scholarly journals International education management

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 206-223 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.M. Riad Shams

Purpose International students, who have a non-English speaking background (NESB), encounter many difficulties, in comparison to their local fellows of an English-speaking country. Literature demonstrates that leveraging various relational perspectives in a multicultural teaching environment has favourable implications to manage the NESB international students’ academic experience. Based on the observation and introspection approaches and a relevant literature review in relationship management, an ethnographic analysis is conducted to realise how such relational perspectives can be nurtured, in a way that the NESB international students expect and accept in a foreign country. Design/methodology/approach A literature review in relationship management and an ethnographic analysis based on observation and introspection methods was conducted. Findings Findings show that universities could assist the NESB international students by designing, delivering and monitoring innovative teaching and learning approaches and taking care of the associated academic and non-academic issues of the students, while leveraging the social, psychological and academic relational perspective(s). Originality/value Leveraging relational perspectives offers global implications. The implications of relational perspectives can be used from any setting. However, the relational appeal should be focused on the presented circumstances of a targeted setting only (e.g. the issues of a particular multicultural classroom).

2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (2/3) ◽  
pp. 65-77
Author(s):  
Brian D. Denman

Purpose Utilising dialogic meta-narrative analysis, a form of inquiry based on examining the difference between voices in meaningful and relevant dialogue (Wegerif, 2006, p. 347), the purpose of this paper is to present an examination of three relevant works on theories of the global South for identifying educational patterns, themes, and biases from the worldview perspectives of the respective authors. Design/methodology/approach In comparative and international education “qualitative” research, the acceptance of differing points of view and reference have often resulted in a fragmented and fractitious affirmation of cultural relativity, whereby the pursuit of truth (Veritas) has been replaced by the pursuit and contestation of a plurality of knowledges and truths. Davies defines this as “discursive practice”, which refers to the way discourse and the production of selves produce and reconstitutes one’s social and psychological realities (Davies, 1999, p. 88). The positional and discursive worldviews relative to “other” are not only dependent on locational, contextual, and time (Zeitgeist) dimensions, but also on disciplinary methodological foundations and subjective interpretations of both experience and choice. Findings The analysis of the three scholarly works identifies issues of comparative education research from a dialogic and dialectic perspective, suggesting that relativistic notions of research are required and necessary in order to expand horizons and “break out of the box” to broaden one’s imagination. Research limitations/implications The questions raised by all three worldviews require further research: Who pays? Who benefits? Should the field contest the positional points-of-reference of comparativists? Should theory and mode of inquiry be made more clear in order to understand and discern the positional authority of the researcher and the researched? Should relevant literature addressing subject material involve greater scrutiny – if not collaboration – between scholars from different worldview perspectives? Practical implications Subjectivity, validation and significance of findings contribute to dissemination and advancement of knowledge, and if not robust or rigorous, are simply another point of view. Originality/value This is a new paradigmatic approach to problematising comparative and international research from three positional worldviews. The value in problematising the three worldviews helps to delve deeper into the issues at hand regarding the global South.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra Seno-Alday ◽  
Amanda Budde-Sung

Purpose This paper aims to explore the impact of differences in educational traditions on conventions of teaching and learning, and on the measurement of learning outcomes. These are critical issues within the context of business schools that are steeped in one dominant tradition but have a large population of international students previously educated in other traditions. The paper argues that international students face the challenge of satisfactorily demonstrating learning according to foreign conventions that are different from what they would have been accustomed to within the framework of their home educational tradition. Design/methodology/approach This study draws on a bilingual literature review to capture differences in educational traditions between Australia and China. It then uses logistic regression to analyze the performance of 800 domestic and international Chinese students across a range of different assessment formats at a large Australian business school. Findings The study finds statistically significant differences in the performance of these two student groups on different assessment types. It concludes that the conventions on approaches to the assessment of learning shaped by a specific educational tradition can hamper the effective demonstration of learning among students from other educational traditions. Originality/value The paper focuses on issues related to the assessment of learning in multicultural higher education contexts, which has received less attention in the literature compared to issues on teaching approaches in multicultural contexts. The paper also highlights important implications on the validity of the measurement of learning outcomes and on the subsequent impact on graduate recruitment.


Author(s):  
Aaron S. Blicblau ◽  
Jamal Naser

The pedagogy of engineering requires a better understanding of the requirements of students' abilities to learning the skills necessary for working in the engineering community. In many engineering courses around the world, one of the key aspects required of the students is that they complete an independent project in their final year of studies incorporating information retrieval and subsequent communication skills. The current work provides details teaching and learning approaches to enhance student abilities and expertise involving research skills, communication skills, and information retrieval integrated within capstone projects. Findings from this the work indicated that both domestic and international students benefited from the intensive tutorial activities involving computer based information retrieval skills. The implementation of active tutorial sessions resulted in increased grades for the majority of students, highlighting the importance of intensive active learning events for final year capstone engineering students.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 321-345
Author(s):  
Aruna Apte

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to understand whether an organization knows if it is ready to respond to a disaster and whether it has the capabilities to deliver relief. Our initial motivation was to identify unique resources possessed by the United States Navy (USN) and United States Marine Corps (USMC) due to their unique and critical capabilities for humanitarian operations. The recent frequency of disasters around the world suggests these events will continue to create demand for relief capabilities. For this reason we need to understand readiness metrics not just for USN and USMC but for humanitarian organizations (Hos) in general.Design/methodology/approachWe survey relevant literature for understanding how HOs define and develop readiness metrics and associated factors. We studied documents including peer-reviewed scholarly articles, government documents, white papers, research papers and Department of Defense (DoD) briefings. We study literature that is significantly written for DoD, one, the vast experience of USN and USMC and two, the lessons learned have been documented. The literature offers substantial information on what readiness means and why it is important. This documented information is critical because it is known to the researchers in humanitarian operations that data is hard to come by.FindingsThe framework for readiness proposed at the end of this article is context the emergency responder probably uses in an informal fashion. The validation of readiness framework, we find exists in the supporting literature we review.Originality/valueThe understanding of readiness metrics for humanitarian operations for the organizations we study may offer insight into other HOs. The insights we gain may not be pivotal or counterintuitive to the conclusions based on commonsense. However, they are supported by the literature review. We formalize the concept based on conclusions of a set of diverse set of researchers and practitioners such as academic scholars, DoD personnel and government officials involved in humanitarian missions, USAID representatives that are repeatedly tasked for being ready, military and government officers from host and foreign countries and many more.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Qian Chen ◽  
Daniel Mark Hall ◽  
Bryan Tyrone Adey ◽  
Carl Thomas Haas

PurposeManaging stakeholders' reciprocal interdependencies is always a challenging issue. Stakeholders need to find out different ways to communicate information and coordinate material flows during the supply chain processes. Many recent studies have advanced construction supply chain coordination from multiple perspectives. However, the field still lacks a comprehensive analysis to summarize existing research, to explicitly identify all the possible enablers for coordination and to investigate how the enablers can be carried out at the supply chain interfaces. To fill the gap, this study aims to conduct a systematic review in order to examine the relevant literature.Design/methodology/approachA systematic literature review process was conducted to identify and synthesize relevant publications (published in the past 20 years) concerning the coordination of construction supply chain functions. These publications were coded to link main research findings with specific enabler categories. In addition, how these enablers can be used at the interfaces across supply chain processes was reviewed with an in-depth analysis of reciprocal communications between stakeholders at design-to-production, production-to-logistics and production-to-site-assembly phases.FindingsThe coordination enablers were classified into three categories: (1) contractual enablers (including subtopics on relational contracts and incentive models), (2) procedural enablers (including subtopics on multiagent knowledge sharing systems and the last planner system) and (3) technological enablers (including subtopics on linked databases for design coordination, design for manufacturing software platforms and automated monitoring technologies). It was found that interfacing different functions requires a certain level of integration of stakeholders for quick response and feedback processes. The integration of novel contractual forms with digital technologies, such as smart contracts, however, was not adequately addressed in the state of the art.Research limitations/implicationsThe scope of the systematic review is limited to the static analysis of selected publications. Longitudinal studies should be further included to sharpen the inductions of enablers considering organizational changes and process dynamics in construction projects.Practical implicationsDifferent enablers for coordination were summarized in a concise manner, which provides researchers and project stakeholders with a reinforced understanding of various ways to manage reciprocal interdependencies at different supply chain interfaces.Originality/valueThis study constitutes an important input for research on the construction supply chain by illuminating the thematic topic of coordination from inductively developed review processes, which included a holistic framing of the emerging coordination enablers and their use across supply chain functions. Consequently, it closes some identified knowledge gaps and offers additional insights to improve the supply chain performance of construction projects.


2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 107-119
Author(s):  
Patrick R. Cundiff ◽  
Olivia McLaughlin ◽  
Katherine Brown ◽  
Keiondra Grace

Mastery learning approaches were designed to improve student learning and elevate the level of understanding across a broader swath of students. These approaches operate under the belief that all students are capable of learning if given enough time. Little research has examined the utility or applicability of a mastery learning approach for social sciences outside of research methods courses. This study provides a review of the relevant literature on mastery learning, a discussion of the applicability of this approach to the teaching and learning of social sciences, and a review of the process and results of the conversion of more traditionally organized and taught courses to a mastery learning approach. Overall, our evaluation provides evidence that a mastery learning approach can make a significant impact on student learning.


2013 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 338-348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susannah Diamond ◽  
Brian Irwin

PurposeThe paper aims to explore staff practices in using e‐learning to embed sustainability literacy, highlight best practice and determine areas for improvement.Design/methodology/approachA framework of four areas for developing student sustainability literacy (SSL) was proposed as a basis for analysing practice. A literature review then explored the extent to which e‐learning is used to support embedding SSL in the curriculum, and the types of e‐learning currently in use for this.FindingsE‐learning tools were most frequently used to provide flexible access to information, followed by support for communication and collaboration, and were less frequently used for the development of specific skills, personal identity and confidence.Research limitations/implicationsThe sample of case studies provided only limited evidence. A survey of practitioners could be undertaken to explore and validate the issues raised by the literature review.Practical implicationsThe review highlighted scope for a pedagogical shift away from using e‐learning for information delivery and practical communication, and towards supporting rich, student‐centred forms of learning in both blended and distance learning modes.Social implicationsThis shift would create more powerful learning experiences for students, more effectively develop students' personal identities and skills, and yield graduates who are more confident in their ability to create more sustainable futures.Originality/valueThis paper will be of value to academic staff and educational developers looking to develop practice in embedding SSL in teaching and learning, and to harness the potential of e‐learning.


2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (9) ◽  
pp. 981-997
Author(s):  
Francis Farrell

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to critically explore and foreground secondary religious education (RE) student teachers’ accounts of the dilemmas they experienced in their classrooms and schools in a highly racialised post referendum environment. Teacher narratives are analysed in order to suggest ways in which a transformative teaching and learning agenda drawing from a pluralistic human rights framework can be reasserted in place of government requirements to promote fundamental British values (FBV). Design/methodology/approach Qualitative data were collected in focus group interviews to gain insights into how the referendum environment was experienced phenomenologically in localised school settings. Findings The interview data reveals the complex ways in which the discourses circulating in the post referendum milieu play out in highly contingent, diverse secondary school settings. These schools operate in a high stakes policy context, shaped by the new civic nationalism of FBV, the Prevent security agenda and government disavowal of “multiculturalism” in defence of “our way of life” (Cameron, 2011). A key finding to emerge from the teachers’ narratives is that some of the ways in which Prevent and FBV have been imposed in their schools has reduced the transformative potentials of the critical, pluralistic RE approaches to teaching and learning that is promoted within the context of their university initial teacher education programme. Research limitations/implications The findings suggest that existing frameworks associated with security and civic nationalism are not sufficient to ensure that young citizens receive an education that prepares them for engagement with a post truth, post Brexit racial and political environment. Transformative teaching and learning approaches (Duckworth and Smith, 2018), drawing upon pluralistic, critical RE and human rights education are presented as more effective alternatives which recognise the dignity and agency of both teachers and students. Originality/value This paper is an original investigation of the impact of the Brexit referendum environment on student teachers in a university setting. In the racialised aftermath of the referendum the need for transformative pluralistic and critical educational practice has never been more urgent. The data and analysis presented in this paper offer a compelling argument for a root and branch reformulation of current government security agendas in education.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nimesha Sahani Jayasena ◽  
Daniel W.M. Chan ◽  
Mohan Kumaraswamy

PurposeRising human aspirations leading to rapid urbanisation, amidst climate changes and other environmental pressures have aggravated the needs for better-focused sustainable urban development in general as well as for smart and sustainable cities in particular. Indeed, smart infrastructure (SI) development is a prerequisite for smart cities (SCs). However, inadequate funding and expertise for such SI development pose profound challenges that may be partially addressed by mobilising private finance and efficiencies through collaborative public–private partnership (PPP) models. This paper provides a holistic review and analysis of the relevant literature, as a basis for proposing such PPP models for developing SI.Design/methodology/approachA systematic literature review helped to fulfil the aim of this paper in the first phase of the underlying longer-term study. Authoritative search engines like Scopus and Web of Science indexed articles were reviewed and analysed, 85% of these being journal articles.FindingsSCs that necessarily include SI are important in overcoming current urban challenges in developing and developed countries. Given shortfalls in traditional procurement and funding models, special PPP models are required for SI development. After identifying the relevant needs, drivers, barriers and challenges in different countries, a general indicative framework is developed to illustrate how the various interacting force fields can be harnessed to develop the envisaged PPP models that can complement non-PPP procurement models.Originality/valuePPP for SI development is a relatively new, hence, under-researched topic. This desktop review and analysis provide a useful launching pad for the development of SI through overcoming the potential challenges in traditional procurement and financial models.


2020 ◽  
Vol 120 (11) ◽  
pp. 2041-2065
Author(s):  
Ioanna Pavlidou ◽  
Savvas Papagiannidis ◽  
Eric Tsui

PurposeThis study is a systematic literature review of crowdsourcing that aims to present the research evidence so far regarding the extent to which it can contribute to organisational performance and produce innovations and provide insights on how organisations can operationalise it successfully.Design/methodology/approachThe systematic literature review revolved around a text mining methodology analysing 106 papers.FindingsThe themes identified are performance, innovation, operational aspects and motivations. The review revealed a few potential directions for future research in each of the themes considered.Practical implicationsThis study helps researchers to consider the recent themes on crowdsourcing and identify potential areas for research. At the same time, it provides practitioners with an understanding of the usefulness and process of crowdsourcing and insights on what the critical elements are in order to organise a successful crowdsourcing project.Originality/valueThis study employed quantitative content analysis in order to identify the main research themes with higher reliability and validity. It is also the first review on crowdsourcing that incorporates the relevant literature on crowdfunding as a value-creation tool.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document