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This study aimed to enquire about the English foreign language (EFL) doctoral students' perspective, especially in the non-English department, concerning the Indonesian government policy, which obliges an article published in a reputable international journal as a requirement to receive a doctoral degree. Their challenges in publishing their papers in Scopus or Web of Science (WOS)-indexed journals and their resolutions were also analyzed. A mixed-methods technique was used to obtain quantitative and qualitative information. The study consisted of 57 respondents, comprising 25 males and 32 females, who were EFL doctoral students of education departments from five universities. The purposive sampling method with several criteria was used to determine the study participants. Data were then collected through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Subsequently, the findings showed that the policy of publishing a paper in Scopus or WOS-indexed journals to obtain an EFL doctoral degree was burdensome to the majority of the students. Other findings showed that the students faced several challenges in publishing their papers in these journals, including language problems, cost of publication, journal selection, lack of experience, duration to publish, writing difficulties, revising, and stress. The actions to resolve these challenges were also provided in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the reference societies of Norway and Sweden embedded in their education policy documents. We examined 4,260 bibliographic references in 19 white papers and green papers prepared for the 2016/2020 renewal of the Knowledge Promotion Reform in Norway and the 2015/2018 Knowledge Achievement Reform in Sweden. In addition, we interviewed 10 policy experts who participated in the preparation of the analyzed policy documents. The results show that the reference societies overall reflect the existing knowledge production and dissemination mechanisms in education policy; however, they significantly differed between Norway and Sweden regarding whether and to what extent they reference knowledge produced in other Nordic countries. Specifically, while Norway drew extensively on knowledge from its neighbors, particularly Sweden, Sweden seldom referenced knowledge produced in other Nordic countries. Policy actors identified similarity, relevance, accessibility, reform contexts, and institutional arrangements as reasons for (not) referencing neighbors. This study calls for further consideration of the political, social, and cultural embeddedness of the 'socio-logic' to understand implicit reference societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A rich literature has argued that so-called aspiration-raising policies tend to individualize structural conditions and thereby reproduce forms of inequality through young people's aspirations. This paper explores how aspiration-raising policy discourses are lived in ways that both accentuate but that might also contest their terms. Drawing on Lauren Berlant, we theorize aspiration as ongoing performances that can be altered and remade in affective scenes of interruption. We put our theorization to work in a longitudinal study that followed a young woman, Marie, throughout her upper secondary education. Whilst Marie's performances of aspiration predominantly chimed with such individualistic policy discourses, she would also describe moments where these performances were seemingly interrupted. These were moments where Marie vividly experienced concerns related to planetary crises. The analysis carefully unpacks these moments, and we argue that they bring Marie into contact with the political stakes in her life and lead her to search for alternative, more sustainable, and collective modalities of aspiration. Hence, supplementing previous studies that have shown how inequality is reproduced through aspirations, the paper contributes with new understandings of how alternative modalities of aspiration may emerge that potentially exceed structural limits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whether enough highly qualified STEM workers are being educated and trained in the UK is an important question. The answer has implications not only for educators, employers and policymakers but also for individuals who are currently engaged in, or are considering entering, education or training in this area. Set against a policy backdrop that prioritises students studying more science for longer, this paper considers long-term patterns of participation in STEM education – from school science through to graduate entry into the highly skilled STEM labour market. Using a unique dataset that extends across seven decades and comprises many hundreds of thousands of students, the paper finds that patterns of participation in most STEM subjects have varied little over the period considered; suggesting that efforts to increase the numbers of students studying science in school has had limited impact on the throughput of students who study STEM, including the pure sciences, at university level and, subsequently, on the number of graduates who would be available to undertake highly skilled work in areas for which degree-level skills are a pre-requisite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We, the Editor and Publisher of Arts Education Policy Review, have retracted the following book review: Kudrat-E- Khuda(Babu) (2021) Hunter, M. A., Aprill, A., Hill, A., and Emery, S. 2018. Education, Arts and Sustainability: Emerging Practice for a Changing World, Arts Education Policy Review, DOI: 10.1080/10632913.2021.1904074. The Editor of Arts Education Policy Review and Taylor & Francis note that the policy of the journal is to consider only original material. It has become known that this book review contains substantial overlap with the book Education, Arts and Sustainability: Emerging Practice for a Changing World by M.A. Hunter, A. Aprill, A. Hill, and S. Emery (ISBN 978-981-10-7710-4), which is in violation of the journal's . As this conflicts with the stated policy on originality and plagiarism, the book review is hereby retracted and should not be cited. The retracted book review will remain online to maintain the scholarly record, but it will be digitally watermarked on each page as "Retracted". We have been informed in our decision-making by our policy on publishing ethics and integrity and the COPE guidelines on retractions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a major international conference hosted by the Centre for International Research in Supplementary Tutoring (CIRIST) at East China Normal University (ECNU) on the theme of "Comparing Curriculum and Instruction Inside and Outside Schools: Policies and Practices." The conference focused on private supplementary tutoring in China and other parts of the world. The collection of papers in the article explores the concept of shadow education, which refers to various forms of private tutoring, and examines its parameters and global implications. The papers also discuss the historical development and current state of shadow education in countries such as the Republic of Korea, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, India, and Belarus. The article highlights the cultural and political factors that shape attitudes towards education and the private tutoring industry in different contexts. It also mentions the recent national-government policy in China that aims to reduce the size of the tutoring sector. [Extracted from the article]

In the vigorous trend of international publication as a crucial research performance indicator, English claims the status of the uncontested global language of academic publishing. In this study, after providing a sketch of the policies of writing and publishing in English in Iran (reflected in national policy documents and university bylaws), we probe the perspectives of nine Iranian higher education policy experts about these policies through semi-structured interviews. The findings reveal that while policy documents indicate strong orientations in favor of publishing in English, the main justifications behind these policies appear to be vague ideas of demonstrating local academic capabilities and winning international reputation. However, the participants admit that ignoring the peculiarities of different academic fields and neglecting real-life research concerns while overemphasizing the number of research products are the main pitfalls of the policies. Their view of these problems and their suggested solutions indicate little consideration of the concern over the dominance of English in the world today. We discuss some aspects of this concern in relation to the neocolonial status of English in non-Anglophone countries where other languages and cultures can be overshadowed by a dominant so-called global academic lingua franca. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This paper reports on a small-scale Citizens' Panel pilot project using deliberative democratic methods to produce policy ideas about inclusion in school education of young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEN/D) in England. The project had two aims: (i) to obtain information about modifying a Citizens' Panel process to enhance the effective participation of young people with SEN/D; and (ii) to generate more nuanced, grounded and integrated policy ideas about inclusion than can be found in recent English school education policy. Methods: The Citizens' Panel was a two phase deliberative process. Phase 1 involved working with six young people with SEN/D and their parents/carers to shape the Citizens' Panel agenda, and to obtain information about how they could participate and communicate their perspectives during the events. Phase 2 involved the delivery of the Citizens' Panel itself, which comprised 28 people: the six young people from phase 1, plus four young people without SEN/D, 13 parents/carers, and five education professionals. Results: The process evaluation revealed the need for and impact of meticulous planning using a differentiated and strengths-based approach to design. While participants reported that taking part in the Citizens' Panel was overall, a positive and worthwhile experience, the differentiated approach involved trade-offs that affected the experiences of some participants without SEN/D, though not detrimentally. The panel produced distinctive ideas about more inclusive schools, where almost all of the themes were about general school changes for everyone. Most general themes involved some specific SEN/D aspects, with only one theme being SEN/D specific. This paper illustrates how these ideas are more nuanced, grounded and integrated than those in current national policy. Discussion: This paper provides evidence of how deliberative approaches can be used within and between schools, groups of schools (e.g., multi academy trusts), local networks (including local authorities), as well as at the national level. Lessons drawn show how deliberative methods used by advocacy groups, protest movements and non-governmental organisations in support of more transformational change can be developed in ways that enable young people with SEN/D to participate and have their voices heard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Higher education is a sector that can be slow to change, yet there are significant pressures on universities and other providers to change. Learning and teaching are central to what higher education does, and pressures, such as the switch to remote learning during the pandemic and the increasing use of generative AI, are causing a reconsideration about good learning and teaching. This essay provides a futures framework to explore best and next practices in learning and teaching in higher education. Four important and influential papers and reviews are used to consider past and current views of good teaching and learning in higher education. From these, six evidence-informed teaching practices are described as examples of current best-practice views, and then these are developed into possible, plausible, probable, and preferred next practices. This essay provides a stimulus for practitioners and researchers to adopt a futures mindset for thinking about the development of teaching and learning in higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As technical and vocational education and training (TVET) continue to occupy a prominent position in Africa's development, addressing the growing concerns about young women's under-participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)-related TVET has become urgent. This paper draws on the critical capability approach of vocational education and training (CCA-VET) to critique the TVET policy discourse on the participation of girls and women in STEM-related TVET. The paper employed the practical argumentation approach, a critical discourse analysis approach to achieve the paper's aims. The paper's central thesis is that for education policies to transform young women's under-participation in STEM-related TVET, it is urgent to move beyond human rights-based, and human capital approaches to adopt a comprehensive theoretical approach, such as the critical capabilities approach. The paper concludes that breaking this hegemony of human rights and human capital approaches to TVET policy can be achieved by re-conceptualising TVET policy discourses. The re-conceptualisation of TVET policy discourses can be achieved by admitting the critiques of these dominant theories that underpin most TVET policies and then adopting the CCA-VET as a better alternative approach to framing TVET policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper draws on research conducted in four state schools with sixth forms to problematise two flagship 'disadvantage' policy agendas in the English context: the Pupil Premium (focusing on the narrowing of attainment gaps) and widening participation (focusing on fairer university access). While such 'priority' policies necessarily incorporate the promise of change, it argues that multiple forms of incoherence militate against this, including: their relative agenda-setting power in a highly marketised system; the contested, constitutive power of different proxy indicators; competing policy preferences that under-attend to the intersections between educational opportunities and material disadvantage. In contrast, interviews with school staff highlighted the transformative potential of lived experiences of disadvantage and reinforced the importance of adopting a wider lens than that of the school. The paper concludes that the absence of an over-arching theory of change is part of 'the problem' and it suggests where the mapping of one might begin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is a quantitative study that focuses on the language education policy of distance learning classes with particular attention to the policies regarding the use of the first language in teaching the second language. Previous studies show that the viewpoint of teachers and students, who are involved in distance learning, towards policies of the English language departments of Saudi universities has not been explored before. The main objective of this paper is investigating teachers’ and students’ awareness of the English department’s policy regarding L1 in distance learning classes and the participants’ attitudes towards using L1 in the distance learning classes of L2. Teachers of English as a foreign language with various academic ranks and undergraduate students from different colleges took part in this study. The main research tool of this study is an online questionnaire. The same questionnaire was given to the two types of participants. Data analysis shows that the majority of the participants were not familiar with the policy of the English language department regarding the use of L1 in distance learning classes. Data analysis indicates that both teachers and students acknowledged that they use L1 in the distance learning classes. On the other hand, half of the teachers contended that L1 enhances students’ comprehension in the distance learning classes whereas the vast majority of the students supported this argument. Policy-makers in the English language department are invited to implement an “English-mainly” policy that perceives students as bilinguals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Using sentiment analysis (SA), this study aims to examine the impact of COVID-19 on mental health and virtual learning experiences among 1,125 students at a public Argentinean faculty. Design/methodology/approach: A study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, surveying 1,125 students to gather their opinions. The survey data was analysed using text mining tools and SA. SA was used to extract the students' emotions, views and feelings computationally and identify co-occurrences and patterns in related words. The study also examines educational policies implemented after the pandemic. Findings: The prevalent emotions expressed in the comments were trust, sadness, anticipation and fear. A combination of trust and fear resulted in submission. Negative comments often included the words "virtual", "virtual classroom", "virtual classes" and "professor". Two significant issues were identified: teachers' inexperience with virtual classes and inadequate server infrastructure, leading to frequent crashes. The most effective educational policies addressed vital issues related to the "virtual classroom". Practical implications: Text mining and SA are valuable tools for decision-making during uncertain times, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. They can also provide insights to recover quality assurance processes at universities impacted by health concerns or external shocks. Originality/value: The paper makes two main contributions: it conducts a SA to gain insights from comments and analyses the relationship between emotions and sentiments to identify optimal educational policies. The study pioneers exploring the link between emotions, policies and the pandemic at a public university in Argentina. This area of research still needs to be explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The global landscape of higher education has witnessed a steady increase in the mobility of international students, as more individuals seek diverse academic experiences and cross-cultural learning opportunities. This paper conducts a systematic literature review to investigate trends, research directions and key themes in the literature. By utilising the push–pull factor model the aim is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the factors influencing international students' choices to pursue higher education and future career opportunities abroad. Design/methodology/approach: A systematic literature review approach was applied. The selection was made using PRISMA framework-based inclusion and exclusion criteria. The review includes 43 publications from 2010 to 2022. Findings: The review results revealed five themes of scholarly conversations labelled as (1) betterment of life, (2) policy of the host country, (3) role of institutions, (4) return to home country and (5) social, economic, environmental, individual and cultural factors. The findings emphasise on the significance of factors such as the quality of education, visa requirements, academic reputation, tuition fees, availability of scholarships, job opportunities, social, economic, environmental, individual and cultural factors. The paper also identifies language barriers, visa policies and social integration difficulties as major barriers to international students' stay in the host country after graduation. Originality/value: This research enhances the current body of literature by conducting a comprehensive analysis of the empirical evidence available in literature that investigates the mobility of international students. The outcomes of this study will make a valuable contribution towards developing a more profound comprehension of the primary factors that influence international students' decision to pursue their education abroad. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Alustath is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Various scholars have confirmed that teacher safety against learner victimization is a growing concern worldwide, and this problem is exacerbated by a lack of understanding and readiness to implement policies to address this matter. In this regard, policy implementation by middle leaders (MLs) in creating safe school environments has attracted much less interest as a possible way of addressing issues of teacher safety and the prevention of learner victimization. MLs are regarded as individuals who have the potential to lead, plan, inspire and persuade, and in so doing, they are in an ideal position to translate policy into practice. As such, this paper provides a qualitative policy document analysis of The National School Safety Framework (NSSF) premised on the theory that every individual in the school experiences safety in dissimilar ways and has unique safety needs. The NSSF is endorsed by the Department of Basic Education to guide in addressing issues of violence and safety in South African schools. Underpinned by the rational choice theory and utilizing policy document analysis, texts in the NSSF were analysed and interpreted to propose transformative policy strategies that can assist MLs in managing teachers' safety at schools more effectively. The findings suggest that administrative duties and a lack of time make it difficult for MLs to create a safe and supportive learning environment in schools. Another finding was that there is no clear plan outlined in the NSSF to guide MLs to pursue teacher safety against learner victimization in schools. To assist MLs, this paper proposes transformative policy strategies that can assist them in promoting teacher safety and preventing learner victimization in schools. The paper recommends that more explicit interpretation and implementation strategies be communicated with schools to assist them in fighting the war against violence in schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the introduction of the National Education Policy 2020, the academic dynamics have been undergoing a massive shift. The demands of present-day classrooms do not stop with knowledge and delivery. It calls for many more skills on the part of educators than these two. What are these skills that the modern educators must possess? How are the modern classes different from the traditional chalk-duster way of teaching? This paper attempts to answer these questions by listing out the essential soft skills that are required for modern-day teachers. It explores the qualities of good educators that can make the classes engaging and the learning process interesting. The paper also highlights the skills, such as digital literacy, emotional intelligence, collaboration, adaptability, communication skills, patience, critical thinking, unbiased cultural understanding and professionalism, needed to be a good educator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In South Africa, higher education is a constitutionally enshrined basic human right and one of the cornerstones for accomplishing the ideals of offenders' rehabilitation and preparation for life beyond bars. However, acquiring higher education whilst serving a sentence in a correctional centre is compounded by many institutional challenges especially towards incarcerated female students. Framed by the transactional distance theory (TDT), the qualitative study from which this paper emanates, used purposive and snowball sampling to recruit twenty-nine female distance learning students incarcerated at four female correctional centres across three provinces in South Africa. Based on the thematic content analyses of the data, the findings indicate that there is restricted access to learning resources, and that online participation in both learning and assessment is affected by erratic internet connectivity caused by UNISA-DCS hubs (computer laboratories) due to the security-focused nature of the correctional centres. Furthermore, the lack of direct access to the internet, smartphones, or internet-enabled devices exacerbates the digital marginalisation and exclusion of incarcerated students which engenders feelings of despondency against a system that is meant to empower them. Thus, owing to these findings, the paper recommends that practitioners, researchers, and policymakers must endeavour to design not only inclusive, but correctional centre-friendly student support. This entails acknowledging that incarcerated students do not have 24/7 access to the internet, the technological gadgets that make online learning possible and some incarcerated students having limited digital literacy. There is a need to design learning policies and strategies that are flexible to enhance the learning experiences and graduateness of incarcerated students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internationally, the emphasis on school reforms is increasing, and school leaders play a key role in realising reform initiatives for school development and change. Often, the formation of partnerships between researchers and practitioners for school improvement is promoted to facilitate professional development and enhance student learning. However, limited attention has been directed towards the underlying ideas, values and beliefs in government-initiated strategies for partnership in the policy context of educational reform. This paper examines how partnerships between schools and higher education institutions are conceptualised and legitimised in Norwegian reform policy documents. We analyse three government white papers, each coupled with an executive partnership strategy document. The analysis applies a discourse analytical approach to policy as text and transmission. Our findings show a shift in the official national discourse on partnerships in education, underscoring new tensions regarding the power to define focus areas in the local reform work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Moral Intelligence (MI) as a concept has gained importance in recent years due to its wide applicability in individual, organizational, and clinical settings or even policy making. The present study employed Bibliometric analysis to understand the emerging topics associated with MI and its global research trend. This paper's primary aim was (i) to explore the temporal and geographic growth trends of the research publication on MI. (ii) to identify the most prolific countries, institutions, and authors, working on MI, (iii) to identify the most frequent terminologies, (iv) to explore research topics and to provide insight into potential collaborations and future directions, and (v) to explore the significance of the concept of moral intelligence. Method: Bibliometric analysis was used to understand the emerging topics associated with MI and its global research trend using the SCOPUS database. VOS viewer and R were employed to analyze the result. Through the analysis conducted, the development of the construct over time was analyzed. Results: Results have shown that Iran and the United States and these two combined account for 53.16% of the total country-wise publications. Switzerland has the highest number of Multi-county publications. Authors from Iran and Switzerland have the most number of publications. Emerging topics like decision-making, machine ethics, moral agents, artificial ethics, co-evolution of human and artificial moral agents, green purchase intention etc were identified. Discussion: The application of MI in organisational decision-making, education policy, artificial intelligence and measurement of moral intelligence are important areas of application as per the results. Research interest in MI is projected to increase according to the results delineated in this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses Pakistan Federal Foundational Learning Policy (FFLP) 2024 in light of holistic education. While enhancing the literacy abilities of children is a notable objective of this policy, this study examines policy in terms of its potential for the student’s education as a whole. In this paper, critical discourse analysis was employed by Mullet, focusing on language, the text structure, and the suggested measures of implementation of policy. This study shows that though FFLP 2024 ensures that gaps in foundational learning are filled, it might downplay other elements necessary for early childhood, namely socio-emotional development, creativity, and cultural competence. This policy gap may impose limitations on school’s curriculum and teaching strategies as it centers on quantifiable results & standardized tests. The findings drawn from the analysis of the policy have questioned its suitability for different regions and its effect on the teachers’ professionals’ autonomy. The study proposed that a balanced approach that incorporates basic skills and general goals is needed for inclusive student development. The study provides valuable suggestions for a broader strategy towards the foundational learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we report a comprehensive analysis of the disparities in undergraduate degree achievements across different demographic groups in English universities. The focus is on the "degree achievement gap", which refers to the variation in the rates of students from diverse backgrounds obtaining First- or Upper Second-Class degrees. The significance of this gap lies in its profound impact on graduates' future opportunities, particularly in terms of access to advanced studies and professional trajectories. Recognising the critical nature of this issue, the Office for Students (OfS) has emphasised the need for higher education institutions to actively work towards bridging this gap to enhance equity and social mobility. To map how far the call for bridging this gap has been effective, our research examines trends and patterns by age, ethnicity, disability, and gender over a five-year period from 2017/2018 to 2021/2022. Methodologically, this paper employs a detailed descriptive analysis. Our findings highlight a persistent and significant gap for Black students, who are consistently less likely to achieve a First- or Upper Second-Class degree when compared to their White peers. Based on the analysis, literature review, and policy mapping exercise, we make recommendations for the implementation of targeted support, student engagement, revisiting curriculum designs, and the promotion of a more inclusive campus culture. The insights and proposed strategies will be of interest to educators and policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Linguistic Landscape: An International Journal (LL) is the property of John Benjamins Publishing Co. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper focuses on the diaspora Chinese community in Limerick – an Irish county town in the southwest of the Republic of Ireland – and examines how Chinese parents have responded to the education policy shift resulting from the 2017 Irish foreign language strategy, which added Chinese to the official educational curriculum. A semi-structured group interview was conducted with four Chinese-speaking parents. Analysis of the data revealed that identity preservation and maintaining bonds with extended family are the predominant expressed reasons for parents to cultivate their children's Chinese proficiency. English and Irish are prioritized over Chinese. Though the parents hold positive attitudes towards the inclusion of Chinese as a school subject in Ireland, they are disempowered from taking advantage of participating in the implementation of this national language shift due to a lack of access to social, cultural, and economic capital. Analysed through a Bourdieuian lens, the findings further expose the limitations or constraints placed on family language policy and the discrepancy between macro- and micro-level language policies. The paper is intended to shed light on education, social justice, and equality, bridging the gap between micro-level family language practices and macro-level language policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Australia first documented national goals for primary and secondary education in 1989 with the Hobart Declaration on Schooling. Since then, Australia's goals for the education of children have been updated in three subsequent National Education Declarations. Each of the Declarations includes specific goals for Indigenous Australian students, as well as goals for students to learn about Indigenous Australian peoples and cultures. Arranged into four thematic sections covering each Declaration, this paper traces colonial representation of Indigenous Australians in these policy documents. Each section discusses the socio-political factors that influenced education policy at the time each Declaration was written, and the socio-political priorities of Indigenous peoples in the same period. We argue that the evolution of representations of Indigenous peoples in education policy is evidence of the continued resistance of Indigenous peoples to colonial dominance in education policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dynamics connected to professionalization are often analysed from an individual perspective highlighting individual professionals' struggle for recognition as a professional. This paper looks at the organizational context and its effects on teachers' professional status in the wake of NPM inspired reforms in Finland. Despite the quantitative nature of the Finnish school audit, the design of the evaluation presents a critical translation of the knowledge claims often made in New Public Management audits. By looking at the original research reports and discussions on the audit system, this paper shows how the Finnish school audit conceptualised education as a societal subsystem and school audit as a tool for linking education with other subsystems. The Finnish school audit produces data for educational policy development and the teachers' own use. The article suggests that maintaining occupational professionalism requires both the presence of knowledge for professional application and the absence of knowledge yielding to market or managerial interference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The OECD is an inevitable force in contemporary education. This paper illustrates how the OECD affects recent education policy-making in Iceland with a particular focus on recent documents establishing the new Education Policy 2030 in Iceland and on OECD reports that directly relate to this policy. We illustrate the relationship between these documents both topically and chronologically and use Marilyn Strathern's (2006) reasoning about policy making by bullet-points to understand these policy products. Our conclusions are that education policy 2030 is a clear step into a more Nordic tradition of policymaking, in terms of basing policy in previous works and official reports as well as increasing involvement by stakeholders. However, they are characterized by politically admirable, albeit lofty, formulations of ambitions and focus areas, rather than measurable, actionable and implementable policies. The OECD is given a great influence not only as a referential point and a tool to legitimate particular policies, but also a post-hoc policy-implementation adviser and auditor of the policy. Even though the OECD is asked for evaluation of the visionary policy and seems to be the solution to the perceived lack of professional procedure in Icelandic governance, the time-frame seems not to have allowed a thorough use of their advice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inclusive education in Ireland has made major advances in the past two decades, with an increasing number of students with special educational needs (SEN) attending mainstream schools. This paper is part of a bigger study which examines the Special Education Teacher Allocation Model (SETAM) (Circular 0013/2017 Department of Education and Skills 2017) as the current model to support inclusion in practice in Irish primary schools. Guided by a constructivist paradigm, a mixed-methods approach was adopted to reveal the workings of the SETAM, in the Context of Practice. This paper presents the findings from the first phase of data collection; a national, online survey. Findings show that greater teacher autonomy to identify students' needs and allocate support, under this model, was welcomed by participants. However, limited continuous professional development sees some teachers feeling underprepared to identify such needs. More collaborative and inclusive practice is evident since the introduction of the SETAM, with increased use of in-class support for students with SEN. These findings may inform key stakeholders in inclusive education policy and practice, at a national and international level, by unveiling areas of success and potential for improvement, as recognised by Irish teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, I argue that power promised to England's teachers by the 2010 'Importance of Teaching' white paper has rather played out as a reformulation of methods of policymaking to more indirect modes of government control. I trace the growth of government control in English schools, promised front-line power in 2010 and a rise in non-statutory guidance after this point. Taking an actor–network theory approach to ethnographic data I then describe how a school takes up one such non-statutory educational initiative – 'Maths Mastery'. Focusing on early stages of the school's adoption of the initiative, I trace associations of actors which problematize existing practices for the teaching of maths and how the initiative is imbued with authority in relation to these. I argue that the ways in which certain actors – statutory education policy and government funding – associate with the 'optional' initiative reveals a 'back door' control of teacher agency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, plagiarism is a pervasive issue in institutions of higher education, posing challenges to academic integrity and ethical standards. Developing a policy on plagiarism is crucial for maintaining the quality and credibility of academic work within these institutions. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the development of a rational policy on plagiarism. The following are the objectives; to benchmark requirements for anti-plagiarism; to model process of procurement and detection of plagiarism process in public universities in Uganda; to examine how the challenges of Inter-Repository Plagiarism was addressed at Gulu University. The study reviewed existing literature on plagiarism policies in higher education institutions worldwide. The findings were that universities have varying views on levels of plagiarism with some policies allowing as high as 30% plagiarism level in scholarly work. Most of the peer-reviewed journals demand much lower allowable levels of plagiarism to encourage originality and sustainable adherence to copyright and intellectual property policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oftentimes discipline to the children has been guided by the values, principles and religious provisions such as sparing the rod and spoiling the child among others. Such values continue to perpetuate the notion that physical punishment for children is necessary to ensure that they grow uprightly and, in a manner that will be beneficial to them in their personal development. This paper being a comparative study on the national policies for alternative disciplinary processes for learners in Kenyan and South African Schools aims to break down the existing legislations and policies that prohibit corporal punishment in Kenya. The methodology within this paper is pure desk research that relies on articles, books, journals and other sources from academic and professional platforms that highlight the topical issues being tackled herewith. The problems of the existing framework on corporal punishment in Kenya are dissected to bring out its shortcomings. The landscape and indiscipline within the Kenyan education system are highlighted as well as that of South Africa. South Africa having established reforms against corporal punishment becomes a crucial jurisdiction for this study as it provides lessons that Kenya can learn from the South African Experience. From this paper, it is evident that the prohibition of corporal punishment within the education system does not in any way create a gap in terms of disciplining children but rather creates an alternative means of instilling discipline in children, an alternative that is effective in nature and one that has a positive impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper conducts a comprehensive review of the effectiveness of integrating Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) practices into emerging educational models to support student mental well-being, with a particular focus on Canadian contexts. Employing a systematic literature review methodology, the study utilized Google Scholar as the primary database, filtering results based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, emphasizing relevance, quality, and recency. The main findings underscore a research gap between acknowledgment of the importance of SEL, and its implementation in Canadian schools. Strategies for integrating SEL into educational settings are reviewed, highlighting ongoing initiatives of British Columbia aimed at advancing SEL within teacher training programs and educational policies. The study also highlights escalating concerns regarding the mental health of Canadian children and youth, impaired by the COVID-19 pandemic. Implications for educational policy and practice, including promoting systematic assessment of students' social-emotional skills and ensuring the appropriate developmental delivery of SEL through content, are emphasized as key considerations for educational policymakers and practitioners. The paper concludes that a holistic approach is advocated for fostering Canadian children and youth's social-emotional skills, crucial for their well-being and success in educational settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the Bologna process emerged in the framework of European integration, its objectives are closely linked to the process of voluntary convergence of public policies of members of the European Union. In this context, it can be challenging to understand possible convergence or divergence trends in Bologna member countries that are outside the European Union. In this paper, I develop a theoretical framework based on Acharya's (2004) norm localization theory to analyze the historical and present factors of borrowing and adoption of the Bologna standards in Kazakhstan. While the findings suggest that convergence to the Bologna model will be limited, the identified short-term outcomes of the Bologna process include adopting the Bologna-driven competence-based approach. In the long term, the competence-based approach could replace knowledge-based education in Kazakhstan. The analysis reveals the importance of domestic factors for educational policy borrowing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In July 2021 the Chinese Government unexpectedly released what has become known colloquially as the 'Double-Reduction' policy. The policy decreed the reduction of homework pressure on students and greater control of private tutorial companies. In this paper, we set out to understand why the Chinese central government launched the 'Double-Reduction' policy in mid−2021 by using narratives to analyse the three most circulated explanations for the policy and its timing. We use data from a range of formal and informal policy texts. The three narratives, including one policy narrative dominant in the official discourse and two alternative ones, constructed the causal stories about the policy's rationale from multiple perspectives. The combination of multiple perspectives and a narrative approach helps reveal the policy event's complexity and lays a foundation for researchers interested in tracking the development trajectory of this new policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to communicate the relevant management model with optimal performance in the collection of construction resources (human, non-human), supervision of workers and activities in the development of adequate and quality school infrastructure facilities. Design/methodology/approach: The study employed a mixed methods research approach in collecting and analysing research findings. Semi-structured face-to-face interviews and questionnaires which consisted of closed questions were the data collection tools. Numerical data collected were processed and analysed by using quantitative methods and techniques such as descriptive analysis, whereas text data were subjected to content analysis. Findings: The findings revealed that the Post-New Public Management (PNPM) is relevant in the collection of construction resources and suitable for the supervision of workers and tasks towards the development of adequate and quality school infrastructure facilities. Based on the evidence generated, the PNPM model was recommended to be adapted to collection of construction resources and supervision of workers and activities. Originality/value: This paper highlights the need for construction committees and other education policy implementers to adapt a relevant management model in realising optimal performance in the development of adequate and quality school infrastructure facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes stakeholder engagement in educational policymaking in Singapore and Finland, two countries renowned for successful education systems. While both countries achieve high academic standards, they employ distinct approaches to engage stakeholders in shaping educational policies. Singapore adopts a centralized model where policymaking is primarily directed by the Ministry of Education (MOE), with limited participation from external stakeholders. In contrast, Finland adopts a decentralized approach, empowering local authorities and schools with significant autonomy and actively involving stakeholders in policymaking. Key stakeholders, including teachers, parents, students and the private sector, play different roles in each country's education governance. In Singapore, stakeholders are consulted through formal channels but have limited influence on decision-making, whereas, in Finland, stakeholders actively steer fundamental policy directions through extensive participation and consensus-building. The paper highlights the strengths and weaknesses of each approach and their impacts on education outcomes. Despite differences in governance models, both countries prioritize inclusive education, social cohesion, and holistic development. The analysis underscores the importance of meaningful stakeholder engagement in crafting effective education policies that align with national values and visions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]