Academic freedom: International realities and challenges

Academic freedom is a central value of higher education. It affects the academic profession in all aspects of academic work. Yet, academic freedom is rarely discussed in the context of the changes taking place in higher education in the current period. The concept is defined in a historical and comparative framework, and the challenges facing academic freedom around the world are discussed.     

Can pictorial attributes serve mathemagenic functions?

Using mathemagenic-based research, the authors attempted to determine if the location or type of a picture affects reading comprehension. College students read a passage and then answered multiple-choice questions that assessed different types of incidental learning. Generally, subjects who viewed a picture after reading the passage scored higher than those who viewed before reading.     

In search of Saraswati: The ambivalence of the Indian academic

College teachers in India are the focus of this article. Working conditions, attitudes, and their organizational milieu are surveyed. Data for this article are provided by a case study of the University of Bombay. The ambivalent role of the college teacher as an individual with an inadequate income, declining social status, and yet the pretensions of professionalism is a theme of this article. The Indian teaching community has been called on to function in a rapidly expanding higher education system but with inadequate resources. This situation has led to declining standards of education in general, and in a demoralization of the academic community in particular. A tradition of bureaucratic involvement in academic affairs and only a limited amount of academic freedom have further retarded the growth of a profession and effective teaching community.This article is based on a paper given at the 30th International Congress of Human Sciences in Asia and North Africa in Mexico City, August 3–8, 1976. I am indebted to Dr. Suma Chitnis, Dr. Sheila McVey, and A. B. Shah for their comments on an earlier draft. Saraswati is the Hindu goddess of knowledge.     

Children with reported histories of sexual abuse: utilizing multiple perspectives to understand clinical and psychosocial profiles

OBJECTIVE: The current study examines multiple empirically based perspectives (i.e., child, caregiver, and clinician) of behavior and functioning as they contribute to the clinical and psychosocial profile of children (aged 5 to 17.5 years) with reported histories of sexual abuse.METHOD: A large, multi-site data set of children referred into Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services both with and without reported histories of sexual abuse, was examined. Seven hundred and fifty-nine children with a reported history of sexual abuse were compared to 2722 without such a history on caregiver and child reported behavior, clinician rated functioning, diagnosis, demographic variables, and life challenges.RESULTS: The multiple perspectives contributed unique and specific information to regression models: caregiver-reported behavior contributed information about externalizing behavior while child-reported behavior added information about internalizing behavior and clinician ratings about self-harmful behavior. Children with reported histories of sexual abuse were also more likely to be female, Caucasian, and have reported histories of life challenges (e.g., physical abuse, substance use, running away). Child sexual abuse was associated with higher rates of depression and anxiety diagnoses, and lower rates of substance abuse, conduct, and attention deficit disorder diagnoses.CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that the profile of children entering into Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services with reported histories of sexual abuse, as compared to those without such histories, is complex and best understood via multiple perspectives. Caregiver, child and clinician rated information, when taken together, provide a comprehensive clinical and psychosocial profile around which to plan and implement individualized service plans.     

Theatre Online: The design and drama of e‐learning

Theatre and drama are areas of performance and inquiry which usually assume engagement and commitment to the ensemble or group process, supported by strong individual input. How can this “dynamic” be brought into a fully online distance course? In this article we analyse and reflect on the design and implementation of an online theatre studies course using theatrical metaphors to consider the mise‐en‐scène, students’ entrances and exits into the online space, their solo and ensemble work, and the importance of “teaching presence.” Attention is paid to fostering a “course dynamic” that echoes the social world of the learners. The action research undertaken indicates that a fully online course can be as engaging, interesting, and innovative as any course designed for more traditional settings.     

The Influence of CASE on Scientific Creativity

This paper describes a study of the influence of the Cognitive Acceleration through Science Education (CASE) programme on the scientific creativity of secondary school students. 1087 pupils from six suburban mixed comprehensive schools in England took part in the investigation. Three of the schools had participated in the CASE programme and three had not. Samples of students in years 7–11 from each school were given the Scientific Creativity Test for Secondary School Students, an instrument designed to tap various aspects of scientific creativity. The results indicated that the CASE programme did promote the overall development of scientific creativity of secondary school students, although the effects on different aspects of scientific creativity varied. As expected from previous work on delayed effects of CASE on academic achievement, the results indicated that the effects on creativity were not necessarily immediate, but tended to be long-lasting. Possible interpretations of these results are discussed.     

作为国际商品的知识与教育:公共产品的消解

全球化是 2 1世纪高等教育的核心部分之一。它带来了许多机会 ,同时又是一项挑战 ,对发展中国家来说尤其这样。全球化有许多不平等的因素 ,包括 :英语的广泛使用 ,这对那些不以英语作为教学语言的国家不利 ;知识产品如数据库等的所有权 ;发达国家大学在学术交流和其他联系方面处于主导地位。WTO和目前关于服务贸易协定的争论体现了全球化的复杂性。服务贸易协定寻求开放全球的高等教育市场 ,但与此同时 ,这也会影响到许多国家对高等教育决策的控制权     

Twisted roots: The Western impact on Asian higher education

The long historical and contemporary impact of Western academic models, practices and orientations on Asian universities in such countries as India, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore shaped the nature of higher education systems in these countries. The Japanese colonial impact in Korea and Taiwan is also significant and an interesting variation on the colonial theme. Several Asian countries, including Thailand, Japan and China were not formally colonized, but the mixture of influence on the academic institutions that has developed in these countries reflects considerable Western influence. Contemporary factors such as the international knowledge system, the numbers of students studying in Western nations and patterns of scientific interaction also have a major impact on the growth of universities in Asia.