As part of a longitudinal study into identity development in upper-level physics students, we used a phenomenographic research method to examine students' perceptions of what it means to be a physicist. Analysis revealed six different categories of perception of what it means to be a physicist. We found the following themes: research and its…

In this paper we consider the question of how quality assurance can have a real, positive impact on the quality of teaching and learning at universities, considering the realities of different systems--the system of control and the system of quality culture--in using the example of two universities: the KNITU-KAI in Russia and the TU Dresden in…

There is substantial evidence in the literature to support the claim that teachers' values and beliefs have a powerful effect on their teaching practice, and that these shape students' experiences of music learning. However, little attention has been paid to the forces by which these values and beliefs are shaped, and, more importantly, how more…

The article presents the results of a research study focused on the role of teaching assistants involved with socially disadvantaged students. Forty-six interviews were conducted with school principals, teachers, teaching assistants and socially disadvantaged students from 10 schools in the Czech Republic. The authors used thematic analysis of the…

Research has commonly suggested that adequate and appropriate mentoring and faculty perception of support for a work-life balance are important factors in the recruitment, development, and retention of university faculty. To better understand the role of these factors in faculty job performance at teaching universities, faculty from such a…

The well-being of young people is of considerable concern with many initiatives targeting the health behaviors of this population. Educators are among the professional groups being challenged to understand, evidence, and enhance childhood well-being. Working with a case study U.K. school adolescent subjective well-being (SWB) was examined through…

The research aimed to investigate the national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme, from the perspective of "non-IAPT" counsellors and psychotherapists working within IAPT services. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with therapists who were currently working within IAPT services, but had no formal…

Purpose: The central argument in this paper is that ethical school leadership is imperative in a context of increasing performance-driven accountability. The purpose of this paper is to focus on school principals' perceptions of how they understand ethical leadership and how they lead the ethical use of data. Design/Methodology/Approach: This…

This study analyses women faculty's discourse about feminism, themselves, and their professional experiences as scholars in the North American university context. This case study pushes at the boundaries of what we believe we know about "the gender question" in the academy, opening a discursive space for scholars to examine university…

This study explores informal health education with a moralistic content in three Kenyan teacher training colleges and what it means for the development of a professional identity in health education student-teachers on a continent affected by far the largest number of health problems. Informal health education with a moralistic content is a kind…

This paper argues for a flexible identity and citizenship framework to explore how return migrants, "haigui," have readapted and re-established themselves back into Shanghai society, and how they have used their talents, knowledge and "guanxi" networks to optimise their chances of success. It argues that these return migrants,…

Objective: To learn how interactions among the content, professor, and students shaped passing and failing developmental English at one urban-serving community college (USCC). Method: I observed three sections of developmental English at USCC throughout a semester and conducted semi-structured interviews with all three professors and a sample of…

The study reported on in this article stems from the Integrated Strategic Planning Framework for Teacher Education and Development in South Africa (2011). This framework proposes the establishment of teaching schools to strengthen teacher education. This article reports on a qualitative inquiry into the views of school-based personnel and the…

This article reports on a study to determine which information sources organic growers use to inform farming practices by conducting in-depth semi-structured interviews with 23 organic farmers across 17 North Carolina counties. Effective information sources included: networking, agricultural organizations, universities, conferences, Extension, Web…

Given recent increased attention to teacher evaluation, it is imperative to understand the expertise teachers need to educate students with severe disabilities. In this grounded theory study, the authors interviewed nine special education faculty who specialize in severe disabilities about the job-related skills and qualities exhibited by expert…