Showing papers in "British Journal of Educational Studies in 1998"
Journal Article•
TL;DR: Bickman and Rog as discussed by the authors present a Handbook of Applied Social Research (HRSR) for the planning of applied research in the field of applied social research, focusing on the application of data collection and data analysis.
Abstract: Introduction - Leonard Bickman and Debra J Rog Why a Handbook of Applied Social Research? PART ONE: PLANNING APPLIED RESEARCH Applied Research Design - Leonard Bickman, Debra J Rog and Terry E Hedrick A Practical Approach Design Sensitivity - Mark W Lipsey Statistical Power for Applied Experimental Research Designing a Qualitative Study - Joseph A Maxwell Practical Sampling - Gary T Henry Planning Ethically Responsible Research - Joan E Sieber PART TWO: APPLIED RESEARCH FRAMEWORK Randomized Controlled Experiments for Evaluation and Planning - Robert F Boruch Quasi-Experimentation - Melvin M Mark and Charles S Reichardt The Abridged Version of Case Study Research - Robert K Yin Design and Method Needs Analysis - Jack McKillip Process and Techniques Formative Evaluation of Costs, Cost-Effectiveness and Cost-Benefit - Brian T Yates Toward Cost, Procedure, Process, Outcome Analysis Research Synthesis and Meta-Analysis - Harris M Cooper and James J Lindsay PART THREE: PRACTICAL DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS METHODS Design and Evaluation of Survey Questions - Floyd J Fowler Jr Practical Aspects of Interview Data Collection and Data Management - Welmoet Bok van Kammen and Magda Stouthamer-Loeber Mail Surveys - Thomas W Mangione Methods for Sampling and Interviewing in Telephone Surveys - Paul J Lavrakas Ethnography - David M Fetterman Focus Group Research: Exploration and Discovery - David W Stewart and Prem N Shamdasani Graphing Data - Gary T Henry
852 citations
TL;DR: The British Government has recently agreed proposals for a National Numeracy Strategy which claims to be based on evidence concerning ‘hat works’, and a judgement of whether the claim is justified is made.
Abstract: The British Government has recently agreed proposals for a National Numeracy Strategy which claims to be based on evidence concerning ‘hat works’. This article reviews the literature in each key area in which recommendations are made, and makes a judgement of whether the claim is justified. In some areas (e.g. calculators) the recommendations run counter to the evidence.
172 citations
Journal Article•
161 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, two rival ways of conceptualising educational order are identified and examined, and the received, traditional way is found to be disingenuous, incoherent and unworkable, while a reconstructed child-centred approach escapes these problems and is commended.
Abstract: Debate about ‘discipline’in schools almost invariably takes the form of empirical enquiry about which methods are most effective in securing it. This is to neglect a substantial part of the problem – the prior moral issue about the proper way to educate children. The main difficulties here are conceptual. Two rival ways of conceptualising ‘educational order’are identified and examined. The received, traditional way is found to be disingenuous, incoherent and unworkable. The alternative – a reconstructed child-centred approach – escapes these problems and is commended. This conclusion is tested by investigating how each maps on to the project of moral education, for which school discipline is a neglected central arena.
141 citations
TL;DR: Lifelong learning is presented as a means for enabling individuals, organisations and nations to meet the challenges of an increasingly competitive world as mentioned in this paper and suggests an extension of opportunity, involving all adults, whatever their interests or experience.
Abstract: Lifelong learning is presented as a means for enabling individuals, organisations and nations to meet the challenges of an increasingly competitive world. It suggests an extension of opportunity, involving all adults, whatever their interests or experience. There is also, however, a strong sense of expectation, even compulsion, with emphasis given to vocational forms of study and participation.
138 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the impact of education reforms on school admissions policies and practices and discussed the changes that are needed to improve the current system, especially in areas where the market is highly developed.
Abstract: This paper examines the impact of education reforms on school admissions policies and practices. It discusses the changes that are needed to improve the current system, especially in areas where the market is highly developed. It is concluded that the new legislation to be enacted by the current Labour Government should be beneficial, but that more far-reaching changes are needed for the admissions process to be equitable, transparent and accountable.
75 citations
TL;DR: This article propose a conceptual framework with which to analyse the different meanings of and debates about unification in education and show how the framework may be used to analyse existing systems, reform strategies, and processes and pressures for change.
Abstract: The drive to ‘unify’post-compulsory education and training systems is one of the most important current developments in education policy. However the concept of ‘unification’ lacks clarity, is not widely recognised, and is pursued through different measures in different countries. In this paper we propose a conceptual framework with which to analyse the different meanings of and debates about unification. Using England and Scotland as examples, we show how the framework may be used to analyse existing systems, reform strategies, and processes and pressures for change. The framework is exploratory and will need to be tested and developed in relation to a wider variety of education systems.
58 citations
TL;DR: The authors argue that if "reforms" of education designed to raise standards leave unquestioned the notion of fixed differential ability, then they are likely to be self-defeating, and make a case for further research to be undertaken to establish frameworks for teaching consistent with an anti-determinist view of individual potential.
Abstract: This paper argues that if ’reforms‘of education designed to raise standards leave unquestioned the notion of fixed differential ability, then they are likely to be self-defeating. It considers alternative ways of formulating knowledge about individual differences reflected both in the literature and in classroom practice, and concludes by making a case for further research to be undertaken to establish frameworks for teaching consistent with an anti-determinist view of individual potential.
50 citations
TL;DR: The authors argue that much of the growing body of research that claims to address inclusion for disabled students is not new, but rather a re-articulation of old ideas which fail to do sufficient justice to the demands of the new times.
Abstract: This paper argues that much of the growing body of research (on special educational needs) that claims to address inclusion for disabled students is not new, but rather a re-articulation of old ideas which fail to do sufficient justice to the demands of the ‘new times’ The paper concludes with an outline of a research agenda that is more comprehensive in scope and more finely tuned into the politics of ‘identity’
43 citations
TL;DR: Five processes likely to be connected to class size are identified: within class grouping practices, the nature and quality of teaching, pupil attention in class, pupil adjustment to school and effects on teachers' morale, stress and enthusiasm.
Abstract: Despite current moves in the UK to limit class sizes for young children in school, there is still a disturbing lack of research evidence on the effect of class size differences on pupils' educational progress and experience. Past research has concentrated on the effects on outcomes such as pupils' school attainments in basic areas. Much less is known about classroom processes that might mediate any such effects, though such knowledge is more useful for practice and policy. Drawing on a current programme of research at the Institute of Education, University of London, this paper identifies five processes likely to be connected to class size: within class grouping practices, the nature and quality of teaching, pupil attention in class, pupil adjustment to school and effects on teachers' morale, stress and enthusiasm. Relevent research is reviewed, and in line with this research the paper concentrates on the primary school years.
37 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that concepts and associated activities of leadership are shaped by the political contexts in which they are embedded, by comparing the managerialist purposes and definitions of school leadership in England with more democratic orientations in Denmark.
Abstract: Evidence will be presented from two projects to support our argument that concepts and associated activities of leadership are shaped by the political contexts in which they are embedded. By comparing the managerialist purposes and definitions of school leadership in England with more democratic orientations in Denmark, we add our voices to the growing concern about the future of democracy in England.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that the success of the New Deal policies of the current Labour administration will depend crucially on the co-operation of the vital small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) sector of British industry.
Abstract: The success of the New Deal policies of the current Labour administration – particularly the Welfare to Work and University for Industry initiatives – will depend crucially on the co-operation of the vital small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) sector of British industry. In turn, the reaction of small employers to the new policies will be structured by the national vocational education and training (VET) efforts and the vocational qualifications system. Against the background of our recent research on SMEs in the West Midlands region, we argue that the New Deal policies will fail to engage with SME needs and interests unless the new Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) effectively abandons the old agenda of the former National Council for Vocational Qualifications (NCVQ) in its ongoing restructuring and radical review of issues and policies for VET.
TL;DR: The authors show that this thesis indeed implies educational equality, and that Tooley's arguments against educational equality rest on a misunderstanding of the foundations of egalitarianism, and furthermore, they show that tooley's argument against education equality is based on the assumption that all should be treated with equal concern and respect.
Abstract: In arguing for government withdrawal from funding and regulating schooling, James Tooley claims that equality of opportunity in education implies only that all deserve an adequate minimum education. However, he concedes the ‘abstract egalitarian thesis’that all should be treated with equal concern and respect. I show that this thesis indeed implies educational equality, and that Tooley's arguments against educational equality rest on a misunderstanding of the foundations of egalitarianism.
TL;DR: The authors advocates the concept of critical modernity, in contradistinction to that of postmodernity in orientating the practice of education, and draws on work in anthropology, and the writings of Giddens and Habermas, in support of a re-vivified project of modernity.
Abstract: This paper advocates the concept of critical modernity, in contradistinction to that of postmodernity, in orientating the practice of education. It draws on work in anthropology, and the writings of Giddens and Habermas, in support of a re-vivified project of modernity. It also presents ideas from on-going communication styles research that may give efficacy in education to Habermas’s concept of communicative action.
TL;DR: The Sophists and the Socratic response they provoked are considered in this paper in order to elucidate issues raised by present-day skill-talk, such as whether skills avoid questions of ends and truth, the existence of general skills such as critical thinking, the importance of knowledge, skills and the personality, and some implications for teaching and philosophy.
Abstract: The Sophists, and the Socratic response they provoked, are considered in order to elucidate issues raised by present-day skill-talk. These issues include: whether skills avoid questions of ends and truth; the existence of general skills, such as critical thinking; the importance of knowledge; skills and the personality; and some implications for teaching and philosophy.
TL;DR: The authors argue that young people are unlikely to integrate themselves positively into adult life, to adopt its values, responsibilities and opportunities, unless that life is made more morally acceptable in their terms.
Abstract: This paper argues that young people are unlikely to integrate themselves positively into adult life – to adopt its values, responsibilities and opportunities – unless that life is made more morally acceptable in their terms. Central to this process of community building and reconciliation with the young is the condition of solidarity which both results from and results in common values and a shared conception of the good life.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that late modern social formations threaten individual autonomy, subordinating the needs of an agent in a locality to universalising rationality, necessary for growth in a globalized and virtualised economy.
Abstract: Lifelong learning should embrace more than instrumental purposes. Some late modern social formations threaten individual autonomy, subordinating the needs of ‘agent’in a ‘locality’to universalising rationality, necessary for growth in a globalized and virtualised economy. These phenomena are discussed and illustrated. Learning, now an‘economic’ activity, could bind individuals in heteronymously defined lifeworlds. Prerequisites of an alternative conceptualisation are examined.
TL;DR: In this article, an exploration of the concepts of pragmatism to describe an important aspect of LEA decision making and of ideology to describe the pressures for inclusion helps to explain this pattern of development.
Abstract: A major theme of recent debate and policy development in the area of special education is that of inclusion: the placement of all pupils in mainstream schools and the development of curriculum and pedagogy to meet the needs of all. Analysis of national statistical data shows some movement in this direction, but of a slow and very uneven kind. An exploration of the concepts of pragmatism to describe an important aspect of LEA decision making and of ideology to describe an important aspect of pressures for inclusion helps to explain this pattern of development. The paper concludes that both approaches require further systematic empirical data on the outcomes of different patterns of educational provision.
TL;DR: This paper reviewed the arguments in the separate schools debate in an attempt to present a view of the matter which would be acceptable in a liberal democracy, although the case for common or inclusive schools is treated sympathetically, the burden of the argument is that public sponsorship of separate schools can be defended once certain conditions are met.
Abstract: This article reviews the arguments in the separate schools debate in an attempt to present a view of the matter which would be acceptable in a liberal democracy. Although the case for common or inclusive schools is treated sympathetically, the burden of the argument is that public sponsorship of separate schools can be defended once certain conditions are met.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors outline the context in which General National Vocational Qualifications (GNVQs) have been developed with particular reference to the independent learning dimension of their principles and practice.
Abstract: This article outlines the context in which General National Vocational Qualifications (GNVQs) have been developed with particular reference to the independent learning dimension of their principles and practice. It provides an overview of the problems associated with the GNVQ approach from the literature and from a study by the authors of twelve post-16 institutions in the process of implementing Advanced GNVQ programmes. It analyses the dimensions of independent learning and argues that GNVQs provide a hybrid learner experience in which autonomy in the organisation of the individual learning process is mediated by a heavily prescribed GNVQ framework. The article concludes by locating this paradox in four central dilemmas characterising post-16 curricular policy in the UK.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors describe and examine a view of knowledge application in schooling developed from aspects of contemporary learning theory, and establish the significance of the issue of knowledge-application as an educational challenge.
Abstract: We describe and examine a view of knowledge application in schooling developed from aspects of contemporary learning theory. To situate our perspective in contemporary practice, we establish the significance of the issue of knowledge application as an educational challenge. We then review some enduring theoretical conceptions of the problem and their educational ramifications following which we introduce some developments in educational learning theory and consider their implications for teaching knowledge application.
TL;DR: The Education (Schools) Act 1992 introduced for the first time a requirement that all state schools in England and Wales should be inspected on a regular basis as discussed by the authors, which was later extended to all primary and secondary schools.
Abstract: The Education (Schools) Act 1992 introduced for the first time a requirement that all state schools in England and Wales should be inspected on a regular basis. This paper looks at the political background to the introduction of the Bill, and at the controversies and pressures which gave the Act its final shape.
TL;DR: In this paper, it is suggested that the historical record points up that such policies gained ascendancy only some ten years later, the intervening period being dominated more by an acceptance of the educational consensus constructed by the Labour leadership in 1976-77.
Abstract: This paper, which is a response to a previous one by Charles Batteson (1997) published in the Journal, challenges the view that James Callaghan's personal intervention in the politics of education in 1976 in making the Ruskin Speech was pivotal in shaping the subsequent direction of Labour' policies for school reform. The paper also queries the idea that the Ruskin Speech was the immediate harbinger of New Right education policies. Instead, it is suggested, the historical record points up that such policies gained ascendancy only some ten years later, the intervening period being dominated more by an acceptance of the educational consensus constructed by the Labour leadership in 1976–77.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: The teacher's role in curriculum development is an unresolved issue in English attempts at curriculum reform the curriculum dimensions of student disaffection social complexity, subsidiary and curriculum policy-making school effectiveness research and its critics.
Abstract: Institutions in the mind - autobiographical fragments the teacher's role in curriculum development - an unresolved issue in English attempts at curriculum reform the curriculum dimensions of student disaffection social complexity, subsidiary and curriculum policy-making school effectiveness research and its critics - alternative visions of schooling culture, education and distributive justice "environment and school initiatives" (ensi) - an international innovative curriculum experiment the politics of environmental education - a case story what have we learned from action research in school-based evaluation.
TL;DR: This paper examined the similarities in the legitimation and structure of two national curricula in England: that for schools in the 1980s; and that for initial teacher training in the 1990s.
Abstract: This article examines some of the similarities in the legitimation and structure of two national curricula in England: that for schools in the ’80s; and that for initial teacher training in the ’90s. The emphasis is on the latter, with reference to the former where relevant.