Do Turkish teachers feel personal accountability the same way? Measurement invariance and latent mean comparisons across gender, tenure, teacher branches and school grades

PurposeThe primary purpose of this study is to test the measurement invariance and the latent mean differences of the personal accountability measure (PAM) constructs.Design/methodology/approachObtained through the Turkish version of the PAM from a random sample of 453 teachers working in elementary and secondary schools in Aksaray province, data were analyzed using multigroup confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to test the measurement invariance and latent mean differences of the internal and external accountability constructs across gender, tenure, school grade and teacher branches, respectively.FindingsTeacher internal and external accountability constructs were demonstrated in this study to be fully equivalent across gender and tenure, and partially equivalent across school grade and teacher branches. Latent mean comparisons showed that less-experienced tenure teachers, class teachers and ESL teachers in Turkey felt more internally accountable compared to their peers in other groups. No significant latent mean differences of teacher external accountability were observed across genders, tenures, school types or teacher branches.Originality/valueThis study contributes to research by providing further valuable information on the equivalencies of the external and internal accountability constructs across gender, tenure, school grade and branch for future research studying multigroup comparisons and structural relationships of personal accountability constructs. It also provides school principals and policymakers with more accurate, multigroup comparisons of teacher external and internal accountability dispositions across gender, tenure, school grade and branch.

The Constitutional Framework of International Law in the Gulf: Ratification and Implementation of International Treaties in GCC Constitutions

This article investigates how ratification and implementation of international treaties are regulated in GCC Constitutions and how these regulations currently operate. First, it considers the models of internal/international law relations that Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Constitutions espouse. Second, it then reviews ratification procedures and practices. Finally, it examines alternative options to guarantee implementation. Shifting the focus away from conventional court implementation mechanisms, the article argues that internal accountability mechanisms of executives might guarantee a more effective enforcement of international treaties in the GCC Member States.

MULTILEVEL RELATIONS BETWEEN EXTERNAL ACCOUNTABILITY, INTERNAL ACCOUNTABILITY, AND MATH ACHIEVEMENT: A CROSS-COUNTRY ANALYSIS

External accountability policies have spread fast across various educational systems over the past decades. This research examines the relations of internal and external accountability with students’ math achievement drawing on PISA 2012. With a sample of 44 educational systems, of which external accountability policies were identified, the research conducted three-level hierarchical linear modelling (HLM) analyses. This research found that some internal accountability factors had tighter relations with math achievement, while the relations of external accountability policies with student performance were rather tenuous. However, equity of student math achievement was better ensured under strong accountability systems. The results suggest that policy makers of each country should consider strengths and weaknesses of external accountability in their own educational contexts. Keywords: external accountability, educational equity, internal accountability, math achievement, PISA.

Institutions of Internal Accountability

This chapter looks at reasons why the three major accountability institutions—the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), Central Vigilance Commission (CVI), and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)—have not effectively delivered on their mandate. The reasons lie as much in the overall institutional framework in which they have to operate as in their own internal structures, their history, and their legacy of past performance. The chapter recommends that the CAG would do well to position itself as a vital component of the mechanism to enforce the accountability of the executive to the legislature, and also submit itself to monitoring and accountability. The chapter sees merit in the recommendation of the Parliamentary Standing Committee to integrate all anti-corruption mechanisms under the Lokpal.