Early childhood education and care (ECEC) is a basic right for all children and a foundation for lifelong learning. It plays a critical role in reducing inequalities and enhancing women's participation in the workforce. This third edition of Key data on early childhood education and care in Europe aims to help build accessible, inclusive and…

This book presents a systematic literature review focusing on studies examining teachers' participation in professional development (PD) within Germany, Austria, and Switzerland since 1990. It has identified 81 relevant studies and summarizes the results while answering the following research questions: What are teachers' self-reported reasons…

A grassroots understanding of well-being can be an effective approach to meeting the needs of children in low-resource settings. Due to this, evidence on how to sustain such approaches is needed. "Successful Pathways for the Well-Being of Black Students" addresses a long-standing need for a book that focuses more on strength over…

This edited volume brings together 10 cutting-edge empirical studies on the realities of English language learning, teaching and testing in a wide range of global contexts where English is an additional language. It covers three themes: learners' development of interactional competence, the organization of teaching and testing practices, and…

This edited volume brings together researchers from various disciplines (i.e. education, psychology, sociology, economy, information technology, engineering) discussing elementary changes at workplaces occurring through digitalization, and reflecting on educational challenges for individuals, organizations, and society. The latest developments in…

Diversity in the workforce can be attributed to both a popular, cultural shift and legislative intervention. Despite these forces, discrimination endures in all aspects of Western society from education to employment. Unequal pay and opportunities for promotion are symptoms of a systematic discrimination of individuals based on race and gender.…

This paper is a reflection on my journey in a work-based (WB) research project while completing my PhD at a large Australian university. The paper explores issues that arose as I studied strategic change in the university and my role evolved from that of a "change agent" working as part of a project team to that of a researcher. A case…

The environment for scientific research in public organisations is undergoing radical change, particularly with commercialisation pressures and blurring of the distinction between public and private research. The commercialisation pressures are reflected in government policy frameworks and institutional contexts for scientific work which are…

This paper discusses research examining the attitudes and behaviours of researching women in academia and considers the effect of these factors on successful researching outcomes. The results of this exploratory research highlight in particular, a number of interesting environmental influencers which contribute to enhancing successful work…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to show that the quality of learning in German apprenticeships can be increased without raising costs under certain conditions. It starts with a contextual description of apprenticeship in the dual system, showing that this insight is of central importance, since employers in Germany are increasingly…

Data from the Canadian Labour Force Survey (1997) reveal that relatively few mid-life women offer ill health as a reason for leaving their job or downshifting to part-time employment, implying that the role of ill health may be inconsequential in effecting changing patterns in mid-life women's labour force activity. In contrast, interviews with 30…

This study explores stages of professional development among Israeli school counsellors by investigating their attitudes toward evolving professional identity and professional patterns across the career span. We interviewed 15 school counsellors from different age groups, seniority levels, and school types (elementary, middle, high). A consensual…

This study examines culture-free and culture-bound hypotheses used to explain organizational structures. A survey of Hong Kong Chinese managerial employees in 20 multinational banks examined work satisfaction with relation to organizational structure, controlling for job structure and individual attributes. Findings generally supported the…

This article provides a theoretical discussion of the concept 'object' within Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT). It also introduces some of the methodological considerations that are raised in the study of the formation and transformation of objects of activity. A research project is described in which a theoretical discussion concerning…

This study examined the problems of postgraduate research assistants in the Netherlands. The study was conducted as a result of Government plans to introduce a new educational system for obtraining a doctorate equivalent to a Ph.D.--the "assistants-in-training system" (aio system). On the basis of a literature study on the American and…