面,性别敏感的提升和持续要靠组织和领导支持,群体间的交流需要机制化,相关计划、决策、预算要真正回应性别需求,包括实用性或战略性需求,也需要有制度化的保障。总之,妇女赋权和性别主流化是两个相辅相成的重要方面。     

The special needs of teachers of special needs children

More and more, special needs children are entering early childhood education programs. But the integration of special needs children into the regular classroom — and their acceptance by their nonhandicapped peers — continues to be a concern of both parents and teachers. Many of the proposed benefits of mainstreaming are based upon opportunities for interactions between special needs children and their nonhandicapped peers. What we know about enhancing the quality of these interactions has definite implications for teachers. After examining the research on social relations and social skills training programs for special needs children, we will discuss these implications.Cary A. Buzzelli is an assistant professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in Birmingham, Alabama. Nancy File is a doctoral student in the Department of Child Development and Family Studies at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.     

An examination of some of the difficulties of establishing an open university in a small linguistic area: the case of Suisse romande

This paper aims to describe and discuss the various initiatives currently being undertaken in Switzerland (and more specifically the Francophone Suisse romande) with regard to the introduction or adoption of an open university. The paper sets these developments in their historical context by outlining the growth of open universities and the various models available in the world today. The writer regroups these models in a simple typography of four dimensions dealing with, for example, entrance criteria, level of technology etc. The criteria are then discussed which an open university would have to fulfil for it to function not only adequately in the mixed urban‐rural‐plateau‐mountain situation which is Suisse romande but for it to function with due regard to the various cultures present. It is also argued that an open university can only be so if it affords opportunity to study to those previously denied it, and this regardless of their circumstances. It is questioned whether a foreign open university can ever be expected to take proper cognisance of the receiving culture and, using the experience of the United Kingdom Open University with regard to Scotland, conclude that this is unlikely to be the case and that only a home‐grown open university can not only respect indigenous cultures but also avoid culture clashes between what is presented in the courses and what the student experiences. Referring specifically to the nature of Swiss adult education, the reticence of the main provider of adult education to get involved in the development of open universities in that country is queried.     

Mainstreaming Gender Equality in Science in the European Union: The ‘ETAN Report’

This article examines the position of women in science in academe in the European Union. It draws upon some of the data collected for the 'ETAN' (European Technology Assessment Network) report, Science Policies in the European Union: promoting excellence through mainstreaming gender equality, published recently by the European Commission. The data demonstrate how irrespective of discipline, proportion of female undergraduates in the discipline, and country, women leave scientific careers in disproportionate numbers at every stage, but particularly after the post-doctoral level. The article outlines three approaches to developing gender equality: equal treatment, positive action and gender mainstreaming, and shows how the position of women in science might be improved by the application of these three approaches by universities and research institutes. It concludes by asking some questions about whether more women at the top in science would make a difference to how science is done, what science is done and what is regarded as excellent in science.     

创意城市与现代大学:从3T理论到三区联动

大学不仅是城市经济增长的推动力量,更是城市的灵魂象征与精神代表。本文借鉴城市社会学理论,在分析创意城市3T理论及相关要素的基础上,评介大学校区、科技园区、公共社区“三区联动”战略形成的合理性、理念及框架,论述了大学在三区联动中的核心作用,并对大学如何应对问题、引领城区发展提出了可行的政策建议。     

A bridge between seminar and university: the English Department at Oranim College, 1971–2001

The issue of the ‘best’ type of teacher education currently under discussion led us towards a historic‐ethnographic study dealing with the teacher education approach of the English Department which existed at Oranim Academic College of Education in the years 1971–2001. Seven teachers and former Heads of Department were interviewed, as well as the college president, and written material was collected from different sources. The data were analysed using the grounded theory approach. The findings show that this teacher education program was unique in that it was built on a balanced integration of the seminar‐based and the university‐based approaches to teacher education. This allowed the department to place the process of construction of pedagogical content knowledge in the centre, together with the acquisition of discipline‐based knowledge. This combination of academic and professional‐based approaches within a university framework was proven to be not only possible, but very successful.     

民办高校评估新视角

在教育部组织的两轮评估交替之际,本文结合公办和民办高校评估的实际,对高校教学评估制度尤其是民办高校评估进行了深层次的思考,提出了构建以政府行政评估为主导、社会评估为主体、高校自我约束“三维一体“的教育质量监测和保证体系的新思路。     

OBSTACLES TO INNOVATION WITHIN THE SWEDISH UNIVERSITY ORGANIZATION

The prospect of the mass education society has brought with it new problems and has placed heavy demands on university organization. As the role of higher education in society has expanded, demands have repeatedly been made for smoother interaction between universities and the community at large. The traditional university structure has come to be seen as a potential obstacle to necessary changes in education and research. These are the concerns of a study being carried out at the Department of Business Administration of the University of Göteborg the conception of which is described below.     

社会性别主流化:中国妇女就业立法新阶段

随着“社会性别”在主流理论中的认同,社会性别主流化在操作层面也进行了有益的探索。妇女平等就业权是实现男女平等,提高妇女地位的先决条件。用社会性别视角分析中国妇女就业立法现状,对深入了解社会性别主流化进程以及国家对男女平等就业权的法律保护具有重大意义。     

Traveller culture and lifestyle as factors influencing children's integration into mainstream secondary schools in West Belfast

In 1997, the Department of Education for Northern Ireland made the decision to mainstream Traveller children into secondary schools including those in West Belfast. Before then, Traveller children over 11 years of age remained in a dedicated school for all Traveller children of school age living within the catchment area of West Belfast. This paper presents the findings of a small‐scale research project that examined the experiences of Traveller children attending two West Belfast secondary schools which have integrated Traveller children into mainstream education since 1997. It also discusses ramifications of mainstreaming for Traveller parents in West Belfast. The project focused particularly on the following: the attitudes of Traveller children to mainstreaming and inclusion at secondary level; the possibilities mainstreaming offers for furthering the inclusion of Travellers into the community at large; and the perceptions of Traveller parents in West Belfast to mainstreaming in secondary schools.     

African universities and the state: Prospects for reform in Senegal and Uganda

Uganda's Makerere University and the University of Dakar in Senegal were for many years after independence among Africa's premier universities. Today, their facilities have visibly deteriorated and the quality of instruction the institutions provide is seriously threatened — the consequence of political and economic turmoil combined with persistent underfunding. If higher education remains supply-driven without reference to available resources, the problems of Makerere and the University of Dakar can only increase and become even more unmanageable. The governments of Senegal and Uganda are being encouraged by donors to undertake reforms to revitalize the university sector. However, it will not be possible to reform financing of public higher education, or to carry out many other reforms, unless the universities have more administrative and financial autonomy. Strategies for reforming higher education systems in these countries are proposed requiring a shift from government participation in the governance of public universities and in matters affecting their enrolments and utilization of resources to more indirect forms of control. Nevertheless, the policy implications for Senegal and Uganda are very different. In Senegal, measures to increase autonomy must be articulated with a larger role for the state in regulating the flow of students to university, rationalizing the programs of different institutions and restricting students' eligibility for support. In Uganda, there is need for greater government co-ordination of public and private investments in higher education and significant devolution of control of public universities.McGill University, Education and Employment Division, Population and Human Resources Department, The World BankEducation and Employment Division, Population and Human Resources Department, The World Bank     

Gender inclusion and horizontal gender segregation: stakeholders' strategies and dilemmas in Swedish teachers' education

This paper contributes to our knowledge of teacher educators' strategies for, and dilemmas with, working with gender inclusion in teachers' education. It illustrates how gender is constructed and reconstructed in teachers' education. The study revealed that teachers' education is not only – as earlier described – a highly feminised field, it is also a discipline that is permeated by horizontal and vertical segregation typical of higher education. The study analyses how university teacher educators experience and handle consequences of this horizontal segregation, building on interviews with subject representatives at a Swedish university. The results exemplify how university teachers reflect on gender policies and their own roles when working with teacher students. Heteronormative patterns also become visible in strategies meant to facilitate gender equality and desegregation. The author argues for the need to include university teachers' perspectives in future strategies for developing gender inclusion in university education.     

大学生体育消费现状与对策研究——以武夷学院学生为例

运用问卷调查、文献资料调研、数理统计分析等方法,对武夷学院不同年级、不同性别大学生体育消费现状进行调查研究。结果表明,大学生体育消费以实物性消费为主;家庭经济收入、体育场地器材和体育消费观念对大学生体育消费水平、消费结构具有影响力。分析认为,观赏性、参与性体育消费是未来消费社会的主流,建议高校应积极更新体育消费观念,不断完善体育基础设施建设,全面推进高校体育改革,推行大学体育有偿服务,丰富大学体育内容,保障高校体育事业可持续发展。