Disaster philanthropy: Exploring the power and influence of for-profit philanthropy in education development during pandemic times

This article contributes a conceptual analysis of the power and influence of for- profit philanthropy on educational development during pandemic times. Through highlighting for-profit philanthropy, describing its relevance to educational development, and drawing attention to four aspects that are under-examined as for- profit philanthropists enact their philanthropic agendas in response to the COVID- 19 pandemic, disaster philanthropy is presented as a window of opportunity for elite donors to enact changes in public education based on their distinct donor and institutional agendas. Implications for educational development are discussed including shifts in power, definitions and public vs. private returns.     

School context and instructional capacity: A comparative study of professional learning communities in rural and urban schools in China

This study examines the teaching gap between rural and urban schools in China from the perspective of teacher professional learning communities (PLCs). Drawing on in-depth interviews with 36 primary school teachers, the study finds striking disparities between rural and urban schools in the working of Teaching and Research Groups (TRGs). These disparities in TRGs result in divergent patterns of instructional capacity building in rural and urban schools. The evidence shows that teaching and teachers are strongly shaped by the school organizational context. It suggests that strengthening school-wide PLCs is an important way of narrowing the rural-urban teaching and learning gaps.     

Heritage education in the Primary School Standard Curriculum of Malaysia

Due to the importance of education for sustainable heritage preservation, it is imperative to pay attention to how heritage is taught in the education system. As a multicultural country with a rich cultural heritage, Malaysia is home to four world heritage sites. This paper investigates Malaysia's new primary school curriculum to determine to what extent the core curriculum cultivates an awareness of and sense of respect for heritage. The results reveal a focus on Malaysian intangible cultural heritage in some core subjects, such as history, Bahasa Malaysia, art, and music education.     

Exploring learning and fit in the transition from higher education to the labour market: A systematic review

The transition from higher education to the labour market is an important period for youngsters, characterised by extensive changes which act as triggers for learning. Furthermore, students’ educational background and the (in)congruence with their work context is important. Accordingly, the aim of this systematic review is to explore the role of learning and fit in the transition process. Results indicate that most emphasis is put on theoretical knowledge, communication, problem-solving, and learning skills. Although the perception on what has to be learned differs for employers, educators, and graduates, each group valued generic competences most. Results show that transfer can be experienced in three ways and the need for learning at work is stressed. Concerning fit, four types of fit are distinguished: vertical, horizontal, competence, and person-environment fit. Several personal background characteristics are shown to influence fit and findings indicate that fit has an influence on career progress and personal resources.     

A quantitative and model-driven approach to assessing higher education in the United States of America

University ranking or higher education assessment in general has been attracting more and more public attention over the years. However, the subjectivity-based evaluation index and indicator selections and weights that are widely adopted in most existing ranking systems have been called into question. In other words, the objectivity and impartiality of those rankings has been worrisome. To address these concerns, this paper presents a quantitative and model-driven approach to acquiring the evaluation index and indicator weights in the US News & World Report ranking system. Structural equation modelling will be applied to mine non-subjective weights from collected data. The proposed approach will be validated using two groups of United States universities, National Universities and Liberal Arts Colleges, classified by the US News & World Report. Managerial and administrative implications will also be explored. This study shows a very promising future because it opens a new venue for the scholars and practitioners in the higher education assessment field to develop a real-time, scalable and model-driven higher education ranking system.     

Does working during higher education affect students’ academic progression?

This paper examines the effect of working during higher education on academic progression, in terms of number of credits acquired by first-year university students in Italy. We discuss different contrasting hypotheses on the role of employment during university on academic outcomes: the zero-sum perspective, the reconciliation thesis, the positive and the negative selection to work hypotheses. In the empirical part we analyze data from the Eurostudent survey, which collected data on a representative sample of university students who were enrolled in the academic year 2002/03, after the implementation of the ‘Bologna Process’. We use a negative binomial regression model considering work experience as an endogenous multinomial treatment. Results indicate that, conditional on observed covariates (socio-demographic variables, school-related and university-related variables), there is a positive self-selection into employment, especially for low-intensity work. Traditional multivariate regressions show a penalty in academic progression only for high-intensity workers, but once accounted for unobserved heterogeneity also the low-intensity work experience appears to negatively affect academic progression.     

Understanding value in the student experience through student–staff partnerships

ABSTRACT

Questions such as ‘what is value in the student experience?’ and ‘how do we measure or assess value in higher education?’ remain an under-researched area. However, in the context of marketisation and competitive forces in higher education, there is a need to unpack what is value in the student experience. In this article, a conceptualisation of value that can be applied in higher education (known as value-in-use) is introduced and applied to a specific and increasingly important aspect of the student experience – student–staff partnerships. Qualitative survey data (n?=?97) and interviews (n?=?35) from ten cases of various manifestations of student–staff partnerships in the Australasian context is presented and assessed in relation to value. The findings highlight that student–staff partnerships may enhance value in the student experience and that value-in-use may be an appropriate lens through which to continue to explore how value is created and measured in the student experience.     

人力资源质量视阈下的成人教育管理干部素质建构

本文从人力资源质量建设的角度,从阐述当前我国成人教育管理干部的基本概念和结构要素入手,分析了当前成人教育管理干部素质存在的现实问题,从四个方面提出了成人教育管理干部素质建构策略.