Research practices and scholarly communication in the digital environment

This paper examines changing research practices in the digital environment. A review of the literature and our own field research in Australia suggest that there is a new mode of knowledge production emerging, changing research practices and bringing new information access and dissemination needs. Adjustments will be required to accommodate these changes, but new opportunities are emerging for more cost‐effective and sustainable information access and dissemination. It will be necessary, however, to take an holistic approach and treat the creation, production and distribution of scholarly information, the management of information rights and access, systems of review and evaluation and the underlying infrastructure as parts of a single research information and scholarly communication system.     

Achieving ‘Transparency,Consistency and Fairness’ in English Higher Education Admissions: Progress since Schwartz?

In 2004 the Schwartz Review advised English higher education institutions that their admissions systems should: be transparent; select students who are able to complete their courses based upon achievements and potential; use assessment methods that are reliable and valid; minimise barriers to applicants; be professional; and be underpinned by appropriate institutional structures and processes. These five principles were only expressed as recommendations, reflecting the reluctance of policy makers to interfere with individual higher education institutions' admissions policies. This article analyses the results of research that reviewed the progress that English higher education institutions had made in implementing the Schwartz recommendations and assess whether a more interventionist stance is required to achieve ‘fair admissions’.     

Trainee teachers’ experience of primary science teaching,and the perceived impact on their developing professional identity

This study took place within an environment of educational change in teaching and assessment in the UK, where the National Curriculum (NC) and National External Examination syllabi undertook significant revision. Science education specifically, has seen aspiration raised to allow pupils to achieve a greater depth of understanding at Key Stage 4 and hence facilitate advanced study. Central to the development of effective scientific understanding is teacher preparation. This study examined the factors that impacted on the experiences of primary teachers during their training. Questionnaires completed by a sample of one hundred and sixteen trainee teachers followed by semi-structured interviews of sixteen trainees were used as a means of interpreting Post-Graduate Certification in Education (PGCE) trainee teachers’ experiences during taught university sessions and school based training. The findings showed that the majority of the trainees rated their training highly, and perceived themselves to be confident primary science pedagogues. They felt, however that the very limited opportunities to observe and teach science during their training negatively influenced their overall development.     

Enhancing survey participation: Facebook advertisements for recruitment in educational research*

Surveys are commonly used to determine how people feel about a specific issue. The increasing availability of the internet and popularity of social networking sites have opened up new possibilities for conducting surveys and, with limited additional costs, enlarge the pool of volunteer respondents with the desired background, experience, or characteristics. In this paper, three different educational research studies are described. In each, a Facebook advertisement was among the methods used for recruitment of survey participants. In two of the studies, Facebook advertising was adopted to overcome obstacles encountered when more traditional sampling procedures failed; in the third study, Facebook was used to broaden representation to include international participants within project budget limitations. Details of the studies and of the recruitment approaches adopted, and the effectiveness of using Facebook advertising are presented. The limitations of using Facebook as a source of recruitment are also considered.