While some researchers argue that theories and abstract knowledge are unreliable bases for teachers' work, a wide range of research stresses the need to overcome the gap between theory and practice, or abstract academic knowledge and experience-based knowledge. Here, Silvia Edling maintains that it is relevant to ask why the relationship is…

After many years of dominant anti-utopianism, there has been a resurgent and fruitful interest in utopian thought across disciplines. In our uncertain times, many theorists call for a rethinking of what counts as a desirable future. We respond to this call from an interdisciplinary perspective on the interconnectedness, and potential common cause,…

Research relevant to Captology in education is in its infancy. Despite its relative newness, a dearth of literature exists on the subject that addresses the design of a persuasive game for educational purposes. Up to this point, the literature does not include any instructional design theories or theoretical frameworks that can be used…

This article presents an 8P theoretical framework for understanding creativity and theories of creativity. The 8Ps are purpose, press, person, problem, process, product, propulsion, and public. The article opens by distinguishing between a theory and a model, on the one hand, and a theoretical framework, on the other. It then considers briefly…

This article advances theories and scholarship focused on Indigenous educational research in the U.S. by engaging with the scholarship of Bryan Brayboy and Sandy Grande. This article provides an overview of the history of Indigenous education research and suggests that engaging with Indigenous-centered theories is essential for scholars…

Children's right to participate in all matters and decisions affecting them has gained recognition in society. Its promotion is recommended from an early age -- namely, in early childhood education settings -- and it is described as benefiting children, adults and the community in general. Given the complex and polysemic meaning of participation,…

If psychometrics has long concerned itself with validity, reliability, and fairness, then what could psychometrics learn from the cybernetic theories of AI? Through engagement with Burstein's (2023) Responsible AI Standards, this paper unpacks some paradigmatic differences between psychometrics and cybernetics, points to how recursivity and…

Educational scholars are currently directing attention toward the role of educational organizations in maintaining or disrupting the forces and consequences of racism. The institutional logics perspective has utility for studying how deep-seated and taken-for-granted ideas influence the structures, policies, and practices of educational systems.…

Before creating and implementing a new program of research, it is necessary to consider a theoretical or conceptual framework to guide this planning process. Considering there are many models and frameworks available in terms of directing the development of research programs (e.g., the program development model, the logic model), researchers want…

Student motivation is frequently an issue in general music classrooms, and many long-standing theories designed to increase motivation have the opposite effect. This article introduces Self-Determination Theory, first developed by Edward Deci and Richard Ryan, as a theory of human motivation. A key element of Self-Determination Theory is the…

In this article, we provide an overview of diffraction theory, followed by an explanation of diffraction as an analytical methodology. We highlight how tools like the agential cut can be used to redraw the boundaries of ethnographic research so that data can be a continuous becoming with the researcher. We offer vignettes from our work on…

Teaching leadership presents a challenge as students come into the topic with underlying assumptions of what makes for a good or bad leader. The experiential exercise described here brings together the worlds of leadership and art to elicit the students' implicit leadership theories. We have students look at works of art and relate them to their…

Dimensional comparison theory (DCT; Möller & Marsh 2013:Psychological Review, 120(3), 544-560), first formulated 10 years ago, describes individuals' internal comparison processes applied between different areas of their lives. Dimensional comparisons explain the seemingly counterintuitive phenomenon that students' verbal and mathematical…

Developmental theorists use their research to generate philosophies on children's development. They organize and interpret data based on a scheme to develop their theory. A theory refers to a systematic statement of principles related to observed phenomena and their relationship to each other. A theory of child development looks at the children's…

Despite an elusive definition of engineering leadership, educators and researchers forge ahead to identify disparate and complementary theories which frame engineering leadership.