In the field of second language assessment, there is limited empirical research on the alignment of different language proficiency standards. This study aims to establish level correspondences for overall language proficiency between China's Standards of English Language Ability (CSE) and the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages…

In the last 15 years the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) has become a very influential basis for the design of language curricula and the assessment of language learning outcomes, not only in its home continent but around the world. This article provides a basic introduction to the CEFR and then identifies the issues that have arisen…

This paper first discusses the Common European Framework of Reference Languages: Learning, teaching and assessment CEFR 2001 and the revisions to this framework in CEFR 2018. It then looks at the Frameworks of Reference for English Language Education in Thailand, Japan, Vietnam, Malaysia and China which are based on CEFR. The main purpose of this…

The paper discusses the main issues which emerge for the university as an institution in the European context from the development of the lifelong learning paradigm. It focuses on both the opportunity-creating and tension-provoking presence of the lifelong learning concept in the university's institutional environment. The analysis is based on a…

While comprehensive research has been conducted on the Bologna Process (BP) as well as on the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), the roles of the social sciences in these reforms have remained mostly overlooked. Based on a systematic literature review of articles and reports from 1999 to 2018, we analyse the interplay of social sciences with…

The article discusses the challenges of and solutions of developing a common, general standards referenced student assessment framework for mathematics. Two main challenges are faced. First, the main challenge is the lack of commonly accepted standards as the basis for the criterion- and standards-referenced assessment. Second challenge is that,…

The position of information and communication technologies (ICT) in the Turkish compulsory education has been strengthened in the recent years. As well as ICT infrastructure, production of digital content and teacher training initiatives, the recent curricula reforms support the use of digital technologies in many subjects. A separate compulsory…

The past two decades have witnessed growing interest in Higher Education (HE) achievement standards. Globally, the English Language Teaching (ELT) sector provides students with Direct Entry (DE) English language program (ELP) pathways to university study. It has typically relied on commercially available English language tests to ensure…

Purpose: The study of the problems hindering improvement of the system of training through standardization of qualification requirements is relevant because, in a globalized system of teaching staff and high rates of migration, not only national but also international requirements for employees should be considered. This increases the…

Purpose: Standards should provide a means for transparently comparing academic programmes delivered by higher education providers and the research activities they carry out. The purpose of this study is to investigate the different sets of standards related to the quality assurance of academic programmes in four countries with regard to the…

This contribution examines the domestic reinterpretations of international and European recommendations in Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs). It asks under what conditions these institutional recommendations, but also global processes such as the university rankings, affect domestic public policies. The countries of Central and…

For children with special educational needs, seeds were sown for the move away from segregated settings to inclusion in mainstream settings following the 1978 Warnock Report. However, the "special versus mainstream school" debate was re-ignited in 2005 when Warnock recommended a more significant role for special schools than previously…

An analysis is presented of the experience of modernising undergraduate educational programs using the TUNING methodology, based on the example of the area of studies "Fundamental computer science and information technology" (FCSIT) implemented at Lobachevsky State University of Nizhni Novgorod (Russia). The algorithm for reforming…

Higher education is fundamental to both national and global contemporary knowledge economies. It is also a driver for social change (see for example) which crucially includes making higher education available and relevant to a wider section of society and improving the mobility and relevance of its graduates in the workplace. New tools are…

The European Higher Education Area (EHEA) has been established, at least in structure, remapping Higher Education as we know it. This scenario offers a new framework in which the role of universities can be rethought, independently of the field of the new degrees and post graduate studies. As part of this reconceptualisation, the roles of teachers…