Total Quality uses group methods to identify and collectively prevent or solve specific problems related to consumer satisfaction and quality issues in business. This article integrates social influencing strategies with developmental group processes for facilitating consumer satisfaction and problem-solving in total quality groups. A case study…

Presents a model gauging effects of race, sex, and social class for studying social policy's effects on education. The model is represented by intersecting circles defining concepts of cultural bias, individual prejudice, and institutional discrimination. Three superimposed double-sided arrows represent the cyclical nature of discrimination and…

Examines the role that party control, state political culture, black voting strength, and some socioeconomic variables play in shaping a climate conducive to the employment of black faculty in public higher education. Of particular interest is the role of party control on the redistributive effects of affirmative action. (GLR)

Examines how the Southern European Mediterranean immigrants to Australia attempted to contribute to the making of an educational system that would cater to their real or imagined cultural ecology and educational curriculum. An economic rationale is suggested for the Australian model of multiculturalism and its impact on education. (SLD)

Argues for the inclusion of different kinds of writing and thinking in the classroom that ask students to situate their own experiences with writing in larger social contexts of which they are a part. Includes an in-depth analysis of one student's narratives of writing illustrating how she must think through social issues in order to understand…

The dichotomy between individualism and conformity, the myth that gifted children will make it on their own, and the fallacy of equating equal opportunity with equal potential, ability, and results has fostered a climate in which simplistic thinking, ambivalence, and neglect is prevalent. Awareness of this larger social context can allow for new…

Focuses on knowledge and the use of research in relation to local actors in social situations by analyzing data from ongoing research in Swedish schools. Proposes a theoretical framework for knowledge utilization. Concludes that a teacher's knowledge is mainly personal, specific, and action-oriented concerning its origin, content, and function.…

An understanding of the following interrelated key issues that affect intellectual participation in today's information environment is essential for academic librarians: social pluralism, information-seeking behavior, content, context, stakeholders, and societal expectations. Strategies of the National Information Infrastructure and the Global…

Studying the relationship between educational attainment and earnings inequality in eight nations using the Luxembourg Income Study database supports the view that differences in labor market institutions are important determinants of earnings inequality. Inequality is less associated with educational attainment than with differential rewards from…

Raises the question of the philosophical base of a liberal technology education, assuming that it cannot be provided simply by an engineer's perspective. Suggests a series of questions for reconstructing the cultural meaning of technology and a structural model that shows how meaning is generated through a variety of social relationships;…

Two decades after two U.S. and UK studies jump-started the school-effectiveness research movement, the American Educational Research Association invited the International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement to present a symposium on international developments. The six papers herein critique and assess the movement's contributions.…

Analyzes a small group of 12th-grade students who interpreted the character of Gertrude in "Hamlet" through a "body biography," a life-sized human outline filled with student-generated words and images. Concludes with a reconsideration of the notion of engagement that includes attention to both the immediate social relations…

Effects of project participation were evaluated at two Johannesburg sites of "Growing Up in Cities"--a project that involves children in documenting and improving urban environments. Survey responses of participating children and their parents revealed increased awareness of the environment and community needs, better communication…

This is an essay about research methodology, particularly the use of narrative method, in a project which depicts portraits of 10 influential educators of China. The essay begins with reflections on the dialogue of civilizations and the potential future influence of Chinese civilization in the global community. It then goes on to consider the…

This article draws on findings from an Economic and Social Research Council funded research project entitled "Disabled Students and Multiple Policy Innovations in Higher Education"(R000239069). It begins with a brief review of theories of social justice and their implications for widening access policies for disabled students. Social…