THE INTERNATIONALIZATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION: A POINT OF VIEW FROM A DEVELOPING COUNTRY

This article takes a close analytical look at the internationalization of higher education, asking penetrating questions with regard to its basis, its forms, and its results. The author is particularly concerned with problems of asymmetry with regard to the educational links, particularly at higher education level, between the developed western democracies and the developing countries. Going beyond the question of brain drain, the article probes the problem of the alienation of third world academics trained in the higher education institutions of developed countries. While on the balance the author praises the results of the internationalization of higher education and, at any rate, recognizes that it is here to stay, he cautions all those involved in it be aware of who in fact gains and who loses as a result of it.     

Das Bildungssystem der Sozialistischen Föderativen Republik Jugoslawien (SFRJ)

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Learning to design and implement educational web sites within pre‐service training: a project‐based learning environment and its impact on student teachers

This paper reports on a project‐based learning (PBL) environment targeted towards introducing student teachers to the design and development of educational web sites. The participants were 46 student teachers who constructed 16 web sites for primary school. A survey of their views, before and after the projects, and an evaluation of the web sites created by them were conducted with a view to assessing their responses to the learning environment, its impact on them, as well as the challenges faced during web site creation. The results showed that the PBL approach has been motivational and effective regarding the acquisition of web site design and development skills. The participants demystified the process of educational web site creation and became more interested in and self‐confident about it, although they encountered certain difficulties in image processing, file management and design of navigational structures.     

Development of Math Attitudes and Math Self-Concepts: Gender Differences,Implicit–Explicit Dissociations,and Relations to Math Achievement

Three hundred and ninety-one children (195 girls; M_age = 9.56 years) attending Grades 1 and 5 completed implicit and explicit measures of math attitudes and math self-concepts. Math grades were obtained. Multilevel analyses showed that first-grade girls held a strong negative implicit attitude about math, despite no gender differences in math grades or self-reported (explicit) positivity about math. The explicit measures significantly predicted math grades, and implicit attitudes accounted for additional variance in boys. The contrast between the implicit (negativity for girls) and explicit (positivity for girls and boys) effects suggest implicit–explicit dissociations in children, which have also been observed in adults. Early-emerging implicit attitudes may be a foundation for the later development of explicit attitudes and beliefs about math.     

Traditional vs. innovative uses of computers among mathematics pre-service teachers in Serbia

This study examined pre-service teachers’ intentions to use computers in traditional and innovative teaching practices in primary mathematics classrooms. It extended the technology acceptance model (TAM) by adding as external variables pre-service teachers’ experience with computers and their technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPCK). Data collected from 226 participants revealed that the proposed model had a good fit for both traditional and innovative uses of computers. Structural equation modelling suggested that the established TAM variables, together with TPCK and experience, were significant determinants of pre-service teachers’ intentions to use computers in teaching mathematics at both levels. The most dominant determinant of behavioural intention was TPCK, followed by attitude. The proposed model explained 22.7% of the variance in the use of computers in traditional teaching practices and 27.6% of the variance in the use of computers in innovative teaching practices. The implications for mathematics teaching are discussed in the final section.     

Among friends: the role of academic-preparedness diversity in individual performance within a small-group STEM learning environment

In this study, we investigate the relationship between academic-preparedness diversity within small learning groups and individual academic performance in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) university courses. We further examine whether academic-preparedness diversity impacts academically more- and less-prepared students differently. We use data from 5367 university students nested within 1141 science, engineering, and mathematics learning groups and use a regression analysis to estimate the effect of group diversity, measured in two ways, on course performance. Our results indicate that academic-preparedness diversity is generally associated with positive learning outcomes, that academically less-prepared students derive greater benefit, and that less-prepared students fare best when they are not alone in a group of highly prepared students. Implications for teaching and small-group facilitation are addressed.     

Stirring the waters: university INSET in Greece

In view of the increasing demand for in‐service training in Greece, the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki launched English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teacher training courses, offered for the first time by a Greek state university. This paper discusses issues regarding the design and running of the courses as well as briefly presenting trainee feedback and its role in the continuous improvement of the courses. The rationale and the principles adopted in the design of the courses were in line with current approaches to teacher training. In addition, the design of the courses was based on a national survey involving a needs analysis of practising EFL teachers in Greece. The feedback received from the trainees was very positive with regard to the design and organization of the courses, the usefulness of the knowledge acquired and the fulfillment of their expectations.

L'Université d'Aristote de Théssalonique a inicié pour la première fois en Grèce, des stages sur l'enseignement de l'anglais en tant que langue étrangère, de manière à répondre à la demande croissante des enseignants pratiquants pour une formation plus poussée. L'article suivant explique la composition et le fonctionnement des differents séminaires, présente brievement les impressions des stagiaires en établissant l'importance de leurs commentaires pour la continuelle amélioration du stage. Les principes adoptés lors de la création de celui‐ci sont basés sur les approches courantes de formation des enseignants d'anglais. De plus, ce stage prend en compte une enquête nationale établissant les differents besoins des enseignants pratiquants en Grèce. Les commentaires des stagiaires sur l'organisation du cours et l'utilité des informations acquises furent très positifs. Le stage a répondu à leurs differentes attentes.

Wegen der immer größeren Nachfrage nach in‐service training1 In‐service training, sind Trainingskurse die sich an Lehrer richten, die den Beruf schon praktizieren. Wann immer das Wort «Prakizent» im Text benutzt wird, sind diese Lehrer gemeint. View all notes in Griechenland, hat die Aristoteles Universität von Thessaloniki EFL (Englisch als Fremdsprache)Trainingskurse für praktizirende Lehrer angeboten, die es zum ersten mal bei einer griechischen Staatsuniversität gibt. Dieser Artikel befasst sich mit Themen, welche die Struktur und den Ablauf dieser Kurse betreffen, sowie auch wie die Rückinfomation der Praktizenten dazu beigetragen hat diese Kurse ständig zu verbessern. Außerdem wurden die neuen didaktischen Methoden berücksichtigt. Darüber hinaus basiert die Struktur dieser Kurse einer nationallen Umfrage in Griechenland, welche die Lehrbedürfnisse der Prakizenten enthaltet.Um die Struktur dieser Kurse nun noch mehr zu verbessern werden wie die Ruckinformation und die Erfahrung der Praktizenten die schon an ihn teilgenommen haben in Hinsicht nehmen.

En vista de la creciente demanda en Grecia de in service‐training2 In‐service training, son cursos para estudiantes que ya son maestros de ingles. La palabra cursillista se refiere a estos estudiantes. View all notes , la universidad Aristoteles de Salonika comenzo a ofrecer cursos de metodologia para maestros de ingles como lengua extranjera. Esta es la primera vez que una universidad del estado ofrece cursos de este tipo. En este articulo se tratan de discutir los afectos relacionados con el plan y la estructura de estos cursos y, del mismo modo, el papel desempeado por las surgerencias de los cursillistas como ayuda para diseñar los cursos. La filosofia y el pensamiento fueron adoptados de acuerdo con los nuevos metodos didacticas. De hecho, el diseño del curso fue basado en un estudio nacional a cerca de las necesidades de los cursillistas que ya son o seran maestros de ingles como lengua extranjera. Para mejorar estos cursos mas, tendrèmos en cuenta las sugerencias y la experencia de los cursillistas que ya han participado en estos cursos y hacer cambios.     

Social inequalities in access to higher education in Croatia: five decades of resilient findings

This article provides a panoramic view of research findings on social inequalities in access to higher education in Croatia since the 1960s, guided by the question of what has changed in the findings. Our review shows that there is stark continuity over the last five decades: students from better educated family backgrounds tend to be overrepresented in higher education; students from better educated and white-collar family backgrounds are more likely to enrol in academic as opposed to professional study courses; students at one Croatian university in particular stand out in terms of their more privileged social background; and medicine seems to be the prime academic field for observing social reproduction. We note that these persistent findings run parallel to a dramatically changing political, economic and social context in Croatia, including transformations in the 1990s resulting from social ownership of the means of production to widespread private ownership, as well as transformations from a one-party political system to the establishment of a multi-party political system. The article maps possible theoretical explanations for the resilience of social inequalities in access to higher education in the context of dynamic times. It also questions the role of educational policies in this process.     

Programming MOOCs – different learners and different motivation

ABSTRACT

MOOCs for learning the basics of programming have become popular among people with a diverse range of backgrounds, interests and learning contexts. Studies show that learners who enrol in MOOCs tend to have different motivation from learners in traditional courses, but it is not known how motivation differs for people with different backgrounds. This study aims to describe how the motivational factors behind enrolment in programming MOOCs relate to learners’ characteristics. The data were gathered in the spring of 2017 with a motivation scale (FIEM) from 1,536 participants of the MOOC ‘About Programming’. Using comparative analysis, differences in motivational factors between groups by gender, employment status and previous experiences in programming were found. Correlational analysis revealed that educational level, age and self-evaluated probability of completing the MOOC were also related to motivational factors. Different people are motivated by different factors, indicating that this knowledge could be used to design interesting and motivating programming MOOCs, which are relevant to learners with various backgrounds.