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Book part
Publication date: 31 December 2010

Eva Klemencic

This chapter discusses the influence of international educational studies on knowledge in a general sense. In a theoretical framework, a split between realistic and constructivist…

Abstract

This chapter discusses the influence of international educational studies on knowledge in a general sense. In a theoretical framework, a split between realistic and constructivist theories of knowledge with special regards to global and local knowledge is discussed.

Since Slovenia is a country that is included in a number of different international comparative educational studies and assessments, even more so, it has been participating in these studies continually for the last two decades, the focus is on Slovenian educational policymaking (PM). The chapter for the first time analyzes the impacts on national PM of different international studies and predicts the future Slovenian participation in these studies; therefore, the chapter could be interesting for national and international audiences involved in comparative education research. For the estimation of existing impacts on national PM, semi-structured interviews were used. The findings suggest that international results represent an argumentation for some directly and indirectly curricular and syllabus changes over the years. Furthermore, some of the argumentations for changing the national educational system regarding the international findings are still more declarative; irrespective of experts and policymakers estimations of how great impacts these studies have in Slovenia. Future research on the topic for Slovenian PM in education will need more secondary analysis of collected data from both national and international assessments.

Details

The Impact of International Achievement Studies on National Education Policymaking
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-0-85724-449-9

Article
Publication date: 3 April 2017

Thomas Bolli and Ursula Renold

The purpose of this paper is to shed light on the questions as to how important skills are; which skills can best be learned at school, and which skills can be acquired better in…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to shed light on the questions as to how important skills are; which skills can best be learned at school, and which skills can be acquired better in the workplace.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors exploit data from a survey among professional tertiary education and training business administration students and their employers in Switzerland.

Findings

The authors find that skills used in the business processes strategic management, human resource management, organizational design, and project management are most suitable to be taught in school. However, the results further suggest that soft skills can be acquired more effectively in the workplace than at school. The only exceptions are analytical thinking, joy of learning and organizational soft skills, for which school and workplace are similarly suitable.

Practical implications

The paper provides empirical evidence regarding the optimal choice of the learning place for both human resource managers as well as educational decision makers who aim to combine education and training, e.g. in an apprenticeship.

Originality/value

Little evidence regarding the optimal learning place exists.

Details

Evidence-based HRM: a Global Forum for Empirical Scholarship, vol. 5 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2049-3983

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 31 December 2010

Jennifer DeBoer

There has been a notable growth in the number, participants, and frequency of international assessments of student academic performance over the past 50 years. This chapter…

Abstract

There has been a notable growth in the number, participants, and frequency of international assessments of student academic performance over the past 50 years. This chapter provides a structure for the perspectives that could be used to analyze this rise. This chapter highlights case study examples of specific countries' choices to participate in particular assessments. It further describes the utility of three analytic frameworks in understanding the decision factors, diffusion mechanisms, and environmental dynamics that relate to international testing. Factors such as the cost of testing, the cultural connections between nations participating, and the temporal relevance of testing to today's focus on accountability arise in illustrations of the transmission mechanism for international achievement tests. This chapter organizes large and diverse amounts of important testing sampling frame information in a unique way. The questions we ask are driven by the framework we begin analyzing with. Organizations conducting these tests can better understand the touchpoints for nations deciding whether or not to participate. Concerns about developing country participation, for example, can be better addressed.

Details

The Impact of International Achievement Studies on National Education Policymaking
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-0-85724-449-9

Book part
Publication date: 30 December 2011

Alexander W. Wiseman and Tiedan Huang

As China's educational policy and reforms continue to evolve and adjust to shifting social, economic, and political conditions, this chapter provides a template for conceptually…

Abstract

As China's educational policy and reforms continue to evolve and adjust to shifting social, economic, and political conditions, this chapter provides a template for conceptually framing education research on and in China. To do so this chapter first identifies focus areas in comparative education research related to China, which reflect researcher perspective, perceived advantage, and demonstrated resistance to these educational policy reforms. The authors develop a conceptual framework for comparatively understanding education research on and in China, which focuses on the intersection of comparative education themes, institutional change agents or methods, and Chinese educational reform topics. This conceptual framework specifically accounts for overlap, complexity, and the evolving nature of educational policy reform in China. This chapter concludes by emphasizing the importance of comparative education researchers, national policymakers, and consumers of the research using new data and methods as they become available to continue to revise understandings of Chinese educational policy and reform.

Details

The Impact and Transformation of Education Policy in China
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78052-186-2

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 November 2018

Javeria Maryam, Umer Jeelanie Banday and Ashok Mittal

In the recent international scenario, the rise of emerging economies, in particular, Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) has gained ample of attention. The…

Abstract

Purpose

In the recent international scenario, the rise of emerging economies, in particular, Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) has gained ample of attention. The global trade flows of the BRICS countries have significantly increased during the last one-and-a-half decade. The purpose of this paper is to examine the intra-BRICS and BRICS–EU trade flows.

Design/methodology/approach

To study the intensity of trade among BRICS countries and with EU, the Trade Intensity Index is employed for the period 2001–2015. Balassa’s revealed comparative advantage (RCA) index is computed for the assessment of comparative advantages of exports by BRICS countries in the year 2015 in the global markets. A comparative analysis of export similarity is done for India and other BRICS countries in EU.

Findings

The findings of trade intensity showed large bilateral trade flows among BRICS member. Russia has emerged as the main trading partner with EU in BRICS. For the year 2015, the comparative study of RCA at HS-two digits and HS-four digits classification highlights marginal structural changes in the export composition of these countries. The analysis revealed that Brazil and Russia have comparative advantages in natural resource-based products, while India and China possessed comparative advantages in manufactured and processed products. The export similarity index shows the presence of competition between India and China in EU.

Practical implications

This paper highlights the need for closer cooperation to promote intra-BRICS trade and to make structural transformations in the basket of trading products by them to have trade benefits at large.

Originality/value

Numerous studies are available on bilateral trade of BRICS members. However, limited studies are available to get a holistic view of intra-BRICS trade. This paper is an attempt to examine the BRICS countries trade profile both at global levels and within the group.

Details

International Journal of Emerging Markets, vol. 13 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1746-8809

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 January 2006

Jennifer S. Holmes and Sheila Amin Gutiérrez de Piñeres

Existing attempts to assess national development and processes of democratization suffer from conceptual and measurement challenges. This paper proposes a comprehensive concept of…

2780

Abstract

Purpose

Existing attempts to assess national development and processes of democratization suffer from conceptual and measurement challenges. This paper proposes a comprehensive concept of democratic development and develops a more inclusive concept of democracy to provide a common set of categories to evaluate its depth and quality.

Design/methodology/approach

In order to measure the depth and health of democracy, democratic development incorporates four categories of human progress, each measured by multiple variables. The four categories deemed important for human progress are general development, democratic health, democratic inclusiveness, and human capital. Components of democratic development incorporate existing measures of political and economic development to create a comprehensive and accessible measure of democratic development.

Findings

The comparative tables based on multiple goals of development clearly reveal that neither the GDP index nor the HDI are adequate measures of development. Democratic development can be more fully captured by four perspectives: development, democratic inclusiveness, democratic health, and human capital, providing a framework to measure progress in reform, democracy, and development, from public agencies up to the national level. This concept incorporates aspects and orientations of the capabilities approach to create a concept that is amenable to use as a self‐assessment tool and as a basis for comparison of development, broadly conceived.

Practical implications

This inclusive concept is particularly well suited for analyzing citizen satisfaction and democratic stability.

Originality/value

Rather than focusing on singular measures, the approach presented here offers a balanced set of measures aimed at providing a comprehensive view of the gamut of democratic and economic development processes relative to existing models that is more appropriate for self‐assessment/planning purposes than traditional measures, which may be more appropriate for statistical modeling purposes.

Details

International Journal of Social Economics, vol. 33 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0306-8293

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 August 2015

Janno Reiljan and Ingra Paltser

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the international position of Estonia among the member states of the EU and countries closely associated with the EU, from the perspective…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the international position of Estonia among the member states of the EU and countries closely associated with the EU, from the perspective of the effect of research and development (R & D) policy on innovation activities in the business sector.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on existing scientific research literature on the relationships between R & D policy and business sector R & D activities and innovation performance, a set of indicators describing R & D policy measures was created for the business sector. Using principal component analysis (PCA) method, independent robust dimensions of R & D policy were brought out. After eliminating the problem of multicollinearity in R & D policy indicators, robust multiple regression models were conducted to present a comprehensive empirical description of the shaping of business sector R & D and innovation activities in the sample of investigated countries.

Findings

Based on the literature, the influences of R & D policy measures on business sector R & D activities and innovation performance were systemised; public R & D policy dimensions were empirically defined; the intensity of R & D policy influence on business sector R & D activities was estimated; the differences between real and prognostic values of business sector performance indicators in Estonia were calculated in order to characterise the efficiency of Estonian R & D policy and the influence of the socioeconomic environment.

Research limitations/implications

The lack of comparable data describing R & D policy and R & D activities and innovation performance in the business sector limits the comprehensiveness of the analysis (i.e. the number of analysed indicators).

Practical implications

The assessment and comparative analysis of the influence of R & D policy components on business sector R & D activities and innovation performance in different countries makes it possible to identify directions for increasing the efficiency of R & D policy under the specific influence of the socioeconomic environment, especially in new member states of the EU.

Originality/value

Using the PCA method significantly increased the robustness of the macro-quantitative description of R & D policy dimensions. By combining the set of new synthetic R & D policy indicators created by the PCA with the multiple regression analysis method, a significant increase in the robustness of model coefficients (i.e. the assessments of influence intensity) was achieved. These robust models create the basis for reliable empirical assessment of the influence of R & D policy and a comparative analysis of the results.

Details

European Journal of Innovation Management, vol. 18 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1460-1060

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 July 2023

YiQin Sang, Huang Li, Hongjuan Ge, Cong Gao, Yinxiao Hu and Hui Jin

This study aims to conduct the aircraft electrical wiring interconnection system (EWIS) safety risk assessment process abundantly and hierarchically and establish the assessment

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to conduct the aircraft electrical wiring interconnection system (EWIS) safety risk assessment process abundantly and hierarchically and establish the assessment index system considering the weights and interrelationships of different levels of indices.

Design/methodology/approach

Due to the failure of EWIS being multifactorial, hidden and diverse, this paper divides the factors influencing the failure of EWIS into 3 primary indices, 13 secondary indices and 38 tertiary indices. Taking open circuit failure (OCF) and short circuit failure (SCF) as examples, calculate the weights of assessment indices based on the triangular fuzzy number analytic hierarchy process (TFNAHP) and triangular fuzzy number decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (TFNDEMATEL). The cloud model (CM) divides the risk levels and obtains the safety risk assessment results. The comparative analyses of different weight calculation methods, different failure modes and different aircraft EWIS zones verify the effectiveness and practicability of the proposed method.

Findings

The results show that the proposed method aligns more with the actual situation than other methods. Also, the results identify key focus objects in EWIS safety risk assessment, such as the surrounding environmental factors among the primary indices having the most significant influence on OCF and SCF, the risk level of SCF being higher than that of OCF, etc.

Originality/value

This paper proposes a safety risk assessment index system for aircraft EWIS based on the cable parameters, surrounding environmental factors, installation and protection methods. The weight assignment is added to the assessment index system, and the safety risk assessment model is constructed by combining TFNAHP, TFNDEMATEL and CM.

Article
Publication date: 28 January 2014

Meiko Lin, Erin Bumgarner and Madhabi Chatterji

This policy brief, the third in the AERI-NEPC eBrief series “Understanding validity issues around the world”, discusses validity issues surrounding International Large Scale…

Abstract

Purpose

This policy brief, the third in the AERI-NEPC eBrief series “Understanding validity issues around the world”, discusses validity issues surrounding International Large Scale Assessment (ILSA) programs. ILSA programs, such as the well-known Programme of International Student Assessment (PISA) and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), are rapidly expanding around the world today. In this eBrief, the authors examine what “validity” means when applied to published results and reports of programs like the PISA.

Design/methodology/approach

This policy brief is based on a synthesis of conference proceedings and review of selected pieces of extant literature. It begins by summarizing perspectives of an invited expert panel on the topic. To that synthesis, the authors add their own analysis of key issues. They conclude by offering recommendations for test developers and test users.

Findings

ILSA programs and tests, while offering valuable information, should be read and used cautiously and in context. All parties need to be on the same page to maximize valid use of ILSA results, to obtain the greatest educational and social benefits, and to minimize negative consequences. The authors propose several recommendations for test makers and ILSA program leaders, and ILSA users. To ILSA leaders and researchers: provide more cautionary information about how to correctly interpret the ILSA results, particularly country rankings, given contextual differences among nations. Provide continuing psychometric or research resources so as to address or reduce various sources of error in reports. Encourage policy makers in different nations to share the responsibility for ensuring more contextualized (and valid) interpretations of ILSA reports and subsequent policy development. Raise awareness among policy makers to look beyond simple rankings and pay more attention to inter-country differences. For consumers of ILSA results and reports: read the fine print, not just the country rankings, to interpret ILSA results correctly in particular regions/nations. When looking to high-ranking countries as role models, be sure to consider the “whole picture”. Use ILSA data as complements to other national- and state-level educational assessments to better gauge the status of the country's education system and subsequent policy directions.

Originality/value

By translating complex information on validity issues with all concerned ILSA stakeholders in mind, this policy brief will improve uses and applications of ILSA information in national and regional policy contexts.

Details

Quality Assurance in Education, vol. 22 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0968-4883

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 31 January 2015

Sudhir Rana and Somesh Kr. Sharma

This study examines the conceptual domain of international marketing following substantial growth in its development. With the objective to investigate recent patterns and…

Abstract

This study examines the conceptual domain of international marketing following substantial growth in its development. With the objective to investigate recent patterns and development in the literature this study evaluates 1,816 research articles on international marketing published between 1990 and 2012. The classification of conceptual domain has yielded 57 configurational contents under seven prime research streams. Simple meta-analysis on international marketing literature created a clear depiction of attention of contributors toward research streams and the number of contributors, and worthy sources of literature. Several directions for advancement of knowledge in international marketing, identified fields, and their implications for future research are discussed.

Details

Entrepreneurship in International Marketing
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78441-448-1

Keywords

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