In this article, the author comments on two highly cited articles and how they link to wider trends in higher education research. The two papers in question, Angela Brew's article from 2003, "Teaching and research: New relationships and their implications for inquiry-based teaching and learning in higher education" and Gerlese Akerlind's…

Discusses record keeping and the preservation of archival materials for research purposes in Sweden. Concerns of privacy and confidentiality are addressed, the Swedish principle of access to public materials is described, the use of archival material for statistical research is discussed, and methods for balancing privacy and record keeping are…

The methodologies employed in comparative higher education and comparative education are briefly summarized and analyzed. Weaknesses of the following approaches used by scholars/researchers in the field are identified: (1) locating decision-making structures and relations in broadly differentiated aggregations of systems; (2) case study; (3)…

It is argued that because the term "dropout" has different meanings in different systems of distance education, it is difficult to compare dropout rates of two or more distance education universities. Two very different European distance education systems, the FernUniversitat in West Germany and the Swedish system, are examined.…

Studied usefulness of Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS) for cross-national comparisons of nursery school quality. Found that ratings can be made in two hours, and can provide comparisons on several important criteria, but because the scale is empirically, rather than theoretically based, its use can obscure cultural differences in…

In order to give a draft picture of the church- and school-based literacy campaigns in Sweden, some of the historical sources, problems, methods, and preliminary results from a broad research project on the two campaigns are discussed. (IAH)

As expressed in this essay, the basic aim of pedagogical research on teaching methods should be to describe existing practices and to work out theories which will allow researchers to explain the causal relationships leading to extant teaching practices, which in their own turn reinforce the existing educational pattern. Research in the area of…

This research report presents five papers offering Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, and Australian views of educational issues. The first paper, "Nursery School Leadership--A Forgotten Leadership" (Margareth Drakenberg), discusses societal changes in Sweden, characteristics of Swedish Child Care Service, literature on leadership styles and…

Two separate historical traditions have influenced Swedish literacy: the church and formal schooling. In answer to the challenge of the International Literacy Year 1990, Sweden has formed a national committee to address such issues as future literacy missions, support of international understanding, and stimulation of research. The National Board…