Examines the ways in which social process, sociology, anthropology, and media studies recently seem to have replaced pedagogy, linguistics, and psychology as the major preoccupations in British applied linguistics. The role that applied linguistics research can occupy in an emerging political order characterized by free-market economics and…

Examines the process of handing over foreign- or internationally-funded English language education projects in developing nations to local personnel, using the handing over of a British Overseas Development Administration project in South Africa as a case study. Implications for project sustainability and evaluation are discussed. (nine…

Describes a longitudinal and ecological methodology for evaluating innovation in preschool education which features the involvement of those responsible for the innovation being evaluated. Reviews the use of this methodology in an evaluation of community nursery schools in the Strathclyde region of Scotland. (MDM)

Born in 1939 and raised in southwestern North Carolina, banjoist Raymond Fairchild discusses music, religion, the mountain life of his youth, education, racism, and politics from the unique perspective of one who "never did go to school enough to mess up none of my work." His firm belief in a self-made, self-educated person is reflected…

A conceptual framework of adult participation in higher secondary education has six features: social origin, normative group, comparative group, age, gender, and supply. The features closest to Cross' Chain of Response model should form the primary basis for development of theories about participation. (SK)

This article considers the role of textbooks in terms of normal day-to-day use in teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL), challenging the commonly held assumption that textbooks are of little value in EFL instruction. It argues that the textbook has a vital and positive part to play in EFL instruction on a daily basis. (20 references) (MDM)

In rural Burkina Faso, donor agencies and the national government have initiated a five-year reform program aimed at decentralizing educational administration and augmenting local participation in school management. Reforms are founded on misplaced assumptions about public ownership of formal education, efficacy of short-term training, and shared…

A recent study finds that most who earn a master's degree consider it a terminal degree and never sought a doctorate, contradicting conventional wisdom that the master's degree is a consolation prize for those who don't earn a doctorate. A system that differentiates master's and predoctoral programs is recommended. (MSE)

The development and current status of the Doctor of Arts degree, an innovative degree designed to prepare college teachers, are analyzed and several conclusions are drawn about the efficacy and acceptability of a teaching doctorate. The persistent dichotomy between those who teach and those who do research is highlighted. (Author/MSE)

Describes a study of parents' and preschool staff members' views on preschool education in Warwickshire, England; St. Louis County, Minnesota; and Kronobergs Lan in Smaland, Sweden. Compares general attitudes; parental involvement; and importance attributed to various instructional materials and activities, and to caregivers' interaction with…

Interviews with former miners and their families in North East England about education and training needs uncovered gender, age, and cultural differences in reactions to changed circumstances and view of the future. Better opportunities for education, training, and employment are needed to rebuild the fabric of community life. (SK)

Examines the debate between retention and promotion of marginal students. Includes a study of small district high school principals' attitudes toward retention in which most indicated that retention should never take place and provided alternatives to retention, including nongraded or multigraded classrooms and mastery based education. (HTH)

Extraordinary nonprofit-sector expansion has produced organizations with complex missions and operations, and requiring managers with adequate preparation. A survey of nonprofit chief executive officers found that while no single degree program was preferred, respondents liked the idea of specialized nonprofit degrees and management certificates.…

Young adults offer advice to Canadian educators (in English and French) to help them improve the education system for students today. Seven diverse young men and women reflect on their school experiences and discuss encouraging students to develop leadership skills, improving teacher/student relationships, listening to students, and exposing youth…

A West Virginia study that found that smaller poor schools did better academically than larger poor schools is being replicated in four states. Discusses the survival and successes of one tiny Ohio school, the role of small schools' social capital in compensating for poverty, a small-school researcher's recommended school sizes, and changing…