THE POSSIBLE ROLE OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE IN ASSISTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENCE IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

Most of this article consists of the reproduction of Recommendation No. R (95) 7 of the Committee of Ministers [of the Council of Europe] to Member States on Brain Drain in the Sectors of Higher Education and Research, adopted by the Ministers’ Deputies on 2 March 1995 and of its Annex consisting of a set of concrete measures to be taken in order to enact and to support the Recommendation. The Recommendation and Annex statements are preceded by two background statements, one suggesting ways in which the Council of Europe might aid the development of science and science policy in the countries of central and eastern Europe undergoing transition, the other, giving the background to Recommendation No. R (95) 7.     

THE EVALUATION OF RESEARCH AND THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A GRANT SYSTEM IN THE ROMANIAN ACADEMY

The Romanian Academy decided to conduct an evaluation of its research institutes based on facts, quantitative statistical data and indicators, as well as on qualitative factors specific to each scientific domain. A first report, concerning input data analyses (human, material, and financial resources), was issued at the beginning of 1995. A second one, consisting of a revised and updated version of input analyses, as well as an output evaluation (publications, patents, etc.) was due to appear in the autumn of 1985. During the spring of 1995, the Romanian Academy initiated a research grant system, open to all Romanian scientists and research groups, for the competitive funding of projects in fundamental and advanced research. Applications are screened and selected by four autonomous expert panels, after an ex‐ante evaluation; midterm and final evaluations (ex‐post) are also foreseen.     

THE CONTRIBUTION OF THE CHURCH TO THE DEMOCRACY OF THE FUTURE

The purpose of this column is to keep religious educators abreast of the relevant significant research in the general field of psychology. Its implications for methods and materials in religious education are clear. Religious educators may well take advantage of every new finding in scientific research.

Each abstract or group is preceded by an evaluation and interpretative comment, which aims to guide the reader in understanding the research reported.

All of these abstracts are from PSYCHOLOGICAL ABSTRACTS, and used by permission of that periodical. The abstract number is Volume 28, Number 9‐10, September‐October, 1954.     

EDUCATION OF THE CANADIAN INDIAN AND ESKIMO

The following statement was presented to the Honorable Gerard Pelletier, Secretary of State Government of Canada, by the Native Council of Canada and its associated members, June 6, 1972.     

THE RESTRUCTURING OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE USSR

Great interest is being expressed in higher education circles everywhere and at all levels in the fundamental changes envisaged with regard to the organizational structure and contents of higher education in the USSR. These changes constitute an important part of the restructuring; the “perestroika”, currently going on in all spheres and at all levels of Soviet society.

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CC CPSU) adopted the Principal Directions for the Reorganization of Higher Education and Specialized Secondary Education. As a follow‐up to that framework document, the CC CPSU and the Council of Ministers of the USSR adopted a number of decisions, dated 13 March 1987, aimed at giving substance to and at amplifying the basic principles enumerated. As change in Soviet higher education has been in the air for some time, we were able to preview some of its directions in previous issues of Higher Education in Europe, specifically in No. 4, Vol. XI (1986), pp. 80‐81 and in No. 2, Vol. XII (1987), pp. 83‐84.

As promised in the latter issue, we are now presenting the main provisions of these “Measures”, and “Decisions” via excerpts taken from five documents which were published partly in Byulleten’ Ministerstva Vysshego i Srednego Spetsialnogo Obrazovaniya, No. 6, 1987, and partly in Pravda, 27 March 1987.

The editors are solely responsible for the choice of excerpts as well as for the editorial and stylistic modifications that they believed necessary in order to fit them into the content of Higher Education in Europe.     

TRANSFORMATION OF THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITIES IN EUROPE

Because of the fundamental importance of science in economic, social, and cultural development, and because the structures supporting science have been weakened by the transition process in the countries of eastern and central Europe, various strategies are needed to relaunch science on a new basis. The activity of UNESCO in general, and of ROSTE, its Regional Office of Science and Technology for Europe, in particular, is described with regard to this problem. Among other actions, a seminar was held in 1992 on Organizational Structures of Science in Europe. A more recent UNESCO initiative calls for a wide discussion of the role and place of science in the contemporary world. The holding of the Academies in Transition international workshop fits well into the scope of this initiative.     

THE GOVERNMENTALIZATION OF LEARNING AND THE ASSEMBLAGE OF A LEARNING APPARATUS

Abstract In this essay, Maarten Simons and Jan Masschelein reconsider the concepts “educationalization” and “the grammar of schooling” in the light of the overwhelming importance of “learning” today. Doubting whether these concepts and related historical‐analytical perspectives are still useful, the authors suggest the concept “learning apparatus” as a point of departure for an analysis of the “grammar of learning.” They draw on Michel Foucault’s analysis of governmentality to describe how learning has become a matter of both government and self‐government. In describing the governmentalization of learning and the current assemblage of a ”learning apparatus,” Simons and Masschelein indicate how the concept of learning has become disconnected from education and teaching and has instead come to refer to a kind of capital, to something for which the learner is personally responsible, to something that can and should be managed, and to something that must be employable. Finally, the authors elaborate how these discourses combine to play a crucial role in contemporary advanced liberalism that seeks to promote entrepreneurship.     

THE UNIVERSITY OF THE PEOPLES OF EUROPE: WHAT IT COULD BE

Inspired by the coining together of the various countries of Europe, by the rebirth, at all levels, of interest in the common European identity, and by the growing European consensus as to the importance of the university as a major pan‐European cultural institution, the author, First Deputy Chairman of the USSR State Committee for Public Education, presents a project for the founding of a University of the Peoples of Europe. What he envisions is primarily a research institution devoted to the study of pan‐European problems of all sorts and the generalization of the solutions. The author suggests outlines of both the possible activities of such a university and of its organization. He believes that the institution should function under the auspices and with the support of Unesco.     

THE PRIVATE SCHOOL IN THE AMERICAN SCHEME OF EDUCATION

This article explores the possible contribution to Jewish education found in the resources of Judaica scholarship. It begins by exploring the complex and often uneasy connection between the world of the university and the world of education and then offers an alternative to this tension by suggesting ways that Jewish subject matter scholarship might both help expand Jewish educational research and improve the actual practice of education. Four models are offered as means of implementing these ideas. These models are explored through specific examples and analysis of the potential advantages and challenges embedded in each.     

STATE PARTNERSHIPS TO ENHANCE THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF OLDER AMERICANS WITH LIFELONG DISABILITIES

The Older Americans Act and its network of state and area agencies are dynamic mechanisms for human services. The “aging network” has entered a period of expanded policy arenas which require broader agendas and applications, from long‐term‐care systems development to assisting employers who are creating flexible work and retirement programs. It is appropriate for the aging and developmental disabilities networks to explore the intersections of their operations with respect to their methods of administration, advocacy, service systems development, and policies.     

THE USES OF REMINISCENCE IN OLDER ADULTHOOD

Findings from previous research on the benefits of reminiscence and life review in the aging process have been inconclusive. This may be due in part to a lack of clarity with regard to the particular type of reminiscence being investigated. The study reported in this article attempted to bring some clarity to the phenomenon of reminiscence by identifying and differentiating its various uses or functions. A 17‐item Uses of Reminiscence scale was administered to 288 older adults as part of the Georgia Centenarian Study. A factor analysis of the data revealed three distinct uses of reminiscence: “therapeutic,” “informative,” and “enjoyment.” Implications for research and practice are discussed.     

THE FUTURE OF CHRISTIAN RELIGIOUS EDUCATION IN AN ERA OF SHRINKING TRANSCENDENCE

This article seeks to understand religious education as a process of communal endeavor that prioritizes and considers the learning experience intrinsically connected to its social and cultural contexts. Two authors will be of help to develop this pursuit: Lev Vygotsky, whose work emphasizes learning as constructed through interactions and in collaboration with members of a community, and Victor Turner who identifies the potential for creativity and transformation within the concepts of liminality and communitas. The article concludes by suggesting that when a community acknowledges the multiple zones of proximal development—which creates opportunities of mutual support and democratic participation—communitas surfaces as a sign of liminal vitality, openness, and solidarity.     

THE CORPS OF ROYAL ENGINEERS AND THE GROWTH OF BRITISH TECHNICAL EDUCATION

Among the very best civil servants are officers and men of the Royal Engineers. Whether. . . officers or privates, you know with certainty that you can obtain a competent man for almost any kind of work in the Royal Engineers. (Henry Cole, ‘On the Efficiency and Economy of a National Army, in Connection with the Industry and Education of the People’, Journal of the Society of Arts, Vol. 17 (19th Feb., 1869), 209).

Acknowledging, then, the importance of a diffusion of a knowledge of science . .. the question arises—what has been done during these last 60 years? I should certainly say not much ... The results keep no pace with the requirements of the times... we are falling behind the nations of the continent and behind America in our means of giving scientific instruction to the industrial classes. (Captain Donnelly, R.E., Lectureon the Promotion of Science by the Department of Science and Art (London pamphlet, 1861), 7.)     

THE APPLICATION OF THE ANALYTIC HIERARCHY PROCESS FOR EVALUATING CREATIVE PRODUCTS IN SCIENCE CLASS AND ITS MODIFICATION FOR EDUCATIONAL EVALUATION

To design and to manufacture in science learning are increasingly important in science education. Yet, evaluation techniques in school for evaluating students’ creative products are apparently left behind. With the aim of developing an evaluation method to evaluate creative products in science and technology class, this study constructed a set of criteria with data collected from teachers and students. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP), a multiple criteria decision-making tool for single rater, was selected for the purpose of weighting and evaluating students’ products. However, the traditional AHP used one rater’s pair-wise comparisons; its subjectivity and complexity limit its applications in school. For solving this problem, this study developed an advanced technique, called direct-rating AHP (DR-AHP), to extend the applicability of the traditional AHP. The DR-AHP is used to obtain weights or preferences for criteria/alternatives by a process of directly ranking criteria/alternatives by single/multi rater(s), checking consistency, and developing a rank vector matrix. The DR-AHP was implemented in obtaining criteria weights of a hierarchy framework for creative products evaluation by a group of science educators (N = 13) and field-tested in ranking creative products by another group of science teachers (N = 9). Results showed its superiority in objectivity and efficiency over traditional ways of evaluation. The results also demonstrate how the AHP and DR-AHP are capable of helping evaluators systematically construct criteria and/or to evaluate students’ creative products for classroom instruction as well as during many other activities.

     

THE BEGINNING AND END OF YOUTH IN ROMAN ANTIQUITY 1

Scholars like J.H. Van den Berg and P. Ariès ^{2 2}J.H. Van den Berg, Metabletica of leer der veranderingen (Nijkerk, 1956); P. Aries, L'enfant et la vie familiale sous I'ancien régime (Paris, 1960). — not professional historians by origin — introduced a dramatic innovation in historical approaches. Influenced by their pioneering research on children in the past, many modern psychologists, sociologists or historians don't consider childhood (or youth, old age, maternal love...) as a natural, universal, ageless and self‐evident “phenomenon “ anymore. For F. Musgrove, for example, the concept of youth as a separate age of man is fairly recent. This sociologist expresses his opinion in a radical way: “The adolescent as a distinct species is the creation of modern social attitudes and institutions. A creature neither child nor adult, he is a comparatively recent socio‐psycho/ogi‐cal invention, scarcely two centuries old. [...] The adolescent was invented at the same time as the steam engine. The principal architect of the latter was Watt in 1765, of the former Rousseau in 1762”. ^{3 3}F. Musgrove, Youth and the Social Order (London, 1968²) 13 ff. ("Making adolescents") and 33 ff. ("The invention of the adolescent").

Such statements are a simplification of historical reality. The view of A. Kriekemans is more balanced: depending on the cultural environment, the term “youth “ may cover a different period of life and may be more or less complicated, involving varying levels of conflict, having its own identity, its own way of living, its own status, and its own expectations. ^{4 4}A. Kriekemans, Geschiedenis van de jeugdpsychologie (Tielt‐Den Haag, 1967) p. 298. Let us apply these. words to Roman antiquity and examine the place of youth in the human life span as well as the circumstances which made possible its existence as a separate entity. Before starting the exposition itself, it should be noted that we are dealing with upper‐class youth (we know a/most nothing about youth in the lower classes) and with the young man (girls mostly married between the ages of 12 and 15 and there was no real interval between childhood and adulthood).

     

THE ACCESS TO HIGHER EDUCATION OF 80% OF YOUTH IN THE YEAR 2000

This article explores some of the probable consequences of the objective, elaborated throughout the French political spectrum, in favour of expanding French higher education enrollments such that by the year 2000, 80 percent of each age cohort will hold the baccalauriat and 90 percent of the latter will enroll in higher education. So far, the consequences of this objective have not been faced, particularly the tremendous changes required so as to make higher education in France universal. Certainly they will bring an end to the traditional elite nature of the French university with its emphasis on research and on the imparting of theoretical knowledge. Ineluctably, the emphasis will have to shift to practical courses and to career preparation. The author therefore suggests that the move to universality might best be accomplished by the development of numerous short‐term and vocationally oriented courses to be offered in distinct institutions to provide training to the bulk of the new entrants who will, for the most part, have completed high school in technical baccalaur éat sections. A traditionally oriented core within the university system will continue to offer long‐‐cycle courses admitting only the cream of the traditional general education baccalauriat holders and the best graduates of the new short‐cycle institutions. All the enrollees in the latter institutions should be encouraged to avoid over‐specialization so as to guarantee their professional flexibility with respect to future employment.

     

SOCIAL DETERMINANTS AND POTENTIALS OF EDUCATION IN LATER LIFE: THE CASE OF AUSTRIA

Various theoretical concepts such as plasticity, competence, and potential have recently been applied to underline the possibility of later‐life development and change. Value and limitations of these concepts are discussed in view of learning in later life. A review of the special case of Austria and the educational attainments of its elderly indicates that social reality is slow in its transformation and that the disadvantageous educational achievements credited to today's older people hardly encourage them in pursuing later‐life studies. The paper reports results obtained by means of two questionnaires filled out by older students and teachers. This empirical investigation examines the influence of societal norms, social setting in institution‐related learning situations (age‐homogeneity vs. age‐heterogeneity), and instructors’ attitudes toward older students. The results demonstrate that permanent education and proper stimulation of the learning processes depend on a complex relationship between (competent) individuals, their social surroundings, and learning conditions that often prove unfavorable.     

MEDICAL EDUCATION IN GERIATRICS: THE LASTING IMPACT OF THE AGING GAME

In an effort to sensitize medical students to the problems of the frail elderly, a simulation experience known as the Aging Game is a required portion of the Introduction to Clinical Medicine course for medical students at Duke University. The immediate positive effect of the Aging Game has been documented (Journal of the American Medical Association, 262, 1507‐1509), but its long‐term impact has not been established. To obtain follow‐up, a brief 10‐item questionnaire was mailed to all medical students. Both objective and subjective data were collected to ascertain the impact of the Aging Game over time (class years two through four), and objective responses were analyzed by the Mantel‐Haenszel chi‐square test of general association. The lasting effect of the intervention was confirmed over the 2‐year follow‐up period. The experiential nature of the intervention and the resultant increase in empathy for the frail elder explain the success of the Aging Game.