High Aspirations Research Articles

Catch the Internationalization Train”: The Impact of Internationalization on Administrators’ Decision Making in Georgia

Over the past few decades, education institutions have responded to the challenges and opportunities of globalization through the process of internationalization. This qualitative study explores how administrators in higher education institutions in the country of Georgia understand and practice internationalization. Though often overlooked in internationalization studies, administators play a key role as interpreters of internationalization, government policies, and their institutional mission. Though respondents defined internationalization in a variety of ways, there was considerable overlap in practice. Their institutions employ several common tools of internationalization (e.g., exchange programs, collaborative research, benchmarking). Georgian administrators sought to enhance academic quality by facilitating an intercultural environment on the domestic campus, usually through mobility programs. HEIs in the study also use internationalization to evaluate their institutions, improve university practices, and compete more effectively. When making decisions, participants find themselves balancing government expectations, their university mission, and contextual constraints. Given Georgian universities’ high aspirations and limited budgets, it is recommended that administrators prioritize internationalization opportunities that can serve multiple purposes. It is also recommended that administrators consider ways to internationalize the curriculum and promote internationalization at home so that a wider array of students and staff can benefit from the university’s internationalization activities.

Explaining the educational aspirations-expectations mismatch among middle school students: the role of parental expectations, attitudinal and demographic factors

ABSTRACT Aspirations and expectations are conceptually and empirically different. Given their differential impact on various educational outcomes, it is expected that they, and consequently their convergence, would be affected by different factors. This study examines the factors leading to high aspirations, high expectations and to their alignment by using cross-sectional data on 7th and 8th grade students in Qatar. Results from our study demonstrate that aspirations are affected by attitudinal factors and student grades alone, while expectations are significantly influenced by demographic factors (ethnicity, gender, school type, parent occupation). Parental expectations are influential in shaping student expectations but not student aspirations. The alignment of high aspirations with high expectations were determined by parental expectations, student grades and attitudinal factors. It appears that parental expectations play a critical role in bringing together high aspirations and high expectations. These results, the implications of the research and suggestions for future research are discussed further.

Achieving global biodiversity goals by 2050 requires urgent and integrated actions

Achieving global biodiversity goals by 2050 requires urgent and integrated actions

Reducing or Widening the Gap? How the Educational Aspirations and Expectations of Turkish and Majority Families Develop During Lower Secondary Education in Germany

Differences in educational goals between immigrants and the majority population have often been analysed at specific stages in their educational career. Little is known about longitudinal trajectories and the development of group differences over time. By applying common explanations (immigrant optimism, relative status maintenance, blocked opportunities, ethnic networks and information deficits), we derived specific hypotheses about the development of educational aspirations and expectations over time, focusing on families from Turkey. We drew upon data from the National Educational Panel Study to assess how aspirations and expectations for the highest school degree develop over the course of lower secondary education in Germany’s stratified school system. Applying a multi-actor perspective, we observed trajectories reported by students and their parents. First, we analysed the development of group differences. In line with prior research, we found higher aspirations and expectations for Turkish students and their parents at the beginning of lower secondary education in Germany once social background and achievement differences were controlled for. Origin gaps for students’ expectations and parents’ aspirations decreased over the course of lower secondary education. Second, intraindividual trajectories of aspirations and expectations revealed that parents of Turkish origin were more likely to experience downwards adaptations than majority parents, whereas students of Turkish origin were more likely to hold stable high aspirations and expectations than majority students.

Assessment of the 2014 Pilot Sokoto State Schools Feeding Programme vis-à-vis Pupils’ Interest to Enrol in School and their Aspiration to Complete Basic Education

This study ascertained if there was any difference in interest to enrol in school and to complete basic education between pupils on the Sokoto State pilot feeding programme and those not on the programme. Ten schools were selected for the study and school interest and aspiration questionnaire (reliability .74) was used to collect data from 381 proportionately selected respondents from a population of 56,339. Chi-square test was used to analyse the collected data. Findings from the study revealed that there was a significant difference in the interest to enrol in school – χ2 (35, N = 381) = 230.67, p = .00), and the aspiration to complete basic education – χ2 (33, N = 381) = 269.39, p = .00), between pupils on the Sokoto State pilot schools feeding programme and those not on the programme. The study found that the pupils on the pilot programme had higher interest to enrol in school and higher aspiration to complete basic education than those not on the programme. It was therefore concluded that the pilot school feeding programme has proven to be an effective tool in increasing the enrolment of pupils and improving their aspiration to complete basic education The study recommends that the programme be implemented in all primary schools in the state and that sensitization of parents on the need to enrol and retain their children at school should be a periodic and continuous process.

Hubungan Intensitas Menonton Tayangan Kriminal di Sosial Media Terhadap Kenakalan Remaja (Bullying) di Kelas VIII-B MTs. Al-Muhtadi Sendangagung Paciran Tahun 2018

Crime or crime is not a hereditary event (innate from birth, inheritance) nor is it a biological inheritance. Things that encourage someone to commit a crime, namely the inability to adjust economically (maladjustment) and ambitions that are not in accordance with abilities or can be called discrepancies. Modern society which is very complex fosters high material aspirations and is often accompanied by unhealthy social ambitions. For example, when someone wants branded goods such as a capital city artist but is unable to achieve it in a reasonable way, this will encourage someone to commit criminal acts. Criminal acts are actions that violate the rule of law and norms in society. This research was conducted using a qualitative descriptive approach. Bogdan and Taylor define qualitative research as research that produces descriptive data in the form of written or spoken words from people and observable behavior. The results showed that the intensity of watching criminal shows on social media of class VIII-B students had a fairly high ratio or level. Based on research that at least respondents have watched criminal shows at least once a day, when once a day is done continuously, for days, the intensity will change to frequent. Likewise, students' interest in the use of social media.

Higher education and career aspirations among secondary school students in Southern Ethiopia

ABSTRACT The objective of the present research was to identify the level of aspiration of secondary school students to join higher education and their career preferences. Quantitative data were collected from secondary school students in Wolaita Sodo town, Southern Ethiopia. The results have shown that students have high aspiration to join higher education institutions. While most students prefer to join public higher education institutions, larger number of students disclosed their interest to join higher education institutions located in/nearer to their locality. Furthermore, having the finding that most students choose to be remembered for being an outstanding student in the school added to increased consideration of reaching at the highest level of education as the most preferred avenue to upward social mobility, we found a higher place of academic achievement in the value system of high school students in the study area.

Comment on: On the role of data, statistics and decisions in a pandemic statistics for climate protection and health—dare (more) progress!

In the Corona pandemic, it became clear with burning clarity how much good quality statistics are needed, and at the same time how unsuccessful we are at providing such statistics despite the existing technical and methodological possibilities and diverse data sources. It is therefore more than overdue to get to the bottom of the causes of these issues and to learn from the findings. This defines a high aspiration, namely that firstly a diagnosis is carried out in which the causes of the deficiencies with their interactions are identified as broadly as possible. Secondly, such a broad diagnosis should result in a therapy that includes a coherent strategy that can be generalised, i.e. that goes beyond the Corona pandemic.

The effect of motive-goal congruence on adolescents’ academic goal engagement and disengagement

Academic achievement is an important developmental goal during adolescence. Two independent factors involved in academic motivation are implicit motives and explicit goals. In this study, we examined whether high school students’ (N = 213) implicit achievement motive, explicit achievement goals, and their interactions were associated with academic goal engagement and disengagement. Our findings showed that academic goal engagement and disengagement were associated with explicit achievement goals only, and not with the implicit achievement motive. However, interactions between the implicit achievement motive and grade aspiration (i.e., a specific explicit achievement goal) revealed that individuals with a low implicit achievement motive can still attain high goal engagement if they have a high grade aspiration. We also found that motive-goal congruence was associated with lower goal disengagement. Overall, these findings suggest that explicit achievement goals and specific academic goals play a dominant role in goal engagement behavior in the structured setting of high schools, and may allow youth to overcome the constraints of having a low implicit achievement motive.

50th Anniversary of TPRC—Research Conference on Communications, Information and Internet Policy: Looking Ahead to the Next 50 Years

50th Anniversary of TPRC—Research Conference on Communications, Information and Internet Policy: Looking Ahead to the Next 50 Years

Urban Materiality and Social Change: Mapping the Urban Reality in Mahesh Dattani’s the Big Fat City

Mahesh Dattani’s The Big Fat City (2014) is a representative work of contemporary Indian English Drama that explores the changing mindscape due to urban conditions. This paper is an attempt to evaluate the performance and performativity of the urban inhabitants and their consequential transformation. The paper explores the play at the cross-section of performance studies and urban theory to highlight the influence of ever evolving and fast paced life of city on its inmates with high aspirations, who gradually get stuck in the labyrinthine life with its compulsions. City as a social force works as an organic entity and presents an ambivalent vision of human relationship. Whenever characters fail in realising the pulse beat of time and the changing social system, they meet their predicament that ends in miseries and sufferings. Keywords: Urban Materiality, City Space, Performance Studies, Contemporary Indian English Drama, Mindscape

BUILDING QUALITY EDUCATION IN PESANTREN THROUGH STRENGTHENING HUMAN RESOURCES PERFORMANCE

This study aims to analyze the performance of human resources in improving the quality of education in Islamic boarding schools. This study uses a qualitative approach to the type of case study. Data collection techniques are carried out through interviews, observation, and documentation. The data analysis procedure was carried out interactively, starting with data collection, presentation, reduction, and concluding. The results of the study show that the performance of human resources in improving the quality of education in Islamic boarding schools is carried out through the competence of administrators in various fields, high aspirations, and support from leaders. This research provides implications about the importance of effective performance in realizing organizational goals.

I Am a Child of Gods

I Am a Child of Gods

Applying High-Resolution Impedance Manometry for Detecting Swallowing Change in Anterior Cervical Spine Surgery Patients.

BackgroundObjectively detecting perioperative swallowing changes is essential for differentiating the reporting of subjective trouble sensations in patients undergoing anterior cervical spine surgery (ACSS). Swallowing indicates the transmission of fluid boluses from the pharynx (velopharynx, oropharynx, and hypopharynx) through the upper esophageal sphincter (UES). Abnormal swallowing can reveal fluid accumulation at the pharynx, which increased the aspiration risk. However, objective evidence is limited. High-resolution impedance manometry (HRIM) was applied for an objective swallowing evaluation for a more detailed analysis. We aimed to elucidate whether HRIM can be used to detect perioperative swallowing changes in patients undergoing ACSS.MethodsFourteen patients undergoing elective ACSS underwent HRIM with the Dysphagia Short Questionnaire (DSQ, score: 0–18) preoperatively (PreOP), on postoperative at day 1 (POD1), and postoperative at day seven (POD7). We calculated hypopharyngeal and UES variables, including hypopharyngeal mean peak pressure (PeakP) and UES peak pressure, representing their contractility (normal range of PeakP, 69–280 mmHg; peak pressure, 149–548 mmHg). The velopharynx-to-tongue base contractile (VTI) was also calculated (normal range, 300–700 mmHg.s.cm), indicating contractility. The swallowing risk index (SRI) from HRIM combined with four hypopharyngeal parameters, including PeakP, represents the global swallowing function (normal range, 0–11). A higher SRI value indicated higher aspiration.ResultsSRI was significantly higher on POD1 (10.88 ± 5.69) than PreOP (6.06 ± 3.71) and POD7 (8.99 ± 4.64). In all patients, PeakP was significantly lower on POD1 (61.8 ± 18.0 mmHg) than PreOP (84.9 ±34.7 mmHg) and on POD7 (75.3 ± 23.4 mmHg). The UES peak pressure was significantly lower on POD1 (80.4 ± 30.0 mmHg) than PreOP (112.9 ± 49.3 mmHg) and on POD7 (105.6 ± 59.1 mmHg). Other variables, including VTI, did not change significantly among the three time points. DSQ scores were 1.36, 3.43, and 2.36 at PreOP, POD1, and POD7 respectively.ConclusionsWith similar trends in DSQ and SRI, swallowing was significantly decreased on POD1 because of decreased hypopharyngeal and UES contractility but recovered to the preoperative state on POD7 after ACSS. Applying HRIM is superior to DSQ in detecting mechanisms and monitoring the recovery from swallowing dysfunction.Clinical Trial RegistrationThe study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03891940).

Explaining EU influence in international environmental negotiations

ABSTRACT The aim of this paper is to explain variation in the EU’s influence on specific issues negotiated in international environmental forums. Analysing twelve issues in the United Nations Environment Assembly, the Convention on Biological Diversity as well as the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions, the paper identifies combinations of conditions that explain the EU’s level of influence. Through a qualitative comparative analysis, it studies the impact of the EU’s ambition, flexibility and isolation on the EU’s influence. It finds a high ambition combined with a low isolation as a key explanation of the EU’s high influence. For the EU’s low level of influence, a variety of causal paths are possible, such as a low ambition combined with a low degree of flexibility. The paper’s primary data source are interviews with EU delegates, who were closely involved in the negotiations.

Colorado clean energy policy landscape: A case study

For decades, countries, states, and municipalities have established energy policies to address local air pollution and global climate change goals. The thousands of policies and measures enacted globally take various forms but are aimed at different sectors of the economy. These policies are the result of a complicated process of analysis, budgeting, management, and politics. Still, greenhouse gas emissions have continued to rise globally. Good models remain rare that bridge the gap between high level aspirations and implementation. The U.S. state of Colorado offers an example over the last two years for bridging the aspiration and implementation gap. This paper provides an overview of the recent legislative sessions, and how the policies enacted support the Colorado Climate Change Roadmap.

Relevant Transformative Teacher Education for Future Generations

In this article, we investigate the need for a relevant transformative teacher education when current and future societal challenges have been decisive in defining a Norwegian education reform where interdisciplinarity in specific topics is judged crucial to current and future generations in the new National Curriculum. At the same time, Norwegian teacher education is criticized for not teaching relevant content and, hence, contributing to schools’ challenges to teach for future needs. This study is part of a larger research project engaging with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and OECD’s call for 21st Century Skills. The data material analyzed for this article is two-fold: (1) Regulatory documents for schools and teacher education account for the mandate given both educational levels, particularly examining similarities and differences in addressing interdisciplinary themes, methods, and assessments; (2) Questionnaire responses from 906 teachers, 155 student teachers, and 121 teacher educators respond to how they work with interdisciplinary education. The mandate assigned to the different levels of the education sector initially displays high ambitions for relevant education for a rapidly changing future. However, entering into the details, curricula seem contradictory at different educational levels, conservative, and with limited intentions of moving toward new and needed skills. Teachers are in general positive to interdisciplinary work, understand the significance to both society and individual, yet traditional activities of teaching prevail. Student teachers also judge interdisciplinary work as important but report little exposure during their teacher education. Teacher educators conduct interdisciplinary work mainly on their own but report a willingness to learn from colleagues. This study illustrates interest in, yet challenges with, interdisciplinary work across educational levels, and indicates a need for relevant transformative teacher education to be at the forefront, making educational content and methods responsive to the challenges future generations of teachers need.

Separating History and Fiction

Separating History and Fiction

STUDY OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS AND CERTAIN PERSONAL FACTORS OF B.TECH. STUDENTS

India is a secular and democratic country, which provides freedom to each and every individual to choose their own life style, type of education and vocation. Thus, our society is divided into different socio-economic groups. As per the government statistics nearly 15% of total population of our country belongs to the higher socio- economic status. It may not be considered as good sign but on the other hand about one third of total population is still deprived of even basic needs like food, clothing and shelter. In such conditions, it is extremely difficult for them to send their children for education in schools. However, the major chunk of Indian population belongs to middle class.The people of this group always try to imitate the life style of higher socio economic status group. Thus, in the hope of matching their standards with this group, they work hard and in many cases they succeed in doing so by achieving success in their respective areas.While on the other hand this competitive attitude leads them in the troubles and frustration in majority of cases. People belonging to this group don't have enough money to bear the expenditure incurred on quality school education, which is considered as the key of success for higher and professional education.This is the basic factor which creates a dilemma.Because of financial constraints,majority people of our country despite having high aspirations and the desire to receive and excel in professional and higher education are unable to fulfill their wishes.Professional courses like B.Tech., MBBS and B.D.S. are the most popular and most attractive among the Indian masses. The people who are in these professions enjoy the great respect and social approval in the society. Doctors are considered as the God on the earth. One of the most important factors, which provide these professions social approval, is that they yield high monitory returns, glamorous life style and opportunity to go abroad. Studies conducted in the related areas show that SES plays a pivotal role in the achievement of the students in the field of education. Mehrotra, S.A. (1986) found out that in both boys and girls there was a positive relationship between SES of the family of the students and academic achievement. Jain, S.P. and Shah, l. M. (1974) revealed that family background also aspires for the professional education; Mangat, D. (1988) studied the relationship between socio-economic status and academic achievement and SES and found that SES exhibited a significant relationship with academic achievement. Jayaram, N. (1976) found out that the admission to higher professional education is based on socio-economic background and ability to afford the financial constrains of social courses. Further it has also been found that those students selected in higher education were overwhelmingly a meritorious lot, and continued it in merit and latter academic performance as well. Thus, it is clear that the students belonging to higher socio-economic status tend to qualify more for B.Tech.,MBBS,and B.D.S.other professional courses.

The Problem of Drug addiction in India: Its Consequences and Effective measures

Drug Addiction is a very severe problem in the Indian region which is affecting all aspects of the society. It has received greater attention in recent times due to the proliferating magnitude of the problem and the changing trends in usage of drugs particularly in youth. Drugs have started breeding their own sub-culture, which has its own norms, values, behaviour and symbols. This problem deteriorates an individual’s health and happiness of an individual, the family, the community and the society. Today, there is no part of the world that is free from the curse of drug trafficking and drug addiction. Drug Addiction is not confined to a single person or region. Its number could be varied and found in any age, gender, ethnicity, social class or religion. As a matter of fact, the tentacles of drug addiction have spread world widely covering every country in the world. There are various factors like peer pressure, masses high aspirations, unemployment and changing societal order are continuously enhancing this particular menace. The present study therefore aims to study the distinctive consequences behind the problem of drug addiction which impacts the masses physically, psychologically, economically and socially. It also manifests some possible solutions that could be taken by family, community, friends and society to eradicate this problem.
 Keywords: Drug Addiction, Drug Abuse, Drug Usage, Impacts of Drugs.