Since the public intellectuals of the 1960s, there has been a shift towards the celebrity academic, as subjects such as history and science have transferred into popular television entertainment, often with female academics as the presenters. Using a case study of the British media, a post-feminist lens has been applied to examine how 17 celebrity…

Based on a qualitative study of the motivating factors behind the consumption of international schooling by elite Nigerian parents, this article explores what a group of elite parents perceived as the indicators of high-quality education. The findings suggest that these parents did not consider 'good grades' as an indicator of high-quality…

Purpose: Innovation enables growth and helps address social challenges. This research aims to identify evidence that can characterize an innovative university based on its university management. Thus, the authors define the following research problem: How to measure innovation in a Higher Education Institution (HEI) that intends to be innovative…

This research examines teachers' perceptions of gossip in schools. The research employed an explanatory approach of mixed methods. Quantitative data were obtained through the "Organizational Gossip Scale" and qualitative data were obtained through the semi-structured interview form. Quantitative data were collected from 302 teachers…

Loneliness represents a serious health risk. However, studies investigating social inequalities in loneliness are rare. Thus, the current study investigates which socioeconomic groups are the most affected by loneliness. Data from the population-based German Aging Survey were used (N = 3,784), with participants being 40+ years old. Education,…

Based on 20 semi-structured interviews with high school students in elite schools in Israel, this article examines two key research questions: How do students in elite high schools define and experience their identity? Do these identities contribute to the production and maintenance of privilege, and if so, how? To examine these questions, we…

The aim of this paper is to explore the role of open-door events as key institutional devices to position schools in local education markets. The paper draws on data from a qualitative study based on observations in 25 open-door events in secondary schools in the city of Barcelona. The findings show, on the one hand, how promotional actions are…

For two centuries, academics and their universities have competed for prominence and vied to demonstrate that their institutions are at the center of the scholarly world. Scientific advances in particular fields, reciprocal academic visits and conferences, impressive physical architecture, and publishing in shared venues and a "lingua…

University rankings envision a level playing field between competing universities, particularly in higher education (HE) systems regulated along market lines. Drawing on social stratification theory, we argue that rankings exacerbate, rather than alleviate, resource inequalities between universities with historically consolidated reputations…

This sociological study examines the declining status of teachers through theoretical frameworks and empirical analysis of seventeen graduate-level educators. Employing a multidimensional approach, it assesses the comparative professional standing, career motivations, systemic challenges, and policy impacts. Findings identify interconnected…

Previous research suggests that girls have higher occupational aspirations than boys before entering the labor market. We investigate whether this gender gap in occupational aspirations generalizes to secondary school students in Germany and illuminate the possible mechanisms behind these purported gender differences. For this purpose, we used a…

The growing influence of global rankings drives higher education institutions (HEIs) across the globe to conform to the indicators and implement changes to obtain world-class status. We examine why HEIs in similar institutional environments are structured and processed differently on the ranking issue with different outcomes. By employing a…

In the process of higher education choice, the prospective students compare and organise universities into a preference order, which indicates status hierarchies among institutions. In this study, the aim is to investigate how (and based on what) recent business graduates construct institutional hierarchies in the national higher education…

This article explores and discusses one of the main findings of the author's recent dissertation, namely that parents' and pupils' choice of language of instruction in formal schooling depends on its social prestige. The author first reviews the latest research on language in education in sub-Saharan Africa, and asks why indigenous languages are…

Purpose: In recent years, though a growing body of research has emerged on world-class universities (WCUs), studies in this field remain limited. The purpose of this study is to identify and describe the research gap and provide a future direction for WCU research. This paper highlights the key theoretical approaches, methods, journals, unit…