Conceptions, Perceptions and Intersections of Equity Gaps in Education

A special issue of Education Sciences (ISSN 2227-7102).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2023) | Viewed by 10698

Special Issue Editors


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Chief Guest Editor
Department of Education & Institute of Educational Policy and Administration, National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU), Taipei City 106, Taiwan
Interests: educational policy and administration; school improvement and curriculum redesign; professional development for principals and teachers; place-based education and critical studies; female leadership and gender education

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Chief Guest Editor
Institute of Educational Science, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), 90478 Nuremberg, Germany
Interests: emotions, well-being, and social relations in education; self-regulated learning in school and higher education; formative assessment and feedback; qualitative research methods and mixed methods research

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Chief Guest Editor
Lehrstuhl für Pädagogische Psychologie und Exzellenzforschung, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), 90478 Nuremberg, Germany
Interests: talent development; learning resources; learning environment; mentoring

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Assistant Guest Editor
The Innovation in Learning Institute (ILI), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), 91054 Erlangen, Germany
Interests: open and distance education; student engagement in online teaching and learning settings; digitalization and internationalization in higher education; systematic review method

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Assistant Guest Editor
Department of Psychology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), 91052 Erlangen, Germany
Interests: social cognition and communication; gender and diversity; social inequality; person perception; social judgment

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Assistant Guest Editor
Department of Adult & Continuing Education, National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU), Taipei City 106, Taiwan
Interests: psychology of digital learning; psychology and digital learning of older adults; educational data analysis; social psychology

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Assistant Guest Editor
Transdisciplinary Program in College of Education, National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU), Taipei City 106, Taiwan
Interests: English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teaching methods; remedial teaching interventions; rural education

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Assistant Guest Editor
Department of Special Education and College of Teacher Education, National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU), Taipei City 106, Taiwan
Interests: learning disabilities; special education; inclusive education; emotional behavior disorder; development disabilities

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Assistant Guest Editor
Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Theology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), 91054 Erlangen, Germany
Interests: gender science studies; women in the physical sciences; history and sociology of modern physical sciences

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Equity gaps in education refer to disparities between groups such as social class, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation gender, with respect to educational outcomes that violate notions of equity. They exist:

  • between many groups as social class gaps, gender gaps, race gaps, ethnicity gaps, age gaps, sexual orientation gaps;
  • at all levels of education, from preschool to tertiary education;
  • across all domains and contexts;
  • as different types, such as achievement gaps, opportunity gaps, confidence gaps, and excellence gaps.

Closing equity gaps in education is considered one of the key tasks of contemporary pedagogy. However, currently, the research field is diversified and fragmented with only little conceptual unity. There is still a lack of general pedagogical strategies with which to bridge equity gaps. This Special Issue aims to contribute to coherent research on equity gaps through educational sciences. We invite authors to explore equity gaps in education with respect to three broad issues:

  1. Perception of equity gaps: Since surprisingly little is known about what is perceived as an equity gap by lay people as well as by educators, teachers, and researchers, we are interested first in a basic understanding of equity gaps. More specifically, we are interested in equity gaps from the perspective of all the actors needed to bridge them through education.
  2. Conceptual issues related to equity gaps: We are interested in theoretical contributions that may guide us beyond the exploration of individual equity gaps. The articles we hope for should improve the ability of the scientific community to analyze and understand specifics and commonalities across equity gaps.
  3. We encourage researchers to report studies that go beyond exploring individual equity gaps. The intersectionality of equity gaps is of interest in four regards:
    a. Intersectionality of groups: multiple degrees of influence on individuals that are members of more than one disadvantaged group;
    b. Intersectionality of different types of equity gaps: multiple effects on individuals by different types of equity gaps;
    c. Intersectionality of ecological contexts: affectedness of individuals in different ecological contexts such as support gaps at home and at school;
    d. Combinations of the aforementioned three intersections.

Prof. Dr. Peiying Chen
Prof. Dr. Michaela Gläser-Zikuda
Prof. Dr. Albert Ziegler
Prof. Dr. Svenja Bedenlier
Prof. Dr. Susanne Bruckmüller
Prof. Dr. Ya-Ling Wang
Prof. Dr. Tsui-Chun Hu
Prof. Dr. Li-Yu Hung
Prof. Dr. Maria Rentetzi 
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Education Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • equity gap
  • inequality
  • social justice
  • democracy
  • minorities
  • gender
  • race
  • ethnicity
  • social class
  • LGBTQ

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 1579 KiB  
Article
Equity Gaps in Literacy among Elementary School Students from Two Countries: The Negative Social Resonance Effect of Intersectional Disadvantage and the Dampening Effect of Learning Capital
by Albert Ziegler, Linlin Luo and Heidrun Stoeger
Educ. Sci. 2023, 13(8), 827; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13080827 - 12 Aug 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 874
Abstract
Students may be members of multiple disadvantaged groups whose negative effects may reinforce each other (intersectionality). In two studies dealing with elementary students’ literacy skills, we examine one negative reinforcing effect and one dampening effect of intersectionality. In Study 1, we tested the [...] Read more.
Students may be members of multiple disadvantaged groups whose negative effects may reinforce each other (intersectionality). In two studies dealing with elementary students’ literacy skills, we examine one negative reinforcing effect and one dampening effect of intersectionality. In Study 1, we tested the negative social resonance effect of intersectional disadvantage, which means that disadvantages in achievement of intersecting disadvantaged groups would be stronger in social judgments of achievement than in objective measurement. This assumption was confirmed with a sample of 1926 German fourth-grade students. A MANOVA showed that the disadvantages in SES, migration background, and gender were cumulative. A path analysis revealed that the negative effects were larger in teachers’ performance assessments than in objective test performance in literacy. In Study 2, the negative social resonance effect of intersectional disadvantage was replicated with a sample of 777 students from Grades 4 and 5 in the United Arab Emirates. In addition, a dampening effect of learning capital was found. This effect was comparatively larger than the negative social resonance effect of intersectional disadvantage. Full article
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14 pages, 317 KiB  
Article
Chances of Early School Leaving—With Special Regard to the Impact of Roma Identity
by Veronika Bocsi, Aranka Varga and Anikó Fehérvári
Educ. Sci. 2023, 13(5), 483; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13050483 - 10 May 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1404
Abstract
Early school leaving rates among Roma are higher than in the majority population, as confirmed by several studies, but the descriptions are often two-dimensional. Intersectionality is described as a persistent situation formed by several social dimensions, and this specific position can be advantageous [...] Read more.
Early school leaving rates among Roma are higher than in the majority population, as confirmed by several studies, but the descriptions are often two-dimensional. Intersectionality is described as a persistent situation formed by several social dimensions, and this specific position can be advantageous or disadvantageous from the aspect of educational inequalities. This study aims to explore what type of intersectional position can raise the chance of early school leaving and what is the role of the Roma ethnic identity in this. Earlier empirical analyses are rather two-dimensional, and these intersectional situations cannot be identified with them. The Hungarian Youth Survey databases provided an opportunity to conduct this type of multiple approaches. With the help of our results, the intersectional position can be described in which the chance of early school leaving is higher. The elements of this situation are embedded in economic, educational, geographical and ethnic categories at the same time. The effect of Roma ethnic identity is significant but not the strongest in our model. With the help of a comparison of the two waves of the research project, we can state that the patterns of this intersectional and disadvantageous situation are stable but not unchanged. Full article
12 pages, 447 KiB  
Article
An Evaluation of University Students’ Perceptions of Gender Violence—A Study of Its Prevalence in Southern Spain
by Mercedes Osuna-Rodríguez, María Isabel Amor and Irene Dios
Educ. Sci. 2023, 13(2), 178; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13020178 - 08 Feb 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1555
Abstract
Discovering students’ beliefs and values as regards gender violence is a fundamental factor when attempting to tackle this problem in the sphere of universities. This study presents the validation of a scale for university students’ perceptions of gender-based violence, denominated as the Gender [...] Read more.
Discovering students’ beliefs and values as regards gender violence is a fundamental factor when attempting to tackle this problem in the sphere of universities. This study presents the validation of a scale for university students’ perceptions of gender-based violence, denominated as the Gender Violence Perception Scale (GVP-S). This scale measures the degree to which the aforementioned perceptions are influenced by gender, the university degree in which participants are enrolled, the type of school to which (i.e., private or state) they attended, and the level of education reached by their parents. The study was carried out with a sample of 1870 students at the University of Cordoba (Spain), and its results revealed that: (1) the GVP-S is well adjusted to and has the optimum psychometric properties for the sample studied, and (2) there are significant differences according to gender, the university degree being studied and the students’ parents’ education, but not the type of secondary education establishment attended. The conclusion that was reached was that it is necessary to carry out more research in this area, to provide preventative measures and training programs regarding gender violence to university students. Full article
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24 pages, 4606 KiB  
Article
The Correlation between Budgets and Matriculation Exams: The Case of Jewish and Arab Schools in Israel
by Rami Zeedan and Rachel Elizabeth Hogan
Educ. Sci. 2022, 12(8), 545; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12080545 - 12 Aug 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2169
Abstract
Standardized testing in the Israeli education system presents a cavernous achievement gap between the dominant Jewish and Arab student populaces. This paper assesses the role of one major factor contributing to this discrepancy in test scores: budget allocation. Specifically, we evaluate the relationship [...] Read more.
Standardized testing in the Israeli education system presents a cavernous achievement gap between the dominant Jewish and Arab student populaces. This paper assesses the role of one major factor contributing to this discrepancy in test scores: budget allocation. Specifically, we evaluate the relationship between test scores and budget in Israel proper while controlling for Arab and Jewish school systems. The findings from the 2008 to 2018 data demonstrate the increased allocation of budgets and higher test scores in Arab schools. The statistical analysis confirmed a positive correlation between budgets and test scores. Overall, budget factors were found to have a much higher impact on Arab schools than Jewish schools. This was even more significant in Druze schools, which received the higher increase in budget and achieved the most significant improvements in Bagrut scores. As a result, this research challenges previous findings within the educational literature, identifies significant implications as byproducts of this variable relationship, and proposes future policy adjustments and research expansion. Full article
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20 pages, 1527 KiB  
Article
Reflecting Culturally Responsive and Communicative Teaching (CRCT) through Partnership Commitment
by Zainal Berlian and Miftachul Huda
Educ. Sci. 2022, 12(5), 295; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12050295 - 21 Apr 2022
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3417
Abstract
The strategic approach to enhance cultural skills is aligned with social feeling and sense of belonging as an important element to underlie the interaction pathway with others’ diverse backgrounds. Such an approach of teaching model could be transformed and prepared to encourage ability [...] Read more.
The strategic approach to enhance cultural skills is aligned with social feeling and sense of belonging as an important element to underlie the interaction pathway with others’ diverse backgrounds. Such an approach of teaching model could be transformed and prepared to encourage ability to communicate and relate to others from diverse backgrounds. The following phase of sufficient integration amongst cognitive, social and emotional substance is reflect in the culturally responsive and communicative teaching (CRCT). This mode is an important element to advance the diverse students amidst an increasingly complex and pluralistic society. This paper is aimed at examining CRCT by having a critical look into the partnership commitment amongst interracial teachers’ daily school interaction. Data collection was conducted with 10 interracial teachers with a focus on the approach of how their partnership commitment is reflected and practiced in their daily school interaction. Thematic analysis was employed to obtain the main points of data to give insight into the multicultural school society. The findings reveal that an understanding of CRCT articulated into partnership engagement commitment has a core of three main points. These are: expanding self-awareness on cultural identity; enhancing culturally mediated emotion of social situations; and developing instructional practice for cultural sensitivity. The implication for students’ experiential learning in the multicultural classroom was also discussed. The contribution of this paper can be exerted among those involved in the education sectors. These include students, educators, principals, learning facilitators, researchers, educational technologist, instructional designers and practitioners. This is also included among the researchers who are interested in exploring, understanding and developing discerning perspectives on diversity and diverse learners in 21st century education. This study is expected to contribute by giving solving skills with the strategic approach articulated into a particular guideline to give a clear understanding in responding the multicultural classroom in the interracial school society context. This study is considered to elaborate the good feedback on the importance of CRCT in responding to emerging trends on the facades of diversity among diverse learners. Full article
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