This chapter argues that a critical analysis of the interlocking notions of class, race, and gender is needed to enable adult education to respond to growing inequalities.

"Laddish" attitudes and behaviours are central to current discourses on boys' "underachievement," as they are seen by many people to impede the progress of some boys in school. Whilst the vast majority of concern about "laddishness" has, to date, focused upon boys, according to media reports there are now good reasons…

Increasingly, technology skills are becoming central to academic and economic success. More and more technological tools are becoming a vehicle for teaching and learning and a vehicle for buying and selling goods. However, research continues to show that women lag behind men in PC-ownership regardless of social economic status (SES) or education…

Considers how qualitative research has enhanced knowledge of four topics in the sociology of education: (1) educational inequality, (2) socialization, (3) identity formation, and (4) school organization and educational policy. Argues that qualitative studies have introduced new voices, perspectives, and themes into traditional understanding. (CAJ)

Children are increasingly recognised by geographers and other social scientists as independent actors who make valuable (albeit often overlooked) economic contributions to households and society. Hausa children in rural Northern Nigeria are highly mobile and play important economic roles supporting married women who spend much time in their walled…

This study seeks to identify the key factors influencing the participation of adult learners in literacy campaigns in South Africa. Preliminary research has indicated that adult educators often do not know and understand what inspires adult learners to participate in literacy education. The present study underscores that illiterates tend to be…

The demand for child care in the United States continues to grow, but child care workers' wages remain minimal. Using examples within New Jersey, the author demonstrates how low wages impact child care quality and are directly related to the effects of the competitive marketplace. Various historical, regulatory, and cultural contexts also…

Several decades ago, as the composition of the workforce changed and married women increased their labor-force participation rates, federal policies were designed to help employees balance work and family responsibilities. And as the gender composition of faculty in colleges and universities increasingly changed as well, a broad-based movement…

This study examines candidate principals' perceptions and comments about female and male principals. Although the women are traditionally the majority among teachers, it is seen that they are in minority in management. According to the candidate principals who work in Turkish secondary schools, the gender factor is not important and there is no…

This is a study of how heterosexual girls construct the meaning of their health issues within their dating relationships. We found that a number of barriers contributed to girls' difficulty with articulating their needs and desires in their romantic relationships. Adolescent girls who participated in our study blamed themselves for their…

In this paper, we interrogate the call for more male role models within the context of boys' education debates in Australia and North America. We explicate links between failing masculinities and this call for more male teachers, arguing that the debate is driven by a "recuperative masculinity politics" committed to addressing the…

Data from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study carried out in 1999 and canonical correlation analysis were used to investigate the effects of school inputs, environmental inputs and gender influence in the production of a joint educational production function in mathematics and science subjects for eighth grade students in…

Computer mediated conferencing (CMC) has been widely viewed as a valuable forum for providing opportunities for interaction among learners in a distance education setting. Interaction in distance contexts; however, is not well understood, and it has been argued that social markers are cued in online communications and that gender influences…

This paper refocuses attention on and problematizes girls' experiences of school achievement and the construction of schoolgirl femininities. In particular, it centres on the relatively neglected experiences and identity work of high achieving primary school girls. Drawing upon ethnographic data (observations, interviews, and pupil diaries) from a…

This article examines a decision known as Rule 127(b), taken in 1905 by the National Commissioners for Education in Ireland. The rule raised concerns about the displacement of male teachers and their replacement with poorly paid and sometimes untrained females. It appeared to condone the sexual division of labour with women teaching in infant…