Increasingly, people are looking for education and training options that are more affordable, flexible, can quickly open doors to good jobs, and--ideally--pave the way for further educational attainment. Businesses also want to hire workers with the skills needed for jobs in growing industries. Non-degree credentials (NDCs) can often meet these…

This paper analyses the forms of, and the reasons for developing extracurricular activities by fellow participants in an alternative teacher preparation programme in China. We frame the paper through Bourdieu's sociology. Our interviews with 16 fellows reveal that fellows manoeuvre their capital portfolio to develop both academic and non-academic…

With keen insight, Kathleen deLaski reimagines what higher education might offer and whom it should serve in "Who Needs College Anymore?" In the wake of declining US university enrollment and widespread crises of confidence in the value of a college degree, deLaski urges a mindset shift regarding the learning routes and credentials that…

In this study, I explored how two Black high school students experienced a food justice curriculum and school-based gardening activities by examining student reflections, interviews, and classroom observations using a critical race theoretical framework. Findings suggested that in addition to learning key agricultural skills and concepts,…

In some states, alternative schooling options are provided for specific student populations. State statute or regulation commonly notes which alternatives are available, which entity is responsible for establishing or providing such alternatives and for which student populations these alternatives are made available. This data point highlights…

The purpose of this qualitative ethnographic study was to hear the voices of students in a local district alternative education placement (DAEP) school and to use their impressions to increase student success in that program. I also provided background information and examined the setting, circumstances, and culture in which the participants were…

Purpose: Alternative credentials are rapidly evolving. The purpose of this paper is to explore the challenges and opportunities arising from this evolution with particular reference to their role in education and employment. Design/methodology/approach: The paper explores the credential initiatives with a unique perspective from introducing…

Background: Persuasion Wars are exercises for teaching social influence that have not been directly assessed with the use of students' knowledge gain as an indicator. Objective: This study aimed to establish the extent to which these exercises led to students' knowledge increase in comparison to traditional teaching method. Method: In a between…

Internationally, there continues to be a rise in the popularity of home-schooling. Although the growth in the numbers of families choosing this alternative approach was evident prior to the COVID-19 Pandemic school closures, it appears to have impacted on the decision for some to home-school permanently. Using a scoping review of the literature,…

This study looked to explore the access to academic social capital for those who have considering dropping out. The research utilized social network analysis, specifically ego networks, to explore how four individuals from an alternative school perceived their own social networks. Name generators, name interpreters, and name interrelators were…

This paper traces the introduction of Steiner programmes in publicly funded school settings in Victoria, Australia, through a recent history covering approximately 1990-2011. Three programmes are examined through interviews with Steiner educators focusing on some of the challenges of working with these alternative educational ideas in these…

Today's world is characterized by the extensive production of data in different scenarios that everyday citizens need to understand for their informed participation in society. With the increase in the availability of data in a society defined by the industrious production of data, the educational system needs to think of possibilities to bring…

This dissertation explores the current use of YouTube in music studies in higher education while suggesting a reconsideration of the academic as both source and resource in the neo-information age. In it, I summarize interviews with ten current YouTube content creators who run music education channels, focusing on their role as teachers in an…

The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to examine the decision-making process of K-12 parents living in the Appalachian Highlands who chose to remove their children from traditional public schools to join learning pods (sometimes referred to as pandemic pods) during the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to answer this overarching…

The study's aim was to identify the entrepreneurial process ten Jewish immigrant religious educators utilized when establishing innovative educational institutions, thereby affecting the Israeli religious education system. We utilized a social innovation approach to education entrepreneurship applying a qualitative analysis of life story…