Cross-country comparisons in education using statistics have become increasingly common; however, they are not without difficulties. This paper explores comparative data published by the Educational Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education (EASIE) focusing on the indicator showing the percentage of pupils with Special Educational Needs…

Student engagement plays a vital role in improving students' learning outcomes. Traditional educational assessments of engagement have many limitations, which undermine the understanding of the mechanisms by which engagement affects learning and broad educational practices that leverage engagement. Through a mixed-methods approach and multimodal…

The research field of science education has gathered questions about what science is, how scientific knowledge is developed and in what ways humans are involved in these processes under the umbrella concept 'nature of science' (NOS). Previous research has suggested that teaching ought to focus much more on these issues, but so far the focus has…

The paper presents a multi-faceted data-driven computational approach to analyse workplace-based assessment (WBA) of clinical skills in medical education. Unlike formal university-based part of the degree, the setting of WBA can be informal and only loosely regulated, as students are encouraged to take every opportunity to learn from the clinical…

The educational literature often includes debate over the nature and nurture of mathematical giftedness. The varied schools of thought reflect discrepancies between views, which are to a large extent functions of philosophical, political, and economic considerations. To address this debate, in the context of the current ZDM Special Issue, I…

Purposeful and considered risk-taking can be an important aspect of early childhood education professional practice. Educator risk-taking can contribute towards the quality of education programs. Recent research shows that educators in high quality early childhood education services take a range of risks in their professional practice; yet we do…

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been associated with a range of poorer health and educational outcomes. In response, many schools have adopted trauma-informed practice (TIP). Staff attitudes are postulated to play a central role in behaviour change, potentially facilitating or hindering system change towards TIP. However, little is known…

Quantitative literacy is a foundational component of success in STEM disciplines and in life. Quantitative concepts and data-rich activities in undergraduate geoscience courses can strengthen geoscience majors' understanding of geologic phenomena and prepare them for future careers and graduate school, and provide real-world context to apply…

The first of Ofsted's research reviews focused on science education. It is broad in scope, including content on school systems, the science curriculum, teaching, learning, assessment and materials -- with implications for practice. However, the review's scope does not provide much detail of the research on which it is based. I agree with many of…

Five scholarly practitioners in an educational leadership for social justice doctoral program share their intentional, community-minded pivots during a global pandemic that disrupted their Dissertations in Practice (DiP). Embodying their Ed.D. program's CPED framework (Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate, 2019), the authors, at varying…

This study investigated social justice from the point of view of school directors, teachers, and parents. We chose two schools that were undergoing major demographic changes because of increased immigration into Catalonia, Spain. They were both classified as "schools of maximum complexity" because of their socio-economic characteristics.…

There is now an extensive body of research concerning the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), and its recent additions and variations. Despite this, we argue that there is a paucity of theory-informed empirical research on the ways in which the PISA results about a nation's education system both circulate within, and are…

Recent policy on careers guidance in England suggests a somewhat straightforward process. The assumption is that quality careers guidance will enable young people to make informed career-related decisions. However, the 'reality' of provision is far more complex, as highlighted by the findings from a small in-depth study of careers provision in one…

This article takes up the challenge offered to educators, researchers and policy-makers in the "Ngaga-dji" report, to reflect on the ways in which services and institutions need to change to better support and work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people and their families and communities. "Ngaga-dji," which…

This article provides a critical exploration of the textbook-based character of Finnish educational culture. The opening section points to the need to recognize and better understand the role of textbooks in Finnish education. The next section outlines how and why textbooks have become a characterizing feature of Finnish educational culture before…