Prospective and retrospective studies of 1,659 secondary school students and 198 workers in England and Malaysia found positive relationships between intrinsic motivations for learning and working. The "diploma disease" thesis, which posits negative relationships between examination-oriented schooling in developing nations and intrinsic work…

The 1988 World Bank report on education in sub-Saharan Africa overstates the regional "crisis" in educational quality and recommends unrealistic strategies, ignoring the fact that basic human needs such as education are unmet because political elites corruptly privatize much of the wealth generated by their nations' economies. (SV)

Surveys of teachers in comprehensive public secondary schools in England, the United States, Japan, Singapore, and West Germany, 1986-88, identified universal elements of classroom culture and country-specific factors that enhance teacher job satisfaction. However, most teachers in all samples felt powerless and of low professional status. (SV)

Traces history of foreign language instruction (predominantly Russian as a result of former Soviet political domination) in the German Democratic Republic prior to unification. Russian instruction, as a tool for ideological control, emphasized receptive skills such as lexis and morphology. Explains changes in content and methods in foreign…

Using video-recorded class activities, analyzes the teaching method used in a French grammar lesson given in Northern France to a class of 25 students of 6-7 years old. The "catechistic teaching style" employed involves an interactive question-and-answer format. Enumerates advantages and disadvantages of this style. (KS)

Administered a questionnaire to secondary science teachers in England (n=39) and Spain (n=34) to compare views on problem solving. Questions involved teacher's opinions about the uses and sources of problem-solving activities, as well as the sources of students' errors. Teachers showed a remarkable degree of agreement, with fundamentally a…

Describes market reforms in New Zealand education from 1984 when the Labour government had control, to the present system under the National government. Prior to reforms, New Zealand had an equitable homogeneous system. Reforms have led to inequality, particularly to the disadvantage of Maori people, and may have lowered educational standards. (KS)

Identifies administrative, ethical, and pedagogical issues raised by policies which encourage the commercialization of the academic research enterprise, with particular reference to Australian higher education. Provides examples of recent government initiatives which encourage cooperation between universities and industry. Discusses issues related…

Common issues in a review of seven books related to changes in higher education were: expansions, growth, and diversity in 1960s and 1970s; convergence between technological and general academic institutions in the 1970s; institutional autonomy and the role of the state in the 1980s; and governmental pressure to conform to a commercial model of…

Discusses policies of choice and diversity in school provision in the United Kingdom and the United States. Outlines common elements of the context within which these policies have emerged. Highlights points of contrast between policy developments in the two countries. Interprets contrasts in terms of differences in systems of governance and…

Examines seventh and eighth grade students in Australia, Japan, and the United States for attitudes related to mathematics, and the relationship these attitudes have to students' development of abstract mathematical thought and spatial relations. Study uses the Iowa Algebra Aptitude Test, Differential Aptitude Test-Spatial Relations, and the…

Describes and compares nonformal education (adult education and community education) in areas of Scotland and Switzerland. Identifies (1) agencies and organizations providing nonformal education; (2) types of courses; and (3) funding mechanisms. Recommends changes in the Ecole-club Migros (ECM), a large provider of nonformal education in the…

Evaluates the European Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students (ERASMUS) in terms of the historical ideas of the great humanist Erasmus. Presents the goals, achievements, and prospects of the ERASMUS Program, summarizes the main ideas of Erasmus, describes trends in European higher education, and confronts the differences…

Presents a reflective review of radical attempts in Tanzania to change the system of higher education from a liberal elitist model based on a British heritage to a proletarian system in which university education is conceived of as a form of adult education recruiting students from their places of work and not directly from the school system. (KS)

Examines the growth and reform of technical-vocational education and training in two South-East Asian Ministers of Education Organisation (SEAMEO) member nations: Indonesia and Malaysia. Traces similarities and differences between the two systems, which will be extended to other SEAMEO member states by the new SEAMEO Regional Centre for Vocational…