Points out the important role of social studies education in dealing with both the history and the future of mankind. Urges the cooperation of teachers in educating students for a better world. Discusses Swedish approaches to the social studies curriculum. Also describes Swedish teacher training and staff development process. (KO)

Background: On October 29, 1998, around 400 young people were gathered in an old warehouse in Goteborg, Sweden, for a discotheque party. A fire erupted and spread explosively. Adolescents were exposed to dreadful scenes inside and outside the building. In all, 63 young people were killed and 213 physically injured. An 18-month follow-up with 275…

Students around the globe have unique first-year experiences but struggle with many of the same challenges. This monograph focuses on their journeys and provides insights for educators interested in learning about how institutions across the globe provide supports to students dealing with first-year transition issues. Based on the successful…

Fourteen papers are provided from a symposium to provide general input into the 1990 Unesco International Literacy Year by reviewing and documenting existing knowledge and current issues in the field of women and literacy with special emphasis on developing countries. Specific topics are as follows: the definition of literacy; review of methods;…

This study examined the benefit of using a visual telecommunication system for Sweden's children and adults with mild to moderate mental retardation and speech difficulties. The Panasonic Image Communication Unit connects to standard modular telephones and includes a camera and monitor for the transfer of pictures. Units were placed in eight…

A German Marshall Fund tour of education and training systems in Denmark, Sweden, and West Germany generated ideas that Oregon could use to evaluate and improve its own educational systems and programs. Four principles define the European model: (1) government policy and programs promote employment; (2) business and labor are powerful partners in…

A study investigated the contribution of adult education in complementing and mediating the effects of early formal schooling on life chances, job satisfaction, and general well-being. Data collected for the cohort of Swedish men followed up in the Malmo study from 1938 to 1988 were examined. The study used measures of home background, disposition…

Described is the Man in a Changing Society (MIS) project in which K-12 Swedish children use parish records to study and research local history. Church records in Sweden contain detailed information about individuals living during the 18th and 19th centuries. To make this information accessible to researchers, the Swedish church records are being…

In the news media and elsewhere, children and young adults are being confronted with dramatic details about a possible nuclear war and its horrendous consequences, resulting in feelings of unease and anxiety. The Malmo School of Education (Sweden) has launched a number of studies concerning educational and psychological research in the peace…

The purpose of this cross-national descriptive study is to measure the extent of children's sexual knowledge and sexual understanding at various ages and to identify what processes of thought children use in trying to explain biological functions and the phenomena of their own bodies as they grow and change. Sexual thinking is defined as thinking…

Surplus school spaces, highlighted by falling enrollments, will significantly affect educational building policies in the eighties. Accordingly, this document consists of a comprehensive analysis of the causes of surplus, the problems and opportunities that follow, and the implications for policy and planning. Part 1 analyzes the six major causes…

A detailed conceptual framework describing curriculum development pursuits as they are actually carried out in a cross-section of developed countries is presented. The nations surveyed were Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The ultimate goal of the study is to make available to developing nations, facing profound social changes, a…

Negative influences on teaching practices and objectives in modern language programs, caused by certain final examination practices in Sweden, are pointed out and criticized in this paper. The needs of the Swedish student of languages are determined to be related to the use of language primarily as a means of everyday communication. The…

Proposed reform of Swedish teacher education is a mixture of support for educational excellence, for more comprehensive compulsory school teacher education, and for equal access to pre-service and inservice teacher education facilities, but overemphasis on geographical accessibility threatens the program's comprehensiveness. (MSE)

Beginning with the assumption that children across the full spectrum of family income, family composition, and prior experience with child care would benefit from being in a well-implemented preschool at 3 and 4 years of age, this working paper focuses on finding a feasible way to finance universal preschool for 4-year-olds. The paper begins with…