The Origins of Social Competence in a Pluralist Society∗

This paper explores the changing relationships between the UK government, its research councils and universities, focusing on the governing, funding and organisation of doctoral training. We use the Doctoral Training Centres (DTCs) funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) as a prism through which to study the shifting nature of university governance more broadly. Taking up ministerial policy ‘steers’ around research selectivity, knowledge exchange and collaboration, the national research councils position themselves as active partners to universities, working closely with their selected institutional ‘investments’.

Drawing on interviews with directors of these DTCs, we document the range of ways in which universities are responding to these dynamic and sometimes unpredictable governance practices. This paper also highlights the growing number of collaborations between universities that are emerging. We use recent work in science governance to argue that, through the Doctoral Training Centres, these ‘lively’ Research Council bureaucracies are reshaping the social sciences and universities more broadly.     

The Service of the Association∗

This article begins with an acknowledgment of the complexities of religion's position in the English school system that open it to diverse interpretations. It uses research in a variety of schools to illustrate three different approaches to religion: doxological, sacramental, and instrumental, founded, respectively, on certain faith in God, on openness to the possibility of God, and on a default scepticism. The contested nature of religion's place in schooling is acknowledged and, in response, both secular and religious reasons are given for hearing religious voices in the educational sphere. The argument is made that an equitable religious-and-secular settlement is dependent on “religiously understood” religion being allowed into the conversation. The relationship between penultimate and ultimate is used to analyze each of the three approaches for their engagement with “religiously understood” religion and their contributions to religious and secular understanding.     

The Necessity of Comprehensive Sexuality Education in the Schools∗

The shift in the demographic data highlights the growth in minority, second language learner, and economically disadvantaged student populations that traditionally have been underserved in public schools (Marshall and Oliva 2006 Marshall, C. and Oliva, M. 2006. Leadership for social justice: Making revolutions in education, Boston: Pearson.  [Google Scholar]). The purpose of this discussion is to explore the leadership praxis of four female secondary school leaders faced with challenges of social justice, democracy, and equity in their schools. The principals could be characterized as stewards of social justice in their school communities.     

The response of the Roman Catholic Church to the introduction of vocational education in Ireland 1930–1942

This paper discusses the manner in which the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland attempted to impose denominational control on the system of vocational education introduced by the state in 1930. Considerable research on education has been conducted within the period in question; however, the area addressed in this paper has been largely neglected by scholars in the field. The position of the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland is examined in the context of Church–state relations within Europe with particular reference to the issue of control in education. The paper argues that the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland sought denominational control over vocational education through the introduction of various amendments to legislation dealing with the system.     

The School and the Reduction of Inequality∗

ABSTRACT

The need to develop reasoning skills in children through discussion is generally acknowledged by curriculum aims. There is, however, a lack of any definite teaching strategy to fulfil this need. Matthew Lipman's Philosophy for Children programme has had success in this area. As with other ‘collaborative enquiry‐based’ approaches to learning, it depends upon a teaching strategy which enhances children's self‐esteem. This seems a necessary ingredient for the development of rationality, critical awareness and autonomy in children. Inadequate teacher training is suggested as a major reason for the failure of ‘collaborative’ approaches greatly to influence educational practice. With a shift away from the ‘authority/knowledge‐based’ paradigm and the provision of effective teacher training, it is considered that our educational institutions could become more democratically organised, and we would move closer to realising the liberal ideal of developing human potential to the full.     

The function of individualized education programmes in special education: a discussion of premises∗

ABSTRACT

This paper focuses on the construction and implementation of written individual plans for teaching students in special education. Experiences from a number of countries are given, and from these experiences two premises for planning teaching are deduced: one regarding the link between diagnosis and instruction and one regarding teacher planning. The premises are discussed in some detail and consequences for individual planning in special education are formulated.

     

The Dilemma of Newland Archer——The Theme of Freedom in The Age of Innocence

The Age of Innocence is novel of realism,in which the protagonist is trapped between dream and reality.By using Sar tre’s existentialism theory,this thesis analyses that the protagonist chooses reality against his will because of dishonesty.And the reason is that his freedom is restricted in the"situation"of other people.     

The Effect of Mixed‐Age Classes in Sweden

Mixed‐aged (MA) classes are a common phenomenon around the world. In Sweden, these types of classes increased rapidly during the 1980s and 1990s, despite the fact that existing empirical support for MA classes is weak. In this paper, the effect of attending an MA class during grades 4–6 on students' cognitive skills is estimated. Using a unique survey with information on students, parents, and teachers, it is possible to control for many factors that could otherwise bias the results. A negative effect on short‐run cognitive skills, as measured by grade 6 cognitive tests, was found. This effect is relatively large—almost 5 percentile points—and robust to a rigorous sensitivity analysis. On grade 9 credits the effect is still negative but smaller in size and not statistically significant.     

Moral Education of Youths in the Information Age

In Chinese societies, moral education has always been considered the most essential component of education because the nurturing of moral persons is the prime function of schooling. The implementation of moral education has relied on the inculcation of values that reflect moral ideals. The emergence of the Information Age, with a plethora of information and ideas being disseminated instantly through informational technologies, has altered the educational landscape of the world and challenged the conventional approach to moral education. Given this context, we argue that it is important for Chinese educators to find an alternative approach to moral education that can embrace the new realities of our networked world. In this approach, lofty moral ideals should give way to simple and easily understood concepts such as respect, information and ideas in the ＂cyber world＂ should be exploited rather than shunned, and the genuine interests of children and youths should form the basis of moral education that is at once relevant and enlightening. In proposing this approach to moral education, we also assume that moral educators in Chinese societies, which include school teachers, parents, and organizers of nonformal education programs, would endeavor to understand the complex world of cyber realities and devise feasible ways to suit contextual educational needs.     

The Strategic Management of Information: an Essential Element in the Training of Engineers∗

Why should engineering students be trained in the effective use of information sources? How can this education and training be integrated into the curriculum within technical universities? What role can information specialists and librarians play for training future engineers in this field of information mastery?

This paper introduces a debate which is largely developed in some countries, specially in France, within the French Grandes Ecoles     

Can Schools Survive in the Age of the Web?

英语时事类文章以其丰富的内容(涉及社会、科学、文化、体育、金融、生活、生物等方方面面)、多样的体裁(记叙文、说明文、议论文、广告等)以及鲜明的特性(新闻性、知识性等),多年来深受命题专家的青睐,牢牢占据各地高考试题的一席之地.通过阅读英语时事类文章,同学们不但可以随时了解天下大事,激发学习英语的兴趣,而且可以学到许多生动鲜活的英语语言知识,从而提高综合应用英语的能力.