In this article we analyze a recent development in educational reform in Kazakhstan, which presents interest to researchers of policy transfer/borrowing. We argue not only that international policy transfer has become the main approach to educational reform, but also that the approach has been institutionalized by the establishment of a…

This case study offers a qualitative perspective on a relationship between institutional structures and student outcomes. The data describe the conditions in 10 English remediation classrooms at one urban community college district. The study uses new literacies as a theoretical framework with which to understand how these conditions supported…

Spurred on by rapid advances of technology, massive open online courses (MOOCs) have proliferated over the past decade. They pride themselves on making (higher) education available to more people at reduced (or no) cost compared to traditional university schemes and on being inclusive in terms of admitting vast numbers of students from all over…

Background: The development of context-based science curricula has been identified as one of the most effective curricular innovations to develop interest and better conceptual understanding of many areas in science. However, such a curriculum can be more fruitful if it starts with the assessment of learners' contextualized knowledge about the…

A growing body of scholarly work indicates that student performance on physics problems stems from many factors, including relevant conceptual understanding. However, in contexts in which significant conceptual difficulties have been documented via research, it can be difficult to pinpoint and isolate such factors because students' written and…

Literature on the support of the First Year Experience (FYE) in institutions of Higher Education provides a range of modelled approaches. However, we argue that institutions still need to selectively plan which approach/es and attendant strategies are best suited to their particular contexts and institutional policy and practice frameworks and how…

Students with AD/HD experience difficulty concentrating in the classroom due to unwanted behaviours. This article focuses on what six Australian adolescent boys have to say about teacher and teaching factors that enabled them to regain focus (if distracted) and concentrate on classroom learning. A multiple, instrumental case-study was used to…

The immersion of societies in the digital and networked age has led to an increase of opportunities for young people to learn across countless face-to-face and online contexts. However, youth disaffection towards school remains high and access to opportunities across and within countries is remarkably unequal. This article builds on the results of…

Third-age learning is a subset of lifelong learning enjoyed by individuals in the stage of retirement, and often 60 years or older. Community art education (CAE) for learners in the third age commonly occurs in recreational settings, nursing homes, museums, libraries and places of worship. In addition to these informal learning sites, there are…

The aim of this study was to determine the anxiety level that visually impaired students may have for the future when planning their profession. Anxiety is defined as excessive level fear and worry about real or imaginary situations. So the excessive worry can affect the ability to act to solve a problem. This study was a case study based on the…

The present paper presents three deliberately chosen mathematical episodes observed in a class of engineering students taking a basic calculus course. By drawing on analyses of instrumental and relational learning strategies, the episodes are shown to illustrate instrumental approaches indicated by the students. The paper discusses positive…

This multiyear study helps elucidate how the instructional practice of student-generated questions support learning in a blended classroom in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics subjects. Students designed multiple-choice pre-exam questions aimed at higher levels of learning, according to Bloom's taxonomy. Student-generated questions…

What is the practical pedagogic value of the zone of proximal development? How might we draw from the writings of Vygotsky and Leont'ev with regard to understanding the process of children and young people's development as socialised intellectual beings? This article applies cultural-historical theory to classroom activity in order to reveal the…

Given the key drivers around citizenship education, children's rights, voice, and participation, it is essential that all children are supported to engage in the society in which they live. This article explores how McCall's Community of Philosophical Inquiry might offer that support to children who are potentially marginalised due to their…

The rapid increase in the diversity of school populations in some urban settings in New Zealand creates a challenge for school leaders in relation to fostering ethnic inclusion as an important aspect of leading a school with a diverse student population. The purpose of this small study was to investigate the nature and challenges of diversity in…