Autonomy and mathematical problem-solving: The early years

Focusing on ‘Whole school action on Numeracy’, research began in six primary schools undergoing an Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED) inspection during the year September 1997 to 1998, as part of the Leverhulme Numeracy Research Programme. The Numeracy Task Force was working during that time to prepare the Numeracy Strategy with its implementation date of September 1999. Schools were aware that this was coming, but had the major innovation of the National Literacy Strategy to implement in September 1998. This paper reports on the ways in which three major outside constraints — OFSTED inspection with its attendant Action Plan, a national focus on Literacy and the impending National Numeracy Strategy — caused conflicts for schools as they planned action to raise attainment in numeracy.     

Raising attainment in mathematics — The story of Wolverton School

This paper has arisen from a case-study undertaken as part of ‘Whole School Action on Numeracy’, one of six linked projects in the Leverhulme Numeracy Research Programme. Studied over four years, ‘Wolverton’ School emerged as a success story in terms of consistently increasing attainment results in mathematics. The research revealed some of the tensions that exist for schools in the current atmosphere of pressure to raise levels of attainment. Decisions have to be made about curriculum coverage, about setting, about teaching to the test. These tensions together with the strategies adopted by the school to promote the development of numeracy form the subject of the paper which draws from teacher and headteacher interviews, followed by analysis by the research team, with an additional section summarising the responses from an LEA primary adviser from a different authority who was interviewed and asked to comment on the first two sections of the paper. The Epilogue brings the story up to date with comments from a recent interview with the Headteacher as he moves on to a new school.     

School leaders’ identification of school level and teacher practices that influence school improvement in national numeracy testing outcomes

Since 2008, all Australian students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 have been assessed in literacy and numeracy through an annual National Assessment Program—Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) test. In 2015, a team of mathematics education researchers across Australia conducted a nationwide research project to identify school practices and policies that were consistent between schools that showed growth and/or improvement in their NAPLAN numeracy results. This paper reports findings from three case study schools, using a school improvement framework to interpret evidence gathered from the schools’ principals and school leaders. The study has particular implications for policy makers and school leaders who may be seeking ways to improve mathematical practices in their own jurisdictions and schools.     

National numeracy initiatives in England and Wales: parallel attempts at achieving large‐scale reform

The introduction of the National Numeracy Strategy (NNS) in England in September 1999 represented a very significant attempt to change the way mathematics was taught in primary schools. In Wales, where the NNS does not apply, an alternative strategy required Local Education Authorities (LEAs), in consultation with their schools, to develop locally based numeracy initiatives. This article presents and discusses results from a comparative study of the way in which headteachers viewed these contrasting attempts to raise standards of numeracy and their perception of the way in which the initiatives impacted upon pupils, teachers and teaching approaches. Whilst the data presented within the article may be of particular interest to policy makers and practitioners in England and Wales there would also appear to be some messages for those who may be concerned with similar large‐scale reform efforts, elsewhere.     

Investigating the impact of NAPLAN on student,parent and teacher emotional distress in independent schools

Concerns have been raised about the impact Australia’s national standardised testing, the National Assessment Program-Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN), has upon the well-being of students, parents and teachers. To date, research evidence is unclear as to the level and extent of emotional distress experienced by stakeholders during testing. Despite an unclear evidence base, the prevailing view is that NAPLAN has a general negative impact upon stakeholder well-being. In a pilot study that surveyed all stakeholder groups across 11 independent schools in Western Australia, we found evidence of a minimal impact from the testing. We also found evidence for a small positive association between student and parent distress during testing, and a moderate positive association between parent and teacher distress during testing and their estimations regarding how NAPLAN impacts other people. Our results are not consistent with the prevailing view that NAPLAN has a broad negative impact on well-being, and highlights the need for further research to inform debates about the usefulness and impact of NAPLAN testing.     

Improvement in National Test arithmetic scores at Key Stage 1: Grade inflation or better achievement?

The aim of the National Numeracy Strategy is to raise standards in numeracy. Strong evidence for its success has, however, been lacking: most of the available data come from performance on National Test assessments administered in schools or from Ofsted reports, and is vulnerable to suggestions of bias. An opportunistic analysis of data from a population cohort study extending over three school years compares school‐based scores at school entry and at age 7–8 with clinic‐based scores on similar tests. The results show a small but statistically significant rise between 1998 and 1999 and between 1998 and 2000 in scores on both KS1 arithmetic SATs taken in schools and the arithmetic component of the WISC test taken in an independent research clinic. This is evidence for a real rise in generalised arithmetic ability over this period which may be attributable to the children's experience of the National Numeracy Strategy.     

From national policy to classroom practice: Promoting reading for pleasure in post‐primary English classrooms

In 2011, a national strategy Literacy and Numeracy for Learning and Life was published in the Republic of Ireland. One key aspect of the strategy was that it placed a renewed focus on reading for pleasure in post‐primary classrooms. The researchers involved in this article worked for the Professional Development Service for Teachers, a national, government‐funded professional development organisation. In response to the strategy, the researchers worked with teachers from nine post‐primary schools across the Republic of Ireland. Through working closely with these English teachers, it was possible to identify assumptions that the teachers made around their students' reading in post‐primary education. This article considers and challenges some of these assumptions and demonstrates what happened when the teachers were invited to do the same. In the course of the research, questions were also raised about some of the recommendations made within the national strategy, recommendations which were themselves based on contestable assumptions, assumptions such as the fact that boys prefer to read non‐fiction. The need for national policy to be rooted in research was, therefore, also identified. Finally, through feedback from teachers and students involved in the research project, the authors of this article were able to devise a series of recommendations for schools seeking to focus on reading for pleasure in the post‐primary English classroom.     

The nursery school's approach to learning

There is widespread agreement that appropriately used resources help children to understand mathematics. Resources of particular kinds play a significant part in the National Numeracy Strategy (NNS) but the training materials for teachers offer surprisingly little in the way of a rationale for the use of recommended resources. This article explores different aspects of resources and analyses the use of resources in 3 video clips from the NNS training video tapes. Finally, with reference to other European countries, it considers how we might move towards a more considered use of resources.     

Who pays for standardised testing? A cost-benefit study of mandated testing in three Queensland secondary schools

This paper reports on an Australian study that explored the costs and benefits of the National Assessment Programme, Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) testing, both tangible and intangible, of Year 9 students in three Queensland schools. The study commenced with a review of pertinent studies and other related material about standardised testing in Australia, the USA and UK. Information about NAPLAN testing and reporting, and the pedagogical impacts of standardised testing were identified, however little about administrative costs to schools was found. A social constructivist perspective and a multiple case study approach were used to explore the actions of school managers and teachers in three Brisbane secondary schools. The study found that the costs of NAPLAN testing to schools fell into two categories: preparation of students for the testing; and administration of the tests. Whilst many of the costs could not be quantified, they were substantial and varied according to the education sector in which the school operated. The benefits to schools of NAPLAN testing were found to be limited. The findings have implications for governments, curriculum authorities and schools, leading to the conclusion that, from a school perspective, the benefits of NAPLAN testing do not justify the costs.     

Excellence of analysis to diversity of advocacy: The multiple roles of the Leverhulme study into the future of higher education

The Leverhulme programme of study into the future of higher education is an impressive analytical effort carried through with expediency and allowing for wide participation. However, the programme is not only an ambitious exercise in policy analysis and unorthodox planning. It also involves processes of bargaining and policy advocacy. But the demands of these different roles have not been openly examined. Thus the programme has unnecessarily rendered itself open to criticism. In particular, many of the recommendations echo a consistent plea for new institutional arrangements for central co-ordination and top-down management and control. These recommendations, however, have received little or no underpinning and are actually at odds with some of the most qualified studies of the Leverhulme programme itself. Furthermore, the programme has tended to neglect two of the most urgent tasks of policy analysis, namely to outline a range of available options - rather than to produce a broad consensus view - and to clearly spell out major value tradeoffs involved - rather than to assure that there are no significant drawbacks attached to the options being advocated.Prepared when the author was a Visiting Scholar of the Comparative Higher Education Research Group, University of California, Los Angeles. The author is indebted to the Director of the Group, Professor Burton Clark, for incisive comments on some of the issues raised by the Leverhulme Programme and to Dr. Gary Rhoades of the same Group for helpful comments on a previous draft of the article.     

Whose reality counts? Local educators as researchers on the quality of primary education

This article describes a methodology that local educators can use to conduct structured analytic research on the quality of primary education. The methodology has been developed by four twenty-person teams of local educators who carried out studies in rural regions of Madagascar, Mozambique, Tanzania and Uganda. In addition to describing the methodology, the article presents short summaries of the researchers’ conclusions and recommendations. However, its main purpose is to share the methodology that has evolved. The methodology is qualitative, but a simple quantitative measure of relationship between binary variables (Yule’s Q) was used to test the researchers’ qualitative findings. It is this tool that provoked the most significant reflection among the researchers in each group. In general, the results of the four studies corroborate other research on the factors that influence student outcomes in primary schools in Sub-Saharan Africa. More importantly, the studies’ results demonstrate that the methodology offers practicing educators a tool that helps them define, collect, and rigorously analyse empirical information to reach shared insights about their schools and then to formulate practical recommendations about what to do to improve student learning.     

20世纪80年代以来美国公立学校家校合作发展研究

20世纪80年代以来,为解决公立学校的种种危机,家校合作一直是美国基础教育研究和学校改革的热点之一。在联邦政府、学校当局、教育研究者及家长等各方面的关注和支持之下,美国公立学校家校合作实践的发展具有了一些新的特点,显示了美国公立学校与家庭之间的合作已经日趋成熟,在很多方面值得我们借鉴和参考。     

Challenges of Entering Discourse Communities Through Publishing in English: Perspectives of Nonnative-Speaking Doctoral Students in the United States of America

There have been concerns that nonnative-speaking (NNS) researchers are at some disadvantage due to power differentials that result from the predominance of English in the academic world. This study investigates the assumptions and the findings of previous studies related to NNS researchers' publications in English in internationally refereed journals through in-depth interviews with four NNS doctoral students in the United States. The interviews sought to find out what challenges NNS doctoral students experience and how they cope with the challenges from research to publishing. Several salient issues emerged through the study, such as co-authoring, conducting certain types of research, getting native-speaker assistance, making the most use of local knowledge, and negotiating feedback from journals. The findings of this study imply that collaboration with native speaker (NS) mentors and colleagues can be beneficial in spite of potentially unequal power relations. In addition, the most use of NNSs' local knowledge can be positive in the sense that it brings valuable insight into Center-based academia. This study, however, suggests that it is critical to create a space for various voices in the Center publishing communities. Key words: nonnative-speaking doctoral students, writing for publication, co-authoring, local knowledge, situated knowledges, legitimate peripheral participation     

WHAT PISA TELLS US ABOUT THE QUALITY AND INEQUALITY OF JAPANESE EDUCATION IN MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE

Researchers, policy officials, and the wider public in Japan and abroad often hold different views about the quality of Japanese education. Whereas Western researchers are attracted by the academic performance of Japanese students in international assessment studies, Japanese university professors launched a public debate in 1999 about declining achievement. Both advocates and detractors, however, assume that students perform equally well or bad, teachers do not differ in their methods, and students are treated similarly across schools. This study explored the validity of the mutually opposing views about the quality of Japanese education and addressed the issue of unequal educational opportunities, which has not been investigated based on representative, large-scale datasets. According to the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) studies, Japanese students performed well but a decline is visible between 2003 and 2006 for mathematics. The PISA studies also indicate that an achievement gap exists in Japan and that tracking leads to differential school experiences.     

A mass observation study of student and teacher behaviour in British primary classrooms

A large scale observational study by educational psychologists of 141 UK primary classrooms used a partial interval time‐sampling observational schedule to record the frequency and type of verbal behaviour of teachers and whether students were “on‐task” (following the teacher’s directions) or “off‐task” (not following the teacher’s directions).

Results were analysed and comparisons made between lessons that followed National Literacy Strategy or Numeracy guidelines and those that did not; between schools from different geographical contexts, e.g. rural or inner‐city; between classes where there was one, or more than one, adult present; between schools with different percentages of free school meals; and between a.m. and p.m. lessons.

A range of findings included higher rates of students being on‐task than found by previous studies, and correlations between high on‐task rates and teachers who used high levels of verbal behaviour including positive academic feedback. Teachers used three times more verbal approval for desired social behaviour in the classroom than has been reported in previous studies. It was found that teachers verbally interacted more with students during National Literacy and Numeracy Strategy lessons but that this did not lead to statistically significantly higher on‐task rate. Similarly, teachers in inner‐city schools interacted more with students, but on‐task rates in inner‐city schools were not significantly higher. Reasons for this effect are discussed.     

Warranting Practices: Teachers Embedding the National Numeracy Strategy

This paper explores the notion of the 'evidence-based practitioner' in relation to the National Numeracy Strategy (NNS). The exploration is dealt with in the context of a pilot study of the implementation of the NNS one year before its national launch in September 1999. We begin by describing some of the milestones encountered in the relatively short life history of evidence-based practice (EBP) and exploring some of its various articulations. Challenging the appropriateness of current externally derived formulations of 'evidence' we develop the notion of 'warranting' in order to examine alternative ways in which teachers legitimate their professional practice in relation to the NNS. We conclude that what we observe is a series of shifting and multiple meanings and justifications, carrying different constraints and possibilities for practice.     

从卢旺达教育援助项目看英国对外教育援助的评估模式

在对非教育援助中,英国政府将嵌入式评估作为一种有效问责手段,提高了经费的使用效能,完善了经费的分配方式,为英国政府提供了决策依据。同时,在开展对非教育援助的过程中英国政府也在努力完善、调整并改良评估模式,帮助非洲受援国提高中小学教育质量,激活受援国教育发展的内部动力。文章从英国对非教育援助的 PbR评估模式入手,以英国对卢旺达教育援助项目为例,分析了RBA评估模式的应用与改良,介绍了评估团队的竞标与对他们的要求,阐释了评估结果的使用。     

Opening classroom interaction: the importance of feedback

Efforts to encourage ‘interactive practice’ in the National Literacy (NLS) and Numeracy (NNS) Strategies in the UK, have led to an emphasis on teacher questions. Recent research into classroom interactions, however, indicate that the pattern of interaction remains largely unchanged since the introduction of these strategies in terms of the type and amount of questions teachers are asking, and the opportunities for extended pupil participation. This article uses evidence gathered from a large‐scale research project examining classroom interactions during literacy and numeracy lessons, and the researchers' critical reflections upon this process, to examine conceptions of interactive pedagogy. It is argued that in order to ‘open’ classroom interaction, emphasis should be less on the questions teachers ask, and more on the manner with which teachers react to pupils' responses to questions. Episodes of classroom interaction from video recorded literacy and numeracy lessons taken as part of the study are used to support this argument. They present evidence of teacher behaviours in reaction to pupils' responses which succeed in facilitating a more interactive learning environment. The implication that such behaviour will contribute towards a model of effective interactive practice is also discussed.     

Changing classroom practice at Key Stage 2: the impact of New Labour’s national strategies

The article examines the impact of New Labour policies—particularly the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies and the subsequent Primary National Strategy—on classroom practice at Key Stage 2 in England. Evidence is drawn from fieldwork conducted in 2003–2005 from a sample of 50 schools, replicating a study conducted a decade previously in the same schools. The data base consists mainly of 188 transcribed in‐depth teacher interviews and fieldnotes from observation of 51 lessons. By comparison with other research studies on primary classroom practice from the 1970s through to the mid‐1990s, our study suggests that there have been more changes in the last five years in teaching styles and in classroom organisation throughout the whole curriculum at KS2 than in the previous two decades. Such changes include a dramatic increase in whole‐class teaching, the use of learning objectives shared with pupils and changes in pupil seating arrangements. Through compliance with centrally imposed changes in pedagogy, teachers’ experiences have led them to change some of their professional values concerning desirable pedagogy. The article concludes by considering some of the implications of our evidence for theories of educational change and of teacher professionalism.