Pub Date : 2025-09-27DOI: 10.1016/j.ijedudev.2025.103414
Sherinah Saasa , Kaitlin P. Ward , Cleopas G. Sambo , Angela Madeux , Maya Jackson
Evidence suggests that fewer students in sub-Saharan Africa attain minimum math and reading proficiency. This study explores the effectiveness of an after-school teacher-assisted reading intervention on improving children’s reading proficiency (comprehension and reading fluency) and math and English scores in low-resource settings. We also examine whether hope, self-efficacy and gender moderate intervention effects. Participants were 78 fifth graders (55 % female) from poor neighborhoods in Lusaka, Zambia. Four schools were randomly assigned to a 12-session reading intervention (n = 43) or waitlist control group (n = 35). Assessments were conducted at pre-, post and 3-month follow-up. Data were analyzed using longitudinal multilevel modeling controlling for child and parent sociodemographics. We found no statistically significant improvement in the outcomes for the treatment group compared to the control group between pre- and post-treatment. However, the treatment group showed improvements in reading comprehension, fluency, and math and English scores between post and 3-month follow-up. The control group showed improvements in all scores between the second pre-test and post-intervention. Social self-efficacy and hope acted as moderators for pre- to post intervention changes in math and English scores, but not for reading proficiency. Results suggest that low-cost reading assistance interventions may facilitate statistically significant improvements by 3-months post-intervention, contributing to multi-disciplinary efforts to enhance educational outcomes for disadvantaged children in Zambia. Further research is needed to understand why hope and self-efficacy shaped academic gains but not reading improvements.
{"title":"Examining the effects of a low-cost literacy intervention and psychosocial moderators on reading proficiency and academic performance among Zambian children","authors":"Sherinah Saasa , Kaitlin P. Ward , Cleopas G. Sambo , Angela Madeux , Maya Jackson","doi":"10.1016/j.ijedudev.2025.103414","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijedudev.2025.103414","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Evidence suggests that fewer students in sub-Saharan Africa attain minimum math and reading proficiency. This study explores the effectiveness of an after-school teacher-assisted reading intervention on improving children’s reading proficiency (comprehension and reading fluency) and math and English scores in low-resource settings. We also examine whether hope, self-efficacy and gender moderate intervention effects. Participants were 78 fifth graders (55 % female) from poor neighborhoods in Lusaka, Zambia. Four schools were randomly assigned to a 12-session reading intervention (n = 43) or waitlist control group (n = 35). Assessments were conducted at pre-, post and 3-month follow-up. Data were analyzed using longitudinal multilevel modeling controlling for child and parent sociodemographics. We found no statistically significant improvement in the outcomes for the treatment group compared to the control group between pre- and post-treatment. However, the treatment group showed improvements in reading comprehension, fluency, and math and English scores between post and 3-month follow-up. The control group showed improvements in all scores between the second pre-test and post-intervention. Social self-efficacy and hope acted as moderators for pre- to post intervention changes in math and English scores, but not for reading proficiency. Results suggest that low-cost reading assistance interventions may facilitate statistically significant improvements by 3-months post-intervention, contributing to multi-disciplinary efforts to enhance educational outcomes for disadvantaged children in Zambia. Further research is needed to understand why hope and self-efficacy shaped academic gains but not reading improvements.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48004,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Educational Development","volume":"118 ","pages":"Article 103414"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145158226","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Doctoral education serves as the pinnacle of formal education, equipping academia with scholars and industry with a highly specialized workforce. In light of its rapidly expanding higher education system and economy, Türkiye has prioritized increasing the number of PhD holders in its recent governmental development plans. However, the dropout rate during the dissertation phase of doctoral education has surged to alarming levels, resulting in many individuals attaining permanent ABD (All But Dissertation) status. Due to legal constraints, completing their doctorate at another institution is not an option, thereby imposing significant burdens on individuals, institutions, and the national economy. In this context, this qualitative phenomenological study explores the factors that contribute to permanent ABD status by examining the experiences of fourteen individuals with permanent ABD status, alongside eight advisors and three directors of graduate schools. The findings reveal that challenges within the academic environment, personal value conflicts, and difficulties in self-management have significantly influenced the participants' progression to permanent ABD status. Adopting a comprehensive approach to address these issues is essential, necessitating targeted interventions at the institutional and national levels to alleviate their impact effectively.
{"title":"Factors leading to “Permanent ABD Status”: An exploration in Turkish higher education","authors":"Betül Bulut-Sahin , Hakan Ergin , Emine Karaduman-Oskay , Şahabettin Akşab , Fatma Nevra Seggie","doi":"10.1016/j.ijedudev.2025.103413","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijedudev.2025.103413","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Doctoral education serves as the pinnacle of formal education, equipping academia with scholars and industry with a highly specialized workforce. In light of its rapidly expanding higher education system and economy, Türkiye has prioritized increasing the number of PhD holders in its recent governmental development plans. However, the dropout rate during the dissertation phase of doctoral education has surged to alarming levels, resulting in many individuals attaining permanent ABD (All But Dissertation) status. Due to legal constraints, completing their doctorate at another institution is not an option, thereby imposing significant burdens on individuals, institutions, and the national economy. In this context, this qualitative phenomenological study explores the factors that contribute to permanent ABD status by examining the experiences of fourteen individuals with permanent ABD status, alongside eight advisors and three directors of graduate schools. The findings reveal that challenges within the academic environment, personal value conflicts, and difficulties in self-management have significantly influenced the participants' progression to permanent ABD status. Adopting a comprehensive approach to address these issues is essential, necessitating targeted interventions at the institutional and national levels to alleviate their impact effectively.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48004,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Educational Development","volume":"118 ","pages":"Article 103413"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145158224","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-22DOI: 10.1016/j.ijedudev.2025.103411
Haiyang Lu , Weiliang Hu , Rong Zhu , Keya Zeng
This study employs unconditional quantile regression (UQR) and decomposition techniques to explore how education affects urban-rural disparities in subjective well-being (SWB) across the welfare distribution. Using nationally representative data from the 2013–2021 Chinese Social Survey, we find that while education significantly improves SWB for both urban and rural residents, this positive effect shows an overall weakening trend with higher levels of well-being. The UQR decomposition reveals significant urban-rural SWB disparities across the entire distribution. These gaps are primarily driven by observable characteristic differences, among which education, particularly higher education disparities, makes the largest contribution, accounting for at least half of the total gap. Notably, we also find significant differences in the explanatory power of education across different quartiles, with considerably stronger effects for middle and lower quantile groups than for higher ones. Our findings suggest that educational equality provided a possible way to mitigate both urban-rural and within-group welfare disparities. Policy interventions should ensure improved access to education for vulnerable rural populations and also prioritize their access to quality educational resources.
{"title":"Educational inequality and urban-rural disparities in subjective well-being in China","authors":"Haiyang Lu , Weiliang Hu , Rong Zhu , Keya Zeng","doi":"10.1016/j.ijedudev.2025.103411","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijedudev.2025.103411","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study employs unconditional quantile regression (UQR) and decomposition techniques to explore how education affects urban-rural disparities in subjective well-being (SWB) across the welfare distribution. Using nationally representative data from the 2013–2021 Chinese Social Survey, we find that while education significantly improves SWB for both urban and rural residents, this positive effect shows an overall weakening trend with higher levels of well-being. The UQR decomposition reveals significant urban-rural SWB disparities across the entire distribution. These gaps are primarily driven by observable characteristic differences, among which education, particularly higher education disparities, makes the largest contribution, accounting for at least half of the total gap. Notably, we also find significant differences in the explanatory power of education across different quartiles, with considerably stronger effects for middle and lower quantile groups than for higher ones. Our findings suggest that educational equality provided a possible way to mitigate both urban-rural and within-group welfare disparities. Policy interventions should ensure improved access to education for vulnerable rural populations and also prioritize their access to quality educational resources.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48004,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Educational Development","volume":"118 ","pages":"Article 103411"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145118685","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-20DOI: 10.1016/j.ijedudev.2025.103409
Jean-Francois Trani , Yiqi Zhu , Saria Bechara , Parul Bakhshi , Ian Kaplan , Ganesh Babulal , Wenqing Zha , Hashim Rawab , Derek Brown , Ramesh Raghavan
Learning is a complex process that requires the acquisition of a range of academic, social, and emotional skills. Multiple barriers to learning exist in Low- and Middle-Income Countries, predominantly for girls. Little is known about how the sustainable development goal of ensuring free quality education for all girls and boys may translate into “relevant and effective learning outcomes”. This study investigates the impact of a multicomponent intervention on social-emotional and academic outcomes in primary school children. The intervention, which incorporated community-based system dynamics and child-centered activities, was implemented through a large-scale, cluster-randomized controlled trial in 83 schools across three provinces of Afghanistan. A total of 2519 children (grades 3 and 5, Mage=10.6, SD=1.7) participated and were interviewed across three rounds. After adjusting for covariates, children in intervention schools had significantly improved life skills (ES=0.17, p < 0.01) and self-efficacy (ES=0.22, p < 0.001) compared to control schools. The intervention also impacted reading literacy at midpoint (ES=0.14, p < 0.01) and post-intervention (ES=0.14, p < 0.01). Girls generally experienced more significant improvements in social-emotional and academic outcomes than boys did in intervention schools compared to controls. Intervention effects increased with dose, with schools delivering more action ideas and project based learning having a greater and lasting effect on life skills (midpoint: ES=0.33, p < 0.001; post-intervention: ES=0.26, p < 0.001), self-efficacy (midpoint: ES=0.42, p < 0.001; post-intervention: ES=0.19, p < 0.01), and reading literacy (midpoint: ES=0.19, p < 0.05). Participants in these schools displayed significantly reduced perceived stigma (midpoint: ES=-0.23, p < 0.01); intervention effects were notably stronger for girls in these schools. These results contribute to ongoing research elaborating ways of empowering local communities to participate in school management processes, as well as training and supporting educators to engage with students to increase their acquisition of social-emotional and academic skills. The international community and national government in Afghanistan and beyond in other developing and crisis contexts could considerably improve education outcomes by actively promoting the engagement of community-level stakeholders in the management of their schools, as well as the active participation of children in the learning process.
学习是一个复杂的过程，需要获得一系列的学术、社交和情感技能。低收入和中等收入国家存在多种学习障碍，主要是女孩。人们对确保所有女童和男童接受免费优质教育的可持续发展目标如何转化为“相关和有效的学习成果”知之甚少。本研究探讨多元干预对小学生社会情绪及学业成绩的影响。该干预措施结合了基于社区的系统动态和以儿童为中心的活动，通过在阿富汗三个省的83所学校进行的大规模集群随机对照试验实施。共有2519名儿童（3年级和5年级，Mage=10.6， SD=1.7）参加了三轮访谈。调整协变量后，干预学校儿童的生活技能（ES=0.17, p <； 0.01）和自我效能感（ES=0.22, p <； 0.001）显著高于对照学校。干预也影响阅读能力在中点（ES=0.14, p <； 0.01）和干预后（ES=0.14, p <； 0.01）。与对照组相比，在干预学校，女孩在社交情感和学业成绩方面的改善通常比男孩更显著。干预效果与剂量增加,学校提供更多的行动思想和基于项目的学习有更大的生活技能和持久的影响(中点:ES = 0.33, p & lt; 0.001;干预:ES = 0.26, p & lt; 0.001),自我效能感(中点:ES = 0.42, p & lt; 0.001;干预:ES = 0.19, p & lt; 0.01),和阅读素养(中点:ES = 0.19, p & lt; 0.05)。这些学校的参与者表现出显著降低的耻辱感（中点：ES=-0.23, p <； 0.01）；这些学校的女生的干预效果明显更强。这些结果有助于正在进行的研究，详细说明如何使当地社区参与学校管理过程，以及培训和支持教育工作者与学生接触，以提高他们获得社会情感和学术技能。阿富汗及其他发展中国家和危机背景下的国际社会和国家政府可以通过积极促进社区一级利益攸关方参与学校管理以及儿童积极参与学习过程，大大改善教育成果。
{"title":"The impact of a participatory intervention to improve learning outcomes and reduce school-based discrimination and community stigma in primary rural schools of Afghanistan: A cluster control randomized trial","authors":"Jean-Francois Trani , Yiqi Zhu , Saria Bechara , Parul Bakhshi , Ian Kaplan , Ganesh Babulal , Wenqing Zha , Hashim Rawab , Derek Brown , Ramesh Raghavan","doi":"10.1016/j.ijedudev.2025.103409","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijedudev.2025.103409","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Learning is a complex process that requires the acquisition of a range of academic, social, and emotional skills. Multiple barriers to learning exist in Low- and Middle-Income Countries, predominantly for girls. Little is known about how the sustainable development goal of ensuring free quality education for all girls and boys may translate into “relevant and effective learning outcomes”. This study investigates the impact of a multicomponent intervention on social-emotional and academic outcomes in primary school children. The intervention, which incorporated community-based system dynamics and child-centered activities, was implemented through a large-scale, cluster-randomized controlled trial in 83 schools across three provinces of Afghanistan. A total of 2519 children (grades 3 and 5, M<sub>age</sub>=10.6, SD=1.7) participated and were interviewed across three rounds. After adjusting for covariates, children in intervention schools had significantly improved life skills (ES=0.17, p < 0.01) and self-efficacy (ES=0.22, p < 0.001) compared to control schools. The intervention also impacted reading literacy at midpoint (ES=0.14, p < 0.01) and post-intervention (ES=0.14, p < 0.01). Girls generally experienced more significant improvements in social-emotional and academic outcomes than boys did in intervention schools compared to controls. Intervention effects increased with dose, with schools delivering more action ideas and project based learning having a greater and lasting effect on life skills (midpoint: ES=0.33, p < 0.001; post-intervention: ES=0.26, p < 0.001), self-efficacy (midpoint: ES=0.42, p < 0.001; post-intervention: ES=0.19, p < 0.01), and reading literacy (midpoint: ES=0.19, p < 0.05). Participants in these schools displayed significantly reduced perceived stigma (midpoint: ES=-0.23, p < 0.01); intervention effects were notably stronger for girls in these schools. These results contribute to ongoing research elaborating ways of empowering local communities to participate in school management processes, as well as training and supporting educators to engage with students to increase their acquisition of social-emotional and academic skills. The international community and national government in Afghanistan and beyond in other developing and crisis contexts could considerably improve education outcomes by actively promoting the engagement of community-level stakeholders in the management of their schools, as well as the active participation of children in the learning process.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48004,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Educational Development","volume":"118 ","pages":"Article 103409"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145095521","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-19DOI: 10.1016/j.ijedudev.2025.103410
Abdiqani Y. Farah
Every year, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education in Puntland, Somalia, conducts high-stakes testing for thousands of 8th- and 12th -grade students across its jurisdiction. However, over the past five years, a persistent decline in student performance on these assessments has been observed. Specifically, the scores achieved by 12th-grade students in key subjects during the academic year 2023–2024 were as follows: 48 in English, 35 in Math, 36 in Physics, 41 in Biology, and 45 in Chemistry. Employing a mixed-methods approach, this study investigates the factors contributing to the decline in academic performance among 12th-grade students during the 2023–2024 academic year. Several key themes emerged. Regulatory weaknesses in oversight, an underqualified teaching workforce, and the impact of social media on student engagement were identified as significant factors influencing academic outcomes. The findings suggest several implications for local and international education stakeholders, underscoring the need for comprehensive educational reforms focused on enhancing quality and equity.
{"title":"Twelfth-grade academic performance in Puntland, Somalia: A comprehensive examination through stakeholder views","authors":"Abdiqani Y. Farah","doi":"10.1016/j.ijedudev.2025.103410","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijedudev.2025.103410","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Every year, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education in Puntland, Somalia, conducts high-stakes testing for thousands of 8th- and 12th -grade students across its jurisdiction. However, over the past five years, a persistent decline in student performance on these assessments has been observed. Specifically, the scores achieved by 12th-grade students in key subjects during the academic year 2023–2024 were as follows: 48 in English, 35 in Math, 36 in Physics, 41 in Biology, and 45 in Chemistry. Employing a mixed-methods approach, this study investigates the factors contributing to the decline in academic performance among 12th-grade students during the 2023–2024 academic year. Several key themes emerged. Regulatory weaknesses in oversight, an underqualified teaching workforce, and the impact of social media on student engagement were identified as significant factors influencing academic outcomes. The findings suggest several implications for local and international education stakeholders, underscoring the need for comprehensive educational reforms focused on enhancing quality and equity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48004,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Educational Development","volume":"118 ","pages":"Article 103410"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145095518","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This study investigates the return to education in Vietnam using nationally representative Labor Force Surveys from 2016, 2019, and 2022. While our findings align with previous studies, showing a significant decrease in the returns to higher education, our analysis contributes new evidence in three respects. First, by using the most recent labor force data, we provide updated estimates of returns to education during a period of rapid educational expansion and labor market transformation. Second, we document sectoral heterogeneity: since 2019, returns to education have been higher in informal than in formal employment, marking a reversal of the traditional pattern and suggesting potential wage compression in the formal sector. Third, we find important gender differences, showing that women continue to experience higher returns to education than men, with the gender gap narrowing over time.
{"title":"Manuscript: Heterogenous returns to education in labor markets: New evidence from Vietnam","authors":"Cuong Viet Nguyen , Juan Chacaltana , Xavier Estupinan , Phu Huynh","doi":"10.1016/j.ijedudev.2025.103407","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijedudev.2025.103407","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates the return to education in Vietnam using nationally representative Labor Force Surveys from 2016, 2019, and 2022. While our findings align with previous studies, showing a significant decrease in the returns to higher education, our analysis contributes new evidence in three respects. First, by using the most recent labor force data, we provide updated estimates of returns to education during a period of rapid educational expansion and labor market transformation. Second, we document sectoral heterogeneity: since 2019, returns to education have been higher in informal than in formal employment, marking a reversal of the traditional pattern and suggesting potential wage compression in the formal sector. Third, we find important gender differences, showing that women continue to experience higher returns to education than men, with the gender gap narrowing over time.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48004,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Educational Development","volume":"118 ","pages":"Article 103407"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145095519","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Improving access to post-secondary education in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) has received less attention in academic and policy circles, compared to primary and secondary education. We know little about the effectiveness of programs, policies, and interventions that aim to improve the transition of students from secondary to post-secondary education. In this paper, we study a 2-year college operated by a national NGO (NGOC) in Pakistan that offers a holistic preparatory and support program for students to apply to and enroll in 4-year universities. Using administrative and survey data from 1450 students in a propensity score weighting design, we compare students who attend the NGOC with similar students who attend a different 2-year college. We find that NGOC students are significantly more likely to apply to and enroll in 4-year universities. We discuss potential contextual factors through which the NGOC could have improved student access to universities. In particular, we have suggestive evidence that access to more information on the application process and financial aid opportunities through counseling and mentoring was one way the NGOC potentially improved the transition of students to post-secondary education. Our results have implications for programming at similar 2-year colleges, and for policy to improve post-secondary educational trajectories of students in LMICs.
{"title":"Post-secondary access: Evidence from Pakistan","authors":"Minahil Asim , Zarak Sohail , Anisha Saleem , Ijaz Bajwa","doi":"10.1016/j.ijedudev.2025.103380","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijedudev.2025.103380","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Improving access to post-secondary education in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) has received less attention in academic and policy circles, compared to primary and secondary education. We know little about the effectiveness of programs, policies, and interventions that aim to improve the transition of students from secondary to post-secondary education. In this paper, we study a 2-year college operated by a national NGO (NGOC) in Pakistan that offers a holistic preparatory and support program for students to apply to and enroll in 4-year universities. Using administrative and survey data from 1450 students in a propensity score weighting design, we compare students who attend the NGOC with similar students who attend a different 2-year college. We find that NGOC students are significantly more likely to apply to and enroll in 4-year universities. We discuss potential contextual factors through which the NGOC could have improved student access to universities. In particular, we have suggestive evidence that access to more information on the application process and financial aid opportunities through counseling and mentoring was one way the NGOC potentially improved the transition of students to post-secondary education. Our results have implications for programming at similar 2-year colleges, and for policy to improve post-secondary educational trajectories of students in LMICs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48004,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Educational Development","volume":"118 ","pages":"Article 103380"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145095520","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
In Nigeria, parents invest in financially burdensome private tutoring for their children, amid high poverty levels. Utilizing qualitative interviews, we explored why parents often pay high tutoring fees to support their children’s education, despite the financial burden it creates, and how parents perceive the academic impact of private tutors. We purposively selected 15 parents who hired private tutors for their children in three states in Nigeria for the in-depth interviews. We found that hiring private tutors created a financial burden on parents. Additionally, we found that the major reason parents hired private tutors to support their children with their homework was to ensure they grew academically. Furthermore, the parents believed that the efforts of private tutors improved their children’s academic performance in reading, mathematics, and other relevant subjects. The parents cited various instances that made them believe that private tutoring improved their children’s academic performance. The implications of these findings for policies and research are discussed.
{"title":"“If I do not bear such a burden today, I will bear it in the future”: The reasons for private tutoring and its perceived academic impact on children in Nigeria","authors":"Bodunrin Ifeoluwa Akinrinmade , Stephanie Simmons Zuilkowski","doi":"10.1016/j.ijedudev.2025.103403","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijedudev.2025.103403","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In Nigeria, parents invest in financially burdensome private tutoring for their children, amid high poverty levels. Utilizing qualitative interviews, we explored why parents often pay high tutoring fees to support their children’s education, despite the financial burden it creates, and how parents perceive the academic impact of private tutors. We purposively selected 15 parents who hired private tutors for their children in three states in Nigeria for the in-depth interviews. We found that hiring private tutors created a financial burden on parents. Additionally, we found that the major reason parents hired private tutors to support their children with their homework was to ensure they grew academically. Furthermore, the parents believed that the efforts of private tutors improved their children’s academic performance in reading, mathematics, and other relevant subjects. The parents cited various instances that made them believe that private tutoring improved their children’s academic performance. The implications of these findings for policies and research are discussed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48004,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Educational Development","volume":"118 ","pages":"Article 103403"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145095517","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-16DOI: 10.1016/j.ijedudev.2025.103405
Tiloka de Silva
A good match between a student and the higher education program into which they enrol can have significant gains for the student as well as the economy at large. Mismatches can take place for many reasons including lack of information, funding constraints, preferences for features of an institution aside from the purely academic, etc. This paper uses unique administrative data on university applications to state universities in Sri Lanka to study academic mismatch within a context of rule-based admissions and a system characterised by an affirmative action policy (district quota) that reserves close to 60 % of seats. The paper measures the extent of mismatch in the Sri Lankan context and aims to identify determinants of the mismatch using multinomial logit regression. Results suggest that there is significant mismatch when considering a broader measure of program quality than just entrance test scores, even though admissions are rule-based and application and tuition fees are negligible and uniform across programs. Undermatching decreases with socio-economic status while over-matching increases – access to information, geographical isolation, preferences for social/cultural similarity and the district quota are all strongly associated with deviations from academic matching.
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Pub Date : 2025-09-16DOI: 10.1016/j.ijedudev.2025.103404
Mo Bi, Xinfeng Li
This study examined the dynamic relationship between education—a core component of human capital—and Africa’s Climate Potential Productivity (CPP), offering critical insights into how educational policies can optimize agricultural and climate-resilient development. Africa’s human capital remains a pivotal yet underexplored driver of sustainable productivity, particularly in climate-sensitive sectors. By employing the Thornthwaite Memorial model, common correlated effects autoregressive distributed lag (CS-ARDL) model and System Generalized Method of Moments (Sys-GMM) model, this research uncovered nuanced short- and long-term effects of education on CPP from 1970 to 2023. Key findings reveal that in the short-term, primary education expansion enhances CPP, while secondary education growth may lead to labor shortages that temporarily hinder agricultural output. In the long-term, government investment in education and higher enrollment rates in secondary/tertiary education significantly boost CPP, underscoring the lagged returns of human capital development. These findings are also consistent with the lagged effects of education. The study contributes to debates on human capital optimization in developing economies and provides actionable recommendations for policymakers to tailor educational resource allocation toward Africa’s climate resilience goals.
本研究考察了教育（人力资本的核心组成部分）与非洲气候潜在生产力（CPP）之间的动态关系，为教育政策如何优化农业和气候适应性发展提供了重要见解。非洲的人力资本仍然是可持续生产力的关键驱动力，但尚未得到充分开发，特别是在气候敏感部门。本研究采用Thornthwaite Memorial模型、共同相关效应自回归分布滞后（CS-ARDL）模型和系统广义矩量法（System Generalized Method of Moments, Sys-GMM）模型，揭示了1970 - 2023年间教育对CPP的短期和长期影响。主要研究结果表明，在短期内，初等教育的扩张提高了CPP，而中等教育的增长可能导致劳动力短缺，从而暂时阻碍农业产出。从长期来看，政府对教育的投资和更高的中等/高等教育入学率显著提高了CPP，凸显了人力资本开发的滞后回报。这些发现也与教育的滞后效应相一致。该研究促进了关于发展中经济体人力资本优化的辩论，并为政策制定者提供了可操作的建议，以调整教育资源配置，以实现非洲的气候适应目标。
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