Research ethics are of fundamental importance to any research. They define and shape the research process from the very beginning as they are the code on which academics rely on as guiding practice in the field (Hopf, 2004). Informed consent is an interesting concept as it is interwoven with other ethical issues that include power, privacy and…

Social issues such as HIV/AIDS, bullying, and violence have recently come to the fore in schooling and related research in South Africa. This article describes and critically analyses Masters and Ph.D. research done in education in the period 1995-2004, with particular reference to the voice given to social issues, namely: gender, violence, and…

The argument of the article is that contemporary research into thesis supervision overlooks important didactical features of the supervisory dialogue because of its focus on general pedagogical categories. Entailing this argument I suggest that the personal dimension should be seen not only as a means to enhanced communication between supervisor…

The aim of this study is to determine what trends Turkish biology education studies indicate. To achieve this aim, the researchers examined online databases of the Higher Education Council and open access archives of graduate theses in web sites of Turkish universities. Finally, totally 138 graduate theses were elicited to analyze in regard to…

This paper explores, from a sociocultural perspective, the nature and functions of "zemi" or seminars in which Japanese undergraduate students received group supervision for research and thesis writing. The study also investigates how the "zemi" contributed to completion of their theses. It was found that the "zemi"…

In 2004 the universities of Durban-Westville and Natal merged as part of the national restructuring of higher education in South Africa. These institutions' faculties and schools of education were, arguably, centres of excellence for research in adult education, teacher education and professional development, mathematics education and gender in…

This paper is a preliminary investigation into how the context of student life influences student writing. Specifically, activity theory is drawn upon to explore how the role of assessment affects students' attempts to participate in knowledge-producing communities, a relatively under-researched aspect of student writing. To identify rhetorical…

A concern to ensure that the distinctive quality of teaching and learning in higher education is sustained and recognised has recently reinvigorated debate about the links between research and teaching. Currently, that debate focuses on substantiating research-teaching links and confirming broad frameworks for categorising associated academic…

This study organized a participatory action research team to investigate Council on Social Work Education policies and their effect on the teaching and production of evaluation at the master's level. Data were collected in the form of 282 theses, 27 surveys, and 7 telephone interviews with field instructors to examine the use of evidence-based…

Historically, rurality and rural education have been marginalised bodies of knowledge in South Africa. The post-1994 era has seen an emerging government concern to address the continuing interplay between poverty, HIV/AIDS, underdevelopment, and underachievement in schools categorised as rural. To address these concerns, scholars in South African…

Many postgraduate interdisciplinary research (IDR) candidates in the applied disciplines work across two or more traditional areas of study. Such candidates often spend considerable time on knowledge-building activities outside their home (or undergraduate) disciplines; IDR candidates venture into new fields and are exposed to the cultures and…

The mnemonic techniques of the past, like mind maps, metaphors, and narrative theory, offer research students, especially doctoral candidates, another cognitive support. These techniques pre-date computers (and possibly literacy), so shift cognitive organization from the page or the computer screen to the mind. This article compares early memory…

Within a transnational educational programme, students residing in the Czech Republic obtain baccalaureate degrees from an accredited American college. The college has a distinctive approach towards learning, co-creation of knowledge and the use of mentors. Part of the degree assessment is an undergraduate dissertation, which serves as a capstone…

The Project Postgraduate Educational Research (PPER) data indicate that case study is the most popular methodology among South African education masters and doctorate students in the period 1995-2004. This article reflects on the reasons for the preference for case study by considering epistemological and contextual factors. It unpacks the links…

This article documents trends in enrollment in undergraduate economics programs in Mexico in 1970-2007 and discusses the characteristics of the programs--particularly the typical curriculum and graduation requirements--and the entry of graduates into the job market. Recent data show a pattern in enrollment rates surprisingly similar to those of…