Education Commons^™

Introduction: Letters From Abroad, Linda Levine

Occasional Paper Series

An introduction to a series of essays by educators who reflect on their choices to live and work in other parts of the world. They offer a provocative range of personal and professional explanations for seeking out the strange and unknown.

The Globalized Classroom: Integrating Technology To Improve Communicative And Cultural Proficiency, Nicholas Frank

International ResearchScape Journal

The purpose of this project was to explore how the integration of technology affects students’ communicative and cultural proficiency in a second language when connecting two world language classrooms from across the globe. Through a series of weekly emails between partner schools, students practiced their interpretive reading and presentational writing skills while gaining knowledge of their partners’ cultures and colloquial language in a meaningful and individualized manner. The participants were U.S. high school students learning Spanish and Spanish high school students learning English. This created an authentic and organic environment for language acquisition, showing improvement in both communicative and cultural …

Current International Projects

International Developments

This article provides an overview of the international projects the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) is involved in.

Large-Scale Assessments In The Context Of Developing Countries, Ursula Schwantner

International Developments

A new analysis of assessments around the world identifies how best to operate large-scale assessments in developing countries.

Improving Student Learning In Mali, Petra Lietz

International Developments

ACER has been working over the past two years to help develop an internal monitoring and evaluation system in Mali.

In Afghanistan, Teachers Matter, Tim Friedman

International Developments

Students in well-resourced schools in Afghanistan are more likely to have stronger learning outcomes and one of the most important resources is good teachers.

In Africa, Many Are In School But Not Learning, Ursula Schwantner

International Developments

ACER analysis for UNICEF examines the major impediments to children’s learning as a considerable proportion of students in Eastern and Southern African schools do not reach expected basic learning benchmarks in numeracy and literacy.

Curriculum Audit Informs Development Of A Regional Assessment Framework, Jeaniene Spink

International Developments

The results of an audit of curriculum materials of 11 Southeast Asian countries have informed the development of a regional assessment framework, as Jeaniene Spink explains.

Studying Early Childhood Education In The Philippines, Amanda Taylor

International Developments

A recent ACER research report highlights the importance of preschool education for children in the Philippines.

Working With Uis Towards A Global Measurement Scale For Learning, Ray Adams

International Developments

Collaborative efforts are underway to develop a global scale that benchmarks student performance in reading and mathematics against a common measure. Ray Adams reports on progress.

Cooperation Is Vital : Working Together To Improve Learning, Richa Jain

International Developments

Cooperation between key international education organisations is helping education systems to understand the impact of education reforms, and compare the achievement of their students with other participating countries and economies, as Richa Jain explains.

International Developments (No.7) 2017

International Developments

In this issue of International Developments we explore collaborative efforts by ACER and the UNESCO Institute for Statistics to develop a global scale that benchmarks student performance in reading and mathematics against a common measure. This project aims to support global efforts to meet the fourth goal of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals – to ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning – by 2030. We also report on analysis of assessments around the world to identify how best to operate large-scale assessments in developing countries. This issue of International Developments also looks at ACER’s …

Expanding The Horizon: Global Health Management For Pharmacy Students, Alice C. Chang, Monica L. Miller, Ellen M. Schellhase

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

The advancement of global engagement opportunities will promote pharmacy students’ cultural awareness and sensitivity, expose students to treatment of diseases not commonly seen in modern Western medicine, and cultivate future leadership for the growth of global pharmacy practice. At Purdue University College of Pharmacy (PUCOP), limited opportunities exist for student pharmacists. As a result, identifying the needs and expanding student pharmacist access to global engagement experiences are critical to meet the changing needs of the US population. A survey was developed and distributed to 460 students at PUCOP, and 148 of them participated. Of those students, 89.2% were interested in …

Cultivating Leaders Of Indiana: Global Collaborations And Local Impacts, Jennifer Sdunzik, Annagul Yaryyeva

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

“Cultivating Leaders of Indiana” was developed to establish connections between the Purdue student body and the Frankfort, Indiana, community. By engaging high school students in workshops that focused on local, national, and global identities, the goal of the project was to encourage students to appreciate their individuality and to motivate them to translate their skills into a global perspective. Moreover, workshops centering on themes such as culture, citizenship, media, and education were designed to empower project participants to embrace their sense of social value and responsibility, not only in their immediate communities, but also globally.

Reading With Understanding: A Global Expectation, Mary Shea, Maria Anne Ceprano

Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education

Abstract:

This article outlines the complexity of reading with understanding, what is required for full and deep comprehension, the state of affairs with regard to reading comprehension in developed countries, possible etiologies for low performances, and suggestions for instruction in specific skills and strategies to improve students’ demonstrated achievement in daily lessons as well as on global assessments. Recognizing the commonality of this concern among nations, a need to examine universally accepted tenets for successful reading comprehension as well as local etiologies that impede it becomes increasingly important. Such tenets are skills and strategies that address all of Irwin’s micro …

Spectacular Spaces Of Consumption, Ellen G. Watkins

The Kennesaw Journal of Undergraduate Research

Abstract:

Many pre-professional dance studios have become consumer driven in response to the growing economic practice of neoliberalism. Neoliberal values have become more prominent in today’s economy and inevitably seeped into the lives of dancers and instructors, creating consumer based pre-professional training schools. This paper argues that the current neoliberal state of the United States is negatively affecting dance education by reducing specialized and therapeutic training and as a result numbing the creative mind and the artist’s entrepreneurial abilities. This research begins with the basic definition of neoliberalism and discusses how the theory of homo politicus and homo economicus individuals …

Lessons From The Field: Culturally Competent Support For Family, Friend And Neighbor Caregivers In Seattle, Mergitu Argo, Hueiling Chan, Christina Malecka

Occasional Paper Series

Refugee Women’s Alliance (ReWA) and Chinese Information and Service Center (CISC) both have many years of experience working with Seattle/King County's immigrant communities. ReWA and CISC participate in an initiative to support family, friend and neighbor caregivers and promote the value of kith and kin care. They have learned valuable lessons about culturally respectful, empowering, and meaningful support and communication with caregivers. This paper highlights the nine most important factors they have found for creating a culturally inclusive support program for family, friend and neighbor caregivers.

Citizenship Education In A Fragile State: Ngo Programs For Democratic Development And Youth Participation In Haiti, Gary W.J. Pluim

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

This research centres on NGO citizenship education programs in Haiti to better understand youth experiences, outcomes, and perceptions of democracy. The findings from this study illustrate how programs from Western-based NGOs with liberal democratic traditions typically construct citizenship education in relation to the individual agency of the learners, whereas youth living in the context of fragility note the prerequisite for stable social structures as a foundation for citizenship. Through multi-dimensional analyses, this article highlights the importance of historical perspectives, the value of comparing disparate societies, and the necessity to explicate social locations in cross-cultural research. The concluding proposition states that …

The Lead-Up To The Education For All Conference In 1990: Framing The Global Consensus, Vandra Lea Masemann

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

This paper gives an account of the author's experience on the Steering Group of the Education for All Conference from 1989 to 1990. The main purpose is to give a firsthand account, based on primary sources, of the discussions that took place in the meetings and the editing of the documents leading up to the EFA Conference in Jomtien. This participant-observer account is based on draft documents circulated and verbatim notes taken during the preparation stage and the conference itself. The conclusion is that the original neo-liberal economic approach to improving basic education was retained in the final documents because …

Oise-Cidec-Ciesc 50-Year Relationship: Lessons Learned In Leadership, Mentorship, Partnerships, Identity And Innovation, Mary A. Drinkwater, Stephen Bahry, Teodora Ajanovska Gligorova, Melissa Beauregard, Wales Wong

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

As we approach the 50^th anniversary of CIESC, we heed Vandra Masemann’s call to “gather and reflect on our historical memory” and to strive to “build our identity and broaden our reach”. Data for this paper were gathered through a combination of interviews and document analysis. Interviews were conducted with 9 current and former OISE-CIDEC faculty and staff. Documents reviewed included: CIDEC newsletters, annual reports, director/co-director reports, CIE Journal and other academic journal article reviews, and book reviews. In order to trace the evolution of the relationship between OISE-CIDEC and CIESC, we undertook a chronological analysis broken into three …

50 Years Of The Ciesc - Looking Back And Envisioning Forward: Reflections From Past-Presidents, Cecille Depass, Nombuso Dlamini, Peter Fan, Marianne Larsen, Suzanne Majhanovich, Vandra Masemann, Deo Poonwassie, Allan Pitman, Sonia Aujla-Bhullar, Grazia Scoppio

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

This paper stems from the panel of past Presidents of the Comparative and International Education Society (CIESC) that was part of the 2017 conference of the CIESC. The theme of the panel was “Looking Back, Visioning Forward: The Promise of Comparative and International Education” and the panelists were asked to present their perspectives based on their experiences as past Presidents of the Society. Their reflections were gathered to create this combined piece, in order to capture their insights on the past, present and future of comparative and international education.

"No Stopping The Gift Of Knowledge": Reflections On A Nālandā Concept Of International Education, Kumari Beck

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

no need for this

50 Years Of Comparative And International Education: Looking Back And Envisioning Forward, Grazia Scoppio, Marianne Larsen

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

No abstract provided.

Lagim Tehi Tuma/Thinking Together: Between Risk, Restriction, And Learning In A U.S.-Ghana Collaborative, Alice Lesnick

Collaborations: A Journal of Community-Based Research and Practice

As U.S.-based colleges and universities seek to globalize education with experiential learning, the risk of reinforcing assumptions about Western superiority, white supremacy and the “neediness” of “developing” countries increases. This essay discusses the rationale for a program that wrestles with questions of power, communication, and creativity by engaging students from the two U.S. liberal arts colleges (a consortium) and a Ghanaian university in a summer action research project. The program takes place in part on campus in the U.S. and in part in a village in Northern Ghana in partnership with three grassroots educational organizations: a community radio station, an …

Towards A Culturally Inclusive, Integrated, And Transdisciplinary Media Education Curriculum— A Case Study Of An International Ma Program At The University Of Lapland, Päivi M. Rasi, Heli Ruokamo, Mari Maasilta

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Internationalization presents both opportunities and challenges for higher education policies and curricula, as well as for teaching and learning methods. This article describes and discusses ongoing exploration and development of the planned curriculum of the MA in Media Education at the Faculty of Education at the University of Lapland, Finland in terms of cultural inclusion and the integration of disciplines. The study concludes that the planned curriculum now includes new content that better supports cultural inclusion. Nevertheless, it was established that several steps are needed to move toward a more inter- and even transdisciplinary media education higher education curriculum.

Growth Mindset In The Classroom, Luther L. Kiger

Empowering Research for Educators

This article discusses how Mindset can effect a students educational and social life.

Emphasis On Test Scores In Education, Lindsay Olson

Empowering Research for Educators

This article discusses how too much emphasis on standardized testing can affect student learning as well as teaching in the classroom. It includes a personal interview with a high school teacher as well as an article from the Washington Post regarding a study that was completed involving testing students.

Immigrant Parental Involvement In Student Academics, Charles Tebben

Empowering Research for Educators

Abstract

This study is meant to focus discussions about the importance of the involvement of immigrant parents in respect to student academics. In this study I intend to make evident a relationship between parental involvement and student academics, after which I will draw in a conclusion of the resources utilized by my community at the elementary and middle schools. I’m conducting my research study starting at elementary school and running through middle school. I’m eliminating the high school period because of their unique parental involvement complexities which share little constraints and outcomes with the lower levels. To build my study, …

The Language Of Learning In Family And Consumer Sciences: English Language Learners In Career Technical Education, Kali S. Lenhoff

Empowering Research for Educators

Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) content and English as a Second Language (ESL) strategies can be organically incorporated to create a successful education for an English Language Learner (ELL). The first objective of this research project is to discover how prepared Family and Consumer Sciences teachers feel to work with English Language Learners in the classroom. The second objective is to identify practical and effective methods and strategies that are useful for Family and Consumer Sciences teachers instructing English Language Learners. The rationale for this project is that by identifying the challenges faced by English Language Learners in education, teachers …

Book Review: Spotlight On China: Changes In Education Under China’S Market Economy, Xiaoli Liu

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

In the past 30 years, China has been experiencing tremendous social, economic, and educational transformations. China has become one economic superpower in the world. How do China’s economic forces influence its education? Spotlight on China: Changes in Education under China’s Market Economy, edited by Shibao Guo and Yan Guo, provides an insightful analysis of the impact of the profound social and economic transformations on education in China.