Asia Pacific Education Review最新文献

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.

Education researchers often encounter scenarios where an abrupt policy change occurs within or across jurisdictions or populations that affect key student outcomes. Difference-in-differences is a research design analysts can use to estimate causal effects of these “natural experiments.” This article introduces education researchers to the difference-in-differences approach. We provide an overview of the standard two-by-two design, which examines changes in outcomes over time between a treated and an unaffected group. Then, we discuss the key assumptions and threats to validity that researchers must address to have maximum confidence in their results. We also discuss commonly used alternative specifications that provide researchers with a more nuanced approach to estimating policy effects. Throughout the paper, we illustrate the difference-in-differences approach using the example of the implementation of an after-school tutoring program to increase economically disadvantaged students’ academic performance. In supplementary material, we provide Stata code to help assist researchers adapt the approach to their own scholarship.

Japan has a longstanding history of shadow education, which has evolved, transformed, and extended beyond its borders. Japanese shadow education institutions, known as juku, have expanded worldwide, including in Asia, the US, and Europe, offering offline and online tutoring services mainly for Japanese expatriates. This study examines the role and features of juku, specifically in Beijing, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. It identifies 20 different juku, analyzes their types, and explains a different type of juku, the “Japanese cultural supplementary school,” that caters to expatriate parents aiming to nurture Japanese culture and traditions in their children. Although the Japanese juku phenomenon has previously attracted the attention of scholars, there is a gap in the literature when it comes to transnational juku and its operation outside Japan. This paper contributes to informing scholars, policymakers, and the public on the transnational movement of shadow education as a global phenomenon.