Este artigo analisa a eficiência do gasto público em educação nos municípios brasileiros para o ano de 2011. Utilizaram-se os resultados da Prova Brasil para as disciplinas de matemática e língua portuguesa como medida de produto e foi feita a construção de uma fronteira de eficiência através dos métodos DEA e FDH. Os resultados mostram que a distribuição da eficiência não é uniforme, sendo as regiões Norte e Nordeste menos eficientes que as demais, notadamente em relação ao Sul e ao Sudeste. Na análise dos determinantes da eficiência, os resultados indicam que número de professores com ensino superior e IDHM contribuem positivamente para maior eficiência, ao passo que o abandono escolar e a distorção idade-série impactam negativamente. Via regressão quantílica, evidencia-se que o efeito dessas variáveis é distinto em função dos quantis da distribuição da eficiência. Interpretações adicionais dos resultados são obtidos através do método de fronteira Order-α. O estudo sugere que, a partir de um determinado nível, não há evidência de que maior gasto público implique aumento da aprendizagem. Uma melhor aplicação dos recursos pode elevar a nota das provas sem aumento de gasto público. / This paper analyzes the e ciency of public spending on education in Brazilian municipalities for the year 2011. The results of the Prova Brazil for math and portuguese language were used as product measure and the construction of an e cient frontier was made through DEA and FDH methods. The results show that the distribution of e ciency is not uniform. The North and Northeast regions are more ine cient than others, especially with respect to South and Southeast. In the analysis of the determinants of e ciency, the results indicate that the number of teachers with higher education and IDHM contribute positively to greater e ciency, while school dropouts and age/grade distortion impact negatively. By quantile regression, it is evident that the effect of these variables is di erent depending on the quantile distribution e ciency. Additional interpretations of the results are obtained through the partial frontier approaches, with Order-α method. This study suggests that, from a certain level, there is no evidence that higher levels of public spending implies increased learning. A better use of resources can raise the test scores without increasing public spending.

Problem Statement: ICT is said to improve educational efficiencies and aids in addressing educational shortcomings in the developing world context. Although ICT holds the potential to greatly improve teaching, why and how ICT has the probability of transforming teaching, for actors and within the developing world context remains uncertain. The potential impact of these tools may be affected by contextual and socio-cultural factors. Socio-cultural factors may have a negative consequence on students' learning and can increase educational inequalities, especially in developing countries. The challenge is that existing research does not clearly explain how educational outcomes are generated through the use of ICT within the social-cultural context of teachers. Purpose of the research: The objective of this study was to examine how educational outcomes are generated through the use of ICT in a developing world context, at a micro-level – an individual. The aim was to investigate how the use of ICT enables opportunities for school teachers to generate educational outcomes. Research approach: The study adopted an interpretive approach using a qualitative method. The study adopted a case study method. The study drew on the Capability Approach (CA) as supplemented by individual differences conceptual framework and taxonomy of ICT affordances as a theoretical lens to explain why and how ICT affects teaching, for whom and in what context. The study analysed the patterns between opportunities determined by affordances, individual differences that affect how ICT is used and educational outcomes. The study used a purposive sampling method to select seven schools. From the seven schools, fifteen teachers, seven principals, seven ICT coordinators or personnel in charge of ICT, and two heads of e-Learning in Western Cape education districts. Data was obtained through background documents, semistructured interviews and direct observations of teachers. Key findings: ICT enabled teachers to generate three outcomes: (i) teaching capability outcomes that led to improvements in content delivery, communication, and lesson preparation relating directly to teaching, (ii) basic human capability outcomes led to the needs of the teachers regarding their well-being being met (iii) communication capability outcomes led to teaching communities consisting of teachers that share resources and expertise. Individual differences of teachers, personal data (such as age, ICT skills training, education and level of expertise in the subject taught), social factors (rules and policies), shaping and influencing factors (such as personality type and role model) and environmental context (such as habits, customs, beliefs and cultural values) determined how teachers used ICT to enable capabilities. Various factors (such as infrastructure, learner engagement and excitement as well as ICT skills training) affected the choice of teachers to act on the opportunities afforded by ICT to generate educational outcomes. The value of the study: The study makes three contributions. First, the research suggests theoretical propositions for explaining how the use of ICT enables teachers to produce educational outcomes. The study developed a conceptual framework by integrating Amartya Sen's CA, individual differences conceptual framework and taxonomy of affordance to explain how educational outcomes are generated through the use of ICT in the developing world context. The study found the ICT artefact, features, supportive function (such as training and support) and affordances enabled opportunities, the teachers acted on these opportunities to generate efficiencies in teaching, their well-being and the broader educational community within the context of individual differences. Second, the study provides recommendations for planners and implementers to address issues on the actual realisation of ICT benefits by creating effective strategies that aim at improving implementation of ICT in schools. These strategies should look at the opportunities generated from ICT and how teachers use these opportunities to achieve educational outcomes. Additionally, recommendations were provided for e-Learning coordinators who wish to deploy ICT and integrate it into schools' curricula to equip teachers with all the components of TPACK (Technology, Pedagogy and Content Knowledge). Additionally, e-Learning coordinators should provide a space for teachers to experiment, highlighting existing practices and providing support to achieve their personal goals, which are part of their value system. Third, empirical evidence and theory in this thesis contribute to the knowledge of ICT in education assessments by offering a better explanation of the capability outcomes in ICT in the education field.

Thesis advisor: Eric Dearing / The education and successful integration of immigrant youth are imperative for the U.S. economy. Indeed, first- and second-generation immigrants are estimated to account for 93% of the nation’s working-age population growth over the next three decades (Pew, 2013). However, existing empirical work on postsecondary outcomes among immigrant youth mainly focuses on differences between pan-racial/ethnic categories, potentially masking within-group differences (e.g., ethnic/regional variations) arising from unique pre- and post-migration contexts and experiences. This dissertation aims to uncover heterogeneity within and between immigrant racial/ethnic groups’ trajectories in higher education. A special focus is placed on Asian immigrants, a pan-racial group that represented about 28% of the immigrant population in 2018 but comprised several distinct ethnic and regional groups with considerable variation in pre- and post-immigration experiences (Pew, 2018). The dissertation also helps advance current knowledge by simultaneously examining variations by ethnic/regional groups and generational statuses for Asian youth. Utilizing data from the High School Longitudinal Study 2009, the first part of the dissertation explores enrollment, attainment, and persistence differences among pan-racial/ethnic groups and, in turn, disaggregated analyses specifically for Asian ethnicities and regions. Second, the dissertation examines variations in postsecondary outcomes as a function of immigrant generation (i.e., first, second, or third generation, focusing on both within– and across–racial and ethnic group differences). For this second aim, variations within and between Asian ethnicities and regions are closely examined. The findings indicate that pan-racial/ethnic differences follow patterns previously highlighted in the literature; however, evidence of generational differences within and between groups in this study extends the existing literature. For example, there was evidence of generational advantages in educational outcomes for first- and second-generation youth compared with the third generation for Asian and Black youth. On the other hand, there was evidence of disadvantage among first-generation Latinx youth. The disaggregated analyses for Asian immigrants also revealed several important findings. For example, the second-generation advantage found at the pan-racial level for Asian immigrants persisted for Southeast Asians and partially for Chinese and South Asian immigrants. However, it disappeared for other Asian ethnic/regional groups for several outcomes. These findings have implications for the discourse around immigrants by challenging current pervasive pan-racial/ethnic narratives. In particular, for Asian immigrants, often stereotyped as the “Model Minority,” the immigration and assimilation process is not monolithic. Therefore, postsecondary outcomes reflect these complex and heterogeneous processes. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2022. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Counseling, Developmental and Educational Psychology.

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The advance and ubiquitous use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) have changed how humans learn and reform the education sector. Although related topics have been studied in other disciplines (e.g., behavioral science, economics, psychology, etc.), IS researchers have paid less attention to the impacts of information communication technology on education (IICTE). Recently, education in the post-pandemic world calls for further investigation on this topic since most of the traditional on-site teaching around the world have moved online. The proposed two studies aim to contribute to the IS and the economics research on the role of technology in education and the underlying mechanisms of how ICT affects learning through a series of field experiments and data mining methods. The first study examines in-class mobile device use effects on students’ learning performance via a field experiment. It explores students’ attention allocation at an individual level with live video feed data. We collaborated with a vocational school in China to examine the effect of using smartphones in the classroom on students’ academic performance. We randomly allocated students taking one lecture in Chinese verbal into three experimental conditions: (i) smartphone banned; (ii) smartphone allowed and used at will by students, and (iii) smartphone allowed, used at will by students and relied upon by teachers to assist instruction. We measure the performance gain of students by the change in the scores they obtained in identical tests taken at the beginning and the end of the lecture. We find that allowing students to use smartphones during the lecture at will reduced performance by 12% (6.3 points on a 100-point scale) compared to when students could not take the smartphones into the classroom. However, allowing smartphones into the classroom and asking teachers to actively use them to assist instruction increased their performance by 20% (10.6 points). These results are driven mainly by already strong students and students in IT-related majors. To unravel the underlying mechanisms that drive the observed effects, we use video feeds collected during our experiment, allowing us to code the time students spent learning versus being distracted, with or without their smartphones. We observed that students spent a similar amount of time learning versus being distracted across all three experimental conditions. Thus, the time students allocate to learning in each condition does not predict performance. Instead, what matters for their performance is the relative time they spent learning versus being distracted when using their smartphones. We show that the increase in performance when smartphones are used to assist instruction comes from students spending a larger percentage of the time learning during the lecture. Our findings contribute to the literature on technology-assisted learning and offer practical and policy implications that teachers and schools can follow to cautiously allow smartphones in the classroom to improve student success. The second study investigates the effects of different Internet access policies on student performance via a field experiment and examines the underlying mechanisms of its impact by mining students’ online and offline behaviors. While universities invest a considerable amount to keep up with the increasing demand for Internet connectivity on campus, sufficient doubt exists on the overall efficacy of information communication technologies (ICTs) in enhancing learning. Therefore, it is essential to understand how the Internet is used on campus and whether educational institutions can design their ICT policies to improve education. To answer this question, we seek to investigate the effects of different Internet policies on educational outcomes (i.e., grades, other evaluation results, etc.) by conducting a randomized field experiment at a national public university in China. Specifically, we randomly assigned students to five experimental conditions for a whole semester: low bandwidth and limited data, low bandwidth with unlimited data, high bandwidth with limited data, high bandwidth with unlimited data, and high-quality access (high bandwidth without data limit) yet limited data to entertainment. We then collect and compare the educational outcomes and each student’s online and offline behaviors across all five conditions. With our unique context and micro-level data, we investigate the overall effect of different policies as well as the dynamics of students’ online and offline learning behaviors (i.e., online learning time, online-offline behavior change, etc.) to understand the underlying mechanisms (i.e., online/offline learning patterns on performance). Our study is the first to investigate the effect of ICT policy design on educational outcomes using a randomized controlled trial (RCT). We also offer practical guidelines to policymakers and educational institutions on optimizing campus Internet access to help improve students’ learning with the proper use of ICT. Ultimately, studies in this dissertation attempt to explore how ICT could boost learning and thus extend the boundary of IS research to the education sector. Results demonstrated in the dissertation offer clear and straightforward evidence for educators, parents, and students to make their own ICT use policies. / Business Administration/Management Information Systems

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The literature has shown that aggregate aid is mostly ineffective (Doucouliagos and Paldam, 2011). However, new studies on foreign aid also show that the effect of aid depends on both aid type and the donor type (Clemens et al., 2012; Isaksson and Kotsadam, 2018). Thus, the first essay investigates the impact of education aid on educational outcomes. The study uses panel data for 83 developing countries from 2000-2014 to examine World Bank education aid. The results suggest that there is no robust evidence that education aid is effective in improving educational outcomes. The paper finds some evidence that aid improves enrollment rates in primary and secondary but not tertiary education. The results show that aid's effectiveness is determined, to a large extent, by the type of aid and the economic outcomes aid targeted. Likewise, the second essay examines whether specific types of aid are more effective across different donors. The study uses factor analysis to separate aid flows into interpretable categories, economic purposes, social purposes, and infrastructure. In addition, the study compares three donors, the World Bank, the U.S., and China. Examining the growth effect of each aid type for each donor shows that the impacts depend on aid type. All the aid types are positive irrespective of the donor, though only the U.S. aid types show some improvements economic growth. The Chinese economic aid is a complement of the World Bank economic aid. However, the Chinese social aid and the World Bank social aid are both substitutes. Both studies show that most foreign aid to developing countries is not effective, but disaggregating aid by type can lead to moderate improvements in developing countries.

Social institutions in rural communities tend to be highly interrelated and social ties tend to be dense and multiplex. Human ecological theoretical models posit that all institutions in which an individual is embedded interact in complex ways. As such, this dissertation examines the influences of school, faith, family, and risk contexts on the grade point averages of students who attended school in nonmetropolitan counties in Appalachian Kentucky. Using data disaggregated by gender from nearly 5,000 adolescents, I identified risk and protective factors on grade point averages by attraction type (exclusively opposite-sex attracted, same-sex attracted, and unsure of attraction), identified differences in grade point averages between attraction types, and identified mediators and moderators of the relationship between attraction type and grade point average. School belonging positively influenced the grade point averages of unsure males and religious belief negatively influenced the grade point averages of same-sex attracted males. In general, sexual minority students reported lower grade point averages than their exclusively opposite-sex attracted peers. Among same-sex attracted males and females, this disparity in grade point average was mediated by school belonging. Among unsure males the variation in grade point average was largely explained by engagement in risk behaviors. The relationship between sexual attraction and grade point average was moderated by religiosity, marijuana use, and labor market optimism.

How do the Catholic Schools Consultants through their leadership and relationship with Principals influence the outcomes of Catholic systemic schools in New South Wales (NSW)? This research question has been of considerable interest to the professional communities of Catholic educators. Throughout NSW there are eleven diocesan Catholic school systems, each led by a Director assisted by senior field officers called Consultants, the equivalent position of Area superintendents or inspectors in other school systems. The leadership of these Consultants is considered critical for the effectiveness of the school systems especially through their influence on and with Principals. Within this survey research study, the total population of Consultants and Principals was invited to participate, and 45 Consultants (90%) and 365 Principals (76%) responded. The research study was based on the assumption that a ‘classical’ view of leadership should be augmented by a more complex, interactive view of leadership as relationship that influenced outcomes in school systems. The study was operationalized in three dimensions. Leadership was described by ten variables, derived from Sashkin’s (1998) Visionary Leadership Theory. The relationship between Consultant and Principals was posited as a composite of two variables, Interpersonal Relation and Shared Catholic Leadership Mindset, that are viewed as explanatory, mediating variables. Three selected outcome variables are posited – Educational Outcomes, School Outcomes and Spiritual Outcomes. The fifteen variables so described were developed and/or validated for this study using confirmatory factor analysis. Additionally, the impact of three demographic background factors of gender, school type, and years of networking association between Consultant and Principals on the main variables in the study was examined. A mediated – effects survey research design was used. Survey questionnaires were sent from the local Catholic Education Office to each volunteer Consultant and to her/his associated network of Principals on a confidential basis and returned directly to the researcher. At no stage did the researcher know the identity of the respondents. Data analysis methods included comparative means analysis of Consultants’ and Principals’ perceptions of the variables; multiple regression analysis and structural equation modelling to examine the associations between variables; MANOVA analysis to examine demographic background factors; and finally some descriptive analysis of survey data to provide validation or further insights. The study results showed that both Consultants and Principals agreed that the Consultants demonstrated visionary leadership as defined by Sashkin (1998) although there were significant differences on seven leadership factors. There was high level agreement that Consultants and Principals exhibited a shared mindset, described as Shared Catholic Leadership Mindset, and outstanding interpersonal relationships. Findings about the associations between variables showed different results for Principals and Consultants. The ‘Principals’ model suggested that the two relationship variables acted as mediators between some of the ten leadership variables and the three outcome variables. On the other hand, the ‘Consultants’ model suggested that neither of the two relationship variables acted as mediators, but that only two leadership variables, Capable Management and Creative Leadership, had any influence on Outcomes. There were no significant differences on results due to gender, school type or years of networking association for either Principals or Consultants. These results, supplemented by qualitative findings, led to the conclusion that there was a need for system policy makers to reconceptualise the leadership of such Consultants to emphasise the importance of the shared mindset, and the synergistic element in the relationship between Consultant and Principals. There was a recommendation that further research replicate this study with other Catholic, Government and independent education systems. The use of structural equation modelling analysis in similar future research was also recommended.

The impact of school factors on academic achievement has become an important focus for school social work and revealed the need for a comprehensive school social work model that allows for the identification of critical areas to apply social work services. This study was designed to develop and test a more comprehensive school social work model. Specifically, the relationship between cumulative grade point average (GPA) and the cumulative risk index (CRI) and an additive risk index (ARI) were tested and a comparison of the two models was presented. Over 20,000 abstracts were reviewed in order to create a list of factors which have been shown in previous research to impact academic achievement. These factors were divided into the broad domains of personal factors, family factors, peer factors, school factors, and neighborhood or community factors. Factors that were placed under the school domain were tested and those factors which met all three criteria were included in the overall model. Consistent with previous research, both the CRI and ARI were shown to be related to cumulative GPA. As the number of risk factors increased, GPA decreased. After a discussion of the results, a case was made for the use of an additive risk index approach fitting more with the current state of social work. In addition, selecting cutoff points for determining risk and non-risk students was accomplished using an ROC analysis. Finally, implications for school social work practice on the macro-, meso-, and micro- levels were discussed.