Research Findings: Evidence suggests that teachers are effective at improving the social and emotional readiness of low-income children. However, few measures are available to assess teachers' use of specific social-emotional practices within their classrooms. This paper compares an observational measure of teachers' social-emotional practices,…

Composite classes (also known as multigrades) are beneficial in several ways but have challenges for teaching and learning. This study aimed to explore participants' views concerning their experiences in teaching and learning within a composite classroom setting in Samoa. Specifically, the study sought to determine composite classes' impacts on…

The objective of the current study was to determine whether it was sustainable to teach and learn in multi-graded classrooms. This paper reports on an investigation into experiences of key stakeholders regarding difficulties and the factors contributing to the difficulties faced throughout the process of teaching and learning in multi-graded…

This paper discusses possibilities of synthesising ethnographic data. This discussion implies a critical appraisal of the methodology of "Meta-Ethnography." Taking Noblit's and Hare's concept of Meta-Ethnography as a starting point to develop their own practice of synthesising data, the paper suggests to reconsider the possibility to…

In this paper, we exemplify the resourcefulness of using non-sanctioned ways of speaking in classroom communication within a cross-age literacy collaboration between elementary-level grade 5 and high-school level grade 9 students in Nairobi, Kenya. Our goal is two-fold: to contribute to scholarship that affirms this resourcefulness, and to respond…

A first-year teacher thrust mid-term into a mixed-grade geometry class in a tough high school struggles to sort out what works and does not work to engage the 120 students in meaningful learning. The students are largely from low-income urban families and demonstrate a broad range of abilities and motivation. The purpose of this study is to…

McConaghy suggests that improving quality learning outcomes for students in NSW rural and remote schools requires "bold pedagogical solutions ... developed in and for the specific contexts of rural NSW schooling" (2002, p.3). This paper seeks to identify elements of this pedagogical solution that could be incorporated into pre-service…