Education Policy Research Research Articles

Backtalk: Making policy research matter

Education policy research has produced a wealth of information, but it has been less successful at actually informing education policy. Iris Rotberg notes that the issues addressed by policy research evoke strongly-held value judgments that are more powerful than research findings. But she also suggests steps we can take to strengthen the utility of our research by focusing on issues that are relevant to policy makers and educators, by ensuring that the research is methodologically sound, and by communicating the conclusions and policy implications of research based on the preponderance of evidence.

School climate and the socioeconomic literacy achievement gap: Multilevel analysis of compensation, mediation, and moderation models

Literacy mastery and achievements are central to students’ long-term academic trajectories and future prospects, yet significant achievement gaps persist globally among students and schools of lower socioeconomic status (SES) and their more affluent counterparts. Using a nationally representative sample of fifth- and eighth-grade students in Israel (N = 53,801), this study carefully tested whether schools’ positive social climate could compensate for the negative contribution of poor SES background to literacy scores, mediate the SES–test scores association, or moderate the strength of the association between SES and achievement. Findings indicate that school climate plays an important role in accounting for literacy scores, beyond students’ and schools’ SES. Further, positive climate narrowed the literacy achievement gap among schools catering to high-poverty and more resourced communities, suggesting the importance of using a whole-school approach to improve and sustain positive climate. Additional implications for practice, educational policy, and future research are discussed.

Foucault's governmentality as a conceptual framework for education policy research

Foucault의 통치성 개념은 정책을 해석하기 위한 하나의 분석틀로 받아들여지고 있다. 교육정책 분야에서도 통치성 개념이 활용되기 시작하였으나, 그 범위가 제한적이다. 이 연구는 Foucault의 통치성 개념이 국가, 권력, 지식, 통치, 주체를 이해하는 데 분석적 강점이 있음을 설명한 후, 교육정책의 다양한 쟁점을 읽어낼 수 있는 방안 중 하나로 Dean(1999)의 통치 분석틀을 제안한다. Dean(1999)의 통치 분석틀은 1) 가시성 2) 통치기술 3) 통치지식 4) 정체성의 네 개의 범주에서 교육정책의 통치성을 해석하는 방법을 안내한다. 네 요소의 분석을 위한 구체적인 질문과 예를 <표 1>에 제시한다. 그리고 Foucault의 통치성 개념은 정책담론과 교육실제와의 관계, 기존의 불평등과의 관계, 국가 주도의 교육정책 입안과 집행과정 등을 해석하고자 할 때 한계에 부딪힘을 논의한다. 또한, 통치성 개념이 제공하는 새롭고 비판적인 관점을 드러내기 위해서, 주요 개념들을 명확히 하고, 연구의 맥락에서 새로운 개념, 방법론, 질문을 추가해야 하며, 정책의 평가나 대안의 모색이 아니라 통치방법을 밝히는 데 연구의 초점을 두어야 함을 제언한다.

Intersectional analysis of Advanced Placement Physics participation and performance by gender and ethnicity

Access and performance in advanced high school physics have been persistently inequitable when considering student ethnicity and gender. This quasiexperimental, observational study examined access and performance of students in four Advanced Placement (AP) Physics courses in 2018–2019: AP Physics 1 (N=150 451), AP Physics 2 (N=20 466), AP Physics C Mechanics (N=49 951), and AP Physics C Electricity & Magnetism (N=21 602); this analysis utilized an intersectional lens of ethnicity and gender in identifying enrollment and performance disparities. Descriptive and inferential analyses were conducted to determine whether the distribution of student ethnicities and genders of students who took the examinations was similar to that of U.S. schools. Further analyses were conducted to determine whether achievement on AP Physics examinations varied by 14 unique intersectional groups characterized by gender and ethnicity. Results indicated that AP Physics 1 was a relatively accessible course, though enrollment disparities among genders, ethnicities, and intersectional groups grew as the AP Physics courses became more advanced with physics and/or calculus prerequisites or corequisites. There were large decreases in course enrollments from first- to second-year AP Physics courses, particularly for women who were also underrepresented ethnic minorities. In terms of performance, AP Physics 1 had the lowest overall weighted average, with the majority of students failing the examination. Women who were traditionally underrepresented ethnic minorities were found to have failure rates of over 80% on the AP Physics 1 examination, and failure rates near 50% for AP Physics 2 and the AP Physics C courses compared to nonminority men who had approximately half the failure rates. In most cases, men outperformed women who shared their ethnicities. These results present opportunities for physics education policy makers and researchers to design interventions for students in intersecting marginalized social groups, many of whom have disproportionately low representation and achievement in advanced high school physics, which occurs at a critical juncture in the physics pipeline.Received 2 April 2021Accepted 17 June 2021DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.17.020105Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.Published by the American Physical SocietyPhysics Subject Headings (PhySH)Research AreasDiversity & inclusionEducational policyPhysics Education Research

Technology adoption and human capital: exploring the gender and cross-country impact 1870–2010

ABSTRACT Technology adoption and human capital are crucial determinants of economic growth. Here we use a fixed-effect panel model to measure the link between technology adoption and human capital for a sample of 104 countries since 1870–2010 using (HCCTA) and long-run enrolment ratios and educational attainment datasets. Unobserved heterogeneity factors (institutional, tradition, culture, economy type, educational system, migration, innovation, patents) account for the observed difference across countries/regions. Gender difference plays a role in the technology diffusion–human capital relationship, not a vital one. Advanced economies rode on the first three industrial revolutions, with Eastern Europe catching up on the third and fourth industrial waves. The economies of the East used the fourth industrial revolution to converge and surpass other regions. The results show that technology is necessary but not a sufficient determinant of human capital growth. Selective technology adoption policy, accompanied by supporting educational policy (entrepreneurial and research universities) stimulates technology, diffusion, and knowledge spillover. Our results are robust for including population and growth as significant technology adoption and human capital determinants (conditioning variables). Technology, diffusion, and a human capital link is a two-way street with many constraints.

Challenges with Evaluating Education Policy Using Panel Data during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic

Panel data methods, which include difference-in-differences and comparative interrupted time series, have become increasingly common in education policy research. The key idea is to use variation across time and space (e.g., school districts) to estimate the effects of policy or programmatic changes that happen in some localities but not others. In this commentary we highlight some specific challenges for panel or longitudinal studies of K-12 education interventions during and following the COVID-19 pandemic. Our goal is to help researchers think through the underlying issues and assumptions, and to help consumers of those studies assess their validity.

University-industry collaborations in Pakistan: current challenges and future opportunities

PurposeThis paper aims to identify current challenges that hinder university–industry (U-I) collaboration in Pakistan and presents future opportunities for promoting such collaborations in developing countries.Design/methodology/approachThis exploratory study presents new empirical evidence obtained from Pakistan via a questionnaire survey of 24 universities, 25 interviews with key stakeholders including industry managers and outputs from a high level workshop event.FindingsAlthough there is limited evidence of U-I engagement in Pakistan, the findings show that a lack of coordination between government, universities and industrial firms has hindered knowledge transfer between universities and industry. Such steps as utilising intermediaries to help broker effective collaborations and building trust-based relationships can help in socialising these types of scientific activities.Research limitations/implicationsAny overall conclusions drawn from this exploratory study can only be tentative, as the findings represent a snapshot of current U-I collaboration initiatives in Pakistan.Practical implicationsLess stringent policy interventions from government entities, as well as more universities willing to invite industry input on their board of studies might enable co-development of some university curriculums with industry partners. U-I collaborations could also help to boost innovation efforts in developing country firms.Originality/valueThis paper also offers awareness into benefits of teaching activity collaboration with industry partners, which has been an under explored area of past U-I collaboration studies. The findings should be of interest for both innovation policy and higher education policy researchers.

How do universities recognise student volunteering? A symbolic interactionist perspective on the recognition of student engagement in higher education

ABSTRACT Student volunteering in the higher education context has been studied vastly over the last years. Kahu provided three valuable perspectives on student engagement including the behavioural, the psychological, and the sociocultural perspective on why and how students engage. This study adds a recognition perspective to student engagement, which has so far remained an under-researched topic. In this study, we apply a recognition-sensitive social theory and symbolic interactionist perspective on the topic of student engagement. Empirically, we explore the perspectives of engaged students and lecturers at the largest Austrian university, using semi-structured interviews with N = 18 participants in two fields of practice: student unions and peer mentoring. In the findings, the study identified six categories of student engagement recognition: (1) general expectations relating to recognition, (2) recognition through formal validation in the curriculum, (3) recognition through valorisation using awards, certificates, and confirmations, (4) recognition through bonus points, (5) recognition through institutional support, and (6) the process of recognition. The findings give a differentiated insight into an important and unsolved policy issue in higher education using interview data to show how student volunteering can be recognised in higher education. We conclude the article with recommendations for higher education policy and future research.

Intersectionality for Contextualizing Teachers’ Work in Transnational Education Policy Research

The article argues for intersectionality as analytical concept for transnational education policy analyses of teachers’ work. We first lay out the conceptual and methodological groundwork, and then revisit two case studies of teachers’ work to deepen understanding of the conceptual framework for intersectional transnational education policy analysis. The multi-scaled (individual-relational-systemic) nature of policy processes melds with intertwined oppressive systems to shape who teaches whom what where and why. We draw attention to teaching as work, labor, an occupation, whose contours are being dramatically altered by never-ending crises and neoliberal education projects. We find that the demands of the framework are quite demanding, but promising to theorize change to teachers’ work and their role in policy processes.

Perceptions of District- and School-Level Special Education Leaders on Guardianship and Adult Decision-Making Support

There are many known barriers facing youth with disabilities as they make the transition from high school to their adult lives. One potential barrier receiving increased attention over the last 5 years is guardianship, the court petition-driven process by which adults with disabilities are declared incapacitated (i.e., unable to make or communicate decisions regarding their affairs). The result of this process is the appointment of a surrogate decision-maker known as a guardian. Depending on the nature of the court order, some rights like entering into contracts might transfer to the guardian, other rights may be retained by the “ward,” and other rights like marrying might be removed altogether. Guardianship has been framed as antithetical to the aims of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and contrary to research demonstrating the importance of self-determination for young adults with disabilities. Few studies, however, have examined the perspectives of professionals in special education leadership roles on issues related to special education, guardianship, self-determination, and alternatives to guardianship. This study surveyed professionals in district- and school-level special education leadership roles ( N = 117) to examine their perspectives on what “should” be done and what is actually being done relative to issues surrounding guardianship in their district. Subsequent descriptive and inferential analyses show a stark incongruence between that which professionals value regarding this domain and the current reality of practice in their local areas. Salient findings with important implications for special education policy and future research are presented and discussed.

Essential Components of Physical Education: Policy and Environment

ABSTRACT Purpose: Physical education policies provide guidance and accountability to develop quality programs that increase physical literacy. The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review of physical education policy research to explore its effects on the school environment and programming as an essential component of physical education. Methods: Using the PRISMA guidelines of identify, screen, determine eligibility, and include, studies were extracted from four different databases, using search terms related to the essential physical education component of policy and environment. Of the 225 publications identified, 42 studies met the inclusion criteria for this investigation. Each paper was coded, and emergent themes were identified. Results: The policy research was predominantly descriptive and focused on: (a) minutes in physical education (83%), (b) moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA; 31%), (c) certified/qualified teachers (24%), (d) exemptions (17%), and (e) student-teacher ratio (12%). Emergent themes of adherence, policy strength, and implementation accountability were identified as influential physical education policy aspects. Conclusions: Policy research over the last 20 years was focused on the regulatory mandate of time. Policy research did not directly address disciplinary process variables of learning activities or outcomes of physical education. The effects of policy exemptions and class size were underrepresented. Themes may explain the lack of reporting student performance as the primary outcome. Further research is needed to examine the downstream effects of physical education policy and determine whether well-written policies increase the number of physically literate individuals.

Assessing the Quality of Education Research Through Its Relevance to Practice: An Integrative Review of Research-Practice Partnerships

The contemporary social, economic, and cultural conditions within and outside the academy prompt important questions about the role of research in education policy and practice. Scholars have framed research-practice partnerships (RPPs) as a strategy to promote evidence-based decision-making in education. In this chapter, I interrogate the notion that RPPs offer an insightful framework to consider how the quality of research can be measured through its use. The findings suggest that using RPPs to assess the quality of education research enhances the relevance to policy and practice as well as attention to the quality of reporting, and pivots from the preeminence of methodological quality. RPPs increase local education leaders’ access to research and bolster the use of research. RPPs may also strengthen the alignment between education research and the public good. Notwithstanding, employing RPPs as a vehicle to assess research quality has its challenges. Valuing the work of RPPs in academia is a work in progress. Building and sustaining an RPP is challenging, and there is still much to learn about the ways in which RPPs work and overcome obstacles. Assessing the impact of RPPs is also difficult. Future considerations are discussed.

Does the School Context Really Matter for Teacher Burnout? Review of Existing Multilevel Teacher Burnout Research and Results From the Teaching and Learning International Survey 2018 in the Flemish- and French-Speaking Communities of Belgium

It is widely believed that the school context plays a crucial role in teacher burnout. Against that background, we (1) critically review existing empirical multilevel studies on teacher burnout and (2) use data from the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) 2018 to assess the school-level variance and its correlates in emotional exhaustion, cynical depersonalization, and personal accomplishment in 2,300 primary (183 schools) and 2,700 lower secondary (190 schools) teachers in the Flemish-speaking community of Belgium, and 2,135 lower secondary (120 schools) teachers in the French-speaking community of Belgium. Our results reveal that (1) conceptual confusion exists surrounding school-context variables and (2) the between-school variance in teacher burnout is small. Implications for educational policy and teacher burnout research are discussed.

Critical policy scholarship in education: An overview

This paper presents an overview of critical policy scholarship (CPS) in education. Historically, policy research has been dominated by what is commonly referred to as the policy science tradition, which is positivist in its philosophical stance and instrumentalist in its purpose—it focuses on producing knowledge relevant for policy decisions. However, with the rise of interpretive social inquiry in the 1970s and against the backdrop of unique political developments in the 1980s, CPS emerged as an alternative policy research perspective. This review discusses the scope and foci of CPS in education under four themes: methodological assumptions, interdisciplinary roots, enduring analytical goals, and emerging empirical contexts. Implications of the prevalence of inequality, Big Data and digital panopticon for educational policymaking and policy research are also briefly discussed. The paper concludes that although its foci of analysis have shifted considerably in the last four decades, analytical interest and tools of CPS remain largely unchanged.

Physical Education Policy Research in the United States: Setting a New Orientation

ABSTRACT In this critical reflection, we consider physical education policy research in the United States (U.S.) using a sociocritical lens. Our aim is to extend the discussion and critiques of physical education policy research by exploring how it is conducted in the U.S. Instead of asking ‘What is physical education policy research?’, we are more concerned with the complex, imbalanced, and unpredictable affects of physical education policy research in the U.S. Thus, we ask questions like, ‘How is physical education policy research working in different contexts?’, ‘What counts as policy research?’ and ‘Who is doing policy research?’ We examine how physical education policy research is being taken up across the U.S. and the orientation – or direction – those studies take. As such, we conclude by considering what directions, people, and elements are not included in the current orientation.

Trends in Education Policy Research in Japan

Trends in Education Policy Research in Japan

Applying the Integration Dimensions of Quantitative and Qualitative Methods in Education Policy Research: Lessons Learned From Investigating Micro Policymaking in Norwegian Schools

Qualitative research methods have been predominantly used to understand the complex phenomenon of educational policy enactment at the school level. This article contributes to the field of mixed methods research by applying three dimensions of integration—rationale, study purpose, and research design—to the study of micro-policymaking in schools. By examining these three dimensions, this article contributes to the limited body of mixed-methods models in this field. The findings show that the mixed methods approach provides unique insights into education policy scholarship, thus broadening the understanding of the relations and purposes of accountability and control in education.

Trends in Education Policy Research in Foreign Countries

Trends in Education Policy Research in Foreign Countries

Critical Policy Scholarship in Education: An Overview

This paper presents an overview of critical policy scholarship (CPS) in education. Historically, policy research has been dominated by what is commonly referred to as the policy science tradition, which is positivist in its philosophical stance and instrumentalist in its purpose—it focuses on producing knowledge relevant for policy decisions. However, with the rise of interpretive social inquiry in the 1970s and against the backdrop of unique political developments in the 1980s, CPS emerged as an alternative policy research perspective. This review discusses the scope and foci of CPS in education under four themes: methodological assumptions, interdisciplinary roots, enduring analytical goals, and emerging empirical contexts. Implications of the prevalence of inequality, Big Data and digital panopticon for educational policymaking and policy research are also briefly discussed. The paper concludes that although its foci of analysis have shifted considerably in the last four decades, analytical interest and tools of CPS remain largely unchanged.

Introduction to Special Topic: Rural Education Finance and Policy

This special topic takes stock of the current state of rural education finance and policy research. Taken together the articles in this special topic highlight a major point. Rural districts and schools not only differ from those in urban areas but also differ from one another. This is perhaps not surprising given the heterogeneity of school size, community size, demographics, and the degree of rurality of schools across the United States. The articles pose a challenge for policymakers. Policies that serve one state or one rural community may not be relevant or helpful to another. Policy solutions must recognize the diversity of education challenges across and within states.