Data Bases and Statistical Systems: Education, Statistical Systems

The impact of an accreditation system on the quality of undergraduate medical education in Saudi Arabia

Background and Purpose. The literature on teaching statistics at the university level provides support for the use of tools such as graphic organizers to help students understand the often confusing and sometimes complex process of selecting the appropriate statistical test for a given research question or design. This is the first of 2 reports that present several graphic organizers (also known as decision trees or flow charts) as decision-making guides for students to aid in the selection of appropriate statistical tests representative of those commonly used in physical therapy. Method/Model Description and Evaluation. To use the graphic organizers, the student learns 4 fundamental statistical concepts and then follows a decision-making process that leads to an appropriate statistical analysis. A prospective 2-group, reverse-design study on students who were familiar with the statistical textbook but not with the graphical organizer showed significant differences between the graphical organizer and textbook in both the time taken to select an appropriate statistical test and student preference. The graphic organizer led to correct statistical selection 3 times more often than the textbook. Outcomes. For 4 years, we have used the graphic organizer in the curriculum for students enrolled in a Master of Physical Therapy (MPT) program, receiving excellent student feedback. Discussion and Conclusion. The graphic organizers presented in this publication can be used to simplify the decision-making process for professional (entry-level) or postprofessional physical therapist students in choosing a statistical analysis for research questions that investigate group differences. The graphic organizers are convenient to use and can provide a visual organization of the decision-making process while highlighting the concepts discussed in a traditional statistics course. Key Words: Graphic organizer, Statistics, Research design, Group differences. BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE This is the first of 2 reports that presents a decision-making guide for the appropriate matching of statistical tests to research designs. The article presents several graphic organizers (also known as decision trees or flow charts) that focus on research designs and statistical approaches representative of those commonly used in physical therapy. We based the content of the graphic organizers on a compilation of statistical analyses reported in Physical Therapy and the Journal of Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy from January 2001 through June 2002. This analysis showed that approximately 65% of articles examined group differences, while approximately 35% were correlation/ regression designs (Table 1). This paper will focus on statistics for the former. The literature on teaching statistics at the university level provides support for the use of tools such as graphic organizers to help students understand the often confusing and sometimes complex process of selecting the appropriate statistical test for a given research question or design. As suggested by Pan and Tang,1 the use of a statistics cheat sheet can decrease graduate students' statistics anxiety without damaging the learning process, since the students must know the concepts in order to use the information. Additionally, an illustration that is clear, self-contained, easily grasped, and provokes reflection may enhance the Aha! experience of the statistics student.2 Several authors3-6 have noted that even though students can learn how to use statistical analysis, they often do not know how to apply the analysis to research scenarios. Statistical tests are commonly taught 1 test at a time without selection skills;7 the integration of selection skills could enhance the practical application of that knowledge.3-6,8 Manual computational procedures may not be as necessary to learn with the availability of computer programs, but instructors still need to help students develop skills necessary to select the appropriate statistical test. …

This chapter tells the story of how we developed the Master's Programme in Multicultural and International Education at Oslo University College in Norway (OUC), as a particular approach to internationalisation of the curriculum (IoC). The programme offers a rare combination of multicultural education and international development education, built on a common theoretical basis of critical theory and a commitment to social justice.

Until recently, international education has existed at the margins of educational research. However, in the current context of globalization, international education has moved closer to the center of educational research throughout the world. In this article, the authors identify, describe, and analyze six distinct research approaches to international education: comparative and international education, internationalization of higher education, international schools, international research on teaching and teacher education, internationalization of K-12 education, and globalization of education. Within each approach, the authors discuss the historical context and the global political, economic, social, and cultural shifts that have shaped the research approach; map the major research trajectories that have developed; discuss the audience and research community; and analyze strengths and weaknesses. The authors conclude with a discussion of emergent trends within research in international education.

This essay is a call for world-systems analysis of education. Increasingly, the field of comparative education is moving toward more sophisticated examinations of education in relationship to economic, political, and social forces. Studies of the ecology of educational institutions and processes, however, often fail to take into account an international context of transactions. To date, most macro studies of education have taken the nation-state as the basic unit of analysis.' An examination of the international forces impinging upon education systems is no less essential than an examination of the international economic order would be to an

Social determinants of health (SDOH) encompass a wide array of concepts that are critical to our understanding as medical providers of our patients as whole people, as opposed to a series of diagnoses. Implementing more comprehensive education about SDOH throughout the education process could prepare providers such as physician assistants to better serve a diverse patient population. A single group, pretest-posttest survey study design was used to address the following research question: would implementing online education about social determinants of health in physician assistant faculty training have an impact on faculty knowledge and comfort regarding implementing SDOH in PA student curriculum? Results indicated a potential link between a targeted educational intervention about SDOH and positive change in knowledge of SDOH and preparedness to educate students about social determinants on the part of PA program faculty involved in the intervention. Though the changes were not found to be statistically significant, the change in median scores in specific areas indicates that this study could prove a useful foundation for further research in this important area. This study aimed to fill a gap in the literature, as SDOH education for healthcare professionals is a well-established priority, but providing training and structure for faculty members expected to cultivate that education has not been cohesively addressed. Understanding SDOH and their impact on our patients is critical as healthcare providers, as is the ability to effect change on a personal, community, and structural basis. Further research in this area could help to prepare healthcare educators to better support their students as well as the patients and communities they serve.

The 2010s witnessed unparalleled policymaking and development in international higher education in China. Whilst research has shed light on the broader historical spectrum of China’s international higher education policies, few studies have focused exclusively on those of the 2010s. This study builds upon the theoretical perspectives of wenjian zhengzhi and institutional logics to offer a timely and comprehensive analysis of the dynamics between Chinese policies on international higher education, practices of higher education institutions, and macro-societal orders. It examines two research questions through in-depth analysis of policy documents and scholarly literature: what institutional logics underpin China’s international higher education policies of the 2010s? How have Chinese higher education institutions negotiated multiple and sometimes competing institutional logics in response to these policies? Findings show the ways that the state, market, corporation, profession, and community logics are embedded in the international higher education policies of the 2010s. Two specific areas of HEI practices are discussed to illustrate how higher education institutions blend and negotiate the competing logics in a search for compatibility.

“Transcending the national sense of place and belonging? – Place-identity politics in transnational higher education” analyses how new transnational higher education institutions as state strategies to foster internationalisation in education shape future citizenry. More specifically, the author examines the construction of place-identities and future aspirations for citizenry among students in transnational education among students in transnational higher education using a master’s degree programme at the Sino-Danish Center for Education and Research in Beijing as case. Intercultural skills and a cosmopolitan outlook are competencies that are often mentioned as important in ensuring nation-states’ global competitiveness, and the creation of a future citizenry transcending national boundaries has at times been considered imperative. Li asks how such imagined future aspirations for the citizenry of students in welfare state education are differentiated by the scaled place-identity practices. She turns to theories of place, scale and mobility, as well as the concept of intersectionality, in a discussion of the ethnographic data and of what is at stake in this transnational educational space. The research shows that practices of place-identity are shaped through certain performances in the educational programme involving intersections of nationality with gender and age, and thereby shaping the students’ global intercultural skills in different, and unequal, ways. Thus, the processes of transnational education are produced through the unequal structures that are linked to global imaginaries of national hierarchies. Li asks that educators should rethink practices that might reproduce Western colonial legacy and unequal global structures in transnational educational programmes.

International education statistics and research: Status and problems

In recent years, with the continuous improvement of China's comprehensive national strength, the development of international Chinese education is in full swing, but the new challenges are also increasing day by day. As a window for the world to understand China, Chinese education shoulders the important task of promoting cultural exchanges between China and the West, breaking down regional barriers, and promoting world peace and development. From the development process of international Chinese education to the recognition of the importance of intercultural communication ability, we can see that in the new era, international Chinese education is not only about imparts language knowledge, but also needs to cultivate teachers' and students' intercultural awareness, break the thinking limitation in a single language background, innovate teaching thinking, and deal with contradictions and conflicts in intercultural communication. Truly make Chinese learning a bridge between China and the world. The new era is both an opportunity and a challenge. The development of international Chinese education has a long way to go and requires the contribution and wisdom of every Chinese teacher.

During a six months period between Winter and Summer of 2018, the researcher embarked upon a professional interest and a robust study to determine the feasibility of establishing a private international virtual high school in Ghana, West Africa. Since its independence in 1957, Ghana has never had an established international virtual high school. Although the country’s educational system is expanding and recently accredited national universities have introduced distance education programs for its enrolled students and international students. The advantages of a private international virtual high school are endless as it would streamline convenience to education as well as give equitable access to students to be given an international education. Using social media (facebook messenger, imo, and WhatsApp) settings to recruit, interview, and interact with participants who were selected from a purposive sampling, the researcher explored the perceptions of 12 parents who pay tuition at private international high schools and 12 college students who were enrolled at private international high schools in Ghana. The researcher conducted a qualitative methodology research study through a constructivist design approach and emphasized on descriptive (survey), open ended questions, and semi-structured interviews to determine the feasibility of establishing a private international virtual high school in Ghana. Five major themes with sub-themes and five code categories emerged from the data collection and analysis, memos, and field notes. The study was guided by three research questions which were open ended questions that allow participants to share their experiences. Keywords: International Education, Virtual Education, Virtual High School in Ghana, ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8444-8619

Previous articleNext article No AccessCitizenship Education Practices of Politically Active Teachers in Porto Alegre, Brazil and Toronto, CanadaJohn P. MyersJohn P. Myers Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUSFull Text Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Comparative Education Review Volume 51, Number 1February 2007 Sponsored by the Comparative and International Education Society Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/508641 Views: 115Total views on this site Citations: 17Citations are reported from Crossref History © 2007 by the Comparative and International Education Society. All rights reserved.PDF download Crossref reports the following articles citing this article:Michele Schweisfurth, Matthew A. M. Thomas, Amy Smail Revisiting comparative pedagogy: methodologies, themes and research communities since 2000, Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education 52, no.44 (Aug 2020): 560–580.https://doi.org/10.1080/03057925.2020.1797475Nafees M. Khan Slavery in Secondary History Textbooks from the United States and Brazil, Peabody Journal of Education 96, no.22 (Apr 2021): 150–165.https://doi.org/10.1080/0161956X.2021.1905338Frank Reichert, Judith Torney-Purta, Weihong Liang Teachers’ organizational participation: Profiles in 12 countries and correlates in teaching-related practices, Theory & Research in Social Education 48, no.44 (Aug 2020): 552–582.https://doi.org/10.1080/00933104.2020.1795764Tricia Niesz, Aaron M. Korora, Christy Burke Walkuski, Rachel E. Foot Social Movements and Educational Research: Toward a United Field of Scholarship, Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education 120, no.33 (Mar 2018): 1–41.https://doi.org/10.1177/016146811812000305Gustavo E. Fischman, Luis Armando Gandin The pedagogical and ethical legacy of a “successful” educational reform: The Citizen School Project, International Review of Education 62, no.11 (Feb 2016): 63–89.https://doi.org/10.1007/s11159-016-9542-0David Zyngier, María Delia Traverso, Adriana Murriello ‘Democracy will not fall from the sky.’ A comparative study of teacher education students’ perceptions of democracy in two neo-liberal societies: Argentina and Australia, Research in Comparative and International Education 10, no.22 (Mar 2015): 275–299.https://doi.org/10.1177/1745499915571709Salma Gehad Waly Reflections of EFL university instructors on teaching and learning after the revolution in Egypt, Education, Business and Society: Contemporary Middle Eastern Issues 6, no.11 (May 2013): 4–14.https://doi.org/10.1108/17537981311314673Mark Ginsburg, Maria Jose Bermeo, Karishma Desai, Katy De La Garza Multilogue on the Preparation, Practice and Politics of Teachers, (Jan 2012): 1–16.https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6209-077-4_1Mary Richardson Assessing the assessment of citizenship, Research Papers in Education 25, no.44 (Dec 2010): 457–478.https://doi.org/10.1080/02671520903045566S. Tøsse Popular Adult Education, (Jan 2010): 162–168.https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-044894-7.00025-7Louise B. Jennings, Gylton B. Da Matta Rooted in resistance: women teachers constructing counter‐pedagogies in post‐authoritarian Brazil, Teaching Education 20, no.33 (Jul 2009): 215–228.https://doi.org/10.1080/10476210903096047Mark B. Ginsburg, Sangeeta G. Kamat The Political Orientations of Teachers, (Jan 2009): 231–241.https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-73317-3_14Terri Seddon, Phoebe Palmieri Teachers' Work, Power and Authority, (Jan 2009): 463–479.https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-73317-3_30Gustavo E. Fischman, Luis Armando Gandin Pedagogies of Inclusion: Lessons from Escola Cidadã, (Jan 2009): 65–80.https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230622920_5 Joan G. DeJaeghere Citizenship as Privilege and Power: Australian Educators’ Lived Experiences as Citizens DeJaeghere, Comparative Education Review 52, no.33 (Jul 2015): 357–380.https://doi.org/10.1086/588759Tristan McCowan Curricular transposition in citizenship education, Theory and Research in Education 6, no.22 (Jul 2008): 153–172.https://doi.org/10.1177/1477878508091109John P. Myers Democratizing school authority: Brazilian teachers’ perceptions of the election of principals, Teaching and Teacher Education 24, no.44 (May 2008): 952–966.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2007.09.012

Students’ misconceptions of statistical inference: A review of the empirical evidence from research on statistics education

The technological changes of the Industry 4.0 period and the spread of communication and information technologies allow for a more efficient diversification of products and services in response to changing consumer needs. Modern ICT tools are used by all companies to varying degrees. The main aim of the primary research on which this study is based was to assess the challenges of small and medium-sized enterprises operating in Slovakia and Hungary, the factors influencing their competitiveness, and from this to learn which are the most effective communication technologies in Industry 4.0. The primary research was carried out in the form of a questionnaire survey, and the number of items of the examined international sample was 275 (145 SMEs in Hungary and 130 in Slovakia). In addition to the descriptive statistical analyses, the research questions and the related hypotheses were tested by ANOVA table and cluster analysis. The respondents from the two countries also have a unified view of the factors that help increase competitiveness. In connection with the cluster analysis, it can be stated that the business activity does not fundamentally affect whether the individual companies belong to the group of environmentally conscious people who rely on human resources and digitalisation, or to the group with negative attitudes who do not trust it. Companies still consider the constantly updated corporate website to be the most effective means of corporate communication, and although communication on social media is becoming more and more valuable, the respondents believe that the shift in communication through the website which would have been replaced by communication via the social network has not yet taken place.

Globally, decision makers in an increasing number of schools from the governmental, nongovernmental, and international sectors are making the decision to change their curriculum and pedagogical frameworks to implement the International Baccalaureate (IB) programmes (Booth, 2015; Doherty, 2009; Gough, Sharpley, Vander Pal & Griffiths, 2014; IB, 2019a; Marshall, 2014). The IB is an international education foundation which provides a continuum of four education programmes for primary, middle and secondary years of schooling. While the IB Diploma Programme (for the 16 to 19 age group) is the oldest, most established and widely recognised of the IB programmes, it is the Primary Years Programme, catering for the 3 to 12 age group, which has shown the greatest growth, at approximately 8%, in the past ten years (IB, 2019a). With the aim of providing a better understanding of why and how school decision makers are deciding to implement the Primary Years Programme than is currently available, the phenomenon was investigated through the following research question: How can we understand school decision makers’ decision to implement the Primary Years Programme? The investigation was a qualitative, single-site case study, which allowed for an analysis of the context in which the site was located, and employed problem-based methodology (Robinson, 1993) as a framework through which the decision makers’ actions, their personal and contextual constraints, and the consequences of those actions, could be viewed, and a theory of action be produced. By relying on interview and document data, and employing constant comparative analysis, categories and themes were generated which then allowed for the development of a theory of action for the decision makers’ decision to implement the Primary Years Programme. The findings of the study indicate that although the reasons for implementing the Primary Years Programme at this site aligned with the reasons reported in the existing literature, the circumstances of the school played a far larger part in the decision than has been previously reported. It was also found that the process of deciding to implement the Primary Years Programme was far more complex and intricate than reported in existing literature. The process involved a number of actions on the part of the decision makers which were designed to prepare the Elementary School to make the decision to implement the programme. These findings suggest that the decision to implement the Primary Years Programme can only be understood in the context in which it is made. It is envisaged that the findings of this study can be drawn upon by school decision makers who are currently considering the decision to implement the Primary Years Programme, as well as the IB consultants who assist interested schools through the Primary Years Programme authorisation process.