Versions of Vocationalism: an analysis of some social and political influences on curriculum policy and practice

This paper reports a case study which tests and develops further theories which seek to explain the social and political processes which shape curricular definitions. It is grounded in research into a critical phase in the history of careers education. In contrast with other studies of the process of defining curricula, the factors involved are explored both over time and at a number of levels of operationalisation. At these various levels careers education was, for example, successively devocationalised, radicalised, devocationalised and revocationalised. Through comparative analysis of the material, a model is developed which helps to explain the development of these distinctly different versions of vocationalism, drawing on both interactionist and neo‐Marxist perspectives.     

Does Learning to Read Improve Intelligence? A Longitudinal Multivariate Analysis in Identical Twins From Age 7 to 16

Evidence from twin studies points to substantial environmental influences on intelligence, but the specifics of this influence are unclear. This study examined one developmental process that potentially causes intelligence differences: learning to read. In 1,890 twin pairs tested at 7, 9, 10, 12, and 16 years, a cross‐lagged monozygotic‐differences design was used to test for associations of earlier within‐pair reading ability differences with subsequent intelligence differences. The results showed several such associations, which were not explained by differences in reading exposure and were not restricted to verbal cognitive domains. The study highlights the potentially important influence of reading ability, driven by the nonshared environment, on intellectual development and raises theoretical questions about the mechanism of this influence.     

Piaget's Theories and some Possible Implications for Educational Television

This article discusses the extent to which Piaget's general theories of thinking and mental development might have relevance for the production of educational television programmes. Joan Bliss summarises and discusses the main points of Piaget's theories, and Michael Goater and Christopher Jones provide their own critical analysis of the implication of those theories for television production. Tony Bates concludes that, while there are some major difficulties in making the jump from Piaget's more general theories to specific television practice, the exercise does raise some fundamental questions about the relationship between television and the development of thinking.     

Contribution of the doctoral education environment to PhD candidates’ mental health problems: a scoping review

ABSTRACT

Recent research into the mental health of PhD candidates suggests that their high levels of stress could be caused in part or exacerbated by aspects of the doctoral education environment. However, the particulars of this environment have not been explored in consistent enough ways to provide a clear way forward for universities to respond to this issue. This article presents a systematic scoping review of the recent literature on this topic with the aims of collecting and consolidating the heterogeneous range of findings therein and providing a framework to coordinate further research and inform intervention design. Factors shown by the literature to contribute to stress in doctoral settings are presented, including problems in the supervisory relationship, lack of transparency of university processes, workload, role conflict, financial insecurity and uncertain career prospects. Analysis of the review sample indicates four main themes in this body of literature: shifting ideas about the range of environmental stressors and the relationships between them, a paucity of trialled interventions that target the range of known stressors, a lack of standardisation in instruments used for capturing the effects of stressors and evaluating interventions and finally, a need for comprehensive, agreed upon typologies – to integrate what is known about the issue and prioritise interventions. This article proposes guidelines to address these deficiencies, based on an ecological understanding of the doctoral research setting.     

Roles and characteristics of television and some implications for distance learning

The Open University has a unique partnership with the BBC. The BBC produces television, radio and audio‐cassette material in conjunction with Open University academic and other course design staff. Producers are full members of course teams. The Government, through its grant to the University, pays the full cost of the BBC's services to the University. The BBC has set up a department (BBC/OUP) specifically to provide services to the Open University. In Autumn, 1981, a brand‐new, £5½ million purpose‐built studio complex became operational on the University campus, and is managed by the BBC on the University's behalf. Currently, over 1,500 Open University television programmes are transmitted each year on the BBC's national television networks.

The University funds a small research group to investigate the use of audio‐visual media in the University. The research group carries out studies of programme utilisation across the 140 different courses, to assist with the planning and allocation of production and transmission resources. It also carries out more detailed research into individual programmes and course strategies for using television. More recently, the research group has been paying particular actention to how students learn from television. This paper explores some recent theory, and research developments on the role and character of television, and its impact on learning in distance education.     

Reculturing schools in England: how ‘cult’ values in education policy discourse influence the construction of practitioner identities and work orientations

The imperative of continuous improvement has now become normative in education policy discourse, typically framed as setting ‘aspirational’ targets for pupil performance as a prerequisite for gaining competitive advantage in the global economy. In this context, teachers, leaders, teacher assistants and other practitioners working in schools across England have been under increasing pressure to raise standards. This article focuses on how values are deployed in reculturing and regulating practitioners to develop identities and work orientations which are congruent with the policymakers’ agendas. G.H. Mead’s concept of ‘cult’ values illuminates the process of fostering homogeneity with the dominant policy discourse through an inclusion/exclusion dynamic. Interview data collected in two primary schools revealed a significant convergence of practitioner discourse with policy objectives. Delivering improvement affects how practitioners talk about their work and see themselves as educators. The ‘cult’ of continuous improvement appears to inhibit a critical approach to the implementation of education policies by school practitioners in their everyday work.