This study explores adult migrants' formal and informal opportunities for learning their host country's dominant language: specifically, the availability, accessibility, and effects of these opportunities on the migrants' social integration. It prioritizes the migrants' experience by reporting findings obtained from analyses of questionnaire data…

In this article, third generation cultural historical activity theory (CHAT) (Engeström, 2011) will be the means for analyzing tensions and contradictions between formal and informal learning within a MOOC design. This article builds on previous work (Bradshaw et al., 2017) wherein CHAT was used to establish formal and informal learning as…

Statistical literacy is key in this heavily polarized information age for an informed and critical citizenry to make sense of arguments in the media and society. The responsibility of developing statistical literacy is often left to the K-12 mathematics curriculum. In this article, we discuss our investigation of K-8 students' current…

Whether intended by education policy (e.g., via school entrance examinations) or unintended (e.g., via social stratification), selection effects in education (who goes where, gets what, and how much) shape educational opportunities -- influencing the life chances of individuals and groups, and the structure of societies. However, within the…

This chapter examines three distinct approaches to lifelong learning to illustrate workforce and societal development efforts in Europe, Singapore, and the United States. The case studies bring to the fore various complex issues, including, in the case of Europe, ensuring more equitable access to workforce development initiatives for all.…

Purpose: This study identifies gendered disparities among women students participating in work-integrated learning and explores the effects of the disparities on their perceptions on perceived opportunities, competencies, sense of belonging, and professional identity. Design/methodology/approach: A series of semi-structured focus groups were run…

This study examined phenomenal gender and racial representation disparities in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields -- specifically, a convergent parallel mixed study of the factors contributing to the underrepresentation of women and minorities. The research participants totaled 657 and included college students…

Narratives of international educational exchange programmes such as the US-sponsored Fulbright and the Commonwealth-centred Carnegie grants reveal the formative role these exchanges played in extending the geographical, scholarly, and professional boundaries of women's worlds. Notably, these award schemes influenced, shaped and expanded the career…

This qualitative study explored international students' unique experiences, challenges, and multidimensional well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on three virtual focus groups with 18 international students in the United States, four key themes regarding barriers to their well-being during COVID-19 emerged: limited opportunities for…

Twenty-six participants aged 12-18 living in four countries were interviewed about their experiences participating in a digital exchange programme and learning about cultures. Abductive analysis of the transcripts suggests that social media-type learning formats offer particular opportunities for young people to: (1) engage with different cultures…

This study extends research on cultural reproduction theory and employs a critical quantitative lens to examine how schools contribute to differential science outcomes based on intersectional student backgrounds. Using nationally representative PISA 2015 data, structural equation modeling is utilized with intersectional student background groups…

The need for adult education and training (AET) is substantial, as labour markets require advanced skills. We used data from the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) for Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the United States (U.S.) to compare participation in AET by high- and low-skilled adults.…

Methods: Intersectionality has extended beyond the tenets of race, gender and class to include queer communities, religious issues, literacy concerns, pedagogical styles, etc. in South Africa, the European Union and beyond. Intersectionality is no longer solely relegated to the needs of African American women germane to the United States. Aim(s):…

While achievement gaps have been well-established, much remains to be understood about the manner and extent to which school leadership either increases or decreases student access to opportunity to learn. The current study uses nationally representative samples of U.S. and Flemish students in Grade 4 from the 2011 Trends in International…

Researchers use data from the RAND American Mathematics Educator Study surveys of public school principals and teachers to investigate three school structures--referred to as "school opportunity structures" throughout this report--that may affect kindergarten through 8th grade (K-8) students' mathematics learning. These structures are…