The impact of higher education on adult students in Australia

This article is part of a study of the impact of higher education on aspects of the employment of a national sample of adult students (25 and over) who enrolled in higher education in Australia in 1978. The study shows that from the point of view of employment these adult students drew much benefit from their higher education. Females tended to benefit more than males. A further article in a later issue will consider for the same group the impact of higher education on the person.     

看张爱玲的《对照记》

张爱玲的《对照记》对照的是形象（照片）与个人身世的真实，因此她用文字来解释心得。《对照记》本身有很强的“后设性”，对《对照记》的解读，则是“后设”的“后设”。从《对照记》中所列的相当可观的张爱玲祖父祖母一代人的照片中，可以解读出她的怀古幽思，她所怀念的就是她祖父母这一代的人物和生活方式，这自觉或不自觉地展露了她的历史怀旧意识。《对照记》中没有张爱玲与父亲或母亲的合影，也没有她父母亲的合影，这些照片的缺失使《对照记》创设了一股幼时的失落感或被遗弃的情境，呈现出“褪了色”的苍凉。张爱玲自己的照片在全书中有30多幅，她的姿态在“镜花水月”式的美学意境中制造了一种神秘感。张爱玲“传奇”不仅是她的文字，也是她的形象造成的。     

Governance and decision‐making in higher education: Comparative aspects

In this paper, I shall put forward a model which highlights key issues to be taken into account in an attempt to improve academic excellence by the means of human resources management and leadership. Practices at the University of Eastern Finland and elsewhere are used as examples. It is maintained that logical and coherent human resources policies and capable leadership can support and contribute to academic performance and excellence. A key issue is not to interfere too much with active academic work, but still give sufficient support and prerequisites for academic basic tasks.     

Recent Changes to Reference Services in Academic Libraries and Their Relationship to Perceived Quality: Results of a National Survey

ABSTRACT

A national survey of academic librarians was conducted to examine relationships among reference service staffing changes, reference service innovations, adoption of reference technology, library type and size, and service quality. Analysis of the 606 response sets reveals trends toward reduced use of librarians and increased use of student staff at in-person service points, widespread increases in appointment-based and self-service reference, intensive efforts to reduce demand for reference by improving library instruction, and general improvements in reference service quality. Factors strongly associated with decreases or increases in quality are discussed in detail and implications for reference managers are provided.     

Images of reflection: a look and a review

The idea of reflection linked with teaching has a wide semantic array in educational enquiry. In the preceding papers, it has been called reflective teaching [Russell] and reflectivity [Bullough & Gitlin]. While neither of these terms has received any great prominence in Australia, the term “reflection” itself has several images. This paper looks at these images of educational enquiry based on reflection and reviews significant issues that have emerged in Australian research, indicating how these are related to the papers in this issue of QSE.     

Social Problems as a Basis for a Vitalized Arithmetic Curriculum

Ninety-six high-achieving fourth-graders performed a memory task before which either positive or negative expectancy statements were made by an adult and after which either positive or negative feedback statements were given. The resulting dissonant or consonant expectancy-feedback combinations were delivered over a four-day period. Results indicated that for high IQ children, performance was higher for those given discrepant rather than consonant combinations of expectancy-feedback statements. However, for low IQ children, performance was higher when given negative rather than positive feedback regardless of expectancy. The results are discussed in light of an uncertainty theory of motivation and arousal.     

Development Co-operation and Linkages in Higher Education: Key Issues Concerning Policy and Organisation

The term linkage is used to indicate co-operation between an institution in the North and an institution in the South. Donor organisations have generally used linkages to support the development of higher education and research in developing countries. Over time, there has been a trend away from co-operation on individual academic projects towards broader development co- operation and concentration on selected institutions. This shift raises questions about organisation, procedures and support mechanisms, and about the mandate and capabilities of universities in the North, given the frequently asymmetrical relationship between Northern institutions with their own research agendas and Southern beneficiaries. The recent restructuring of Canadian, Dutch, Norwegian and Swedish support for higher education and research is the result of a search for new, more appropriate models of co-operation. This paper examines the evolution of key issues of policy and organisation within the international donor community.     

Measurement of television utilization

Summary Measurement of effectiveness and the extent of use are the two principal means of assessing television utilization. Television programs are generally as effective or slightly more effective than regular instruction. The value of increased utilization of television programs has been difficult to assess because of the difficulties of measuring audiences and giving meaning to the values obtained. A proposed audience measurement technique was developed and applied to television installations in New York State. On December 7, 1960, all schools in the State reported on the television programs that they watched on that date. Tables in this article presented utilization figures for all television broadcast programs and closed-circuit installations and for one kinescope utilization activity.