Performance-based accountability in Qatar: a state in progress

It has become a normative practice to include Performance-Based Accountability (PBA) policies in educational reforms to foster school changes that enhance student learning and success. There is considerable variation in PBA models that have an important impact on how they operate in schools. It is, therefore, important to characterize PBA models in different contexts. This article describes and categorizes the Qatari PBA model using a five-dimensional framework previously employed in Canada and the UK. The State of Qatar is a small rich developing country in the Arabian Gulf that introduced a wholesale educational reform in 2004. Although the characteristics of the Qatari PBA model are shared with those of Western systems, the Qatari PBA model does not fit into the previously described categories. Policy inconsistencies surfaced within the Qatar PBA model in terms of structure, consequential intent, and expectations of professional involvement. The tensions are rooted in a PBA model that assumes a high level of professional accountability interacting with the reality of system-wide capacity issues. The implementation of a coherent PBA model in policy and practice will require developing past this early phase of educational reform.     

The elusiveness of teacher quality: A comparative analysis of teacher certification and student achievement in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries

In national education systems worldwide, teacher quality has become synonymous with education reform efforts, but a more elusive goal is empirically measuring teacher quality. One proposed measure of teacher quality, teacher licensing, also known as certification, is an increasingly ubiquitous component of national education systems and pre-service teacher education around the world. Rapidly developing national education systems, like those in the Arabian Gulf states, are actively seeking to measure teacher quality through teacher certification and to estimate teacher quality using scores on student achievement tests. This study synthesizes research literature and contextual data as a foundation for using hierarchical linear models to estimate the impact of teacher certification on student achievement in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Despite the emphasis on improving teacher quality by establishing teacher certification requirements in GCC national education systems, the researchers found neither a direct nor a consistent association between teacher certification and student achievement in the GCC.     

Regional solidarity undermined? Higher education developments in the Arabian gulf,economy and time

ABSTRACT

The paper theorises fragility of regional solidarities in light of the emerging ways in which two Arabian Gulf states, Bahrain and Oman, are undertaking their transition to a knowledge economy. The paper shows ways in which regional symbolic solidarity goals of common economic and educational development in the Gulf region are challenged by locally focussed priorities at the level of each nation state. These findings carry important theoretical implications as the time of transition to a knowledge economy seems to drive readjustments in thinking about what the ‘Gulf-wide unity is for’, prompting its repositioning from an alliance established to protect and facilitate regional development to a means supporting local ends. The paper therefore challenges the spatial focus in some theoretical frameworks used in analyses of the sociology of regional solidarities and calls for the need of temporal lenses in such analyses.     

Education in the Gulf Monarchies: Retrospect and Prospect

For the last several decades there has been tremendous expansion in the educational facilities in all the six Gulf monarchies (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates). The quality of education, however, does not correspond to the needs of Gulf societies. This study examines three of the apparent deficiencies in the educational system in the region: the mismatch between traditional and modern learning, the imbalance between indigenous and expatriate labor forces, and the gap between men and women. The paper concludes that a fundamental change in the quality of education needs to be made in order to overcome these imbalances.     

Education in the Gulf Monarchies: Retrospect and Prospect

For the last several decades there has been tremendous expansion in the educational facilities in all the six Gulf monarchies (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates). The quality of education, however, does not correspond to the needs of Gulf societies. This study examines three of the apparent deficiencies in the educational system in the region: the mismatch between traditional and modern learning, the imbalance between indigenous and expatriate labor forces, and the gap between men and women. The paper concludes that a fundamental change in the quality of education needs to be made in order to overcome these imbalances.     

It is time to MOOC and SPOC in the Gulf Region

In this paper we will explain massive open online courses (MOOCs)-how they started, their targeted audience, and what services they provide- and demonstrate selected MOOC service providers that best suit the Arabian Gulf region. The record annual growth for MOOCs has made many respected institutions reconsider their educational strategies. Many elite universities have started to join the stream; others are expected to join very soon. In this paper we will focus on select MOOC providers that will help institutions or individual instructors ride the stream before it is too late. All MOOC providers have been carefully selected to meet the author’s criteria of either having crossed a capacity range limit or being tailored to meet the Arabian Gulf region needs. Finally, the paper summarizes the best practices and gives recommendations for any Gulf region institution or individual for better implementation of MOOCs into their learning system.     

The effect of wage compression and alternative labor market opportunities on teacher quality in Venezuela

This paper examines the effect of teacher relative wages and teacher wage dispersion on high school graduates’ preferences for teaching majors in College. This approximation to teacher quality is appropriate in a country like Venezuela as opposed to the US since the rigidity of the tertiary school system significantly limits mobility between majors. I combine data from the national college entrance examination from 1984 to 2003 with labor market data from the household surveys to construct a panel of data for quintiles of the test score distribution and age groups by states. The results suggest that teacher wage premia and wage dispersion have little effect on the quality mix of applicants to teaching. Most students’ preference for teaching is unresponsive to wage levels relative to other occupations and to wage growth prospects within teaching. If wages have a positive effect on the performance of educational systems, this paper argues that it is unlikely to be through the selection of the most talented individuals.     

Science self-beliefs and science achievement of adolescents in Gulf Cooperation Council countries

This study explored the predictive effects of science self-beliefs on science achievement for 24,680 13-year-old students from Gulf Cooperation Council member countries – Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates – who participated in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2007. The performance of adolescent students in Qatar and Saudi Arabia on the TIMSS 2007 science assessment was significantly below the TIMSS scale average. Adolescent students’ science beliefs had both positive and negative predictive effects on science achievement across the Gulf Cooperation Council member countries.     

Capital and Knowledge Flows: Global higher education markets

Accelerating global flows of people and information have formed new communities and networks across social and political borders. Higher education is one such globalised knowledge community in which new patterns of knowledge, accreditation, research alliances, and social and professional relationships are emerging. In this paper I outline the push–pull dynamics of globalisation in higher education: the co-constitutive nature of local and global interests and educational formations; disjunctive flows of capital, information, people, and knowledge; and the new politics of knowledge capital as they affect academic research and the public archive of scholarly publishing and university libraries. I close with reflections on the differential consequences of globalisation on: the role of the nation state in higher education provision and reform; the role of education in nation building and national identity politics; and the governability of a global eduscape.     

中东国家的跨境大学质量保证制度探析 ——以卡塔尔和阿联酋为例

中东国家在吸引国外高校来本国兴办跨境大学方面取得了较为突出的进展,并针对这类大学建立了较为完备的质量保证制度.以卡塔尔和阿联酋为例,两个国家都以政府主导的质量保证组织作为对跨境大学进行质量保证的主体,制定了以一致性为本的质量标准,建立了以评估为基础的许可程序.这对我国中外合作大学质量保证制度的健全和发展具有借鉴意义.     

Inclusion and exclusion within a policy of national integration: refugee education in Kenya’s Kakuma Refugee Camp

This article explores the impact of global policy shifts toward ‘national integration’ on schooling for refugee youth in Kenya. Based on interviews and classroom observations in Kakuma Refugee Camp, we theorize that integration manifests in a multidirectional, hierarchical manner as few refugees integrate “up” into government schools, while most integrate “down” into segregated camp schools. We examine how youth interpret and navigate these oppositional paths, imbued with assumptions about quality and status. We argue that global policy can foster structures for physical integration; however, social integration, integrally connected to protection and opportunity, depends on local strategies and practices, encompassing formal decisions about adapting policy, as well as embedded beliefs about the purposes of educating refugees and their long-term inclusion in host societies. This study responds to calls for deeper sociological attention to education and global migration, as states expand educational opportunities for refugee populations while negotiating educational rights amongst citizens.     

当前美国教育改革的观念与趋势

面对全球化、知识经济、移民问题等的挑战,美国力图通过改革来解决公立中小学教育的质量问题以提高未来劳动力素质和全球竞争力。改革的主导观念与制度涵盖教育质量、教育标准、问责制、择校制、入学能力、支付能力等方面。奥巴马政府主导下的美国教育改革呈现五大趋势:从强调公平转变到更加强调质量;从强调改革转变到改革与投入并重;从鼓励各州发挥灵活性转变到更加注重发挥联邦政府的协调作用;从把教师作为改革对象转变到作为改革同盟军;从注重标准测验结果转变到更加注重教师、课程、教学,注重改革测验方式,努力改善教学效果。     

A classroom observational study of Qatar's independent schools: Instruction and school reform

Qatar initiated a K–12 national educational reform in 2001. However, there is limited information on the instructional practices of the teachers in the reform schools. This project was an observational study of classrooms with a stratified random sample of the first six cohorts of reform schools. Specifically, 156 classrooms were observed in 29 reform schools. Instructional differences were noted in schools with different gender of students and were moderated by school level. Implications of findings were discussed pertaining to implementation of the Qatar national reform and professional development needs of teachers.     

美国新任教师教学知识和能力考试体系的分析及启示

20世纪80年代以来,美国各州政府为了提高新任教师的专业化水平,对新任教师教学知识和能力的考察逐渐从多样化走向标准化,普瑞克西斯考试体系(Praxis Series)就是影响最大的标准化考试之一,现在美国有47个州利用该系列测试对教师资格进行认证.美国凭借严格的教师筛选制度提高新任教师的整体素质,以期改善学校的教育质量.本文在对美国普瑞克西斯考试体系分析的基础上对我国教师资格证书考试中教育教学能力的考察方式的改革提出若干思考.     

Learning and Assessment in the Science Classroom in Thailand

The 1990 national curriculum of Thai education and educational reform states that, at primary and secondary educational levels, schools must prepare the child to become a smart, good and a happy individual in the Thai learning society. Teaching and learning must emphasise learning to think, to do and to solve problems. A study into integrating assessment and learning as a single activity was conducted by the Department of Curriculum and Instruction Development to demonstrate that good assessment is an integral part of good instruction. Three major elements of science education are learning science, learning about science and doing science. In the assessment of science, the teacher assesses knowledge and recall of scientific facts, the application of scientific knowledge, processes of science and scientific skills and, of course, attitudes and habits of mind acquired through science education. The assessment procedures are in the form of open-ended paper-and-pencil tests, practical tests, students' work and reports, teacher observation of practical work during the semester, and parents' and peers' comment and criticism. The assessment is a continuous activity in parallel with learning activity.     

Becoming cosmopolitan and other dilemmas of internationalisation: reflections from the Gulf States

Drawing on the concept of cosmopolitans and locals within competing discourses regarding the aims of higher education and international marketization, this paper suggests that cultural cosmopolitanism may be developed through intercultural dialogue. It reflects on the findings of an action research-based teacher professional education programme in Qatar, with further delivery in other Gulf States, and suggests that potential negative outcomes of uncritical ‘othering’ forms of marketization, potentially resulting in epistemological mnemocide through the exercise of cultural imperialism, may be avoided through developing dialogical communities of inquiry, where issues of values pluralism may be negotiated according to participants’ needs and capacities for knowledge creation. These ideas may be significant for negotiating appropriate criteria for judging the quality of delivery and methodological ethics of the increasing numbers of international programmes using practice-based forms of enquiry. They are essential if international development work is to encourage sustainability through independent knowledge creation.     

The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme in post-colonial Mauritius: reaffirming local identities and knowledges

The world becoming a global village is a recurrent notion, but for the learner, where to situate oneself intellectually and culturally remains a crucial issue. The challenges are complex for former colonized states of Africa in the quest of a national identity after colonial rule. The transition from a national educational programme to a (more) recognized internationalized programme, the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, is a demanding task. Yet, to achieve this necessitates going beyond one's geographical location and assimilating a dominant culture through knowledge. The paper presents a review of the existing research on the International Baccalaureate Programme and its impact on local students' identities and knowledges in former colonized states in Africa with a focus on Mauritius, a former French and British colony. While also arguing that the International Baccalaureate functions in the matrix of the Westernized knowledge industry, privileged knowledges and identities in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme are discussed.     

Responses of schools to accountability systems using multiple measures: the case of New York City elementary schools

Many studies point to potential unintended consequences of accountability systems such as when schools narrow their teaching to fixate on tested subjects. As a result, some states and districts in the USA have complemented the federal test-based accountability system with additional measures of educational practices to hold schools accountable on multiple measures. To explore the consequences of such systems, this study focuses on the responses of nine elementary schools to a multiple-measure accountability system in New York City, including high-stakes tests and quality reviews. While some schools showed broader improvement efforts, results suggest the state test remains the dominant measure in driving responses of schools, and in some cases, the quality review further reinforces the schools' focus on the test.     

阿联酋构建区域高等教育枢纽的路径与挑战

阿联酋通过发布国家创新战略以及制定科学、技术和创新政策等方式为区域高等教育枢纽的建设创造了良好的政策与制度环境.吸引国际分校、打造高等教育发展新引擎、构建知识与创新枢纽以及加大对教育的财政投入等举措成为阿联酋建设区域高等教育枢纽的重要路径.与此同时,阿联酋在建设区域高等教育枢纽的过程中,面临着从知识消费国转变为知识生产国、市场与利益驱动导致供大于需的无序发展、缺乏统一的质量保障机制、高等教育机构研究能力和投入不足等诸多挑战.     

Gaps in educational outcomes: analysing national examination performance of Singaporean Malay and non-Malay students in the past 20 years

Singaporean students generally perform very well in international tests of mathematics and science. Nonetheless, in multi-cultural Singapore, there exist gaps with the Malays, a minority group in Singapore, systematically lagging behind the other ethnic groups of the Chinese and Indians in many educational performance indicators. While there have been previous qualitative assessments of this issue, rigorous statistical analyses are lacking. In this article, I analyse data from 1991 to 2011 of aggregate percentage passes in national examinations for the different ethnic groups in Singapore. Using time series techniques and regression, I uncovered two major findings. First, the Malay trends in percentage passes for the last two decades were strongly correlated with the non-Malay, national trends. Second, despite the correlation, there remained fluctuations around the national trend by Malay cohorts in the past two decades. Malay cohorts tended to perform better during an upward national trend, but also performed worse during a downward national trend, indicating systematic volatility in performance. The implications of these findings are discussed in the light of current research on educational gaps and three decades of community self-help to improve the educational achievement of the minority Malays in Singapore.