Investigating change in young people's understandings of Japan: A study of learning about a distant place

This article demonstrates how a set of complementary qualitative methods can be used to construct a detailed picture not only of the nature of young people's representations of a distant place but the processes of learning by which such representations develop over the medium term. The analysis is based on an interpretive case study of a class of 13‐ to 14‐year‐olds in England learning about Japan as part of their geography curriculum. The findings identify three processes through which students’ representations of Japan became more detailed and nuanced over time: transfer of existing knowledge from other locational contexts to the distant place; active connection with new information; and processing of that information through categorisation and category refinement. Evidence from the study suggests the potential for learning activities designed to encourage these processes and highlights the need for additional longitudinal research in geography education.     

‘Learning to play the game’: How schools with below average attainment can support the decision-making processes for high-potential learners in applying for university

This article explores how schools with below average attainment can support high-attaining learners in their decision-making about university. We report on a project involving longitudinal case studies of 43 high-achieving learners from a range of backgrounds across five institutions, during their sixth form career in 2013/14 and 2014/15, focusing on ways in which aspirations towards university develop. To understand schools’ roles in supporting learners, we draw on Hart's analytical framework which sees the development of aspiration for higher education as a capability—the development of the opportunity freedoms of young people to pursue future trajectories that they have reason to value. We draw attention to the factors that facilitate or hinder this development, and highlight the key crunch points at which this feeds into young people's decision-making about university. We suggest that policy and practice should move beyond a traditional focus on the role of schools in raising aspirations amongst learners from non-traditional backgrounds. Instead, there should be a focus on how schools can support young people to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the university landscape, so that young people do not rule out options without fully understanding them. This will in turn lead to young people being able to make informed choices linked to future trajectories they have reason to value. ‘Learning to play the game’ of attending Russell Group universities needs to be seen as part of the development of this wider capability to aspire.     

The challenges of learning to live together: navigating the global,national, and local

Asia Pacific Education Review - How people are to live together well in society, and learn to live together, have been continuously debated. These are challenging tasks, as the world changes over...     

The pleasure imperative? Reflecting on sexual pleasure’s inclusion in sex education and sexual health

This article offers an empirically grounded contribution to scholarship exploring the ways in which pleasure is ‘put to work’ in sex and sexuality education. Such research has cautioned against framing pleasure as a normative requirement of sexual activity and hence reproducing a ‘pleasure imperative’. This paper draws on interviews with sexual health and education practitioners who engaged with Pleasure Project resources and training between 2007 and 2016. Findings suggest that practitioners tend to understand pleasure within critical frameworks that allow them to avoid normalising and (re)enforcing a pleasure imperative. Accounts also show negotiations with, and strategic deployments of, values surrounding sexual pleasure in society and culture. While some accounts suggest that a pleasure imperative does run the risk of being reproduced by practitioners, notably this is when discussing more ‘contentious’ sexual practices. Interviews also demonstrate that practitioners attempting to implement a pleasure agenda are faced with a range of challenges. While some positive, holistic, and inclusive practice has been afforded by a pleasure approach, we argue that the importance of a critical framework needs to be (re)emphasised. The paper concludes by highlighting areas for further empirical research.     

Building commitment: an examination of learning climate congruence and the affective commitment of academics in an Australian university

The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between learning climate congruence and the affective commitment of university academics. The strategy of inquiry for this research is quantitative, involving a non-experimental design for the survey research. A non-probability sample of 900 academics from a large Australian university was selected, with a response rate of 30.33%. The major conclusion drawn from this study was that the congruence between current and preferred learning climate was related to the affective commitment of university academics. More specifically, academics’ level of affective commitment was enhanced in a learning climate where they were encouraged to take risks, had plenty of time to learn new tasks and were encouraged to openly express their ideas and opinions. This study is important in a practical sense for academic managers and universities to build relationships and develop better connections with their academics.     

The ‘High Achievers’ project: an assessment of the support for students with autism attending UK universities

In the UK autism is classed as a disability under the Disability Discrimination Act 2005. Under the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001, higher education institutions in the UK are legally required to make reasonable adjustments for students with disabilities who are placed at a substantial disadvantage in comparison to students without disabilities. Despite the social difficulties associated with autism, and autistic students being at a heightened risk of dropping out of university, high-functioning autistic students are often high achievers academically. The National Audit Office recognises university as a desirable option for academically gifted students with autism. As there have been few studies directly examining the needs of autistic students in post-secondary education by established researchers, we undertook an online questionnaire survey of all UK universities, other than those under foreign ownership, to ascertain current levels of support for students with autism in higher education. This was followed up with Freedom of Information Act requests to establishments that did not respond to the survey. We report our findings based on responses from 99 universities out of approximately 160 establishments in total. As autistic university graduates are at a disadvantage when compared to their non-autistic peers in obtaining employment after graduation, we propose that all higher education establishments follow the government recommendation for providers of services not covered by the Autism Act 2009, but who support people into employment, to adopt the Statutory Guidance issued in connection with the Adult Autism Strategy. Universities should consider seeking accreditation under the National Autistic Society’s accreditation scheme.