A large number of national and geographic population samples were used to test the hypothesis that the variation in mean values of skin color in the diverse populations are consistently correlated with the mean measured or estimated IQs of the various groups, as are some other physical variables, known as an ecological correlation. Straightforward…

The direction, complexity and pace of rural change in affluent, western societies can be conceptualized as a multifunctional transition, in which a variable mix of consumption and protection values has emerged, contesting the former dominance of production values, and leading to greater complexity and heterogeneity in rural occupance at all…

This paper examines geographical education for children under 13 years of age in Finland in the present situation, in which geography is taught as part of "Environmental and Natural Studies", the school subject integrating biology, geography, environmental studies, civics, physics and chemistry. In the content analysis of school…

The Western Australian schooling system is in the final phase of the move towards Outcomes Based Education with the Post Compulsory Geography Course of Study commencing in 2007. This move has been somewhat controversial amongst politicians, teachers and parent groups, partly because of the negative press Outcomes Based Education has received in…

Spatial technologies, particularly Geographic Information Systems (GIS), have become invaluable and persuasive tools in society today. These technologies have also made their way into classrooms around the world and Australian teachers are leaders in implementing GIS technology into their classrooms. There is still a way to go in order to make…

Evidence from several media illustrates the ways children attempt to fit their observations into their own, known constructs. The contrast is drawn between adult concepts and children's misconceptions and the argument made that children would have more control over their learning with a "bottom-up" approach to teaching rather than the…

The Victorian period produced a diverse and rich range of historical source materials including census returns, photographs, film, personal reminiscences, music, cartoons, and posters. Recent changes to the history curriculum emphasise the acquisition of enquiry skills alongside developing knowledge and understanding, which necessitates reference…

In this article, the author discusses how realization of the ideas of humanistic pedagogy and psychology serves as the foundation for the development of value attitudes toward nature and the surrounding world, for the formation of a new type of ecological consciousness. It is obvious that the interaction between human civilization and the earth's…

Following an integrative model that shows the complex connections of recruitment, retention, and placement, this second paper in a three-part series explores the exigent endeavor of retaining students who undertake geography as their undergraduate major. Survey data of graduating students are requisite in constructing successful retention plans.…

Recent changes in the structure of initial teacher education have resulted in teacher training institutions having to think again about how they address the issue of inclusion within their provision. In this article, Sue Pearson, who co-ordinates the MA (SEN) programme in the School of Education at the University of Leeds, and who contributes to…

Since 1989, large numbers of "ethnic returnees" have settled in Germany and Japan. After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, 2.8 million "Aussiedler," or ethnic German returnees, came to Germany from the former Soviet Union. In Japan, immigration reform driven by low-skill labor shortages induced nearly 300,000…

Social workers in urban areas attempt to carry out the profession's commitment to social change and social justice amid growing inequality, racial polarization, and a physical environment that reflects fears and antipathy toward poor people who reside there. The authors argue that changing urban conditions have prompted a need for innovative…

This article presents a preliminary analysis of a rural junior high school. This school is situated in S town, J county, Shandong province, and, in keeping with the procedure followed for naming the majority of schools in China by location of school + type of school, this school is called S Junior High. J county is one of Shandong's poor counties,…

An outline of the knowledge and skills to be taught at grade four form in order to meet the Department of Defense Dependents Schools (DoDDS) social studies objectives is provided. Material is divided into four parts. Following an introduction, a one page description overviews the curriculum topic for grade four, regional studies, and specifies the…

The purpose of the book is to provide social studies teachers with a variety of interesting and workable ideas for presenting hard-to-teach concepts in new ways. Included in this volume are the best ideas for simulations, values exercises, and other social studies lessons from "Senior Scholastic," a magazine written especially for secondary social…