Higher education, bridging capital, and developmental leadership in the Philippines: Learning to be a crossover reformer

The article presents findings from a research project which explored how experiences of higher education supported – or not – the emergence of developmental leadership and the formation of networks among leaders of three political and social movements in the Philippines in the post-Marcos era. Based on life history interviews with key leaders, the study points to the importance of different forms of social capital, especially bridging capital, in navigating a stratified system within this oligarchical democracy. Experiences of higher education were important for leaders' development, but not necessarily in predictable ways

A tale of twelve teachers: education and democratisation in Russia and South Africa

This study explores primary school teachers' experiences of the changes that have occurred in education since the end of apartheid in South Africa and the end of communist rule in Russia. It outlines the national educational contexts and critically examines the nature and implementation of new policies in these two 'transitologies'. International literature on teacher responses to educational reform and on the potential of schooling to be democratic and to develop democracy in society is explored as background to the study. The research is based on two periods of field work in each country, between 1996 and 1998. In the second phase, case studies were developed of six Russian and six South African teachers, incorporating lesson observation and interviews about their life histories, educational experiences, classroom practice, and attitudes toward the educational reforms. The findings, based on the individual case studies and a cross-case analysis, reveal that teachers experience a range of 'competing imperatives' which make a coherent perspective and consistent practice difficult, even where teachers agree in spirit with the reforms. Their responses to these dilemmas depend on a number of individual and contextual factors, many of them arising from the personal life experiences of the teacher. For each, the construction of a coherent self-identity, despite the scope of the changes experienced, has been an important part of the process of transition

Fehlerverwendung von Solidarpaktmitteln oder 'nur' verfassungswidrige Haushalte?

Die Verwendung der Solidarpaktmittel steht derzeit einmal wieder in der Kritik. Wo liegen die Probleme der ostdeutschen Länder? Sieht die Lage in Westdeutschland aus finanzpolitischer Sicht besser aus? Wie wären die westdeutschen Länder zu beurteilen, wenn für sie die gleichen Maßstäbe bei der Verwendung der Finanzmittel wie für Ostdeutschland angelegt würden? --

Transnational connections, competences and identities: experiences of Chinese international students after their return ‘home’

International students constitute a substantial and growing mobile population globally. However, as yet, the experiences of returnees and the ways in which their overseas studies impact on their identity and professional and personal lives over time have been under-researched areas. In this article we employ concepts from theories of transnationalism as a framework for the analysis of the experiences of Chinese graduate returnees. The empirical basis for the article is a 20-month, two-stage, mixed-method study of 652 Chinese students who returned home for work on completion of their degrees in UK universities over the last 25+ years. Evidence suggests that their journeys of studying abroad and returning home are dynamic and interconnected transnational experiences. Such experiences are avenues for diverse social networks that reinforce a complex cosmopolitan identity and awareness. They are, also, avenues for transnational(ised) new competences, skills and worldviews, which are increasingly valued by the students themselves upon return home. Irrespective of differences in their demographics and backgrounds, studying and living abroad was perceived by most returnees in our research as a profound identity transformating experience. These new connections, competences and identities enabled them to view and live life with a new sense of self at ‘home’ and, as a result, function in ways that continued to distinguish themselves from those around them over time. The findings have implications for higher education institutions and agencies that are concerned with enhancing the quality of university internationalisation. They also have implications for a broadened empirical and conceptual understanding of transnationalism

Of myths and monitoring: learner-centred education as a political project in Scotland

Prevalent constructions of best practice at the global level include learner-centred education as an emancipatory and holistic approach across the life course. However, competing discourses of standardisation and preparation for the workforce are also at play. As a small state constructing an image and role for itself on a global stage, Scotland draws aspirationally on learner-centredness in its current Curriculum for Excellence governing education in schools, and in the Statement of Ambition for Adult Education, aligning it with apparently indigenous ideas of good practice in education while distancing it from prevalent patterns in neighbouring England. However, in operationalising these, competing agendas and versions of best practice interrupt these policy narratives and prove difficult to resist. Using a combination of document analysis, observations of consultation processes, and interviews with policy actors, this article explores these tensions in policy content and process

Individual fMRI maps of all phalanges and digit bases of all fingers in human primary somatosensory cortex.

This study determined the individual maps of all fingers in Brodmann area 3b of the human primary somatosensory cortex in a single fMRI session by tactile stimulation at 19 sites across all phalanges and digit bases of the 5 right-hand digits. To quantify basic features of the digit maps within and across subjects, we applied standard descriptive measures, but also implemented a novel quantitative analysis. This so-called Direction/Order (DiOr) method tested whether subjects exhibited an ordering of peak fMRI representations along their individual direction of alignment through the set of analyzed phalanges and whether these individual directions were similar across subjects. Across-digit analysis demonstrated that for each set of homologous phalanges, the D5-to-D1 representations were successively represented along a common direction of alignment. Hence, the wellknown mediolateral D5-to-D1 somatotopy was not only confirmed for the distal phalanges (pi), but could also be shown for the medial (p2) and proximal phalanges (p3). In contrast, the peak activation for the digit bases (p4) only partly elicited that digit succession. Complementary, intra-digit analysis revealed a divergent picture of map topography for the different digits. Within D5 (and in a trend: D4), an ordered pl-to-p3 succession was found across subjects, pointing to a consistent intra-digit somatotopy for D5, with p3 generally found medial-posterior to pl. In contrast, for D1, D2, and D3, most subjects did not present with ordered pl-to-p3 maps nor were directions of alignment similarly oriented between subjects. These digits therefore exhibited highly diverse representation patterns across subjects

Disaster didacticism: pedagogical interventions and the 'learning crisis'

This essay offers a critical perspective on the prevailing language of ‘learning crisis’ and on the solutions widely promoted by international organisations (IOs) active in lower- and middle-income countries. Focusing specifically on pedagogical interventions, it sets out three cases: foundational learning; information technology; and systematic observation of teachers’ classroom practice. Five questions frame the subsequent discussion: 1. What are the potential unintended effects of the language of crisis? 2. Do the understandings of pedagogy embedded in these measures reflect how teaching and learning function in different contexts? 3. In the quest for evidence, what evidence is being overlooked? 4. What are the risks of focusing interventions on literacy and numeracy, and their measurement? 5. What legitimacy do international actors have in defining and measuring quality pedagogy and prescribing interventions

Elm Farm Research Centre Bulletin 79 July 2005

Regular newletter from Elm Farm Research Centre (EFRC)covering research, technical and policy articles, views and comment

Manganese-oxidizing bacteria mediate the degradation of 17α-ethinylestradiol

Manganese (II) and manganese-oxidizing bacteria were used as an efficient biological system for the degradation of the xenoestrogen 17 alpha-ethinylestradiol (EE2) at trace concentrations. Mn(2+)-derived higher oxidation states of Mn (Mn(3+), Mn(4+)) by Mn(2+)-oxidizing bacteria mediate the oxidative cleavage of the polycyclic target compound EE2. The presence of manganese (II) was found to be essential for the degradation of EE2 by Leptothrix discophora, Pseudomonas putida MB1, P. putida MB6 and P. putida MB29. Mn(2+)-dependent degradation of EE2 was found to be a slow process, which requires multi-fold excess of Mn(2+) and occurs in the late stationary phase of growth, implying a chemical process taking place. EE2-derived degradation products were shown to no longer exhibit undesirable estrogenic activity