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Taking into account the statistical data from 2004, about 12,300 Roma citizens live in Moldova, which represents 0.4% of the total population. Gypsies call themselves Roma in the Romani language of Europe. Given the challenge created by the lack of reliable and accurate data on the Roma population available from existing Moldovan statistics, the United Nations Development Program in Moldova initiated, in 2005, the first quantitative study covering 600 Roma households and 600 non-Roma households in 81 localities. Conducting surveys on settlements occupied predominantly by the Roma population has allowed the follow-up of results that eventually led to highlighting the aspects of life conditions, health and education system of Roma population.

Speaking about the factors that condition migration, family reasons are mentioned most often. Although official statistics do not provide disaggregated data on life expectancy, infant and maternal mortality for Roma, statistical data show that life expectancy, infant mortality, morbidity and other major health indicators in the Republic of Moldova (as in other countries in the region) are substantial more precarious for the Roma than for the majority of the population. School education is an important aspect in terms of both school attendance and learning outcomes, as the chance of success in life is generally higher with a higher education level. Qualitative education implies not only inclusion in the educational system, but also family participation in socialisation and support for early integration of children.

To improve social studies teaching and learning, teachers must engage in quality professional development experiences to deepen their pedagogical content knowledge. This article describes a Master of Education for Experienced Teachers (M.Ed.) program that reconcepulatized graduate study for teachers, using Alan Tom’s (1999) markers for reform — ongoing self-improvement, a commitment to working together collegially, and a focus on student learning. We describe each of the markers and the experiences of the social studies cohort enrolled in this program. We hope that by sharing our efforts to revitalize graduate study for social studies teachers, we will stimulate continued, thoughtful reflection and discourse.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to design and implement a model of cultural-responsiveness within a social studies teacher education program. Specifically, we sought to understand how pre-service grades 6-12 social studies practitioners construct culturally responsive teaching (CRT) in their lesson planning. In addition, we examined the professional barriers that prevented teacher-candidates from actualizing culturally responsive pedagogy. Incorporating a conceptual model of Review, Reflect, and React, 20 teacher candidates in a social studies methods course engaged CRT theory and practice. Thematic analysis of lesson plans and clinical reflections indicated successful proponents of CRT critically analyzed their curriculum, explored the diverse needs of their students, and engaged learners in culturally appropriate social studies pedagogy. Findings also showed that unsuccessful CRT was characterized by a lack of content knowledge, resistance from the cooperating teacher, and a reliance on the textbook materials.

Despite the exponential spread of the British Empire by the late nineteenth century, there remained in England a continued indifference to “the Empire”. In 1883, J.R. Seeley, Regius Professor of Modern History in the University of Cambridge, had expressed concern because ‘we think of Great Britain too much and of Greater Britain too little’. People had to rethink their understandings of nation and empire, he suggested, and steps had to be taken to modify what he saw as a ‘defective constitution’. Seeley’s lecture series had prompted debate about ‘the imperial question’, but the ‘anomalous political arrangements’ and the reluctance of the people to think imperially persisted. Insularity was not exclusive to the people in Britain, however. Because of their preoccupation with their own local affairs, it was suggested, there had been little opportunity for people from other parts of the empire to devote much time to the larger questions of imperial and common citizenship.

The tendency shows that more customers will bring and use their mobile devices in-store. This study proposes a further analysis of the complementary role of the mobile device in an in-store purchase providing a characterisation of those customers and analyses their usage preferences and behaviour intentions, presenting new insights concerning gender and generation preferences.

Quantitative research with customers of electronic stores was conducted based on a questionnaire applied at the store’s exit. To assess the differences between genders and among generations were used the parametric T-Test and one-way ANOVA.

The results demonstrate divergencies between generations when using mobile devices. In addition, they indicate that males have more intention to manage shopping tasks efficiently and consequently are less affected by in-store marketing stimuli and less predisposed to impulse purchases.

Although real customers participated, a convenience sample was used. The results should be compared with research on other retailer types. The customer shopping motivations and the types of mobile device usage should be further investigated since they can change the experience and the retailer’s outcomes.

Contributing to related specific research areas such as shopping behaviour and technology in retail settings by showing the usage preferences, the study also provides information for retailers, especially those needing to approach the Gen Z customers, improving the development of strategies.

This research explores further the complementary role of the mobile device in an in-store purchase. By conducting the study in a new setting, it brings new insight into a less explored, yet important sector.

The purpose of this paper is to illuminate for social studies teachers and teacher educators the ways in which students' disciplinary writing is scaffolded within the context of the inquiry design model; trends in such scaffolding are called “the learner's pathway,” since it leads students to more abstract levels of historical argumentation. The author argues that engaging historical writing genres is a necessary component of historical thinking and that understanding the ways that teachers support students' historical writing capacities can help them to make more intentional choices when building inquiries.

To study genre-related scaffolding across inquiries, this study draws on systemic functional linguistics (SFL)-based genre theory as an analytical structure and seventy-four history-focused secondary social studies inquiries to determine any patterns in the ways that teachers scaffold students' writing genres through an inquiry.

Findings suggest that there is a learner's pathway that teachers use to develop students' argumentative writing capacities; however, there is also evidence to suggest that notetaking and source synthesis are not valued instructional products, limiting the potential impact of historical thinking work within the inquiry process.

The existence of this learner's pathway has implications for the ways that teachers and preservice teachers can be professionally developed to leverage this pathway. Rather than the often-used methods of support students' generic writing capacities, professional development should focus on the ways social studies teachers can guide students to more abstract reasoning through their writing. This study's findings also have implications for the ways that social studies teachers assess students' summative arguments. Assessment practices should focus on the genre-features of “argument” rather than just the stages of the argumentative essay.

This piece is original because genre-based research is missing from much of the social studies education research. This study's findings present an additional paradigm through which social studies teachers and teacher leaders can explore the purposes of historical writing tasks and assessment.

The focus of special education around the globe may be to provide specialized instruction to meet unique needs of children to help them achieve their full potential. However, each country around the globe may also have its own unique issues, barriers, legal frames, policies, and practices, as well as a history of its origin and evolution of policies and practices that govern special education in that country. This chapter describes how special education in Spain originated and evolved to its current state. It includes the following chapter sections: origins of special education in Spain; legislative acts; prevalence and incidence of various recognized disability areas; an overview of Spain’s education system including special needs education; current assessment and intervention practices; teacher education practices; family involvement considerations; and future challenges to special education.

This chapter refers to basic qualities of art learning in relation to citizenship education. It aims to explore pedagogical principles and methods/strategies through examples of artistic practices in different settings and instances, emphasizing cultural and democratic dialogue.

Artistic practices in education are explored through documentation and visual data and reveal different ways of learning and thinking that incorporate inclusive and critical approaches to art education. Documentation encompasses (1) examples of artistic initiatives in Europe including Cyprus and (2) the researcher's initiatives reported through visual notes in informal and formal types of educational settings. Documentation exposes creative processes and strategies significant for learning in, about and through art and introduces visual research methods as a meaningful and democratic way of teaching and learning the visual arts. Findings reveal features of art learning emphasizing cultural dialogue, pluralism and creative processes based on active and participatory art education approaches.

Special education today in the Ukraine is dramatically different than its early origins which stressed communal guardianship for persons with disabilities to its current movement to inclusive education. The journey to inclusive education was inconsistent due to a variety of elements such as the collapse of the Russian Monarchy, a series of different governments and social-political structures, World War II and membership in the USSR which stressed a unification of the education system. However, special education professionals who worked at the Special Education Pedagogy Institute of the National Academy of Pedagogical Sciences continued to research and develop a philosophical instructional framework to educate students with disabilities that includes theoretical and practical aspects of inclusive education. This chapter provides a detailed description of this framework as well as prevalence and school placements aspects, classification and assessment parameters, and the impact of legislation for free public education. The chapter concludes with challenges to inclusive education such as attitude modification, infusing necessary teacher instructional strategies, and the incorporation of best practices from special education to regular education settings.