Editor’s Introduction: Understanding Cross-National Differences in Globalized Teacher Reforms

2017 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 153-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Motoko Akiba
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Quality ◽  
State Government ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Global Dynamics ◽  
Policy Environments ◽  
National Differences ◽  
Specific Teaching ◽  
Collective Sensemaking ◽  
National Difference ◽  
Cross National

We have observed a global focus on improving teacher quality through reforming teacher education, certification, recruitment, and evaluation during the past two decades. Previous single country studies have documented the focus, design, and implementation of teacher reforms in various national contexts, yet few studies systematically analyzed what explains the cross-national difference in how a national, federal, or state government develops and implements a teacher reform influenced by global dynamics. This article presents a conceptual framework to understand how this cross-national divergence emerges within a global convergence on reforming teachers and their work to guide the future research. The author argues that this divergence is a result of collective sensemaking, negotiation, and contestation over a “teacher quality” problem and the solution among policy actors at national and local levels, which are influenced by global dynamics but occur within nation-specific teaching and policy environments.

scholarly journals Teacher Quality, Opportunity Gap, and National Achievement in 46 Countries

2007 ◽  
Vol 36 (7) ◽  
pp. 369-387 ◽  
Author(s):  
Motoko Akiba ◽  
Gerald K. LeTendre ◽  
Jay P. Scribner
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Quality ◽  
Low Socioeconomic Status ◽  
National Level ◽  
The United States ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Opportunity Gap ◽  
Qualified Teachers ◽  
Opportunity Gaps ◽  
Cross National

The 2003 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study data from 46 countries showed that, although the national level of teacher quality in the United States was similar to the international average, the opportunity gap in students’ access to qualified teachers between students of high and low socioeconomic status (SES) was among the largest in the world. Cross-national analyses revealed that the countries with better teacher quality produced higher mathematics achievement. However, larger opportunity gaps in access to qualified teachers did not predict larger achievement gaps between high-SES and low-SES students cross-nationally. These analyses provide empirical, cross-national evidence of the importance of investing in teacher quality for improving national achievement. National policies and practices related to improving teacher quality appear to be a promising area for future research to identify how other countries have achieved both excellence and equity in student achievement.

Perceived Impact of Organized Crime and Dimensions of National Cultures

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giovanni A. Travaglino ◽  
Cristina d'Aniello
Keyword(s):  
Organized Crime ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Three Dimensional Model ◽  
National Differences ◽  
Study Results ◽  
The World ◽  
European Values ◽  
Perceived Impact ◽  
Cross National

The presence of organized crime is a worldwide problem. There is, however, variation in the degree to which nations and societies are susceptible to organized crime’s activities. In the present study, in a sample of one hundred nations, we examined the question of whether cross-national differences in the perceived impact of organized crime are associated with differences between cultures. To address this question, we used a recent three-dimensional model of cross-national cultural differences, describing dimensions of Collectivism-Individualism, Distrust-Trust and Duty-Joy. This model is rooted in Hofstede’s theorising and representative data from the World Values Survey and the European Values Study. Results demonstrated that nations with higher scores of Collectivism and Distrust are also characterized by a stronger perceived impact of organized crime, as measured by the World Economic Forum’s Executive Opinion Survey. Notably, after controlling for nations’ levels of wealth, further analyses showed that nations with higher scores of Distrust and Joy are those where the perceived impact of organized crime is stronger. Implications of the findings and future research directions are discussed.

Worldwide shadow education and social inequality: Explaining differences in the socioeconomic gap in access to shadow education across 63 societies

2021 ◽  
pp. 002071522098786
Author(s):  
Steve R Entrich
Keyword(s):  
Social Inequality ◽  
International Student ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Potential Effect ◽  
Shadow Education ◽  
Cultural Economic ◽  
International Student Assessment ◽  
National Differences ◽  
Cross National

This article examines the cross-national differences in socioeconomic accessibility to shadow education (SE) across 63 societies. Drawing on arguments from two competing theoretical models either emphasizing cross-national cultural, economic, and institutional differences (e.g. model of secondary schooling, scale of SE) or universally working social reproduction mechanisms (e.g. enrichment features of SE), this study provides a novel approach to understanding the role of SE for social inequality. More specifically, while the first model explicitly allows equality in access to SE, the latter suggests that SE fosters inequality under all circumstances. Using data from the 2012 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) and official sources, first, the difference in the probability of top in comparison to bottom socioeconomic strata to use SE is predicted separately for all societies, before analyzing what causes the found considerable cross-national variation in the socioeconomic gap in access to SE at the country level. Results indicate that differences in SE access are linked to incentives for high-performing students to use SE. These incentives are especially common in societies with higher educational institutional differentiation (e.g. early or mixed tracking schooling models). In societies with less stratified education systems, access to SE is more equal, wherefore the potential effect of SE to social inequality is dampened. Overall, findings suggest that simple generalizations based on existing theoretical models provide no comprehensive explanation for the connection between SE and inequality. Instead, prominent beliefs about the relationship between SE and inequality are questioned.

scholarly journals A Comparative Research Between Italian and Turkish Journalists: Professionalism, Autonomy, Clientelism, and Ethic

SAGE Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 215824402110101
Author(s):  
Xheni Simaku
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Research ◽  
Global Dynamics ◽  
Global Society ◽  
Media And Politics ◽  
Media System ◽  
National Media ◽  
Media Systems ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Cross National

The global society which we live in nowadays makes us rethink about media system, global dynamics, and the operation of the influences that these dynamics have on national media systems. Starting from the book by Hallin and Mancini’s (2004) Comparing Media Systems: Three Models of Media and Politics, and under the Polarized Pluralist Model they proposed, the aim of this work is to compare Turkish and Italian journalists’ professionalization. This research has been conducted under the concept of professionalization that these authors suggested in their work and, more specifically, under the Polarized Pluralist Model, in which Hallin and Mancini recognize countries like Italy have the main characteristics described by the model; Turkey can also be included. The main goal of this work is to underline not only the similarities but also the differences that are encountered in these two countries in the journalistic professionalization. The methodology used is in-depth interviews with 10 journalists: five Italian and five Turkish journalists chosen from the biggest journals in their respective countries. Main topics taken into consideration were autonomy, clientelism, and professionalization in journalism based on ethics values. Even if the Polarized Pluralist Model seems to fit in both countries from a macro perspective, with the in-depth interviews, it is clearly seen that different cross-national nuances come out.

scholarly journals Regional Variation in Inequality of Educational Opportunity across Europe

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 237802312110198
Author(s):  
Bastian A. Betthäuser ◽  
Caspar Kaiser ◽  
Nhat An Trinh
Keyword(s):  
Regional Variation ◽  
Educational Opportunity ◽  
Large Body ◽  
European Social Survey ◽  
Regional Level ◽  
Social Survey ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
National Differences ◽  
Inequality Of Educational Opportunity ◽  
Cross National

A large body of literature documents cross-national variation in the level of inequality of educational opportunity (IEO) among children from different social backgrounds. By contrast, relatively little attention has been given to the extent to which IEO varies within counties and across regions. On the basis of data from the European Social Survey, the authors map variation in IEO across regions in Europe and show that IEO varies substantially within counties. This visualization of the heterogeneity of IEO within European countries highlights the need for researchers and policy makers to extend the current focus on cross-national differences and to investigate and address IEO at the regional level. The visualization raises important questions with respect to the contours, causes, and consequences of cross-regional variation in IEO.

Environmental Behavior in Cross-National Perspective

2016 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ignacio Pisano ◽  
Mark Lubell
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Behavior ◽  
National Level ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Education Development ◽  
Proenvironmental Behavior ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Country Level ◽  
National Differences ◽  
Cultural Research ◽  
Cross National

This article seeks to explain cross-national differences on environmental behavior. After controlling for a series of sociodemographic and psychosocial factors, it was predicted that national levels of wealth, postmaterialism, education development, and environmental problems are positively related to environmental behavior. The national-level variance is to a substantial degree explained by individual-level variables, capturing compositional effects. The remaining variance is explained by the contextual-level variables. All of the country-level variables are predictors in the expected direction, with the exception of environmental degradation, which is negatively related to behavior, and education development, which has no impact on private environmental behavior. More importantly, cross-level interactions show that in more developed countries, there are stronger relationships between proecological attitudes and reported proenvironmental behavior. These findings contribute to the growing cross-cultural research on environmental behavior pointing out the necessity of simultaneously assessing the effects of both individual and contextual-level forces affecting behavior across nations.

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