Higher Education in Wales: The (Re-)emergence of a National System?

This paper explores historical patterns of change in participation in higher education in Wales, using as an organising framework Halsey's (1992) distinction between higher education as an administrative and as a social system. The nineteenth-century development of Welsh higher education was both part of a distinctive national political project and reflected the specificities of wider Welsh society. Expansion through the early and middle decades of the present century eroded this distinctiveness, as both the governance of Welsh higher education and patterns of student recruitment and participation became increasingly integrated into an 'England and Wales' system. The more recent expansion of higher education institutions in Wales, as well as the participation of Welsh students in higher education overall, has further accentuated this social integration into an 'England and Wales' system. Currently, Wales exhibits a pattern of participation which is unique amongst the home countries, whereby the Welsh higher education institutions serve very substantial numbers of students from England (and to a much lesser extent elsewhere), whilst a large proportion of Welsh students register at institutions in England. This indicates that there is now a significant disjuncture between an increasingly distinct pattern of governance of Welsh higher education and a pattern of participation which is massively integrated in the 'England and Wales' system.     

Professional learning and development needs of women teachers in the Republic of Pakistan: a social realist perspective

ABSTRACT

This article, emerging from a wider study on the professional development needs of women teachers working in Catholic convent schools in the Republic of Pakistan, explores the perspectives and experiences of school leaders and Principals who developed professional development programmes. This area, which has been under-researched in the professional development literature, addresses the complexities and contradictions that the glocalisation of professional development can create for women teachers in developing world contexts. A social realist approach, using Archer’s morphogenetic framework, was employed to facilitate an exploration of the varied responses that professional development needs produce. The responses of former Principals and school leaders and their efforts to provide professional development for women teachers was captured, and revealed different agential responses. These responses included an acceptance of the realities of the education system in Pakistan and the role of women in that context, a desire to follow the ethos of the Catholic religious Order which was at variance with accepted educational praxis, and the changing expectations of society within Pakistan with reference to education of children.     

A contractual approach to higher education performance: with an application to Australia

In an effort to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of higher education, some governments have redefined their funding relationships with universities as contracts rather than grants in order to develop stronger incentives for university performance. This paper explores this approach, as adopted in Australia, within a principal agent framework. It examines the conditions necessary for success in achieving government objectives as well as preserving university autonomy.     

Considerations of force plate transitions on centre of pressure calculation for maximal velocity sprint running

The aims of this study were to evaluate the accuracy of centre of pressure (COP) data obtained during transition of load across the boundary between two force plates, and secondly to examine the effect of such COP data on joint kinetics during sprint running performances. COP data were collected from two piezoelectric force plates as a trolley wheel was rolled across the boundary between the plates. Position data for the trolley were collected using an opto-electronic motion analysis system for comparison with COP data. Mean COP errors during transition across the plate boundary were 0.003 ± 0.002 m relative to a control point. Kinematic and kinetic data were also collected from eight athletes during sprint running trials to demonstrate the sensitivity of the inverse dynamics analysis to COP error for the ground contact phase of the dynamic movement trials. Kinetic sensitivity to the COP error was assessed during the entire stance phase for the ankle, knee, and hip joints and was less than 5% and 3% for joint moment and power data, respectively. Based on the small COP error during transition across plate boundaries, it is recommended that foot contacts overlapping two force plates may be included in inverse dynamics analyses.     

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