Reading assessment is a critical feature of education systems. The aim of this study is to explore reading assessment policy in the New Zealand (NZ) assessment culture. We reviewed research publications, national policy documents and test protocols on reading for year levels 6-9 (ages 9-13). We found that assessment data are broadly conceptualised…

This article presents an analytical framework for examining the different roles the state can play in improving higher education governance in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). It argues that adequate governance of national higher education systems is fundamental to moving toward a new social contract in the sector. It describes different…

This article examines the different roles the State/government plays in coordinating the Chilean higher education system. It proposes a conceptual and analytical framework based on a multi-governance approach, which considers multi-level, multi-actor and multi-agenda dimensions. This framework is used to study the different roles played by the…

The Indonesian academic profession is heavily regulated and monitored by the government. The rigid requirements, rules, and regulations are meant to maintain the quality and roles of the profession, but it also creates barriers and unwanted consequences such as low academic mobility and cost to apply for an academic job. Recruiting casual…

This paper investigates the experiences and impacts of extreme heat on the Philippine education system during the "summer" seasons of 2023 and 2024, drawing on publicly available data and news reports. It critically examines government responses to the unprecedented challenges posed by emerging extreme heat conditions as part of the new…

The overarching objective of this study is to become more closely attuned to the politics of curriculum by identifying the discursive practices employed by governments to position curricular reform. In particular, this analysis aims to show how the twinning of neoliberalism and neoconservatism has served to justify shifts in curriculum at three…

Through the concept of ritual governance, this paper argues that it is impossible to separate the secular from the religio-spiritual, cosmological, or onto-epistemic aspect of policy. An inescapable feature of social science and the humanities, including in the study of policy and bureaucracy, pertains to those assumptions at the most basic level…

Higher education in sub-Saharan Africa plays a critical role in meeting local and regional challenges yet still reaches a very small subset of the population. This case study focuses on Makerere University, the flagship university of Uganda, which is striving to make a difference locally and globally. It has survived colonialism, dictatorships,…

The past three decades have seen proliferating research on Transnational Higher Education (TNHE), mostly understood through a market-oriented lens as a means of institutional and individual investment in economic and status gains. Less understood is the interplay between the state and the market logic in TNHE. Large-scale research on the…

This article explores climate change adaptation (CCA) in Indonesia after 20 years of ratifying the Kyoto Protocol and 8 years of the Paris Agreement. It highlights the importance of improving community engagement and participation in CCA efforts. Drawing from international and Indonesian contexts, the study identifies key factors for effective…

This study explored the key factors influencing the sustainable success of herbal businesses in Sakon Nakhon Province, Thailand, amid the growing global demand for herbal products. The research focused on the economic, social, environmental, and managerial aspects affecting sustainability and competitiveness. We employed a quantitative research…

This paper examines the contestations surrounding the rights and responsibilities of the state and parents to educate children. Focusing our analysis on home education, we suggest that these disputes represent the convergence of -- at times agonistic -- parental and state politics of care and concern surrounding education and children. To advance…

School leaders are expected to act with integrity, but values are always contested: one person's 'moral purpose' is not the same as another's. Researchers have explored these issues from different angles. One approach focusses on individual leaders, seeking to understand how their values inform their practice. Other work highlights that individual…

Globally, one in three students are now enrolled in private higher education institutions (PHEIs), with the total reaching almost 70 million enrolments. This pattern is similar across a highly diverse Asia: more than 35% of students are enrolled in the private sector, and around 60% of higher education institutions (usually much smaller than their…

In this study, we aimed to examine the impacts of COVID-19 vaccines on mental health and relationships between psychological factors and vaccine acceptance in Turkey during the early pandemic period. The study included 1042 adults (70.9% females) with a mean age of 29.55 (SD = 10.29). The results showed that vaccinated participants had lower…