Purpose: This paper traces the conceptual bases of the recently introduced microAKIS concept with the aim of understanding its grounding within and critically discussing its added value for the broader AKIS concept. Design/methodology/approach: The article is designed as a discussion paper, it builds upon all openly accessible articles in January…

Sustainable leadership has become a significant focus in educational leadership. Still, concerns persist regarding the clarity of its definitions and their impact addressing critical educational needs. This study employs a systematic review to address these definitional challenges. Seven themes emerge, categorized into three meta-themes:…

There has been a long-standing societal push to diversify the student body of colleges and universities by improving access to higher education. Along those lines, increasing access to a greater range of students and practitioners through the diversification of their membership bases is also an expressed goal of the experiential learning…

For decades, cluster initiatives and funding programmes have been used as instruments of industrial and innovation policy--addressing system failures by strengthening linkages among actors, fostering innovation, and developing more effective innovation systems. More recently, a growing segment of these initiatives are also focused on driving…

In this article, I discuss the potential of developing a kind of worldview education that has the purpose of enabling teachers and students to understand how worldviews are formed. I explore how suggestions of Ann Taves can be helpful towards such an aim and pay special attention to research into self-defined 'non-religious people. It seems their…

This systematic review of literature on race in rural educational scholarship addresses the research question: How are race and racism typically represented (defined, discussed) in rural education literature? Subquestions: What factors have been explored at length in regard to race and racism? and Where are the predominant gaps in the research…

This article reports on a case study from Australia contributing to a global research project that explores concepts and definitions of teacher leadership in 12 countries using a three-phase data collection approach: an initial literature review; a survey developed from themes in the literature and conducted in each of the countries; and…

Building a culture of equity requires ensuring that leaders and school staff have a shared vision for what educational equity means, what it looks like, and how to get there. It also necessitates a willingness to hold people accountable to the vision and the work needed to make it a reality. This takes a clear road map for achieving the consistent…

This article is premised on the observation that in educational research there is an increasing use of terminology and concepts related to the field of complexity and the study of complex physical, biological, and social systems. As we are at an early stage in this cross-fertilization of complex systems ideas and methods in educational research,…

Context is a key concept in developing realist causal explanations but its conceptualisation has received comparatively less attention. We conducted a review to explore how context is conceptualised within realist reviews and evaluations. We purposively selected 40 studies to examine: How is context defined? And how is context operationalised in…

Quality Assessment Frameworks (QAFs) are standardized templates that include pre-defined criteria, open questions, or a combination to assess the quality of evaluations. They support organizations to limit risks associated with poor-quality evaluation. Qualitative research focused on four QAFs shows that five dimensions of quality are assessed…

Marvin Alkin and Jean King published three AJE articles on evaluation use over four years, a coherent and comprehensive series covering the historical development of evaluation use, definitions and factors associated with use and misuse, and theories of evaluation use and influence, concluding with assessment of the first 50 years of use research.…

Factors that drive delivery mode decisions are multifaceted and often necessarily go beyond instructional design needs. Additional influencing factors include logistical, technical, and policy considerations. The COVID-19 pandemic illuminated the many opportunities and challenges that accompany the chosen distance delivery mode, prompting the need…

Although human talent is essential to achieve social and organizational development with a sustainable focus, its definition and features remain unclear considering humanity's current challenges and the transformation towards the knowledge society. The purpose of this conceptual analysis is to propose a new definition of talent using…

In this article, the aim is to question the relevance of well-known public leadership styles to the 21st century. The aim is buoyed by the notion that traditional leadership styles, even more so conventional ways of leading, will no longer ensure success, as 21st-century risks have had a considerable impact on the role and disposition of the…