Explores educational research, focusing on developments in individual countries and in Europe and internationally. Discusses the Council of Europe and its Council for Cultural Cooperation, the work of other organizations and institutions, and organizations that had close contacts with the Council of Europe. Provides an evaluation of achievement…

Focuses on the labor market and its influences in education in Central and Eastern Europe. States that a considerable effort has been expended to renew education and to adapt it to the needs of the market. Draws conclusions about the countries observed in Eastern and Central Europe. (CMK)

Reviews the crisis in Romanian universities since the country's political transition in 1989. Describes the government's strategy for revitalizing the higher education system. Focuses on the proliferation of new public and private universities, the increase of student enrollments in applied social science fields, and the problems of diminishing…

States that universities are the weakest point in the Polish educational system. Provides information on the universities in Poland. Contends that the disintegration of the three functions of higher education (education, research, and public service) is an important aspect of the crisis of universities in Poland. (CMK)

Focuses on the normative assumptions underlying current educational change in the Czech Republic. Explores the kinds of changes occurring in schools and universities, specifically regarding teacher education, by focusing on the views of two teachers (one mathematics, one music) and two teacher-educators. (CMK)

Analyzes the context for and issues involved with civic education. Considers the hypothesis of using law as a pillar of civic education stating that elementary law can serve as an organizational basis for civic education. Discusses the value of law in civic education, its limitations and risks, and didactic considerations. (CMK)

During the 1990s, the number of students enrolling in science subjects at universities was declining each year in Germany, France, Italy, amongst other countries. These decreases are too readily attributed to a general disaffection caused by the image that younger generations have of scientific studies: they are seen as being the most "difficult."…

In this article, we discuss the recent evolutions of science and engineering doctoral and postdoctoral education in Europe. Indeed, Ph.Ds are crucial to the conduct of research and innovation in the national innovation systems, as they provide a large amount of input into creating the competitive advantage, notably through basic research. First,…

As science and engineering are taking on an increasing political importance in a knowledge-driven economy, there is growing need for Governments, scientists, industrialists and voluntary groups to measure the degree to which national science policies are contributing effectively to economic and social wellbeing. However, the long-term and diffuse…

The case of Germany is taken as an example of cyclical variation in higher education enrolment in the sciences. The article argues that the mechanism underpinning these fluctuations is the cobweb model. This model establishes a recursive loop between trends in enrolments in a discipline and trends in the labour market associated with this…

This article examines why numbers have declined in French science universities. It shows that the main causes of this decline are the growth in student numbers between 1985 and 1995 and the changes that this brought about in the educational and social composition of the student population. Since the mid-1990s, increasingly fewer French students…

This study focuses on the shortage of graduates in science/technology in the Netherlands. First, the potential reserves of students in science/technology are mapped. Second, the effects of measures to mobilise the reserves are investigated in terms of size and cost effectiveness. Efforts aimed at solving the enormous shortage of higher education…

Research on higher education grew in European countries from scattered individual activities towards a certain degree of visibility in the 1970s, largely as consequence of growing public problem awareness. In the 1980s, it experienced a set-back due to declining public interest in higher education as a key issue of societal policies. From the late…

Trans-national migration is now a global phenomenon, affecting an increasing amount of persons, many of whom have already completed a form of higher education in their country of origin or earlier residence at the time of migration. There is consequently a need to evaluate foreign degrees and assess migrants' professional competence beyond their…

Lifelong Learning has in recent years become a fundamental element of many educational policy strategies aimed at achieving the goal of socio-economic development. The role of universities in this is viewed by some as crucial and requires some attention. This article examines the concept of lifelong learning and suggests another way in which it…