International and Comparative Education Commons^™

Instructional Coaching In Guatemala: Reflection For Reform, Donald Wise, Jeff Zwiers

International Education

This article describes action research performed by Guatemalan instructional coaches during intensive professional development. The focus was on building coaches’ abilities to reflect on classroom teaching and cultivating habits of pedagogical reflection in their teachers. Coaches participated in four weeks of professional development courses, which included school visits, classroom observations, and video analyses. The courses prepared the coaches for a six-week online forum of field-based learning activities and action research. Preliminary results suggest that the coaches and their teachers improved their abilities to reflect on core principles of teaching and learning, but more work was needed in the areas of …

Building General Education With Hong Kong Characteristics, David Jaffee

International Education

Hong Kong is in the process of transforming their secondary and tertiary educational system. This includes the extension of the undergraduate degree from three to four years and the development of a General Education curriculum with an official launch date of Fall 2012. This paper examines some of the unique national forces prompting the educational reform, the process of building the General Education curriculum and courses at Hong Kong universities, the similarities and differences among the General Education programs, and the role of interdisciplinarity in course design and development.

Perceptions Of The Teacher-Student Relationship: A Study Of Upper Elementary Teachers And Their Students, Ping Liu

International Education

This study examines the perceptions of a group of fourth through sixth grade teachers and their students concerning their relationship; the participants included 39 teachers and 111 students at an elementary school in the People’s Republic of China. Both groups responded to a survey with the same number of items and content but from two different perspectives. The second part of the survey included teacher-student responses to one open-ended question. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected for analysis and discussion. Statistically significant differences were found between the means of the teacher and student groups in classroom goal structures (F=9.55, p=.000) …

Nothing But Being There Matters: Expectancy-Value Motivation Between U.S. And Chinese Middle School Students, Haichun Sun, Haiyong Ding, Ang Chen

International Education

Current literature theorizes that culture-induced expectancy beliefs and values in learning may engage learners of varied cultures in differentiated motivational processes. The purpose of the study was to determine the extent to which U.S. and Chinese middle school students differed in expectancy-value motivation in physical education. Middle school students from the U.S. (n = 813, 14 schools) and China (n = 806, 8 schools) provided data on expectancy-value motivation in physical education. A MANOVA with country as the independent factor and grade level as covariate revealed that the U.S. students held higher expectancy beliefs (p =.001, η2=.62), while the Chinese …

Should U.S. Panic Over Latest International Creative Problem-Solving Tests Scores?, Norman Eng

Publications and Research

The gap between U.S. and Asian student test scores reflects the reality that the way students operate in school often has little to do with how they operate in real life.

Challenges And Opportunity Of Online Learning In Developing Countries With Specific Focus On Liberia., Andrew Paygar

Political Science Theses and Capstones

To explore online learning in developing countries with a particular focus on Liberia is 2 the focus of this paper. As it is being explored, the following questions will be addressed: How did online learning originate? What would be the advantages and disadvantages of online learning in developing countries? What are some of the unique circumstances faced by Liberia in online education?

Improving Learning In China

International Developments

Research cooperation between Australia and China is providing insights into educational practices for researchers in both countries.

Building Connections In South East Asia, Sarah Richardson

International Developments

Sarah Richardson reports on ACER’s recent collaborative work with institutions in South East Asia to support higher education.

Informing Policy In Developing Countries, Petra Lietz, Mollie Tobin

International Developments

Petra Lietz and Mollie Tobin discuss the impact of large-scale assessment programs on education policy in developing countries.

Educational Progress For All, Ray Adams

International Developments

ACER’s ongoing work in global educational monitoring is supporting educational progress for all learners, worldwide, as Ray Adams explains.

Pacific, Elizabeth Cassity

International Developments

ACER is working with Ministries of Education in the Pacific to develop institutional capacity to deliver comprehensive assessment systems at the national and school levels, as Elizabeth Cassity reports.

Student Assessments In India, Richa Jain

International Developments

ACER is working with social enterprise Gray Matters to deliver strong student assessments for school improvement in India. Richa Jain reports.

Supporting Educational Progress For All Learners, Peter Mcguckian

International Developments

ACER’s work in global educational monitoring is helping to identify effective policies, strategies and practices, and collaborative approaches that support improved practice in education and ultimately improved student outcomes, as Peter McGuckian explains.

International Developments (No.4) 2014

International Developments

Table of contents for this issue: (a) Supporting educational progress for all learners; (b) Student assessments in India; (c) Pacific; (d) Educational progress for all; (e) Informing policy in developing countries; (f) Building connections in South East Asia; (g) Improving learning in China; (h) Current international projects.

Intercultural Communication In Florida: The Immigrant Story - A Program For Adult Learners, Stephanie V. Wobensmith

Capstone Collection

Although participation in university study abroad programs has grown steadily within the United States in recent years, many students are still being left without access to the important intercultural learning that it allows. Adult learners, students over the age of 25 who often have family and work responsibilities outside of the academic setting, are frequently included in this underrepresented demographic. In order to create a more accessible program for these students, the Intercultural Communication in Florida: The Immigrant Story (ICC in Florida) program uses the same learning paradigm as short-term study abroad but combines it with lessons learned through newer …

Antonio T. De Nicolás: Poet Of Eternal Return, Christopher Key Chapple

Research Resources

This book includes essays in honor of Professor Antonio de Nicolas.

Promoting Social And Academic Attainment Through Emotional And Social Skills Development, Aiden Carthy, Sinead Mcgilloway

Conference Papers

No abstract provided.

Promoting Regional Education Services Integration: Apec University Associations Cross-Border Education Cooperation Workshop: Discussion Paper, Sarah Richardson, Ali Radloff

Higher education research

This discussion paper was prepared to inform the APEC workshop on Promoting Regional Education Services Integration: APEC University Associations Cross-Border Education Cooperation held in Kuala Lumpur from 20–22 May 2014. The workshop brings together university associations to support, pursue and work towards the achievement of the priorities outlined by APEC Economic Leaders. This includes the recognition of best practice in cross-border education (CBE), the identification of existing barriers to CBE, and an examination of ways to progress the priority areas identified. The paper highlights the key considerations for APEC economies in strengthening collaboration around CBE in the university sector and …

Exploring Service Learning In Study Abroad: An Evaluation Of The Umbra Institute’S Urban Spaces Course, Lisa M. George

Capstone Collection

Over the proceeding decades, service learning programs combining academic study with community service have been growing in popularity at U.S. institutions of higher education. This growth has been equated to service learning’s ability to assist students with achieving personal and academic goals, as well as broader goals of civic engagement for communities. With these programs occurring in an increasingly interconnected world, that is also seeing growth in study abroad participation, it is only natural that students would seek out similar service learning opportunities in their international destinations.

Today more than 80% of students enrolled at The Umbra Institute in Perugia, …

Setting Expectations: An Onsite Orientation For Intern Abroad Programs In London, Ilse B. Damkoehler

Capstone Collection

International internships have been continuously rising in popularity over the past decade, with participation in work, internships, and volunteering abroad (WIVA) more than tripling over a ten year span from 1999/2000 to 2010/2011(Farrugia, 2013). One of the most important elements of an intern abroad program is to set expectations so that students can have a successful program, both personally and professionally. The onsite orientation is therefore a vital piece of an effective intern abroad program.

Setting Expectations: An Onsite Orientation for Intern Abroad Programs in London is a four-day orientation program in London, England developed for participants in the Intern …