Despite renewed attention to global poverty alleviation and sustainable development, most agencies and organizations donating large amounts of funds for the social sector have been decreasing their aid to literacy and nonformal (basic) education. In most cases, donors trying to combine support for basic education with poverty alleviation focus on…

This study investigated the changes that occurred in the knowledge and attitudes of a group of science and mathematics teachers (n=38) who took a museum education course. The course contained lectures and discussions on the rationales and strategies of museum education. The students also learned about the history of museum development in Taiwan…

This issue presents some excerpts from the Commonwealth Conference on Non-Formal Education for Development, held in New Delhi, India, January 22-February 2, 1979, concerning the concept and tasks of nonformal education. Includes a few observations and recommendations from each of the Conference's 12 committees. (MF)

Before engaging in a debate about the relationship between culture and education, it is necessary to recognize how teaching about folklore and folklife can serve as an agent for cultural conservation. The example of the prohibitions given Lakota children at a mission school two generations ago illustrates constraints imposed on the practice of…

Among the most important needs of changing economies is the need to respond to technological changes, economic restructuring, and labor market changes. Although formal vocational training schools do not usually respond well to changing economic circumstances, nonformal and proprietary or private institutions usually are highly responsive to the…

Kentucky's SOS (Sharing Our Selves) Learning Networks are community-owned, volunteer-run, informal learning/development programs incorporating community needs and the skills/knowledge/experience of individuals regardless of academic credentials. The Cooperative Extension Service administers the programs. Interested community members list subjects…

The strategy of expanding the modern industrialized economic sector and the formal education system that developing countries have followed during the past twenty years has recently been questioned. In these countries, the informal economic sector is dominant and includes many more people in small business, crafts, and services. An innovative…

The use of popular theatre to overcome community development problems in underdeveloped countries through adult education is introduced and its relationship to the concept of participatory research is explored. Material is arranged in four sections. The first of these presents an introduction to popular theatre and participatory research. Stemming…

Paul Goodman's work in psychology, social criticism, linguistics, and education deserves reconsideration. His thoughts and language found their audience among the youth of the 60's who used them to articulate rebellion. The "system," viewed by Goodman, was nonexploitive but seemed to rob young people of a sense of significance. Goodman…

Emergent reforms in education in the formal and nonformal sectors in the Philippines are changing the answers to traditional research questions and ways in which educational research will be carried out. Informal education is the ongoing process of transmission of knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes by a society to its youth. Formal education…

As the Mexican American community multiplies and strengthens its position across the United States, its civic and religious celebrations expand in number and visibility. Through periodic observances, unequivocally Mexican cultural traditions have materialized in the secular and spiritual domains of American public spaces. This paper examines the…

A review of educational systems in ancient India and traditional Native America reveals that these cultures went beyond superficial, conventional, or rule-based morality and trained thoughtful, principled wisdom. Common characteristics that may have contributed to training character and creating moral citizens include: a strong sense of community;…

Non-Formal Education (NFE) is traditionally defined as any organizational activity outside the established formal education system. In India two major types of NFE exist. The first type is literacy courses, available for students of any age; these are taught in the evenings. The second type is vocational training, which often takes place during…

This paper addresses some of the general issues of international cooperation within the context of distance education. Examples of the types of international cooperation are introduced in order to explain some of the pitfalls that can occur when coordinating organizations on an international level. Extensive discussion is undertaken concerning…

For developing nations, education can equalize opportunities, especially for the deprived and disadvantaged, and therefore must be delivered with efficiency and quality. Conventional ways of spreading education are proving to be inadequate in the face of rapidly expanding populations. There is a marked need to supplement formal schooling with…