School attendance problems and school dropout are recognised as a major concern by researchers, policymakers, practitioners and the wider society. Although research acknowledges the multi-faceted complexity of dropping out of school, only a limited number of studies have focused on the perspective of support workers (e.g., teachers, social…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present an approach to group coaching in the workplace that can enhance shared learning in groups and teams through dialogue as opposed to group members' individual positioning through discussion and debate. Design/methodology/approach: An action research project conducted throughout one year in…

The open innovation perspective offers a powerful framework which can be used in developing an understanding of the relationships that are established between academia and industry in the process of technology transfer. This paper develops a fourfold classification of technology transfer activities based on consultancy and the protection…

Academic consulting is a form of knowledge and technology transfer largely under-documented and under-studied that raises ethical and resources allocation issues. Based on a survey of 2,590 Canadian researchers in engineering and natural sciences, this paper explores three forms of academic consulting: (1) paid consulting; (2) unpaid consulting…

This paper uses a discursive analysis to examine the experience of "inclusion" from several stakeholder groups in one university. The research team included disability support staff at the institution, external disability consultants and academic researchers. A critical focus group investigation centred on four groups: students who were…

This paper describes one phase of an investigation into the possible existence of gender interactions in one-to-one instrumental music lessons. In order to provide a preliminary sketch-map of a hitherto unexplored field, the mixed methods research design used a combination of three strands: (1) questionnaires to teachers and pupils; (2)…

Since 1995 I have been engaged in consultancies and since 2001 in research dealing with the language of instruction policies in Africa. To what extent are the policies being implemented? What is the role of research and consultancy when it comes to language policy? What happens when researchers or consultants come up with recommendations which do…

This review of externally commissioned studies of African education highlights several issues of interest to the research community. A starting point for the discussion is the large number of studies of education in Africa initiated or supported by external funding and technical assistance agencies. In general, studies of African education involve…

Australia's property and business services industry is its third largest industry and has been the fastest growing industry over the last 10 years. The industry is composed of a diverse range of activities, including real estate sales, legal and accountancy practices, employment placement services, labor and equipment hire, scientific and market…