Explores the connection between the state and society as they impact postsecondary provision in Cyprus. It examines the major structural features of the Cypriot system of higher education and its expansion, followed by a construct of the various "knowledge traditions" which have dominated Cypriot notions of higher education. (GR)

Determines the extent physics textbooks contribute to physics teaching objectives and knowledge acquisition in Libya. Analysis of seventh- through ninth-grade physics textbooks and cognitive demand shows a limited effect of textbook content on knowledge acquisition and educational objectives. Suggestions are made for promoting the acquisition of…

Provides an overview of the key themes raised at the November 1996 Malta conference concerning the quality of higher education in the Mediterranean, including international networking in education as well as managing change and quality assurance. It synthesizes the main contributions made by the presenters and identifies several transversal themes…

Addresses ways in which developing countries can participate in international educational activities and proposes the development of a research and advisory center for those countries that are sending students abroad to improve their technological capability, as many Mediterranean countries are doing. (SLD)

Explores the religious diversity of Lebanon and considers the relationship between religion and education. Implications of 17 years of intermittent violence on sectarianism and education are analyzed with respect to the future of education in Lebanon. Development of a unified and accessible national education system could reduce sectarian…

Changes in the willingness of Jews and Arabs to coexist were studied in 1989 with 217 12-year-olds and in 1994 with 194 in Jaffa (Israel), where both Jews and Arabs live. Separatist attitudes increased and faith in coexistence decreased, but mixed schools seemed to improve attitudes toward coexistence. (SLD)

Describes the Slovenian system of higher education and the country's new effort to establish an improved system. A draft plan for introducing a system of quality assurance into the relatively small existing system has been developed based on foreign experience, with attention to Slovenian national needs. Evaluation will be an integral part of the…

Investigated the role of various social support variables on the state and trait anxiety levels of 196 fourth and fifth graders. Results reveal a significant effect of living together with parents, but not grandparents, on state and trait anxiety and a positive correlation between state anxiety and love and affection for the teacher. (SLD)

Explored motivation and learning preferences of 336 high school students in Morocco regarding learning English as a foreign language. Students had well-defined and coherent learning preferences, with a five-factor model of motivation that were not completely in agreement with their teachers' preferences. Implications for learner-centered…

Knowledge and attitudes of 154 Israeli 12th graders, expected to be very aware of water-related agricultural issues, and of 447 French 12th graders were compared, focusing on possibilities of change of existing situations. Israeli students put much greater emphasis on the role of scientific knowledge and the authorities in water control issues.…

Investigated knowledge and preferences of 176 Greek children, aged 9 to 11, with regard to dietary oils and fats. Results indicate that these children lacked the knowledge they needed to make healthy food choices, and that teaching strategies should be developed to address their needs. (SLD)

Investigates teachers' roles and conceptions by analyzing choices taken by mathematics teachers when faced with curriculum reform induced by introducing informatics, educational technology, in secondary school courses. (Author/MKR)

Presents a theory of the development of algebraic abstraction that extends Sfard's and Mason's ideas on learners' progress from operational or process-oriented thinking to the abstract or structural perspective. Analyzes secondary school students' approaches to classifying a set of complex equations. (Author/MKR)

Analysis of (n=92) university students' construction of visual representations (Venn diagrams) of eight set expressions found competent and error-prone students constructed and used procedures to complete set translation tasks, and two-thirds of observed errors arose from consistent implementation of ill-formed procedures. (Author/MKR)

Analysis of self-concept among (n=16) male and female teachers found the greatest difference in attitudes toward mathematics, the teaching of mathematics, and perceptions of themselves as salient role models between teachers with very high and very low self-concept profiles. (Author/MKR)