Technical Education in Hong Kong

The present study explores the environmental attitudes (EA) of senior high school students in Turkey, explains which determinant factors affect these EAs, and concludes with some suggestions for curricular reform. This study includes over nine hundred students from different school types, neighbourhoods, geographical regions, and socioeconomic backgrounds. The researcher used two different questionnaires that were based on postmaterialist values: one based on the New Environmental Paradigm (NEP) and the other developed by the researcher called the General Environmental Attitudes and Perceptions (GAP). The results of ANOVA and t‐tests show that EAs of students vary depending on school type, gender, parents' education levels, parents' political views, professions, and household income. Students at public high schools, females, lower middle class students, students with well educated parents in white‐collar professions, and students with liberal parents have more pro‐environmental attitudes than the others. Students from vocational schools, almost all of which are based on single‐sex education, have scored the lowest on both surveys.     

Are Wellness/Fitness Programs Benefiting Participants' Movement and Mobilityin Daily Life?

Knowledge regarding the potential benefits of participation in fitness programs to individuals' quality of movement in daily living is limited. It is important to study this relationship and also consider the implications for professional preparation programs in kinesiology. A brief overview based on published reports and expert opinions focuses on current practices, identified needs, and future directions. Even though the number of fitness facilities and the variety of classes and services offered have increased substantially over the past decade, few field-based studies have been conducted. Applied scientists in our field have an excellent opportunity to initiate and collaborate in creative, multidisciplinary, translational research that can significantly extend our knowledge on how participation in fitness programs may enhance daily movement quality in healthy adults.     

Education,nation states and the globalization of information networks

The rise of information technology coupled with the globalization of the economy has thrust the identity and sovereignty of the nation-state into sharp focus over the last two decades. Against this fast-changing background, the response of many countries has been to develop policies aimed at creating national information infrastructures (NII) - often with educational networking initiatives as an integral or pioneering element. Given the emerging global policyscape (Ball 1999) towards creating educational information networks this paper presents a comparative analysis of policy-making across Europe, East Asia and the USA. In analysing education networking in seven case-study countries, the paper emphasizes a political economy perspective; thus focusing attention on the role of the state and the varying relationship between education, economy and society. Having explored the varying motivations and objectives behind countries' education networking programmes the paper concludes by outlining an educational research agenda for future examination of NII policies as they continue to be implemented in developed nations over the next decade.     

SERVICE-LEARNING EDUCATION IN COMMUNITY-ACADEMIC PARTNERSHIPS: IMPLICATIONS FOR INTERDISCIPLINARY GERIATRIC TRAINING IN THE HEALTH PROFESSIONS

Major changes are taking place within the health care system that have important implications for health professions education in geriatrics. The forces driving these changes are also affecting academic settings, where trends supporting the development of community-academic partnerships, service-learning models, and interdisciplinary education are all evident. These trends have major implications for health professions educators working to develop academic programs to prepare students for future practice with older adults. This article explores the impacts of these changes, in particular, on the design of interdisciplinary or collaborative education programming, including the following dimensions: assessment and definition of the problem, emphasis on functioning and quality of life, professional identity, changing roles of faculty and students, and institutional-organizational implications. General recommendations on how to respond to the challenges represented in these trends are also explored.     

Assessing the effect on high school teachers of direct and unrestricted access to the internet: A case study of an east central florida high school

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect direct and unrestricted access to the Internet had on a group of high school teachers. Based on the naturalistic inquiry paradigm, this study explored the barriers these teachers encountered when using the Internet, how and when they elected to use the Internet, the factors that influenced their continued use of the Internet, and the transitions they experienced from using the Internet. Data collection was based on Patton's (1990) three approaches to interviewing; data analysis was based in part on Miles and Huberman's (1984) model of data reduction and display and on Spradley's (1979) task of domain analysis. Findings suggested: that teachers require ongoing Internet training, technical support, home Internet access, and time in which to learn and incorporate the Internet into their classes; that Internet use can increase teachers' self-esteem and improve their attitudes toward computers and education; and that use of the Internet by teachers encourages them to restructure their classes and schedules to accommodate Internet resources within their classrooms.     

The ‘Third Wave’: education and the ideology of parentocracy

In this paper it will be argued that we are entering a ‘third wave’ in the socio‐historical development of British education and that similar trends are also evident in the USA, Australia and New Zealand. The ‘first wave’ can be characterised by the rise of mass schooling for the working classes in the late nineteenth century. The ‘second wave’ involved a shift from the provision of education based upon what Dewey called the “feudal dogma of social predestination” to one organised on the basis of individual merit and achievement. What is distinct about the ‘third wave’ is the move towards a system whereby the education a child receives must conform to the wealth and wishes of parents rather than the abilities and efforts of pupils. In other words, we have witnessed a shift away from the ‘ideology of meritocracy’ to what I will call the ‘ideology of parentocracy’. This paper will consider the evidence to support this conclusion and examine its sociological significance.

     

Student Use of Internet Study Rooms for Out-of-Class Group Study in Introductory Biology

This paper describes a pilot study in which undergraduates in an active introductory biology class (Biol 100) used online, virtual study rooms to study together outside of class in small groups. The study was conducted (a) to determine whether students who had access to Internet study rooms would make use of them for out-of-class group study, and (b) to find out how students perceived their online group study experience in comparison with face-to-face group study. Self-reported data were obtained at the time that multiple-choice exams were administered in the large class of Biology 100. The survey was completed by 90 of the students who had signed up for online study rooms. The results indicated that 47 students used their online study rooms to study for the final exam together with other members of their in-class teams. More than half of the students who provided written comments were positive about their online experience. Even those who strongly preferred face-to-face meetings expressed willingness to use online study rooms in a pinch.