Psychosocial aspects in the German unification process

Articles

Psychosocial aspects in the German unification process     

Principles in the use of experiential learning as a source of prior knowledge

The importance of experience and experiential learning is investigated in this report. An attempt is made to chart this concept and attention is paid to the manner in which experience can be measured and be used within the system of higher education. Since distance education attracts many mature adults with experiential learning, an indication is given of the direction that developments should take within Dutch higher education, and in the Open University in particular, in order to make an optimal use of this experience.     

Teachers’ Attitudes Towards Children Who Use AAC in Italian Primary Schools

ABSTRACT

Early Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) interventions in school environments aim to support the development of the communication skills of children with complex communication needs. Goals of this study were to analyse the teachers’ attitudes towards children using AAC in primary schools in Italy and their perceptions of the barriers and the benefits of using AAC. Two groups of teachers, those with and without AAC experience, responded to an online survey. The five scales of the Teacher Attitude Scale (TAS) questionnaire and two open-ended questions were used to compare the attitudes and the perceptions between the groups of teachers. Results showed that there was a significant difference among the two groups for two of the five scales of the TAS questionnaire. Both groups reported similar barriers and benefits and indicated the use of AAC as being the main barrier. In conclusion, having experience with children who use AAC in class impacts the teachers’ perceptions of their own abilities and the teachers’ perceptions of the abilities of the children.     

Books received

Reviews

Books received     

The impact of higher education on adult students in Australia

This article is part of a study of the impact of higher education on aspects of the employment of a national sample of adult students (25 and over) who enrolled in higher education in Australia in 1978. The study shows that from the point of view of employment these adult students drew much benefit from their higher education. Females tended to benefit more than males. A further article in a later issue will consider for the same group the impact of higher education on the person.     

看张爱玲的《对照记》

张爱玲的《对照记》对照的是形象（照片）与个人身世的真实，因此她用文字来解释心得。《对照记》本身有很强的“后设性”，对《对照记》的解读，则是“后设”的“后设”。从《对照记》中所列的相当可观的张爱玲祖父祖母一代人的照片中，可以解读出她的怀古幽思，她所怀念的就是她祖父母这一代的人物和生活方式，这自觉或不自觉地展露了她的历史怀旧意识。《对照记》中没有张爱玲与父亲或母亲的合影，也没有她父母亲的合影，这些照片的缺失使《对照记》创设了一股幼时的失落感或被遗弃的情境，呈现出“褪了色”的苍凉。张爱玲自己的照片在全书中有30多幅，她的姿态在“镜花水月”式的美学意境中制造了一种神秘感。张爱玲“传奇”不仅是她的文字，也是她的形象造成的。     

Governance and decision‐making in higher education: Comparative aspects

In this paper, I shall put forward a model which highlights key issues to be taken into account in an attempt to improve academic excellence by the means of human resources management and leadership. Practices at the University of Eastern Finland and elsewhere are used as examples. It is maintained that logical and coherent human resources policies and capable leadership can support and contribute to academic performance and excellence. A key issue is not to interfere too much with active academic work, but still give sufficient support and prerequisites for academic basic tasks.