Resisting and Surviving: Asian girls and education

The Schooling and Identity of Asian Girls FARZANA SHAIN Stoke-on-Trent, Trentham Books, 2002 160 pp., £15.99 (pbk) ISBN 1-85856181-7 Asian girls are not often the subject of mainstream texts and research on issues such as youth, identities and schooling—so this book makes a welcome addition. Indeed, research on femininities continues to be somewhat eclipsed by the ongoing ‘boys in crisis’ debate, in which the primary focus of academic and policy attention has been directed at boys' ‘underachievement’ and associated social and behavioural problems. Equally, issues of ‘race’, religion and ethnicity have been historically sidelined within mainstream sociological and educational research and therefore The Schooling and Identities of Asian Girls makes for a refreshing change. Despite the relative academic silence regarding Asian identities, recent world events have propelled Asian (but particularly Muslim) identities, into the British media spotlight. Since the high-profile Salman Rushdie controversy of the early 1990s, through to the British and American governments' declaration of the ‘war on terrorism’ after September 11th 2001, Muslim identities and associated issues of citizenship, nationality, belonging and identity are now all hot topics for debate.     

Responding to crises in transnational education: new challenges for higher education

This paper is based on a case study of an Australian university involved in the delivery of transnational programs in an educational environment that has been increasingly characterized by commercial considerations. The researchers conducted focus group interviews with both general and academic staff to ascertain the personal, academic and administrative issues affecting the delivery of educational programs in Asia that arose as a result of one particular crisis in 2003: the SARS epidemic. The findings indicate that both administrative and academic staff felt personally and professionally challenged by the complexity of the issues involved in interrupting the pattern of transnational teaching. Potentially conflicting rationales emerged through the focus group discussions, with administrative staff expressing concern with maintaining services, while lecturers articulated a preoccupation with the safeguarding of assessment standards.     

Women in higher education: Effects of crises and change

This article focuses on the effect of economic crisis on women in higher education in Europe, Australia, the United States and Japan. It looks at women's access to higher education as students, women's choice of subjects, the employment prospects of women who have earned university degrees, and women as teachers in higher education. The data suggest that as societies face fiscal crisis, greater emphasis has been placed on articulation between universities and the job market, there has been a tendency to increase fees and decrease student loan possibilities, and universities have curtailed hiring. This has meant that the trends toward equalization which characterized the past two decades are in some jeopardy.     

Science education through informal education

To develop the pedagogic efficiency of informal education in science teaching, promoting a close cooperation between institutions is suggested by Monteiro, Janerine, de Carvalho, and Martins. In their article, they point out effective examples of how teachers and educators work together to develop programs and activities at informal education places such as science museums. Their study explored and discussed the viability and relevancy of school visits to museums and possibilities to enhance the connection between students’ visits in informal contexts and their learning in schools. Given that students learn science by crossing the boundaries of formal and informal learning contexts, it is critical to examine ways of integrated and collaborative approach to develop scientific literacy to help students think, act and communicate as members of problem solving communities. In this forum, we suggest the importance of students’ lifeworld contexts in informal learning places as continuum of Monteiro, Janerine, de Carvalho, and Martins’ discussion on enhancing the effectiveness of informal learning places in science education.     

Quality of education and economic growth

This paper assesses the impact of school quality on student outcomes, particularly job performance, and subsequently on economic growth. It begins by showing that ‘investment in human capital’ has evolved from being viewed as simply an investment of student time to including interactions between time and monetary resources which may serve to improve school quality. Evidence is provided from studies of both elementary/secondary schooling and post-secondary education, and from studies of developed and less developed nations. It appears that school quality has substantially greater impact on changes in students' cognitive and behavioral outcomes in less developed than advanced countries. Yet school quality seems to effect lifetime earnings of all students regardless of the level of development of their nations. The paper explains why. in some cases, more years and money spent for schooling may not necessarily appear to reflect higher earnings. Explanations are provided for differences in the impact of school quality on student changes. A major one is the fact that there are significantly diminishing returns to expenditures on schooling, along with the fact that expenditure levels are so much lower in the poorer countries. Reasons are provided as to why, if institutional differences do not account for changes in students in wealthier nations, these differences should still account for differences in earnings. Factors such as measurement problems and institutional arrangements come into play in this regard. The paper concludes that improvement in the quality of schooling provided in developing countries may be more important tor the future economic prospects of these nations in the long run than will expanded access to poor quality education.     

Recurrent education: some economic issues

Despite increasing interest internationally concerning the concept of recurrent education, comparatively little work has been undertaken on its economic implications. This paper applies the principles of social cost-benefit analysis to the recurrent education model and contrasts it with the conventional apprenticeship or front-end model of provision. Consideration is given to the implications of redistributing education and training over the lifespan of the individual, and also of utilising alternatives to conventional full-time formal educational provision. It is suggested that, when a range of factors is taken into account, recurrent education may not be so obviously uneconomic as simple analyses suggest. On the other hand, the concept may pose rather starkly the possible conflict between efficiency and equity objectives in educational policy-making. These findings must be tentative, however, because the cost implications of different forms of provision geared to the specific characteristics and needs of adults have been little researched. The paper concludes by asking how far the cost-benefit framework itself is an appropriate tool for choosing between alternative educational strategies, when decisions are non-marginal and the criteria for educational policy-making may not be primarily economic.The author wishes to thank Professor Gareth Williams for helpful suggestions on an earlier draft.     

An analysis of the current crises in the discipline of science education

Demographic information concerning the thirty-five largest graduate centers for science education was collected. The information verified the decrease in the average number of graduates, number of faculty members, external support for special projects in such centers for science education. Programs have remained static over the twenty-year period. Faculty members at the institutions are stable and possess similar backgrounds; research interests of the faculty members vary and do not represent major commitments for many. When perceptions of discipline problems are studied, lack of agreement concerning goals and objectives are most frequently cited. This is followed by perceived lack of vision and leadership in the profession. Other perceived problems include public and parental apathy toward science and science education, limited budgets and facilities, and limited dialogue among professionals and the public. Science educators have proposed solutions to discipline problems as further evidence of crisis. The most common solutions proposed include (1) development of a theory base for the discipline, (2) structuring of a rationale for the discipline, (3) greater financial and public support, and (4) improved programs, including inservice education. As a view of the future is provided, the central issue emerges regarding the absence of goals in science education that are relevant to contemporary priorities in science, society, and education. Suggestion is made that failure to correct this deficiency will result in further deterioration in all areas of the current crisis.     

试论体育的审美教育作用

体育活动可以作这审美教育的途径。它能增强审美主体的审美感知能力,调节审美情感,最终达到与艺术审美教育同样的目的－群体的和谐与道德的至善。     

The visible and invisible crises in Israeli higher education in the 90s

This study focuses on the Israeli experience of developing higher education as part of the expansion of a nation-building economic project. Educational development and the current crises are examined in the context of a particular history and a unique socioeconomic, political, and cultural experience. Nevertheless, the purpose of this research is to allow the drawing of meaningful inferences, so that researchers into other national cases might profit from the insight into the sources, both visible and less visible, for the break in equilibrium (Bourdieu's term) in the Israeli academy. At stake is the most characteristic feature of the old Israeli academic model, namely the conflation of the missions of teaching and research. To discover the present state of the research-teaching nexus, we examined faculty perceptions as reflected in a recent (1993) survey. This survey was part of the first Carnegie International Survey of the Academic Profession, and its international scope allowed us to undertake some comparative analyses. The Israeli case-study, as well as the analysis of the International survey, shows that devotion to research and meeting teaching obligations, collaboration on research with others, obtaining funds for research, and scholarly publication have strong disciplinary relevance in the day-to-day shaping of academic life in all post-industrialized countries, Israel among them.     

应试教育的经济解释

教育是实现社会流动的重要途径,每个家长都希望子女能够通过教育向更高的社会阶层流动。在当前的劳动用人体制和教育评价体制这两大“约束条件”下,家长对教育的重视转化成了对考试成绩的追求。改革应试教育,就要改革促使应试教育得以形成的“约束条件”——劳动用人体制和教育评价体制。     

Social justice and political education through non-formal education

The New Policy will lay special emphasis on the removal of disparities and equalise educational opportunity by attending to the specific needs of those who have been denied equality so far.     

Global citizenship education through curriculum-as-relations

PROSPECTS - The Covid-19 pandemic was a reminder of the importance of increasing connectivity amidst the accelerated rate of changes and disruptive events of our era. The need and the rationale for...     

Multicultural education through child-constructed games

Children all over the world enjoy learning and playing games. Involving children in the process of creating games from other cultures can increase an authentic interest in learning about other cultures. It also increases cognitive, social, and interpersonal skills. Activities that stress multicultural awareness seem to work best when they are part of the daily routine. Many board games, matching games, and sidewalk games are played in several cultures with slight variations. Stressing commonalities by making games rather than differences can foster sensitivity and a greater understanding of others.     

Promoting wildlife education through exhibits

This study measured the educational value of exhibitry as a method of transferring wildlife information to high school students. Two schools with similar student body profiles were selected and randomly assigned control and experimental group statuses. Pretests measured students' identification and natural history knowledge of 16 mammals. Eight animals were exhibited as a consequence of having low-knowledge scores among students. ANOVA comparisons were conducted among three groups: control (N = 203), experimental viewers (N = 172), and experimental nonviewers (N = 96) of the exhibit. Test results indicated that the passive exhibitry technique produced significant increases in the wildlife knowledge of students who viewed the exhibit. However, no significant change was detected in the test scores of the control group and those experimental students who did not view the exhibit. Several recommendations are provided on classroom teacher opportunities to promote wildlife education through in-school exhibits developed in cooperation with wildlife-related agencies.     

化学教学要为当地经济建设服务

初中化学教学内容中有许多内容可以结合本地经济发展的现状和前景对学生进行艰苦奋斗和立志建设家乡的教育。学生学有一技之长 ,掌握致富本领 ,从容走向社会 ,能有效地为当地经济建设服务。1　化学教学为农业生产服务面对大部分学生初中毕业后要回家务农的现实状况 ,从教材中挖掘与农业生产有关的内容 ,对学生进行培训。1.1　学会测定土壤酸碱度从一亩地的三个不同地方取少许土壤 ,分别放到三个小烧杯中 ,再加入适量的蒸馏水 ,用玻璃棒搅拌 ,静置一段时间后 ,把三条ｐＨ试纸分开放在玻璃片上 ,用玻璃棒蘸取浸出液滴在ｐＨ试纸上 ,其变化颜色…