Book review

As researchers, we know that we cannot examine a phenomenon or a process alone, we should study the environment or other phenomena, which are connected to the topic of research. This is true of educational processes too and this is the reason why education is examined e. g. from economic, social, or territorial views. Roland Hegedűs's book on the topic of the performance of disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged students and the territorial perspective of their studies in secondary education and in higher education can be found in this research field.

Exploring the Factors that Impact Students' Transitions to University in Australia

There are prominent gaps in educational opportunities and academic outcomes in the Australian education system. The government has made efforts to narrow the gaps and increase the proportion of Australians with higher education qualifications. However, disadvantaged students still lack access to educational opportunities and resources, and are underrepresented in university populations. This essay explores the influential factors that can affect young people's academic and transition outcomes, which involve students' socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds, engagement in extra-curricular activities and geographical locations. This essay also mainly draws on Bourdieu's theory on social and cultural capital to explain the associations between those factors and students' transitions to university in Australia.

Digital learning for disadvantaged students during COVID-19

The digital learning instituted in Hungary in the spring of 2020 to halt the spread of the coronavirus there arguably encountered stumbling blocks as regards disadvantaged students. However, we have no information about the details, and mitigating these disadvantages is therefore fraught. The aim of our research is to shed light on the experience of digital learning among disadvantaged students. We analysed responses to an online questionnaire completed by teachers at 48 of Hungary’s after-school programmes (ASPs) who were in contact with over 1000, mostly disadvantaged children. We discussed the questionnaire-based analysis with ten ASP representatives in online workshops. In addition to ICT devices and Internet access, the lack of a learning space is also worth considering in promoting the establishment of objective conditions. In maintaining contact with parents, it is recommended that communication habits that differ from those of the middle class should be taken into account. Developing time management and other skills necessary for independent learning (e.g. reading comprehension, digital literacy) as well as alleviating the psychological burden represent a central task in similar situations. Our recommendations may be of use in the event of future school closures and in terms of facilitating digital learning among disadvantaged students.

When more schooling is not worth the effort: another look at the dropout decisions of disadvantaged students

This paper shows that when student heterogeneity is introduced in the analysis, differences in the quality of education and in the probability of repetition, typical in developing countries, mark the contrast between an attractive and an inconvenient investment in education. The methodology associates educational quality and repetition rates with educational returns. In particular, it makes apparent that lower secondary education, in the case of Uruguay, is an inconvenient investment for disadvantaged students, even disregarding the possibility of such students not being able to afford the opportunity costs, this fact probably also explains the heavy dropout rates of this student type in many developing countries.

Challenges and Innovations Brought about by the COVID-19 Pandemic Regarding Medical and Pharmacy Education Especially in Africa and Implications for the Future

Background: Multiple measures introduced early to restrict COVID-19 have dramatically impacted the teaching of medical and pharmacy students, exacerbated by the lack of infrastructure and experience with e-learning at the start of the pandemic. In addition, the costs and reliability of the Internet across Africa pose challenges alongside undertaking clinical teaching and practical programmes. Consequently, there is a need to understand the many challenges and how these were addressed, given increasingly complex patients, to provide future direction. Method: An exploratory study was conducted among senior-level medical and pharmacy educators across Africa, addressing four key questions, including the challenges resulting from the pandemic and how these were dealt with. Results: Staff and student members faced multiple challenges initially, including adapting to online learning. In addition, concerns with the lack of equipment (especially among disadvantaged students), the costs of Internet bundles, and how to conduct practicals and clinical teaching. Multiple activities were undertaken to address these challenges. These included training sessions, developing innovative approaches to teaching, and seeking ways to reduce Internet costs. Robust approaches to practicals, clinical teaching, and assessments have been developed. Conclusions: Appreciable difficulties to teaching arising from the pandemic are being addressed across Africa. Research is ongoing to improve education and assessments.

System leadership in Australian and Swedish education: What’s social justice got to do with it?

Since the start of the 21st century, education in Australia and Sweden have seen system level reform efforts change and shape both nations’ schools. In an endeavour to improve the educational outcomes of students, both countries have enacted neoliberal policies that aimed to decentralise education and provide increased autonomy for school leaders. The real-world consequences of these policies have restricted school leader autonomy and academic performance has declined while the gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students has continually grown. When excellence trumps equity as the primary driver of education at the system level, it creates a disadvantage cycle which sees the development of societal status hierarchies and unjust participatory parity for particular social groups. In the current time of COVID-19, when these disadvantages are exacerbated, it is timely to evaluate educational leadership at the system level in terms of its ability to positively affect social justice issues. Social justice leadership at a system level holds the potential to unite schools in competition and empower them to help overcome the unjust reality faced by disadvantaged students. So, the focus of this piece is to provide commentary on whether system leadership can enhance education’s potential in realising a more socially just society.

The effects of language preference and home resources on foundational literacy retention during school holiday closures in Ghana: Lessons from the Complementary Basic Education Programme

This article assesses the extent to which children’s language preference and their home environment matter for literacy retention. Using data from the Complementary Basic Education (CBE) program in Ghana, the authors found that large numbers of disadvantaged students reverted to not even being able to read a single word following school closures over a four-month holiday period. Widening literacy gaps were found for girls who reported they did not receive instruction in a language that they understood or did not have the resources, support, or activities at home to enable them to continue to learn while schools were closed. For boys, widening literacy gaps were only influenced by resources, support, or activities at home, but not by language preferences. The article findings suggest that schools and teachers must pay closer attention to language preference, particularly for girls, in order to ensure that language of instruction is not a barrier to literacy retention. The article also provides further evidence to support the growing claims that home supports are essential for reducing inequities in learning outcomes during school closures.