About ten years ago, an innovative instrument was developed to promote internationalization in European higher education institutions--"a Certificate for Quality in Internationalization (Cequint)." The initiative fits well the contemporary governance philosophy that promotes voluntary instruments, an individualized approach, and an…

There are worries about the quality of scientific research, the validity of the knowledge it produces and the integrity of academics. What is lacking in the debate is what scientists have to say and what they do to create and safeguard what they see as 'good science'. Using Dutch academia as a case, we show that the academics' understandings of…

We study to what extent schools increase or decrease environmental and genetic influences on educational performance. Building on behavioral genetics literature on gene-environment interactions and sociological literature on the compensating and amplifying effects of schools on inequality, we investigate whether the role of genes and the shared…

Currently, museums seek to improve education and inclusion through the use of technology, and it is essential to value the didactic and technological advances through the use of new tools (ICT), at an intercultural and intergenerational level, adapting the exhibition messages to the diversity of the public, with a special interest in disability.…

Parents play a vital role in identifying children's needs for support and Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) features that support children's well-being. This study examined parental perspectives on features of ECEC that foster young children's well-being under and above the age of 3 years by interviewing 359 parents across nine European…

The quality of national education depends on many factors, which traditionally include adult literacy, the total share of students receiving general, secondary vocational and higher education, the level of the material and technical base, etc. Based on these factors, a list of leading countries by the level of education is formed. The authors…

More and more governments have started to introduce elements of performance in the funding mechanisms for their higher education institutions. An example is a performance agreement: a contract signed between the funding authority and an individual higher education provider. In the Netherlands, a policy experiment involving performance agreements…

Over the last decade the governance of primary and secondary schools in the Netherlands has by no means become simpler. This paper sketches recent policy developments and their consequences for the leadership of Boards of Multiple Schools (BMSs) and their school leaders. Thereof we describe the challenges BMSs in the Netherlands currently face to…

As higher education quality assurance in many countries in Europe has become a mature activity, some agencies carrying out external quality assurance are developing beyond their core tasks and missions. The current study identifies new tasks taken up within quality assurance agencies and analyses the drivers behind such development. Based on an…

From 2017-2020, 15 universities collaborated to create and share OER for a bachelor nursing program. A study was undertaken to analyse the impact of the project activities leading to the commitment to work towards sustaining the initiative. The project was described using the ESH model (Weggeman, 2000). Two sub-studies provided the results on the…

Supporting academics' initial development as university teachers is important for improving their ability to contribute to high-quality education and for reducing anxiety and stress around teaching. Focusing on tasks experienced as challenging is considered a key principle for organising effective teacher professional development. To apply this…

Research Findings: This study examined whether teacher-child interaction quality varied as a function of type of activity in toddler classrooms in four European countries (Finland, Netherlands, Poland, and Portugal). It also investigated whether specific activity settings, namely levels of adult involvement, use of whole group, and children's…

Globalisation, technological changes and the industry-to-service economy transition has produced dramatic changes in the labour market, thus affecting higher education. It is no longer sufficient to provide students with disciplinary knowledge. Graduates are also expected to be adaptive, innovative and flexible. As these competencies are better…

The aim of this study is to analyze, evaluate and validate the NSE (National Student Enquiry) as a service quality measure helping both higher education institutions (HEIs) and students in their decision making. Every year the Dutch foundation 'Studiekeuze123' sends out a survey (the NSE) to collect data on service quality regarding education at…

Although many schools in the Netherlands have purchased adaptive learning systems (ALSs) to reduce workload and improve differentiated instruction, the use of ALSs with teacher dashboards in the classroom does not in itself necessarily improve differentiated instruction. The question is, what skills and knowledge do teachers need to provide…