Education Commons^™

Examining The Impact Of Australia Awards Around The World, Daniel Edwards

International Developments

ACER is evaluating the long-term contributions of Australia Awards alumni through the Global Tracer Facility funded by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). Dan Edwards reports.

Scottish National Assessments Inform Next Steps For Learning

International Developments

ACER works with the Scottish Government, in partnership with Twig and SCHOLAR, to develop and deliver assessments of literacy and numeracy learning progress. Since 2017, more than a million assessments have been completed by children and young people throughout Scotland.

Building Capacity For Bhutan’S Learning Assessment, Mee Young Han

International Developments

ACER is supporting development of Bhutan’s National Education Assessment Framework (NEAF) and strengthening local capacity for its implementation. Dr Mee Young Han reports.

Improving Learning For All, Geoff N. Masters

International Developments

Improving learning has become a global priority thanks to the United Nations and its Sustainable Development Goal 4. Challenges may vary according to country context but the aim is universal: to provide the best education possible within each local system. Geoff Masters explains.

International Developments (No.9) 2019

International Developments

In this issue of International Developments, we summarise the research evidence gathered through the work of the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) and the impact our projects make around the globe.

Teachers’ Stories About Teaching: Collaborative Dialogues As Open Educational Resources, Ekaterina Arshavskaya

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

This paper examines the nature of teacher learning through a social-constructivist perspective and describes instructional strategies utilized with teachers during an international teaching assistants’ (ITAs’) training workshop offered at the Utah State University (USU). The strategy used involved eliciting and structuring exemplary teachers’ stories about teaching to serve as a basis for class discussions and other assignments. These teachers’ stories, recorded on video, were then shared online through the university website and YouTube. In this way, new teachers gained access to co-constructed and pedagogically appropriate teacher knowledge represented by authentic teachers’ voices.

Blogging In A Study Abroad Class To Promote Active Learning And Student Engagement, Ann Marie Francis

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

Blogs have become a popular tool to improve learning and enhance student engagement. The process of creating information when writing a blog and reflecting on others’ ideas when commenting work together to help students engage in reflective learning. While there have been studies considering the value of blogging in traditional and online classes, this paper explores the benefits of incorporating blogs in a study abroad class. Outlining the experiences from teaching two study abroad literature classes, the paper summarizes the program design, details creating blog assignments, explores the benefits and challenges unique to study abroad students and blogging, and examines …

Digital Identities And Study Abroad: Teaching Intercultural Competence Through Social Media Literacy, Annie Mcneill Gibson, Emily Capdeville

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

Social media platforms are contemporary spaces where selves are revealed and exposed in reciprocity. By imagining digital communication, technology use, and online representation in the same vein as we discuss the experiences of the physical self, the ability to adapt across cultures becomes a skill to hone online as well as in person. As such, digital media is a prime learning tool that practitioners in the field can utilize to reach their target student population no matter their physical location and during each phase of the study abroad process. In this way, study abroad offices can fulfill a mission that …

Introduction To The Special Issue, M. Todd Harper

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

Introduction to the Special Issue.

The idea for this special edition of the Journal of Global Initiatives on the impact of new communication technologies and media on education abroad arose not only from my own fourteen years of experience teaching and directing study abroad programs to Greece, Turkey, and Italy; it also stems from my many conversations with other study abroad faculty and professionals. Indeed, study abroad faculty and other international educators around the world have witnessed dramatic changes in the ways that students, faculty, and staff communicate, interact, research assignments, and conceive of multimedia projects during study abroad experiences.

Considering The History Of Education Abroad Programs To Create Assignments Serving Both The Academic & Professional Needs Of Students, Lara Smith-Sitton, Joan E. Mcray

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

This contribution explores two technology-based assignments—a travel journal & video bio and a Wikipedia translation project—that were developed for implementation in study abroad courses. Developed in consideration of historical and contemporary study abroad program structures, instructors and program directors can modify and adapt the assignments described for many different courses and locations. Each assignment builds upon specific learning outcomes emphasizing international components that advance critical language, research, and writing skills. Secondary goals of these assignments are the creation of deliverables that articulate to future employers the depth and value of education abroad programs and how these experiences have prepared students …

Google Maps As A Transformational Learning Tool In The Study Abroad Experience, Jessica J. Stephenson, M. Todd Harper, Emily Klump

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

This article examines the role that spatial orientation and location can play on a study abroad program. Jessica Stephenson and M. Todd Harper paired a Google Maps project with autoethnography in order to help students understand their own experience of space abroad as well as how they themselves shaped that space. Students were asked to create a personalized Google Map of the sites that they visited in Rome, Orvieto, Florence, and Montepulciano, Italy. Students then added facts about the sites as well as their own photos and personal experience. They were then asked to use their personalized Google Maps as …

Legal Education In The United States: Moving Toward More Practical Experience, Hon. Sandra R. Klein

Loyola of Los Angeles International and Comparative Law Review

No abstract provided.

Full Issue - Jgi V.14, N.1

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

Full issue of Journal of Global Initiatives volume 14, number 1 - Special Issue: The Impact of Communication Technologies on Study Abroad.

Intercultural Sensitivity Orientations Prior To Short-Term Study Abroad: A Qualitative Study On Prospective English Language Teachers, Emrullah Yasin Çiftçi, Nurdan Gürbüz

The Qualitative Report

Short-term study abroad programs can contribute to the multidimensional development of prospective language teachers. However, participants’ intercultural sensitivity orientations prior to the mobility period can significantly influence the quality and quantity of the outcomes gained from such programs. Therefore,in this qualitative case study, we explored the intercultural sensitivity orientations of a cohort of prospective language teachers from Turkey who prepared to study at three different universities in Italy. We also explored the participants’ perspectives regarding the potential contributions of short-term study abroad to their ongoing language teacher education processes. Following an interpretive analysis of qualitative data, our findings revealed that …

Maximizing Cross-Cultural Opportunities: Pre-Service Teachers And Pakistani Teachers Writing Together, Margaret Berg, Courtney Luce

Journal of Educational Research and Innovation

This qualitative and quantitative study examines a cross-cultural writing workshop between undergraduate pre-service teachers and Pakistani in-service teachers. The 27 undergraduate students were in their junior year in the teacher education program, and had focused majors in a variety of content areas including history, science, music, and language arts. The 17 visiting scholars from Pakistan were all secondary level classroom teachers, also from a variety of disciplines. The undergraduates completed a questionnaire before and after the workshop, and the Pakistanis participated in a focus group following the workshop. Findings demonstrate a shift in the undergraduates’ thinking of genre to forms …

Table Of Contents, Christopher A. Sink

Journal of School-Based Counseling Policy and Evaluation

No abstract provided.

Paving The Way For Counselling? The Link Between Maltese Psd Model And Counselling, Ruth Falzon, Clarisse Frendo, Maud Muscat

Journal of School-Based Counseling Policy and Evaluation

This study explored whether Personal and Social Development (PSD) teachers, school-based counsellors, and students in Maltese secondary schools perceived processing experiences as empowering to seek counselling, if and when needed. The study investigated if processing techniques within PSD methodology helped develop self-awareness. The research builds on the concept of ethical advertising - opportunity to inform and help clients arrive at courses of actions beneficial for themselves. The literature review discusses processing in the PSD Maltese model, comparing processing with overall counselling experiences. Data were collected through two questionnaires, one for professionals and one for 15 and 16-year-olds completing secondary school …

Activities And Role Of School-Based Counselors In The Us: A National Survey Of American Counseling Association Members, Kui Y. Fan, John C. Carey, Ian Martin, Lijuan He

Journal of School-Based Counseling Policy and Evaluation

This study was conducted to determine: how a US sample of American Counseling Association (ACA) affiliated school-based counselors viewed their role; the extent to which various activities were practiced; and, how demographic variables (e.g., work setting and professional identity) were related to both perceptions of role and practice. Participants (N = 249) completed the International Survey of School Counselors Activities-US (ISSA-US) online, which measured both perceptions of the appropriateness of 42 activities and whether these activities are reported to be enacted. US counselors had a broad definition of their role and showed a high degree of consensus regarding the appropriateness …

Commentary: The Challenges And Future Directions Of School Based Counselling In Nigeria, Agatha Ojeme

Journal of School-Based Counseling Policy and Evaluation

The purpose of this paper is to examine the challenges of school-based counselling and its future direction in Nigeria. In this endeavour, the author discusses the following possible challenges militating against the smooth running of effective school-based counselling services to include inadequate counselling materials and work tools, deployment of school counsellors to perform non-counselling duties, insufficient training of professional counsellors, lack of clarification of the role of school counsellors, school principals’ low collaboration with school counsellors amongst others. The paper also focused on ways and means of improving school-based counselling services to include enactment of proper policy intervention, putting in …

A Personalist Orientation To School-Based Counseling Policy Research, Christopher A. Sink, Robert T. Dice

Journal of School-Based Counseling Policy and Evaluation

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Writing Proficiency On Cognitive Skills Development Among International Students, Christie Curtis

Journal of Global Education and Research

Utilizing data from the 2012 University of California Undergraduate Experience Survey (UCUES), the following question was addressed: What are the direct and indirect effects of writing proficiency on cognitive development among international students? Because many international students have chosen to study in the United States to improve their academic achievement, the higher education community has needed greater understanding of those factors which contribute significantly to the success and satisfaction of international students. Writing proficiency is one such factor, and the findings of this research study have suggested the importance of providing support and designing programs for improved writing skills.

Rethinking The Meaning Of Study Abroad Programs: The Learning Experiences Of Two Female Gambian Students In Taiwan, Virginie Marc

Journal of Global Education and Research

This paper is an ethnographic effort which examines the effects of oppression and social inequality on the learning experiences of foreign students in Taiwan, focusing on two female Gambian students. The theoretical frameworks utilized to interpret the learning experiences of these foreign students in Taiwan include Freire’s critical pedagogy, critical travel pedagogy, global citizenship, and experiential learning. Unstructured interviews and observations were selected for data collection, and the findings suggest these international students used their learning experiences as a tool to transform their lives and their perspectives on the future of Gambian society. The findings also show these study abroad …

Dilemma And Knowledge - Book Review Of Re-Imagining Utopias: Theory And Method For Educational Research In Post-Socialist Contexts, Jessica Zychowicz

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

No abstract provided.

Challenges And Opportunities In Parent-Teacher Relationships In Contemporary China, Yan Guo, Xueqin Wu, Xiaoli Liu

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

This study explores how market economy affects parent-teacher relationships in China. Guided by Bourdieu’s (1986) capital theory, we interviewed twenty-one teachers and twenty parents in China. The study reveals that the market economy has impacted changes in parent-teacher relationships in several aspects. First, modern technology such as the Internet and WeChat has facilitated communication between parents and teachers with fast pace and convenience. Moreover, the study makes an original contribution to the field by challenging stereotyping assumptions towards Chinese parents who are either completely not involved or partially involved in their child’s education at home. The study shows that contemporary …

Out Of School Factors Affecting Indigenous Girls’ Educational Attainment: A Theory Of Change For The Opening Opportunities Program In Rural Guatemala, Emma Z. L. Richardson, Mary Phillips, Alejandra Colom, Ielaf Khalil, Jennica Nichols

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

Guatemalans have the lowest education rates in Latin America, and within Guatemala, Indigenous, rural and poor girls have much lower education rates than their peers. The ‘Opening Opportunities’ program attempts to invest in the poorest girls from rural Guatemala to build their personal, social, health and economic assets. Realist evaluation attempts to understand the key mechanisms in complex social interventions, and is under-used in education research. Based on data from life history interviews from graduates, this paper presents a Theory of Change to understand the contexts, mechanisms and outcomes of the ‘Opening Opportunities’ Program relating to educational attainment. The four …

Isl Programs And Neo-Colonialism: The Response Of One Nicaraguan Village, Michael W. O'Sullivan, Harry Smaller

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

Over the past five years, through interviews and focus groups, the authors have been exploring the impact of international service learning (ISL) programs on host villages and villagers in the south. While most communities express ongoing interest, this paper focuses on one rural Nicaraguan village that decided to end their long-standing involvement in ISL, citing the North’s persistent lack of sensitivity to the interests and needs of their community.

Drawing on Basso (1996) and Gruenwald (2003), we explore the concept of place-making - drawing the individual into a collective story and focusing on discovering social meaning in and though the …

The Influence Of Sense Of School Community On Korean Students’ Life Satisfaction And Comparison Of Sense Of Community For Students’ Gender And High School Specialties, Hwachoon Park, Sangsoo Lee

Journal of Research in Technical Careers

The purpose of this study was to compare the sense of community of South Korean high school students as measured by a Korean version of the Sense of Community Index 2 (KSCI2) and examine the effect of two factors of the KSCI2, reinforcement of needs and influence, on students’ life satisfaction as measured by the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). A total of 375 Korean high school students provided usable data from three vocational high schools specializing in agriculture, electronics and engineering, and business and marketing, and one Meister high school specializing in automotive. Descriptive statistics, independent t-test, one-way …

Grice Cooperative Principles In Kabul Times, Sayedrahman Sial Sr.Sial

Journal of Research Initiatives

Abstract:

Since in the current day most of the data is transported through written communication and media play an important part in the transportation of hot issues of the day, news language has concerned the courtesy of both media experts and linguists for periods of times. This analytical- descriptive research planned to link the destruction and acceptance of Grice’s (1975) cooperative principles (CPs) in news reports which published in Kabul Times and classify which of these four CPs (quality, quantity, manner and relation) has been desecrated most and which of them has been desecrated less. For this purpose, 100 news …

Problem-Based Learning In Teacher Education, Susan M. Bridges

Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning

No abstract provided.

Brookings, South Dakota: Learning Lab, Doriane Paso

Empowering Research for Educators

The following paper explores the possibilities of education in one local setting using both an insider and outsider perspective. Education is a part of society, and as society changes, why should education not change with it?