Parents, educators, government ministers and policymakers in all contexts and countries around the world are concerned with learning and how to improve it. There are many reasons for this, but none is more important than the fact that learning is at the heart of success at the individual, community and global levels. Learning First is the title of…

Discusses issues and problems peculiar to social research in developing nations, particularly in Africa. Problems include language and concept definition, research climate, funds and facilities, and dissemination and utilization of research findings. A Nigeria research project dealing with war-displaced children is described. (DB)

DISCUSSIONS AT THE SECOND CONFERENCE OF THE ADULT EDUCATION ASSOCIATION OF EAST AND CENTRAL AFRICA CONCENTRATED ON PROGRAMED INSTRUCTION AND RESEARCH. THE BASIC TECHNIQUES OF PROGRAMING WERE OUTLINED AND CURRENT TRENDS OF THOUGHT IN THE DEVELOPMENT AND USE OF PROGRAMED INSTRUCTION WERE DISCUSSED. THE CONFEREES EXAMINED THE FIELDS WHERE RESEARCH…

A synopsis of the development of education, particularly higher education, in Nigeria introduces a discussion of the need to make university education more relevant to the developmental needs of the country. Reorganization of universities and a different emphasis in research are among the problems to be faced. (JMD)

Research models and the issue of public/private utilization of research are discussed, along with implications for development research in Africa. The following types of research are distinguished: policy research, sectoral research, academic research, and consultancy-related research. Three research paradigms are identified: (1) the ideal…

Focuses on the impact of overseas training on national development objectives in Sub-Saharan Africa. Reviews the current economic crisis in Africa and the need for high-level, skilled workers. Examines the advantages and disadvantages of foreign study as a means of developing competent indigenous professionals. Notes pertinent research issues. (SB)

Efforts related to rural development, observed in central Africa, focus on the physical with little concern for social and psychological change. Highly funded programs, including those sponsored by the United States, are providing roads, markets, schools, public buildings, etc., and the lifestyles of the native population reflect these…

Collected in this digest are nine articles concerning education for child survival and development in Africa. Topics include: (1) the role of basic education in the promotion of child survival and development; (2) child health in Eastern and Southern Africa, including discussions of problems, interventions, and the role of education for health;…

African nations have been experiencing rapid rates of urbanization accompanied by serious problems of urban unemployment due to the rate of rural-urban migration and the lack of an adequate understanding of the migration process for economic policy formulation. The aim of this paper was to review the present knowledge of African rural-urban…

Researching women, educational administration, and the Third World is paradoxically not about focusing on women at all. To do so would be to underscore a counter-productive sex differences approach and to detract from consideration of why, and for whom, power has come to be exercised in certain ways in schools. (JHZ)

This essay presents some of the possibilities for doing systematic quantitative research in the field of African public administration and reviews some of the methodological problems involved. The authors argue that quantitative research is especially desirable because of the gains to be achieved in precision, reliability, comparability, and new…

This publication presents a report on the first Pan-African meeting on distance education. The materials reveal that development of distance education in Africa depends on three factors: information and research, the training of specialists, and the production or acquisition of materials. A report of the plenary session summarizes presentations by…

Focusing on Third World countries, this book examines the undereducation of women, causes of women's undereducation, changes in female education patterns, and the significance of such changes in society and in women's lives. The book consists of four parts, comprising different chapters written by social scientists, researchers, and educators.…

The causes and manifestations of gender inequalities in education in Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe and policy options for redressing them were examined through a review of literature on the causes, nature, and extent of gender disparities in education in the study region and information on efforts to eliminate gender inequality. Special attention…

Open and distance learning (ODL) is increasingly being regarded as a viable policy option for developing countries with limited educational resources for buildings, books and trained teachers, seeking to increase accessibility for large numbers of learners in education and training opportunities. Advocates of ODL as an appropriate solution to…