Elaborating the Concepts of Part and Whole in Variation Theory: The Case of Learning Chinese Characters

The purpose of this paper is to elaborate the concepts of part and whole in Ference Marton's variation theory for dealing with how learners come to understand something of a whole as made up of its parts. Understanding of the parts and the whole is more difficult than expected; as the whole may have an influence on the parts, the nature of the parts of the whole may differ from that of the parts on their own. As such it is not enough for learners just to know the parts in isolation. They also have to recognize the whole to which the parts refer and how the whole influences the parts. To achieve this, teachers have to provide learners with the experience of variation of the parts and the whole. To demonstrate these concepts, I have applied them to the case of children's learning of Chinese characters in this paper.     

The Emergence of Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs): An Examination of the Business Strategy in the Global MVNO Market

Abstract

To assess the strategy adopted by the mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) and the factors that affect the development of this mobile market, this study analyzes the MNVO sector from 2 perspectives: the exogenous factors including the consumer, industry, regulation, and technology characteristics; and the generic strategies that have been adopted by successful MVNOs in various Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development markets. Although cost leadership was found to be most prevalent initially, as the mobile market begins to be infused by high-capacity networks and value-added services, MVNOs are more inclined to apply multiple generic strategies and non-price competition. The strategies of differentiation and focus are practiced in addition to, not in place of, the cost leadership strategy. This study also found that countries with higher third-generation (3G) license fees tend to have higher levels of MVNO development, suggesting that the economic pressure created by the high 3G license fee might contribute to the deployment of MVNOs in a country.     

How to use ISDN Video‐Conferencing to Develop Efficient Remote Education and Corporate Training

Abstract

Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) is available today in Macau and has been since 1997. It is emerging as a mainstream telecommunications network that will serve a wide variety of users’ needs. It has improved service capabilities, reduced costs and improved productivity for Macau organizations, both large and small. The following are short notes on possible uses.     

东亚五大城市幼儿园教师工资待遇比较分析

分析深圳、香港、首尔、东京和新加坡五大东亚城市幼儿园教师的工资待遇发现:(1)香港幼儿园教师的工资架构最简单,很难客观反映教师的实际工作表现;深圳和首尔的工资架构最具全面和综合性;东京和新加坡的工资架构相对全面、均衡.(2)东京幼儿园教师的工资水平最高,首尔、香港、深圳随后,新加坡的工资水平最低.(3)从食物购买力角度考察,东京幼儿园教师的实际购买力最强,香港第二,首尔和深圳随后,新加坡最弱.(4)从租房能力角度考察,东京幼儿园教师的实际购买力最强,首尔和深圳随后,香港倒数第二,新加坡倒数第一.针对香港和新加坡幼儿园教师工资待遇偏低问题,研究者建议当地政府进一步完善幼儿园教师工资架构,考虑发放住房、交通、子女教育等津贴,以切实解决幼儿园教师的生活困难,吸引更多优秀人才从事幼儿教育工作.     

The distance learning mode of training teachers in Kenya: challenges,prospects, and suggested policy framework

Globally, distance learning has gained legitimacy as an effective mode for learning and training. This legitimacy has occurred as a result of, inter alia, its flexibility with respect to time, pace and entry requirements, affordability, cost‐effectiveness, and reputation for high quality. In Kenya, distance learning – although relatively new – is being promoted to attain the Millennium Development Goals, Universal Primary Education, and the Kenya Vision 2030 targets. The majority of those who enrol for distance learning are teachers. This paper examines the utility of a distance learning approach for training teachers in Kenya: its challenges, prospects, and the need for a policy framework. It critically interrogates the readiness of the providers, the learning and policy environments. The paper concludes that current dual‐mode providers do not meet the requirements of the defining features of distance learning, and offers specific quality assuring policy directions.     

An analysis of continuous teacher development in Hong Kong

Education in Hong Kong has developed rapidly since the 70s in parallel with the economic boom. To support such development, the government has invested heavily in initial teacher education and will soon impose professional training and graduate qualifications as prerequisites for entering the profession. Continuous teacher education (CTE), generally regarded as equally important as initial teacher education if not more so, is not given comparable emphasis. This paper aims to study CTE in Hong Kong, including its policy, practice and provision at the system level. Some special features of the system are identified and scrutinized, including ad hoc, policy led, and competence based. The centrally provided CTE is also closely examined in terms of its relevance to the profession, impact on schools, and cost‐effectiveness. The paper ends with a close look at its latest developments, obstacles encountered and prospects.     

Developmental Changes in Executive Functioning

Although early studies of executive functioning in children supported Miyake et al.'s (2000) three‐factor model, more recent findings supported a variety of undifferentiated or two‐factor structures. Using a cohort‐sequential design, this study examined whether there were age‐related differences in the structure of executive functioning among 6‐ to 15‐year‐olds (N = 688). Children were tested annually on tasks designed to measure updating and working memory, inhibition, and switch efficiency. There was substantial task‐based variation in developmental patterns on the various tasks. Confirmatory factor analyses and tests for longitudinal factorial invariance showed that data from the 5‐ to 13‐year‐olds conformed to a two‐factor structure. For the 15‐year‐olds, a well‐separated three‐factor structure was found.     

Bringing the State Back In: restoring the role of the State in Chinese higher education

In the last few decades, in the wake of three major crises in political faith and the overall instability that followed the end of the Cultural Revolution, the post-Mao Chinese government has sought to improve the lives of its citizens and to restore political legitimacy through rapid economic growth that has focused almost exclusively on GDP. This strong focus has brought about rapid, widespread economic growth to China, and has, by classical market standards, been a success. At the same time, issues of social development and human well-being have received less attention. Before the Hu-Wen leadership's formal accession to power, the Jiang-Zhu administration sought to adopt neo-liberal ideas and practices to reform the delivery of social services and the implementation and funding of social policy. In this context, major fields of social policy such as health, education, and housing have been going through the processes of marketisation and privatisation, which have placed much of the financial burden of meeting these social welfare needs on China's citizens. After several decades of privatisation and marketisation in the educational system, the Chinese government has been the subject of repeated criticism for failing to tackle what is popularly known as the ‘new three mountains phenomenon’, namely, the rising cost of health, education, and housing in recent years. Against the wider policy context described above, this article examines the social and political consequences of the privatisation and marketisation of education. It also discusses the major policies and strategies recently adopted by the Chinese government to restore the role of the State in the education system in order to address the negative consequences of the privatisation of education. Finally, it critically examines the main implications of major reforms undertaken in higher education in Mainland China.     

Training in phonological strategies improves Chinese dyslexic children’s character reading skills

This study investigated Chinese dyslexic children’s efficiency in employing phonological strategies (i.e. the use of orthography-phonology correspondence rules) in reading and the effectiveness of training phonological strategies in improving Chinese dyslexic children’s reading performance. An Experimental Group of 15 Chinese dyslexic children received a five-day intensive training in phonological strategies while a comparable Control Group did not. The results showed that Chinese dyslexic children did not use the phonological strategies as efficiently as Chinese average readers, and the training programme was effective in significantly improving the Experimental Group’s reading performance. This suggests that Chinese dyslexic children can benefit from training in phonological strategies.     

Quality improvement in early years settings in Hong Kong and England

With a growing awareness of the importance of early childhood education, the governments of Hong Kong and England have both increased investment through providing fee assistance to parents for buying services and providing funding to providers for offering ‘free’ places, respectively. Alongside the increased funding of early childhood education, a heightened interest in the quality of early years settings has arisen. This paper aims to develop a framework for comparative studies by addressing the similarities and differences in quality improvement of both systems. Three key issues are discussed: relevance of the quality criteria for assessment, interpretations of the quality improvement mechanism and its use in guiding practice, and the influence of contextual factors in terms of stakeholders' views of the quality process. It is argued that these key issues are fundamental to a framework for understanding different sociocultural contexts and dynamics in shaping the quality improvement of early childhood education.