Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons^™

Pisa In Brief Australia 2025: Student Performance, Lisa De Bortoli, Catherine Underwood

OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) Australia

PISA in Brief summarises the key findings from PISA 2025 for Australian students. It compares Australia’s performance with other participating countries and economies, examines trends over time, and highlights differences in achievement across Australian states and territories and key demographic groups. PISA uses 2 main measures to describe student achievement. Mean scores show overall performance, while proficiency levels (ranging from below Level 1 to Level 6) explain the types of knowledge and skills students can typically demonstrate. This report focuses on differences that are statistically significant (in other words, differences that are unlikely to have occurred by chance). The report …

Examining The Use Of Digital Journal Entries In A Special Education Course To Build Understanding Of Global Competence, Lema Kabashi, Leslie Rogers

Journal of Global Awareness

Teacher education programs increasingly emphasize the development of global competence (GC), particularly within experience-based learning contexts such as study abroad. This mixed-methods study examined teacher candidates’ (TCs) development of GC during a four-week study abroad experience by analyzing evidence from digital reflective journal entries and changes in self-reported perceptions across three time points. Data were collected from teacher candidates across two four-week summer sessions using digital journals and a Global Competence Self-Evaluation Survey. Qualitative content analysis was employed to identify the frequency with which three global competency areas were evidenced in the journal entries, while quantitative analyses examined changes in …

An Equity-Based And Culturally Responsive Bill Of Rights For Early Childhood Students Of Color With Exceptionalities, Evette Simmons-Reed, Michelle Frazier Trotman Scott, Gloria Tardash, Mildred Boveda, Donna Y. Ford

Perspectives on Early Childhood Psychology and Education

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated existing disparities in early intervention (EI) and early childhood special education (ECSE) services for culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) disabled children, exposing critical gaps in access, services and support. systemic inconsistencies in implementation, training, and funding, remain barriers limit opportunities for CLD students to benefit, despite the aims of the Individuals with Disabilities Improvement Act (IDEA). To address these inequities, this manuscript proposes an expanded and updated Culturally Responsive Equity-Based Bill of Rights for EI and ECSE. Building upon Ford and colleagues' (2018) work, this revised document extends protections to children aged zero to five, emphasizing …

Guest Editor's Introduction: Methodological Innovations For Advancing Early Childhood Educational And Psychological Research, Anthony Mangino Ph.D.

Perspectives on Early Childhood Psychology and Education

The goal of this special issue is to provide you, the inquisitive reader and developmental scientist, with some of the methodological tools to aid in augmenting your analytic capacity.

Leveraging Artificial Intelligence For Transformative Education: Challenges And Recommendations, Papia Bawa

Journal of Research Initiatives

The sheer force with which GPT models are inundating business, education and economic fields speaks to its ability to not only transform the ways in which we interact and act but also disrupt these ways. This systematic literature review applies the PSALSAR method to synthesize findings from 72 articles on AI applications in education, emphasizing its transformative potential across various domains. AI is transforming personalized learning by customizing content and feedback to individual needs, addressing challenges like data privacy and ethical concerns. It enhances administrative efficiency through automation and data-driven decision-making, improving institutional performance while managing biases and maintaining human …

Introducing The Aasspectq Framework: A New Typology For Assessing Quality, Pedagogy, Outcomes, And Learning In Micro-Credentials, Felix Quayson

Journal of Research Initiatives

Micro-credentials have gained increasing attention as a flexible and competency-based approach to bridging the gap between formal education and workforce demands. Unlike traditional qualifications and degrees, micro-credentials focus on discrete, demonstrable skills that can be rapidly developed, assessed, and recognized across industries. I proposed the Auditing, Avoidance, Specificity, Skills, Personalization, Efficiency, Competency, Technology, and Quality Assurance (AASSPECTQ) conceptual framework to examine the current state of micro-credential implementation, highlighting the tools, learning outcomes, and assessment instruments necessary for effective program design. The challenges of quality assurance, portability, and recognition that continue to limit widespread adoption were also explored. By …

Measuring Civic And Citizenship Education Through Large-Scale Assessments: Insights From The International Civic And Citizenship Education Study (Iccs), Wolfram Schulz, Valeria Damiani

Civics and Citizenship Assessment

This chapter from the open access book ‘Promoting K-12 Civic Learning and Engagement Through Assessment’ edited  by Hamilton, Rikoon and  Kidd, discusses ways of measuring aspects of civic and citizenship education (CCE) cross-nationally with a specific focus on the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS) commissioned by the IEA (International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement). The chapter starts with a brief overview of the main characteristics of the study, the legacy with previous IEA surveys of civic education, and the assessment design including a description of the cognitive and affective-behavioral dimensions that are measured in the …

From Deference To Dialogue: How International Gtas From High Power Distance Cultures Adapt To U.S. Classroom Dynamics, Deborah Akua Afi Appiah

Theses and Dissertations

International graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) from high power distance cultures play a significant role in undergraduate education at U.S. universities, yet they face challenges that go well beyond language proficiency. Coming from educational backgrounds where teacher authority is unquestioned and hierarchical, these GTAs must navigate American classrooms that operate on fundamentally different assumptions, where authority is earned rather than assumed, informality is the norm, and students expect to question, negotiate, and be personally known by their instructors. The present study examined how eighteen (18) international GTAs from seven (7) high power distance countries perceived and adapted to these differences while …

Enhancing International School Implementation Capacity: Supporting Contextualized Learning At An International Baccalaureate School In China, Christopher J. Hayden Iv

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Leadership Studies

International schools allocate substantial resources to implement progressive curricular innovations; however, the advantages offered by these developments are contingent on their effective execution within classroom settings. This mixed methods action research (MMAR) study examined the implementation of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Global Context (GC) Strategy in the Middle Years Programme (MYP) at an international school in China and asked how the school might strengthen its capacity to enact this and similar innovations. Following a sequential MMAR design, a reconnaissance phase combined a whole-staff survey (n=87) with qualitative interviews to diagnose the individual, organizational, and contextual factors shaping implementation. Analyses identified …

Post-Secondary Participation And Graduation, Syeda Kashfee Ahmed, Ian Teo, Amanda Haddow, Daniel Edwards

Higher education research

This systematic review examines systems and institutional policies impacting Higher Education (HE) and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sectors globally. Specifically, it seeks to address the impact of access, participation, retention, and graduation policies, and support the development of the UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report 2026 by responding to equity and inclusion challenges, and alignment with Sustainable Development Goal 4 targets.

Transforming Florida Chemistry Education: Exploring Information Literacy Strategies From Singapore, Han N. Le

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This study explores the applicability of Singapore’s information literacy (IL) strategies within Central Floridian higher education environments. Singapore’s national IL framework, supported by its Ministry of Education, integrates information and communication technology (ICT), professional development, and lifelong learning initiatives through a standardized, systemwide approach. In contrast, IL instruction in the United States is largely decentralized, often limited to one-time sessions or elective courses. To investigate the feasibility of adapting Singapore’s practices, surveys were distributed to faculty and librarians across Florida’s twelve public universities, yielding responses that highlighted varying levels of IL integration, limited institutional support, and minimal professional training related …

Acer 2024-2025 Annual Report, Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

ACER Annual Reports

For more than 95 years, ACER has been driven by a single purpose – to improve learning for all. Founded in 1930, ACER began as a small team of researchers determined to bring rigour and evidence to education and assessment. Over the decades, that commitment has evolved into a global mission – combining world-class assessment and research to help learners, educators and systems understand what works in education, and why.

Global Pathways: Suwon, South Korea, Amanda D. Ledger

Capstone Collection

This capstone proposes the Global Pathways: Suwon program, a semester-long study abroad initiative developed in partnership between Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) and Kyonggi University (KGU) in Suwon, South Korea. The program responds to current limitations in study abroad, particularly the prevalence of short-term tourism-oriented experiences and curricula that prioritizes Western perspectives. A needs assessment consisting of student interviews, surveys, and professional consultation demonstrated strong interest in programs that combine language learning, cultural immersion, and career development. Findings also highlighted the importance of financial accessibility, reciprocal host partnerships, and ongoing advising support. Drawing on Freire’s critical pedagogy and Vygotsky’s sociocultural …

Investigating The Relationship Between Noun Classes And Plant Folk Taxonomy In Chasu Language Of Kilimanjaro Region In Tanzania, Peter Rabson Mziray

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

The current study investigates the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu (G 22). The study focuses on two objectives: the first objective is to describe the plant folk taxonomy in Chasu and the second objective is to determine the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu. Data were collected from rural villages in Same and Mwanga districts by using free listing, field interviews (jungle-walk-and-identify), and written texts containing Chasu plant names. The findings reveal that Chasu folk taxonomy reflects different ethnobotanical categories; including a unique beginner which is mmea/mimea ‘plant(s)’, and three life …

Evaluating Sustainability Research In Argentine Higher Education, María Belén Arias Valle, Frederic Marimon Dr.

Higher Learning Research Communications

This study analyzes the integration of sustainability into the research activities of Argentine higher education institutions (HEIs), both public and private. Through a quantitative approach, 132 HEIs were evaluated regarding the presence of sustainability research lines, the inclusion of this topic in strategic plans, and the existence of specialized institutes and academic publications. The results indicate that only 26% of HEIs have established research lines on sustainability, with greater participation from public universities. However, the overall commitment is uneven, with only 55% of institutions including sustainability in their strategic plans. The limited presence of observatories, specialized journals, and research centers …

9th Gsep Research Symposium - 2025

GSEP Research Symposium

The Ninth Annual GSEP Research Symposium, themed "Building Bridges to Elevate Humanity: Innovations and Insights in Education and Psychology", was hosted by the Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology (GSEP) on June 19–20, 2025, at the historic Château d’Hauteville in Switzerland and virtually via Zoom.

This hybrid symposium convened a vibrant global community of students, alumni, faculty, and scholars to share research that addresses real-world challenges, advances scholarly inquiry, and builds pathways for inclusive collaboration and leadership. Spanning a wide array of topics—from artificial intelligence and mental health to trauma-informed practices, educational equity, social justice, and cross-cultural leadership—the …

Towards A More Effective Individual Learning Account Program In Indonesia: Policy Insights From South Korea’S Tomorrow Learning Card, Reza Fajarsyah, Raphel Okfernando, M. Alfie Ridwan, Maeshita Fariska Ayuningtyas

Jurnal Vokasi Indonesia

Indonesia has implemented the Individual Learning Account system under the name Kartu Prakerja, or Pre-Employment Card, to support workforce development. This study examines its effectiveness by comparing it with South Korea’s Naeil Baeum Card (Tomorrow Learning Card). Despite its role in improving skills, Indonesia’s Individual Learning Account system faces challenges in funding sustainability, eligibility control, participant engagement, and training relevance. Additionally, financial support is provided at a fixed amount, regardless of training type. Using comparative policy and fishbone analysis, this study identifies key differences and best practices from South Korea. The findings highlight that South Korea’s co-funding model, employer …

Timss 2023 Australia. Volume Ii: Student And School Characteristics, Nicole Wernert, Sima Rodrigues, Marina Schmid, Catherine Underwood

TIMSS 2023

This is the second of 2 reports that look at the results of TIMSS 2023 and Australia’s performance. This report, Volume II, presents the results from the contextual questionnaires, and examines the home, school, and classroom contexts in which learning and achievement occur, as well as student attitudes. Each chapter focuses on different indicators concerning the school community; the school learning environment; mathematics and science teacher characteristics; mathematics and science classroom learning environments; and, students’ attitudes and beliefs and use of technology. Together, the different indicators of student and school life illustrate some of the many key aspects that make …

“I Have Returned Home”: Understanding The Re-Entry Experience Of Saudi Female Scholars After Completing Their Doctoral Studies In The United States, Hajer Asiri

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The experiences of Saudi female scholars returning from abroad remain underexplored. This study investigates how Saudi women in higher education institutions readjust and reintegrate into professional and cultural environments after completing doctoral studies in the United States. Using a narrative approach informed by transformational learning theory (TLT), it examines reverse culture shock and the coping mechanisms employed by these women. Five female participants from various Saudi institutions were interviewed in semi-structured sessions lasting 30 to 60 minutes. Thematic analysis revealed five key themes: Cultural Readjustment, Professional Reintegration, Family and Social Dynamics, Personal Transformation, and Coping Strategies. The findings underscore the …

Effectiveness Of A Gait Assessment Model In Enhancing Understanding And Learning In Healthcare Education, Seema Saini, Arsh Shikalgar, Neelam Tejani, Tushar J. Palekar, Praveen Kumar

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Background: Traditional teaching models often fail to adequately convey the complexities of concepts such as gait analysis, a cyclic biomechanical process. This study introduces and evaluates a gait assessment system device as an educational model for healthcare students. The system aims to enhance learning through active experimentation with educators, focusing on teaching fundamental concepts like torque, potential energy, and kinetic movements. Methodology: A total of 80 fourth-year healthcare students specializing in physiotherapy participated in this study. The primary educational approach employed was the gait assessment model, designed to enhance understanding of basic biomechanical concepts such as torque, potential energy, and …

Building Education System Resilience In Samoa: Exploring Systems, Policies And Classroom Practices, Yung Nietschke, Anna Dabrowski, Nora Warren, Michelle Arasi-Mulitalo

International Education Research

This report presents the findings of research on education system resilience in Samoa during and immediately following the COVID-19 pandemic in order to build a deeper understanding of policies and practices in place, and what lessons can be drawn to support system-wide adjustments to mitigate future school disruptions. Data included case studies of practice, student assessment data and secondary data analysis of the 2018-2021 PILNA surveys for Samoa. The study identified the policies and practices that contribute to the Samoan education system's capacity to respond and recover from crisis and the factors that can drive system resilience, including social, human …

Education For Citizenship In Times Of Global Challenge: Iea International Civic And Citizenship Education Study 2022 International Report, Wolfram Schulz, John Ainley, Julian Fraillon, Bruno Losito, Gabriella Agrusti, Valeria Damiani, Tim Friedman

Civics and Citizenship Assessment

This open access book investigates the ways in which young people around the world are prepared to undertake their roles as citizens. It presents the international results from the third cycle of the study IEA’s International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS 2022). Based on data from 24 countries or benchmarking participants from Europe, Latin America, and Asia, ICCS 2022 studies contexts for and learning outcomes of civic and citizenship education in a wide range of national contexts at the beginning of the third decade of the 21st Century. It responds to both enduring and emerging challenges of educating young …

Investigating The State Of Graduate Education In The Philippines: Challenges, Opportunities, And Policy Implications, Anne K. Candelaria, Eric Arthur N. Dio, Jovelyn G. Delosa

Political Science Department Faculty Publications

This study provides a comprehensive assessment of the graduate education sector, revealing that it is highly privatized, NCR-centric, and dominated by enrollment in Education and Business/Administration fields. The analysis confirms that the primary driver for this high demand, particularly in teacher education (which accounts for over half of all enrollment), is the use of graduate degrees as a key requirement for career advancement and promotion within agencies like the Department of Education (DepEd). This policy-driven demand, however, is linked to systemic issues, including the proliferation of “diploma mills” that undermine quality, extremely low on-time completion rates (averaging 18.77% for Master’s …

Pairwise Comparison Method Toolkit. A Toolkit For Countries To Measure Global Learning Outcomes., United Nations Educational, Scientific And Cultural Organization (Unesco), Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

Global education monitoring

This toolkit has been co-authored by the Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Centre at the Australian Council for Education Research (ACER) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Institute for Statistics (UIS). ACER provides technical support to the UIS, which has been mandated to monitor the progress of countries towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) in education to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and to promote lifelong learning opportunities for all” (United Nations, 2021). The GEM Centre sponsors and contributes to public goods and activities that facilitate education systems reporting against SDG 4 in a …

Timss 2023 Australia. Volume 1: Student Performance, Nicole Wernert, Marina Schmid, Sima Rodrigues

TIMSS 2023

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 2023 assessment formed the eighth cycle, providing 28 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. TIMSS is a key part of Australia’s National Assessment Program. The goal of TIMSS …

Acer 2023-2024 Annual Report, Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

ACER Annual Reports

No abstract provided.

A Qualitative Study Of Iranian Efl Teachers’ Perceptions Of A Digital Diversified Education, Seyed Mohammad Reza Marvasti Zadeh, Azizollah Dabaghi Varnosfadrani Advarnosfadrani, Mohammad Amiryousefi

The Qualitative Report

Because Iran is a country of learners of diverse languages, socio-economic classes, genders, and ages, digital diversified education seems appropriate to address needs in English language education. However, there is a notable gap in research on teachers’ perceptions about this type of education. To fill this gap, this study aimed to investigate the perspectives of Iranian teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL) regarding a diverse digital education. Data were collected via an open-ended survey with 30 EFL teachers, both male and female, who were selected through convenience sampling. Analysis revealed several key themes, including the utilization of diverse …

Pisa 2022. Assessing Creative Thinking For A Better Future, Lisa De Bortoli, Catherine Underwood

OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) Australia

Creative thinking was assessed as an innovative domain for the first time in PISA 2022. This report presents the creative thinking results for Australia as a whole, for the Australian states and territories and for the other groups in PISA 2022. It is one of two thematic reports providing additional high-level analysis of Australia's 2022 PISA performance. Differences in results are only reported if tests of statistical significance showed that these were likely to be real differences; that is, differences were unlikely to be caused by chance.

Sociocultural Environment And Agency In Identity Construction Of English Language Teachers, Bharat Prasad Neupane , Phd

The Qualitative Report

Identity is an emerging field in educational research focusing on how teacher education programs, training, reflective practices, and short-term interventions impact the identity negotiation of teachers (Gautam, 2018). However, this study reports how different levels of sociocultural environments influence teachers and what initiatives they take for professional development and identity construction. Drawing on Wenger’s (1998) notion of communities of practice and Norton’s (2013) investing, this study sought to uncover the interchange of the development of learning communities and teachers by investigating the life history of four secondary-level English language teachers derived through informal conversations and in-depth interviews. Teachers’ life stories …

Analyzing Common Mistakes In First-Year Medicine Faculty Students’ Paragraph Writing, Pervaiz Yaseeni, Fahim Rahimi, Fareed Sahil

Journal of Research Initiatives

Academic writing is a salient skill for medical students all over the world. Academic writing starts with composing effective paragraphs, laying the foundation for students' advancement in writing during college. This study investigated common mistakes in English paragraph writing committed by the first-year medical students of the Medicine Faculty at Kabul University of Medical Sciences. Additionally, it measured the challenges that Medicine Faculty students tackled in paragraph writing. This quantitative study was conducted through an action research design. The data were collected from 52 medical students, and their work was analyzed using the developed rubrics. The data were analyzed in …