This article reports on selected findings from the project "Revisiting Successful Principals". The authors revisited some of the schools which participated in the International Successful School Principalship Project (ISSPP) five years ago. In this article they focus on how the principals are positioning themselves as leaders, and how they are…

The evidence presented in this article regarding policy reforms in the Irish context may suggest that, until now at least, professionalism prevails over performativity when viewed from the perspectives of primary principals. Nevertheless, the article argues that the prevalence of professionalism may indeed be short lived and principals themselves…

The article reports upon findings from four multiple-perspective case studies of successful principals in challenging urban contexts. Each principal was described as making a significant difference to the quality of school education. The findings are obtained from the Polish part of the "Leading Schools Successfully in Challenging Urban Contexts:…

The governance and leadership at transnational, national and school level seem to be converging into a number of isomorphic forms as we see a tendency towards substituting "hard" forms of governance, that are legally binding, with "soft" forms based on persuasion and advice. This article analyses and discusses governance forms at several levels.…

Whether or not it may be described as a "crisis" there are mounting concerns in many countries about the supply line of well-qualified principals or head teachers. This article contends that many of the strategies put in place to address the intensification of school leadership are necessary but insufficient. Collegial networking, confidantes,…

Literacy interventions in the family context have great potential to promote reading development in children. However, the results of meta-analyses indicate that family-based approaches tend not to be as effective as expected. Although the effectiveness of family literacy interventions can be assumed to hinge largely on the quality of their…

Transition to secondary school implies basic changes in social, instructional and organisational aspects of school life which afford the pupils' adjustment. As transition takes place at a predictable point in time, children develop expectations about the start at their new school. In order to analyse predictors and consequences of these…

Two specific forms of quality are identified: Type I, which has a managerial focus and stresses fitness for purpose and accountability, and Type II, which is collegial and concerned with enhancement. Through an analysis of the literature on quality in higher education and small-scale empirical research with a sample of academic staff, this article…

The study of teacher identity developed greatly during the 1990s and, in a way, replaced other studies on teacher professionalism. Highlighting the interactions, emotions and cognitions in their everyday expression, these studies contributed to making visible the role of specific communities of professionals in valuing and improving professional…

For this study, 82 general psychology students (51 females, 31 males) witnessed a peer cheating while completing a test. Following the incident, we tape recorded semi-structured interviews with each student who saw the cheating event for later analysis. Using qualitative coding and methodology, themes emerged regarding students' emotional…

This study used standard multiple linear regression to investigate relationships between student motivation, critical thinking skills, student-to-student relations, and student-faculty interaction with a sample of 2,190 undergraduate students. The study used measures first developed by Ellett, Culross, McMullen, and Rugutt, (1996), and later…

Motivation is a complex, multidimensional element needed for learning and performance. There are a multitude of theories of motivation in the literature. No one theory fully explicates motivation. To understand and make better use of the motivation construct, it is necessary to study multiple theories and multiple theoretical constructs that are a…

There are many different models or approaches to doing program evaluation. Fitzpatrick, Sanders, and Worthen classify them into five general approaches: (a) objectives oriented, (b) management oriented, (c) consumer oriented, (d) expertise oriented, and (e) participant oriented. Within each of these general categories, of course, reside many…

This paper investigates the history and concept of liberalism from its first uses to its most modern incarnations. The paper aims to serve as a primer for educators and educational researchers to better understand liberalism and its place as a foundational and controversial discourse in politics, social science, and education. Through reference to…

This empirical study employed the inductive qualitative research method with four faculty who retired from a private, religiously-affiliated, Midwestern university. Participants possessed diverging experiences and representative prototypes. The literature suggests that higher education likely will experience significant numbers of retired faculty…