This papers looks into whether combining Skype, blogging and class discussions reinforces or refutes stereotypes. The hypothesis was that some students do not have an adequate chance to reflect on their skype experience and course content. To see if students have made improvements in reducing stereotypes, the Standards for Foreign Language…

The use of smart phones by teachers in K-12 education has been contentious. Although teachers are often instructed to put their phones away during instruction, teachers and students can benefit in many ways from using smart phones in the classroom. The use of information systems such as a smart phone can support knowledge sharing and collaboration…

This paper investigates the role of personal networks in academics' learning in relation to teaching. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 11 academics, this study examines, first, how and what academics learn through their personal networks; second, the perceived value of networks in relation to academics' professional development; and, third,…

Building a sustainable career in the creative industries is a challenging proposition. Creative workers face high levels of employment insecurity and limited career development opportunity. Those working in the sector must build discipline-oriented career self-management skills, while also finding ways to cope with the psychologically demanding…

The aim of the research is to study the opportunities of using the electronic social networks for developing future teachers' cognitive, creative, communicative and collaborative skills. The research was conducted at Donbas State Pedagogical University. 90 future primary school teachers and 40 university lecturers are involved in the research work…

This paper explores the identity construction of multilingual and multidialectal middle school students in a semester-long youth participatory action research (YPAR) project. In particular, it moves beyond an emancipatory discourse that views youth identity development from a point of marginalization by drawing on Foucauldian notions of discourse,…

Educational disparities are deeply entrenched in U.S. society. Our research focused on a move toward equity and investment in one Midwestern charter school via the implementation of the African American Student Network. Participants were 15 male and 15 female students in Grades 9 to 12 who participated in the network for one semester. Qualitative…

Blended learning is a combination of traditional and technology-enhanced learning. Social networks services can be used in blended learning settings as they support collaboration, resource sharing, and socialization. Edmodo is an educational social network which can facilitate the development of second or foreign language skills. This study…

Although the benefits of teacher collaboration have been touted, school administrators often struggle to foster productive collaboration at their sites. This study takes a deep dive into teachers' interactions to understand how administrators' efforts to engineer collaboration play out in teachers' relationships. Analysis of qualitative interview…

To understand long-term motivations for second language (L2) learning/socialisation, this study analyses the biographical narratives of 30 Hong Kong Chinese who are proficient in Japanese by using ethnographic interviews. From a situated learning perspective, our research findings originate in the participants' transformational episodes and centre…

The present article examines continuity and change in views on gender in a Maya community before and after a communication tower was installed in 2010. Interview data were collected in 2009 when participants were adolescents (n = 80) and then again in 2015 when they were young adults (n = 68). Values and beliefs for gender were measured using…

This article reports a two-phase study with (1) an extended framework on mobile learning technology acceptance, and (2) a mixed-method research investigating college students on the use and embracement of mobile learning technology acceptance in Saudi Arabia. The research extended the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT)…

Despite the benefits of educators of color to various outcomes for students of color, large-scale research has not explored these educators' on-the-job interactions with colleagues outside of large urban districts. Using social network analysis, this study examined the work-related social interactions of staff (teachers and administrators) of…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of a leadership development initiative on the school leaders and leadership coaches who participated in it. The initiative, called the Leadership Learning Community (LLC), was created in a research-practice partnership between a consortium of 12 predominantly rural, high-poverty school…

This chapter describes an inquiry into how Japanese university students who have participated in study-abroad negotiate their identity on Social Networking Sites (SNSs) when interacting informally in English with non-Japanese interlocutors. SNSs provide a unique opportunity for English language learners to practise their skills in an informal…