The purpose of this study was to identify characteristics of effective professional learning communities while learning their impacts on staff members. The study also discovered the role of educational leaders during an effective implementation of professional learning communities. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with staff members of an…

Background: Most parents of children with an intellectual disability or who are autistic identify positives in their family life and their own wellbeing, in addition to reported mental health challenges. Several models and interventions have been developed in relation to parent carer wellbeing. Few studies have asked parent carers how they support…

Universities in South Africa seem to be struggling to create inclusive conditions for black students to succeed in their studies. The persistence of inequality in universities could be partly blamed on the use of the term 'historically disadvantaged', which is not defined in policy documents, and this has resulted in universities being unclear on…

The quest to improve teaching on a wide scale is an enduring challenge globally. Yet demonstrable improvement in teaching quality is both elusive and slow. In this essay, I explore some of the complexities that contribute to the slow pace of change, including: the slippage between teachers and teaching as the object of improvement; the poorly…

Although engagement of the low-income students increased since the introduction of inclusive policies in the post-apartheid higher education in South Africa, inequality of access, participation and achievement still persists. While focus has been on increasing enrolment and addressing students' concerns in universities, little attention has been…

Articulations of effective teacher professional development (PD) consistently foreground a focus on curriculum content and how best to teach it. Consequently, when teachers work together on pedagogy they typically work with colleagues who have similar specialisations, focusing on a specific subject or part of the curriculum. Arguably, however,…

The fact that poverty has largely been conceptualised from a narrow financial perspective in South African higher education may have contributed to its perpetuation among students. There is limited research on the multidimensionality of poverty, particularly its wide-ranging effect on students in universities. Using the capabilities approach, this…

Vignettes, as a research method, presents short hypothetical stories to individuals to elicit their views on a particular topic. A review of the literature indicates that although vignettes have successfully gleaned detailed data on phenomena, few research studies have employed this valuable method in higher education institutions' (HEIs) contexts…

By the end of 2021, more than 168 million students across the globe had missed a year of face-to-face schooling due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In NSW, Australia, most students engaged in learning from home for eight weeks during 2020 and a further 14 weeks during 2021. This study provides robust empirical evidence on how two years of disruptions to…

Inequality and inequity of outcomes persist in South African higher education despite policies to redress the effects of apartheid, which segregated black people from accessing good quality education. Policy in higher education uses the concept 'historically disadvantaged' in its interventions aimed to address inequality but the desired outcomes…

The key premise of professional development (PD) is that learning to teach continues throughout teachers' careers. And yet, experienced teachers are often portrayed in media and public policy as resistant to such learning and afraid of change. This paper seeks a more nuanced understanding of why experienced teachers might resist the prospect of PD…

South African higher education experiences low outcomes regardless of the significant financial investments made into the sector to address student poverty through financial aid. Concerning is that more than half of the low-income students who receive funding from the government do not graduate which points to the presence of other deprivations…

Globally, teacher professional development is heralded as a key mechanism for educational reform. With governments investing heavily in PD programs, the aim of these interventions is not only enhanced teacher knowledge and practice but, ultimately, improved student outcomes. A substantial body of research has attempted to identify characteristics…

In recent decades, the Australian higher education landscape has achieved significant expansion. Initially aimed at getting more people into university, massification policies have, more recently, focused on widening participation -- encouraging a more diverse array of students to 'choose' higher education. Paradoxically, this shift has deepened…

The rise of performative culture in education and intensifying forms of test-based accountability have subjected teachers to a ubiquitous 'field of judgment' through which they are held to account. Within this context, professional development is consistently deployed as a key solution to stagnant or declining student outcomes. In this paper, we…