This research sought to explore the main factors affecting young people's image-sharing behaviors, particularly in the context of peer relationships and norms. Ten focus groups were held with young people aged 13 to 14 years (Grade 9) with a total of 68 participants (39 females and 29 males) across 15 Australian schools contributing to the…

In this paper, I draw on a qualitative study of Iraqi-born Muslim mothers in Australia exploring how they navigate choosing secondary schools for their daughters. While the mothers interviewed for this study agreed on the importance of education and its role in facilitating upward social mobility for all their children, they articulated a specific…

Young children often look to their teachers for affection and acceptance, particularly if they are sick or upset. However, many male primary teachers do not feel comfortable with this aspect of their role. Consequently, many men choose not to make physical contact with their students in order to protect themselves from accusations of inappropriate…

Arguments about what should be valued in the selection of teacher candidates prioritise everything from access and diversity to high academic achievement. In Australia these debates have reached a climax in media, policy, and academic contexts. Treating 'selectivity' as an 'object of knowledge' enables us to explore its associated practices and…

Over the last decade, many universities attempted to improve their public image by changing their corporate visual identity (CVI) and/or name. Despite the prevalence of such practices, little research has been conducted into their effectiveness. The research reported here focused upon one facet of the higher education branding debate, that of the…

Twenty-eight early adolescent boys and girls suspended from school for bullying provided accounts of the importance of reputation in their daily lives, specifically how they initiated, promoted, and then maintained their reputation through bullying. Overall, bullying was a deliberate choice perpetrated to attain a nonconforming reputation and was…

Attaining higher levels of education brings with it many benefits for an individual, such as more employment choices, higher income and greater job security. A more educated society contributes to economic growth and general well-being. Using the 1995 cohort of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth, this study looks at how the growth in…

This research investigated differences in delinquent activities and the reputational orientations of at-risk and not-at-risk male and female adolescents. Initially, we sought to establish that adolescent males and females differed in these respects. This was found to be the case: males (n = 722) scored significantly higher than females (n = 738)…