This thesis investigates the gender disparity among female teachers and principals within the Japanese education system. The purpose of the study is to identify factors contributing to this imbalance and to explore the career aspirations of future female educators alongside the experiences of retired female principals. Using a mixed-methods approach, quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews were employed to gather data. The surveys aimed to understand the career aspirations of future female educators, while interviews provided insights into the experiences of retired female principals. The results reveal a complex interplay of societal expectations, institutional structures, and individual aspirations shaping women's professional trajectories in education. Despite the high representation of female teachers, the proportion of female principals remains significantly low. Implications of the study highlight the need for addressing systemic barriers and fostering an environment conducive to the professional development and advancement of women in educational leadership roles. By promoting gender equity and inclusivity, policymakers, educators, and researchers can work towards a more diverse and representative education sector in Japan.

The purpose of this study is to present an empirical pattern of social equity in Chinese higher education by investigating university students. Student socio-economic background influences access to, and socio-economic conditions in, higher education, and this, in turn, influences student career aspirations. The theoretical background of the study is interdisciplinary and a conceptual framework built on theories and previous research is used to analyse Chinese higher education in a historical, social and economic context. A questionnaire survey was administered at six public universities in the Southwest region of the country to explore students’ socio-economic background, costs and how they finance their studies, as well as their future career aspirations. The relationships between the factors investigated were examined using factor analytical techniques and linear structural relations (LISREL) analysis. The findings indicate that the students come from all socio-economic strata but a disproportionately large number are from high-income families. Students from urban areas are over-represented while rural girls are significantly under-represented. Although the gap between the lowest and highest study costs is enormous, the findings confirm that the average cost of higher education in China far exceeds the average annual income, even for urban residents. Moreover, about one-third of students and their families utilised financial resources other than family such as student loans, borrowing, and other forms of financial assistance. A structural model linking student socio-economic background, enrolment in elite institutions, costs and means of financing education with career aspirations is developed and tested in three stages in order to shed light on the conceptual framework and to present a pattern of social equity. The results show that family socio-economic status has only a modest impact on student access to and in higher education. On the other hand, having social origins in a well-developed community exerts an influential effect. Although study and living costs, and means of financing studies, are influenced by student socio-economic background, they intend to have positive impacts on student career aspirations. While enrolment in elite institutions has a strongly positive impact on costs, it has a moderately negative impact on aspirations to pursue advanced degrees. In conclusion, the study finds that the patterns of socio-economic factors influencing student upward mobility in present-day China are different from those of ancient China and from those previous Communist leaders attempted to achieve only 20 years ago.

<p>  </p> <p>This dissertation examines working women’s experiences with careers and childcare in South Korea. Korea is characterized by its ultra-low fertility rate, aging population, and high proportions of working women and those opting out of work after childbirth. Despite the government’s generous childcare policies and widespread help from child(ren)’s grandmothers, Korean mothers report substantial difficulties in pursuing their careers due to childcare responsibilities. Thus, this dissertation asks the following questions: 1) How do beliefs and norms about childcare influence Korean women’s career pursuits and childcare arrangements? 2) What factors influence Korean working mothers’ career aspirations and pursuits in the context of COVID-19? 3) How does grandmothers’ care help influence Korean working mothers’ careers and childcare arrangements? </p> <p><br></p> <p>To investigate these questions, I analyze three waves of longitudinal in-depth interview data (n=102) from women in Korea. The first wave was collected in-person in 2019 ­before the COVID-19 pandemic with 37 women. The second (n=32) was conducted in 2020, and the final (n=33) wave in 2021. Due to travel restrictions related to COVID-19, the second and final waves were conducted virtually using video calls. The semi-structured interviews asked questions about women’s experiences with their careers and childcare, and examined how their experiences have changed or remained the same since the COVID-19 pandemic. This is one of the first qualitative studies to examine working mothers’ experiences with childcare pre-pandemic (2019) and during the pandemic (2020 and 2021).</p> <p><br></p> <p>Based on the findings, I develop the concept of “childcare ideologies”– defined as beliefs and norms about childcare. Korean women shared a diverse range of beliefs and norms about childcare encompassing family members like mothers, fathers, and grandparents, as well as non-family members like care facilities and the government. Because childcare is not a concern or responsibility of mothers alone, this dissertation encourages the sociological scholarship to conceptualize childcare more broadly, by including the discussions of political interests, social and cultural norms, and intergenerational familial care, among other relevant factors. </p> <p><br></p> <p>In addition, I document women’s experiences related to pursuing their careers and arranging grandmothers’ childcare help.  The findings show the influence of <em>gendered</em> childcare beliefs and norms on Korean mothers’ career aspirations and pursuits. Childcare beliefs that do not assume that mothers are primarily responsible for childcare motivated mothers to aspire to career success and pursue such aspirations. On the other hand, childcare beliefs that associate mothers with having primary childcare responsibility discouraged mothers from their career aspirations and pursuits. Furthermore, while I demonstrate Korean mothers’ heavy reliance on their children’s grandmothers for childcare help, I show that mothers preferred to receive childcare help from maternal grandmothers than from paternal grandmothers. </p> <p><br></p> <p>In analyzing these empirical findings, this dissertation contextualizes Korean mothers’ experiences related to childcare and career pursuits within the novel context of the COVID-19 pandemic. That is, I employ a gendered life course framework to investigate how women’s family lives and careers have been affected when the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic caused an economic and societal disruption, in addition to a health crisis. I conclude the dissertation with empirical implications and policy recommendation to better anticipate future health challenges and to assist working women and their families when these challenges emerge.</p>

International student mobility has increased significantly, and Sweden is no exception. However, this increase brings challenges, not least when it comes to perceptions of quality in higher education among international students. The purpose of the present study is to gain increased knowledge about how students on English-speaking master's programs at a Swedish university experience the quality of their education, as well as to gain a better understanding of what the students initially expected from the education and their experiences so far. By using a qualitative method, involving a survey (n= 90) and semi-structured interviews (n= 16) conducted in the period of October to December 2023, the expectations and perceptions of international master students are examined. The results show that students’ original expectations are often high, characterized by an expectation of high educational quality and good future career opportunities. However, many experience challenges related to linguistic and cultural adaptation, which affects their perception of the quality of education. Furthermore, the study shows that a considerable portion of international students particularly value practical elements within the education, and they express a strong desire for the course content to be more clearly linked to concrete professional skills useful in future career ambitions. The discussion highlights the need for improved support structures and adapted educational strategies to enhance the academic and social experiences of international students. The study contributes to an increased understanding of the complexity of the internationalization process and its impact on educational quality, which is important for policy development and quality assurance in higher education.

The thesis "Sibling Constellation Effects on Learning and Career Aspirations of Pupils" is aimed at the description of a relationship between birth order and personality development. It also deals with the general characteristics of sibling constellation and its historical development. It points out the importance of sibling constellation in human life and presents the personality description with regard to birth order in relation to parents, siblings, peers, education and occupation. The thesis also involves the research results of birth order effects on learning and career specialization of grammar school pupils. This main part is enriched with the information about the aspiration rate of secondary school and university students. The data were obtained through three similar questionnaires distributed on above-mentioned educational levels during February and March 2012.

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The purpose of the study was to describe factors that influence black females to choose engineering as a career. It transpired from the literature study that enabling environment, gender of role models, self-efficacy and socialization are important factors in terms of causing and attracting females into the fields of science and engineering study. From the empirical study it came out clearly that family members, female role members, and confidence in mathematics and science were factors that caused the females in engineering group to choose it as a career. Findings also revealed that gender stereotypes did not deter them from choosing engineering and that they were content with their career choice. For the above factors to be addressed incentives exclusive to females should be launched by government so as to attract more females to the fields of science and engineering. Schools also need to pursue programmes that expose learners to these fields. / Educational Studies / M. Ed.

The purpose of the study was to describe factors that influence black females to choose engineering as a career. It transpired from the literature study that enabling environment, gender of role models, self-efficacy and socialization are important factors in terms of causing and attracting females into the fields of science and engineering study. From the empirical study it came out clearly that family members, female role members, and confidence in mathematics and science were factors that caused the females in engineering group to choose it as a career. Findings also revealed that gender stereotypes did not deter them from choosing engineering and that they were content with their career choice. For the above factors to be addressed incentives exclusive to females should be launched by government so as to attract more females to the fields of science and engineering. Schools also need to pursue programmes that expose learners to these fields. / Educational Studies / M. Ed.