This study explores how group processes, such as group cohesiveness and group norms, influence an individual EFL learner's motivation. The uniqueness of this research lies in shifting the focus from an analysis of the individual's experience being seen as apart from the group to considering the individual's experience in relation to the social…

This study investigated facets of the teaching and learning environment which motivate student learning. Interviews were conducted with 36 students from nine representative undergraduate degree programs in Hong Kong. The interviewees were asked to describe teaching approaches and learning activities typical of their program. They were asked about…

In the 1960s, the Royal Government of Bhutan began developing its modern educational system. Over time, a strategic plan was formulated to meet Education for All and Millennium Development Goals. In 2003, the Royal University of Bhutan, the country's first university, opened its doors. This paper uses comparative analysis to describe and explore…

This article examines the view of the powerful popular movements as the hallmark of Swedish democracy, critically analysing ideas about Swedish popular movements as bearers of both democracy and the national project. The focus of the article is, firstly, how these ideas have been addressed by central figures in the discussion about Swedish popular…

A variety of leadership theories are examined to support the idea that school nurses can be positive deviants in the school setting. Transformational leadership, situational leadership, and complexity theory can all be used by school nurses to create positive change in the school environment because all recognize the need for flexible leadership…

This study investigated the sense of community among residents in the Spanish city of Malaga and the relationship between the components of the sense of community and the quality of life. Given that the phenomenon of immigration is a fact of city life, the authors examine how such coexistence could affect the sense of community and the quality of…

This article considers school climate and perceptions of social disorder. When a school is characterized by disorder or physical risk, basic educational goals and processes are jeopardized. We use survey data from 33 public schools serving grades 6-8 in a large mid-Atlantic city to examine relationships among physical disorder (e.g., broken…

This essay is based on the author's presentation at the Wachman Center's July 26-27, 2008 history institute, co-sponsored and hosted by the Cantigny First Division Foundation of the McCormick Tribune Foundation. For multiple reasons, one can say that the frontier wars are the most complex and difficult of all the nation's wars to teach. The…

Background: Although the relationship between collective efficacy and group performance has been frequently investigated, a few studies have investigated the development of collective efficacy. Aim: This paper proposes some determinants of collective efficacy in small university groups. Group level hypotheses and research questions relating…

This manuscript provides a historical and pedagogical framework for American educational and sociopolitical responses after national tragedies (e.g., Pearl Harbor, 9/11). Moreover, this research explores the overt xenophobic and ethnocentric tendencies (exacerbated by media forums) after these events, which triggered resurgence in a sort of…

Organizational dependence on part-time employees is a relatively recent trend across the modern landscape of the American workforce and is especially apparent in higher education. At community colleges across the country, as well as in North Carolina, there is a substantial reliance on part-time faculty employment. This is common practice in order…

Faced with increasingly complex and technologically sophisticated research questions, academics are working with others through collaboration and research teams. To be effective, these research teams need to maximize the factors that contribute to success while minimizing the potentially negative impact of associated challenges. One particular…

This research examines the relationship between employees' career growth and organizational commitment. Career growth was conceptualized by four factors: career goal progress, professional ability development, promotion speed and remuneration growth, while organizational commitment was conceptualized using Meyer and Allen's (1997) three component…

Working at an alternative school requires the ability to balance a plethora of complicated issues. The primary focus is how to give high-risk students, who have spent years developing a suspicion for education and educators, a chance to be successful in life. The second focus, and just as important, is creating a group of educators who have the…

This article explores how participation in a community of learning supported transformation on a personal and professional level in a Master's programme at a South African university. It draws on the concept of transformational learning in the professional preparation of educational psychologists, and how such learning plays out in the development…