Drawing upon their large three-year mixed-method study comparing four English university sociology departments, the authors demonstrate the benefits to be gained from concisely recording biographical stories on life-grids. They argue that life-grids have key benefits which are important for comparative European educational research. Some of these…

In this article the authors explore the ways in which the historical location of millennial prospective teachers is markedly distinct from that of previous generations. Through a case study of one prospective teacher's life history, millenial themes of globalization and shape-shifting are highlighted and analyzed in relation to one prospective…

This article extends the literature on teachers' career paths by attending to the experiences of educators when they were students in secondary classrooms. Grounded in the perspective that biography is central to teaching, we investigate undergraduate pre-service teachers' educational experiences, views on teaching and learning, and professional…

The author explores Gordon Gee's career as a university president. There is a special focus on the journey Gee made between 1990, when he first became president of The Ohio State University, to 2007, when he returned to Ohio State for another term as university president ten years later. During this time away from Ohio State, he served as the…

Throughout his career, Andy Hargreaves has continuously pushed the boundaries of knowledge and practice in the field of educational change. He has broken new ground so often that I have come to think of him as a "frontier man." Andy has also been a generous mentor to colleagues and students enhancing the level of scholarship and expertise in his…

Since 1994, the eyes of the world have been on South Africa, observing with interest the societal reconstruction project, upon which the country had embarked. In this project, higher education is both the terrain and the perceived instrument of change. In this higher education system and its mission, the academic profession is pivotal--especially,…

Booker T. Washington was born a slave in the American South, rising remarkably in the period after slavery to become a leader of his race. His advocacy of appeasement with the Southern white establishment incurred the ire of his black peers, given the withdrawal of the franchise from ex-slaves in southern states after a brief period of positive…

Roma, today perceived as the most numerous European minority, face marginalisation and exclusion. Education is considered to be one of the focal points for improvement, and numerous studies have analysed and reported on the educational situation of Roma. Several studies have argued that Romani cultural values are not compatible with institutional…

This paper is presented as a tribute to Raymond J. Chambers. As its title suggests, it is a personal reflection through the eyes of someone who worked closely with him over a period of 10 years during a latter part of his career, and who completed a doctoral thesis with aspects of the work of Chambers as its subject. During this time, author…

Demand is growing worldwide for access to high quality, diverse, and up-to-date higher education. In Germany, the universities of Rhineland Palatinate have developed an initiative to create a model of exchange to potentiate students' competencies according to Bologna reform and to use university resources in an optimal way. In addition to the…

A president of a university in the state of Arkansas would benefit from researching the roots of the educational system within the state. Even though the state now has a number of universities that have evolved and are on the cutting-edge of advanced technology, Arkansas was slow in growth and development. Since Arkansas was slow to expand public…

Building upon the tenets of critical race theory (CRT) this qualitative study examines the life histories of eight Black males in their journey to obtain a doctoral degree. The research questions guiding the study include: What are the life histories of eight Black males pursuing doctoral studies? How can we make sense of their life experiences…

Due to the rise of internet use and a move toward globalization, it may be assumed that white millennial college students are more accepting of cultural diversity and are more likely to be advocates for social justice than generations that have come before them. This project shows that while many white students know how to speak the language of…

This paper focuses on the professional and academic development of mid-career teacher educators from two universities in England. The objectives of the study were to analyse and compare the career experiences of teacher educators; in particular, to identify stages of development, landmark events and contextual factors affecting professional…

In this paper, we deploy M.M. Bakhtin's notions about how language works to understand aspiring teachers' struggles about the intersecting roles race, class, gender, language background, and sexual orientation play in students' school lives and learning. Through life-history interviews and document analysis, we investigated the authoritative and…