"The impact of ICT use on learning outcomes is unclear, and open to much debate. Widely accepted, standard methodologies and indicators to assess impact of ICTs in education do not exist. A disconnect is apparent between the rationales most often presented to advance the use of ICTs in education (to
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introduce new teaching and learning practices and to foster 21st century thinking and learning skills) and their actual implementation (predominantly for use in computer literacy and dissemination of learning materials). Costs: Very little useful data exists on the cost of ICT in education initiatives, especially related to Total Cost of Ownership and guidance on how to conduct cost assessments. Current implementation of ICT in education: Interest in and use of ICTs in education appear to be growing, even in the most challenging environments in developing countries. Policy: Best practices and lessons learned are emerging in a number of areas, but with few exceptions (notably on ‘schoolnet’ development and general lessons learned), they have not been widely disseminated nor packaged into formats easily accessible to policy makers in developing countries, and have not been explicitly examined in the context of the education-related MDGs." (Key findings)
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"Research on the effect of suicide stories in the media on suicide in the real world has been marked by much debate and inconsistent findings. Recent narrative reviews have suggested that research based on nonfictional models is more apt to uncover imitative effects than research based on fictional
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models. There is, however, substantial variation in media effects within the research restricted to nonfictional accounts of suicide. The present analysis provides some explanations of the variation in findings in the work on nonfictional media. Logistic regression techniques applied to 419 findings from 55 studies determined that: (1) studies measuring the presence of either an entertainment or political celebrity were 5.27 times more likely to find a copycat effect, (2) studies focusing on stories that stressed negative definitions of suicide were 99% less likely to report a copycat effect, (3) research based on television stories (which receive less coverage than print stories) were 79% less likely to find a copycat effect, and (4) studies focusing on female suicide were 4.89 times more likely to report a copycat effect than other studies. The full logistic regression model correctly classified 77.3% of the findings from the 55 studies. Methodological differences among studies are associated with discrepancies in their results." (Abstract)
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"A short, critically annotated listing of significant literature in two categories: (i) books that examine the environment of publishing in developing countries, and (ii) books and training manuals that have been written specifically to assist publishers in those countries." (Hans M. Zell, Publishin
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g, Books & Reading in Sub-Saharan Africa, 3d ed. 2008, nr. 177)
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"This literature review explores current thinking and analysis of the role of culture in development communications addressing HIV and AIDS prevention, treatment and care. It takes as its starting point the relationship between culture and the global strategic response to HIV/AIDS, tracing the impli
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cations of an absence in cultural thinking in global action strategies devised by lead bodies. It explores recent progress in developing a cultural approach to HIV/AIDS, including work by UNESCO, and the challenges faced by current dominant modes of development communications which draw on cultural approaches. The primary challenges, it argues, stem from an overt focus on behaviour change, coupled with the dominance of Western-derived IEC (Information, Education, Communication) methods which allow little space for community participation. A further challenge arises from current Monitoring and Evaluation methods. The ‘levels’ model of culture and development, which evolved from the Routemapping Culture and Development project by Creative Exchange, is seen as offering an opportunity for a more complex understanding of the relationship between culture, development and development communications. The review makes the point that adapting current modes of development communication to incorporate more culturally sensitive approaches will require greater commitment to community participation, and wider recognition of cultural issues among development actors." (Abstract)
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"The seventh edition of a very useful and attractively presented catalogue, which contains a collection of resources designed for building the capacity and supporting the training strategies of all stakeholders in the book chain, especially in Africa and the Caribbean. The material was chosen throug
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h consultation with partners and professionals in librarianship, publishing and bookselling, and is designed to highlight new subject areas not covered in traditional academic courses, such as monitoring and evaluation, reading promotion and advocacy. Titles are grouped broadly by subject areas including writing, design and production, editorial functions and procedures, librarianship, bookselling, marketing and promotion, management, legal issues, reference, and the catalogue also offers a range of resources on ICT and the Internet." (Hans M. Zell, Publishing, Books & Reading in Sub-Saharan Africa, 3d ed. 2008, nr. 2450)
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"This bibliographic review is a first attempt at collecting together a body of literature relevant to the study of intercultural communication in cyberspace. It explores and summarizes themes and arguments in current literature relating to 'the culture(s) of the internet', 'the language of cyberspac
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e', 'intercultural communication on the internet', 'identity and community in cyberspace', 'culture and education in cyberspace' and 'the impact of the internet on culture(s)'. The survey offers an overview of current research and theoretical contributions identified in each area; an extensive annotated bibliography that includes abstracts or summaries of each contribution. It also identifies the most pressing issues in the field as well as gaps in current knowledge and understanding." (Publisher description)
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"Aufgrund der Komplexität der tatsächlichen Zusammenhänge ist es schwierig, Forschungsergebnisse verständlich zu schildern, ohne zu simplifizieren, aber auch ohne dass in der Vielfalt der Detailergebnisse verallgemeinerbare und praxistaugliche Befunde untergehen. Diese Gratwanderung soll im vorl
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iegenden Bericht unternommen werden. Ziel des Projekts war es, den Forschungsstand nach der letzten größeren, von Michael Kunczik (1998) vorgelegten Bestandsaufnahme zu sichten, zu systematisieren und in verständlicher Weise auf den Punkt zu bringen. Eine solche Arbeit erschien nicht zuletzt deshalb dringlich, weil mittlerweile eine unübersichtliche Vielzahl neuer Studien publiziert wurde. Zwar sind in letzter Zeit auch einige kleinere Übersichten zum Thema erschienen, diese beschränken sich jedoch zumeist auf eine häufig unkritische Wiederholung alter Befunde und beziehen neuere Forschungsergebnisse nur punktuell mit ein.
Für den vorliegenden Bericht wurde eine umfassende Recherche deutsch- und englischsprachiger Untersuchungen durchgeführt, die zwischen 1998 und Ende 2003 erschienen sind. Dabei wurde dem interdisziplinären Charakter der Medien-und-Gewalt-Forschung Rechnung getragen. Das Thema beschäftigt Kommunikationswissenschaftler ebenso wie Psychologen, Pädagogen, Soziologen, Philologen, Filmwissenschaftler und Kriminologen – um nur die wichtigsten Fächer zu nennen. Auch die Medizin, v. a. die Kindermedizin, befasst sich mit den schädlichen Auswirkungen medialer Gewalt. Neben der Recherche von Monographien und Sammelbänden wurden insbesondere die einschlägigen Fachzeitschriften dieser Disziplinen auf Untersuchungen zum Thema „Medien und Gewalt“ hin ausgewertet.
Um die Flut des Materials zu begrenzen und dem eigentlichen Zweck dieses Berichts gerecht zu werden, konzentriert sich die vorliegende Darstellung auf Befunde, die auf empirischen Untersuchungen beruhen, sowie auf theoretische Studien, die zur Interpretation und Integration der in diesen Untersuchungen erzielten Ergebnisse beitragen wollen. Einbezogen wurden sowohl Studien zur fiktiven als auch zur realen Mediengewalt (vgl. Kapitel 2.1), wobei die Untersuchungen zur fiktiven Gewalt jedoch eindeutig überwiegen. Ein besonderer Schwerpunkt wurde auf neuere Forschungsbereiche wie die Computerspielforschung und die Evaluierung medienpädagogischer Maßnahmen gelegt. Ausgeklammert wurde beispielsweise der weite Bereich der als „Betroffenheitsliteratur“ zu bezeichnenden Publikationen. Diese sind dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass sie ohne jeglichen Bezug auf empirische Befunde bzw. auf Basis einer unkritischen Rezeption solcher Studien allgemeine und zumeist lediglich von den persönlichen Überzeugungen des Verfassers geprägte bzw. plausibel erscheinende, wissenschaftlich aber nicht abgestützte Betrachtungen der Thematik und allgemeine Ratschläge für das nichtwissenschaftliche Publikum enthalten." (Einleitung, Seite 7-8)
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"It is widely acknowledged that a livelihoods approach provides a useful, logically consistent framework for thinking through the complex issues influencing the lives of the poor. In particular it draws attention to ways in which policies, institutions and decision-making processes influence resourc
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e access and ownership, and determine strategic livelihood options available to poor households. Information and communication systems are crucial in this regard, both in generating information required by the rural poor to make decisions on livelihood strategies, and in generating information required by institutions responsible for making decisions about policies and processes that affect those strategies. In each case, it is only through improved information that individuals and institutions can make informed choices about the opportunities and constraints associated with agriculture-based strategies. However, improved information alone is not sufficient for improved decision-making. Decision-making is a political process and promoting multi-stakeholder participation in decision-making processes is a key concern. Furthermore, different stakeholder groups each have specific information needs and delivery preferences. Highly differentiated information needs assessment is essential in order to effectively support decision-making at different levels. It is evident that effective promotion of poverty reduction and food security requires changes in institutions and attitudes, knowledge and information levels, processes and skills. Improved understanding of the capacity of decision-makers at different levels to make use of the information provided is key for the identification of appropriate systems and institutions for the delivery of relevant information. Enhancing the quality and quantity of information also relies on attention to the flow of information, such as the means of communication, format and content. Information can potentially have a catalytic role but much depends on its reliability and relevance to the needs of particular user groups. There is a necessary trade-off between the level of technical detail involved in information collection and analysis, and the practical usefulness of that information. Standardisation of techniques of information collection, storage and presentation is important, both to improve efficiency in information handling within agencies and also to ensure that information can be used externally by other agencies, thereby facilitating greater cross-sectoral communication and coordination. Equally important is developing effective means of prioritising information needs at different levels. Improved information can enable people to better defend their interests and articulate their needs; it increases their bargaining power and ability to influence decision-making processes which affect them. Transparency is equally important if information is to empower people to make better decisions. Improved communication systems can enable individuals to organise as groups and use information to hold institutions and authorities accountable." (Executive summary, page vi)
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