Using an interdisciplinary approach and historical-materialist perspective, this article argues that economic systems largely influence and maintain the operation of all cultural activity. It contends that today's world has become increasingly dependent on a global economy dominated by capitalism--a profit-driven system--that has come to influence…

Market-based reforms of state schooling systems have been justified by the benefits anticipated from encouraging greater inter-school competition in local schooling markets. Promoting increased school choice and competition by comparison were seen as a means of stimulating greater allocative, productive and dynamic efficiency in the schooling…

The National Engineers Week Future City Competition provides compelling evidence of the power of pairing computer software and technology with traditional hands-on activities to teach challenging subject matter and also harder- to- measure "real" workplace skills. Now in its 13th year, the Competition asks middle school students to work in teams…

This is the fourth in a series of studies whose purpose has been to develop a theoretical model of selected extramusical variables' ability to explain solo and small-ensemble festival ratings. Authors of the second and third of these (Bergee & McWhirter, 2005; Bergee & Westfall, 2005) used logistic regression as the basis for their…

Everyone is dependent on caring labor. Because women's labor is financially beneficial to global capitalism, gender is inseparable from class, regardless of the specific national or cultural contexts.

This article describes the following phenomenon: Gifted high school students trained in solving Olympiad-style mathematics problems experienced conflict between their conceptions of "effectiveness" and "elegance" (the EEC). This phenomenon was observed while analyzing clinical task-based interviews that were conducted with three members of the…

The use of competition experiments as a means of evaluating linear free energy relationship in the undergraduate teaching laboratory is reported. The use of competition experiments proved to be a reliable method for the construction of Hammett plots with good correlation providing great flexibility with regard to the compounds and reactions that…

This article is based on research into the practical problem of masculinity and learning and practising safety in the mining industry. The research began with a post-structural analysis of gendered subjectivity in miners' yarns but argues that a concept of "culture" is needed to elucidate a middle-level relationship between individual…

In an era of rapid global economic and social change, educational institutions like schools and universities are struggling to keep their curricula and programs relevant. Singapore's schools are no exception, especially when education is viewed as the essential element for maintaining the nation's global competitiveness in ways that are totally…

Over the past two decades in Australia, the field of gifted education has expanded considerably. The term "giftedness" has effectively entered mainstream discourse. The field of gifted education, which nowadays operates as a compensatory function of mass education, is comprised of groups of people who broadly share in the concept of…

Working collaboratively is complex and therefore draws upon a broader spectrum of concepts, behaviors, and skills than educators and other professionals may be accustomed to. This new era of transformational collaboration expands the traditional domain of working together to one of linking all kinds of groups, leaders, and supporters who…

The ability to balance cooperative and competitive behaviors has important implications for a child's overall development. While socially competent children appear to learn highly successful strategies for entering peer groups and negotiating access to limited resources, the development of this level of social competence can be challenging for…

From time to time, the International Commission on Mathematical Instruction (ICMI) mounts studies to investigate in depth and detail particular fields of interest in mathematics education. This paper is the Discussion Document of the forthcoming ICMI Study 16, "Challenging Mathematics in and beyond the Classroom."

Why does it cost so much? is a question often asked about university construction. On college and university campuses, the cost of new construction and renovation will appear high relative to other construction efforts in our communities. Part of the explanation of the high construction cost lies in the complexity of what we build, the codes…

This article synthesises the social and economic dynamics of both non-market and market production in national education systems, drawing primarily on Marx's analysis of the commodity and Hirsch on positional competition. Market production has six principal aspects: a defined field of production, protocols governing entry/exit, the production of…