Computer training and general education

Is it possible to integrate ideals of general and liberal education into computer‐training programmes? To answer this question an analysis was made of computer training programmes for adults in Denmark. The results showed that the participants expressed a positive attitude towards computers and towards learning computer technology but they only expressed few and general expectations of the courses. This is problematic according to ideals of general education and of self‐directed learning. The organizers wanted to produce courses with general and enlightening contents but the form and contents of the actual courses only to a moderate degree realized the organizers’ intentions. The participants obtained a broad learning outcome. However, they only to a very moderate degree used this outcome at work or in relation to further education. The conclusion was that it is possible to integrate ideals of general and liberal education if computer training helps the participants to develop more precise intentions, if the teaching methods are modernized, and if the contents of the courses correspond better with the possibilities in the workplace.     

Measuring learning outcomes

The growing interest for measurement of learning outcomes relates to long lines of development in higher education, the request for accountability, intensified through international reforms and movements such as the development and implementation of qualifications frameworks. In this article, we discuss relevant literature on different approaches to measurement and how learning outcomes are measured, what kinds of learning outcomes are measured, and why learning outcomes are measured. Three dimensions are used to structure the literature: Whether the approaches emphasise generic or disciplinary skills and competence, self‐assessment or more objective test based measures (including grades), and how the issue of the contribution from the education program or institution (the value‐added) are discussed. It is pointed out that large scales initiatives that compare institutions and even nations seem to fall short because of the implicit and explicit differences in context, whilst small‐scale approaches suffer from a lack of relevance outside local contexts. In addition, competence (actual level of performance) is often confused with learning (gain and development) in many approaches, laying the ground for false assumptions about institutional process‐quality in higher education.     

Floods,bottlenecks and backwaters: an analysis of expansion in higher education in Norway

The quantitative expansion in higher education in most countries has not been linear. After a very strong expansion in the 1960s there was a stage of stagnation. In the early 1990s, however, there are signs of a new development towards universal higher education. This is a very distinct feature at present in Norway. Since 1988 the student population has increased by more than 50%.This article argues that the present pressure on higher education in Norway cannot be understood without taking into consideration both the long-term trends and acute accumulation of pressure at the moment. A demographic model of analyzing changes in the student population and the factors explaining both individual demands and political decisions are discussed. The needs of the labour market for a higher educational level of the workforce and the increasing level of education among the parents may explain the long-term trends in enrolment. A deteriorating labour market forces youth to go straight into higher education. The average age of the new entrants is therefore decreasing, resulting in even more pressure. The increased competition to be admitted results in repeated application to higher education, so that the number of applicants is more than one and a half times the relevant age group.The article also raises the question whether the Norwegian situation at present is unique or related to a more general trend.The article is a revised version of a paper presented at the SRHE conference in Brighton, December 1993.     

Document–document similarity approaches and science mapping: Experimental comparison of five approaches

This paper treats document–document similarity approaches in the context of science mapping. Five approaches, involving nine methods, are compared experimentally. We compare text-based approaches, the citation-based bibliographic coupling approach, and approaches that combine text-based approaches and bibliographic coupling. Forty-three articles, published in the journal Information Retrieval, are used as test documents. We investigate how well the approaches agree with a ground truth subject classification of the test documents, when the complete linkage method is used, and under two types of similarities, first-order and second-order. The results show that it is possible to achieve a very good approximation of the classification by means of automatic grouping of articles. One text-only method and one combination method, under second-order similarities in both cases, give rise to cluster solutions that to a large extent agree with the classification.     

The Nature and Role of Common Ground in the Learning of Mathematics in Small-Group Discussions

This study investigates the nature and role of common ground in group learning of mathematics by means of the analytical constructs of focal projects and contextualization. The analysis investigates two students (12–13 years old) playing a dice game, where their task is to distribute a set of markers based on the total of two dice. The analysis shows how consistency between the students' focal projects became crucial in their progression from a uniform to a non-uniform distribution of the markers used in the game. The task system and concrete manipulatives became important in furthering the students' explorations. In the frame of a frequency context, we also discuss how a contextualization may restrict certain aspects of probability from coming into play during such explorations.     

Is Drop-out from University Dependent on National Culture and Policy? The Case of Denmark

National cultures are known to influence educational institutions and practices in many ways. It therefore seems reasonable to assume that drop-out from university is also influenced by differences in national cultures. In this article, we compare drop-out from Danish universities with drop-out from European universities. Based on Danish national culture (characterised by individualism, low power distance, femininity, and low uncertainty avoidance) and on the high level of economic support for students, we find that drop-out from higher education in Denmark as compared to most other European countries is less influenced by socio-economic factors and by the students’ degree of social integration. Hence, our review of the research on drop-out identifies some differences that might rest on national cultural varieties. It also points to difficulties in comparing results from different research studies, not only in Denmark but also across Europe. This difficulty results from varieties in research designs and definitions of drop-out.     

Genetics and Neuroscience in Dyslexia: Perspectives for Education and Remediation

ABSTRACT— Our understanding of the causes of a developmental disorder like dyslexia has received recent input from both neuroscience and genetics. The discovery of 4 candidate genes for dyslexia and the identification of neuronal networks engaged when children read and spell are the basis for introducing this knowledge into education. However, the input from educational practitioners as well as empirical knowledge from research on learning also contribute significantly to our understanding of how children acquire the basic skills for learning to read and spell. It is imperative to merge the knowledge acquired from research in the fields of neuroscience, genetics, and empirical education, as well as to understand how the learning brain and instruction interact. Doing so can be seen as a major step in attaining an optimal approach for teaching, reading, and spelling and for finding the best suited and most effective treatment concepts for dyslexic children and adolescents.     

Constituting an apprenticeship curriculum

Apprenticeships are required for many trades and can take different forms. In Sweden, one form can be viewed as a pathway where students complete a three-year-long vocational education in upper secondary school followed by a post-secondary apprenticeship in a particular trade. Another takes the form of vocational training within the framework of upper secondary school through an apprenticeship. This study analyses how a more clearly defined apprenticeship curriculum can provide sufficient knowledge to identify and understand learning outcomes in apprenticeships. A theoretical framework of an apprenticeship curriculum is used in the analytical work. The findings show that educational goals are often overlooked during apprenticeships, and thus a deliberative education is overridden by deliberative learning that stems from and is closely connected to the individual’s own perception of what to learn. By constituting an apprenticeship curriculum, this article contributes to an enhanced understanding of how to analyse vocational learning, and thus adds important elements to the research field.     

Establishing mathematics for teaching within classroom interactions in teacher education

Teacher educators’ processes of establishing “mathematics for teaching” in teacher education programs have been recognized as an important area for further research. In this study, we examine how two teacher educators establish and make explicit features of mathematics for teaching within classroom interactions. The study shows how the establishment of mathematics for teaching is dependent on the use of keywords from the mathematics education domain, the introduction of variation, and the use of generic communicative strategies. As such, the study could be seen as a contribution to ongoing research on how mathematics teacher educators interactively deal with mathematics for teaching.     

Professional norms in school leadership: Change efforts in implementation of education for sustainable development

This study identifies and analyses professional norms as a means of illuminating school cultures and how norms are distributed in the system. Of special interest is the role of school leaders and how they lead, organize and realise school development. The study research question is: What professional norms do school leaders highlight in change efforts? We are also interested in identifying the support mechanisms and obstacles to implementation and norm setting exhibited by school organisations. The case we used explores change processes in the implementation of education for sustainable development at three upper secondary schools in Sweden. It was conducted in three phases, starting with a questionnaire for all teachers and principals. In the second phase, each of the principals was interviewed individually. The third phase used focus groups consisting of the principals that made up the leadership groups. Our results indicate that professional norms are set when principals and teachers experience expectations from each other, from students and from policy documents. There is also a need for well-functioning communication in the organisation to set and disseminate norms. The school principal plays a crucial role in these norm setting processes. By becoming more aware of existing norms in the organisations, and how norms can be changed, this knowledge can support principals in change efforts.