Social changes in Sweden have engendered concrete problems for young people. For example, an extensive government-sponsored day care system has left many youth longing for social contacts with adults. The Swedish society is giving material welfare higher priority than social welfare. Possible solutions are discussed. (RM)

Although language specialists do not always agree about the best age at which to introduce English language instruction, policy changes are increasingly mandating earlier introduction of English in foreign language (EFL) settings worldwide. In this volume, language educators and program implementers from various countries describe programs and…

This volume describes the technical aspects of TIMSS 2003 and summarizes the main activities involved in the development of the data collection instruments, the data collection itself, and the analysis and reporting of the data. The thirteen chapters contained herein are: (1) Overview of TIMSS 2003 (Michael O. Martin and Ina V. S. Mullis); (2)…

This document contains three papers from a symposium on expanding perspectives in human resource development (HRD) research. "The Concept of Culture in International and Comparative HRD Research: Methodological Problems and Possible Solutions" (Alexander Ardichvili, K. Peter Kuchinke) discusses the following topics: (1) alternative…

This document contains action paper reports from an international youth assembly that was held to enable young people from around the world to discuss a variety of social and economic issues and develop a common vision and plan of action. The report by the Committee on Youth Employment and Education examines the current state of education, its…

Recent research has identified trends in the training systems of 13 countries in Africa (Egypt, Mauritius, South Africa); the Arab States (Bahrain, Jordan); Asia (Australia, Fiji, Malaysia); Eastern Europe (Albania, Slovenia); Western Europe (Ireland, Portugal); and the Mediterranean region (Malta). The trends identified are legislation;…

Traditionally characterized by a mixed human capital and human skills and resources model, the German education and training system has come under pressure from structural changes in economy and society. The emerging "new economy" is more than the sector of information technology industries. Beyond global action and rapid exchange of…

Digitization of information and the Internet have profoundly expanded the capacity for openness. This report details the benefits of openness in three areas--open standards, open-source software, and open innovation--and examines the major issues in the debate over whether openness should be encouraged or not. The report explains each of these…

Forecasts of Australian labor market growth, net replacement needs, and net job openings to 2006 are presented using the nine-way grouping of occupations described by (Maglen and Shah, 1999). Analysis is based on classifying occupations by whether they are advantaged by globalization and technological change, relatively insulated, or vulnerable.…

A number of perspectives on adult education are evident in the international literature, with publications from the Fifth International Conference on Adult Education held in Hamburg, Germany, in July 1997, a particularly rich source of information. A clear trend in the conference and the documents it produced was the critical importance of adult…

In 1997-1999, the Department of Agriculture, Resource, and Managerial Economics of Cornell University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences conducted an entrepreneurship education and outreach program that was based on the Premier FastTrac Curriculum, which is a model delivery tool for entrepreneurship education. In 1997-1998, the program was…

This report, the third in UNESCO's series of World Education Reports, focuses on the largest single category of persons denied equality of educational opportunity in the world today: women and girls. The report examines global trends and developments in female access to formal education in both industrial and developing countries, focusing in…

The Communication Theory and Methodology section of the proceedings contains the following 12 selected papers: "Innovativeness and Perceptions of Faculty Innovation Champions on the Diffusion of World Wide Web Course Features" (Patrick J. Sutherland); "A Communication 'Mr. Fit'? Living with No Significant Difference" (Fiona…

Career technical education is an essential component of the total educational system in the United States and is critical to the country's ability to compete in a global economy. Career technical education is provided in a variety of settings and levels and provides students and adults the technical skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in…

This book, which contains 15 chapters by various authors, aims to conceptualize new ways that knowledge is being "legitimized" through various formal and informal workplace-based research practices. It examines the new legitimations critically, and analyzes possible directions for future developments in work-based research and…