Civics education in Thailand: three case schools

This chapter describes the study as it was conducted in Thailand in three secondary schools: a university model school, a private school, and a public school. The results suggest that the main national policy intention was aimed at developing students’ good citizenship and living in society with peace and harmony. The schools, however, emphasized different policy intentions: the public school emphasized order, discipline, and social development; the private school focused on religious conduct; and the university model school was primarily concerned with intellectual activities and critical thinking. In all schools civic values were integrated with coursework, extracurricular projects, and activities.     

Civics Education in Japan: Values Promoted in the School Curriculum

Civics and Social Studies are subjects the Japanese Ministry of Education has designated for civics education in schools. The ‘Courses of Study’ for these subjects, drawn up by the Ministry of Education, list the desired objectives and contents of all Civics‐related courses. The purpose of this article is to analyze the values promoted in the two levels of the civics education curriculum, namely the ‘Courses of Study’ and the approved textbooks. These are analyzed with reference to eight categories, which are: civic life, social cohesion/ diversity, democracy, fair government, economic life, self cultivation, national identity and internationalism.     

Civics Education in Taiwan: Values Promoted in the Civics Curriculum

The purpose of this article is to analyze the values intentionally promoted in civics education in junior high schools in Taiwan. The article first examines the antecedents of civics education in Taiwan, then applies content analysis in exploring the values promoted through the curriculum for civics education at junior high school level. The article uses eight categories of values clusters as the framework for analysis, namely: self cultivation, family values, democratic values, civic life and community, economic life, fair government, national identity and social cohesion/diversity. The following findings emerged from this study:

• ? Social cohesion, democratic values, and national identity are emphasized the most in the civics curriculum.

• ? The democratic values promoted in the traditional period are used as a means to distinguish democratic Taiwan from totalitarian Communist China.

• ? Self cultivation is less emphasized than in the traditional period.

• ? National identity is promoted less as a fundamental value than in traditional civics education.

• ? Because of social and environmental change, the new civics education integrates several Western values into the curriculum.

This research was supported by a grant from the Pacific Basin Research Center of Soka University of America.     

Society and citizenship education in transition: the case of Macau

From the end of World War II to the late-1980s, Macau was a Portuguese colony under Chinese patronage, together with an insulated bureaucracy and a passive political culture. Meanwhile, Macau was characterised by an official non-interventionist policy, a fragmentation of educational provision, and a lack of formal citizenship education. From 1987 onwards, Macau has been undergoing decolonalisation and an impending change of sovereignty, which resulted in the first official document concerning citizenship education issued by the government in 1995. But citizenship education has been less developed in Macau because of the problems of state capacity, autonomy and initiative in delivering education.     

Higher education in transition - the case of Israel - a comparative study

This comparative study examines the impact of the conflicting higher education traditions of Germany, Great Britain and the United States on the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in particular, and higher education in Israel in general.The basic differences of these traditions concerning the aims of higher education - research, instruction and service - and their effects on higher education in Israel are evident in major decisions made by the Hebrew University at three critical stages in its development: (1) its initial organization into research institutes rather than into teaching faculties or departments (1925); (2) its decision to undertake teacher training and the inclusion of education as a scientific discipline (1935); (3) The Reform - introduction of undergraduate studies and the adoption of the three level degree structure (1950). These decisions were influenced simultaneously by the changing needs of the growing Jewish community in Palestine and by major events that affected the course of the Zionist movement.This study has shown that higher education in Israel was shaped in its initial stages of development by the elitist European (especially German) tradition. Gradually, however, the American populistic tradition became the dominant influence, broadening the curriculum and the function of the university to meet the scientific developments as well as the needs of the individual and the society in a newly born country.     

Japan: Meeting the challenge of computers in education

Conclusion The conditions that prepare the way for integrating computers in the curriculum are being successfully addressed in Japan. Computers have definitely found their way into the classroom, and more computers will be purchased by the Japanese government in the next year or two. The groundwork has also been laid in teacher training and in upgrading the quality of instructional software. The issue now lies in being able to teach not onlyabout computers, but how to teach effectivelywith computers. The next challenge for Japanese education is to focus on policy and efforts aimed at putting the equipment, the software guidelines, and the teacher education programs to work.She was in Hiroshima, Japan, in 1993 as an exchange professor at Yasuda Women's University.The author would like to thank Mr. Toru Iiyoshi of the International Christian University in Tokyo; Ms. Mochizuki of the Center for Educational Technology in Tokyo; and the director and staff of the Center for Educational Computing in Tokyo for their assistance with research materials.     

National Education as a ‘Civics’ Literacy in a Globalized World: The challenges facing education in Singapore

In this paper we discuss the idea of national education in Singapore. National education, broadly speaking, is a civics programme which seeks to instil a sense of place, identity and history in young Singaporeans with a view to developing national pride and commitment. We set this discussion against the backdrop of globalization and the idea of wired communities and argue that any civics programme needs to be more than simply a nationalistic agenda. To do this we have framed national education in Singapore as a civics literacy informed by the idea of multiliteracies. In doing so, we suggest that the pedagogical work of such an approach can help to sustain the nation state of Singapore yet place the civics agenda on a global stage where national education might be seen more appropriately as global education.     

日本社区教育活动特征及启示

日本是当今世界仍在实行社区教育制度的少数几个国家和地区之一,日本的社区教育与"社会教育"概念具有相似之处。大约400年前,日本的社区教育开始萌芽,自江户时代(1603年)起日本社区教育最早出现了"石门心学"和"报德教"的结社教育。至今日本的社区教育在基础理论研究,尤其是在理念提炼和深化方面,达到了相当高的水平。探讨日本社区教育实践,学习和借鉴其成功经验,有助于我国社区教育的改革与健康发展。     

Civics and Values Education in Thailand: Documentary Analysis

The era of globalization has vast implications for Thai society: the effects of globalization upon its national civilization are beyond imagination. The key factor to enable the society to develop in the right direction is the quality of the Thai people. For this reason, civics and values education are recognized as the principal target of educational management. In Thailand, civics and values education are based on religion, especially Buddhism; Thai culture and family life; the institution of monarchy; and social and economic conditions. It is currently realized that economic development without human development leads to disaster in terms of natural resources, the environment, communities, as well as the individual's quality of life. Civics and values education are being revived again to save the country from the risk of this damage, and in order to seek a new balance between “global” and local” values.     

日本社会变迁中的高等教育及其入学选拔制度

高等教育及其大学入学选拔制度不是孤立的教育问题,它同经济社会发展、产业与职业结构、人口、文化等多种社会因素相互作用,互为因果。日本高等教育及其入学选拔制度的变迁显示,高等教育和入学选拔制度改革是一项复杂的系统工程,必须注意与相应的社会体制和经济社会发展水平相适应,对教育资源的竞争规律有科学的认识,充分发挥全社会的积极性,并与高中教育相衔接。     

Five years gone: A case study of education policy implementation in the transition to democracy in South Africa

This paper marks the fifth anniversary of the unbanning of various liberation movements in South Africa. A new form of power-sharing is embodied in the Government of National Unity. The paper examines the history, vision, planning and implementation of the SYSTEM programme: Students and Youth into Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. This provides a case study of the policy process in the transition to democracy. A picture emerges of a process connected both to individuals and movements, with the need both for political legitimacy and planned evaluation. Copyright © 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd     

Higher education in Japan

The present state of development of higher education is described and quantified. Notable characteristics of the system are (i) the predominance of private establishments, (ii) the variety of courses available, (iii) the wide social base from which students are drawn, (iv) the highly competitive nature of the entry procedures. The system faces many challenges including the linked problems of management and finance.     

批评与借鉴:日本教师教育制度的启示

第二次世界大战后,日本的教师教育制度一直实施"开放制"和"教师资格主义",即在综合大学培养教师。观其"开放制"培养教师的效果,还存在培养质量等诸多问题,日本呼吁结束"开放制"培养教师的学者也越来越多。而我国实行"开放制"教师教育制度和教师资格制度则刚刚起步,还有待进一步完善和发展,更应该注意吸取日本的经验教训。