Provides an overview of the development of links between culture and higher education in Europe. Suggests that universities can bridge the gap between technical and humanistic cultures. Urges that universities work to maintain cultural diversity that can contribute to the advancement of global civilization through cooperation. (DK)

Discusses the traditional role of the university in relation to promotion of universal literacy. Describes some developments in university involvement in adult basic education in the United Kingdom. Argues that universities must support a lifelong learning approach, new access routes for adult students, and collaborative models of research and…

Begins with a historical overview of 20th-century German educational policy and concludes with criticism concerning programs initiated during the 1960s. Argues that a policy of building and expansion ignores the core deficiencies of the current system. (MJP)

Uses narrative to exemplify young children's learning of mathematics. Presents a model of a supportive classroom emphasizing discourse, agency, and authorship through participatory and reflective practices. Identifies features of such a classroom and uses narratives from 5-year-olds to explore their authoring, sense-making, collaborating, and how…

The frame analytical approach was used to explore the frames through which nine Finnish educators in early childhood programs interpret their working situations. Findings indicated that the educators interpreted their work through five different frames: educational, caring, managing, practical, and personal. Frames provided the rules and…

This qualitative evaluation study explored the active classroom practices that early years teachers adopt when they introduce kindergartners to science in Greece. Findings indicated a considerable gap between the proposed and implemented curriculum. Findings also identified a number of factors that were not optimal and confirmed that early years…

Deconstructs case studies of parents' and teachers' experiences as children started child care. Argues that mothers and teachers defined their roles against the background of dominant societal discourses about motherhood and early childhood teaching. However, while teachers spoke about themselves as less powerful than mothers in influencing…

This study examined factors influencing the adjustment of children to the first year of school at four elementary schools in Australia. Statistically significant associations with children's adjustment were found for several factors, including personal and background factors, transition activities conducted by schools, children's preschool and…

Provides an overview of the principles and framework of Te Whaariki, the New Zealand early childhood curriculum, and of subsequent assessment and evaluation research. Presents the framework of "Learning and Teaching Stories," a user-friendly approach to assessment and self-evaluation, used in action research in three regions of New Zealand.…

Describes features of the concept of involvement, or quality of a child's activity, and a training package for observing children's involvement at child care centers. Recounts use of Leuven Involvement Scales to examine activities of over 600 children in 8 German child care centers. Findings reveal the prevalence of sex-typed activity preferences…

Examined children's play in indoor and outdoor environments at a New Zealand child care center. Identified four dimensions of difference illuminating the relationship between outdoor and indoor playspaces and the play occurring there: physical versus constructive play, change and stability continuum, freedom and control dimension, and differences…

Videotaped 1- to 6-year-olds' day care routines and adults' work after extensive consultation on the Storycrafting method to study children's thoughts and collaborative behavior. Found that children's viewpoints are elicited when they play an active role and when educational work is directed by telling stories, playing, and doing research. Noted…

Discusses teachers' sensitivity in the context of young children's peer conflicts. Explains that young children need to experience their own actions as logical and sound and that they co-construct logic-in-action (procedural knowledge) long before they can verbalize their logic. Maintains that teachers who do not respect children's logic often…

Researchers observed and rated environments of 80 early childhood settings in Australia, interviewed staff, and conducted focus group discussions with family members regarding early childhood literacy. Case study findings indicated that in settings with strong levels of congruence between family and staff perspectives on early literacies, both…

Examines the Coram Community Campus, an innovative model of service provision for young children and families in a multi- ethnic areas of inner London, providing care, education, family support, and other services. Uses case study and interview data to describe "one-stop" service provision and how the program makes services more accessible to…