Explore the vast range of titles available.

Aim/Purpose: Given the limited research on assessing research literacy among postgraduate students in the education field, this study aims to explore the association between research literacy scores and learning experiences. These experiences include reading intensity, participation in formal research-related courses, and engagement in presenting and publishing articles. Background: Postgraduate students are required to master essential skills such as reading, evaluating, interpreting, and synthesizing information from primary research articles, as they are expected to be both consumers and producers of scholarly work like theses and research articles. Developing research literacy, which encompasses these skills, is crucial. Without adequate research literacy, students may misinterpret research findings, compromising the quality of their studies. This not only affects their own work but also negatively impacts other researchers who reference their research outputs. Methodology: This study utilized a survey method with a sample of 236 postgraduate research students in education. The participants were selected through stratified sampling, dividing them into two strata: master’s students and doctoral students. The survey data were analyzed using multiple regression for inferential purposes. Contribution: This study offers guidance on designing supportive programs based on the examined factors influencing research literacy among postgraduate students. Understanding these factors will enable more targeted and effective program development to foster students’ research abilities. Findings: Findings revealed that all five predictors predict the research literacy of postgraduate students in education. Nevertheless, further analysis shows that three of the five predictors significantly predicted research literacy scores. These include the total number of courses attended, t (230) = 2.62, p < .05; the total number of papers published, t (230) = 4.05, p < .05; and the number of articles read monthly. Among these, the total number of articles published emerged as the strongest predictor, followed by the total number of courses attended and the number of articles read monthly. Recommendations for Practitioners: Practitioners in education should focus on enhancing research literacy within formal research courses provided for postgraduate research students. These courses should be tailored to improve research literacy skills and align with evolving needs and expectations, especially in the context of academic publication. Additionally, practitioners should implement interventions that cultivate reading habits, as staying informed directly affects students’ academic publication endeavors. Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers should investigate additional learning experiences that could impact research literacy. This includes exploring the role of mentorship, collaborative projects, and the use of digital resources in research education. Furthermore, engaging in longitudinal studies to track the development of research literacy over time is recommended. This would provide insights into how research skills evolve throughout the course of postgraduate studies. Impact on Society: This study aims to empower research students by providing them with essential skills and knowledge for critical assessment, engagement, and contribution to research findings. Enhancing research literacy leads to a more informed, problem-solving, and evidence-based research community. Ultimately, this effort can significantly improve the quality of research education. Future Research: Future studies may examine other factors, such as the barriers and challenges that students face in acquiring research literacy skills, including motivational, psychological, and socio-economic factors.

Non-formal music courses are currently experiencing rapid development in emerging countries, many young people are voluntarily taking music courses in addition to their formal education. With the increasing number of music courses, the level of competition is getting tougher putting marketing issues upfront. Unfortunately, research on consumer experience in the setting of marketing music courses owned by private parties is still limited. This study focuses on the examination of positive electronic word-of-mouth (EWOM) behavior which supports the business performance from experience quality in music education institutions. To that end, this study applied the theory of perceived value and added a new proposed variable “inspirational value” to the combination of epistemic, emotional, sensorial, and social values. This quantitative survey study aimed to analyze the influences of perceived value on the experience and further the positive EWOM among music school students. Over two months, data was collected from 176 students of two music courses, to then be analyzed using the PLS-SEM method. As a new concept, inspirational value was determined as distinct from emotional value, where it more on appeals and driving factors arising from future orientation. The findings of the study emphasize the significance of sensory value in improving experience quality, followed by inspirational, epistemic, and emotional values. Furthermore, this study suggests that music courses should focus on creating inspiring, emotionally resonant experiences to foster positive EWOM that can support the marketing activity.

All countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) face the prospect of a substantial increase in the number of primary school completers in the coming years. Although initial conditions vary widely from country to country, this increase will inevitably intensify pressure on the education system, particularly at the secondary and tertiary levels. African countries may thus find it timely to align their education policies and strategies to the emerging challenges. A key goal is to ensure that the education system continues to develop in an efficient, equitable, and fiscally sustainable manner even as it expands to accommodate the rising numbers seeking a place in secondary and tertiary education. The rest of this report is organized as follows. Chapter two elaborates the policy context for education development in SSA. Chapter three explains the methodology and data sources. Chapter four examines the challenges and constraints posed by the sheer volume of increases in enrollments in post-primary education with which most education systems in SSA must grapple in the coming years. Taking these constraints into account, the report evaluates the scope for policy development from three perspectives in the subsequent chapters: the coverage of education systems (chapter five), the quality and cost of service delivery (chapter six), and the division of financing by public and private sources (chapter seven). The fiscal implications of plausible policy packages that SSA countries might consider are assessed in chapter eight. Chapter nine seems up the general conclusions of the report.

It is argued that learning management systems (LMS) are mainly used for formal and informal learning at the expense of non-formal learning. This ignites reluctance in students to use LMS to their maximum potential in institutions of higher education (IHE). Through two contrasting qualitative case studies in two IHEs, ways in which LMS can be used for non-formal learning are proposed. Data were generated using reflective activities, Zoom group meetings and one-on-one semi-structured interviews with 31 students who were purposively and conveniently sampled from teacher education programmes at a South African and an American university. The theoretical framework of connectivism was used as a lens to make meaning of data that were thematically analysed. Findings suggest that students did not have a love of using LMS but used the Moodle and Canvas LMS primarily for downloading readings and participating in discussion forums. The study therefore, proposes a non-formal learning framework for self-direction, and concludes that ignoring students’ personal (non-formal) experiences which stimulate a love of using LMS may result in IHE to needing to change from one LMS to another.

Purpose This study aims to provide an educational framework for not only the emerging COVID crisis but also future emergency remote teaching environments (ERTE). Design/methodology/approach Using participatory design methodologies, this study engages K-12 teachers and professional instructional designers in a design-focused discussion. Findings This work identifies thematic elements present across multiple subject areas, school districts, learner ages and socio-economic situations. Using these themes, as well as design solutions created by our participants, the authors propose the ERTE framework. Research limitations/implications The framework presented is grounded in the experiences of a limited number of teachers, but presents a theoretically grounded approach to teaching in an emergent field. Practical implications This framework is designed for practical application for use by teachers operating in ERTE. Originality/value Though multiple online teaching frameworks exist, the ERTE framework is novel in its emphasis on shifting constants and variables rather than planned pedagogy and is specifically for use in unplanned or responsive remote teaching situations.

Whereas attitudes toward risk play an important role in many decisions over the life course, factors that affect those attitudes are not fully understood. Using longitudinal survey data collected in Mexico before and during the Mexican war on drugs, we investigate how risk attitudes change with variation in insecurity and uncertainty brought on by unprecedented changes in local-area violent crime. Exploiting the fact that the timing, virulence, and spatial distribution of changes in violent crime were unanticipated, we establish there is a rise in risk aversion spread across the entire local population as local-area violent crime increases.

The US prison boom has resulted in the mass incarceration of parents in the United States. We review recent scholarship on the relationship between parental incarceration and child inequality and social exclusion over the life course. We develop a multilevel social exclusion framework to stimulate future research on the effects of paternal and maternal incarceration. This framework is intergenerational in its focus on incarcerated parents and their children, interinstitutional in its attention to state and school regimes, and intersectional in its consideration of the role of gender and race and ethnic contingencies. It is also systemic in its focus on multiple chosen and overlapping institutional policy domains of exclusion. We address both mediators and moderators of the effects of parental incarceration on child outcomes. We emphasize the underresearched importance of meso-level (e.g., school) and macro-level (e.g., state and cross-national) exclusionary and inclusionary regimes in understanding the effects of parental incarceration. We propose hypotheses to synthesize current research on the impact of maternal and paternal incarceration on children.

In a large and comprehensively assessed sample of patients with bipolar disorder type I (BDI), we investigated the prevalence of psychotic features and their relationship with life course, demographic, clinical, and cognitive characteristics. We hypothesized that groups of psychotic symptoms (Schneiderian, mood incongruent, thought disorder, delusions, and hallucinations) have distinct relations to risk factors. In a cross-sectional study of 1342 BDI patients, comprehensive demographical and clinical characteristics were assessed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-I) interview. In addition, levels of childhood maltreatment and intelligence quotient (IQ) were assessed. The relationships between these characteristics and psychotic symptoms were analyzed using multiple general linear models. A lifetime history of psychotic symptoms was present in 73.8% of BDI patients and included delusions in 68.9% of patients and hallucinations in 42.6%. Patients with psychotic symptoms showed a significant younger age of disease onset (β = -0.09, t = -3.38, p = 0.001) and a higher number of hospitalizations for manic episodes (F11 338 = 56.53, p < 0.001). Total IQ was comparable between groups. Patients with hallucinations had significant higher levels of childhood maltreatment (β = 0.09, t = 3.04, p = 0.002). In this large cohort of BDI patients, the vast majority of patients had experienced psychotic symptoms. Psychotic symptoms in BDI were associated with an earlier disease onset and more frequent hospitalizations particularly for manic episodes. The study emphasizes the strength of the relation between childhood maltreatment and hallucinations but did not identify distinct subgroups based on psychotic features and instead reported of a large heterogeneity of psychotic symptoms in BD.

Due to their perceived scope and openness to socially underprivileged groups. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have been presented as tools to enhance social mobility. However, there has also been evidence to suggest that MOOCs are mainly beneficial for privileged groups and could even contribute to an increasing gap in educational opportunities between privileged and underprivileged populations. This systematic review has evaluated 31 empirical studies to examine how MOOCs benefit the socially privileged in comparison to underprivileged groups. The literature has pointed out specific formal barriers that might make MOOCs less accessible for underprivileged learners. In addition, enrollment demographics displayed that the majority of MOOC learners is well educated, employed and from developed countries. Finally, the literature suggested that privileged learners could be more likely to complete a MOOC. Nevertheless, the literature indicated a notable share of underprivileged learners that would otherwise not enjoy higher education. Moreover, it is suggested that certain MOOCs might serve underprivileged learners more than other MOOCs. The implications of these findings and recommendations for future research will be discussed.