Framework Of Course Research Articles

Kreatív számvitel megítélésének, alkalmazásának vizsgálata

We have chosen creative accounting as the subject of our study, which many people associate with fraud and illegal methods. We asked professionals in the field how they interpret this phenomenon and whether they use it in any of its aspects. To do this, we created a 16-question questionnaire, which we sent out exclusively to accountants and professionals, and closed the door to responses on 8 October 2023, with 134 completed. In this paper, we have focused on the perception of creative accounting, but we have also touched on its application, but we were aware that respondents would be reluctant to answer questions that were too personal and direct. One of our research questions was about perceptions of creative accounting, one was about the importance of accounting principles and two sought to find correlations between the responses. The aim of this study, by sending out the questionnaire, is to improve the perception of creative accounting and to raise awareness of the importance of its use, within a legal framework of course. We would also like to encourage professionals to think that their accounting service should not consist of simply carrying out routine tasks, but that they should consider for each of their companies what activities, and possibly changes in their choices, could help them to achieve optimum operation, tax payments and thus a higher rate of profitability for their company.

Деловая игра как метод развития предпринимательских навыков участия в конкуренции

The article suggests the use of a training tool of a business game in the educational process aimed at the formation of a complete system of professional entrepreneurial competencies. The article aims to expand the possibilities of learning in limited classroom conditions by creating an educational situation as close as possible to the realities of modern business relations practice. To achieve this goal the author set the task of using the tools of a business game in relation to the development of competition skills and competitive relations. As the main scenario of the business game, the author creates a model of the competition situation with the participation of the buyer and several bidders competing for victory in the simulation of competitive procurement. The proposed business game is based on typical real competitive situations in the space of a set of B2B operations, which confirms the relevance of the chosen training method. The article contains a description of the basic scenario and detailed rules of the game. Each of the groups participating in the game is offered its own set of documents of initial information, on the basis of which the participants should build their tactics of negotiations and generating proposals of the competition commission. The article substantiates that in order to win the competition, participants need to take into account both professional and personal relationships of the persons involved in decision-making. The author draws attention to the importance of studying the educational situation as a complete system of relations between real companies with each other. The article shows that the important practical significance of the business game consists in the final session of the analysis of the actions of the participants of the game – the “debriefing” stage. Based on the analysis of the business games sessions conducted, the author identifies the most significant results of students’ participation in the game, their positive impressions and personal unexpected discoveries. The use of the proposed method will be useful for educational organizations as an effective exercise in the framework of courses studying the practice of competition between professional and higher education systems.

Graph Theory: Enhancing Understanding of Mathematical Proofs Using Visual Tools

Mathematical culture is an essential part of general culture, and mathematical proof is the essence of mathematical culture, which plays an essential role in education for sustainable development. The presented research focuses on the following issue: Can the use of visual tools contribute to a better understanding of mathematical proofs presented within the framework of courses in graph theory? The research focuses on Czech university students of computer science. The presented results were achieved in a pedagogical experiment based on a pre-test, treatment and post-test design carried out during three academic years before the COVID pandemic period. In the pre-test and post-test phases, students were tested to determine their level of mathematical logic knowledge. Visual applications were used in teaching in the treatment phase. The research results clearly showed that the use of visual tools supporting formal explanation of mathematical proofs results in better understanding of the abstraction of the presented process and thus contributes significantly to sustainability in mathematical education. Thanks to the use of the mentioned visual tools during the COVID pandemic period, when schools had to switch to on-line education, the students’ results were comparable to those from face-to-face classes.

INNOVATIVE METHODS OF TEACHING THE DISCIPLINE HIGHER MATHEMATICS TO STUDENTS STUDYING CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY AND ENGINEERING

The article discusses some innovative methods that can be used in practical classes in higher mathematics, teaching students of chemical specialties. The possibilities for the development of competencies in complex interuniversity projects are closely related to the issues of classifying all types of interrelationships of disciplines within the framework of courses according to curricula, as well as the choice of additional universal competencies. Mathematics for chemical process engineers is, first of all, a useful tool for solving many chemical and technological problems and tasks. The typical curriculum takes into account the modern needs of related and special disciplines in the mathematical education of students, and consists of four main sections: the foundations of algebra and analytical geometry, mathematical analysis, differential equations, probability theory and mathematical statistics. When writing the article, many years of experience in teaching students of chemical specialties by the department 'Higher Mathematics' of the National Technical University «KhPI» were used. The purpose of the scientific research of teachers and students presented in the article is to increase the competitiveness of Ukrainian technical education in the world market by developing and implementing innovative models and methods. When writing this article, the authors pursued three goals. First, to give the general course of mathematics for students of chemical and related specialties an appropriate professional orientation; secondly, to form in students of the first years of study ideas about the mathematical apparatus, information technologies and the mathematical modeling of modern chemistry and, thirdly, to instill in students the primary skills of building mathematical models of the simplest physical and mathematical processes when studying a mathematics course.

TOURISMOLOGY OF FRANCE IN A SPECIAL COURSE «TOURISM POTENTIAL OF FRENCH-SPEAKING COUNTRIES» (FOR MASTER'S LEVEL ОN SPECIALITY 242 TOURISM)

Problem statement and Purpose. Among the disciplines that form the specialty 242 Tourism in higher educational institutions of Ukraine, one of the main is Tourismology. According to V. Pazenok, V. Fedorchenko, O. Kruchek, T. Dyorova, O. Lyubitseva, M. Malskoy, Y. Zinko, S. Gorky, M. Kiselova, V. Sievers, I. Bratusya, Y. Lyubivoy, E. Slobodenyuk, V. Sich, N. Fomenko, K. Kolomiets, N. Tereshchuk, S. Timchuk, L. Tranchenko, V. Yavorskaya and others, the tourism is a multi-vector scientific direction that unites philosophical, geographical, legal, sociological, cultural, pedagogical and other dimensions, that should be deeply studied by representatives of the vast scientific fields. Joining this point of view, it is possible to add the foreign language and culture dimensions. The purpose of the article is to analyze the interdisciplinary context of training participants in the educational process, within the framework of the Special Course "Tourist Potential of French-Speaking Countries" (the selective block), with a focus on the modern market of educational services and the development of the competencies of higher education recipients necessary in professional contexts. Data & Methods. The research material is French-language scientific academic publications, publications on the specialty and educational materials of the official websites of the leading higher educational institutions of France for tourism, the framework of the courses "Second Foreign Language (French) for Professional Purposes" (general training cycle) and "Tourismology" (the cycle of professional training) with Philosophical methods of using and explaining the contradictory and complex development of intercultural interactions, methods of analysis, analogy, deduction and the axiomatic method. Results. The author's special course on the choice "Tourist potential of French-speaking countries" included in the List 2 (VP 2) for participants in the educational process of the Curriculum for training masters (Branch of knowledge – 24 Sphere of service, specialties of tourist services) is the contribution to the French scientific school (Hoerner J.-M., Sicart C., Marcel Gabriel H., Morfaux M., Frangialli F., Perreault S., Deleuse G., Gauttari P.-F., Blanchard R., Mieges J., Defert P. & others) and the Interest for French the tourist sphere of Odessa and Odessa region thanks to the powerful francophone layer. It represents the systematization of scientific approaches of French specialists to the understanding of the phenomenon of tourism with a brief analysis of the tourist attractiveness of the French-speaking countries and Dependent Territories where French is the official language and consist of 120 hours: 20-classroom, 26-practical and 74-independent. Four semantic modules are: Tourismology of France and the components of the tourist potential of France; The tourist potential of the French-speaking countries of Europe and Canada; Tourist potential of French-speaking countries in Africa; Islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, Caribbean Sea & Dependent territories where french is official. This interdisciplinary course expand the boundaries of the above programs at the Tourism Department of Geological and Geographical Faculty of Odessa I. I. Mechnikov National University.

The image of a woman in the Kazakh worldview: philosophical and anthropological analysis

Attention to the study of the role of women and their image in philosophy is of constant interest, since this issue has both worldview and practical significance. Today, interest in studying the understanding of the image of a woman in the national tradition is acquiring special significance. In the context of constant transformation of the structure of modern society under pressure from various aspects the image of a woman, her function and role in society undergoes changes. First of all, the reasons for the change in the image of a woman are the pragmatization of human relations, a change in value orientations, the complication of the process of gender and national self-identification. The purpose of the research is to identify the specifics of understanding the image of a woman in the Kazakh traditional philosophical worldview. The methodological basis of the research was the systemic and socio-cultural approaches, which made it possible to comprehend the role of the image of a woman in the system of worldview in general and the worldview of the era of poetsimprovisers in particular. The scientific significance of the work lies in the development of the concept of the image of a woman, in the identification of its semantic aspects, philosophical foundations and connections in the worldview of the Kazakhs. The practical significance of the work lies in the possibility of its use in the educational process within the framework of courses on the history of philosophy, cultural studies, religious studies, in a special course on Kazakh philosophy.

The role of artefacts in developing competences in physical education: exploring students’ experience and knowledge built in action

ABSTRACT Introduction The introduction of competence-based approach in international educational official documents has been justified by the development of more active learning methods to respond to social and equality challenges for students. Competence is defined as a situated activity composed of several components, especially knowledge built in action that is transferrable between familiar contexts. Purpose From an activity analysis in situation, the study investigated students’ lived experience in learning situations proposed by the teacher when they seek to develop competences. The aim was to identify, from the students’ point of view, (i) how they built and typified knowledge during each lesson of a teaching unit and (ii) how they perceive the role of artefacts in supporting this process of developing competences. Method Based on the theoretical framework of course of action [Theureau, J. 2006. Le cours d’action: Méthode dévelopée. Toulouse: Octarès], a case study was conducted in a French school with two students, Mary and Maisy (Both aged 14 years; changed names) during a unit of six lessons in table tennis. Three types of data were collected: the teacher’s objectives for each learning experience in the unit; audio-video records of the activity of students and teacher; students’ verbalizations during self-confrontation interviews after each lesson. Three steps were undertaken for data analysis: transcription of data and construction of a two-level protocol; identification of the components involved in the process of typifying knowledge (perceptions and knowledge) and their categorization; analysis of constructed and transferred knowledge with regards to the teacher’s objectives to identify meaningful moments of typifying knowledge and to understand the role of artefacts in student learning. Findings Three meaningful moments for the students are analyzed here. Two moments referring to knowledge built were expected by the teacher. One was related to ‘exchanges quality improvement’ with students by using a symbolic artefact (for counting the score) and the development of various learner perceptions. The other moment was related to ‘services quality improvement,’ by using a material artefact (a cone) to help develop good services. The third meaningful moment referred to knowledge that was unexpected by the teacher. It is related to the misuse of an artefact by the students (the time-out introduced by the teacher). This artefact focused the student on winning 10 points without typifying knowledge expected by the teacher. Those results show how students construct and typify knowledge in action from their perception of artefacts introduced by the teacher, to develop competences. Discussion Those findings are discussed around the risk of ‘over complexification’ of learning designs through use of many artefacts for developing competences in PE; the importance of developing various perceptions in typifying knowledge; and the teacher’s guidance for an appropriate use of artefacts for learning. Implications The observations in this study raised questions over the conditions in which artefacts are introduced for helping developed competence in learners. Several implications are discussed, including the stability, number and shape of artefacts; the teacher’s guidance for helping students in learning artefact use and the meaning they give in action, and the development of various perceptions to help typify knowledge.

Developing a Framework to Measure Competency Levels of Students with Special Needs to Attend Advanced Vocational Courses

: Students with special needs (MBK) should not be considered students who fail or have no future. Although MBKs are those with intellectual problems or shortcomings, they may have strengths or powers in other areas that need to be identified and improved. The respondents who were the sample of this study were 44 people consisting of MBK with intellectual disability, dyslexia, and visual impairment. This research employed instruments of academic success perception (α = 0.78, construct validity = 0.85), multiple intelligences (α = 0.86, construct validity = 0.87), and interview protocol to recognise the dominant aspects of MBK to build further the framework of courses advanced/vocational following the interests of the respondents. The dominant aspect for the perception of academic success was External / Future (μ = 3.43, SD = 0.38), while the most dominant aspect for multiple intelligences was Visual-Spatial Intelligence (μ = 3.22, SD = 0.46). The dominant aspects were also very relevant to MBK’s choice of advanced/vocational courses, particularly cooking, bakery, sewing, carpentry, entrepreneurs, logistics, and mechanics. It is hoped that this study’s conclusions can present information on the courses that are the authentic choice among MBKs for consideration by stakeholders in offering advanced/vocational courses to this group.

Online blended learning in the digital environment

The article presents the results of a study of the processes of educational activity in the context of the digital revolution. The authors focus on the scale of the spread of digital technologies, the provision of users with electronic means of communication, and the availability of the Internet network for argumentation of the established global information society. It was noted that in the context of the digital revolution, the face of manufacturing industries is changing. Market engagement platforms facilitate the diffusion of innovation and transformation of business models. In the context of the analyzed processes, the requirements for personnel are changing. The demand for professionals trained to work in a digital environment is expected to grow. It is hypothesized that personnel capable of research work, management of the processing of large data arrays and relevant information on the controlled or investigated object will have a high value. It is suggested that within the framework of courses on in-depth study of the use of tools of modern information systems, students should acquire the practice of independent work in the functional areas of information systems of business organizations. These can be separate information subsystems serving individual functions, processes, departments, for example, information systems and technologies of procurement, production, sales, processes for developing and implementing business development goals and strategies. The development and implementation of online blended learning courses aimed at organizing the learning environment can speed up the processes of training personnel to work in a digital environment. The authors express the point of view-network blended learning will be relevant for the training of developers and users of information systems, the development of engineering and technical and humanitarian competencies.

Design and implementation of adaptive technology for teaching mathematics to school children based on integrated diagnostic approach to subject preparation and competence development

The development of school teaching systems to enable effective adaptive communication of information requires specific pedagogical solutions to several important theoretical and methodological problems .These include 1) the discernment of basic characteristics needed to diagnose and improve the quality of subject preparation for schoolchildren, 2) clarifying the role of the teacher in the structure of adaptive learning process, and 3) finding ways to integrate adaptive content into the framework of courses on mathematics. The purpose of our study was to determine theoretical and methodological foundations of teaching mathematics to schoolchildren taking into account their level of ability with the consequent development of appropriate adaptive content. The basic characteristics that underpin the concept of adaptive learning which contributes to both individual profiles of student ability to learn and subsequent success outcomes are: proficiency, motivation to learn and level of mathematical knowledge. The evaluation of individual profile structure of schoolchildren determines the choice of methodologies for presentation of adaptive content in ways allowing development and motivation. The system of educational process management developed in this way includes both content-methodical and procedural-technological components. This makes it possible to automatically evaluate the level of each students' mathematical training (knowledge, motivation, development) and to ensure continuous improvement. This system can also be used by secondary teachers of mathematics as a part of extracurricular activities, or as a distance learning support. In addition, the recommendations for structuring multi-level problem material can be used by mathematics teachers to self-construct adaptive sets tasks at various stages of teaching mathematics. As a result, students have the opportunity to improve their own profile of learning success, particularly by solving a chain of tasks.

Listening to the voice of students, developing a service quality measuring and evaluating framework for a special course

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to propose a service quality measuring and evaluating framework for courses that are not part of the regular end-of-semester course evaluation system because of their special characteristics. The results of an academic year-long application are also to be demonstrated.Design/methodology/approachBased on the SERVQUAL methodology and specific models proposed in the literature, altogether 26 statements related to project works were formulated, in case of which, students rated both the importance and performance addressed in each statement on a seven-point Likert scale. With an average 68 per cent response rate and more than 500 filled out questionnaires, importance-performance analyses complemented with statistical analysis were executed to investigate whether there are any differences between the different levels of project work courses, programmes, levels of studies and sub-departments. These results were then followed by focus group interviews by further addressing the importance issues.FindingsBased on the joint conclusions drawn from the statistical analyses and extracted from focus groups, those statements were highlighted that can be considered as dealing with critical to quality issues. The results have been utilized to adjust the questionnaire according to the “voice of students”.Research limitations/implicationsA complex approach is adopted to measure and evaluate service quality on a course level in the form of a post-course questionnaire. The first results lay the foundation for managerial decisions related to project work courses and supervising processes according to the plan–do–check–act philosophy.Originality/valueDuring project works, students can master the necessary professional knowledge and those inevitable soft skills that are needed to be successful in the labour market. Therefore, the measurement and evaluation of project work courses may provide new information on course-level service quality and may be linked to total student experience results.

To the Question of Use of Historical Texts of G. F. Kvitka-Osnovyanenko in Modern Educational Literature on the History of Slobodska Ukraine

The article highlights the role and significance of the historical works of G.F. Kvitka-Osnovyanenko in teaching compulsory courses and disciplines for the choice of students on the history of Sloboda Ukraine in higher education. The aim of the article is to highlight the information potential of the writer's works on historical subjects, attracting the attention of scientists and teachers to his legacy. It is proved that the most informative potential is possessed by such works of the writer as “On the Slobodskiy Regiments”, “The Foundation of Kharkov. Ancient tradition”, “About Kharkov and district cities of the Kharkov province”, “Ukrainians”. The writer's heritage has become a significant contribution to the study of the history of the region. The data collected and published by him were confirmed in historical studies of the following years, and some of the information is unique and almost serves as the only source on some issues. His works are saturated with both statistical materials and emotional sketches, attempts to convey the features of everyday life, language, psychology of behavior of the region's inhabitants. Therefore, the potential for the use of his works in educational literature, and therefore in the framework of courses on regional and Ukrainian history, remains quite significant. Historians, firstly, have an emphasis on which evidence is unique, the only source of information. Secondly, the use of masterful descriptions from the writer's works will make it possible to make the presentation of questions of the political, socio-economic and cultural history of the region more vivid and emotionally rich. Thirdly, we believe that providing them with a characterization in the educational literature, using the writer's works at seminars and lectures, it is necessary to explain in detail the specifics of those fragments of texts containing the characteristics of Ukrainians, Slobozhans, Malorossovs national peculiarities, the presence of evaluations committed to Russia, etc. through the prism of self-identification of the population of the region and all Ukrainians lands in order to show its evolution in the XIX-XX centuries.

National defence training of public administration personnel in Poland

<i>National defence training of public administration personnel can be broadly defined as a set of activities undertaken at all levels of public administration, aimed at preparing staff to perform official duties concerned with state defence. This paper opens with the presentation of essential areas of national defence training. The subsequent section provides an overview of implementations of national defence training at various levels of public administration and at Higher Universities. The final part of this analysis describes the assumptions of a new didactic framework of courses in defence for public administration and national authorities at the Faculty of National Security of War Studies University in Warsaw.</i>

Dynamics of student interactions: an empirical study of orienteering lessons in physical education

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Many studies in physical education (PE) have sought to identify and categorize the modes of student interaction in order to gain greater insight into the nature of cooperative activity. More others recent studies have examined how modes of interaction evolve on the basis of the modes of collective activity that they generate. These studies have shown to describe and explain the interactions among individuals and the processes they generate, which then lead to the construction, deconstruction or reconstruction of different interaction modes. Although some studies have sought to describe the dynamics of student interactions, very few have quantified these dynamics. By doing so, however, researchers might gain a new perspective on student interaction modes that inspires new designs for teaching in PE, thereby having professional impact. The present study extends this research by investigating the dynamics of student interaction, with a focus on the emergence of interaction modes during orienteering lessons. For this purpose, the study was conducted within the methodological framework of course of action theory, which is an effective approach for examining activity in natural situations to provide insight into the experience of activity from the actors perspective.Method: The study was conducted in two classes of seventh-grade students (about 12 years old) in which 16 students volunteered and were available for post-action interviews immediately after the lessons under study. These volunteers were placed in eight affinity-based dyads. The teachers planned orienteering lessons at similar levels of difficulty and duration but modified the lessons across a range of contextual features. Two categories of data were collected: (1) data from audiovisual recordings as the students searched for the checkpoints and (2) verbalization data during the post-action interviews with the students. The data were processed in two steps: one qualitative, the other quantitative. The qualitative step consisted of processing the data of the student experiences to characterize their interactions in the three different contexts. In the quantitative step, the data from the first step were graphically represented to depict the interaction dynamics within the student dyads.Results and discussion: The qualitative analysis showed the emergence of three modes of student interaction shared across each learning context: co-construction, confrontation and delegation. The quantitative analysis revealed the percentages of the different modes of interaction and therefore characterized the interaction dynamics. Our results showed that the interaction dynamics within the dyads were both unique and similar in the task contexts in terms of both ratios of change and distribution. Results are discussed across two major points of interest: (1) the observation of the same interaction modes whatever the context yet with quite different dynamics and (2) proposals for PE teacher interventions.

Towards improving content and instruction of the ‘TESOL/TEFL for Special Needs’ course: an action research study

Action research (AR) – as a participatory, problem-oriented methodology – has been employed recently in Egypt to resolve complicated classroom and learning problems, and provide context-based solutions. Simultaneously, new ‘special education’ courses have been included recently in the university bylaws of Egyptian colleges of education. This imposes challenges, especially on course design and content selection. The present study therefore aimed at negotiating and improving the structure and delivery of a new special education language-learning course entitled ‘TESOL/TEFL for Special Needs’ taught to English majors (English as a foreign language [EFL] student-teachers) at Assiut University College of Education, and reaching a final framework. Therefore, an AR methodology of two cycles was employed with two different groups of English majors throughout two successive semesters during the academic year 2012/13: the first group included 106 junior general-section EFL student-teachers (first semester, 2012); and the second group consisted of 51 senior primary-stage EFL student-teachers (second semester, 2013). Data collection tools were used for both formative and summative evaluation purposes, and thus varied both at the initial stage and during iterations. They included questionnaires, online diaries, semi-structured interviews, final feedback reports and follow-up logs. The two AR cycles resulted in a final framework of course structure/content along with some suggestions and guidelines on how to deliver it. Moreover, some implications for teaching EFL to students with special educational needs as well as some conclusions related to using AR in Egypt to resolve many teaching/learning problems were presented.

Use of a “Coping-Modeling, Problem-Solving” Program in Business Ethics Education

During the last decade, scholars have identified a number of factors that pose significant challenges to effective business ethics education. This article offers a “coping-modeling, problem-solving” (CMPS) approach (Cunningham, 2006) as one option for addressing these concerns. A rationale supporting the use of the CMPS framework for courses on ethical decision-making in business is provided, following which the implementation processes for this program are described. Evaluative data collected from N = 101 undergraduate business students enrolled in a third year required course on ethical decision-making in business indicated that the CMPS model is a promising alternative for both overcoming teaching challenges and for facilitating skill acquisition in the areas of ethical recognition, judgment, and action. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed.

Overview of limitations, and proposals for improvement, in education and capacity building of Ecohydrology

Ecohydrology has the potential to make a significant contribution to the global need for improved water resources management. An investigation was conducted into educational and capacity building activities related to ecohydrology in an effort to better integrate understanding, promote awareness of existing activities, and to recommend action for global knowledge translation. Based on a survey of key partners and a review of the literature, three key observations were made: 1) consistency in the use of the definition and key concepts behind ecohydrology must be achieved, 2) development of a framework for courses in ecohydrology be developed for application on a regional and global scale and 3) there may be existing educational materials on ecohydrology but they are not well publicized or accessible even to seasoned practitioners. These recommendations are currently being implemented with the development and testing of three pilot courses.

Virtual Education: Teaching Media Studies in Second Life

Following the adoption of the virtual world Second Life by tertiary educational institutions worldwide, a limited study was conducted at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University to test the feasibility and desirability of employing a virtual environment to conduct classes. 30 tutorials were held in Second Life over a period of five weeks in support of a course on Media Studies with 60 students. Feedback was gathered continuously from students and the lecturer via informal interviews, feedback forms, and participant observation. The results proved most of the initial hypotheses wrong, but supported the value of virtual teaching and learning in a well-supported institutional environment. The paper emphasises the need to integrate virtual environments into the educational framework of courses and for a careful consideration of the educational aims and uses of virtual worlds within specific courses.

Constructing a language assessment knowledge base: A focus on language assessment courses

The competencies required for conducting assessment in the educational context have recently been reformulated in view of social constructivist perspectives and the acknowledgement of the role of classroom assessment in promoting learning. These changes have impacted the knowledge base language assessors need to obtain, and hence the contents of language assessment courses. This paper considers the possible components of a language assessment literacy knowledge base, and proposes the establishment of a core knowledge framework for courses in language assessment.

Why the Notion of Victorian BritainDoesMake Sense

Why the Notion of Victorian Britain Does Make Sense Martin Hewitt (bio) From its very outset, Victorian studies has been marked by evasiveness and embarrassment about the chronological limits that define its identity. No one, Richard Price observed in 1990, has ever taken the period qua period seriously. 1 From the foundational classics of the field to the recent surveys of Philip Davis and K. T. Hoppen, the Victorian period has been shaped by a scholarship that has either molded the terminal dates of Victoria's reign to its own ends, or prefaced studies of the period with the apparently obligatory admission that it doesn't really exist. Significantly, Victorian Studies has never been able to publish a defense of the period to balance observations like Morse Peckham's in 1967: "If we think that there once actually existed 'Victorian culture' we shall for ever be hopelessly confused" (277). There are some signs that scholars are finally prepared to begin a more thorough interrogation of the category of the Victorian, although hitherto such work has been largely from the perspective of literary studies rather than cultural history. 2 No doubt in some respects this skepticism is sensible and beneficial. All historical periods have only partial validity. Periodization may, as Hoppen has suggested, be "a mischievous conception" (2); historical boundaries are permeable, and questioning the nature and positioning of chronological markers helps to avoid closing off fruitful lines of inquiry. But periods are also, as Hoppen concedes, "a methodological necessity" (2), for they structure our attempts to understand the past. At present we seem determined to have our cake and eat it—to resist any attempts at synthetic interpretation while clinging to the "Victorian" not just as an organizing framework for courses and journals, but as a framing device for our analyses, a convention against which we can read individual examples. This is not a productive ambiguity. Our unwillingness to define period coherence or distinctiveness vitiates deployments of the "Victorian," whether denotative or connotative, and lays open to question the whole idea of "Victorian studies" as a scholarly [End Page 395] endeavor. If we want to do more than hide lazily behind a badge of convenience, we must either abandon "Victorian" as definitional or seek to construct the boundaries of its meaningfulness, not least by establishing the meaningfulness of its boundaries. As a question of cultural rather than more narrowly literary history, it seems, on the face of it, counterintuitive not to think of the Victorian as a period, whether conceived of as lodged between the profound transformations of the Romantic era and the emergence of Modernism, or situated between a long eighteenth century and the twentieth-century world. Despite the predictable challenge posed by the chronological divisions imposed on the new Oxford History of England series, readers of both Boyd Hilton's A Mad, Bad, Dangerous People: England 1783–1846 (2006) and G. R. Searle's pointedly titled A New England? War and Peace, 1886–1918 (2004) will find it very hard to escape a sense not just of the inevitable transformations of each substantial period, but of the concentration of these changes around the margins of Victoria's reign. In contrast, it is difficult to evaluate the case against the Victorian as a cultural period. With the exception of Price, whose analysis, by his own admission, pays only limited attention to culture, skeptics have rarely sought to do more than chisel away at the margins. Where hostility to the Victorian period goes beyond dislike of periodization per se, or dismay at some of its dangers, it appears to rest on a number of unnecessary assumptions: that to claim a Victorian period is to propose a significance for the reign of Victoria itself; to identify abrupt caesurae at the period's beginning and end; to ignore any changes that took place during the intervening years; and perhaps, above all, to see the timeframe as possessing a series of unique and universally applicable characteristics usually defined in terms of "zeitgeist," "temper," or "spirit of the age." None of these propositions are advanced here. The boundaries of the Victorian period are fuzzy, but even so, the years around the mid-1830s and...