Presents a theoretical perspective on the impact of society on new technologies, and gives examples of the impact of cultural factors on the development of computer/video-mediated educational technology in the United States, Japan, and the United Kingdom. Highlights include the use of television, computer languages, and videotex. (14 references)…

The current emphasis on excellence, it is suggested, is used as an excuse to exclude. The more people who are educated, the greater the possibility that collective decisions will be of better quality. Higher education must become more open and more inclusive. (MLW)

A brief history of the Japanese higher education system chronicles its two principal phases since the mid-nineteenth century. In the first, "window-shopping" mode, many Western models were explored and some partially adopted. In the "involvement" mode, specific Western models were adopted. The uniqueness of the Japanese…

Addressing the common misconception that Japan is a mono-ethnic, mono-cultural, and monolingual society, this article focuses on several areas of sociolinguistic concern. It discusses: (1) the bimodalism of the Japanese deaf population between Japanese Sign Language as native language and Japanese Spoken Language as acquired second language; (2)…

Compares American educational problems to Japan's universally high literacy and achievement rate, positing that Japan's success is related to cultural homogeneity, strong school discipline, and strong motivation to succeed at all levels. Suggests that some Japanese educational strategies can be adopted in American schools, despite great…

Surveys social, economic and environmental characteristics of Japan in the 1960s and 1970s and describes their influence on curriculum changes in secondary science education. Discusses Japanese attitudes towards nature as a foundation for environmental education, the impact of western culture on this attitude, and the future of environmental…

Discusses an issue that balances a knowledge of science and technology with that of the humanities and arts. Describes Japan's case including its school system, second language learning, and traditional values. Suggests that United States could understand and maintain the link without mimicking the Japanese. (YP)

Socio-cultural models offer great scope for scope for theorising the complex processes involved in teaching and learning, and of capturing the nature of the co-constructions, which are important factors in success for both teachers and learners. But the implications of this theoretical stance are perhaps, not fully recognised in the attendant…

This case study of 215 high school students in Columbia Academy, an international school in Kobe, Japan, was conducted from 1980 to 1985 to examine the values students hold in relation to their demographic characteristics. The study, written by a faculty member of this school who also served on the Educational Policy Committee of the Board of…

This book proposes a new, multidisciplinary theory for explaining and predicting current and future patterns of women's choice between employment and family work. Chapters 1 and 2 present main tenets of preference theory and explain the need for the theory. Chapters 3 through 8 elaborate four principal tenets of preference theory. Chapter 3…