This work discusses the professional outcomes of University of Padova graduates in academic year 2007/08. Its aim was to carry out an overall assessment of higher education professional outcomes, involving all the main actors of the learning process, students, teachers and tutors, in a perspective of participatory evaluation, to improve teaching…

Drawing on data from a series of semi-structured interviews this article reports on findings from a research project focusing on the responses of two local authorities and their secondary schools to the Academies Act 2010. The article considers the background and the development of the education system in both localities. It goes on to focus on…

This paper explores the metonymic slippage surrounding the discourse of public education, through observations and interviews with Lawson High School active campaigners in the state of Victoria, Australia. The notion of campaigning for public education has become an ever-present issue on an international scale, and this article aims to contribute…

Background: In the past decade, educational settings worldwide have experienced a significant increase in the number of school-based teaching assistants (TAs). The deployment of these TAs has been accompanied by reports of confusion and uncertainty about their roles and responsibilities within schools. While the need to reframe the role and…

This paper is a re-engagement with some ethnographic data, originally analysed using a sociocultural approach. It makes use of a recent proposal that Lacan's "mirror stage" when applied to an analysis of classroom settings and interactions can offer a fruitful way of explaining and understanding classroom lives, identities and…

Gender distinction has been shown to characterise both undergraduate experiences and outcomes. Yet research recounted in this article supports work that shows that young people are often unaware of such trends, subscribing instead to individualist perspectives that foreground equality of opportunity and agency. This article examines the gender…

As education's main workforce, teachers have been the target of policies designed to shape and affirm new versions of professionalism. This paper examines this issue as it is exemplified by the Teachers of Teachers Network (TTN), a program developed by Chile's Ministry of Education. As a program designed to identify and reward high quality…

Dyslexia has an ambivalent relationship with learning technology. Any potential gains may be nullified if the technology is perceived to exacerbate stigma. This paper examines the use of an "everyday" technology, Facebook, by a small group of sixth form students labelled as dyslexic. "Levelling the playing field" is a phrase…

Concerns about the decreasing quality of geography education within primary schools can be linked to a decrease of time spent on geography education and, for example, to low achievement on national or school-specific tests. Learning outcomes for geography stay behind in relation to what experts believe that pupils should perform. Results indicate…

One approach to tackling problems of division in society has been to promote collaboration and engagement between schools separated on ethno-religious lines. Based on some variant of contact theory, the received wisdom is that inter-group encounters can contribute to prejudice reduction and promote more harmonious relationships. Evidence to…

This paper explores teachers' perspectives on the management of mandated educational change in order to understand how it may be managed more effectively. A case study of teachers' responses to the introduction of a quality teaching initiative in two New South Wales schools found that while some teachers described the strong negative impact of…

The transition from school to vocational education and training is becoming more difficult for an increasing number of adolescents. Despite the growing significance of "interim solutions" (IS) shaping the pathway after compulsory education, there is hardly any research. This study aims at contributing to this research gap by…

Knowledge of how students perceive their development of intercultural competence (IC), one of several study abroad learning outcomes, is important for better understanding how learning occurs in study abroad contexts. The purpose of this article is to explore undergraduate students' perceptions of developing IC during a semester abroad. Reflective…

College campuses often host students who come from families where one or more parent has been affected by a bipolar or depressive disorder. The present study sought to determine whether these students face unique challenges in college, including increased adjustment difficulties as well as greater caregiving burden associated with their…

The objective of this paper is to identify the impact of current national policies and emerging curricular practices on master's by coursework students in Australia. It is argued that the rate of top-down policy change, together with bottom-up innovation, is resulting in a high level of complexity that is challenging providers, staff and student…