This article examines the affordances of virtual worlds for initiating a transformative learning experience for adults. In particular, it addresses the capacity of virtual worlds to allow creation of an alternate self which requires some level of personal self-reflection; provide atypical experiences that can initiate reflection; allow experience…

Thirty interviews were conducted with individuals across the UK who had retired between two and ten years ago, with the aim of exploring the variability of retirement experiences in terms of (a) retirement antecedents/reasons for retirement, (b) change in wellbeing and satisfaction over time, (c) personal relationships and (d) retirement guidance.…

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the influence of a service-learning experience on the personal development of college students, particularly focusing on the expression of empathy. Design/methodology/approach: Reflective writing papers were evaluated using a rubric with definitions for three types of understanding, as defined by…

Teachers in American study-abroad programs usually receive little, if any, training before the trip, because "teaching is teaching". The cultural differences between Chinese and American university classrooms, however, affect the students' ability to learn and the teacher's ability to teach in profound ways. Foreign teachers in China require at…

In the current economic times, school personnel are regularly challenged to reduce the costs of operating the nation's school systems. School district consolidations often are proposed as a mechanism to realize fiscal savings for local communities; indeed, the number of U.S. school districts has declined dramatically over the past 70 years,…

Recently, consensus among researchers and professionals has emerged about factors that contribute to postschool success of youth with disabilities. Prominent among these factors are targeted academic preparation, family involvement, youth empowerment, and service collaboration and linkages. Work experience and paid employment have been identified…

Several factors contribute to a disproportionately lower Latino participation in college education. Foremost among those factors are policies that encourage quick job placement over career development, lack of understanding of the benefits of a college degree, lower expectations for Latino students, poor financial planning, and lack of guidance. A…

This study explored the challenges facing 1st-year alternatively certified teachers of mathematics and science in urban middle schools. Four teachers, participants in a National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded Robert Noyce Scholarship Program, were followed from preservice training through their 1st year of teaching, having taken part in…

This report is focused on the strategic, capability and operational reasons why traditional vocational education and training (VET) providers move to the delivery of higher education qualifications in their own right, in addition to their vocational qualifications. It is particularly interested in associate and bachelor degrees. By undertaking six…

New York City's elite public specialized high schools have a long history of offering a rigorous college preparatory education to the City's most academically talented students. Though immensely popular and highly selective, their policy of admitting students on the basis of a single entrance exam has been heavily criticized. Many argue, for…

This article presents the opinions/ideas of professionals who were asked this question: "Should students be granted a waiver from physical education if they are involved in other activities?" These professionals share the pros and cons of the waiver question.

Informatization, as a trend in the world's development nowadays, has become an important force to promote economic and social reforms. Since 1990s, information technology reforms have advanced dramatically. Along with the constant development of the information industry as well as the popularization of information network, informatization has been…

College student personnel (CSP) professional preparation program faculty are a unique group in higher education because their work spans both student affairs and academic affairs functions. The purpose of this Q methodology study was to explore the perspectives that full-time, tenure-track CSP faculty hold about full-time, tenure-track, non-CSP…

This study was designed to investigate the factors that affect master's student persistence in the United States. More specifically, this study explored whether the following factors: students' background, institution's, academic, environmental and psychological influences, had a significant effect on whether a master's student persisted and/or…

Rural students comprise a vital segment of the American public education system. Presently, one in four public school enrollees--over 11 million children--attend rural schools in the U.S. Rural enrollment is trending upward at a faster rate than other locales. From 2006 to 2009, enrollment in rural public schools increased by almost one million…