Educational Matters Research Articles

Educational boundaries explain strength and variation in global fertility convergence

This paper shows that the level and timing of fertility are converging strongly over different measures of educational attainment using 65 years of data from 146 countries. Global convergence patterns are primarily driven by high-income societies, while sub-Saharan Africa is the world region that is converging most slowly, if not converging at all. Most importantly, levels of education matter heavily for explaining strength and variation in global fertility convergence, with two intersecting educational gradients suggesting: (i) stronger convergence over tertiary education followed, in turn, by secondary and primary; (ii) stronger convergence over education completed relative to education attended. Our findings provide important insights for addressing key challenges in global development and demography, and for informing policymakers as they evaluate the suitability of specific educational policies aimed at further narrowing inequalities between societies—such as supporting higher education as well as the successful completion of targeted educational cycles.

Fostering Tech Integration: Teachers' Attitudes Mediating Lifelong Learning and Technology Integration Self-Efficacy

What matters in education now is teaching and learning in a transformational era. It is primarily about what we demand from education and how we acquire information. To manage the dynamism of learning and teaching, it is crucial to research the teachers’ integration of technology in the context of lifelong education. This study investigates how teachers’ perspectives of lifelong learning and technology attitudes influence technology integration self-efficacy. A structural equation model was constructed to represent the causal relationships between variables. In the 2021-2022 academic year, 386 teachers from various high schools in Eskişehir, Türkiye, were selected using the stratified sampling method. Descriptive analysis and simple linear regression analysis were used to analyze the data, and exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis determined the structural validity of the scales. The validity of the structural equation model was tested by means of path analysis and the model was found to be acceptable. Results show that teacher attitudes mediate between lifelong learning and technology integration self-efficacy, thereby influencing successful technology integration in the classroom. Examining the relationship between teachers’ perceptions of lifelong learning and their level of competence in adapting to technological advances is expected to contribute to relevant studies in this area.

Effect of Parental Involvement by the Headteachers in the Education of their Children on Students Retention in Masinga Sub-County, Kenya

The study focuses on the effect of parents’ involvement by head teachers in the education of their children and students’ retention in secondary school education in Masinga sub – county Kenya. It was guided by the following objective: to determine the extent to which parents’ involvement by the headteachers in the education of their children influences students’ retention in secondary school education. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The study was anchored on Epstein theory. The target population was 50 head teachers,50 deputy head teachers and 5022 form 3 and 4 students. Purposive, stratified proportionate sampling and simple random sampling were employed to sample 25 head teachers, 25 deputy head teachers and 370 students. Data collection instruments included questionnaires for headteachers and students, an interview guide for deputy headteachers and a document analysis guide. Validity of the research instruments was ascertained through expert judgement and piloting. Reliability was achieved through test – retest method where the instruments were piloted in a time interval of two weeks and the two results were correlated using Pearson’s product moment correlation method. Further, inferential analysis was employed that involved correlational analysis at a 0.05 level of significance. The hypothesis was accepted or rejected at 0.01 level of significance. The findings showed that there is a positive correction between parents’ involvement in the education of their children and students’ retention (r = 0.811; p = 0.00), hence the hypothesis was rejected and an alternative hypothesis accepted. The study concluded that the head teachers’ efforts to engage parents in the educational matters positively influence students’ retention. The study recommends that head teachers should use more communication strategies in order to involve all the parents in the education of their children.

예비유아교사의 현장실습을 통한 변혁적 역량 탐구

Objectives The purposes of this study were seek to explore the transformative capabilities of prospective early childhood teachers through early childhood education field practice experiences. Methods The study was conducted using qualitative research methods, and the participants were 15 pre-service early childhood teachers from K University in Gyeonggi-do. Data were collected through play observation records and reflection sheets in 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old classes, and the collected data was divided into high and low categories based on the extracted key keywords and qualitatively analyzed to derive results. Results The transformative competencies of prospective early childhood teachers through field practice were, first, respecting children with a loving heart and attitude as a basic competency, discovering personality and aptitude as an early childhood teacher, and establishing a teaching perspective with expectations of becoming an early childhood teachers. Second, the ability to understand the field was found to be overcoming fear and tension by understanding the field and learners, understanding the teacher's role by integrating knowledge and technology, and acquiring practical knowledge through decision-making in dilemma situations. Third, future response capabilities included practicing adaptability and flexibility according to change, establishing sensitivity to various perspectives through a sense of community, and utilizing information technology by incorporating ideas. Conclusions In order to improve the transformative capabilities of prospective early childhood teachers, the need for a practical program that allows students to experience learning through educational service experience and subject matter connection linked to daycare centers and kindergartens was discussed.

Nexus between Financial Inclusion and Poverty: Does the Country's Education matter? Evidence from Lower-Middle-Income Countries

There are special relations between financial inclusion and social inclusion with the latter being one of the best addressed when people have access to financial services. This paper explores effects of financial access on poverty, while incorporating moderation effects by years of schooling. Therefore, this study utilizes unbalanced panel data of 17 lower-middle-income countries itself and both the above mentioned static and dynamic panel model to conduct a strict panel data analyse. The analysis of data, employing the Composite Financial Inclusion Index (CFII) as an instrument to assess financial inclusion, shows that the level of financial inclusion and poverty in these countries are negatively related and sharply influenced. Also, the study discovers that there is a positive correlation between the financial inclusion, and Poverty reduction after controlling the effects of education attainment. They provide useful recommendations for policymakers, institutions dealing with money, and governments. First, financial services must be brought nearer to the poor populations which can reduce poverty level in the society. Second, a subsequent improvement of the education level is required to achieve the best results for financial inclusion on poverty reduction.

Attitudes toward statistics among business students: Do majors, mathematical background, sex, and field of secondary education matter?

AbstractStatistics knowledge, literacy, and skills are vital to undergraduates' academic and professional careers. Students' attitudes toward statistics play a vital role in their understanding of the importance of statistics. Therefore, it is important to examine their attitude toward statistics. This study investigated the attitude of 153 business students toward statistics and the factors that affect this attitude using the Survey Attitudes Toward Statistics (SATS‐36) scale. It also investigated the relationship between attitudinal components and students' demographic and academic characteristics. Five components underlying students' attitudes toward statistics were identified using exploratory factor analysis. Further, a background in quantitative subjects and demographic characteristics was found to affect students' attitudes toward statistics. The results suggested that statistics should be taught in a more practical way to relate it to students' lives, and teachers must adopt active learning methods in which students work with data and real‐life examples.

Do Video Games Enhance Competencies & Skills? Study Case: Civil Engineering Students

The following article is a text that shows the relevance of including video games as part of an academic technique that promotes coexistence, communication, teamwork, develop some skills, competencies, and creativity among members of the university community -professors and students-. The objective of this research is to show the results obtained in a dynamic organized by the Civil Engineering department of a private university in Puebla, Mexico. The idea is to hold a private session and play “Call of Duty: Warzone II”. It should be noted that with this activity the students can learn a specific content, in this case, the analysis of a hydraulic press, how it is built and how it works. In addition, the activity carried on, helped to create a better bond between teachers and students, but above all, showed the possibilities to generate greater interest in learning and to get the students actively involved in one topic. The theoretical framework on which this research lies in the following topics: Game-Based Learning -GBL-, innovative education focused on video games as community generators, and the importance of the development of certain skills among college students. The methodology that this study has, is quantitative. Particularly, a questionnaire -Likert scale-, is carried out to the students who participated in this dynamic. The main results show that the people who were in the virtual session are excited to interact under another type of scenarios that goes beyond the classroom, and that “breaking” the barrier between teacher and alumni becomes a differentiating and innovative element. In educational matters, they consider that the learning obtained from a video game is something that they had not contemplated; Added to this, the students ensure that working as a team, communicating their needs and doubts between peers, and getting involved in this kind of forums helps generate greater interest in engineering and acquire new knowledge. Finally, it can be concluded that video games nowadays are an indispensable tool not only to foster an online community but to take the teaching and learning process to another level.

Prevention of extremism and terrorism in schools: experience of the republic of Dagestan

The article presents the results of the study of preventive anti-terrorist educational work among students of general education schools of the Republic of Dagestan. It is noted that this work with school youth is carried out systematically and comprehensively with the participation of not only teachers, but also external subjects of preventive influence on adolescents from among representatives of law enforcement agencies, various ministries and departments authorised in the field of youth, information and state national policy, cultural and art figures, representatives of the official Muslim clergy, athletes, deputies, veterans of the Special Military Operation and other public opinion leaders. It was revealed that the main format of this work is a thematic preventive conversation with schoolchildren, that requires certain pedagogical skills and competencies. Using a formalised expert survey of school teachers and a series of research interviews, an assessment of the effectiveness of this activity was identified, as well as problems that hinder the improvement of the quality of anti-extremist educational work with Dagestani youth. Noting the importance and usefulness of this work, the interviewed teachers point to a number of problems and factors that reduce its effectiveness. The workload of teachers with "paperwork", frequent demands for various kinds of reports on the work done, formalism, holding events without taking into account the age and individual characteristics of students, incompetence, lack of understanding and support from the parent community, weak interest in such events from both teachers and schoolchildren and a number of other factors hinder the improvement of the quality of anti-terrorist educational work with Dagestani youth. It seems that the prevention of extremism and terrorism is part of the general educational impact of the comprehensive school institution on a child, raising him to be a moral, law-abiding and patriotic citizen. To improve the quality of this work, it is important to raise the authority of school teachers at the state level, since a teacher without authority is a bad educator for teenagers not only in the area of countering the spread of the ideology of extremism and terrorism, but also in the matter of spiritual, moral and patriotic education in general.

Does Discipline Selection Based on Personal Interest Matter in Higher Education? Reflecting Students’ Perceptions

This study examines students' perceptions of self-interest-based discipline choice and its effect on educational excellence in tertiary education. The main objective was to analyze the effect of self-interest-based discipline selection on educational excellence at the BS level program. A mixed-method approach was adopted. A phenomenological design was applied for the qualitative part while a survey research design was utilized for the quantitative part. The target population consisted of BS (7th & 8th semesters) students from 10 higher education institutions (HEIs) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Word Cloud and Thematic Analysis were used for qualitative data analysis, while Pearson (r) and Linear Regression were applied as inferential statistics for the quantitative part. The findings reveal a moderate positive association between self-interest-based discipline selection and academic success. Recommendations include encouraging learners to choose discipline aligned with their self-interest instead of relying on others. Parents, teachers, and other stakeholders should respect learners' interests.

COP28 roadmap: Do ICT, education, and renewable energy consumption matter for environmental quality? Quantile evidence for emerging economies

Renewable energy consumption (REC) is not the only potent tool that can ameliorate the difficulties associated with rising CO2 emissions and ecological distortions. Besides, the role of ICT penetration and education on environmental quality cannot be overshadowed by their contributions to economic growth and improved human well-being. This study scrutinizes the effects of ICT, education, and REC on the ecological footprint (EF) and CO2 emissions in the IMF-selected emerging economies. The study utilizes three variables for the ICT index, computed through principal component analysis. The augmented mean group estimator results suggest that ICT, education, and REC reduce the EF, whereas FDI contributes significantly to environmental degradation. On the flip side, ICT reduces CO2 emissions and EF in both the medium and upper quantiles. It suggests that ICT penetration heals the environment and that a higher level of ICT consumption could be a panacea for sustainable development in emerging economies. The causality results show evidence of a feedback causality between economic growth, REC, and CO2 emissions. However, a unidirectional causality flows from economic growth and FDI to EF. Finally, to maximize the benefits associated with the positive effects of REC and ICT on environmental betterment, several renewable energy and ICT policies have been mentioned and discussed.

Can patient education initiatives in primary care increase patient knowledge of appropriate antibiotic use and decrease expectations for unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions?

Healthcare globally is increasingly threatened by antibiotic resistance. Misunderstanding of the appropriate use of antibiotics is common within the general population, therefore patient education could be a useful tool to employ against antibiotic resistance. Patient satisfaction with healthcare is important, and antibiotic awareness is crucial to avoid disappointment when antibiotic stewardship is practiced. This review aims to identify whether patient education is an effective tool to improve knowledge and awareness of the appropriate use of antibiotics and whether it has an effect on expectations of or prescription rates of antibiotics. Embase, Medline, Web of Science, PubMed, and Cochrane Library were searched to identify studies examining the impact of various forms of patient education on awareness of appropriate antibiotic use and antibiotic prescription rates. Reference lists of eligible studies were also screened. Three hundred and fourteen unique studies were identified, of which 18 were eligible for inclusion. All studies were of good quality. Three studies examined public health campaigns, five examined leaflets, two examined posters, three examined videos, four used mixed interventions and one study examined a presentation. The results were too heterogenous to perform a meta-analysis. Patient education is an effective tool to increase public knowledge and awareness of the appropriate use of antibiotics, and can reduce the expectation of or prescription rates of antibiotics. The form of patient education matters, as interventions involving active learning and engagement demonstrate significant positive outcomes, whereas passive forms of learning do not appear to have any effect on understanding or prescriptions.

School readiness profiles: Does the quality of preschool education matter?

Studies evaluating school readiness profiles and quality of early education are scarce and have produced inconsistent results. This study aimed to identify school readiness profiles, correlating them with the quality of education, in an epidemiological sample of 722 children (4 and 5 years old; 48.9% female). A four-class latent class analysis model best describes school readiness profiles. Fifty-eight percent of children were considered ready for school. The remaining children presented isolated or combined risks for academic underachievement and social maladjustment. High-quality preschools seem to be a protective factor only for at risk for poor academic achievement (OR = 1.22). The prioritization of high-quality preschools could mitigate risk factors at the family and socioeconomic levels, increasing the chances for academic success. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

School inspectors’ perspectives of their instructional leadership support to schools in Zimbabwe

Over the past 2 decades, worldwide research has established that the district office of education matters. Various policy initiatives are directing district offices to shift from limited managerial functions and begin to directly support learner instruction. The intention of this article, therefore, was to tease the question: How do school inspectors provide instructional leadership support to schools in Zimbabwe? Guided by the instructional leadership conceptual framework, we employed a qualitative research methodology in which we used 2 case studies focusing on 6 officers purposively drawn from 2 district offices in the Masvingo province of Zimbabwe. Data collection tools used were document analysis and semi-structured interviews. The findings indicate that school inspectors carried out school staffing; spearheaded need-driven circuit-level and district-level professional development; instituted supervision of schools; supported school development efforts; and ensured stakeholder and partner engagement. But school inspectors provided limited support to scaffold learner instruction. To improve district instructional leadership support at school level, we recommend strategic human and material resource mobilisation and utilisation. Inevitably, more research is needed to allow deeper insight into the observed inadequacies of the current district office in Zimbabwe.

Tinjauan Yuridis Normatif Perlindungan Anak dalam Perspektif Konsep Hadhanah dan Undang-Undang Nomor 35 Tahun 2014

This study aims to explain the concept of Islamic law through the concept of hadhanah in the effort to protect Indonesian children. In Law No. 35 of 2014, which has been ratified by the government, it is emphasized that the protection of Indonesian children from all forms of discrimination and violence is a priority. Since the majority of people in Indonesia are Muslim, Islamic values and standards certainly influence the upbringing and education of children. Child neglect is one form of maltreatment and violence experienced by children and constitutes a violation of children's human rights, whether intentional or unintentional. A normative juridical research method, which is based on library research, is used as the research methodology. Based on the research findings, Islamic law itself teaches how to protect children, and the government, society, and parents have a very important role in establishing policies that benefit children and uphold human rights. The results of this study indicate that Law No. 35 of 2014 has fulfilled the concept of hadhanah in Islamic jurisprudence and has involved all parties in protecting children. This law also explains child protection in the fields of religion, health, education, and social matters.

Praktikalitas Lembar Kerja Peserta Didik (LKPD) Terintegrasi Islam Dalam Mengembangkan Karakter Positif Siswa Madrasah

The subject matter of national education and Islamic education cannot be separated from character education. The research that has been conducted aims to produce teaching materials in the form of Learner Worksheets (LKPD) integrated with Islamic values that are practical to develop students' positive character on the material of enumeration rules. The type of research used is development research (Research and Development / R&D) using the ADDIE model. The instrument in this study is a practicality sheet, namely a teacher response questionnaire. The teaching materials developed obtained a practical level of practicality with an average of 79.625%. Thus, the teaching materials in the form of Islamic values-integrated mathematics LKPD related to enumeration rules material developed are practical to develop positive character of students in class XII SMA/MA.

Does higher vocational education matter for rural revitalization? Evidence from China

The association between higher vocational education and rural revitalization is an essential economic and social issue, especially in a country with a large population and a developing education system like China. This study uses panel data from 30 provinces in China from 2007 to 2020 to explore the association between higher vocational education and rural revitalization. The empirical results show that, at the national level, both the scale and the quality of higher vocational education significantly promote rural revitalization; the effects of higher vocational education on rural revitalization vary by region: in the eastern and central regions, the scale of higher vocational education significantly promotes rural revitalization, while in the western regions, the quality of higher vocational education significantly promotes rural revitalization; the scale of higher vocational education has a positive spatial spillover effect on rural revitalization, while the quality of higher vocational education only has a significant positive effect on the local level of rural revitalization. Furthermore, the effects of higher vocational education on rural revitalization exhibit a threshold effect based on the economic development level and the urban-rural income gap. This study reveals relationships between higher vocational education and rural revitalization, providing references for policymakers and investors.

Croning academics: menopause matters in higher education

ABSTRACT This writing is born out of our experiences of becoming older women, academy hags, facing the performative demands of the neoliberalizing patriarchal university. We are raging. With the figure of the Crone, and feminist-killjoy-croning as our creative and livid research method (Ahmed, S. 2023. Feminist Killjoy. London: Penguin Random House), we squeeze time out/with impossible university spaces and schedules to tend to grey matters. This paper traces the normalization of menopause policies in workplaces and universities, following the social trending and capitalization of menopausal and ageing matters. We question what menopause policies do and argue they constitute a failed project for the advancement of gender equality and should be abandoned. Inspired by Barad’s (2021. “Dialogue with Karen Barad Dialogues on Agential Realism.” In Dialogues on Agential Realism: Engaging in Worldings through Research Practice, edited by H. P. Juelskjær and A. W. Stine, 118–141. London: Taylor and Francis) call to engage in ‘spacetimemattering’, we create webs of entanglement through the objects of university menopause policies. We grey, fade out/ fit in, sweat, bleed, scowl. Powered by fury and frustration, we scrape away the genealogical underpinnings of menopausal bodyminds.

Women’s leadership matters in education for planetary health

Women in higher education are in critical positions for preparing future healthcare professionals to support the health of people and the planet. However, women’s leadership remains an under-explored area in education for planetary health (EPH) literature. This article articulates, through a review of empirical and theoretical literature, that it is vital to highlight women’s perspectives as leaders of EPH. We argue that women are well positioned for developing and delivering EPH, and that exploring women’s leadership in EPH will nuance understandings of the gendered challenges that leaders in this field face. We propose that women’s leadership in EPH can be enhanced through celebrating role models as well as improving access to partnership, funding, and research opportunities. This article adds women to the agenda of the diverse voices that need to be heard for advancing EPH, inspiring others to join the growing collective of educators partnering for the health of people and the planet.

International remittances and labor supply in Nigeria: Do educational attainment and household income matter?

AbstractThe effect of remittances on the labor supply decisions of recipients remains a subject of contention. To contribute to the debate, we investigate how the educational attainment and household income of remittance recipients shape their decisions to work. Using data from the 2018–2019 living standard measurement survey for over 61,000 Nigerians and applying the instrumental variable probit and Tobit techniques, we find that remittances are associated with an occupational switch from agriculture to nonagricultural (paid jobs and nonfarm enterprises) works. Specifically, the results show that remittance recipients are more likely to exit or reduce the hours worked on the farm, regardless of educational attainment and household income status. On the other hand, remittances promote labor supply to paid jobs and nonfarm enterprises, especially among the less educated in Northern Nigeria. In terms of household income, the positive effect of remittances on nonfarm jobs only holds for individuals in the top income quartile, regardless of their region of residence. Our findings are robust to alternative estimation techniques and hold important cues for policymakers.

Does higher education matter in mitigating chronic disease Mortality? evidence from MENA countries with consideration of Globalization, economic Growth, and environmental pollution

This study investigates the relationship between higher education and mortality rates from chronic and fatal diseases in MENA countries from 2000 to 2020. Utilizing a robust panel econometric framework with Generalized Least Square, Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FMOLS), and Dynamic Ordinary Least Squares (DOLS), we analyze empirical data while controlling for globalization, CO2 emissions, and GDP per capita. Our findings reveal a significant negative correlation between education and mortality rates, paralleled by similar trends for globalization and GDP per capita. Conversely, CO2 emissions are found to increase mortality rates, highlighting the detrimental impact of environmental degradation on public health. This underscores the pivotal role of education, globalization, and economic development in reducing mortality rates associated with chronic and fatal diseases. The study advocates for increased investments in education and healthcare infrastructure to address disparities and enhance public health outcomes, alongside promoting responsible globalization practices to further improve health metrics.