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2. The Changing Nature and Role of Vocational Education and Training in Europe. Volume 5: Education and Labour Market Outcomes for Graduates from Different Types of VET System in Europe. Cedefop Research Paper. No 69
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Cedefop - European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training, Department for VET Systems and Institutions (DSI)
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This research paper is the fifth in a series produced as part of the Cedefop project The changing nature and role of VET (2016-18). Based on comparative analysis of labour force survey data from 2014, the report analyses the vocational effect on labour market and education outcomes, asking whether any advantages conferred by vocational qualifications in early career would be offset by disadvantages later in life. The report explores the functioning of the safety net and the diversion effects across countries, demonstrating how these vary considerably with the specific institutional structure of schooling and work-based training. The results indicate that VET graduates are potentially sacrificing the longer-term gains associated with further education in favour of short-term benefits. [This research was carried out by a consortium led by 3s Unternehmensberatung GmbH and including the Danish Technological Institute, the Institute of Employment Research (University of Warwick), the Institute of International and Social Studies (Tallinn University) and Fondazione Giacomo Brodolini. The Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) in Germany is supporting the project as a subcontractor.]
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- 2018
3. Refugee Education: Integration Models and Practices in OECD Countries. OECD Education Working Papers, No. 203
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Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) (France) and Cerna, Lucie
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The recent refugee crisis has put many Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries under considerable pressure to accommodate and integrate large numbers of refugees. Refugee students are a particularly vulnerable group due to their forced displacement, but their needs are not always met by education systems, which can hinder the integration potential of these students. This poses considerable challenges as the integration of refugee students in education systems is important for their academic outcomes as well as their social and emotional well-being. The success (or lack of) integration in schools can also affect the future labour market and social integration potential of these children and youth. While there is a growing body of research on the integration of immigrants, policy-relevant research on refugee children and youth from an educational perspective is rather limited, fragmented and case specific. Detailed surveys and research projects focusing on the current wave of refugees that allow for cross-country comparisons are not yet available. Drawing on research from previous refugee waves, the paper examines key needs of refugee students and factors that promote their integration. It proposes a holistic model of integration in education that responds to the learning, social and emotional needs of refugee students. Furthermore, the paper examines what type of policies and practices are in place in OECD countries that support the integration of refugee students. Nonetheless, evaluations of practices and policies are often missing, which makes it difficult to assess whether they are successful. The paper finishes with some policy pointers on how to promote the integration of refugee students.
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- 2019
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4. The Value of Smarter Teachers: International Evidence on Teacher Cognitive Skills and Student Performance. Program on Education Policy and Governance Working Papers Series. PEPG 14-06
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Harvard University, Program on Education Policy and Governance, Hanushek, Eric A., Piopiunik, Marc, and Wiederhold, Simon
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Differences in teacher quality are commonly cited as a key determinant of the huge international student performance gaps. However, convincing evidence on this relationship is still lacking, in part because it is unclear how to measure teacher quality consistently across countries. We use unique international assessment data to investigate the role of teacher cognitive skills as one main dimension of teacher quality in explaining student outcomes. Our main identification strategy exploits exogenous variation in teacher cognitive skills attributable to international differences in relative wages of nonteacher public sector employees. Using student-level test score data, we find that teacher cognitive skills are an important determinant of international differences in student performance. Results are supported by fixed-effects estimation that uses within-country between-subject variation in teacher skills.
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- 2014
5. Renewing VET Provision: Understanding Feedback Mechanisms between Initial VET and the Labour Market. Research Paper No 37
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Cedefop - European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training
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A strong VET system is increasingly seen as essential to overcoming the current economic crisis in Europe. VET is seen as a powerful tool to assist in balancing labour market inefficiencies, increasing youth employment possibilities, and reducing skills mismatch. Its inherent flexibility and closeness to the labour market place VET in a good position to contribute to a faster economic recovery and long-term sustainable development. However, crucial for this role is continuous and systematic VET renewal that assures its relevance for the labour market. This publication explores 15 European national approaches to feedback mechanisms between VET and the labour market. It illustrates the diversity of solutions currently applied across Europe and how they are embedded in national traditions and education philosophy. The study asks three fundamental questions: how inclusive are national mechanisms for feedback between the VET system and the labour market; how responsive are existing mechanisms; and how transparent? Three annexes provide: (1) Case Studies; (2) List of interviewees; and (3) List of experts responsible for the country overviews. Bibliography and references are included. [This paper is the result of a team effort reflecting the work of a research consortium led by Jörg Markowitsch from 3s Research Laboratory who together with Tanja Bacher, Carol Costley, David Etherington, Gerhard Geiger, Günter Hefler, Jelena Helemäe, Triin Roosalu, Ellu Saar, Auni Tamm, and Odd Bjørn Ure conducted the research and fieldwork and drafted the report. This work was carried out under Cedefop's service contract No 2011-0161/AO/ECVL/JB-IPS/Cooperation Labour market--VET/007/11.]
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- 2013
6. Making Skills Transparent: Recognising Vocational Skills Acquired through Workbased Learning. OECD Education Working Papers, No. 180
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Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) (France), Kis, Viktoria, and Windisch, Hendrickje Catriona
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This paper looks at the importance of mechanisms that give formal recognition to vocational skills acquired through work-based learning and how such mechanisms might be developed. It describes how skill recognition can benefit individuals, employers and society as a whole, and identifies in which contexts skill recognition has the highest potential to bring benefits. The focus is on three tools that are commonly used to shorten the path to a formal qualification: admission into a programme, reduced programme duration and qualification without a mandatory programme. For each of these tools, this paper sets out country approaches, discusses common challenges that arise in their implementation and advances policy messages to support policy design and implementation.
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- 2018
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7. Academic Resilience: What Schools and Countries Do to Help Disadvantaged Students Succeed in PISA. OECD Education Working Papers, No. 167
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Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) (France), Agasisti, Tommaso, Avvisati, Francesco, Borgonovi, Francesca, and Longobardi, Sergio
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Resilience refers to the capacity of individuals to prosper despite encountering adverse circumstances. This paper defines academic resilience as the ability of 15-year-old students from disadvantaged backgrounds to perform at a certain level in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) in reading, mathematics and science that enables them to play an active role in their communities and prepares them to make the most of lifelong-learning opportunities. Using data from the most recent PISA cycles, this paper explores changes in the share of resilient students over time (2006-2015); highlights the importance of school environments and resources in mitigating the risk of low achievement for disadvantaged students; and identifies school-level factors that are associated with the likelihood of academic resilience among socio-economically disadvantaged students. Analyses reveal that several countries were able to increase the share of resilient students over time, reflecting improvements in the average performance of students, or a weaker relationship between socio-economic status and performance. In the vast majority of education systems examined, the likelihood of academic resilience among disadvantaged students is lower in schools where students report a negative classroom climate. The paper concludes by exploring school policies and practices that are associated with a positive classroom climate. [This work was supported by a contribution to the PISA programme of work from Vodafone Germany Foundation.]
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- 2018
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8. Employment Patterns in OECD Countries: Reassessing the Role of Policies and Institutions. OECD Economics Department Working Papers No. 486
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Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Bassanini, Andrea, and Duval, Romain
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This paper explores the impact of policies and institutions on employment and unemployment of OECD countries in the past decades. Reduced-form unemployment equations, consistent with standard wage setting/price-setting models, are estimated using cross-country/time-series data from 21 OECD countries over the period 1982-2003. In the "average" OECD country, high and long-lasting unemployment benefits, high tax wedges and stringent anticompetitive product market regulation are found to increase aggregate unemployment. By contrast, highly centralised and/or coordinated wage bargaining systems are estimated to reduce unemployment. These findings are robust across specifications, datasets and econometric methods. As policies and institutions affect employment not only via their impact on aggregate unemployment but also through their effects on labour market participation -- particularly for those groups "at the margin" of the labour market, group-specific employment rate equations are also estimated. In the "average" OECD country, high unemployment benefits and high tax wedges are found to be associated with lower employment prospects for all groups studied, namely prime-age males, females, older workers and youths. There is also evidence that group-specific policy determinants matter, such as targeted fiscal incentives. The paper also finds significant evidence of interactions across policies and institutions, as well as between institutions and macroeconomic conditions. Consistent with theory, structural reforms appear to have mutually reinforcing effects: the impact of a given policy reform is greater the more employment-friendly the overall policy and institutional framework. Certain more specific interactions across policies and institutions are found to be particularly robust, notably between unemployment benefits and public spending on active labour market programmes as well as between statutory minimum wages and the tax wedge. Finally, it is shown that macroeconomic conditions also matter for unemployment patterns, with their impact being shaped by policies. (A bibliography is included. Contains 144 footnotes, 9 figures, 3 boxes and 27 tables.)
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- 2006
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9. Understanding the Regional Contribution of Higher Education Institutions: A Literature Review. OECD Education Working Papers, No. 9
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Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Arbo, Peter, and Benneworth, Paul
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The contribution of higher education institutions to regional development is a theme that has attracted growing attention in recent years. Knowledge institutions are increasingly expected not only to conduct education and research, but also to play an active role in the economic, social and cultural development of their regions. The extent to which higher education institutions are able to play this role depends on a number of circumstances: the characteristics of the institutions, the regions in which they are located and the policy frameworks are all significant. At the same time, there are signs of more fundamental conceptual and strategic confusion. The discussions in this domain are frequently characterised by slogans and popular metaphors. This literature review was prepared to support the OECD project entitled 'Supporting the Contribution of Higher Education Institutions to Regional Development', which was conducted by the OECD Programme on Institutional Management in Higher Education (IMHE) in collaboration with the Directorate of Public Governance and Territorial Development. Drawing mainly from a selection of European and North American publications, the report takes an overall view on the development of higher education institutions in the regional context. It focuses on the evolution and discourses of higher education and research, the regional aspects of higher education policies, the various functions and roles that the institutions play, measures taken to link the universities with their regional partners, and the conditions which favour or hamper stronger regional engagement. (A bibliography is included. Contains 9 figures.)
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- 2007
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10. Test-Taking Engagement in PIAAC. OECD Education Working Papers, No. 133
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Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) (France), Goldhammer, Frank, Martens, Thomas, Christoph, Gabriela, and Lüdtke, Oliver
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In this study, we investigated how empirical indicators of test-taking engagement can be defined, empirically validated, and used to describe group differences in the context of the Programme of International Assessment of Adult Competences (PIAAC). The approach was to distinguish between disengaged and engaged response behavior by means of response time thresholds. Constant thresholds of 3000 ms and 5000 ms were considered, as well as item-specific thresholds based on the visual inspection of (bimodal) response time distributions (VI method) and the proportion correct conditional on response time (P+>0% method). Overall, the validity checks comparing the proportion correct of engaged and disengaged response behavior by domain and by item showed that the P+>0% method performed slightly better than the VI method and the methods assuming constant thresholds. The results for Literacy and Numeracy by module revealed that there was an increase from Module 1 to Module 2 in the proportion of disengaged responses, suggesting a drop in test-taking engagement. The investigation of country differences in test-taking engagement by domain using the P+>0% method showed that the proportion of responses classified as disengaged was quite low. For Literacy, the proportion was well below 5% for the majority of countries; in Numeracy, the proportion was even smaller than 1% for almost all countries; while for Problem solving, the proportion of disengaged responses was more than 5% but usually well below 10%. There were significant differences in test-taking engagement between countries; the obtained effect sizes were small to medium. Population differences in test-taking engagement were highly correlated between the three domains, suggesting that test-taking engagement can be conceived as a consistent characteristic. Furthermore, there was a clear negative association between test-taking disengagement and proficiency in Literacy, Numeracy and Problem solving, respectively. Finally, subgroup differences for gender, age, educational attainment, and language proved to be insignificant or very small. Results suggest that males tend to be more disengaged, that disengagement increases with age in Problem solving, with lower educational attainment and when the test language is not the same as a testee's native language. Appended are: (1) Country differences in test-taking engagement; and (2) Subgroup differences in test-taking engagement.
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- 2016
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11. The Impact of Literacy, Numeracy and Computer Skills on Earnings and Employment Outcomes. OECD Education Working Papers, No. 129
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Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) (France), Lane, Marguerita, and Conlon, Gavan
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Using the 2012 PIAAC data, our analysis confirms that there are significantly higher earnings and employment returns to "both" increasing levels of formally recognised education, and to increasing levels of numeracy, literacy and information and communication technologies (ICT) skills proficiencies controlling for the level of education. Unsurprisingly, the labour market returns to changes in formally recognised levels of education in general exceed the labour market returns associated with increasing levels of skills proficiency. In the case of literacy and numeracy proficiencies, improved literacy and numeracy skills narrow the labour market outcomes gap between individuals with different levels of formally recognised education, but do not close it completely. The analysis demonstrates more substantial returns to ICT skills. Furthermore, possession of higher levels of ICT skills and lower levels of formally recognised qualification are often associated with higher returns compared to individuals with higher levels of formally recognised education but lower ICT proficiency levels. In other words, ICT skills proficiencies often entirely compensate for lower formally recognised qualifications in the labour market. Contains the following annexes: (1) Country Literacy and Numeracy Profiles; and (2) Demographic Control Variables.
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- 2016
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12. Bringing about Curriculum Innovations. OECD Education Working Papers, No. 82
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Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and Karkkainen, Kiira
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Innovation is essential for the education sector. The ways in which curriculum decision making is organised reflects different implicit approaches on how educational systems pertain to promote innovation in education. Curriculum holds an outstanding place when seeking to promote innovation in education, as it reflects the vision for education by indicating knowledge, skills and values to be taught to students. It may express not only "what" should be taught to students, but also "how" the students should be taught. Curriculum innovations can include new subjects, combinations of old subjects or cross-cutting learning objectives. They may also take a form of new content, concepts, sequencing, time allocation or pedagogy. This paper characterises two contrasted approaches to curriculum decision making and bringing about innovations in education. At one extreme, a prescriptive central curriculum implicitly places the initiative for educational innovations at the level of the central administration. This approach provides strong incentives for schools and teachers to adapt innovations that would not otherwise take place. Innovations, supported by policy measures and informed by research, are brought within the reach of all schools and teachers in an equitable manner. The challenge is then to accommodate local needs and ensure the commitment to and implementation of innovations by schools and teachers. At the other extreme, decentralised curriculum decision making provides schools--and perhaps even teachers--with room to create their own educational innovations. This approach allows for experimentation relevant to individual students and local communities. Innovations are meant to spread through horizontal networks of schools and teachers. The challenge is then to provide incentives for individual schools and teachers to innovate or adapt innovations and ensure that they have equal capacity to do so. The paper provides an overview of various possible approaches linking curriculum policy to educational innovation, it shows that OECD countries can mix these approaches and it discusses elements that can affect those innovations in reality. Focusing on public lower-secondary education, it draws on various OECD and UNESCO data. First, the paper suggests that OECD education systems differ clearly when looking at formal curriculum decision making, although no system relies on a purely central or school-based approach to curriculum innovations. Second, several elements can reduce the "innovation power" of the central curriculum and the "innovation flexibility" of the decentralised curriculum. Third, stakeholders--such as experts, teachers and parents--are able to influence curriculum innovations differently at central and school levels. Innovations in central-level curriculum appear to have widespread possibilities to rely on expert knowledge with consultation with practitioners, parents and the wider public. School level curriculum innovations appear to build mainly on principals and teachers' knowledge with an indirect influence from experts and parents. Annexed are: (1) Emerging Curriculum Themes in OECD Countries; (2) Approaches to Bringing About Competence-Based Curriculum; (3) Central Level Curriculum in OECD Countries; (4) Details on the Implicit Approaches to Curriculum Innovations; and (5) Roles of Parents in Decision Making on Education Policy. (Contains 13 tables, 4 charts, 5 boxes and 20 notes.)
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- 2012
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13. Teacher Evaluation: Current Practices in OECD Countries and a Literature Review. OECD Education Working Papers, No. 23
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Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and Isore, Marlene
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This paper discusses the most relevant issues concerning teacher evaluation in primary and secondary education by reviewing the recent literature and analysing current practices within the OECD countries. First, it provides a conceptual framework highlighting key features of teacher evaluation schemes. In particular, it emphasises the importance of clarifying the purposes of teacher appraisal, whether summative when designed to assure that the practices enhancing student learning are undertaken or formative when conducted for further professional development objectives. It also encompasses the diverse criteria and instruments commonly used to assess teachers as well as the actors generally involved in the process and potential consequences for teachers' professional life. Second, it deals with a number of contentious points, including the question of the use of student outcomes to measure teaching performance, the advantages and drawbacks of different approaches given the purpose emphasised and resource restrictions, the implementation difficulties resulting from different stakeholders' interests and possible ways to overcome these obstacles. Finally, it provides an account of current empirical evidence, pointing out mixed results stemming from difficulties in assessing the effects of such evaluation schemes on teaching quality, teachers' motivation and student learning. It concludes by considering the circumstances under which teacher evaluation systems seem to be more effective, fair and reliable. Developing a comprehensive approach to evaluate teachers is critical to make demands for educational best practice compatible with teachers' appropriation of the process as well as to enhance the decisive attractiveness and recognition of the teaching profession. (Contains 1 table.)
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- 2009
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14. What Works in Migrant Education? A Review of Evidence and Policy Options. OECD Education Working Papers, No. 22
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Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and Nusche, Deborah
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Education plays an essential role in preparing the children of immigrants for participation in the labour market and society. Giving these children opportunities to fully develop their potential is vital for future economic growth and social cohesion in OECD countries. But migrant students in most OECD countries tend to have lower education outcomes than their native peers. Extensive previous research has described the system level, school level and individual level factors that influence the education outcomes of migrant students. Building on such previous research, this paper looks at the ways in which "education policies" can influence these factors to help provide better educational opportunities for migrant students. (Contains 7 footnotes.) [This review was prepared for the OECD Thematic Review on Migrant Education. It was presented and discussed at the Second Meeting of the Group of National Experts on the Education of Migrants in Paris on 13-14 October 2008.]
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- 2009
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15. Measuring User-Created Content: Implications for the ICT Access and Use by Households and Individuals Surveys. OECD Digital Economy Papers, No. 139
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Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and van Beuzekom, Brigitte
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This paper reviews recent measurement work on User-Created Content (UCC) undertaken in OECD countries. It shows that UCC is emerging as a significant area of economic and social activity worthy of consideration for official measurement and discusses the implications for the OECD Model Survey on ICT Access and Use by Households and Individuals. (Study summary and questionnaires are annexed. Contains 10 footnotes, 6 figures and 1 table.)
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- 2008
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16. Guidelines for Quality Provision in Cross-Border Higher Education: Where Do We Strand? OECD Education Working Papers, No. 70
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Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Vincent-Lancrin, Stephan, and Pfotenhauer, Sebastian
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The "Guidelines for Quality Provision in Cross-Border Higher Education" were developed and adopted to support and encourage international cooperation and enhance the understanding of the importance of quality provision in cross-border higher education. The purposes of the "Guidelines" are to protect students and other stakeholders from low-quality provision and disreputable providers (that is, degree and accreditation mills) as well as to encourage the development of quality cross-border higher education that meets human, social, economic and cultural needs. The "Guidelines" are not legally binding and member countries are expected to implement them as appropriate in their national context. Based on a survey about the main recommendations of the "Guidelines", this report monitors the extent to which Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries and a few non-member countries comply with its recommendations. The Survey was sent out in June 2010 to all OECD countries. The main conclusion of the survey is that (responding) countries report a high level of compliance with the Guidelines recommendations. On average, responding OECD countries conform to 72% of the main recommendations made to governments, tertiary education institutions, and quality assurance and accreditation agencies. The level of compliance decreases to 67% when recommendations to student bodies are included, but the level of missing information, and thus uncertainty about actual compliance, increases significantly. Appended are: (1) Country Overview of Compliance Levels with the Guidelines for Different Stakeholders; (2) Country Overview of Compliance Levels with Six Key Objectives of the Guidelines; (3) Methodology; (4) Country Answers to the Survey; (5) Overview of National Contact Points; and (6) Guidelines for Quality Provision in Cross-Border Higher Education. (Contains 2 tables, 12 figures and 1 footnote.)
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- 2012
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17. School Choice and Equity: Current Policies in OECD Countries and a Literature Review. OECD Education Working Papers, No. 66
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Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and Musset, Pauline
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This literature review on school choice analyses the impact of choice schemes on students and on school systems focusing on equity. Reviewing the evidence can be difficult, as the literature is often fragmented and inconclusive, and the political importance of this research often results in high-profile attention given to individual studies rather than systemically understanding collected from a larger empirical base (Berends, Cannata and Goldring, 2011). Different political groups use evidence that supports their positions in favour or against school choice, and their positions relative to school choice are largely based on their ideologies, rather than on empirical work and evidence of effectiveness (Levin and Belfield, 2004). This report steps away from the ideological debate and provides research-based evidence on the impact of choice on disadvantaged students and schools. As "only with data on the consequences of different plans for school choice will we be able to reach sensible judgements rooted in experience (Fuller and Elmore, 1996, p. 8)". It uses analysis and statements that are supported empirically and attempts to cover the widest possible scope of research, and provide responses to the key question of how to balance choice with equity considerations. (Contains 7 tables, 4 figures, 5 boxes and 13 footnotes.)
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- 2012
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18. Assessment and Innovation in Education. OECD Education Working Papers, No. 24
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Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and Looney, Janet W.
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Do some forms of student (and school) assessment hinder the introduction of innovative educational practices and the development of innovation skills in education systems? This report focuses on the impact of high-stake summative assessment on innovation and argues that it is possible to reconcile high-stakes assessments and examinations through innovative approaches to testing. While necessary, assessment based on high-stake examinations often acts as an incentive to teach or study "to the test". It may thus limit risk-taking by teachers, students and parents, for instance. The problem may be amplified if a system of accountability and incentives uses the results of these examinations and tests to assess teachers and schools. What should be done to ensure that the systems used to assess education systems do not stifle the risk-taking inherent to innovation--and that they foster innovation skills in students? This study proposes three main ways of combining assessment and innovation: 1) developing a wide range of performance measurements for both students and schools; 2) rethinking the alignment of standards and assessment; 3) measuring the impact of assessments on teaching and learning. One way of influencing teaching and learning might be to modify high-stake testing. Systems will adapt to this, and both teaching and learning will focus on acquiring the right skills. Rather than testing the content of learning, standards could relate to cognitive skills such as problem-solving, communicating and reasoning--with test/examination developers adapting those skills to subjects such as mathematics, science or literary analysis. Similarly, more use might be made of innovative assessment methods based on information and communication technologies, inasmuch as these may feature simulation or interactivity, for instance, at a reasonable cost. Focusing the assessment on cognitive processes rather than content would leave more scope for teachers to put in place innovative teaching/learning strategies. This does, however, assume a high standard of professionalism in teachers and an adequate system of continuing training and knowledge management. As a single type of assessment cannot fully capture student learning, one effective strategy might also be to multiply the number of measurements and thus relieve the pressure on students and teachers to perform well in a single, high-visibility, high-stake test. At the same time, this larger number of measurements could provide the necessary input for systems based on accountability, diagnosis and assessment of the effectiveness of innovative practice. Finally, assessing the technical standard of tests and examinations is an integral part of their development, but it is less common to address the impact they have on teaching/learning or the validity of how their results are used. Since assessment is an integral part of the education process, it is just as important to assess tests and examinations as it is other educational practices in order to achieve improvements and innovation in educational assessment, but also in educational practice. (Contains 12 notes.)
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- 2009
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19. School Accountability, Autonomy, Choice, and the Equity of Student Achievement: International Evidence from PISA 2003. OECD Education Working Papers, No. 14
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Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Schutz, Gabriela, West, Martin R., and Wobmann, Ludger
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School systems aspire to provide equal opportunity for all, irrespective of socio-economic status (SES). Much of the criticism of recent school reforms that introduce accountability, autonomy, and choice emphasizes their potentially negative consequences for equity. This report provides new evidence on how national features of accountability, autonomy, and choice are related to the equality of opportunity across countries. We estimate whether student achievement depends more or less on SES in school systems employing these institutional features. The rigorous micro-econometric analyses are based on the PISA 2003 data for more than 180,000 students from 27 OECD countries. The main empirical result is that rather than harming disadvantaged students, accountability, autonomy, and choice appear to be tides that lift all boats. The additional choice created by public funding for private schools in particular is associated with a strong reduction in the dependence of student achievement on SES. External exit exams have a strong positive effect for all students that is slightly smaller for low-SES students. The positive effect of regularly using subjective teacher ratings to assess students is substantially larger for low-SES students. The effect of many other accountability devices does not differ significantly by student SES. School autonomy in determining course content is associated with higher equality of opportunity, while equality of opportunity is lower in countries where more schools have autonomy in hiring teachers. Autonomy in formulating the budget and in establishing starting salaries is not associated with the equity of student outcomes. Inequality of opportunity is substantially higher in school systems that track students at early ages. (Contains 19 footnotes, 6 figures and 9 tables.)
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- 2007
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20. Proceedings of the International Association for Development of the Information Society (IADIS) International Conference on e-Learning (Madeira, Portugal, July 1-4, 2016)
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International Association for Development of the Information Society (IADIS), Nunes, Miguel Baptista, and McPherson, Maggie
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These proceedings contain the papers of the International Conference e-Learning 2016, which was organised by the International Association for Development of the Information Society, 1-3 July, 2016. This conference is part of the Multi Conference on Computer Science and Information Systems 2016, 1-4 July. The e-Learning (EL) 2016 conference aims to address the main issues of concern within e-Learning. This conference covers both technical as well as the non-technical aspects of e-Learning. These proceedings contain keynote lecture, "Twenty-First Century Skills, Technology and Open Learning: Re-Designing Teaching for the Digital Age" (Tony Bates) [abstract only] and workshop, "Making Sustainable Online Learning a Reality Informed by the Community of Inquiry Framework" (Susi Peacock and Lindesay Irvine). Full papers in these proceedings include: (1) Determining Factors of Students' Perceived Usefulness of e-Learning in Higher Education (Aleksander Aristovnik, Damijana Keržic, Nina Tomaževic and Lan Umek); (2) EvalCOMIX®: A Web-Based Programme to Support Collaboration in Assessment (María Soledad Ibarra-Sáiz and Gregorio Rodríguez-Gómez); (3) A Holistic Approach to Scoring in Complex Mobile Learning Scenarios (Marcel Gebbe, Matthias Teine and Marc Beutner); (4) Content Development for 72,000 Learners: An Online Learning Environment for General Practitioners. A Case Study (Dirk Pilat); (5) First Stages of Adult Students' Relationship to Scientific Knowing and Research in the Open University's Web-Based Methodology Course (Leena Isosomppi and Minna Maunula); (6) A Quantitative Analysis of the Role of Social Networks in Educational Contexts (Azam Shokri and Georgios Dafoulas); (7) Care Management: On Line-Based Approaches to Nurse Education in Ultrasound Imaging (Elena Taina Avramescu, Mitrache Marius and Adrian Camen); (8) Can e-Learning Change Work Practices? (Signe Schack Noesgaard); (9) A Practice of Mobile Learning Bases on Cloud Computing (Heng Wu and Zhong Dong); (10) Guidelines for Conducting a Post-Graduate Module within a Blended Synchonous Learning Environment, Facilitator and Student Perspectives (Christopher Upfold); (11) IT Tools in Initial Teacher Training (Dorin Herlo); (12) Application of a Reference Framework for Integration of Web Resources in DOLTRN--Case Study of Physics--Topic: Waves (Fabinton Sotelo Gomez and Armando Ordóñez); (13) Creating Micro-Videos to Demonstrate Technology Learning (Mark Frydenberg and Diana Andone); (14) An Analysis of Students Enrolled to an Undergraduate University Course Offered Also Online (Nello Scarabottolo); (15) How Do We Know What is Happening Online: A Triangulated Approach to Data Analysis (Marina Charalampidi and Michael Hammond); (16) Analysis of 3D Modeling Software Usage Patterns for K-12 Students (Yi-Chieh Wu, Wen-Hung Liao, Ming-Te Chi and Tsai-Yen Li); and (17) A Distributed Intelligent e-Learning System (Terje Kristensen). Short papers in these proceedings include: (1) Using Cognitive Maps to Promote Self-Managed Learning in Online Communities of Inquiry (Susi Peacock and John Cowan); (2) Automation in Distance Learning: An Empirical Study of Unlearning and Academic Identity Change Linked to Automation of Student Messaging within Distance Learning (Hilary Collins, Hayley Glover, Fran Myers and Mor Watson); (3) Developing the 1st MOOC of University of Porto: Challenges and Strategies (Isabel Martins, Nuno Regadas and Margarida Amaral); (4) Informal Language Learning in Authentic Setting, Using Mobile Devices and SNS (Ruthi Aladjem and Bibiana Jou); (5) Enhancing Third-Year Medical Clerkships: Using Mobile Technology for Teaching and Learning (Janette R. Hill, Michelle A. Nuss, Ronald M. Cervero, Julie K. Gaines and Bruce Middendorf); (6) Statistical Measures of Integrity in Online Testing: Empirical Study (Tom Wielicki); (7) The Complexities of Digital Storytelling: Factors Affecting Performance, Production, and Project Completion (Peter Gobel and Makimi Kano); (8) Collegewide Promotion on e-Learning/Active Learning and Faculty Development (Nobuyuki Ogawa and Akira Shimizu); (9) Training Portuguese Teachers Using Blended Learning--A Different Approach (Bertil P. Marques and Paula Escudeiro); (10) Gamify and Recognize Prior Learning: How to Succeed in Educators' Further Professional Training with Open Badges (Esko Lius); (11) How Do K-12 Students' Manage Applications on Their Mobile Devices? (Ruthi Aladjem and Sharon Hardof); (12) Digital Storytelling for Inclusive Education: An Experience in Initial Teacher Training (Marco Lazzari); and (13) Learning Factory--Assembling Learning Content with a Framework (Peter Steininger). Reflection papers in these proceedings include: (1) Equalizing Educational Opportunities by ICT (Ana María Delgado García and Blanca Torrubia Chalmeta); (2) The Acceptability of MOOC Certificates in the Workplace (Christina Banks and Edward Meinert); (3) Orchestration of Social Modes in e-Learning (Armin Weinberger and Pantelis M. Papadopoulos); (4) Information Competencies and Their Implementation in the Educational Process of Polish Universities. Exploratory Studies (Anna Tonakiewicz-Kolosowska, Iwona Socik and Monika Gajewska); (5) Virtual & Real Face to Face Teaching (Romeo Teneqexhi and Loreta Kuneshka); and (6) Virtual Scaffolding--Constructivism in Online Learning (Lachlan MacKinnon and Liz Bacon). The following poster is included: Active Learning Methods in Programming for Non-IT Students (Olga Mironova, Irina Amitan, Jüri Vilipõld and Merike Saar). An author index is included. Individual papers contain references.
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- 2016
21. School Achievement of Pupils from the Lower Strata in Public, Private Government-Dependent and Private Government-Independent Schools: A Cross-National Test of the Coleman-Hoffer Thesis
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University of Arkansas, Education Working Paper Archive, Corten, Rense, and Dronkers, Jaap
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We consider the question whether pupils from the lower social strata perform better in private government-dependent schools than in public or private-independent schools, using the PISA 2000 data on European high schools. In the eighty's, Coleman and Hoffer (1987) found in the USA that the performance of these pupils was better at religious schools than at comparable public schools. Dronkers and Robert (2003) found in PISA-data for 19 comparable countries that private government-dependent schools are more effective then comparable public schools, also after controlled for characteristics of pupils and parents and the social composition of the school. The main explanation appeared to be a better school climate in private government-dependent schools. Private independent schools were less effective than comparable public schools, but only after controlling for the social composition of the school. As a follow-up we now investigate, again with the PISA-data of these 19 countries, whether this positive effect of private government-dependent schools differs between pupils from different strata. We use various indicators to measure social strata: social, cultural and economic. We expect that the thesis of Coleman & Hoffer does hold for private government-dependent schools, because in these 19 countries they are mostly religious schools, which have more opportunities to form functional communities and create social capital. But for private independent schools, which due to their commercial foundation are less often functional communities, this relation is not expected to hold. However, the results show that public and private schools have mostly the same effects for the same kind of pupils and thus mostly not favor one kind of pupils above another kind of pupils. But private government-dependent schools are slightly more effective for pupils with less cultural capital. However, private independent schools are also more effective for pupils from large families or low status families. (Contains 4 tables, 12 notes and a list of 25 Literature Resources .)
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- 2006
22. Divided citizenship: how retirement in the host country affects the financial status of intra-European Union migrants.
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BRIDGEN, PAUL and MEYER, TRAUTE
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CITIZENSHIP ,IMMIGRANTS ,INCOME ,PENSIONS ,POVERTY ,RETIREMENT ,PATIENT participation ,GOVERNMENT policy ,SOCIOECONOMIC factors - Abstract
Since European Union (EU) enlargement in 2003, labour migration from East to West and South to North has increased. It is to be expected that a share of these workers will want to retire in their host countries. According to the academic literature, EU legislation protects such mobility well by allowing the transfer of rights accrued in any EU country to another. However, such research has focused on legislation, not outcomes. We know little about how migration will affect the financial status of retired migrants in their host country and their ability to sustain a life there, should they stay after retirement. Using migration, wage and pension policy data (Eurostat, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), this paper projects the post-retirement incomes of a range of hypothetical EU migrants, selected in relation to the most common migratory flows since 2003. After having worked in their home countries (Romania, Poland, Bulgaria, Italy) for at least ten years, these people move to richer countries (Italy, Spain, Germany, United Kingdom) and work there for at least 30 years. To determine whether they can remain settled after decades of labour force participation in the host country, the paper adds their pension entitlements from home and host countries and compares this income with the relative poverty line of the host countries. This shows that good portability of entitlements matters little when these are very low because of a large wage gap between home and host country. Thus, after at least 30 years of enjoying all citizenship rights as workers, most of these individuals are projected to receive incomes below the relative poverty line of their host countries and thus experience a sharp drop in this status. Their citizenship is diminished. The paper concludes by considering policies that could avoid such an outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2019
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23. Evaluating Eco-Innovation of OECD Countries with Data Envelopment Analysis
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Mavi, Reza Kiani and Standing, Craig
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Government regulations require businesses to improve their processes and products/services in a green and sustainable manner. For being environmentally friendly, businesses should invest more on eco-innovation practices. Firms eco-innovate to promote eco-efficiency and sustainability. This paper evaluates the eco-innovation performance of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries with data envelopment analysis (DEA). Data were gathered from the world bank database and global innovation index report. Findings show that for most OECD countries, energy use and ecological sustainability are more important than other inputs and outputs for enhancing eco-innovation. [For full proceedings, see ED571459.]
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- 2016
24. Risk of Job Automation and Participation in Adult Education and Training: Do Welfare Regimes Matter?
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Ioannidou, Alexandra and Parma, Andrea
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This study explores the relation between risk of job automation and participation in adult education and training (AET) and examines variation in that relation across welfare regimes distinguishing between situational and institutional barriers. Using microdata of PIAAC, we analyze participation in formal or nonformal AET for job-related reasons in relation to the risk of automation of the respondents' occupation after controlling for main sociodemographic characteristics. Logistic regression models are run on respondents from 14 European countries representing different welfare regimes: Denmark, Norway, and Sweden (Scandinavian countries); Italy, Greece, and Spain (Southern European); Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland (Central and Eastern Europe), Belgium, France, and Germany (Continental); and United Kingdom and Ireland (Anglo-Saxon countries). Our findings confirm that workers in occupations at high risk of automation were found to be consistently less likely to participate in job-related AET, quite irrespective of welfare regime. [The paper was presented at XIII Conferenza Espanet Italia--Il welfare state di fronte alle sfide globali (Venezia, 17 September 2020).]
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- 2022
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25. Multi-Level Classification of Literacy of Educators Using PIAAC Data
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Yalcin, Seher
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This study aims to identify the literacy skills of individuals whose highest level of education was in the field 'teacher training and educational sciences'. The study sample comprised 10,618 individuals in the field of teacher training and educational sciences, selected from 31 countries (participating in the International Adult Skills Assessment Programme during the 2014-2015 survey) using a multi-stage sampling method. The study employed multi-level latent class analysis and three-step analysis in order to determine both the number of multi-level latent classes of educators' literacy scores as well as the selected independent variables' success in predicting those latent classes. The analysis revealed that educators in Germany constituted the group with the highest literacy skills while educators from Singapore comprised the group with the lowest literacy skills. [This study was presented at the 9th International Congress of Educational Research. Ordu University, Ordu, Turkey.]
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- 2022
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26. Adult Readiness to Learn: An International Study of Individual and Contextual Predictors
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Smith, Thomas J., Rose, Amy D., Ross-Gordon, Jovita M., and Smith, M. Cecil
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The present study examined an international sample of adults from the Survey of Adult Skills administered by the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC; Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2009) to assess (1) how specific individual and country-level characteristics predict adult readiness to learn, and (2) how readiness to learn predicts adult skills in literacy, numeracy, and problem-solving in technology-rich environments. Multilevel modeling showed that education and hours worked positively predicted readiness to learn, while age negatively predicted it, and men showed high levels of readiness to learn than women. At the individual level, a positive relationship between readiness to learn and skill proficiency was observed, while at the country level a negative relationship occurred. This "readiness to learn paradox" is discussed in terms of cultural differences in learning environments.
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- 2016
27. International Psychological Applications Conference and Trends (InPACT) 2016 (Lisbon, Portugal, April 30-May 2, 2016)
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World Institute for Advanced Research and Science (WIARS) (Portugal), Pracana, Clara, and Wang, Michael
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We are delighted to welcome you to the International Psychological Applications Conference and Trends (InPACT) 2016, taking place in Lisbon, Portugal, from 30 of April to 2 of May, 2016. Psychology, nowadays, offers a large range of scientific fields where it can be applied. The goal of understanding individuals and groups (mental functions and behavioral standpoints), from this academic and practical scientific discipline, is aimed ultimately to benefit society. This International Conference seeks to provide some answers and explore the several areas within the Psychology field, new developments in studies and proposals for future scientific projects. The goal is to offer a worldwide connection between psychologists, researchers and lecturers, from a wide range of academic fields, interested in exploring and giving their contribution in psychological issues. The conference is a forum that connects and brings together academics, scholars, practitioners and others interested in a field that is fertile in new perspectives, ideas and knowledge. There is an extensive variety of contributors and presenters, which can supplement the view of the human essence and behavior, showing the impact of their different personal, academic and cultural experiences. This is, certainly, one of the reasons there are nationalities and cultures represented, inspiring multi-disciplinary collaborative links, fomenting intellectual encounter and development. InPACT 2016 received 332 submissions, from 37 different countries, reviewed by a double-blind process. Submissions were prepared to take form of Oral Presentations, Posters, Virtual Presentations and Workshops. It was accepted for presentation in the conference 96 submissions (29% acceptance rate). The conference also includes: (1) A keynote presentation from Prof. Dr. Richard Bentall (Institute of Psychology, Health & Society of the University of Liverpool, United Kingdom); (2) Three Special Talks, one from Emeritus Professor Carlos Amaral Dias (University of Coimbra, Director of Instituto Superior Miguel Torga, Vice-President of the Portuguese Association of Psychoanalysis and Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, Private practitioner of psychiatry and psychoanalysis, Portugal) and Prof. Clara Pracana (Full and Training member of the Portuguese Association of Psychoanalysis and Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, Portugal), another from Emeritus Professor Michael Wang (University of Leicester, United Kingdom), and a third one from Dr. Conceição Almeida (Founder of the Portuguese Association of Psychoanalysis and Psychoanalytical Psychotherapy, and Vice-President of the Board. Member of the Teaching Committee, Portugal); (3) An Invited Talk from Dr. Ana Vasconcelos (SAMS--Serviços de Assistência Médico-Social do Sindicato dos Bancários de Sul e Ilhas, founding member of the Portuguese Association of Psychoanalysis and Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, and member of NPA-Neuropshycanalysis Association, Portugal). Thus, we would like to express our gratitude to all our invitees. This volume is composed by the abstracts of the International Psychological Applications Conference and Trends (InPACT 2016), organized by the World Institute for Advanced Research and Science (W.I.A.R.S.). This conference addresses different categories inside Applied Psychology area and papers fit broadly into one of the named themes and sub-themes. To develop the conference program six main broad-ranging categories had been chosen, which also cover different interest areas: (1) In CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY: Emotions and related psychological processes; Assessment; Psychotherapy and counseling; Addictive behaviors; Eating disorders; Personality disorders; Quality of life and mental health; Communication within relationships; Services of mental health; and Psychopathology. (2) In EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY: Language and cognitive processes; School environment and childhood disorders; Parenting and parenting related processes; Learning and technology; Psychology in schools; Intelligence and creativity; Motivation in classroom; Perspectives on teaching; Assessment and evaluation; and Individual differences in learning. (3) In SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY: Cross-cultural dimensions of mental disorders; Employment issues and training; Organizational psychology; Psychology in politics and international issues; Social factors in adolescence and its development; Social anxiety and self-esteem; Immigration and social policy; Self-efficacy and identity development; Parenting and social support; and Addiction and stigmatization. (4) In LEGAL PSYCHOLOGY: Violence and trauma; Mass-media and aggression; Intra-familial violence; Juvenile delinquency; Aggressive behavior in childhood; Internet offending; Working with crime perpetrators; Forensic psychology; Violent risk assessment; and Law enforcement and stress. (5) In COGNITIVE AND EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY: Perception, memory and attention; Decision making and problem-solving; Concept formation, reasoning and judgment; Language processing; Learning skills and education; Cognitive Neuroscience; Computer analogies and information processing (Artificial Intelligence and computer simulations); Social and cultural factors in the cognitive approach; Experimental methods, research and statistics; and Biopsychology. (6) In PSYCHOANALYSIS AND PSYCHOANALYTICAL PSYCHOTHERAPY: Psychoanalysis and psychology; The unconscious; The Oedipus complex; Psychoanalysis of children; Pathological mourning; Addictive personalities; Borderline organizations; Narcissistic personalities; Anxiety and phobias; Psychosis; Neuropsychoanalysis. The proceedings contain the results of the research and developments conducted by authors who focused on what they are passionate about: to promote growth in research methods intimately related to Psychology and its applications. It includes an extensive variety of contributors and presenters by sharing their different personal, academic and cultural experiences. Authors will be invited to publish extended contributions for a book to be published by inScience Press. We would like to express thanks to all the authors and participants, the members of the academic scientific committee, partners and, of course, to the organizing and administration team for making and putting this conference together. (Individual papers contain references.) [Abstract modified to meet ERIC guidelines.]
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- 2016
28. Insights into Accounting Education in a COVID-19 World
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Sangster, Alan, Stoner, Greg, and Flood, Barbara
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This paper presents a compilation of personal reflections from 66 contributors on the impact of, and responses to, COVID-19 in accounting education in 45 different countries around the world. It reveals a commonality of issues, and a variability in responses, many positive outcomes, including the creation of opportunities to realign learning and teaching strategies away from the comfort of traditional formats, but many more that are negative, primarily relating to the impact on faculty and student health and well-being, and the accompanying stress. It identifies issues that need to be addressed in the recovery and redesign stages of the management of this crisis, and it sets a new research agenda for studies in accounting education.
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- 2020
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29. Therapeutic index for local infections score (TILI): a new diagnostic tool.
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Dissemond, Joachim and Gerber, Veronika
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ALLIED health personnel ,BACTERICIDES ,PREVENTION of communicable diseases ,CONSENSUS (Social sciences) ,DERMATOLOGISTS ,EXPERIMENTAL design ,HEALTH care teams ,RESEARCH methodology ,SURGEONS ,SURGICAL site infections ,WOUND healing ,WOUND infections ,WOUND care ,DECISION making in clinical medicine ,EARLY diagnosis ,SYMPTOMS - Abstract
Objective: Local wound infections are a major challenge for patients and health professionals. Various diagnostic and therapeutic options are available. However, a generally accepted standard is still lacking in Europe. The aim was to develop an easy-to-use clinical score for the early detection of local wound infections, as a basis for decisionmaking on antiseptic therapy or decolonisation. Method: An interdisciplinary and interprofessional panel of experts from seven European countries was brought together to discuss the various aspects of diagnosing local wound infections. Results: The result was the adoption of the Therapeutic Index for Local Infections (TILI) score, developed in Germany by Initiative Chronische Wunden e.V., specifically for health professionals not specialised in wound care. Available in six European languages, the TILI score could also be adapted for different European countries, depending on their specific national healthcare requirements. The six clinical criteria for local wound infection are erythema to surrounding skin; heat; oedema, induration or swelling; spontaneous pain or pressure pain; stalled wound healing; and increase and/or change in colour or smell of exudate. Meeting all criteria indicates that antiseptic wound therapy could be started. Regardless of these unspecific clinical signs, there are also health conditions for the clinical situation which are a direct indication for antimicrobial wound therapy. These include the presence of wound pathogens, such as meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, septic surgical wound or the presence of free pus. Conclusion: The development of the new internationally adapted TILI score, which could also be used by any caregiver in daily practice to diagnose local infections in acute and hard-to-heal wounds, is the result of expert consensus. However, the score system has to be validated through a clinical evaluation. This is to be performed in expert centres throughout Europe. Declaration of interest: JD has received research support, lecture fees and travel-cost reimbursements from 4M, Coloplast, Convatec, Draco, Engelhardt, Paul Hartmann, KCI, Lohmann&Rauscher, Mölnlycke, SastoMed and Urgo. RL has received research support, lecture fees and travel-cost reimbursements from Mölnlycke and Urgo. AK has received research support, lecture fees and travel-cost reimbursements from 3M, B. Braun Melsungen, Bode/Paul Hartmann, Ethicon, Lohmann&Rauscher, Mundipharma, Oculus, SastoMed Schülke&Mayr, SERAG-WIESSNER and Urgo. JVS has received research support, lecture fees and travel-cost reimbursements from Mundipharma, Histocell, Quesper and Urgo. This work was supported by an unlimited grant from Urgo Medical. The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of Urgo Medical. The company had no direct influence on the content of this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2020
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30. Changing Configurations of Adult Education in Transitional Times. Conference Proceedings of the Triennial European Research Conference of the European Society for Research on the Education of Adults (ESREA) (7th, Berlin, Germany, September 4-7, 2013)
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European Society for Research on the Education of Adults (ESREA) (Sweden), Käpplinger, Bernd, Lichte, Nina, Haberzeth, Erik, and Kulmus, Claudia
- Abstract
This book assembles over 50 papers from the 7th Triennial European Research Conference of the European Society for Research on the Education of Adults (ESREA), which was held from the 4th to the 7th of September 2013 at Humboldt-University in Berlin. The title of the conference was "Changing Configurations of Adult Education in Transitional Times". Many authors within this volume refer to this title and the thematic outline within the call for papers. Furthermore, conferences are also a general "seismograph" that show the issues currently dealt with in a research community and also the terms that are employed frequently at one specific point of time. Papers included in the proceedings are: (1) Introduction (Bernd Käpplinger, Nina Lichte, Erik Haberzeth, and Claudia Kulmus); (2) Transitions around and within ESREA (Henning Salling Olesen); (3) Welcome Address at the ESREA Triennial Research Conference 2013 in Berlin (Bernd Käpplinger); (4) Non-traditional adult students in Higher Education: the development of Plurilingual Repertoires (Susana Ambrósio, Maria Helena Araújo e Sá, and Ana Raquel Simões); (5) Voice, interaction and transformation: identifying transformation in the diverse meanings and contexts of the language of biographical learning interviews (Rob Evans); (6) University and lifelong learning. A research on "non traditional stories" and learning identities (Andrea Galimberti); (7) Graduating at older age--what are the expected, surprising and unwanted outcomes? (Ulpukka Isopahkala-Bouret); (8) Learning by volunteer computing, thinking and gaming: What and how are volunteers learning by participating in Virtual Citizen Science? (Laure Kloetzer, Daniel Schneider, Charlene Jennett, Ioanna Iacovides, Alexandra Eveleigh, Anna Cox, and Margaret Gold); (9) Unskilled Work and Learner Identity--Understanding unskilled work as a certain condition for perceiving oneself as an educable subject (Sissel Kondrup); (10) Engaging Universities and Adult Education: The Paulo Freire Chair at the University of Seville (Emilio Lucio-Villegas); (11) Testing as Reflecting? Preliminary findings from a study involving personality testing in CVET (Henriette Lundgren); (12) Issues of recognition and participation in changing times: the inclusion of refugees in higher education in the UK (Linda Morrice); (13) Writing & University internship: an educational path (Loredana Perla and Viviana Vinci); (14) Agency and future life trajectories in accounts of Access to Higher Education students in England (Anna Piela, Hugh Busher, Nalita James, and Anna-Marie Palmer); (15) Functional Illiterates and their Confidantes: A new Approach to the Question of Non-Participation in Adult Education (Wibke Riekmann and Klaus Buddeberg); (16) Inclusion and exclusion in continuing education for adults: the case of young people with a low level of education in Spain (Francesca Salvà-Mut, Elena Quintana-Murci, and Danielle Desmarais); (17) Recognition of prior learning: valuing learning through transitions for individual and collective purposes? (Fátima Antunes and Paula Guimarães); (18) Pedagogy versus Medicinea training and narrative care project in medical-healthcare contexts (Micaela Castiglioni); (19) The learning process of health--impacts of the configuration of the workplace health promotion (Sylvana Dietel); (20) The role of intrinsic training motivation for self-perceived work ability and working past retirement age (Paula Thieme, Michael Brusch, and Victoria Büsch); (21) Quality in continuing education: Which aspects matter from the participant's point of view? (Kirsten Aust, Stefanie Hartz, and Bernhard Schmidt-Hertha); (22) Adult Education and Transformative Learning (Elmira Bancheva, Maria Ivanova, and Alexander Pojarliev); (23) Adult Transitions in transitional times: configurations and implications for Adult Education (Chiara Biasin); (24) Blended Counselling: Advising Prospective Students with Vocational Qualifications on Their Way to University (Stefanie Brunner, Stefanie Kretschmer, and Olaf Zawacki-Richter); (25) Knowledge Transfer in Career Guidance--Empirical and Theoretical Research Findings (Clinton Enoch); (26) Successful outcomes in Vocational Education and Training Courses and Mathematics: How Pedagogy and Expectations Influence Achievement (Bronwyn Ewing, Grace Sarra, Tom Cooper, Chris Matthews, and Glen Fairfoot); (27) Profession and context: training teachers in a systemic, co-operative and auto/biographic view (Laura Formenti); (28) How Internet Based Participatory Culture Can Be Co-opted To Develop Teachers' Technological Skills (Filippo Gilardi and James Reid); (29) What are the Factors that Affect the Training of Adult Employees in the Universities of Mid-Egypt on ICT (Mohamed H. Hendy); (30) Workers' training using the e-learning methodology through entrepreneurs confederations in Spain (Rafael M. Hernández-Carrera); (31) New Configurations of Guidance and Counselling--From Support for Individual Decisions to a Governance Tool? (Bernd Käpplinger); (32) Reconstructing Professional Identity in Transition of Working Life (Helena Koskinen); (33) New Challenges for Teaching and Learning in German University Education (Ines Langemeyer and Ines Rohrdantz-Herrmann); (34) Training managers: a case study of a French corporate university (Simon Mallard and Jerome Eneau); (35) A new professional occupation in adult's education: the RVC Professional (Catarina Paulos); (36) Work motivation and employee motivation methods in managerial work (Anna Piirainen); (37) The peer groups bridging the disciplines and social contexts in higher education (Arja Piirainen); (38) From social educators imaginary to social educators training: lessons learned in a Grundtvig partnership project (Flavia Virgilio); (39) To Value Adult Education--Organisational learning, Adult Learning, and the Third Sector (Henning Pätzold); (40) Sociocultural community development as a strategy for adult education: the conceptions and practices of its practitioners (Ana Maria Simões); (41) Changing configurations in the governance of adult education in Europe: discussion of some effects of the Lisbon Strategy in Portugal (Rosanna Barros); (42) Adult education and community development in the city: Critical geography meets critical pedagogy (Christine Durant and Behrang Foroughi); (43) Unveiling of new Development Perspectives on Migration Critical research as an approach for discovering latent future possibilities (Malte Ebner von Eschenbach); (44) Education Decisions of Employed Persons: The Influence of Adult Education Vouchers (Erik Haberzeth and Claudia Kulmus); (45) Emancipation instead of discipline (Anja Heikkinen); (46) We make the road by walking--collective knowledge building and action (Lars Holmstrand and Gunilla Härnsten); (47) Adult Learning through Participation in the Economic (and Political) Environment (Martin Kopecký); (48) Invisible colleges in adult education in Portugal: contribution mapping (Ricardo R. Monginho); (49) The Rise and Fall of Research on the History of Adult Education in Contemporary Hungary: Trends and Issues of Historical Research Work from 1993 to 2013 (Balázs Németh); (50) The Limits and Divisions of Adult and Continuing Education in 20th Century Modern Europe. Historical and Political Dimensions and Patterns (Balázs Németh); (51) Violence Interrogates adult education today. A radical and critical reflection (Maria Grazia Riva); and (52) About the changes and challenges of adult education in Poland in the years 1989-2013 (Hanna Solarczyk-Szwec, Anna Matusiak, and Agata Szwech). An author index is included. (Individual papers contain references.) [Abstract modified to meet ERIC guidelines.]
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- 2014
31. Global Research Capacity Building among Academic Researchers
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Ewelina K. Niemczyk
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Although concepts such as research without borders have become more commonplace in recent decades, few studies have investigated the capabilities that global researchers require to cross both cultural and disciplinary borders. This paper explores global capabilities along with strategies and spaces that may facilitate academic researchers' acquisition and development of global research competence. The study's dataset comprises responses of 26 participants across 15 countries -- all of whom are members of a specific comparative education society -- who contributed their views via e-questionnaire. Findings indicate that research capacity building is a dynamic process and global competence calls for complex skills and conscious attitudes. Commitment to expand scientific curiosity beyond one's own culture and academic discipline appears to be a main criterion in achieving global competence. Results of this study are not meant to be prescriptive but rather exploratory and informative for a broad group of academic stakeholders.
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- 2024
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32. Bilingual Street Signs Policy in EU Member States: A Comparison
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Raos, Višeslav
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This paper explores linguistic landscapes and the enactment of public visibility and presence of non-majority linguistic groups in EU member states. Non-majority linguistic groups gain power, visibility and presence through the introduction of bilingual or multilingual signposts on roads, streets, squares, and public buildings in towns and cities where a given linguistic group represents a significant population share. The article offers a comparative analysis of language policies of EU member states regarding enactment of official bilingual or multilingual signs in public space. Twenty EU member states have signed the "European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages," while 17 members have ratified it. In addition, the Charter of Fundamental Rights, an integral party of the Lisbon Treaty, stipulates that language diversity is one of the fundamental values respected by the EU. Hence, this comparative research assesses various practices employed by member states in relation to the proclaimed values of multilingualism. Consequently, the paper depicts and compares different language policies that produce linguistic landscapes in EU member states. Finally, it tries to determine whether there is a convergence towards a common EU policy on bilingual and multilingual signs in public space.
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- 2018
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33. Participation in Adult Education and Training in Countries with High and Low Participation Rates: Demand and Barriers
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Hovdhaugen, Elisabeth and Opheim, Vibeke
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This paper explores patterns in participation in adult education and training (AET) by comparing five countries with high participation rates (the Nordic countries and the Netherlands) with three countries with significantly lower participation rates (France, Poland and the Slovak Republic). Using PIAAC data the paper examines differences in the levels of demand for AET as well as variations in barriers to AET participation between the two groups of countries. The demand for AET is higher than the actual participation rate since it includes those who do not participate although they wish to. The demand for AET is substantially higher in countries with high participation rates. Further, the structure and level of barriers is quite similar in the two groups of countries. Countries with low AET participation rate do not have a higher proportion of individuals reporting barriers to AET participation; that they do not participate in AET although they wish to. In both groups of countries demand for AET is strongly associated with the individuals' educational level. The findings are discussed by drawing on previous studies on drivers of and barriers to participation in AET.
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- 2018
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34. Blended and Co-Existing Worlds in Intersectoral Mobilities of European PhD Graduates in the Social Sciences and Humanities
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Millard, Debbie
- Abstract
This paper argues that links between academia and other economic sectors are increasing, especially through intersectoral mobility of university graduates. Murray [(2010). "The Oncomouse that Roared: Hybrid Exchange Strategies as a Source of Distinction at the Boundary of Overlapping Institutions." "American Journal of Sociology" 116 (2): 341-388] has identified literature pointing both to blending and continuing co-existence of the academic and commercial worlds. Based on a European-wide study of PhD graduates in the social sciences and humanities (SSH), this paper considers the extent to which intersectoral mobility reflects blending. It finds that intersectoral communities of practice exist mainly in applied fields of knowledge. However, in many areas of the SSH, differences in institutional norms and values inhibit intersectoral mobility, particularly in mid-career stages.
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- 2018
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35. College and University Ranking Systems: Global Perspectives and American Challenges
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Institute for Higher Education Policy, Washington, DC., Sanoff, Alvin P., Usher, Alex, Savino, Massimo, Clarke, Marguerite, Sanoff, Alvin P., Usher, Alex, Savino, Massimo, Clarke, Marguerite, and Institute for Higher Education Policy, Washington, DC.
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When U.S. News & World Report began its ranking of American colleges in 1983, publishers in other countries quickly followed with their own hierarchical measures, providing consumer information (and opportunities for institutional marketing) while attempting to impact the quality of higher education. In the course of the last two decades, higher education ranking systems and "league tables" (as they are referred to in the United Kingdom and elsewhere) have emerged in dozens of countries. These rankings are conducted not only by media in the private sector, but also by professional associations and governments. Over the decades since higher education rankings first appeared, numerous debates have surfaced about their methodologies, objectivity, impact on colleges and universities, and role in the structure of accountability within nations that use them. Although there has been significant research, especially in the United States, about the ways in which rankings might be improved, there has been less research on what other countries have been doing and how their ranking systems differ from U.S. rankings. In addition, there has been very little research on how rankings may impact students' access to postsecondary education, their selection of particular colleges, and their paths to graduate from school and/or find employment. The goal for this monograph is to better understand the ways in which ranking systems function and how lessons learned from other countries that use higher education ranking systems might influence similar practices in the United States. Toward this end, this monograph chronicles recent efforts that have brought together rankers and researchers from around the world to study higher education rankings. The monograph includes three papers that were commissioned to examine various perspectives on rankings around the world and lessons they might provide for rankings in the United States: (1) The "U.S. News" College Rankings: A View from the Inside (Alvin P. Sanoff); (2) A Global Survey of Rankings and League Tables (Alex Usher and Massimo Savino); and (3) The Impact of Higher Education Rankings on Student Access, Choice, and Opportunity (Marguerite Clarke). Includes appendix: The Berlin Principles on Ranking of Higher Education Institutions. (Contains 16 notes and 2 tables. Individual papers contain references.) [Jamie P. Merisotis, Alisa F. Cunningham, Arnold M. Kee, Tia T. Gordon, and Lacey H. Leegwater contributed to the introduction and "Next Steps."]
- Published
- 2007
36. Returns to Workplace Training for Male and Female Employees and Implications for the Gender Wage Gap: A Quantile Regression Analysis
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Icardi, Rossella
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Context: Existing studies have explored the association between workplace training and wages suggesting that training participation may have a positive association with wages. However, we still know very little about whether this association varies between men and women. Through its potential positive association with wages, training may balance wage differences between men and women. In addition, the gender wage gap varies across the wage distribution. Differences in the association between training participation and wages for men and women across the earnings spectrum may offer an explanation as to why the discrepancy in female/male earnings is larger at some point of the wage distribution compared to others. Approach: Using data from the Programme for International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) and unconditional quantile regression, this paper examines whether the association between workplace training and wages differs between men and women at different points of the wage distribution across 14 European countries. To partly control for endogeneity in training participation, detailed measures of cognitive skills have been included in the models. Findings: Findings show gender differences in the association between training and wages across the wage distribution. In most countries, results indicate larger training coefficients for women than men at the lower end of the wage spectrum whereas they are larger for men at the top. This pattern holds across most countries with the only exception of Liberal ones, where women benefit less than men across the entire wage spectrum. Conclusions: The findings of this work reveal that distributional variations in returns to workplace training follow a similar pattern across industrialized countries, despite their different institutional settings. Moreover, differences in training coefficients of men and women at different parts of the wage distribution suggest that training could reduce gender wage differences among low earners and potentially widen the gap in wages among individuals at the top of the wage distribution.
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- 2021
37. Designing and Implementing Virtual Exchange -- A Collection of Case Studies
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Research-publishing.net (France), Helm, Francesca, Beaven, Ana, Helm, Francesca, Beaven, Ana, and Research-publishing.net (France)
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Virtual exchange is gaining popularity in formal and non-formal education, partly as a means to internationalise the curriculum, and also to offer more sustainable and inclusive international and intercultural experiences to young people around the world. This volume brings together 19 case studies (17 in higher education and two in youth work) of virtual exchange projects in Europe and the South Mediterranean region. They span across a range of disciplines, from STEM to business, tourism, and languages, and are presented as real-life pedagogical practices that can be of interest to educators looking for ideas and inspiration. [This content is provided in the format of an e-book. Individual papers are indexed in ERIC.]
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- 2020
38. Efficiency Measurement with Network DEA: An Application to Sustainable Development Goals 4
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Koçak, Deniz, Türe, Hasan, and Atan, Murat
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Education is the core of the factors that improved people for a better lifestyle and increases the level of society' development. Quality education is one of the most vital goals of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) due to actualizing these factors. Using relational network data envelopment analysis (DEA), which have three interrelated substages, this current paper computes the educational economy efficiency of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries bearing in mind the characteristics related to SDGs. The contribution of our study is the use of a novel approach to computing the educational economy efficiency using relational network DEA with GAMS. Even though some interesting differences reveal in the efficiency of the countries, the findings show that countries with high-efficiency scores are clustered around countries like Latvia, Slovenia, and Korea.
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- 2019
39. Government Spending across the World: How the United States Compares. National Issue Brief No. 144
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University of New Hampshire, Carsey School of Public Policy, Ettlinger, Michael, Hensley, Jordan, and Vieira, Julia
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In this brief, authors Michael Ettlinger, Jordan Hensley, and Julia Vieira analyze how much the governments of different countries spend, and on what, to illuminate the range of fiscal policy options available and provide a basis for determining which approaches work best. They report that the United States ranks twenty-fourth in government spending as a share of GDP out of twenty-nine countries for which recent comparable data are available. The key determinant of where countries rank in overall government spending is the amount spent on social protection. The United States ranks last in spending on social protection as a share of GDP and twenty-second in per capita spending. The United States ranks at or near the top in military, health care, education, and law enforcement spending. Measuring government spending by different methods and including tax expenditures does not appear to significantly alter the conclusion that the United States is a low-tax, low-spending country relative to the other countries examined, particularly when compared to its fellow higher-income countries. [This paper is an evolution of a previous work, "Comparing Public Spending and Priorities Across OECD Countries" (ED606844).]
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- 2019
40. Performances and Spending Efficiency in Higher Education: A European Comparison through Non-Parametric Approaches
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Agasisti, Tommaso
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The objective of this paper is an efficiency analysis concerning higher education systems in European countries. Data have been extracted from OECD data-sets (Education at a Glance, several years), using a non-parametric technique--data envelopment analysis--to calculate efficiency scores. This paper represents the first attempt to conduct such an efficiency analysis at a system-level in a cross-country comparison, while focusing only on tertiary education. The role of the public sector has also been analysed, by looking at the percentage of public spending devoted to higher education, and the way the public funds are used (channelled through private subsidies or directly assigned to institutions). It has been found that there is a small core of efficient units (e.g. Switzerland, United Kingdom), and that the influence of the public sector seems to play a role in determining efficiency scores. Many elements, related to critical policies, have also been analysed adopting a semi-parametric approach, to better explain the performances and efficiency differentials. Some key-policy implications have been derived. (Contains 12 notes, 11 tables, and 2 figures.)
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- 2011
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41. The State of Work-Based Learning Development in EU Higher Education: Learnings from the WEXHE Project
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Perusso, Andre and Wagenaar, Robert
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Globalisation, technological changes and the industry-to-service economy transition has produced dramatic changes in the labour market, thus affecting higher education. It is no longer sufficient to provide students with disciplinary knowledge. Graduates are also expected to be adaptive, innovative and flexible. As these competencies are better developed in connection with practice, this implies modifications in the learning design. In this context, work-based learning (WBL) emerges as a relevant approach as it provides students learning experiences oriented for the appreciation of work and practical knowledge. However, several issues still restrain its expansion in the European Union (EU). There is (1) a great disparity in WBL implementation among EU countries which relates to educational cultures, (2) a concentration in certain disciplinary areas such as business and engineering, and (3) a lack of quality assurance. Drawing on reports and materials produced by the Erasmus+ project Integrating Entrepreneurship and Work Experience into Higher Education (WEXHE), this paper explores these issues by identifying differences in the level of implementation as well as design and delivery of WBL in seven EU countries across four disciplinary areas. It then brings forward success factors and drivers instrumental to the further development of better WBL.
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- 2022
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42. Does Variation in the Extent of Generalized Trust, Individual Education and Extensiveness of Social Security Policies Matter for Maximization of Subjective Well-Being?
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Valeeva, Rania F.
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In this paper, I examine whether generalized trust and education, as well as social security policies of welfare state institutions matter for cross-national differences in subjective well-being (SWB), because knowledge on this issue is still lacking. For this purpose I integrated the insights of two sociological theories: Social Function Production theory and Actor-Centred Institutionalism. Based on these theoretical notions we derived several hypotheses, which I tested using multilevel analysis of the data from the European Social Survey (2006), in a sample of 37,237 respondents from 22 European countries. My findings indicate that various extensiveness of social security policies matter for the level of SWB, and for the impact of education on SWB. I found negative impact of low education on SWB in all countries, except in Northern and Western European countries. This might suggest that social security policies of the latter countries have diminished the negative impact of low education on SWB. Moreover, my findings indicate positive relationship between individual education and generalized trust; as well as between generalized trust and SWB in countries with all five types of social security policies.
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- 2016
43. A PhD in Social Sciences and Humanities: Impacts and Mobility to Get Better Salaries in an International Comparison
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Marini, Giulio
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The paper analyses which conditions may predict a better salary for people who got a PhD in social sciences and humanities (SS&H) in 13 European countries. Among the controlling variables, predictors are also: change of country of residence; percentage of time spent respectively in research and managerial activities; and impacts achieved during one's PhD programme. Findings, but also policy implications both for PhD programme planners and PhD candidates, are: some specific impacts such as having advised policy-makers, having released interviews to media and having managed and coordinated projects, all predict better salaries for PhD holders in SS&H, other things being equal. To move geographically out of one's country where PhD was awarded is also a good predictor of better wages, provided PhD holders do not swap sectors after attainment of PhD.
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- 2019
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44. The United States Is Far behind Other Countries on Pre-K
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Center for American Progress, Herman, Juliana, Post, Sasha, and O'Halloran, Scott
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Early childhood education and school readiness is essential to preparing children to succeed in an increasingly competitive global economy. Compared to other countries, however, the United States lags far behind on preschool, trailing a number of other countries in enrollment, investment, and quality. In February 2013, however, President Barack Obama put forth a bold plan to significantly expand access to preschool. His plan would invest $75 billion in high-quality preschool, helping the nation catch up with other countries. On almost every element (preschool participation, typical age children begin early-childhood programs, teacher-to-child ratio in early childhood-education programs, and total investment in early childhood-education programs) the United States ranks behind most of the other countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, or OECD. This paper shows how far behind the United States is on preschool, making it evident that the president's plan needs to be implemented. Each of these elements is explored and compared with other countries' numbers. If the United States is to train a world-class workforce, it is imperative that it catches up to the rest of the world on pre-K.
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- 2013
45. Same but Different? Measurement Invariance of the PIAAC Motivation-to-Learn Scale across Key Socio-Demographic Groups
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Gorges, Julia, Koch, Tobias, Maehler, Débora B., and Offerhaus, Judith
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Background: Data from the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) revealed that countries systematically differ in their respondents' literacy, numeracy, and problem solving in technology-rich environments skills; skill levels also vary by gender, age, level of education or migration background. Similarly, systematic differences have been documented with respect to adults' participation in education, which can be considered as a means to develop and maintain skills. From a psychological perspective, motivation to learn is considered a key factor associated with both skill development and participation in (further) education. In order to account for motivation when analyzing PIAAC data, four items from the PIAAC background questionnaire were recently compiled into a motivation-to-learn scale. This scale has been found to be invariant (i.e., showing full weak and partial strong measurement invariance) across 21 countries. Methods: This paper presents further analyses using multiple-group graded response models to scrutinize the validity of the motivation-to-learn scale for group comparisons. Results: Results indicate at least partial strong measurement invariance across gender, age groups, level of education, and migration background in most countries under study (all CFI > 0.95, all RMSEA < 0.08). Thus, the scale is suitable for comparing both means and associations across these groups. Conclusions:Results are discussed in light of country characteristics, challenges of measurement invariance testing, and potential future research using PIAAC data.
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- 2017
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46. Teaching Excellence Initiatives: Modalities and Operational Factors
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Higher Education Academy (HEA) (United Kingdom), Land, Ray, and Gordon, George
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Teaching excellence is at the centre of national and international higher education policy. The Higher Education Academy (HEA) is a part of the debate to develop a shared understanding of what constitutes teaching excellence and has published research including "Considering Teaching Excellence in Higher Education: 2007-2013" by Dr Vicky Gunn and Dr Anna Fisk, which provided a much-needed and wide-ranging review of literature. This report by Professor Ray Land, Durham University, and George Gordon, University of Strathclyde, was produced as a stimulus paper for a roundtable event on the theme of teaching excellence organised by the HEA and hosted by HEFCE. It usefully surveys and analyses the nature and current direction of initiatives and strategies for fostering, recognising and rewarding excellent practice in teaching and learning in higher education worldwide. Commentaries by Professor Rosemary Deem, Vice Principal (Education) and Professor of Higher Education, Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, and Professor Amy B. M. Tsui, Chair Professor at the Faculty of Education, University of Hong Kong, were also produced for the event.
- Published
- 2015
47. Self-Assessments or Tests? Comparing Cross-National Differences in Patterns and Outcomes of Graduates' Skills Based on International Large-Scale Surveys
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Humburg, Martin and van der Velden, Rolf
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In this paper an analysis is carried out whether objective tests and subjective self-assessments in international large-scale studies yield similar results when looking at cross-national differences in the effects of skills on earnings, and skills patterns across countries, fields of study and gender. The findings indicate that subjective skills measures do not correlate well with objective measures of similar constructs when looking at cross-national differences. Countrywise associations between subjective skills measures and earnings do not correlate well with those found using objective skills measures. Moreover, cross-national differences in the level of subjective skills measures do not correlate well with cross-national differences in skill levels based on objective tests. Nor do gender differences found using subjective skills measures correlate with those found using objective skills measures. This does not mean that self-assessments cannot be used, but they need to be restricted to analysing within-country differences. Within countries, self-assessments do a good job in predicting skills differences across fields of study and also in predicting the effect of skills on earnings. When comparing gender differences in skills levels within countries, however, one needs to be aware that females tend to overestimate their skills levels in typical "female" domains like literacy.
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- 2015
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48. Impacts of Academic R&D on High-Tech Manufacturing Products: Tentative Evidence from Supercomputer Data
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Le, Thanh and Tang, Kam Ki
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This paper empirically examines the impact of academic research on high-tech manufacturing growth of 28 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and emerging countries over the 1991-2005 period. A standard research and development (R&D) expenditure based measure is found to be too general to capture the input in high-tech research. To overcome this problem, a novel proxy for high-tech research investment--the supercomputer capacity--is proposed. Empirical evidence strongly supports this choice of variable. It is also found that academic R&D exerts a larger growth effect on high-tech output than its industry and government counterparts, but only the impact differential between academic and government R&D is statistically significant.
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- 2015
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49. Primary care-based surveillance to estimate the burden of rotavirus gastroenteritis among children aged less than 5 years in six European countries.
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Diez-Domingo, Javier, Baldo, Jose-Maria, Patrzalek, Marian, Pazdiora, Petr, Forster, Johannes, Cantarutti, Luigi, Pirçon, Jean-Yves, Soriano-Gabarró, Montse, Meyer, Nadia, Pirçon, Jean-Yves, Soriano-Gabarró, Montse, and SPRIK Rotavirus Study Group
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ROTAVIRUS diseases ,GASTROENTERITIS in children ,AGE distribution ,COMPARATIVE studies ,FECES ,GASTROENTERITIS ,LONGITUDINAL method ,RESEARCH methodology ,MEDICAL cooperation ,SCIENTIFIC observation ,PRIMARY health care ,RESEARCH ,RETROVIRUS diseases ,ROTAVIRUSES ,EVALUATION research - Abstract
This observational, prospective study was undertaken to estimate the burden of rotavirus (RV) gastroenteritis (GE) leading to general practitioner (GP)/family paediatrician (FP) visits among children aged <5 years in Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the UK. Children aged <5 years presenting with acute GE provided stool samples for rapid RV testing. RV+ samples were confirmed and typed by RT-PCR. Demographic and clinical data were collected for all RVGE episodes. Transmission patterns among other household children aged <5 years were also assessed. From November 2005 to May 2007, excluding data from the UK, 497/3,813 (13.0%) children aged <5 years presenting with acute GE to GP/FP and tested were RV+ by PCR. Most RVGE cases (69.1%) occurred in children aged <2 years, occurred between December and May (93.1%) and were moderate or severe by Vesikari score (92.9%). RV strain distribution varied between countries: G9P[8] was the most common type in Poland (54/76) and Spain (172/196), G1P[8] was predominant in the Czech Republic (56/64) and Italy (46/107), and G4P[8] and G1P[8] both prevailed in Germany (17/54 and 13/54, respectively). A total of 24/122 (19.7%) children aged <5 years resident in the same household as a PCR+ study participant also developed RVGE. Conclusion. This multinational epidemiological study in Europe shows that RV is easily transmitted among household children, with RVGE burden highest among children aged <2 years accessing primary healthcare for acute GE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2011
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50. Organizational Learning from the Perspective of Knowledge Maturing Activities
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Kaschig, A., Maier, R., Sandow, A., Lazoi, M., Schmidt, A., Barnes, S.-A, Bimrose, J., Brown, A., Bradley, C., Kunzmann, C., and Mazarakis, A.
- Abstract
The level of similarity of knowledge work across occupations and industries allows for the design of supportive information and communication technology (ICT) that can be widely used. In a previous ethnographically informed study, we identified activities that can be supported to increase knowledge maturing, conceptualized as goal-oriented learning on a collective level. The aim of this paper is to investigate the current state of support and success of these knowledge maturing activities and to contrast them with their perceived importance, to identify those which have the highest potential for being supported by ICT. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected through telephone interviews with representatives from 126 organizations throughout Europe in a sample stratified according to size, sector, and knowledge-intensity. The activities that appear to be most promising are "reflecting on and refining work practices and processes," "finding people with particular knowledge or expertise," as well as "assessing, verifying, and rating information." Rich empirical material about how these activities are performed and also the issues that emerged and need to be managed were collected. Three clusters of organizations were identified: best performing organizations, people- and awareness-oriented organizations, and hesitant formalists. It was found that a balanced knowledge strategy that leaned toward personalization outperformed a codification strategy.
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- 2013
- Full Text
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