Despite the widespread education reform discourses attempting to alleviate high-stakes examination pressure and narrowly test-driven education systems in East Asia, none have been as systematic and drastic as the Free Year Program (FYP) recently implemented in South Korea. The FYP provides middle school students with a year-long reprieve from…

A national qualifications framework (NQF) is an instrument used to classify a country's qualifications at different levels. Each level is defined by a set of learning outcomes expected at that level. NQFs can be useful tools in education and training reforms and are vital reference points for lifelong learning and comparing qualifications across…

Previous research concerning teacher practical knowledge has revealed its epistemological foundations, content structure and research methodology, but little research examines its ethical dimension. Based on a four-year project in China, this study probes the ethical dimension of an experienced teacher's practical knowledge, explicated in a…

The use of standardised tests as a central tool in education policy has in recent decades become a common feature of many national education systems. In 2002 the Israeli Ministry of Education introduced new mandatory state tests for primary and middle schools. The article describes the adoption of these low-stakes tests and assesses their impact…

The paper examines the recent national programme of English language instruction in the Mexican public primary schools, called the "Programa Nacional de Inglés en Educación Básica" (PNIEB). The programme, initiated in 2009 by the Ministry of Education as part of the national curriculum, represents the largest expansion of English…

The impact of globalization and technological advances created a global economic environment in which emerging countries can compete with traditionally economically dominant countries on an increasingly level playing field. Emerging countries can advance their economy through the attraction of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) more quickly than by…

The English language is significant to the internationalisation of higher education worldwide. Countries in Asia are proactive in appropriating English for their national interests, while paying attention to associated national cultural identity issues. This article examines the ways in which the role of English is interpreted and justified in…

The article reviews the roles played by the Department of Education and the National Research Foundation in South Africa in defining the meaning of scholarship and in evaluating and funding it. The ideas that inform policy and practice include: the view that scholarship must serve the requirements of the national economy in becoming more globally…

The monograph provides background information, questions and comments about current trends in development theory and practice and their impact on education. It is offered as a framework for consideration by policy makers, planners, and administrators in developing countries and in aid-giving agencies who are concerned with policies and programs to…

The number of illiterates in Africa is increasing, thereby lending urgency to the need for universal adult education and functional literacy compaigns, according to chapter 1 of this detailed research report. Chapter 2 discusses the meaning, history, and nature of adult education in other countries (briefly), and in Africa (in greater detail).…

This document contains 21 papers and an introduction on work force preparation in a global context. The following papers are included: "Introduction" (Johanna Lasonen); "Access of Girls and Women to Vocational Education: Implications for the Workplace in Swaziland" (Comfort B. S. Mndebele); "Intersectoral Approaches to…