Theorists of friendship in contemporary society have suggested that our relationships with peers are characterised by their emphasis on openness, disclosure and emotional communication. Moreover, Beck and Beck-Gernsheim argue that friendship, as a deliberately sought, trusting partnership between two people, can play an important role in…

We believe the problems of school violence are linked to competition and bullying in school culture. We also believe that by fostering more cooperation and more compassion in school culture, we can reduce school violence. One of the ways to develop school culture is to implement conflict resolution training. In the current study, we introduced…

Finding high potentials has been identified as one of the major challenges for society and for higher education. But how does one find the talented individuals who will design the future of society? Can and should universities cooperate or compete with business and industry for these talents? Three CEOs reflect on this worldwide competition for…

Research showing how upward social comparison breeds competitive behavior has so far conflated local comparisons in "task" performance (e.g. a test score) with comparisons on a more general "scale" (i.e. an underlying skill). Using a ranking methodology (Garcia, Tor, & Gonzalez, 2006) to separate task and scale comparisons, Studies 1-2 reveal that…

Fieldwork forms a substantial part of the International Geography Olympiad (IGEO) both in terms of time and in the nature of the experience in which participants get a chance to explore the "real world" of the host country. Fieldwork offers young geographers an excellent opportunity to explore the regional and local geography of the host…

As has been the case with other public services, the Spanish university system has, over the last few years, undergone radical changes that have completely transformed the form and type of activities carried out therein. The far-reaching effect of these changes and of others that will probably occur in the not too distant future obliges the…

Recent concern about the quality and supply of teachers in mathematics and science has prompted a rethinking of how teachers in these content areas are recruited and prepared. This article describes a project, funded by the National Science Foundation and undertaken by Phi Theta Kappa, to strengthen the mathematics, science, and technology…

Differences in achievement were investigated for 80 female and 80 male university students who were randomly assigned to either cooperative or competitive teaching methods. After viewing a videotaped instruction on research design, participants completed a mini-assignment either individually in the competitive condition or with a same-sex partner…

The question that drives this article is why some school districts decide to open up charter schools and others do not. Several answers are plausible: (a) entrepreneurial initiative, (b) structural explanations, and (c) spatial competition. We use data for the state of Wisconsin derived from extensive case studies of 19 charter schools and…

For the last four years, Soenderholm School, near the town of Aalborg, Northjutland, Denmark, has had an optional subject in the seventh grade called First "Lego" League (FLL). FLL is an international contest which aims to advance pupils' scientific interest. The task is for participants to build and program a "Lego" robot able…

The increasing dominance of an economic ideology of higher education, that its principal role is to contribute to national competitiveness, has increased focus on the employability of graduates and their transition into the labour market. Drawing on a major study of the early career paths of 1995 graduates from 38 UK higher education institutions,…

The Sport Interference Checklist (SIC) was developed in 141 athletes to assist in the concurrent assessment of cognitive and behavioral problems experienced by athletes in both training (Problems in Sports Training Scale, PSTS) and competition (Problems in Sports Competition Scale, PSCS). An additional scale (Desire for Sport Psychology Scale,…

This chapter examines some of the salient features of merit-based student financial aid. The author explores the role of merit aid in college admission and how it is used in today's competitive market. (Contains 1 resource.)

Educational institutions have adopted athletics programs to promote character building. Sports help people feel comfortable in their skins and provide unique opportunities to develop qualities such as cooperation, perseverance, and the ability to cope with fear. But the arena can be a hothouse for more primal feelings that emerge in competition.…

In this article, we review the empirical evidence on the impact of education vouchers on student achievement, and briefly discuss the evidence from other forms of school choice. The best research to date finds relatively small achievement gains for students offered education vouchers, most of which are not statistically different from zero.…