On the merits of, and myths about, international assessments

2014 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 319-338 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oren Pizmony-Levy ◽  
James Harvey ◽  
William H. Schmidt ◽  
Richard Noonan ◽  
Laura Engel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
International Studies ◽  
Program Participation ◽  
Education Systems ◽  
Content Type ◽  
National Education ◽  
Large Scale Assessment ◽  
National Education Systems ◽  
The Usa

Purpose – This paper presents a moderated discussion on popular misconceptions, benefits and limitations of International Large-Scale Assessment (ILSA) programs, clarifying how ILSA results could be more appropriately interpreted and used in public policy contexts in the USA and elsewhere in the world. Design/methodology/approach – To bring key issues, points-of-view and recommendations on the theme to light, the method used is a “moderated policy discussion”. Nine commentaries were invited to represent voices of leading ILSA scholars/researchers and measurement experts, juxtaposed against views of prominent leaders of education systems in the USA that participate in ILSA programs. The discussion is excerpted from a recent blog published by Education Week. It is moderated with introductory remarks from the guest editor and concluding recommendations from an ILSA researcher who did not participate in the original blog. References and author biographies are presented at the end of the article. Findings – Together, the commentaries address historical, methodological, socio-political and policy issues surrounding ILSA programs vis-à-vis the major goals of education and larger societal concerns. Authors offer recommendations for improving the international studies themselves and for making reports more transparent for educators and the public to facilitate greater understanding of their purposes, meanings and policy implications. Originality/value – When assessment policies are implemented from the top down, as is often the case with ILSA program participation, educators and leaders in school systems tend to be left out of the conversation. This article is intended to foster a productive two-way dialogue among key ILSA actors that can serve as a stepping-stone to more concerted policy actions within and across national education systems.

A game of thrones: Organising and legitimising knowledge through PISA research

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 869-884
Author(s):  
Christina E Mølstad ◽  
Daniel Pettersson ◽  
Eva Forsberg
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
International Student ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
National Education ◽  
Large Scale Assessment ◽  
International Student Assessment ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Pisa Data ◽  
Research Accountability ◽  
Game Of Thrones

This study investigates knowledge structures and scientific communication using bibliometric methods to explore scientific knowledge production and dissemination. The aim is to develop knowledge about this growing field by investigating studies using international large-scale assessment (ILSA) data, with a specific focus on those using Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) data. As international organisations use ILSA to measure, assess and compare the success of national education systems, it is important to study this specific knowledge to understand how it is organised and legitimised within research. The findings show an interchange of legitimisation, where major actors from the USA and other English-speaking and westernised countries determine the academic discourse. Important epistemic cultures for PISA research are identified: the most important of which are situated within psychology and education. These two research environments are epicentres created by patterns of the referrals to and referencing of articles framing the formulation of PISA knowledge. Finally, it is argued that this particular PISA research is self-referential and self-authorising, which raises questions about whether research accountability leads to ‘a game of thrones’, where rivalry going on within the scientific field concerning how and on what grounds ‘facts’ and ‘truths’ are constructed, as a continuing process with no obvious winner.

Different firm responses to the COVID-19 pandemic shocks: machine-learning evidence on the Vietnamese labor market

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lam Hoang Viet Le ◽  
Toan Luu Duc Huynh ◽  
Bryan S. Weber ◽  
Bao Khac Quoc Nguyen
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Labor Market ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Government Support ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Machine Learning Techniques ◽  
Firm Characteristics ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Firm Responses

PurposeThis paper aims to identify the disproportionate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on labor markets.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conduct a large-scale survey on 16,000 firms from 82 industries in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and analyze the data set by using different machine-learning methods.FindingsFirst, job loss and reduction in state-owned enterprises have been significantly larger than in other types of organizations. Second, employees of foreign direct investment enterprises suffer a significantly lower labor income than those of other groups. Third, the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the labor market are heterogeneous across industries and geographies. Finally, firms with high revenue in 2019 are more likely to adopt preventive measures, including the reduction of labor forces. The authors also find a significant correlation between firms' revenue and labor reduction as traditional econometrics and machine-learning techniques suggest.Originality/valueThis study has two main policy implications. First, although government support through taxes has been provided, the authors highlight evidence that there may be some additional benefit from targeting firms that have characteristics associated with layoffs or other negative labor responses. Second, the authors provide information that shows which firm characteristics are associated with particular labor market responses such as layoffs, which may help target stimulus packages. Although the COVID-19 pandemic affects most industries and occupations, heterogeneous firm responses suggest that there could be several varieties of targeted policies-targeting firms that are likely to reduce labor forces or firms likely to face reduced revenue. In this paper, the authors outline several industries and firm characteristics which appear to more directly be reducing employee counts or having negative labor responses which may lead to more cost–effect stimulus.

The long-term development of Russian biotech sector

foresight ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. 491-500 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Grebenyuk ◽  
Nikolai Ravin
Keyword(s):  
High Performance ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Technological Development ◽  
Science And Technology ◽  
Plant Biotechnology ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Areas ◽  
Research Activities ◽  
The Usa

Purpose To define strategic directions for the Russia’s social, economic, scientific and technological development in 2011-2013, a large-scale foresight study including the deep analysis of prospects of biotechnology development there was undertaken (Russia 2030: Science and Technology Foresight). This paper aims to present results of this research. Design/methodology/approach The study was based on a combination of technology-push and market-pull approaches that aimed not only to identify most promising science and technology (S&T) areas but also to understand how they can be realized in practice. Representatives from federal authorities, science and business were involved in the project to create future visions of technological directions; analyze grand challenges, weak signals and wild cards; and set research and development (R&D) priorities. Findings According to results of the study, Russia has a potential for biotech sector development, although the level of R&D in the majority of areas is lagging behind that in the USA and leading EU countries. However, there are several advanced applied research areas where efforts can be focused. Among them are high-performance genomics and post-genomics research platforms, systems and structural biology, microbial metabolic engineering, plant biotechnology and microbial strains and consortia for development of symbiotic plant–microbial communities. Originality/value Concentration of available resources of government and business on biotechnological sector development can help to find answers for challenges that Russia faces today or will face tomorrow. It will help to pick up on the current level of research activities, improve the quality of personnel training, make this area the engine of the economy and carry out the so-called new industrialization of the country, building a new, high-tech device industry.

scholarly journals Modeling Entrepreneurship Intentions: An Essay of Typology

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bénédicte Branchet ◽  
Jean-Pierre Boissin ◽  
Lubica Hikkerova
Keyword(s):  
Theory Of Planned Behavior ◽  
Planned Behavior ◽  
Student Behaviors ◽  
Education Systems ◽  
National Education ◽  
Student Entrepreneurship ◽  
National Education Systems

From the standpoint of a psycho-sociological intention model adapted from the Theory of Planned Behavior, we analyze factors modeling students’ entrepreneurship intentions, as expressed by 7000 students of 24 different nationalities. We highlight the existence of differences in certain beliefs between countries. We then propose three structuring factors of student entrepreneurship intentions: type of entrepreneurship vision, opinion, and perceived capacity to create a business. Next, we construct a typology of student behaviors toward entrepreneurship intentions manifesting in six characterized clusters. We find that entrepreneurship intention behaviors are relatively supranational and are only slightly influenced by national education systems.

Structural elaboration in police organizations: an exploration

2017 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 351-365 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alicia L. Jurek ◽  
Matthew C. Matusiak ◽  
Randa Embry Matusiak
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Structural Complexity ◽  
Essential Elements ◽  
Multiple Time ◽  
Police Departments ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Police Organizations ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Multiple Time Points ◽  
American Police

Purpose The current research explores the structural elaboration of municipal American police organizations, specifically, the structural complexity of police organizations and its relationship to time. The purpose of this paper is to describe and test essential elements of the structural elaboration hypothesis. Design/methodology/approach The authors explore the structural elaboration hypothesis utilizing a sample of 219 large police departments across the USA. Data are drawn from multiple waves of the Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics survey and are analyzed using tobit and OLS regression techniques. Findings While there is some evidence that police departments are becoming more elaborate, little evidence for the structural elaboration hypothesis as a function of time is found. Originality/value This project is the first to specifically explore the structural elaboration hypothesis across multiple time points. Additionally, results highlight structural trends across a panel of large American police organizations and provide potential explanations for changes. Suggestions for large-scale policing data collection are also provided.

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