Various types of visuals are included in social studies textbooks such as pictures, illustrations, maps, and photographs as they are considered powerful learning aids. Therefore, it is important to investigate how visuals in social studies textbooks are perceived by the students. Thus, the first purpose of this paper is to discuss how students…

In this editorial article, we draw on our experiences to create an opening for critical reflection in honor of Paulo Freire's centenary. We start by addressing the need to overcome the productivity logic of the Academy and instead prioritize thinking and being in communion with others. We orient toward Freirean critical hope as an impetus to move…

In recent years, the importance of the pedagogical and physical design of new learning environments has grown. Around the world, innovative pedagogy has been implemented to address, among other things, the development of social skills. In this study, we examined an educational program that is an applied example of the constructivist approach whose…

Researcher positionality is widely accepted as a phenomenon to be understood and used to strengthen the qualitative research process. However, consideration of white researchers' positionality has largely centered on situations in which they are "outsider" researchers in spaces that do not reflect their own racial identities. To build…

Education researchers and the US Department of Education interpret chronic absentee data as supporting a causal relationship between absenteeism and negative outcomes later in life (Frydenlund, 2022; Berkowitz et al., 2017; Hopson & Lee, 2011; Thapa et al., 2013). As school absence rates continue to reflect disparities among students of color…

Common denominator communications examines dialogic pedagogy together with modes of communications rooted in "hierological", "equity", "inclusive", and "peer" driven foundations. It examines limits and utility in applying these foundations in the classroom. The relationship between these modes and how it may…

Background: Many studies have pointed to the importance of trust and inclusiveness in teachers' collaborative groups. Here, we investigate how teachers negotiate dividing lines between "us" and "them" in moment-to-moment interaction. We also examine relationships between these negotiations, local arrangements, and teachers'…

This study is based on the hypothesis that group cohesion and efficacy have significant effects on the academic performance of individuals in online (virtual) education environments no less than in-person education environments. To that end, this study explores the effectiveness of group activities in a virtual classroom environment using VC…

This poetic inquiry integrated a Black Educational Studies perspective on the relationship between digital community platform design conditions and forms of collegiality, mutuality, and solidarity that advance a humanizing praxis for educators. The authors contextualized this pursuit in the urgency of the current moment when coordinated fascist…

Despite the large number of working-class students having to work while attending schools, their work experience and the potential of class solidarity have been largely unaddressed. By bringing in a social psychological perspective, this article revives the sociological debates of working-class solidarity and challenges the defeatist view of…

Across decades, science educators have invested in curricula that presume scientific unity. The phrases "habits of mind, scientific method, processes of science, inquiry skills, nature of science, practices of science" reflect this obsession. However, historians look with skepticism at universal notions of science and endorse…

The acknowledgement and attention to the global pandemics has caused shifts in every field beyond imagination. As educators witnessing the impacts of the shifts, heightened exposure of equity in education continues to be highlighted and the urgency for engagements established in solidarity. In this article, I emphasize how institutionalized…

Although students rely on social solidarity in their everyday lives, they generally fail to acknowledge its existence. An active learning class exercise, conducted within approximately 35 minutes, introduces sociology students to Emile Durkheim's concept of solidarity and the distinction between its mechanical and organic forms. Some groups of…

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the driving factors for staff cohesiveness in the workplace and how they are related to workplace learning and development opportunities. Two research questions guided the inquiry: (1) What are the driving factors for staff cohesiveness in the workplace? and (2) How does staff cohesiveness…

In a case study involving three asynchronous online professional writing courses, this research investigates students' abilities to establish a social presence and build team cohesion via collaborative, team-based writing projects. Using the Community of Inquiry (COI) framework, this study is situated in the understanding that teaching and…