Educational Research for Policy and Practice in Japan – With Particular Reference to Youth Education

Based upon the Fundamental Law of Education, Japanese school education system has long been a source of pride for the country as a result of the high school participation rate, the homogeneity of compulsory education throughout the country. However, the confidence of the people in its schools is now showing severe signs of strain and fatigue. In recent years, there have been many reports about the growing seriousness of a number of educational problems having to do with young people in their childhood and adolescence. Since the mid-1970s, a number of problems have been highlighted. They include violent behavior, juvenile crimes, bullying, refusal to attend school, dropping out at secondary level of education, and corporal punishment. Against the above background, based on recommendations from such advisory bodies as the Central Council for Education and the National Commission on Education Reform, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT) has adopted a range of policies and launched a series of educational reform programmes. For instance, what is called “Rainbow Plan”, based on the final report submitted by the National Commission on Education Reform, provides the country with basic guidelines for the educational reform in the near future. Roles of educational research for making policies have been of significance. Research initiated by the National Institute for Educational Policy Research (NIER) and the National Federation of Educational Policy Research Institutes (NFERI) is an example of contributions to the development of educational qualities in the country. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Models and Paradigms in Kuhn and Halloun

In Modeling Theory in Science Education, Halloun (2004) adopts the word ‘paradigm’, but his use of the term is radically different from that of Kuhn. In this paper, I explore some of the differences between Kuhn’s paradigms and Halloun’s paradigms. Where Kuhn’s paradigms are public, community-defining exemplars of practice, Halloun’s paradigms are private, individualized ways of thinking. Where Kuhn writes of the paradigm shift as a revolutionary, vision-altering conversion experience, Halloun writes of a gradual evolution from one way of thinking to another and an easy back-and-forth switch between paradigms. Since Kuhn’s paradigms are self-enclosed and incommensurable, there is no objective standard by which one paradigm can be shown to be superior to the other. But Halloun uses ‘viability’ as a standard for paradigm choice. Underlying all of this is the more basic question of whether the history of science is an appropriate metaphor for student progress in the classroom. I conclude with some brief thoughts on this question.     

对李约瑟<中国科学技术史》若干问题的消解

已故英国名科学史家李约瑟博士对中国科学技术史进行了深入探讨，其所的《中国科学技术史》对中国古代科学技术作出了实事求是的总结与概括，并提出了一些极有启发性的独创见解，对世界了解中国，消除误解与偏见作了极好的宣传。他对中国科学技术史的研究不存在“拔高”或“说好话”的倾向。他的《中国科学与明》被译成《中国科学技术史》并无不妥。否定“李约瑟难题”缺乏理论根据。     

《孙子兵法》的美学价值

兵法是艺术。《孙子兵法》作为兵法经典,也是兵法艺术美的代表,对中国古典美学具有突出的贡献。从兵法是艺术、孙武的诗人气质、孙武的审美理想、读《孙子兵法》是审美享受等四个方面,第一次对《孙子兵法》的美学价值作了有益探讨。     

留洋学者与南雍学术

在南京高等师范学校、东南大学时期,学校的学术研究极为活跃。究其原因,主要是占全校师资三分之二的留洋学者发挥了中坚作用。南高、东大作为“中国科学社的大本营”,“展开了中国科学的奠基工作,成为中国科学发展的一个主要基地”。以留洋学者为骨干的“学衡派”主张“昌明国粹,融化新知”;参与创办《新教育》,为中国教育界开辟了一条研究、借鉴西方教育的重要渠道;竺可桢、熊庆来、秉志、茅以升、胡刚复等一批科学大师将西方现代科学引进国内。     

论邓小平发展观中的"科技"思想

邓小平的发展观是邓小平理论的重要组成部分，是涵盖了建设有中国特色社会主义的发展道路、发展动力、发展关键、发展模式、发展目标、发展战略、发展的依靠力量等各个方面比较完备的理论体系。邓小平的科技思想在这个理论体系中得到了充分的体现。笔者就发展的关键——科学技术是第一生产力，发展的目标和战略——科学技术的现代化，发展的模式——科学技术的自主创新，发展的依靠力量——科技人才等四个方面进行了粗浅的论述。邓小平发展观中的科技思想，对于当前和今后的社会主义现代化建设，具有十分重要的指导意义。     

从火攻谋略看孙子对战争复杂性的认识

《火攻篇》是《孙子兵法》十三篇这个恢弘体系中一个非常重要的有机组成部分。火攻不仅是古代战争中非常重要的作战方式,同时也是以较少代价夺取更大胜利的重要作战方式之一,更是一种能够体现战争指挥者驾御人与自然的各种复杂关系的作战方式之一。《火攻篇》对我们的启迪是:大千世界的事事物物,都可能是我们手中的一种武器,或成为我们战胜敌人的一个重要因素和条件,而不应当只把自己手中的武器看成是武器。《火攻篇》的慎战思想是孙子对战争复杂性认识的进一步深化,体现了孙子对战争本身复杂性和后果严重性的双重忧虑。     

结构人类学:人文与科学的统一?

西方思想传统中人文主义与科学理性在近代开始分道扬镳,20世纪结构人类学家列维一斯特劳斯通常被人当作反人文主义的代表,但也有人视其为当代真正的人文主义者。列氏是如何考虑人文与科学之间的问题呢?本文将就其结构人类学著作中的相关言论的分析,试图作出符合列氏思想真实的结论,并借此而探寻人文与科学在网络时代复归统一的根基与意义。     

进一步提高自然科学基金资助项目的创新性之研究

中国国家自然科学基金委员会(NSFC)成立十年来,大力支持基础研究,强调了支持创新的政策,结出了丰硕的成果,证明科技体制改革迈出的这一步是十分正确的.但通过问卷调查,也发现目前无论是从体制、评审程序、资助政策、专家的遴选使用和管理上,都还存在一些不利于创新的因素.如何克服这些不利因素,文中提出了13点具体改进措施     

Convergence of national science and technology policies: the case of Finland

It is a commonly held view that differences in national histories, cultures, political contexts, and the timing of a country’s entry into the industrialization process are reflected as diversity among countries in their goals, priorities, boundaries, directions, ranges, instruments and also in the performance of science and technology policy. This article, which examines development processes of Finnish science and technology policy, concludes that instead of divergence there is such startling convergence of organizational forms and practices. Finland has largely adopted its policy doctrines and instruments from the countries, which from the Finnish perspective, have been considered legitimate and successful.