The Moral Competence Test: An examination of validity for samples in the United States

The Moral Competence Test (MCT) was designed over 30 years ago to provide a resource for educators interested in conducting cross-cultural studies of moral development and education. Since its origin, it has been translated into at least 30 languages and used in hundreds of studies. However, few studies provide evidence to support the use of the test in the US. The test’s designer identified three criteria for evaluating the construct validity of the test and its primary scores: do correlations of stage scores reflect a simplex structure, do ratings follow the theoretical order of stages, does the test differentiate preferences and structures of reasoning. We use these criteria and evidence of criterion and content validity to assess the validity of the MCT. We present results from two US samples (n = 772). Results analyzing the test author’s criteria support the semantic validity of the test, however, evidence of criterion validity raise questions about the C-score as a measure of moral competence. After controlling for stage preferences, the C-score was negatively related to democratic attitudes and positively related to dogmatism.     

Evaluation of university instructors in the United States: The context

This paper provides an overview of the context within which the teaching function in U.S. universities is carried out. It includes a conceptual scheme for the evaluation of instruction and suggests ways of analyzing evaluation in terms of (a) those components of the scheme which pertain to the instructor and his institutional context, and of (b) those which pertain to the institution and its societal context. The paper ends with advice for university administrators wishing to devise and implement evaluation for instructional improvement.Currently on leave as Visiting Senior Researcher, Ministry of Education, Jerusalem, Israel.     

高等教育国际化背景下我国出国留学现状及分析

高等教育国际化发展是当代高等教育发展的世界趋势,我国高等教育也必然在国际化的视野下发展。高等教育国际市场背景下中国学生出国留学呈现与日俱增的现状,我国学生出国留学存在我国高等教育供需失衡与跨境配置,单一的教育模式与人才多元化发展需求的矛盾,我国高等教育市场分割与社会阶层流动,我国学生出国留学人才流失问题。     

The duty to succeed: honor versus happiness in college and career choices of East Asian students in the United States

To better understand factors underlying educational and career choices, this study used both survey data from an online networking tool and data collected in college classrooms to gauge differences between Asians (primarily Korean) and white students in the United States. More Asians (41%) than whites (9%) prioritized prestige over happiness, while more white students (67%) than Asian‐American students (28%) deemed happiness as paramount in selecting a college. When assessing their parents, more Asian Americans thought their mothers (51%) and fathers (34%) emphasized prestige in choosing a college than white mothers (9%) and fathers (17%). In addition, Asian parents were assessed as much more prone to stress the importance of financial independence in career selection while white parents were perceived as prioritizing career enjoyment. Certain parenting techniques were much more common among Asians, such as reminding children of parental sacrifices made for the next generation, teaching them that academic performance is a matter of family honor and prodding academic success by comparing their accomplishments with those of children of family and friends. These findings may reflect a conscious strategy to overcome racial discrimination if education is seen as the primary path to upward social mobility. Awareness of the social and emotional cost of the staunch emphasis on the duty to succeed is important for those involved in educating and providing career counseling for college students with an Asian family background. Acknowledgement of pressure to honor parental expectations of narrowly defined acceptable academic and career achievement should be a part of counseling sessions that might otherwise focus exclusively on individual aspirations without due recognition of an interdependent, collectivistic orientation where upholding family expectations is integral to perceived success.     

The incidence of non-return among foreign students in the United States

This article presents a comprehensive concenptual and empirical analysis of non-return among foreign students in the United States. Non-return rates are constructed for 69 source countries using administrative microdata from the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (various years). The conceptual analysis extends the Roy-model formulation of Borjas (1987, 1992) to the return decision of the foreign student. The empirical analysis finds that the variation in non-return rates across source countries is explained by differences in economic and political conditions in the source countries. The article also reports indirect evidence of skill sorting among foreign students who stay in the United States.     

Asian Students in the United States: Lessons That Can be Learned

This article is the result of a research review of Chinese-American students' academic performance. The key research questions are: 1) How are Asian students, especially Chinese-American students, doing academically in the United States compared with other American students? 2) How do they do well and why do they excel? 3) What are the main factors that contribute to their outstanding performance? In answering these questions, endeavours and attempts are made to explain reasons why they are doing well and to provide findings in search of factors affecting their advantages. The major purposes are to present to Singaporean and other Asian students the lessons they can learn from Chinese-American students to succeed academically and socially.     

The development and predictors of a preference for strivers over naturals in the United States and China

Across three pre-registered studies (n = 221 4–9-year olds, 51% female; 218 parents, 80% female; working- and middle-class backgrounds; data collected during 2019–2021) conducted in the United States (Studies 1–2; 74% White) and China (Study 3; 100% Asian), we document the emergence of a preference for “strivers.” Beginning at age 7, strivers (who work really hard) were favored over naturals (who are really smart) in both cultures (R² ranging .03–.11). We explored several lay beliefs surrounding this preference. Beliefs about outcomes and the controllability of effort predicted the striver preference: Children who expected strivers to be more successful than naturals and believed effort was more controllable than talent preferred strivers more. Implications of the striver preference in education and beyond are discussed.     

The training of school psychologists in the United States: An overview

A comprehensive study was undertaken to investigate the “state of the art” in the training of school psychologists. The data indicate that the rate of growth in the number of programs is increasing, especially at the sixth-year level. Data are presented on student and faculty demographics and characteristics. While evidence exists for the notion of program proliferation, the impact of such growth cannot be assessed without accurata data regarding present and future market demand.     

Assessing motivational styles of students in the south-east Asian context of Singapore

High levels of academic achievement in Asian educational systems have generated interest in the study of motivational patterns of students in these contexts. The objectives of this paper are firstly, to provide a review of existing literature on the study of motivational styles amongst students and secondly, to identify the occurrence of different motivational styles amongst students in Singapore,. The method of identifying different motivational styles was adapted from a procedure first developed by Craske (1988). The findings of this study indicate that although the distribution of motivational styles amongst the Singaporean students was consistent with that as obtained by Craske, there was a higher tendency for maladaptive motivation amongst the males than the females. In contrast, Craske found no gender differentiation, though earlier researchers had found that maladaptive motivation was more common among the females.     

The intersectional gap: how bilingual students in the United States are excluded from inclusion

At the onset of nearly every American civil rights movement there are two pivotal messages: the first is the group’s claims of exclusion from the life that the privileged lead and the second is a demand to be included. In all cases the first step in creating sustainable change has been the recognition that society was functioning on a multi-tiered system that grants access to some but not to all. Currently there is a civil rights movement taking place that focuses on the integration of students with diverse ability levels. In the United States this movement is called Inclusion. Unfortunately, the primary focus of inclusion is on the integration of students with disabilities; thus children who represent intersectional identities are often passed over and continually left on the margins of inclusive classrooms, schools and society. This paper will focus on a subgroup of students who are currently being left behind in this movement: bilingual special education students. Due to the fact that separate policies exist to address their linguistic and academic needs bilingual students with disabilities fall into what can be considered an intersectional gap. This paper addresses how this gap came to be as well as offering recommendations for mending it.     

Character in context: Character structure among United States Military Academy cadets

ABSTRACT

Research about the structure of character has largely assessed purported universal attributes. However, character develops within specific social, cultural and institutional contexts. As part of the first wave of a longitudinal study (Project Arete) of character development among cadets at the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point, an institution with a core mission to develop leaders of character, we examined the factor structure of a set of 15 character attributes of specific relevance to the West Point context. Data were derived from self-report surveys (N = 1,549; 75.6% men) completed in spring 2017. Results of exploratory factor analysis (EFA) identified a 4-factor structure of character: Relational, Commitment, Honor and Machiavellian and a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) provided evidence for the validity and measurement equivalence of the factors. We discuss implications for promoting and assessing character within the context of USMA and other institutions seeking to develop leaders of character.     

Teacher education in practice: reconciling practices and theories in the United States context

This paper reports findings from an 18-month qualitative study that followed the experiences of nine teacher residents, their site professors, site coordinators, clinical teachers and principals in three professional learning schools. The study examined the tensions that emerged as teacher preparation theory intersected with the context-bound realities of daily life in schools and the political constraints that diminish possibilities for inclusive education. The paper addresses implications for teacher preparation programmes by reporting how teacher residents negotiated their understanding of and commitment for inclusive education through three themes: (a) critical reflection as an emergent practice, (b) whose learning, and (c) the trouble with behaviour. Interpreting these themes has implications for programmatic designs in teacher preparation.     

The influence of institutional involvement in international education on United States students

This study is focused on the impact of international education upon United States students. The research question tested was: does the involvement of a US university in international education programs affect the international outlook of United States students? Seven concept areas were developed and tested on a randomly selected group of 663 United States senior students enrolled at six universities: Indiana University, the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Wisconsin at Madison, Ohio State University, the University of Illinois at Urbana, and Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. The analysis of variance tests used indicated that for the most part the involvement of a university in international education programs does make a difference in the international outlook of United States students.     

美国大学的伙伴关系述评

美国大学与当地、地区、全国和国际的各类机构所建立的伙伴关系反映了美国高等教育近年来的创新变革。作者写作本文的目的在于向中国同行提供一个分析这种伙伴关系的基本框架。文章简要地描述了大学层面、部门层面的伙伴关系情况,分析了美国大学建立伙伴关系的目的和缘由,并扼要地总结了若干条可供中国同行借鉴的启示。