Educational Systems Theory

Property: Compatibility

Definition:

"Educational system compatibility is commonality between feedin and feedout." (p. 53)

Comments:

In information theory, a B measure is used to determine "common information ... at the pair of feedin and feedout." (p. 53)

Illustration:

Examples:

34.1 In an educational system with high compatibility, there is a complimentary relationship between the educational system and the negasystem, between feedin and feedout. The negasystem (society) provides the educational system with the kinds of students it wants; and the educational system provides the negasystem with the type of graduates it wants.

Feedin has two steps:

1. toput: the negasystem (society) provides the educational system with children who are ready to learn (e.g., who are physically healthy, developmentally capable, and who value education).

2. input: the educational system admits these children at age 5 or 6.

Feedout has two steps:

1. fromput: after about 12 years of education, these children are eligible for graduation; they have the knowledge and skills society wants.

2. output: the graduating students are inducted into universities and the workplace (the negasystem).

34.2 In an educational system with low compatibility, there is a weak relationship between the educational system and the negasystem, between feedin and feedout. Society provide s students who do not want to learn, and who do not value educational. Public schools must take them in, but have difficulty in helping the children learn the skills that society wants. The children experience failure and humiliation. These students may become trouble-makers and get expelled from school; they may drop out, or they may just "get by" with marginally passing grades. In any case, they do not have the knowledge, skills and attitudes wanted by society.

34.3 The Smith Animal Shelter is experiencing low compatibility. The negasystem provides the shelter with a large number of adult animals (toput); the shelter takes these animals in (input). It then offers these healthy adult animals to the negasystem (fromput). However, the negasystem wants immature animals (puppies and kittens). As a result, much of the fromput never becomes output (the animals remain unadopted at the shelter.)

34.4 Schools often experience low compatibility with regard to computer equipment and the technological skills of their graduates. If society fails to provide schools with the funding they need to bring in sufficient computer technology (hardware and software), and to develop teacher training and curriculum development, there is no way that schools can provide the negasystem with graduates who are technological literate.

Related Terms:

feedin

toput

input

feedout

fromput

output

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Hypotheses Containing the Property: Compatibility

#21. If educational system feedthrough increases,then compatibility increases.

#26. If educational system filtration is greater than some value, then compatibility is greater than some value.

#27. If educational system is filtration less than some value, then compatibility is less than some value.

#48. If educational system (feedin increases and feedout is constant and compatibility is constant) or (feedin is constant and feed out increases and compatibility is constant) or (feedin is constant and feedout is constant and compatibility decreases), then openness increases.

#49. If educational system (feedin decreases and feedout is constant and compatibility is constant) or (feedin is constant and feedout decreases and compatibility is constant) or (feedin is constant and feedout is constant and compatibility increases), then openness decreases.

#97. If educational system feedin increases and compatibility is nearly minimum, then disconnectivity increases.

#137. If educational system feedout is greater than some value and compatibility is less than some value, then segregation is less than some value.

#159. If educational system environmental change is greater than some value and compatibility is greater than some value and stability is greater than some value, then storeput is greater than some value or filtration is greater than some value or spillage is greater than some value.

#200. If educational system size increases and complexity growth is constant, then compatibility decreases.

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