Incorporating surprise into music instruction can stimulate student attention, curiosity, and interest. Novelty focuses attention in the reticular activating system, increasing the potential for brain memory storage. Elementary ages are ideal for introducing novel instruments, pieces, composers, or styles of music. Young children have fewer…

In higher education settings more and more learning is facilitated through online learning environments. To support and understand students' learning processes better, learning analytics offers a promising approach. The purpose of this study was to investigate students' expectations toward features of learning analytics systems. In a first…

A priority goal of the United States Department of Education in 2015 was raising completion rates of postsecondary education by implementing policies and programs to increase college access, promote seamless transitions from secondary to postsecondary education, and ensure equitable educational opportunities for all students (United States…

While research on Asian American students has overwhelmingly emphasized family ties as an important contributor to student success in high school, what it neglects is how family ties can constrain students in their educational endeavors. Based on a study of 30 low-income Hmong American high school students, I argue that poverty can create…

Drawing on findings from two studies, this article focuses on the expectations of students and teachers in higher education, when learning via asynchronous online discussions. In particular, this synthesis highlights a divergence of expectations. The first study investigated how students and teachers experienced asynchronous online discussion…

International students have a substantial presence in western business schools. Yet, research on international students' experiences remains sparse. Following recent calls to understand the international student-educational institution relationship, we examine the content, formation, and fulfilment of their psychological contract. We conduct a…

This paper reports on the ways in which teaching principals in rural schools in Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan, Canada enact instructional leadership within the five leadership domains conceptualized by Robinson, Lloyd, and Rowe (2008). Although participants suggested that they were "not where they wanted to be" in their efforts to…

Boys continue to demonstrate lower average achievement in reading than girls. The influence of teacher gender has been explored among the factors explaining this scenario but with mixed results. Further, although teacher expectations have affected student academic outcomes, and student gender-related stereotypical notions have shaped such…

Although the gender gap in non-compulsory science attracts much attention, few studies compare factors that shape it at subsequent life stages. Here, a life-course approach is used to examine the gender gap in science career expectations at ages 16, 23 and 26 for a recent student cohort. Then, a decomposition is applied to assess what share of the…

This article examines how sub-Saharan African families in the United States engage with high schools and the college-going process. Using qualitative methods and the concept of home-school dissonance, Chrystal A. George Mwangi shows how African immigrant families--one of the fastest-growing yet least-studied immigrant groups--develop educational…

At a time when most students aspire for college but not all necessarily attain it, do educational expectations still matter? High self-expectations are said to influence future educational success, but studies have often focussed on expectations at a single point in time. Thus, this research asks how stable, unstable, and later expectations…

History, tradition, academic rigor, and personal attention: these words are found throughout the marketing materials and online descriptions of traditional, in-person graduate programs. But for universities seeking to expand their revenue base, online graduate programs are one option that can be readily implemented. Research shows that by fall…

Background: Transition to higher education (HE) confronts undergraduates with a variety of social and academic challenges. Research on how these challenges are dealt with often refers to a Bourdieusian perspective and links successful access to HE to the capital and habitus that students bring with them when adapting to unfamiliar institutional…

The aim of this systematic literature review was to ascertain the best practice available to provide high-quality online support to students during their thesis stage of an Online Doctorate in Higher Education programme. The review process involved a synthesis of available research literature to arrive a comprehensive and trustworthy picture. For…

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) has called on teachers to create supportive and equitable classroom environments, to steadfastly advocate that all students can learn mathematics, to hold high expectations for all students and to adopt practices that offer students the opportunity to excel (NCTM 2014). The overarching aim of…