The value of mixed-method longitudinal panel studies in ict research

This paper uses a unique British three-wave longitudinal dataset to examine the rates of transitions into and out of ‘ICT poverty’ defined as having Internet access in the household and/or having a mobile phone. This serves three purposes: it shows that many are still ‘passing by’ ICT ownership, that ‘gaining ICT’ access is not a one-way street – many just pass through; and that the rates of dropping out differ for different ICTs and for different groups of people. This has implications for both commercial and public policy strategy. It also shows the value of longitudinal approaches to data collection without which this kind of analysis would be impossible

Armed Conflict Exposure, Human Capital Investments and Child Labor: Evidence from Colombia

Using a unique combination of household and violence data sets and a duration analysis methodology, this paper estimates the effect that exposure to armed conflict has on school drop-out decisions of Colombian children between the ages of six and seventeen. After taking into account the possible endogeneity of municipal conflict related events through the use of instrumental variables, we find that armed conflict reduces the average years of schooling in 8.78% for all Colombian children. This estimate increases to 17.03% for children between sixteen and seventeen years old. We provide evidence that such effect may be induced mainly through higher mortality risks, and to lesser extent due to negative economic shocks and lower school quality; all of which induce a trade-off between schooling and child labor.Armed con.ict, School drop-out, Duration Analysis, Colombia

A Data-informed Public Health Policy-Makers Platform

Hearing loss is a disease exhibiting a growing trend due to the number of factors, including but not limited to the mundane exposure to the noise and ever-increasing amount of older population. In the framework of a public health policymaking process, modeling of the hearing loss disease based on data is a key factor in alleviating the issues related to the disease issuing effective public health policies. First, the paper describes the steps of the data-driven policymaking process. Afterward, a scenario along with the part of the proposed platform, responsible for supporting policymaking are presented. With the aim of demonstrating the capabilities and usability of the platform for the policy-makers, some initial results of preliminary analytics are presented in a framework of a policy-making process. Ultimately, the utility of the approach is validated throughout the results of the survey which was presented to the health system policy-makers professionals involved in the policy development process in Croatia

Evaluation of valued youth: a national peer-tutoring programme to increase self confidence and motivation

Established first in the USA, Valued Youth has operated in the UK since 1996, and is currently implemented in about 50 schools in 8 regions. The programme is intended to help secondary school students who are at risk of disengaging with school or underperforming for a variety of reasons. These students are selected as tutors, given training on how to work with younger children and placed in a local primary school where they support pupils' learning. Valued Youth can be seen as one of many initiatives in secondary schools on re-engagement in learning and contributes to the UK government strategy of extending opportunities and providing flexible learning experiences to meet individual learners' needs and aptitudes. Evidence from the USA has shown the value of the programme in reducing drop-out, strengthening youngsters' perceptions of self and school, and reducing disciplinary referrals and absenteeism. The evaluation discussed in this paper considers the effect of the programme in a UK context, not only in terms of young people's attendance, attainment and confidence, but also in terms of what sort of youngsters seem to benefit and the effects of financial rewards, if any, on the outcomes. The paper reports on the first year of a two-year evaluation. Data were obtained from a pre- and post-questionnaire survey among tutors, a workshop with coordinators and visits to selected case study schools in several regions. Almost all tutors enjoyed the programme and would recommend the experience to others. There was a relatively low dropout and the programme was warmly appreciated by participating primary schools. We have evidence that Valued Youth markedly raises confidence, improves communication skills and keeps some at risk youngsters on track in school. Many types of youngsters benefit from the experience; those who lack confidence and have poor communication skills seem to make the most progress. Successful tutors tend to be those who are committed to the programme, willing to learn, are flexible and cooperative, and have some ability to interact with others, particularly children and primary teachers.</p

Managing e-Learning: what are the real implications for schools?

This paper is concerned with the use of e-learning in secondary education. It is based on research that has taken place over a period of two years with students aged 14-16 (Key Stage 4). The paper considers the current research in e-learning and identifies the challenges faced by students, the changing role of the learner, and the impact e-learning can have on students. The author argues that preparation needs to be carried out at the school level prior to introducing e-learning into the Key Stage 4 curriculum. It concludes by discussing the findings of the research which identifies a range of issues schools may want to consider, when embracing e-learning

Conflict and its Impact on Educational Accumulation and Enrollment in Colombia: What We Can Learn from Recent IDPs

Forty years of low-intensity internal armed conflict has made Colombia home to the world's second largest population of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). The effect of being directly impacted by conflict on a child's educational accumulation and enrollment is of particular concern because of the critical role that education plays in increasing human capital and productivity. This paper explores the educational accumulation and enrollment gap created by being directly affected by conflict. First, we show that children living in municipality with high conflict have a gap in education enrollment and accumulation. However, this gap is much smaller than the attainment and enrollment gap for those directly affected by the conflict (IDPs). We estimate the education accumulation and enrollment gaps for IDPs in comparison to non-migrants and other migrants respectively. Our results suggest significant education accumulation and enrollment gaps for children of IDPs that widens to over half a year in secondary school. The disparity in effects when we focus on direct exposure to conflict versus living in a municipality with conflict suggests a need to be careful when using the latter to estimate the impact of conflict.educational attainment, school enrollment, Colombia, internal displacement, conflict

Open and Distance Learning for Basic Education in South Asia: its potential for hard-to-reach children and children in conflict and disaster areas: Bangladesh and Sri Lanka Country Studies

These are the country studies for the UNICEF funded project which explores the ways in which, in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka various forms of open and distance learning could be developed to better meet the needs of marginalised children and those affected by natural disaster (Bangladesh) and by conflict (Sri Lanka)

Õppimine ja väljalangemine IKT erialade esimesel aastal Eesti kõrgkoolide näitel

Loodusteaduste ja tehnoloogia valdkonnas on suureks probleemiks üliõpilaste väljalangemine IKT erialadelt. Siinse kvalitatiivse uurimuse eesmärk on mõista sügavamalt erinevusi väljalangenud ja edasiõppivate üliõpilaste vahel ning leida abinõud, mida saaks väljalangemuse vähendamiseks kasutusele võtta. Andmeid koguti intervjuudega kaheksalt väljalangenud ja kaheksalt õpinguid jätkanud üliõpilaselt. Tulemused näitavad, et iseseisev IKT õppimine enne kõrgkooli muudab õpingud kõrgkoolis lihtsamaks ning õpingute jätkamisele aitab kaasa tugevam akadeemiline ja sotsiaalne integratsioon. Erinevused väljalangenud ja õpinguid jätkanud üliõpilaste vahel ilmnevad vaid akadeemilise integratsiooni puhul. Seevastu eri õppevormides õppivate üliõpilaste erinevused seisnevad varasemates kogemustes, kõrgkooli astumise eesmärkides, õpingutele pühendumises ja sotsiaalses integratsioonis. Tulemuste põhjal saab esitada soovitusi IKT erialadelt väljalangemise ennetamiseks. &nbsp;Summar