This paper presents data concerning the use and costs of center and family day care programs in Sweden. The typical center provides full-time care and has 4 sections, each with 2 preschool teachers, 1 attendant, and up to 20 children. In the family day care system, municipalities employ caregivers and parents pay the municipality. This paper…

Preschool Swedish children were observed with their mothers in situations designed to allow assessment of their compliance with maternal demands. Children were more compliant in the task situation at 40 months when they had experienced high quality care at home, when they were older, and when they had experienced less out-of-home care prior to 24…

Changes affecting higher education planning in Sweden are age structure of the academic workforce will result in rapid growth of retirements; number of young people eligible for higher education will decrease; and skewed age distribution of faculty will lead to a growing need for new recruitment of teachers and researchers. (Author/MLW)

Compares national higher education quality assessment systems in Finland, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, focusing particularly on the balance between internal and external societal needs in the systems' design and organization. Results indicate that systems are highly adjusted to each country's specific governance strategies, resulting in very…

Compared self-evaluation of quality of preschool teachers in Sweden to the evaluation by an external evaluator using the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale. Found moderately high percent agreement between teachers and evaluator and among teachers at the same unit. Found highest agreement among teachers on socialization and communication.…

Examined how the concept of quality in the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS) is concretized in pedagogical processes, in a comparison of classroom observations in Germany and Sweden. Observers from each country evaluated preschools in the other country, using the ECERS. Comparisons showed the benefits of using ECERS for facilitating…

To frame the larger research agenda requires an intimate blending of knowledge of the situations of foreign research universities and those of public research universities in the United States. The first step was to bring together for a two-day symposium a group of scholars and practitioners, some with deep and varied knowledge of United States…

This research report explores the extent to which the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS) (Harms and Clifford, 1980) remains a valid instrument when used to make cross-national comparisons of quality, and the advantages and disadvantages of using ECERS for this purpose. ECERS was developed to be used by a trained observer to rate the…

The traditional method of conducting evaluation studies of agricultural extension programs is not sufficient when evaluating the impact on rural development, and must, therefore, be complemented by qualitative studies and careful evaluations of program objectives based on farmer needs. Traditional experimental evaluation studies do not register…

Argues that recent changes in conceptions of state control over schools are due partially to the relaxation of Cold War politics. Shows that new models of management produce fewer changes in school quality than expected. Proposes that the determining factor in change is the mentality inherent in individual schools' working structures. (DSK)

This project dealt with the quality of the child's life in day care centers and aimed at a better understanding of the concept of quality. The project was based on a synthesis of knowledge from various research traditions, as well as theories of education and developmental psychology (such as Bruner, Davydov, Leontiev, Piaget, and Vygotsky). The…

Examines national experiences with educational vouchers in Chile and Sweden in relation to commonly held assumptions of proponents and opponents. Finds that vouchers did not improve academic achievement; "flight from public education" was related to prior lack of public support for public education; increased choice primarily benefited…

Major reforms in Swedish higher education contained a number of distinct ideas whose status among Swedish academics are evaluated in a national survey. These ideas comprise an emphasis on: integration, increased geographical distribution, egalitarian values, teaching and undergraduate training, and interdisciplinary, relevant, and applied…

This report examines the development and implementation of performance indicators in higher education, focusing on the factors driving increased demand for accountability in higher education and the use of performance indicators in the United States and other countries. It discusses the public and political concern for increased productivity,…

This book is the result of a research project on the most important principles, structural features, and functionalities of higher education policies in 11 developed nations around the world. Reports on each nation, are based in large part on analysis of responses to a common questionnaire by national experts in each nation. An opening chapter,…