Education & Pedagogy

This publication contains abstracts of documents concerning the transition from school to work that were published in Australia since August 1980. The abstracts are arranged in the following categories: (1) social and educational developments in policy analysis and research; (2) programs involving proposals, reports, and evaluations; (3) program materials, bibliographies, and reports; and (4) periodicals. Within each of these categories, the abstracts are arranged and numbered in clusters according to these prime subjects: aborigines, community colleges, disabled/special education, girls/women, access to higher education, migrants, rural education and communities, social/industrial policies, transition, youth policies, and youth programs. A list of topics covered is given at the front of the booklet. At the end, a broad subject index and an alphabetical author index facilitate references to the abstracts. (KC)

Amendments to H.R. 1310 (Elementary Mathematics and Science Education Act) and to the National Defense Education Act of 1958 are presented. Also presented is a summary of H.R. 1310, highlighting: elementary and secondary programs; postsecondary programs; background/need for the legislation; student preparation and achievement; foreign languages; underrepresentation of women and minorities; other needs in mathematics/science education; needs of industry and defense; and need for federal legislation. In addition, major provisions of the bill are presented, focusing on: part A (elementary and secondary programs)- authorizations, funds distribution, state/local shares, local/state use of funds, and general provisions; part B (postsecondary programs)- authorizations, National Teaching Scholarships, curriculum improvement and faculty development at institutions of higher education, summer institutes, and research; and part C (teacher initiative grants). Also included are costs estimates, a section-by-section analysis, general provisions of the National Defense Education Act, and additional and dissenting views of H.R. 1310. (JN)

In 1975 Unesco, with the cooperation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), launched the current International Environmental Education Programme (IEEP). The initial 3-year phase of the IEEP was fundamentally that of promoting and stimulating environmental education among Unesco member states by (1) elaborating concepts, goals, and objectives of environmental education (EE) for its more effective orientation and implementation internationally; (2) developing background research and basic documentation on world needs, priorities and trends in EE; (3) collecting, organizing, and distributing EE information; and (4) convening a series of expert meetings. IEEP actions from its beginnings to the present time are discussed as related to three complimentary domains: development of general awareness of the necessity of EE; development of concepts and methodological approaches in this sphere; and efforts to incorporate an environmental dimension into the educational processes of member states. Highlights of IEEP research/experimentation and a list of IEEP pilot projects, personnel training workshops, meetings, and publications/reports are included. Reports of environmental education activities in African countries (Benin, Congo), Sri Lanka, the United States, and the USSR are also presented. (JN)

The review of science education research for 1982 includes analyses of 455 studies reported in dissertation abstracts, journal articles, research papers, and papers presented at conferences. The organization of the review is topical. Topic areas include: (1) student characteristics and behavior (cognitive development, conceptual understanding, problem-solving behavior, attitudes, personal attributes, targeted audiences); (2) teacher characteristics and behavior (knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes, self-perceptions, classroom and professional behavior); (3) instructional strategies and environment (instructional systems, problem-solving instruction, experiential learning, laboratory experiences, demonstrations, organizational aids to learning, emphasis on language arts during science instruction, teaching style and techniques, classroom social environment); (4) instructional materials and technology (microcomputers, textbooks, visual media); (5) curricula and programs in elementary, middle, and high school science, postsecondary education, and marine education; (6) preservice and inservice teacher education; (7) research and evaluation practices (quantitative and qualitative methodology, testing, instrumentation, and theoretical considerations); and (8) science education policy and practice. This final section reviews program status; course content; goals, guidelines, and practices; and needs and priorities for research. (JN)

Five articles on research and development in higher education and three review articles are presented. Titles and authors are as follows: "Students' Assessments of Instruction as a Basis for Teaching Improvement and Promotions Decisions: A Case-Study" (John Jones); "The Making of Academic Promotion Decisions: Criteria and Processes" (A. J. Lonsdale); "Some Characteristics and Attitudes of Academics in Australian Universities and Colleges of Advanced Education" (John A. Bowden and John Anwyl); "A Review of Research on Lecturing" (M. J. Dunkin); and "Introducing Explicit Training in Problem Solving into our Courses" (Donald R. Woods). Titles and authors of review articles are as follows: "General Education in the University" (Robert Waddell); "Distance Learning in Higher Education" (Patrick Guiton); and "Understanding Learning" (Paul Ramsden). The review article on distance education covers four books, while each of the other review articles covers one book. (SW)

Reauthorization of the Vocational Education Act is being considered at a time when technological developments are changing the skill requirements of the labor force. The challenge of training and retraining must be met by a partnership of the governmental, business, and educational sectors. A federal leadership role is crucial in guiding allocation of vocational education resources, establishing standards of excellence, and devising coordinated national strategies to meet the long-term skill development needs of the nation. The federal role should be to stimulate targeted efforts to enhance quality and improve equipment and facilities; keep curricula and personnel up to date; serve special populations; eliminate sex bias; and increase cooperation between business, industry, education, and other training programs. In addition to a strong federal role, reauthorization legislation should emphasize flexibility in regulations; planning and evaluation; the determination of resource allocation at the state level; the concept of sole state agency; and autonomous national, state, and local advisory councils for vocational education. (SK)

Twelve national reports on the current state of education in the United States are summarized. Summaries include identification of the theme of the report; major recommendations; implications for schools, colleges, and departments of education; and government and institutional responsibilities in funding and administration. The following reports are included: (1) "Merit Pay Task Force Report"; (2) "A Nation at Risk"; (3) "Paideia Proposal 1982" and "Paideia Problems and Possibilities 1983"; (4) "Meeting the Need for Quality: Action in the South"; (5) "Action for Excellence"; (6) "Making the Grade"; (7) "High School"; (8) "Academic Preparation for College"; (9) "Educating Americans for the 21st Century"; (10) "Educational Reform: A Response from Educational Leaders"; (11) "A Place Called School"; and (12) "The Condition of Teaching: A State by State Analysis." (JD)

This Maryland State Department of Education document is a guide for the assessment and development of comprehensive K-12 physical education programs in Maryland schools. The first section defines the nature of physical education and describes its relationship to society, the learner, and the school curriculum. The second section presents broad statements of goals, subgoals, and desired outcomes. In the next two sections, expectancies and illustrative objectives are outlined. Learning outcomes, primarily behavioral, which are appropriate for curricular emphasis within the subgoals, are discussed. Examples are also provided of the types of student achievements which might reflect subgoal and expectancy attainment at particular grade levels. The final section describes ways to develop and use goals, subgoals, expectancies, and objectives in the preparation of physical education scopes, sequences, and instructional units. The appendixes provide a list of Maryland Physical Education Framework Task Force and Framework consultants and Framework Review Panel members, the Maryland Physical Education Framework, the State K-8 physical education program requirements, a glossary, and illustrative objectives for all goal areas for each grade level. (JD)

Formed in 1971 to provide advocacy and representation for elected leaders of American Indian tribes that are recognized as eligible for services from the federal government, the National Tribal Chairmen's Association (NTCA) presents its position on five current issues pertaining to American Indians. The first paper is a statement in regard to conditions existing in American Indian communities as a result of the policies initiated by the Reagan Administration. Five position papers follow in regard to the Department of Interior and Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), Indian Country gaming issues, health issues, housing programs, and Indian education. Pertaining to education, NTCA is concerned about the eligibility for education trust services, the proposed Minimum Academic Standards for the Basic Education of Indian Children and National Criteria for Dormitory Situations by the BIA, the future of BIA boarding schools, and the restructuring of education programs. Other concerns in education are Johnson O'Malley funds, early childhood education, administration of BIA Higher Education Scholarships, and the Impact Aid Act (P.L. 81-874). (ERB)

The Greater Madison Task Force on Occupational Skills Education was formed to develop and implement a plan that would improve occupational skills education for area high school students. The task force members included 10 members from business and labor, 7 members from state agencies or higher education, and 14 members from the public school sector. The task force conducted its work through eight subcommittees dealing with special topics and with regular meetings of the entire task force. The task force identified four major goals that should be achieved in any long-range plan for the improvement of secondary school occupational skills education. These goals deal with curriculum, staff development, school and business partnerships, and organizational structure. Twenty-three recommendations were offered to implement the goals. In addition to setting forth the four major goals and recommendations, this final report contains eight subcommittee reports, each focusing upon a particular aspect of occupational skills education; the summaries of two surveys, one of businesses and one of teachers; and the conclusions of this data analysis. (KC)

The educational system of Spain is described, and guidelines concerning the placement of students who wish to study in U.S. institutions are provided. The Education Law of 1970 and its effects on college-bound students are briefly reviewed. The following types of education are described: basic general education, the uniform general secondary school program, the college orientation year, university entrance examinations, undergraduate professional and technical schools, undergraduate colleges, professional schools at the secondary and tertiary levels, and the grading system. Undergraduate colleges are three-year institutions offering courses identical to those of the first 3 years of the standard Spanish university curriculum. After completing the undergraduate colleges, students move on to the degree phase at a university. Other tertiary institutions include polytechnic universities, military academies, and professional schools. The placement recommendations take into consideration the students' vocational and academic background. Appended are a glossary and a list of universities under state control and under private control. (SW)

An approach to continuing professional education, which was used by the Continuing Professional Education Development Project at Pennsylvania State University, is discussed in two papers. The project established alternative approaches to program development and delivery, based in part on a practice orientation to program development. In "Professionals and Professors: A Change Strategy for Institutionalizing Collaborative Continuing Professional Education Program Development," Carl A. Lindsay and Wayne D. Smutz examine institutionalization from a conceptual perspective and describe the project's change strategy. Additional topics include a seven-phase needs assessment/program development process, and collaboration between the university and professional associations. In "Pressure Points for Change: Faculty Views of Continuing Professional Education," William Toombs, Carl A. Lindsay, and Gary A. Hettinger examine the climate for change through a survey of faculty attitudes and perceptions concerning continuing professional education. The current nature of faculty involvement with continuing education, along with faculty relations with a profession or contact with practitioners, was determined. Faculty role behavior (i.e., teaching, research and scholarship, publications, service and consulting) was also assessed. (SW)

Four papers address approaches to evaluate the implementation of the individualized education program (IEP) provisions of P.L. 94-142, The Education for All Handicapped Children Act. The papers are "Auditing the IEP System: A Self-Audit System for Use by Local Education Agencies" by Beth Stephens and Daniel Macy, which examines a 10-step self study approach; "Education Theory and Evaluation Criteria for Individualized Education Programs" by Richard Iano, which contrasts the effects of two belief systems on the IEP criteria; "The Individualized Education Program (IEP) as a Vehicle for Delivery of Special Education and Related Services to Handicapped Children" by Hill Walker, which addresses IEP processes corresponding to the letter and the spirit of the law; and "A Planned Change Approach to the Implementation of the IEP Provision of P.L. 94-142 by Patricia Gillespie which examines a systems approach. Responses to the papers by a panel of educators are summarized and followed by recommendations for guides or models which would offer alternative self-study techniques to LEAs. (CL)

Results of a national survey of schools and departments of education, undertaken in 1981 by the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education on attitudes of teacher educators on extended teacher education programs, indicated a general skepticism about their effectiveness. A similar survey was conducted of educators in Texas. A five-item, open-ended questionnaire, sent to the heads of 61 teacher education programs in Texas, received a response from two-thirds of the institutions. Despite the expression of many doubts and anxieties, with somewhat more coming from church-related institutions, there appeared to be more openness to the idea of extended teacher education in Texas than was found in the national survey. There has been more discussion of the concept in Texas institutions than in the national sample. One large state university is now beginning a five-year teacher education program, two land-grant institutions reported serious investigation of an extended program model, and several other institutions reported examinations of a five-year program, though none had any plans to implement one. (JD)

This compilation, the seventh in an annual series, includes abstracts of 155 studies in agricultural education completed during the period July 1, 1981, to June 30, 1982. Twenty-five of the completed studies represent staff research, 84 represent master's studies or theses, and 46 are doctoral dissertations. Also included is a listing of the 175 studies reported as in progress for the 1982-1983 year. Studies are arranged alphabetically by state and by author within states. A subject index is also included. Topics covered by the abstracts include the following: adult education, agricultural careers, agricultural mechanics, career development, computers/computer assisted instruction, cooperation, cooperative extension programs, curriculum, discipline, follow-up studies, 4-H Clubs, food preservation programs, Future Farmers of America, instructional materials, international education, job satisfaction, needs assessment, recruitment, role studies, safety, sex roles/stereotyping, special needs students, summer programs, supervised occupational experience programs, teacher education programs, teaching techniques, technical agriculture, vocational agriculture programs, vocational agriculture teachers, and vocational education. (KC)