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A study analyzed the ideological messages about welfare recipients promoted in two welfare-to-work educational programs. Data were collected through interviews with students, teachers, and administrators at an adult literacy classroom serving unemployed women on welfare and an employment preparation program designed to increase job skills of women on welfare; classroom observations; and curriculum materials and official program documents. Data were analyzed for themes addressing ideological assumptions about participants as learners and welfare recipients. Findings indicated descriptions of students in the programs revealed deficit perspectives that reinforced the demonization of welfare recipients occurring in public and policy rhetoric; the formal curriculum and teachers in both programs focused on their students as welfare recipients and repeatedly stressed their dependency on "the system;" and the formal curriculum and teachers described students in terms of the many deficits it was perceived they possessed. That perspective included that students lacked proper morals or ethics; they had problems with personal hygiene and appropriate appearance; they had many life problems stemming from lack of family support, education, knowledge of good nutrition, good parenting skills, money management skills, and life management skills; and many lacked a work ethic and motivation, failed to put forth effort, and were lazy. (11 references) (YLB)

This paper offers an explanation for observed differences across countries in educational policies and in resulting interpersonal distributions of human capital, analyzing a general-equilibrium model in which, as a result of differences in natural ability and nurturing, some people are initially well-endowed with human capital and some are initially poorly-endowed. It assumes that people can choose to be either producers or predators. Because an increase in a person's human capital makes predation a less attractive choice, it is possible that by using some of their human capital to educate initially poorly-endowed people, well-endowed people can increase their own consumptions. It is predicted that if producers are able to enforce a collective choice that takes advantage of the deterrent effect of allocating resources to guarding against predators, then well-endowed people prefer an egalitarian educational policy that increases the human capital of all poorly-endowed people. Such an educational policy either decreases the cost of deterring predation or makes deterrence possible. In contrast, if producers or small subsets of producers individually choose the amount of their resources to allocate to guarding, taking the ratio of predators to producers as given, then well-endowed people prefer an elitist educational policy that, if it has a redistributional component, decreases the number of poorly-endowed people, thereby decreasing the number of predators, without increasing the human capital of the remaining poorly-endowed people. (Author/SM)

This study is one in a series that examines cohorts of American Rhodes scholars in order to determine how changing dynamics of merit, sponsorship, and democratization affect elite membership, socialization, occupational structures, and perceptions of leadership. This segment of the study examines the ways in which elite baccalaureate credentials interact with pre-college cultural capital to shape distinctive career outcomes. The sample (n=220) included two cohorts of Rhodes scholars from the late 1940s and the late 1960s, and the research sought to determine: (1) whether between World War II and the late 1960s Rhodes scholars had become more diverse in terms of social origins; (2) whether an upper-class background increased the likelihood of achieving professional prominence; (3) whether attendance at a "big 3" graduate school had an independent effect on career prominence; (4) whether social class and educational effects on career attainment differed for Rhodes scholars in the 1940s and 1960s; and (5) what interactions of social background, baccalaureate origins, and graduate school prestige affect career prominence. The study concluded that factors outside of formal education and social background account for the majority of the variation in the career pathways of Rhodes scholars chosen for eminence. (Contains 40 references.) (CH)

Despite many differences, both China and Taiwan have given priority to a variety of education reforms since 1949. With a U.S. model and aid, the Taiwanese educational system has largely achieved the 15 percent enrollment threshold identified by Hayhoe as required to support economic expansion. In China, major reforms of the 1970s and 1980s leave China, at 10 percent of that target, short of the threshold. Comparing both nations, this paper adds significant data to Hayhoe's four indicators of quality: (1) role of private institutions (2) gender equality; (3) scientific focus; and (4) prevalence of short-cycle versus 4-year institutions. A fifth indicator, the role of government, is included. In both nations, private schools contribute to stratification and inequalities in higher education. Women confront substantial obstacles in both, though with fewer students and educators in higher education, women seem worse off in China. Both nations focus heavily on science, with Taiwan largely successful, and China risks "technocracy" by neglecting the humanities and social sciences. In Taiwan, short-cycle schools largely promoted equality and industrialization and are now in decline, while in China, short-cycle schools no longer promote greater equality even as they proliferate. Centralization in both implies ideological controls and pressures in education. Although female enrollment is roughly equal, China risks losing gains in equality from the Mao era. In China, reintroduction of standardized entrance exams and the end of guaranteed employment promote nepotism and a decline in rural schools and women's participation. (Contains 14 references.) (TEJ)

This study, part of ongoing research to establish the construct validity of a science attitude assessment instrument, evaluated the instrument with 72 elementary school science teachers. The measure, "Assessment of Attitude Toward Science and Science Teaching," contains 27 statements to which the respondent expresses degrees of agreement. This particular investigation examined use of the instrument to reveal whether the teacher-respondent was constructivist in approach to science and science teaching. Factor analysis determined that four factors accounted for 50 percent of the variance. These were: (1) understanding science; (2) constructivist approach to teaching and learning about science; (3) attitudes towards teaching science; and (4) positive attitudes towards science. Agreement with statements loading on the first and fourth factors were interpreted as identifying a more traditional science teacher, while disagreement with these statements suggested a more constructivist approach. Agreement with statements loading on the second and third factors indicated a more constructivist bent, while disagreement indicated a more traditional approach to science. Appendices include the instrument and the statistical analyses. (DB)

A discussion of Chinese- and English-medium instruction in Hong Kong schools, particularly at the levels of secondary and higher education, focuses on recent recommendations for improved instruction and articulation. The discussion is presented in two parts. The first presents the response of the University of Hong Kong's Language Centre to the Hong Kong education department's report on language improvement in education. This part outlines recommendations for action to improve equality of educational opportunity and academic standards through language policy. Issues concerning opportunity addressed here include the threat of exodus from Chinese-medium public secondary schools, perceived elitism in English-medium instruction, students' choice of language medium, and career and academic prospects related to language medium of education. Concerning academic standards, issues include improvement of secondary school language instruction, instruction in English for academic purposes, and maintenance and enhancement of language standards in the higher education sector. The second part reports on a staff roundtable discussion of those issues. Areas of concern include the use of an independent body to implement recommendations, potential for intensifying elitism in the schools, college preparatory programs, and the option of gradual rather than intensive exposure to English-medium instruction. (MSE)

The Dynasty Project conducted an empirical analysis of the cross-cultural reception of the program for which it was named. Data were collected via two series of videotaped interviews which were carried out following a viewing of Dynasty episode 105 by a group of subjects together with the researchers. The subjects were 25 American viewers in Los Angeles and 16 Danish Dynasty regulars in the Copenhagen area. Specific findings are described in a qualitative fashion and analyzed from the following perspectives: (1) the interdisciplinary nature of the Dynasty Project; (2) the project's lack of sympathy for and cultural elitist attitudes toward commercial television fiction and toward popular culture in general; (3) television's function as the main forum for collective cultural processes; (4) liminal processes; (5) the "hegemonic effect" of television; (6) the theory of heteroglossia; (7) the reasons for audience addiction to Dynasty; (8) the extent of viewer involvement with the program; (9) the notion of distance; and (10) Dynasty as the interminable hermeneutic puzzle. (12 endnotes and 25 references) (CGD)

Raymond Callahan's superintendent vulnerability thesis suggests that school superintendent behavior is subject to the political winds of local school boards, in turn dominated by the economic values of American businessmen. This thesis inspired a body of research termed "dissatisfaction theory," which describes the sequence of events resulting in school board incumbent defeat and superintendent turnover. The Robertsdale School District ethnographic study of three years in a district's political life portrays a community's increasing discontent with its public schools, board, and superintendent. It describes citizens' frustration at being unrepresented and unheard and focuses on the campaign of a challenger who unseats an incumbent board member, eventually becomes board president, and "eases out" the old superintendent. After illustrating the dissatisfaction theory model, this article evaluates numerous verification studies and offers conclusions and recommendations. The theory's most practical application is alerting beleaguered superintendents to potential causes of dissatisfaction. School officials and their boards need to be aware of socioeconomic changes and accompanying value shifts in their community that impact public education policy. The board must avoid elitism and heed special interest groups to prevent the recurrence of a disruptive, vicious cycle. Included are 1 figure and 33 references. (MLH)