Growing criticism of existing educational leadership preparation programs seems to focus on a lack of contextual relevancy and instructional leadership. Universities and school districts need to develop more formal, collaborative, long-term relationships focused on the nature of principal preparation, moving beyond acculturation to district norms…

Sufficient changes have occurred in both the agricultural and educational sectors of South Africa to warrant a careful scrutiny of the agricultural education offerings in South Africa. Agricultural extension is identified as an important part of the intended transformation of the agricultural sector. Further, agricultural extension is essentially…

This article present results from a qualitative study that examined mentor practices with four ethnic minority proteges interested in applying to doctoral programs in psychology. Some of the mentor practices identified were expected and consistent with the research literature. Other findings were unanticipated but significant. In particular,…

In many teacher training courses, reflection upon practice plays a very important role in learning to teach. A number of strategies have been developed to help student teachers learn to reflect. Current reflection strategies often focus on problematic instead of on positive experiences. Ideas from positive psychology and solution-based therapy…

Due to the variety of text forms that are being created as a result of improving information technologies, understandings of literacy must be broadened to include a variety of meaning-making modes in order to include different social, cultural, and material contexts. The following case study examined the conceptions of technology held by two…

Background: Active Support (AS) is an approach for promoting increased engagement in activities by people with intellectual disability (ID). Method: We critically reviewed the available research on AS, and added a commentary to help guide future research and practice. Results: Despite weaknesses in the research design of some studies, there is…

The Finnish vocational education and training system underwent remarkable transformations at the turn of the century. One of the biggest changes was introducing compulsory and guided on-the-job learning periods in all study programmes. In this article students' experiences of on-the-job learning and in particular of integrating school-based and…

Researching the intersection of class, race, gender, sexuality and disability raises many issues for educational research. Indeed, Maynard (2002, 33) has recently argued that "difference is one of the most significant, yet unresolved, issues for feminist and social thinking at the beginning of the twentieth century". This paper reviews…

The authors focus on the collaboration between a university methods professor and two classroom teachers in teaching social studies methods as a way of bridging the gap between university preparation for teaching social studies and putting that preparation into practice in elementary classrooms. The teachers offer recommendations from their own…

Epistemological beliefs (beliefs about knowing and knowledge) have provided interesting insights into effective teaching and learning in higher education over the last 30 years. However, to date, little research has taken place in regard to teaching and learning in the technical and further education (TAFE) context in Australia Seventeen 1st and…

This article draws on Bourdieu's field theory and related concepts of habitus and capitals, to explore policy implementation in relation to a particular case of teacher professional development in Queensland, Australia. This implementation process is described as an effect of the interplay between what is called the policy field and the field of…

An ever increasing body of research explores how teaching practice can foster more positive outcomes for students. Yet, despite countless professional development initiatives intended to help teachers develop research-based practices associated with student learning, for the most part research and practice remain disconnected. What gets in the way…

In this paper the authors critically analyse theories and practices of intercultural education and intercultural learning in Austria. Contextual aspects such as demographic developments and corresponding educational opportunities in Austrian schools are described. The impact of shifting orientations toward minority schooling for autochthonous…

This article reports on the professional development of teacher educators within the context of a national project, "Professional Quality of Teacher Educators," where a professional standard and a standards-based procedure of (self-)assessment and professional development have been created and effectively implemented. This project…

This paper is a report of work conducted at an urban elementary professional development school in the eastern US. John Dewey's explication of "educative experiences" is applied to describe curriculum involving small animals as a basis for teaching science inquiry processes, particularly the process of observation. The analysis is qualitative and…