The six chapters of this theme issue explore data collected by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement to investigate crucial issues in reading comprehension. Simultaneous analysis and conjunct analysis are used to examine models as structured combinations of factors in the search for relationships among…

The reception and dissemination of the Scandinavian "folkehojskolen" (folk high school) and the development of residential adult education in the Netherlands in the 1920s and 1930s are described, focusing on Hermien van der Heide as a cultural intermediary. The discussion is a historical case study of cross-cultural communication. (SLD)

Social problem solving, effectance motivation, and information processing were studied with 38 Finnish eight-year olds using the LOGO computer programming language learned through discovery learning. Results suggest that LOGO promotes the development of problem-solving skills if each student receives sufficient support from the teacher. (SLD)

Child and caregiver conversations were studied within a highly redundant caretaking routine in a preschool setting with six children and three caregivers. Results suggest that the hypothesis of predictability and semantic contingency are of relevance in explaining how children learn to talk about the here-and-now. (SLD)

Results from a study of the development of word-decoding skills in 60 8-year-old and 60 10-year-old children are consistent with models suggesting that children become proficient in phonological decoding first, and then shift gradually to a more direct orthographic-decoding strategy. (SLD)

Mathematics teaching and subject matter acquisition were studied with 66 linguistic minority children and 104 dominant language speaking students in a monolingual second-language class and a traditional bilingual education model in Oslo (Norway). Results indicate that linguistic minority students benefit from bilingual mathematics teaching. (SLD)

Views of 30 Finnish and 76 U.S. teachers, 15 Finnish and 7 American administrators, and 22 Finnish and 40 American parents about appropriate educational practices for children aged 3 to 5 years were studied. Finnish parents were more supportive of developmentally appropriate practices, and were in better agreement with educators. (SLD)

The eight chapters of this theme issue deal with the design, implementation, and evaluation of computer-assisted information systems for educational organizations. Points of commonality and difference across seven countries are explored with regard to the processes and uses of computing in school administration and management. (SLD)

The five chapters of this theme issue focus on developments in the conceptualization and empirical study of training that may contradict earlier characterizations of the domain as nonempirical and nontheoretical. All of these contributions emphasize the importance of a closer look at the implications of cognitive psychology for training…

Argues that increasing the effectiveness of teacher education programs in developing nations will improve educational quality, which in turn, will eventually enhance citizens' ability to participate in the emerging global economy and improve their quality of life. Outlines strategies for preparing future teachers for their role in the development…

Since the early 1980s, neoliberalism has become the hegemonic ideology and has expedited the globalization of economies and the emergence of the market as the central organizing principle of social relations and collective life. Surveys the impact of these structural and ideological changes on politics (including democratization), economies, and…

Examines the widening gap between rich and poor in Latin America, and the troubling performance of new Latin American democracies. Reviews human-capital, neoconservative, neoliberal, functionalist, and social democratic theories about education and poverty. Presents eight theses about the state, poverty, and education, and calls for education to…

Externally imposed macroeconomic restructuring in developing nations (termed economic liberalization or neoliberalism) has specific effects on women because free-market processes undervalue anything without direct monetary value. Two immediate effects on education are privatization and budget cutbacks, which result in differential access to…

Examines deteriorating living conditions, health, and education in Africa, and increased economic dependence of African governments on international "donors" demanding "structural adjustment" policies that reduce public expenditures. Discusses arrogant triumphalism of the United States and international financial institutions, altered roles of…

Explores elements for a theoretical framework for radical adult education, based primarily on ideas of Gramsci and Freire. Discusses commitment of adult educators to social transformation, consciousness raising related to power relations and global capitalism, emancipatory adult education as part of social movements, role of the adult educator,…