The dual labor market theory (DLM) posited the existence of two distinct labor markets working in parallel. A primary one is a place where high wages, employment stability and high opportunities for advancement are the norms. On the other hand, low wages, arbitrariness and less desirable working conditions determine a secondary market. The main…

Independent schools are securely established in the Swedish education system. Prior research shows they generally have fewer pupils in need of support and lower proportions of special educators. Here, results are presented from a total population study of Swedish special educators (n = 4252) examined after 2001. The aim was to explore and compare…

Art & Design receives ratings on a number of scales of the UK's National Student Survey (NSS) that are less strong than those for some other subject areas. Art & Design, along with performing arts, is characterised by a relatively high level of part-time (PT) staffing. PT staffing data are set against NSS ratings for post-92 universities…

Most undergraduate teaching in Australia's universities is now performed by hourly paid staff, and these casual academics form the majority of the academic teaching workforce in our universities. This recent development has significant implications for the careers and working lives of those staff, for other academic staff, and for students,…

Outside an academic setting, telecommuting has become fairly popular in recent years. However, research on telecommuting practices within a higher education environment is fairly sparse, especially within the higher distance education sphere. Drawing on existing literature on telecommuting and the outcome of a valuation study on the success of an…

A survey of Canadian university students did not support the assumption that the presence of part-time faculty had a negative effect on students' learning experience. Students tend to be unaware of or indifferent toward differences between part- and full-time faculty status. (Author/MSE)

To reach rural populations, the University of Namibia hires part-time faculty with varying qualifications on one-year contracts to conduct distance education. A study of these teachers' classroom behavior and attention to course content, based on observations made by their full-time faculty supervisors, suggests that they are substantially lacking…

This book synthesizes both the theoretical and practical perspectives of experienced practitioners of the craft of adult education. The book contains 14 chapters. "The New World of Continuing Education" (Alan Thomas) clarifies common terms in historical context. "We Have with Us Yesterday: Teaching Lessons from the Past" (Michael Welton) presents…