This paper presents a course of research into the beliefs of class teachers concerning the scholastic integration of children with disabilities. In the current situation in Italy, due to limited specialist training, the attitudes that teachers develop can constitute an obstacle to the full realization of scholastic integration. Of the 23 teachers…

This paper reports a study to investigate the views of early childhood educators working in a range of early childhood settings in four European countries, Denmark, Greece, Italy and the UK. Recent research into European perspectives on early education, special educational needs and inclusion is reviewed highlighting: a multinational call for…

Examines the evolution of open distance learning (ODL) in the United Kingdom, particularly in relation to traditional universities and to recent developments in telematics. Argues that a major test of the new technologies in distance education will be their capacity to support real academic communities, allowing the university to maintain the best…

Describes the Professional and Academic Channel for Europe (EuroPACE) 2000, a network of 44 traditional universities, 1 open university, and 15 partners in industry and society that supports telematics-based education and training. Looks at the network's organization, model of learning, and how it approaches virtual classrooms/campuses and…

Discusses higher education quality and its evaluation in Europe from historical and political perspectives, tracing the concept of quality control from medieval university models to the modern research university. Examines recent changes in the political context of European education and analyzes their consequences in three national contexts:…

Examines quantitative changes in French higher education since the mid-1980s, focusing on vocational tracks. Looks at sources of this change in educational policy and the demographic and social influences on demand. Highlights the impact of this growth on equality of opportunity, particularly among traditionally disadvantaged populations, and on…

Looks at major characteristics and developments in vocational education/training in the Czech Republic before and after 1989, examines four reform initiatives, and views challenges for reform management at system level. Argues that past policy in this area has been restricted to solving school-based problems inherited from the past, with little…

Discusses vocational education training in Slovenia since 1991, noting challenges posed by transformation of the economic/social system (privatization, development of market economy, labor force development, European integration) and reviews basic features of the Slovenian system. Cites general reform objectives adopted in 1996 and the need for…

Examines reasons behind 1980s separation of higher and vocational education sectors in Finland and the directions of recent policy controlling student flow. Looks at the changing student market and student expectations about the practical versus theoretical orientations of the two sectors. Argues that the "different but equal" policy is an attempt…

Used data from the Portuguese HBSC (Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children) survey, which was conducted by one of the authors who is the national representative of the European Study HBSC, a World Health Organisation collaborative study (Currie, Hurrelmann, Setterbulte, Smith, & Todd, 2000; Matos, Simoes, Carvalhosa, Reis & Canha 2000), to…

Self- and collective efficacy beliefs were examined as correlates of attitudes toward school of teachers, school staff, and parents. 726 teachers, 387 staff members, and 1994 parents from 18 junior high schools in Milan and Rome, Italy, were administered questionnaires assessing self-efficacy beliefs, perceptions about colleagues' behavior,…

The main purpose of this study was to shed some light on the effect of socialization context (home vs. orphanage) on gender-specific value acquisition. With this aim value preferences and collectivistic attitudes of institution-reared and home-reared teenagers (14-20 yrs.) were compared. Teenagers from ordinary homes were found to score high on…

The class test is one of the important school practices which construct and convey to the pupils the predominant conception of ability and the related psychometric notion of individuality represented by the school. The aim of this study was to examine how the class test is actually "taught" to children--what sorts of elements the teacher uses to…

The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a package of activities, known as "Portfolio", on cognitive functioning, self-regulation, and academic achievement. The study was carried out with a group of 40 students from Compulsory Secondary Education (mean age 13 years old) during 120 hours distributed over two school years. A…

This follow-up study to van Kraayenoord and Schneider (1999) examined the performance in reading, metacognition and motivation related to reading of students in Grades 7 and 8. Results showed significant correlations between all of the variables. A multivariate analysis of variance showed that "good" and "poor" readers differed in reading…