Thesis (M. Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 125-131).

Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 125-131). Also available in print.

Thesis--Lausanne. / Errata slip inserted. Includes bibliographical references (p. [231]-236).

Thesis--Stockholm. / Extra t.p. with thesis statement inserted. Bibliography: p. 243-259.

In this research, I investigated the extent to which language versions (English, French and Arabic) of the same science test were comparable in terms of item difficulty and demands. I used PISA science 2006 data from three countries (respectively, UK, France and Jordan). I argued that language was an intrinsic part of the scientific literacy construct, be it intended or not by the examiner. The tight relationship between the language element and the scientific knowledge makes the language variable inextricable from the construct. This argument has considerable implications on methodologies used to address this question. I also argued that none of the available statistical or qualitative techniques were capable of teasing out the language variable and answering the research question. In this thesis, I adopted a critical evaluation and empirical methods, using literature from various fields (cognitive linguistics, psychology, measurement and science education) to analyse the test development and design procedures. In addition, I illustrated my claims with evidence from the technical reports and examples of released items. I adopted the same class of models employed in PISA, the Rasch model, as well as differential item functioning (DIF) techniques to address my question empirically. General tests of fit suggested an overall good fit of the data to the model with eleven items out of 103 showing strong evidence of misfit. Various violations to the requirements of the Rasch model were highlighted. The DIF analysis indicated that 22% of the items showed bias in the selected countries, but bias balanced out at test level. Limitations of the DIF analysis to identify the source of bias were discussed. Qualitative approaches to investigating question demands were examined and issues with their usefulness in international settings were discussed. A way forward incorporating cognitive load theory and computational linguistics is proposed.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between undergraduate student performance on an information literacy assessment activity and their performance in global learning assessment activities for three global learning outcomes: global awareness, global perspective, and global engagement. Global learning is the process whereby people from varied backgrounds collaboratively analyze and seek solutions for complex problems that go beyond borders. Important components of global learning are the acquisition, analysis and use of information, relating to complex problems which may include, but are not limited to, poverty, environmental protection and food security. These components of global learning are analogous to information literacy, which represents skills that students apply to recognize, access, evaluate, and use information for decision making. Students enrolled in global learning courses, at Florida International University, participated in this investigation during the fall of 2016. Data from an 18-question information literacy assessment survey, and results of three global learning assessment activities were collected. Instructors teaching the global learning courses scored the global learning assessment activities. Information literacy and global learning data for 43 students were analyzed using multiple regression correlation methods. Research findings indicate no significant relationship between information literacy and the three global learning outcomes: global awareness, perspective and engagement. Descriptive data analysis show that over 79% (n=34) of participants reported having never received information literacy instruction from a librarian. Curricular implications include exploring opportunities for exposing students in global learning courses to information literacy processes either by adding information literacy to the general education core curriculum or by integrating information literacy into these courses. Recommendations for future research include replicating this study with a larger sample of students and conducting a study involving an information literacy intervention with pre- and post-test components.

The role of national education systems is changing, and many drivers of this phenomenon have been identified (Green, 1997). On the one side, there is a growing convergence in global education policy developments given by globalisation processes, on the other side, a political and ideological discourse has spread that promotes education as essential to the achievement of a model of economic productivity and competitiveness (Ball, 2013). The current research aims to shed light not only on the degree to which national education policy in the last two decades have been influenced by this movement, referred to as the Global Education Reform Movement (GERM) by Sahlberg (2016), but also on its possible consequences on equity. In order to do so, three western and European countries have been chosen: England, Sweden, and Italy. Through a mixed-method approach, in which the analysis of policy reforms is combined with PISA secondary data, each country’s specific political landscape and variation in socio-economic inequalities in the period between 2000 and 2020 is discussed. The final comparison between the countries allows seeing that even if all three countries present features of the GERM in the policy reforms enacted from the 2000s on, the consequences on equity are ambiguous. While the three countries present divergent trends both in PISA results and indicators of socio-economic inequalities, one common phenomenon worth deepening considering the increasing focus on standards is the steep increment in scores’ variation.

While the need for knowledge utilization in policy development has become greater than ever in an era of evidence-based policymaking, there has been considerable disagreement over what and whose knowledge have an actual impact on agenda setting and policy decisions. Contributing to this ongoing debate, this study investigates what counts as policy knowledge in education and explores how and why particular bodies of knowledge are selected and utilized in the policy process. The study examined the most recent school reforms in three countries with distinctive political and institutional arrangements: the Every Student Succeeds Act in the US, the 2015 Curriculum Reform in South Korea, and the Renewal and Improvement Reform in Norway. In total, 3,873 texts cited in expert reports prepared for the reforms were used as data for the bibliometric network analysis, and interviews with 45 policy experts in three countries, cued by network findings, were analyzed. The results showed differences in the institutionalized expertise-seeking arrangements, reflecting each country’s political contexts. The so-called “pluralist US model” sought expertise predominantly from interest group members, and both the expert and reference networks were fairly decentralized. In particular, think tanks and advocacy groups such as the Education Trust, the Center for American Progress, and the Brookings Institution served as important sources of knowledge in policymaking. By contrast, knowledge production and utilization in the “state corporatist system” of South Korea were mainly centralized in and steered by government actors and institutions. The “societal corporatist system” of Norway placed a greater emphasis on consensus building among diverse yet organized interests. Nevertheless, this study also found that the actual practice of expertise-seeking in the policy process did not always align with institutionalized norms due to local political contexts with regard to who has more access, resources, and power. In addition, the norms are changing along with two seemingly contradictory trends in today’s policymaking: the academization of expertise and increased demands for application-driven mode 2 knowledge. Overall, this study highlights the transferability of knowledge and the role of intermediary actors and organizations that bridge different systems and facilitate the transfer process. Furthermore, it makes a methodological contribution by employing bibliometric network analysis and network-cued interviews to understand policy knowledge utilization networks and coalitions within and across boundaries. The former demonstrates the structural position of policy actors and bodies of knowledge in a network, and the latter explains why particular actors or bodies of knowledge have greater influence, power, or prominence than others.

"The aim of this study is to compare and contrast the teaching of reading in Colonial Massachusetts during the seventeenth century with the teaching of reading in Florida during the mid-twentieth century. The content and method of teaching during any period is interwoven with the character of the social order which includes the government and the nature of the child as conceived of by the adult. Therefore, the character of the government and the nature of the child as conceived by the adult during seventeenth century Massachusetts is presented. The character of the government and the nature of the child as conceived by the adult in twentieth century United States is also given. A summary is made. This constitutes chapter two. In chapter three a comparison and contrast of the teaching of reading in these two periods are given, and a summary is made. In chapter four conclusions are drawn and implications are given"--Introduction. / "May, 1950." / Typescript. / Advisor: M. H. DeGraff, Major Professor. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 28-31).

This research project had the following goals: 1) To locate, describe, and synthesize recognized authoritative standards of performance and guiding principles of effective good practice for study abroad programs that have been established, endorsed, and supported by professionals and national organizations in the study abroad field. 2) To review selected literature on intercultural communication that has been published in the last fifteen years and examine intercultural communication theories and strategies applicable to the study abroad field to identify aspects which can most clearly benefit the study abroad experience of a sojourner through improved communication competence. 3) To assess the extent to which study abroad institutions or programs are operating according to the principles and standards of good practice specified by the professionals and national organizations in the study abroad field, and to discover how important study abroad program administrators feel these principles and standards are for their programs. 4) To assess the degree to which study abroad institutions or programs are incorporating relevant intercultural communication training into their study programs abroad.