The purpose of this systematic literature review of empirical studies was to analyse the results of 20 years of research, related to education reform, to identify factors that support or hinder change efforts. An electronic search identified a total of 160 relevant primary studies published between 2000 and 2020 that were included in the review.…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide advice to organizations on how to become successful in the digital age. The paper revisits Peter Senge's (1990) notion of the learning organization and discusses the relevance of systems thinking and the other four disciplines, namely, personal mastery, mental models, shared vision and team learning…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to review and provide propositions about survey assessment tools of the key sustainability competencies (KSCs) of education for sustainability. UNESCO points out how education plays an important role in transforming societies towards a sustainable future and achieving the United Nations' sustainable…

Background/Context: The traditional literature on the history of higher education in the United States focuses on linear explanations of the inexorable growth of the size, mission, and importance of colleges and universities. That approach ignores or minimizes a recurrent strain of discontent with the higher education sector, especially from…

This report focuses on systems thinking and its place in education transformation. It reflects on key published literature and on specific outputs from the Education Development Trust's own programme of research. The report offers an overview of the evolution of systems thinking and the relevance for policymakers and practitioners as they tackle…

The AACSB accreditation process reflects basic quality principles, providing standards and a process for feedback for continuous improvement. However, implementation can lead to unintended negative consequences. The literature shows that while institutionalism and critical theory have been used as a theoretical base for evaluating accreditation,…

Many components of the social system interact with one another to produce group-level behavior that determines the functionality of the small group in outdoor adventure education (OAE). This article synthesizes the contemporary literature and theory regarding eight aspects of the OAE social system: (a) Macro Contextual Factors, (b) Student…

Attention is directed to identification of the various individuals and groups ("constituencies") with an interest in system performance, and to the investigation of those items of system relevant information (their "performance measure sets") which do, in fact, change their evaluations of how well the system is performing. (Author/RL)

It is proposed that the only technology that has consistently been effective over traditional education approaches is the personalized system of instruction (PSI). An overview is given of the purpose, origin, development, and use of the system. The five critical components are outlined: use of student assistants, emphasis on the written word in…

An often-quoted Nigerian proverb holds that it is the responsibility of the whole village to teach a child. This paper argues that this goal might not even be possible, given the complex educational system of the 1990s. The paper provides a framework for effective change based on an understanding of the complexity of the educational system. It…

Structural features of the United States' foreign language teaching system are sketched, focusing on ways that different activities and organizations in foreign language instruction form a de facto national system and the extent to which the system serves the national need for a large, diverse pool of highly proficient second language users. The…

Discusses limitations of current instructional design theory and suggests new approaches that should be emphasized. Constructivist theories of learning in cognitive psychology are described, research into student learning is reviewed, and the systems approach is discussed in conjunction with the use of objectives. (47 references) (LRW)

Discusses the relationship of constructivism with instructional design theory. Topics discussed include instructional systems development; objectives; learning versus instruction; deep learning versus surface learning; situated learning versus formal instruction; adaptive learning; and the role of interactive educational technology in the design…

Reviews some approaches to organizational effectiveness suggested by organizational theorists, reports on the applications of these theories in libraries, develops some hypotheses regarding the assessment of performance in libraries, and describes a model which synthesizes some of the approaches. A 52-item reference list is attached. (Author/JL)

An examination of the origin and content of general systems theory is followed by identification of the major characteristics of systems and brief discussion of use of models. Two ways of applying a systems model are identified and their appropriateness is assessed in relation to particular training circumstances. (55 references). (Author/MBR)