School reform policy in England since 1988: relentless pursuit of the unattainable

There is growing concern that almost 20 years after the 1988 Education Act, top‐down, large‐scale reform has stalled. The policy mix of choice, competition, markets, regulation, accountability and leadership seems not to have closed the gap between advantaged and disadvantaged areas and individuals, while most variations in school performance can be explained in terms of intake differences. This paper reviews policy and progress since 1988 and assesses the extent to which central government has achieved its educational aims. Unacknowledged tensions and contradictions are identified in structures and practices that are supposed to constitute a reliable framework for sustainable improvement. The conclusion is drawn that since 1988 the national government apparatus has itself become an important obstacle to further progress. An independent review of policy‐making and implementation is recommended so that schools and colleges are enabled to contribute more effectively to improvements in the quality of education.     

Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Theories of Motivation from an Attributional Perspective

Two related attribution theories of motivation are examined. One, an intrapersonal theory, includes self-directed thoughts (particularly expectancy of success) and self-directed emotions (pride, guilt, and shame). The second is an interpersonal theory and includes beliefs about the responsibility of others and other-directed affects of anger and sympathy. These two theories are respectively guided by the disparate metaphors of the person as a scientist and the person as a judge. Some experimental evidence supporting the conceptions and the range of phenomena that they incorporate are examined.     

When a Culture Takes a Trip: Evidence of Heritage and Enculturation in Early Conceptions of Art

This study in social cognition has been focused on exploration of ways in which cultural contexts shape formation of knowledge about art in early childhood years. Focusing of the connotative rather than denotative meanings of the term art, this study was designed to examine how this concept functions in a variety of cultural contexts. The method of structured interviews was used to elicit answers of four- and five-year-old children in Canada, France, and Taiwan to questions regarding the nature of art and its salient characteristics. In particular, this study addressed questions about portability of culture and the effects of heritage and enculturation in the formation of social knowledge among individuals whose cultural identity is negotiated in the context of a ‘transplanted’ culture. Responses of francophone children in the Canadian province of Quebec were contrasted with those of their French counterparts, as well as their Canadian peers from European ancestry other than French living in the province of British Columbia. Similarly, responses of interviewees in Taiwan, ROC were compared to the reported beliefs about art of young Chinese-Canadians. The results of this study bring support to the theory of modified cultural pluralism that emphasizes the interplay between the original cultural beliefs and values and those prevalent in the societies that become new home for a transplanted culture. Implications of the study findings to art education are discussed. Research reported in this paper has been supported by a grant from the Social Studies and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the France-Canada Accord.     

体力工作者：不是运动员的运动员

工矿企业的劳动者 ,因工作所需 ,在岗位上要从事不同强度、定时定量的体力工作。他们是另一种意义上的运动员。每个劳动者从事体力工作的能力与其公司的生产力和竞争力密切相关 ,就如同运动员的个人能力与全队的成功密不可分一样。某些艰苦的工作环境使工人产生身体上和心理上的巨大压力 ,比起运动员在世界级大赛中的压力 ,也有过之而无不及。在这里专家们将讨论体力工作者会面临哪些身体和精神上的压力 ,并进而就职业生理学进行深入探讨。1　请介绍一下工作中人们可能遇到的各种环境问题 ,以便使我们的读者了解掌握工作压力的类型和工伤发…     

Measurement for decision support

In order to explore possible impacts of changing information technology on the role of the decision support intermediary, that is, the institutional research analyst, three institutional research foundations, measurement, human information processing, and decision support technology are examined. The results of surveys of institutional research directors at Canadian and United States universities indicate high levels of information technology implementation including perceptible use of decision support systems on at least one-third of the campuses. The paper concludes that the role of the intermediary is probably not threatened by existing information technology but that the intermediary should expand traditional activities to include aid for management's user-driven computing for decision support.Presented at the 23rd Annual Forum of the Association for Institutional Research, Toronto, May 1983.