Let us first agree on what the term "semantics" means: An unorthodox approach to an age-old debate

Traditionally, semantics has been seen as a feature of human language. The advent of the information era has led to its widespread redefinition as an information feature. Contrary to this praxis, I define semantics as a special kind of information. Revitalizing the ideas of Bar-Hillel and Carnap I have recreated and re-established the notion of semantics as the notion of Semantic Information. I have proposed a new definition of information (as a description, a linguistic text, a piece of a story or a tale) and a clear segregation between two different types of information - physical and semantic information. I hope, I have clearly explained the (usually obscured and mysterious) interrelations between data and physical information as well as the relation between physical information and semantic information. Consequently, usually indefinable notions of "information", "knowledge", "memory", "learning" and "semantics" have also received their suitable illumination and explanation

Education and the integration of migrants: challenges for European education systems arising from immigration and strategies for the successful integration of migrant children in European schools and societies

Die Studie befasst sich mit der (sozialen Ungleichheit) bei der Bildung von Schülern mit Migrationshintergrund in Europa. Mit Rückgriff auf empirisches Datenmaterial und Erkenntnisse werden die gegenwärtige Situation der Untersuchungsgruppe in den Bildungssystemen und den Schulen beleuchtet, aktuelle Erklärungsansätze für die Ist-Situation dargestellt sowie die Bildungspolitik mitsamt ihren Maßnahmen kritisch analysiert. Im ersten Schritt werden zunächst (1) die Lage der Schüler aus Migrantenfamilien in den Bildungssystemen beschrieben und (2) Erklärungen für die schwachen Schulleistungen auf der Meso- und Makroebene erläutert. Auf dieser Grundlage werden im zweiten Schritt sodann die Bildungspolitik, -programme und -maßnahmen zur Verbesserung der Lernmöglichkeiten untersucht. In diesem Zusammenhang gilt das Augenmerk (1) der Sozialpolitik, (2) dem Lehrpersonal, (3) den Schulangeboten, (4) der individuellen Unterstützung, (5) der Antidiskriminierungspolitik sowie (6) dem Spracherwerb und sozialen Integration. Die Untersuchung schließt mit einer Reihe von Schlussfolgerungen und Empfehlungen, adressiert an die Kompetenzträger der Schul- und Bildungspolitik. (ICG2

Equal opportunity policy and feminist political science: the "invisible avant-garde" of governance research?

"In Deutschland wurde Gleichstellungspolitik von Beginn an über Steuerungsformen betrieben, die heute Gegenstand der Governanceforschung sind. Die feministische Politikwissenschaft kann darum dieser neuen Forschungsperspektive wichtige Antworten zu ihren Kernfragen anbieten. Im Rückgriff auf zentrale Ergebnisse feministischer Forschung machen die Autorinnen die Grenzen der Steuerbarkeit in den Bereichen Recht, Ökonomie und Sozialpolitik deutlich. Konkret wird die Vielfalt der Governanceformen und -modi an der Politik zu Entgeltgleichheit, zu Gleichheit in der Sorgearbeit und in der Verwaltungspolitik herausgearbeitet. Im Fazit werden die Synergieeffekte und die gemeinsamen Anliegen der feministischen Politikwissenschaft und der Governanceforschung aufgezeigt." (Autorenreferat)"In Germany equal opportunity policy has been conducted from the beginning by forms of regulation, which are currently the subject of governance research. Feminist political science can thus offer important answers to the core questions of this new research perspective. By drawing on the main results of feminist research, the authors first clarify the boundaries of governance in the areas law, the economy, and social policy. Specifically, the diversity of forms and modes of governance will be illustrated for policies concerning wage equality, equality in childcare, and in administrative policy. In the conclusion the authors address the synergetic effects and the common concerns of feminist political science and governance research." (author's abstract

ICT for the Social and Economic Integration of Migrants into Europe

This is the final report on a study carried out by IPTS on 'The potential of ICT for the promotion of cultural diversity in the EU: the case of economic and social participation and integration of immigrants and ethnic minorities'. The study explores ICT supply and demand aspects for and by immigrants and ethnic minorities in Europe and the related policy implications in their integration context This report selectively analyses the main findings from 5 previous publications from the study: an overview of digital support initiatives for/by IEM in the EU27 (Kluzer, Haché, and Codagnone 2008); a more detailed analysis of ICT supply and demand in IEM communities in France, Germany, Spain and the UK (Codagnone et al, eds. 2009) and three reports on case studies in France, Germany and Spain. It puts these findings into theoretical perspective, indicates the policy implications and makes recommendations.JRC.DDG.J.4-Information Societ

Handling the Past: Using a Specialized Curriculum to Facilitate Narration of Racial Identities

Identity construction takes place where people spend significant amounts of time. For children, those areas include home and school. Evidence exists that Black children are not given opportunities in school to narrate and affirm their racial identities. Racial identity has been shown to affect school success (Carter, 2008; Lea, 2014; Murrell, 2007), political involvement (Diemer and Li, 2011), and psychological well-being (Seaton, Sellers, & Scottham, 2006). Scholars suggest using history, narration, and dialogue to address this problem; however, current research has yet to incorporate these suggestions. I used a critical action research methodology to explore the influence of a specialized curriculum, document student engagement in critical race discourse, and facilitate the racial identity narrations of fourteen Black fifth-grade students. Targeted digital materials containing affirming Black historical portraits were used as springboards to teacher-facilitated conversations about race and subsequent student written reflections. Qualitative analysis was applied to students’ reflections after viewing and discussing the digital materials, students’ answers to direct questions regarding their racial attitudes, researcher observations, and researcher reflections. The findings suggest that students (1) had a severely limited knowledge of Black history and desired to learn more, (2) further developed affirming Black racial identities despite the historical challenges of Black people and despite personal contemporary problems, (3) were nonjudgmental regarding actions that their Black collective group exhibited regarding agency and subsistence, and (4) held exclusionary attitudes toward White people while suggesting the need for various races and cultures to spend time together. Implications for teachers, teacher educators, policy makers, book publishers, and curriculum developers are discussed

The impact of contextual factors on the implementation of the e-education policy in previously disadvantaged areas in Cape Town: the teachers perspective

Despite the fact that it has been established that contextual factors affect implementation and implementation outcomes of ICT projects, there is a dearth of information on the impact of contextual factors on the implementation of the white paper in e-education in schools in previously disadvantaged areas in South Africa. To fill this gap, this study investigated how contextual factors affected the implementation and implementation outcomes of the white paper in e-education in schools in previously disadvantaged areas. In addition, the study sought to evaluate if these interventions added value to the teachers work. This study adopted a critical interpretivist approach and used the contextual interaction theory to guide the investigation. The research data was obtained through semi structured interviews with teachers and school management staff of public schools in previously disadvantaged areas in Cape Town, a panel discussion and review of the pertinent policy documents on Information Communication and Technology implementation in South African government schools. The findings of the study show that the implementation context, the history of the implementers, interactions between the policy actors and other issues that are in no way related to the implementation process affected the implementation process and outcomes. Furthermore, the implementation process was wrought with high degrees of ambiguity which is typical in public sector ICT policy implementation. The study also shows that there is need to have measures to evaluate ICT policy implementation which take into consideration the context in which the project exists and the perception of the intended recipients about the success or failure of the implementation. It is hoped that the results will assist those who carry out ICT implementation projects in disadvantaged areas in South Africa and similar context elsewhere insights into the implementation dynamics which can affect implementation outcomes. This thesis contributes to the knowledge base for effective implementation of e-policies, particularly in contexts such as previously disadvantaged areas by pointing out contextual issues and factors that mitigate against implementation efforts. The thesis also reveals practical implications for policy makers by highlighting the need for policies to be based on valid assumptions and be suitable to implementation contexts reflecting the needs, understandings and social realities of primary beneficiaries

Women as social entrepreneurs in the hospitality and tourism industry: Does empowerment play a role?

This paper which is a work in progress presents a qualitative study exploring the nature, motivations and extent to which female entrepreneurs use their H&T businesses as platforms for engagement in various forms of social entrepreneurship (SE) leading to value creation, economic and community development. Although SE is seen as a key contributor to the creation and diversification of entrepreneurial activity, women empowerment and local economic development, there is limited research on the role of female H&T entrepreneurs in emerging non -western destinations. We focus on the following research questions: a) Can female entrepreneurs in H&T be considered as social entrepreneurs? b) How does the structure and organization of society shape the nature of female participation in SE? c) What are the challenges involved in mobilizing female entrepreneurs to effectively engage in SE? d) How does SE maximise value creation and higher levels of satisfaction for all participants? Concepts from women-owned H&T enterprises, SE and women empowerment are drawn upon. We argue that women are embedded in male dominated traditions/customs, community associations and government bureaucracies that may either empowered or dis-empower them. Using the case of Cameroon, we examine how embeddedness enhances the capacity of women to engage in SE in the H&T industry, thereby contributing to local economic development. Empirically we adopt a mixed methods approach using multiple case studies: a survey questionnaire, five focus groups meetings (two women -only, one male-only, and two mix of male and female entrepreneurs) and twenty-five in-depth interviews with selected female entrepreneurs (18), (non)governmental organisations (03) and beneficiaries (04) of social enterprise ventures between May 2014 and February 2015. The findings clarify the role of women in SE in H&T and policy implications for maximising social value creation through the participation of women in SE