Asia Pacific Education Review最新文献

Causal mediation analysis has gained increasing attention in recent years. This article guides empirical researchers through the concepts and challenges of causal mediation analysis. I first clarify the difference between traditional and causal mediation analysis and highlight the importance of adjusting for the treatment-by-mediator interaction and confounders of the treatment–mediator, treatment–outcome, and mediator–outcome relationships. I then introduce the definition of causal mediation effects under the potential outcomes framework and different methods for the identification and estimation of the effects. After that, I highlight the importance of conducting a sensitivity analysis to assess the sensitivity of analysis results to potential unmeasured confounding. I also list various statistical software that can conduct causal mediation analysis and sensitivity analysis and provide suggestions for writing a causal mediation analysis paper. Finally, I briefly introduce some extensions that I made with my colleagues, including power analysis, multisite causal mediation analysis, causal moderated mediation analysis, and relaxing the assumption of no post-treatment confounding.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the school-related factors that influence students’ global citizenship. To explore both student-level and school-level factors that influence students’ global citizenship, we applied a hierarchical linear model using PISA 2018 data from Korea. The results showed that factors related to teacher’s GCED practices and school climate can play an important role in fostering students’ global citizenship. Based on these findings, we suggest that a whole-school approach is needed to promote the inclusion of GCED-related topics in various school curricula and to integrate GCED values into the overall school culture to enhance students’ global citizenship.

Regression discontinuity (RD) designs have gained significant popularity as a quasi-experimental device for evaluating education programs and policies. In this paper, we present a comprehensive review of RD designs, focusing on the continuity-based framework, the most widely adopted RD framework. We first review the fundamental aspects of RD designs, drawing on potential outcomes and causal graphs. We then discuss the validity threats in RD designs, including manipulation, discreteness of the running variable, statistical power, and generalizability. Additionally, we provide an overview of the existing extensions to RD designs. To exemplify the application of RD methods, we analyze the effect of New Jersey’s pre-kindergarten program on children’s vocabulary test scores, using an educational dataset. Finally, we offer practical guidelines in the conclusion to promote the appropriate use of RD methods in educational research.

Against the background of expanding parental choices and declining global birth rates, schools are experiencing rising competition regarding student enrolment. Schools have responded by strategically presenting information about their students’ academic achievement and whole-person development orientation in the hope of attracting parents’ interest. However, few studies have investigated the impact of these factors on student enrollment, particularly in the context of diverse school types and educational orientations. Accordingly, this study utilized data from 327 secondary schools in Hong Kong to examine the effects of academic achievement orientation and whole-person development orientation on student intake. Using hierarchical regression analysis, we found a positive association between high whole-person development orientation and student intake in aided schools with a strong academic development orientation. The result implies parents are increasingly concerned about their children’s academic achievement and whole-person development at school. The study contributes to a broader understanding of the factors influencing parental choice in high-performing education systems, providing valuable insights for policymakers and educators seeking to improve educational offerings, enhance school transparency, and be better aligned with parental expectations.

Since 1840, Chinese political leaders have struggled to draw effectively from Western culture without abandoning the Chinese essence in their design of higher education. In this paper, we use cultural nationalism as the theoretical framework to examine how Chinese political leaders have responded to this challenge. Our analysis shows that cultural nationalism closely links to politics, and although the form taken by cultural nationalism has varied throughout Chinese history, it has significantly influenced Chinese higher education. In particular, we identify a strong cultural nationalism in today’s China, which has already influenced teaching and research in Chinese higher education. Finally, we discuss the implications and limitations of this paper, and call for critical reflections of cultural nationalism and its impact on Chinese higher education.

Given decision-makers often prioritize causal research that identifies the impact of treatments on the people they serve, a key question in education research is, “Does it work?”. Today, however, researchers are paying increasing attention to successive questions that are equally important from a practical standpoint—not only does it work, but for whom and under what circumstances? Invalid conclusions to any of these questions can result in the adoption of ineffective educational practices. This article discusses the enduring legacy of Shadish, Cook, and Campbell’s validity typology, and its associated threats to validity, for improving the validity of inferences in education research. The validity typology provides a system for classifying and improving inferences related to four validity types, including ensuring a causal relationship between a treatment and outcome (internal validity) that is precisely estimated (statistical validity), well understood (construct validity), and generalizes to the necessary circumstances (external validity). Here, we provide an overview of these four validity types and discuss proactive approaches to addressing them. We conclude by discussing how the validity typology framework may help researchers understand and address contemporary critiques of quantitative causal research.

The purpose of this study was to identify career decision groups based on the career decision trajectories of college students over a 3-year period, and to examine the factors influencing group classification and differences. To achieve this goal, a latent class growth analysis (LCGA) was conducted on longitudinal data collected from 867 college students from 2018 to 2020. As a result of the analysis, a total of four groups were identified based on the change in career decision status of college students: a group that retained previous career decision, a group with a significant increase in career decision, a group that maintained career indecision status, and a group that reduced career decision. A college student’s self-directed learning experience and ability, which are predictors of latent group classification, significantly affect their chances of belonging to each group based on their change in career decision level. Also, a significant difference was found in college students’ understanding of their desired job based on the changing pattern of their career decisions.