Many of the current policy debates in Europe focus on what kind of "knowledge economy" or "knowledge society" would be best in the future if it is to combine both economic competitiveness and social cohesion. Should European economies move increasingly towards the so-called Anglo-Saxon model of flexible labour markets and high…

Examines the pros and cons of variety in Dutch schools, noting possible consequences for educational quality and accessibility and the impact on social cohesion. The paper asserts that variety is extremely desirably in general and should be encouraged to promote innovation, cautioning that differences between schools should be tolerated as long as…

Responsive evaluation offers a perspective in which evaluation is reframed from the assessment of program interventions on the basis of policy makers' goals to an engagement with and among all stakeholders about the value and meaning of their practice. Responsive evaluators have to be extra sensitive to power relations given the deliberate…

Addresses the differences of immigration policy in the United Kingdom, Sweden, the Netherlands, and France demonstrating how migration policy is a national affair in which each country claims the right to decide who and how many people may enter into the country. Expounds that the European Union attempts to harmonize the various policies. (CMK)

Provides background information on the state of women teachers' positions in the Netherlands. Addresses changes that accelerated the feminization of teaching and limiting factors faced by women teachers. Discusses three strategies employed by Dutch women teachers and offers a comparative perspective of the position of women teachers until 1920.…

Studied the effects of three social contexts of learning (class context, school, and governance) on students' perceptions of their elementary school, an affective outcome of schooling, using data from 2,023 students from 103 schools in the Netherlands. Results show that students' perceptions differ in private religious and nonreligious schools and…

A basic course in pathology at Rotterdam's Erasmus University includes the study of psychological, sociological, economic, and political factors related to the etiology of somatic disorders. The principles of this approach to humanistic medicine are summarized and a description of the course is given. (Editor/LBH)

Tobacco smoking is a very important preventable cause of mortality and morbidity, and this is also the case in immigrant populations. Therefore, smoking cessation interventions need to take these groups into account. Insight into the applicability of behavioral smoking cessation interventions for non-Western populations is necessary. The objective…

This paper presents a cognitive social-psychological theoretical framework on emotions, derived from Richard Lazarus, to understand how teachers' identity can be affected in a context of reforms. The emphasis of this approach is on the cognitive-affective processes of individual teachers, enabling us to gain a detailed understanding of what…

The aim of this study was to evaluate the behavioral determinants of the initiation of breast-feeding at birth. The prospective cohort study used the attitude, social influence, self-efficacy (ASE) model in 373 pregnant women in five child health care centers. Prenatally, 72% of the women had the intention to breast-feed, and 73% actually started…

A summary report of a review of literature on the status of family day care in numerous countries around the world is provided. Materials were obtained from several databases, including ERIC (Educational Resource Information Center), Social SciSearch, Child Abuse and Neglect, Sociological Abstracts, Family Resources, and Third World Countries.…

This report focuses on the consumer information potential of computerized telecommunication systems, their possible advantages and drawbacks for the consumer, and the new policy issues created by the new medium, i.e., the possible economic, social, and legal implications for consumers. Topics addressed include the main features of the new…

Theoretical and technical problems are covered in this progress report on methods of forecasting enrollment in grammar schools and universities in the Netherlands. A review of the combined efforts of persons who have contributed to the work of analyzing and forecasting this enrollment is contained. The analysis of grammar school enrollment…

The situational approach to ethnic identity with regard to migrants in the Netherlands is examined. This approach says that ethnicity is continuously created and can only be understood in relation to both past experience and specific political, economic, and social processes. (RM)

There has been much discussion about the role of foreign languages, particularly French, in Netherlands secondary education reform. Any attempt to redefine objectives and learning approaches must consider social, political, educational, and linguistic influences. Most weight should be given to affective factors but new trends must be approached…