Educational Tracks Research Articles

Development of scholastic well-being in the course of the 5th grade in secondary education

Scholastic well-being is highly relevant, as it is connected with achievement and successful coping with critical life events. Since well-being in school is a multidimensional construct, it is necessary to analyze trajectories of these multiple dimensions to get a deeper understanding of changes and influencing factors. The empirical base for differential development of scholastic well-being for girls and boys, students with and without migration background and students attending medium and academic educational tracks is inconsistent. Additionally, there is a lack of findings regarding students’ well-being in co-educational versus single-sex schools. Therefore, the current study aims at analyzing changes in all six dimensions of scholastic well-being during the 5th grade for specific groups of students (boys and girls, students with and without migration backgrounds, students attending medium and academic educational tracks and in co-educational versus single-sex schools). Based on a sample of N = 1,042 students in Catholic schools (80.5% female, 25.8% with migration background, 48.9% in a medium educational track, 54.3% in single-sex schools) who participated in three measurement time points, longitudinal multi-level analyses were calculated. Results reveal a decrease in all dimensions of scholastic well-being over time. Additionally, they illustrate the causal role of time-stable covariates, such as gender, educational track, migration background, and co-educational versus single-sex schooling. The results show slightly different trajectories for male and female students. Thus, the presented study builds upon results of previous studies by providing further information on short-term changes of scholastic well-being and different trajectories for specific groups of students.

The Main Trends in the Implementation of the Third Dimension of UK Public Diplomacy in the Asian Countries of the Indo-Pacific

In the paper, author identified the main trends related to the scientific and educational track of public diplomacy in the UK. The main directions of joint research of British universities and Asian universities are highlighted, the impact of the pandemic on academic mobility is studied, key partners in the scientific and educational track are identified. The study presents statistical data on the number of study visas issued and the countries with the largest exports of students to the United Kingdom in the period 2019—2021. Special attention is paid to the activities of the British Council in the states of the region. In particular, the author analyzed its scholarships, grant programs and international interuniversity initiatives.

Developing future translational scientists through authentic learning and assessments

The Interprofessional Research Design course uses authentic learning pedagogy to bring together students from different education tracks (PhD, MD, MD/PhD training) to engage in interprofessional collaborative skills toward completion of a capstone project, a National Health Institutes (NIH) R21-style grant proposal. The course, underpinned by principles of team science, begins with a leadership training workshop to introduce students to effective leadership and teamwork strategies for interprofessional team environments. We used several assessments during the course to monitor leadership and team dynamics. We analyzed three assessments (leadership self-efficacy testing, iterative team contracts and reflective essays) to better understand students’ learning experiences. Self-efficacy testing was administered before leadership training (pre) and at the end of the course (post-then); scores were analyzed using a repeated repeated measures ANOVA. Iterative team contracts were analyzed qualitatively using both deductive and descriptive methods. Reflective essays were analyzed using a general inductive approach. Nine teams of 32 students (23 MD; 9 PhD) participated in the class over 2017-2018. Self-efficacy testing using post-then timing to control for response shift showed a statistically significant increase in self-efficacy across all measures. Deductive qualitative analysis of iterative contracting showed evidence of team processes which support successful team performance; and descriptive analysis mapped productive behaviors. In reflective essays, seven of the nine teams collectively described their experiences positively; e.g., themes included empathizing with group members, sophisticated communication and collaborative workflow/styles. For negative experiences, themes were related to basic communication, poor integration and the theory-practice gap of leadership training. These findings demonstrate the usefulness of an authentic learning pedagogy focused on teaching the practice of team science.

ПЕРСОНАЛИЗИРОВАННОЕ ОБУЧЕНИЕ КАК ТРЕНД МЕЖДУНАРОДНОГО ОБРАЗОВАНИЯ

The article describes the role and place of personalized learning in the development of world scientific and pedagogical thought, paying special attention to the relevance of this approach in modern international education. Personalized education is seen as an approach that responds to the interests of scientific and pedagogical schools around the world. Followers of this concept recognize that the term itself is in the process of formation. Personalized education is considered as an approach that satisfies the interests of scientific and pedagogical schools in various countries of the world. The models described in the article assume a certain control of the student choice by the teacher, that is, each model contains a set of elements of personalized learning, but these elements are combined with elements of individualization. Among the attributes of personalization, the position of the learner as a subject stands out, which is expressed in the ability to choose certain aspects of the educational process, leading to the construction and implementation of an individual educational track. The introduction of personalized education makes it possible to develop a harmonious personality, to increase the student's independence and responsibility in the educational process, which is the basis for the prosperous development of society as a whole.

Differences in students' scholastic well-being induced by familial and scholastic context.

BackgroundSince scholastic well‐being is connected with intrinsic motivation, positive emotions and effective learning, it is highly relevant for educational research. It is influenced by a variety of individual and contextual determinants and differs for several groups of students with respect to their environmental conditions.AimsUp to now, there has been neither approach in answering questions about group‐differences between students with high or low levels of scholastic well‐being nor in defining variables that are most different for these groups. The current study addresses this research gap by investigating differences in familial and scholastic aspects in two distinct groups of students (extreme high or low level of scholastic well‐being).Sample and MethodSelf‐report questionnaires from N = 852 fifth graders were evaluated using the multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and a discriminant analysis.ResultsResults of the discriminant analysis show that attainment of academic educational track, good classroom‐management, positive social climate in class and high clarity of instruction, as well as low parental pressure on performance are characteristics that classify students with an extreme high level of scholastic well‐being. Therefore, those variables can be used to divide students into disjoint groups without having any information about their actual scholastic well‐being.ConclusionFirstly, it can be deduced from the findings that measures within the schools to promote scholastic well‐being should start with the improvement of instructional quality and social climate. Second, reduction of parental pressure on performance as well as the implementation of successful cooperation between families and schools is vital.

Communicating across educational boundaries: accommodation patterns in adolescents’ online interactions

Abstract This paper studies linguistic accommodation patterns in a large corpus of private online conversations produced by Flemish secondary school students. We use Poisson models to examine whether the teenagers adjust their writing style depending on their interlocutor’s educational profile, while also taking into account the extent to which these adaptation patterns are influenced by the authors’ own educational background or by other aspects of their socio-demographic profiles. The corpus does reveal accommodation patterns, but the adjustments do not always mirror variation patterns related to educational profiles. While salient features like expressive markers seem to lead to pattern-matching, less salient features appear less prone to ‘adequate’ adjustment. Lack of familiarity with the online behavior of students from other educational tracks is a factor too, since online communication clearly proceeds primarily within ‘same-education’ networks. The focus on cross-educational communication is quite unique in this respect and highly relevant from a sociological perspective.

The impact of analogical effects and social factors on the spelling of partially homophonous verb forms in informal social media writing

Abstract The present study examines unintentional spelling errors on past participles produced by Flemish teenagers in private online writing. Previous psycholinguistic research on verb spelling errors in Dutch mainly focused on identical homophones (Bosman 2005; Frisson & Sandra 2002; Sandra et al. 1999). The present study, however, deals with past participles that are only partially homophonous with other forms in the inflectional paradigm and investigates whether the spelling of these verbs is affected by whole-word frequency, paradigmatic and bigram support for the correct spelling and the token frequency of the past participles’ morphological family. The error rates reflect the effect of both paradigmatic and bigram support. Moreover, the unique database makes it possible to analyze the impact of three social factors (Gender, Educational track and Age). Our results reveal an effect on the error rates of all social variables. Finally, these social factors do not interact with paradigmatic and bigram support.

Model of educational personality profile for learning management and development of personal potential

The article describes the logic of the development of the model SKQIiSPEC (“Personality diamond”), including basis of its construction and approach to practical implementation.The relevance of the article is based on the problem of reveal and support of the development of educational agency, the formation of system competencies of self-determination, goal setting, productive action and reflection.The purpose of the research described in the article is to develop a model of the educational personality profile for managing educational activity and the development of personal potential, adequate for supporting educational agency.Novelty of the suggested approach is represented by developed structure of educational profile of a student SKQIiSPEC and its specially selected elements. The model is synthesized on the basis of the following key ideas: (1) model of personality competence iSPEC, (2) model of “education” via semiotic systems, (3) distinguishing of competences via types of solved tasks and (4) distinguishing of main activity type. The model integrates selected ideas with qualitative differences opposite to comparing evaluations. Therefore, “Personality dimond” provides sufficient depth and conciseness for monitoring of navigation of a student on its individual/collectively-individual educational track as well as for creation of possibility to be used in various systems for assessing educational results.Practical significance of model SKQIiSPEC is based on potential usage for mapping of educational ambitions and demands of personality, creation of educational strategies for collective-individual and individual tracks, organization of personal educational logistic. The usage of digital technologies enables automatisation of educational profile model for educational activities’ management.

Backtalk: Harnessing the power of career changers to address teacher shortages

School administrators across the country have been facing a worsening teacher shortage. Programs that attempt to fill gaps by promoting teaching among current high school students are helpful but cannot fill vacancies as quickly as is needed. Alan Mather of Golden Apple describes how their Accelerators program has begun inviting career changers and current college seniors who aren’t on an education track into their 15-month residency and licensure program. The program attracts professionals who are interested in teaching but lack the time or money for traditional preparation programs and puts them on a quicker path to teaching jobs in schools with high needs.

The Success of a Simulation-Based Transesophageal Echocardiography Course for Liver Transplant Anesthesiologists.

Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is increasingly used for intraoperative management during orthotopic liver transplantation. Proficient TEE use requires skill and knowledge to accurately assess the hemodynamic status and guide clinical management. Currently there are no TEE educational tracks specifically focused on perioperative liver transplant management and barriers to obtaining basic certification exist. A 4-hour simulation-based learning (SBL) course was provided to improve liver transplant anesthesiologist TEE knowledge and skill. Learners received training and education using a TEE simulator in small groups focusing on basic image acquisition, relevant anatomy, hemodynamic calculations, and pathology germane to the liver transplant period. Knowledge assessment and survey responses were assessed at the beginning and completion of the course. Learners completed TEE examinations with simulated pathology during high-fidelity simulations following the course. Seventeen anesthesiologists completed the course. The median baseline knowledge assessment score was 55.0% (37-70). The median postcourse knowledge assessment score improved to 95.0% (94-100) (P < .001). All anesthesiologists were able to identify TEE pathology during high-fidelity simulation. Survey responses yielded significant median score improvement in all areas assessed using a 5-point Likert scale. A small group, simulation TEE course delivered over 4 hours can increase knowledge and skill in TEE use for liver transplant anesthesiologists.

Educational level, attention problems, and externalizing behaviour in adolescence and early adulthood: the role of social causation and health-related selection—the TRAILS study

Social causation and health-related selection may contribute to educational differences in adolescents’ attention problems and externalizing behaviour. The social causation hypothesis posits that the social environment influences adolescents’ mental health. Conversely, the health-related selection hypothesis proposes that poor mental health predicts lower educational attainment. From past studies it is unclear which of these mechanisms predominates, as attention problems and externalizing behaviour have the potential to interfere with educational attainment, but may also be affected by differences in the educational context. Furthermore, educational gradients in mental health may reflect the impact of ‘third variables’ already present in childhood, such as parental socioeconomic status (SES), and IQ. We investigated both hypotheses in relation to educational differences in externalizing behaviour and attention problems throughout adolescence and young adulthood. We used data from a Dutch cohort (TRAILS Study; n = 2229), including five measurements of educational level, externalizing behaviour, and attention problems from around age 14–26 years. First, we evaluated the directionality in longitudinal associations between education, externalizing behaviour, and attention problems with and without adjusting for individual differences using fixed effects. Second, we assessed the role of IQ and parental SES in relation to attention problems, externalizing behaviour, and educational level. Attention problems predicted decreases in education throughout all of adolescence and young adulthood. Differences in parental SES contributed to increases in externalizing behaviour amongst the lower educational tracks in mid-adolescence. Childhood IQ and parental SES strongly predicted education around age 14. Parental SES, but not IQ, also predicted early adolescent attention problems and externalizing behaviour. Our results provide support for the health-related selection hypothesis in relation to attention problems and educational attainment. Further, our results highlight the role of social causation from parental SES in determining adolescent educational level, attention problems, and externalizing behaviour.

Meritocracy in Singaporean Educational System: Inequality in Admission to Secondary Schools

This paper explores the fairness of meritocracy concerning admission to secondary schools based on the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) in Singapore. The Ministry of Education has consistently adopted the ideology of meritocracy as so to select talented students, stimulate effort, and optimize the allocation of rewards. The PSLE results can largely determine students’ educational tracks and even career orientation in Singapore. The paper shows how the principle of meritocracy works and how the government uses meritocratic belief in the education system. The paper argues that meritocracy has posed a threat to equality in admission to secondary schools in Singapore. The findings indicate that the meritocratic policy does not recognize both the importance of family SES and the gap between elite schools and neighbourhood schools in the Singapore education system. Students with wealthy and well-educated parents and students in elite schools are more likely to acquire better educational attainment, since they tend to gain more cultural capital from family and social capital from school. The principle of meritocracy fails to allocate opportunities fairly to students and can lead to inequality in education and exacerbate educational stratification.

The role of opportunities to learn in early childhood teacher education from two perspectives: A multilevel model

Early childhood teacher education is considered crucial for the development of professional knowledge. However, little is known about the impacts of teacher educators, especially with respect to domain-specific knowledge in areas like early mathematics education. We investigated the relationship between opportunities to learn as reported by teacher educators and perceived by pre-service teachers and pre-service teachers’ general pedagogical knowledge, mathematics pedagogical content knowledge, and mathematical content knowledge. The sample comprised 909 pre-service teachers from two different teacher education tracks (vocational school vs. university) and their 43 teacher educators. The results provided the first empirical evidence that opportunities to learn reported by teacher educators are highly relevant for pre-service teachers’ knowledge. This strengthens calls to focus on the role of teacher educators in both research and practice.

The Impact of Secondary Education Choices on Mathematical Performance in University: The Role of Non-Cognitive Skills

(1) Background: this study evaluates the most relevant factors affecting the performance in mathematics of university undergraduates. Precisely, the mathematical background of students. Spanish secondary education provides an opportunity to develop this analysis since students can choose between two secondary education tracks with different mathematical content and depth. (2) Methods: a survey was conducted covering personal characteristics, socioeconomic status, academic choices and academic achievement as well as a set of questions aimed to uncover attitudes towards mathematics. Students that show preferences regarding mathematics are prone to choose the track with more mathematical content, creating a potential confusion between training and attitudes towards mathematics. We propose an index of non- cognitive skills related to mathematics to account for this problem. (3) Results: prior background in mathematics plays a role in mathematical performance at university even after correcting for non-cognitive skills related to mathematics. The effects are heterogeneous with respect to gender. (4) Conclusions: choosing a more mathematical-oriented itinerary in secondary education seems to give an edge to students. Our results shed light on the implications associated with the decision of secondary school track choice made by students. Furthermore, they are meant to serve as a guide to improve the design of remedial courses.

Gender inequality in educational performance over the school career: The role of tracking

Previous studies have shown an association between the tracking age and gender inequality in educational performance and attainment, but it remains unclear when and how tracking affects the gender gap in educational outcomes. As differences between boys and girls are not constant across the school-career, tracking early or later in the school career might have different consequences. We examine how gender gaps develop over the school career and how this development differs between early- and late-tracking countries. Microdata on educational achievement and attainment from several cross-national surveys (PIRLS, TIMSS, PISA, PIAAC and ESS), are combined with country-level information on the tracking age. Using a differences-in-differences design, we find that differentiation between educational tracks, irrespective of the age at which it occurs, is beneficial for girls. However, this positive effect is larger when educational systems track late than when they track early, suggesting that compared to early tracking, tracking later is more favourable for female students.

Educational level, attention problems, and externalizing behaviour in adolescence and early adulthood

Abstract Background Social causation as well as health-related selection may contribute to educational gradients in adolescents' attention problems (AP) and externalizing behaviour (EB). From past studies it is unclear which of these mechanisms predominates, as AP and EB have the potential to disrupt adolescents' educational careers, but may also be affected by differences in their social environment. Furthermore, gradients in AP and EB may reflect ‘third variables' already present in childhood, such as parental socioeconomic status (SES) and IQ. We investigated social causation and health-related selection in the development of educational differences in EB and AP. Methods We used data from a Dutch population-based cohort (TRAILS Study; n = 2,229), including measurements of educational level, EB, and AP at ages around 14, 16, 19, 22, and 26 years. First, we evaluated the directionality in longitudinal associations between education, EB, and AP with cross-lagged panel models, with and without adjusting for pre-existing individual differences using fixed effects. Second, we assessed the role of parental SES and IQ in childhood both as confounders in longitudinal associations, and as predictors of AP, EB, and educational level around age 14. Results In fixed effects models, AP, but not EB, consistently predicted decreases in educational level throughout all of adolescence and young adulthood. Regarding social causation, differences in parental SES contributed to increases in EB amongst the lower educational tracks in mid-adolescence. Childhood IQ and parental SES strongly predicted education around age 14. Parental SES, but not IQ, also predicted early adolescent AP and EB. Conclusions We found health-related selection attributable to AP throughout all phases of adolescence and young adulthood. Further, our results highlight the role of social causation from parental SES in determining adolescent educational level, AP, and EB. Key messages AP have the potential to negatively impact adolescents’ educational careers and may trigger downward mobility in the educational system in all phases of adolescence and young adulthood. The results of this study call for actions to reduce the impact of AP on education. Further, it is essential to address the effects of insufficient economic resources on education and mental health.

Gauging the impact of literacy and educational background on receptive vocabulary test scores

The Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) is a widely used test of receptive vocabulary, but no researchers to date have examined the performance of low-educated, low-literate L2 adults, or compared these individuals’ performances to their more highly educated peers. In this study, we used many-facet Rasch analysis and mixed-effects linear regression to determine the impact of educational background and other demographic variables on PPVT test performance. The analyses rely on the performance data of 1,014 adult learners of Dutch as a second language on the Dutch version of the PPVT (PPVT-III-NL). The results show that a substantial proportion of score variance can be attributed to educational background variables and to the educational tracks the participants followed. These tracks, which cater to the needs of different L2 learner profiles, appear to exacerbate rather than mediate any performance differences. Although this study provides evidence of performance differences and differential item functioning resulting from linguistic, demographic, and educational variables, it offers no data to invalidate the use of the PPVT on low-educated L2 adults.

COVID-19 school closures and cumulative disadvantage: Assessing the learning gap in formal, informal and non-formal education.

Reducing physical contact has been the most common strategy adopted by governments to reduce the spread of the COVID‐19 disease. It has led most countries to close their schools. Previous evidence on the effects of teacher strikes, summer holidays, armed conflicts or any other cause of school closure on learning suggest that the effects of COVID‐19 will be highly significant for some and will vary depending on students' previous performance, family characteristics, age or education track, among other factors. Recent evidence shows that learning losses during school closures have been widespread and especially intense among the more disadvantaged students. In this article we evaluate the magnitude of the gap regarding opportunities to learn in formal, informal and non‐formal education between families depending on their cultural and economic capital. An online survey (n = 35,937) was carried out during the second week of the confinement (March 2020) in Catalonia. The survey targeted families with children between three and eighteen years. The responses show remarkable social inequalities in opportunities to learn. In this article, we describe the magnitude of the learning gap between social groups and explore which are the most significant factors that explain educational inequalities. Our findings reveal a process of cumulative disadvantage that results from unequal opportunities in formal, informal and non‐formal education and underline the need to address both school and family factors to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on learning opportunities.

Five Trends That Are Reshaping the Course of American Higher Education

The landscape of higher education has gone through substantial changes due to technological advancements, automation, and shifting learner demographics, further complicated by the pandemic situation. In this paper, I will discuss five trends in higher education: (a) the emergence of parallel tracks of education and training from both higher education institutions and corporates, (b) broader expansion of hybrid education and further separation of time and space in instruction, (c) polarized enrollment and retention between selective and non-selective institutions, (d) reckoning in admissions around equity and diversity, and (e) new paradigms of international education. The five trends will significantly impact how higher education might be evaluated, operated, and reformed.

Gender Aspects of Reproduction of Professional Dynasties in Medicine

The number of female health workers is predominant in the current health care system. However, in terms of the distribution of power and authority, career trajectories, and the culture of relationships, medicine still remains gender-related to men. Reproduction processes of the professional structure of medicine, in which professional dynasties occupy a special place, is also marked by gender differences. Thus, the article addresses the gender specificities of the institutional reproduction of medical dynasties in modern Russia. Based on in-depth interviews with twenty representatives of multigenerational families of doctors from ten cities, gender scenarios for the transmission of professional positions and the gender specificity of using the social and symbolic capital of the dynasty in the context of their reproduction are analyzed. According to the empirical research findings, the dynastic model of marital status transfer maintains and reproduces gender inequality in the medical profession. There is low gender sensitivity in doctors’ dynasties, where women are more likely to be passive or under family pressure to pursue educational and work tracks. The choice of professional specialization is conditioned by gender stereotypes. Career and professional opportunities of women doctors are limited by an imbalance between work and home responsibilities. Dynasty social and symbolic capital investment strategies are less resourceful for women in clinical practice and more effective in academic medicine. The deconstruction of the traditional gender display in the profession is proceeding at a slow pace, while medical dynasties continue to rather reproduce the inequality and male ethics of the medical profession.