Education Decision-making Process Research Articles

The Influence of Social Media on College Choice among Undergraduates Majoring in Big Data Management and Application in China: Taking Guilin University of Electronic Technology as an Example

This study aims to investigate the influence of social media on college choice among undergraduates majoring in Big Data Management and Application in China. The study attempts to reveal how information on social media platforms such as Weibo, WeChat, and Zhihu influences the cognition and choice process of prospective students. By employing an online quantitative survey questionnaire, data were collected from the 2022 and 2023 classes of new students majoring in Big Data Management and Application at Guilin University of Electronic Technology. The aim was to evaluate the role of social media in their college choice process and understand the features and information that most attract prospective students. Social media has become a key factor influencing the college choice decision-making of undergraduates majoring in Big Data Management and Application in China. Students tend to obtain school information through social media platforms and use this information as an important reference in their decision-making process. Higher education institutions should strengthen their social media information dissemination, providing accurate, timely, and attractive information. It is also necessary to ensure effective management of social media platforms, maintain a positive reputation for the school on social media, and increase the interest and trust of prospective students. Simultaneously, educational decision-makers should consider incorporating social media analysis into their recruitment strategies to better attract new student enrollment. This study provides a new perspective for understanding higher education choice behavior in the digital age, particularly by revealing the importance of social media in the educational decision-making process. This has important practical and theoretical implications for higher education institutions, policymakers, and social media platform operators.

The Role of Family Cultural Capital to Predicting Study Abroad Participation in First-Generation U.S. Undergraduates

ABSTRACT This study contributes new empirical using longitudinal national data on the factors explaining study abroad participation in U.S. undergraduates using Roksa et al.’s asset-based concept of family cultural capital. Specifically, this study found that parental nativity and frequency of family vacations were positively associated with study abroad participation. Increased parental academic involvement among first-generation college students, however, was negatively associated with study abroad participation, suggesting a hierarchy of priorities in parental advice in the educational decision-making process. This paper also considers how study abroad offices and parent orientations can promote study abroad for first-generation college students.

Application of Decision Tree Algorithm in Teaching and Learning Management in Colleges and Universities

In modern educational settings, effective decision-making plays a crucial role in ensuring student success and fostering academic excellence. The decision tree algorithm is a valuable tool in teaching and learning management in colleges and universities, offering insights that inform strategic decision-making processes. By analyzing student data, including academic performance, engagement metrics, and demographic information, decision tree algorithms can identify patterns and trends that help optimize educational practices. These algorithms aid in course planning, student advising, and resource allocation by predicting student outcomes, identifying at-risk students, and recommending personalized interventions. This paper explores the application and impact of the Decision Tree Wrapper Sampling Class Imbalance Knowledge Assimilation (DT-WSCIKA) method in enhancing educational decision-making processes. Through a comprehensive analysis of teaching and learning aspects, classification performance metrics, and student performance outcomes across various scenarios, we investigate the efficacy of DT-WSCIKA in addressing class imbalances, optimizing decision-making, and improving educational outcomes. The findings reveal significant improvements in key metrics following the implementation of DT-WSCIKA. For example, classification accuracy increased by an average of 8%, precision improved by 10%, recall by 6%, F1 Score by 7%, and ROC AUC by 9% over multiple epochs. Additionally, student performance outcomes showed an average increase of 7.5% in Scenario 1, 6.2% in Scenario 3, and 8.3% in Scenario 7 when DT-WSCIKA was employed.

The Degree of Effectiveness of the Educational Decision-Making Process among the Principals of Zarqa Kasbah Schools from the Teachers' Point of View

The study aimed at identifying the degree of effectiveness of the educational decision-making process of the principals of Zarqa Kasbah from the teachers' point of view. It, also, studied the effect of variables on the response of the sample of the study. The study used the descriptive survey methodology. The tool of the study consisted of (14) items, and the validity and reliability of the tool was confirmed. The study was applied on a sample of (375) male and female teachers, who were chosen by a simple random method. The study proved the following results: the degree of effectiveness of educational decision-making process of the principals of Zarqa Kasbah education school from the teachers’ point of view, was medium. The results indicated that there were statistically significant differences at the level (0.05>a) in the mean. Responses of the study sample subjects about the effectiveness of the educational decision-making process of the school principals of Zarqa Kasbah education schools, from the teachers 'viewpoint. These differences were due to the variables of gender and academic qualification. Moreover, it indicated that there were no statistically significant differences due to the variables of years of experience and specialization. In light of the proved results, the study recommended a set of recommendations, the most important of which are: increasing the participation of teachers in the school decision­ making process, in the way that reflected in the raising the effectiveness of educational decisions.

Modern approach to dual education in higher education institutions

The issue of the dual education system at the institutions of higher education is the focus of the education policies of many countries. Education experts stress that the dual education system has been characterized as a successful and forward-looking model, which combines formal, university education and informal acquisition of applicable technical skills through student work on practical problems in companies. The paper aimed to analyze and review dual education models at the institutions of higher education in European countries (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland), as well as the evolution of the dual education system at the universities in Bosnia and Herzegovina and countries in the region. Germany, Austria, and Switzerland face challenges of how to attune the existing dual education models to EU recommendations for dual study programs, i.e. how to innovate the current programs based on the criteria for quality and efficient dual education. These countries still aim to promote their dual education model in the future, as well as support and help the countries interested in this model. On the other hand, the development of dual education in Bosnia and Herzegovina and countries in the region is rather slow. Of all the countries in this region, only The Republic of Serbia adopted the Law on the dual model of studies in higher education and launched two dual study programs. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, there are conflicting opinions about dual education. Some believe that dual education is the key to increased employment, while others warn that it significantly lowers the educational threshold and reduces the competencies of young people. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out a complex analysis of the current situation at the institutions of higher education and to determine which areas allow the possibility of developing dual studies. The following steps concern the development of regulations for the creation of a dual education model by educational, social, and economic goals and needs, strengthening the capacity of higher education institutions, and involving social partners in the dual education decision-making process.

Heterogeneous Effects on Private Education Spending in Latent Groups in Korea

This study examines people's response to well-known determinants in private education spending (PES). Based on the Korean Education Longitudinal Study, we divided the private education decision-making process into two parts: whether to spend and how much to spend. Due to omitted environmental factors, latent subgroups that share the same PES effects were classified using a clustering methodology. Empirical analysis found that people respond differently only to household income and school year. For 40% of the observations, household income has a significant impact on PES decisions. There is no effect of household income in the other subgroups, whereas different patterns of PES according to the school year induce heterogeneity in other subgroups. There is no heterogeneity for the effects of gender, educational environment and plans to attend college.

Distance education and national teacher training policies: Implementation evidence in a multi-level perspective

The Programa Nacional Escola de Gestores (PNEG) integrated the national teacher training policy and was financed by the Brazilian government. Ended in 2017, was part of a set of programs that elected distance education (DE) as its main strategy. The PNEG was designed to strengthen public school management. Based on graduates and PNEG instructors’ perceptions of this program at one federal university, this article provides evidence on multi-level administrative and educational decision-making processes in distance education. Mixed methods were adopted. Data was collected through a survey applied to 216 graduates and 29 interviews with the PNEG team entailed five dimensions: (i) the training and pedagogical design implemented; (ii) the polyteaching training team; (iii) distance education and the use of digital information and communicational technologies (DICTs); (iv) the resources and infrastructure provided by the local support center; and (v) the interaction between the graduates and the polyteaching team in the PNEG training process. The analyses reveal that, in DE, pedagogical planning, the use of technologies, and the combination of resources that stimulate interaction among the actors play a decisive role in this process. Team supervision is another mandatory aspect. Mediated by technologies, DE teacher training programs funded by the federal government have redesigned curricular trajectories, tried out different pedagogical strategies, and proposed new skills to students and trainers.

Understanding primary school teacher wellbeing in Scotland through the lens of Self-Determination Theory

Poor teacher wellbeing has been shown to be one of the leading factors behind rising levels of burnout and attrition within the teaching profession. Research suggests that teacher wellbeing can have a significant impact on pupil outcomes both academically and experientially in schools (Hoguland at al., 2015; White, 2020). This study provides an original contribution to the existing literature through its focus on exploring primary teacher wellbeing in Scotland through the lens of self-determination theory (SDT). SDT proposes that for individuals to feel a positive sense of wellbeing, three basic psychological conditions must be met – competence, autonomy and relatedness. Through exploring these factors, the researchers aimed to gain insight into the conditions which promote wellbeing and those which impinge on it. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six primary school teachers using an online platform (Microsoft Teams). Data analysis was conducted according to the steps outlined by Braun and Clarke for Reflexive Thematic Analysis (2006, 2013, 2019). The main themes developed – competence, relatedness and autonomy – were extracted and discussed. An overarching theme, which arose as impacting on the satisfaction of these psychological needs is school management practices, in particular the extent to which reciprocal, responsive, trusting relationships with managers can be established. Reflections around researcher subjectivity and using an online platform are discussed. Suggested implications for practice include providing protected supervision times for teachers and more extensive teacher consultation in educational decision-making processes.

Losing or securing futures? Looking beyond ‘proper’ education to decision-making processes about young people’s education in Africa – an introduction

ABSTRACT The education of young people in Africa has been receiving increasing political attention due to expanded schooling and, as a result, an expanding number of unemployed educated youths who challenge governments. While many studies have described young people in Africa as being in a stage of ‘waithood’, this special issue looks at decision-making processes in youths’ education. The articles, which are mainly based on anthropological fieldwork, show how fears of ‘losing’ the future and ideas of ‘securing’ it guide decisions about young people’s education. Economic, political, moral, gendered, and religious factors are decisive in educational decision-making processes. Moreover, the status and prestige attributed to various forms of education impact those decisions. By looking beyond ideas of ‘proper’ education, which often reduce it to public schooling, this issue gives insight into the educational landscape in Africa and its connections to those of other continents that shapes young people’s lives and futures.

An examination of the relationships between specific learning disabilities identification and growth rate, achievement, cognitive ability, and student demographics.

Students with specific learning disabilities (SLDs) represent a large proportion of those receiving special education services in U.S. schools, but the relationship between student-level variables and SLD identification is still not well understood. The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which data collected as part of a comprehensive psychoeducational evaluation were associated with SLD identification status. Logistic regression analyses were used to examine how response to intervention (RtI) slope (i.e., growth rate), academic achievement, global cognitive ability, and demographic variables (i.e., race/ethnicity, gender, and free/reduced-price lunch [FRL] status) were related to SLD identification. Academic achievement (B = -0.13, OR = 0.88), race/ethnicity (B = -1.35, OR = 0.26; 0 = white student, 1 = student of color), and FRL (B = 0.94, OR = 2.57) were related to SLD status, but global cognitive ability and RtI slope were not, even though the RtI method was reported to be used during the special education decision-making process. Implications for practice, particularly related to the use of RtI, are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Contributions of the Internet of Things in Education as Support Tool in the Educational Management Decision-making Process

The aim of this paper is to understand the contributions that the development of IoT provides to education, particularly in assisting the decision-making process and addressing some of the challenges that the educational system faces. The study adopts a qualitative approach and applies bibliographic overview procedures that substantiate 'internet of things' concepts in education and the decision-making process in education, as well as analysing the phenomena in the light of contingency theory precepts. Therefore, this study investigated several contexts for the application of this technology in learning and a more efficient management of educational organisation structure, in addition to indicating spaces for the construction of alternatives when making decisions hitherto compromised by the limitation of technological resources. Finally, IoT tools applied to the educational context were identified and they can radiate benefits to the decision making process in education, based on the collection of information generated in this environment.

Predicting academic performance of students from VLE big data using deep learning models

The abundance of accessible educational data, supported by the technology-enhanced learning platforms, provides opportunities to mine learning behavior of students, addressing their issues, optimizing the educational environment, and enabling data-driven decision making. Virtual learning environments complement the learning analytics paradigm by effectively providing datasets for analysing and reporting the learning process of students and its reflection and contribution in their respective performances. This study deploys a deep artificial neural network on a set of unique handcrafted features, extracted from the virtual learning environments clickstream data, to predict at-risk students providing measures for early intervention of such cases. The results show the proposed model to achieve a classification accuracy of 84%–93%. We show that a deep artificial neural network outperforms the baseline logistic regression and support vector machine models. While logistic regression achieves an accuracy of 79.82%–85.60%, the support vector machine achieves 79.95%–89.14%. Aligned with the existing studies - our findings demonstrate the inclusion of legacy data and assessment-related data to impact the model significantly. Students interested in accessing the content of the previous lectures are observed to demonstrate better performance. The study intends to assist institutes in formulating a necessary framework for pedagogical support, facilitating higher education decision-making process towards sustainable education.

The neural correlates of academic self-concept in adolescence and the relation to making future-oriented academic choices.

This study examined the role of brain regions involved in academic self-evaluation in relation to problems with study orientation. For this purpose, 48 participants between ages 14-20 years evaluated themselves on academic traits sentences in an fMRI session. In addition, participants completed an orientation to study choice questionnaire, evaluated the importance of academic traits, and completed a reading and shortened IQ test as an index of cognitive performance. Behavioral results showed that academic self-evaluations were a more important predictor for problems with study orientation compared to subjective academic importance or academic performance. On a neural level, we found that individual differences in the positivity of academic self-evaluations were reflected in increased precuneus activity. Moreover, precuneus activity mediated the relation between academic self positivity and problems with study orientation. Together, these findings support the importance of studying academic self-concept and its neural correlates in the educational decision-making process.

Familial Capital, Narratives of Agency, and the College Transition Process for Refugee-Background Youth

This study examines the role of family in the college transition process for students with refugee backgrounds in New England (United States). Extant research finds that the investments immigrant and refugee families make in their children’s education are often overlooked, and that the family is sometimes seen an educational obstacle, rather than an asset. Using the framework of familial capital, with a focus on narratives of agency, this study offers a counter-story to such discourse, highlighting numerous ways that families have contributed to their children’s educational goals, decisions, and achievements. Analysis of student interviews reveals how families cultivate aspiration and resilience, remove barriers to educational success, and empower their children to serve as agents of change. These strategies and decisions represent a sustained commitment to educational access and achievement—one which must be acknowledged as part of a culturally relevant curriculum. Findings from this study have relevance for practitioners in both secondary and postsecondary settings and suggest possibilities for future research into the role of family and community in students’ educational decision-making processes.

Evidence-based decision making or a tunnel vision effect? TIMSS, problem definition and policy change in Israeli mathematics education

ABSTRACT This study examines the influence of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 1999 results on mathematics education policy in Israel. Analyzing various documents, the study shows how these results transformed policymakers’ discourse regarding mathematics education. In order to achieve improvement in Israel’s ranking, the middle school mathematics curriculum was aligned with the TIMSS test. Following this change, the scores of Israeli students rose considerably in TIMSS 2011. Parallel results from Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and Israeli internal standardized tests, however, do not show comparable improvement in mathematics achievement. High school matriculation data for the same period of time show a decline in the percentage of students who took the most advanced mathematics courses. Furthermore, none of these data sources show any noticeable reduction in social inequality in mathematics achievement. On the basis of theoretical insights from political science, it is argued that international tests influence the way educational problems are framed and defined. Thus, instead of enriching educational decision-making processes, these tests can create a tunnel vision effect that restricts policymakers’ attention to ‘problems’ and ‘solutions’ defined by the tests themselves.

Data use and school improvement: Understanding meanings and practices underlying educational decision-making processes

The implementation of the National System of Quality Assurance in Education (SNAC) in Chile, fosters a relationship between ministerial agencies and schools characterized by the production of external evaluations and data to guide school improvement. The present article contributes information on the challenges public schools face, in response to the first implementation phase of SNAC performed by the Quality Assurance Agency (ACE). To this end, and based on a review  of international literature, the authors propose a conceptual definition of data highlighting a reflexive approach. This definition was employed to study four municipal schools located in the Metropolitan Region. The main findings of the study illustrate the strategies and processes of data analysis/use, performed by the schools, along with identifying the factors that influence these actions. The findings further underscore the strong influence of accountability on how the school actors conceptualize the value and use of data provided by SNAC, which influences how this data is used to inform school decision-making. The article suggests guidelines for education policy that would promote a contextualized, timely, and systemic use of data in municipal schools.

The influence of word-of-mouth on attitudinal ambivalence during the higher education decision-making process

This study investigates the influence of word-of-mouth (WOM) on consumers' attitudinal ambivalence in the context of higher education decision-making. Construal level theory (CLT) is combined with attitudinal ambivalence literature to generate hypotheses about how different types of WOM (i.e., praise and activity) received during the decision-making process reduce attitudinal ambivalence. The subsequent consequences of attitudinal ambivalence for decision-making are also studied. A two-wave survey of applicants to international higher education programs is used to test the hypotheses. This study contributes to the ambivalence literature by showing that different types of WOM information reduce attitudinal ambivalence depending on the temporal closeness of a choice and the consumption of a service. The findings have implications for the management of attitudinal ambivalence and WOM throughout the consumer decision-making process and consequently for assisting consumers in making choices.

Parenting Styles and College Enrollment: A Path Analysis of Risky Human Capital Decisions

In this study, we examined how parents influence the higher education decision-making process of young adults. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997, results from a path analysis showed that, although parenting styles were not directly linked with college enrollment, they were indirectly associated with college enrollment via their prior associations with a number of variables, including young adults’ subjective probability of completing college, time preferences, academic achievement, cognitive ability, and parental expectations. These findings suggest that although parents may be less directly involved with higher education choices of young adults, they still have an important indirect influence on these choices. Parenting style impacts the child’s beliefs, expectations, and attitudes, all of which ultimately play a role in the decision of whether or not to enroll in college.

Ethnic choice effects at the transition into upper-secondary education in Switzerland

Compared to natives, students with immigrant background are – other things being equal – more likely to choose academic tracks over vocational education and training (VET) at upper-secondary level. Evidence of so-called ethnic choice effects is mostly based on education systems where vocational tracks are often regarded as ‘unfavourable’. Our study investigated ethnic choice effects at the end of compulsory school in Switzerland, a country with a strong VET sector offering competitive incentives, particularly for students with lower or average achievement. Based on longitudinal data from the ‘Transitions from Education to Employment’ (TREE) survey, we found that most migrant groups were more likely to choose academic-track pathways preparing for university admission over VET preparing more directly for employment. Nested logistic regression analyses revealed that a large share of these ethnic choice effects was explained by immigrant optimism. Our findings shed light on general educational decision-making processes among migrant families and their potential consequences for ethnic inequality in post-compulsory education.

Assessing the efficiency of secondary schools in Chile: a data envelopment analysis

Purpose The purpose of this paper was to evaluate the efficiency of secondary education schools in Chile. Since the early 1980s, several educational reforms have been passed with the main objective of improving the quality, equity and efficiency of the Chilean education system. This has initiated a debate about the efficient use of public educational resources. In response, this study provides insights into identifying the most efficient types of schools based on a set of different inputs and outputs. Design/methodology/approach This quantitative research study used data envelopment analysis (DEA), which estimates a single index of efficiency to identify schools performing at superior levels compared to other schools with similar characteristics. Two sets of models are created for evaluating efficiency. The first set of analyses provides a longitudinal efficiency comparison based on student performance on two national standardized tests as outputs, and the second model incorporates socioeconomic characteristics of students attending different schools as inputs in the efficiency estimation. Findings Based on the longitudinal models, it was found that private schools are more efficient and more consistent in maintaining their efficiency over time than other types of schools. In addition, when accounting for socioeconomic factors, publicly subsidized schools were more efficient than public schools. Practical implications The Chilean parliament is currently discussing new educational reforms that focus on more efficient use of educational resources to improve educational quality and equity. The results provided in this study generate useful evidence for policymakers and other stakeholders regarding school efficiency and the appropriate allocation of public resources to support diverse students served by different types of secondary educational institutions. Social implications Education is a key factor affecting social mobility and socioeconomic improvement of societies. Schools are called upon to improve their performance to promote these social goals. Accordingly, more novel forms of research on efficiency are necessary to assess how well schools are transforming their inputs into performance outputs. Originality/value This study provides a longitudinal analysis of educational efficiency using DEA with a national data set of Chilean schools to evaluate how consistent the schools are in maintaining their levels of efficiency over time. In addition, one DEA model accounts for a social “vulnerability” index at the student level to better understand how efficiently secondary schools use their resources. The insights gained provide data-driven answers to support more informed educational decision-making and policy processes in Chile.