The role of teachers in education is widely acknowledged in educational studies that routinely find that quality of teaching is fundamental to student success. Accordingly, this study set out to examine and describe the professional development of teachers in countries where students perform better in the PISA assessment, namely, Finland, Estonia,…

Currently, large-scale testing in Japan faces conflicting requirements derived from principles of education on the one hand, and measurement, on the other. Issues of affective ambivalence towards tests (i.e. test aversion and dependence) are also observed. The seemingly conflicting government discussions regarding the national assessment of…

Numerous researches have demonstrated the enormous role of teachers in achievements of students. Educated and motivated teacher that cares about the success of students devotes more effort to preparing the lesson and thus provides the students better conditions for achieving results. The problem occurs when teachers are not equally qualified,…

Examines the role of the Japanese prefecture (a regional government unit analogous to U.S. states) in school administration through a case study of the Chiba prefectural board of education's role in administering the high school entrance examination. Finds that the examination stratifies students into an educational hierarchy. (NL)

Discusses (1) Japan's use of a combination of the National Uniform Test and locally administered exams as the sole criteria for university admission and (2) China's use of a National Entrance Examination, experimental examinations administered in Shanghai and Guangzhou, and a Qualifying Test for students over age 25 as university admissions…