Social entrepreneurship is a planned behaviour and rapidly gaining its importance in society. This complex process can be understood by studying intention which is the single best predictor of subsequent behaviour. It helps in understanding the reasons behind the actions undertaken and the manner in which potential entrepreneurs decide and act to…

The construct of identity is increasingly recognized as a dominant and determining aspect in learning mathematics. While researchers--collectively--theorize identity as situated and negotiated, they also draw attention to the unwieldy nature of the concept that makes it difficult to define and operationalize. The purpose of this paper is to…

This paper outlines an approach to teachers' professional development (PD) that originates in Vygotsky's sociocultural theory (SCT), arguing that what Vygotsky claimed about students' learning in the school setting is applicable to the teachers and that the developmental theories of Vygotsky resting on the notions of social origin of mental…

Introduction. The greatest importance of the continuing professional development is the use of 3-5 languages, with at least 2-3 on the level of native/first language to form varied cooperative networks for the creation of new knowledge. English for Academic Purposes activity as a form of life activity is a basic demand for studying English for…

Describes a model of cognitive and motivational processes in mathematics learning and relates the model to Brazilian street mathematics and abacus operation. Proposes instructional strategies for motivating conceptual understanding in school mathematics learning. (RJC)

Considers how the changed ecological conditions confronting human societies challenge sociology. Concludes that sociology stands in need of a fundamental alteration in its disciplinary paradigm. Suggests a 'New Ecological Paradigm' which may better serve the field of sociology in light of the current recognition of ecological realities. (Author/DB)

Traces the shift of paradigms in the political science profession from the 1960s to 1980, examines the classical paradigm, compares it with modern paradigms, and reviews contemporary efforts to articulate a new paradigm which takes the ecological crisis into account. (Author/DB)

Comparative education scholarship on legitimation and educational knowledge has shifted from natural scientific definitions of knowledge to more socially critical conceptions, and encompasses both the specific processes whereby educational knowledge becomes legitimate and the dialectical relationship between legitimation of knowledge in…

Reviews various traditions and perspectives in modern social science research and indicates why these traditions are so 'unecological'. Suggests that a new worldview is necessary in social science research and in the larger society. Details of this worldview (paradigm) are presented and relevant literature is reviewed. (DB)

Background/Context: In the field of educational research, conventional wisdom holds that primary-level schooling, specifically literacy acquisition, promotes economic mobility for individuals and economic development for the nation. This belief is rooted in human capital theory, the causal argument claiming that state investment in schooling or…

Understanding situated learning requires bridging sociocultural and cognitive theories. The reconciliation of cognitive and sociocultural theories provides a basis for accounting for ways situations influence the coconstruction of knowledge. The proposed framework accounts for the complementarily of the two perspectives and shows how arrangements…

Reviews the status of graduate education for women in the United States and Canada, historical perspectives on women's work in the workplace and home, and barriers to graduate education for women. Uses psychological and liberatory models of feminist pedagogy to elucidate a feminist direction for graduate education. (Contains 49 references.) (SK)

In the first part of the paper, the author discusses his observation that teachers perceive any form of theorizing in schools to be intellectually dependent on educational researchers. Teachers assume that their access to educational theories depends on a group external to themselves and that theory has little practical value in the classroom. In…

A search of scholarly business journals identified 54 articles in business-related disciplines since 1980 using Geerte Hofstede's model of national culture as a research technique. Of those, 22 analyses were at the level of country, 12 at the organizational level, 20 at the individual level. The model's successful use to conduct both empirical and…

Presents a conceptual framework for understanding individual and group differences. Identifies biological, societal, and intrapsychic origins of difference. Discusses valuation of differences as a source of social status and power, and the psychological uses of differences by individuals. Suggests applications of the model in social work practice…