Background: In response to an outbreak of severe meningococcal disease caused by serogroup W, the UK introduced the meningococcal ACWY (MenACWY) for adolescents and new university students as a control measure. Objective: To estimate MenACWY vaccine uptake and identify factors associated with uptake, barriers and motivations towards vaccination…

This article discusses the tension between quality assurance and quality enhancement in engineering education at a programme level. It acknowledges that accreditation has evolved for many years, but does not agilely support innovation or implement changes in educational programmes. Existing quality assurance systems, institutional collaboration…

Alphacrucis College, Australia, has developed a Clinical Teaching Model (CTM) as an option within the initial teacher-training awards. The Alphacrucis College model intentionally combines the pre-service teachers' spiritual formation with their professional development. This article reports on an evaluation of the CTM students' experience compared…

The ACEI Global Guidelines Assessment (GGA) was developed to provide an international assessment tool that can be used by early childhood educators to develop, assess, and improve program quality worldwide. This pilot study was conducted in four countries to investigate the psychometric properties of the GGA within and across different countries.…

The outcomes of a school improvement programme were measured in 26 primary schools over one year. Authorised pupil and staff absences and staff turnover decreased, and unauthorised pupil absences significantly increased ("p" < 0.05). Fixed-term exclusions significantly decreased ("p" < 0.001). The self-esteem of 316…

Smaller universities may produce research which is on a par with larger, elite establishments. This is confirmed by a recently developed mathematical model, supported by data from British and French higher education research-evaluation exercises. The detailed nature of the UK system, in particular, allows quantification of the notion of critical…

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of computer courses on young individuals' computer self-efficacy, attitudes and achievement. The study group of this research included 60 unemployed young individuals (18-25 ages) in total; 30 in the experimental group and 30 in the control group. An experimental research model with pretest…

A study was made to obtain a broad overview of the operation of maternity leave in Australia from the perspectives of employees and employers. The study included: (1) an employee survey exploring the use and non-use of maternity leave and identifying determinants of taking maternity leave and of retaining women in the labor force after childbirth;…

Describes and reviews the Dutch National Action Programme (NAP) on Foreign Languages, instituted in anticipation of the demands of the 1992 Single European Market. The increasing demand for foreign languages is confirmed, some shortcomings of the current program regarding French and German language learning are identified, and recommendations for…

In this paper a comparison is made between the structure and operations of the Australian Learning and Teaching Council and the Ako Aotearoa National Centre for Tertiary Teaching Excellence of New Zealand. Both of these organisations were established in the mid 2000s and were created at a time when higher education institutions in both countries…

This study was concerned with determining the kind of vocational-industrial educational programs that would best suit the needs of Taiwan. The general conditions and provisions of 27 existing vocational-industrial programs were studied to determine their strengths and weaknesses and to provide a set of principles that would serve as guideposts for…

The first section of this report "In-service Training of Teachers" (M. Cerna) presents an analysis of selected aspects and subsequent synthesis of trends, characteristic of inservice education of educational personnel, such as its orientation, concept, definition, content and evaluation. It refers to the personality of contemporary teachers and…

Describes a recent survey of library resources for American Studies at libraries in Taiwan and compares the results with those of two earlier surveys. Faculty opinions, periodical holdings, book holdings, and recommendations for improving the quality, quantity, and utilization of library resources for American Studies are discussed. (LRW)

Research Findings: Integrated services for young children and families are part of the new policy landscape in early childhood, but there is limited evidence of the effectiveness of these programs and how they develop on the ground. This study examined the use of the Early Development Instrument (EDI) as both a summative program evaluation tool…

The reasons that students in the United Kingdom fail to complete General National Vocational Qualifications (GNVQ) courses were examined through a study that involved four key elements: questionnaire survey of 3,391 students enrolled in GNVQ courses in further education colleges and schools; questionnaire survey of 782 centers providing GNVQs;…