Foreign involvement in China's colleges and universities: A historical perspective

For over a century foreign educators have entered China as teachers and administrators. While political turmoil and change has dictated the numbers and the nationalities of those participating, there has been no period since the 1860s when foreign educators were absent from Chinese institutions of higher learning. The purpose of this study is to look at the role played by these foreigners and to judge how they perceived their responsibilities in China and how the Chinese viewed their presence.The introduction of this study outlines the differences between Chinese and foreigners concerning educational mission and pedagogical issues. Because of divergent cultural backgrounds, the differences prove striking. The second section of the study takes a look at the role of foreigners in China's higher education system from the days of the Qing dynasty up to the present.This study shows that, despite a new wave of openness in China today, foreign and Chinese educators still face cross-cultural problems that foster misunderstanding and distrust. While the future may hold promise for more understanding, the immediate past and present give no hints of such changes arriving soon.     

Effects of a Game‐Based e‐Learning Module on Undergraduate Food Science Students’ Planned Behaviors Concerning Good Manufacturing Practices

Understanding the role of food science education in developing undergraduate students’ intentions to implement Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) may be a key strategy in developing the workforce's implementation of GMPs and other food safety programs. Previous research has demonstrated the effects of educational interventions on planned food safety behaviors in various settings; however, none have studied GMPs interventions and college students. This study applied the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to evaluate the effects of a game‐based e‐learning module on undergraduate students’ planned behaviors concerning GMPs. Forty‐four participants were recruited from 42 food science clubs across the United States to complete a game‐based e‐learning module and pre‐ and posttest survey instruments. We compared changes in pre‐ and posttest scores using paired Wilcoxon signed rank tests and explored the role of GMP‐related knowledge and TPB constructs (attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral controls) in predicting students’ intentions to implement GMPs using multiple linear regression. We modeled pretest scores, posttest scores, and changes in scores while controlling for student demographic factors (for example, year in college, gender, and so on). Only participants’ knowledge and perceived behavioral controls significantly increased (P < 0.05) after completing the game‐based e‐learning module. Posttest regression models explained twice as much variance than pretest models (up to 54% total). Changes in intentions to implement GMPs were predicted by changes in subjective norms, perceived behavioral controls, and knowledge, as well as previous enrollment in food safety courses and interest in working in the food industry. The only predictive variables for both pre‐ and posttest scores were subjective norms, previous enrollment in food safety courses and interest in working in the food industry (P < 0.05). A discussion of how these results provide insights for food safety educators to optimize their teaching impacts was presented.     

Turning old problems into new problems: the role of young citizens in improving accountability in education in Malawi and Kenya

Accountability is increasingly recognised as the key mediating variable that encourages service providers to deliver efficient and effective local services. In the context of education, accountability strategies do not always explicitly consider young citizens as the primary users of education services. In this paper, a client approach to accountability is compared to a citizenship approach. Drawing on community scorecard and social audit research in Malawi and Kenya, the author explores whether education services are more responsive and accountable when young people access information and exercise their voice. The paper outlines a refreshed ‘accountability framework’ for education, placing young citizens at the centre, and argues that a citizenship-led approach in education governance is likely to be more realistic and effective than a ‘client power’ approach. This article makes an important contribution to the development community’s understanding of what constitutes an effective approach for promoting more transparent and responsive education governance.     

Tracking Financial Aid and Persistence of Women,Minority, and Needy Students in Science,Engineering, and Mathematics

This longitudinal research study focused on persistence and financial aid of women, underrepresented minorities, and needy students majoring in science, engineering, and mathematics (SEM) in a large, public university in a metropolitan area. Beginning in fall 1989, four consecutive freshmen cohorts (n's = 1967, 1679, 1614, and 1924, respectively) were tracked through 1996–97. SEM majors persisted and graduated at higher rates, but took longer to graduate than non-SEM majors. Women, underrepresented minorities, and needy students received more gift aid than other student populations. However, only women had lower departure rates and graduated at higher rates than other SEM student populations. Compared to non-SEM majors, gift aid for SEM majors was more likely to be awarded on the basis of merit rather than need. Average loan indebtedness increased rapidly from 1989–90 through 1996–97 for both SEM and non-SEM majors. Implications of the findings for improved institutional and federal policy are indicated, and further research on the study topics recommended.     

COPING SKILLS DEVELOPMENT: A NEW SERVICE FOR ELDERLY CLIENTS

This paper describes a model project that has been developed to teach effective coping skills to the aged. A coping skills program (1) fosters a supportive atmosphere where participants can share feelings and learn to cope with crisis situations; (2) provides extensive information about transitions common to the older adult; and (3) provides experiential processes that focus on personal problem solving and personal coping strategies. Recommendations are made for further research in this area.