The act of laughing, which is thought to be related with the body rather than the mind and identified with rudeness, has been attributed to outcast segments of society, such as women, children, slaves, or the common-people, while humor requiring supremacy of the mind is believed to be associated with the ruling elite class of society, and mostly…

Engaging in critical dialogues in language classrooms that draw on critical pedagogical perspectives can be challenging for learners because of gaps in communicative resources in their L1 and L2. Since critically oriented classrooms involve discussing social issues, students are expected to deploy "literate talk" to engage in critiquing…

In 2019, AdvanceHE reported that there were just 25 UK Black female full professors in British universities. Black women are less likely to occupy a role at this level than their male and White counterparts. Despite this, Black women remain relatively absent in institutional initiatives to advance gender equality, and there is little commitment…

The legacy of totalitarianism thwarts discourse and practice of academic freedom in post-Soviet universities. For legacy-holders, "academic freedom" causes disorientation, irresponsibility, demoralization and inequity. They see more threats than benefits from empowering decision-makers who are non-compliant with local bureaucracy. For…

In this article I reflect on my experiences as a previously incarcerated individual being involved in theatre performance for the first time. I reflect on how my involvement in arts and education programmes in prison made me aware of the larger structures of Whiteness that were embedded in the educational and arts contexts that I found myself in…

Time allocation is a complex problem for school principals in many countries. This study examines the restrictive structure of principals' time allocation for each task domain, as well as the explanatory structure of school administration context for their time allocation. Structural equation models were developed based on data gathered in…

Recent research has focused either on the internationalisation of China's higher education (HE) as soft power, or on soft power with 'Chinese characteristics'. There is a paucity of research combining these two foci. This paper fills this gap by: (i) unravelling the meanings and features of the 'Chinese characteristics' embodied in the policies of…

Scholars use "position" to refer to the social expectations and range of available things a person can say and do in any given interaction (Harré and van Langenhove 1999; van Langenhove 2011). In the classroom, there are different social expectations for teachers and students. Teachers are often expected to give directions, present…

This article reports on a pilot project exploring the viability of a teaching-through-playing approach in chamber music instruction in higher music education. Literature suggests that teaching traditions such as the one-to-one setting need renewal, and socio-cultural theories of learning propose that collaboration and participation are a way…

The contribution seeks to apply the principles of J. L. Austin's speech-act theories to the study of local business segregation in the Jim Crow South. In particular, it borrows the notions of illocutionary and perlocutionary force when examining the seemingly bland and prosaic statements that are often used to normalise segregation within the…

This study emerged from a state initiative to improve teaching and lift school outcomes in Melbourne, Australia. At the invitation of participating schools, the data presented here were produced for follow-up sessions in a professional development program using the 'Developmental Management Approach'. Fieldnotes of teacher talk intended to give…

Understanding the history of educational reform in Ghana--with a focus on the de-colonialization period through the 21st century--highlights the influence of donor funding. This historical study investigates through a postcolonial lens the power dynamic between international donor organizations and Ghana's leaders and citizens. While donor funding…

The 1963 Peter Brook version of Sir William Golding's "Lord of the Flies" is a classic film that can be an instructive metaphor for International Studies and Political Science students to think about the concept of anarchy. This article explores a variety of International Relations theories by juxtaposing them with six separate themes…

Post-method era has been hailed in second language teaching, although a few practitioners have been able to use the tenets of critical pedagogy. Critical pedagogy aims to raise sociopolitical issues to emancipate both teachers and learners from power-centric ideas. The practical use of critical pedagogy has been the participatory approach that…

School administrators often lack the preparation to recognize and act against educational injustices. This qualitative case study examines how a graduate-level educational leadership course at a private Christian university serving primarily white in-service teachers attempted to prepare administrators to be social justice leaders. Through…