This paper explores how the websites of Philippine higher education institutions (HEIs) serve as virtual linguistic landscapes that reinforce the homo economicus perspective. As universities pursue internationalization, their digital presence increasingly reflects market-driven discourses that frame education as a commodity, prioritize global rankings, and align with neoliberal economic goals. University landing pages, as curated representations of institutional identity, play a crucial role in shaping perceptions of higher education. Using multimodal critical discourse analysis, this paper interrogates the textual and visual elements of these websites to uncover how HEIs construct narratives of employability, global competitiveness, and economic utility while marginalizing indigenous epistemologies and local linguistic diversity. A purposive sample of public universities across the country was analyzed to capture how marketized language, Westernized aesthetics, and corporate-style branding contribute to the internationalization agenda while erasing alternative community-based understandings of education. This paper contributes to educational policy by exposing the digital marketization of HEIs in the Philippines. It critiques the dominance of Western metrics of academic legitimacy and calls for context-sensitive, equitable, and decolonial approaches to internationalization. Consequently, it advocates reimagining university websites not as neoliberal clickbaits or corporate branding tools, but as sites for featuring student-centered, community-based and culturally responsive education.
Financial literacy is an essential component of human capital to help enhance financial wellbeing. However, systemic oppression can create significant barriers for many LGBTQI + individuals accessing financial education. Consequently, they may have insufficient financial literacy, causing financial exclusion and vulnerabilities to financial fraud and scams. Data availability and advice, and specifically qualitative data regarding financial literacy education of LGBTQI + people in Vietnam, is very limited. Drawing on concepts of financial literacy, critical pedagogy, intersectionality, and Thich's teachings about diversity, transformation, and emancipation, this critical ethnography, using data gathered through surveys and focus groups, examines the problematic nature of financial literacy education and its impact on LGBTQI + young adults (aged 18-35) in Vietnam, a Global South context impacted by pedagogical paradigms rooted in the Global North. The analysis includes overarching themes: (1) discrimination and exclusion of LGBTQI + individuals' access to financial literacy education; (2) the impacts of laws on LGBTQI + individuals' sense of insecurity and insufficient financial literacy; and (3) resiliency and transformation. This small, mixed-methods study shares the counter-stories of participants with limited generalizability of results.
This quantitative research study investigates U.S. K-12 teacher perceptions of book censorship using five ethical paradigms as a conceptual framework. This study surveys 276 educators throughout the United States from all geographic regions and academic disciplines. The findings indicate that (a) most K-12 educators believe the censorship of books jeopardizes students' abilities to build and sustain strong, equitable communities at the local, national, and international level; (b) many K-12 educators believe the censorship of classroom books undermines their professional responsibilities as teachers; and (c) the majority of K-12 educators do not want school districts or politicians to censor classroom books; however, many educators are willing or compelled by law to accommodate parental requests for their own child especially in grades K-5. Results indicate that educators-regardless of geographic location and discipline-hold similar beliefs on book censorship.
A sense of belonging is crucial for student success. Yet, cross-national research on this topic is scarce. This study addresses this gap by examining the relationships between belonging, mental health, and well-being among 2072 students at five universities across five European countries. Using network analysis, we found a robust positive association between a sense of belonging and both well-being and life satisfaction across all institutions. The negative correlation between belonging and loneliness was strongest at the two universities with the largest international student populations. These findings underscore the universal importance of belonging and suggest that tailored university interventions, especially those focused on including international students, can be highly effective in mitigating loneliness and supporting student mental health.
This paper applies Wilkinson's Islamic critical realism to analyze Iran's higher education policies concerning the ideal of the "educated person." Drawing on three key policy documents-the Strategic Transformation Document of Science and Technology, the Comprehensive Scientific Map of the Country, and the Document on the Islamization of Universities-the study identifies two dominant yet fundamentally conflicting orientations: economic and religious. Using the seven thematic elements of Islamic critical realism as an analytic framework, the paper highlights deep tensions between these orientations, as well as further inconsistencies across policy aims. These include mismatches between employment and technology goals, the Islamization of science and market-driven reforms, Islamic social ideals and neoliberal imperatives, and the aspiration for entrepreneurial graduates versus prevailing university conditions. The findings indicate that these unresolved contradictions produce an unstable system that imposes a double burden on students and faculty while generating mission ambiguity for universities. Ultimately, the policies fail to reconcile their divergent aims, undermining the possibility of cultivating an integrated ideal of the educated person as both economically productive and religiously committed.
Early childhood education (ECE) teachers increasingly use social networks to advocate for their professional recognition through their political dialogues within these platforms. Yet, their strategies for gaining and being appreciated as legitimised professional signals a paradox. In deploying what Bakhtin terms authoritative discourse, language that demands acceptance as a dominant, hierarchical, profaned truth, teachers simultaneously constrain the dialogues of diverse professional voices. This paper employs a Bakhtinian dialogic methodology to examine ECE teachers' social networking exchanges during the COVID-19 pandemic in Victoria, Australia (2020), with particular attention to how temporal and spatial contexts shape language strategies. The findings indicate that while teachers summoned authoritative discourse to advocate for their professionalism, this same discourse (un)intentionally silenced divergent perspectives, excluding certain ideas, invoking organisational impunity, and creating 'us-them' boundaries that limited professional agency. These insights signal how authoritative discourse operates as a double-edged sword in teachers' political advocacy, simultaneously extending recognition while atrophying diverse exchanges necessary for robust professional and political dialogues.
Australia's housing shortage is a critical socio-economic challenge, often misattributed to the presence of refugees and international students. Moving beyond this deficit narrative, this article employs a conceptual framework of 'education as a site of long-term integration and social cohesion' to critically re-examine the crisis. We argue that the housing insecurity faced by these groups is not a demographic problem but a profound policy failure that directly undermines educational outcomes, future workforce integration, and social equity. Through an analysis integrating critical policy analysis and philosophy of education we demonstrate how fragmented governance, the financialization of housing, and the lack of a futures-oriented approach exacerbate exclusion. The article critiques simplistic supply-demand explanations and instead positions affordable, stable housing as foundational infrastructure for successful education and integration. We conclude with forward-looking policy recommendations that tie housing security directly to educational success, advocating for integrated, dignity-centred policies that reconceive refugees and students not as burdens, but as central to Australia's social and economic future.
The widespread adoption of videoconferencing in higher education has transformed digital learning, offering new opportunities for engagement while at the same time creating challenges related to student well-being. This underlying study examines these dual effects of webcam use in online education-its "light" side, which promotes social academic integration and engagement, and its "dark" side, which contributes to videoconferencing fatigue and potential cognitive overload. Applying the Online Engagement Framework, we used mediation analysis via Hayes' PROCESS macro and structural equation modeling in Mplus to examine how webcam use affects academic performance through these competing mechanisms. Using survey data from 1134 students at five European universities, we find that webcam use improves academic performance primarily by enhancing social academic integration. Unexpectedly, videoconferencing fatigue is also positively correlated with performance, suggesting that students develop compensatory cognitive strategies to maintain engagement despite fatigue. These findings highlight the need for balanced webcam policies that encourage social interaction while mitigating cognitive load. Rather than enforcing strict regulations, institutions should adopt flexible policies to optimize engagement without compromising well-being. By striking a balance between the light and dark sides of webcam use, universities can foster effective and inclusive digital learning environments that support both interaction and academic success.
This report addresses two key issues in Chilean educational policies: the pursuit of educational quality and the development of a new institutional framework for public education. The central focus of the article is the exploration and critical interpretation of the meanings, purposes, and values of the concept of educational quality at the central level (the Public Education Directorate) of New Public Education. The reconstruction of this approach to educational quality is organized into three dimensions: axiological, ontological, and praxeological, which highlight aspects of educational quality linked to purposes and values, the conception of school, systemic work, and the consideration of knowledge. This allows us to recognize, as a potential, a way of understanding educational quality more comprehensively, rather than linking it to the standardized result evaluation. At the same time, the problematic dimension of a possible dissociation between this more integral notion of quality and its systemic operationalization, which continues to operate in public education, emerges.
What does organisational sustainability mean when environmental aspects are deliberately set aside? This paper reframes sustainability from a managerial model towards a policy-oriented understanding, focusing on organisational dimensions such as longevity, resilience, viability, adaptability, and persistence. As sustainability remains central to political and institutional agendas, an exclusive ecological focus constrains our ability to grasp how organisations - particularly in higher education - sustain continuity and strategic relevance under shifting socio-political and economic pressures. The paper examines European University Alliances (EUAs) - a flagship initiative of the European Commission that promotes transnational cooperation among higher education institutions. Conceptualised as meta-organisations (inter-organisational networks), EUAs encounter enduring challenges of governance, funding, coordination, and legitimacy. Analysing their sustainability, therefore, requires a framework that connects sustainability dimensions with enabling managerial, financial, legal, and ethical factors, while integrating meta-factors such as organisational culture, process management, and power dynamics. Based on an integrative review of literature across management, organisational studies, sociology, and higher education research, the paper synthesises existing conceptualisations of organisational sustainability and reinterprets them through the lens of European higher education policy. The findings reveal that managerial approaches to sustainability remain underdeveloped both in theory and practice. The paper proposes a conceptual framework for assessing the sustainability of European University Alliances. It provides policy-relevant insights for researchers, institutional leaders, and policymakers seeking to enhance the resilience and viability of complex higher education networks.
This literature-based discussion analyses the University of Tsukuba Malaysia venture, Japan's inaugural international branch campus, by examining existinghh literature to identify potential challenges the institution may face. A thematic analysis explores five key factors. Financial motivations are contextualised within internationalist and globalist paradigms, highlighting tensions between the two. Subsequently, the strategy of delivering a Japanese higher education experience is discussed in reference to Western neocolonial dynamics. The literature then suggests that leadership challenges necessitate experienced leaders and adept stakeholder management. Finally, operational and academic factors are examined with reference to the dichotomy of global integration versus local responsiveness. Previous case studies underscore the challenges of cultural integration and the need for a nuanced approach that balances home and local contexts. This inquiry enhances the understanding of Japan's flagship foray into international higher education and offers critical insights for strategic decision-making and future research endeavours in the field.
Chronic teacher shortages and inadequate in-service training threaten the rollout of innovative curricula in low- and middle-income countries. Kenya exemplifies this challenge: its 2017 Basic Education Curriculum Framework and Competency-Based Curriculum position arts and sports science curricula centrally yet lack sufficient qualified personnel for implementation. Moving beyond cataloguing deficits, this article proposes an innovative, low-cost staffing pathway: integrating Kenya's world-renowned acrobats into schools as teaching and resident artists. The strategy simultaneously addresses personnel gaps and specialized-skills shortages by mobilizing an overlooked reservoir of expertise able to address the documented shortfall in arts and sports education. Integrating these performers would also advance the decolonization of education by reorienting the education system through the incorporation of indigenous knowledge and skills. The argument is grounded in a 3-year mixed-methods study of acrobatic troupes and a Nairobi pilot project. Findings show that acrobats already employ structured pedagogies, mentoring routines, and reflective practice aligned with competency-based learning. Their inclusion offers immediate instructional capacity, enriches student engagement and supports teacher development. Comparative examples from South Africa, Kenya, and the United States illustrate successful models for integrating artists into education systems. The article advances policy recommendations ranging from screening criteria and onboarding protocols to new employment categories, demonstrating how a creative-industry workforce can meet education-sector needs while promoting cross-sector, future-oriented solutions to educational stakeholders.
Transitions into Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) have historically been narrated through developmental milestones of school readiness, positioning children as subjects to be prepared for institutional life. Such framings stabilise the child as an individual learner and the setting as a neutral space for adaptation. Yet these moments are far from neutral. They are affective, relational, and deeply political events shaped by cultural scripts, institutional rhythms, and the micro-politics of care. This paper explores the entangled experiences of parents, practitioners, and managers across ECCE settings in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the United Kingdom (UK), exploring how transitions are enacted, felt, and governed in distinct sociocultural and policy contexts. Drawing on surveys and semi-structured interviews analysed diffractively through postqualitative and posthuman perspectives, we trace how transitions materialise through intra-actions among humans, materials, and temporalities. Data are read not for themes, but for intensities, sticky moments, repetitions, and ruptures that illuminate the affective infrastructures of early childhood life, such as handover rituals, parental emotions, and practitioner improvisations that configure belonging and separation. Comparing two contrasting policy contexts reveals both shared practices of gradual entry, family engagement, and attunement to children's needs, alongside culturally situate divergences in how care is operationalised, measured, and understood. Transitions emerge as more-than-developmental events: they are charged sites where attachment, identity, and institutional expectations converge. We offer implications-as-provocations for ECCE practice and policy by reframing transitions as more-than-developmental events where attachment, identity and institutional expectations meet. A diffractive analysis underpins concrete recommendations - staffed 'lingering time', ethical narrative documentation, and threshold design standards - that reconceive arrival as a relational threshold rather than a procedural start/end point.
This paper critically examines the disjunction between reformist rhetoric and institutional practice in Japanese English education. While policy discourse increasingly invokes progressive ideals such as "learner autonomy," "dialogic learning," and "global competence," the actual implementation of reform remains deeply embedded within conservative institutional structures. Drawing on critical sociological perspectives, including the work of Bourdieu, Freire, and meritocracy theory, this study argues that progressive educational concepts have been selectively appropriated and stripped of their emancipatory potential. Rather than functioning as tools of democratic transformation, these concepts are redeployed as reform vocabularies that stabilize existing institutional arrangements. The analysis traces how English proficiency, redefined as human capital, functions as a form of institutionalized cultural capital tied to socioeconomic status in Japan. Access to high-stakes English learning opportunities is unevenly distributed, and these disparities are subsequently legitimated through meritocratic discourse within admissions and evaluation systems. By interrogating the structural logics that underpin contemporary English education reform, this paper exposes how equity-oriented language can coexist with, and even reinforce, exclusionary practice. It calls for a critical reexamination of how educational ideals are mobilized within policy frameworks and argues for a more structurally transformative approach to reform-one that confronts, rather than conceals, systemic inequality.
Numerous worldwide studies have addressed the issue of disproportionate representation of students belonging to ethnic or cultural minorities in special education. No detailed studies on this phenomenon exist in Spain although various European institutions point to the existence of this inequality. In this study, special education in Spain is approached from an anthropological and pedagogical perspective, reflecting on its ways of functioning. The possible existence of disproportionate representation of foreign students in specific special education schools and classrooms is explored through official statistical data and interviews held with professionals (teachers and educational psychologists) in the school environment. For the statistical part of our research, a Z-Score indicator was used. Statistical significance of this disproportion in the schooling data is presented. Semi-structured interviews held with professionals in the field of special education provided the data. The results of our analyses here presented made us wonder whether cultural factors of certain school populations influence - or not - the entry into special education. In other words, is it possible that diagnostic methods for special education consider factors that are external to possible disabilities? Are diagnostic methods for special education appropriate to use with populations from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds? Are racist practices taking place? The a priori answers to these questions reveal overt discrimination. However, it is not perceived in the same manner at school. The discourses produced in this research confront this scenario of possible segregation with the firm will for inclusion and equal treatment the discourse of the school system promotes. To try to understand this apparent contradiction, the meanings of the discourses of professionals in the field of special education are interpreted. Some strategies are proposed that should be followed in an attempt to make the 'discriminatory' structural position of the school and the 'well-intentioned' determination of the professionals who work in it coexist.
Twenty years after the Salzburg Principles, the promise of doctoral education (DE) as a space for autonomy, creativity, and social responsibility has been reworked through neoliberal governance and audit culture. Drawing on critical policy sociology, Levitas's utopia as method and autoethnographic reflection, this paper identifies four paradoxes of the contemporary doctorate: freedom and bureaucratisation, creativity and performativity, belonging and exclusion, and training and transformation. In response, it advances five utopian practices already emerging within universities - supervision as care, epistemic plurality, research with social commitment, time to think, and research centres as spaces of possibility - as grounded counter-logics to managerialism. Reading policy frameworks alongside lived experience, the analysis shows how doctoral subjectivities are shaped by performative rationalities while leaving openings for ethical, relational, and democratic futures. Reclaiming time to imagine and courage to dissent becomes a political refusal to reduce DE to credentialism and knowledge to capital.
Parental engagement is pivotal to children's academic, social, and emotional development. However, immigrant parents face unique barriers to engaging within their children's schools, particularly participating in decision-making processes, communicating with educators, and supporting their children's education. The purpose of this systematic literature review is to examine key barriers that immigrant parents encounter and to explore implications for school policy approaches to empower their engagement. This literature review is guided by two research questions: (1) What barriers do immigrant parents face when engaging with their children's schools? and (2) What are the implications for school policies and practices to empower immigrant parental engagement? Amid school systems-institutional factors-and broader systemic and cultural factors shaping immigrant parental engagement, this review highlights the importance of immigrant parents' social capital and networks. Despite existing research emphasizing the importance of social connections in empowering immigrant parental engagement, a notable gap remains in understanding how social capital and connections contribute to their engagement and how they can be strengthened. Finally, this review discusses policy recommendations and implications for future research, advocating for equity-focused school-community partnerships as a promising parental engagement model to bridge the gap between immigrant families and schools.
This paper interrogates the challenges that deepfake media and AI-generated synthetic content pose for educational policy, governance, and the evolving notion of classroom safety. Moving beyond traditional paradigms that center student welfare and physical security, the analysis foregrounds the neglected psychosocial risks facing teachers, whose occupational safety is increasingly threatened by gendered forms of digitally mediated violence. Drawing on Feenberg's Critical Theory of Technology and Manne's analysis of misogyny, I situate deepfake harms within broader structural inequalities and neoliberal logics that commodify both teacher and student identities. Using Rahm's concept of "educational imaginaries," the paper presents two vignettes. The first shows how teachers face new OHS risks through real-time, technology-enabled abuse. The second shows how marketing uses of student images create additional vectors for consent violation and institutional risk. The analysis critiques current governance frameworks and calls for intersectional, anticipatory policies that address both relational and systemic dimensions of AI-facilitated harm. Ultimately, the paper calls for a reimagining of classroom safety that embeds gender justice, psychosocial well-being, and collective accountability at the center of AI governance in education, for education.
Borrowed from biology exaptation is often counterposed to adaptation. However, the possibility of theorizing some learning as exaptive has not yet been explored. Covering this research gap the article discusses various meanings of adaptive learning and introduces exaptive learning as a new and promising notion of cross-disciplinary benefit. The article also indicates some risks. Like other learnings, exaptive learning may be co-opted by the politics of learning or it may nourish excessive and unsubstantiated hope for ethico-political transformation. Despite such risks, I argue that exaptive learning is distinct enough to merit its own conceptual space as an important analytical tool for theorizing some cognitive transformation.
In doctoral programs, supervisory feedback serves as a central mechanism for academic development, guiding students towards producing a thesis that meets the scholarly standards required for successful examination. However, the process of interpreting and applying this feedback is not straightforward. The language of feedback - tone, clarity, and specificity - plays a significant role in how students engage with supervisors' comments. For candidates, particularly those navigating complex research projects at the master's or doctoral level, understanding and responding effectively to feedback are both cognitive and emotional tasks that demand strategic thinking, resilience, and communication skills. This study draws on insights from five doctoral candidates in addressing written supervision feedback during their candidature. Using a qualitative research design, an online questionnaire was administered to evaluate each candidate's experience. The common themes identified in this study include (1) divergence between feedback expectations and reality, (2) managing anxiety, (3) challenges in addressing feedback, and (4) the structure of written feedback. Discussions bring to light the common strategies used by the five doctoral candidates in addressing feedback, and factors that motivated them while working on written feedback.
