The Right Stuff: Fashioning an identity through clothing in a junior school

This article explores the key role played by clothing as an expression of individual and collective identity amongst 10-11 year-olds. The data arise from an ethnographically based study of one junior school in the south-east of England between October 1998 and June 1999. The article proposes that a relaxed enforcement of school uniform created a space for pupils to use clothing as a means of gaining recognition, of generating common bonds, and of sharing interests and intimacy within the peer group cultures. There is a specific concentration on boys' cultures, and it is argued that clothing and footwear was used as an important component in the construction, negotiation and performance of masculinity. Certain items and brand names acquired a specific, symbolic value, and pupils who attempted to dress and conform to the school rules and regulations ran a high risk of being stigmatised and subordinated. These pupils were also partly policed and controlled by homophobia.     

Education in a Punitive Society: An Introduction

Our society increasingly uses educational institutions to punish our people. We see this in zero tolerance policies, school-based arrests, and alternative schooling for “troublesome youth.” This means that schools are actively engaged in criminalizing our youth than ever before. The introduction offers insight into the broader context of the punitive society where schools and prisons collide.     

Seeing Ourselves as Others See Us: Egyptian teachers’ views of science education in secondary schools in London,UK

Small differences in working patterns and social relationships can be indicators of deeper cultural differences. It is these non‐educational issues which point to the serious difficulty of making cross‐cultural comparisons. Data collected from Egyptian science teachers who have visited science classes in London are reported here. UK teachers may be habituated, or unaware of features of school life that are quite striking to the Egyptians as new observers. These include well resourced laboratories, considerable practical work done in small groups and a wide variety of classroom activities. However, it is the professionalism and the good interpersonal relationships that they see in the UK that the Egyptian teachers come to appreciate even more on their return to Egypt. Such a feature of UK teachers’ work cannot be identified by international test score comparisons.     

Parents reviewing Annual Reviews

In this article, Phyllis Jones and John Swain examine parents' perceptions of their involvement in the process of Annual Review for pupils with Statements of SEN. They report that they conducted a small-scale research project with parents who had experience in a variety of schools, including both special and mainstream. A questionnaire and recorded discussions in two groups were used in order to gather data from parents. The experiences of these parents suggest that, while their views might be valued in principle, they can be devalued in practice. The authors go on to suggest key processes in facilitating the realisation of the principles of Annual Review in practice.     

The Relationships Between Peer-to-Peer Interactions,Group Formation,Choice of Research,and Course Performance in an Online Environment

Journal of Science Education and Technology - This study explores the relationships between peer-to-peer interactions and (1) group formation among students, (2) choice of research, and (3) course...