It is increasingly common for parents to decide to raise their children in a language that is neither their native tongue nor the language of the society in which they live. For example, in Spain it is increasingly common to hear Spanish parents speaking to their children in English in the park or after school. Often, these […] … learn more→

Imagine someone buying an appliance on installments, without understanding that they will pay double its value. A young couple using their first credit card as if it were extra money, without thinking about the accrued interest. Or a politician offering unlimited subsidies or nationalizing savings. In each case, ignorance weighs more heavily than a lack […] … learn more→

The Victorian government has announced it will send social workers to 20 of the state’s schools to try to reduce violent youth crime. It will spend A$5.6 million on “targeted” schools next year. The aim is to “intervene early in the lives of children who are heading down the wrong path […] drifting towards violence, crime and […] … learn more→

Since the release of ChatGPT in late 2022, millions of people have started using large language models to access knowledge. And it’s easy to understand their appeal: Ask a question, get a polished synthesis and move on – it feels like effortless learning. However, a new paper I co-authored offers experimental evidence that this ease […] … learn more→

Most research proposals, dissertations and funding bids start off with some kind of problem statement. A research/thesis problem statement needs to do several interconnected things to work well. At its core, it needs to articulate what specific issue or puzzle your research addresses. This is the “problem” part. But it’s not just about stating that […] … learn more→

Most research development models assume that time, energy, and executive functioning are equally distributed across scholars. They aren’t. Especially not for early career researchers in teaching-heavy roles, and certainly not for neurodivergent academics trying to survive in systems not designed for their minds. We need a better way to support scholarly growth—one that respects rhythm, […] … learn more→

Teenagers all over the world use social media and messaging apps as part of their daily lives. This is accompanied by growing concerns about negative effects of social media on youth mental health – and ongoing debates around limiting screen time and access to digital devices. What’s frequently missing in these conversations, though, is what teenagers […] … learn more→

Debates about generative artificial intelligence on college campuses have largely centered on student cheating. But focusing on cheating overlooks a larger set of ethical concerns that higher education institutions face, from the use of copyrighted material in large language models to student privacy. As a sociologist who teaches about AI and studies the impact of this technology on work, […] … learn more→

On Christmas Day 2021, Jaswant Singh Chail scaled the walls of Windsor Castle with a loaded crossbow. When confronted by police, he stated: “I’m here to kill the queen.” In the preceding weeks, Chail had been confiding in Sarai, his AI chatbot on a service called Replika. He explained that he was a trained Sith assassin (a reference to […] … learn more→

An increasing number of Australian school students are applying for an early offer to university, before they have their exam results back. Last Thursday, nearly 16,000 students in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory got an early offer through the University Admissions Centre, after a 3% growth in applications from last year. This […] … learn more→