This paper contributes to critical understandings of the significance of employability in current debates about the transformation of Higher Education (HE). We express our concerns about the implications of orientating HE to utilitarian demands in the light of a tendency to align discussions about the significance of studying at university with…

James J. Cochran is Professor of Applied Statistics, Rogers-Spivey Faculty Fellow, and Associate Dean for Research in the Culverhouse College of Commerce at the University of Alabama. He is a Fellow of the American Statistical Association and of Institute for Operations Research and Management Sciences. He is also a recipient of the INFORMS Prize…

Icy Lee is Professor in the Faculty of Education at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, where she is currently serving as Chairperson of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. Her main research interests are in the areas of second language writing and second language teacher education. Icy is best known for her research on feedback in L2…

Invited commentary on Armstrong and Vogel's (2009) article on interpreting the interest-efficacy association stimulated an appraisal from a broader perspective. Like empirical research, scale development, and theorizing emanating from social cognitive career theory (SCCT), their conclusion about the importance of assessing both interests and…

The transition from school to work is a central developmental task with long-term implications for the financial and social status of individuals. We argue that dynamic adjustments of aspirations play a decisive role for a successful outcome of the school to work transition, particularly in the context of the German vocational training system.…

The purpose of this essay is to examine and respond to Tom Glass's (2000) assertions about the dearth of women in the superintendency using the lenses of new data (from two large national studies) and analysis--an analysis that primarily focuses on women superintendents' and central office administrators' formal, experiential, and personal…

The aspirations of the Leitch Report, although challenging, are very worthy and citizens welcome the positive response of the Government toward them. However, if they are to achieve world-class skill levels in the UK, the implementation must be absolutely right and there are several issues which must, therefore, be addressed. Leitch's targets are…

In this article, the author talks about the tenure process of being a professor which can be gloomy for assistant professors as they share a common culture of the joyless quest for promotion and tenure. Life as an assistant professor has its bleak moments; however, the downbeat cosmology is, in the end, dysfunctional and hurts more than it…

The employability of psychology graduates is not only related to the content of the degree, what one might call the "hard" measures, but is also underscored by the intellectual and personal development afforded by studying psychology, the "soft" measures. Employers need to know that psychology graduates have something to…

Grant Wood's "American Gothic," intended to represent the Depression Era, Midwestern farmer, has been regarded by many as the stereotypical representation of a true American farmer for decades. While this painting does represent farmers in the early part of the 20th century, the author feels obliged to say that it is time to drop this…

This paper draws on interviews undertaken with second year student teachers. They describe their motivations for wishing to enter the profession and imagine the type of teacher they wish to become. These student teachers express a desire to make a difference as strong motivation for wanting to enter the profession. This is not uncharacteristic.…

This article draws on three in-depth interviews with teenage migrants, two asylum seekers and one from Portugal. The interviews reveal experiences particular to young new arrivals attempting to find ways of being in a global city where they find themselves living in multicultural localities that are occasionally the sites of conflict as well as…

Most business schools expect faculty members to be good researchers or good teachers, but not both. Groomed to be successful at a research institution, there was little emphasis placed on the author's development as a teacher. In her first full-time job, she found that there were few rewards for effective teaching. Based on her own experiences in…

The circumscription and compromise theory posits the development of self-image in occupations, narrowing with age of acceptable career options, and compromise of vocational aspirations. "Mapping Vocational Challenges" is an activity based on this theory that helps adolescents map and discuss the beliefs that might lead them to rule out possible…

Success in today's economy means throwing out the old career rules. The "noncareer" career is driven by passion for the work and has the fluidity and flexibility needed in the contemporary workplace. (JOW)