Educational Researcher 43卷2期文章

1. Promoting Human Capital Development: A Typology of International  Scholarship Programs in Higher Education

Author: Laura W. Perna, Kata Orosz, Bryan Gopaul, Zakir  Jumakulov, Adil Ashirbekov, and Marina Kishkentayeva
Source:  Educational Researcher, 2014, 43(2):63-73
Abstract: This  article sheds light on the availability and characteristics of international  scholarship programs that are sponsored by national and federal governments  worldwide and that are intended to promote student mobility. Utilizing  descriptive and cluster analyses, the article produces a framework for  organizing the population of these programs. The analyses take into account both  the central characteristics of programs and economic and political  characteristics of the nations sponsoring the program. The typology produced in  this analysis may be used by policy makers and researchers to facilitate  cross-national comparisons of program design, implementation, and outcomes.

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2. Changing “Course”: Reconceptualizing Educational Variables for  Massive Open Online Courses

Author: Jennifer DeBoer, Andrew D. Ho, Glenda S.  Stump, and Lori Breslow
Source: Educational Researcher,  2014, 43(2):74-84
Abstract: In massive open online courses  (MOOCs), low barriers to registration attract large numbers of students with  diverse interests and backgrounds, and student use of course content is  asynchronous and unconstrained. The authors argue that MOOC data are not only  plentiful and different in kind but require reconceptualization—new educational  variables or different interpretations of existing variables. The authors  illustrate this by demonstrating the inadequacy or insufficiency of conventional  interpretations of four variables for quantitative analysis and  reporting: enrollment, participation, curriculum, and achievement. Drawing from  230 million clicks from 154,763 registrants for a prototypical MOOC offering in  2012, the authors present new approaches to describing and understanding user  behavior in this emerging educational context.

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3. Employing Multilevel Intersectionality in Educational  Research: Latino Identities, Contexts, and College Access

Author: Anne-Marie Núñez
Source:  Educational Researcher, 2014, 43(2):85-92
Abstract: The  theoretical framework of intersectionality shows much promise in exploring how  multiple social identities and their relationships with interlocking systems of  power influence educational equity, particularly for historically underserved  groups in education. Yet, social scientists have critiqued this framework for  not adequately specifying how these dimensions shape life opportunities. This  essay draws on the work of sociologist Floya Anthias to advance a conceptual  model of intersectionality for educational research. This model addresses how  different levels of analysis, types of practices, and relationships between  social categories separately or together affect educational opportunities. To  illustrate the model’s utility in research, policy, and practice, I apply this  model to understand contextual influences on Latino im/migrant students’ college  access.

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4. Conceptual and Methodological Problems in Research on College  Undermatch

Author: Michael N. Bastedo and Allyson  Flaster
Source: Educational Researcher, 2014,  43(2):93-99
Abstract: Access to the nation’s most selective  colleges remains starkly unequal, with students in the lowest income quartile  constituting less than 4% of enrollment. A popular explanation for this  phenomenon is that low-income students undermatch by attending less selective  colleges when their credentials predict admission to more highly selective  colleges. We identify three problematic assumptions in research on  undermatching: (a) that researchers can differentiate colleges at the “margin  that matters” for student outcomes; (b) that researchers can accurately predict  who will be admitted at colleges that use holistic admission processes; and (c)  that using achievement measures like SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test) scores to  match students to colleges will reduce postsecondary inequality. We discuss the  implications of these assumptions for future research on college choice and  stratification.

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5. Teacher Evaluation Policy and Conflicting Theories of  Motivation

Author: William A. Firestone
Source:  Educational Researcher, 2014, 43(2):100-107
Abstract:  Current interest in teacher evaluation focuses disproportionately on measurement  issues and performance-based pay without an overarching theory of how evaluation  works. To develop such a theory, I contrast two motivation theories often used  to guide thinking about teacher evaluation. External motivation theory relies on  economics and extrinsic incentives. Internal motivation uses psychology and  intrinsic incentives. These theories and available evidence raise doubts about  performance-based pay, but not the use of other extrinsic incentives. These  theories also suggest that to maintain effective intrinsic incentives, policies  to remove ineffective teachers should not reduce autonomy or trust among  effective teachers and that evaluations should provide teachers with useful  feedback and policy makers with information on the conditions that facilitate  good teaching.