Search

The study aims to understand the foremost challenges in the transition to online teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study adopts the PRISMA approach to screening the selection of journal articles and review papers according to the research aims and the inclusion criteria. The journal articles and review papers were extracted and stored in Microsoft Excel and Google Scholar, Academic. Microsoft, Semantic Scholar, Elsevier, and Emerald Insight databases searched relevant documents using formulated keywords. A statistical technique was applied using the M.S. Excel analysis tool (PivotTable and an independent t-Test) to analyze data and determine the differences between teachers and students. The review revealed the evidence that the majority of the studies were primarily focused on the individual developing countries and results from other developing countries were not considered. In addition, the foremost challenges in the transition to online teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic were inadequate skills and training, inadequate Internet/Infrastructure, lack of supporting resources and lack of online student engagement and feedback. Finally, the independent t-test reveals there is no statistically significant difference in challenges in the transition to online teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Both teachers and students encounter similar challenges. The systematic review raised concerns that higher learning needs to effectively implement long term strategies and support teachers and students in getting into online teaching and learning.

This article offers a global overview of the burgeoning field of micro-credentials and their relationship to lifelong learning, employability and new models of digital education. Although there is no globally accepted definition of micro-credentials, the term indicates smaller units of study, which are usually shorter than traditional forms of accredited learning and courses leading to conventional qualifications such as degrees. The paper aims to provide educators with a helicopter view of the rapidly evolving global micro-credential landscape, with particular relevance to higher education leaders, industry stakeholders and government policy-makers. It addresses five questions: (i) What are micro-credentials? (ii) Why micro-credentials? (iii) Who are the key stakeholders? (iv) What is happening globally? and (v) What are some of the key takeaways? Drawing on a European-wide perspective and recent developments in The Republic of Ireland, the paper concludes that micro-credentials are likely to become a more established and mature feature of the 21st-century credential ecology over the next five years. While the global micro-credential landscape is currently disconnected across national boundaries, more clarity and coherence will emerge as governments around the world increasingly align new credentialing developments with existing national qualification frameworks. The micro-credentialing movement also provides opportunities for governments and higher education institutions in partnership with industry to harness new digital learning models beyond the pandemic.

In this study, the variables having impact on the student motivation have been analyzed based on the articles, conference papers, master's theses and doctoral dissertations published in the years 2000-2017. A total of 165 research papers were selected for the research material and the data were collected through qualitative research techniques through document review and content analysis. According to the research results, the most important factors affecting student motivation are the fields of teacher, teachers' classroom management skills and their teaching methods. In this research, factors having less influence on the student motivation are parental communication, student characteristics and study fields. In addition, relational search type was used more than others, mostly students were selected as the study group and most researches were conducted in USA and Turkey.

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.

The primary purpose of this paper is to review and evaluate the causes of educational poverty in less developed countries. The basic intent in carrying out such a study is to define and derive the role of governing agencies in deliberately creating educational poverty in the country, so that the private interest of the rich and powerful ruling class can be fully safeguarded. This study is of crucial interest to the common man because majority of the people living in less developed countries are poor in spite of the fact, that almost all these countries own ample human and material resources. However, the common man in these countries is continuously suffering, generation after generation, and has been denied access to basic amenities of life. The rich and powerful ruling class, in majority of the less developed countries, has intentionally denied basic education facilities to its people for keeping them ignorant and unaware of their fundamental rights to share national resources and to gain competence for comfortable living in the society. The paper advocates a complete reversal in economic growth policies of the less developed countries so that top priority is given to those projects and programs that directly benefit the common man in the society. In this respect, the author calls for awareness among the people to exercise their economic and social rights so that people of all the strata can share equally the fruits of growth and prosperity.

Over the last two decades, education privatization has become a widespread phenomenon, affecting most education systems and giving place to a consistent increase in private school enrolment globally. However, far from being a monolithic phenomenon, privatization advances through a variety of context-sensitive policy processes that translate into multiple policy outcomes. This paper aims at understanding why and how education privatization unfolds in a broad variety of settings and, to this purpose, examines the different manifestations of education privatization on the light of Cultural Political Economy (CPE). The conceptual and analytical tools provided by CPE prove to be particularly well suited to explore such a multi-faceted and multi-scalar phenomenon. CPE has helped us to capture the intersect and tension between different drivers (global and local, material and ideational) of education privatization through the evolutionary mechanisms of variation, selection and retention. On the basis of a systematic literature review methodology, encompassing 227 research papers, the article identifies and systematizes six different paths towards education privatization--understood as groups of frequently associated circumstances, mechanisms and courses of action leading to privatization. Conceived as ideal types, these different paths ultimately allow for a richer understanding of education privatization and show that the international diffusion of education privatization norms and discourses is far from producing policy convergence at a global scale.

Purpose: Higher education is uncertain which sustainability-related education targets should be sought and monitored. Accepting that something needs to be measurable to be systematically improved, the authors explored how measures relate to potential targets. This paper aims to focus on dispositions to think critically (active open-minded thinking and fair-minded thinking in appraising reasoning) as measures and explored how they related to sustainability concern as an indicative educational target. Design/methodology/approach: This research included the development and testing of research instruments (scales) that explored dispositions to critical thinking and sustainability concern. Authors researched these instruments within their own correspondence groups and tested them with university students and staff in Pakistan, the USA, Austria, India and New Zealand. The authors also asked a range of contextualising questions. Findings: Respondents' disposition to aspects of active, open-minded thinking and fair-minded thinking do predict their concern about facets of sustainability but their strength of religious belief was an important factor in these relationships and in their measurement. Practical implications: This research demonstrates the complexity of monitoring dispositions to think critically and sustainability concern in educational systems, particularly in circumstances where the roles of religious beliefs are of interest; and suggests ways to address this complexity. Originality/value: This research integrates and expands discourses on ESD and on critical thinking in diverse disciplines and cultures. It investigates measurement approaches and targets that could help higher education institutions to educate for sustainable development and to monitor their progress, in ways that are compatible with their culture and values.

The paper examines if there has been an increase in the attention paid to social and environmental issues (SEI) in accounting curricula. Using schools participating in the Aspen Institute's Beyond Grey Pinstripes (BGP) program, we measure the increase in the number of accounting courses incorporating SEI across the biennial application years of 2005, 2007 and 2009. We also examine the percentage of SEI coverage in accounting courses between 2007 and 2009. Our findings suggest that there was not an appreciable increase in the number of accounting courses dealing with SEI between 2005 and 2007, but that the increase was significant during the period from 2007 to 2009. Further, the increase over the four-year period from 2005 to 2009 was also significant. In addition, there is a significant increase in the percentage of SEI coverage in accounting courses between 2007 and 2009. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Background: Over the past few decades, higher education institutions worldwide have experienced substantial changes, including: massification, internationalisation and increasing demands for exceptional instructional quality and research quantity in environments that have also seen heightened competition for students, faculty and resources. Accordingly, these changes have contributed to a highly demanding academic employment climate that pose challenges for personal and professional development in post-secondary faculty (i.e. university or college research and teaching academics), as well as potential negative impacts on student learning and, ultimately, institutional productivity. Purpose: Given the emergent nature of scattered existing research on faculty burnout, the present paper attempts to synthesise and critically examine published empirical findings concerning the various correlates, antecedents and outcomes of faculty burnout as informed by the Job Demands-Resources model (Demerouti et al. 2001). Design and method: Existing empirical research on faculty burnout was identified through a rigorous search of English language, peer-reviewed articles across relevant databases (e.g. ERIC, Psycinfo, Scopus) resulting in 36 quantitative, cross-sectional studies, satisfying detailed a priori inclusion criteria. Results: The review revealed multiple themes across studies with respect to mixed effects of demographic background factors on burnout levels, as well as clear detrimental effects of adverse job demands (e.g. workload, task characteristics, value conflict) and lack of resources (e.g. social support, rewards, control) on faculty burnout. Additionally, both personal characteristics (e.g. motivation, optimism) and stressors outside the workplace (e.g. family stressors and lack of support) were found to contribute significantly to faculty burnout, with greater burnout, in turn, having consistent adverse consequences for performance and commitment (e.g. reduced work activities, turnover intentions) as well as psychological and physical health (e.g. ill health, depression) in faculty. Conclusions: The findings presented underscore the importance of faculty burnout and the challenges it presents in terms of faculty well-being as well as student development and institutional performance. Findings also provide further insight into the ways in which intervention efforts and resources targeting faculty burnout may prove effective.

This study has questioned the very legitimacy and ability of United States to honor bilateral relations that it commits under strategic partnerships. The investigation makes the point that partner nations with United States are used as a tool to pursue foreign policy priorities in regions of strategic interest. Partner nations are usually vulnerable to United States international influence in political, economic, diplomatic and military domains. United States due to its international leverage most of the time gets an easy way out in the so-called strategic partnerships but at times when partner nations are in need of dire support, Washington prefers to backtrack from its commitments. This paper has considered South Asia as a case study to contest United States context of 'strategic alliance' as a mean to pursue foreign policy priorities with Pakistan. The vulnerabilities of Pakistan time and again have allowed United States to positively negotiate best deals for Washington, which in-turn brought political complications for the partner nation. This study makes the point that nature of bilateral relations between Pakistan and United States are multifaceted, whereas the phenomenon of 'containment of communism' initially the Soviet and now the Chinese had become the most decisive factor behind their strategic orientation. US failure to attain its objectives from Pakistan had always made India the ultimate choice, which in turn uses Washington's leverage to craft South Asian political order in its favor. The study has applied inductive method with that of 'Analytical Eclecticism' approach to evaluate the ups and downs of the two inconvenient strategic allies and decoded the so-called premises of the Indo-US strategic alliance which is founded on the political orchestration to contain Chinese increasing influence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analyzing social, political, and economic sectors within Pakistan, this paper details the various fundamental mechanisms impacting Pakistan's nuclear program. The origins and capabilities of Pakistan's nuclear arsenals are highlighted throughout with an emphasis on the role of history and religion. The paper indentifies how key elements in Pakistan interconnect and create instability and vulnerability within Pakistan's nuclear program. This paper will present the five most alarming threats Pakistan's arsenal have on U.S. security, and provides policy recommendations that are instrumental in increasing U.S interests. The monetary relationship between both countries is explored and is recognized as a tool that can be used by the United States (U.S.) to increase the security of Pakistan's nuclear arsenals. An interdependence that bonds U.S. funding to Pakistan with security mandates will increase the security capabilities of Pakistan's arsenals and insure that U.S threats are diminished. With a mutual cooperation both countries can effectively pursue their interests; Pakistan can expand nuclear arsenals and the U.S. can assure that security measures are taken to protect national interests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines the current impasse in the Pakistan-US relations, which have remained fraught with acrimony, and hostage to the Washington's insistence on Islamabad 'to do more' to eradicate the terrorist network of militant groups, Taliban and Al-Qaeda, operating from Pakistan's tribal areas and perpetrating terrorism within and outside Pakistan. It is argued that from the outset the two allies in the Global War on Terror (GWOT) have divergent strategic interests in the region. For the US, the GWOT was meant to curb the Al- Qaeda-led global terrorism and punish the perpetrators of the September 11, 2001, attack on the American soil. On the other hand, Pakistan, which reluctantly joined the US-led GWOT, wanted to secure its interests, domestic and regional, by avoiding the American wrath. It is argued that both the US and Pakistan need to re-define the existing level of their relations and work together for attaining higher goals, set in the GWOT. Failing to do so, may jeopardize the counter-terrorism military operations in Pakistan-Afghanistan border areas. Consequently, the region as well as the world at large will continue to face the menace of terrorism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A sad state of affairs prevails in Afghanistan toady due to outsiders' meddling in its internal affairs. It is indeed unsettling to note that outsides -- the US, Pakistan, India for instance -- continue to abuse weaknesses of Afghans to preserve self-serving geopolitics. It is because of such politics that Afghan people have consistently been deprived of deserving golden opportunity to put their own house in order, as they wish. Surprisingly short-sighted Afghan leaders have acted as collaborates and offered Afghan territory to outsides in the hope that it would preserve existing power relations. This is what actually made the job (nation-building from within) difficult and common Afghans are paying the "high" price and Afghanistan now looks like 'a theater of absurd'. The most significant imperative Afghan people need at this juncture is a complete end to outside interference in their internal affairs. However this seems to be too much for us -- the peoples living outside Afghanistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even during periods of significant leverage, Washington has not had the power to stop and reverse Pakistan's nuclear trends. Pakistan's nuclear establishment has successfully deflected unwelcome US diplomatic initiatives and has been able to draw the line between necessary adaptation to, and rejection of, external pressures. Pakistan's national security managers clearly perceive that Washington's highest priorities in bilateral relations relate to the US military campaign in Afghanistan and efforts to combat terrorist groups with global reach. They presume that nuclear issues will continue to take a backseat to ongoing military campaigns in which Pakistan's assistance is crucial for America's success. This correlation of pressure and response might well change if Pakistan's nuclear activities again become front-page news. Absent this, US-Pakistani relations do not lend themselves to effective, near-term suasion by Washington on nuclear issues, whether via the 2010 US Nuclear Posture Review or other means. Pakistani leaders remain sensitive to US initiatives because Washington sets the international tone on nuclear issues. Nonetheless, Pakistan's concerns over Indian nuclear capabilities and intentions trump Washington's powers of persuasion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article seeks to contribute a shift in the foreign policy of the U.S towards Pakistan due to détente between America and the former Soviet Union during 1960s. It departs from the exceptionalist perspectives which views that Pak-US relations were consistent with a common goal to defeat communism. It explores the repercussions of the détente, Pak-India wars of 1965 and 71 and the growing importance of India during Kennedy era. The article argues that for balancing the US intimacy with India, Pakistan turned to China and thus the misunderstandings multiplied. The essay also investigates the value of CENTO and SEATO- the politics of alliances, which did not play any cementing factor to keep the allies united. All such developments corresponded to the dismemberment of Pakistan in 1971. The purpose of this essay is to give an analytical view of Pak- US relations between 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pak wars. To make it simpler, the essay is divided into three parts. First part is related to Pakistan is alignment with US in quest of security. Second part gives a review of how and why relations between two countries deteriorated during 1960s. Third and the final part is about US role during 1971 crisis and drifting of allies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]