Forty years of Finnish pre-school education: the development of curricula between 1972 and 2000

Since 2001 in Finland, all six year olds have had the right to free pre-school education, and almost all pre-school-aged children take advantage of this opportunity. The purpose of this article is to dissect the development of Finnish pre-school education curricula within the societal context and within the changes in trends of curriculum planning between 1972 and 2000. The study analysed five curricula texts through qualitative content analysis by paying attention to the functions of pre-school education and the positioning of children and educators. The development of pre-school education consisted of four phases: (1) the era of pre-school education trials; (2) the era of heterogeneous pre-school education arrangements; (3) the era of changes in curriculum policies; and (4) the era of pre-school education establishment. The results indicated that the changes in pre-school education curricula related to the changes in Finnish society and in basic education.     

Encounters with action research in the african context: a case study in the school curriculum in lesotho

This article is based on an action research study undertaken in the African context, in Lesotho. It illustrates understandings and insights that developed in this context about action research by reference to the factors that influenced the comprehension and implementation of the method, reflections of the research team on the method, and the potential of the method to improve practice. It is argued that the method had potential to improve practice in this context, and that the contextualisation of action research by reflection on the method was essential.     

Remediating child poverty via preschool: exploring practitioners' perspectives in England

Within developed countries child poverty is a social problem with significant negative effects. With a backdrop of austerity, the UK's first child poverty strategy was released in 2011. Pervaded by neo-liberal ideology this strategy identifies preschool services as key to remediating the negative effects of child poverty on children and families as a means to ‘unlock social mobility’. Drawing on interviews with preschool practitioners working in the poorest region of England, this article provides a rare, close-up insight into how they have responded to assumptions about their role within the policy discussions and debates about child poverty. Findings reveal how those interviewed have internalised the UK Coalition government's discursive formation of child poverty and social justice. Their narratives also indicate how, alongside the child poverty strategy, ‘policy technology’ accompanying the emergence of related reforms to the preschool sector in England and financial cuts are regulative and restrictive to practitioners' thinking and actions. Although only small scale, this research identifies challenges which will potentially prevent practitioners from creating the conditions necessary to address the effects of child poverty and ensure the Coalition government's vision of social justice in England.     

Early years curriculum: funds of knowledge as a conceptual framework for children’s interests

Children’s interests are frequently cited as a source of early‐years curricula. Yet, research has rarely considered the nature of these interests beyond the play‐based environment of early‐childhood education. This paper reports findings from a qualitative, interpretivist study in two early childhood settings in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Using participant observation, interviews, and documentation, the study examined children’s interests and teachers’ engagement with these in curriculum interactions. Evidence suggested children’s interests were stimulated by their ‘intent participation’ in family and community experiences and encapsulated in the notion of ‘funds of knowledge’. The concept of funds of knowledge provides a coherent analytic framework for teachers to recognize children’s interests and extend teachers’ curriculum planning focus beyond that of a child‐centred play‐based learning environment.     

Rethinking assessment and inequality: the production of disparities in attainment in early years education

Despite decades of research and debate, the issue of unequal outcomes continues to be a concern in educational systems worldwide. In England, published data relating to pupils’ attainment across ethnic groups and by class indicators has been used to demonstrate continued inequalities in schools. This article attempts to deconstruct the relationship between assessment results and inequality by questioning the assumption that results only record inequality, rather than being implicated in its production. Interview data related to the case of a statutory teacher assessment system in early years education are used to show how assessment results may be influenced by pressure from external advisors, who only recognise certain patterns of results as intelligible. These recognisable patterns, it is argued, relate to wider discourses of class, race and the ‘inner city’, through which the pupils in these schools are constituted as inevitably low attaining. In addition, monitoring systems based on ‘value added’ methodologies provide an incentive to deflate assessment results in this first year of school. The article concludes that we need to rethink exactly what apparent disparities in assessment results actually represent, particularly given the increasing use of teacher assessment in the school system in England.     

新中国成立初期我国的群众体育政策

新中国成立初期,为了适应经济建设和国防建设的需要,我国发展体育确立了"普及"的方针,建立各级群众体育组织和体育主管部门、培养体育干部和积极分子、加强体育宣传教育工作、推行易于开展又有利于增强体质的体育活动、通过组织运动竞赛推动群众性体育活动的开展,是这一时期我国发展群众体育采取的主要措施。     

人力资本、人力资本结构与区域协调发展——来自中国省级区域的证据

本文重点分析了1990-2004年我国各省、自治区和直辖市人力资本和人力资本结构的变化及其对地区经济增长的影响。首先,采用受教育年限法计算各省、自治区和直辖市的人力资本,然后运用基尼系数法测算各地区的人力资本结构系数;在此基础上,将1990-2004年各地区的有关数据组成面板数据模型,检验人力资本和人力资本结构对经济增长的影响。结果表明,我国绝大多数地区的经济增长还处于物质资本推动阶段,人力资本和人力资本结构的作用只在少数地区是显著的;在保持其他变量不变的条件下,人力资本每增加1%,地区生产总值将增加0.25%-0.52%,人力资本结构系数每减少1%,地区生产总值将增加0.18%-0.51%。     

线上教学的探索与实践

线上教学这种新兴教学模式可以突破时间和空间的限制,便于学生随时随地进行学习,可以丰富课堂教学内容,营造良好的教学氛围,可以培养学生自主学习的能力,提高学生分析问题和解决问题的能力.文章以"0-3岁婴幼儿保育与教育"课程为例,探讨线上教学的教学思路、技术手段、教学组织与实施、应用效果、突出亮点等内容.     

改革开放三十年来我国高考英语科的发展情况

为了完成为高校选拔人才和促进中学素质教育服务的双重任务,高考英语科长期以来一直在借助语言测试研究成果,根据中学英语教学情况进行着改革。本文以英语科在高考中作用的变化和该学科考查内容、试卷结构的逐步调整为线索,回顾了高考英语科三十年来的发展情况,介绍了考试设计人员对考查内容和试卷结构进行历次调整的背景和意图,展示了该学科逐步确立测试重点和拓宽考试范围的历程。     

从期刊论文三要素看改革开放30年我国科技成果研究概貌

本文通过分析改革开放30年来各类学术期刊上发表的有关科技成果的研究论文,从论文作者、论文作者单位和论文关键词三方面,总结了30年来科技成果领域研究的概貌。