The importance of tracking and educational reforms over the last decades in Germany, and their consequences in terms of inequalities, connects the three papers of this dissertation. In my first paper, I examine causal effects of relative school-starting age on children’s math, science, and reading competencies in primary school, as well as on teacher track recommendation at the end of grade four and actual track choice in grade five. I employ a fuzzy regression discontinuity design to account for the endogeneity of school-starting age. I find substantial positive effects on math, science, and reading competencies; my results also provide evidence that students who are the oldest in their cohort are more likely to receive a high-track teacher recommendation or attend a high-track school, compared to students who are among the youngest. I do not find differential effects depending on the student’s gender or socioeconomic background. In my second paper, I analyze the interacting influences of school type attended and school certificate earned on students’ transition chances to fully qualifying vocational training in Germany. More specifically, employing linear probability models, I explore whether those chances are different for intermediate (Realschule) certificate graduates depending on the type of school at which the certificate was obtained, and whether students attending the lowest-track Hauptschule who graduated with an intermediate certificate have better transition chances compared to their peers who earned lower school certificates. I find that intermediate certificate graduates who attended a Hauptschule have lower transition chances than intermediate certificate graduates who attended a Realschule or comprehensive school. I also find that students who attended a Hauptschule and graduated with an intermediate certificate have better transition chances compared to their Hauptschule peers who graduated with lower credentials. There is no evidence that students who earned an intermediate certificate enter vocational training positions of differing socioeconomic status or prestige depending on type of school attended. In my third paper, using school-fixed effects regression models, I investigate socioeconomic status gaps in students’ cognitive achievement in grade nine within different school types in Germany. I also explore the association between socioeconomic background and attainment of the intermediate secondary certificate and transition to upper secondary education in multi-track schools. My results provide suggestive evidence that socioeconomic status gaps in cognitive achievement exist within all school types. I also find that more privileged students are significantly more likely to earn an intermediate certificate or transition into upper secondary education. The decomposition of primary and secondary effects reveals that secondary effects are stronger at this transition in the German school system

Online learning has been widely adopted in higher education to reach students who typically would not have a chance to complete accredited courses (Kentnor, 2015). Massive open online courses (MOOC), which is a type of online learning, makes it easier for people to take university courses with internet access and a fraction of cost compared to traditional residential programs (Reich, 2020). MOOCs also become popular for those who want to increase their professional profile or advance their academic career (Pheatt, 2017). However, online learning has long been criticized for its universally low completion rates, high dropout rate and poor learning performance (Almeda et al., 2018). This phenomenon is more exacerbated in MOOC environments. Historical studies have attempted to support learner self-regulated learning (SRL) activities in order to enhance completion rates and academic outcomes. Prior studies have conducted pre-course questionnaires as inexpensive SRL interventions to prompt learners as SRL support(Kizilcec et al., 2017, Kizilcec & Cohen, 2017; Kizilcec et al., 2020; Yeomans & Reich, 2017). Yet, these one-time-only, short-term interventions only yield limited or no effects. This study implemented and evaluated the effectiveness of an alternative intervention, the self-regulated learning user interface (SRLUI), to support students' self-regulated learning (SRL) strategies in a MOOC environment. SRLUI is based on Zimmerman’s (2000) SRL model and develops learner’s SRL skills through longitudinal, recurring practice of multiple SRL dimensions activities (i.e., goal setting, self-evaluation, task planning, setting reminders) with content-specific information. The study utilized a randomized experimental design and implemented SRLUI in eight MOOCs with a total of 808 participants. The results indicated a higher usage rate of SRL support compared to the historical findings, which may be owing to the SRL support embedded into the learning activities throughout the course. Also, the study showed improved learning outcomes for a subgroup of participants, but there was no reduction in the number of dropouts. Based on the findings of this study, it is recommended that a personalized SRL tool featuring content-specific information should be embedded in online courses. The research design also recorded direct cognitive records of learners' SRL activities, which yield stronger validity compared to trace and survey data. The result suggested SRLUI might only benefit a subgroup of learners with passing grades. Thus, it is recommended that future research identify various subgroups of learner profiles in MOOC environments and to consider how to reach and support learners in different subgroups.

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abstract: Transfer students have emerged as a growing student population in higher education. There is a need for higher education professionals to understand the needs of transfer students. In this study, the implemented intervention consisted of restructuring retention programming for first-semester transfer students. This qualitative action research study explored how first-semester transfer students understand and experience academic and social engagement across the semester they participate in retention programming. Students identified perceived barriers and facilitators to engagement. The researcher also examined transfer students’ experiences of the intervention. The findings indicate that students’ understanding of engagement align with their expectations of their first semester and remained consistent throughout the study. One of the biggest perceived barriers to engagement was lack of time. Overall, transfer students found the intervention useful during their transition to a new institution. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Leadership and Innovation 2019

This dissertation assesses the effectiveness of the Ugandan Universal Secondary Education policy. It seeks to ascertain whether and to what extent offering free-tuition education at eligible public and private secondary schools has affected gross enrollment rates at the lower secondary school level in Uganda between 2007 and 2015. Using a synthetic control method as well as a linear probability model, I explore the impact of the USE policy on lower secondary school enrollment both at the country and household levels since the policy implementation in 2007 up to 2015. To carry out the analysis, I merge several sources of administrative data, including World Bank education indicators, UNESCO Institute of Statistics data on school participation, Uganda National Bureau of Statistics' annual statistical abstracts and Uganda’s Ministry of Education and Sports’ annual reports into a country-panel dataset for the period of 1992-2015 and use the latter for the synthetic control approach. The linear probability model exploits the data from the 2013 Uganda National Household Survey (UNHS). The synthetic control analysis shows no effect of the USE policy at the country level. Instead, the results indicate that during my study period, lower secondary school enrollment rates growth in Uganda was reduced by a yearly average of 8 percentage points compared to its synthetic version. The micro-analysis, however, shows that the receipt of a government subsidy to enroll in lower secondary school had a positive and statistically significant effect ranging from .5 to 9.4 percentage points.

The purpose of this study was to deconstruct the communication that occurs in the post-observation conference in music teacher evaluation. If music teachers and evaluators are to communicate effectively, demonstrate and assess various dimensions of music teaching, accurately judge the professional qualities and pedagogical actions of music teachers, and apply such judgements in measuring music teacher effectiveness, then the beliefs, thoughts, words, actions, habits, and values of those music teachers and evaluators must be appropriately and deeply understood. This study utilized aspects of ethnography and critical discourse analysis in examining the dialogue between sets of ensemble directors and their evaluators in the context of music teacher evaluation. The primary theoretical foundation of this study flows from James Paul Gee’s writings on the theory and practice of discourse analysis. Thus, I examined the attributes of discourse among evaluators and music teacher dyads and the means by which significance, social goods, and relationships shaped the music teacher evaluation process. The results indicated the language-in-use during the post-observation conferences in the music teacher evaluation process shaped the nature and quality of communication between music teachers and their evaluators. Music teachers and evaluators used language to indicate significance through repetition of and/or direct statements of importance. The results did not indicate any discrepancies on the situated meanings of terms associated with interpretation of the rubric when applied to the band rehearsal. Social goods, such as growth in band enrollment, teacher rating, and pay, were exchanged within the verbal and written discourse, or implied within the communication process itself. Relationships were more difficult to detect through the verbal language of the evaluative conferences. However, nonverbal clues during post-observation conferences offered insight into the type of relationship that had been built or was in place, and it was noted that the nonverbal language, such as eye contact and posture, reflected the quality of communication in these music teacher evaluation conferences. The importance of this study rests within the context of understanding the role of communication in music teacher evaluations

This qualitative modified case study was constructed to investigate U.S. facultymembers’ perceptions of cultural differences in the Chinese classroom and how they learn to cope with and adapt to these differences in their teaching practice. The study is based on the following assumptions: (1) U.S. visiting faculty members will not easily share their insights and their personal experiences of teaching in China. (2) Some U.S. faculty might not care to change their teaching methods because of the short-term overseas teaching assignments. (3) U.S. faculty members are willing to embrace different cultures. The study site is at a U.S. fashion college. The primary data sources were collected from an in-depth interview with 22 U.S. faculty members who teach in China and the Philosophical of Adult Education Inventory. This modified case study seeks to understand how U.S. instructors who teach in China on a short-term basis, learn to adapt to an entirely different culture as they confront it in their classrooms. The major findings of this study suggest that the participants were aware of the cultural differences between Chinese classrooms and American classrooms. The participants also encountered substantial cultural-based obstacles in China, which they overcame through the use of new teaching styles. Moreover, the findings identified two dissimilar perspectives: (1) Maintainers, those who do not change or adjust much in their teaching style, (2) Enthusiasts, those who make adjustments to their teaching style in order to accommodate the Chinese students' needs, augmenting the students’ learning outcomes. The overarching recommendation from this study suggests that both the U.S. Apparel University and the China Yifang program administrators are advised to implement an action research study every 4 to 6 years to examine and fine-tune the existing collaboration program.

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