The COVID-19 pandemic led to significant changes in higher education institutions, with a rapid pivot from on-campus to online teaching and learning. The move to predominantly online teaching resulted in a very different learning experience for many campus-based students, offering new opportunities and challenges. This Directions article is…

The purpose of this article is to address how important a teacher's enthusiasm and the words they use can be. This is funneled through future professionals' teaching experiences, both peer to peer in the college classroom and teaching experiences in a middle school class.

Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) as a secondary school subject is affected by two policies, namely the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) and Progress 8, which contribute to the measurement of performance in exams at age 16 (GCSEs). In this paper, I discuss the concept of performance measurement in schools and the purpose it purportedly serves, before…

The increasing number of students requiring special education support is a plea for students to be taught the way they learn best. Through the authentic educational experiences of a diverse family, this paper explores the impact of theories of motivation to support all learners. This exploration proposes that educators may be able to support the…

In the context of rapidly growing numbers of university students reporting that they have experienced mental health problems, this paper argues that doing research as an undergraduate can contribute to student well-being. Although the benefits of undergraduate research are well documented, underlying reasons for its efficacy on positive student…

Critics of the neoliberal university argue that grading undermines student learning. In this article, I survey the literature in order to ascertain whether such critiques are supported by pedagogical research. Investigating the relationship between grading and motivation, feedback, and autonomy, respectively, I conclude that grades most often do…

Research on cognitive load theory (CLT) has focused primarily on identifying the mechanisms and strategies that enhance cognitive learning outcomes. However, CLT researchers have given less attention to the ways in which cognitive load may interact with the motivational and emotional aspects of learning. Motivational beliefs have typically been…

Numerous studies have shown that secondary and college students are increasingly apathetic and disengaged from their schooling. The problem of student disengagement is not confined to under-represented socioeconomic groups; it is found across the country: in cities, suburbs, and rural communities; in wealthy schools and poor schools; in public…

The apprenticeship model of work-based training is often held up as an effective mechanism for enabling individuals to learn specific skills and subsequently transition to employment in a skilled occupation. Over time, technological, regulatory and social changes have affected the training of apprentices. It is in this context that the National…

"International onshore VET qualification completer outcomes 2022" provides a summary of the outcomes of international students who completed their vocational education and training (VET) qualification in Australia in 2021. These students were surveyed as an additional component to the 2022 National Student Outcomes Survey. Information is…

Trauma, such as from the COVID-19 pandemic, creates an inflection point for faculty to figure out how to connect with each other and students. Engagement and active learning trends are at the forefront of teaching pedagogy, as society embarks on post-pandemic learning. Faculty that have embraced Flipped Learning, as a trauma-informed pedagogical…

The article scrutinises a specific intervention for crime prevention through education, launched in one municipality of Sweden, in regard to how such education is set-up, the motives for initiating such education, and the kind of subject that such education is about to produce. Influenced by Michel Foucault's thought on governing, the article is…

The goal of our article is to consider the intersection of the peer ecology and teacher practices for students' academic motivation. We begin by reviewing two perspectives that explain why and how peers matter for students' motivation. First, the quality of peer relationships and interactions provide affordances for "social support."…

This article addresses the ethical and motivational dimensions of punishment in schools, focusing on the idea of a just school community. Lawrence Kohlberg's account of a just school community is examined and systematically revised to reflect advances in psychology and a more adequate conceptualization of justice. A eudaimonic conception of…

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many students are learning remotely or in a hybrid of remote and in-school learning. As a result, most teachers and students are in learning situations where more independent work is assigned to students. There is no research that directly speaks to this unprecedented situation. There is, however, a considerable body…