Appreciative inquiry (AI) offers a constructive, strengths-based framework for engaging students and staff in the enhancement of academic programmes of study. This paper explores the basis of AI, its potential for educational development and the many agendas it might help address. Students and academic staff involved in an AI project, focused on…

I feel more gratitude for the curriculum of my sexuality than for my learning in any other area of life. In this article, I explore that curriculum autobiographically, recalling the people and experiences that shaped my sexual self. While much of that learning was bodily, many of my most important teachers were the women who shaped my thinking…

Calls for a decolonized curriculum in South Africa are gaining momentum. Contrary to the school curriculum that privileges knowledge from a western perspective, indigenous knowledge systems appreciate and draw from local content and forms of knowing. A number of studies have expressed the value of indigenous knowledge systems, and the need for…

Appreciative inquiry (AI) is an alternative approach to action research that moves participants beyond problem solving and builds on existing strengths as the participants co-construct a positive vision of the future and move toward that vision through collaborative inquiry. Ph.D. students enrolled in a doctoral seminar on AI (who also are…

The problem investigated by this study is that professional development (PD) provided for educators had not prepared them to implement behavior interventions and positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS) to meet classroom management and students' needs. This basic qualitative study was conducted to investigate the experiences of high…

This article critiques international assessment of adult literacy using research findings from students completing a Maori tourism certificate who achieved significant gains in assessment. It is argued that the focus of literacy assessments potentially forces educators to narrow their teaching and learning approaches, manoeuvring them into…

The concept of quality culture has gained increased attention in health professions education, drawing on insights that quality management processes and positive work-related attitudes of staff in synergy lead to continuous improvement. However, the directions that guide institutions from quality culture theory to educational practice have been…

This paper contributes to an understanding of the processes by which organisational actors learn how to affect positive and sustainable social change in their local region through action learning, action research and appreciative inquiry. The paper is based on a critically reflective account of key findings from an ongoing action research project,…

A restorative approach to conflict is being increasingly applied in schools around the world. Existing evaluation evidence has tended to focus on the impact on quantifiable outcomes such as number of behaviour incidents and rates of attendance and exclusion. This case study aimed to broaden the evidence base to capture a richer picture of the…

Appreciative advising is an innovative academic advising method based on the organizational development theory of appreciative inquiry. This approach emphasizes student strengths through a collaborative relationship between advisor and student using open-ended questions and focusing on positive potential. This study addressed the local problem of…

Purpose: This paper aims to share findings from an interview study with literacy educators who are working together to imagine and build a transformative, humanizing and expansive education. Design/methodology/approach: Appreciative inquiry is a design and process that seeks ways to discover the potential of educators while also affirming what…

This study explored how primary and secondary school teachers changed their practice pedagogy as they underwent training in trauma-informed positive education (Brunzell et al., Contemp School Psychol 20:63-83, 2016b. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40688-015-0070-x). TIPE integrates teaching strategies from two practice paradigms: trauma-informed…

The purpose of this study was to explore women district leader's perceptions of organizational change in a rural women's education and empowerment program in India, using an appreciative inquiry framework. This is a qualitative case study of the Mahila Samakhya (MS) program, which was initiated to provide non-formal education and empower rural…

Success in primary and secondary school mathematics is becoming increasingly important to today's teachers, students, parents and employment providers in Australia. Mathematics is viewed as high status and essential for a range of employment opportunities. The Disability Standards for Education [1] and the Australian Curriculum, Reporting and…

In order to plan and enact appropriate learning environments in physical education (PE) teachers are increasingly directed to models based practice. The Sport Education model is one of these models for PE curriculum and teaching design that informs the content and pedagogical direction of sport teaching in PE. Despite Sport Education being well…