This essay critically reviews the application of Invitational Education (IE) beyond classrooms and schools by examining the activities of an educational volunteer program (The Atherton Gardens Homework Support Program). The authors advocate that in order to have a meaningful effect, IE needs to be implemented along with principles of other…

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people have historically, and continue today to encounter barriers to accessing health services. This has been attributed to the well-documented heterosexism, homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia that shape all health and social institutions. In this paper, invitational theory offers insight into the…

The present study utilized the Inviting School Survey-Revised (ISS-R) (Smith, 2005b, 2013) based on Invitational Theory and Practice (Purkey & Novak, 2008) to examine the school climate of a public primary school in a low urban socio-economic setting in Kenya. School climate was defined as the perceptions of primary school teachers and pupils…

In recent years, research has shown that school climate is one of the most important contributors to student achievement, success, and psychological well-being. In order to make informed decisions regarding school development, it is paramount for a school administrator to be aware of perceived school experience (school climate) of the major…

The purpose of the present study is to examine the role of Invitational Education and intelligence beliefs in the academic performance of high school students. The research population comprised all male and female students studying at high schools in the academic year of 2009-2010 in Kashmar, a city in Iran. Selected through multi-stage random…

This article describes the use of the Chinese translation of the revised Inviting School Survey (ISS-R; Smith, 2005; Smith & Bernard, 2004) to measure the invitational climate of seven invitational secondary schools in Hong Kong. The five subscales of Chinese version of ISS-R were found to be valid and reliable in a sample of 706 Grade 11…

How can students in an online classroom of one, often sitting in solitude in front of a computer, experience community? The authors suggest that in part, the answer lies in creating invitational online educational spaces through the use of Artistic Pedagogical Technologies (ATPs), particularly Photovoice (PV) a teaching strategy. A Zen paradox (or…

The Inviting School Survey-Revised (ISS-R) was adapted and translated into Traditional Chinese (ISS-RC), using a five-step process, based on international test administration guidelines, involving judgmental, logical, and empirical methods. Both versions were administered to a convenience sample of Chinese-English fluent Hong Kong school community…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the level of self-reported job satisfaction and motivation among teachers in the Bahamas and Jamaica. A total of 168 Bahamian (n = 75) and Jamaican (n = 93) teachers completed the Teacher Motivation and Job Satisfaction Survey. Overall results indicate that teachers in the Bahamas reported higher levels…

This article is a follow-up on a previous quantitative study (Steyn, 2007) which explored key aspects that influenced the effective implementation of Invitational Education (IE) in schools in the United States of America (US) and Hong Kong (HK). This is a qualitative study in which an appreciative inquiry (AI) is used to explain staff's positive…

Making educational places more inviting to learners is a key aspect of Invitational Theory. This paper introduces a simple technique for sensitizing learners and instructors to how their environment affects their feelings and ability to learn. It describes a learning exercise that may be used to assess, evaluate and transform places, to promote…

This study provides psychometric data on the Inviting School Survey (Purkey & Fuller, 1995) using a rating scale analysis within the framework of the Rasch measurement philosophy (Bond & Fox, 2001; Rasch, 1980). The Inviting School Survey's factor structure and internal consistency are examined and compared with the Invitational Education Model…

The author presents an international perspective on life skills education arguing the development of a healthy self-concept and skills in self-reflection are necessary for living in a world of rapid change. (Contains 30 references.) (Author)

Examples from case studies and practices are used to clarify the theoretical framework and to illustrate the success of Invitational Theory as one of the theories taught in Waikato Polytechnic's Diploma of Adult Learning and Teaching. Concludes by pointing out many challenges Invitational Theory poses for adult educators in general and this…

Presents an overview of the New Zealand national education system founded on the premise that the individual student is the center of all learning and teaching. Includes a brief discussion of educators' beliefs about children's learning, examines principles that guide assessment and how they translate into practice, and discusses issues of…