Formative assessment has been widely promoted as a means to support student learning and motivation. This practice has potential for communicating to students the value of what they are learning, both in the classroom and beyond (Brophy, 2008). To make good on those promises, however, requires an understanding of the connections between formative…

This paper contributes to arguments for the potential of Giddens' structuration theory in educational research. It illustrates how "conceptual schemes" from structuration theory were applied to the author's empirical research on a type of alternative educational practice in India, "private school outreach". It shows how…

Responds to an earlier comment by R. Jean Hills regarding the correct use of Parsonian concepts. Notes the difficulty of presenting Parsons' theory and quotes several sources supporting his interpretation of the functions of a system's managerial level. (RW)

Responds to an earlier comment, in a continuing discussion of Parsonian functional imperatives and their basis in observation, their intellectual status, their ability to be tested empirically, and the number of imperatives. (RW)

The author argues that democracy as a political entity received its fundamental change through Rousseau, who proclaimed egalitarianism as the key element of political freedom. It is argued that Maoism takes the egalitarian principle to its ultimate conclusion: not only are all men considered equal, but they must act equal. (MJB)

Develops a perspective for studying institutional procedures for assigning incoming patients to available wards and for transferring patients between and among wards. Presents ethnographic data collected in one extended-care facility. Discusses staff-patient and patient-patient interactions surrounding ward assignments and transfers. (Author/ABB)

Describes how the matrilineal social structure of central Malawi, Africa, affects, to a considerable degree, the mode of transmission and content of oral tradition. Researchers should understand the way the matrilineal structure functions and, in particular, the bearing it has on the historical consciousness of informants. (RM)

Theoretical formulation may be utilized as a technique of the inquiry process under the following conditions: (1) identification of appropriate uses such as in explaining existing generalizations as a basis for asking questions that might not otherwise have been raised; (2) provision of the current state of development of a particular line of…

This paper summarizes a new paradigm of instructional supervision, which shifts the focus on supervision from an examination of individual behavior to the improvement of work processes and social system components of the school district. The paradigm, called "Knowledge Work Supervision," helps teams of teachers and specially trained supervisors…

This paper summarizes a new paradigm of instructional supervision, which shifts the focus from individual behavior to the improvement of work processes and social system components of the school district. The proposed paradigm, the Knowledge Work Supervision model, is derived from sociotechnical systems design theory and linked to the premise that…

This book maintains that educational reform cannot occur in a vacuum. The theme of the book is that the problems faced by education are systemic and deeply embedded in family and social problems. Schools themselves must assume responsibility for change, and change must occur in the ways in which schools relate to outside constituencies. The…

Describes power structure of corporations functioning under Theory W in which single leaders, in partnership with trusted followers, achieve corporate success. Basis of this industrial structure is attributed to social and developmental structures of prehistoric man and city states. Dimensions of W, X, Y, and Z theories are discussed. (MBR)

The change processes involving schools that are currently experiencing turbulent social reconstruction in eastern Europe are examined in this paper, which calls for the development of a new paradigm for social change. The first section describes recent educational reform activities and their flaws in three eastern European countries--Russia,…

The education literature has not adequately considered the notion of change at its most fundamental level. This paper considers notions of institutional or social change from the ontological perspective of H. R. Maturana. The pattern of organization in living systems is defined by Maturana and Varela (1980) as "autopoiesis," a coined…

Introduces the anti-colonial discourse as a guiding framework for forming alliances and partnerships among anti-oppression activists in academia and the larger society. Asserts that the anti-colonial discourse seeks to reclaim a new independent space strongly connected to other theories, such as Marxist, feminist, and deconstructionist. Describes…