Roger Osborne (1940–1985), University of Waikato, New Zealand

This short paper outlines the emergence and achievements of the Science Education Research Unit at the University of Waikato over the period 1979–1985 under the leadership of the late Dr. Roger Osborne. Following his attendance at the ASERA meeting in Wagga Wagga in 1977, Roger Osborne rapidly built up a very productive team, which he led until his death in 1985. His legacy is tentatively evaluated. In conclusion, the cultural context in which this work took place is sketched.

Creativity or musical intelligence?: A comparative study of improvisation/improvisation performance by European and African musicians

This paper describes an investigation into the nature of musical intelligence and its links with creativity across two continents, Europe and Africa. In seeking to indentify the intellectual processes associated with musical intelligence, improvised music was examined as an example of problem solving in this domain. Twenty-four musicians (twelve European and twelve Zimbabwean) functioning at three different levels of expertise - novices, experienced practitioners and professionals - were invited to perform two pieces of improvisation and to reflect upon their performances. An empirical phenomenological approach to analysis was employed. The results show that musical intelligence in this form is both contextually bound but also takes the form of self-expression, self-actualisation, story telling, communication, and social critique. Different levels of ability are illustrated by different levels of abstraction in processing.     

Digital Generation: Overview of Cultural and Entertainment Content Usage in Italy

The article investigates the relations between the technological innovation and the usage done, in particular but not exclusively, by the young generation in Italy: the basis for the analysis will be the results of the 2008 edition of the Permanent Observatory on Digital Content. Moreover it presents an overview on how the use of technologies affects the consumption of cultural and entertainment content. It highlights that there is a strong relationship among the level of consumption of these kind of goods and the way technologies are used and, more in particular, shows how the more advanced use of the technologies is depending, more than from the frequency or regularity, from the level of awareness in their use, deriving in general by a strong knowledge and skill, and, especially by the consumption done by the users of the cultural and entertainment goods. The research shows two different clusters of innovative users of technologies: Technofan and Eclectic with very different habits.

文化信息资源共享工程在吉林省农村的实践与思考

文章对文化共享工程在吉林省农村的实施现状进行了深入探讨,重点阐述了农村基层服务点的服务模式和服务特色,并就今后深化文化共享工程在吉林省农村的实施提出了几点思考。     

保护非物质文化遗产应是地区公共图书馆责无旁贷的职责——兼谈大连市旅顺口区图书馆保护非物质文化遗产的实践活动

我国非物质文化遗产是中华民族几千年文明的重要组成部分,保护和宣传非物质文化遗产,是历史赋予我们的责任。作为具有宣传先进文化,开展社会教育和保存人类文化遗产职能的公共图书馆,对宣传和保护非物质文化遗产有着非常重要的作用。     

给药特征类医药用途发明可专利性研究

给药特征类医药用途发明的可专利性争议在医药用途发明可专利性争议中最为复杂.为疏浚该类发明新颖性、创造性难题,应着重完善新颖性判断中的"制药过程""限定作用"解释,客观化、明确化所属领域技术人员合理预期标准.法释义学上的灰色地带决定可专利性的承认与否应主要取决于各方案绩效结果.考虑到我国目前以仿制药企业为主,还不宜承认给...     

论发展图书馆文化力

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Qualitative inquiry into local education administration in Pakistan

The level of educational development in Pakistan is low. A decentralisation reform was introduced in 2000 to improve the delivery of basic education by designating the local government body with primary responsibility for administering it. A qualitative field study on local education administration at the North West Frontier Province found problematic issues which may be significantly hampering efficient and effective delivery of education, such as the transfer of teachers. Conversely, the informality of the interpersonal relationships was found to be a potential asset for advancing stakeholder networking and improving the delivery of educational services.     

Cultural and linguistic diversity in early childhood teacher preparation: The impact of contextual characteristics on coursework and practica

The population of children in early childhood settings is becoming increasingly culturally and linguistically diverse, and these changes in demographics have warranted teachers becoming more culturally responsive and better prepared to work with diverse young children and families. Teacher preparation programs across the nation have responded differently to this critical issue, in part because of the different contexts in which they exist. Analyses were conducted using data from the National Prekindergarten Center’s (NPC) National Study of Early Childhood Teacher Preparation Programs and the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) Integrated Post-Secondary Education Dataset (IPEDS). Geographical, program, and institutional characteristics were analyzed from a sample of 416 Bachelor’s degree programs to determine how these variables were associated with the amount of diversity content and experience required in teacher preparation programs. Results indicated that the presence of non-White full-time faculty was positively related to more required coursework focused on working with children and families from culturally diverse backgrounds, while degree of urbanization, governance of institutions, and National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education accreditation were associated with required coursework focused on working with bilingual children and English language learners. The percentage of the non-Hispanic White population in a state and geographic region were both associated with practica requirements focused on working with bilingual children and English language learners. Implications and recommendations for policy, future research, and early childhood teacher preparation are discussed.     

New peace,new teachers: Student teachers' perspectives of diversity and community relations in Northern Ireland

This paper reflects upon student teachers' conceptions of inter-community relations and the preparation they receive to address issues of diversity and mutual understanding. The study in Northern Ireland is set against a backdrop of political, social and educational change, where a shared, peaceful future appears possible. Student teachers at a Catholic institution and a predominantly Protestant institution indicated a willingness to engage with issues concerning diversity and inter-community relations, despite having a limited knowledge of the concepts. However they also demonstrated clear views about the relevance and value of the preparation they received. The findings are evaluated using multicultural theory.