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.     

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。     

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。     

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...     

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.     

Peruvian higher education: expansions amid economic crisis

The development of the university system in Peru is described and attention drawn to the periods of rapid expansion. The economic crisis of the 1980s led to some doubts about the wisdom of maintaining such a high growth rate. The fall in the number of university entrants in the period 1974 to 1978 is analyzed in the context of the educational reform program introduced by the military government. The new university law of 1983 followed the return in 1980 to civilian government. Future prospects for higher education in Peru are discussed.     

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…     

经济类高职学院诚信教育对策研究

当前,诚信教育对从事经济类应用型人才来说具有特别重要的意义。这不仅关乎的到行业的良性发展,更关系到我国未来经济发展格局和我国的国际形象。而作为培养经济类应用型人才的高职教育,其培养的学生将主要从业于经济领域的一线工作。因此,高职教育中的诚信教育更应放在十分突出的位置。本文就加强经济类高职学院的诚信教育的重要意义、人才培养定位和实施对策等问题展开研究。     

浅谈高校英语教育与区域经济发展

社会经济的不断发展使得复合型外语人才成为了区域发展的需求。现代高校英语教育能够大大促进区域经济的发展,带动当地科学技术水平的提高,从而带动地区经济发展,促进区域经济文化繁荣。因此,现代高校英语教育要以市场需求为导向,以培养复合型外语人才为目标,有效利用区域资源和市场知识构建良好的人才培养模式,实现高校英语教育与区域经济发展的相互作用,让区域经济和谐发展。     

Mathematics and crises

Educational Studies in Mathematics - One can identify at least three different types of relationships between mathematics and crises. First, mathematics can picture a crisis. This is in accordance...     

Surviving Difficult Times Essays

正The First Ryan E.Age 10Winner of 1st Place Prize for ages 7-10The first time I encountered a difficult time in my life,it was one of the saddest days that I can remember.For instance,when I got taken away from my mother,I cried and cried.I still have lot of memories and dreams about her.With