This article explores the use of the circle as a shape metaphor in qualitative and education research and particularly in research designs. Circles dominate the shape metaphors found in the literature and the paper argues that this is because circles have key features that align well with designing and conducting qualitative research. Circles…

As universities are undergoing transformations produced by trends towards marketisation, massification, new public management, and 'third mission' of socio-economic impact, higher education (HE) researchers are increasingly concerned with the implications of the HE sector change on academic practice, professional identities, and even wellbeing.…

In this paper we evaluate action learning for leaders of social enterprises and charities. Based on ethnographic research including participant observation, facilitator reflective diary notes and in-depth, qualitative interviews with participants of two action learning sets undertaken over eight months, analysed using Wenger, Trayner, and de Laat…

This study investigated the motivational and emotional experience of an experienced outdoor activity participant during a three-day guided adventure trek in Colca Canyon, Peru. The research adopted a qualitative autoethnographic approach which provided unique data in the form of diary entries, experiential diagrams, field notes and email content.…

This article explores the interconnections between young adult fiction and young adult readers' constructions of place within two contemporary texts. It employs a qualitative, multiple case study design, and utilizes discussion groups, semi-structured interviews, and the creation of place-journals to interpret some of the ways in which several…

Adopting qualitative approaches, this study highlights the value of integrating cognitive understanding with students' daily experiences through a time diary (TD) project. Using an innovative three-phase design, the TD effectively heightened self-awareness, promoted self-reflection, inspired the desire to change, and facilitated knowledge…

This paper examines the process of academic identity construction experienced by a Chinese PhD student in an Australian university from 2010 to 2014. The researcher draws on his diaries written in Australia and uses some stories of the relationships with his supervisors and other scholars to unfold the process of his academic identity construction…

The article is a reflection on the use of an oral diary as a qualitative research tool, the role that it played during fieldwork and the methodological issues that emerged. It draws on a small-scale empirical study into primary school teachers' use of group discussion, during which oral diaries were used to explore and document teacher reflective…

This study aimed to pre-service teachers' reflective thinking and to reveal development of reflective thinking during the process of teaching and learning. This study was designed in the form of action research due to the nature of the case examined. The participants were 4 pre-service teachers at Bayburt University Faculty of Education Department…

This grounded theory study explored the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) of experienced agriculture teachers in the plant sciences. The central phenomenon that emerged during data collection and analysis was the influence of beliefs on shaping participants' PCK. This finding guided subsequent collection and analysis that resulted in the…

Adopting a qualitative approach, this study explores college students' self-reflections on free time use and personal values. Data were collected from 111 students' final reflection papers for a class entitled "Leisure and Human Behavior." The findings suggest that leisure education may empower students with fundamental knowledge about…

This study was designed to assess the impact of visual journaling in art education as a means for self-reflection and (self) education. Given that art making can be used as a tool for holistic healing, and Stuckey (2010) suggests that by supporting expression through creativity and imagination the formation of identity and reservoirs for healing…

Homeschooling only has become a choice for many families of gifted children during the last two decades, as the number of gifted families has grown steadily along with the general homeschool population (Lubienski, Puckett, & Brewer, 2013). The current study examines a group of homeschooling mothers of gifted children who publish and maintain…

Primary school holds an important place in the acquisition of writing skills. Writing attitudes and habits of teachers are influential in writing education provided by primary school teachers during this period. This study aims to examine the writing habits of primary school teachers. To this end, writing habits of teachers were investigated in…

Independent learning is one of the cornerstones of UK higher education yet it is poorly understood by students and is seen by politicians as a poor substitute for face to face teaching. This paper explores students' understandings, approaches and experiences of independent learning and how they may become more effective independent learners. This…