Showing papers in "British Educational Research Journal in 2000"

The Tyranny of Transparency

Abstract: What might an academic and a social anthropologist have to say about ‘making the invisible visible’? Taking its title from a paper by Tsoukas (‘The Tyranny of Light’), the result is a short excursu...

Students' Experiences of Ability Grouping—disaffection, polarisation and the construction of failure†

Abstract: This paper reports findings from the first two years of a four-year longitudinal study into the ways that students' attitudes towards, and achievement in, mathematics are influenced by ability-grouping practices in six schools. Through the use of questionnaires administered to the whole cohort of 943 students, interviews with 72 students and approximately 120 hours of classroom observation, the relative achievement in, and the changes in attitudes towards, mathematics are traced as the students move from year 8 to year 9, with students in four of the six schools moving from mixed-ability grouping to homogenous ability groups or 'sets'. Ability-grouping was associated with curriculum polarisation. This was enacted through restriction of opportunity to learn for students in lower sets, and students in top sets being required to learn at a pace which was, for many students, incompatible with understanding. The same teachers employed a more restricted range of teaching approaches with 'homogeneous' groups tha...

Learning Careers: Continuity and change in young people's dispositions to learning

Abstract: Despite an extensive literature on the subject of learning, very little has been written about the ways in which young people's dispositions to learning transform over time. This article draws upon a longitudinal research project which focused on such transformations. The article centres on the case of Amanda Ball and considers the implications which her story holds for our understanding of learning. It is shown that dispositions can transform in a short period of time and that such transformations are often linked, in complex ways, to wider social, economic and cultural contexts.

Student attitudes, image and the gender gap

Abstract: This article, based on a 3 year study in East Anglian schools, draws on a range of evidence pointing to different attitudes of girls and boys to General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) work. Suggestions are made to account for these differences, with particular emphasis being placed on peer pressure, image and social groupings. Although these are relevant to both sexes, it was found to be more acceptable for girls to work hard and still be part of the 'in crowd', whilst boys were under greater pressure to conform to a 'cool', masculine image, and were more likely to be ridiculed for working hard. The article concludes by suggesting that one approach to closing the current gender gap may be to enable boys in school to move beyond the stereotypical image of the macho male.

Social Capital: Exploring the theoretical foundations of community development education

Abstract: Social capital as a concept has over the last decade or more been gaining significance in relation to a number of linked fields of analyses, including the identification of factors influencing educational attainment; explanations of differing levels of participation in formal and informal adult education; and conditions necessary to the construction and enhancement of institutions and practices conducive to lifelong learning. Within these contexts, social capital has come to be defined in a variety of ways, all of which have been linked to collective norms, values and relationships reflecting the involvement of human individuals in 'a common life based on family and community'. In this respect, social capital enhancement appears to have direct links with community development education in that community development is generally defined as a social learning process which serves to empower individuals and to involve them as citizens in collective activities aimed at socio-economic development. In this contr...

Does educational research matter

Abstract: This article endeavours to set British educational research in the context of national and international economic developments and to take account of national educational policy making and educational practice. It addresses seven questions: What does the term educational research include? What are the major tasks of educational research? What are its successes? What are its failures? Why is educational research attacked so frequently? Would we miss it if it did not exist? How can we enhance the value of educational research? It is argued that the scope of educational research is broad, covering different techniques and methodologies and many aspects of the educative process, both formal and informal. Four main tasks emerge: to observe and record systematically; to analyse and draw out implications; to publish findings; and, crucially, to attempt to improve educational processes and outcomes. British educational researchers can point to a substantial corpus of successful work, ranging from large-scale long...

Reforming Motivation: How the structure of instruction affects students’ learning experiences

Abstract: Over the past decade, several US school and instructional reforms have sought ways to counter trends of mediocrity in education. These reforms are grounded in structural motivation theories which postulate that students' learning experiences are optimised when instruction is authentic, challenging, demands skills, and allows for student autonomy. This study set out to investigate empirically the effects of these four structural characteristics of instruction on students' learning experiences. Using a unique methodological design, the current investigation measures students' learning experiences with a confirmatory factor analysis. The four factors which emerged are next predicted with a series of structural variables. The results show that high quality learning experiences are indeed authentic, allow choice, and demand student skills. Boring and alienated experiences are produced when these instructional characteristics are absent. The findings suggest that the structures of instruction that disaffect students are overwhelmingly represented in students' daily school life; those that spark their hearts are not frequent enough to motivate students. They also imply that students do not have a general tendency to be emotionally depressed in school; rather, they perceive their experiences to be highly influenced by specific structural characteristics of instruction.

Using Projective Techniques in Education Research

Abstract: Projective techniques are unusual and often intriguing for respondents to complete, permitting them to express thoughts and feelings which can be difficult to access by direct and structured questioning. This is achieved by presenting respondents with ambiguous verbal or visual stimulus materials, such as bubble cartoons, which they need to make sense of by drawing from their own experiences, thoughts, feelings and imagination before they can offer a response. Importantly, projective techniques can be fun and engaging for respondents, especially when they become involved in their analysis and interpretation. The various types of projective techniques are described and their benefits and drawbacks examined. A project involving students completing a range of projective techniques is used to illustrate these benefits and drawbacks.

Social Conditions for Stress: Young People's Experience of Doing GCSEs.

Abstract: This article describes and analyses the experiences of 15–16 year-olds in the East Midlands of England in relation to the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) In particular, it focuses on the way that GCSEs constitute a new and distinct source of stress in the already stressful lives of young people Using data from Economic and Social Research Council funded research involving a large-scale questionnaire survey, focus groups and interviews, it is argued that, when doing GCSEs in years 10 and 11 at school, the stress experienced by young people can be linked to the social conditions of late modernity In this social context there is a tendency to approach GCSEs from a self-centred and instrumental perspective, which emphasises the need for good results in terms of their utility for getting a job or continuing in education, and their value in relation to self-identity and self-worth Seen in this light, the stress stems from the fact that GCSEs constitute a fateful moment in the life trajecto

Do Teachers Support Causal Understanding through their Discourse when Teaching Primary Science

Abstract: Understanding is a requirement of the National Curriculum for Science. To what extent do teachers press for causal understanding through their discourse in primary science lessons? Fifty Key Stage 2 primary science lessons (years 3-6; 7 + -10 + years) were observed in the north-east of England and the nature of the discourse was examined. There were low levels of teacher discourse that related explicitly to causes and reasons. Discourse relating to facts and description was much more common. Further, discourse to do with causes and reasons with younger children tended to occur less than with older children and that of non-specialist teachers tended to be less than that of subject specialists. Some potential explanations are described. A possible way to encourage a press for causal understanding in science through teacher discourse is suggested.

Gender and Computing: Not the same old problem

Abstract: The decline in numbers of women on computing courses in higher education has been the subject of much comment. However, the debate has moved from a 'women and computing' approach to a more sophisticated theorisation of gender. We suggest that computing also requires better theorisation. Computing is most usefully characterised as a concrete not abstract science. Women's contribution to the field is often ignored because they are seen as end-users, not part of the academic mainstream. We report a case study of men and women on applied information technology courses. Using data from in-depth interviews, we found that both men and women were aware of gender in computing practice. However, both men and women expressed intrinsic as well as instrumental reasons for studying and the women were confident in their own abilities. Women brought with them valuable administrative experience of using computer systems. One of the challenges is to conceptualise women's computer skills as real computing and to ask what is...

The Importance of Gender as an Aspect of Identity at Key Transition Points in Compulsory Education

Abstract: This article focuses upon the role of gender as a significant aspect of self-concept, one that acquires particular salience at times of transition in a person's life. We suggest that transitional phases intensify the sociocultural processes of identity construction, and that gender acquires particular salience as an aspect of identity at these times of transition. Both authors have undertaken studies that focused on gender as an aspect of identity during key transitional phases of the school career, one focused on the first transition to formal schooling and the other on the transition from primary to secondary schooling. Illustrations will be drawn from both these studies to support the suggestion that the social category of gender functions as a means of providing a schematic principle for 'coping' with transitions. We outline a programme for further empirical research that could be employed to develop and explore this suggestion further.

‘Truth’ and ‘Lies’ Revisited

Abstract: Anecdotal evidence suggests that many qualitative researchers have had the experience of discovering that their informants had told them lies. This is quite different to those instances where faulty memory, subjective perception, partial or erroneous knowledge, a desire to give the researcher what they think they want, or even where a ‘personal myth’ comes in to play, because a lie is a conscious and deliberate intention to deceive. What should researchers do when they discover that they have been misled? What are the implications for qualitative methodology and its practitioners in the light of the criteria for good practice outlined in the Tooley Report? This article draws on two examples of informants who lied, in order to explore some of the questions and issues that can arise. It suggests, tentatively, that generic criteria may not always be sufficiently sensitive to cope with complexities of social life.

New Labour, Social Exclusion and Educational Risk Management: The case of ‘gymslip mums'

Abstract: This article considers New Labour's education and social exclusion policies in the light of Giddens's exposition of Third Way welfare reform. It focuses on the teenage mother policy trajectory, treating it as a case study of the gender politics of both the Third Way and of Anthony Giddens-a key Labour Government organic intellectual. The article examines how New Labour understands the risks of teenage pregnancy and motherhood and how its teenage mother policy functions as risk management in the context of redefined social justice policies. It identifies some dilemmas that arise for this policy as a result of the top-down, masculinist and moralistic orientations that surround and influence it. It offers additional insights from Australian and US research on 'youth transitions', teenage pregnancy and gender reform in schools. It highlights some of the limitations of New Labour's good policy intentions and points to matters it must consider more carefully if it is to adequately engage and assist vulnerable young women who are finding ways to survive in this age of uncertainty, redefinition and manufactured risk.

Turning Our Attention from the What to the How: the National Numeracy Strategy

Abstract: This article examines the policy of the UK Labour Government between 1997 and 1999 in relation to the production and implementation of the National Numeracy Strategy, within the structure of context of influence, context of policy texts and context of practice. It examines its roots in, and differences from, numeracy and mathematics policies of previous regimes. Some tensions between the philosophies of modernisation and traditionalism, which are represented among those responsible for the New Labour education policies and which are reflected in the National Numeracy Strategy are discussed. Finally, evidence from the context of practice demonstrates that despite the attempt at tight prescription and control, cyclical recontextualisation and multiple interpretations exist.

'Partnership' as Strategy : public-private relations in Education Action Zones

Abstract: The article summarises recent political and theoretical presentations of 'partnership' and 'networking' and discusses their relevance to the understanding of contemporary education policy. It focuses in detail on the first stages of the establishment of Education Action Zones (EAZs) in two areas of England, describing in detail their patterns of governance, and the relationship they involve between 'public' and 'private' partners. It questions whether existing theorisations are adequate to understanding the dynamics of partnership in situations where there are substantial conflicts of interest between 'partners'. It concludes that 'partnership' in the EAZ context needs to be understood not as an established system of clearly-defined relationships but rather as a political strategy intended to accomplish a historic shift in the governance of education.

Rhetoric and Research in Family Literacy

Abstract: The term 'family literacy' now figures prominently in the discourses of early childhood education, literacy and adult education in several English speaking countries. It can refer to a focus for research or to a kind of educational programme. This article distinguishes family literacy programmes which combine adult basic education for parents with early literacy education and parental involvement from other kinds of family literacy programmes and terms the former 'restricted' programmes. The rhetoric concerning restricted programmes, and relevant research, is examined in relation to five issues: the usage of the term 'family literacy'; the targeting of restricted programmes for selected families; the accessibility and take-up of such programmes; their educational effects; and their socio-economic effects. Drawing on evidence from Britain and the USA, it is argued that, although rhetoric has sometimes been informed by research, it has also obscured, misinterpreted, ignored and exaggerated research findings. Some implications for policy, practice and research are identified. The term 'family literacy' now figures prominently in the discourses of early childhood education, literacy and adult education, in several English-speaking countries. In this article I wish to draw attention to some strands of the rhetoric of family literacy. By 'rhetoric' is meant discourse largely 'calculated to persuade or influence others' (the 'others' here being policy-makers, educators, and citizens with some interest in edu- cation). Examining the rhetoric of family literacy means examining explicit and implicit claims for certain programmes. I also wish to explore how those claims relate to educational research and hope to show that, although rhetoric has sometimes been informed by research, it has also obscured, misinterpreted, ignored and exaggerated research findings. Although many studies will be described or quoted, the purpose of this article is not to provide a review of the field but to show through examples that there is a rhetoric and to seek research evidence for claims made within that rhetoric. The focus is on what will be termed 'restricted' programmes in family literacy. To explain what is meant by this it is necessary to review the use of the term 'family literacy'. Ten years ago it was not much used or known in education. It had some currency within a relatively small circle of literacy researchers who were interested in

National Testing and the Improvement of Classroom Teaching: Can they coexist?

Abstract: Can children's responses to tests be used to provide useful diagnostic information for classroom teachers? This article describes an analysis of children's performance in the 1997 UK mathematics tests by 7 and 14 year-olds. The children's responses and errors were scaled against their ability using Rasch methodology. These were then interpreted in terms of the literature on the psychology of mathematics education, especially that related to misconceptions, and an attempt was made to describe children's progression in thinking as it relates to their test performance. This work has been reported to all primary and secondary schools in England and Wales, and is intended to provide a description of what the children believe and know. As such it provides a resource to help raise teachers' awareness of their children's thinking and present openings for diagnostic assessment and teaching. Opportunities for and obstacles to developing this approach in future are discussed.

Room to Manoeuvre: Mobilising the ‘active partner’ in home‐school relations

Abstract: Recent shifts within the popular conception of education as an aspect of the market economy positioning parent as consumer, teacher as producer and educated child as product have reformulated the various stakeholders as 'partners' in the business of educating children. This article, based upon data collected in an action research and development project, attempts to open up an interpretation of the dynamics of home-school relations in terms of a matrix of 'mobilisations' and 'demobilisations' between parents, teachers and children. In interpreting the agency/structure dualism in terms of such an interactive matrix, the article aims to establish some additional bases for practical and theoretical manoeuvres.

Collaborative Tasks, Collaborative Children: An analysis of reciprocity during peer interaction at Key Stage 1

Abstract: The introduction of Literacy and Numeracy Hours in primary schools requires children to work with their peers in pairs or groups. Peer collaboration requires reciprocal interaction as children share ideas and gain a joint conception of what they are trying to achieve. This article examines the reciprocal nature of contributions made by 36 pairs of infant school peers as they worked together on shared tasks in the classroom. Qualitative and quantitative analyses were used to examine the frequency and length of sequences of responsive turns. Findings indicate that whilst pairs of Reception and Year 1 children demonstrate a similar level of reciprocal interaction, Year 2 children were significantly more responsive and demonstrated a greater capacity for extended reciprocal interaction. The findings are discussed in relation to children's developing ability to collaborate and the implications this might have for group work in the classroom.

Must Try Harder! Problems Facing Technological Solutions to Non‐participation in Adult Learning

Abstract: The current Government has placed lifelong learning high on its agenda, both for reasons of economic benefit and to increase social inclusion. At 'half-term', what are the prospects for a 'pass' in this course? Using data from a new National Institute of Adult Continuing Education survey of adult participation in learning, and early results from participant observation of the setting up of a 'virtual college', as well as published findings from pilot studies for the University for Industry, this article considers the challenges facing the Government in widening participation through the use of digital technology. The 'problem', of widening access to learning opportunities for all, is not a new one, and it is unlikely to be one with a simple technical fix. The conclusion drawn here is that the emerging use of digital technology is likely to replicate existing inequalities in access to learning. Despite the fine efforts of those involved, and some ingenious technical and distributional suggestions, the reco...

On the Reliability of OFSTED Inspection of Initial Teacher Training: A Case Study.

Abstract: Inspection has been an increasingly important feature of central monitoring of education in the 1990s. This article examines the technical reliability of inspection processes in initial teacher training, drawing extensively on methodology and procedures adopted by the Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED) between 1996 and 1998. A definition of reliability is advanced and tested against the procedures of inspection, especially by examining the security of internal and external judgements at the pass/fail borderline and the moderation and training procedures deployed by OFSTED. The methodology of inspection is found to be insufficiently reliable for the consequences which flow from it. Tensions are explored between the technicist model of inspection underlying OFSTED initial teacher training procedures and the 'informed conoisseurship' model hitherto deployed by members of Her Majesty's Inspectorate. In consequence, there are unresolved tensions between the expressed aspiration for 'improvement through inspection' and the use of inspection to police compliance.

Intellectual as Hustler: researching against the grain of the market

Abstract: In many respects, universities around the world are living through a period of quite extraordinary turmoil as their role and purposes are under serious challenge. In this paper we explore the latest attempt in Australia to push universities even further in the direction of becoming marketised, and we examine what this means in terms of the loss of public space for academics as public intellectuals. In this, we draw some fragments from our own autobiographical experiences in trying to assert what a ‘counter public’ might look like around university research. We find the notion of ‘hustler’ to be a sufficiently playful metaphor around which to begin to frame what happens to knowledge as it is increasingly treated as another commodity.

New Labour and School-based Education in England: Changing the system of funding?

Abstract: This article focuses on the financing of school-based education and the ways in which this has changed since the Labour Government was elected into office in May 1997. It also analyses fundamental problems associated with the current system and how these might be rectified. The main conclusions are that although the Labour Government has made clear efforts to target money on areas with high levels of poverty, the system by which most funds for education are allocated, via local authorities, is fundamentally flawed. In order to make informed, evidence-based judgements about how much money is needed for education, high quality research needs to be carried out. This should establish the resources needed to enable children with different levels of prior attainment to meet specified educational goals in the context of different levels of disadvantage in schools. Only then can the Government be sure that adequate funds are being targeted where they are most needed.

Volunteer Support in the Primary Classroom: The long-term impact of one initiative upon children’s reading performance

Abstract: This article reports an evaluation of the effectiveness of a volunteer tutor reading intervention. Volunteers were provided with instruction and supervision in order that they might assist class teachers in the teaching of reading. A strong emphasis upon phonological awareness and storytelling underpinned the programme. Intervention took place in reception classes in three socially disadvantaged schools that could provide parallel classes to serve as controls. Assessment immediately after the intervention, and 3 years later, indicated that children receiving the volunteer intervention failed to make greater progress than same-school controls. The article considers a number of possible reasons for the apparent failure of the intervention and concludes by cautioning against simplistic expectations that additional adult support should necessarily lead to gains in children’s learning.

The Political Construction of the ‘Whole Curriculum’

Abstract: This article focuses upon the conflicts which emerged between powerful interest groups in determining the shape of the curriculum during 1988 and 1989. It explores the ideological and political processes of developing what became known as the 'whole curriculum', that is, the 'basic curriculum' of the National Curriculum and religious education, and the cross-curricular themes, skills and dimensions. Specifically, it explores the micro-political educational and bureaucratic tensions between politicians, Department of Education and Science civil servants and National Curriculum Council professional officers within what have been called the 'context to influence' and the 'context of text production'.

Consultation and the Management of Consent: Standards for Qualified Teacher Status

Abstract: Since its inception in 1994, the TTA has relied heavily upon the process of consultation as its ‘preferred’ style of operation. In recent analyses of the state of democracy in England the quality of consultation has been used as one indicator of the democratic state of the nation. Against this background we present our findings from an in-depth study of the processes and procedures used to develop the Standards for the Award of Qualified Teacher Status, paying particular attention to the consultation exercise undertaken by the Teacher Training Agency in the Spring of 1997. We argue that, on a number of levels, our findings raise issues that mirror those being expressed by others concerned about the state of democracy in England.

The effects of consistency of performance on A-level examiners' judgements of standards

Abstract: One source of evidence used for the setting of minimum marks required to obtain grades in General Certificate of Education (GCE) examinations is the qualitative, expert judgement of examiners. The effect of consistency of candidates’ performance across questions within an examination paper upon examiners’ judgements of gradeworthiness was investigated, for A level examinations in two subjects. After controlling for mark and individual examiner differences, significant effects of consistency were found. The pattern of results differed in the two subjects. In biology, inconsistent performance produced lower judgements of grade-worthiness than consistent or average performance. In sociology, very consistent performance was preferred over average consistency. The results of this study showed that a feature of the examination performance that was not part of the marking scheme affected grading decisions. It is concluded that examiners’ judgements of standards should be supported by other sources of evidence, s...

Development of Social Competences in the Primary School‐study of specific pedagogic practices

Abstract: This study intended to promote the development of socio-affective competences in children in the first two years of primary school (age 6-8). A model of pedagogic practice with particular characteristics in terms of the relations between subjects, discourses and spaces was implemented. The mediating influence of teacher's pedagogic practice, family's social class and gender was studied. The results showed that the pedagogic practice with general values of weak framing (i.e. where some control is given to the learner) but with strong framing in specific aspects was the practice which facilitated the development of the selected competences by all children.