bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparative Education in the Era of Globalisation: Evolution, Missions and Roles
Authors: Bray Mark
Published: November 2005

Globalisation is a dynamic process which has major implications for many domains of activity. The field of comparative education is one of these domains. Yet this is not just a passive, one-way influence; comparative educationists can themselves promote and shape elements of globalisation. The field of comparative education is arguably more closely related to globalisation than most other fields of academic enquiry. Comparative education is naturally concerned with cross-national analyses, and the field encourages its participants to be outward looking. At the same time, the field responds to globalisation. Cross-national forces of change are reflected in dominant paradigms, methodological approaches, and foci of study. In order to provide a context for subsequent discussion, this article begins by considering some of the meanings of globalisation. The article then turns to the nature of the field of comparative education, noting dimensions of evolution over the decades and centuries. Moving to relatively recent times, the article focuses on the World Council of Comparative Education Societies (WCCES), which was created in 1970 and which currently has 30 constituent societies. As its name suggests, the WCCES is a global body – with all the positive features and tensions that that implies. The article notes some characteristics of the global field of comparative education, while also commenting on distinctive features in some countries and regions. The article highlights some specific domains in which globalisation has changed the agenda in which comparativists can and should work.
The Mission of Comparative Education in China in the Era of the Knowledge Economy
Authors: Ming-Yuan Gu
Published: November 2005

The twentieth century is a century of change. As technologies develop fast and productivity enhances greatly, competition and conflicts between states are constant. Education has become the foundation of the development of technology and is considered as an important issue worldwide. Research on world comparative education rose under such circumstances. Since the 1980s, the situation of world comparative education has changed. The developing countries have made great progress in comparative education research, while there are still some problems to be solved. Comparative education in China has mostly developed within the last couple of decades when China adopted the Open-door Policy. Although much has been achieved, we are still comparatively less competent in theoretic construction. In the new millennium, we shall have to undertake research into the principles of international educational development as well as refer to the experience of foreign countries to promote educational development in China. And we shall focus on the construction of the theory of localization and enhancing international communication and cooperation.
Roles of Comparative Education Revisited: Tasks and Prospects
Authors: Suzuki Shin'ichi
Published: November 2005

This article relates to an international workshop on comparative education at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium, in October 2002. The workshop was prepared, organized and managed by Shenyang Normal University, China and KUL. The main theme was Comparative Education between East Asia and Western Europe, and most participants from Western Europe showed a keen interest in the relationship between globalization and the newly emerging ethno-centered nationalism. On the other hand, most Chinese delegates from Shenyang, an expanding city in the northeast of China, were concerned with the urgent tasks of development of quality education and some crucial issues thereof, such as teacher education innovation, examination reforms, curriculum development, lifelong learning and so forth. What was common to all participants was an increasing interest in the expanding knowledge society as a whole.
Globalisation and Skills for Development: Some Lessons from Sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Tikly Leon , Lowe John , Crossley Michael , Dachi Hillary , Garrett Roger , Mukabaranga Beatrice
Published: November 2005

This article reports on an international policy research study funded by the United Kingdom (UK) Government's Department for International Development (DfID), entitled Globalisation and Skills for Development in Tanzania and Rwanda: implications for education and training policy and practice. The research is a contribution to a broader ‘Skills for Development Initiative’ launched by the UK Secretary of State for International Development (Short, 1999). The study was a collaborative effort between the Universities of Bristol, Bath, Dar es Salaam and the Kigali Institute of Education. The findings and the analysis generated by this research are rich and complex.
Education and National Identity
Authors: Byung-Jin Lee
Published: November 2005

Mankind experienced a tremendous vortex of changes during the last century, and the world changed toward a knowledge-based society. It is also true that the eagerness for constant improvement and growth has deprived us of time to reflect and to judge whether we are moving in the right direction. There are many educational problems in Asia, and considerable parts of the problems are also common in many countries of the world. What should be taken into account here regarding education is that it was established on a strong foundation, and that it should be considered more carefully. The additional points required are a new establishment of the right direction and the provision of a vision about national identity so that the educational boom can make a great contribution toward the mutual prosperity of mankind. In this respect, ‘mutual prosperous globalization’ is the password to the future of education in the twenty-first century. Mutual prosperous globalization is a possibility, where everyone cooperates and prospers mutually to live with equal rights and privileges. The author calls this ‘Symbiotic Globalization’ for the twenty-first century. The future is not something that is taken for granted, but is something that we create. If we really have hopes and desires for an ideal future, we are obliged to make every effort and take every pain to accomplish it. Therefore, it is very important to reexamine education and national identity and to make every effort in the search for a desirable education for the twenty-first century.
Curriculum Studies and the Problem of Knowledge: Updating the Enlightenment?
Authors: Young Michael
Published: November 2005

This article argues that, contrary to widespread views in the philosophy of education, the acquisition of knowledge, and therefore the nature of the knowledge to be acquired at school, is central to any debate about a future curriculum. It illustrates this argument with examples from recent policies for the 14–19 age group but suggests that the neglect of knowledge reflects more basic flaws in contemporary educational theory. The article reviews recent developments in terms of the principles of ‘insularity’ and ‘hybridity’ and goes on to argue for an alternative institutional or social realist approach. It concludes with some brief observations on how in framing a curriculum for the 21st century we might relate to Enlightenment ideas of reason truth and knowledge.
Beyond Place: Ethnicity/Race in the Debate on Social Exclusion/Inclusion in Scotland
Authors: De Lima Philomena J.F.
Published: November 2005

This article examines the extent to which the discourses on social exclusion/inclusion and policy interventions have addressed the issue of race/ethnicity in the Scottish context. Based on a review of literature and government policy documents, the article concludes that, while there have been some attempts to address issues of race and ethnicity and to take ‘institutional racism’ seriously, there are a number of recurrent themes which emerge, suggesting that there has been limited success with regard to the ‘mainstreaming’ of race/ethnicity within the discourses and policy interventions on social exclusion/inclusion in Scotland. The overwhelming emphasis on economic or labour market participation, the lack of interrogation of the notion of a ‘homogenous cultural majority’, which underpins policy discourses, and the lack of ‘race proofing’ of the social inclusion milestones and targets have resulted in a inconsistent and piecemeal approach to issues of race/ethnicity. For race/ethnicity to be taken seriously, policy discourses and debates will have to develop approaches and analyses which interrogate the assumptions that privilege the views and values of the so-called ‘cultural majority’, to ensure an approach which embeds race equality and avoids reinforcing the boundaries between the ‘included’ and ‘excluded’.
Inclusion, Exclusion and the Criminal Law
Authors: Duff R.A.
Published: November 2005

The first section of this article clarifies the concepts of social inclusion and exclusion: three important features are that exclusion and inclusion are normative, not purely factual matters; that they involve agency, either active or passive (exclusion involves someone who either actively excludes or passively fails to include); and that the judgement that someone has been excluded depends on a view of the responsibilities of the supposed excluder. The next section then examines some of the ways in which the criminal law can serve as an instrument of exclusion or of inclusion: in virtue of its content; in the way in which it is enforced; through the criminal process, and in particular the criminal trial; and through the punishments imposed on offenders. However, the possibility of a genuinely inclusionary criminal law depends on the justice of the political and social structures that underpin it: if offenders have not been treated inclusively, as full citizens of the polity, the polity's right to call them to account for their wrongdoings through the criminal law is undermined. The conclusion is that the concepts of social inclusion and exclusion can play a useful role in a critical analysis of our political and legal institutions and practices, but that the ideal of an inclusive political community presents both governments and citizens with a demanding challenge.
‘Anything is Possible’: The Arts and Social Inclusion
Authors: Rix Pat
Published: November 2005

The Tutti Ensemble is an arts organisation, based in Adelaide, South Australia, and with 80 members, both disabled and non-disabled. This article describes how the group was initiated and how it has evolved into a model of effective social inclusion. The features of an environment conducive to genuine social inclusion, and the values which are central to this, are considered. Tutti's success in promoting social inclusion has been accompanied by spectacular artistic accomplishments, attracting the adulation and involvement of high-level performers and it is argued that the two can go hand in hand and that opportunities for creativity can help address some of the effects of fragmentation experienced in society today.
Vocational Education: A Social Anarchist Perspective
Authors: Suissa Judith
Published: November 2005

This article discusses the social anarchist tradition of educational thought and practice, in order to throw new light on the philosophical discussion of the liberal-vocational distinction. Focusing on the central anarchist idea of integral education, I argue that the political stance of social anarchism is inseparable from the educational ideas and practice of this tradition, and contrast the key aspects of this political perspective with those embodied in mainstream educational policy and theory in the liberal state. Examining the issue of vocational education and training in light of this often-neglected political position can, I suggest, contribute to our understanding of the relationship between educational practice and values, political ideas and social change.
Vocational Qualifications and Higher Education: Some Policy Issues
Authors: Swailes Stephen , Roodhouse Simon
Published: November 2005

This article reviews the reactions to higher-level National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) in the United Kingdom in the context of certification levels by level and subject. The most successful higher NVQs are linked to professional qualifying routes, have generic application across a range of sectors or fill gaps where qualifications were not previously established. Research among the main stakeholders to gauge their attitudes towards higher NVQs shows that, among positive aspects, some adverse attitudes still exist surrounding issues of comparability, the assessment experience and the design of occupational standards. Suggestions for overcoming these issues are given. However, the wider picture shows that support for occupational standards is strong and it is the use of standards, which may or may not involve NVQs, that will help to drive forward new policy initiatives addressing participation in the sector.
Vocational Purposes and the Aims of Schooling
Authors: Williams Kevin
Published: November 2005

This article argues for the compatibility of vocational purposes with the aims of schooling within the liberal tradition. Two main grounds will be offered in defence of this position. In the first place, school students who are following a track that leads to direct employment or to vocational training are not necessarily excluded from a fulfilling school experience or from a curriculum of high culture. In the second place, young people who concentrate on practical or manual subjects can experience much of the enrichment and personal satisfaction that have been traditionally and restrictively associated with the academic curriculum.
The Role of Outcomes-Based National Qualifications in the Development of an Effective Vocational Education and Training System: The Case of England and Wales
Authors: Oates Tim
Published: November 2005

This article analyses the increasingly diverse and sophisticated critique of ‘outcomes approaches’ in vocational qualifications; critique which has now moved well beyond the early claims of reductivism and behaviourism. Avoiding a naive position on extraction of points of consensus, this article attempts to extract key issues which have purchase on policy and practice relating to National Vocational Qualifications. It outlines not only the ways in which current policy and development processes associated with the qualifications may be defective, but also ways in which they might be enhanced. Crucially, the article points to the severe limitations of the concept of ‘competence’ which lies at the heart of outcomes approaches, and emphasises the need to reconsider a ‘formation’ model for initial vocational education and training, rather than a ‘competence’ model.
Ground Force Does the Dutch Higher Education Gardens: Three Scenarios Revisited
Authors: Westerheijden Don F. , Huisman Jeroen , De Boer Harry
Published: November 2005

This article shows the changes currently made to higher education in the Netherlands, and what they may mean for its future. Findings from a Delphi study were used to develop three scenarios for Dutch higher education in 2010. The Palatial Garden scenario combined little openness of the system with high governmental involvement, making it more ‘strict’ than the actual situation in the country. The Natural Garden was in all dimensions opposed to the Palatial Garden scenario. The Polder Garden scenario was in some respects a ‘zero option’ in that it was built on assumptions of continued, unchanged policies, though in a changing degree structure and in a changing context. Three years on, the scenarios are compared with recent policy plans. The authors conclude that actual developments followed their own path rather than any single one of the garden scenarios. Current policy plans in the Netherlands show signs of (contradictory) compromises between different policy drivers, such as globalisation and national policy, state steering and network society or higher education as a public good and as commodity.
Imagining Alternativas to Global, Corporate, New Economy Academic Capitalism
Authors: Rhoades Gary , Maldonado-Maldonado Alma , Ordorika Imanol , Velazquez Martín
Published: November 2005

In this article, the authors detail the conditions and patterns of academic capitalism and the new economy in US higher education. Subsequently, a conceptual model is offered for considering the international reach and national and local patterns of academic capitalism. Further, a distinctive Mexican case of entrepreneurialism is offered. The article concludes with a discussion of alternatives for a model of a universidad latinoamericana that is grounded in the historical role of Latin American universities.
Neo-Liberalism, Knowledge and Inclusiveness
Authors: Roberts Peter
Published: November 2005

Over the past decade, ‘knowledge’ has become a key policy buzzword. This is particularly evident in policy material on education, science and research, where references to the importance of building the ‘new’ knowledge society and economy abound. This article discusses two examples of these new knowledge discourses at work in the New Zealand context. The first is the Foresight Project, a futures-oriented policy initiative developed under a National Government in the late 1990s. The second is the Labour-led Tertiary Education Strategy, which sets out priorities for post-compulsory education and training from 2002 to 2007. The author argues that these initiatives blend narrative, techno-scientific and neo-liberal forms of knowledge, with the latter ultimately dominating the other two. He supports the attempt to take the future seriously in policy development but maintains that these initiatives foster an illusory notion of inclusiveness and consider only a narrow range of social and economic alternatives.
Marxism and Adult Education in Britain
Authors: Steele Tom , Taylor Richard
Published: November 2005

In British adult education Marxism has been a persistent if marginalised current that has consistently informed its more radical movements and practitioners. This article firstly introduces some contested Marxist perspectives on adult education, particularly around the issues of ideology and incorporation into bourgeois society. Secondly, it examines the adult educational context, contrasting the themes of middle-class-provided ‘liberal’ adult education and ‘independent’ working-class education. It then focuses on the trajectories of workers’ education in the twentieth century and the contrasting roles Marxist education played in the Communist Party and the National Council of Labour Colleges up to the Second World War. In the post-war period the rebirth of community education in the 1960s and 1970s absorbed more cosmopolitan Marxist influence, such as those of Antonio Gramsci and Paulo Freire. The article ends by assessing what remains of the Marxist tradition in the twenty-first century and the authors conclude that in a capitalist system that remains deeply unequal and globally exploitative, Marxism still offers a valuable framework of analysis through which adult educators may be able to engage in a dialogue with emergent social movements.
Education and Reproduction of Social Inequality: German Politics and Sociology of Education
Authors: Sünker Heinz
Published: November 2005

This article deals with central issues in the field of sociology and politics of education after the publication of the outcomes of the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) study for Germany. These outcomes serve to remind us of the old debate on politics of education in the 1960s. The main topic since then remains the reproduction of social inequality via education. Critical educational theory shows an alternative in conceptualizing education for all and in overcoming the three-tier system in Germany. This is necessary in the interest of a real democracy based on the abilities and competencies of an educated society.
Undermining Democratic Education in the USA: The Consequences of Global Capitalism and Neo-Liberal Policies for Education Policies at the Local, State and Federal Levels
Authors: Hursh David
Published: November 2005

In the USA, many of the recent education reforms have been implemented in response to calls from neo-liberal and conservative policy makers to improve education efficiency and reduce public expenditures within an increasingly globalized economy. Consequently, local, state, and federal education policies increasingly employ curricular standards and high-stakes testing as a means of introducing competition and markets into education. Moreover, for some policy makers such reforms are the first step towards privatizing education through charter schools and vouchers programs. In this article the author analyzes the consequences such policies have had on the education system on three scales: the city of Chicago, the state of New York, and the US federal government. In particular, the reforms have shifted the control over education from the local to the state and federal levels. Further, the reforms have increased inequality between the advantaged middle-class and White students and the disadvantaged working-class students and students of color.
Citizen-Consumers, Social Markets and the Reform of Public Services
Authors: Peters Michael A.
Published: November 2005

In a paper presented in July 2003 to Labour's National Policy Forum, the main policy-making body in the United Kingdom, Liam Byrne, a research associate of the Social Market Foundation, forecast the major problems that will face government in Britain in 2020. As reported in the Guardian (9 August 2003): ‘British national government weakened by a seepage of power to international bodies, faces a massive challenge to meet the demands of an ever more consumerist and distrustful public’. Pressures on existing services will increase and the National Health Service especially will be beset by demands from an ever more consumerist public. Not only will expectations of quality public services rise as public services users expect higher standards, but the public will also become less afraid to express dissatisfaction. Byrne predicts that, rather than explicit political power, the spread of power to lobby groups and the willingness of the public to express political views through customer choice will weaken the national government. With better information, access to experts on the Internet and better education, the public is both less deferential and more distrustful of politics and political institutions. The question has become whether the forces of consumerism, political cynicism and individualism in Western economic growth can be challenged or at least reshaped. This is the topic for this article, which in turn examines the construction of ‘citizen-consumers’ in relation to the concept of the social market, how it is underpinned by British Labour government policy and how it is prefigured as a basis of policy by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, for Labour's next term in office.
Foucault and Marxism: Rewriting the Theory of Historical Materialism
Authors: Olssen Mark
Published: November 2005

This article explores the relationship of Foucault to Marxism. Although he was often critical of Marxism, Foucault's own approach bears striking parallels to Marxism, as a form of method, as an account of history, and as an analysis of social structure. Like Marxism, Foucault represents social practices as transitory and all knowledge and intellectual formations as linked to social relations and power. In this he asserts the historical relativity of all systems and structures — of society, of thought, of theory and of concepts, while at the same time not denying a materialism of physical necessities. Yet while Foucault's approach reveals these important similarities to Marxism, the differences, claims the author, are fundamental. These concern his rejection of Hegel's conceptions of history and society as a unified developing totality, his rejection of essences and teleology, and his rejection of any utopian impulse revolving around the laws of economic development or the role of the proletariat in history. Foucault's own conception of change, in fact, is represented in ways that are altogether different to Marx's approach, and ultimately supports localistic forms of resistance and specific forms of democratic incrementalism, rather than revolutionary or totalistic strategies as the basis of transforming society.
The Unhappy Marriage between Marxism and Race Critique: Political Economy and the Production of Racialized Knowledge
Authors: Leonardo Zeus
Published: November 2005

In educational policy theory orthodox Marxism is known for its commitment to objectivism or the science of history. Race analysis is developed in its ability to explain the subjective dimension of racial oppression. The two theories are often at odds with each other. This article is an attempt to create a theory by integrating Marxist objectivism and race theory's focus on subjectivity. As a result, both Marxism and race analysis are strengthened in a way that maintains the integrity of each discourse. This benefits educational policy theory because praxis is the dialectical attempt to synthesize the inner and external processes of schooling.
Books, Banks and Bullets: Controlling Our Minds — The Global Project of Imperialistic and Militaristic Neo-Liberalism and its Effect on Education Policy
Authors: Hill Dave
Published: November 2005

This article focuses on global trends in education policy during the current epoch of imperializing, militaristic, neo-liberal global capital. It is based on an analysis that global capital, in the form of dominant US multinational capital, together with its client governments, uses the repressive and ideological apparatuses of the state to advance its interests, and to marginalize, terrorize, weaken, or kill those who stand in its way. What we are seeing is class war from above — war by national and global capitalist classes against national and global working classes. The author identifies global and national characteristics of the ideological and repressive state apparatuses that impose (broadly neo-liberal) educational and wider social, cultural, economic, and fiscal policy as part of the hegemonic activity of US-led global neo-liberal capital. In particular, he examines the repression of critical thought and oppositional activity within the sites of teacher education, schooling, and university/higher education — the compression and repression of critical space in education today.
The Work of Power and the Power of Work: Teaching for Class Consciousness in the Neo-Liberal Age
Authors: Weiner Eric J.
Published: November 2005

As workers throughout the globe struggle to gain control over the conditions in which they labor as well as the means by which capital is produced, the importance of understanding class struggle, class formation and class consciousness as they relate to education and schooling takes on a new urgency. In the early part of the twenty-first century, neo-liberal ideology persists in normalizing relations of capital, just as contemporary educational theory has tended to subrogate class struggle for social movement. As such, the category of class as a potent historical actor with specific temporal qualities suffers for legitimacy in an age characterized by end-of-history prophets and profiteers; ‘bio-identity’ movements; neo-corporate hegemony; quasi-sovereign nation-states; global financiers monetarily and ideologically supported by the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and the World Trade Organization; increasing local and global disparities between wealth and poverty; and violence. A more comprehensive understanding of social class and education will not eradicate or transform all of these social realities. However, by erasing class as a historical actor, social and educational theorists as well as other political workers miss significant pedagogical opportunities to heighten class consciousness, create class formations, and enliven class struggle so that the future has an opportunity to become something other than what the present suggests it will be. But in an age characterized by a fear of freedom, radicalizing our thinking is a necessary step in imagining the possibility of collective struggle over a future that has yet to be determined.
Turning towards History: Turning towards Utopia
Authors: Freeman-Moir John
Published: November 2005

Turning towards history — to be contrasted with turning away from history — captures the Marxian sense of education. Marx worked out the elements of a theory of political education in relation to history by equating education with the coincidence of the changing of circumstances and people. This theory received its most comprehensive yet succinct and attractive expression in the Communist Manifesto. The Manifesto is used as a means of analyzing the foundations of political education — the circumstances of history, class struggle and Utopia — from a historical materialist perspective. These foundations, which define an educative view of history, remain necessary to the further development of Marxian educational theory and practice in the contemporary world.
Reclaiming Basic Skills: In Defence of Long-Life Learning
Authors: Pirrie Anne
Published: November 2005

The author draws upon recent experience of providing consultancy services to a working group established by the European Commission in 2001 to facilitate the implementation of the Lisbon Strategy for economic, social, and environmental renewal in the European Union. The article begins with a critique of the ‘new basic skills’ identified at the Lisbon European Council on 23 and 24 March 2000. These were information and communication technologies (ICT), technological culture, foreign languages, entrepreneurship, and social skills. The article raises questions about the compatibility of the economic and social aims of the Lisbon Strategy. It also asks whether the Lisbon Process privileges certain forms of knowledge over others. Furthermore, who are the winners and the losers in the breathless rush towards increased economic competitiveness? The author concludes that the logic of competition inherent in the Lisbon Process may undermine rather than reinforce social solidarity; and that the chronic neglect of some really basic skills has had dire social and economic consequences.
Schools for a Knowledge Economy
Authors: Macdonald Gerard
Published: November 2005

English schools have always been involved with the economy of their time, but it was not until the mid-nineteenth century that schooling for the poor became primarily an adjunct of industry, rather than of the Church. This industrial style of education, preparation for the production line, still informs the school system, though Britain is no longer primarily an industrial country, but one moving toward a post-industrial economy. Such a ‘new economy’ will almost certainly be dependent on the production of new, or renewed, knowledge; and thus on the creativity and innovative capacity of its workers, and on their ability to continue learning throughout life. To foster these qualities, our school system – designed for quite different purposes – will have to undergo significant change. It will need a rethinking of what is meant by learning; a forward-looking and individualised curriculum (though not necessarily one that is centrally mandated); a new involvement with economic growth areas; and a quite different approach to networked technologies. Like any conservative institution, British schools tend to resist proposals for radical renewal, and that resistance is now, and will be in future, supported by an influential group of parents. But the school system's political paymasters have traditionally seen schooling as an instrument of economic growth. Since schools are not well fitted to serve a nascent knowledge economy, at some point there are likely to be radical changes to their practice.
Supported Workplace Learning: A Knowledge Transfer Paradigm
Authors: Burns George R. , Paton Robert R.
Published: November 2005

The importance of knowledge to the effective development of economic growth in the twenty-first century has led to a number of initiatives such as lifelong learning, skills development and knowledge transfer. Of these, knowledge transfer has predominantly been concerned with the commercial exploitation of research knowledge. This article suggests that such a narrow focus on research-led development is really only practical for larger organisations and misses many opportunities for knowledge transfer related to improving organisational knowledge and business effectiveness through supported workplace learning appropriate to small to medium-sized organisations. Two models of supported workplace learning, one involving a programme of study developed to reflect the strategic objectives of the organisation, and one developed to reflect business-led development, are described through case studies. Both illustrate the effectiveness of knowledge transfer that, although not research-led, had a significant impact on the competitive advantage of the respective organisations. In one case the students gained postgraduate awards, while in the other the students gained considerable business experience, again illustrating the flexibility that supported workplace learning can offer for individual development. Finally, the article concludes that effective knowledge transfer into the workplace may legitimately be structured around objectives that do not depend on research. In this mode, supported workplace learning offers an approach that is effective for the organisation and flexible in supporting individual development. It is also noted that one aspect of the process that became evident in both case studies was the need to manage the change process that injection of new knowledge created.
The Turbulent Times of Creativity in the National Curriculum
Authors: Maisuria Alpesh
Published: November 2005

This article traces the demise of creativity in the national curriculum in England and Wales. It is argued that the creative dimension in the national curriculum has been purged by various government directives since the Ruskin speech in 1976, all aiming to introduce provisions of standardisation, centralisation, and vocationalisation of education. The plethora of centralised testing regimes and quality assurance measures has not only damaged the esteem of teachers and pupils, but has also turned education into a game where teachers teach the art of passing exams, and pupils realise the academic dangers of nonconformity. In the second section of this article it is suggested that despite New Labour's infatuation with measurable standards, it seems the assault on creative subjects is being reversed somewhat, and various efforts have been introduced to bolt creativity onto the national curriculum with the aim of re-energising teachers’ and pupils’ creative spirits. The article finishes by offering further avenues of thought and concludes by suggesting that a truly inspiring, satisfying and rewarding curriculum can only result from moving from a business-education-orientated education system to a child-centred learning experience.
Interculturalisation for New Zealand Universities in a Global Context
Authors: Jiang Xiaoping
Published: November 2005

This article critiques the notion of multiculturalism, which aims to assimilate minority cultures into a dominant culture rather than genuinely accept their ‘differences’. Therefore, the author proposes interculturalism as a policy for the multicultural campus because it values equitable treatment of all cultures. Recent years have witnessed an influx of international students into New Zealand's higher education institutions. The author asks whether these institutions have adequate strategies to accommodate the increasing cultural diversity on campus. Through a comparative analysis of multiculturalism and interculturalism, the author sees interculturalisation as an emancipatory process that should be supported, as it emphasises non-discriminative cultural reciprocity based on equality and respect.
Fluorescence‐Based Sorting of Neural Stem Cells and Progenitors
Authors: Maric Dragan , Barker Jeffery L.
Published: December 2005

Neural stem cells (NSCs) are defined as undifferentiated cells originating from the neuroectoderm that have the capacity both to perpetually self‐renew without differentiating and to generate multiple types of lineage‐restricted progenitors (LRPs). LRPs can themselves undergo limited self‐renewal and ultimately differentiate into highly specialized cells that make up the nervous system. However, this physiologically delimited definition of NSCs and LRPs has become increasingly blurred due to lack of protocols for effectively separating these types of cells from primary tissues. This unit discusses recent attempts using fluorescence‐activated cell sorting (FACS) strategies to prospectively isolate NSCs from different types of LRPs as they appear in vivo, and details a protocol that optimally attains this goal. Thus, the strategy presented here provides a framework for more precise studies of NSC and LRP cell biology in the future, which can be applied to all vertebrates, including humans.
Cover Picture: DNA‐Templated Silver Nanorings (Adv. Mater. 23/2005)
Authors: Zinchenko A. A. , Yoshikawa K. , Baigl D.
Published: December 2005

The cover shows that toroidal condensates of duplex DNA can be used as templates for facile preparation of monodisperse nanorings of noble metals. In the work by Zinchenko and co‐workers, reported on p. 2820, conformational transition of long DNA chains from elongated coils into compact toroidal condensates changes the manner of reduced silver deposition, from DNA chain metallization with nanoparticles to the formation of silver rings. A one‐pot, three‐step, simple preparation method leads to formation of well‐defined monodisperse silver nanorings (100 nm in diameter) dispersed in water.
Inside Front Cover: Tailoring Cell Adhesion Using Surface‐Grafted Polymer Gradient Assemblies (Adv. Mater. 23/2005)
Authors: Bhat R. R. , Chaney B. N. , Rowley J. , Liebmann‐Vinson A. , Genzer J.
Published: December 2005

A three‐step approach to tailor cell adhesion via surface‐grafted polymer gradients is shown in this image from the work of Genzer and co‐workers on p. 2802. Surface‐anchored polymer assemblies with gradients in polymer molecular weight and/or grafting density are first employed to tailor adsorption of the protein, which in turn governs the number density as well as the extent of spreading of osteoblastic cells. Increasing the surface coverage of the polymer results in a decrease in the amount of protein adsorbed, which causes a decrease in the number of cells adhered and a change in cell morphology.
Associations between Carabelli trait and cusp areas in human permanent maxillary first molars
Authors: Kondo Shintaro , Townsend Grant C.
Published: December 2005

Few dental anthropological studies have investigated the associations between tooth crown size and crown traits in humans using quantitative methods. We tested several hypotheses about overall crown size, individual cusp areas, and expression of Carabelli cusps in human permanent first molars by obtaining data from standardized occlusal photographs of 308 Australians of European descent (171 males and 137 females). Specifically, we aimed to calculate the areas of the four main molar cusps, and also Carabelli cusp, and to compare the relative variability of cusp areas in relation to timing of development. We also aimed to compare cusp areas between males and females and to describe how Carabelli cusp interacted with other molar cusps. Measurements included maximum crown diameters (mesiodistal and buccolingual crown diameters), the areas of the four main cusps, and the area of Carabelli cusp. The pattern of relative variability in absolute areas of molar cusps corresponded with their order of formation, the first‐forming paracone displaying the least variation, and the last‐forming Carabelli cusp showing the greatest. Overall crown size and areas of individual cusps all showed sexual dimorphism, with values in males exceeding those in females. Sexual dimorphism was smallest for paracone area and greatest for Carabelli cusp area. Overall crown size and cusp areas were larger in individuals displaying a Carabelli cusp, especially the hypocone area. Although the combined area of the protocone and a Carabelli cusp was greater in cuspal forms than noncuspal forms, protocone area alone was significantly smaller in the former. Our findings lead us to propose that, in individuals with the genotype for Carabelli trait expression, larger molar crowns are more likely to display Carabelli cusps, whereas molars with smaller crowns are more likely to display reduced forms of expression of the trait. We suggest that the pattern of folding of the internal enamel epithelium in developing molar crowns, particularly in the protocone region, can be modified by a developing Carabelli cusp. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2006. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Effect of the interaction between high altitude and socioeconomic factors on birth weight in a large sample from South America
Authors: López Camelo Jorge S. , Campaña Hebe , Santos Rita , Poletta Fernando A.
Published: December 2005

Several studies of South American populations showed that altitude is associated with low birth weight and intrauterine growth retardation. Although some of them analyzed the altitude‐birth weight association, only a few assessed the effect of the interaction between altitude and socioeconomic factors on birth weight. The purpose of this research is to evaluate such effects on birth weight, after adjustment for confounding factors. This observational descriptive study includes a sample of 37,022 live‐born infants without congenital anomalies, weighing ≥500 g, from 75 South American maternity hospitals, during 1982–1999. Of the total sample, 1,187 infants were born in two South American cities located at more than 2,000‐m altitude: La Paz, Bolivia (N = 974 at 3,600 m) and Bogota, Colombia (N = 274 at 2,600 m). Among the seven risk factors analyzed, altitude was the main predictor of birth weight (except for gestational age). After adjustment for the other risk factors, birth weight at cities located above 2,000 m showed a decrease of approximately 200 g. When comparing highest and lowest socioeconomic levels, birth weight also showed differences for levels of altitude analyzed (lowland, <2,000 m; middle land, 2,600 m; and highland, 3,600 m). Interaction between both factors showed no effect. High altitude seems to act independent of socioeconomic status in explaining birth weight reduction. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2006. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Preliminary observations on the calcaneal trabecular microarchitecture of extant large‐bodied hominoids
Authors: Maga Murat , Kappelman John , Ryan Timothy M. , Ketcham Richard A.
Published: December 2005

In this pilot study, we point out potential differences between calcaneal trabecular microarchitecture in humans and nonhuman large apes, such as increased degree of anisotropy, reduced bone volume fraction, and very stereotypical orientation of the trabeculae. Even though sample size does not permit us to investigate the issue statistically, the observed differences between humans and other hominoids warrants further in‐depth investigation. We also show that some measurements of the trabecular network might be dependent on sampling density, which can be difficult to deal with in the case of animals of different body masses. We also present a new visualization technique that summarizes the trabecular network orientation, and makes it more readily interpretable than the summary statistics of the underlying fabric tensor of the orientation matrix. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2006. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Microsatellite diversity reveals the interplay of language and geography in shaping genetic differentiation of diverse Proto‐Australoid populations of west‐central India
Authors: Gaikwad Sonali , Vasulu T.S. , Kashyap V.K.
Published: December 2005

Microsatellite diversity was analyzed in four Proto‐Australoid tribes, including Indo‐European (Marathi)‐speaking Katkari, Pawara, Mahadeo‐Koli, and Dravidian (Gondi)‐speaking groups of Maharashtra, west‐central India, to understand their genetic structure and to identify the congruence between language and gene pool. Allele frequency data at 15 short tandem repeat (STR) loci in studied tribes was compared with data of 22 Indo‐European‐ and Dravidian‐speaking caste and tribal populations using heterozygosity, allele size variance, analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA), GST estimate, PC plot, and Mantel correlation test. Our results demonstrate that “Gondi” tribes comprising the Madia‐Gond, a hunter‐gatherer population, and the agriculturist Dheria‐Gond harbor lower diversity than “Marathi” tribal groups, which are culturally and genetically distinct. Katkari, a hunter‐gatherer tribe, showed greater diversity and the presence of a large number of unique alleles, genetically distinct from all others except the Pawara, supporting their old cultural links. The agriculturist Pawara tribe represents a splinter subgroup of the Bhil tribe and has experienced gene flow. The Mahadeo‐Koli, an agriculturally oriented tribe, displayed significant heterozygote deficiency, attributable to the practice of high endogamy. The Proto‐Australoid tribal populations were genetically differentiated from castes of similar morphology, suggesting different evolutionary mechanisms operating upon the populations. The populations showed genetic and linguistic similarity, barring a few groups with varied migratory histories. The microsatellite variation clearly demonstrates the interplay of sociocultural factors including linguistic, geographical contiguity, and microevolutionary processes in shaping the genetic diversity of populations in contemporary India. This study supports the ethno‐historical relationships of Indian populations. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2006. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Phenotypic evolution of human craniofacial morphology after admixture: A geometric morphometrics approach
Authors: Martínez‐Abadías Neus , González‐José Rolando , González‐Martín Antonio , Van der Molen Silvina , Talavera Arturo , Hernández Patricia , Hernández Miquel
Published: December 2005

An evolutionary, diachronic approach to the phenotypic craniofacial pattern arisen in a human population after high levels of admixture and gene flow was achieved by means of geometric morphometrics. Admixture has long been studied after molecular data. Nevertheless, few efforts have been made to explain the morphological outcome in human craniofacial samples. The Spanish‐Amerindian contact can be considered a good scenario for such an analysis. Here we present a comparative analysis of craniofacial shape changes observed between two putative ancestor groups, Spanish and precontact Aztecs, and two diachronic admixed groups, corresponding to early and late colonial periods from the Mexico's Central Valley. Quantitative shape comparisons of Amerindian, Spanish, and admixed groups were used to test the expectations of quantitative genetics for admixture events. In its simplest form, this prediction states that an admixed group will present phenotypic values falling between those of both parental groups. Results show that, in general terms, although the human skull is a complex, integrated structure, the craniofacial morphology observed fits the theoretical expectations of quantitative genetics. Thus, it is predictive of population structure and history. In fact, results obtained after the craniofacial analysis are in accordance with previous molecular and historical interpretations, providing evidence that admixture is a main microevolutionary agent influencing modern Mexican gene pool. However, expectations are not straightforward when moderate shape changes are considered. Deviations detected at localized structures, such as the upper and lower face, highlight the evolution of a craniofacial pattern exclusively inherent to the admixed groups, indicating that quantitative characters might respond to admixture in a complicated, nondirectional way. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2006 © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.