International and Comparative Education Commons^™

Developing A Tool For Analysing National Assessment Systems, Ursula Schwantner

International Developments

The Global Partnership for Education (GPE) Secretariat appointed the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) to develop a tool for analysing national assessment systems and identifying areas for improvement. Known as the Analysis of National Learning Assessment Systems (ANLAS), it provides a framework and tools that help countries, particularly GPE partner developing countries, to examine their national learning assessments and design strategies to address any gaps.

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.

Assessing And Understanding Social And Emotional Skills: The Oecd Study On Social And Emotional Skills, Sue Thomson

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

In an increasingly fast-changing and diverse world, the importance of developing social and emotional skills is becoming more evident. The large body of accumulated evidence shows that these skills have strong relationships with life outcomes and they have been referred to as a key component of 21st century skills. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Study on Social and Emotional Skills is a new international assessment of these skills in students at primary and secondary schools. This study also gathers information on students’ families, schools and community learning contexts, aiming to provide information about the conditions or practices …

Not Just For The Kids: Adult Skills In The 21st Century, Juliette Mendelovits, Dave Tout

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

The Programme for International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) is an international survey of adult skills that covers reading literacy, numeracy and problem-solving of 16-to-65-year-old adults. This paper focuses on the development and evolution of the reading and numeracy aspects of PIAAC and presents an overview of Australian performance in PIAAC, the social and economic outcomes associated with literacy and numeracy proficiency and the literacy and numeracy standards for graduating teachers.

Civic Knowledge And Expected Civic Engagement Among Lower-Secondary Students, Wolfram Schulz, Julian Fraillon

Civics and Citizenship Assessment

Based on survey data from the latest implementation of the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS 2016), this paper explores the associations between students’ civic knowledge, their disposition to and involvement in civic engagement within the school and community context, and their willingness to engage in future civic activities as adults. The multivariate analyses also include factors related to resources for engagement, variables reflecting the psychological disposition towards engagement, and network-related variables in order to explain variation in expected electoral and active political participation. The results show that civic knowledge is related in different ways to expectations of future …

Improving Young Children's Learning In Economically Developing Countries: What Works, Why, And Where? Scoping Review, Jen Jackson, Syeda Kashfee Ahmed, Toby Carslake, Petra Lietz

Monitoring Learning

This scoping review responds to the increasing interest in improving early childhood education and care (ECEC) in economically developing countries. It examines available research in relation to the question: What effective interventions have been implemented recently in economically developing countries to improve children’s learning in the years before school? As much of the research underpinning ECEC interventions has focused on economically developed countries, it is timely to review available research about the effectiveness of interventions in the economically developing world. The ECEC interventions were categorised as Income supplementation (n=8); Parent-focused interventions (n=37); Child-focused education and nurturing care (n=35); Integrated interventions …

Perceptions Of Tennessee Employees In Higher Education And K-12 Working With Confucius Institutes, Michael Novak

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Confucius Institute has recently become more prevalent in political discussions and news headlines. Questions regarding its operations, influence from the Chinese government, and programing are common topics in news reports about the institution. The rise of China in the global economy has caused demand for language and culture education and the Confucius Institute has attempted to fill this demand.

The purpose of this nonexperimental quantitative study was to investigate the perceptions of K-12 school and higher education employees that work closely with a Confucius Institute program in the state of Tennessee by exploring issues that have been presented in …

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

Perceived Teaching Style And Academic Growth In An International School Setting, Jamie Elizabeth Martin

Dissertations

The presence of international schools has grown significantly around the world to accommodate a growing need for academic instruction that differs from that provided in local schools and to meet the rapid demands of globalization. As demands for international schools increase, demands for student performance are also increasing.

This quantitative correlational study seeks to determine if correlations exist between teaching style and student academic growth in mathematics within an international school setting. The study also determines if a dominant teaching style exists and if correlations between teacher grade level and teaching style can be made among international teachers who teach …

Promoting Safety And Wellness While Abroad Through Continuous Reflection And Peer Education, Grace Pai

Publications and Research

This article details a case of how engaging students in a process of continuous reflection and peer education can support the safety and wellness of first-generation, community college students of color as they study abroad. In addition to standard risk management and safety orientations for students, our 3-phase study abroad model entails: 1) near-peer pre-trip preparation featuring alumni participants, 2) reflective immersion during the trip, and 3) post-trip peer-to-peer community education using multiple media. Central to all three phases is students’ engagement in continuous, individual and collective reflection through writing, blogging, videos and photography. By reflecting on issues like cultural …

Promoting Well-Being And Safety Abroad: The Role Of Continuous Reflection And Peer Education Before, During, And After Travel, Grace Pai

Publications and Research

This article details a case of how engaging students in a process of continuous reflection and peer education can support the safety and wellness of first-generation, community college students of color as they study abroad. In addition to standard risk management and safety orientations for students, our 3-phase study abroad model entails: 1) near-peer pre-trip preparation featuring alumni participants, 2) reflective immersion during the trip, and 3) post-trip peer-to-peer community education using multiple media. Central to all three phases is students’ engagement in continuous, individual and collective reflection through writing, blogging, videos and photography. By reflecting on issues like cultural …

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.

Options For Reporting Against 4.1.1 When Using National Assessment Programs, Goran Lazendic

Assessment and Reporting

The Sustainable Development Goals are 17 broad aspirations for social and economic development set by the United Nations in 2015. One of these goals, enumerated SDG 4, is to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. The progress towards each goal is measured by a set of indicators. In monitoring progress towards SDG 4, the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) is working on an approach to measuring indicator 4.1.1: Proportion of children and young people: (a) in grades 2/3; (b) at the end of primary; and (c) at the end of lower secondary achieving …

International Graduate Outcomes Survey 2018 Final Report, Darren Matthews, Ali Radloff, Jo Doyle, Leyna Clarke

Higher education research

The 2018 International Graduates Outcomes Survey (IGOS) provides an insight into international graduates from Australian universities post-study employment, work readiness, and reflections on course experiences, study motivation and overall satisfaction. Over 10,000 international students who graduated from an Australian university in the last decade (international graduates) were asked a range of questions about their current employment status and their opinions on their Australian qualification. In brief the results indicate that: 90 per cent of graduates who are available for employment are currently employed - incorporating 93 per cent who returned home and 85 percent who were still in Australia; 77 …

Comparing Nebraskan And Finnish Education Policy And Its Impacts On Mathematics Teaching, Elizabeth Tyler

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

For two decades, Finland has been in the education spotlight as they consistently receive high international exam scores while spending less money, less time teaching, and putting students through fewer hours of school. This study aims to investigate the related policy that may help explain these seemingly paradoxical findings in the education sector. More specifically, this study examines how related policy impacts math teachers in their day to day work. This research includes an extensive literature review that explores several facets of the education system in both Nebraska and Finland in order to better understand existing policies. This background is …

How Private International School Leaders Meet The National Education Transformation Agenda In Dubai, Marie-Pascale Addison

All Theses And Dissertations

In 2014, Dubai Government adopted the United Arab Emirates (UAE) National Agenda, a strategic plan for Vision 2021, whereas leaders are associated with improving the quality and accessibility to education, which represents a major priority in sustaining economic prosperity and achieving social development goals (Government of the UAE, 2016). Managing this seven-year transformation plan in the educational context has been reported in part by Litz and Scott (2016), in which their study revealed that Emirati school leaders needed to change their leadership practice in order to align with the National Agenda expectations. This study explores critical challenges and opportunities for …

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.

Building Pathways: Nurturing A Female Generation Of School Leaders In China, Lixia Qin, Mario Torres, Jean Madsen

Journal of Women in Educational Leadership

International feminist perspectives recognize the continuing inequalities of power between men and women across all classes. In China’s male-dominant society, for example, women often have been inhibited from pursuing leadership positions. One particular reason that has been drawing increasing attention across the world is the lack of appropriate training and guidance in young women’s leadership. This paper probes in greater depth one of the most important, yet largely overlooked aspects in the educational leadership of China – women’s leadership roles in education and young women’s leadership preparation. Drawing from published data, literature, and the data collected by the authors, the …

“Her Sentence Is Correct, Isn’T It?”: Regulative Discourse In English Medium Classrooms, Lydiah Kananu Kiramba, Patrick Henry Smith

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

Research on discourse in African classrooms has shown the predominance of teacher centered instructional practices. Teacher centered discourse patterns have been blamed for student passivity and disengagement in knowledge production. In this article, we investigate teachers' use of the invariant tag isn't it in Kenyan primary classrooms during ELA and math lessons. Using Bernstein's pedagogical device theory, we submit that the tag plays a regulative function in classroom discourse. Based on our findings, we argue for greater attention to teachers' language choices and discuss implications for classroom discourse practice and research. The invariant tag isn't it is a common linguistic …

“…4542 Miles From Home…”: Repositioning English Language Learners As Power Brokers And Teachers As Learners In The Study Abroad Context, Kenneth J. Fasching-Varner, Michaela P. Stone, Roberto Mora Mella, Francisco Olave Henriquez, Macarena Yacoman Palma

Teaching and Learning Faculty Research

This article provides an empirical context for the role that bi/multi-lingual children and families may play in supporting pre-service and in-service educators engaging difference through a literacy and language situated study abroad internship in Chile. Drawing on data over a 15-year longitudinal study of the program, the authors examine how students and parents navigate serving the role of teacher, whereas the teacher participants navigate a new role as a learner in a context where they, many for the first time, experience being language and cultural minorities.

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 …