This teacher's guide was developed for the first of four courses in Valencia Community College's Interdisciplinary Studies Program, a 2-year core general education curriculum which chronologically examines the major developments in the evolution of human knowledge. The guide provides an introductory overview of the semester's topic (i.e., the…

Thomas S. Kuhn's paradigm theory, which explains the growth of science, can be used to challenge three aspects of the received history of North American communications research: (1) the beginning point of the field and its periodization, (2) the development of mass media studies as an articulated subfield, and (3) the role of new technologies in…

To supplement course materials for classes in communication theory and research methods, this paper compares philosophical assumptions underlying three approaches to communication research: scientific, which stresses quantitative methods of analysis; humanistic, which encompasses many conflicting techniques but has as a common element--the…

One of the most important myths in education is that of progress. The idea derives from a specifically Western messianic tradition and contains the belief in the growth and the development of an organism. That belief emerges from Greek and Hebraic thought, is modified in Christian theology, and then is secularized in science. The persistence and…

To link the perspectives of Walter Ong on the history of literacy to the psychological context of college writers, this paper contrasts the mind-sets that are important to writers: the oral community of the ancient epic and the modern psychological perspective, with its emphasis on the one against the many. In the first section of the paper, Ong's…

This paper outlines considerations exploring the potential contribution of philosophic positions to the study of educational administration under three broad areas. The first is the ideas and methods of educational administration. Arguing that a variety of perspectives and approaches is needed, the paper discusses general philosophic theories and…

One of a series of booklets designed for use in an Open University Course on the education of handicapped students in Great Britain, the booklet examines the application of psychology to special education. Origins of educational psychology are traced, as are the beginnings of psychology's relationship with special education. The author asserts…

The Swedish National Board of Universities and Colleges' research on higher education program is discussed. The program's primary aim is to encourage discussion of the content, form, and effect of higher education activities. After outlining the distinctive properties and values of the program, the following main content areas of research are…

The status of international and global education at Lutheran colleges was investigated. Catalogs of 34 colleges and universities were analyzed to determine the courses that had an international or global focus, mission statements, general course requirements, programs, and majors and minors. Twelve of the colleges and universities had a philosophy…

The basis for the severe discipline imposed on school children in colonial America, especially in the Puritan colonies, was the belief in original sin. The child was regarded as being born in sin and thus depraved and prone to sin. The purpose of education was to enable children to read the Bible and thus change the behavior which otherwise would…

This paper reacts to public criticism by reassessing the role of Australian public school education. It recounts the philosophical traditions that have separated instruction and teaching professionals from the realities of the present economy. The paper concludes by suggesting that not only is public input into curricular reform needed, but that…

The paper examines the current debate over the Regular Education Initiative within the field of special education. The views of both proponents and opponents are summarized. The paper then identifies five ethical issues and value conflicts which have been largely ignored by both sides and discusses them in the context of the Regular Education…

This paper uses the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in the case of "West Virginia Board of Education v. Barnette" to illustrate the impact of changes in Western Culture world views of reality on educational and legal philosophy. The report argues that Western culture has replaced vertical assumptions, with its conception of individuals who…

The purposes of this paper are: (1) to develop an understanding of three ways in which thinking and the development of foundational knowledge take place; (2) to identify a number of pertinent, empirically grounded examples of educational phenomena related to selected disciplines within the foundations of education; (3) to apply these three ways of…

Students enrolled in cooperative occupational education (COE) should achieve optimal development. To ensure this, instructors should use criteria from the psychology of education. They must strive to see that learning opportunities for COE students are meaningful; interesting; centered upon providing for individual differences; balanced among…