Retail farmers' markets are seen as key institutions in a more "civic agriculture," but little is known about how they promote small business entrepreneurship. Drawing on research in economic sociology and economic geography, this paper examines the role of social learning in vendor innovation. Data from a 1999 mail survey of farmers' market…

This paper presents an analysis of two common seminar formats: those based on learning- strategies interventions and those based on academic socialization interventions. The results of a natural experiment allowed a comparison of the retention impact of a strategy-based seminar and a socialization-focused seminar. For both more and less…

Students motivated to protect self-worth perform poorly in situations that threaten to reveal low ability while performing well in situations that involve little threat to self-worth. One factor contributing to their poor performance is thought to be their orientation towards social comparison goals (goals that have to do with vindicating their…

For Dr. Sabrina Thomas, dolls are not just child's play. In fact, they are the subject of her research, which recently landed her a $40,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Thomas, an assistant professor of family and consumer sciences at North Carolina Central University, was awarded the grant to write a book on the history…

Building on the tradition of agricultural extension, this article discusses several changes in thinking regarding the relations between communication and innovation. Starting from the idea that network building, social learning and conflict management are key processes to be supported by communication professionals, the article makes critical…

The pathway through graduate school is challenging and difficult. Nearly everyone, at one point or another, confronts the existential question of whether they want to drop out or to continue. Several challenges emerge as key to graduate students' success in progressing through their programs. The first is moving from the secure but sometimes…

Professional socialisation refers to the acquisition of values, attitudes, skills and knowledge pertaining to a professional subculture. This paper reviews the literature about professional socialisation and the dimensions that contribute to the process and definition of professional socialisation. This literature analysis is undertaken of cognate…

For those aiming to enter the professoriate, graduate school is the initiation into the culture of academia. The doctoral program experience can be described as a socialization process that emphasizes the acquisition of knowledge about one's academic field or discipline, exposure to various research methodologies, and induction in academic…

To clarify the nature of the social cognitive skills involved in preschoolers' reenactment of actions on objects, we studied 31- and 41-month-old children's reenactment of intended acts (''failed attempts'') in Meltzoff's [Meltzoff, A. N. (1995)]. Understanding the intentions of others: Reenactment of intended acts by 18-month-old children.…

In this essay, we address the perspective of progressive educators who maintain that academic curricula should be approached through the use of a critical pedagogy. We begin with a review of theories and methods in critical pedagogy and present a set of social and institutional issues that mediate against its use in social work education. We argue…

Major discontinuities exist between the way learning is conceptualized in most school settings and the way learning and meaning-making happens outside of school. The author challenges educators to engage in a serious conversation about methods for mending the mismatch. The challenge for educators is not simply to imagine a different way of looking…

The purpose of this study was to describe the organizational socialization process of a university football team that had a new coach. This qualitative examination, rooted in the socialization work of Van Maanen and Schein (1979), lends insight into the personal and organizational characteristics that universities must consider when hiring new…

Sand tray group counseling with adolescents is an activity-based intervention designed to help participants address specific intrapersonal concerns, learn important skills of socialization, and develop a caring community. The main focus of the group is building small worlds with miniature figures in individual trays of sand and having an…

In this article, the author shares the lesson she learned from her young friend, Mirabel, whose mother was dying. By following the daily path of support taken by Mirabel, she learned that it does not matter whether schools have a hundred kids, a thousand kids, or several thousand kids. Teachers must make sure that they can make room for each one.…

If home education is not just school in another place, how can we conceptualise it and how does it work? This paper considers the peculiar set of relationships that characterise home-educating families and traces their extension out into the wider community. It further shows how, through the ongoing family conversation, experiences gained from…