ABSTRACT Germany is one of the most popular destinations for international students and is among the countries that host the most refugees worldwide. Although some studies have examined the social and academic integration of international students in German higher education degree programs, this perspective has not yet considered refugee students. Moreover, no comparative research has been conducted between these student groups and native students. We use a large representative survey of students at German higher education institutions to investigate and compare levels and determinants of the social and academic integration of native, domestic, international, domestic refugee, and international refugee students. We find that refugee students with both foreign and domestic schooling have lower levels of social and academic integration than native as well as other domestic and international students. Structural restrictions, such as financial difficulties and housing situations, appear as important determinants. We discuss implications for further research and policy.

ABSTRACT This research investigates the challenges facing education in marginalized Palestinian areas and explores how such education fosters resilience and promotes international awareness and solidarity with the Palestinian cause. Using a qualitative approach, the study conducted semi-structured interviews with teachers, administrators, students, and the spokesperson from the Palestinian Ministry of Education to examine working and learning conditions, identify obstacles, and assess governmental efforts to sustain education under hardship. Findings reveal that schools in marginalized areas endure severe political, security, and resource-related constraints but remain crucial in strengthening Palestinian identity, resilience, and empowerment. The study recommends enhancing institutional and international support, ensuring protection for educational processes, and leveraging education as a means to advocate globally for Palestinian students’ rights and the broader national cause.

ABSTRACT This study critically examines how private higher education institutions (PHEIs) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, represent student life on their official websites. Using Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), multimodal analysis, and drawing on Bourdieu’s concept of cultural capital and Ball’s critique of neoliberal education, it explores how textual and visual elements articulate discourses of marketization, cultural identity, and socio-economic transformation. Analysis of eight university websites reveals student life is commodified through aspirational language, curated imagery, and branding aligned with national priorities such as Vision 2030, gender inclusion, global competitiveness, and international rankings. These promotional narratives construct idealized, classed subjectivities while marginalizing informal, diverse, grassroots student experiences. The study argues that websites function as marketing tools and ideological platforms shaping institutional identities and student imaginaries within a neoliberal-global framework. By foregrounding global-local tensions and drawing comparative insights from MENA and other non-Western contexts, it contributes to critical discourse scholarship and offers practical implications for inclusive, culturally resonant digital narratives.

ABSTRACT The present study examines the relationship between parents’ perceptions of school climate and their perceptions of the politically skilled classroom educator. Such educators employs interpersonal and strategic political skills - trust-building, cooperation, two-way communication, and negotiation, to foster constructive relationships with parents. The study draws on micro-political theory which emphasizes the use of political strategies within educational organizations, and symbolic interactionism, which highlights how parents construct meaning around educators’ roles through everyday interactions and symbolic cues. Data were collected from 497 parents in Israeli public elementary schools and were analyzed using structural equation modeling (AMOS 26.0) and hierarchical regressions (SPSS 27.0). Results show that parents’ perceptions of the school climate significantly predict their perceptions of the classroom educator’s political skill. Two key predictors emerged: the quality of classroom educator – student relationships and the strength of parental partnership. The study highlights the importance of training classroom educators in political and relational skills, enhancing their role as boundary-spanners between schools and communities.

ABSTRACT The global reforms undertaken in recent decades have tended to structure education systems according to a market logic, one of the consequences of which has been the increased spread of school segregation and inequality. The Chilean case is globally paradigmatic in this matter. This study explores and analyzes perceptions of segregation and educational inequality among secondary school students from different socio-economic backgrounds, as well as their assessments of the fairness of this situation. Using a qualitative methodological approach, biographical interviews were conducted with 35 students. The results reveal a widespread awareness of segregation and inequality within the Chilean school system and a tendency to interpret these phenomena as unjust. The study discusses the implications of these perceptions, particularly in relation to the expansion of the meritocratic ideal and its impact on the erosion of social cohesion.

ABSTRACT Whether teaching qualifies as a profession has been a longstanding debate. Inspired by the work of Ingersoll and Collins (2018), this paper studies cross-national variation in seven characteristics of the teaching profession. We examine their mutual interrelationships and relate these characteristics to job satisfaction and PISA results. Data from the Teaching and Learning International Survey 2018 (TALIS; 49 regions/countries) show that in general, the correlations between the different characteristics of professionalization are not sufficiently high to constitute one dimension. Regarding autonomy, a crucial element in debates about the teaching profession, we find that autonomy in the classroom is unrelated to autonomy related to decisions at the school level. Moreover, both aspects of autonomy show different correlations with (1) other characteristics of professionalization, and (2) PISA scores and teachers’ job satisfaction. Our findings highlight the need for a debate about which aspects of professionalization are most relevant for specific outcomes.