The study examines the role of financial autonomy in enhancing the governance and competitiveness of universities in Central Asia, with particular emphasis on Kyrgyzstan. Using descriptive statistics and system analysis, the research compares income sources, budget expenditures, and legal frameworks regulating university finance across Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. The findings demonstrate that greater financial autonomy enables universities to diversify revenue streams, improve transparency, and respond more effectively to external challenges. The Erasmus+ project Development of Financial Autonomy of Universities in Kyrgyzstan (DEFA) has served as a key initiative, promoting strategic financial management and accountability mechanisms within Kyrgyz universities. However, financial independence remains uneven across the region, with only limited implementation of autonomy models outside Kazakhstan. The results highlight the need for continued legal reforms and institutional capacity-building to ensure sustainable and transparent higher education governance in Central Asia.
This study investigates the extent to which "digital augmentation" enhances the effectiveness of vocal instruction through a systematic assessment of its impact on technical competencies, auditory perception, and pedagogical engagement. Using an interdisciplinary experimental design, participants were divided into control and experimental groups, receiving training via conventional and digitally enhanced methodologies, respectively. In the group employing the combined instrumentation, interval discrimination increased from 75.6% to 88.0% (p = 0.002); chord recognition improved from 80% to 92% (p = 0.003); rhythmic accuracy showed an 8% gain (p = 0.045); intonational accuracy reached 92% compared to the initial 86% (p = 0.002); and tonal memory strengthened from 83% to 91%. Correlational analysis revealed a statistically significant association, indicating that the frequency of tool usage was directly related to performance improvement (Vocalign: r = 0.72; Melodyne: r = 0.68). The findings of the study indicate the promising potential of systematic integration of digital tools into vocal training. At the same time, interview data and participants' reflective journals documented a certain tension: improvements in technical accuracy were accompanied by a decline in artistic expressiveness. The resolution of this conflict requires a balanced and strategically calibrated approach to the implementation of technology in vocal pedagogy.
Adolescent school dropout remains a pressing challenge in the Global South, particularly in rural and underserved contexts. This study employs a qualitative comparative case design to examine dropout trajectories among adolescents in Banjarnegara District, Central Java, Indonesia, and Gilgit District, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. Guided by Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory, six key factors were identified: lack of motivation, family problems, peer and social influences, geographical barriers, gender discrimination and cultural norms, and financial constraints. Findings demonstrate how these ecological drivers operate differently across microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, and macrosystem levels, underscoring the interdependence of individual, familial, institutional, and cultural influences. The study contributes theoretically by extending Bronfenbrenner's framework to subnational comparative contexts and introducing the notion of spatially localized disadvantages to capture rural educational exclusion. Limitations include the small sample size and focus on two sites, indicating the need for mixed methods and broader comparative designs in future research. Overall, the study advances a nuanced understanding of adolescent educational exclusion in underserved settings. Importantly, the findings are case-specific and should not be interpreted as nationally representative for Indonesia or Pakistan.
This study examines how the China-Tanzania educational partnership builds mutual resilience, the capacity to sustain equitable collaboration amid disruptions. Through qualitative analysis of 22 interviews with stakeholders, this study develops a three-dimensional framework (absorptive, adaptive, transformative) grounded in Tanzania's Ujamaa philosophy. Findings reveal that mutual resilience is constructed differentially across scales: at interpersonal and programmatic levels, historical trust and cultural respect enable bidirectional learning and institutional innovation; at the systemic level, however, resource asymmetries and mobility imbalances constrain fuller equity realization, particularly in transformative capacity. Theoretically, this study advances South-South cooperation scholarship by introducing mutual resilience as a culturally grounded analytical framework for assessing partnership equity across multiple dimensions. Practically, findings underscore the need for explicit equity mechanisms, collaborative funding models and epistemological co-creation to transform operational innovations into structural equity.
This study examines the strategic leadership behaviours of secondary school principals in China, where centralized governance and cultural traditions shape leadership practices. Drawing on a cross-sectional survey of 895 principals, this research adopts Pisapia's theory of strategic leadership, which delineates five core leadership influence actions, transforming, managing, bonding, bridging, and bartering, to investigate how school leaders navigate complex educational challenges. Using the Strategic Leadership Questionnaire (SLQ) and applying the Rasch Measurement Model, this study provides a rigorous psychometric evaluation of these leadership behaviours. Findings reveal that transforming, bonding, and bartering emerge as the most dominant behaviours, highlighting the importance of proactive change, relationship-building, and negotiation in school leadership. Conversely, managing and bridging behaviours were less frequently observed, suggesting a shift away from traditional hierarchical administration towards adaptive leadership strategies emphasizing operational stability and stakeholder engagement. This study advances existing scholarship by addressing geographical and methodological gaps. While prior research in China has predominantly focused on instructional leadership, this study systematically measures strategic leadership behaviours through Rasch-based psychometric validation. The findings offer new insights into culturally responsive leadership practices and provide evidence-based recommendations to improve leadership assessments, thereby strengthening the global discourse on effective school leadership in diverse educational contexts.
Inclusive education (IE) has gained global momentum, yet the development of teachers as inclusive practitioners remains underexplored, particularly in comparative contexts. Framed by the Capability Approach (CA), this study investigates how teachers develop the opportunities and freedoms educators possess to develop, enact and sustain inclusive pedagogical practices and how national systems shape what they are able to do and become. Data were collected from 60 teachers working in T & uuml;rkiye, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia (SA) through a multi-method design combining concept mapping, individual interviews, and focus groups, enabling a rich, comparative analysis of teacher experiences, institutional contexts, and evolving professional agency. Findings show that IE supports teacher development in four key domains: pedagogical adaptability, emotional resilience, collaborative professionalism, and reflective agency. However, systemic differences in policy, leadership, and cultural norms affect the depth and durability of these capabilities. The study uses a visual and dialogic methodology that centres teacher voice, supports cross-contextual learning, and reimagines inclusion not as a fixed policy goal, but as a dynamic, capability-expanding process.
In response to the rising demand for entrepreneurial competence in the digital economy, this study explores how self-directed entrepreneurship education fosters digital literacy and shapes technopreneurial intention among Generation Z students. Guided by the Self-Directed Learning Theory, the Job Demands - Resources Model, and the Theory of Planned Behaviour, the study examines the direct effects of self-directed learning on digital business literacy and digital financial literacy and the mediating roles of these literacies in forming technopreneurial intention. A quantitative survey of 698 Indonesian university students was conducted, with data analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The results reveal that self-directed learning significantly enhances both forms of digital literacy, which in turn exert strong and positive influences on students' intention to engage in technopreneurship. Theoretically, this research contributes by integrating psychological and behavioural frameworks to explain entrepreneurial readiness in digital learning contexts. While centred in Indonesia, the study's implications are relevant to higher education systems across Southeast Asia and broader Asian regions facing similar challenges in building entrepreneurial and digital capacities. The findings highlight the importance of creating digital learning ecosystems that promote learner autonomy and practical digital competencies, equipping students for evolving roles in technology-driven entrepreneurial environments.
Interventions aimed at fostering students' intercultural competence (IC) have received increasing scholarly attention in recent years. Yet, systematic evidence on classroom-based pedagogical interventions remains insufficiently examined. To address this gap, the present review synthesizes 54 studies published between 2015 and 2024, analysing four key aspects: (1) theoretical foundations, (2) types of pedagogical interventions, (3) research methodologies and data collection methods, and (4) reported outcomes. Analysis reveals that Byram's and Deardorff's IC models, together with Kolb's Experiential Learning Theory, are the most frequently applied theoretical frameworks. Comprehensive strategies and models constitute the predominant type of intervention. Mixed-methods approaches are most widely used, followed by qualitative approaches. Among the studies surveyed, a total of 20 distinct data collection methods were documented, with written and verbal modes being most frequently adopted. The reported outcomes suggest that classroom-based pedagogical interventions exert a positive influence on students' intercultural learning and IC development. This study contributes to the field by highlighting current trends, identifying methodological and theoretical limitations, and recommending future research to strengthen theoretical grounding, clarify implementation procedures, and diversify data collection and assessment methods to improve the rigour and applicability of classroom-based interventions.
In an era of geopolitical shifts, economic restructures, and technological advancements, China has emerged as a leading destination for international students from the Global South. However, the motivations and experiences of specific cohorts, such as those from Latin America, remain under-explored. Addressing this gap, this study adopts the multi-level, multi-dimensional push-pull model to analyse why Latin American students choose to pursue higher education in China and how they navigate their subsequent academic and social lives within this country. Findings highlight that these students are drawn by a combination of macro-level factors - including China's public safety, economic development, scholarship accessibility, and high life quality - and meso-level factors, such as target universities' increased recruitment efforts and growing academic reputation. At the micro level, Latin American students' career prospects, cultural curiosity, and significant others' advice further shape this decision. Ultimately, this South-South student mobility pattern demonstrates the potential to foster bilateral collaboration, cross-cultural engagement, and professional linkages between China and Latin America, presenting a significant alternative to the traditional North-South mobility paradigm. This study concludes that South-South student mobility not only promotes mutual understanding and global solidarity, but also challenges the hegemony of the Global North in the contemporary international education.
This study investigates how non-English speaking universities transform cultural distinctiveness into competitive advantages in global higher education markets. Employing mixed methods - structural equation modelling of 252 international students' surveys and thematic analysis of 20 administrative interviews - we examine Chinese sports education internationalization. Three key findings emerge: (1) institutions evolve through three strategic stages (imitation, integration, distinctive development), with cultural capital transformation effectiveness increasing progressively (beta = 0.45 to 0.73, p < 0.001); (2) paradoxically, Chinese characteristic sports education exceeded expectations most significantly (+0.61, d = 0.74), while support services underperformed (-0.52, d = 0.56); (3) cultural capital transformation strongly predicts student satisfaction (r = 0.67, p < 0.001), moderated by institutional strategic maturity. The study proposes a "Cultural Capital Transformation Model" synthesizing Bourdieu's capital theory, Knight's internationalization framework, and Porter's differentiation strategy. This model reconceptualizes cultural resources from barriers to strategic assets through three mechanisms: cultural coding/educationalization, value reconstruction, and embodied learning. Findings offer theoretical advancement and practical guidance for Asia-Pacific institutions seeking differentiated internationalization through cultural distinctiveness.
This study investigates Malaysian higher-education teachers' adoption of GenAI by using an integrated Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework with the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). A total of 400 teachers participated in a quantitative survey analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The results revealed that TPACK indirectly affects Intention-to-Use (IU) via perceived usefulness (PU) and perceived ease of use (PEOU), confirming full mediation. This finding indicates that teachers' professional knowledge shapes their engagement with GenAI primarily through judgements of pedagogical value and usability rather than direct technological competence. The proposed model explained 68% of the variance in IU and 63% and 57% of the variance in PU and PEOU, respectively, showing strong explanatory and predictive capacity. Theoretically, this study extends the hybrid TPACK - TAM model to the context of GenAI-mediated online professional development (OPD), clarifying how knowledge informs perceptions and intentions in technology-rich professional learning. Practically, it offers policy-relevant guidance for designing ethical, affect-sensitive, and sustainable OPD frameworks that build teachers' GenAI literacy, pedagogical confidence, and institutional trust. The findings contribute to regional discourse on teacher digital transformation in the Asia-Pacific and offer transferable insights for Global South education systems.
This study explores how ICT integration influences primary school teachers' intentions to choose face-to-face (F2F), ICT-enhanced F2F or online synchronous teaching, using the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). A survey of 759 Indonesian teachers was analysed with PLS-SEM. Findings show that perceived behavioural control (self-efficacy) is the strongest predictor of online teaching intentions, highlighting confidence as the key driver of digital instruction. Subjective norms significantly influence preferences for ICT-enhanced and online modalities, while attitudes towards ICT positively affect ICT-enhanced and online teaching but negatively relate to pure F2F, indicating that ICT is viewed as a complement, not a substitute. Facilitating conditions alone are not sufficient for ICT adoption. These results underline the importance of teacher training that builds confidence, supports pedagogical knowledge and encourages collaboration to support effective ICT integration.
Although technology-enhanced approaches have been widely used to support students' self-regulated learning (SRL), limited research has explored how prior knowledge influences SRL performance and behavioural patterns. This study investigated differences in learning outcomes and SRL behaviours between high-performing (HG) and low-performing (LG) university students in Mainland China using Vocab+, a mobile app embedded with a self-regulation support scheme. Twenty students participated, with data collected through pre- and post-tests and in-app log data. Quantitative analysis and lag sequential analysis were conducted. Results revealed that LG students demonstrated greater improvement in English vocabulary learning over 2 weeks, narrowing the performance gap with HG students. While both groups displayed similar SRL strategies, LG students showed a higher frequency of goal adjustment during the forethought phase. In the performance phase, LG students focused more on time monitoring than task completion, whereas HG students balanced both. In the reflection phase, LG students primarily evaluated their own progress, while HG students tended to compare their performance with peers. These findings suggest that the embedded SRL support in Vocab+ can mitigate the impact of prior knowledge and promote effective self-regulation, particularly among lower-performing learners in mobile-assisted language learning environments.
Amid the global expansion of international education, Hong Kong presents a layered context shaped by postcolonial legacies, multilingual policies, and diverse educational logics. This study examines how Chinese language teachers in Hong Kong's international schools negotiate professional identity and agency across stratified institutional settings. Using Bourdieu's Outline of a Theory of Practice, it analyses how habitus, field, and symbolic capital interact to shape teachers' experiences in five culturally varied schools. Based on interviews with 24 teachers, the analysis identifies six dimensions of institutional norms: doxa rigidity, habitus alignment, symbolic violence, intra-group cohesion, leadership inclusion, and enabling conditions for agency. Findings show that agency emerges unconsciously through alignment or friction with institutional recognition. In Western-oriented schools, symbolic hierarchies constrained agency by framing Chinese pedagogical knowledge as less legitimate. In more inclusive environments, consistent values and cultural recognition enabled fuller participation through practices resonant with dispositions. The study extends Bourdieu's framework in international education, showing how institutional norms shape teacher identity and conditions that foster culturally grounded agency.
Schooling exists in the context of a narrative of economic growth. This involves "progress", "acceleration" and "technological optimism". Or as Heidegger puts it, the enchantment of modernity involves "acceleration, calculation, massiveness". The narrative of economic growth sets up requirements of education, to transmit current normative expectations and to help students grow into mature rational individuals. The way in which theories of economics shape the expectations for student behaviour, learning, and self-expression resides in the hidden curriculum. However, economic growth is directly correlated with climate change emissions. Education has not been able to negotiate the transition to teaching a post-growth society. Heidegger calls this the enchantment of modernity (1999). Neoliberalism has been well explored by philosophers of education but the prevailing (neo)liberal rational individualism still prevails in curriculum, assessment, and educational policy. This article looks at the ground of truth for rational individualism to examine the current enchantment of modernity. The machinations of Enlightenment rationalism play out in economic growth and climate change. Education needs to recognize and emerge from the modern enchantment.
