Civics education in transition: the case of Japan

This chapter describes the study as it was conducted in Japan in three schools: a public, a private, and a university school in Sapporo City, Hokkaido prefecture. The results suggest that the civic education curriculum in all of the schools is based on that outlined in the Courses of Study published by the Ministry of Education. In addition to Civics classes, the curriculum includes school events and student council activities. With regard to the development of civic values, the analysis suggests that in the public and the private school, the implicit values encountered in everyday school life have a greater impact on students than do the explicit values outlined in the school precepts or civic education curriculum. In the university school “acting with decency” is regarded as important, both explicitly and implicitly.     

澳门公民教育的缺失及《品德与公民》教科书的回应

受历史因素影响,澳门中小学公民教育整体水平比较落后。回归后,随着经济的持续快速增长,各种社会问题不断出现,澳门特区政府日益认识到提高公民素质、进行公民教育的重要性。然而,缺乏本地合用的教科书,导致公民教育的成效并不理想。为此,澳门教育暨青年局与人民教育出版社合作开发了《品德与公民》教科书。针对青少年国家观念与公民意识的缺失的现状,"公民与政府"分册的编写进行了有益的尝试,以提升公民参与能力,促进澳门社会的繁荣与稳定。     

新加坡小学《公民与道德教育课程标准》的特点及启示

新加坡十分注重道德教育并取得了较好的效果,通过分析新加坡小学《公民与道德教育课程标准》（2007）的主要特点,进一步指出新加坡小学道德教育对推动我国小学道德教育课程改革和发展的积极作用。     

Civics and Values Education in Thailand: Documentary Analysis

The era of globalization has vast implications for Thai society: the effects of globalization upon its national civilization are beyond imagination. The key factor to enable the society to develop in the right direction is the quality of the Thai people. For this reason, civics and values education are recognized as the principal target of educational management. In Thailand, civics and values education are based on religion, especially Buddhism; Thai culture and family life; the institution of monarchy; and social and economic conditions. It is currently realized that economic development without human development leads to disaster in terms of natural resources, the environment, communities, as well as the individual's quality of life. Civics and values education are being revived again to save the country from the risk of this damage, and in order to seek a new balance between “global” and local” values.     

The contested place of religion in the Australian Civics and Citizenship curriculum: exploring the secular in a multi-faith society

In the absence of a dedicated subject for teaching general religious education, the inclusion of Civics and Citizenship education as a new subject within the first Federal Australian Curriculum provides an important opportunity for teaching the religious within Australian schools. The curriculum for Civics and Citizenship requires students to learn that Australia is both a secular nation and a multi-faith society, and to understand religions practised in contemporary Australia. The term ‘secular’ and the need for students to learn about Australia’s contemporary multi-faith society raise some significant issues for schools and teachers looking to implement Civics and Citizenship. Focusing on public (state-controlled) schools, the argument here draws on recent analysis within the Australian context to suggest that religion remains an important factor in understanding and shaping democratic citizenship in Australia, that this should be acknowledged within public schools, and that a constructivist, dialogical-based pedagogy provides possibilities for recognising the religious within Civics and Citizenship education.     

高职非计算机专业计算机基础课程内容的定位解析

目前对高职非计算机专业计算机基础课程的教学内容研究较少,教学内容也比较混乱,影响了该课程的教学效果,尽管教育部计算机基础课程教学指导委员会制订的＂白皮书＂主要是针对本科计算机基础教学的,但对高职院校计算机基础课程的教学也具有重要的指导意义。以＂白皮书＂为依据,结合我院多年的计算机基础课程教学改革经验,对高职非计算机专业计算机基础课程的内容进行了较为准确的定位。     

Citizenship education in civics textbooks in the Japanese junior high school curriculum

This article discusses the types of citizenship education that are included in a sample of Japanese junior high school civics textbooks. Seven civics textbooks that have been authorized by the Ministry of Education for use in junior high school from the 2012 academic year were analysed in the context of fundamental issues in citizenship education and the national curriculum guidelines in Japan. In contrast to some previously published research, it is argued that the textbooks encourage, to a limited extent, active, participatory approaches by students with exercises and practical tasks to help students develop skills and gain the understanding required to live in contemporary society. It is suggested that the textbooks place some limitations on active learning especially in relation to students' political participation and that they reflect the struggle Japan is experiencing in the search for an inclusive national identity. Further work may serve to clarify the nature of potential contributions to citizenship education including that associated with students' involvement in whole school issues.     

The Elusive Goal of Nation Building: Asian/Confucian Values and Citizenship Education in Singapore During The 1980s

ABSTRACT

The term ‘Asian values’ became popular in the political discourse in the 1980s and 1990s. The most vocal proponents of Asian values are Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew and Malaysia's Mahathir and their deputies and government officials, as well as post-Tiananmen Chinese leaders. Most notable of all these three strands of the Asian values debate is the ‘Singapore School’, which ‘comprises leaders who have articulated a defence of the Singapore regime, either in their personal or official capacities’. This article discusses the origins and philosophical underpinnings of ‘Asian values’ in the Singapore context and its relationship to civics education. First, it provides the historical context for the interest in Confucianism and Asian Values. It then looks at the role and use of Confucianism and Asian Values in Asia, before discussing the case of Singapore and Asian values. I explore the interconnections between changes in history, civics and social studies curricula, and the politics of the ‘Asian Values’ discourse in Singapore which underpins these curricula. At the heart of the issue was the state's attempt to forge and articulate a Singaporean identity, and the role of citizenship/moral education in attaining this elusive nation building goal.     

Explaining Hong Kong Students’ International Achievement in Civic Learning

This study identifies predictors of Hong Kong students’ civic learning. It has adopted a cross-sectional quantitative design using secondary data from the 2009 International Civics and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS 2009; Schulz et al., 2010). Multi-level analysis reveals that most of the variance in student achievement can be accounted for by school level rather than individual level factors. Student background variables are largely insignificant suggesting the resilience of many Hong Kong students. Regarding Hong Kong students’ achievements in civic learning, a possible explanation is made and implications are developed for both theory and practice.     

NAEP2010公民教育评估框架述评

全国教育进步评估（NAEP）是由美国国会授权的一项调查,以便收集和报告学生各门学科的成绩信息。自1969年以来,公民教育就是其评估项目之一,为了进一步了解4、8、12年级学生公民教育情况,NAEP2009年制订了2010年公民教育评估框架,计划于2010年对全美学生进行公民教育评估。文章主要介绍了2010年公民教育评估框架产生的背景、评估框架设计中考虑的问题以及评估框架的组成部分,以便为我国公民教育评估框架的研制提供借鉴。     

总结性评估:“承前”,还是“启后”

2003年在徐州召开的全国“高校远程教育专业委员会年会暨中央电大‘人才培养模式改革与开放教育试点’研讨会”会议认为,教育部将原来确定的2005年对全国电大进行的“人才培养模式改革与开放教育试点研究项目”“终结性评估”改为“总结性评估”,这一细微的名称变化表明,本次评估并不意味着全国电大“人才培养模式改革与开放教育试点研究”的结束,相反,它说明,电大系统的远程开放教育的发展将走上一个可持续发展道路,本次评估在我国远程开放教育事业的发展中,起着一个“承前启后”的历史作用。     

Variations on democratic education divergent patterns in Japan and America

A comparison between democratic education in Japan and America illustrates the divergent patterns in the interpretation of this concept which developed after the end of World War II. In accordance with the American ideal of ‘grassroots democracy’, the American school board system was introduced into Japan in order to transfer control of education from the central government to locally-elected bodies. However, by the end of the American Occupation, the school boards had become the center of a nationwide struggle between left and right ideological forces for the control of schools. From 1956 onward, major revisions were carried out by the Japanese Government whereby local control of education was taken over centrally by the Ministry of Education, who introduced a standardized curriculum and a list of ‘approved’ textbooks. The rationale behind the Japanese reforms of the American pattern derives from their interpretation of the constitutional provision that ‘all people shall have the right to receive an equal education’. Significantly, American courts have increasingly tended to follow the Japanese understanding in recent years. There are multiple paths to democratic education.     

Should We Be Testing Civics? Examining the Implications of the Civic Education Initiative

Given the importance of developing civically engaged and knowledgeable citizens, many have sought to improve the quality of students’ civic education experiences. This article examines one particular effort spearheaded by the Joe Foss Institute, the Civic Education Initiative (CEI). Since the CEI was announced, 18 states have passed legislation that includes a civics test component embedded in the CEI. This conceptual article examines the CEI against research-based practices for teaching civics. It then introduces the policy design framework as a tool for analyzing civic policies like CEI. This political science theory recognizes that policies themselves send important signals that have implications for students’ civic development. We utilize the policy design framework to analyze CEI and, in particular, how CEI is likely to shape students’ civic and political engagement. We conclude with a proposal for future research on civic education using the policy design framework.     

Quantifying the effects of teacher movements between schools in New Zealand: to schools that hath,shall be given

This paper examines the flow of teachers between schools of different socio‐economic statuses. New Zealand Ministry of Education data is examined with regard to teacher age and salary structures in schools from high and low socio‐economic intakes. Teacher mobility data is examined and a model of the mobility life cycle of a ‘typical’ teacher reveals causes of the staffing discrepancies between schools with differing socio‐economic intakes. The model accounts for the tendency for low socio‐economic intake schools to have staff who are older and at lower salary levels than those from high socio‐economic intake schools A theoretical interpretation of the situation in New Zealand is provided. It is argued that there is competition between schools for teachers’ labour, and this has had the effect of exacerbating the social stratification flowing from market oriented reforms promoting consumer choice in New Zealand education.     

师范性·发展性·开放性——《全国普通高等学校音乐学(教师教育)本科专业课程指导方案》的创新

由教育部颁发的<全国普通高等学校音乐学(教师教育)本科专业课程指导方案>是一个富有新意的指导性文件.本文对其师范性、发展性、开放性的特点作了分析.师范性,指的是适应新时期对音乐教师提出的要求,从指导思想、培养规格、教育理念、课程设置等方面着手,保证教师教育培养目标的实现.发展性,指的是根据新的教育理念,从课程结构方面提倡"三类课程合力论".有利于学生、教师、教育管理者的思想观念、治学方法、知识结构的不断发展.开放性,指的是突出音乐学(教师教育)学科的特点,把音乐教师教育本科的专业课程作为一个开放的系统.有利于不断丰富、充实和完善.     

Refugees and online education: student perspectives on need and support in the context of (online) higher education

ABSTRACT

Online education and in particular Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are often regarded as a way to solve global educational challenges. In this article, we highlight the students’ uptake of such a ‘digital solution’. Presenting initial findings from a research project in Germany, we situate our investigation in the specific context of digital educational offers for refugees, using Kiron Open Higher Education as an example. Kiron has designed an innovative academic model, with MOOCs at its core, to ease refugees’ access into higher education. Drawing from student data of 1375 Kiron students we look at students’ actual usage of the offer and the accompanying support services as well as the difficulties refugee students face while navigating online higher education. Results show, amongst others, rather low completion rates in the online courses and point to a much more nuanced picture of how students make use of the offer – putting online education as an easy, straightforward formula to the integration of disadvantaged students into question.     

From science to politics: commissioned reports and their political translation into White Papers

ABSTRACT

The study presents a bibliometric network analysis of the two most recent schools reforms in Norway. Two research questions have been pursued: First, do the government-appointed expert commission use (in Green Papers) the same type of knowledge as ‘evidence’ for their reviews and recommendations as the Ministry of Education and Research (as reflected in the White Papers)? How has the use of ‘evidence’ changed over the two reform periods? Second, which body of knowledge amassed by the expert commission has the Ministry of Education and Science actually used for policy formulation? The network analysis shows (i) distinct changes in reference patterns over the two reform periods (e.g., average number of references more than doubled and references to international texts increased significantly), and (ii) an unexpectedly low usage of the ‘evidence’ presented by the expert commissions. The Ministry of Education and Research only draws on 9.5 percent of the references presented by the expert commissions. Strikingly, almost all of the adopted references are from a commissioned report that locally adapted and translated OECD’s Definitions and Selections of Competencies project. The authors suggest ‘studying up’ and paying more attention to how scientific ‘evidence’ is actually used, translated, and edited at the political level.     

Teaching to discuss controversial public issues in fragile times: Approaches of Israeli civics teacher educators

Civics teachers play a critical role in maintaining classroom environments that encourage discussions of controversial public issues. Thus, preparing new teachers to consider the role of such discussions is crucial. Building on theories of teacher knowledge development, this study explores how Israeli civics teacher-educators conceptualize discussions as part of their courses. The findings present four approaches that include: discussion as a pedagogical practice; discussion as a means for reflection; discussion as a way to bring the curriculum to life; and discussion as a vehicle that represents disciplinary content. Based on these findings, the role of discussion as an educational goal, not just a secondary means, will be argued.