Grass-roots football,autonomous activity and the forging of new social relationships

This study highlights the efforts of grass-roots, not-for-profit football clubs to create a sustainable game that, at the elite level, has become decoupled from the local communities most originated from. Examples are offered of clubs specifically set up in response to what are seen as unacceptable levels of infringement by the market into football, and of clubs that have been specifically set up as part of a wider organizational resistance to the ravages of neoliberalism. Fundamentally, the task here is to contextualize these clubs in relation to their various points of resistance and involvement in the dynamics of commodification and decommodification and within this context to provide conclusions regarding the meaning and significance of these organizations. Thus located, it is argued that elements of the grass-roots game form part of an alternative social relation irreconcilable with the current social system that views us as passive consumers of the commodities it produces; a social relation which creates the possibility of a non-alienating system for the provision of our needs operating via a network of enterprises outside of the laws of the market.     

Book reviews

The Peer-Reviewed Journal: A Comprehensive Guide through the Editorial Process by Gary Michael Smith, Chatgris Press New Orleans, USA, 80 pp & 63 pp of Figs., $35.00, ISBN 0-9658380-0-5 The Book in the United States Today edited by Richard Abel and Gordon Graham, Transaction Publishers, 1997., ix, 280 pages., Index., ISBN: 1-56000-972-1 (pbk), $21.95 / £14.95.     

Developing a Curriculum Guarantee for Overseas Students

The intemationalisation of Australian higher education during the 1980s was largely a response to what was perceived as an economic imperative: the need to create an export culture. As a policy initiative, the response has been remarkably successful with Australian higher education institutions attracting a significant number of overseas students, particularly from the Asian region. Yet this economic policy context has often obscured the necessity to provide for overseas students in a way that is consistent with the liberal democratic values that are so much part of the culture of Australian universities. This paper argues that those values should be reasserted so that overseas students are regarded not so much as the end products of a business transaction but as individuals with real needs and concerns that must be addressed.     

Mary Monroe Atwater: A transformative force in science education

This article highlights the transformative contributions of Mary Monroe Atwater to the field of science education. Influenced by worldviews shaped by a segregated macro-society and the privileges of a micro-society, Mary stood against oppression in the early years of her academic career by desegregating academic settings and being the first and only African American in varied arenas for many years. As an aspiring academic, Mary challenged dominant paradigms and as an activist academic, she changed the landscape of science education. She broadened the knowledge base through scholarship and praxis and diversified the science education community through personal and professional efforts that were pioneering in nature.

The outcomes of doctoral education: An institutional study

This study sought to establish baseline data on the outcomes of doctoral education at a private, urban university. Through the use of a survey instrument developed by the researchers, Ph.D. and Ed.D. recipients from 16 departments who had graduated between 1963 and 1984 were contacted. Three primary areas were examined: (1) the impact of doctoral education on career development, (2) the perceived influence of the institutional values on graduates, and (3) the frequency and type of research/scholarly activities engaged in during and after graduate school. Data provided by 707 respondents to the 168 item survey were analyzed by department, by degree, and by four general academic fields, and a number of indices were developed. The main thrust of this paper is the development of the instrument and indices, and the preliminary comparison of four fields with the indices.     

Religious engagement and attitudes to the role of religion in society: their effect on civic and social values in an Asian context

This paper explored the impact of religious engagement (religious background, religious service attendance and religious activities participation) on adolescents’ civic and social values. Attitudes towards the influence of religion on society were investigated as a possible mediator/moderator of religious engagement. A model based on Western literature was tested using a sample of over 2000 Hong Kong students. Secondary data were drawn from the International Civics and Citizenship Education Study 2009. Multi-level modelling was used to assess individual and school level effects on civic and social values. Results indicated that religious engagement exerted varied effects. Religious background showed small and negative effects on students’ civic and social values. Participation in religious services indicated a small, positive and significant effect on social but not on civic values. Participation in religious activities showed no significant effect on either social or civic values. These variables exerted a small moderating effect on social and civic values through attitudes to the influence of religion on society. The latter exerted a positive and significant effect on civic values and a negative effect on social values. These results suggested that Western models depicting the positive relationship between religious engagement and citizenship values may not hold for Asian societies.