Adolescence is a complex developmental stage with challenges that affect transitioning to adulthood. The success in managing the transition depends on personal capabilities, circumstances, and support systems. Contextual situations in adolescent development are understudied in developing countries. In this qualitative study, we explored what South…

Teachers' exposure to aggression and violence at work has long been associated with numerous negative outcomes. Based on recent models rooted in positive psychology we wished to explore the possibility of positive outcomes alongside the negative ones, as a result of exposure to violence among school teachers. A sample of 20 school teachers working…

This article reports on the self-perceived impacts of service-learning experiences from the perspective of alumni who graduated from a technical university in Taiwan. Drawing on the alumni responses in a focus group interview, the study investigated how the respondents perceived the impacts of participation in a service-learning project. Findings…

The notion of a dual teacher-leader identity in education is elusive. This article builds on existing research by reporting a qualitative, interpretive case study. The study explored the perspectives of 16 early childhood teachers with and without leadership positions regarding their own leadership practice and leader identity, and 10 parents…

Personal growth initiative (PGI), i.e., self-change skills, is necessary for employees to adapt to changing environments, but research examining the antecedents of PGI in an organizational context is limited. The present research investigated the antecedents of PGI in the workplace. Using a two-wave questionnaire survey, data were collected from…

Research on transformative learning (Mezirow, 1991), particularly within the context of higher education, has demonstrated the significant impact university learning can have on a wide range of cohorts across diverse learning contexts. However, the extensive body of literature pertaining to transformative learning remains largely silent on the…

Confronted with the rapid technological changes and increased global competition, training of employees now focused on self-directed development (SDD). Despite the recognition of self-directed development, only few empirical studies have investigated the combined relationship of both predictors and outcomes simultaneously. This research attempted…

Personality predicts how we interact with others, what partners we have, and how happy and lasting our romantic relationships are. At the same time, our experiences in these relationships may affect our personality. Who experiences specific major relationship events, and how do these events relate to personality development? We examined this issue…

Lifespan research has long been interested in how contexts shape individual development. Using the separation and later reunification of Germany as a kind of natural experiment we examine whether and how living and dying in the former East or West German context has differentially shaped late-life development of well-being. We apply multi-level…

The aim of this study has been to explore and understand the implementation of PDP as an educational innovation in a single institutional context. Adopting a Sartrean ontology in which the subjective individual takes precedence over the systems within which that same individual exists, an interview process sought to understand the attitudes of…

We know from research that there is an intimate relationship between student learning and the context of learning. What is not known or understood well enough is the relationship of the students' background and previous studies to the understanding and learning of the subject area--here, computer science (CS). To show the contextual influences on…

How can young women in developing countries best be prepared for success in their lives and livelihoods? Life preparation requires learning different types of knowledge and skills in formal, non-formal, and informal learning contexts. Since the advent of the Education for All initiative in 1990, the international community has recognized that in…

Teacher leadership is increasingly being touted as a practical response to guide teacher learning in school improvement and policy reform efforts. However, the field of research on teacher leadership in relation to post-compulsory educational development has been and remains largely atheoretical to date. This empirical study proposes a grounded…

The present study investigates school context effects on psychosocial characteristics (academic self-concept, peer relations, school satisfaction, and school anxiety) of high-achieving and gifted students. Students who did or did not make an early transition from elementary to secondary schools for high-achieving and gifted students in 5th grade…

Is empowering peace education primarily about providing individuals with skills to respond to violence they experience and capabilities to enhance their own lives? Or is inspiring social transformation to alter forms of injustice that contribute to violence an equally valid and important dimension of an empowering peace education program? This…