The current wave of science education reforms emphasizes more equitable opportunities for students as they learn disciplinary core ideas and apply crosscutting concepts by engaging in the practices of scientists. Formative assessment--the assessment teachers and students conduct while learning is in progress--also needs to shift to support this…

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the affordances of the e-assessment system Numbas from an Activity Theory perspective. The study follows a qualitative research design combined with semi-structured interviews with six students and two teachers. The findings reveal that the students were able to perceive and actualise several affordances…

In England, Pupil Premium Plus is additional funding to help address the educational attainment gap experienced by looked after children. This paper explores the experiences of virtual school heads and designated teachers (n = 140) as they access Pupil Premium Plus-related information, guidance and training to support their practice; navigate the…

Theorizing the role that teachers play in national education systems in a period of rapid globalization has proven challenging for social scientists and comparative education theorists alike. In accounting for the manifold roles and functions of teachers over time, theory must account for both cultural persistence (institutionalization) as well as…

How does a researcher investigate phenomena that continually emerge through, with and as various practices? This paper explores this question, drawing on transformative reflections on the unfolding process of an empirical research project investigating professional practice in Dutch early childhood education. The project initially applied an open,…

Student research is an important pedagogical feature across the higher education lifecycle. Postgraduate taught (PGT) student research has received limited attention in the context of the diverse nature of the PGT cohort. Using Activity Theory, PGT student research is explored from the perspectives of differently motivated Master's students:…

In response to the realization that qualified applicants' choice of a career in chemistry is declining, we investigated the factors involved in chemistry and chemical education career choice. Building on the social cognitive theory (SCT) and the social cognitive career theory (SCCT), this research examines the personal, environmental, and…

This conceptual article critiques a popular account of education grounded in Bourdieu's social theories. Specifically, the article shows how Bourdieu overplays competition and underplays ethics, or people's diverse ways of imagining, debating, and living out the good. On a Bourdieusian view of education, it is difficult to see how educators and…

Tolerance education aims to promote the culture of peace and acceptance of others for well-being and diversity management. Therefore, it is important to create learning environments, content, and facilities for tolerance education in line with the universal values in education. However, little is known about how the literature investigated and…

In an effort to address the relationship between globalisation, education and Niklas Luhmann's branch of systems theory, we present his essay, published here for the first time in English translation, 'Education: Forming the life course', next to the nine contributions that compose this special issue and build on this and his other writings to…

The purpose of the study was to explore the role cultural diversity plays in a Full-Service School in Soshanguve by means of a wellness perspective lens. The phenomenon at hand was the way that cultural diversity influences role players within a Full-Service School. The study was underpinned by three theories, namely Hettler's Wellness Theory,…

This study sets out to argue for the interplay between structure and agency to create a deeper understanding of careers. Using Bourdieu's Theory of Practice as an integrative framework for career theory, this study sets out to answer two questions: (1) does the concept of a Holistic Career Framework add value to the career debate by placing…

In this article, we report on the implementation of using the game Werewolf as a student-centered applied-learning activity to teach symbolic interaction theory and concepts. Engaging with symbolic interaction theory can be a powerful experience for students due to its potential to challenge taken-for-granted assumptions and analyze students'…

This study involved the creation and validation of a self-rated social presence measure. Study 1 utilized focus groups to create items. The focus group participants were presented with a set of items based upon past literature; through discussion of these items, a preliminary measure was created. Study 2 involved an exploratory factor analysis on…

The historical process of consolidation of a Latin American and Caribbean critical social theory is framed, to a great extent, in interpreting our socio-historical formation, identifying the axes that structure the great regional and national problems, with the intention of constructing analytical categories destined to contribute to social…