Asia Pacific Education Review最新文献

Children’s development is profoundly influenced by their families. Numerous studies have investigated how family structure correlates with children’s academic outcomes. However, these studies often fail to simultaneously consider the indirect effects of economic, social, and cultural capital in this relationship. In this study, we employed the data from the China Education Panel Survey (CEPS) to analyze the association between family structure (two-parent families, single-mother families, single-father families, and two-parent-absent families) and children’s academic achievement and to identify the indirect effects of family economic capital, social capital, and cultural capital in this association. The findings revealed that children from non-two-parent families had worse academic performance than those from two-parent families. Furthermore, social capital and cultural capital accounted for differences in academic performance between non-two-parent families and two-parent families. However, economic capital did not account for the differences in academic performance between single-mother families and two-parent families. Moreover, the indirect effect of economic capital is lower than that of social and cultural capital.

This study investigated the test fairness of the translation section of a large-scale English test in China by examining its Differential Test Functioning (DTF) and Differential Item Functioning (DIF) across gender and major. Regarding DTF, the entire translation section exhibits partial strong measurement invariance across female and male test takers, while exhibiting full measurement invariance across test takers in (1) arts & humanities and social sciences (A&HSS) and (2) science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) majors. No major-based DIF was detected in this study. Objective test items tend to favor male test takers, while direct translation test task was more favorable to females. Combining the DIF and DTF results, there may be a cancelation effect in our case. However, the effect size of DIF is either negligible or slight to moderate, indicating minimal impact on the overall fairness of the translation test task. This study further discusses the necessity of exploring the source of DIF and the importance of combining DIF and DTF for test fairness research.

Despite generous financial aid provided by the government for low-income students studying at universities, eligible students are still reluctant to apply for such aid. This study aimed to assess the effects of students’ expectations; knowledge, attitudes, and actions toward higher education; financial aid; parental, school, and student characteristics; and intentions to apply for scholarships among low-income students in two districts of Central Java, Indonesia. Students from disadvantaged backgrounds were invited to participate in the survey, and logistic regression was employed to assess the determinants of students’ intentions to apply for financial aid. This study revealed that more than 70% of low-income students have low expectations, which is mainly attributed to a lack of academic performance. Moreover, expectations play a significant role in increasing students’ intention to apply for financial aid by 3.026. In addition, the level of knowledge, positive attitude toward higher education, and financial aid and action were demonstrated to be statistically significant in affecting students’ intention to apply for aid.

Instrumental variables is a popular approach for causal inference in education when randomization of treatment is not feasible. Using a first-year college program as a running example, this article reviews the five assumptions that must be met to successfully use instrumental variables to estimate a causal effect with observational data: SUTVA, as-if random assignment, exclusion restriction, nonzero average causal effect of instrument on treatment, and monotonicity, and concludes with recommendations for researchers.

Causal inference is a central topic in education research, although oftentimes it relies on observational studies, which makes causal identification methodologically challenging. This manuscript introduces causal graphs as a powerful language for elucidating causal theories and an effective tool for causal identification analysis. It discusses graphical criteria for causal identification, which provide principled approaches for removing bias and assessing causal identification given a causal theory. Through illustrative examples, this manuscript demonstrates the application of causal graphs and adjustment criterion for covariate selection in the context of education research, exemplifying their key advantages particularly in scenarios where randomized experiments are impractical. This manuscript aims to acquaint researchers with causal graphs as an effective tool for causal inference, thereby facilitating theory-based causal inquiries in applied education research.

The aim of this study is to investigate the production and dissemination of mathematical modeling-based projects by gifted students, intended to solve real-life problems, over the four-year Project Production and Management Program (PPMP). The longitudinal research methodology was utilized to examine the project production process among participants enrolled in the mathematical modeling-based PPMP at Science and Art Centers. Throughout the four-year period, while participants engaged in producing mathematical modeling-based projects within the PPMP, data were systematically collected on an annual basis from various sources. These included personal information forms, project logs, project forms, as well as observation and evaluation forms pertinent to the project production and management program, complemented by project follow-up forms.The study's findings indicated that, over the four-year PPMP, gifted students demonstrated significant improvements in project production and management. These enhancements were observed across various dimensions, including progress, real-life applicability, project value, planning, originality, final product quality, and dissemination efforts. The findings of this study offer practical guidelines for assisting gifted students in leveraging their talents and potential to create original products and solutions.

The randomized control trial (RCT) is the primary experimental design in education research due to its strong internal validity for causal inference. However, in situations where RCTs are not feasible or ethical, quasi-experiments are alternatives to establish causal inference. This paper serves as an introduction to several quasi-experimental designs: regression discontinuity design, difference-in-differences analysis, interrupted time series design, instrumental variable analysis, and propensity score analysis with examples in education research.

The current study investigated whether the grade point average (GPA) of high school courses and the score on the test for admission to a bachelor’s degree in Psychology—assessing logical reasoning, reading comprehension, and general knowledge—can predict student academic success (AS) and to what extent. Archival data from 5147 candidates (82.4% female) collected over six years (2010–2016) were used. For 2559 of these, indicators of AS (graduation marks, average weighted marks, completion of the degree on time, and dropout) were also available. A series of hierarchical regressions were performed, in which the high school GPA was included as the first predictor, and the scores of the three sections of the admission test were included as the second set of predictors. Findings indicated high school GPA as the best predictor of AS. However, admission test scores predicted a portion of AS that the high school GPA was not able to account for. This result indicates that the administration of the admission test, which evaluates logical reasoning, reading comprehension, and general knowledge, can add relevant information to the high school GPA, thus increasing the efficacy in the selection of candidates, who can have the best chance to earn a bachelor’s degree in psychology.

This article reports a longitudinal case study examining how teachers were empowered to develop their professional capacity to cater for learner diversity through implementing differentiated instruction. Data were collected from multiple sources including lesson co-planning meetings, teacher interviews and lesson observations in a primary school in Hong Kong. The findings suggested a three-stage journey towards teacher empowerment mediated by both external and internal factors. The findings also highlighted the potential interplay of teacher empowerment, teacher professional development and its sustainability, shedding light on a sustainable model for teacher professional development.