International Journal of Educational Development最新文献

{"title":"Building integrated learning opportunities for marginalized adolescent girls in Sierra Leone: Impact of the EAGER project on literacy and numeracy learning and personal competencies","authors":"Marlana Salmon-Letelier ,&nbsp;Karla Giuliano Sarr ,&nbsp;Andrew Trembley ,&nbsp;Gwendolyn Heaner ,&nbsp;Alexandra Cervini Mull ,&nbsp;Giulia Di Filippantonio ,&nbsp;Isabel Pearson ,&nbsp;Johanna Arp","doi":"10.1016/j.ijedudev.2025.103484","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijedudev.2025.103484","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>An estimated 86 million secondary school-aged girls and young women globally are out of school, with many education systems struggling to provide meaningful pathways back into learning or skills development. In Sierra Leone, adolescent girls face compounded barriers—including poverty, disability, early marriage or pregnancy, and the lasting impacts of conflict and public health crises—that limit their educational and economic opportunities. Few studies examine the impact of integrated approaches that combine foundational skills (e.g., literacy and numeracy) with personal competencies (e.g., life skills), particularly for older, out-of-school adolescent girls who are often excluded from both formal education and youth-focused programs. There is also a notable gap in mixed-methods evaluations that explore not only learning outcomes but also broader dimensions of empowerment, such as self-efficacy and decision-making. The Every Adolescent Girl Empowered and Resilient (EAGER) project, funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) through the Girls' Education Challenge (GEC), was designed in response to these challenges. Grounded in the specific needs of out-of-school adolescent girls in Sierra Leone, the project supported girls aged 13–17 across ten districts through an eleven-month learning program focused on literacy, numeracy, life skills, and financial literacy, followed by a four-month mentorship. This longitudinal study used a mixed-methods convergent design to assess changes in participants’’ literacy and numeracy learning and personal competencies. Findings show meaningful improvements across these domains, demonstrating the potential of holistic, locally tailored education programs to support empowerment among marginalized adolescent girls. Despite challenges—including the COVID-19 pandemic and data collection constraints—the study offers insights for future initiatives aimed at advancing gender equality and social transformation in low-income and crisis-affected contexts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48004,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Educational Development","volume":"121 ","pages":"Article 103484"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145904103","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Educating for a green future: Strategic human capital and the non-linear path to sustainability in low- and middle-income countries","authors":"Luo Li ,&nbsp;Ridwan Lanre Ibrahim ,&nbsp;Abdulrahman Alomair","doi":"10.1016/j.ijedudev.2026.103498","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijedudev.2026.103498","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The transition to sustainable and innovation-driven economies increasingly depends on how education systems in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) cultivate strategic human capital. This study investigates the non-linear relationship between education investment, human capital formation, and sustainability outcomes across 60 LMICs from 2000 to 2022. Grounded in Strategic Human Capital and Dynamic Capabilities theories, the study employs a multi-estimator dynamic panel approach that integrates System Generalized Method of Moments (System GMM), Dynamic Common Correlated Effects (DCCE), Method-of-Moments Quantile Regression (MMQR), and Dynamic Panel Threshold Regression to address endogeneity, cross-sectional dependence, and heterogeneity. The results reveal that education investment exerts both direct and indirect effects on sustainability performance by enhancing innovation capacity, institutional quality, and green productivity. A fiscal threshold of approximately 4.5 % of GDP is identified, beyond which education spending significantly strengthens the conversion of learning outcomes into sustainable growth capabilities. Below this threshold, returns to education remain limited due to weak absorptive capacity and institutional inefficiencies. The findings demonstrate that education functions not merely as social spending but as a strategic mechanism for accelerating sustainability transitions. Policy implications emphasize the need to align educational investment with green innovation strategies, strengthen institutional frameworks, and optimize fiscal allocations to achieve SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), and SDG 13 (Climate Action).</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48004,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Educational Development","volume":"121 ","pages":"Article 103498"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146023793","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Optimal class size and learning outcomes in Morocco: A normative-causal approach using PISA 2022 data","authors":"LAGDIRI Youness,&nbsp;OUAZZANI TOUHAMI Naoual","doi":"10.1016/j.ijedudev.2026.103523","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijedudev.2026.103523","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study addresses optimal class size in Moroccan public lower secondary schools using PISA 2022 microdata (N = 5,962 students, 150 schools). We develop an integrated dual-methodology framework combining normative multi-criteria optimization with simulated fuzzy regression discontinuity design (FRDD) to triangulate evidence on class size effects. The optimization module estimates domain-specific performance functions using natural cubic splines with socioeconomic controls, constructs an economic cost function based on Moroccan budget parameters (teacher salaries, infrastructure), and derives optimal class sizes across eight policy scenarios varying pedagogical-economic trade-offs. Results converge robustly on a global optimum of 23.4 students (95 % CI: [23.35, 23.36]), requiring a 36 % reduction from the current 36.5 students. The simulated FRDD independently corroborates these findings by identifying a \"high-performance corridor\" at thresholds 23–26 students, where local average treatment effects on pedagogical, multi-criteria, and economic indices remain positive, statistically significant, and robust to covariate adjustment (specification variation &lt;10 %). Beyond 30 students, performance deteriorates sharply (LATE=-0.10 to −0.22, p &lt; 0.001). Moving to the optimal size increases per-student costs by 49.3 % but generates substantial learning gains (+25.1 PISA points), yielding a return on investment of 29.1—classified as \"Good\" and exceeding typical education interventions in developing countries. Heterogeneity analyses reveal minimal variation across socioeconomic status and performance levels (gaps &lt;0.2 students), supporting a uniform national policy target of 23–24 students. These findings provide evidence-based guidance for Morocco's education reforms while demonstrating methodological transferability to other resource-constrained systems in the MENA region.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48004,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Educational Development","volume":"121 ","pages":"Article 103523"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146173598","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Digital integration in rural education: Foundations for a sustainable pedagogical model","authors":"Luis Serrano-Ardila ,&nbsp;Rubén Baena-Navarro ,&nbsp;Yulieth Carriazo-Regino","doi":"10.1016/j.ijedudev.2026.103516","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijedudev.2026.103516","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Digital inequality in rural settings continues to restrict access to comprehensive and environmentally meaningful education. This study, conducted in rural educational institutions in Zapatoca (Santander, Colombia), examines how the contextualized integration of digital technologies can enhance ecological awareness and student participation under precarious infrastructure conditions. A projective research design was adopted, structured into five methodological phases and supported by interviews, non-participant observation, and expert validation through the Delphi technique. Findings indicate that 86 % of teachers expressed a strong willingness to engage in ICT training despite limited infrastructure, and 70 % of students reported participation in school activities related to environmental sustainability mediated by digital technologies. In addition, 53 % of teachers reported relying primarily on personal mobile devices as their main available resource for ICT-mediated pedagogical communication. These conditions delineate an unequal yet fertile ecosystem for educational innovation. Based on this situated evidence, the MIPST model articulates technology, territorial sustainability, and teacher agency as interconnected pillars for feasible pedagogical transformation in rural contexts. Although artificial intelligence was not implemented in the empirical phase of this study, it is framed within MIPST as a forward-looking design horizon that remains conditional on pedagogical grounding, ethical safeguards, and contextual feasibility.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48004,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Educational Development","volume":"121 ","pages":"Article 103516"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146173664","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Should adolescents succeed academically to be happy? The moderating role of the welfare state in the association between perceived reading competence and subjective well-being among adolescents","authors":"Kyoung-Jun Choi","doi":"10.1016/j.ijedudev.2026.103503","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijedudev.2026.103503","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigated whether adolescents’ subjective well-being based on perceived reading competence varies depending on country-level welfare generosity. To this end, multilevel analyses were conducted using data on 15–16-year-old adolescents from 24 countries, derived by linking several datasets, including the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2018. The results indicate that the positive association between adolescents’ perceived reading competence and subjective well-being tends to weaken and even become statistically insignificant as the country-level welfare generosity increases. These findings underscore the moderating role of institutional contexts in shaping adolescents’ perception of their reading competence as a key source of subjective well-being.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48004,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Educational Development","volume":"121 ","pages":"Article 103503"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146078883","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Contextual and socio‑demographic moderators of gendered parental involvement in children’s education: A comparative study of two rural communities in Bihar, India","authors":"Gideon Yeboah,&nbsp;Puneeta Pandey","doi":"10.1016/j.ijedudev.2026.103520","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijedudev.2026.103520","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This comparative study examines how gender, socio demographics, and local circumstances shape parental involvement in two rural Bihar communities using Epstein's six-dimension framework. A stratified sample of 400 parents (two villages, 200 per village) completed face to face surveys measuring all the six-dimensions of Epstein framework. Composite scores yielded acceptable reliability. Independent samples t-tests revealed large gender gaps in Learning at Home and Community Collaboration in Town 1, and significant Father Mother differences in Decision Making and Community Collaboration in Town 2. Multiple regressions indicated that Education and Gender were consistent predictors of Communicating, Volunteering, and Learning at Home. Theoretically, the study extends Epstein's dimensions by integrating it with a contextualized, grounded family-systems approach. Empirically, it shows that community context and parental education shape the gendered enactment of specific involvement dimension, revealing dimension-specific mechanisms of role negotiation. Policies that address local norms and resource constraints can foster more equitable family–school partnerships in rural South Asia.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48004,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Educational Development","volume":"121 ","pages":"Article 103520"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146173666","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"School grants and education outcomes: The impacts of a non-salary budget reform in Punjab Pakistan","authors":"Min Xie ,&nbsp;Kafeel Sarwar","doi":"10.1016/j.ijedudev.2026.103508","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijedudev.2026.103508","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Whether increasing school funding is effective in improving education quantity and quality is a critical question for the education policymakers. In this essay, we analyze the impacts of a decentralized school grant program in Punjab-Pakistan, the “Non-salary Budget (NSB)” reform. Under this reform, each public school received about six times the amount of the grant from government which they had received prior to the reform. To identify the effects of the reform, we explore the spatial and temporal variation of the policy roll-out. We find that the reform has significantly improved the schools’ infrastructure conditions. However, we do not find any discernible effects on student enrollment, attendance rate or test score in the short to medium run.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48004,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Educational Development","volume":"121 ","pages":"Article 103508"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146173668","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Building civic education: The contribution of the interfaith women's movement in Indonesia","authors":"Arhanuddin Salim,&nbsp;Rahman Mantu,&nbsp;Nur Alfiyani","doi":"10.1016/j.ijedudev.2026.103501","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijedudev.2026.103501","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Increasing challenges to pluralism and the strengthening of radicalization narratives in Indonesia demand an effective response from civil society. Interfaith women's movements have emerged as key actors, yet their pedagogical contributions to civic education remain under-explored. This article analyses the forms, methods, and contributions of the interfaith women's movement in building civic education and social resilience in Indonesia. Using a mixed methods (sequential explanatory) design in Yogyakarta and Manado, this study collected data through surveys (N = 100), in-depth interviews, and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with women activists. The results showed three main findings. First, citizenship education is practiced as a two-step process, with internal self-empowerment within ‘subaltern counter-publics’ as the foundation for external collective action. Second, their pedagogical method centers on a ‘pedagogy of encounter’, the effectiveness of which is explained through a combination of inter-group contact theory and affect theory. Third, social resilience is built through a dual, mutually legitimizing strategy of counter-discourse by reinterpreting religious texts, which then becomes the justification for the struggle for public space. The research concludes that the interfaith women's movement is a vital non-formal civic education agent, offering an authentic grassroots model, aligned with the global ‘Women, Peace, and Security’ (WPS) agenda, to strengthen democracy and counter extremism in Indonesia.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48004,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Educational Development","volume":"121 ","pages":"Article 103501"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146023792","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Roma talks about their early school leaving: A case study in Greece","authors":"Vana Chiou,&nbsp;Alexandros Tsoutsoulas","doi":"10.1016/j.ijedudev.2025.103489","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijedudev.2025.103489","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Roma children encounter numerous challenges regarding school inclusion and the completion of their compulsory education over time. This study aims to identify the schooling experiences of Roma individuals who had dropped out of compulsory education in Greece, the factors that affected school dropouts, and their current attitudes towards education. Employing a qualitative research design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with six Roma adults who left their compulsory education. The thematic analysis revealed five themes: (a) schooling experiences, (b) reasons for school dropout, (c) Roma parents’ attitudes toward school dropout, (d) school dropout’s impact on their life, and (e) current attitudes toward education. The findings indicate that Roma participants experienced both positive and negative aspects in school, including warm relationships with peers and teachers alongside instances of racism and interpersonal conflicts. Early school leaving was primarily affected by the decision for early marriage and the influence of their family’s attitudes toward school dropout. Participants also acknowledged the challenges they face today as a result of not completing their compulsory studies while recognising the high value of education. Notably, they express positive views for new generation education, envisioning an ideal school for all. This study highlights the complex interplay of exogenous and endogenous factors affecting the early school leaving of Roma students while shedding light on their perception of the education of the new Roma generation. Additionally, it underscores various shortcomings in terms of the implementation of inclusive educational policies and school practices for Roma students.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48004,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Educational Development","volume":"121 ","pages":"Article 103489"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145980354","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Shifting engagement: Education lending by the World Bank and ADB in China (1980s–2020 s)","authors":"Fangyue Bao","doi":"10.1016/j.ijedudev.2025.103487","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijedudev.2025.103487","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As of 2025, the World Bank (WB) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), two major international monetary institutions, have engaged in China for over forty years. Both have financed more than thirty education initiatives (ADB = 36, WB = 40), during which China transformed from a low-income borrower to a leading shareholder and global political actor. This article analyzes how the two IOs’ educational engagement in China evolved over time, using a structured, focused comparison of project frequency, themes, scale, and geographic coverage. Drawing on a rationalist-constructivist framework and based on 98 IO documents and 12 Chinese policy texts, this study argues that this evolving engagement reflects the interplay of China’s developmental trajectory, IO organizational cultures, and the preferences of influential member states. Rather than diverging sharply in commitment, the two banks adapted their delivery modes and engagement styles in response to China’s changing position and demands. This study contributes to understanding how IOs sustain cooperation with rising powers and highlights the operational flexibility of IOs under conditions of geopolitical and institutional transition.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48004,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Educational Development","volume":"121 ","pages":"Article 103487"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145904030","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}