This book presents ground-breaking research on the ways the Arts fosters motivation and engagement in both academic and non-academic domains. It reports on mixed method, international research that investigated how the Arts make a difference in the lives of young people. Drawing on the findings of a longitudinal quantitative study led by the…

The promise, embraced by governments around the world, is that the knowledge economy will provide knowledge workers with a degree of autonomy and permission to think which enables them to be creative and to attract high incomes. What credence should we give to this promise? The current economic crisis is provoking a reappraisal of both economic…

The latest UK White Paper has once again focused attention on the quality of learning, teaching and professional development in higher education. Underpinning the discussion is the premise that teaching excellence and professional development are essential for all academics, in particular new lecturers, which are firmly positioned within the…

Points out that variability in focus, method, and conceptual level of case studies causes difficulties in validating such studies. Notes method variations raise questions about validity. Claims the validity of case studies lies in their usefulness as projective models. States teachers can generate their own theories where practical educational…

Presents the results of a United Kingdom study comparing computer anxiety, mathematics anxiety, and computer experience among college students and elementary students. Includes discussion of age, sex, and the relationship between anxiety and experience. Reports that the younger children had higher computer experience and less computer anxiety.…

This handbook is a practical and realistic explanation of the processes of doing research for a PhD in the British educational system. Students and supervisors will find useful advice, including suggestions on how to manage the student-supervisor relationship. The chapters are: (1) "Becoming a Postgraduate"; (2) "Getting into the…

This book examines issues in studying equal opportunity in colleges and universities, especially those in the United Kingdom, and methods for conducting research into equal opportunity issues. It is intended to provide a framework of ideas and starting points for research. Most of the techniques suggested are forms of participant research on a…

Evaluates two British ethnographic studies by Bruce Carrington and Edward Wood, and by Cecile Y. Wright claiming to find evidence of teachers' racist attitudes and behaviors toward Afro-Caribbean students that contributed to student underachievement. Delineates methodological flaws. Argues that Wright's findings that the source of racism is in…