Collaboration and Comparisons: A bilateral study of mathematics performance in Scotland and France

This study was set up as an adjunct to national assessment programmes undertake independently in Scotland and France in 1994. The stated aim was to compare Scottish pupils' performance in mathematics at Primary stages P4 and P7 with that of French pupils at stages CE2 and 6è. Issues of comparability which have arisen from multinational surveys are identified and compared with those found in the bilateral study to consider suggestions that it might provide a model for future European comparisons. Methodological issues addressed include the comparability of samples and the selection of and curriculum coverage of common items. Some findings on relative performance are reported and differences in test motivation discussed. Changes in national policies for survey organisation and design needed to minimise perceived difficulties are identified with attention drawn to the differing status and purposes of two national programmes and to cultural differences between two education systems.     

Cooperation in European Construction Education: The Development of the Master's Degree Course in European Construction Engineering

The Master's degree course in European Construction Engineering has many unique features. Its students come from several different European countries, each student studies in at least three different European locations, and the teaching staff are drawn from seven different European universities. The course is therefore genuinely multinational and European. The development and delivery of the course over the past 6 years has revealed fundamental differences in European education practices which have provided a learning experience for both students and staff. This paper describes the course development and discusses some of the issues that have arisen during the development process, many of which are yet to be finally resolved.     

Education Policy and the 1997 Factor: The art of the possible interacting with the dismal science

The '1997 factor' has broad and narrow connotations. Its broader sense equates it with concern about Hong Kong's future. Its narrower sense focuses on the attitudes and actions affected by the change of sovereignty over Hong Kong at midnight on 30 June 1997. The present article investigates how both senses have influenced education policy in Hong Kong and, in particular, how the resulting policy developments have reflected considerations of politics (the art of the possible) and economics (the dismal science). The article divides itself naturally into two main parts. The first, larger section offers a broad historical perspective, demonstrating that concerns about the future of the colony of Hong Kong are recurrent and almost exactly as old as the colony itself. The second section focuses briefly on three case studies of educational issues that have arisen recently from ideas related to the resumption of Chinese sovereignty over Hong Kong.     

Parents and school communities in Japan and Scotland: contrasts in policy and practice in primary schools

In this paper Japanese and Scottish cultural and ideological expectations about the role of parents and communities in schools are examined. Findings from three case studies of a Japanese school, a Scottish school and a group of Japanese parents sending their children to a Scottish school show that there are clear policy differences between the two countries. These differences reflect each country's problems and the purposes of the educational reforms that have been introduced and the different strengths and weaknesses of the two systems. The policy differences in the two systems and how these are translated into practice are examined from the perspective of parents and the wider school community. It is argued that what is missing from the policy and practice context in both countries are the resources to enable teachers, parents and other members of the community to work as equal partners.     

Quality improvement in early years settings in Hong Kong and England

With a growing awareness of the importance of early childhood education, the governments of Hong Kong and England have both increased investment through providing fee assistance to parents for buying services and providing funding to providers for offering ‘free’ places, respectively. Alongside the increased funding of early childhood education, a heightened interest in the quality of early years settings has arisen. This paper aims to develop a framework for comparative studies by addressing the similarities and differences in quality improvement of both systems. Three key issues are discussed: relevance of the quality criteria for assessment, interpretations of the quality improvement mechanism and its use in guiding practice, and the influence of contextual factors in terms of stakeholders' views of the quality process. It is argued that these key issues are fundamental to a framework for understanding different sociocultural contexts and dynamics in shaping the quality improvement of early childhood education.     

Reflections on a Decade of Global Rankings: what we've learned and outstanding issues

Ten years after the first global rankings appeared, it is clear that they have had an extraordinary impact on higher education. While there are fundamental questions about whether rankings measure either quality or what's meaningful, they have succeeded in exposing higher education to international comparison. More so, because of the important role higher education plays as a driver of economic development, rankings have exposed both an information deficit and national competitiveness. Accordingly, both nations and institutions have sought to maximise their position vis-á-vis global rankings with positive and perverse effects. Their legacy is evident in the way rankings have become an implicit — and often explicit – reference point for policymaking and higher education decision-making, and have reinforced an evaluative state's over-reliance on quantitative indicators to measure quality. They are embedded in popular discourse, and have informed the behaviour of many stakeholders, within and outside the academy. This paper reflects on three inter-related issues; i) considers the way rankings have heightened policy and investment interest in higher education, ii) discusses whether the modifications to rankings have resolved some of the questions about what they measure, and iii) looks at how rankings have influenced stakeholder behaviour. Finally, the paper reflects on what we have learned and some outstanding issues.     

The changing relationship between institutional governance and management in the United Kingdom: A Scottish higher education funding council perspective

Abstract

The changing relationship between institutional governance and management in the United Kingdom arising from the second report of the committee on standards in public life, the United Kingdom National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education, and from significant increased government expenditure on higher education is examined. The framework of accountability within which higher education institutions operate is related to these reports. The Scottish Higher Education Funding Council's (SHEFC) perspective of the role of the governing body is examined and contrasted with Bargh, Scott and Smith's research on governing bodies. Both SHEFC's perspective and Bargh et al.’s research are also contrasted with, and related to, a number of National Audit Office (NAO) reports and also to Professor Sizer's investigation and the NAO report into allegations of misconduct at Glasgow Caledonian University (1998). Finally, the paper draws conclusions on the changing relationship between governing bodies and managements, on the requirement on governing bodies to demonstrate that they are appropriately constituted and operate effectively as corporate bodies, and on how these are reflected in the SHEFC code of good practice and good practice benchmarks.     

Evolving issues in early childhood education: A personal perspective

This article describes the issues in early childhood education that were most pressing during the past two decades. It indicates whether each issue has been settled and outlines urgent new issues for today. In 1967 the most salient issues were the importance of early childhood for education, when early education should begin, whether it could compensate for childhood experience at home, and whether the effects of early education were permanent. In 1972 the central issue was the best kind of early educational program. By 1977 attention had shifted to ways that early education could be done most efficiently and cheaply, whether parent education was the answer, and how it worked. By 1982 a new issue had arisen: the effects of full-time day care on preschool children's development. Today's most pressing issues seem to be finding ways to maximize the fit between programs and participants, the implications of the superbaby trend, and the effects of day care on infants' development.     

The contribution of outdoor recreation and outdoor education to the economy of Scotland: Case studies and preliminary findings

Abstract

From a tourism perspective Scotland's greatest natural resource is it's scenery. Recent studies have indicated that the contribution of outdoor recreation (which depend on this asset) to the Scottish economy have traditionally been underestimated. Published work from a range of sources are reviewed together with case studies of the additional contribution of Outdoor Education Centres, and other forms of provision. The main findings are as follows:

Outdoor recreation generates perhaps at least £600 – £800m of Scotland's tourist income, much of which is in rural areas and also extends the traditional tourist season; Outdoor Education Centres are significant employers in certain rural areas; Evidence from one area of Scotland (Lothian Region) suggests that the pattern of outdoor education provision has changed significantly in recent years; ‘Therapeutic’ outdoor activity programmes seem effective in reducing youth crime and the cost-saving to the tax-payer is substantial.     

Aspirations and actions: early childhood from policy to practice in Scotland

This paper explores early childhood experience in Scotland in terms of how readily the aspirations of policy convert to day-to-day practices. Ambitions to improve the lives of children and families have been high on the political agenda. Policy may be understood as a tool that aims to influence childhood experience in positive ways. If this is to be so, then the processes that effect change and their limitations need to be understood better, as do the underpinning values and assumptions. The workforce is at the heart of the endeavour to put policy aspirations into action: they are considered to be agents of change. In exploring such issues this paper draws on a policy-based functional analysis of the children's workforce [Dunlop, A.-W., L. Seagraves, S. Henderson, J. Henry, J. Martlew, and J. Fee. 2011. A Policy-Based Functional Analysis of the Children's Workforce. For Scottish Government: Children and Young People Social Care Directorate, Workforce and Capacity Issues Division] and on policy developments since. The paper therefore discusses Scottish policy aspirations for young children and their families, the contribution of the workforce to achieving those aspirations and asks if staff competence in itself is sufficient to ensure policy delivery for all in a climate where child poverty continues to contribute to unequal lives.     

The Scottish educational crisis of 2000: an analysis of the policy process of unification

The ‘exam results debacle’ of August 2000 provoked a crisis of confidence in Scottish education and appeared to reveal widespread discontent with the current Higher Still reform of post-16 education. For a time the political future of the reform seemed to hang in the balance. This is surprising because the reform incorporated the views of the consensus that emerged from the Howie debates of the early 1990s, and its development involved consultation on a wide scale. Subsequent debates blamed the leadership style of those, especially the Inspectorate, who steered the reform process; some commentators invoked Humes' (1986) analysis of the ‘leadership class’ of Scottish education. This paper argues that a full explanation must take account of Higher Still's character as a flexible, unified system. Compared with other types of reform, the introduction of a flexible unified system tends to involve more conflict between educational interests, and a policy process that is relatively centralized, ‘top-down’ and linear. An analysis of this process must take account of horizontal as well as vertical lines of conflict in education, and of the political weaknesses which prevented the leadership from articulating clear principles and priorities as a basis for conflict resolution. The paper concludes that Humes' analysis should be complemented by McPherson and Raab's (1988) account of Scottish educational policy-making as the interplay of pluralist and corporatist forces.     

Curriculum,pedagogies and assessment in Scotland: the quest for social justice. ‘Ah kent yir faither’

This paper explores the ways in which assessment has developed and is developing in Scotland. The article begins by providing background information on Scotland's educational system. The second section tracks the relationship between curriculum and assessment in Scotland for children aged 3–14, 14–16 and 16+. The third section explores Scotland's current attempt to develop a coherent assessment system. The fourth section focuses on the major curriculum review presently underway in Scotland and reflects on the emerging future for Scottish Education. Connections between ideas of Learning, Assessment and Excellence are explored and issues being faced by one small country trying to develop a coherent assessment system that is both just and dependable are identified.     

The magic mirror: an inquiry into the purposes of education

In the Spring of 2002, The SCRE Centre at the University of Glasgow was commissioned to conduct focus group research on behalf of the the Education, Culture, and Sport Committee at the Scottish Parliament. The study, which was conducted over a 3 month period, was intended to inform the Committee's inquiry into the purposes of education. Inquiries of this type are a common feature of the working practices of the Scottish Parliament. The aim of this particular one was to promote ‘an in‐depth discussion on key issues on the future direction of education’. The main theme of this paper is the dissonance between those who framed the inquiry and those who participated in the focus group study. The meanings of that dissonance are explored—as, briefly, are the conditions under which the research was conducted. The factors that contribute to mismatch in intention or meaning are also discussed. This study also comments on the continuing dominance of academic education in Scotland, and the consequences for those who see themselves as failures while subscribing to the centrality of education.     

The Scottish school history curriculum and issues of national identity

ABSTRACT

The Scottish curriculum operates through broad guidelines that allow a good deal of freedom to shape the curriculum. This article reports the findings of an investigation into the attitudes towards, and knowledge of Scottish history of 16‐year‐old pupils in Scottish schools. The pupils’ responses to questions about aspects of Scotland's past revealed a very large degree of ignorance about important people, events, circumstances and dates as well as a number of misconceptions about major historical aspects. The content of the school history curriculum has an important part to play in the development of a sense of national identity. The findings are discussed at a time when there is a resurgent sense of national identity, with the people in Scotland recently voting in a referendum for the setting up of a Scottish parliament. The minimal place history occupies in the curriculum may partly explain the lack of pupils’ knowledge. There is a lack of detailed evidence on this issue, both within Scotland and from other nations. A major debate about what matters in Scotland's past is needed, for Scotland has avoided establishing a prescribed history curriculum: a well‐informed teaching profession has to make critical decisions about what to include.     

An Evaluation of the Impact of External Quality Monitoring on a Higher Education College (1993–98)

With the establishment, in August 1997, of a new UK‐wide Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA), it is timely to reflect on the impact of the two principal forms of external quality monitoring which the QAA has replaced. First, the quality assessment by the funding councils, whose five‐year cycle of teaching quality assessment in universities and colleges in Scotland and Wales, which commenced in 1993, is now complete. Second, institutional quality audits of universities and colleges, conducted by the Higher Education Quality Council (HEQC) between 1993 and 1997. This paper reports the results of a five‐year action research study conducted at a college of higher education. The particular focus of the study was on issues arising from the development and implementation of a quality assurance system at the study institution, and attempts to reconcile requirements for accountability and efforts to encourage quality improvement. The paper reviews and evaluates the impact of each of the forms of external monitoring, teaching quality assessment and institutional audit, on the study institution. Results are presented using qualitative and quantitative data drawn from external performance measures, such as the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council (SHEFC) and HEQC quality assessment and audit reports, and internal measures of staff experience and perceptions. Lessons are drawn in relation to perceived benefits, or otherwise, of external quality assessment and quality audit, and consideration is given to the implications which the findings have beyond the study institution and the Scottish higher education sector, and in particular for the newly established Quality Assurance Agency.     

“苏格兰学分与资格框架”的质量保障机制研究

质量保障机制应成为资格框架建立及运行过程中的核心问题。作为涵盖苏格兰311个组织11500个“资格”在内的“苏格兰学分与资格框架”,其质量保障机制的特色是“‘共担责任’的质量保障模式”“坚守质量保障‘原则’”以及“将‘学分评级机构’作为资格框架质量保障的核心和关键环节”。“苏格兰学分与资格框架”的质量保障机制,对推动“苏格兰学分与资格框架”成为国际上最成熟的资格框架之一功不可没,其经验可以为我国尚处于探索阶段的国家资历框架建设提供重要的借鉴。     

Middle managers’ experience of policy implementation and mediation in the context of the Scottish quality enhancement framework

This paper analyses how middle managers perform and experience their role in enacting policy in Scottish higher education institutions. The policy focus is the quality enhancement framework (QEF) for learning and teaching in higher education, which was launched in 2003. The data-set was collected between 2008 and 2010, during the evaluation of the QEF by means of focus groups with middle managers at nine Scottish institutions. The metaphor of a policy implementation staircase helps to situate middle managers’ position in enactment, and analyse their experience of the role. Despite the values of collegiality and ownership upheld by the QEF, middle managers’ accounts of their practices reveal that their position at the interface between university management and core academic activities continues to be a delicate one, marked by contradictory allegiances to institutional strategies and the concerns of academic colleagues. While emphasising middle managers’ pivotal role in the implementation of the QEF policy, the data paradoxically suggest that the systemic positioning of middle managers is more influential in shaping their role of mediation than the values of collegiality and ownership promoted by this enhancement approach to quality specific to Scotland.     

Siblings exposed to intimate partner violence: Linking sibling relationship quality & child adjustment problems

Although the majority of families that experience intimate partner violence (IPV) have more than one child, most research to date has focused upon a single child within these families. A significant body of research has indicated siblings play an important role in children's adjustment and well-being. To address this gap, the three main goals of the present study were to compare the adjustment of older and younger siblings exposed to IPV, to describe and compare the quality of these sibling relationships from multiple perspectives, and to investigate how sibling adjustment and relationship quality influence children's adjustment. Forty-seven sibling pairs and their mothers were recruited from the community. Mothers self-reported on their violent experiences using the Conflict Tactics Scale, and also estimated the length of time their children were exposed to IPV. Mothers and children completed assessments of child adjustment and the quality of sibling relationships. Observers also assessed the quality of sibling interaction. Results indicated that adjustment between siblings was highly inter-related. On average, mothers reported sibling relationships as less positive but also as less hostile than did siblings themselves. Higher levels of sibling hostility, lower levels of sibling warmth and higher levels of disengagement each significantly predicted child adjustment; however, these effects were predicated upon the adjustment of the other sibling. The sibling relationships of children exposed to IPV made a difference in their individual adjustment, and their adjustment issues influenced how they feel about and interacted with their sibling. Sibling hostility played a stronger role in adjustment issues than sibling warmth. The nature of sibling influences and the direction of future research were discussed.