IQEA and special schools

Projects focused on Improving the Quality of Education for All (IQEA) have been running for ten years. The Nottinghamshire special schools IQEA project is the first to draw schools exclusively from the special education sector. In this article, John Beresford, IQEA's research officer; Hilary Stokes, co-ordinator of the Nottinghamshire special schools IQEA project; and John Morris, secondary inspector and IQEA co-ordinator for Nottinghamshire LEA, briefly outline the philosophy in which IQEA is grounded. They discuss the particular challenges encountered in a special schools project and illustrate responses by providing a case study of one school's engagement in the project. The article concludes with a tentative assessment of the benefits that participation in the project has brought to the special schools and units involved.     

Introduction to Special Feature: Alternative perspectives on school improvement

The growth of interest in school improvement in the last decade has been striking. In the UK, the educational system has moved to a position where school improvement is not merely expected but demanded. As a result, a large number of school improvement projects and initiatives have emerged to meet this demand. Many of these initiatives have emphasised structural change and have located change efforts at the level of the school. However, the research evidence concerning successful school improvement programmes demonstrates the importance of changing school culture and focusing upon teaching and learning. The Improving the Quality of Education For All (IQEA) project embraces both these elements. Over the last 10 years the project has achieved demonstrable success in a diverse range of school contexts and is at the forefront of school improvement work within the UK. This special feature considers IQEA from a variety of perspectives and provides important insights into the theory, process and practice of successful school improvement.     

Effective School Improvement: English Case Studies

This article compares 2 programmes in their roles played in stimulating effective school improvement. These programmes are the Local Education Authority (LEA-school district) in Birmingham and the university-inspired project “The Improving the Quality of education for All” (IQEA). The aims and characteristics of both programmes and the national accountability context within which these programmes function are described. Ten primary and secondary schools which are assisted by these programmes were visited during 1 day to compile a picture of each school's improvement journey and the key influences and constraints upon its progress. Emerging factors that appear to promote and discourage the capacity to change are described.     

Consultative Paper on the Secondary School Curriculum

After introducing the author, some themes central to the article are explored through one school's eight year involvement with the Improving the Quality of Education for All (IQEA) school's improvement initiative. A short account of Sharnbrook Upper Schools evolving journey is presented, based around three different models. From this issues related to maintenance and development, and to leadership are explored. The final phase of the article suggests limitations to the models of transactional and transformational leadership as a means of providing leadership for the long haul in school improvement. Deriving from an analysis of contemporary research about leadership and from grounded understandings about alternative approaches to leadership (in both principle and practice) new leadership themes are presented, which are based around values, shared leadership contexts and capacity creation through learning.     

Science,technology and society in transition year: A pilot study

This is the first report on the findings of a survey carried out on 578 students entering computing courses at seven institutes of technology in Ireland in 2001. The progress of this cohort of students is charted through the four years of their course using questionnaires and interviews. It is envisioned that the study will highlight the different relationships and patterns of association between these students’ progression at college and their entry characteristics. The findings presented in this article are from a section of the questionnaire administered to students in year one of their studies. It was designed to explore students’ experiences of computing prior to their entry to college. The students’ exposure to computing and their enjoyment of computing at second level was documented. Relationships between students’ experiences of computing at second level and their success/failure to progress in their course in third level are investigated.     

Students’ Perceptions of High School Science: What has Changed Over the Last Decade?

This paper presents comparative questionnaire data from three different samples of Australian high school students in an attempt to see if anything has changed in relation to how they perceive the science they experience in the compulsory years of secondary school (grades 7–10). Questionnaire data were obtained from 1,585 high school students in 2011 and 2,016 students in 2005 and findings are compared with those reported in a national report (Goodrum et al. 2001). Results show significant increases in the frequency with which students report that their science teacher takes notice of their ideas and in the use of computers and the Internet. There have also been changes regarding the rapid provision of feedback, the use of understandable language by teachers and the contextualisation of the new work in terms of work already covered. Little appears to have changed, however, in relation to the teacher-directed pedagogies employed to teach science where there appears to be a higher incidence of copying notes and fewer opportunities for students to investigate topics in which they are interested. The findings suggest that while there have been some positive changes, there are still many students who indicate that the science they experience in secondary school is irrelevant to their everyday life and to their future. It seems that the curiosity and wonder one would hope is associated with studying science is missing for a large proportion of students. It is clear that further actions need to be undertaken to transform this continuing situation.     

The art of freedom in HE teacher development

This paper considers the benefits of framing the education of Higher Education teachers as an art, and of facilitating a creative and artistic approach to teaching in Higher Education. It recognises the difficulties this poses in an international context in which Higher Education is increasingly presented as a commodity which must be standardised to provide guaranteed outcomes for students and governments. It presents the findings from a study of two cohorts of academic staff at a UK University who followed an arts-informed development programme and suggests that they and their students benefitted from the freedom to improvise and experiment. The study suggests that teachers appreciate the structure and discipline offered by the arts, as well as the opportunity to work with methods and materials outside their normal comfort zones.     

The effect of scheduling format on long-term retention

This study examines the relationship between course intensity and long-term retention on graduate level counseling students enrolled in a research and statistics course. It confirms earlier findings of time and learning studies, which have primarily dealt with end-of-course outcomes, that there is no effect due to scheduling format. In this study, older students performed significantly higher on a six-month follow-up test than younger students. Students who had previous, related course work scored significantly higher in final course grades than students with no prior course work, however, differences were moderated and no longer significant at the time of follow-up. Implications from these findings are discussed.Rebecca LaFountain is an assistant professor in the Department of Counseling, Shippenburg University of Pennsylvania. She earned an Ed.D in Counseling from the College of William and Mary, an M.S. in Counseling from Iowa State University, and a B.A. in French from Grand Valley State University. She is a Licensed Psychologist and a Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor. Her primary professional interests include the teaching of research and statistics so that it is not threatening; Adlerian psychology; and, Solution-Focused counseling.     

大学生英语词汇习得认知策略使用情况研究

研究者对本校非英语专业大学生英语词汇习得认知策略的使用现状进行了调查，并通过SPSS统计软件对研究结果进行分析。结果表明大学生普遍具有传用认知策略的意识，但使用频率有差异；善学者和不善学者在认知策略的使用上也有差异。研究结果对认知策略培训提出有关建议并希望对词汇教学有所启示。     

Making the most of others: autonomous interdependence in adult beginner distance language learners

Autonomy in language learning does not simply equate with independence, as language learning is a social activity that requires interaction with others. This also applies just as much to distance language learners, who need to reconcile independent language learning and interdependence with others. This article draws on findings from 43 mid-course interviews with adult beginner distance learners of French, Spanish, and German, and focuses on ways in which they engage with tutors and with other students, and the extent to which these interactions enhance their learning. It shows that many students are prepared to seek clarification from their tutors, but not strategic advice in areas of learning that are likely to be most problematic. It also highlights how feelings about working with other students can enhance or restrict progress toward autonomous interdependence. Finally, it considers ways for facilitating greater learner control in these key aspects of their studies.     

Student Choices and Values in England

What do students in England think about school? This article examines the findings of educational research in England on the aspirations and expectations of young people themselves, and how well these are met through schooling. It focuses on the following issues: liking for school; attitudes towards schoolwork; disaffected pupils; attitudes towards teachers; views on the purposes of education; perceptions of parental interest and support; educational aspirations; students’ views on the curriculum; and absence and related factors. It concludes by bringing together and discussing those findings which might well be regarded as positive and those which might instead be regarded as cause for concern. In order to set these research findings in context, a brief overview of schooling in England is given, followed by information on ways in which educational research is funded and conducted.     

Literacy,achievement and success in a Māori tourism certificate programme: reading the world in order to read the word

ABSTRACT

This article critiques international assessment of adult literacy using research findings from students completing a Māori tourism certificate who achieved significant gains in assessment. It is argued that the focus of literacy assessments potentially forces educators to narrow their teaching and learning approaches, manoeuvring them into teaching toward singular or convergent literacy. This leads to utilising teaching and learning strategies drawn from the cultural and social capital of the dominant culture, which is problematic for students without abundance of such capital.

Blending Kaupapa Māori research theory with appreciative inquiry, research revealed that students made significant gains in assessment scores because their educators acknowledged and utilised ways in which they made sense and meaning of their world. Educators drew upon the social and cultural capital of students and engaged them as partners in culturally based teaching and learning processes. Relating to students’ multiple literacies, and the contexts with which they bring meaning to their world in this way, is referred to as drawing from divergent literacies.

This study proposes a need to develop and research alternative ways for improving convergent literacy outcomes. It is suggested that multiple interventions using multi-modal and 360° approaches need to occur simultaneously for best outcomes.     

Deconstructing the student experience on an educational studies degree,with reference to student choice,access and outcomes

Educational studies as a discipline is now a feature in many British universities, but little research has been undertaken to explore what kinds of student choose the subject, how easily they access it or how they fare as undergraduate students. This article attempts to address this paucity of research by drawing on a selection of findings from a study undertaken with undergraduate students between 2004 and 2007. The study tracks the progress of a single cohort of students, some from vocational backgrounds and some from traditional academic backgrounds, on a full-time, three-year BA Honours educational studies degree.

The article initially provides a discussion relating to the historical place of educational studies as a subject for study at undergraduate level and suggests how this links to the British widening-participation agenda. This provides a context for the subsequent sections, which present a selection of findings from the three-year research project. The project was designed to explore the students’ experiences by asking which of them were accepted to undertake the degree by admissions staff, how they fared on the degree and, critically, whether their pre-entry qualifications had an impact on their progress and success. This article provides some answers to these questions which suggest that admissions staff are more cautious in accepting vocational entry qualifications, but that the nature of these has little bearing on ultimate success on the degree. It concludes by suggesting how this knowledge might impact on information for potential applicants and on the selection of students in the future.     

“No Roughs and No Really Brainy Ones”: The Interaction Between Family Background,Gender and Vocational Training on a BTEC Fashion Design Course∗

Abstract

This paper analyzes ethnographic data from a case study of fashion design students on a BTEC national diploma course. It is based on comparative analysis with the findings of a related study of YTS ‘Care’ girls. Both ethnographies are being conducted within the wider framework of the ESRC 16‐19 Initiative. The paper explores the role of training in economic socialization, drawing particularly on theories of social reproduction. It begins by examining the experience of training in terms of the sorts of demands which it makes upon students. This is linked with an investigation of the students’ advantages in terms of family background from the point of view of pursuing training of this type. Finally, it is argued that the BTEC vocational training programme plays an important role in mediating between social class, family background and careers through a complex process of screening entrants for relevant social and cultural attributes.

     

The role of social networks in the transitional experiences of international African doctoral students at one university in South Africa

ABSTRACT

International doctoral students’ sojourn encompasses three transitional processes: to the new country, to the university and to a new academic identity as a researcher in a specific discipline. This article examines the role of social networks in facilitating these transitions for international doctoral students at one South African university. It is based on qualitative interviews conducted with 23 international PhD students representing eight different disciplines and various countries in Africa. The findings suggest that students are involved in a number of social networks, which all, apart from the academic network, exclude local students. This close-knit co-national network, while providing international PhD students with a well documented survival mechanism, may hinder their international experiences and limit the acquisition of the inter-cultural skills necessary for global citizenship in the twenty-first century. The findings also indicated that family networks back home played a role in instilling worries and doubts among students related to xenophobic attacks against foreigners.     

The ‘campus imaginary’: online students’ experience of the masters dissertation at a distance

Higher education research has overlooked online distance Masters students’ experiences of independent research, and this is an important gap at a time when increasing numbers of taught postgraduate programmes are delivered online. This article discusses findings from interviews with eighteen graduates from four online Masters programmes. It introduces a key theme from the research: the concept of the ‘campus imaginary’, which emerged during analysis as a way of accounting for interviewees’ tendencies to attribute challenging experiences to being at a distance from their supervisors, peers and the university campus. Common issues for Masters students, such as unexpected obstacles, difficult supervisory relationships, lack of time, and feelings of isolation were interpreted by students as features of the online dissertation process. We argue that the over-privileging of the campus and the face-to-face experience affects students’ campus imaginaries, but that imaginaries also leave space for more productive ways of engaging with online students at the independent research stage.     

Working on a dream: educational returns from off-campus paid work

Helping students develop the employability skills and professional capabilities they will need to transition into graduate roles is one of the most important mandates for university study. With this context in mind, this paper analyses the nature and implications of Australian university students’ participation in paid work during study. The paper looks at the incidence with which students participate in paid work, and follows this with an analysis of the influence such participation has on academic engagement and outcomes. There are disjuncts, the data shows, between student activity and the support received from institutions. It is suggested that institutions need to embrace students’ off-campus paid work. The findings shed light on practices that institutions can use to support students’ participation and outcomes.     

Social engagement in a diversifying campus: a phenomenological exploration

With more non-local (Mainland China and overseas) students admitted into the universities of Hong Kong, the student population on campus is becoming much more diversified. This study was a phenomenological inquiry into the social engagement experiences of local and non-local Chinese students in their first year at a university in Hong Kong. Qualitative data was obtained from 10 focus groups. The findings suggested that the majority of the students in the study were active in social engagement and most achieved a sense of belonging to the university or its sub-communities. The culture in student communities played an important role in students' social engagement. It pushed students to become intensively involved in out-of-class activities and challenged them to reflect on the direction in which they would carry this historical legacy forward in the diversifying campus.