Drawing upon Foucault's governmentality, this study sets out to explore how enterprising subjects constituted through self-monitoring are fashioned in the epoch of performance management drawing on a survey of junior-high-school teachers’ (n = 2,275) attitudes toward its core elements of performativity, data governance, self-knowledge, and teaching commitment. The best model of SEM analysis indicates that while such enterprising subjects cannot be manufactured through the coercive force of performance management, this outcome can be effectively achieved by introducing intermediates, such as self-knowledge, performativity, data-comparative governance, and commitment to high standards. This finding indicates that the mission of neoliberal governmentality is mainly completed through subjectivation, in which discourses of fear and hope install care of self into teachers’ self-knowledge thus engendering the mechanism of self-monitoring.
The focus of this narrative literature review paper is the pre-tertiary education experiences of gay boys. Sexual-minority youth tend to experience more unfavorable classroom environments than heterosexual youth, and some evidence indicates that the climate and its consequences are harsher for boys than girls. However, discussions of issues for boys in school largely ignore sexual-minority boys. Therefore, this paper focuses on the education experiences of and outcomes for gay boys. Feminist theory frames the research and perspectives presented in this paper, which have been synthesized from main ideas identified in recent academic literature. This theory gives strong attention to intersectionality, one example of which is the inextricable connection between sexuality and gender, a foundational concept for this paper. The paper concludes with implications for practice regarding the education experiences of gay boys.
The collaboration between educators of early childhood education and care (ECEC) and parents has a significant positive impact on children's development, particularly for young immigrant children. However, research in multilingual and multicultural contexts is scarce. Therefore, the aim of the present study conducted in multilingual ECEC context in Luxembourg was twofold: (1) to identify the significant predictors that influence goal-oriented communication between parents and educators, and (2) to showcase a dynamic interplay between these factors in practice through observations and interviews. To address the first aim, we conducted two regression analyses, one involving parents (N = 323) and the other educators (N = 289). The analysis with parents showed that the most significant factor that influenced goal-oriented communication was parent satisfaction, while for educators it was educators’ professional attitudes towards parents and parent involvement. Furthermore, the results from interviews and observations of parent involvement in literacy activities in two multilingual centres showed that these factors are closely linked. When educators have positive attitudes, they will communicate more frequently and purposefully, and offer opportunities for parents to be involved, which will then lead to parent satisfaction. This study has important implications for policymakers, practitioners, and parents especially in multilingual contexts.
This article examines the relationship between graduates' academic performance and the financial returns of their university education in Chile. By Analyzing data from 784 students who graduated from 10 selected Chilean universities between 2010 and 2016, this study utilizes linear and quantile regression to estimate returns. The results indicate that returns range from 4.9% to 15.0%, depending on the specifications and estimation methods employed. While linear regression suggests no significant association between academic performance and returns, quantile regression reveals a positive impact for lower and medium salary ranges, reducing the income gap with higher earners. The results of this study can be helpful in achieving a better understanding of the factors that influence returns to education.
The worldwide growth of international schools has prompted increasing interest in the growing body of expatriate teachers who choose to work in them. The decision to work internationally is complex, encompassing both push and pull factors that change throughout a teacher's career. This qualitative study explores the motivations and career choices of 20 international school teachers. Through a reflexive thematic analysis, we identified two primary themes in teachers' accounts of their decisions: personal growth and professional identity. The theme of travel, learning, and personal growth captures motivations typically related to travel and adventure that drive the decision to work internationally, including the opportunity to travel and experience new cultures, develop global mindedness, and learn more about the wider world. The theme of professional development and teacher autonomy explores participants' motivations related to the opportunities to teach in ways that are professionally fulfilling in international schools, which often provide freedom from what are perceived to be constrained or limited opportunities in the educational systems of participants' home countries. The study also explores how the evolution of teachers' decision-making processes and motivations evolved throughout their careers, revealing a transition from initial, somewhat random moves overseas to subsequent, more strategic moves aligned with higher expectations around professionalism and autonomy. These findings highlight the complex interplay of changing personal and professional aspirations that influence teachers' decisions to work in international school contexts. This study offers further empirical support for our understanding of international school teachers and critically engages with existing typologies of international school teacher motivation, informing recruitment and retention strategies, professional development programs, and educational policies.
This study joins an intense research debate regarding whether competition is beneficial for student outcomes, focusing on the relationships between student-level and school-level competitiveness and student academic achievement. I also examine the impact of country-specific competitiveness context on the relationships between competitiveness and student achievement. This study's assumptions and hypotheses were guided by theoretical tenets of Swab & Johnson's multilevel model of competition and competitiveness and the person-culture fit model. Using Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2018 data and World Values Survey (WVS) data from 57 countries, I analyzed three-level hierarchical linear models (HLM) with cross-level interactions to test these hypotheses. The results showed that student competitiveness was positively related to student achievement in mathematics within schools. Between schools, a competitive climate was positively correlated to student mathematics achievement. Cross-level interactions revealed country context positively moderated the relationship between student competitiveness and achievement. These findings emphasize the importance of considering broader cultural competitiveness contexts when examining the association between student competitiveness and achievement.