The Global Report on Adult Learning and Education (GRALE): Strengths,weaknesses and future directions

International Review of Education - One of the core outcomes of the Sixth International Conference on Adult Education (CONFINTEA VI) held in 2009 was the Belém Framework for Action (BFA). Its...     

Assessing the status of lifelong learning: Issues with composite indexes and surveys on participation

International Review of Education - A quick review of national policy documents reveals how lifelong learning has evolved as the key principle for a comprehensive education and learning strategy...     

Counselor educators using self as instrument in antiracist teaching

In this autoethnography inquiry, seven counselor educators from diverse intersectionalities discuss how they leverage their selfhood to promote antiracist counselor education. Based on two cycles of pattern coding, the authors identified themes of perceiving, experiencing, creating, and facilitating. Implications for future research and practice are offered.     

CONFINTEA VI from a Canadian perspective

The 12-yearly International Conferences of Adult Education (CONFINTEA) organised by UNESCO are significant events in the ongoing global dialogues about adult learning and education (ALE) and its role within society. Thus, the latest conference held in Brazil in 2009 offered a major opportunity to consider and review developments about ALE policies and practices worldwide and encouraged both national governments and non-governmental organisations alike to examine their approaches to adult education and lifelong learning. After a review of the process that Canada adopted in following the UNESCO guidelines for preparing its country report, this paper focuses specifically on the involvement of Canada??s major academic adult education organisation and details its concerns with both the development and the substance of the report. Comparing it with the country reports of Finland, Sweden and the UK, the authors analyse the Canadian report and provide some explanatory reasons why, in their opinion, both the process and the result provided a less than complete picture of ALE in Canada and, in so doing, fell short of UNESCO??s aspirations for CONFINTEA.     

The case of the Swedish-speaking Finns

Conclusion It has often beeen stated that the Swedish-speaking population in Finland, compared to other linguistic minorities, has achieved a privileged position. Historically the Finnish nation-state was born and grew by the efforts of both language groups, and the constitution was influenced by this unity. The geopolitical situation has gained from the fact that the resources of the whole population have been taken into account in the development of the Finnish nation and state, located in a Northern Europe, where, for centuries, different political, cultural and religions forces have met. The fact that the Orthodox Church together with the predominant Lutheran Church became the state church is another example of the efforts of the young Finnish state to both integrate and mobilize the personal resources.Regarding the future it will be wise to support specific traditions, competencies and creative forces from the whole population. The education, rooted in a language and a specific culture can, in such a perspective, probably not be overevaluated. From the Swedish point of view it is therefore of the greatest importance to maintain fundamental guarantees for a Swedish-speaking education. Only far-going guarantees liberate creative resources for the future challenges nationally and above all internationally. Otherwise too much energy and interest will be needed to guard the specific and in itself justified interests.Today, when the economic prerequisites in a welfare state are not taken for granted it is by all means a wise policy to defend the approved strategy to at the same time integrate and mobilize the total resources from different groups in the society.     

National Assessment of Writing Proficiency Among Norwegian Students in Compulsory Schools

The paper reports and discusses a government‐initiated nationwide assessment of writing proficiency among Norwegian compulsory school students. A sample‐study of 7th and 10th grade students are discussed and reported with regard to challenges in measuring writing skills in a valid and reliable manner. For the 7th graders the results showed a greater proportion of narrative texts, and in contrast to more scientific oriented texts, was assessed as “lower than expected”; however, for the 10th graders the tendency was opposite with respect to central linguistic components. Low correlations between the raters were ascertained at both levels, indicating different views among teachers as to what can be expected of students' writing proficiency. The results are discussed in relation to the usefulness of the theoretical model as a basis for assessment of writing proficiency, as well as other obstacles to constructing valid and reliable writing tests.     

Governmental innovation support in Norway: Micro- and macro-level effects

The present article focuses on a government supported program in Norway. “The Innovation Plan”, aiming at overcoming the critical lack of innovation now facing industry. A framework based on the well known structure-conduct-performance paradigm serves as the theoretical point of departure. Both secondary and primary data are applied to assess micro- and macro-level effects.In this piece of research governmental R&D support was found to exert an impact on the level of R&D activities, as well as on the willingness to direct R&D resources towards projects representing solutions high in novelty. Various types of positive outcomes such as increased technical competence and spin-offs, as well as various types of economic effects could also be traced for the supported projects. Implications of the findings are highlighted.