International Journal of Comparative Education and Development最新文献

Purpose

Given the scientific and practical difficulties inherent in measuring and comparing socioeconomic deprivation (SED), and the further complexity added in cross national measurements, the main aim of this paper was to check the validity of SED measures used in PISA 2018 dataset. The SED measure used in PISA 2018 was the PISA index of economic, social and cultural status abbreviated as the ESCS index. This assessment was important as PISA analysis is based on variables derived from this instrument and the ESCS index and these reports influence and reflect international and comparative education policies and practice.

Design/methodology/approach

This study critically evaluates the socioeconomic status measures in the PISA 2018 dataset, focusing on their convergent validity and cross-national comparability. Using responses from over 600,000 students in 73 countries, it examines the validity of SES indicators and their comparability across countries. The study employs principal component analysis to construct local SES measures and compares them with the existing Economic, Social, and Cultural Status (ESCS) index. It explores the relationship between these SES measures and academic achievement in reading, science, and mathematics, aiming to understand their predictive validity in diverse educational settings. Statistical analyses were conducted using the IEA’s IDB Analyser and SPSS, ensuring robustness and generalisability across the diverse participant countries.

Findings

Our research findings challenge the assumed superiority of local measures over broader constructs like the Economic, Social, and Cultural Status (ESCS). It suggests that standardised measures like ESCS may provide more reliable predictions of academic achievement across various educational contexts, underscoring the complex relationship between SES measures and academic performance.

Originality/value

Our novel analysis shows that local and cross-national SED measures are poorly correlated. Our findings raise questions about the measures' validity while acknowledging the methodological challenges. We provide empirical evidence to support ongoing debates on the topic.

Purpose

The explanatory study aimed to understand the global perspective of quality education and describe transformative strategies that empower teacher educators and equip the education system and future teachers to act as change agents by fostering learning processes that support students towards a sustainable future.

Design/methodology/approach

The explanatory study used a descriptive qualitative design. The researchers conducted four semi-structured group interviews of the 23 participants including pre- and in-service teachers, teacher educators, and policymakers from Austria, Germany, Italy, Canada, the United States, and South Africa during the Teach4Reach 1.0 project on SDG4. The inductive thematic analysis of the data was guided by Kuckartz’s six-phase approach for constructing data-driven categories.

Findings

The study identified SDG4 as pivotal in supporting the overall UN Agenda 2030. Furthermore, three distinct themes unequivocally emerged and were developed concerning the imperative nature of envisioning transformation for sustainability: (1) collaboration, (2) well-being and context of individuals, and (3) strategies for skill development.

Research limitations/implications

Due to the qualitative nature of the study, the participants’ comprehensive understanding of the SDGs and their perceptions remained conditional to methodological subjectivity.

Practical implications

The study enabled a dialogue between educational stakeholders (pre- and in-service teachers, teacher educators, and policymakers), whereby an awareness and encouragement of SDG4 regarding quality education and training of quality future teachers occurred. A further implication includes increased collaboration and dialogue regarding the well-being of individuals (educational stakeholders), the context of individuals, and strategies for skill development.

Originality/value

The study elaborates on reaching the SDGs and identifies themes essential for sustainability transformation in teacher education. It also highlights further research and clarity about the responsibilities of educational stakeholders for quality education, for instance, (1) how to increase the supply of quality teachers by focusing on collaboration, well-being, and the contexts of individuals and (2) how value-embedded skills can support quality education for sustainability.

Purpose

This research lies in the domain of Vedic mathematics, and it explores the application of the related Vedic sutras in different branches of mathematics, science, education, and engineering across Asia and Europe.

Design/methodology/approach

The study embraced a qualitative research design followed by a systematic literature review (SLR) approach which describes the significance of Vedic mathematics. The study made use of purposive sampling through which the data were collected from 102 articles by using inclusion and exclusion criteria. It includes publication years, the types of research methods, and uses of Vedic mathematics sutras in different branches of knowledge stated by the researchers. Its goal is to offer a more thorough explanation and an evaluation of how the inquiry affected the conclusions. The articles examined in this review included all the journal articles and doctoral theses from the databases of Google Scholar, Science Direct, Scopus, and Sodhganga which were published during the period 2010–2022.

Findings

The research found that the application of the sutras of Vedic mathematics has been increasing immensely in India. The researchers in this area are fond of qualitative research methods. This research has shown that sutras of Vedic mathematics especially “Urdhvatiryakbhyam” and “Nikhilam Navatascaramana Dasastah” have been frequently used in mathematics and engineering in technical higher education. The impact of other sutras has been quite useful, which augments that in many disciplines where the applications of Vedic mathematics are prevalent, it can be functional. The study concludes by reprising the result, its limitations, and the use of Vedic mathematics as a sustainable source of knowledge.

Research limitations/implications

Vedic mathematics is an area where a lot of potential applications are created in science, mathematics, engineering, and education. Even with the latest technological advancements like learning analytics, artificial intelligence has its connection with this branch of learning, which is the greatest treasure of the Indian knowledge system. The research in this area is not reported in any databases or any standard format so researchers find it difficult to locate and study this broad conceptual domain.

Practical implications

It will help the reader and other academic stakeholders to widen their view on the new and innovative techniques of Vedic mathematics. It is advised that additional studies would look at and evaluate papers published after this time so that readers may get a wider view of the concept of Vedic mathematics.

Social implications

It will help society to know the essence of Vedic mathematics that how useful it is. Vedic mathematics helps learners to learn in a very

Purpose

This study examines the factors influencing educational aspirations among adolescents in secondary and high schools across Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan (officially Kyrgyz Republic), and Tajikistan, with a focus on their aspirations for higher and postgraduate education. Through an analysis of a sample comprising 1360 students from grades 7 to 11, the research explores the likelihood of these students pursuing tertiary education.

Design/methodology/approach

The ordered logit regression models were used to analyze the impact of variables related to family background, including parents’ education, family support and SES, and school grade. Additionally, the Exploratory Factor Analysis was utilized to distill a smaller set of underlying factors or constructs from the measured variables.

Findings

The findings indicate that the mother's education level is significantly more influential compared to the father's education in shaping adolescents' aspirations for higher and postgraduate education in the Central Asian context. Additionally, hypotheses concerning the influence of family socioeconomic status (SES), family support, and grade-level differences on adolescents' higher educational aspirations have only been partially confirmed.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors' knowledge, no prior research work has indicated a significant impact of a mother's education on the educational aspirations of her offspring in the Central Asian region. This trend is consistent with the concept of educational hypogamy, wherein mothers possess higher educational levels than fathers, a phenomenon that is gaining prominence in contemporary family dynamics.

Purpose

Vocational education and training (VET) in Australia has for some time been driven by an agenda of “reasonable adjustment”, in which practices are modified to ensure equitable access and participation by disadvantaged students. However, the growing marketization of VET has instead encouraged the use of more flexible approaches to attract and retain students from diverse backgrounds. They have thus paralleled and confounded reasonable adjustment practices for inclusive development. This study sought to identify the moral dilemmas experienced by VET teachers arising from implementing reasonable adjustment practices.

Design/methodology/approach

This phenomenological research project used in-depth conversational interviews with 19 experienced VET teachers from a diversity of teaching fields to identify moral dilemmas experienced as arising from changes in their workplace contexts.

Findings

One of the identified dilemmas was responding flexibly to heightened student diversity, to which study participants largely responded by prioritising the economic imperative over social inclusion. Well-intended actions thus led to unintentionally damaging outcomes, raising important ethical questions about the relative value of economic and social development outcomes and the role of reasonable adjustment in their attainment. The study also highlights the lack of appropriate VET teacher training in managing ethical conflicts to minimise risks to themselves and their employing organizations.

Originality/value

As a case study of inclusive development policies in practice, this research may be seen as a cautionary tale for inclusive development policies in other countries with similarly strong VET economic and socially inclusive development policies for sustainability. The paper thus opens a dialogue for critical reflection on the current problems in a reasonable development approach in the field of comparative and international education. Those two parallel agendas have presented VET teachers and trainers with ethically challenging situations in which the economic and social development imperatives are experienced as being conflict with each other.

Purpose

This comparative study explored the perceptions of educational stakeholders in Oman and the Philippines concerning children with disabilities and the goals of special education. Stakeholders' perspectives can influence their professional behaviours and attitudes, which, in turn, can profoundly impact children with disabilities who already face numerous challenges. Hence, comprehending the viewpoints of these stakeholders is vital for fostering socially just education for individuals with disabilities.

Design/methodology/approach

This study employed a qualitative comparative case study approach with a horizontal comparison strategy, and both convenience and purposeful sampling techniques were used for participant selection. The study involved 53 participants from both countries, including policymakers, teacher educators, in-service teachers and student teachers from general and special education domains. Data were gathered through individual interviews and themes were subsequently discerned via data analysis.

Findings

Despite the different cultural and historical contexts and distinct roles of stakeholders in both countries, the results indicate more parallels than disparities in their perceptions. The primary congruence underscored in this research was imperative to critically assess the language and ideology surrounding the goals of special education, such as mainstreaming and normalisation.

Originality/value

Although numerous studies have probed the perceptions of various educational stakeholders concerning children with disabilities and educational goals, there is limited research that encompasses the perspectives of the seven distinct stakeholder groups. The consistency of language usage across both countries and among all stakeholders underscores the need for a rigorous cross-country examination involving all educational participants.

Purpose

This study analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of the electoral mechanism of local education superintendents in South Korea, draws conclusions and makes suggestions for future reforms.

Design/methodology/approach

The research method of this study included document analysis and interviews. Document analysis was used to collect and analyze the relevant official documents of education superintendents across countries. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with four professors and two superintendents.

Findings

The results of the interviews indicate the following: 1) Korean stakeholders are getting more familiar with the direct election of superintendents, as the interviews indicate a more mature direct election system due to previous experience and public officials taking direct election into account; 2) The direct election of superintendents has advantages and disadvantages. The advantages include increasing the participation of the general public in education, and the disadvantages include conflict between the central government and local superintendents belonging to different political parties. However, the current system is likely to be retained; 3) The superintendent systems in various countries differ due to their respective traditions and social contexts. However, the authors can always learn lessons and implications from foreign countries if the authors compare their education systems with their foreign counterparts.

Research limitations/implications

As far research limitations, although this was a small study, it shows the importance of collecting multiple stakeholders' views on the direct election of education superintendents as a basis for future reform of education management.

Practical implications

The Korean system for electing superintendents provides a good model for other countries reflecting on the educational autonomy and accountabilities of their own systems.

Social implications

The direct election of superintendents provides an example of professionalism, independence and political neutrality in education that other countries can learn from. The separation of general and educational administration in Korea through direct elections protects educational activities from political influence.

Originality/value

In terms of originality/value, this study adds a new perspective to the debate about whether the general public should directly elect education superintendents, as well as to the literature on local education management.