This paper describes how critical realism was operationalized to provide an explanatory framework for a small-scale qualitative study in the field of teacher education in a sub-Saharan African context. Critical realism combines a realist ontology (there is something to find out about) with a relativistic epistemology (different people will come to…

This literature review provides an introduction to change management and reviews current approaches, theories and models which can be used to skillfully handle and direct change initiatives within higher education institutions (HEIs) so that the desired outcome is achieved. Planned approaches, psychological and behavourial theories, organisational…

In the chapter we wrote 10 years ago for "Critical Library Instruction: Theories and Methods" we asked instructors to free themselves from the stifling heritage of positivism that privileged tools and instrumentality above meaning. Drawing on Henry Giroux and Oscar Wilde, we urged our peers to embrace dialogue that respects the…

This issue is particularly timely, in its plea to the field to understand that human learning and development have always been on the move--always migrating--even if and when we construct sedentarist bias and territorial boundaries of the nation-state as normative or when we remember or remake as "ambulatory we's" as we engage in…

Change is a constant presence within today's higher education institutions. Local faculty professional development opportunities may provide avenues for enacting these organizational changes through personal continuous improvement. While working to meet these organizational priorities, it is also essential that professional development must…

This article considers some theoretical resources for resistance to neoliberalised schooling and develops principles for reimagining the common school. Whilst relevant internationally, it is situated in the particular context of England, as a global epicentre of school reform -- a marketised and largely privatised system where the net of…

This study explores the changing mission statements of the University of Toledo and how those changes impacted the social contract between the University and city of Toledo. Specially, the study engages in historical and documental analysis and investigates three major moments in the history of the University of Toledo when Toledoans engaged…

New challenges in the development of teaching methods lead to a large number of new tools, methods, and approaches to teaching. The structure and functions of a class as a basic social group in education is being radically transformed, becoming more and more virtual especially in COVID-19/post-COVID period. In this regard, this study proposes a…

This conceptual article aims to clarify the important relationship between the fields of social foundations of education (SFE) and urban education (UE). We argue that SFE (a) enables more precise understandings of "urban" in one's preparation to practice in or conduct research with implications for urban schooling contexts and (b)…

A central goal of science education reform is for students to participate in scientific sense making rather than to merely acquire science facts. However, even in classrooms utilizing reform-based pedagogies, students are typically allowed to construct knowledge only insofar as they construct expected knowledge. In this report and reflection, we…

This article describes an actor-focused approach to creating a theory of change that is context-specific, grounded in an understanding of local historical, cultural, linguistic, and social realities, and inspired by a commitment to social justice in education reform. In 2019, the authors completed a research evaluation of the Government of…

Education is increasingly becoming central to debates about how to promote peace in conflict-affected societies. Equitable access to quality learning, promotion of social justice through educational reforms and conflict-sensitive curricular and pedagogical approaches are viewed as peace supporting educational interventions. Drawing upon the…

One year after the implementation of an Inclusive Curriculum Capacity Building (ICCB) project in an Australian university Arts faculty, this paper revisits the curriculum, teaching staff and student outcomes, exploring what it takes to achieve lasting change. There are positive findings to report, but the study also finds that lasting change in…

This book is for educators who believe that schools need to be improved and are hopeful that real change can be achieved. The authors argue that if educators want to create more equitable, socially just, and learner-focused schools, then they need a more robust, transformational theory of school change--an UnCommon Theory. After describing the…

I am grateful for this opportunity to reflect on the field of Social Foundations of Education (SFE), in part because it affords an opportunity to advance an historical analysis of the trajectory of the field different from what we provided when my colleagues and I sent to press the "Handbook of Research the Social Foundations of…