Reviews

This article seeks to evaluate critically the proposals set out in Sir Ron Dearing's report published in March 1996 (Dearing, 1996). Despite being broadly welcomed across the political spectrum, most of the proposals have yet to be implemented. The General Election of 1997 delayed the process, with the start date for a partially reformed system now set at September 2000. While there have been some moves away from what Dearing recommended, his review remains the key policy text in this area, particularly as his consultations did much to educate the professional audience. The report has attracted thorough examination (Hodgson and Spours, 1997; Spours and Young, 1996; Young, 1998) and much will be drawn from such sources. However, the key argument will be made that within the Dearing Report, and within much of what has been written about it, there is a reluctance to engage with fundamental issues of curriculum philosophy and values. Hence what is proposed, while seeming reasonable and pragmatic, does in fact attempt to reconcile the irreconcilable. There is no evidence to suggest that the Labour government will address these issues. With the exception of the New Deal, the whole area of post-compulsory education represents policy continuity rather than radical innovation (Hodgson and Spours, 1999). Paradoxically the greater freedom and voluntarism in this area does offer the possibility of innovation at a local level.     

Decoding Ability and Humor Production

Scholars have suggested that being “in tune” with others may be an important aspect of successful humor creation; however, few studies have specifically investigated this possibility. Thus, this study examined the relationship between decoding ability and humor orientation. Decoding ability was conceptualized as involving three communication constructs: conversational sensitivity, nonverbal sensitivity, and receiver apprehension. Consistent with predictions, results revealed positive relationships between (1) humor orientation and conversational sensitivity and (2) humor orientation and nonverbal sensitivity. Also consistent with predictions, a negative relationship was found between humor orientation and receiver apprehension. Further analysis indicated the three communication variables together accounted for 24% of the variance in humor orientation; only conversational sensitivity and receiver apprehension, however, accounted for unique variance. Overall, these findings suggest humor production may be related to the ways in which individuals attend to their social environments.     

Color as an emotional factor in television

That women are still stereotyped despite the continuing activism of the women's liberation movement is clearly demonstrated in the following study of a sample of early 1971 network TV ads. Focusing on the advertising viewed in millions of homes during prime‐time, the authors conclude that women are most often seen as decorative (sex objects) or useful (housewives and mothers), but hardly ever as professionals or working wives. Dr. Dominick is an assistant professor in the Department of Communication Arts and Sciences of Queens University while Miss Rauch is a recent graduate of that department.     

Converging Paths or Ships Passing in the Night? An 'English' critique of Japanese school reform

This article examines the origins and potential effects of the liberalising reform agenda in Japanese secondary education in the light of experiences in the UK with policies such as local school management and school choice. The analysis is based on extensive interviews conducted with Japanese policy-makers, school heads and Prefectural administrators in 1997 in Tokyo and Osaka. The research was part of a joint Anglo-Japanese study, supported by the Japanese Embassy in London, and the analysis here highlights issues of national perspective which emerged in the collaboration between English and Japanese researchers observing reforms in each other's countries. The paper argues that the reform agenda in Japan has two strands. These involve both a necessary diversification of curriculum and pedagogic practices, and an administrative shift towards deregulation and school competition which may undermine some of the traditional strengths of Japanese secondary schooling.