Problematising social mobility in relation to Higher Education policy

This paper problematises the concept of social mobility through an exploration of it in relation to Higher Education policy in England. Based upon a content analysis of a number of key policy documents from distinct eras, it identifies definitions and understandings of social mobility within them, exploring how such references have changed over time, and critiquing the differences between the imagined ideals of what policy rhetoric seeks to do and the reality of policy implementation. In particular, it considers the characterisation of social mobility as an individualised concern; it positions aspirations of improving social mobility within the market of Higher Education; and it ultimately asks whether Higher Education can solve the government's social mobility problem.     

Opportunities for all the Team: Entrepreneurship and the 1966 and 1994 Soccer World Cups

Abstract

Little research has been published as to the ways in which the commercial aspects of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association’s (FIFA) World Cups are organized. Extant literature has instead tended to focus upon infrastructure issues, economic geography, and cultural aspects. Drawing upon ‘swarm theory’ and historian Wray Vamplew’s typologies of entrepreneurial activity in sport, we compare and contrast the commercial aspects of two World Cups; first, the 1966 tournament held in England, the first time that a serious attempt had been made to produce and licence a mascot character (‘World Cup Willie’) to exploit merchandizing opportunities. This approach became an important part of World Cups thereafter; Second, the 1994 tournament in the USA, the most commercially successful World Cup ever, realizing record profits and catalyzing the re-launch of elite professional soccer in the USA. These cases enrich understanding of the networks and entrepreneurial activity of the World Cup, one of the most significant sporting and cultural mega-event projects in the world.     

Socioeconomic status and physical fitness in youth: Findings from the NHANES National Youth Fitness Survey

ABSTRACT

This study examined the associations between socioeconomic status (SES) and musculoskeletal (MSF) and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) in youth. The sample consisted of boys and girls between 3-15 years. SES was categorized utilizing family-income-to-poverty ratio (FIPR). All analyses were standardized for age and sex. For each test of physical fitness, SES was used to estimate mean fitness test percentile and 95% confidence intervals, controlling for race/ethnicity and physical activity. Odds ratios were calculated for the likelihood of having low fitness by SES category. In general, the high SES group had a better composite MSF, body composition, and CRF profiles than low and moderate SES groups. Statistically significant differences were identified for relative grip strength, plank, body mass index, and cardiovascular endurance time (all p < 0.05). Additionally, the odds of low/poor MSF fitness were 1.7 and 1.6 times higher in the low and moderate SES groups (respectively) compared to the children from high SES families. The moderate SES group had an odds of poor CRF 1.6 times higher than the high SES group as well. Children and adolescents from high SES families tend to have higher mean fitness and were less likely to have low/poor fitness.     

The only way is ethics: methodological considerations for a working-class academic

ABSTRACT

Ethnography as a methodological approach presents the fieldworker with many ethical crossroads throughout the research process. This is because of the unique position that ethnographers find themselves in, the environments that they research and the relationships which are formed. This paper presents four confessional vignettes from a broader ethnographic research project that illuminate the underside of fieldwork, and how the author dealt with a number of difficulties and dilemmas in the field as a working-class academic. Fieldwork was undertaken in a Welsh (UK) secondary school for one full academic year, and the paper argues that researcher identity must be remain fluid so that successful field relations are established and maintained. The paper concludes that researchers must think intersectionally about their endeavours and to also consider how one’s own social baggage might impact upon the research process.     

Hammerhead Shark Research Immersion Program: Experiential Learning Leads to Lasting Educational Benefits

High school students (n=45) participated in a 5-day research immersion study on juvenile scalloped hammerhead sharks in Kaneohe Bay, Oahu, Hawaii. Self-surveys were used to evaluate scientific concepts and skills taught during the program. There was a significant shift in students' perceived level of understanding for all categories of concepts and skills. A month following the immersion, a subset of participants (n=9) was given the opportunity to communicate what they had learned to a small group of professional science teachers. A second set of surveys were used to evaluate whether the students had retained knowledge from the 5-day immersion well enough to communicate information to others. During this follow-up, students were able to recall knowledge and demonstrate skills even without a review session. Students reported that they had a good understanding of what they were teaching and were able to teach effectively 79% of the time. Independently, the teachers also rated the students' effectiveness at 79%. The similarity between the teacher and student responses is evidence that the high school students were capable of accurate self-evaluations, validating the positive shift in concepts and skills documented by self-surveys. The lasting impact of the 5-day immersion provides support for experiential and constructivist teaching.     

An output comparison of open university and conventional university students

Previous economic studies of the Open University have concentrated on the cost side; this paper looks at the output of the Open University compared to conventional universities. In 1976 multiple choice questions were included in the two second level economics examination papers (D222 and D282); norming data for these questions had already been generated for thousands of university students from 1970 to 1973 during the course of the Economics Education project. The findings show that OU students score at the same level as first year conventional university students in microeconomics, and score significantly higher than third year CU students in macroeconomics. To check whether the favourable performance of OU students was due to being “test-wise” in multiple choice questions, two essay questions from the 1976 Open University D282 paper were set in a conventional university and a “blind” marking exercise was carried out. The result indicated that OU students performed at least as well as their CU counterparts. Further tests were carried out to check on the effect of students previously having taken OU economics courses and whether OU economics students are representative of all students.     

Recognising desire: a psychosocial approach to understanding education policy implementation and effect

It is argued that in order to understand the ways in which teachers experience their work—including the idiosyncratic ways in which they respond to and implement mandated education policy—it is necessary to take account both of sociological and of psychological issues. The paper draws on original research with practising and beginning teachers, and on theories of social and psychic induction, to illustrate the potential benefits of this bipartisan approach for both teachers and researchers. Recognising the significance of (but somewhat arbitrary distinction between) structure and agency in teachers’ practical and ideological positions, it is suggested that teachers’ responses to local and central policy changes are governed by a mix of pragmatism, social determinism and often hidden desires. It is the often under‐acknowledged strength of desire that may tip teachers into accepting and implementing policies with which they are not ideologically comfortable.     

Bibliographies of Interest

C. David Mortensen's Communication: The Study of Human Interaction (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1972—$7.95)

Alex Groner and the editors of American Heritage and Business Week's The American Heritage History of American Business &; Industry (New York: American Heritage with distribution by McGraw-Hill, 1972—$17.95 to January 1st, then $20.00)

Herb Sanford's Tom and Jimmy: The Dorsey Years (New Rochelle, N.Y.: Arlington House, 1972—$8.95)

Nicholas Johnson's Test Pattern For Living (New York: Bantam Books, 1972—$1.25, paper)