The impact of foreign policy on educational exchange: the Swedish state scholarship programme 1938–1990

Programmes of international educational exchange are not only carried out for educational purposes, but form an important part of modern-day public diplomacy. Through exchange programmes education and research are linked with foreign policy interests, which then in turn should affect the international contacts of universities and research facilities. The present article applies a long-term perspective on the scholarship programme of the Swedish state in order to show how the shifts in Swedish foreign policy during the period 1938–1990 have affected the number and composition of scholars incoming to Sweden over time.     

Convergence of Visions

The right for everyone to access “the promised land” of the InfoSociety is widely recognized. The “wiring of the universe” is now technically and financially possible. One should do it quickly in the respect of human values and rights, freedom of opinion, transparency and cultural diversity. However, in the context of communication developments in 1997, it is a multifacet issue of concern to all the countries. The cyberspace era brings many new challenges to the communications' academic curricula, professional practices, media owners and the research and development (R&D) of industries across the world. The emerging virtual communities change social and political relationships, as well as the job market well beyond national and linguistic boundaries. The paper examines the minimal conditions needed for this open process to take place with the participation of all players and the possible role of ORBICOM, the network of UNESCO Chairs in Communication.     

Measurement Invariance of Socioeconomic Status Across Migrational Background

Socioeconomic status (SES) is often used as control variable when relations between academic outcomes and students' migrational background are investigated. When measuring SES, indicators used must have the same meaning across groups. This study aims to examine the measurement invariance of SES, using data from TIMSS, 2003. The study shows that a latent SES variable has the same meaning across sub-populations with Swedish and non-Swedish background. However, the assumption of scalar invariance was rejected, which is essential for estimation of differences in latent means between groups. Comparisons between models assuming different degrees of scalar invariance indicated that models allowing partial scalar invariance should not be used when comparing latent variable means across groups of students with different migrational backgrounds.     

Life skills for ‘real life’: How critical thinking is contextualised across vocational programmes

Background: This article presents an analysis of how critical thinking is contextualised in everyday teaching in three vocational education and training (VET) programmes: Vehicle and transport, Restaurant and management, and Health and social care.

Purpose: The main question addressed is: What knowledge discourses permeate different VET-contexts, and hence what kinds of opportunities for critical thinking do they offer students?

Method: The qualitative analysis draws on data from a four-year ethnographic project exploring learning processes that can be characterised as civic education in Swedish vocational education. The analysis presented here used data collected during 85 days of observations of teaching in six VET classes, interviews with 81 students and 10 teachers, and collected teaching material. To explore why some contextualisations provided more opportunities and encouragement for critical thinking than others, we applied Bernsteinian concepts of ‘horizontal and vertical knowledge discourses’ and ‘discursive gaps’.

Findings and conclusions: Overall, teaching that was observed focused primarily on ‘doing’. However, in all three programmes, the analysis identified that there were also situations that touched upon critical thinking. Three major themes were identified: critical thinking related to ‘Personal experiences’, ‘The other(s)’ and ‘Wider perspectives’. It appeared that the frequency and nature of such situations varied with the knowledge discourses permeating the programme. Furthermore, we discuss the manifestations of critical thinking in relation to the wider context of what Bernstein refers to as pedagogic rights; individual enhancement, social inclusion and development of the competence and confidence to participate in political processes.     

Factors affecting departmental peer collaboration for faculty development: Two cases in context

This paper extends current research on departmentalpeer collaboration as a means of faculty development. Given the potential advantages of such situateddevelopmental activities, the need for furtherresearch is pressing. The study reported hereexamines two different cases of department-based,practice-centered peer inquiry projects; one set in adepartment of history and one in a department ofmechanical engineering. Both departmental projectswere part of a larger initiative on the peer review ofteaching coordinated by the American Association forHigher Education.The aim of this study is to illuminate factors thatcan influence the nature, development and impact ofsuch collaborative activities. The leadership,structure and outcomes of each department's projectare compared and contrasted. The role of departmentalculture is considered, through an investigation ofpotential influences from the discipline andinstitution, as well as from departmental history. Factors such as the norms of scholarly collaboration,standard work patterns, the presence or absence ofexternal curricular standards, university status,faculty autonomy and morale are discussed.     

Compulsory Higher Education Teacher Training in Sweden: Development of a national standards framework based on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Today visible proofs of excellence in teaching and learning are increasingly important aspects of institutional branding in higher education (HE). Teaching competence is brought forward as a central aspect of the quality of programmes. Still, the induction of new university teachers is managed in many different ways. Approaches may vary according to how teaching competence is perceived; as growing from practice only, requiring formal courses or, for instance, outlined in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) movement. In Sweden, the HE Ordinance from 2002 states that to get permanent positions, lecturers should have completed Compulsory HE Teacher Training (CHETT). The size and organisation of the courses were not regulated in the Ordinance and institutional practices varied. In a three-year project intended learning outcomes for CHETT was suggested. These outcomes are based on SoTL and linked to an estimated workload of 10 weeks. Based on a national survey in 2006, institutional responses to the proposals are analysed.

     

Auto-Instructional Methods in Great Britain

Great Britain has a very active Association for Programmed Learning, started in 1962. It arranges courses in programming, publishes research and other P.I. information, and organizes conferences. At the latest annual general meeting (March 31, 1967) Professor E. A. Peel (The University of Birmingham) was re-elected as President, and Dr. C. K. Rouse (Goldsmith's College) as Chairman. Among those labelled ‘Vice-Presidents’ (no less than a dozen individuals hold this glittering title) or ‘Council members’ are many persons well known internationally through their publications within the P.I. field, among others: Dr. J. Annett, Professor K. Austwick, Dr. J. Hartley, J. F. Leedham, G. O. M. Leith, Derek Rowntree and D. J. Unwin. Dr. J. Hartley serves as a Foreign Liaison Officer and would therefore be a natural contact for individuals from other countries. The association will extend its name to be somewhat more inclusive: ‘Association for Programmed Learning and Educational Technology’.