Journal of Research in International Education recent issues

An investigation into teacher turnover in international schools

Odland, G., Ruzicka, M. — 2009-03-24

This study explored expatriate teacher turnover in international schools. Two hundred and eighty-one international teachers completed a questionnaire identifying which variables influenced their decision to leave at the end of their first contract. Using both quantitative and qualitative data, this study revealed that three causal factors were viewed as influential by the respondents; administrative leadership, compensation and personal circumstances. Qualitative data revealed that proprietary schools also suffer from the perception of operational decisions being driven by a profit incentive.

Whispers from within: Students' perceptions of the first year of the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme in an international school

O'Boyle, E. — 2009-03-24

This report of a case study examined the expectations and lived experiences of students who had moved into the first year of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP) in an international school in Turkey. Although most students were making the move from the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) within the school, about one-third came from other schools. Findings suggest that despite a mixture of anxiety and excitement, students quickly adapted to and began to enjoy changes in the organizational and social aspects of the move. However, the curriculum was perceived to be easier than expected for most students because, when compared to primary, they received less homework, found some areas unchallenging and experienced more freedom when doing assignments. In re-examining their perceptions, some students felt that they had underestimated these cognitive challenges because they were `clouded' by their new freedom in the classroom. The study suggests that there is much that the school organization can usefully learn by listening to the student `voice'.

Immigrant children from Latin America at Japanese schools: Homogeneity, ethnicity, gender and language in education

Castro-Vazquez, G. — 2009-03-24

An ethnographic study conducted between 2003 and 2006 followed three children from Latin America attending three different public Japanese primary schools. The investigation concerned a Japanese-language tutoring programme for foreign children, which was evaluated by participant observation and a set of in-depth interviews with officials, school principals and teachers. The programme appeared to be ineffective because of the influence of a strong assimilation policy, homogenous and standard teaching, and ethnic and gender assumptions at the schools.

Balancing priorities and measuring success: A triple bottom line framework for international school leaders

MacDonald, J. — 2009-03-24

Drawing upon a multiple bottom line concept, which was originally developed for the business world, this article proposes a triple bottom line framework for analyzing and assessing the performance of international schools. The author contends that international schools can be broken down into three bottom lines: one `financial,' one `academic' and `the intangible core'. The framework aims to provide a mechanism (and a mindset) for educational leaders, suggesting that a balanced approach to each of the three bottom lines will provide students with a well-rounded education and offer leaders an approach to sustainable educational change.

What will characterize international education in US public schools?

Carber, S. — 2009-03-24

This article develops a working model for international education in US public schools with consideration of the curricula and accreditation standards utilized by the broad group of overseas institutions known as `international schools'. It addresses the public international school identity question in a decade in which public schools in many states and countries are taking an increasing interest in international education and in nurturing globally-minded students; the article also proposes a web-based forum in which such a model can be further refined.

Book Review: Equal Rights to the Curriculum: Many Languages, One Message by Eithne Gallagher Cleveland: Multilingual Matters, 2008. ISBN-13: 978--1--84769--068--5 (hbk), 978--1--84769--067--8 (pbk)

Taylor, R. — 2009-03-24

Book Review: Academic Achievement -- The Case of Hong Kong by Jennifer Jun-Li Chen Lewiston, NY: The Edwin Mellen Press Ltd, 2007. ISBN-13: 978-0-7734-5507-8

Lawrenson, J. — 2009-03-24

Book Review: Double-shift Schooling: Design and Operation for Cost-effectiveness (3rd edition) by Mark Bray London: Commonwealth Secretariat, 2008. ISBN 978--0--85092--854--9

Charleson, C. T.J. — 2009-03-24

Book Review: Education and Training in Europe by G. Brunello, P. Garibaldi and E. Wasmer Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007

Souto Otero, M. — 2009-03-24

`Where am I from?' `Where do I belong?': The negotiation and maintenance of identity by international school students

Grimshaw, T., Sears, C. — 2008-12-09

While the benefits of a mobile expatriate lifestyle are widely reported, it must also be recognized that many students who have attended international schools experience a confused sense of identity due to the fragmented nature of their personal histories. This article seeks to refine our understanding of how these globally mobile young people negotiate and maintain a sense of identity. It reviews a range of relevant literature, identifies a series of research questions, and concludes with some suggestions as to how to approach empirical research on identity in international schools and other multicultural educational settings.

Socio-emotional challenges in international education: Insight into reciprocal understanding and intercultural relational development

Ujitani, E., Volet, S. — 2008-12-09

This article, arising from a study located in a Japanese education setting, analyses the socio-emotional challenges experienced by host (Japanese) and international (Australian) students as they interact in the same international education environment over a period of time. Students' multiple interpretations of critical incidents created by the researchers on the basis of recurrent challenges highlight that intercultural relational development is an interactive, dynamic process that requires sensitivity and reciprocal understanding. The Japanese location of the study contributes to redressing the dominance of studies conducted in English-speaking host environments.

The European dimension in education: Exploring pupils' perceptions at three European Schools

Savvides, N. — 2008-12-09

This article outlines some themes that have emerged from research investigating the European dimension in education at three European Schools. It focuses on pupils' perceptions of the conditions in place at these schools that make a significant contribution to the European dimension. Findings are presented on the school environment and community, the curriculum, teachers' approaches, and extra-curricular activities. Pupils attached the highest importance to opportunities to integrate and interact with pupils of diverse European national, cultural and linguistic backgrounds.

The International Baccalaureate and its Diploma Programme online: The challenges and opportunities

Bunnell, T. — 2008-12-09

The International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO) celebrated its 40th Anniversary in 2008. Following almost four decades of rapid growth the IBO embarked on a strategic planning exercise in 2004. One outcome is that the IBO seeks to widen access to its Diploma Programme (IBDP), and one avenue being followed is online provision. There have been two pre-pilot IBDP Online (IBDPO) experiments involving six schools in five countries. September 2008 saw the start of a four-year pilot phase, involving initially 75 students from a minimum of 13 schools worldwide. The IBO has identified a potential demand in the future of about 6000 students. This article charts the development of the IBDPO project and offers an insight into three possible future scenarios and some of the key challenges likely to be faced.

Developing a peace education curriculum for Vietnamese primary schools: A case study of participatory action research in cross-cultural design

Conley Tyler, M. H., Bretherton, D., Halafoff, A., Nietschke, Y. — 2008-12-09

In 2003, the International Conflict Resolution Centre at the University of Melbourne, Australia, produced a primary school teaching manual for UNESCO Vietnam. The finished manual included lesson plans and materials for a five year, 50 lesson peace education course. The manual is one of the first examples of a systematic core national curriculum in peace education worldwide. Development of the Teaching Manual posed a number of challenges including differences in language, culture, government and education system. To meet these challenges, a participatory action research approach was central in the project's development and curriculum design. This case study is offered as a model for effective cross-cultural curriculum development of peace education materials. In particular, the use of games and reflective materials and the use of UNESCO's peace keys are outlined as innovative outcomes of the project.

Book Review: Indigenous Knowledge and Education: Sites of Struggle, Strength, and Survivance: by Malia Villegas, Sabina Rak Neugebauer and Kerry R. Venegas (eds) Boston, MA: Harvard Education Press, 2008. ISBN-13: 978--0--916690--48--9

Bates, R. — 2008-12-09

Book Review: Comparative Education: Exploring Issues in International Context (Second Edition): by Patricia K. Kubow and Paul R. Fossum Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson, 2007

Caffyn, R. — 2008-12-09

Book Review: Secondary Education at the Crossroads -- International Perspectives Relevant to the Asia-Pacific Region: by Philip Hughes Amsterdam: Springer, 2006

Morrison, G. L. — 2008-12-09

Book Review: Toward a Global PhD? Forces and Forms in Doctoral Education Worldwide: edited by Maresi Nerad and Mimi Heggelund Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2008 344 pp. ISBN 978-0-295-98802-3 (pbk)

Poole, B. — 2008-12-09

Thesis Abstracts

2008-12-09

After culture: Intergroup encounters in education

Van Oord, L. — 2008-07-22

This article analyses intergroup differences in education, with particular emphasis on schools offering one or more of the International Baccalaureate programmes (`IB World schools'). Experiences of human difference are often interpreted in terms of culture, and the notion of intercultural understanding is valued in many international schools. Yet intercultural encounters hardly differ from what social psychologists call `intergroup encounters'. Social identity theory explains the dynamic of these encounters more effectively than models focusing on cultural difference. With reference to the contact hypothesis, this article presents suggestions as to how international schools can capitalize on their diversity by becoming practice grounds for intergroup encounters.

Western science and Islamic learners: When disciplines and culture intersect

Robottom, I., Norhaidah, S. — 2008-07-22

This article reports on two research projects (one in Malaysia and one in Australia) that studied the experiences of Islamic background learners studying western science. Conceptually, this research program is conducted within a socially constructivist discourse and employs both quantitative and qualitative forms of data collection. The article illustrates ways in which learners' meaning-making in science education is shaped by faith and culture and has the potential to expand our grasp of the expressions, implications and limitations of the constructivist hypothesis in education. In this sense it has an `equality of opportunity' agenda by working to improve access to, and experience in, the science curriculum for Muslim students.

The IB Diploma programme in national schools: The case of Turkey

Halicioglu, M. — 2008-07-22

This article gives an overview of the perceptions of professional staff involved in the delivery of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma programme at Turkish national schools. Overall, the results suggest that while many Turkish schools have staff who recognize the value of the IB Diploma programme, there are some major areas of concern which need to be addressed at school leadership level, such as consensus about the definition of an international education, and the necessity of adequate training and support for staff.

The internationalization of universities: Globalist, internationalist and translocalist models

Chan, W. W.Y., Dimmock, C. — 2008-07-22

Internationalization is a multifaceted concept, with many different interpretations, emphases and purposes. Its amorphous nature is captured in this comparative case study of the internationalization of two contrasting universities: one in the UK, the other in Hong Kong. The cases represent two distinct models of internationalization: the `internationalist' and the `translocalist'. A hypothetical third model, the globalist, is also suggested. The three models of internationalization capture different realities reflecting the importance of international, national and institutional contexts, as well as available opportunities and parameters of choice in decisions relating to internationalization.

The development of ESL provision in Australia, Canada, the USA and England, with conclusions for second language models in international schools

Carder, M. — 2008-07-22

In this article the development of educational provision for second-language speakers in various English-speaking countries is traced. Conclusions are then drawn as to which are the best educational models for international schools, and an argument is made for the central positioning of ESL-and-mother-tongue departments as one entity in international school structures and curriculum planning, in order to capitalize on the knowledge and expertise of teachers in these departments and provide equity in the curriculum for ESL students.

The adjustment journey of international postgraduate students at an English university: An ethnographic study

Brown, L., Holloway, I. — 2008-07-22

Using findings from an ethnographic study of international postgraduate students at a university in the south of England, this article offers a model of adjustment that is informed by the duration of the sojourn, from the initial stage to the month of students' departure from England. This study found that stress was at its height in the initial stage of the academic sojourn; this was caused by the struggle to cope with the challenges of foreign language use and an unfamiliar academic and sociocultural environment at a time when students were beset with homesickness and loneliness. An association was made between the passage of time and a gradual decrease in acculturative stress. However, this was not a generalizable process; there was fluctuation not only in experience across the student body but also in the individual's subjective sense of success across different aspects of life in the new country. This led to the conceptualization of the adjustment journey as an unpredictable and dynamic process, which is experienced differently among sojourners, and fluctuates throughout the sojourn as a result of a host of individual, cultural and external factors.

Book Review: Transforming Schools: Empowering Children by Arun Kapur London: SAGE Publications, 2007

Richards, N. — 2008-07-22

Book Review: Cognitive Development: The Learning Brain by Usha Goswami Hove: Psychology Press, 2008

Skelton, M. — 2008-07-22

Internationalizing curriculum: Framing theory and practice in international schools

Wylie, M. — 2008-03-28

This article defines how the message systems of international schools and the mechanisms of learning and control can be located in a trajectory from colonialism to global civil society. A discussion of Bernstein's message systems introduces how practice in international schools can be defined. The practice of international schools is framed theoretically by taking colonial, post-colonial, globalization and global civil reform perspectives of international education. The `International Education Matrix' emerges as a taxonomy for schools enacting international education. Ideologically international education, it is argued, espouses global civil society yet in practice this is not necessarily the case.

Beyond the tourist gaze?: Cultural learning on an American 'semester abroad' programme in London

Janes, D. — 2008-03-28

Is the short-term study abroad experience, particularly when undertaken with a self-contained group of international students such as on a `semester abroad programme' accredited by a US university, little more than glorified tourism? This study investigates some of the ways in which a group of American students developed their understanding of British culture, not just by studying it together with their peers, but also by living in the country for a semester. The results suggest that these students learned both within and out of the classroom; they were not simply adding information during the semester, but also reflecting about their own views and attitudes, such that the study abroad experience was not, for most of them, simply about the passive reception of pre-packaged tourist images; it changed their views of Britain, of America and of themselves.

A cure for insomnia: Dispelling four myths of international school finance

MacDonald, J. — 2008-03-28

Using data provided by the Council of International Schools and a literature review to contextualize the subject, this article examines the topic of international school finance. It is suggested that postgraduate programmes are not doing enough to supply financial training for teachers turned administrators, and that a lack of understanding of school finance could be leading to at least four serious and fundamental misconceptions of the nature of international school finance. Administrators are encouraged to develop financial competencies to ensure key decisions are not delegated to non-educators.

A practical and reflexive liberal-humanist approach to international mindedness in international schools: Case studies from Malaysia and Brunei

Tamatea, L. — 2008-03-28

This article explores the response to cultural diversity and international mindedness at international schools in Malaysia and Brunei. It shows that the curriculum at these schools is set within a liberal-humanist framework, which some might suggest facilitates the project of `Westernization'. It argues, however, that under the (local) circumstances in which the schools are set, this liberal-humanist framing, despite its limitations, is perhaps the most effective approach to the achievement of international mindedness.

Factors affecting option choices relative to the uptake of design and technology at a selected Hong Kong international school

Hughes, M. — 2008-03-28

The purpose of the study described in this paper was to identify those factors which affect Year 9 students at Sha Tin College, Hong Kong, as they make option choices at the end of Key Stage 3 (Year 9: age 14). The main focus of the investigation was how these factors influence the selection or rejection of the four subjects offered under the heading of Design and Technology. In particular, the effects of attitude, gender and ethnicity were considered. The subjects responded to a questionnaire, and 10 per cent of the sample were interviewed. Responses were analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics and results were then used to make recommendations about how the uptake of Design and Technology could be improved in the selected school.

Overseas educational experience of Chinese students: An evaluation of service quality experience in New Zealand

Tan, W., Simpson, K. — 2008-03-28

During the past decade, tertiary education providers in the English-speaking Western world have enjoyed the significant economic and societal benefits that result from a substantial level of participation by students originating from the People's Republic of China. However, a sharp decline in student numbers between 2003 and 2007 has prompted many institutions to question the extent to which their educational products and services are appropriate to the needs of this important market segment. This paper examines the experiences of 160 Chinese students at a New Zealand tertiary institution, and concludes that their impressions of quality are formed by a range of contributing service dimensions that incorporate both `hard' and `soft' elements. Analysis of the scope, scale and importance of these dimensions indicates that, while programme content and tuition quality remain vitally important to Chinese students, institutional performance could benefit from a greater degree of emphasis on the students' interpersonal experiences while studying abroad.

Book Review: Culture in Education and Development: Principles, practice and policy (Bristol Papers in Education No. 3): by David Stephens Oxford: Symposium Books, 2007 245 pp., ISBN 978-1-873927-70-0

Van Oord, L. — 2008-03-28

Book Review: An Annotated Bibliography on Gender in Secondary Education: Research from Selected Commonwealth Countries: edited by Jyotsna Jha London: Commonwealth Secretariat, 2007

Marshall, H. — 2008-03-28

Book Review: Teaching Abroad: International Education and the Cross-cultural Classroom: by Gordon E. Slethaug Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 2007

Bates, R. — 2008-03-28

Book Review: International Education for the Millennium: Toward Access, Equity and Quality: edited by Benjamin Piper, Sarah Dryden-Peterson and Young-Suk Kim Cambridge, MA: Harvard Educational Review, 2006, Reprint Series No. 42 ISBN 0-916690-46-6

Cambridge, J. — 2008-03-28

Book Review: An A to Z of School Leadership: by George Walker Cardiff: International Baccalaureate, 2007 ISBN 978-1-906345-00-6

Harper, P. — 2008-03-28

Thesis Abstracts

2008-03-28