In all parts of the world, researchers are addressing the colonial legacy of research. This article aims to contribute to the decolonisation of research in a sub-Saharan African context by exploring Ubuntu as an indigenous Southern African research paradigm. Drawing on lessons learnt from participatory action research with South African science…

Studies of teachers in higher education have acknowledged the relationship between teaching and teacher identity. Teacher identity is seen as dynamic, context-specific, and encompassing a teachers' sense of meaning, values and self-esteem. This article considers the relationship between the values dimension of teacher identity and the use of…

The papers in this special issue on the spaces of pedagogy speak to the failures of neoliberal thinking when applied to education. Their pedagogical critique of neoliberalism contributes to a considerable body of work focused on challenging the driving discourses of education (or more accurately, school) systems. The source of the tensions between…

Effective school leadership has been ranked the greatest indicator in the hiring and retaining of highly qualified teachers. Considering that the classroom teacher has the highest impact on student academic success, issues such as teacher absenteeism and teacher turnover absorb a great deal of time and resources of school principals while…

The purpose of this study was to investigate multiple perspectives and perceptions of good teaching as viewed through the lens of a Parent Teacher Organization's Teacher of the Year Award program. To better understand the complexity of good teaching, I conducted a single case study involving five distinct groups of people: students, parents,…

Discourse analysis was utilized to bring attention to interactional moves made by students with learning disabilities (LD) and/or emotional/behavioral disorders (EBD), and their teacher, that impacted students' positioning and motivation for classroom participation. This study built on prior research on positioning (Davies & Harré, 1990)…

The affective qualities of teacher-child relationships were examined by observing 20 pre-service teachers' (PST) interactions with kindergarten and first-grade students identified as either "naturally" or "ethically" cared for. Videotaped mathematics and science lessons were coded by the PST and an independent rater. Written…

Policy and practice communities increasingly are emphasizing conceptual, cognitively demanding, and "ambitious" instruction. Within this context, we examine whether such practices serve the needs of students with specialized academic needs. Across upper-elementary classrooms in four districts, we find that exposure to…

This article explores the meeting of two approaches towards philosophy and education: the philosophy for children (P4C) approach advocated by Lipman and others, and Schmid's (2000a) philosophical concept of" Lebenskunst" (the art of living). Schmid explores the concept of the beautiful or good life by asking what is necessary for each…

The notion of moral attention allows the recognition of fundamental aspects of ethical life ignored or neglected by mainstream ethical theories. It is central to the theories of several notable female ethicists and many of them identify the French philosopher Simone Weil as the source of the contemporary use of this concept which invites…

Adolescents who attend high school as preparatory boarding students are growing up and learning to care for themselves in a very different set of circumstances than those who live at home with their families. Although this choice may present myriad opportunities for personal growth and academic advantages, nurturance and support from caring adults…

In this chapter, the authors decenter soulless curricular and administrative practices in collegiate settings and re-conceptualize justice work through faith as a labor of love.

This article explains how communities of pastoral care work. It presents an empirically forged theory in action. We examined theoretical and empirical work across the targeted area of personalization for students. We also completed what Hallinger (2012) refers to as "exhaustive review" of the field of school improvement writ large. We…

A "spatial turn" is observed as taking place across a range of disciplines. This article discusses the relevance of this "spatial turn" to the issue of early school leaving prevention and engagement of marginalised students and their parents within the educational system and other support services. Building on…

This case study explores an urban elementary school principal's efforts to advance reflective and anti-oppressive practices to counter teachers' beliefs and behaviors toward their Black male students. Data collected and analyzed include five in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, observations of the school, classroom and professional…