This article documents the characteristics of social work education development through a review of its history. On this basis, it highlights the choices that had to be made in the goals, path of development, academic administration, personnel training, teachers' interests, and other areas in meeting the challenges of the new century.

China's economic and social development requires professional social work. To achieve the professionalization of social work in China, we must focus on its indigenization, change the function of mass organizations, and improve the professional quality of existing social work personnel. We must also pay attention to promoting social work…

The author traces the origin of social work to the Confucian concept of Great Unity and social organization of traditional Chinese society. While professional social work started in 1921, its development was interrupted in 1952, but the practice of social work never stopped. Social work was revived as a discipline and profession in 1979 and has…

Based on research involving 177 primary and secondary schools spread over thirty-eight counties in six provinces (including one autonomous region), this article explores and analyzes four modes used in rural school consolidation in China. These four modes are: complete amalgamation, annexation, crossover, and centralization-decentralization.

The article identifies the validity of assessment of non-formal and informal learning achievements (NILA) as one of the key factors for encouraging further development of the process of assessing and recognising non-formal and informal learning achievements in higher education. The authors analyse why the recognition of non-formal and informal…

This article develops around a qualitative research case study of an instructor teaching an introductory course about students with special needs. Data collection involved document analysis, observations and interviews with administrators, the faculty member, his peers, teaching assistants and students. The case is also a reflective piece on the…

How are stakeholders represented in higher education institutions' decision-making bodies that influence the quality of education, and are their viewpoints taken into account? This paper addresses this question taking into account the empirical evidence from eight countries in Europe. Findings indicate that formal barriers are largely absent,…

The article introduces external quality assessment results of first cycle and second cycle study programmes renewed under the Human Resources Development Action Programme 2007-2013 priority direction 2 "Lifelong Learning" (hereinafter the "Programme") through the aspect of planning students' independent work. Problems…

The article reviews forms of higher education internationalisation at an institutional level. The relevance of theoretical background of internationalised study quality assessment is highlighted and definitions of internationalised studies quality are presented. Existing methods of assessment of higher education internationalisation are criticised…

In the last few decades universities became service providers. In this case an open question is raised: what is the student role then? This article aims to enlighten the discourse of the student role. At first glance, a student is supposed to be just a passive service consumer--a client. Yet recent service management literature proposes that…

This conceptual article provides an overview and critique of the major versions of multiple comprehension strategies instruction (MCSI) that have been studied since 1980. The author argues that MCSI is a multifaceted instructional approach that takes on many different forms in the research literature. Even intervention studies that ostensibly…

Most nations--and nations to be--have a history of people asking critical questions about schooling and about the politics of knowledge in which it participates. Is it simply reproducing the ideological goals and cultural forms and content of dominant groups? Could schooling be used to raise serious issues about existing societies? Could it go…

This paper is about the relationship between research, policy and practice in education. It outlines reasons for the increased interest in research and its impact and describe some of the difficulties in studying this relationship. A conceptualization of the knowledge mobilization process is presented that identifies three overlapping and…

By any measure, Singapore's educational system has generated an extraordinary record of achievement over the past two or three decades. In this article, we report on one key component of a broader three year investigation into why Singapore has done so well, and explore the logic, strength, resilience and limits of the underlying pedagogical…

All education proceeds within a complex array of epistemological and ontological factors that constitute a shifting and intricate learning environment for teachers, pre-service teachers and school students alike. We have expanded a "praxis inquiry" protocol into a "critical praxis" protocol for use in pre-service programs. A…