Development Of Education Policy Research Articles

Multidisciplinary Approach in Islamic Religious Education: The Formation of a Holistic and Responsive Muslim Community to the Dynamics of Modern Life

The writing of this article aims to explore the role of a multidisciplinary approach to the formation of Muslims who are holistic and responsive to the dynamics of modern life as a content of Islamic religious education. The multidisciplinary approach blends various disciplines, including social sciences, sciences, and humanities, with Islamic religious education. This research method uses a qualitative and multidisciplinary approach that includes literature study, content analysis, and synthesis of findings from various disciplines. The literature study results concluded that a multidisciplinary approach is relevant and essential in forming Muslims who can adapt to the dynamics of modern life without losing the roots of Islamic religious values. This confirms that the integration of this approach is a strong foundation for the development of holistic, responsive, and competitive Muslims who face the complexity of the times. In addition, this approach has been proven to increase the involvement of Muslims in social and environmental issues, creating individuals who are not only religious but also contribute positively to global society. The implications of these findings can be the basis for the development of educational policies, community development programs, and holistic Muslim development strategies in the face of the complex dynamics of modern life.

THE RESULTS OF REFORMS IN THE FIELD OF TRAINING HIGHLY QUALIFIED PERSONNEL IN THE LATE XX- EARLY XXI CENTURY: SCIENTIFIC PERSONNEL

Aim - to study the last 25 yeas dynamics in the system of Russian postgraduate education. The research is based on institutional analysis of the system of postgraduate education, as well as the resource approach in assessing the human potential of scientific personnel, postgraduate students and doctoral students. A comparative approach allowed us to analyze the dynamics of changes in the numbers, gender, age characteristics of researchers, doctoral students and graduate students for the last decades. Other methods used include analysis and systematization of statistical data, periodization method, analysis of theoretical sources, secondary analysis of sociological data. Results: the article presents the overview of Russian postgraduate education system evolution and analyses characteristics of its present state. The authors introduce their own periodization of the postgraduate education system development. The study presents human capacity, age and gender profiles of scientific personnel. The study reveals the trend in reducing the number of organizations providing postgraduate studies, as well as the decrease in the number of postgraduate and doctoral students and researchers. The authors came to the conclusion that the present situation is characterized by the contradiction between government regulation to the system of postgraduate education and its possibilities to ensure these requirements. The crisis in the system of Russian postgraduate education is evident. The presented results evaluate the process of training highly qualified educational personnel, the effectiveness of the institute of postgraduate and doctoral studies, as well as the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of scientific personnel in Russia. The data presented in the article will contribute to the development of the state educational policy and bring the process of training highly qualified educational personnel in accordance with the requirements and demand for highly qualified specialists in modern industry and science.

Responsibilising young benefit recipients: Income management and financial capability in New Zealand

New Zealand recipients of the Youth Payment and Young Parent Payment, who are disproportionally Indigenous Māori and sole mothers, must participate in ‘Money Management’. This form of income management restricts spending, monitors financial transactions and requires compulsory budgeting education. Drawing on interviews with Money Management participants, Youth Service mentors and policymakers, this article argues that Money Management aims to responsibilise young people through conditional welfare, rather than improve their long-term financial capability as articulated. This becomes obvious through analysis of how Money Management ignores: 1) New Zealand financial literacy education policy developments, 2) the literature on best practice in financial literacy education and how values about money and wealth are shaped by 3) Māori world views and 4) gendered norms. The article concludes that states should take more responsibility, by increasing social security incomes and better regulating the financial, labour and housing markets, to ensure the financial capacity of their citizens.

Applying discourse analysis to Australian national VET policy: more than one, less than many

ABSTRACT VET researchers and policy-makers have historically displayed a keen interest in the future. Two assumptions link VET to the future. The first is that there is a singular object called VET and, secondly, that it can influence a forthcoming state of reality. This relationship is investigated through a rarely utilised post-structuralist discourse analysis of Australia’s development of national vocational education and training policies. The performative language of policy-makers treats VET as a singular object and portrays the future as rational and predictable. By demonstrating that VET and potential realities exist in multiple forms, it might be possible to better utilise VET’s capacities to produce more desirable national futures. The findings suggest that despite continual reform of the sector, just three strategic positions and their supportive discourses have guided federated policy making. The first generally neglected technical and adult education, followed by the creation of a federally funded novel type of educational institution which eventually led to the establishment of VET quasi-markets. Each underpinning discourse exploited the productive power of language to give effect to governments’ desire to improve manifold futures by deploying alternative versions of VET.

Reconsider how you adopt best practices to meet unique needs of adult learners

“My interest in adult learners really comes from my own experience,” said Susan J. Barcinas, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Coordinator for the Adult, Workforce, and Continuing Education Program in the Department of Educational Leadership, Policy, and Human Development at North Carolina State University.

Educators' Barriers and Facilitators to Physical Activity Policy Implementation in the Childcare Setting: Qualitative Findings From the Play Active Project.

We explored childcare educators' perceived barriers and facilitators to policy implementation in order to inform the development and implementation of an early childhood education and care (ECEC) specific physical activity policy. This study was part of the Play Active (2019-2023) project which aimed to develop, implement and evaluate evidence-based physical activity policy to improve physical activity levels in children attending ECEC. Stakeholder focus groups. Setting: ECEC centers in Perth, Western Australia. Sample: Educators (n=66) from 11 ECEC centers participated in 13 focus groups (August-September 2019). Semi-structured questions explored educators' perceptions of barriers and facilitators to implementing a new physical activity policy. A qualitative descriptive approach within a naturalistic framework informed data analysis. Focus group data were reviewed and grouped through several iterations to produce core themes. Four core themes resulted from focus groups: (1) leadership; (2) educator mindset: (3) parent engagement; and (4) organisational and educator capacity. Educators needed supportive leadership and a commitment of resources for physical activity policy implementation. Educators acknowledged physical activity practices can be influenced by knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and change capacity and stressed the need for parent engagement for successful implementation. Educators' voices are important for informing implementation of physical activity policy and practices leading to improvements in children's physical activity levels.

Review of China's Online Education Policy, 1999–2022

Purpose This study traces the development of China's online education policy over the past 20 years. Design/Approach/Methods Employing a textual research method, this study examines online education policymakers, policy content and influence, and related policies and regulations. Findings This study identifies the starting point of China's online education policy and divides its development into four stages: namely, the pilot exploration stage (1999–2002), the standard development stage (2002–2012), the transformation stage (2012–2017), and the governance improvement stage (2017–present). Policy development reflects three characteristics: the need to meet the requirements of the times, shifting from a single management to multiple governance approach, and developing from one object for some people to one object for everyone. Current policy focuses on regulating institutions, content, and products, as well as guiding social capital to participate in online education. Originality/Value This study systematically analyzes the development of China's online education policies, discerns policy characteristics, and identifies current policy priorities. In doing so, this study enhances our understanding of the current status and potential needs of online education in China so as to promote its development from the perspective of education policy and governance.

To Strengthen the American STEM Workforce, Empower Workers

A just, healthy, and robust science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) workforce is vital to social organization and human well-being in the modern world. However, economic elites can shape scientific and technological priorities by defining the “national interest” and “needs” of the market, which greatly influences the future of human power relations and material conditions. When contemporary policy debates in STEM education and workforce development focus on how K-12, university, and technical education can provide a workforce for businesses and advance the “national interest”, the resulting policy agenda centers the interests of these socio-economic elites. This paper seeks to reframe debate on STEM education and workforce development policy from a paradigm of nation-state competitiveness and market demand to one centered on workers and democracy. We argue that “who governs” the science and technology workforce and “who benefits” from the status quo of STEM education and workforce development policy is not who should govern and who should benefit, but rather the political and economic elites which steer the world’s largest companies and states. This reframing not only recognizes the fundamental interdependence of economic and political power, but that power is a feature of a social order co-produced with and through scientific inquiry, technological change, and knowledge creation. We advocate for the reimagination of the status quo to recognize that the STEM workforce is composed of, first and foremost, working people. We argue for science and technology workers to recognize common solidarity with all workers and organize to determine their own futures. Lastly, we propose a policy agenda which would empower them to do so by strengthening labor rights and expanding the worker-owned economy.

Una Faccia, Una Razza: Similarities, Differences, and Parallels in Adult Education Policy Development in Greece and Italy

There is little evidence about the origin of the phrase una faccia, una razza (one face, one race). However, its use signifies numerous shared elements in the cultures of Italy and Greece. In both countries, adult education emerged within the critical paradigm whereas vocationalism is currently the leading force of adult education policy development. The purpose of this article is to discuss the paths of adult education policy evolution over the last 40 years in both countries. Acknowledging Europeanization, neoliberalism, and vocationalism as the forces of policy change, the article provides a detailed critical review, a synthesis, and a proposal about future steps in adult education policy. Keywords: adult education, policy development, vocationalism, neoliberalism, collaborativeinterpretive inquiry

ARTISTIC POTENTIAL IN FORMATION OF JUNIOR SCHOOLCHILDREN EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

The article highlights the urgency of the problem of forming the emotional intelligence of junior school children in the context of global trends in education in the XXI century concerning paradigmatic changes in the goals and objectives of education, shifting the focus of priority from the field of subject knowledge to socialization and personal development of students, successful self-realization in society. The emphasis is placed on the fact that the current trend of world educational practice is the evidence of overcoming the technological educational paradigm and strengthening the principles of humanistic-oriented education, recognized as a priority vector for the development of national educational policy of Ukraine. It is emphasized that the state normative documents on the reform of the Ukrainian school use the concept of “emotional intelligence” in the sense of personal, socio-emotional skills required for successful entry, adaptation and self-realization in the society. The essence and key idea of the theory of emotional intelligence are revealed, the scientific preconditions of its creation are specified. It is emphasized that the establishment of humanistic-oriented education aimed at personal development of students, in particular, formation of emotional intelligence of junior school children, requires the search for new approaches to the methodological support of this process. In particular, the unique potential of musical art as a methodological tool for the formation of emotional intelligence of junior school children in the educational process is revealed by its unique nature, functional significance and strength of influence. The main shortcomings in teaching of music in a modern school are outlined. Methodical advice on the use of the potential of musical art in the formation of emotional intelligence of junior school children is formulated.

Science Teachers' Use of Analogies: Findings from Classroom Practices

<p style="text-align:justify">This paper is a quasi-experimental investigation into the effectiveness of using analogy in teaching new and unfamiliar physics concepts to students enrolled in a British curriculum school in the United Arab Emirates. The students (N = 34) were randomly assigned to one of two groups: the control group (N = 17) following the traditional teaching method, and the experimental group (N = 17) using the student-centered analogical method. The students relied on previous class knowledge to construct models, which in turn helped them explore new ideas and derive new knowledge. Pre-tests and post-tests were given to the two groups, where the post-test (test 6) results confirmed that the experimental group showed a more consistent outcome of high grades, no failure, and good homogeneity of results. On the other hand, the control group kept fluctuating around the same level in the all-study’s tests (pre-test and repeated measures (tests 2,3,4 and 5). The effect size of the intervention was very large and practically important, at Cohen’s d = 2.35. As a result, analogy-based pedagogies have demonstrated impact on students' learning performance and perceptions. Consequently, the result is capable of providing significant insights for educational policy and curriculum development.</p>

The Impact of Urban Education on the Income Gap of Urban Residents: Evidence from Central China

It is very important for a country’s sustainable economic and social development to reduce the income gap between urban residents. Through investigating the impact of urban education level and its different levels on the income gap of urban residents in Central China, this paper provides the basis for formulating scientific and rational urban education development policies in Central China. Based on Central China’s urban dynamic panel data, this paper examines the impact by using the system GMM (Generalized Method of Moments). The results show that overall, the improvement of urban education level helps to narrow the income gap of urban residents in Central China cities. Specifically, improvement of primary education level and secondary education level helps to narrow the income gap of urban residents, and improvement of higher education level enlarges the income gap of urban residents. Nonetheless, with further development of higher education in the cities, the income structure of lower-middle-income and low-income groups will be optimized, and subsequently higher education in cities will probably narrow the income gap between urban residents. In terms of the type of cities, improvement of education level in provincial capitals widens the income gap of urban residents, and improvement of education level in prefecture-level cities and county-level cities helps to narrow the income gap of urban residents. For all three types of cities, improvement of primary education level helps to narrow the income gap of urban residents, and the improvement of higher education level widens the income gap of urban residents. The improvement of secondary education level widens the income gap of urban residents in provincial capital cities but reduces the income gap of residents in prefecture-level cities and county-level cities. The policy implication from this study is that, to effectively and expeditiously narrow the income gap of urban residents in Central China, prefecture-level and county-level cities need to vigorously develop urban education, especially urban primary education and secondary education. At the same time, cities in Central China also need to actively develop higher education. Although the income gap of urban residents might be widened temporarily in the short term, the development of urban higher education will increase property income and net operating income of the local middle-low-income and low-income groups in the long term. Ultimately this policy would optimize the income structure of local urban residents and narrow the income gap of urban residents.

«SOFT POWER» AS A COMPONENT OF SOCIAL CAPITAL: UKRAINIAN CONTEXT

Abstract. The problems of using the «soft power» phenomenon for the protection and satisfaction of the national interests of Ukraine have been considered. It has been substantiated that «soft power» is not limited to the tools of affirmation of one-sided interests of this or that country in international relations; that is a means of improving society’s openness, increasing its internal and external attractiveness, that is the ability to offer social capital that meets general human needs in the post-modern society to the world. It is stressed that such elements of «soft power» as education, cultural infrastructure of the society, national intellectual resources are among the basic, fundamental pillars of the economy of knowledge, and shall, in their turn, be interpreted in the context of social capital development, the country’s human capacity growth, which is not sufficiently taken into account in the cultural and educational policy development so far. The economic and social components of «soft power» remain largely separated from one another. That is one of the core reasons for the paradox: staying in the group of fifty countries with the best systems of higher education in the world, Ukraine holds very modest places in the global rankings as far as the level of educational and cultural qualifications of its citizens are concerned. It has been pointed out that information technologies in current educational and cultural practices have extremely expanded the opportunities for those factors to influence human development, but, along with that, have created conditions for their transformation into a type of business activity, with substantial financial resources involved in it. Therefore, the issue of the methodology of estimating the economic contribution of educational, cultural, and creative industries into the country’s GDP is highly relevant, since it would help develop clear criteria for the state policy aimed at the development of those domains. The range of problems related to social costs of modernization of educational and cultural activity has been considered. The following conclusion has been substantiated: it is necessary to coordinate the process of modernization of the cultural domain and the educational system of Ukraine with the long-term social and economic development strategy as well as the technological structure of the national economy. The results obtained may be used for the determination of priorities in the state policy of educational and cultural infrastructure modernization. Keywords: soft power, culture, education, human development social capital. JEL Classification I31 Formulas: 0; fig.: 0; tabl.: 1; bibl.: 20.

#NotHolidayButDistance Education: a study on social media use for K-12 education during the COVID-19 pandemic

PurposeThis study aims to explore Twitter posts of Turkish government agencies and the public under a specific hashtag, #NotHolidayButDistanceEducation, specifically related to online distance education during the Covid-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThis study used a thematic analysis on 22,547 original tweets posted by 6,970 users during the first month of online distance education in Turkish K-12 schools. Based on like and retweet counts, the study further explored the extent of stakeholders’ engagement with the observed themes.FindingsThe findings showed that government agencies and citizens used Twitter to provide technical and psychological support, appreciate and motivate stakeholders, demonstrate sample distance education activities, share information and offer suggestions about the ongoing online distance education. It was also observed that the hashtag has been used for expressing negative views about online distance education and for political purposes. A positive relationship was found between social media engagement and providing technical support or sharing information for online distance education.Practical implicationsThis study highlights the role of social media in providing practical and emotional support to education stakeholders in times of crisis. Thus, governments can use social media to provide evidence-based psychological and physical health support to their citizens during a pandemic. Social media can serve to improve education practices in schools through the interactions between the public and policymakers.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study can be considered unique because it demonstrates the civic use of social media for educational crisis management. This study highlights the influence of social media in educational policy and practice development in the contemporary era.

Detection of the Perceptual Gap between Experts and Public for the Successful Implementation of New Policies: Evidence from the Educational Policy Development

Understanding the difference between the viewpoints of experts and the public and communicating are very important processes to prevent wasteful conflicts and achieve successful implementation of new policies. This study compares the structures of perceptions representing the views of experts and the public as subjects in research papers and newspaper articles of national education policy using semantic network analysis and overlay mapping. Data are collected from the Korean education system, where it is convenient to collect national-level educational policy data. The results show the group of education experts showed great interest in the core concepts of the revised curriculum and its implementation, focusing on abstract theories, whereas the public showed greater interest in practical problems and the outcomes of the revision rather than the process of revision of the curriculum. It clearly highlights the differences in and causes of the reactions of experts and the views of the public to newly developed national education policies, thereby presenting implications for the successful design of important national programs that include education policies for the future.

The wild blue yonder: a speculative glance at English education policy and practice in the mid-century

This article looks back in imagination from the mid-21st century at the development of education policy and practice in England's school system since 1944.

Evaluating e-Learning in the Pathology Course During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

PurposeSynchronous and asynchronous e-learning is a promising and effective educational method for the delivery of medical lessons. Due to the public health measures implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic, our Pathology Department faced the challenge of a total online transition of the lessons. Therefore, the aim is to evaluate the aspects of the applied e-learning method they received.Materials and MethodsAt the end of the semester when e-learning was applied, we designed a structured questionnaire consisting of 17 items via Google Forms, which took the students between 5 and 7 minutes to complete. Of the 257 students registered on the Pathology course in the fifth semester, 207 students (80.5%) returned completed valid questionnaires.ResultsFifteen of the seventeen components of the e-learning Pathology questionnaire were evaluated highly by the vast majority of the students. The two remaining items, the HIPON platform and the Microlabs e-lessons, were evaluated highly by almost half the students. Approximately 93% of medical students answered that e-learning could be integrated with real class lessons in the medical curriculum: 62.8% (N = 130) of students answered to a great extent, and 30.4% (N = 63) answered to a small extent. Statistically significant differences were found between the demographic characteristics of the participants (gender, permanent residence, working status) and their evaluation of the e-learning items.ConclusionE-learning was successfully implemented for the delivery of the pathology lessons and was widely accepted by the students, providing evidence for its future integration into the medical curriculum. Our findings illuminate various aspects of the students’ experience with e-learning, and we strongly recommend that the students’ evaluation and perspective be taken into consideration by the faculty in the development of policies for higher-quality medical education.

Correction to: Structure and agency in the development of education policies or refugee-background students

Correction to: Structure and agency in the development of education policies or refugee-background students

Educational Policy, Contradictory Experiences, and Dialectical Thinking Development

본 연구의 목적은 교육정책의 모순 경험이 성인으로서 교육 공무원의 변증법적 사고 발달에 미치는 영향을 탐색하는 것이다. 보수 혹은 진보를 표방하며 선출된 교육감이 이전 정책과 양립될 수 없는 정책을 실행하는 상황에서 교육 공무원은 어떤 사고방식을 가져야 하는 것인가? 이러한 상황에서 교육 공무원은 정책의 모순을 경험하며 영혼 없이 행동하거나 아니면 자신의 사고 틀을 재설정할 수밖에 없는 상황에 직면한다. 공무원으로서 정치적 중립과 복종 의무는 교육 공무원에게 교육정책의 모순을 경험하게 하는 이데올로기 혹은 전의식적인 규율 권력으로 작용하여 기계적 순응과 일차원적 행동을 요구한다. 교육 공무원에게 주어진 시민에 대한 일반적인 이해관계의 대변자로서 역할에 대한 신념을 지키기 위해서는 경험하는 현실과 적절한 중도적인 과정으로 이끌 수 있는 사고 과정이 필요하다. 본 연구는 ㅇㅇ시교육연수원에서 운영하는 6급 미래인재양성과정 이수자를 대상으로 질문지를 활용한 설문조사와 심층면담을 통해 실시되었다. 본 연구의 결과는 교육 공무원의 직무생활이 요구하는 교육정책의 모순 경험이 필연적인 변증법적 사고 발달의 계기가 되고 있음을 보여주고 있다. 연구 결과는 교육정책 모순 경험이 변증법적 사고 발달에 긍정적으로 영향을 미치는 것을 보여주었으며 또한 변증법적 사고 수준이 낮은 대상자에게 교육정책 모순 경험의 영향이 더 커짐을 보여주었다. 교육정책 모순 경험에 대한 심층 면담의 결과는 변증법적 사고 발달과 관련한 모순 경험, 지식의 실재성과 역동성, 모순과 조직 맥락의 연계, 관계를 통해 실체 생성, 의사소통적 합리성 등 모순 경험이 변증법적 사고에 이르게 하는 과정에 대한 이해를 넓혀주었다.

Practices enacted by Nepal Open University for equity and access: a qualitative study

ABSTRACT This article discusses the practices followed by the youngest open university of South Asia and the only open university of Nepal for access and equity through online teaching and learning. Key initiatives that the university has undertaken in this regard are explored to understand how practices and strategies are applied by this higher education institution to provide citizens with equity and access. The findings of this study may contribute to the development of higher education policies, especially in low-income countries such as Nepal.