Understanding the limits of Marxist approaches to sociocultural studies of science education

In the first three sections of this paper we comment on some of the ideas developed in the forum papers, pointing out possible misunderstandings and constructing new explanations that clarify arguments we made in the original article. In the last section we expand the discussion raised in the original paper, elaborating on the limits of the use of Marxist approaches to sociocultural studies of science education. Following insights suggested by Loxley et al. (Cult Stud Sci Edu. doi:10.1007/s11422-013-9554-z, 2013) and detailed by Zuss (Cult Stud Sci Edu, 2014) on the commodification of knowledge, we sketch an analysis of how knowledge is transformed into capital to understand why contemporary scholars are likely to be engaged in a relation of production that resembles capitalist exploitation.     

The influence of sociocultural and structural contexts in academic change and development in higher education

Teaching quality improvements frequently focus upon the ‘development’ of individual academics in higher education. However, research also shows that the academics’ context has considerable influence upon their practices. This study examines the working environments of teachers on an online pharmacy programme, investigating contextual conditions that facilitate or impede academic change and development. Interview data and institutional policy documents are examined within a Cultural-Historical Activity Theory framework. Distinct differences in the teachers’ sociocultural context were identified as influencing change and development. Departmental teaching cultures and patterns of communication influenced practice both positively, by offering collegial support, and negatively by impeding change. The findings have significance for academic development strategies. They suggest that departmental-level support should include communicative pathways that promote reflection upon and development of conceptions of teaching and learning.     

Understanding working-class 'drop-out' from higher education through a sociocultural lens: Cultural narratives and local contexts

The 'drop-out' of working-class students from universities has been identified as one of the most pressing issues for the higher education (HE) sector in the United Kingdom. This article draws on the initial findings of a major research project that explores the meanings and implications of such withdrawal from HE amongst young working-class people. The article argues that drop-out should be seen not just as an educational problem, but also as a manifestation of sociocultural change. To understand drop-out we need to look beyond student support needs or institutional barriers to cultural narratives and local contexts. This enables us to use a sociological frame to understand the educational question, and employ the educational data to contribute to sociological debates on class. The article analyses 'drop-out' as a self-fulfilling cultural narrative that is increasingly connoted as working class, as well as being a consequence of the material exigencies of working-class circumstances. It illustrates how class identity mutates yet stays the same, with the working class still positioned in terms of 'lack'. Although the possibility of university study has become a part of working-class identity, the expectation that this experience may be 'flawed' or 'spoilt' has also become engrained. The article analyses drop-out as two sides of one coin: as both significantly influenced by local culture and as having a perceived impact upon that culture, with different effects in different locales.     

Scholarship and ideology in education policy studies

Devolution and Choice in Education: the school, the state and the market, GEOFF WHITTY, SALLY POWER & DAVID HALPIN, 1998, Buckingham: Open University Press. £15.99, 170 pp., ISBN 0 335 19711 6     

Reviewing literature to inform policy: some complexities and tensions

Drawing on the experience of carrying out a literature review commissioned to support the Review of Teacher Education in Scotland, this paper discusses the role of literature reviews within the movement for ‘evidence-based policy’ making. The first part of the paper discusses the purposes of such reviews and some of the misconceptions that may be associated with them. Several critical questions that shape the work of reviewing are identified. By examining the particular case in which the authors were involved, it is demonstrated how the establishment of terms of reference and definitions of scope are critical factors in determining the outcome of such a project. But so too are the relationships established between those undertaking the project and the commissioners of the work. The conclusion is that reviewing literature is much more of a deliberative process than is commonly understood.     

成人教育与社会文化关系认知

基于社会学研究成果对社会化与成人教育关系的认知，特别是对成人教育社会化功能的重申，必将有利于它的社会价值得到更为广泛的认同与张扬。     

论中国教育政策研究的本土化

当前，教育政策研究已经成为教育研究的新的生长点，但随着全球化和中国市场经济改革的推进，教育政策研究在借鉴西方发达国家经验的过程中暴露出越来越多的问题，其根源在于本土化研究的严重不足。因此，中国教育政策特别需要本土化的研究。这就要求教育政策研究者必须消除研究中的“崇洋”心理，培养本土意识和强烈的实践关怀精神，建立本土化的教育政策研究方法体系，同时正确处理本土化与向外借鉴的关系。     

A sociocultural investigation of the efficacy of outdoor education to improve learner engagement

A sociocultural investigation with Year 8 secondary-school students experiencing marginalization and displaying signs of social and emotional difficulties in engaging fully with school life who participated in a mediated outdoor education programme was undertaken for this study. The findings indicate that there was a very statistically significant change in self-concept (p < 0.05) during the course of the programme. In addition, all participants reported positive results in relation to building trust, group cohesion, and emotional regulation with positive results on facing the challenges they experience daily within school. Moreover, 75% reported that they experienced positive gains in their family since beginning participation in the programme, and 100% stated that they had developed a deeper level of trust for the other group members.     

The usefulness of qualitative case studies in research on special needs education

Research on special needs education is often very complex and puts specific demands on the methodology used. Data‐triangulation, at the very least, is required. In most of our recent research projects on the development of special needs education in Flanders (the Dutch speaking part of Belgium), we have made use of qualitative case studies to describe and understand the complex reality of the innovations taking place in our schools. In this article we discuss some methodological aspects of qualitative case study designs, illustrated with a study on the implementation of inclusive education in Flemish primary schools.     

Differential effects of sociocultural variables on special education eligibility categories

The influence of sociocultural factors (ethnicity, socioeconomic status, father absence, and family size) on special education eligibility was examined for three ethnic groups. A multiple regression procedure was used to analyze the data on 300 students referred for evaluation and found to be either not eligible for services or eligible for services as mentally retarded or learning disabled. Results indicated that only socioeconomic status and ethnicity made a significant contribution to the prediction of all three groups. Individually, father absence and family size did not contribute to the prediction of special education eligibility. Results of this study suggest that legislative mandates to control for sociocultural factors in the determination of special education eligibility have been only partially successful.     

Teaching groups as midlevel sociocultural contexts for developing teaching and learning: a case study and comparison to microcultures

Using a case-study approach, the structures, interactions and cultures in four teaching groups at a New Zealand university are explored. The aim of the research is to better understand the potential of teaching groups for assisting academic development. To contextualize this work, the case-study outcomes are compared to research on microcultures. Similarities between strong teaching groups and strong microcultures are found, pointing to the potential of drawing on findings from microculture research. In particular, the use of social commons as a theoretical framework seems indicated, presenting teaching quality as a group and not just individual concern. Differences between the contexts stem from the sole focus of teaching groups on teaching compared to the combined research and teaching mandate of microcultures. As research often dominates teaching, the suggestion is made that teaching groups provide more suitable contexts for addressing teaching issues. The research recommends that organizational units in higher education should identify and analyse teaching groups and build on those groups in addressing teaching quality.     

Comparative higher education studies: The perspective from the policy sciences

The article explores the historical background of comparative policy studies. These studies are traced back to the comparative approaches in political science and public administration. Following a discussion on the methodological aspects of the comparative approach, an overview and assessment of a number of recent comparative policy studies in higher education is presented.     

Backing the right horse: Teacher education,sociocultural analysis and literacy in rural education

This paper is a reflection on the way that a background in sociocultural theory and research actually saved my teaching career by allowing me to shift from being a dispenser of knowledge to a cultural neophyte attempting to understand where he is. Teaching then is understood as a reading exercise which is undertaken in a particular place which itself needs to be read by the effective teacher. This is a narrative inquiry into practice which represents an attempt to understand my own teaching career in the light of Frank Smith's (1984) provocative essay “How education backed the wrong horse” in which he argues that anthropology would have made a better choice for a foundational discipline for education than psychology. I conclude with some thoughts on what this perspective implies for literacy instruction.     

台湾原住民族文化教育政策述评

台湾原住民的文化教育政策,在经历了同化抑制阶段之后,逐步走向维护其主体性的多元发展时期。在各项原住民文化教育政策的扶持下,台湾原住民的文化教育呈现出法制化、系统化、多元化的特点,为大陆地区少数民族文化的多元化发展提供了一定的借鉴价值。     

Policy transfer,sustainable development and the contexts of education

As comparative and international researchers in education we are especially well placed to contribute to the analysis and understanding of global trends in both education and international development. In times of ever increasing complexity and uncertainty it can also be argued that we have a responsibility to do so, and to do so in rigorous but accessible ways. In this Presidential Address I: (1) consider how we might do this in the light of the BAICE 2018 Conference theme; (2) argue how and why the critical interrogation of the processes of educational policy transfer lie at the heart of this; and (3) draw upon work inspired by BAICE during its first 20 years, along with my own related research in a diversity of contexts worldwide.     

The culturally gifted classroom: a sociocultural approach to the inclusive education of English language learners

The need for including English language learners in the regular classroom at all phases of their linguistic and cultural development is presented within a Vygotkian sociocultural theory of human development. Based on the social primacy of development within this theoretical tenet, all aspects of development are viewed to proceed from social interactions. Effective social interactions that lead to development are distinguished by a heterogeneous collective experience of all participants in the interaction. In accordance with the sociocultural perspective, the educational goal of this heterogeneous group is to acquire and use cultural tools deemed appropriate to their time and place. As others’ cultures and languages become rich resources for becoming competent in one’s own culture, the cultural and linguistic diversity gained by including all students in the classroom becomes a powerful source of development for all.     

Using TIMSS and PISA results to inform educational policy: a study of Russia and its neighbours

In this paper, we develop a multi-level comparative approach to analyse Trends in International Mathematics and Science Survey (TIMSS) and Programme of International Student Achievement (PISA) mathematics results for a country, Russia, where the two tests provide contradictory information about students’ relative performance. Russian students do relatively well on the TIMSS mathematics test but relatively poorly on the PISA. We compare the performance of Russian students with different levels of family academic resources over the past decade on these tests compared to students with similar family resources in Russia’s neighbours and to Russian students studying in Latvian and Estonian Russian-medium schools. These comparisons and interviews with educators in Latvia and Estonia help us understand why students in Russia may perform lower on the PISA and to draw education policy lessons for improving international test performance generally and Russian students’ PISA mathematics performance specifically.