In this interview, Dr. Ozen Guven talks to Dr. Mary Mendenhall, Sonia Gomez, and Emily Varni about their research on teachers and teaching practices in contexts of forced displacement. Mendenhall, Gomez, and Varni recently authored "Teaching Amidst Conflict and Displacement: Persistent Challenges and Promising Practices for Refugee,…

Proposes a system of achievement testing for all U.S. students rather than just those who are college bound. Criticizes present achievement testing as a patchwork system that fails to provide parents with information about how much their children are learning in comparison to others. Provides a sampling of national achievement test questions from…

Seeks to explain why the kindergarten movement, in theory and in practice, found greater support in the United States than in Germany, the country of its origin. Concludes that this kindergarten case study shows the importance of comparative studies to our understanding of the relationship of women's status and feminist ideology to other aspects…

A study reanalyzed the 1977 original form of the Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale (SDLRS) developed by Guglielmino. It questioned whether there is an intracultural and intercultural factorial consistency, whether raters would reconfirm the eight-factor solution, and whether raters would reconfirm the main characteristics of a "highly…

Experiences are reported of two U.S. professors teaching a course in Berlin on the history and economic consequences of German unification. The importance of addressing cross-cultural issues surrounding foreignness is emphasized and the use of student video projects is described. (20 references) (LB)

Travel allows teachers to gather the data and realia to enliven history or global education in the classroom. In this special issue teachers describe personal travel experiences to many parts of the globe. Points of interest, itineraries, budgets, and artifacts collected are discussed. (RM)

There are few long-term studies in which the development of vocational education and training (VET) is placed in a larger societal framework. Consequently, there is limited understanding as to why VET has evolved quite differently even in countries with similar economic and social development. In his reflections on a possible theoretical framework…

This essay examines the youth policies and programs of the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, Sweden, and Norway in an effort to provide examples that may be of assistance in the development of such policies in the United States. Chapter 1 provides an overview of the topic, noting that the focus is on younger adolescents between the ages of 10…

In the summer of 1972 graduate students from Northern Illinois University were enrolled in a six week study tour of outdoor education programs in Germany and Austria. The tour included observations and conferences with teachers, students, administrators, and Ministry of Education officials from both countries, guided tours of major cities, and…

Despite the ready admission of historians of the subject that "education" encompasses far more than schools, families, churches, apprenticeships, and other institutions there is no reliable, general account of why schools, especially "academically" oriented ones, have become so cardinal to the U.S. way of life. This paper…

Content and boundaries of business-oriented regional studies are considered, focusing on Germany. Issues discussed include the distinction between explicit business studies and implicit, non-business materials and content in the study of business; relationship between regional studies and cross-cultural management; role of German language training…

Contends that appropriate day care for infants and toddlers is still an unresolved issue. Examines international research and identifies preconditions for transferring good practices to Germany. Argues for child care that allows more individual attention to the child. (CFR)