Gamification is the process of adding game-like features and mechanics in nongame contexts, such as learning, training, or marketing, to make them more engaging, enjoyable, and effective. This scoping review aims to investigate the impact of gamification on student motivation and identify the most frequently used and effective elements of…

Students are often placed in alternative education schools or settings (AES) for behavioral issues that cannot be effectively supported in a general education setting. A large portion of students educated in AES have a diagnosed emotional and behavioral disorder (EBD). An AES teacher is required to provide students with the most effective behavior…

In this critical co-constructed auto-ethnographic article we draw on research from two contexts, exploring how critical peace education can be more than palliative care in times of ecological collapse and profound crises across ecosystems. Examining the current crises of learning, living and being, we call for eco-peace-based education: grounded…

This article presents findings from qualitative research on school exclusion. The study was conducted in a Pupil Referral Unit (PRU), part of alternative education provision, in England. Mixed methods used included ethnographic approaches, drama-based group work, focus group discussions and interviews. Research participants were teenage boys (age…

This research was conducted by the Department for Education (DfE) to explore the models, uses and perceived outcomes of in-school support units within mainstream schools in England. Ten mainstream secondary schools across England, including 12 members of school staff, were interviewed by DfE social researchers to understand the purpose, use and…

The so-called shadow education system of private supplementary tutoring has in some contexts been described as privatization by default rather than by government policy. An allied literature shows that while such tutoring claims to supplement, it may also undermine schooling. This paper, with data from Myanmar, identifies ways in which shadow…

Physical education has the potential to achieve the desired outcomes of alternative provision schooling by re-engaging young people in learning, supporting their social and emotional development and facilitating their reintegration into mainstream schooling. To do so, however, it requires sufficient and appropriate space because, unlike other…

In England, a vertical equity model of inclusive schooling has been increasingly visible in both educational policy and school practices since the 2019 education reforms. Within this mixed model of provision, alongside and in complementarity to mainstream schooling, alternative provision (AP) and special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)…

While most students receiving special education services in school are educated with the same general curriculum (i.e., instructional materials) as their peers without disabilities, students with extensive support needs and significant cognitive disabilities may qualify to receive instruction with alternate curricular materials aligned with…

Flexischooling--the sharing of a child's education between home and school through formal agreement--is one of a range of 'alternative' education approaches that may adapt education to meet a child's special educational needs. This study considers qualitative data from an online survey conducted during November and December 2023 regarding parents'…

Gang-involved children dream of becoming respected members of society through professional careers, educational degrees or credentials, and socioeconomic mobility. This qualitative study used hoped-for selves as the theoretical grounding for exploring the career and college-going aspirations of 28 middle- and high-school gang-involved Latino boys…

High school students attending Flexible Learning Programmes (FLPs) experience more speech, language, and communication needs (SLCN) than those in mainstream, which may impact their academic engagement, socioemotional health, and future employment. We explored the effectiveness of a pilot workshop designed to increase educators' confidence to…

England's mainstream upper secondary curriculum is driven by academic, exam-based GCSEs and A levels, with applied learning qualifications an alternative for 'less-academic' 16-18-year-olds. This paper elides two studies of the impact of the BTEC National Diploma on employment and career trajectories, one from the perspective of 16-22-year-olds,…

With keen insight, Kathleen deLaski reimagines what higher education might offer and whom it should serve in "Who Needs College Anymore?" In the wake of declining US university enrollment and widespread crises of confidence in the value of a college degree, deLaski urges a mindset shift regarding the learning routes and credentials that…

In this study, I explored how two Black high school students experienced a food justice curriculum and school-based gardening activities by examining student reflections, interviews, and classroom observations using a critical race theoretical framework. Findings suggested that in addition to learning key agricultural skills and concepts,…