International and Comparative Education Commons^™

Population Definitions For Comparative Surveys In Education, Martin Murphy

Assessment and Reporting

This paper provides an overview of population definitions for large-scale comparative educational surveys. It has been prepared to help inform the development of a population definition and sampling framework that will be used in the British Council Global English research project. This paper examines a number of large-scale surveys including the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), which is conducted by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), as well as the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), and the Assessment of Higher Education Learning Outcomes (AHELO), both of which the Organisation for Economic Co-operation …

Contemporary Chinese Parents’ Socialization Priorities For Preschoolers: A Mixed Methods Study, Lixin Ren, Carolyn P. Edwards

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

This mixed methods study focused on the socialization goals for preschool-aged children among parents from three small-sized cities located in northeastern China. A total of 154 parents with preschool-aged children completed questionnaires measuring parental socialization goals for children’s social-emotional competence and academic achievement. Quantitative results showed that parents generally placed more importance on children’s social-emotional skills than academic skills. Ten mothers were selected from the sample and participated in a semi-structured qualitative interview to help understand reasons for parents’ prioritization of social-emotional wellbeing over academic performance. Four themes emerged, including parents’ concerns about children’s psychological wellbeing under excessive academic pressure, …

An Analysis Of Education Reform In Sub-Saharan Africa, Katharine Eger

CMC Senior Theses

Sub-Saharan Africa continues to fall behind other developing regions regarding educational attainment, despite recent progress in enrollment. This thesis examines a variety of external conditional factors that could contribute to a country’s relative success, in terms of years spent in school using a prediction model that compares years enrolled in secondary education as a foundation to determine over- and under-performing countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

By exploring various educational policies, historical patterns, and projects executed in Rwanda, South Africa, Ghana, and Botswana, this thesis sheds light on four main challenges that can impact educational attainment: ethnic and racial tensions, an acute …

First-Year Experience: International Students, Kaitlyn M. Gentling

Capstone Collection

International students come from various backgrounds, academic ability, English fluency, and knowledge of American and academic culture. Through a series of student surveys and interviews with both students and international education professionals, this capstone attempts to meet the need that international students are expressing at Worcester State University (WSU). One way international educators can attempt to fill this gap is through building a First-Year Experience (FYE) program that is uniquely for international students. The FYE will start as a series of workshops called International Student & Scholar Workshop Series. The workshops will cover the areas students said they were lacking …

Preservice Teacher Reflections About Short-Term Summer Study Abroad Experiences In Italy, Jaime Colwell, Diane Nielsen, Barbara A. Bradley, Mindy Spearman

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

This chapter studies 21 preservice teachers' blog reflections about working in an Italian classroom and living with a host family during a four-week study abroad program in Northern Italy. During the program, preservice teachers were required to blog about their experiences living and studying abroad using personal blog sites. To encourage more candid reflection about the program, the blog posts could be related to any aspect of the program preservice teachers chose to reflect on. After setting the context of the study through description of the study abroad program and its requirements, the authors present qualitative findings regarding preservice teachers' …

Developing A Faculty-Led Study Abroad Program For Education Majors In A Non-English Speaking Country, Barbara A. Brandley, Jaime Colwell, Mindy Spearman

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

This chapter describes how faculty can plan, develop, prepare, and lead a study abroad program in a non-English speaking country for students majoring in education. It presents an overview and timeline for directing a program, discusses how to plan and develop a program, tells how to recruit and prepare participants, and describes how to support participants while living and teaching abroad. It also presents issues that faculty should consider during each phase of a study abroad, and it provides suggestions for addressing these concerns.

Navigating The Challenges Of Becoming A Culturally Responsive Teacher: Supportive Networking May Be The Key, Nina L. Nilsson Ph.D., Ailing Kong Ph.D., Shantel Hubert

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Research shows graduates of teacher education programs do not always transfer, or apply, the best practices they learn to instructional practice due to factors related to course features, the student, and workplace environment (e.g., Brown & Bentley, 2004; de Jong et al., 2010). This study examined the challenges a secondary-level English teacher in the United States encountered when she attempted to implement culturally responsive teaching practices she learned from a graduate course to her class with ELLs. Findings indicate she faced strategy- and language-related challenges due to student culture and school environment factors (“external challenges”), as well as her own …

Why The American Superpower Has Mediocre Educational Rankings, Madeline R. Hays

Undergraduate Research Posters

Although education holds implications for economic growth, scientific progress, and political participation, the United States remains on the lower end of educational quality compared to other industrial and first-world nations. Despite substantial efforts by the American government to mend this issue, reforms have yielded minimal improvement in results. Identifying the reasons for the declining nature of US education is essential in understanding how to improve the current academic state. Why has there been a decline in education quality in America compared to other first-world countries since World War II? In order to distinguish the characteristics correlating with low-achievement in the …

The Gender Imbalance In U.S. Outbound Study Abroad: A Case Study Of Semester At Sea, Jessica L. Ryan

Capstone Collection

The purpose of this study is to explore the phenomenon of female college students studying abroad with Semester at Sea (SAS) at twice the rate of their male peers, in the hope of better understanding the significant gender imbalance overall in U.S. outbound study abroad. To put this issue into context, this study uses the theoretical framework of Deci and Ryan’s (1985) Self-Determination Theory of Motivation. Data was analyzed through the lens of intrinsic verses extrinsic motivation to answer the guiding research question: Is there a difference between male and female college students in their motivations to study abroad and, …

Book Review: Revisiting The Great White North? Reframing Whiteness, Privilege, And Identity In Education, Christina Parker

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

No abstract provided.

The Centrality Of Participant Voice In Illuminating The Gender Regime In Education Research Using A Human Capabilities Analysis, Catherine Vanner

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

The human capabilities approach distinguishes between capabilities (a person’s ability to choose what she wants to do/be) and functionings (actually doing/being what she wants). When used to analyze gender equality in education, it draws attention to the nature of education and the extent to which it is equally empowering for girls and boys. This research synthesis examines the use of the human capabilities approach as an analytical framework for gender and education research. The approach’s emphasis on participant voice as a means of articulating what is valued in education highlights contradictions and similarities within a given community and attends to …

‘Successful’ Alternative Education: Still Reproducing Inequalities? The Case Of The Community School Program In Egypt, Lucy El-Sherif, Sarfaroz Niyozov

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

Community schools are an alternative form of education that center on partnerships between the community and/or the state, aid organizations, and non-governmental organizations. The Community School Program (CSP) in Egypt sparked a social movement in education in that country, with disparate actors all coalescing around the CSP as an alternative, empowering model of education. This study examined the relationship between the CSP and the dynamics that formed, shaped and co-opted it through in-depth interviews and observations. Our analysis examined the program’s processes and legacies on its former students. The study found that critical factors in the program’s success were its …

Negotiating Tesol Discourses And Efl Teaching Contexts In China: Identities And Practices Of International Graduates Of A Tesol Program, Roumiana Ilieva, Aojun Li, Wanjun Li

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

This article reports on a study of the material effects of the discourses circulating in a TESOL program housed in a Canadian university on the professional identities and practices that international graduates of the program negotiate and develop in their local professional contexts in China. The principal researcher and two of the study participants discuss pedagogical values salient among program graduates and explore complexities accompanying professional identity negotiation. The article offers recommendations for TESOL programs in affording EFL teachers the possibility to construct hybrid professional identities and dwell comfortably in a “third space” as educational practitioners in a globalized world.

Exploring The Concepts Of Traditional Inuit Leadership And Effective School Leadership In Nunavut (Canada), Jane P. Preston, Tim R. Claypool, William Rowluck, Brenda Green

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

The purpose of this paper is to document how educators living in Nunavut communities describe traditional Inuit leadership and effective school leadership. The data for this qualitative study were 24 semi-structured interviews, involving 14 teachers, vice-principals, and principals from Nunavut. Findings revealed that traditional Inuit leadership was about promoting the personal leadership skills, interests, and/or abilities of each community member, and it often involved Elders who fostered the linguistic, social, cultural, and spiritual wellness of students and school staff. Participants depicted an effective school leader to be someone who promoted teamwork. Also, participants indicated that effective school leaders were community …

Finland Vs. The United States: Similarities And Differences In Kindergarten, Rebecca L. Ulrich

Honors Theses

Understanding successful educational systems and the qualities they incorporate is imperative in the quest for student achievement. Finland is known worldwide for their success in the classroom and its educators do a great job preparing young students for primary education in their Kindergarten classrooms. Kindergarten is a very important grade for young students. It prepares them for grades to come and introduces them to a school setting. By using qualitative research methods and comparing and contrasting of published data, Finland’s kindergarten system and three kindergarten teachers who represent the typical kindergarten milieu in Lamar County, Mississippi will be analyzed through …

Researcher Mobility Workshop Report: Researcher Mobility Among Apec Economies, Sarah Richardson, Julie Mcmillan, Ren Yi

Higher education research

There is growing acknowledgement around the world that contemporary research is increasingly – and needs to be – international. In a globalised world common problems can only be solved through the sharing of expertise and pooling of resources. At the same time, research developments are critical in stimulating economic growth in knowledge economies. Ensuring that researchers can access best practice through international research collaboration is essential in facilitating innovation. Policies and structures can go a long way to supporting increased international research collaboration. Online communication technologies have become a vital part of researcher mobility, enabling researchers to unite in conducting …

The International Humanity Foundation Co-Director Training Program, Indonesia: Supporting International Volunteers, Christina Darling

Capstone Collection

The following capstone paper takes a critical look at international volunteer programs and the potential negative consequences these programs may inadvertently have on the host community. The current volunteer Co-Director program at the International Humanity Foundations (IHF) is an archetype of this phenomenon. This paper examines the ways in which IHF falls short in achieving its mission and warns of the possible neo-colonial impact its Western volunteers may be having on the local communities around IHF’s centers.

The International Humanity Foundation Co-Director Training Program, Indonesia has been created in an effort strengthen IHF’s existing program by minimizing any negative impacts …

O Collegio De Pedro Ii E A Formação Da Mocidade Brasileira (1838-1889), Ariclê Vechia, Karl M. Lorenz

Education Faculty Publications

A organização do ensino secundário brasileiro, mantido pelo Estado, se inscreve no contexto dos debates sobre as finalidades do ensino secundário verificados na Europa, no século XIX. A criação do Imperial Collegio de Pedro II tinha entre outras, a meta de formar uma elite dirigente capaz de exercer as mais elevadas funções do Estado dignificando-o entre as nações mais ilustres e de assegurar o desenvolvimento do país. Os conhecimentos contemplados nos planos de estudos do colégio e a ênfase a eles atribuída, no período imperial, refletem o debate sobre a definição das finalidades do ensino secundário e a importância dos …

"Sometimes The Perspective Changes": Reflections On A Photography Workshop With Multicultural Students In Italy, Robin L. Danzak

Communication Disorders Faculty Publications

This article describes and evaluates an 8-week photography workshop, FotoLab, conducted in Italy at an afterschool-tutoring program for students acquiring Italian as an additional language. Seventeen students, age 8-17 and originating from 9 countries, participated. Co-facilitated by three international educator-researchers, FotoLab's purpose was to promote self-expression, collaboration, and visual literacy. Through a qualitative inquiry of the FotoLab curriculum, photographs and videos, field notes, and student questionnaires, this article reflects on themes of multiculturalism and multilingualism, collaboration, and visual literacy within a sociocultural animation framework. While expressions of cultural and linguistic identity emerged, findings emphasize the challenges and benefits of teamwork …

Ciis Today, Fall 2015 Issue, California Institute Of Integral Studies

CIIS Today

This volume is the Fall 2015 issue of CIIS Today, the Magazine of the California Institute of Integral Studies.

Wmu International News Fall 2015, Haenicke Institute

WMU International News

• Internationalizing the arts
• Friends from Kurdistan find musical home at Western
• 5 Music lessons from South Vietnam
• Note taken on this WMU trombonist on an international stage
• Flutist composer coins new genre, Universal Americanism
• Music WMU professor takes worldly approach in researching the healing power of music
• Dominican Republic art calloborative brings interactive exhibit to WMU
• Cross-cultural graphic designer and artist conjoins east and west technology and creativity
• Coupling art and architecture opens doors to China for WMU professor
• Book Arts in Venice study abroad program
• Engineering alumnus masters theater in India
• Dancer becomes vehicle for social change in Panama

Success And The Other[Ed] Woman: Examining The Persistence Of Female Students From Saudi Arabia, Dawn M. Winters

Dissertations

With the influx of international students on American campuses, it is imperative that universities seek solutions to unique challenges surrounding their retention. More specifically, because women from Saudi Arabia are accustomed to highly-structured gendered practices in their home country that diametrically oppose those in the United States, they represent a sub-group within a sub-group of the often-generalized international students. Relatively few studies have been conducted regarding the academic persistence of specific groups of international students. The goal of this narrative analysis was to examine the salutogenic aspects of the persistence of Saudi women using Vincent Tinto’s (1997) revised model of …

The Role Of Occupational Therapy In Implementing Inclusive Education In A Residential Care Facility: A Case Study, Erica Steinhoff

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

South Africa has been in the process of implementing inclusive education since 1996, and recent research has emphasized that strong education support services are needed to achieve inclusive education. In order to better understand the role that occupational therapy plays in implementing inclusive education, I explored how occupational therapy intersects with the implementation of inclusive education at Lungisisa Indlela Village (LIV), a residential care facility for orphaned and vulnerable children with approximately 200 children in Verulam, South Africa.

I conducted a case study by engaging in participant observation in everyday activities around the village with the children, conducting informal interviews …

Education: A More Powerful Weapon Than War?, Maja K. Thomas

Student Publications

In this paper, I analyze the impact of education on civil war onset, utilizing variables measuring length of compulsory education and number of internal armed conflicts in a given country per year. Using data from the Quality of Government Institute’s Quality of Government Standard Time Series data set, I test this hypothesis and find that an increase in compulsory education length decreases the expected number of internal armed conflicts. The results suggest further importance of education as a great equalizer among individuals as well as nations.

Indigenous Institutional Inclusion, Kristy L. Garcia

Student Publications

While attending James Cook University (JCU) in Cairns, Australia and researching Arizona University (UA) in Tucson, Arizona, I noticed differences concerning the inclusion of Indigenous representation within their educational institutions.While UA focuses on academic education and community outreach through external concentration, JCU focuses on positive cultural awareness and acts of reconciliation through internal concentration. The influence of colonization in both the United States and Australia contributed to the presence, or lack, of tribal sovereignty in Indigenous communities therefore effecting federal recognition, reconciliation, and government funding which ultimately impacted the school systems.

Female Subjectivity In Times Of Constraint: A Study Of Naguib Mahfouz And Gabriel García Márquez, Safinaz Ahmed Saad Mahmoud

Theses and Dissertations

This study aims at examining the depiction of female characters in two postcolonial novels set in the mid-twentieth century, namely, Naguib Mahfouz’s The Beginning and the End and Gabriel García Márquez’s Chronicle of a Death Foretold. Critic Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak’s theory of the silent female subaltern poses a challenge to reading the (hi)story of any female character when the narrator assumes a dominant role in the literary narrative. Research in this thesis extends Spivak’s dichotomy of silence and speech to accommodate a middle ground that allows us read the characters’ presence as speaking voices of their (hi)stories. While Spivak is …

The True Impact Of Service Learning, Mackenzie Beisser

SPACE: Student Perspectives About Civic Engagement

Connections are made between the ideas and data presented in two articles to personal experiences: Imagining a Better World: Service-Learning as a Benefit to Teacher Education and the 2012 study from the University of Kentucky, which looks at the impact of service-learning in practice. Imagining a Better World: Service-learning as a Benefit to Teacher Education defines service-learning as “An ‘approach to teaching and learning in which service and learning are blended in a way that both occur and are enriched by the other’” (Jagla et al, 2010 p.3) This blending of service and learning is exemplified in a medical mission …

Multi-Campus Teaching-Oriented Private Higher Education Institutions In Colombia. An Analysis Of Four Cases, Jorge Enrique Delgado

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

No abstract provided.

The New Curricula: Propelling The Growth Of Media Literacy Education, Tessa Jolls

Journal of Media Literacy Education

As new online and cellular technologies advance, the implications for the traditional textbook model of curricular instruction are profound. The ability to construct, share, collaborate on and publish new instructional materials marks the beginning of a global revolution in curricula development. Research-based media literacy frameworks can be applied to all subjects, and they enable teachers to have confidence that, in employing the frameworks to address academic subjects, themes or projects, students will gain content knowledge. Teaching through media literacy education strategies provides the opportunity to make media literacy central to teaching and learning, since media literacy process skills enable students …

Media Literacy, Education & (Civic) Capability: A Transferable Methodology, Julian Mcdougall, Richard Berger, Pete Fraser, Marketa Zezulkova

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This article shares research into the relationship between a formal media educational encounter in the UK and the broad objectives for media and information literacy education circulating in mainland Europe and the US.

A pilot study, developed with a special interest group of the United Kingdom Literacy Association, applied a three part methodology for comparing the media literacy levels of young people who have studied media in school against peers who at the same educational level, who have not engaged with media education of any kind. The approach ‘hones in’ on Mihailidis’ (2014) framework for media literacy and civic engagement.