Change or stability in educational inequalities? Educational mobility and school effects in the context of a major urban policy

The National Program Rotterdam South is a large-scale ambitious Dutch urban policy that aims to increase educational attainment amongst disadvantaged children in one of the poorest areas in the Netherlands. This study investigates to what extent inequality in educational attainment based on parental education has changed during the first period of this program. We further examine to what extent area and school characteristics affect educational attainment. Register data on the individual, school and area level were employed to study these issues. We find that the effect of parental education on secondary school attainment has been stable since the start of the program, indicating inequality has not decreased in the context of the program. Furthermore, several school characteristics, including socioeconomic status and retention rate, were relevant in explaining differences in educational attainment. We discuss how our findings relate to the allocation of policy means.

Teachers' Adoption of Information and Communication Technology for Learning in Malaysia: an Ecological-Complexity Analysis of a Professional Development Innovation

<p>This study explored the factors that influenced teachers' Information Communications Technology (ICT) adoption in teaching and learning, and the adoption of an ICTPD innovation by 44 teachers in four schools in Malaysia. The research focused on understanding teachers' uptake of ICT in teaching and learning in the context of an Information Communications Technology Professional Development (ICTPD) programme, which was implemented in these four schools. This in-school and cluster based ICTPD programme, which was introduced from New Zealand, was the first of such projects carried out in Malaysia. To address the study's research questions, a collective case study approach was applied. It employed a qualitative approach through the use of mind maps, factor sheets, and semi-structured interviews as the major methods of data collection. The qualitative data was gathered from teachers who participated in the ICTPD programme. Other stakeholders were also included to ensure different perspectives were acquired in understanding teachers' uptake of ICT in the context of the ICTPD programme. An ecological framework, which incorporated complexity thinking, was employed to inform many aspects of this study, from the selection of methods to the analysis of the data. This framework assumes that factors influencing adoption are complex, interdependent, and independent; it assumes linear factors and linear stages in adoption do not explain the complexities of adoption. The research revealed that teachers' ICT adoption in teaching and learning was low and superficial. Teachers used ICT as a tool and their practices remained teacher-centred. Teachers perceived that their practices changed when they used ICT in their classroom but very few actually did. The ecological framework identified three levels of linear factors (individual, school, and external). The consequent application of the ecological-complexity perspective on these linear factors revealed complex factors and dynamic interactions between teachers within schools. The study also discovered that the uptake of the ICTPD programme was similarly superficial. Teachers and schools were reluctant to embrace the in-school facilitation process and the cluster model of the ICTPD programme due to the current priorities of delivering examination results. The findings initially showed the influence of three levels of factors (individual, school, and the innovation) on teachers' adoption of the ICTPD programme. An analysis of the factors according to the ecological-complexity perspective shed light on the extent of adoption and its processes, suggesting that teachers and schools dynamically negotiate with the innovation. Two ecological-complexity models were developed to explain and understand complex factors and interactions in the two types of adoption. The ecological-complexity perspective showed that the current discourses on linear factors and processes do not fully explain the complexities of teachers' ICT adoption and the uptake of an innovation. The discussions on practical applications for this perspective in education are examined. The ecological-complexity perspective highlights the importance of re-thinking our frames of understanding teachers' ICT adoption and the adoption of an ICTPD programme; instead of thinking about adoption as an end product, it is a dynamic and continuous process, which is negotiated between teachers and schools and the innovation.</p>

Teachers' Adoption of Information and Communication Technology for Learning in Malaysia: an Ecological-Complexity Analysis of a Professional Development Innovation

<p>This study explored the factors that influenced teachers' Information Communications Technology (ICT) adoption in teaching and learning, and the adoption of an ICTPD innovation by 44 teachers in four schools in Malaysia. The research focused on understanding teachers' uptake of ICT in teaching and learning in the context of an Information Communications Technology Professional Development (ICTPD) programme, which was implemented in these four schools. This in-school and cluster based ICTPD programme, which was introduced from New Zealand, was the first of such projects carried out in Malaysia. To address the study's research questions, a collective case study approach was applied. It employed a qualitative approach through the use of mind maps, factor sheets, and semi-structured interviews as the major methods of data collection. The qualitative data was gathered from teachers who participated in the ICTPD programme. Other stakeholders were also included to ensure different perspectives were acquired in understanding teachers' uptake of ICT in the context of the ICTPD programme. An ecological framework, which incorporated complexity thinking, was employed to inform many aspects of this study, from the selection of methods to the analysis of the data. This framework assumes that factors influencing adoption are complex, interdependent, and independent; it assumes linear factors and linear stages in adoption do not explain the complexities of adoption. The research revealed that teachers' ICT adoption in teaching and learning was low and superficial. Teachers used ICT as a tool and their practices remained teacher-centred. Teachers perceived that their practices changed when they used ICT in their classroom but very few actually did. The ecological framework identified three levels of linear factors (individual, school, and external). The consequent application of the ecological-complexity perspective on these linear factors revealed complex factors and dynamic interactions between teachers within schools. The study also discovered that the uptake of the ICTPD programme was similarly superficial. Teachers and schools were reluctant to embrace the in-school facilitation process and the cluster model of the ICTPD programme due to the current priorities of delivering examination results. The findings initially showed the influence of three levels of factors (individual, school, and the innovation) on teachers' adoption of the ICTPD programme. An analysis of the factors according to the ecological-complexity perspective shed light on the extent of adoption and its processes, suggesting that teachers and schools dynamically negotiate with the innovation. Two ecological-complexity models were developed to explain and understand complex factors and interactions in the two types of adoption. The ecological-complexity perspective showed that the current discourses on linear factors and processes do not fully explain the complexities of teachers' ICT adoption and the uptake of an innovation. The discussions on practical applications for this perspective in education are examined. The ecological-complexity perspective highlights the importance of re-thinking our frames of understanding teachers' ICT adoption and the adoption of an ICTPD programme; instead of thinking about adoption as an end product, it is a dynamic and continuous process, which is negotiated between teachers and schools and the innovation.</p>

“You Can Do So Much Better Than What They Expect”: An Arts-Based Engagement Ethnography on School Integration With Newcomer Youth

Newcomer adolescents make up a large minority of Canada’s population and their positive integration experiences with education systems across the country are critical for both their development and the country’s long-term success. The current study examined newcomer adolescents’ ( n = 4, between 16 and 18 years old) integration experiences using an arts-based engagement ethnography to understand what influences their positive integration into the school system. Artifacts, interview, and focus group data were analyzed systematically using ethnographic research guidelines. Five structures were identified: (1) barriers to advancement at individual, school, and macro levels, (2) fluctuating relationship with cultural identity, (3) limited trust in systems, (4) resilience through independent learning, and (5) facilitating factors to positive integration experiences at the family and school level. In keeping with a relational developmental systems theory framework, each structure accounts for multiple inter- and intra-individual factors at multiple environmental levels. These findings outline considerations for systemic issues in academic institutions and offer suggestions for how institutions can better support newcomer adolescents.

Status and Risk Factors of Chinese Teenagers’ Exposure to Cyberbullying

The debate over teenagers’ exposure to cyberbullying has aroused broad public concern, but there are few nationwide empirical studies on teen cyberbullying in China. Based on social cognitive theory, this study analyzes the current state of cyberbullying among Chinese teenagers using a questionnaire survey ( N = 1,538) distributed to teenagers in eastern, central, and western regions of China. The results suggest that 18.1% ( N = 279) of respondents reported having bullied someone and 54.6% ( N = 839) reported having been bullied online, and that age, gender, individual school performance, and risky online behaviors may predict different cyberbullying behaviors. Enhancing teenagers’ awareness of the importance of protecting their personal information is critical, along with implementing social protective measures to contain cyberbullying.

From government to governance: School coalition for promoting educational quality and equity in China

The major aim of recent school education reform in China is to improve educational equity and quality. This paper aims to explore a collaborative reform in a school district in Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province. The major focus of the reform has been a change of school management from “government” to “governance,” which is a shift from individual school effort to multi-school collaboration, from a single point development to a regional ecological development, as well as from loose development to excellence and equality development. Under such reform and through the school coalition among all schools within the district, high-quality and balanced development of the regional education has been promoted. Reform strategies in the school coalition studied include enhancing educational equity within the coalition; coordinating multiple powers; upholding educational quality by a shared curriculum; putting in extra resources to release school burdens; improving the quality of the teaching force; and developing an evidence-based comprehensive assessment system. The results of such changes not only promote teacher professional development but also meet students’ individual needs and growth. The schools involved in the collaborative endeavor have all earned support and recognition from parents, respect from the bureau, and a good reputation, and have improved competitiveness in Hangzhou.