The Changing Structure of British Higher Education: How diverse is it?     

Ourania Filippakou  Brian Salter 《Tertiary Education and Management》2013,19(4):321-333

With the passage of the 1992 Further and Higher Education Act the British system of higher education formally moved from a binary to a unitary structure. However, ever since successive governments have argued for a diversified model of higher education within which institutions should pursue contrasting goals. This article offers an interpretation of the key ingredients of institutional diversification and constructs alternative structural models of higher education. It proceeds by exploring the changing structure of British higher education since the creation of the unitary model. The argument is that there has been a steady emergence of flexible sectors, which both converge and diversify. However, there is a danger that the 2011 White Paper, rather than sustaining flexible sectors, could intensify the nascent shift in the direction of stratification marked by increasing differentiation between sectors as they converge internally.  相似文献   

A new approach to training teachers to meet the diverse learning needs of deaf and hard‐of‐hearing children within inclusive Australian schools     

Brett E. Furlonger  Umesh Sharma  Dennis W. Moore  Brian Smyth King 《International Journal of Inclusive Education》2013,17(3):289-308

A restructured postgraduate teacher education programme is described specifically with regard to its commitment to prepare educators to work effectively with deaf and hard‐of‐hearing children in inclusive settings. The focus of the paper is on the design and development process rather than on the evaluation of the outcomes. Background information is provided about the design and development of the programme, including the components that support a strong relationship between special and general educators. The paper details the philosophical and pedagogical underpinnings of the programme, planned outcome measures for the graduate teachers, and highlights the challenges in programme design and development.  相似文献   

Re-engaged students’ perceptions of mainstream and flexible learning environments – a ‘semi-quantitative’ approach     

Riccardo Welters  Brian Lewthwaite  Joseph Thomas  Kimberley Wilson 《International Journal of Inclusive Education》2013,17(12):1315-1331

ABSTRACT

Flexible Learning Options (FLOs) attempt to enable secondary school completion by young people for whom ‘mainstream’ schooling has not worked well. Despite their proliferation and the increased research attention to understanding the mechanisms at work within such programmes, quantitative methods have not been utilised to compare participants’ perceptions of the learning environments of FLOs and mainstream schools. This study describes the development and application of a quantitative instrument to assess re-engaged Australian students’ perceptions of an FLO relative to their previous (mainstream) schools. Findings indicate that, on average, young people rate the learning environment more highly at the FLO than at the mainstream school from which they disengaged, indicating that the learning environment of the FLO aligns more closely with the needs of its student cohort. However, bimodal results for some instrument items highlight that the learning environment is influential, but not necessarily a precondition of school disengagement or re-engagement. Implications of this study are considered, with attention to the complexities that mainstream schools and FLOs negotiate in creating effective learning environments for diverse young people.  相似文献   

Curriculum Continuity on Transfer from Middle to Secondary School     

Brian Gorwood 《School Leadership & Management》2013,33(3):229-238

Centralised educational restructuring initiatives result in a wide variation of responses in schools, some are quite productive, others are much less so. Interview data were collected from seventy‐two teachers and principals in six schools as a response to government restructuring policies in British Columbia, Canada, in order to better understand the reasons for such variation. An organisational‐learning perspective was used to guide the study. The results describe the processes used by teachers in pursuit of their own individual and collective learning. Also identified are school conditions which foster and inhibit these processes, conditions related to school vision, culture, structure, strategies and resources.  相似文献   

What Do Schools Do after OFSTED School Inspections-or before?     

Janet Ouston  Brian Fidler  Peter Earley 《School Leadership & Management》2013,33(1):95-104

ABSTRACT

The results of research on the effects of OFSTED secondary school inspections in England since 1994 are presented. The reactions of headteachers to the inspections and their progress on the resulting school action plan are given. The results indicate considerable potential for school inspections to contribute to the process of school improvement.  相似文献   

The National Professional Qualification for Headship: Perceptions of the providers of taught higher degrees in educational management in England and Wales     

Brian Fidler 《School Leadership & Management》2013,33(4):497-509

This paper argues that evidence from the commercial sector suggests that successful organisations, even when subjected to competitive pressures from other organisations in a market environment, soon become complacent and thereafter begin to fail. It contends that the effects which lead to such complacency could also apply to successful schools. Based upon an analysis of these effects the paper argues that a strategic planning process which takes account of the dangers of a strong shared culture in a school could avert the dangers of complacency. Further, it suggests that schools should take a wider view of their development than the current English Government's preoccupation with examination and test results if they are to keep abreast of changing client expectations and avoid a stultifying quest for marginal improvements in exam scores.  相似文献   

Baseline Assessment and Progress during the First Three Years at School   总被引：2，自引：0，他引：2  

Peter Tymms  Christine Merrell  Brian Henderson 《Educational Research and Evaluation》2013,19(2):105-129

An analysis of data involving over 1,000 pupils in 62 classes focused on the progress made during the first 3 years of schooling in England. The pupils started school at the age of 4 and they were assessed on entry to school. They were then assessed 1 year later and again 2 years after that. Building on work reported in an earlier paper this study considered: ? The adequacy of the baseline assessment for 4-year-olds in predicting later progress. ? The differences between classes in value-added terms. ? The long-term impact of being part of a class that made rapid academic progress during the 1st year at school. ? Differences between pupils who started school in different terms. ? Differences between pupils of different ages. Overall, the analysis supported the view that effective early provision has a positive impact on children's academic progress to the age of 7.  相似文献   

Prospective teacher learning: recognizing evidence of conceptual understanding     

Tonya Gau Bartell  Corey Webel  Brian Bowen  Nancy Dyson 《Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education》2013,16(1):57-79

This study examined prospective teachers’ (PSTs) ability to recognize evidence of children’s conceptual understanding of mathematics in three content areas before and after an instructional intervention designed to support this ability. It also investigates the role PSTs’ content knowledge plays in their ability to recognize children’s mathematical understanding. Results of content knowledge assessments administered at the beginning of the study revealed that content knowledge did seem to support PSTs’ analyses of children’s understanding when the child’s response demonstrated understanding or demonstrated a misconception. Content knowledge did not seem to support PSTs’ analyses of children’s procedural responses, as many PSTs with good content knowledge initially characterized procedural solutions as evidence of conceptual understanding. Similarly, content knowledge did not seem to support PSTs’ analyses of children’s responses with features commonly associated with understanding but not evidence of understanding. After the instructional intervention consisting of three multifaceted lessons in which PSTs examined many examples of student thinking, they showed improved ability to analyze responses with conceptual features and no evidence of conceptual understanding and responses demonstrating procedural knowledge. Results suggest that content knowledge is not sufficient for supporting PSTs’ analysis of children’s thinking, and that building activities such as the intervention into content courses may help develop this ability. Implications for teacher education programs and future research are considered.  相似文献   

Through Student Eyes: Perceptions and Aspirations of Students from the Armenian State Agrarian University and Selected European Universities     

Glen C. Shinn  Gary E. Briers  Maria Navarro  Jason Peake  Brian Parr  Ani Ter-Mkrtchyan 《The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension》2013,19(3):245-255

Abstract

This research compared attributes of students enrolled in the Armenian State Agrarian University (ASAU) with university students from 30 European countries (EFMD) about graduate study policy issues. A cross-national comparative design used a survey questionnaire to explore contextual, social and cultural phenomena. Samples included 801 ASAU and 3,265 EFMD students. Demographics of samples were similar. Students were largely unaware of the Bologna reforms and the impact on study abroad. Slightly more than half of EFMD participants were in a bachelor's programme compared to 96% of ASAU students. ASAU students held a more pragmatic rationale for foreign study, ranking ‘advancing professional careers’ as the top reason, while EFMD students chose ‘overall experience’. Obstacles included bureaucracy, funding and accommodations. Although groups had similar geographical preferences for foreign study, Eastern Europe was more preferred by ASAU students. Half of the EFMD students planned graduate enrollment ‘immediately following the degree’ compared to one-quarter of ASAU students. Half of the EFMD students were aware of mobility scholarships compared to three-quarters of ASAU students. One in two EFMD students reported university media rankings important compared to one in seven ASAU students.

The Bologna Declaration accelerated horizontal collaboration among European universities. Students have a larger collective voice in curriculum change. The findings of this research provide a better understanding of student aspirations, motivations, expectations and barriers. These findings can contribute to guiding policies and procedures for recruitment, admission, retention and mobility.  相似文献   

The water of life: creative non-fiction and lived experience on an interdisciplinary canoe journey on Scotland's River Spey     

Peter Higgins  Brian Wattchow 《Journal of Adventure Education & Outdoor Learning》2013,13(1):18-35

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