This article examines emotionally challenging expectations in the relationships beginning teachers have with students' parents. The data consist of narrative interviews with 17 Japanese beginning teachers. Due to strong cultural and social norms prescribing appropriate social interactions, Japanese teachers have little leeway in negotiating…

Bandura (in: Pajares and Urdan, Self-efficacy beliefs of adolescents, Information Age, Greenwich, 2006) suggested that efficacy beliefs should be considered in relation to key challenges within a (teaching) context. As part of a larger project on the teacher efficacy beliefs of Japanese high-school teachers of English (JTEs), this paper reports…

Although it is possible to cite general trends about the concerns of beginning teachers, each beginner will have specific needs and questions. Clearly, mentoring matters, and mentors are especially helpful when they recognize and attend to the beginners' specific needs. Here, Erinn Bentley describes a "Wish List" she developed as a…

This volume contains selected papers submitted to the 20th Jubilee Annual International Conference of the Bulgarian Comparative Education Society (BCES), conducted virtually in June 2022. The 20th BCES Conference theme is "Towards the Next Epoch of Education." The theme is focused on problems, discussions, changes, solutions, and…

This study employed possible selves theory (Markus & Nurius, 1986) to conduct an interpretive inquiry into the teaching motivation of four novice secondary school EFL teachers in Japan. The narrative analysis of the interview data revealed that the conflicts between the young teachers' different possible selves negatively affected their…

Given California's role in the Pacific economy, its historic Asian heritage, and the strong and growing presence of Asian communities and businesses in the state, it is imperative that students statewide understand the history of Asia. Unfortunately, the California state curricular framework and standards in history and social science limit the…

In October 2007, three education bills, including the Revised Teacher's License Law were approved by the Central Education Council in February and submitted to the Diet. The purpose of the Revised Teacher's License Law was "to ensure teachers systematically acquire up-to-date knowledge and skills to maintain the professional competencies…

The first volume of the 31st annual proceedings of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education conference presents plenary lectures; research forums; discussion groups; working sessions; short oral communications; and posters from the meeting. Plenary lecture papers include: (1) On Humanistic Mathematics Education: A…