What is on our children’s minds? An analysis of children’s writings as reflections of group‐specific socialisation practices

In the present study it has been examined how children’s creative writing tasks may contribute to teachers’ understanding of children’s values. Writings of 300 elementary school children about what they would do if they were the boss of The Netherlands were obtained and seemed to reflect different types of values. Most children were concerned with charity. Also, writings concerned materialist values and socio‐political topics, such as human rights, power and tolerance. Analyses of group‐specific differences showed girls to write more about charity and health when compared to boys. Children from low socio‐economic backgrounds wrote less about environmental issues compared to children from middle and high socio‐economic backgrounds. Children from ethnic minority backgrounds who wrote more about obtaining goods for themselves and less about environmental issues than Dutch‐origin children. In addition, age differences were found in line with an increase in social and moral development. These differences are discussed in light of differential socialisation practices.     

The Development of 8 mm. Film in Education

The world of education is greatly interested in possible ways of application of 8 mm. film.

Many questions will arise, now that we seem to be on the threshold of what might be called 'the 8 mm. era'. The situation with which we see ourselves confronted can be more or less compared with the period in which—next to silent film—sound film found its way into schools.     

Teacher perception of professional skills in a project-led engineering semester

This study explores the perceptions of teachers with regard to professional skills in project-led engineering education experiences for first year engineering students at the University of Minho, Portugal. Their perception on which professional skills to include, how to develop these skills and how to assess them is studied through six semi-structured interviews with experienced teachers of the first year programme, who served as tutors as well as teachers in at least four projects. Analysis of their perceptions reveals a strong commitment to professional skills for engineering students, and also a lack of confidence in the support they can offer to help students develop these skills.     

Poverty reduction and adult education: beyond basic education

One of the Millennium Development Goals declared by the United Nations in 2000 was to reduce by half the population of people living in extreme poverty, by 2015. Adult education can and should contribute significantly to this development goal. Nevertheless it has hardly been explored so far in the national Poverty Reduction Strategies Papers. In as far as attention has been given to the contribution of adult education to the reduction of poverty, the trend has been to focus on literacy or basic education. Nevertheless, adult education is potentially much more than literacy or basic education. Successful contribution of adult education to poverty reduction programmes includes also agricultural extension, vocational education, community development and training for active citizenship. In this introduction of the special issue of the International Journal of Lifelong Education, we will sketch the state of the art for each of these branches of adult education. Moreover, our central argument will be that developing countries do not only need a more extended system for adult education, but also a more flexible and more targeted system than the rather traditional practices in most developing countries.     

Attitudes toward multiculturalism of immigrants and majority members in the Netherlands

The current study examined the perceptions by Dutch natives and four immigrant groups (Surinamers, Antilleans, Turks, and Moroccans) on four topics relevant for the functioning of the Netherlands as a multicultural society: immigrants’ feelings of comfort in living in the Netherlands, their perceived discrimination, their cultural maintenance, and Dutch involvement with them. As predicted, Dutch natives estimated the immigrants’ view more accurately in a contact domain (perceived discrimination) than in a non-contact domain (feelings of comfort) and the attitude differences between Dutch natives and immigrants were smaller in a contact domain (Dutch involvement) than in a non-contact domain (cultural maintenance). The study also examined the relation between ethnic hierarchy (cultural distance), educational level, and experiences of the ethnic groups. Turks and Moroccans (who occupy a lower position in the Dutch ethnic hierarchy and are less schooled) reported less positive feelings and experiences in the Netherlands than Surinamers and Antilleans (who are higher in the ethnic hierarchy and are better schooled).