Drawing on research from a longitudinal case study of a large urban secondary school, this article examines senior leadership of and in a school struggling to be inclusive. The analysis focuses on the effect of senior leadership on: the ways in which inclusion is conceptualized and practised in this school, in particular by teachers; student…

The current review aims to outline the existing understanding of sexual grooming. Issues of poor definition, the adoption of the term "grooming" and the prevalence of sexual grooming will be discussed. Consideration will be given to how prominent theories of child sexual abuse often neglect sexual grooming. This will be followed by a detailed…

The use of music in facilitating second language (as well as first language) learning is supported by evidence that points to the musical nature of even preverbal infants. Music and language have been found to develop similarly, and researchers have noted advantages to using song in learning. The author observed her Korean 21-month-old for …

In this study, the authors examined the effects of rank, tenure, length of service, and institution on faculty members' attitudes toward research and teaching in a sample of 233 professors from six regional state universities in Tennessee. Results revealed that the length of service had a significant effect on faculty perceptions regarding…

School reform efforts can have greater effect on student achievement if there is a much-needed dialogue between proponents of standards-based reform and proponents of learner-centered reform. The standards-based reform movement could learn a great deal from the theory and research generated by the learner-centered approach and use that knowledge…

Small classes in the elementary grades have been shown to boost students' academic performance. However, researchers continue to seek a consistent, integrated explanation of "why" small classes have positive effects. This article forwards the hypothesis that when class sizes are reduced, major changes occur in students' engagement in the…

While teaching basic reading to students at a two-year college, the author had the idea to introduce his students to texts as challenging as the traditional material, but less complex. In doing so, he hoped to tap into the students' high competency in "street literacy"--the ability to decode the visual signs that are omnipresent in popular…

In this article, the author, a skeptical writing teacher, gains newfound appreciation for projects that tap creativity--and creative thinking. She argues that teachers need to rethink the genre and make it as appealing as those projects students see as "more fun." The trick is to teach responsibly, knowing when to allow a student to go off and…

School-age children's ability to distinguish among the concepts of aloneness, loneliness, and solitude was the focus of this study. This ability has been largely neglected by researchers. Also, the relation of this ability with self-reported loneliness was examined. Individual interviews were conducted with 180 second, fourth, and sixth graders…

This study investigated the effects of learning materials with different interaction levels on achievement and motivational perceptions of college students in a web-based learning environment with a posttest only experimental design. There were three groups in this study: control group, reactive interaction group, and proactive interaction group.…

It is often claimed that computers have the potential to engage and motivate children in ways that conventional classroom teaching does not. Children are assumed to have a natural aptitude and enthusiasm for computers; and the Internet is seen to make learning automatically more interesting and exciting. Over the last few years educational…

This paper reviews the literature on home education with reference to issues that may concern educational psychologists. It notes the fast growing number of families (at present, 1% of the UK school population) who have chosen to educate their school-aged children at home. The great majority of home-educated children are reported to be well…

This study examined and supported the efforts of Tina, an experienced elementary teacher, in helping her fourth graders internalize informed views of the inferential, tentative, and creative nature of science (NOS). Tina held informed views of, and was motivated to teach about, NOS. The study aimed to answer the following question: What specific…

As a teacher of 11-to 13-year-olds, the author sees that her role definitely requires a sense of humor. A charismatic personality and the ability to lighten things up go a long way toward an enjoyable relationship with this age group. For Michelle Willard, a certain amount of levity in dealing with typical developmental issues is the key to…

The article summarises the main findings from a study on school teachers who enrolled on a technology-rich graduate training programme. It features the impact of a distance education environment, strongly supported with Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), on the motivation profiles of student teachers and the acquisition of…