Cheating Around the World: A Cross-national Analysis of Principal Reported Cheating

An increasing problem of great concern for academic institutions around the world is the pervasiveness of academic cheating among students. However, there is a dearth of prior research on cheating in cross-national contexts. The present study examines the relationships between structural measures of strain and principals’ reports of problematic cheating in schools across 35 nations, derived from the 2007 Trends in International Math and Science Studies survey. The study employs multilevel logistic regression analysis to evaluate whether indicators of economic disadvantage, educational achievement, and educational inequalities influence the level of problematic cheating reported by school principals cross-nationally. Additionally, we identify which socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of nation-states are most related to perceptions of problematic academic cheating as reported by school principals. The findings indicate that schools with resource shortages, greater levels of economic disadvantage, and those with larger national average grade sizes experience higher levels of problematic cheating.     

Analogical Reasoning in the Classroom: Insights From Cognitive Science

Applying knowledge from one context to another is a notoriously difficult problem, both for children and adults, but lies at the heart of educational endeavors. Analogical reasoning is a cognitive underpinning of the ability to notice and draw similarities across contexts. Reasoning by analogy is especially challenging for students, who must transfer in the context‐rich and often high‐pressure settings of classrooms. In this brief article, we explore how best to facilitate children's analogical reasoning, with the aim of providing practical suggestions for classroom instruction. We first discuss what is known about the development and neurological underpinnings of analogical reasoning, and then review research directly relevant to supporting analogical reasoning in classroom contexts. We conclude with concrete suggestions for educators that may foster their students' spontaneous analogical reasoning and thereby enhance scholastic achievement.     

Geometry in English secondary schools

In the past twenty years many countries have implemented new approaches to the teaching of geometry at school level. In England, most schools seem to have changed towards an experimental science approach to geometry, whilst a significant number appear to have continued the traditional geometry of Euclid. The new approach uses a great variety of techniques, and thereby loses coherence: it is based largely on practical work and seems to have forsaken the deductive approach entirely.The paper attempts to quantify the present situation in England and suggests a way of building upon the experimental science approach to provide a unified knowledge of spatial configurations through deductive methods.     

Why some early college high school students do not transition to a 4‐year college: An exploration of perceived barriers and schooling experiences on students’ transition plans

This study examined why some seniors attending Early College High Schools did not plan to continue their education at a 4‐year college immediately after graduation despite attending schools designed to provide coordinated academic and social supports with the expectation that all students would continue their education. Most students in our study (75%) did plan to continue their education at a 4‐year college immediately after graduation. For the remaining students, we used cluster analysis to identify four distinct groups of noncollege bound students. These groups were evaluated based on background characteristics, perceived opportunities and barriers, and schooling experiences. Results indicate that noncollege bound students are diverse in their reasons for not continuing their education at a 4‐year program and that any reform efforts designed to personalize opportunities and supports for these students must take into account how combinations of perceived opportunities and barriers shape their postsecondary decisions.