In this article I wish to defend hope by arguing that it is a child-like predisposition and that its strength and uniqueness stem exactly from its naïve, infantilizing character. To discuss the concepts of hope and of childhood and the relationship between them, I read in Kazuo Ishiguro's latest book -- "Klara and the Sun" (2021), using…

Personality fixations that have had utility in the past can later become problematic for holistic psychological development. Adult ego development research, combined with psychoanalytic assumptions, provides a way to understand multidimensional maturity through addressing and transforming the unconscious. The Enneagram and Gilbert Durand's…

Artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education is a complex issue that can be discussed from many different perspectives. There is currently a great need for ethical discussions about the use of AI in universities. For example, educational researchers and teachers are already talking a lot about fairness, accountability, transparency, bias,…

This article assesses Bernard Stiegler's critique of infantilization. Contemporary education--and society in general--would no longer develop children into adults, but would keep them in their childish state. Stiegler's critique is explicitly inspired by Enlightenment ideals, characterized by a positive notion of maturity and a negative notion of…

This article reads contemporary Chinese children's author Yin Jianling's novels "The Paper Puppy" ("Zhiren") and "Orange Fish" ("Juzi Yu") alongside her letter collection "Fifteen Letters to Girls" ("Zhi Weilai de Ni") to explore the overarching themes of femininity, difference and female…

There is growing body of scholarship that examines adultism through various methodologies and in a variety of settings, including labor, education, and society. In addition, studies of adultism increasingly recognize how this from of power intersects or is parallel with other forms of oppression. This research is generative for illuminating the…

This paper considers the Twilight novels alongside the Vampire Academy books, as young adult readers regularly invoke these series as touchstones of the contemporary adolescent Gothic genre. The abiding appeal of these vampire novels is related to the ways they reflect the experiences of young adults with the rapacity and greed displayed in our…

In this article, we illustrate and address how anti-Blackness and adultism work together in an interlocking form of oppression we call anti-Black adultism. Situated in Amina's (youth author) lived experiences of school, we offer counter-stories that show the ways that educators employed anti-Black adultism to render Amina's civic life incompatible…

The Michigan State University (MSU) Motor Performance Study (MPS) was initiated in 1967 and was known across the United States for its unique blend of teaching, service, and research. Dr. Vern Seefeldt began the study as a means to begin research with children on-campus. The instructional portion of the program ended in 1999; data collection…

Peer influence is a twofold process that entails a behavior by an agent of influence that elicits conformity from the target of influence. Susceptibility describes the likelihood that conformity will occur. This review focuses on factors that shape susceptibility to peer influence. We argue that conformity has two distinct sources. In some…

As theories of developmental psychology continue to define educational goals and practice, it has become imperative for educators and researchers to scrutinize not only the underlying assumptions of such theories but also the model of adulthood toward which they point. Carol Gilligan examines the limitations of several theories, most notably…

This article applies the framework of possible selves to the motivation and persistence behaviours of one group of university students. We draw on possible selves to consider how particular goal-focused actions and life experiences may significantly shape movements towards imagined futures. Utilising a narrative approach from longitudinal data,…

Purpose: Over the years, efforts to ensure equal participation of girls in school in Nigeria have been met with some setbacks, amidst significant progress in mobilising communities for gender equality and mainstreaming. The purpose of this paper is to explore a number of features associated with sexual maturation that affect girls' non-enrolment,…

We live in a world and a time full of challenges. Social inequality, discrimination, global political instability, wars, genocides, terrorism, nuclear and biological weapons, climate change, waste disposal, and species extinction, among others, are constant threats. These pressing issues require attention and solution. Wisdom rises as the…

This paper examines Theodor W. Adorno's notion of democratic pedagogy and the role of emotions in re-educating and democratizing a society, particularly in light of the current political situation in many countries around the world in which right-wing extremism is on the rise. The paper revisits Adorno's educational thought on critical…