Gossip is an important part of adolescent development. Although gossip can be used for negative influence, it can also be used for positive relational purposes such as establishing norms and creating intimacy. Discerning the gossip sharer's motives is important for receivers to determine how to react. However, the lack of visual and tonal cues in…

This tribute to Albert Bandura shows how his lifetime of work on Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) has contributed to a greater understanding of school bullying. Managing children and adolescents' problematic behavior is a major challenge for schools with reducing bullying a priority. Here, the principles of SCT relevant to school bullying are…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how online full-time faculty define, implement, and invest in social presence. Purposeful sampling was used to recruit 15 full-time online faculty participants at a private Christian university in the Southwest. The participants of this study met specific criterion, which included…

Given the emergence of the use of digital tools in English teaching and learning and of sociocultural theory (SCT) in recent years, this paper sets out to introduce the concepts of tools, digital tools, and mediation in SCT. It then argues for the ground for enhancing and promoting the use of digital tools in English learning and teaching. Studies…

The psychoeducational intellectual work of Lev Vygotsky (1896-1943) provides a theoretical and sociohistorical meaning that allows you to see from a contextualized perspective the higher forms of self-regulation, conscious control and forms of self-governance. This contribution to the theory of the psychology of education is clearly consistent…

The study focuses on how young children are socialised in early childhood education practice in activities with and around toys. A premise of this study is the theoretical notion of sociocultural theory that people do things with artefacts and other cultural tools, and tools do things with people. This is captured in the unit of analysis,…

As children increasingly use digital technologies in interactions with their parents (Marsh, 2003, 2004, 2011; Robinson & Turnbull, 2005), such possibilities create new ways in which literacy is practiced (Barton, Hamilton, & Ivanic, 2000; Jewitt, 2008; Street, 1998). Yet, what the literacy field knows about interactions between children…

Sociocultural theory focuses on group processes through time, and argues that group phenomena cannot be reduced to explanation in terms of the mental states or actions of the participating individuals. This makes sociocultural theory particularly useful in the analysis of group creativity and group learning, because both group creativity and group…

Mobile Web 2.0 technologies such as: mobile apps, social networking sites and video sharing sites have become essential drivers for shaping daily activities and meeting learning needs in various settings. However, very few studies link mobile Web 2.0 to supporting collaborative learning in real-life problem solving activities in semi-formal…

The aim of this paper is to identify adoption factors of mobile wireless technology to increase interactivity between lecturers and students during lectures. A theoretical framework to ascertain lecturers' intentions to use mobile wireless technology during lectures (dependent variable) is proposed with seven independent variables. The…

Electronic networks of practice (eNoP) are special types of electronic social structures focused on discussing domain-specific problems related to a skill-based craft or profession in question and answer style forums. eNoP have implemented peer-to-peer feedback systems in order to motivate future contributions and to distinguish contribution…

A neo-culture of extra-curricular coaching prior to sitting the terminal exam was once the privileged domain of public education systems in the Eastern world, but this is no longer the case. This multi-phase study based on a grounded theory approach considered a diversity of physics learning experiences of students and alumni from two urban…

This article introduces a sociology role-playing game (RPG) used to demonstrate the broad range of social forces, institutions, and structures in a semester-long series of in-class and homework assignments. RPGs and other simulation games have been frequently suggested as a useful teaching methodology because of their unique ability to allow…

In this article we analyse a didactical situation centred on the creation and use of a symbolic play environment in a class of pupils aged five and six years-old. The main source of data for this paper comes from an experimentation planned in relation to the following research question: does symbolic play in simulated contexts help pupils to…

"Teaching Sociology's" emphasis on the scholarship of teaching and learning has moved the field well beyond simple description of teaching methods. There is no doubt that the journal is more scholarly than in the past. Still, we do not take advantage of our rich theoretical disciplinary work. There is much to learn sociologically about the…