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A variety of socioeconomic and demographic characteristics is known to vary consistently along the rural-urban continuum in highly developed nations such as the United States. Relatively little is known, however, about such variations in underdeveloped countries. In an effort to throw further light on this subject, the present paper examines the relationship of selected socio-demographic variables defining "urbanism" to a rural-urban continuum constructed for Taiwan. The results of the analysis suggest (1) that the theoretical applicability of the continuum concept is just as valid for under-developed areas as it is for countries such as the United States, and (2) that from a methodological point of view, a more realistic approach to the construction of a rural-urban continuum is one that utilizes both population size and administrative type in the classification of communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under a government-peasant fertilizer-rice barter system in Taiwan, the use of chemical fertilizer is heavily taxed through a high fertilizer-rice exchange ratio. Important economic gains can be realized if the government lowers the tax on fertilizer input and raises, if necessary, the tax on rice output instead. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study, which tried to measure the effect of small group meetings on changes in attitudes to, knowledge about, and practice of family planning in Taiwan. More specifically, it tried to assess: the effectiveness of such meetings in motivating people to accept the loops, the efficiency of holding meetings in every other neighborhood instead of in every neighborhood, thus utilizing the power of diffusion. Before holding small group meetings, a 10 per cent random sample of 794 of all the married women was drawn. Trained public health nurses interviewed them in August 1964 to assess attitudes to, knowledge about and practice of family planning. During the pre-meeting survey, the workers were instructed strictly not to teach people anything about family planning. If any one asked specific questions, the workers were instructed to invite them to attend meetings for information. Those not attending the meetings also changed in these respects as a result of diffusion or influence from the attendees, although the change was less in these cases of indirect influence.

The article presents a case of Taiwan on the research challenge to social scientists in developing family planning programs. It illustrates in a specific, simple but important experiment the potential for such studies as part of the family planning program. This particular study had immediate operational purposes, but it also tested some ideas about diffusion and about influences that might move a local population from concern and interest to action. Many social scientists could think of a large variety of additional hypotheses that might be tested rather simply as part of just such an experiment. Participation in such studies provides the opportunity to serve science and social policy simultaneously in an area in which conflict about policy goals is usually minimal. In Taiwan, there is present both the considerable progress in social and economic development and the low mortality that are probably favorable conditions for successful family planning programs. On the basis of these developments one would expect that fertility might begin to decline and that the environment might be favorable for introduction of a family planning program.

Data collected in a Taiwanese village were used to test predictions derived from Lambert's exchange theory of family structure differences in child training (1971). Thirty-seven women with children between the ages of 4 and 10 were interviewed about their socialization practices, and a number of questions concerning independence training were selected for analysis. As predicted, mothers in extended families were considerably less likely to train their children to be self-reliant, but it was not clear that this difference could be attributed to the grandmother's role as a "low-cost" parental surrogate. Several alternative explanations are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author of this article describes his impressions of science teaching in Burma, Taiwan, and Afghanistan. After an examination, which was given to both high school students and to a college chemistry class at the State Training College for Teachers in Rangoon, Burma, the author has found that the former greatly outperformed the latter. In Taiwan, the traditionalism of the teaching was discovered. In Afghanistan, strong proponents of European-type curriculum was found among science teachers. Some common features of science instruction in the three countries include: memoriter learning; the use of the lecture method; science equipment; formalism in teaching; the content of science courses; language; centralization; teachers' salaries; and improvements.

During the period of Japanese occupation from 1896 to 1945, there were very limited arid inadequate health facilities and educational institutions for preparing nursing personnel in Taiwan. Existing hospitals, damaged if not destroyed during World War II, resembled hotels in which family members were allowed to stay with the patient and food was cooked at the bedside. Public health nursing consisted mainly in giving inoculations to prevent epidemics. The Taiwanese had inherited altitudes towards health care from both Chinese traditional medicine and Japanese medicine.