Refutes claims of Arnot and Whitty (v3, n1, 1982) that recent Marxist analyses of schooling are theoretically open and use empirical evidence to test social theory. Hargreaves argues that because contemporary Marxist sociology of education is based on a commitment to social change, it is theoretically closed and lacks empirical rigor. (AM)

Proposes that the gaps and contradictions in and between educational theory and practice, as seen in educational institutions, are a product of the social and historical location of middle schools, and that alternative conditions are therefore possible. Indicates, with reference to expressions of attitudes to middle schools made by those involved…

Addresses the importance of emotions in relation to teachers' work in classrooms, to colleagues, and to communities, with implications for understanding the changing nature and organization of teaching in Japan. The paper analyzes five emotional geographies of teaching (moral, cultural, political, professional, and physical) in terms of Japanese…

Examines the common assumption that teaching effectiveness is determined by the personal qualities of the teacher and his or her learned knowledge. Argues that teaching effectiveness results from social processes in which teachers interpret and adjust to the requirements of the job. Includes six suggestions for improving education based on this…

When making collective educational decisions, junior high school teachers drew only on personal classroom experiences. This exclusion of nonclassroom experience, e.g., parenting, revealed not so much an unawareness of other perspectives but a shared cultural valuation of classroom experience to the exclusion of virtually all other kinds of…