This article explores the experiences of gay and bisexual young men in Ireland. It draws on focus groups and individual interviews with a group of gay and bisexual men aged 16 to 25 in Dublin. The article explores how their identities are "discredited" and "othered" through symbolic and material violence, and their bodies…

This article uses data obtained from a study that examined transition experiences of young people with moderate learning disabilities. A comparison is made between those experiences and the experiences of both other vulnerable young people and non-disabled youth. It was found that non-disabled youth experience extended transitions with events that…

This article examines the experience of "stage fright" in teachers in higher education, drawing on the dramaturgical perspective from sociology. Interviews were conducted with 10 "novice" and "expert" lecturers, alongside focus groups with undergraduate students, to compare their perceptions and expectations. The students defined a good lecturer…

Since 1992, the Chilean Ministry of Education is developing a sustained process to incorporate ICT (Information and Communications Technology) into schools by providing equipment and training to faculty members. Schools appoint one of their teachers as a coordinator who will then receive an intense technological and pedagogical training. The…

In the socio-economic context of Bangladesh, involvement of women in agriculture is very important. It would be easier to control rural-urban migration by engaging women in agricultural activities to a greater extent. Women play a vital role in agricultural production throughout the Bangladesh, making a significant contribution to the basic…

While inter-organizational learning in open innovation teams has received much attention lately, research into its human dimension is lacking. This paper, therefore, explores the competencies professionals need for this process. Three studies were executed: a theoretical study, explorative interviews and focus groups. A competence profile was…

This study analyzed teachers' beliefs and attitudes affecting job satisfaction in one small, rural Florida school district. This mixed methods study included a self-administered survey of Likert-type items measuring 20 factors for job satisfaction and individual semi-structured interviews and focus groups. Several issues related to dissatisfaction…

Pre-service teachers faced an old problem with new possible solutions by working collaboratively to learn new technologies and changed the way they react to new tools. This approach required students to explore technologies independent of instructors--with peers in small groups. Instructors believe the learning activities implemented in this…

The dominance of English in particular domains of language use in South Africa, such as higher education and the economy, has led to the fear that other languages may be threatened by an increasing shift to English in all domains, especially among the young. However, this paper reveals the strong vitality of the mother tongues in the intimate…

An international conference on the theme "Advancing the European Education Agenda" took place in Brussels and Leuven, Belgium from 30 November to 1 December 2007. This conference, part of a conference series organised by the European Education Policy Network, aimed to stimulate debate among policy researchers and policy makers who are…

This article outlines some themes that have emerged from research investigating the European dimension in education at three European Schools. It focuses on pupils' perceptions of the conditions in place at these schools that make a significant contribution to the European dimension. Findings are presented on the school environment and community,…

The purpose of this article is to illustrate how theory and particularly the theoretical perspective of social constructionism can influence the ways in which scholars conduct qualitative research studies in the area of family systems. The authors argue for the importance of theory in qualitative research projects and promote researchers' clear…

This paper describes our ongoing attempts to involve consumers in innovation and technology policy by means of a national Consumer Panel, using focus group discussions as the primary method of consumer participation. We evaluate our experiences of the usefulness of focus group discussions in this context by considering two examples of studies…

The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the implementation process for Parenting Plus, an early intervention program in a rural, western Canadian health district. Parenting Plus, as modeled after Hawaii Healthy Start, provides strength-based paraprofessional home visitations to overburdened parents of newborns. The general inductive…

As the result of a qualitative investigation into spatial ability, a teaching technique called mentored sketching was found to be effective for teaching visualization skills to freshman engineering students. This contribution describes the technique, how it evolved, and comments made by students as to its effectiveness. While mentored sketching…