Evaluation systems in education: Quality, equity, and efficiency of higher education in Brazil

This paper discusses the evaluation of higher education (HE) in Brazil; after presenting a short overview of HE evaluation in the country from the 1990s onwards, it asks questions as to the impact of evaluation systems on the relevance of education, on racial and regional equity, and on efficacy. By reviewing official statistical and quantitative data on a range of indicators, the paper questions not only the quality, but also the equity and the efficiency of HE in Brazil. We are furthermore concerned with discussing the rationales behind the introduction of evaluation systems in the country, since the current \u27regulatory evaluation\u27 seems to follow an international \u27call for accountability\u27. The concluding section discusses different theoretical perspectives on this development. (DIPF/Orig.)Die Autoren argumentieren mit Blick auf den Hochschulsektor in Brasilien, dass Evaluation dort nicht als formatives, sondern regulierendes Instrument eingesetzt wurde. Sie zeigen anhand verschiedener Indikatoren, dass sich von 1994 bis 2008 trotz der Zunahme an Evaluationsinstrumenten die Qualität im Sinne von Relevanz, ethnischer und regionaler Verteilungsgerechtigkeit und Effektivität nicht verbessert hat. Die Ergebnisse diskutieren sie vor dem Hintergrund verschiedener theoretischer Arbeiten. (DIPF/Orig.)

In situ bioassay chambers and procedures for assessment of sediment toxicity with Chironomus riparius

The purpose of this study was to develop an in situ sediment bioassay chamber and respective procedures, suitable for performing toxicity bioassays with benthic invertebrates, using the midge Chironomus riparius. It was also our objective to compare the responses obtained under controlled conditions (laboratory 10-day larval growth and survival test) with those obtained in situ. Clean sand and a formulated sediment were incorporated in the in situ bioassay, along with local sediments, as a way of minimizing natural variability due to physicochemical differences among sediments or due to interactions with indigenous organisms. Recovery of organisms was good (80-100% in the control and reference site), indicating that the developed chamber and protocol were suitable for exposing and retrieving C. riparius in situ. Results also showed differences between responses obtained with formulated and natural sediment in situ, as well as between laboratory and in situ.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6VB5-48N2VXR-2/1/4b92092a978e9882e296a0bf4236ff4

Bildung und politische Macht in historischer Perspektive

In historischem Zugriff unterscheidet die Autorin zwischen drei entscheidenden Phasen, in denen sich das Verhältnis zwischen Staat, öffentlicher Bildung und Erziehung und Produktionsweise jeweils neu konstelliert. Zunächst analysiert sie die Frühphase der Durchsetzung des modernen Nationalstaats und spricht dabei besonders die (sprachlichen) Homogenisierungstechniken für die Schaffung des gesellschaftlichen, sich als nationale Gemeinschaft verstehenden, Kollektivs an. Ein weiterer Fokus betrifft den Zusammenhang zwischen Erziehung und der Gestaltung der gesellschaftlichen Produktionsverhältnisse, der in den so genannten fortgeschrittenen Gesellschaften seit der Industrialisierung zu einer wichtigen Frage wird, die bis heute eine zentrale Rolle spielt. Die Autorin identifiziert in der (ökonomischen) Internationalisierung den zentralen Faktor für die Umgestaltung der Bildungssysteme.(DIPF/Orig.)This article focuses in a historical perspective on the relation between the state and what is commonly known as the capitalistic mode of production with regards to school education. It departs from the assumption that the power structure of capitalism is more complex and multi-layered than the state apparatus to which it is reduced by the majority of political scientists. The starting point is the emergence of the modern state in the eighteenth century and its further development until World War II. A second stage is identified in the period between post-World War II and the beginning of the \u27world economic crisis\u27 in the early 1970s; the current phase receives heightened attention outlining the emergence of new structures and discussing the implications for education in an era that might be described as \u27post national sovereignty\u27. Drawing relations among these phases opens up useful insights into the specifics of the power structure and its relevance for the arrangement/organization of education. (DIPF/Orig.

Body and identity: reflections about life after amputation

A amputação de um membro pode ser considerada um evento traumático diante da mudança brusca que ocasiona na vida de um indivíduo. Este artigo traz reflexões que surgiram a partir do atendimento psicológico a pacientes amputados em decorrência de algum tipo de acidente. O objetivo é refletir acerca das consequências psíquicas relacionadas a uma alteração súbita na dimensão corporal. Buscou-se compreender de que ordem é o abalo sofrido com esta perda física e como isto se articula com o caminho percorrido por todos os indivíduos ao longo do desenvolvimento, particularmente no que diz respeito à identidade e à integração psicossomática. Para isso, utilizou-se como embasamento teórico a psicanálise winnicottiana, mais especificamente, a constituição do si mesmo na teoria do amadurecimento pessoal.The amputation of a limb may be considered a traumatic event in the face of the sudden changes in a person's life. This article introduces reflections arising from the psychological care given to amputees as a result of any type of accident. The purpose is to reflect about the psychological consequences related to the sudden change in bodily dimensions. It is also an attempt to comprehend the kind of disturbance suffered by this physical loss and how it is linked to the path all individuals tread over the course of the development, with particular regard for identity and psychosomatic integration. For this purpose, Winnicottian Psychoanalysis is used as the theoretical basis, more specifically, the creation of the self in the individual development theory