International Journal of Educational Research最新文献

Existing research on the influence of international students on host higher education institutions (HEIs) has mainly focused on revenue diversification and the multicultural environment that students bring to campus. However, there is a significant gap in research on how international students can impact the development of the local community surrounding the host institution. In this paper, we explore the societal impact of international students, beyond the immediate financial benefits associated with their spending. Through interviews with representatives of four HEIs, this study sheds light on the transformative potential of international student mobility for local development in Portugal, especially in more disadvantaged regions. We found that the presence of international students contributes to demographic renewal, economic growth, cultural dynamism, and knowledge transfer, thereby serving as a catalyst for positive societal transformations. These findings accentuate the strategic role of HEIs in fostering regional development through internationalisation efforts, especially valuable for other countries and regions facing similar demographic and economic challenges.

The Spanish PISA 2018 students sample (>35,900 fifteen-year-old students) has been analysed by calculating the Mathematics minus Reading scores of all individuals in the sample, relating this Maths-Reading index to the personal and educational characteristics of the respondents. Results of the first step of the analysis show that the positive Maths-Reading Index values (higher scores in maths than in reading) are mainly related to gender, and negative values (higher scores in reading) are mainly related to the joy of reading and to a series of factors linked to interest and respect for other cultures, among others. Subsequently, the individual level of global performance is taken into account with a cluster analysis generating groups of high, medium and low performers. Changes in factors affecting the Maths-Reading index when this level-based grouping is considered are analysed, showing the importance of grade repetition for low performers and the influence of socio-economic factors for medium performers, while high performers are affected especially by non-cognitive aspects such as self-concept or expected occupational status. Finally, combined effects of gender and level of performance are taken into account, showing that the factors affect male and female students differently for the disparate performance-based groups. This study contributes to a more precise knowledge of the main factors associated with students’ tendency to have better scores in mathematical items than in reading items or vice versa, and to distinguish the differential role of personal and environmental factors not only globally, but also when gender and performance levels are taken into account. Studying this personal tendency is significant as it is related to students’ study choice, especially Science-Technology-Engineering-Mathematics (STEM) degrees.

Research into teacher research has received considerable attention in the last few decades. However, it still remains crucial to examine how teachers understand research and to what extent they engage in it. This study investigated how English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers in Cambodian higher education perceived and engaged in research. The study employed a qualitative case study and collected data through one-on-one semi-structured interviews with 16 EFL teachers from two universities (private, metropolitan, and provincial). Findings based on thematic analysis show that Cambodian university EFL teachers were positive about the value of research, yet their conceptions of research were mixed and contested. Their research engagement was markedly limited and was confined to conducting research to fulfill degree requirements; attending conferences, workshops, or seminars; and supervising students’ research projects. There was almost no involvement in academic publishing due to various challenges to their research engagement endeavors, including time constraints, research knowledge deficiency, lack of funding and support for research, limited social recognition of research, and insufficient sources of research motivation. The participants offered a set of recommendations to improve the overall environment for research to enhance Cambodian EFL teachers’ research engagement. The study concludes with a discussion and policy implications of the findings, as well as suggestions for future research considering the study limitations.

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 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.

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.