International and Comparative Education Commons^™

Flexible Strategies For Ensuring Quality Learning Outcomes In Education In Emergencies, Pina Tarricone, Ian Teo, Kemran Mestan, Kris Sundarsagar, Ashtamurthy Killimangalam, Nordin Abd Razak

International Education Research

The COVID-19 pandemic has interrupted schooling for students globally and challenged how policy-makers might respond and recover from this protracted emergency. In collaboration with NEQMAP, the GEM Centre has conducted a rapid review of policy and practice documents for 14 countries, and an online survey with policy-makers in 7 of them to identify the types of flexible learning strategies that were implemented over the course of this pandemic. An education in emergencies Policy Monitoring Framework was used both to guide the analysis of documents and survey data, and to provide the basis for reporting findings. The range of flexible learning …

Ambitious And Anxious: How Chinese College Students Succeed And Struggle In American Higher Education, Minghui Hou

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

In this new publication, Syracuse University Associate Professor Yingyi Ma employs a mixed-method research design to examine and analyze the educational motivations, experiences, and trajectories of a new wave of Chinese undergraduate students from diverse family backgrounds with an emphasis on “the duality of ambition and anxiety” (p. 7). This book challenges the stereotyped expectations of Americans in regards to Chinese students (for instance, that all are from well-off families and have poor English skills). Ma argues that it is pivotal to consider the educational, social, and cultural backgrounds of Chinese internationals in their processes of self-formation in order to …

Covid-19 Impact Research Brief: Virtual Exchanges At Community Colleges, Kimberley Cossey, Heidi Fischer

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected higher education worldwide. Two NAFSA member leaders, Kimberley Cossey, MA, (2021 registrar for Region VIII) and Heidi Fischer, PhD (2021 chair for Region VIII), have coauthored a research brief detailing how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted virtual exchange program development and delivery at community colleges in the United States. The research brief summarizes key takeaways from mixed-methods research (i.e., survey and interviews) with practitioners from U.S. community colleges, requesting information about:

The pandemic's impact on existing virtual exchange programs (VEPs), The impact on developing new VEPs, and New (virtual) models for international education. Key takeaways include …

The International Student Experience At U.S. Community Colleges At The Onset Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Melissa Whatley, Heidi Fischer

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

This study’s purpose is to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on international students who were studying at U.S. community colleges at the onset of this public health crisis. While previous work has explored the impact of the pandemic on international students generally, we argue that community college international students deserve focused attention due to their potentially marginalized status on their campuses. Using a mixed methods research approach, we analyze survey and interview data provided by community college international educators. Our results speak to two overarching themes: the supports provided to students at the onset of the pandemic (and …

Investigating Indonesian Master's Students’ Perception Of Critical Thinking In Academic Writing In A British University, Millatul Islamiyah, Muchamad Sholakhuddin Al Fajri

The Qualitative Report

Critical thinking is generally valued as expected outcomes of university graduates although the concept of it is controversial. Students are required to display it in academic writing which is the default of university assessment. However, international students from “non-Western” backgrounds in particular, frequently experience difficulty in demonstrating critical expression in their written texts. The current study, in the light of interviews with four Indonesian master’s students, therefore, aims at investigating their perception of critical thinking, exposing some factors perceived to be influencing the application of critical thinking in academic writing, and exploring their development of critical thinking. The results of …

Timss 2019 Australia. Volume I: Student Performance, Sue Thomson, Nicole Wernert, Sima Rodrigues, Elizabeth O'Grady

TIMSS 2019

The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is an international comparative study of student achievement directed by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). TIMSS was first conducted in 1995 and the assessment conducted in 2019 formed the seventh cycle, providing 24 years of trends in mathematics and science achievement at Year 4 and Year 8. In Australia, TIMSS is managed by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) and is jointly funded by the Australian Government and the state and territory governments. The goal of TIMSS is to provide comparative information about educational achievement …

International Education Policymaking: A Case Study Of Ontario’S Trillium Scholarship Program, Amira El Masri

Publications and Scholarship

This paper explores Ontario’s international education policy landscape through illuminating the discursive struggles to define international student funding policies, in particular the international doctoral students’ Trillium Scholarship. Adopting Hajer’s (1993, 2006) Discourse Coalition Framework, the study engages with three research questions: What paved the way to this funding policy? Who were the actors engaged in this policy landscape? How has the argumentation over this policy influenced the international education policy context in Ontario? Argumentative discourse analysis was used to analyze three data sources: news articles, policy documents, and interviews. Two storylines were identified: international student funding is desirable and beneficial …

Collecting Cultural Feedback On Ethiopian Views On Girls, Sport, And Voice, Kathleen Ralls Dr.

The Qualitative Report

This qualitative study used data collected from five interviews conducted to gather cultural and linguistic feedback on a 21-question instrument created for a future study focused on Ethiopian girl athletes. Participants met the following criteria: (a) native to Ethiopia (b) at least 15 years old and (c) proficient English reading and speaking skills. Participants did not complete the questionnaire, rather, they read it and provided cultural and linguistic feedback on its content. Participants provided feedback via interviews both in person and over the phone during a two-week period. The instrument was designed to collect data from members of Girls Gotta …

Timss 2019 Australia Highlights, Sue Thomson, Nicole Wernert, Sima Rodrigues, Elizabeth O'Grady

TIMSS 2019

Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is an international sample study that assesses the mathematics and science achievement of Year 4 and Year 8 students every four years. Australia has participated in all cycles of TIMSS since it commenced in 1995 and over this 24-year period has collected rich data about trends in mathematics and science achievement. This document provides the highlights from Volume I of the main report TIMSS 2019 Australia. Volume I: Student performance. Volume I and these Highlights focus on the achievement results, detailing Australia’s results within the international context, as well as the …

Students’ Meaning-Making Journeys Towards Self-Authorship Through Self-Designed Gap Year Experiences, Erin Garcia

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological, qualitative study addressed student perceptions of their meaning-making process towards self-authorship in a self-designed gap year experience and was conducted in a public higher educational institution in the Southeast. Data was gathered through interviews from a purposeful sample of gap year program participants and program administrators. Emerging themes and categories were identified by coding and analyzing the interview data, such as continual reflection reinforces the value of individual meaning-making, self-expectations versus self-worth, the influence of societal expectations are minimized, and self-designed learning helps to solidify changes in self-authorship. The data showed a strong connection between multiple meaning-making contexts …

International Travel: A Quantitative And Qualitative Analysis About How Study Abroad Opportunities Enhance One’S Global Perspective And Self-Awareness, Kristen Zink

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

As the world is becoming more interconnected, the importance of having a well-rounded, global education is necessary. To meet those needs, many students are electing to study abroad during their time in college. Although research has been done to examine the direct benefits of studying abroad, there has been little research done to differentiate the impacts of short-term and long-term study abroad. This research looked at how students reflected on both their short-term and long-term study abroad experiences and it examined the benefits of both lengths of travel. A quantitative analysis was done to analyze the benefits of short-term study …

Democracy, Neoliberalism, And School Choice: A Comparative Analysis Of India And The United States, Eddie Boucher

Journal of Global Education and Research

India and the United States are the largest democracies in the world, and since the 1990s, both countries have implemented neoliberal economic reforms into most of their social institutions—including their education systems. Even though both countries have long-established commitments to public education as a means for socio-economic equitability for all citizens, in the wake of neoliberal reforms both countries have made significant moves to privatize education. The justification for school privatization was based on policies that redefined democracy in economic terms, and the result is a very undemocratic marginalization for the majority of students who do not have the means …

Survey Of Teachers In Pre-Primary Education (Stepp): Lessons From The Implementation Of The Pilot Study And Field Trial Of International Survey Instruments, Syeda Kashfee Ahmed, Maurice Walker, Yoshie Kaga

Early Childhood Education

The present publication documents the achievements and lessons learned from the first phase of the Survey of Teachers in Pre-primary Education (STEPP) project, implemented by UNESCO from 2016 to 2019, with the participation of seven countries, namely, the Dominican Republic, Ghana, Indonesia, Namibia, the Philippines, Togo, and Viet Nam. It is the first international survey for low-and-middle-income countries designed to collect information that is known to affect the quality of pre-primary education from pre-primary teachers and centre heads. The collected information concerns training and professional development, pedagogical and professional practices, working conditions and job satisfaction, and characteristics of pre-primary personnel …

Comparison Of Pre-Intervention Idi Results From Stem And Non-Stem Undergraduate Students, Anne M. Lucietto, Liza Russell

Journal of Global Education and Research

The emphasis on intercultural competence is more prevalent in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) majors as the world shifts towards a more globalized economy. When entering higher education, students have differing levels of cultural interaction due to varying peer interaction, family experiences, international travel, and social media experiences. The Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) has been used to develop an understanding of how students view others and the level of skills they have to interact and adapt to other cultures. Using published data focused on pre-intervention assessment, researchers compared it to data obtained from STEM students preparing for an international …

Global Citizenship Education Starts With Teacher Training And Professional Development, Evan Saperstein

Journal of Global Education and Research

In recent years, the idea of global citizenship has grown in scholarly circles and developed into a nascent discipline known as global citizenship education. As a general matter, global citizenship education strives to deepen cross-cultural understanding through the study of current transnational issues. This qualitative, interpretivist case study examined the roles and responsibilities of global studies teachers at an urban New Jersey public high school. The study included interviews with an administrator, two global studies teachers, and six students enrolled in the second sequence of a two-year course in the global studies curriculum; as well as observations and analysis of …

Alternative Education Spaces And Pathways: Insights From An International Christian School In China, Menusha De Silva, Orlando Woods, Lily Kong

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The nascent scholarship on geographies of alternative education focuses on alternative education spaces, most located in the UK, that resist and/or negotiate neoliberal restructuring of education, some of which cater to socially marginalised groups. In contrast, through an ethnographic focus on an underground Christian international school in China, we examine an alternative education space that responds to parents’ aspirations for their children to be inculcated with global cultural capital, Chinese values and Christian beliefs. These aspirations are not fulfilled in mainstream state schools or international schools in China, but are demanded by parents looking for a “superior” set of skills …

Ambiguous Loss, Boundary Ambiguity, And English Learning: How Immigrants' Functionality Is Impacted By Language Proficiency, Shakir Ali

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

Due to conflicts in different parts of the world or the prospect of a better life, there are tremendous numbers of immigrants around the world. This study investigates the effect of language learning by immigrants on the level of boundary ambiguity they experience as a result of being separated from extended family. Through the lens of acculturation theory (Schumann, 1976), the study examines if learning a new language helps the immigrant to function within the culture of the host country. In addition, the study relies on the Contextual Model of Family Stress to ascertain if individual, family, or community resources …

Contextualizing Our Leadership Education Approach To Complex Problem Solving: Shifting Paradigms And Evolving Knowledge: Priority 5 Of The National Leadership Education Research Agenda 2020–2025, Rian Satterwhite, Ariel Sarid, Carolyn M. Cunningham, Elizabeth Goryunova, Heather M. Crandall, James L. Morrison, Kate Sheridan, Whitney Mcintyre Miller

Education Faculty Articles and Research

"Complex problems characterized by uncertainty, interconnectedness, poorly defined goals, and high risk are not new to the human experience. Yet humanity is increasingly faced with multifaceted and pervasive global challenges, and leadership education must adapt accordingly. These complex problems transcend borders and require a collective, adaptive, and iterative learning response. Complex problems such as failure to act on climate change, unemployment, food crises, governance failures, pandemics, cyberattacks, and involuntary migration are interrelated challenges that require paradigm shifts in responses and leadership (Global Risk Report, 2020). "

Developing Nuclear Security Culture At Academic And Educational Institutions, Mostafa Kofi, Lamiaa Fiala, May Al-Muammar, Zenobia S. Homan

International Journal of Nuclear Security

In recent years, the use of radioactive and nuclear sources for diagnosis and treatment has become more widespread in the medical field. These sources are present in universities, university hospitals, and academic institutions, making it necessary to develop a strong nuclear security culture among academics. There are many widespread and complex challenges to improving security culture, often from scratch. The research solution presented in this paper is how to develop a strong and sustainable nuclear security culture among academics. Workplaces are often culturally diverse, so it can be challenging to achieve a common belief in nuclear security and an institutional …

Insights From Academics Teaching International Students In Australia, Dawn Joseph Dr, Kay Hartwig Dr

The Qualitative Report

Australia continues to be an attractive destination in the world for international students. For higher education institutions to remain globally competitive there is a need to deliver high quality teaching and learning programs and adequate support structures. This paper forms part of a wider study on improving work placement for international students, their mentors and other stakeholders at Deakin University (Australia) and adds to the body of knowledge on international students as seen through the eyes of academic staff. It explores the lived experiences of seven academics as they navigate what is required of them when teaching international students in …