La educación primaria en los campos de la provincia de Buenos Aires (1943-1955)

El artículo se ocupa de las políticas educativas dirigidas al ámbito rural. El objetivo es caracterizar las escuelas primarias en la campaña bonaerense y examinar las demandas, la legislación y los proyectos que tuvieron lugar en relación con dichas escuelas durante el primer Peronismo. Se utiliza una metodología cualitativa que toma como fuentes de información normativas, discursos, estadísticas y proyectos de reformas. Se concluye que, si bien las demandas materiales dieron lugar a planes que en la mayor parte de los casos se concretaron, las peticiones para atender a la especificidad de la escuela rural fueron más difíciles de efectivizar

A sociocultural analysis of language learning: New forms of literacy practices in a language and culture awareness programme

This paper reports on a sociocultural study conducted in a Catholic primary school in the Australian outback and provides insights into how policy related to Languages Other Than English (LOTE) programmes is implemented in a specific location and interwoven within the literacy practices of children, parents and teachers. A case study that tracked a Year Four student's learning and development during a Language and Culture Awareness Programme is discussed within a discourse of cultural and linguistic practices. Significant aspects of the student's learning related to a phenomenon called multi-tiered scaffolding temporarily disrupted the established literacy practices in the school community. Implications of the research for second-language teaching and learning in Australian primary schools are elaborated.

Changing student teachers' attitudes towards disability and inclusion

A total of 274 preservice teacher education students were surveyed at the beginning and end of a one-semester unit on Human Development and Education which combined formal instruction with structured fieldwork experiences. The latter included interviewing community members regarding their knowledge of Down syndrome and opinions on inclusive education, and writing an associated report. At the end of semester, not only had student teachers acquired more accurate knowledge of Down syndrome, together with more positive attitudes towards the inclusive education of children with Down syndrome, but their attitudes towards disability in general had also changed, and they reported greater ease when interacting with people with disabilities. The study illustrated the value of combining information-based instruction with structured fieldwork experiences in changing attitudes towards disability and inclusion. It also demonstrated that raising awareness of one disability may lead to changes in attitudes towards disability in general.

Assessing the performance of a nucleus estate and smallholder scheme for oil palm production in West Sumatra: a stochastic frontier analysis

In this paper, we study the performance of smallholders in a nucleus estate and smallholder (NES) scheme in oil palm production schemein West Sumatra by measuring their technical efficiency using a stochastic frontier production function. Our results indicate a mean technical efficiency of 66%, which is below what we would have expected given the uniformity of the climate, soils and plantation construction among the sample farmers. The use of progressive farmers as a means of disseminating extension advice does not appear to have been successful, and more rigorous farmer selection procedures need to be put in place for similar schemes and for general agricultural extension in future. No clear relationship was established between technical efficiency and the use of female labour, suggesting there is no need to target extension services specifically at female labourers in the household. Finally, education was found to have an unexpectedly negative impact on technical efficiency, indicating that farmers with primary education may be more important than those with secondary and tertiary education as targets of development schemes and extension programs entailing non-formal education. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Home, school and community partnerships to support children's numeracy

Presents the findings of a study in Australia which focused on the collaboration between home, school and community that support numeracy development in children. Aims of the project; Framework used in the analysis of various partnerships between the social institutions; Ways in which the partnerships can be initiated; Concerns that are essential in building and sustaining long-term partnerships to support children's numeracy development.