This study discusses the characteristics of test specifications (specs) and item writer guidelines (IWGs), their role in item development of English as a Second Language (ESL) reading tests, and the use of the CEFR for specs development. This mixed-method study analyzed specs, IWGs, tests, and the Pearson Test of English General test statistics.…

When the written language that children learn to read and write is distinct from the oral language they acquired as their mother tongue, they may encounter substantial challenges. The linguistic distance between two varieties of the same language could have an impact on the literacy acquisition journey. The present study focuses on Arabic, a…

This paper describes the study of enforcement of prerequisites in the Computer Science program at a regional university in the Southwest. Prerequisites are a significant factor in programs of study in higher education. Allowing students to register in courses may assume that they have existing knowledge and skills. Some programs treat…

Skateboarding has become a common means of transportation and physical activity among adolescents and adults going to and from work or across college campuses, further highlighting why its implementation as a physical education unit makes sense. This article gives readers a more robust understanding of skateboarding, why it could be advantageous…

Defending peers who have been bullied is often thought to put defenders at risk of becoming victimized themselves. The study investigated the concurrent and prospective associations between defending and (peer- and self-reported) victimization, and examined popularity and classroom norms as potential moderators. Participants included 4085 Finnish…

Part of the reason many districts fail to achieve the promise of high-quality professional learning is that they operate with what the authors call a "PD mindset." This mindset manifests in sporadic, one-time events, inservice sessions, guest speakers, webinars, and workshops that are not part of a larger plan or vision. The authors…

Global membership of the HEA fellowship scheme is increasing. Despite the focus by academic developers on supporting staff to achieve fellowship, there is limited research that examines whether it improves teaching and the learning experience. Our detailed survey of educators in the UK and Australia indicates perceptions of impact on individuals,…

Despite increasing calls to build equitable data infrastructures, the education field has yet to have a shared guideline around equitable education data management and stewardship. To address this gap, we propose one framework from the data governance literature: the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data management principles…

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly integrating into our society. University education needs to maintain its relevance in an AI-mediated world, but the higher education sector is only beginning to engage deeply with the implications of AI within society. We define AI according to a relational epistemology, where, in the context of a…

This study deploys Actor-Network Theory (ANT) to understand how educational standards take shape. To exemplify the inherently collective nature of standards and contingency in the process of standardisation, this study will present a case of the CEFR-J project launched by a group of Japanese university academics to modify the "Common European…

Single-case research designs are useful for learning disability researchers interested in refining novel interventions (e.g., new mathematics intervention) before scaling, small n populations (e.g., students with comorbid learning and emotional and behavioral disabilities), and testing unique conditions (e.g., remote locales). Much attention has…

With the availability of remote instruction anywhere in the world, students from all over the globe are participating together in academic programs. The growth of synchronous online learning has occasioned the development of rules for appropriate online behavior (i.e., Netiquette). Netiquette rules are needed because some students have a tendency…

This article critically discusses the concept of future-ready learning by drawing on the educational thought of Confucius as recorded in the "Analects." Two main arguments are made in this paper. First, Confucius views future-readiness as the preparedness to broaden "dao" (Way), which is a vision of human excellence. Secondly,…

Unsustainable student debt and a precarious labor market continue to raise public doubts over the value of a college degree. Observers note decades of grade inflation, eroding confidence in academic standards. Yet little attention has been paid to the perceptions of professors themselves. This report fills the gap by surveying 223 tenured…

Increasingly, the broader public, media and policymakers are looking to qualitative research to provide answers to our most pressing social questions. While an exciting and perhaps overdue moment for qualitative researchers, it is also a time when the method is coming under increasing scrutiny for a lack of reliability and transparency. The…