Showing papers in "Asia Pacific Education Review in 2009"
TL;DR: The research university is a central institution of the twenty-first century providing access to global science, producing basic and applied research, and educating leaders of the academe and society as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: The research university is a central institution of the twenty-first century—providing access to global science, producing basic and applied research, and educating leaders of the academe and society. Worldwide, there are very few research universities—they are expensive to develop and support, and the pressures of massification have placed priorities elsewhere. For developing countries, research universities are especially rare, and yet they are especially important as key ingredients for economic and social progress. This article argues for the importance of research universities in developing and middle-income countries and points out some of the challenges that such institutions face.
245 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a theoretical framework to analyze post-massification challenges in higher education is proposed, with a focus on the Asia-Pacific region as well as global issues, and some discussion of the possible effects of the financial crisis that commenced in 2008 is provided.
Abstract: With rapid socio-economic changes, twenty-first century higher education is facing major challenges to its governance systems, curriculum, mission focus, external relations, research, and financing. A theoretical framework to analyze these post-massification challenges is suggested, with a focus on the Asia-Pacific region as well as global issues. Five main topic areas provide the basis for the theoretical framework: massification, privatization, accountability and governance, internationalization, and ranking and world-class universities. Some discussion of the possible effects of the financial crisis that commenced in 2008 is provided.
225 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors discuss human capital development through the seven soft skills elements which comprise communication skills, critical thinking and problem solving skills, team work, lifelong learning and information management skills, entrepreneurship skills, ethics, and professional moral and leadership skills.
Abstract: This article discusses human capital development through the seven soft skills elements which comprise communication skills, critical thinking and problem solving skills, team work, lifelong learning and information management skills, entrepreneurship skills, ethics, and professional moral and leadership skills. The Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia recently announced that the said soft skills are to be introduced to undergraduates of Institutes of Higher Learning in Malaysia. Suggestions on how these elements are to be incorporated in the undergraduates program are also put forward.
223 citations
TL;DR: The Bologna Process was a trigger for a qualitative leap of internationalisation strategies and policies since the 1990s: towards cooperation and mobility on equal terms, and towards systematic and strategic internationalisation as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: ‘Internationalisation’ is generally defined as increasing cross-border activities amidst persistence of borders, while ‘globalisation’ refers to similar activities concurrent to an erosion of borders. Study mobility is viewed as the most visible component in this framework in Europe with ERASMUS as the largest scheme of temporary mobility. ERASMUS was a trigger for a qualitative leap of internationalisation strategies and policies since the 1990s: towards cooperation and mobility on equal terms, and towards systematic and strategic internationalisation. The ‘Bologna Process’ aimed to make higher education more attractive to students from other parts of the world and to facilitate intra-European mobility; however, many other activities are needed to stimulate mobility, and the Bologna Process pursues many other objectives. It remains to be seen whether supra-national and national policies and institutional strategies will continue to opt for wide-ranging cooperation based on mutual trust or whether the ‘competition paradigm’ will determine the scene.
210 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the feasibility of implementing inquiry method in Hong Kong primary classrooms is examined. But the authors focus on the implementation and some outcomes of an inquiry-based project conducted in two local primary schools, a traditional elite Catholic school and a progressive, less privileged school.
Abstract: Hong Kong has been actively promoting a student-centered approach to teaching since the 1980s. Despite this effort, students in Hong Kong still tend to be traditional learners who rarely experience and gain from real student-centered learning. While teachers hold a “quantitative” concept of learning and focus on transmitting declarative knowledge to students (Biggs and Watkins, Classroom learning: Educational psychology for the Asian teacher, 1995), students generally practise “rote learning.” Constructive learning models such as inquiry remain little used by students in most Hong Kong classrooms. This article reports a study that examines the feasibility of implementing inquiry method in Kong Kong’s primary classrooms. It analyses the implementation and some outcomes of an inquiry-based project conducted in two local primary schools—a traditional elite Catholic school and a progressive, less-privileged school. Finally, it discusses the contextual factors as well as cultural issues on teachers’ perception and implementation of inquiry in teaching. These factors include the following: impacts of prevailing ideology in the community of Hong Kong, and the top-down policy-making and management by the government.
47 citations
TL;DR: In order to attain world class status, Taiwan's Ministry of Education (MoE) initiated a project called Plan to Develop First-class Universities and Top-level Research Centers as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: The recent rise in globalization has brought forth a global wave of academic competitiveness, which has taken its strongest hold in East Asia. In order to attain world class status, Taiwan’s Ministry of Education (MoE) initiated a project called Plan to Develop First-class Universities and Top-level Research Centers. The project is often coined the “Five-Years-50-Billion Project,” due to the fact that the MoE will invest 50 billion New Taiwan dollars (US$1.64 billion) in the plan over a five year span. First, the authors will attempt to investigate and analyze the difference in funding rationale and policy between the periods before and after implementation. Second, this study seeks to evaluate the plan’s efficiency on an institutional level by using data envelopment analysis (DEA). Findings suggest that the current funding policy has indeed increased Taiwanese universities’ levels of internationalization and global academic competitiveness. However, comparisons among those universities suggest that despite the relative degree of efficiency, more investment did not ensure better university performance. Guidelines for allocating funding should be regularly revised in order to reflect any changes in relevant conditions and in universities’ overall performance and efficiency.
46 citations
TL;DR: A survey of 674 training and human resource development professionals from five different countries, mostly from the Asia-Pacific region (i.e., China, South Korea, Taiwan, United States, and the United Kingdom) was conducted by as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: This article reports survey findings related to the current status and future trends of blended learning in workplace learning settings from diverse cultures. This particular survey was conducted of 674 training and human resource development professionals from five different countries, mostly from the Asia-Pacific region (i.e., China, South Korea, Taiwan, United States, and the United Kingdom). The results show that blended learning will become a popular delivery method in the future of workplace learning not only in Western countries but also in Asian countries. Still, the respondents indicated that there were several barriers to blended learning; one of the most noticeable issues was their lack of understanding of blended learning. There is a pressing need, therefore, to provide practitioners with guidance on how to implement blended learning in their organizations. Additionally, among the countries surveyed, the results of the present study revealed that there were significant differences in the current level of adoption of blended learning, the respondents’ attitudes toward and perceptions of blended learning, and the content areas taught by blended learning. Respondents’ predictions related to emerging instructional strategies, technologies, and evaluation techniques for blended learning are also reported.
45 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explored the relationship among cognitive style (field dependence/independence), working memory, and mathematics anxiety and examined their effects on students' mathematics problem-solving.
Abstract: The main objective of this study is (a) to explore the relationship among cognitive style (field dependence/independence), working memory, and mathematics anxiety and (b) to examine their effects on students’ mathematics problem solving. A sample of 161 school girls (13–14 years old) were tested on (1) the Witkin’s cognitive style (Group Embedded Figure Test) and (2) Digit Span Backwards Test, with two mathematics exams. Results obtained indicate that the effect of field dependency, working memory, and mathematics anxiety on students' mathematical word problem solving was significant. Moreover, the correlation among working memory capacity, cognitive style, and students’ mathematics anxiety was significant. Overall, these findings could help to provide some practical implications for adapting problem solving skills and effective teaching/learning.
42 citations
TL;DR: This paper examined Taiwanese English as a foreign language (EFL) graduate students' perspectives on paraphrasing strategies and found that more than half of the students considered surface-level paraphrase (patchwriting) to be acceptable strategy use.
Abstract: This study examines Taiwanese English as a foreign language (EFL) graduate students’ perspectives on paraphrasing strategies. A two-layer scenario survey was developed to identify the reasoning behind students’ judgments that certain paraphrasing is appropriate or inappropriate. The first-layer scenario survey is in a true–false format that consists of nine paraphrasing scenarios and that served to elicit from students their declarative knowledge of appropriate paraphrasing strategies. The second-layer scenario survey is in an open-ended question format that explores students’ explanatory knowledge underlying their first-layer choices. In addition, an attitude survey and a demographic survey were designed and implemented to explore learner variables in relation to the learners’ perspectives on paraphrasing strategies. A total of 141 EFL graduate students participated in the study. The results shed considerable light on students’ diverse perceptions and reasoning regarding paraphrasing strategies. More than half of the students considered surface-level paraphrasing (patchwriting) to be acceptable strategy use. Significant correlation was found between students’ responses to the acceptability of paraphrasing strategies and the following factors: (1) perceived difficulty in paraphrasing, (2) perceived value of appropriate source use, (3) perceived competence in overcoming the temptation to plagiarize, (4) perceived disadvantage as a foreign-language learner with paraphrasing, (5) gender, and (6) paraphrasing-related training. Pedagogical implications of the results are discussed.
39 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a study was conducted to understand Chinese students' perceptions of a collaborative e-learning environment and the factors that affect their online performance and academic achievement, and the results showed that students with higher motivational orientations perform better in the online group discussions.
Abstract: This study was set up in a Chinese university in Beijing by implementing a Flemish e-learning course in a Chinese setting. A main feature of the e-learning environment is the asynchronous ‘task-based’ online group discussion. The purpose of the study is to understand Chinese students’ perceptions of a collaborative e-learning environment and the factors that affect their online performance and academic achievement. The results of the study indicate that the students had less positive perceptions of the e-learning environment as compared to their perceptions of a more conventional environment. However, the students reported to a higher level of preferences of peer learning, critical thinking, and problem-based learning (PBL) after one semester e-learning experience. In addition, we examined variables that might have affected students’ performance in e-learning environments. The results show that students with higher motivational orientations perform better in the online group discussions.
35 citations
TL;DR: The authors used a critical instructional model to analyze students' team dialogues as responses to a picture-book-based exercise and found that instruction based on social-issue picture books is effective not only in promoting literacy learning but also in eliciting meaningful themes for students.
Abstract: In order to fill in the research gap related to the theory and practice of critical literacy in Taiwan, this article describes an English Conversation activity offered during the 2005 spring semester at a university in southern Taiwan. The article uses a critical instructional model to analyze students’ team dialogues as responses to a picture-book-based exercise. The informants in the study included the instructor and his 26 students. This research is a qualitative case study in that it employs various descriptive data (e.g. students’ team dialogues and reflection papers) in an attempt to (1) investigate the extent to which the goals of critical literacy were achieved in the classroom and (2) arrive at some implications for the implementation of critical literacy in Taiwan. This study suggests that instruction based on social-issue picture books is effective not only in promoting literacy learning but also in eliciting meaningful themes for students. Second, it shows that language learning is best understood as socially constructed. Critical instruction should promote not only text-centred responses but also reader responses to social issues; this can lead to more critical stances for students. Third, the study suggests that a critical literacy curriculum should progress from personal/cultural resources to critical social practices and critical stances. Finally, enthusiasts of critical literacy should not insist on including all dimensions of the analytical model used in the study. Instead, teachers should consider their students, teaching purposes and teaching contexts when they use elements from the critical literacy instructional model.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigate the relationship between burnout and negative mood regulation expectancies, as an internal variable, and social support as an external variable, to examine the relative effects of these two variables on burnout.
Abstract: The purposes of this study are as follows: (1) to determine whether burnout among elementary school teachers in Korea differs on selected demographic variables, (2) to investigate the relationship between burnout and negative mood regulation expectancies, as an internal variable, and social support, as an external variable, and (3) to examine the relative effects of these two variables on burnout. As regards burnout differences according to grades under their charge, upper-grade teachers reported experiencing a greater degree of burnout than lower-grade teachers. In particular, a significant difference was found in depersonalization. With respect to the relationships among burnout, social support, and negative mood regulation expectancies, perceived social support in general was associated with a lowered degree of burnout, while negative mood regulation expectancies correlated negatively with burnout. Furthermore, negative mood regulation expectancies, as an internal variable, affected burnout more than social support, as an external variable. This finding suggests that burnout can be alleviated by controlling negative mood regulation expectancies, and therefore, intervention efforts, such as counseling, continuing education, or training programs designed to enhance teachers’ negative mood regulation expectancies, could benefit teachers in reducing their burnout.
TL;DR: In this paper, the effects of the cooperative learning method supported by multiple intelligence theory (CLMI) on elementary school fourth grade students' academic achievement and retention towards the mathematics course were investigated.
Abstract: In the present experimental study, the effects of the cooperative learning method supported by multiple intelligence theory (CLMI) on elementary school fourth grade students’ academic achievement and retention towards the mathematics course were investigated. The participants of the study were 150 students who were divided into two experimental (used CLMI) and two control groups (used traditional method). “Mathematics Achievement Test,” “Teele Inventory for Multiple Intelligences” and “Personal Information Form” were used as the measurement instruments of the study. The findings of this research have indicated that CLMI has a more significant effect on academic achievement than the traditional method. Yet, regarding the retention scores, CLMI has not significant effect on retention.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated teachers' receptivity to the system-wide curriculum reform of the senior secondary education in the initiation stage and understand the factors influencing teachers receptivity in Mainland China.
Abstract: Few studies deal with teachers’ receptivity in the initiation stage of educational change, especially in a non-western cultural context like Mainland China. This study aims at investigating teachers’ receptivity to the system-wide curriculum reform of the senior secondary education in the initiation stage and understanding the factors influencing teachers’ receptivity in Mainland China. Questionnaire survey with open-ended question (n = 763) is employed to explore teachers’ receptivity in four selected experimental provinces, i.e., the first group of provinces which are selected by Ministry of Education to implement the curriculum reform. Results indicate teachers have positive attitudes and behavioral intentions toward promoting the curriculum reform of senior secondary education, and they consider the reform is valuable but difficult to carry out. The existing theoretical model can explain teachers’ behavioral intentions quite well, but its predicting ability to teachers’ general attitudes is limited, which indicates some new variables that need to be considered, too. Implications of this study and suggestions for future research are also discussed in the article.
TL;DR: This paper found that the cultural adjustment problems experienced by international students were relatively minor, that faculty and staff consistently overstated these problems, and most importantly, problems with the English language explained more of the variation in both student and faculty-and staff responses.
Abstract: Over the last 15 years the number of international students studying at universities in Taiwan has increased dramatically; however, to date, there have been few studies that measured the cultural adjustment problems that this diverse group of students experience. To remedy this problem, this study gathered data from 1,174 international students and 189 faculty and staff members at 15 universities in Taiwan that described the extent of these problems in 12 different areas. Using independent sample t-tests and multiple regression analysis, this study found that the cultural adjustment problems experienced by international students were relatively minor, that faculty and staff consistently overstated these problems, and most importantly, problems with the English language explained more of the variation in both student and faculty and staff responses.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the factors that influence pre-service teachers' perceived usefulness of an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) course that was conducted using the student-centred learning (SCL) approach.
Abstract: The purpose of this study is to examine the factors that influence pre-service teachers’ perceived usefulness of an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) course that was conducted using the student-centred learning (SCL) approach. In this study, perceived usefulness was used as the dependent variable and perceived competence, course delivery, facilitating conditions and learning environment as independent variables. The results of this study showed that perceived competence and course delivery have direct effects on pre-service teachers’ perceived usefulness of the course, while learning environment and facilitating conditions affect perceived usefulness indirectly. Overall, the results support the hypothesis that the four selected variables in this study affect perceived usefulness and that the resulting model is an adequate fit to the observed relationships among the factors that influenced pre-service teachers’ perceived usefulness of an ICT course.
TL;DR: This paper found that teachers were generally in favour of working hand in hand with the public (e.g. parents, alumni and members of the local community) for the betterment of schools, but they had reservations about the registration of SMCs as IMCs because there would be legal implications of the Committees.
Abstract: The policy of the registration of School Management Committees (SMCs) as Incorporated Management Committees (IMCs) has led to a dispute between the School Sponsoring Bodies (SSBs) and the Education and Manpower Bureau (EMB, renamed Education Bureau, EDB in July 2007) and has caused great tension between the two parties. However, in this heated debate, little has been heard about teachers’ opinions on this important issue. Therefore, this study aims at finding out teachers’ perceptions of the newly proposed school management system and whether they are willing to participate in IMCs. In this study, 585 questionnaires were collected from a total of 652 which had been distributed to 25 schools (19 secondary schools and 9 primary schools), and five teacher representatives from five schools were involved in post-survey interviews. Findings from this study show that while the teachers were generally in favour of working hand in hand with the public (e.g. parents, alumni and members of the local community) for the betterment of schools, they had reservations about the registration of SMCs as IMCs because there would be legal implications of the Committees. Second, the teachers saw the IMCs as an administrative tool to improve school management, rather than as a means of enhancing students’ learning outcomes. Third, teachers were hesitant about taking up the posts of teacher managers due to the unpredictable workload and legal liability involved. Finally, teachers from Christian schools were generally much less in favour of including representatives from the public and the registration of the SMCs as IMCs. The findings imply that the EMB has a responsibility to clarify the legal implications of IMCs and the ways in which school representatives’ interests can be safeguarded. At the same time, SSBs need to regulate their management pattern and allow more transparency and accountability in managing their schools.
TL;DR: Among the estimation methods investigated in this study, the generalizability theory model with the ‘students nested within schools crossed with subject areas’ design produced the lowest reliability estimates.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate the methods of estimating the reliability of school-level scores using generalizability theory and multilevel models. Two approaches, ‘student within schools’ and ‘students within schools and subject areas,’ were conceptualized and implemented in this study. Four methods resulting from the combination of these two approaches with generalizability theory and multilevel models were compared for both balanced and unbalanced data. The generalizability theory and multilevel models for the ‘students within schools’ approach produced the same variance components and reliability estimates for the balanced data, while failing to do so for the unbalanced data. The different results from the two models can be explained by the fact that they administer different procedures in estimating the variance components used, in turn, to estimate reliability. Among the estimation methods investigated in this study, the generalizability theory model with the ‘students nested within schools crossed with subject areas’ design produced the lowest reliability estimates. Fully nested designs such as (students:schools) or (subject areas:students:schools) would not have any significant impact on reliability estimates of school-level scores. Both methods provide very similar reliability estimates of school-level scores.
TL;DR: This article investigated rating behavior between Korean and native English speaking (NES) raters and found that Korean raters were more severe in scoring grammar, sentence structure, and organization, whereas the NES raters are stricter toward content and overall scores.
Abstract: The purpose of the study is to investigate rating behavior between Korean and native English speaking (NES) raters. Five Korean English teachers and five NES teachers graded 420 essays written by Korean college freshmen and completed survey questionnaires. The grading data were analyzed with FACETS program. The results revealed Korean raters’ inferiority in measuring linguistic components. Furthermore, the Korean raters were more severe in scoring grammar, sentence structure, and organization, whereas the NES raters were stricter toward content and overall scores. In addition, the analysis of the raters’ responses on survey discovered that the NNS raters’ perception spread into content and grammar as the most difficult feature to grade, while all NES raters thought content as the most difficult. Based on these research findings, future research suggestions and implications are discussed.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors conducted a study on eleven (11) foremost public universities in Malaysia to examine the goals, components, and factors considered by university top-management in planning university development and found that universities were very concerned with the relevancy of academic programs offered and their performance in research.
Abstract: It is generally known that the general goals of universities are to produce high-quality graduates for the job market, to continuously advance the frontier of knowledge in all the disciplines, and ultimately to advance human civilization There can, however, be numerous specific goals which differ from one university to the other Whatever it is, in order to achieve the desired goals, universities need to design a realistic strategic development plan, which must include, among others, the important logistical components and factors of university development In Malaysia, little is known about university development planning process as a subject area Annual reports and calendars published by universities do not provide sufficient information about the elements and aspects of high priorities in their strategic development plan As such, we decided to conduct a study on eleven (11) foremost public universities in Malaysia—a country with a centralized education system—in order to examine the goals, components, and factors considered by university top-management in planning university development We administered a checklist to 296 respondents, comprising deputy vice-chancellors or deputy rectors, registrars, deans, and directors The checklist required the respondents to rate the consideration level on a scale of 1 (least considered) to 5 (highly considered) for each of the items on goals, components, and factors This article reports the main findings of our study Among other things, the most obvious result revealed by the study was that universities were very concerned with the relevancy of academic programs offered and their performance in research It was rather surprising, however, that the top-management of public universities in Malaysia placed the goal of providing quality infrastructure and facilities at the lowest ranking Also, this study revealed that the government, as a factor, exerted its prominence only in terms of university budget and research grants and the execution of some policies of national interest, but university expansion and development was largely driven by the university organization itself, ie, on where, what, and how it wants to expand and grow In this regard, public universities in Malaysia still enjoy a large degree of academic autonomy and a strong support by the government
TL;DR: Wang et al. as mentioned in this paper pointed out that high instructional quality for students with special educational needs in mainstream classrooms is far from being realized, and this is due to the lack of expertise, support and resources, and effective assessment measures.
Abstract: “Learning in Regular Classrooms” (LRC) has been the main strategy to universalize compulsory education for children with special educational needs in China after 1980s. Methods such as whole-class teaching combined with individual tutoring, differentiated teaching, and cooperative learning have been widely practiced in general classrooms for students with special educational needs. However, high instructional quality for students with special educational needs in mainstream classrooms is far from being realized, and this is due to the lack of expertise, support and resources, and effective assessment measures. The authors conclude that efforts are needed to change the education system from the current rigidity toward a more flexible system to better accommodate diverse needs in general classrooms.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors determined the relationship between workplace learning and psychological variables, such as learning competency, motivation, curiosity, self-esteem and locus of control, and organizational variables such as centralization of power, formality, merit system and communication.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between workplace learning and psychological variables, such as learning competency, motivation, curiosity, self-esteem and locus of control, and organizational variables, such as centralization of power, formality, merit system and communication. The studied population consisted entirely of workers in small and medium manufacturing businesses in Korea. Totally, 685 workers were sampled and 388 of them were used for the analysis. The level of workplace learning in small and medium manufacturing businesses was higher than the expected average. All the variables in this study had significant positive low or moderate relationships with workplace learning. Lastly, about 50% of the variance in workplace learning was explained by communication, learning competency, merit system, motivation, centralization of power and curiosity.
TL;DR: The authors analyzes the Korean passage to tertiary education for all, with a specific focus on traditional form of higher education, and tries to answer the questions of how and why this extra-ordinary phenomenon happens in a short period of time.
Abstract: This article analyzes the Korean passage to tertiary education for all. With a specific focus on traditional form of higher education, it tries to answer the questions of how and why this extra-ordinary phenomenon happens in a short period of time. Applying a historical sociology method, it attempts to explain the mechanism and consequences of the simultaneous transition to universal access to both the secondary and tertiary education. Over-privatization has been the primary mechanism behind the simultaneous transition since the late 1960s. Such a heavy overflow of privatization in achieving universal access places a significant financial burden on families, particularly those of a disadvantaged socioeconomic status. The more financial resources that come from the private sector, the more difficult it becomes to attain equitable access. There is no sign of a narrowing in the gap which exists among regions, socioeconomic status, gender, and family background, all of which have led to the inequality of access to universities and colleges. My final reflections are put on a simple question: “is this a story of victory or a pyrrhic one?”
TL;DR: In this paper, a 51-item questionnaire together with a mathematics achievement test was administered to 459 fifth graders in Korean elementary school mathematics classrooms, and the relations among students' motivational beliefs, cognitive processes, and academic achievement were investigated.
Abstract: The relations among students’ motivational beliefs, cognitive processes, and academic achievement were investigated. A 51-item questionnaire together with a mathematics achievement test was administered to 459 fifth graders in Korean elementary school mathematics classrooms. Results indicated that, in general, students’ cognitive processes related closely to competence beliefs, task values, and achievement goals, and more importantly their success or failure in mathematics achievement was closely linked to competence beliefs, performance-avoidance goals, and persistence strategies. Positive evidence of performance-approach goals was observed in math learning relative to task goals. As expected, performance-avoidance goals turned out to be detrimental to students’ math learning. These findings are generally congruent with the motivational theories and support the position that students should be encouraged to adopt task goals and actively involve themselves in math class activities. However, it also behooves us to recognize the potential benefits of performance-approach goals in different cultural contexts, such as the Korean elementary school math classrooms.
TL;DR: The authors argues that the social practice of learning (SPLTL), involving life-long learning, meta-learning, deep reflection, and dialogue in a community, should be the distinguishing knowledge base of schools in the twenty-first century.
Abstract: This article argues that the social practice of learning (SPL), involving life-long learning, meta-learning, deep reflection, and dialogue in a community, should be the distinguishing knowledge base of schools in the twenty-first century. This article also analyses the strategies and challenges of the recent education reforms in Singapore through the lens of an SPL education paradigm. Although the Singapore government has done much to train teachers, trim syllabi and introduce new ways of teaching and learning, such as project work, the real challenge is to go beyond the provision of structural changes to the substance of the epistemological reform.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors outline the historical and political backdrops of the reform, outline the basic construct of the NUC, examine the process of implementation and the issues revealed in the process, and discuss basic problems involved in this scheme.
Abstract: As of April 1 of 2004, Japanese national universities became National University Corporations (NUCs hereafter). While the reform was implemented in a wave of initiatives for restructuring government activities, it reflected to an extent the current global trend toward marketization of higher education. Examination of this reform will not only help understand the current reforms in Japan, but also illuminate some of the fundamental issues that the higher education systems in the world are facing. In this article, I shall outline the historical and political backdrops of the reform (Sect. 1), outline the basic construct of the NUC (Sect. 2), examine the process of implementation and the issues revealed in the process (Sect. 3), and discuss basic problems involved in this scheme.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors discuss some of the unique characteristics of Chinese higher education in the context of the US higher education model and show that contextualization of American ideas produced the uniqueness and the specific problems for Chinese education.
Abstract: Reviewing the recent development of international higher education, one can find a general tendency: Americanization. Whether it is in Europe or in Asia, US higher education has been used as model for inspiration of regional integration or reform. This is especially the case in China. Since 1978, Chinese higher education has experienced a system shift from the Soviet model to the US model. But Chinese higher education is still Chinese, though it has borrowed many ideas from the US. Experiences show that contextualization of American ideas produced the uniqueness and the specific problems for Chinese higher education. This paper will discuss some of the unique characteristics.
TL;DR: The authors explored how social support, mother's psychological status, and maternal sensitivity affected attachment security in children with disabilities by using the structural equation model (SEM) and found that the structural relationships were not different between children with pervasive developmental disorders and mental retardation.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to explore how social support, mother’s psychological status, and maternal sensitivity affected attachment security in children with disabilities by using the structural equation model (SEM). Subjects were 141 pairs of children with disabilities and theirs mothers. Empirical data was obtained through a series of questionnaires such as marital satisfaction, support from people around, maternal depression, and parenting stress. In addition, maternal sensitivity and attachment security were obtained through a Maternal Behavior Q-set and an Attachment Behavior Q-set. The results were as follows: first, mother’s psychological status was fully mediated by social support and maternal sensitivity. Secondly, mother’s psychological status had a negative effect on maternal sensitivity, while her maternal sensitivity, in turn, had a positive effect on the child’s attachment security. However, maternal sensitivity did not fully mediate between a mother’s psychological status and the child’s attachment security. These structural relationships were not different between children with pervasive developmental disorders and mental retardation. There were also no significant differences in the structural paths according to children’s developmental age.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors describe and reflect on the new early childhood teacher education curriculum in Turkey, which is part of a large-scale reform agenda to improve education at all levels.
Abstract: This article aims to describe and reflect on the new early childhood teacher education curriculum in Turkey. The new curriculum is part of a large-scale reform agenda to improve education at all levels. The article begins with a brief history of early childhood education and early childhood teacher education in Turkey. Then, the needs for the curriculum revision and major characteristics of the revised curriculum are discussed. The article concludes with brief discussion about the innovations and suggestions for future research dealing with the implementation and effectiveness of the revised curriculum
TL;DR: In this paper, the role of goal orientations (achievement goals and social goals) in predicting metacognition and enjoyment in project work of Secondary Two Normal Technical (NT, less academically inclined students) and Normal Academic (NA) students was examined.
Abstract: In 2000, the Singapore Ministry of Education launched Project Work (PW) to encourage the application of knowledge across disciplines, and to develop thinking, communication, collaboration and metacognitive skills. This preliminary findings of a large scale study examines the role of goal orientations (achievement goals and social goals) in predicting metacognition and enjoyment in project work of Secondary Two Normal Technical (NT, less academically inclined students) and Normal Academic (NA) students. Both achievement goals and social goals are significant predictors of metacognition and enjoyment of PW. NA students adopt more mastery approach and performance avoidance goals than NT students whilst NT students tend to value more social approval from others. Implications of the findings will be discussed with practical suggestions to help teachers design successful PW for the less academically inclined students.