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Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the EUROCALL society succeeded in holding the 28th EUROCALL conference, EUROCALL2020, on 20-21 August as an online, two-day gathering. The transition process required to make this happen was demanding and insightful for everyone involved, and, in many ways, a logical consequence of the core content and purpose of EUROCALL. Who would be better suited to transform an onsite conference into an online event than EUROCALL? CALL for widening participation was this year's theme. We welcomed contributions from both theoretical and practical perspectives in relation to the many forms and contexts of CALL. We particularly welcomed longitudinal studies or studies that revisited earlier studies. The academic committee accepted 300 abstracts for paper presentations, symposia, workshops, and posters under this theme; 57 short papers are published in this volume. We hope you will enjoy reading this volume, the first one to reflect a one hundred percent online EUROCALL conference/Online Gathering. [This content is provided in the format of an e-book. Individual papers are indexed in ERIC.]

This collection of short papers is an outcome of the third conference on virtual exchange in higher education hosted by the Pedagogical University in Krakow in April 2018. Following the focus of the conference on virtual exchange in service of social inclusion and global citizenship, the papers collected in this volume offer first-hand insights into theoretical and practical considerations on the most recent stage of this rapidly developing form of learning. The publication will be of particular interest to academic educators, researchers, administrators, and mobility officers planning to implement virtual exchange in their unique academic contexts.

This collection of papers includes: "Language Learning Motivation: The Student, the Teacher, and the Researcher" (Robert C. Gardner); "The Self-Reported Perspectives Regarding Academic Writing among Taiwanese Graduate Students Specializing in TEFL" (Robert Johanson); "Contradictions, Appropriation, and Transformation: An Activity Theory Approach to L2 Writing and Classroom Practices" (Charles P. Nelson, Mi-Kyung Kim); "Constructivist Inspiration: A Project-Based Model for L2 Learning in Virtual Worlds" (Rebekah Taveau and Marina Bolotin); "Inquiry Cycles in a Whole Language Foreign Language Class: Some Theoretical and Practical Insights" (David Schwarzer and Chris Luke); "Task-Sequencing in L2 Acquisition" (Rafael Salaberry); "Knowledge of English Collocations: An Analysis of Taiwanese EFL Learners" (Li-Szu Huang); "Vowel Quality and Consonant Voicing: The Production of English Vowels and Final Stops by Korean Speakers of English" (Mi-Lim Ryoo); "Functions of Discourse Markers in Japanese" (Yasuko Fujita); and "Cross Cultural Varieties of Politeness" (Junko Hondo and Bridget Goodman). (Individual papers contain references.) (SM)

This collection of papers comprises proceedings from the 5th English in South East Asia Conference, held in December 2000 at Curtin University of Technology in Perth. The 19 papers include the following: (1) "Global English and Local Language Policies" (Robert Phillipson); (2) "Hong Kong Parents' Preference for English-Medium Education: Passive Victims of Imperialism or Active Agents of Pragmatism?" (David Li); (3) "Implications of the Recommendation that English Become the Second Official Language in Japan" (Kayako Hashimoto); (4) "Culture and Identity in the English Discourses of Mayalsians" (Azirah Mashim); (5) "Englishization and Nativization Processes in the Context of Brunei Darussalam: Evidence for and Against" (Hajaj Rosnah Haji Ramly, Noor Azam Haji Othman, and James McLellan); (6) "Kissing Cousins? The Relationship between English and Tok Pisin in Papua New Guinea" (Geoff Smith); (7) "Chaos in Aboriginal English Discourse" (Farzad Sharifian); (8) "Language, Literature and Culture--and Their Meeting Place in the Dictionary" (Susan Butler); (9) "Even Obituaries Reflect Cultural Norms and Values" (Maya Khemlani David and Janet Y. Yong); (10) "Recent Research into the Pronunciation of Singapore English" (Low Ee Ling and David Deterding); (11) "Languages in Contact: Hong Kong English Phonology and the Influence of Cantonese" (Tony Hung); (12) "Canon and Pedagogy: The Role of American Colonial Education and Defining Standards for Philippine Literature" (Isabel Pefianco Martin); (13) "ASEAN and Asian Cultures and Models: Implications for The ELT Curriculum and for Teacher Education" (Andy Kirkpatrick); (14) "From TEFL to TEIL: Changes in Perceptions and Practices: Teaching English as an International Language in Chinese Universities" (Xy Zhichang); (15) "Reflective Discourse in Teacher Education in Brunei Darussalam" (David Lochmohr Prescott); (16) "Alternative English: Vernacular Oral Art among Aboriginal Youth" (Ian Malcom); (17) "A Study of the Language of Pre-School Malaysian Children" (Kow Yip Cheng); (18) "Communication Behaviours of EFL Learners in a Native English-Speaker Teacher's Class: A Case in Hong Kong" (Jasmine Luk); and (19) "Multilingual Practices in Rural Malaysia and Their Impact on English Language Learning in Rural Education" (Hazita Azman). (Papers contain references.) (SM)

The five commissioned papers in this anthology provided part of the research base for the national report, "National Excellence: A Case for Developing America's Talent." In the first paper, "The Performance of High Ability Students in the United States on National and International Tests," Carolyn Callahan describes discouraging national and international academic achievement data which indicate that America's top students continue to lag behind top students in other comparable nations. In the second paper, "Education of Gifted and Talented Students in China, Taiwan, and Japan," Harold W. Stevenson et al. report on studies of children's academic achievement in East Asia over the past 11 years and analyze those Asian nations' policies and practices for educating high-ability students. In the third paper, "State Policy Issues in the Education of Gifted and Talented Students," Patricia Bruce Mitchell examines current state policies, regulations, and legislation concerning education programs for gifted and talented students. She also discusses state policies which influence the nature and scope of gifted programming and considers implications of recent school restructuring efforts. James Gallagher, in "Current and Historical Thinking on Education for Gifted and Talented Students," describes how early cultures addressed or failed to address the needs of gifted children and contends that our society has traditionally had ambivalent feelings toward gifted children. He offers several definitions of giftedness and evaluates various educational methods with this population. In the final paper, "American Culture and the Gifted," Daniel P. Resnick and Madeline Goodman examine the role that the American culture and political beliefs have played in shaping the educational system. They suggest that forces outside the classroom (such as anti-intellectual attitudes) may account for more of the success or failure of programs for the gifted than previously thought. Each paper contains references. (DB)

Papers from a 1993 International Conference on Language in Education include: "A Language Development Approach to Education" (M. A. K. Halliday); Text, Talk, and Inquiry: Schooling as a Semiotic Apprenticeship" (G. Wells); "Chinese Orthography and Reading" (O. J. L. Tzeng); "Task-Centred Assessment in Language Learning" (G. Brindley); "Task as a Unit of Teaching Analysis" (S. J. Hall); "Using a Functional Approach in Assessing Written Texts" (D. Nunan); "Steppe by Step: A Cultural Approach to Language Tasks" (C. Barron); "Coherence and Continuity in the Task-Centred Language Curriculum: Global Education as a Framework for Task-Based Language Teaching" (B. Bushell, B. Dyer); "From Task Description to Task Enactment: Teachers' Interpretation of Language Learning Tasks" (G. T. Sachs, S. Kong, A. Lo, T. Lee); "How Students Revise Propositions" (P. Falvey, S. Sengupta); "Writing from Sources: Does Source Material Help or Hinder Students' Performance?" (J. A. Lewkowicz); "Effects of Signalling on Reading Comprehension" (I. K. B. Lee); "The Variety and Effectiveness of Strategies Employed in Vocabulary Explanations in EFL Classes in Hong Kong" (A. L. On-lai); "English Extensive Reading in the Primary Curriculum" (V. Yu, E. Chu, S. Yuen-lan, R. Yau); "Investigating Lexis beyond the Most Frequent Words, Part 2" (N. Bird); "The Future Role of EFL Textbook Resources in Hong Kong" (B. Adamson, J. C. K. Lee); "Concordancing for School" (V. Pickard, K. Chan, J. Tibbetts); "What Makes Authentic Materials Different? The Case of English Language Materials for Educational Television" (A. McNeill); "Resources for the Independent EFL Learner in Japan" (S. M. Ryan); "Action Research Contributes More to Teaching Than Just Solving Discrete Problems in the Classroom" (A. Mueller); "Computer-Mediated Communication and Teacher Education: The Case of Telenex" (D. Coniam, S. Sengupta, A. B. M. Tsui, W. Kam-yin); "Vocabulary Learning Strategies of Good and Poor Chinese EFL Learners" (G. Yong-qi); "Chinese Readers' Metacognitive Awareness in Reading Chinese and English" (C. Chern); "The Impact of Illustrations and Cultural Schemata on Hong Kong Pupils' Reading Comprehension and Recall of Text" (T. Dolan); "Word Printed Frequency/Familiarity and Structure Complexity Effects on L1 and L2 Word Recognition Processes in Chinese" (Y. Sun); "A Word in Your Ear: To What Extent Does Hearing a New Word Help Learners To Remember It?" (M. Hill); "Pig in the Middle? Effects of Mediating Tasks on Cognitive Processing of Text" (D. M. Allison, V. Berry, J. Lewkowicz); "The Assessment of Spoken Language Under varying Interactional Conditions" (V. Berry); "The Grammatical Awareness and Knowledge of Hong Kong Teachers of English" (S. Andrews); "Some Characteristics of Native and Non-Native Speaker Teachers of English" (A. McNeill); and "Using Concurrent Verbal Reports as Teaching Tools in Language Teacher Education" (M. Falvey). (MSE)

This booklet presents two activities that received awards in the First Contest of Internet Application to Educational Activities in Japan. The first paper describes CHaTNet (Children Homes and Teachers Network) at the Tamagawa Gakuen school, winner of the Prime Minister's Award. CHaTNet is a network of 4,500 participants, including parents, students in grades 4-12, and faculty members. It is developing into a community crossing departmental boundaries in providing information on everyday education activities and acting as a forum for the collection of information and the exchange of ideas. The second paper describes the development of the "Yago-kyu" (dragonfly larvae saving) Net Project at Keio Yochisha Elementary School, winner of the Minister for Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award. In this project, 38 schools and groups nationwide made an investigation of the aquatic insects living in school swimming pools, and the "Yago-kyu" Net Project World Wide Web page was opened as a site for these activities. This Web page presents a simple way to carry out an investigation and view the data, and it provides a place where the organizations can communicate with each other. (MES)

This book was written with the intention of presenting meaningful and interesting information about education in Japan in a way so that readers will obtain a more complete understanding of it. There are three characteristic ways the Japanese think about education: (1) there is an emotionally charged "penchant for education," which is not necessarily logically based; (2) the fundamental purpose of education is toward the cultivation of character or "kokoro"; and (3) there is a push toward "equality" in education in that all children can and should develop in the same manner. The teaching of knowledge and skills is referred to as "training" and is given a status lower than that given to character development. The history of education in Japan is presented to provide context for the maintenance of these values and their selective evolution that helped the country recover from World War II and eventually become an economic superpower. The various values and facets of education in Japan present both strengths and hindrances to modernization in ways that can be difficult for somebody outside the country's culture to understand. It is hoped that this book will shed light on these traits, values, strengths, and problems that make Japanese education distinctively unique. (RT)

This collection of papers includes the following: "Second Language Acquisition Research in Japan: Theoretical Issues" (Peter Robinson, Mark Sawyer, and Steven Ross); (2) "Focus on Form: Implicit and Explicit Form Focused Instruction Incorporated into a Communicative Task" (Hitoshi Muranoi); (3) "A Task that Works for Negotiation of Meaning" (Terefumi Fubata); (4) "Noticing Output and its Effects on Learner Production" (David Aline); (5) "Implicit and Explicit Instruction of L2 Complex Request Forms" (Satomi Takahashi); (6) "Literacy as an Anchor for the Spoken Language: Evidence from Adult Attriters of L2 Japanese" (Lyne Hansen and Jesse Newbold); (7) "Relationships among Attitudes, Motivation, Anxiety and English Language Proficiency in Japanese College Students" (Amy Yamashiro and John McLaughlin); (8) "Investigating the Role of Aptitude in an EFL Course in Japan" (James Sick and Kay Irie); (9) "The Role of the Language Teacher: Cross Cultural Perspectives" (Stephen M. Ryan and Veronica Makarova); and (10) "Japanese Secondary Students Attaining Oral Proficiency: Interviews with More and Less Proficient Individuals" (Jacqueline Beebe). (Papers contain references.) (SM)

Papers from an international conference on language teaching/learning are presented by topic and grouped under seven sections. An introductory section contains two papers on cultural diversity and world English. The second section, on teacher development, contains papers on these topics: teacher development and socialization; teachers' responses to questions about instruction; characteristics of a good language lesson; teaching students to understand instruction; students' reasons for poor English skills; cross-cultural aspects of the teacher's role; and an instructional materials development workshop. The third section, on classroom techniques and issues, addresses these topics: postsecondary level cooperative learning in Japan; shared inquiry for fostering critical thinking in English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction; story grammar as a reading and discussion strategy; use of Japanese literature in reading instruction; multimedia second language reading instruction; vocabulary building; Japanese particle usage; beginning writing instruction; discipline-based technical writing; peer writing evaluation; oral communication instruction; dance as an instructional technique; test revision; and continuous assessment using computer-assisted instruction. In section 4, papers on use of technology in the classroom address: use of the Internet; on-line newspapers and magazines; computerized test and materials development; designing materials t accompany videos; and content video in ESL instruction. Papers on cultural issues in section 5 include these topics: multiculturalism in the classroom; comparing cultures through critical thinking; authority and individualism in Japan and the United States; a study trip to France; setting the stage in kindergarten; comparative social studies; folklore in ESL instruction; Model United Nations; global issues; geography instruction; gender issues; and English variation. The final section contains five papers on the Linguapax Program of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Papers are primarily in English, with some Japanese and French included. (MSE)

This monograph presents 14 brief papers on special education in other countries or comparisons between countries. Papers have the following titles and authors: "Legal Foundations of Special Education: A Comparison of the United States Public Law 94-142 and the China Compulsory Education Law" (Hong Bo Wang et al.); "International Networks in Staff Development" (Tony Best); "Poverty and Handicap in the Republic of Yemen" (Azza Qirbi); "Hong Kong in 1997: Through Train or All Change?" (Nick Crawford); "Special Education Down Under" (David R. Mitchell); "Development of Special Education in the Republic of Korea" (Seung-Kook Kim); "Attitudes of High School and College Students toward Persons with Disabilities in the Republic of Korea" (Yong G. Hwang and Carmen Iannaccone); "Interviews with Mothers of Severely Handicapped Children: School Leavers in Japan" (Louise Fulton and Virginia Dixon); "Video Training Packages for Parent Education" (Roy McConkey); "Development of Special Education in Ghana" (Selete Kofi Avoke and Mawutor Kudzo Avoke); "Special Education in Japan" (Shigeru Narita); "Special Needs Education in Zambia" (Darlington Kalabula); "Inclusion and Integration in Europe: A Human Rights Issue" (Christine O'Hanlon); and "Towards the Comparative Study of Special Education" (Lesley Barcham and Graham Upton). Papers contain references. (DB)

The papers which make up this volume were for the most part presented at a program of seminars given in Oxford, England, in the autumn of 1990. The seminars represented the first activity of the new Centre for Comparative Studies in Education installed at the Department of Educational Studies of the University of Oxford in January 1990. The Centre's principal objective is to collect and analyze data on education in other countries in order to make comparisons with the United Kingdom that might inform policy discussions. The present collection seeks to make a contribution to two important questions in the study of comparative education: What lessons can be learned from cross-national studies of issues in education? and What problems of comparative method do such studies have to address? The nine papers in the collection include: "Introduction" (David Phillips); "An International Comparison of Access to Higher Education" (A. H. Halsey); "Schools of Education and Teacher Education" (Harry Judge); "Education Training and Economic Performance in Comparative Perspective" (David Finegold); "French Lessons: Comparative Perspectives on What It Means to be a Teacher" (Patricia Broadfoot; Marilyn Osborn); "Apprentice Training in Germany: The Experiences of the 1980s" (Bernard Casey); "Alternative Funding of Education Systems: Some Lessons from Third World Experiments" (Keith Watson); "Unlearnt European Lessons: Why Austria Abandoned the Comprehensive School Experiments and Restored the 'Gymnasium'" (Karl Heinz Gruber); and "Japan--Pupil Turned Teacher?" (Roger Goodman). (DB)

The four papers presented here address teacher development from an international viewpoint. In "Professional Development and Standards" (Linda Darling-Hammond) it is suggested that U.S. educators engage in new kinds of collaborations with universities, and it proposes a shift from information transmittal to "co-construction" of knowledge state From telling to facilitating. Next, "Reflections Derived From an Ethnographic Study of Japanese Elementary Schools" (Nancy Sato) warns that collaboration can be a double-edged sword, and notes that the separation of teacher and student roles and relationships is blurred in Japan, as is the separation between a teacher's personal and professional life. A similar context exists in China as we see from "Visions of Collegiality: Images from Teachers in China" (Lynn Paine). There teachers are part of an organization where working together is the fabric of their entire careers. The theme of "An Australian's Focus on Teaching and Learning Through Professional Development" (Diane Snowball), is the importance of continued teacher training for new teachers, noting that in Australia the purpose of assessment is to inform teaching. A brief section on the American Association for Higher Education and its Education Trust is appended. (CH)

The nine papers included in this book are: "The Why, What and How of Educational Reform in Japan" (Roger Goodman); "Why Reform Japanese Education?" (William K. Cummings); "Destruction and Reconstruction: A Comparative Analysis of the Education Reform in Japan and Germany under the U.S. Military Occupation After World War Two" (Masako Shibata); "The Third Great Reform of the Japanese Education System: Success in the 1980s Onwards" (Christopher P. Hood); "Japanese Educational Reform: Developments and Prospects at Primary and Secondary Level" (Peter Cave); "Japanese Nationalism and the Reform of English Language Teaching" (Robert W. Aspinall); "Globalisation and the Recent Reforms in Japanese Higher Education" (Yoko Tsuruta); "Changes in Mathematics Teaching in Japan: Are They Real or Rational?" (Julia Whitburn); and "Postscript. Reflections on British Interest in Education in Japan" (David Phillips). (Papers contain references.) (SM)

This collection of papers explores sociocultural influences on motivation and learning across a broad range of settings and content areas. There are 16 papers in five sections. "Introduction" includes: (1) "Modern Education Needs Cross-Cultural Psychology" (Harry Triandis). Part 1, "The Motivation Context," includes: (2) "Beyond Dichotomous Characterizations of Student Learning: New Directions in Achievement Motivation Research" (Janine Bempechat and Beth A. Boulay); (3) "A Comparison of Motivational and Critical Thinking Orientations Across Ethnic Groups" (Tim Urdan and Carol Giancarlo); and (4) "The Contexts of Individual Motivational Change" (Judith MacCallum). Part 2, "The Learning Context," features: (5) "Social Representations of School Failure in Brazilian Public Schools: A Framework for Understanding and Change" (Elizabeth Gama and Denise Meyreles de Jesus); (6) "The Impact of Sociocultural Context on Future Goals and Self-Regulation" (Stephanie Brickman and Raymond Miller); and (7) "Uncovering Sociocultural Influences Leads to a Call for Personalized Learning" (Glenn Fay). Part 3, "The Family Context," includes: (8) "Perceived Parenting Success of Mothers in Japan" (Robert Strom, Shirley Strom, and Paris Strom); (9) "Fathers' Role in the School Success of Adolescents: A Singapore Study" (Ong Ai Choo and Esther Tan); and (10) "Correlates of Achievement in the United Arab Emirates: A Sociocultural Study" (Maher M. Abu-Hilal). Part 4, "The Curriculum Context," features: (11) "Engaged Reading: A Multi-Level Approach to Considering Sociocultural Factors with Diverse Learners" (Robert Rueda, Laurie Macgillivray, Lilia Monzo, and Angela Arzubiaga); (12) "Adolescent Second Language Writers in China: A Sociocultural Analysis" (Kerri-Lee Krause and Dan O'Brien); (13) "Achievement in Mathematics and Language Arts: A Comparative Study of Canadian and German Preservice Teachers' Beliefs" (Erika Kuendiger, David Kellenberger, and Siegbert Schmidt); (14) "Native American Influence on Curriculum and Instruction" (Scott Sparks); (15) "Sociocultural Context and Service Learning Inside and Outside of the University Classroom" (Valerie McKay); and (16) "Play and Learning in School: A Motivational Approach" (Ole Fredrik Lillemyr). (Papers contain references.) (SM)

This volume contains 12 papers originally presented at the 14th Rutgers Invitational Symposium on Education in 1999. The symposium explored contemporary issues of ethnic, cultural, and national identities and their influence on the social construction of identity. Papers include: (1) "Reconceptualizing Ethnicity and Educational Achievement" (Douglas E. Foley); (2) "Confucianism and the Educational Process: A Comparative Analysis of Chinese and Chinese American Identity Development in Education" (Vivian Ota Wang); (3) "Multicultural Identities and the Adaptation of Young Immigrants in Israel" (Gabriel Horenczyk and Uzi Ben-Shalom); (4) "Buraku Students and Cultural Identity: The Case of a Japanese Minority" (Hiroshi Ikeda); (5) "Culture, Race, and Ethnicity in Education in South Africa" (Crain Soudien); (6) "Teachers, the South African State, and the Desegregation of Schools in the 1990s" (Volker R. Wedekind); (7) "Demographic Diversity and Higher Education Reorganization in South Africa: The Applicability of U.S. Models" (James B. Stewart and Fatima Abrahams); (8) "Education and Identity within a Psychological and Sociocultural Context" (Saundra Tomlinson-Clarke); (9) "Educational Reform and Language Issue in Ukraine" (Petro P. Kononenko and Ivan Z. Holowinsky); (10) "Local Identity and National Systems: The Case of Wales" (John Fitz); and (11) "Bilingualism and Bilingual Education in China" (Teng Xing and Weng Yanheng). Information on the contributors as well as an author index and subject index are included. (Individual papers contain references.) (SM)

This book presents papers, written in both English and French, from a symposium entitled "Promoting Learner Autonomy: New Insights." After "Introduction" (Leni Dam), the eight papers include the following: "Examining the Discourse of Learner Advisory Sessions" (David Crabbe, Alison Hoffman, and Sara Cotteral); "Approaches to Advising for Self-Directed Language Learning" (Richard Pemberton, Sarah Toogood, Susanna Ho, and Jacqueline Lam); "From Awareness to Counselling in Learner Autonomy" (Beverly Ann Carter); "Towards an Analytic Approach to Assessing Learner Autonomy" (Jose Lai); "The Assessment of Learner Autonomy and Language Learning" (Marie-France Champagne, Terry Clayton, Nicholas Dimmitt, Matthew Laszewski, William Savage, Jonathan Shaw, Richmond Stroupe, Myint Myint Thein, and Pierre Walter); "Discourse Behaviour in an Autonomous Learning Environment" (Lienhard Legenhausen); "Group Work for Autonomy in Asia: Insights from Teacher Research" (Richard C. Smith); and "The Institutional and Psychological Context of Learner Autonomy" (Naoko Aoki). (Papers contain references.) (SM)

This collection of papers shows how intercultural competence can be realized in the classroom. The 17 chapters include the following: (1) "The International Partnership Project" (Carol Morgan); (2) "Teaching Intercultural Communicative Competence through Literature" (Eva Burwitz-Melzer); (3) "'Up the Hills of Identity'" (Elena Tarasheva and Leah Davcheva); (4) "Visual Codes and Modes of Presentation of Television News Broadcasts" (Maria Metodieva Genova); (5) "An Approach to Implementing a Cultural Studies Syllabus" (Iskra Georgieva); (6) "'Family Life' and 'Regional Identity'--Comparative Studies While Learning French" (Sylvia Duffy and Janet Mayes); (7) "'It Must Be Cultural because I Don't Do It': Cultural Awareness in Initial TESOL Teacher Education" (Mary Williams); (8)"Virtual Intercultural Competence: A Programme for Japanese Elementary School Students" (Lynne Parmenter and Yuichi Tomita); (9) "Students as Virtual Ethnographers: Exploring the Language Culture-Connection" (Sheila Carel); (10) "Working in Tandem: An Anglo-French Project" (Clare Dodd); (11) "New Tools for Old Tricks: Information and Communication Technology in Teaching British Cultural Studies" (Paul Whittaker); (12) "Tandem Learning as an Intercultural Activity" (Jane Woodin); (13) "'Why Do Danes Put Their Elderly in Nursing Homes?'--Working Outside the Classroom with Adult Second Language Learners" (Judith Parsons and Peter Junge); (14) "Cultural Understanding in Danish Schools" (Leon Aktor and Karen Risager); (15) "'I Thought My Teacher Fancied Me'" (Tanya Madjarova, Magdalena Botsmanova, and Tanya Stamatova); (16) "British and Bulgarian Christmas Cards: A Research Project for Students" (Krassimira Topuzova); and (17) "Study of Landscapes as an Approach to Openness to Others" (Francoise Vigneron). (Papers contain references.) (SM)

This book, which is designed primarily for undergraduate and graduate students of education, contains 12 papers devoted the New Labour's policies for schools in the United Kingdom. "Introduction" (Jim Docking) presents an overview of the book's contents and lists questions to help evaluate the effectiveness of New Labour's educational policies. "What Is the Problem?" (Jim Docking) examines the background to the standards debate and the government's rationale for increasing investment in education and intervention to raise standards. "What Is the Solution? An Overview of National Policies for Schools, 1979-99" (Jim Docking) recaps successive governments' policies to raise standards. "Target Setting, Inspection and Assessment" (Derek Shaw) explains how standards are monitored and considers problems of benchmarking. "Curriculum Initiatives" (Jim Docking) reviews national programs to raise standards in literacy, numeracy, and information and communication technology. "The Revised National Curriculum" (Jim Docking) traces the curriculum's development. "Early Years Education" (Peter Jackson) explores issues and developments in early years education. "Special Educational Needs and Inclusion" (Ron Letch) discusses the drive to place more special needs children in mainstream schools. "14-19 and Lifelong Learning" (Roger Marples) examines the complexities of provision for learners aged 14-19 and the policy to improve provisions for of lifelong learning. "The Teaching Profession" (Graham Welch, Pat Mahony) looks at policies for reforming the teaching profession. "The Role of Local Education Authorities" (Ron Letch) focuses on the changing role of local education authorities. "Choice, Diversity and Partnerships" (Peter Jackson) outlines New Labour's policies regarding choice, diversity, and development of partnerships. "Disengagement, Truancy and Exclusion" (Jane Lovey) is devoted to New Labour's policies to arrest pupil disengagement and reduce the incidence of truancy and exclusion. All papers contain substantial bibliographies. (MN)

This collection of abstracts and papers includes: "Classroom Lesson Planning Using Constructivist Principles" (Richard K. Gordon, Stephen Lee, and Joel Colbert); "Students' Perception of Experiential Learning and Assessment of Own Learning at the Physically Handicapped School" (Shigeru Shimizu; Minoru Umezawa, and Yumiko Ono); "Constructivist Teaching Practices in Japan and the United States: A Preliminary Comparative Study" (Richard K. Gordon, Laura Sicola, and Sharon Durall); "Sustained Reform in Mathematics: A Commentary on the American Perspective of 'What Works' in Japanese Education" (John Woodward and Carol Merz); "Improving Science and Mathematics Education" (Donald E. Pierson); "The Pragmatics of Problem Behavior: Turning Trouble into Teaching" (Richard S. Neel);"Classroom Disruption in Japanese Elementary Schools" (Yasutada Takahashi); "The New System of Teacher's Work Performance Appraisal: The Case of the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education" (Yutaka Shiraishi); "The Role of Higher Education in Teacher Professional Development" (Inez Rovegno and Carol Donovan); "Educational Leadership in the Asia/Pacific Region: The Evolution and Structure of a Professional Development Master's Program for Teachers throughout the Asia/Pacific Region" (David P. Ericson); "Recent Developments in the Continuing Education of Teachers in the United States: The Growth of the For-Profit Sector" (Ann Intili Morey); "Teachers' License in the Credential Society, (2)" (Keijiro Tanaka, Norihisa Hashimoto, Kiyoharu Hara, and Yoshitaka Tanigawa); "Teacher Induction/Career Transition: Implications for Japanese and U.S. Teacher Preparation Programs" (Mark W. Clark); and "The Present Situation and Problems of Continue Education of School Teachers in Hokkaido Prefecture" (Yoichi Yazawa, Hiromi Kitamura, Hiroshi Morita, Mika Kamidochi, Yoshiyuki Takehara, and Takanobu Nakamura). (SM)

American schools might improve their performance by emulating certain successful businesses that, while distinctly American, have much in common with Japanese corporations. William Ouchi attributes Japanese business success to worker involvement; the typical Japanese corporation, he asserts, unifies its employees around a corporate philosophy transmitted through a corporate culture. Most American businesses, by contrast, are plagued with instability, as workers seek career growth at the expense of the company. American "Type Z" corporations, however, have attained prosperty and stability because, like Japanese corporations, they are people-centered and purposeful organizations. Meanwhile, despite growing criticism of American education, school effectiveness research has found examples of highly successful schools. The "Type Z" school is a new model that draws on both these analyses. The characteristics of such a school include: (1) a clear philosophy stressing excellence, equity, and enrichment in an optimistic environment; (2) a curriculum reflecting community goals and values; (3) classroom practices congruent with the school philosophy; (4) a sense of community among and between teachers and students; and (5) a strong principal providing symbolic leadership, instructional leadership, and group facilitation. (MCG)

Papers on aspects of second language program evaluation include the following: "The Role of Language Testing in Language Program Evaluation" (Adrian Palmer); "Defining an Appropriate Role for Language Tests in Intensive English Language Programs" (Margaret Des Brisay, Doreen Ready); "Principles and Practice in an Evaluation Project" (Dermot F. Murphy); "National Level Formative Evaluation: Some First Steps" (Ali Abdul Ghani, Brian Hunt); "Second Language Proficiency Assessment and Program Evaluation" (David Nunan); "How Program Personnel Can Help Maximize the Utility of Language Program Evaluations" (Ronald Mackay); "The Development of Self Assessment Skills in TESOL Teacher Preparation" (Alastair L. McGregor); "Bringing Evaluation and Methodology Closer Together" (David Crabbe);"Evaluating a Teacher Training Project in Difficult Circumstances" (C. J. Weir, J. Roberts); "Program Evaluation in Light of Language Learning Background, Student Assessments, and TOEFL Performance" (Harry L. Gradman, Edith Hanania); "Towards Evaluating the Writing Laboratory: A Prototype" (Ma Flor E. Mejorada, Elvira Fonacier); "Trialling of the NEW EL Syllabuses for Singapore Schools" (Goh Soon Guan); and "EAP Program Evaluation in an Asian Context: A Case from Japan" (Mark Sawyer). (MSE)

This volume provides an overview of some of the outstanding features of the work of the Norwegian sociologist and comparative educationist, Jon Lauglo. After an introduction, "'It Ain't Necessarily So!': Theories and Observations in Jon Lauglo's World of Education and Training" (Se-Yung Lim and Klaus Schaack), essays and studies are presented in five sections. Section 1, "Teachers and Social Contexts," includes "Teachers' Social Origins, Career Commitment during University, and Occupational Attitudes"; "Upper-Secondary Teaches in Norway: Organizational Participation and its Correlates"; and "Rural Primary School Teachers as Potential Community Leaders? Contrasting Historical Cases in Western Countries." Section 2, "Technical and Vocational Education and Training," includes"Concepts of 'General Education' and 'Vocational Education' Curricula for Post-Compulsory Schooling in Western Industrialised Countries: When Shall the Twain Meet?"; "Diversified Secondary Education in Kenya: The Status of Practical Subjects and Their Uses after School" (Jon Lauglo and Anders Narman); "Technical Secondary Students in Kenya: Origins, Achievement and Destinations"; and "Vocational Training: Analysis of Policy and Modes--Case Studies of Sweden, Germany and Japan." Section 3, "Control of Education," includes "Soviet Education Policy 1917-1935: From Ideology to Bureaucratic Control"; "Populism and Education in Norway"; and "Forms of Decentralization and Their Implications for Education." Section 4, "The 'Agency' for Education and Social Capital among Immigrant Youth," includes"Working Harder to Make the Grade: Immigrant Youth in Norwegian Schools" and "Social Capital Trumping Class and Cultural Capital? Engagement with School among Immigrant Youth." Section 5, "A Case for Adult Basic Education in Developing Countries," includes "A Case for Renewed Engagement with Adult Basic Education in Africa." (Papers contain references.) (SM)

This volume is a collection of papers focused on a single theme, cooperative learning, written by classroom teachers of varying experience levels. This book introduces cooperative learning and gives examples of cooperative learning activities, units, and systems created by teachers in Japan, The United States, and Canada, who are currently using these methods. Cooperative learning is a group learning activity organized so that learning is dependent on the socially structured exchange of information between learners in groups, and in which each learner is held accountable for his or her own learning and is motivated to increase the learning of others. The book is divided into sections highlighting systems, units, and activities. Systems, the largest form of cooperative learning, describes an entire way of presenting any language item or content. These systems are independent of any content and can be used to teach anything. Units are an example of extended cooperative learning activity or sets of activities with a single theme or goal that stretch over several classes, a semester, or a whole year. Activities are short cooperative learning bits that can be as short as ten minutes or cover a complete class period. The book ends with a section on evaluation. An instant index is included which presents key words for topic, institutional level, skills practiced, an abstract, and author contact information for each of the 14 chapters of text. An annotated bibliography is appended, covering books, commercial and non-profit organizations, newsletters, and web resources. Topics include: cooperative learning in Japan; implementing cooperative learning in language learning setting; an EFL-NGO forum integrating cooperative learning and global issues; developing oral fluency and interactive group skills through cooperative learning techniques; generating ideas cooperatively in a writing class; cooperative learning and assessment and evaluation. (KFT)

More than ever before, Japan is aware of its potential for shaping the global library and information scene and the Japanese are responding to the current flood of information with new media technologies and improved database services with a synergistic approach that involves library professionals, information specialists, governmental leaders, corporate and industry planners, and information consumers. This reference work traces the development of traditional and modern libraries and librarianship in Japan and describes what they have become in modern times. The book begins with a retrospective glance at the cultural and literary circumstances surrounding the development of language, writing, paper, books, and other activities which fostered early library activity. The chapters that follow provide detailed information on the evolution of particular types of libraries, including the National Library and academic, public, school, and special libraries. Discussion also includes library automation, librarian education and professional organizations. Several statistical tables are presented throughout the text and an extensive bibliography of English and Japanese sources concludes the volume. (AEF)

The volume is intended to give readers a glimpse of the day-to-day life of disabled people in Japan. Eight brief papers present life experiences of a mentally retarded preschooler, severely disabled children, a child with muscular dystrophy, a young girl with polio living in the community, visually disabled and recovering mentally ill people receiving vocational training, a hearing impaired worker in a subway arcade shop, and a Down's syndrome man working in a laundry. The second part of the booklet describes services and programs (including education, income security, and employment) widely used by disabled persons in the community. A final section touches on such issues as legislation, participation of disabled people in policy development, and professional training. (CL)

The collection of essays on teachers as course developers is designed to help teachers understand how to develop courses or modify existing ones using their own experience and the experiences and theories of others. It attempts to capture this process through the stories of six teachers who have developed courses. Each narrative focuses on a specific aspect of course development. Articles include: "Teachers as Course Developers" (Kathleen Graves); "A Framework of Course Development Processes" (Kathleen Graves); "Designing Workplace ESOL Courses for Chinese Health-Care Workers at a Boston Nursing Home" (Johan Uvin); "Designing a Seventh-Grade Social Studies Course for ESL Students at an International School" (Pat Fisher); "Designing an EAP Course for Postgraduate Students in Ecuador" (Maria del Carmen Blyth); "Designing a Writing Component for Teen Courses at a Brazilian Language Institute" (Maria Estela Pinheiro Franco); "Planning an Advanced Listening Comprehension Elective for Japanese College Students" (Barbara Fujiwara); and "A Curriculum Framework for Corporate Language Programs" (Laura Hull). A list of further readings is included and contents are indexed. (MSE)