The present paper discusses the potential of the capability approach in conceptualizing and understanding lifelong learning as an agency process, and explores its capacity to guide empirical studies on lifelong learning. It uses data for 20 countries from the Adult Education Survey (2007; 2011) and focuses on aspirations for lifelong learning. The…

The problem of motivation is one of the most important in determining the driving mechanisms that force a person to learn, work, master something new. Motivation to work is one of the key elements of challenging yourself on the way to self-development. Motivation has deep psychological and moral roots and is a complex multifaceted phenomenon that…

The premise of Computing Education for Sustainability (CEfS) is examined. CEfS is described as a leverage discipline, where the handprint is much larger than the footprint. The potential of this leverage is described and the development of the field explored. Unfortunately CEfS is found not to be making sufficient impact in terms of a contribution…

Growing up and social self-determination of Russian youth (teenagers from 16 to 20 years old) takes place in a difficult time of the cultural and social changes. Modern Russian society is very heterogeneous: the level of social stratification is very high, there are significant territorial and ethno-cultural differences, and there are dynamic…

This article considers how time is imagined, lived, and desired in young women's lives as they undertake their senior year. Building on an extensive body of scholarly work on this topic, I argue economic and competitive imperatives have intensified for many young people in recent times, manifesting in an educational apparatus that increasingly…

An emerging body of research in the sociology of sports has captured how black males' academic identities become subsumed under an athletic identity. This body of research, unfortunately, focuses heavily on black male students at the college or university level and offers little empirical insights that probe academic and athletic related issues…

The aim of this paper is three-fold. First, we review and briefly synthesise the main points of the recent debate around the concept of 'attitudes to mathematics'. We then present the measurement methodology we employed to capture 'attitudes to mathematics' in the context of a large scale U project with secondary school students, and how these…

This article represents a lecture given by Professor Steve Smith at the Association of University Administrators Annual Lecture on 20 October 2009. There has been considerable change in the sector since the lecture was delivered, however, the Editor and author felt that the issues still pose significant challenges to higher education (HE), and…

The primary aim of this research was to consider the benefit of providing professional development in intercultural competence for general staff at Deakin University. While the question arose from a disparity identified in the University policies, the importance of this consideration was highlighted in an impending audit to be conducted by AUQA,…

The author posits that those going into the education field in contemporary times are no longer overly concerned with traditional discouragements such as low salaries; rather, what appears to be desired today by teachers--both novice and veteran--is the "freedom" to make reasonable curricular and instructional choices, and the…

A total of 148 Finnish adolescents were interviewed about their hopes for the future. The content, extension, internality, and actualization levels of each hope were estimated from the adolescents' answers. Scores measuring the level of future planning and internality were calculated from questionnaires filled out by 138 of the mothers. Results…

This research report presents the results of a study to determine the influence of significant others upon adolescent levels of aspiration. High school sophomores in a central Wisconsin community responded to an instrument testing ego, ego's perception of significant others' expectations, and occupational aspiration. The two hypotheses under study…

A study of women newspaper managers was conducted to learn how clear women are about the professional progress they hope to achieve and to find out what kinds of personal factors might be limiting their efforts. The 59 subjects, participants at management training sessions, were screened for qualifications, future aspirations, and past…

This paper summarizes results of a survey examining educational attitudes, lifestyle, and aspirations of Hispanic students in south Texas. Many students live in impoverished, rural, unincorporated subdivisions called "colonias" that are growing around Laredo, Texas, and other border cities. An introduction to the Texas/Mexico border…

The effects of family background factors on the mobility aspirations of 70 black and white Chicago, Illinois male adolescents were investigated. Data on family socioeconomic status, family structure, parent aspirations for the son and parent-child relationships were obtained by interviewing the father, mother, and son in each family. Results…