Capability outcomes from educational and ICT capability inputs : an analysis of ICT use in informal education in Kenya

In the field of Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D) ICT use in education is well studied. Education is often seen as a pre-requisite for development and ICTs are believed to aid in education, e.g. to make it more accessible and to increase its quality. In this paper we study the access and use of ICT in a study circle (SC) education program in the south coast of Kenya. The study is qualitative reporting results based on interviews and observations with SC participants, government officers and SC coordinators and teachers. The study builds on the capability approach perspective of development where individuals’ opportunities and ability to live a life that they value are focused. The aim of the study is to investigate the capability outcomes enabled through the capability inputs access and use of ICT in education as well as the factors that enabled and/or restricted the outcomes. Findings show that many opportunities have been enabled such as an increase in the ability to generate an income, learning benefits, community development and basic human development (e.g. literacy and self-confidence). However, conversion factors such as a poorly developed infrastructure and poor IT literacy prevent many of the individuals from taking full advantage of the ICT and the opportunities it enables. 

DEN KOMMUNALA FÖRVALTNINGENSOM RATIONALISTISKT IDEAL- en fallstudie om styrning och handlingsutrymme inom skola,barnomsorg och miljö- och hälsoskydd

DEN KOMMUNALA FÖRVALTNINGEN SOM RATIONALISTISKT IDEAL - en fallstudie om styrning och handlingsutrymme inom skola, barnomsorg och miljö- och hälsoskydd.(The municipal authority as a rationalist ideal - a case-study on steering and scope for initiative within child-care, education and environmental departments.)A municipal authority is a considerable producer of services in the local community and iscommonly perceived as an important sector of the Swedish welfare system. One aspect of awell-functioning municipal organisation is that its administrative organs function efficiently.This study examines how activities in municipal administration are steered. The focus is on how different methods are used within a vertical hierarchical perspective to influence the actions of the participants and how the latter try to create space for action. To analyse the problem an ideal-type steering model is used.The study consists of three sections. In the first the research problem and the aims of the study are introduced as well as the methodological and theoretical approach. The result of the study is presented in the second section and in the third conclusions are drawn and discussed.The study shows that the perceptions of the participants involved regarding the possibilities of steering the everyday activities with the support of the methods studied differ on a number of points depending on the sector studied. When control of the various steering methods is distributed in different organisational units in the municipality a number of steering mechanisms operate side-by-side, sometimes in harmony and sometimes independently or in pure conflict with their goals. Steering leads to clear restrictions but there is clearlyroom for initiative, a ‘free-zone’ where the individual has room to act independently. Is it possible based on this study to state whether the ideal-type model functions in the way intended? On many accounts it would seem doubtful whether the effects of steering lead to beneficial effects for the activity. Rather it would seem that the effects of steeringsometimes function more or less randomly because the administration exists in a complexcontext in which the staff can be expected to have its own expectations and act in accordancewith them.

The Björling 'Opera' : A children's Nursery Academy and an Italian Conservatory in Miniature

The aim in this chapter is to develop a deeper understanding about the informal Björling 'School' in Sweden. Contextually the example is related to the micro history of opera education contributing to the macro perspective illuminating a provincial example of the concept of domestic opera schooling. The specific focus was on Karl David Björling (1873-1926), the teaching parent of the Swedish tenor Jussi Björling (1911-1960) and his brothers Gösta and Olle.   The Björling family model of opera schooling belongs to the classical canon of domestic home education which was common during the epoch. The phenomenon is also within the field of opera singing an important reference to the historical context of the Nordic opera history of vocal education.   The uniqueness concerning the Björling School seems to be the rigorous and exceptionally early training. David Björling’s pedagogy was rooted in earlier German theories of musical upbringing. It's clear from his results that he was familiar with the neo-humanistic ideal on which reformed music education was based. Of a specific interest is the term Gesang als Unterricht as a concept for developing childrens musical and memorising capacities.   Conceptually the roots of the Björling model are in the eighteenth-century Romantic view of prodigies and their abilities. The extensive touring is connected to the promotion of wonder-children, and David Björling’s educational style to the conservative Master-pupil tradition.   David Björling's vocal ideal was a part of the contemporary debate about “The decadence of the singing art”, and seems to have its roots in an older Italian tradition. There are recurring similarities between his educational methods and the didactic principles of the Lamperti School: Enjoying a revival around the late 1800s and early 1900s, it has been called the natural or the national school. Nevertheless, through authentic experiences and gramophone recordings the Italian tenor Enrico Caruso became David Björling’s pedagogical role model.

Den Munktellska salongen i Falun : En studie i salongens pedagogik under 1800-talet

Projektet syftar till att belysa den Munktellska salongen i Falun som en landsortsvariant av det tidiga 1800-talets svenska salongskultur i relation till internationella, främst tyska förebilder. Det mer specifika syftet är att fördjupa förståelsen av salongskulturens pedagogiska arv och dess förankring i tidens bildningsdiskussion och hur det i sin tur har påverkat senare utbildningssträvanden och skoluppbyggnad (Wilhelmy1989). Kan salongen ses som en möjlig utgångspunkt för att utforska pedagogiken under tidigare historiska epoker? Kan man tala om salongens pedagogik? och ägde salongskulturen pedagogiska kvaliteter som gick förlorade under det formella utbildningssystemets uppbyggnad? Det är frågor jag ställer mig inom ramen för detta forskningsprojekt. Ett centralt begrepp är immanent pedagogik, dvs. individens inneboende möjligheter till självförverkligande i en given social kontext (Ödman 1995). Projektet utgår tysk bildningsteori med relevans för det romantiska nyhumanistiska bildningsidealet. I förhållande till det tyska bildningsarvet uppmärksammas även den svenska bildningstraditionen från 1800-talets början (Burman & Sundgren 2010). Särskilt intresse riktas mot Uppsala universitet där spänningen mellan klassiskt arv och bildningsnytta ställs på sin spets under samma tidsperiod som salongerna blomstrar (Gustavsson 1996; Lindqvist 1976). Tidigare forskning vilar främst på internationell och Nordisk forskning där Petra Wilhelmy och Anne Scott Sørensen har en central position. Genom Eva Öhrström skapas också ett viktigt vetenskapligt underlag för den specifikt musikaliska salongen och dess betingelser. Den Munktellska salongen är placerad i en historiskt intressant miljö. Falun rankades under stormaktstiden som rikets andra stad och bidrog till uppbyggnaden av Sveriges statskick (Hildebrand 1946). Väsentligt för studien är att Stora Kopparberget utgör ett paradigm i Svensk industrihistoria vars mentalitet anses ha haft betydelse för pedagogikens inriktning i Sverige (Ödman 1995:485). Den pedagogiska debatten under 1800-talets första decennier får stora konsekvenser för utbildningsreformationen i Sverige och placerar Falusalongen i en intressant position för epokens pedagogiska förändringsarbete. Brukspatronen Johan Henrik Munktell (1804-1861) visar sig dessutom stå i förbindelse med ett unikt musikhistorisk arv som etablerades under hans bildningsresor på kontinenten under 1820-talet. Av särskilt intresse är Henrik Munktells besök i den Mendelssohnska salongen. Mendelssohns i Berlin var en av Europas viktigaste salonger och en förebild för den musikaliska salongen i Europa (Öhrström 1998, 2007). Projektet består av tre delstudier där den första upptar Johan Henrik Munktells bildningsresor under det tidiga 1800-talet. Projektets andra del undersöker hur salongen i Grycksbo formades och de förbindelser mellan Norden och Europa som salongerna skapade. Projektets tredje del riktas mot salongens didaktiska funktioner och den utbildning som döttrarna Emma och Helena Munktell fick via salongen. Genom att satsa på sina yrkeskarriärer bröt Emma och Helena Munktell mot samtidens konventioner och ideal. De avvek samtidigt mot den kanon och de genuskoder som historiskt format salongsmusicerandet. Med inspiration av begreppet immanent pedagogik prövar jag det lärande som sker i salongen i termer av ljusets och dunklets pedagogik. Begreppsparet kan knytas till bildningsdiskursen och det narrativa minnet av Berlins judiska salonger. Metoden baseras på Paul Ricoeurs hermeneutik och bygger på att de narrativa momenten kvalificeras genom tre tolkningsnivåer som tillsammans avser att ge det historiska materialet en nybeskrivning eller redéscription (Liljas 2007; Ricoeur 1984). Genom Falusalongerna kan den nordiska salongsforskningen breddas. I kopplingen till Falu gruvas internationellt kända historia finns upplysningar om salongen som i den tidigare salongsforskningen inte varit kända. Genom projektet redogörs för betingelser som bidrar till att förändra det utbildningshistoriska landskapet. Den musikaliska salongen kan med sin privat organiserade struktur ses som en möjlig utgångspunkt för att utforska pedagogiken under tidigare historiska epoker. Salongerna kan förväntas berika det utbildningshistoriska perspektivet och bidra till en djupare förståelse även av dagens skola och högre utbildning.

Nurses' research utilization two years after graduation : a national survey ofassociated individual, organizational, and educational factors

Background. Nurses' research utilization (RU) as part of evidence-based practice is strongly emphasized in today's nursing education and clinical practice. The primary aim of RU is to provide high-quality nursing care to patients. Data on newly graduated nurses' RU are scarce, but a predominance of low use has been reported in recent studies. Factors associated with nurses' RU have previously been identified among individual and organizational/contextual factors, but there is a lack of knowledge about how these factors, including educational ones, interact with each other and with RU, particularly in nurses during the first years after graduation. The purpose of this study was therefore to identify factors that predict the probability for low RU among registered nurses two years after graduation. Methods. Data were collected as part of the LANE study (Longitudinal Analysis of Nursing Education), a Swedish national survey of nursing students and registered nurses. Data on nurses' instrumental, conceptual, and persuasive RU were collected two years after graduation (2007, n = 845), together with data on work contextual factors. Data on individual and educational factors were collected in the first year (2002) and last term of education (2004). Guided by an analytic schedule, bivariate analyses, followed by logistic regression modeling, were applied. Results. Of the variables associated with RU in the bivariate analyses, six were found to be significantly related to low RU in the final logistic regression model: work in the psychiatric setting, role ambiguity, sufficient staffing, low work challenge, being male, and low student activity. Conclusions. A number of factors associated with nurses' low extent of RU two years postgraduation were found, most of them potentially modifiable. These findings illustrate the multitude of factors related to low RU extent and take their interrelationships into account. This knowledge might serve as useful input in planning future studies aiming to improve nurses', specifically newly graduated nurses', RU.

Meeting the Standards: An Analysis of Eight Grade Educational Assesment Test Scores in Maine

This paper examines the impact of socioeconomic factors on eighth grade achievement test scores in the face of federal and state initiatives for educational reform in Maine. We use student-level data over a five year period to provide a framework for understanding the policy implications of these initiatives. We model performance on standardized tests using a seemingly unrelated regressions approach and then determine the likelihood of meeting the standards defined by the adequate yearly progress requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act and Maine Learning Results initiatives. Our results indicate that the key factors influencing a student’s test scores include the education of a student’s parents, special services received for learning disabilities, and alternative measures of academic achievement.

Educational Opportunities and Average Income in Maine Towns

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Educational Assessment of Maine's 11th Graders

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Condomínio comum e condomínio edilício: diferenças quanto ao rateio pela fração ideal e pela forma igualitária

Trata-se de uma pesquisa sobre a origem do Condomínio Comum e suas espécies, evoluindo para o estudo sobre Condomínio Edilício. O surgimento do Condomínio Edilício no Brasil, a evolução da propriedade, os direitos e deveres dos condôminos e a forma de cobrança das despesas condominiais com ênfase nas cobranças por fração ideal e pela forma igualitária com a demonstração de tabelas comparativas entre as duas formas de fixação da taxa condominial. Fez-se o estudo de ações movidas por proprietários de unidades em condomínios, pesquisas em doutrinas e literaturas na área do Direito Civil, consulta a sites especializados em questões administrativas sobre condomínios, pesquisas em boletins e periódicos da área de administração de condomínios. O objetivo principal deste trabalho é demonstrar a forma de cobrança da taxa condominial em alguns modelos de condomínios, em que alguns condôminos pagam a mais para usufruir dos mesmos serviços que os demais e a busca de seus direitos.

Condomínio comum e condomínio edilício:diferenças quanto ao rateio pela fração ideal e pela forma igualitária

Trata-se de uma pesquisa sobre a origem do Condomínio Comum e suas espécies, evoluindo para o estudo sobre Condomínio Edilício. O surgimento do Condomínio Edilício no Brasil, a evolução da propriedade, os direitos e deveres dos condôminos e a forma de cobrança das despesas condominiais com ênfase nas cobranças por fração ideal e pela forma igualitária com a demonstração de tabelas comparativas entre as duas formas de fixação da taxa condominial. Fez-se o estudo de ações movidas por proprietários de unidades em condomínios, pesquisas em doutrinas e literaturas na área do Direito Civil, consulta a sites especializados em questões administrativas sobre condomínios, pesquisas em boletins e periódicos da área de administração de condomínios. O objetivo principal deste trabalho é demonstrar a forma de cobrança da taxa condominial em alguns modelos de condomínios, em que alguns condôminos pagam a mais para usufruir dos mesmos serviços que os demais e a busca de seus direitos.

Cinemas de rua em Porto Alegre : do recreio ideal (1908) ao Açores (1974)

Este trabalho se propõe a investigar as diferentes formas e configurações que as salas de cinema de rua de Porto Alegre adotaram ao longo do século XX. Antecipa o estudo central uma analise do caráter arquitetônico e dos elementos tipo-morfológicos definidores do programa arquitetônico “sala de cinema”. Com base neste instrumental e seguindo a evolução histórica, dé cada a dé cada, o autor desenvolve então a análise das salas de cinema de rua de Porto Alegre.

Se In é um ideal finitamente gerado então I é um ideal finitamente gerado?

Suponhamos que M seja um ideal maximal de um domínio R e que alguma potência de M seja finitamente gerada. Vamos mostrar que M será finitamente gerado em cada um dos seguintes casos: i M tem altura um, ii R é inteiramente fechado e altura de M é 2, iii R K X,S é um domínio monóide sobre um corpo K, onde S S 0 é um monóide cancelativo e livre de torção, tal que i 1 iS e M é o ideal maximal gerado por Xs/s S . Estendemos os resultados anteriores aos ideais I de um anel reduzido R tal que RI é anel Noetheriano. Provamos que um anel reduzido R é Noetheriano se cada ideal primo de R possui uma potência que é finitamente gerada. Para cada d tal que 3 d , estabelecemos a existência de um domínio de integridade d-dimensional que possui um ideal maximal M não finitamente gerado, de altura d tal que M2 é 3-gerado.

Demanda por alimentos na Região Metropolitana de Porto Alegre : uma aplicação do Almost Ideal Demand System

Este trabalho utilizou os dados da Pesquisa de Orçamentos Familiares (POF) na Região Metropolitana de Porto Alegre (RMPA), realizada pelo Centro de Estudos e Pesquisas Econômicas (IEPE) da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), em 1995, para estimar um sistema de demanda por alimentos. Implementou-se o Almost Ideal Demand System (AIDs), proposto por Deaton e Muellbauer. Com base nos coeficientes estimados, calcularam-se as elasticidadespreço, preço-cruzadas e renda para dez subgrupos de alimentos.

Aplicação dos conceitos de proteína ideal e proteína bruta sobre o desempenho, composição e rendimento de carcaças de frangos de corte

Dois experimentos foram conduzidos com o objetivo de avaliar o desempenho de duas linhagens de frangos de corte (Hybro G e Hybro PG) em duas estações climáticas (verão e inverno), alimentados com dietas formuladas pelo conceito Proteína Bruta (PB) ou Proteína Ideal (PI), de 1 a 42 dias de idade em ambos os sexos. Também foram avaliados os dados de abate, composição da carcaça e análise econômica comparativa entre os dois conceitos. O delineamento utilizado foi um fatorial 2 x 2, com 6 repetições de 20 aves cada. Na análise estatística dos resultados, verificou-se que, nas duas estações climáticas os machos PB consumiram mais que os PI; entre as fêmeas não houve diferença significativa para consumo. No verão as fêmeas PI ganharam mais peso corporal que as PB, para machos não houve diferença no ganho de peso; no inverno machos e fêmeas do PI ganharam mais peso que as aves do conceito PB e, quanto às linhagens, a PG foi superior a G. A conversão alimentar foi melhor para machos do que para fêmeas, principalmente no verão. Para o rendimento de peito as aves PI, a linhagem PG e as fêmeas mostraram-se superiores ao grupo PB, linhagem G e aos machos. A percentagem de gordura abdominal foi maior para fêmeas e para as aves PB. O aminograma evidenciou uma maior quantidade de Met, Lis, M+C e Tre no verão e M+C no inverno, nas carcaças dos machos PI. Na análise econômica dos dois experimentos foi observado que é mais viável a formulação de dietas pelo conceito proteína ideal, e formuladas segundo o respectivo sexo.

Should educational policies be regressive?

In this paper, we show that when the government is able to transfer wealth between generations, regressive policies are no longer optimal. The optimal educational policy can be decentralized through appropriate Pigouvian taxes and credit provision, is not regressive, and provides equality of opportunities in education (in the sense of irrelevance of parental income for the amount of education). Moreover, in the presence of default, the optimal policy can be implemented through income-contingent payments.