Book Reviews

Abstract

Educators have invested considerable effort in developing environmental education programs that address students' knowledge, attitudes, and action competence regarding environmental issues. The authors explore the effectiveness of such programs in terms of both student learning outcomes and the intergenerational influence that results when students discuss their learning experiences with their parents and other community members. Six environmental education programs involving 284 students in Queensland schools, from Grades 5-12, were investigated. Students and their parents were surveyed and interviewed regarding their perceptions about the program, the program's influence on their environmental learning, and the extent and nature of discussions that the program stimulated between students and their parents. The authors draw conclusions about key features that should be incorporated into environmental education programs to encourage and empower students to bring about environmental change in their homes and communities.     

Antisocial classroom communication: Instructor influence and interactional justice as predictors of student aggression

The present study investigated potentially destructive instructor and student communication. In particular, it examined the relationships between instructor use of antisocial behavior alteration techniques (BATs), student perceptions of instructor interactional justice, and students' likelihood of indirectly aggressing against their instructors. Results indicate that student perceptions of instructors' use of antisocial BATs and instructor interactional injustice predicted increased student indirect aggression. In addition, student perceptions of instructor antisocial BAT use and interactional justice were negatively correlated and interactional justice was a stronger predictor of student indirect aggression than was instructor antisocial BAT use.     

Freeing the Mind of the Oppressed

This article examines the evidence that supports and rebuts the claims of school resegregation. By examining both types of evidence and considering them complementary (James 1986 James, F. 1986. A new generalized “exposure-based” segregation index: Demonstration in Denver and Houston. Sociological Methods and Research, 14(3): 301–16. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Kelly and Miller 1989 Kelly, P. and Miller, W. 1989. Assessing desegregation efforts: No “best measure.”. Public Administration Review, 49(5): 431–37. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]), the author gives the reader a deeper understanding of the current trends in school segregation. First, the literature on the topic of school segregation is discussed. Then follows a discussion of the methods used in the study and the findings. The conclusion includes implications of the findings.     

Shaw on Education

For many Americans, citizenship and patriotism are associated with reciting the nation's Pledge of Allegiance. Therefore, this study asks the following questions: What do future teachers think about the concepts embedded in the Pledge, and what are their opinions on the usefulness of the Pledge in schools, as well as society in general? Results indicated that future or preservice teachers believed the loyalty and patriotic aspects of the Pledge to be useful for K–12 students, but did not find a personal value in their own recitation of the Pledge.     

Keys to Successful Leadership: High Support for Capable and Versatile Principals

What are the prerequisites for principals’ success within a decentralized and deregulated Swedish-policy environment characterized by democratic equity values and neo-liberal practices? Twenty-four secondary school principals identified internal and external factors that promote or inhibit principals’ success. The discussion concerns whether the current crossfire of demands produces superficiality and threats to democracy due to the working conditions described by the principals.     

Uncovering influence through Social Network Analysis: the role of schools in Education for Sustainable Development

Abstract

This paper examines the implementation of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in Germany and explores the possibilities of Social Network Analysis (SNA) for uncovering influential actors in educational policy innovation processes. From the theoretical perspective, an actor’s influence is inferred from its relative position within issue-specific information flows and the trust placed in its capacities and expertise, instead of relying on an actor’s openly expressed role and policy preferences. Drawing on techniques from quantitative SNA enables to analyse the social interactions as well as the frequency and type of information exchange amongst actors in a particular issue area. Empirically, I focus my attention on the educational innovation of ESD, which has been initiated at the global level, but is mainly put into practice at the national or regional level. Data for the study come from mixed mode interviews with a standardised questionnaire. The interviews were conducted and analysed using egocentric and complete SNA. I find, amongst others results, that NGOs and governmental actors occupy significantly more central, prestigious and influential network positions than schools in the course of implementing ESD in Germany. Furthermore, school representatives exhibit few and weak relations, and mostly share links with other formal education actors.     

改革开放与民办高等教育

中国当代民办高等教育是改革开放的产物,政府主导的以经济为中心的体制改革、思想解放和随之而来的经济社会快速发展刺激并带动了民办高等教育的发展,并呈现出明显的转型社会的特点。改革开放的进一步深化将推动民办高等教育持续发展。     

山东省幼儿单纯性肥胖发生率及影响因素的研究

目的：探讨学龄前儿童单纯性肥胖状况及主要影响因素,为制定预防学龄前儿童肥胖提供科学依据。方法：应用WHO推荐的身高标准体重法：〉120％作为判断标准,随机抽取山东省17地市3～6岁幼儿进行调查分析。结果：山东省学龄前儿童单纯性肥胖检出率为7．5％。男幼儿的检出率高于女幼儿,城市幼儿高于农村幼儿,且差异均有显著性意义。同时在统计中发现,幼儿肥胖发生率有随年龄的增长而增加的趋势。结论：高出生体重、遗传、缺少运动等是引起学龄前儿童单纯性肥胖的主要原因,预防儿童肥胖重点要放在3～6岁的幼儿期。     

中国企业人力资源管理信息化实施绩效的影响因素实证研究

分析了企业人力资源信息化实施绩效的影响因素,提出了人力资源信息化绩效影响因素的概念模型和测量模型,并且用116家中国企业的数据检验了模型。结果表明,中国企业人力资源信息化的实施绩效与外界压力、高层领导支持、HR部门的创新气氛和IT能力、IS部门因素有显著的正相关。     

基于影响图理论的供应链系统风险评估模型

基于多层次、追溯型的供应链系统风险分类,利用改进了的影响图理论,分别从拓扑层、函数层和数据层对供应链系统风险的形成机理进行分析,同时构建了供应链系统风险评估模型及一般研究范式。