Calling controversy: assessing synthetic biology's conflict potential

Will synthetic biology elicit controversies similar to those of genetically modified crops before? Maybe, but where exactly are the analogies, and how can we gain substantial insights rather than mere guesses? We argue that as well as the intrinsic properties of the technologies at stake, the context of their implementation is decisive. To assess mechanisms of past and potential controversies, an investigative tool is presented. The Gate Resonance model, derived from older models of societal conflict, allows the identification of key elements of conflict generating processes. In monitoring the developing debate on synthetic biology using this model, analogies to the case of genetically modified crops appear less convincing. So far, there are only few indications that a controversy is imminent.     

Investigating ambivalence towards organisational change in a Football Championship Subdivision intercollegiate athletic department

To date, few scholars have examined organisational change in the sport industry, with the majority focusing on forces driving change. Only a handful have investigated responses to change, primarily centering upon factors contributing to resistance. Historically, most work in measuring attitudes has placed them on a bipolar continuum ranging from negative to positive. Recently, though, researchers have presented data to support an indifference-ambivalence attitudinal dimension characterised by evaluative tension. There have been few studies, however, that have examined ambivalence towards organisational change. Therefore, this research was undertaken to investigate ambivalence towards organisational change in a Football Championship Subdivision intercollegiate athletic department in the U.S. Through a case study, we demonstrate that ambivalence was a salient response to change, and that intrapersonal conflict, perceived lack of institutional support, managerial turnover, and previous negative experience with change served as antecedents. We then highlight the theoretical and practical significance of our study.     

An Air of Sharing. A Format of Open Interviewing in a Joint Nordic Project

The five Nordic countries and their respective quality assurance agencies ¹ 1. EVA, FINHEEC, NOKUT, HSV, and the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture of Iceland. have convened annually for over a decade to exchange experiences and discuss issues concerning quality assurance in higher education. In recent years this has resulted in a regional network for the quality assurance agencies (NOQA). During this period, methodological issues have increasingly been emphasised within the network’s activities, and the current article presents and discusses a new format of open interviewing in a setting where the quality assurance work of four higher education institutions were analysed. The openness of the process was the key in providing an opportunity for the higher education institutions to learn from each other.     

China's recruitment of African university students: policy efficacy and unintended outcomes

This article explores how Sino-African relations are affected by the growing number of Africans who pursue higher education in China. China actively recruits African university students in order to increase soft power and generate income from the export of education services. Semi-structured interviews with African university students suggest that China fails to reach these policy objectives because the students are disappointed with the quality of the education they receive. However, the students engage in trade and contribute to the fast-growing export of Chinese products to African markets, thereby reinforcing the ties between China and Africa in unintended ways.     

Extending the Conversation on Visions of Jewish Education: The Danger of Recipes

This articles extends the conversation begun by Levisohn in volume 71:1 of this journal, and continued by a number of respondents in volume 71:2. These articles identify two notable themes among the responses: The first is the issue of pluralism, and the tension between vision and exclusion. Despite the best of intentions, it seems unavoidable that vision-driven institutions must necessarily exclude certain ideas, certain practices, and most painfully, certain people; standing for something must always mean not standing for everything. Second, several respondents are concerned in one way or another with the very nature of an educational vision. Particularly, the question arises whether the construction of a vision around the key question, “What is an educated Jew?”, is limiting, either intellectually or practically. Beyond discussing these two themes, the article extends the conversation about vision in Jewish education by raising a concern, which the author attributes to Franz Rosenzweig, about the way in which a commitment to organizing institutions according to vision may obscure the fundamental need for openness and spontaneity in educational arrangements.     

Challenging the premises of international policy reviews: an introduction to the review symposium

In 2009, a think tank called the International Alliance of Leading Education Institutes (IALEI) announced the results of a study entitled Climate Change and Sustainable Development: The Response from Education. Intended for a policy audience, the study offered a glimpse into the status of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and an early look at the emergence of Climate Change Education (CCE), in 10 different nations. As with most international reports, the IALEI report provoked many questions, some of which are more broadly relevant to scholarship and practice. This paper introduces a review symposium that addresses three such questions: (1) How coherent is the concept of ESD across national contexts and what conceptual tensions continue to surround ESD and CCE? (2) Can nation-level analyses tell us anything useful about countries where education is not centrally governed? and (3) In light of the evolving relationship between educational research and policy, how should researchers engage with ongoing policy debates?