Education for work: The current dilemma of post-compulsory education

The human capital emphasis in recent economic planning is leading to new pressures on the post-compulsory education sector where work-readiness is emerging as a major focus. With concerns about the impact of demographic change as the population ages, there is a renewed emphasis on greater productivity from and less wastage of human capital. Hence retention of young people in the education and training system to at least Year 12 and the development of explicit vocational pathways has become an urgent priority for educators to address. The dilemma is that uncertainties in the future nature and demands of work have to be addressed here and now, while the lead time and costs to produce work ready students is increasing. This paper considers the characteristics of early school leavers in NSW and the strategies developed in that State to re-engage such students in the education system to increase their opportunities for workforce participation.     

Higher education and inequality

After climate change, rising economic inequality is the greatest challenge facing the advanced Western societies. Higher education has traditionally been seen as a means to greater equality through its role in promoting social mobility. But with increased marketisation higher education now not only reflects the forces making for greater inequality but even exacerbates them. This could be changed but it would require major shifts in higher education policy and practice of which there is currently little sign.     

Socio-economic position and higher education in Australia

The proportion of students enrolled at university from the lowest quartile of socio-economic position has remained static at around 15% for at least the past 15 years (DEEWR, Transforming Australia’s higher education system, 2009). This paper argues that the apparent lack of progress towards equity of access has been exacerbated due to how socio-economic position (SEP) is measured within higher education. Three major methodological issues are identified: (a) the use of socio-economic indicator for areas (SEIFA) at an inappropriate unit of geographic area (postcode), (b) an inappropriate choice of index (education and occupation), and (c) using the index of education and occupation as the sole indicator of SEP thereby increasing the risk of misclassification of individuals through the operation of ecological fallacy. This paper argues that to address these methodological deficiencies, alternative methods of determining SEP are required at both the aggregate and individual level. Possible options are proposed for use as replacements for the geographic area (postcode) and index (education and occupation) as well as additional measures at the individual or household level.     

Introducing self-assessment on an in-service certificate in education programme for teachers in post-compulsory education

This article describes how self-assessment was introduced into a Certificate in Education course for practising teachers in the post-compulsory sector, and how the method and instrument of self-assessment used was refined over successive cohorts for a 4-year period. It describes an action research project (which, as a whole, lasted 6 years), but does not discuss the methodology of action research. Rather it provides a narrative on how one piece of action research was actually carried out.     

Sharing the arena: Changing roles and negotiating power among teacher education participants

Abstract

This article describes and discusses the changes that took place when a group of university faculty members encouraged the participation of traditionally silent teacher education participants (supervising teachers and teacher education students) in the process of teacher education. The findings of this study include defining the delicate balance between inviting participation, negotiating roles, and sharing power in an arena traditionally reserved for only one group of participants. Participants (including university faculty) are often reluctant to give up the security of their traditional roles; therefore, they have difficulty taking on new roles. Furthermore, there is a continual tug of war between participants because of the constant negotiation and renegotiation of roles, relationships, and power. Traditional ways of interacting on the part of all participants are called into question. Understanding this balance proved to be the foremost difficulty for all participants involved.     

Imaginary Friends: Managerialism,globalisation and post-compulsory education and training in England

The paper draws together a number of themes concerned with managerialism, the labour process and the attempt to shape an educational settlement in post-compulsory education and training (PCET) in England. In particular it examines the place of managerialism as a central plank in the PCET settlement in which there is an attempt to construct a social bloc organised around these interests. This discussion involves an examination of the relationship between globalisation, economic relations, technicisation and managerialism itself. This analysis sits alongside an exploration of the relationship between these and state provision of education and welfare. These notions lead into a discussion of values, entrepreneurship, creativity and subjectivity. It is argued that an education system that sees itself as committed to the development of the creative problem solver poses real questions as to whether the social formation can solve the problems of our time. Paradoxically, whilst capitalism requires the value-creating capacity of labour and education is charged to develop this, this capacity is nevertheless one that can be used to debunk capitalist relations.     

论各参与方在高校学科竞赛中的职能

高校学科竞赛的开展是一项系统工程,将竞赛体系内的参与者分为学校、院系、指导教师、学生、实验室、企业、专业协会七个方面,并深入探讨了各参与方在竞赛中所承担的职能。目的是使各方分工明确,协调配合,通过贯彻以赛促改的教育方针,实现学科竞赛对高校人才培养的意义。     

Perceptions of academic quality and approaches to studying among technology students in distance education

Primary objective. To examine perceptions of academic quality and approaches to studying in students taking six technology courses by distance education.

Research design. Students taking four courses received an end-of-course questionnaire. The following year, students taking all six courses received a mid-course questionnaire.

Method. The Course Experience Questionnaire and the Revised Approaches to Studying Inventory were administered in a postal survey to 3539 students of the UK Open University.

Outcomes and results. Across successive levels of study, students were progressively less likely to adopt a deep approach, were more likely to adopt a surface approach and rated their courses less favourably, especially with regard to the workload and materials. Between the middle and end of a course, students were more likely to adopt a deep approach and gave more positive ratings with regard to the materials and amount of choice.

Conclusions. The survey instruments can be recommended as useful tools for monitoring the experiences of engineering and technology students.