There is evidence that more boys than girls have experience in activities related to science and mathematics outside of school and that there are a number of kinds of interventions that can sustain girls' interest and participation in science and mathematics. What is missing is a theoretical explanation for the phenomenon that more boys than girls…

The Unesco report, one in a series, examines education in Thailand. It studies the general framework of information systems within the Ministry of Education, assesses the availability and use of information for decision making in planning and curriculum development and identifies the problems concerning the information system. There are four…

The twenty case studies presented in these reports are examples of experiments in Asian nations which have been conducted as specific responses to local problems in teacher education. The materials, originally presented in a 1975 conference of the Asian Centre of Educational Innovation for Development, are organized into three basic subject areas:…

This paper describes a case study in which one woman in a focus group of 11 women recounted her use of numerical and mathematical tools in her personal and work life. According to the researcher, the subject's experiences engendered strong feelings and revealed that aspects of her self-identity were bound up with her use of tools and feelings…

Melanesian education systems generally reflect the biases of their former Western colonial masters in that formal education is regarded as a means of preparing for employment in a formal market economy. This bias is evident in resource allocation, with formal education getting the lion's share of education spending. Focusing on the market economy…

A qualitative field study employing participant observation revealed that the Nisga'a, a Native people of northwest British Columbia, Canada, believe that education is a total way of life, with teaching and learning being a lifelong process. Traditionally, education was conducted by one's parents; extended family, especially maternal aunts and…

This paper examines the remembrances or life stories of four young adult American Indians and their efforts to evolve an understanding of themselves as individuals and as culture bearers interacting in two different societies. The project objective was to investigate the correlation between American Indian people's ability to use their heritage…

This study reports on innovative alternative approaches to children's education in 12 developing countries. These approaches are examined with reference to their flexibility regarding time and place of learning, age of pupils, relationship with formal education systems, relevance and functionality for the actual situation of learners, and ability…

A theory, anchored in a socialist feminist perspective, is presented about the state and the education of women. Propositions of the theory are compared with data from a study of 31 international development agencies about the behavior of the state regarding the education of women. The study focused on basic education, defined as the first 4 or 5…

An attempt was made to study the influence of social networks in Sri Lanka by identifying, selecting, and training volunteers to serve as informal educators of their own social networks. These educators who each were to serve a cluster of 20-25 families were young adults; the majority were females linked to health, education, or community…

Part of a series of Unesco technical information reports, this publication presents information on educational practice in 71 countries. Both developing and developed nations are included. The information, which is provided in a table on each country, comes from the official Country Reports to the 36th Session of the International Conference on…

This paper reports on the classroom learning environment and teaching practices in a Papua New Guinea ninth-grade science class and the conflict between the informal, traditional learning paradigm and new school approaches to science teaching. Observations and interviews with teachers and four students were supplemented with questionnaires and…

Examines problems in coordination between nonformal adult education and national development programs in India and suggests management structures for institutionalizing coordination. Notes the difficulty with which influential political and administrative groups will allow changes in the system and suggests possible alternative development and…

This research paper describes various aspects of the 12-day July Festival and period of preparation for it in one valley on the island of 'Ua Pou, Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia. This case study is of a well-delineated cultural event which exemplifies many themes presented in "Patterns of Social Interaction and Concepts of…

This paper reviews studies detailing formal and nonformal instruction of Native American children by Native American teachers and compares attributes common to traditional Native education with principles of the constructivist approach to instruction. Five pedagogic principles are considered: (1) teacher as facilitator, guiding rather than…