The purpose of the present research was to identify the differences between some various schooling aspects at one U.S. high school and one girls Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) high school. In particular, the studied objectives include lessons plan, program assessment, teacher credentials, school culture, and intramural activities. This study was conducted using a mixed-method approach. The obtained results allowed making some specific recommendations that could be considered by the Saudi teachers and school administrations to improve simultaneously the learning process, employee satisfaction, as well as students’ engagement and motivation. This case study will help to improve both systems through sharing success strategies. Also, it will help families who moved from the United States to Saudi Arabia or the opposite to understand the differences between these education systems for their children’s success. After the data collection and analysis, the researcher concluded that there is no one of these educational systems better than the other. If we could merge these two school systems, we would have the best educational system for students’ future success.

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to examine the stressors that Saudi students experience while studying in the United States and their impact on academic performance. The study found a considerable amount of stress as a consequence of cultural differences, lack of social integration, the academic environment, and inadequate orientation. Based on the findings, the researcher recommended several strategies for improving the experiences of Saudi students at American universities. These recommendations include better interactions between the staff/administrators and students, more social events for the Saudi students and their families, and more opportunities to interact with American fellows inside and outside the classroom. The researcher also recommends that colleges and universities improve the relevance of course and program assignments for the Saudi students as well as the administrative support, mentoring relationships, and orientation programs they provide to these students.

La manière dont un jeune étudiant européen se déplace d'un pays à un autre dans le cadre du programme ERASMUS (European Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students), tout dans l'esprit de découvrir ce continent divers, de partager sa culture avec d'autres et de faire fortifier son identité européenne est un enjeu social, économique et politique. La mobilité institutionnalisée a permis à beaucoup plus d'étudiants de partir à l'étranger qu'avant, que ça soit pour un semestre ou une année académique ou un stage de courte durée. Pourtant, la mobilité étudiante aujourd'hui est aussi devenue un atout économique pour la plupart des partis prenantes. En échangeant des étudiants comme s'ils étaient des commodités, les universités cherchent à accroitre leur notoriété, mettant en valeur leurs intérêts économiques avant l'accueil des étudiants étrangers. L'asymétrie des échanges entre les pays de l'Europe Occidentale et l'Europe de l'Est et Centrale pose aussi des problèmes. En outre, L'ECTS (European Crédit and Transfer System) et le Processus de Bologne ont changé la signification d'un séjour à l'étranger - écartant la diversité entre les institutions de l'enseignement supérieur. Dans cette thèse, je fais un bilan du programme ERASMUS. Par la suite, je fais des recommandations concernant l'impact social du programme - et comment faire en sorte que l'idée de partage culturelle reste au sein de sa philosophie.

Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) has been prioritized as the key instructional approach in colleges since the Chinese Ministry of Education issued a revised syllabus in 1999 that underlines college EFL students' communicative competence. The issuance of the syllabus was followed by a series of reforms on curricular designs and teaching methods. However, CLT has encountered great resistance. College teachers and learners are constrained by socio-cultural influences such as the perceptions of teachers' roles and ways of learning and teaching (Hu, 2002; Rao, 1996). Although some teachers have shown positive attitudes towards CLT, in general they have failed to practice it communicatively. This thesis discusses solutions and provides suggestions after delineating the difficulties these teachers and learners have encountered particularly. Taking into consideration China's increased global impact and internationallycollaborating programs that are currently conducted in many universities, this thesis highlights that CLT is an applicable approach to improve students' communicative competence.

The research presented in “Creating Identity” investigates Black identity formation within the Steve Biko Cultural Institute (Biko) in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, a pre-vestibular – or college entrance exam preparation course – for Afro-Brazilian high school and aspiring college students. The curriculum, Cidadania e Consciência Negra (Black Consciousness and Citizenship; abbreviated CCN) serves as a vital pillar to the institutional approach to Black identity. In a Eurocentric society like Brazil and a world where Black identity is largely discriminated against including in educational spaces, Biko represents a movement to combat the exclusion of Afro-descendant youth from university, improve self-esteem and perceptions of the value of Black identity, and change who graduates from Bahia state universities. Over the course of nine months, in 2015 and 2016, field data were collected in the city of Salvador, Brazil and at the Biko institute. Since the research was cross-linguistic, cross-cultural, and hosted internationally, I assumed a methodologically narrative approach. The research design incorporated a survey, interviews, observations, and document analysis. Forty-two students completed surveys, twenty-six Biko students, staff and alumni participated in interviews, and well over 400 hours of participatory field observation were completed. Policy, demographic and curricular documents were also analyzed. CCN heavily influenced participants’ identity development through student and teacher discourse. The institution is a center of critical activism in the community. Aside from being a major part of the instructional approach to preparation for the college entrance exam, CCN heavily influenced the relationships between participants and their families and friends over newly affirmed Black identities. Although Biko students and alumni became more socially alert to the racial issues in their communities, they remain at risk of being racially profiled. Additionally, understanding blackness through the eyes of participants required an understanding of class and gender structures in Brazil. One major implication of the research for the participants is: blackness is CCN is Biko. Thereby, knowledge production and interaction with universities by Biko students are heavily influenced by Biko tenets and ideologies discussing race and racism, prejudice, discrimination, women’s rights, and economic development.

Abstract not available.

The purpose of Understanding Why International Student Applicants Choose a Public Four-Year Institution was to apply a mixed-methods research approach to California State University, San Bernardino’s (CSUSB) international student population to better understand the factors associated with an international student’s decision-making processing to study abroad. Internationalization by institutions reflects the current two million international students studying around the world. In recent years internationalization has become more of an economic driving force, whereas in the past it was an opportunity for diversifying knowledge and research. Studies on push and pull factors reflect reasons why international students have decided to go abroad. Factors range from lack of access at home institutions for various programs to the desire to learn about Western culture. Seeing as the population of these studies is so diverse ethnically and culturally, it is important to be mindful of the various forms of capital students possess as an international student and the uniqueness this brings to each students experience. A questionnaire was utilized to gather quantitative data to provide descriptive statistics of the population, and interviews were conducted with participants to acquire the rich stories. The questionnaire submissions resulted in 52 returned surveys for a response rate of five percent. Six interviews were conducted, which provided a diverse group of international student representation for the analysis of the rich text allowing for a strong understanding of this specific case study. Based on the interviews conducted, responses reflected many of those that previous studies found. All but one interviewee mentioned the costs of attending as a deciding factor. Reputation of the institution and prestige of a US degree were also factors mentioned by the majority of participants. Both participants from African countries mentioned a lack of program availability as a reason to go abroad, while both Indian participants mentioned the desire to work after graduating for experience before returning home. Interestingly, most participants mentioned a connected family member to either the institution itself or the state of California as a reason for choosing CSUSB. The data that were collected for the purposes of this study did show some correlation to previous studies findings. The qualitative data proved useful in better understanding the needs of specific students, while also alluding to potential geographic considerations that need to be had when recruiting abroad and meeting the needs of international students around the world.

Alternative disciplinary strategies for K-12 educational institutions have been gaining popularity around the globe for challenging the epidemic of suspensions and expulsions that foster unsafe school climates and position youth on the pipeline-to-prison. This study used a qualitative approach to investigate Restorative Practices (RP) an innovative, alternative approach to discipline that appears to make a difference in New Zealand schools. The purpose of this intrinsic case study was to gain qualitative insight from twelve experienced professionals in RP in New Zealand into an approach that appears to transform school cultures and helps students remain in school and continue learning. The data collected from participants included their perspectives on the purpose and significance of the RP approach and offered insight into the implementation process and suggestions for long lasting sustainability. Participants also stressed how harsh disciplinary policies can impede positive school climates, which ultimately in large measure shape our society. Furthermore, it has been well documented that punitive practices, such as zero-tolerance are largely responsible for the enormous number of suspensions and expulsions that disproportionately impact primarily students with disabilities and students of color. California and other states around the US are currently using the RP model to address problems. The approach has been noted in this study as a paradigm shift in school culture that largely depends on leadership buy-in and effective implementation for success. The objective of this study was to investigate the purpose and significance of the RP for schools using qualitative methods to conduct twelve in-depth interviews of professionals with significant experience of RP in the region of Auckland, New Zealand. Findings from this study suggested that RP is a useful approach for attending to relational harm, which threatens to breakdown social structures in educational institutions. RP was also found to strengthen relationships, improve classroom and school climates and cultures and build social capital. Findings also indicated that RP shifts the power dynamic in the classroom, empowering students by enabling voice and agency, while improving teacher-student relationships, known to help narrow achievement gaps. Moreover, findings showed that RP teaches students valuable life skills, enabling them make better decisions, have healthier relationships, and be positive contributors to society. Finally, the findings suggested that RP repositions education significantly amounting to a huge revolution that can potentially change the future of education. Astute educational leaders and institutions around the globe recognize the need for systemic transformation. New Zealand is highlighted in this study as the leading country for RP in schools worldwide, as it has experienced transformative success with this approach so far.

In China, to go to college one must first pass the entrance exam commonly known as the gaokao . The test is grueling, but also seen as the key in China to becoming elite and successful in China's competitive job market, no matter what walk of life a person comes from. This paper examines the images society has created around the gaokao's status in China, and seeks to understands the dualities between these images and the realities that exist in China today- realities sometimes far different than what the gaokao promises.

China’s curriculum system has been undergoing substantial transformations since 1986. In response to public criticism of the highly prescribed national curriculum, the central state of China is attempting to build a more inclusive system which is composed of national curriculum, province curriculum and school-based curriculum. The new curriculum system accommodates more flexibility in carrying out national curriculum policies and even encourages local input in curriculum development and management. Apparently, the current curriculum reform in China is moving toward decentralization. The purpose of this work is to demonstrate the complexity of decentralization reform in China’s curriculum system and examine the dynamics of policy formulation and outcomes of reform efforts in great depth. The main argument made in this socio-philosophical work is that the on-going Chinese curriculum reform is a process of centralized decentralization, which merely transfers work to the local level but not real authority. With an inquiry into the impetus of current Chinese curriculum reform, this theoretical research illustrates that centralized decentralization is taken as a strategic imperative by the state to avoid loss of control over school curriculum that carries particular social and political significance for China in a transitional period. Another major task for this cultural studies research is to problematize the strategy of centralized decentralization, investigating the consequences of the superficial decentralization in reality and analyzing the bottlenecks in promoting current Chinese curriculum reform. In this research, Mark Hanson’s conceptual framework of education decentralization is used to clarify ambiguity in defining decentralization reform in the education sector in China. Meanwhile, Foucault’s theory about power/knowledge and governmentality and Williams’ theory about hegemony are used to deepen the understanding of the state-education relationship in contemporary China. Besides a descriptive analysis of phenomena in current Chinese curriculum reform, the discussion is deployed through pragmatic approach and logic-based reasoning. Most data are obtained from literature review, including previous studies on Chinese education reform, government documents, laws and regulations related to current Chinese curriculum reform.