The ‘graduate global citizen? An examination of undergraduate Education students’ reasons for non-participation in international placements

This paper considers the issue of international placements in Higher Education. It begins with a review of literature examining the benefits of such experience and the perceived barriers to participation. Taking a case study approach based on questionnaires and individual interviews, the research scrutinises the views of over a 100 second-year undergraduate Education students at a post-1992 UK university, where take-up of such overseas opportunities has been persistently low. The study investigates the students’ declared reasons for non-participation, their awareness of potential benefits and suggestions for improving placement uptake. It concludes with a summary of recommendations for practice and future research in this area

Some Final Reflections on Educational Comparison

Chapter 12 of International and Comparative Education - Contemporary Issues and Debates Edited By Brendan BartramThis chapter shows how educational developments are always firmly rooted in sociocultural specifics, and needs be aware of these contextual factors in order to interpret what is happening and why it is happening. Broader social values, economic conditions and political priorities form complex amalgams that not only shape educational phenomena but also help understand them. As long ago as 1983, Inkeles and Sirowy analysed patterns of change across a large number of education systems and concluded that tendencies towards educational similarity were 'pervasive and deep. It is manifested at all levels of the educational system, and affects virtually every major aspect of that system'. Economically advanced states thus exert their influence on poorer countries at the 'periphery' who are manipulated by the core players into acting and thinking 'their way' about what is important in education and other spheres of life

University students and emotional bargaining – a comparative study of staff perspectives in Northern Europe

This paper examines lecturers’ perspectives on students’ ‘emotional bargaining’ in higher education (HE). Based on a social-functional understanding of emotions, it utilises a small-scale qualitative survey approach to explore and compare the views of 43 teaching staff at three universities in England, the Netherlands and Sweden. Particular consideration is given to staff perceptions of students’ motives for engaging in such behaviour and the factors potentially driving it. Findings suggest broadly similar views are held by the respondents across the three settings, and staff views on potential ‘solutions’ are investigated. The study offers tentative evidence that the neo-liberal logics perceived to guide university policies and practices may be a central factor in engendering student bargaining behaviours, particularly in the English context, where neo-liberal regimes are arguably more pronounced. Finally, an attempt is made to identify a number of recommendations for institutional consideration and potential practice

Supporting international students in higher education: a comparative examination of approaches in the U.K. and U.S.A.

This discussion paper offers a critical examination of the ways in which international students are supported by the variety of systems commonly in place at universities in the U.K. and U.S.A. - two countries that attract large numbers of students from overseas. While acknowledging the difficultly of defining the term 'support', the article describes, compares and critiques the approaches deployed in both nations. Though certain broad, structural similarities are identified, the authors discuss how a shared neoliberal instrumentality guiding student support leads to differently inflected institutional responses in both countries. Consideration is also given to the extent to which differences in 'national' values and beliefs about higher education might be implicated in these diverse approaches and, finally, to what lessons might be learned from these comparisons.Published versio

‘Career and Money Aside, What's the Point of University?’ A Comparison of Students’ Non-economic Entry Motives in Three European Countries

his paper explores students’ non-economic motives for attending university. Drawing on the results of a tri-national survey involving online questionnaires and email interviews with education students at English, German and Portuguese universities, it compares and discusses the extent to which the participants are motivated by a number of extrinsic and intrinsic factors. In contrast to certain other studies, the findings reveal a strong consensus across all three settings in relation to certain motivational elements—strong intrinsic desires for self-improvement and low motivations driven by social pressures or seeing university as a default option. More pronounced national differences emerge, however, regarding motives to contribute to society and the appeal of the social dimension of university life. The paper interprets the similarities and differences revealed and considers a number of conclusions

Queering the TEF

This is an accepted manuscript of an article published by Emerald in French, A. and Carruthers Thomas, K. (eds.) Challenging the Teaching Excellence Framework: Diversity Deficits in Higher Education Evaluations on 06/08/2020, available online: https://books.emeraldinsight.com/page/detail/Challenging-the-Teaching-Excellence-Framework/?K=9781787695368 The accepted version of the publication may differ from the final published version.Taken at face value, it may initially seem difficult to argue with the sentiments enshrined in the rhetoric that surrounds the TEF – raising the status of teaching in Higher Education, re-balancing its relationship with research, incentivising institutions to focus on the quality of teaching, and making them more accountable for “how well they ensure excellent outcomes for their students in terms of graduate-level employment or further study” (OfS, 2018:1). Clearly, these are laudable aspirations that will chime with anyone who believes in the importance of students experiencing an education that enriches and transforms them and their potential. Drawing on Fraser and Lamble’s (2015) use of queer theory in relation to pedagogy, however, this chapter aims to expose the TEF not just “as a landmark initiative that is designed to further embed a neoliberal audit and monitoring culture into Higher Education” (Rudd, 2017: 59) but as a constraining exercise that restrains diversity and limits potential. Although queer theory is more usually linked with gender and sexuality studies, Fraser and Lamble show us that it can be used “in its broader political project of questioning norms, opening desires and creating possibilities” (p.64). In this way, the queer theoretical lens used here helps us to question, disrupt and contest the essentialising hegemonic logics behind the nature and purposes of the TEF, and its effects in HE classrooms. Using the slant-wise position of the homosexual (Foucault, 1996), this queer analysis of the TEF can thus be helpful as a politically generative exercise in opening up space for new possibilities

Exploring international and comparative education

This is an accepted manuscript of a book chapter published by Routledge 2019, available online: https://www.routledge.com/A-Students-Guide-to-Education-Studies/Simon-Ward/p/book/9780367276690 The accepted version of the publication may differ from the final published version.This chapter offers an introduction to an area of educational studies often described as international and comparative education. This field of study rests on a long tradition, and the chapter begins by sketching its early origins and examining the ways the discipline has evolved. It moves on to a discussion of its various aims and purposes, and considers the reasons why educational comparisons have become of growing global interest. Finally, the chapter looks at a number of important considerations that sometimes call into question the validity of educational comparisons and what they are claimed to show

International students in the era of Trump and Brexit: Implications, constructions and trends

© Journal of International Students. We are living in troubling and uncertain times. Xenophobia is on the rise as right-wing, authoritarian nationalism has witnessed significant electoral gains and the very ideals of democratic inclusiveness and international pluralism are under direct attack. With the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States, the country with the largest share of international students globally is increasingly becoming an unwelcoming place to study abroad. (p. i).Published versio

Evaluating the impact of ICT on teaching and learning: A study of Palestinian students’ and teachers’ perceptions

This is an accepted manuscript of an article published by Springer in Education and Information Technologies on 19/09/2020, available online: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-020-10339-5 The accepted version of the publication may differ from the final published version.This study aimed to investigate the impact of ICT on teaching and learning from the point-of-view of Palestinian students and teachers. A total of 207 school teachers and 276 students from 53 schools taking part in an ICT project in Palestine responded to a questionnaire survey. Results indicated that students in Palestinian public schools perceived ICT to have a moderate influence on their learning. Students indicated that they face frequent challenges such as: lesson duration, access to modern devices and issues with information research skills. These results contrasted with school teachers’ views, which reflected a much stronger impression of the influence of ICT on teaching

���Teaching Excellence��� in Higher Education: A comparative study of English and Australian academics��� perspectives

In the current higher education (HE) environment, indicators of ���teaching excellence��� (TE) are increasingly under the spotlight. The literature offers a wide range of models and perspectives, but also highlights the need for greater (comparative) scrutiny of the perceptions of those at the centre ��� staff teaching across the disciplines in different countries. This article aims to contribute to ongoing debates by investigating and comparing the views of 120 academic staff teaching in one of two countries ��� England and Australia ��� in an attempt to deepen our appreciation of their definitions and understandings. The findings from this two-stage enquiry using online questionnaires and interviews indicate broad commonalities in the ways academics define TE, centred on facilitative, interactive pedagogy related to individual professional aspirations; they also reveal widely shared reservations about the term���s legitimacy and institutional/marketized (ab)use. As such, the findings offer policy-makers and institutions useful insights at a time where TE definitions and metrics are growing global pre-occupations