Showing papers in "Research in Post-compulsory Education in 2001"

Academic Middle Managers in Further Education: Reflections on Leadership

Abstract: This study is based on an interview survey of 13 middle managers with curriculum responsibilities in further education colleges in the United Kingdom. It investigates factors affecting their effectiveness in role, and reflects upon the extent to which they are enabled to be leaders. There was evidence of delegated leadership and of inclusive leadership environments, both of which supported the manager in role. There were indications that the middle manager role crossed the managerial/professional divide, with managers showing market awareness, spending time setting targets and measuring against performance indicators, yet also providing academic leadership within their department. There was, however, evidence of a lack of role definition, which serves to undermine the autonomy and authority of managers working at this level. Further research is planned which will investigate the management structure and culture of sampled further education colleges, in order to identify features which facilitate ...

‘Because my friends are’: the impact of peer groups on the intention to stay on at sixteen

Abstract: This article presents an empirical investigation into the role of peer groups on the intention to continue on to further study by students in full-time education at the age of 16. Estimates are derived via random effects nominal logit regression analysis and data from the Bradford Youth Cohort. Our results suggest that peer groups have a strong and significant impact on whether boys intend to stay on to post-compulsory education, but this is not so for girls. Furthermore, an array of factors appear to influence the intention decision for boys, whereas girls only appear to be influenced by their perceived ability.

A review of educational partnership arrangements in further and higher education: pointers for managers in further education

Abstract: Partnership arrangements involving further education colleges and higher education institutions have received varying amounts of attention, and it is clear that they represent a complex management challenge. When planning a partnership arrangement, it is important for senior managers in a college of further education to take into account the imperfections of the marketplace; government policy; the role that Local Education Authorities, local chambers and learning and skills councils play; the motives of senior managers employed by institutions of higher education; the benefits associated with formal partnership arrangements; and the importance of forming strategic alliances with educational institutions which have a similar or the same value system. In order to be successful, a partnership arrangement needs to be viewed from a relational stance, and managers need to be committed to building long-term working relationships which are based on trust, loyalty and mutuality.

Learning To Leap from a Peer: A Research Study on Mentoring in a Further and Higher Education Institution.

Abstract: Research into a mentoring scheme, set up to assist in the induction of new academic staff to a college offering further, higher and adult education, is explored to determine how better understanding of mentoring can improve the performance of mentors. New definitions for peer mentoring in a professional environment are suggested as well as new models, which explore styles and depth of learning.

Global Perspectives in Lifelong Learning

Abstract: A priority of lifelong learning should be to provide learners with the skills and knowledge to respond to the unfolding impact of globalisation and the global society. This article looks at why this is important and proposes a conceptual framework as to how global perspectives can be an integral feature of lifelong learning provision.

Student and employer perceptions of British higher education in the Arabian Gulf region

Abstract: This study examines the perceptions of students and employers in two Arabian Gulf countries of the Higher National Diploma (HND) and British higher education in general. The need for a higher education qualifications framework and an effective system for assessing the quality and standards of British universities and their programmes offered overseas are considered in the context of the United Kingdom achieving its government's market share targets for international fee-paying higher education. The study discovers that student satisfaction with the HND was high among the student sample in the two Gulf countries, and that British higher education is generally well respected among both students and employers worldwide. It is argued that with increasing competition in the international higher education market, the United Kingdom government and United Kingdom universities must take greater care to consider overseas markets when making HE policy decisions if the export of British higher education is t...

The role of counselling and guidance in promoting lifelong learning in france

Abstract: Until the latter part of the twentieth century, education and training were confined mainly to the first phase of a person's life. Young people progressed on a straight line from school to work or to vocational education and training or to higher education, with little opportunity to change direction. Once they had left the educational system they were unlikely to return. But, nowadays, in all developed countries, the structure of people's lives is undergoing radical change in the distribution of activities by age, leading to a shift to older age groups undertaking functions previously reserved for an earlier time in life. These tendencies are linked to changes in the labour market structure, and are accompanied by readjustments in the social arrangements that regulate ‘who does what, when’. These include policies to defer statutory retirement ages, extend compulsory education and training, and to postpone the age at which young people become entitled to unemployment and social benefits in the tr...

Movers and stayers: determinants of post-16 educational choice

Abstract: The authors develop an economic analysis of educational decision-making to investigate the determinants of post-16 educational choice in England and Wales. Concentrating upon the decision of whether to stay at their current school, they examine the nature of the costs and benefits of moving. They conclude that the existence of search and switching costs, together with the similarity of provision amongst providers in local schooling markets, should lead to a high degree of consumer inertia. The results from the questionnaire provide support for this proposition. Their data enables a detailed examination of the decision-making process. They show that the decision-maker is best viewed as a composite of student and parent, and that parents are still an active partner in decision-making. Movers predominately reject the A-level pathway, in favour of the more diverse curriculum available at their local further education college. However, they also find evidence that switching costs differ between movers...

Some flaws in the common theory of ‘widening participation’

Abstract: This article outlines and critiques one of the dominant theories of lifelong learning; the ‘widening participation’ model. This model focuses upon identifying target groups to be reached by community outreach programmes. It emerged from the Kennedy, Dearing and Fryer reports of 1997 and has been influential on UK government policy ever since. The article draws upon international research from the USA, Palestine and Singapore to illustrate flaws in the model and tries to sketch out some ideas to move beyond it using some insights offered by Pierre Bourdieu and Michel Foucault. It concludes by arguing that we need to rethink the assumptions of the ‘widening participation’ model if we are to make progress with any agenda of social and educational inclusion for adults.

What do trade unions want from lifelong learning

Abstract: It has been usual to see the renewed interest in education and training on the part of the trade union movement in Britain, and indeed in Europe, as a new departure in trade union work, a view the author shared until recently. The general argument of this article, however, is that lifelong learning can also be seen as a new way of seeking to achieve older trade union objectives. An analysis of government, employer and trade union policies on lifelong learning reveals striking coincidences but also differences of emphasis. The article uses a broadly neo-Weberian framework for understanding the conflicting interests in workplace education and training. The article includes a case study of ‘Basic Skills are Union Business’ – the trade union approach to basic skills in the workplace. The article concludes that ongoing research by independent researchers will be of direct benefit to trade unions and their members, and can help to create a loop back into policy and further practice.

Learning in Rural Communities: Fear of Information Communications Technology Leading to Lifelong Learning?

Abstract: Set against the context of information communications technology (ICT) development in rural areas worldwide, this paper explores research accompanying two projects supported by the European Social Fund (ESF) which took place in the West Midlands region of the United Kingdom, between January 1999 and December 2000. These projects targeted groups which still remain under-represented in learning in the UK, i.e. women, the unemployed and those without ICT access and awareness. Here participants were primarily unemployed women from rural areas, on programmes designed to promote learning, leading to higher level awards and to deeper understanding of ICT. Among the outputs were 92% completion rates for 12-month programmes including deadlines, examinations and qualifications. However, the paper focuses on the community impacts of these projects, since wider effects were observed than simply those related to women returning to learning. Higher and further education, schools, family and non-family members ...

The strategic management process: An aid to organisational learning in further education?

Abstract: This article seeks to make a critical contribution to the growing further education (FE) discourse and its current domination by the non-contextualised ideas of management and markets. In making this contribution the authors draw on both the general theoretical literature and original longitudinal research from within one post-Incorporation college. The research examines the impact of the introduction of the strategic management process (SMP) following the Education Act, 1992, and argues that the SMP’s role was greater than that of just a management tool. It is argued that the role of the SMP should be seen as more extensive than that of simply fulfilling the requirements of the Further Education Funding Council and the FE marketplace. The process of constructing and implementing the strategy can be seen as a major vehicle for change in the socio-cultural context of FE colleges – also that the SMP has an understated dimension that encompasses a social process. Using the SMP in this manner can fac...

Assessing professional practice ‘in the field’: experiences from the professional accreditation of conservator–restorers

Abstract: The Professional Accreditation of Conservator–Restorers (PACR) is a practice-based assessment and accreditation framework operated jointly by three of the professional bodies in the cultural heritage field. PACR was introduced in 2000 following trials in 1998-99. Early evidence indicates that PACR, based on a detailed application and a full-day workplace visit by two assessors, provides a valid and rigorous means of assessing professional competence in the field of conservation. Although there have been teething problems, the majority of assessments were effective and fair. The assessment methodology appears to have significant advantages over alternatives such as portfolio-based assessment, although there is also less margin for error and higher costs associated with rectifying any problems. The transferability of the PACR methodology is likely to vary with occupational field, with it being most applicable to fields where it is possible to examine and discuss practical evidence on site.

Co-opting Learners: Addressing Their Learning Support Needs through a Learning Support Needs Questionnaire. Part Two. A Comparison of the Learning Support Needs of Campus and Distance-based Community Nurse Students

Abstract: This article is a continuation of a previous article (Moreland & Carnwell, 2000) where the development and background of the Learning Support Needs Questionnaire (LSNQ) was explained. The LSNQ identifies and elicits practical, emotional and academic learning support needs, and is followed by an action planning process designed to assist the students to address any learning needs considered important but not met. Following on, this article presents the results of the first application of the questionnaire to two groups of nursing students - one group of distance learning based and one group of campus-based students. Whilst the distance education students overall had lower expectations of the different types of support than campus based students, both groups had significant but slightly different learning support needs. The failure to address the significant unmet learning needs by both the learners themselves and the providing institutions is likely to lead to unsatisfactory learning experiences a...

Staff development and curricular inclusion in higher education

Abstract: This article describes a small survey of staff developers in the United Kingdom Higher Education sector, aimed at exploring current awareness and knowledge of disability access in higher education amongst those responsible for ‘mainstream’ or non-specialist staff development and prompting awareness of issues affecting curricular access and inclusion for student with disabilities. A majority of the respondents were familiar with the general difficulties encountered by students with disabilities and the strategies required to address these. Awareness of disability-specific difficulties and strategies, particularly in relation to extra curricular activity and its impact on student learning, was less widespread amongst the respondents. The survey explored the expected impact of the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education Code of Practice, the disability discrimination legislation, Higher Education Funding Council for England weighted funding and the development of the Institute of Learning and ...

Creating ‘learning’ industrial estates: addressing lifelong learning in small and medium enterprises

Abstract: This article presents the findings of an evaluation of an ADAPT funded project, which sought to develop innovative approaches to transforming the rhetoric of lifelong learning into practical ideas to enhance the quality and quantity of learning in Small and Medium Enterprises. At its core was the establishment of learning centres, located within an industrial estate, as a vehicle for the development of an estate-wide learning network. The impact of the project is discussed from a tripartite stance revealing a complex tension between the needs/interests of the employer, the provider and the individual. Given the emergence of similar initiatives as part of government lifelong learning policy the findings from this evaluation have significance beyond the project itself.

Reflecting on method: the use of a time-log diary to examine the labour process of further education lecturers

Abstract: To examine the labour process of teachers in further education we constructed a time-log diary in which lecturers recorded time spent on various activities undertaken during a week. In this article the authors explore the development of the time log, its use, and forms of analysis that arose as they sought to make sense of the data. The authors' interest in this article is not so much in their findings but rather in an exploration of the way in which they sought to gather, analyse and interpret the data so as to illuminate the social conditions of lecturers' labour. Their initial intent was to gather ‘hard’ statistical data, however the tension generated between over-specification of categories within the log and the different interpretations of participants led to alternative forms of analysis, in particular the cameo. This led the authors to consider refining the diary and using it alongside a series of cameos which would enable us to gather ‘hard’ statistical data whilst at the same time being...

Innovative construction training: introducing information communication technology into the curriculum

Abstract: It is evident that many colleges are seeking to use information communication technology (ICT) as a way of transforming the teaching and learning process and, as a consequence, adding value or increasing efficiency outcomes. Whilst to some construction might not seem the most verdant curricular terrain for the introduction of ICT, it has been pointed out by Evans (2000) that there is an increasing need within this sector of the economy to grasp the benefits of the new technology – not only in terms of what might be regarded as the more ‘traditional’ applications of design and development but also in the development of ‘hands on’ skills. With this in mind and using funding from the European Social Fund (ESF), Stourbridge College in the West Midlands, United Kingdom set out to explore the ways in which ICT can play a meaningful part in supporting construction skills development through the creation of an Advanced Technology Centre (ATC). Keen to take a systematic approach the college appointed a pr...

Lifelong Learning: An Imperative for Employment in Part of the Avionics Sector.

Abstract: This article addresses the requirement for personnel employed in the avionics sector of civil aviation to continue to update their skills throughout their careers. It notes that the industry is at the cutting edge of technical innovation and change and serves as a paradigmatic illustration of the economic argument for the necessity for lifelong learning. The article reviews technical development within the avionics industry and the new skills apposite to these developments. The industry has espoused National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) and other qualifications but there are tensions between the needs for transparency, flexibility and reliability of the certification processes that may have equivalents in other industries. The current difficulties experienced by employers in obtaining and retaining suitable qualified staff will be utlined, including reference to: (a) the education and training provision; (b) education and skills certification required; (c) future skills requirements and avion...

Data on the doorstep: using documents for researching further education

Abstract: The article is aimed at new researchers into post-compulsory education although it may also be of interest to those who have done research but have not made much use of documentary sources. The article will also be relevant to those who are interested in the links between universities and further education colleges. The purpose of the article is to explore the use of documentary sources in researching further education and to exemplify the process using a study of college and university links in Scotland.

Conversation in cyberspace: informal education and new technology

Abstract: This article examines the possibilities and pitfalls of new technology applications to informal education as practised in youth work. Processes and values in informal education are outlined. These include the significance of process and conversation and the commitment to anti-oppressive practice. The application of new technology is measured against this template. Contrasting views from young people and community groups are presented. Examples from youth and community work practice with Protestant and Catholic groups in Belfast and rural Cornwall, United Kingdom are explored to indicate positive outcomes and the congruence of values and process in the application of new technology. The downside is also explored. The conclusion is optimistic.

Opening pathways to inclusion: the importance of non-accredited learning in the lives of students in the local authority sector

Abstract: This article explores the reasons why adult learners decide to take up, return to or continue with non-accredited learning. The findings result from a small-scale study carried out within a Local Authority community education setting and highlight the benefits of informal learning. An initial paper on the research was given at the 30th SCUTREA conference.

Research policy and practice in further education: widening perspectives through reflective pragmatism

Abstract: Arguments that the further education (FE) sector is under-researched are challenged through the use of perspectives provided by Stanton's (2000) concept of ‘reflective pragmatism’ designed to highlight the significance of research and development (R&D) projects in post-compulsory education and training (PCET). Case studies of Bolton Institute's involvement in two recent projects – a review of PCET initial teacher training undertaken against the background of the development of standards for FE staff by the Further Education National Training Organisation (FENTO), and the development of resources for teaching Key Skills in conjunction with the Further Education Development Agency (FEDA) – are offered as paradigm instances of R&D work in this sphere. It is concluded that such work can satisfy, not only the DfEE requirements for evidence-based policy and practice, but also the needs of staff and other stakeholders in the sector so as to guard against undue centralist control.