Is the Whole Worth More than the Sum of the Parts? Studies of Examiners' Grading of Individual Papers and Candidates' Whole A-level Examination Performances

Typically, students are assessed on elements of their performance, and it is assumed that the sum of marks for these elements will be just as impressive as the students' whole performances. Examiners might expect more for a particular grade if they only see parts of the students' work separately. Two experiments were carried out comparing examiners' judgements of the grade-worthiness of candidates' A-level examination work at question paper level and at subject level. The results of both studies suggested that examiners may have compensated to some extent for the different aspects of the subject tested in different question papers when they made holistic judgements, but did not make this compensation when they made question paper judgements. Tunnel vision effects are likely to be greater in the AS/A2 examinations than those found here, because the examinations will be broken into smaller parts.     

Revisiting free school meal eligibility as a proxy for pupil socio‐economic deprivation

Whether someone has ever had free school meal (FSM) eligibility over a six‐year period is the measure of socio‐economic disadvantage currently used in the English school system. It is used to monitor the socio‐economic gap in achievement in the education system, to identify particular children at risk of low achievement and to direct funding to particular children and schools. In this paper we assess how well this measure predicts pupil attainment in secondary school in comparison to other measures of socio‐economic background known to influence pupil attainment, such as parental education or income. We ask whether the FSM measure is an adequate proxy for a pupil's socio‐economic disadvantage in an educational context. To do this we draw on the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England and matched administrative data. We find that the FSM eligibility measure correlates highly with other measures of socio‐economic disadvantage, however it does not identify all children living in what would be deemed deprived households. We then compare the extent to which the FSM eligibility measure predicts educational achievement relative to other measures of deprivation and find that its predictive power is only marginally lower than many richer survey measures. This provides some reassurance on its use in policy.     

Music theatre: at the crest of music education's third wave

In the United Kingdom, curricular music education has seen two main waves of development and is in the process of shaping a third. Ideas from the second wave have maintained theoretical dominance to the present day, despite the concerns expressed by some about their practical implementation. This paper suggests that problems with the implementation of second-wave ideas have been caused by hermeneutic complexities inherent to the word ‘music’ as well as by an ongoing ideological debate about the proper purpose of music education. It is proposed here that by approaching musical learning in the emergent third wave through the sub-discipline of ‘music theatre’ – and by conceiving that term in its broadest sense – this interpretive difficulty can be avoided whilst many practical advantages may be reaped. The notion of music theatre as a key component of music education's third wave is explored alongside its theoretical prerequisites, and a number of questions are identified for further consideration.     

Teachers' Perceptions of Their Pupils' Views on Rewards and Punishments

Although sabbatical leave for teachers was suggested in the James Report more than 25 years ago, it remains as much of an unattainable ideal as ever—a sad fact in the light of the message of this paper. What Les Summers tells us clearly illustrates the potential value that sabbaticals might have for teachers: how they might return to school both refreshed and with new and innovatory ideas. The chance to study some schools in Australia enabled Summers to do just this, and he was able to see issues of disaffection here from a new perspective as a result of his experiences. He then went on to develop the idea of a programme which responds to the needs of young school leavers.     

Sustainability, crossdisciplinarity and higher education --From an agronomic point of view

Nowadays, there is a growing conviction （at least in rhetoric） that sustainability is an idea whose time has come with education being a critical component in the transition towards a sustainable future. In the field of higher agricultural education, systemic approaches have, among others, triggered a lively dialogue. Topics include the challenge of sustainable agricultural development, the understanding of agriculture as the interface between people and their environment, integrated curricula （i.e. multi- inter- and trans-disciplinary approaches）, etc. Such powerful debates have （sometimes radical） consequences for the whole curriculum design, i.e. the nature of goals, content （knowledge）, and processes （learning methodologies）. However, the still dominant scientific paradigm of reductionism, the strong traditions of disciplines and the prevailing approach to agricultural development impede changes towards a new educational paradigm in higher education. Nonetheless, such a new paradigm should be supported if universities are to keep pace in a changing world.