THE OPEN UNIVERSITY'S ROLE IN CONTINUING EDUCATION

This paper from the 1979 Conference, ‘Television In Society’, describes the Open University's extension of its original role into continuing education, not only in the areas of professional and in‐service training, but in community education. Short courses of novel design aim to satisfy particular personal or domestic needs. The implications of the work in community education, in particular, for future development of OU work in continuing education include: increased collaboration with outside bodies, and informal usage of courses by other agencies for their own purposes, so that it is questioned whether multi‐media courses or packages of learning materials are being created.     

INTERDISCIPLINARY CONTINUING EDUCATION IN A RURAL AND REMOTE AREA: THE APPROACH OF THE NORTHERN EDUCATIONAL CENTRE FOR AGING AND HEALTH

This article describes an interdisciplinary continuing education approach for health professionals in a rural remote area implemented by the Northern Educational Centre for Aging and Health (NECAH) at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. The article discusses issues of rural health care practice and the implications for practitioners’ educational needs. The key components involved in delivering interdisciplinary education and teamwork training are reviewed, followed by a discussion of the relevance of an interdisciplinary participatory approach for rural practitioners given their practice context and work style. Using NECAH's experience in planning and delivering a 5‐day interdisciplinary education program in palliative care as a case example, it is argued that simultanous attention to these issues in the design and delivery of continuing professional education for rural professionals contributes to a relevant educational experience in the short‐term and an increased interdisciplinary collaboration in the long‐term. The article suggests that NECAH's interdisciplinary participatory approach is a significant model for the continuing education of health professionals in rural remote areas.     

PARTICIPATION OF USA UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES IN CONTINUING EDUCATION PROGRAMMES

The concept of lifelong education encompasses a number of different types of educational programmes e.g. adult education, recurrent education as well as continuing education. The official legal definition of continuing education in the USA Educational Amendments of 1976 to the Higher Education Act states: “Continuing education programme” means post‐secondary instruction designed to meet the educational ‘ needs and interests of adults, including the expansion of learning opportunities for adults who are not adequately served by current educational offerings in their communities.

The following article presents participation by the US universities and colleges in this form of higher education. It is based oh the paper written by Dr. Rosalind K. Loving, Dean of the College of Continuing Education, University of Southern California and presented during the Salzburg Seminar on Continuing Education which was held from 6 to 26 August 1978 in Salzburg (Austria).     

The self‐concepts and perceived competencies of gifted and non‐gifted students: a meta‐analysis

The current meta‐analysis compares the self‐concepts and perceived competencies of gifted and non‐gifted students. Using meta‐analytic methods to synthesise the results of 40 studies, we found that gifted students scored significantly higher than non‐gifted students on measures of academic and behavioural perceived competence, as well as global self‐concept. Gifted students scored significantly lower than non‐gifted students on measures of appearance and athletic perceived competence. Significant heterogeneity was found in the extent to which gifted and non‐gifted students' scores differed in the academic and global domains. Moderator variables such as participant grade level, method of gifted designation and publication year accounted for systematic differences in these domains. Gifted students' appearance and athletic perceived competencies may benefit from specific intervention, but their beliefs in other areas remain positive.     

论继续教育产生的背景与发展趋势及对我国教育的启示

继续教育的产生有其深刻的社会根源。知识经济的兴起 ,经济收入和闲暇的增多 ,人才标准的变化及知识陈旧的加快 ,以及学习化社会的到来 ,迫使人们必须接受继续教育。继续教育的产生和发展对世界各国产生了巨大的影响 ,出现了许多新的特点 ,对我国的教育改革和调整具有一定的启示     

CARE AND EDUCATION OF YOUNG CHILDREN OF PAUPER AND WORKING CLASSES: NEW LANARK,SCOTLAND, 1790–1825∗

The 1800's in Scotland was a time of growing poverty, destitution, and industrialization. Into this world, the New Lanark community developed by David Dale and Robert Owen grew and prospered. Owen modified Dale's system when he became manager in 1800. Provision for child care and education from one to ten or twelve years, adequate housing and health care, use of a library and continuing education, wholesale purchase of necessities–these were all a part of a society designed to form a new character which would promote the collective good. Education, under Owen, included a mixture of Pestalozzian and Lancasterian elements with nature walks, manipulatives, guidance through natural consequences, monitorial organization, and military drills. Issues such as the role of parents in the care and education of their children, the use of paternalistic models to serve the children of the poor, the paradoxical curricula, the equality of services for children, the role of the group well‐being and the collective in goal structures for early childhood programs, so much a part of New Lanark's “model experiment” in social engineering can stimulate thinking about contemporary efforts by today's commercial and/or industrial concerns to emulate its objectives and its practices (suitably modernized). Gaining perspective from a different time and place allows us to see current issues with greater depth and clarity.

     

LIFELONG EDUCATION AND THE UNIVERSITIES OF THE UNITED KINGDOM

The higher education system of the United Kingdom, of which the universities are only part, is changing rapidly. Although broad social conditions explain why universities should be centres of lifelong learning and specific institutional needs are in fact pushing them in this direction, changing demography is only one explanation among many. The kinds of programmes and related policies concerning students, teaching and curricula which are seen as relevant to continuing or lifelong education are widening and diversifying as the political and funding environment of higher education also changes. Research on continuing education and that generated by it are also being perceived differently. The new decade of the 1990's seems likely to witness significant changes in what is identified as continuing education as present trends in favour of integration or mainstreaming accelerate and new arrangements are made for more accessible and flexible forms of study both for degrees and for short courses. This process will be a part of a wider and more fundamental change as higher education moves somewhat towards a mass from an élite model and as the concept of a university and of a university education changes in step behind these changes in practice. The possibility exists that more fundamental changes in the initial undergraduate curriculum will also make universities more effective centres in terms of preparing their young students for lifelong learning.     

KANT'S CONCEPTION OF RESPECT AND AFRICAN AMERICAN EDUCATION RIGHTS

Immanuel Kant envisioned a kind of respect in which one recognizes each human (1) as being not fully comprehensible by any human understanding, (2) as being an end in him‐ or herself, and (3) as being a potential source of moral law. In this essay, Gregory Lewis Bynum uses this conception of respect as a lens with which to examine African American education rights on three levels: the individual level (the level of individual persons' moral experience and moral significance), the community level (the level of the formation and sustaining of social groups that have value for humanity), and the global level (the level of a universal community of humanity). Bynum's goal in this examination is to strengthen our practical understanding of African Americans' right to education defined, in accordance with international human rights documents, as the right to an education that supports the full development of the human personality in a manner that respects students' “cultural identity, language, and values.”     

CONTINUING EDUCATION: A FACTOR IN PREPARING FOR RETIREMENT

This study focuses on the role of formal continuing education in helping persons prepare for retirement. The subjects were 206 classified, university employees between the ages of 50 and 65. The Retirement Preparation Indexes were used to measure behavior, information, and attitude toward retirement. Using the analysis of variance (a = .05), participants in formal continuing education (N = 46) scored significantly higher on the indexes community activity behavior, health care issues, psychological adjustment information, preretirement zest attitude, total behavior, total information, and the complete retirement preparation index. Preretirees involved in lifelong learning were found to be more concerned about their own development regardless of age and more aware of the options available to them upon retirement.     

CONTINUING EDUCATION,THE PROMOTION OF CULTURE,AND THE SOCIAL ROLE OF THE UNIVERSITY

For many years, the author has been thinking about the problem of how to combine continuing education courses in universities with efforts to promote the dissemination of culture in the broadest sense. He begins his article with two definitions, one of the concept of continuing education itself, the other of the concept of culture. He indicates that increasingly a popular demand is being manifested for courses combining both objectives, particularly on the part of those who had to interrupt their studies prematurely or who completed them some time ago. He cites two seminars currently being offered at the University oE Athens, one an interdisciplinary seminar in philosophy, organized eight years ago, the other, a seminar in the philosophy of art. Both of them have opened their doors to all interested persons. They have been extremely popular, despite the fact that enrol‐lecs earn no credit for attending them. With the aid of the appropriate national authorities, similar programmes could be created in other universities in the countries belonging to Unesco so as to respond to a genuine social need.     

TELEVISION AND THE EDUCATION OF THE YOUNG

This paper, from the 1979 Conference, ‘Television In Society’ begins by defining the educational process as one of persisting, despite initial failures, to acquire understanding or mastery, and underlining the uniqueness of each individual learner. The author reports on the results of a one‐year study of the viewing habits of pre‐school children. Little ‘rising fives’ are such heavy viewers that they must feel a sense of loss when school attendance deprives them of ‘their’ television, perhaps the most valuable ‘child‐minder’ of all. Television delights these veteran under‐five viewers and provides an aid that parents and teachers can welcome; it also seems to stimulate little or no ‘participation’ and to inhibit language skills. Older children are also voracious viewers, but the author's experience suggests that television does not of itself inhibit reading and that to blame violent behaviour on viewing of violence is humbug. In conclusion it is suggested that educators are as yet failing to recognize the paramount importance of television in children's lives: there is an urgent need for education to acknowledge this in its curricula and for children (and adults) to find out more about how television is created. The Educational Television Association could play an important role here.     

HIGHER EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT: CHANGING CONDITIONS FOR DIVERSIFIED STRUCTURES OF HIGHER EDUCATION

The article begins with an overview of the history of the importance given by European systems of higher education to the twin questions of the proper structures of higher education and the link between higher education and employment. From the mid‐1950's to the present, the debates on the two questions have sometimes been closely linked and sometimes barely linked at all. The point is that the link between increased employment and higher education is very complex and that signals are unclear. There is no proof, for instance, that over the long‐term, graduates of non‐university higher education institutions will be better protected against unemployment than graduates of traditional universities, particularly those from non‐traditional and diversified programmes within these universities. Still a non‐hierarchical diversity of institutions and programmes seems best suited to the long‐term employment prospects of students. Also, information sources on higher education and employment must be made more accurate and more comprehensive.     

A multilevel analysis of student perceptions of school climate: The effect of social and academic risk factors

This multilevel study examines the extent to which individual‐ and school‐level variables are predictive of three aspects of students' perceived school climate (order, safety, and discipline; fairness and clarity of school rules; and teacher‐student relationship) by using a nationally representative sample. A wide range of social and academic risk factors at the individual level are examined. The results show that individual‐level predictors, such as having behavior problems at school, being held back a grade, coming from a single‐parent family, parents' education level, gender, and ethnicity (e.g., Hispanic and Asian), play a significant role in student perceptions of school climate. The results suggest that these relationships between the individual‐level predictors and students' perceived school climate are fairly robust across schools. School‐level variables, such as attending a private or a Catholic school, are also significant predictors of students' perceived climate. Furthermore, the study reveals significant interaction effects among the predictors and provides more accurate interpretations of the findings. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

IMMANUEL KANT'S ACCOUNT OF COGNITIVE EXPERIENCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION

In this essay Gregory Bynum seeks to show that Immanuel Kant's thought, which was conceived in an eighteenth‐century context of new, and newly widespread, pressures for nationally institutionalized human rights–based regimes (the American and French revolutions being the most prominent examples), can help us think in new and appreciative ways about how to approach human rights education more effectively in our own time. Kant's discussion of moral experience features prominently in Bynum's analysis, which emphasizes the following: Kant's conception of a Categorical Imperative to treat humanity as an end in itself; his conscious avoidance of, and his discussion of the necessity of avoiding, the limitations of empiricist and rationalist extremes of thought; and his discussion of moral experience in interrelated individual, community, and global aspects. Bynum demonstrates the usefulness of Kant's approach by using it as a lens through which to appreciatively examine a Japanese‐born university professor's account of her ultimately successful effort to teach American students about U.S.‐instigated human rights violations abroad.     

SOCIAL COMPARISON IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION: AN EXAMINATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TWO FRAMES OF REFERENCE AND ENGAGEMENT,DISAFFECTION, AND PHYSICAL SELF‐CONCEPT

Drawing from theory and research into social comparison processes, the present study sought to determine children's motives for comparison in addition to the coexistence of class and individual comparisons in school physical education. The main and interactive effects of these types of comparisons were examined in relation to pupils’ physical self‐concept, as well as self‐reported behavioral engagement and disaffection in class. In total, 545 children (M_age = 13.89 years, SD = 1.57 years) from two schools in England completed the questionnaire. Moderated hierarchical regression analysis demonstrated that the higher a child's perception of his or her ability was compared with his or her classmates, the greater the level of engagement and physical self‐concept and the lower the level of disaffection. Interaction analysis showed that when perceived ability with reference to the class was low, a downward comparison with an individual enhanced engagement, but this was not the case when perceived ability was high. Findings suggest that further research into social comparison processes in this setting is warranted.     

Looking for Ways to Increase Student Motivation: Internationalisation and Value Innovation

Understanding what constitutes the perceived value of foreign education to international business students is critical for business schools in order to achieve their recruitment targets. One established method relies on a financial interpretation of the costs and benefits of business education. By contrast, this study advocates a holistic approach by employing the concept of “internal” and “external” career success as its theoretical underpinning. A survey of undergraduate Chinese students in two British business schools based on such approach provides confirmation of the importance of an individual's judgement of own success as the foundation of value‐related expectations and suggests that academic practice should be concerned with a wider range of competencies and responses to individual attitudes, shifting emphasis towards a greater spectrum of social values.     

MEETING THE EDUCATIONAL NEEDS OF SERVICE PROVIDERS: EFFECTS OF A CONTINUING EDUCATION PROGRAM ON SELF‐REPORTED KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDES ABOUT AGING

A variety of approaches are available for meeting the educational needs of professionals currently providing services to older adults. This article focuses on the development of the Professional Development Program in Gerontology offered through Continuing Education at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and examines the effectiveness of this program in educating regional service providers. The discussion is based on participants’ self‐reported before‐and‐after data on their knowledge and attitudes about aging and the aged. The importance of changing employers’ attitudes about the importance of gerontology education as a qualification for service providers is also discussed.     

Profiles of Organizational Culture and Effective Schools∗

This study intends to investigate how school organizational culture is related to important organizational characteristics and observe how the profiles of strong culture‐effective schools are different from those of weak culture‐ineffective schools in terms of organizational variables (such as principal's leadership, organizational structure, and teachers’ social interactions), teachers’ job attitudes, and school effectiveness criteria. It is a cross‐sectional survey research involving 54 randomly sampled Hong Kong secondary schools and 588 teachers. The unit of analysis is the school.

Organizational ideology index was found to be substantially correlated with schools’ perceived organizational effectiveness. Among the 10 measures of these organizational variables, teachers’ esprit and principal's charismatic leadership can contribute substantially to the prediction of school's strength of organizational culture. The organizational profile of perceived strong culture‐effective schools is contrastingly different from that of perceived weak culture‐ineffective schools. The findings suggest that difference in organizational culture can be reflected at least in three overt levels: 1. organizational level in terms of principal's leadership behaviors, organizational formalization and participation, and teachers’ social norms; 2. teachers’ attitudinal level in terms of organizational commitment, social job satisfaction, intrinsic job satisfaction, and influence job satisfaction; and 3. school effectiveness level in terms of perceived overall organizational effectiveness and academic achievements in public examinations.

The findings reinforce the importance of organizational culture to the ongoing effort and discussion of school improvement and school effectiveness.