Drawing on work that has attempted to describe and codify features of World Englishes, this study sought to address the question of whether certain established norms common to several varieties of English would be accepted by educated British users of English. The findings revealed that the respondents did not accept most of the selected norms.…

This paper reports on an exploratory study of the role of programme leaders (PLs) in a pre-1992 university, based on interviews with PLs (7) and a survey of taught Masters students (54) in a single school. The study elicits PLs' activities, most of which might be categorised as managerial and administrative, with leadership required…

This paper describes a new model of students' concern about indebtedness within a rank-based social norms framework. Study 1 found that students hold highly variable beliefs about how much other students will owe at the end of their degree. Students' concern about their own anticipated debt--and their intention of taking on a part-time job during…

The main objective of this work was to show the application of the study of ancient technology and science on teaching (and learning) chemistry in Chemical Engineering Undergraduate studies. Degradation patterns of pigments used in Ancient Egypt were incorporated in the syllabus of the course entitled "Technological and Scientific…

The interplay between student and teacher expectations about the requirements for successful learning in higher education (HE) can impact on successful student outcomes. This study aims to identify and understand the expectations that first year university students have towards essay production during their acculturation to HE. By examining the…

A universal lack of attention to the professional learning needs of teacher educators is the driver for this study, which considers the most effective ways to support the professional learning of higher education-based teacher educators. At a time when many industrialised countries are engaged in systemic educational reform, this study provides an…

The transition between school and university can be problematic for students. Understanding students' expectations about the system they are entering is crucial in effecting a smooth transition. The school system involves small classes, often with teachers who know their students well. In contrast, university involves large class sizes and a…

The global population of students pursuing studies abroad continues to grow, and consequently their intercultural experiences are receiving greater research attention. However, research into long-term student sojourners' academic development and personal growth is still in its infancy. A parallel mixed method study was designed to investigate the…

This article presents a comparative study of the personal adaptive capabilities of Chinese students studying in Chinese, British and Russian universities. The study involved 224 Chinese first-year students who formed 3 groups: Group 1, 96 first-year students studying in China; Group 2, 100 Chinese first-year students studying in Russia; Group 3,…

The title "physical education" (PE) is the traditional taxonomy used to represent the education discipline. Health and physical education (HPE) is regarded to be an all-encompassing health-dimensional title that has been recently embraced by various education systems around the world. Hence, it can be argued that PE and HPE are often…

The rise in personal ownership of touch-screen technology such as iPads and smartphones in the UK in recent years has led to the increasing use of such technology by babies and very young children. This article explores this practice via an online parental survey with 226 UK parents of children aged 0-3 years within the context of the current…

Spirituality has replaced religion in popular culture and its presence is being felt in the therapeutic world. Using a questionnaire completed by 104 people utilising six descriptive definitions of spirituality and 36 categories of spiritual experience, three meta-themes of forms of spirituality emerged through a thematic analysis. These are…

In this article we describe the effectiveness of a programme-wide communication skills training framework incorporated within a one-year biological sciences taught Masters course designed to enhance the competency of students in communicating scientific research principally to a scientific audience. In one class we analysed the numerical marks…

This study aims to explore pupils' affective engagement with school and music during their transition to secondary school. A gender comparison is also being made to ascertain any differences that may exist between boys and girls during this time. A sample of 182 pupils completed two questionnaires (attitudes to school and attitudes to music) three…

Technology-enhanced learning is expanding rapidly because of research showing the benefits for learners in terms of engagement, convenience, attainment and enjoyment. Mobile learning approaches are also gaining in popularity, particularly during practical classes and clinical settings. However, there are few systematic studies evaluating the…