The making of entrepreneurial subjectivity in adult education

This article focuses on the idea of entrepreneurial subjectivity and the ways in which it is shaped by the entrepreneurial discourse in adult education. As a result, we argue that educational practices related to adults form a particular kind of ideal subjectivity that we refer to as entrepreneurial. In order to understand how this entrepreneurial discourse in adult education works, we will analyse how the young adults we have interviewed engage in the discourse and what effects this has for the construction of their subjectivities. Our joint empirical analysis is based on discourse-analytic methodology and on our previous empirical studies. Our research results suggest that participants in adult education end up constructing their subjectivities within the limits and possibilities of the entrepreneurial discourse that are made available to them. Embracing the entrepreneurial discourse construed in terms of autonomy and freedom, young people are expected to make a project out of their own subjectivities. As an effect, education as well as young adults’ autonomy is limited to a question of speaking in accordance with what is expected.     

培养什么样的教育研究者以及如何培养--对我国教育学教育的思考

在教育学教育中，教育学不是一个具体的学科，而是一个统称。现代社会，随着社会分工和学科分化的不断发展，教育研究已经成为一种专业化的工作。教育学的发展越来越依靠教育研究者的素质。然而我国的教育科学研究无论是理论研究，还是实验研究，都严重滞后于教育改革进程。教育学研究者要努力把教育学教育当作一门学科、一门专业、一个学科职业来发展，积极建立起这一学科自己独立的“人格”、独立的评价标准、独立的价值体系。     

Teacher researchers in action research in a heavily centralized education system

Action research is characterized by a new paradigm of empowering teachers to monitor their own practices in a more autonomous manner with a vision of challenging and improving their own techniques of teaching through their own participatory research. Yet in spite of this apparently radical shift in the function of the teacher from the constant consumer of scientific theories to a researcher, as envisioned, the concept of action research as an in-service teacher education strategy has not received due attention in practice. For this reason, the presented case study was undertaken to examine whether the notion of action research by teachers was a viable option for in-service teacher development in a highly centralized education system. More specifically, this paper sought to answer whether teachers have any vision of what they can achieve with action research, whether there is scepticism on the part of teachers about the effectiveness and feasibility of action research as practice-based undertaking, and whether there are inherent structural problems that preclude teachers from undertaking such a role. Three English Language Teaching teachers were involved in this action research. The findings indicate that teachers, being capable of carrying out action research, were quite positive about action research and hopeful for overcoming some inadequacies in their educational environment, making it an asset for personal-professional development despite a highly centralized education system.     

国外专业博士学位的历史发展及启示

现代专业博士学位产生于20世纪初期,虽然只有短暂的发展历史,但形成了不同于研究型博士学位的鲜明特征,其实践性强、学制灵活等优势满足了社会发展的需要,从而获得了迅速发展.国外专业性博士学位发展的某些经验值得我们认真思考和借鉴.     

Understanding the role of the mentor in developing research competency among undergraduate researchers

Undergraduate research and creative activities are established high-impact practices that provide students with both advanced knowledge of their academic disciplines and the ability to apply that knowledge to creatively answer questions. At the center of these experiences, is the close relationship between a student researcher and a mentor. Using survey data from 69 recent undergraduate researchers at one university, we investigated the characteristics and impact of these mentor–mentee relationships. We found that active mentoring practices were a significant influence on how competent students perceived themselves as scholars. These practices were more influential than practical aspects of mentoring. Our findings reflect the complicated nature of mentoring in higher education and identify key characteristics of successful mentoring relationships. With greater understanding of this essential component of undergraduate research, we are equipped to make more informed decisions regarding faculty and administrative support for future undergraduate research and creative activities.     

Teachers as researchers in a major research project: Experience of input and output

Teachers have long participated in collaborative research. However, they have generally had direct stakes in the outcomes. Teachers in the Early Professional Learning (EPL) Project used their insider status to gather data not directly related to their own practice. Lessons for integrating a group of teacher–researchers into a major project are discussed. Some of these are practical, but also cover their unexpectedly experienced initial isolation within the project team, that has relevance for both forming and theorising communities of enquiry. An outline for a new concept of teacher–researcher begins to emerge that may influence the direction of educational research.     

Faculty at Mid-Career: A Program to Enhance Teaching and Learning

While the number of mid-career faculty currently in U.S. higher education is significant, professional development programming that addresses the teaching and learning issues of this population has not been a priority. This article describes the Mid-Career Teaching Program (MCTP) and presents data that assesses its impact on participants' professional and personal lives. Survey and interview results indicate positive changes in teaching behaviors and knowledge as well as an increase in teaching satisfaction and confidence. Faculty also reported that MCTP renewed their energy and enthusiasm and positively impacted their life outside of the academy.     

The Career Paths of Doctoral Graduates in Austria

Economists and policy makers often emphasise the importance of human capital as a key determinant in the pursuit of economic growth. The highest formal qualification in the educational system is the doctorate, which is attained after the first stage of tertiary education at ISCED 6 level. Doctorate holders play a central role in research and innovation in any industrialised economy, with highly specialised knowledge and research capabilities acquired during their studies. However, their employment depends on the availability of suitable positions on the labour market. Despite huge demand for relevant employment data for this particular group, the available data in most countries is scant. The data collection on Careers of Doctorate Holders (CDH) initiated by EUROSTAT, the OECD and the UNESCO somewhat clarifies the professional situation of doctorate holders. This article presents some key findings of the Austrian CDH data collection carried out in 2006–07. The results are, amongst other things, that in Austria the general employment situation of doctorate holders is relatively good. However, they are faced with a shortage of adequate positions, especially in research. Often doctorate holders have to compromise between the intellectual challenge of working in research and the higher job security outside of research. The employment situation and the sectors of employment depend primarily on the field of science and technology of the doctoral degree.     

The Dispositions and Skills of a Ph.D. in Education: Perspectives of Faculty and Graduate Students in One College of Education

Twenty-two faculty and graduate students were interviewed in one college of education in order to understand what the college and its constituents view as the skills, habits of mind, and dispositions needed to obtain a Ph.D. in Education. Analysis of the data was conducted using professional socialization as a theoretical framework, allowing for an understanding of the different perspectives of this topic as viewed through a developmental lens. Implications for theory and practice are included.

The Professional Status of Educational Research: Professionalism and Developmentalism in Twenty-First-Century Working Life

‘How helpful and how necessary is it for at least some of us to see ourselves as professional educational researchers?’ asked Donald McIntyre in his 1996 presidential address to the British Educational Research Association. Still pertinent to consideration of the direction in which the British educational research community ought to focus its development, this question is revisited through examination of whether or not educational research is a profession. Located within a sociological framework, the paper first examines some of the earliest work that established the sociology of professions as a field of study. It then compares this with recent work in the field, before considering whether or not – against the various criteria for professional status that these studies identify – educational research(ing) may be categorised as a profession. Using Noordegraaf’s three categories, the case is examined for considering educational research(ing) as a ‘pure’, a ‘hybrid’ or a ‘situated’ profession. The conclusion is that it represents none of these, but that, within the context of twenty-first-century working life, this is less important than the need for educational research to embrace a culture of developmentalism.     

英国专业博士学位教育发展的特征及启示

与传统哲学博士相比,专业博士是一种特殊类型的学位制度。专业博士学位教育自1992年在英国出现,十多年来发展迅速,涉及为数众多的大学和学科,但其在各院校和各学科间的分布不均衡。在专业设置、培养过程和研究工作等方面,英国专业博士学位教育初步形成了自身的特色。英国专业博士学位教育的发展是现代大学理念触动、政府公共政策引导、市场需求诱致和学习借鉴共同作用的结果。英国的经验值得我们高度重视,政府、大学和社会都应为专业博士学位教育在我国的发展创造条件。     

Roles,requirements and autonomy of academic researchers

As an indicator of nations' prosperity and economic competitiveness, research impacts the mounting roles and requirements placed upon academic researchers. Internationally, researchers are expected to effectively operate in the fast-changing and demanding research environment. Such effectiveness corresponds mainly to their ability to establish international and interdisciplinary collaborations, secure internal and external grants, and most importantly deliver tangible research outputs. As such, this desired research excellence impacts researchers' academic appointments, recognitions and promotions. Driven by research productivity and pursuit of academic excellence, researchers' individual autonomy may become restricted. This work is based on (a) an international study exploring research productivity within higher education institutions across 15 countries and (b) a relevant international literature review. The voices of 32 participants portray competencies required from and requirements placed upon academic researchers at their respective universities. Findings show that the role of academic researchers is changing and the requirements pose challenges to researchers' autonomy. The research productivity quest along with opportunity-driven decisions may not only restrict researchers' autonomy but also compromise their academic integrity.     

The learning alliance: ethics in doctoral supervision

This paper is concerned with the ethics of relationships in doctoral supervision. We give an overview of four paradigms of doctoral supervision that have endured over the past 25 years and elucidate some of their strengths and limitations, contextualise them historically and consider their implications for doctoral supervision in the contemporary university. Two common threads across the four paradigms are a view of doctoral supervision as pedagogical practice and that supervisors have primary responsibility for the supervision of doctoral students. We challenge these assumptions. In their place, we propose that the goal of doctoral supervision is praxis and that this involves a learning alliance between multiple institutional agents grounded in a relational ethics of mutual responsibility.     

Spanish and UK post-PhD researchers: writing perceptions,well-being and productivity

Post-PhD researchers working at universities are contributors to a country’s productivity and competitiveness mostly through writing, which becomes a means to establish their scholarly identity as they contribute to knowledge. However, little is known about researchers’ writing perceptions, and their interrelations with engagement in research, productivity and the influence of workplace climate, which, if negative, can result in burnout and abandonment intentions. In this paper, we explore these issues for the first time. Using a cross-sectional design, 282 postdoctoral researchers answered a cross-cultural questionnaire focusing on engagement, scientific writing, researcher community and burnout, and socio-demographic variables. Data analysis included exploratory factor analysis, T-test, ANOVA or Mann–Whitney U (SPSS, v.22). Results showed that adaptive perceptions of writing were related to higher levels of engagement, lower levels of burnout and productivity; maladaptive perceptions of writing were related to burnout experiences. The consideration of research writing as a developmental process that can take many years beyond the PhD is discussed. Critical to understanding such development is the extent to which a shift in perception of writing to knowledge creation may be a precursor to more adaptive functional behaviours. Educational insights related to constraints in writing, publication processes and related research conditions are also considered.     

Meanings of success and successful leadership in Ontario,Canada, in neo-liberal times

The provincial government of Ontario, Canada, has committed itself to raising student achievement, closing achievement gaps, and increasing the public's confidence in public education. It has introduced many policies, including the Ontario Leadership Strategy (OLS), to support these goals. Our study examined how teachers, administrators, support staff, and parents in three elementary schools in Ontario understand and enact school success and successful school leadership within this (neo-liberal) context. Findings of a comparative analysis of Ontario policy texts and data from interviews with administrators, teachers, support staff, and parents in the schools demonstrate that the school-based participants defined success as academic learning, a positive school climate, and students' well-being. This definition differs from the definition prioritised by Ontario's government: high scores on standardised provincial and international tests. However, principals in the schools enacted leadership practices advocated by OLS to support locally defined notions of success.     

建设我国研究型教师队伍的若干思考

“科研兴国”、“科研兴教”、教学与科研并重，是我国和世界各国教育事业发展的基本策略，我国教师整体科研能力偏弱，严重制约了教育质量的提高和高质量教育的发展。建设研究型教师队伍在实施“科教兴国”战略推行素质教育，培养创造型人才方面具有基础性的作用，研究型教师是实施创新教育的骨干力量，培养研究型教师是我国教师队伍建设的重点之一。我国应当采取切实的措施，坚持教学与科研并举，下大力气提高大中小学教师的科研能力，建设好数量充足的高素质科研型师资队伍，为实施创新教育，培养创造型人才，促进教育事业健康发展，为真正实现“三个面向”奠定师资基础。     

谈美术教研员在教师成长中的作用

以往我们对教师的成长和师资队伍的建设,总是着眼于教师自身的素质及各种业务水平的提高,而对教师成长中的其他因素,比如教师进修制度、进修内容和活动方式,以及地区教研员的作用却很少谈及。随着教育改革的深入,新课程的实施,教师成长的内涵在不断扩大,在当代教育语境下,教研员应起到什么作用?本文对此作一些探讨。     

素质教育中成功的学生标准探析

什么样的学生才算是成功的学生?在素质教育,特别是基础教育改革中,应关注学生的全面发展.智力(包括知识和技能)、人格、社会交往等方面都是学生成功发展的重要因素.