Post-16: Proposals and Issues

The recently published White Paper, Education and Training for the 21st Century, is the prelude to new laws which are likely to change the course of post-16 education and training. It is essential that all who work with young people who have special educational needs are aware of the proposals and the issues which arise so that they can respond to the draft legislation due later this autumn. David Hutchinson, a senior manager in a college of further education and also a founder member and vice chairman of Skill, the National Bureau for Students with Disabilities, summarises aspects of the White Paper, some reactions to it and recommendations which Skill wants the government to take into account when the Bill is being drafted.     

Pedagogical content knowledge in computing education: a review of the research literature

This review synthesizes literature on computing pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). Shulman introduced PCK in the 1980s to describe the amalgam of knowledge teachers draw upon in their work and use of the construct is increasing in the computing education community. From a systematic search of the literature, I identified 19 articles drawn from 9 countries for review and summarize how computing PCK is conceptualized and investigated in the data set. Five conceptualizations of computing PCK were present: (a) two models of computing PCK components, (b) one model of PCK development and (c) two models focused on the metaphoric and problem-solving nature of computing. The most common research lines addressed were the nature and development of individual PCK. Mostly qualitative methods created by authors were employed. A focus on discipline-specific approaches for future computing PCK research is recommended.     

Post-16 Education,Semi-dependent Youth and the Privatisation of Inter-age Transfers: Re-theorising youth transition

This paper critically reviews historical and contemporary debates around the study of youth transitions and social change in the sociology of education and elsewhere. It argues that current accounts of recent social change of the 'post' variety tend to both over state and simplify the character of these changes. The paper suggests that it is more appropriate to think of change in terms of the reconfiguration of relationships between 'inflexibility' and 'flexibility', independence and dependency, and the public and the private. Substantively, these things can be studied through the 'intergenerational transfer' of 'assets' of various kinds within kin networks. On this basis, the paper argues for a shift away from a narrower focus upon parents that has been the basis for some recent useful and relevant work on educational decision-making in sociology of education in the UK. These issues about decision-making are related to the developing debate around Rational Action Theory and culturalist vs structural approaches. It is suggested that recent work in the areas of stratification and class formation theory would prove of value to these, and other, concerns in the sociology of education.     

21世纪英国高中课程取向探究

2000年，英国对高中课程进行了重大改革。本文在阐述英国高中涵义的基础上，分析其高中课程质量面临的挑战，介绍英国新的高中课程，探讨其中高中课程取向的新特点。     

Video production in content-area pedagogy: a scoping study of the research literature

Video production offers a way for students to learn content-area knowledge while simultaneously developing technology skills deemed important in contemporary society. Yet, the research has not been examined in a systematic way to reveal how these types of projects are oriented to align to instructional goals or how learning is investigated when they are implemented as part of content-area pedagogy. A scoping study was conducted to review the research literature on implementation of student video production in content-area classrooms. A total of 61 studies published from 2006 through 2017 were selected and analyzed through a systematic process. Findings suggest that video production projects were conducted to meet information, performance, composition, literacy, or creativity learning goals in content-area classrooms. Strategies used to investigate student learning included evaluation of learner perceptions, analysis of the process of creating video, assessment of the final video project, or a combination of these approaches.     

Searching the literature on teaching strategies and approaches for pupils with special educational needs: knowledge production and synthesis

This paper considers the problems that were encountered in searching and using the literature (about practice) to answer questions about future directions for policy in teaching learners with special educational needs (SEN). It draws upon a recently completed scoping study on the effectiveness of different approaches and strategies used to teach pupils with a range of special educational needs ( Davis & Florian, 2004 ) which foregrounded issues of search strategy, knowledge organisation and synthesis. The paper argues that a literature review is historically, culturally and socially produced knowledge and is an important but limited piece of evidence. Guidance for undertaking a review of literature on teaching practice is offered.     

Core competencies and high leverage practices of the beginning teacher: a synthesis of the literature

Teacher competency frameworks comprise a number of competencies that enable a teacher to develop effective teaching practices. However, their conception, value, use and recognition vary widely. Equally, assessment and measurement of such competencies differ across contexts. More recently, a body of research has emerged which focuses the lens of teacher preparation on the inclusion of high leverage practices. The focus of this study is to report a synthesis of the literature pertaining to the ‘core competencies’ and ‘high leverage practices’ selected for inclusion in teacher preparation. A systematic review of the literature was conducted in order to synthesis available evidence. Results are presented in two sections; competency-based approaches; and high leverage practice approaches in teacher preparation. Findings are discussed from the perspective of epistemological and methodological questions emerging from the research and the implications for teacher preparation.     

Challenging hierarchies: The impact of e-learning

New developments in e-learning and increasinglysophisticated learning technologies arebeginning to make a major impact in U.K.universities. It is clear that universitiesneed to change to accommodate the impact oftechnology on learning. Communicationtechnologies that are free from time or placeconstraints provide new challenges touniversities on how they should be organised. The paper reflects on the university's strategicplanning process and outlines the developmentprocess of an e-learning initiative. Examplesof the emergent change agenda are identifiedand finally possibilities for futuredevelopment are explored. It isclear that the impact of e-learning willrequire universities to re-think fundamentallytheir thinking and therefore their strategiesin a whole range of areas. There hasbeen much focus on technological advancementbut much less on how technology impacts onstrategic planning. This paper addresses thisgap in the literature by examining oneuniversity's strategic responses to thischallenge of e-learning. The learning attachedto this case study could be used to help otheruniversities respond to the change agendabrought about by e-learning.     

漂泊在文学的家园--张昆华创作论

张昆华是云南著名的彝族诗人、作家.他在近50年的文学创作中,于小说、散文、诗歌都成绩不菲,令人瞩目.本文通过对其创作主体意识和文本的梳理与探析,论证其创作的概貌、本质、特征及意义.     

E-literature in the frame of e-learning

In last two/three decades, advancement in modern information and communication technology enabled e-learning. E-learning is supported with modern information and communication technology. A shift in learning paradigm, from traditional （i.e. collocated participants） to more distance education （i.e. geographic dispersed participants）, especially in the form of e-learning, has resulted in changes in many fields. Traditional and e-learning processes differ significantly in many aspects. One among the most important is the field of literature （e.g. its design, creation, implementation, distribution）. Literature which is used in traditional education process （e.g. hard copy books） could also be used in e-learning process, but is lees suitable. Therefore e-literature has evolved and gained importance recently. E-literature is more convenient because it is in electronic version （not hard copy）, which allows fast and cheap distribution to participants in e-learning process. In the contribution, we research student＇s preferences about literature in e-learning and especially what are the characteristics of a good e-literature. Therefore the paper provides an insight into student＇s attitudes towards the usage of e-literature, which are in turn importantly dependent upon the quality （i.e. characteristics） of e-literature. Results of a research among undergraduate students at business school are presented.     

Action researchers encountering ethical review: a literature synthesis on challenges and strategies

Action research (AR) comprises a diverse family of methodologies. Common amongst most types of AR are both an emergent design – leading to action or change – and participation or community involvement. While this type of research has expanded considerably since the early 2000s, the criteria used for ethical review have apparently been slow to adapt to the emergent and participatory nature of this research. This has resulted in researchers reporting negative attitudes towards, and experiences with, review boards and ethics review processes; painting ethical review committees, at times, as insufficient or unnecessary. A review of the literature was undertaken to assess the state of play in this regard. Few articles disclose the side of the ethical review boards or committee members and the issues they face in undertaking ethical review of studies with an emergent, action, or participatory focus. A larger number of peer-reviewed journal articles report on the views of the researchers, but mainly through specific case examples where ethical review processes presented challenges to researchers and communities employing a participatory approach to research. The focus of this article will be on both the generic challenges researchers report in managing ethical review and of strategies utilized or recommended to conduct participatory research in an ethical manner. The contrasting experiences of researchers and ethical review committee members will be considered where available.     

Threshold concepts in higher education: a synthesis of the literature relating to measurement of threshold crossing

In relation to teaching and learning approaches that improve student learning outcomes, threshold concepts have generated substantial interest in higher education. They have been described as ‘portals’ that lead to a transformed way of understanding or thinking, enabling learners to progress, and have been enthusiastically adopted to inform teaching approaches and curriculum design. A growing body of literature has critiqued the relevance and applicability of the threshold concept theory and identified threshold concepts relevant to specific disciplines. More recent research has identified how students cross these thresholds and provided measures of the successful acquisition of threshold concepts. This literature synthesis critiques existing evidence on threshold crossing and acquisition to provide a succinct and informative overview of the outcomes to date. Key questions relevant to educators and researchers investigating whether students acquire the threshold concepts associated with their teaching, arose from the literature synthesis. These were: whether or not threshold crossing can be measured; how variation in student learning can be addressed during measurement; tools that can be used for measuring threshold crossing; whether the way units or concepts are taught should alter prior to measurement, and the challenges and limitations of measuring threshold crossing.     

Institutional perspectives: The challenges of e-learning diffusion

There has been significant recent interest in the dynamics of institutional change and e-learning. This paper reports on the findings from a series of discussions about e-learning diffusion held with institutional e-learning representatives from across the globe. In the course of discussion it became clear that in some institutions e-learning was an accepted part of everyday activity, while in others it struggled to gain traction. There were identifiable common elements in those institutions that had appeared to have successfully engaged with e-learning across their teaching and learning functions. The findings of this exploratory study indicate that institutions have either achieved a state of sustainable embedding for e-learning, or else need to. Unless a state of institutional sustainability is achieved, it is likely that e-learning activity will in the long term be limited to enthusiasts.     

Heuristic task analysis on e-learning course development: a formative research study

Utilizing heuristic task analysis (HTA), a method developed for eliciting, analyzing, and representing expertise in complex cognitive tasks, a formative research study was conducted on the task of e-learning course development to further improve the HTA process. Three instructional designers from three different post-secondary institutions in the U.S. were selected for interviews. The interviews focused on three e-learning course development cases (one from each institution), and the participants were asked to articulate their underlying thoughts and principles for designing e-learning courses. Overall, the HTA process worked well in the sense that the study could elicit procedural steps and sub-steps involved in e-learning course development and heuristic knowledge with which the instructional designers performed each step. On the surface, the e-learning course development processes that the instructional designers used looked more alike than different, entailing major steps such as meeting with faculty, developing content, monitoring courses in progress, and debriefing the instructor and students. The underlying principles and knowledge that guided each instructional designer through the processes, however, were unique in that each instructional designer constructed her own heuristics to accommodate the myriad contextual factors that arose in her work setting. The study also discussed the challenge of identifying the simplest yet most representative e-learning course development case with multiple experts and suggestions for further improving the HTA process were also presented.

Virtual action learning: experiences from a study of an SME e-learning programme

This paper presents the findings from a project investigating management development for SME managers using an action learning programme, combining both face-to-face workshops and a virtual action learning environment. This programme was undertaken as part of the ENSeL (Engaging Networks for Sustainable eLearning) project, which was supported by the European Commission. The project aimed to address three main objectives: reworking results from previous European projects to disseminate to a wider audience, creating a learning network amongst the project partners and to undertake three learning trials with SMEs in UK, France and Italy. This paper principally addresses the findings from the UK trials, which ran between February and April 2005, and provides valuable learning to all those interested in developing future learning programmes aimed at SMEs.     

Integrating games as a means to develop e-learning: Insights from a psychological perspective

Although the Education sector has pioneered the use of technology, the pace of technological change has outstripped the slower processes of theoretical development and critical reflection, so the field is highly fragmented and lacks a comprehensive evidence base to support future development. In this paper, we consider how the insights offered by games and a psychological perspective can address the current challenges. Both games and e-learning specialists are facing similar challenges and would therefore benefit from adopting a more integrated approach in the future. We demonstrate how this integration can best be achieved by viewing the challenges through a psychological lens which informs theory, research and practice in user-centred design, supports the development of more widely applicable theories of learning and pedagogy, recognises of the complexity of the contexts in which learning occurs and offers an established evidence-based framework to aid integration at the theoretical level. This emphasises the continued importance of classic concepts such as transfer, cognitive load and the increasing blurred boundaries between formal and informal learning, but also in terms of methodology and as a catalyst for future debate and discussion.     

Explaining student success in engineering education at Delft University of Technology: a literature synthesis

Student success is among the most widely researched areas in tertiary education. Generalisability of research in this field is problematic due to cultural and structural differences between countries, institutions and programmes where the research is done. Engineering education in the Netherlands has not been studied in depth. In this paper, outcomes of studies done outside and inside engineering and outside and inside the Netherlands are discussed to help understand the complexity of student retention issues. Although generalisation is an issue, there are a number of concepts and variables that surface in many of these studies, including students’ background and disposition variables, education attributes, variables concerning educational climate and student behaviour. How these variables are related and how a university can apply the outcomes of research in this field of study are discussed in this paper.     

The role of educational psychologists in supporting post-16 transition: findings from the literature

The Children and Families Act (2014) has seen the extension of the role of educational psychologists (EPs) to cover the age range from birth to 25 years. EPs have had to develop and extend their practice to meet the needs of post-16 young people with special educational needs and disabilities. Research on transition from compulsory education to further education, employment or training has highlighted significant variability in practice. A systematic review of contemporary literature was undertaken to explore the potential role and contributions of EPs in supporting post-school transition to further education, employment or training. Seven studies met inclusion criteria and data were reported using PRISMA guidelines. Although predominantly speculative, the data highlight a number of roles for EPs in supporting post-16 transition, encompassing work at individual, group and systemic levels and incorporating core functions of educational psychology practice.