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In 1993 the author applied aspects of the formal system model to gain an understanding of the contemporary issues facing UK Higher Education and its potential for failure. In this paper that analysis is utilised to provide a perspective and a commentary on aspects of the 1997 report by the UK National Commission into Higher Education (NCIHE) chaired by Sir Ron (later Lord) Dearing. The NCIHE report addresses several of the issues raised by the earlier analysis, notably the potential need for increased resourcing of higher education, the strengthening of mechanisms for the expectations of students to be more influential, and the greater clarification of society's expectations of higher education. The Dearing report does not appear to offer progress on several other matters such as society's influence over the curriculum, and the routing of research funding. Some context is provided in terms of the earlier work and the motivation for applying the Systems Failures Method at that time. The paper concludes with some implications of the study for systemic investigations and the future of UK higher education. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper offers an overview, both internationally and with a particular concentration on the UK, of how the profession-orientated discipline of publishing studies (PS) is accommodated and established within those universities where it is offered. It presents a combination of data, gained from a survey of professionals teaching PS, desk research into courses of PS in the UK, and from Heidi and HESA. The findings offer information on the size of the field, the location, the employability of graduates and associated staffing and research support structures. While of interest to publishing studies per se, it should also be relevant to those working within other profession-orientated disciplines; to those considering the employability of graduating students; and to those considering the value of postgraduate studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent decline in fieldwork provision in UK schools has partly been attributed to false perceptions of risk among teachers. This paper examines a case study based on geography teachers’ perceptions from six state secondary schools in a northern English city. The research shows that owing to the inherent subjectivity of risk perception, these teachers’ perceptions of fieldwork risk cannot be dismissed as false. Furthermore, it is argued that owing to the implicit, but powerful, spatialities of teachers’ imaginations of fieldwork, these teachers will first need to re-evaluate the role and value of fieldwork before they are willing to re-enter the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article summarizes and reflects on the findings related to pedagogy of two closely associated Department for Education and Skills (DfES) funded research projects: the Effective Provision of Pre-school Education (EPPE) and the Researching Effective Pedagogy in the Early Years (REPEY) projects. 1 The EPPE research project was a five-year longitudinal study funded by the DfES to follow the progress of approximately 3000 children, aged three plus, in 141 pre-schools across England. In addition to the range of quantitative data collected about children, their families and their pre-school centres, 12 effective pre-school settings (selection based on child developmental outcomes) were identified in the EPPE multilevel analysis for intensive, in-depth qualitative case study. The REPEY study provided an opportunity to extend this qualitative analysis further with both naturalistic and systematic observations, interviews and focus group discussions, and allowed the addition of two reception classes (selection based on professional judgement). Together, the studies provide a large-scale, sequential and explanatory mixed method research design investigating pedagogy in 14 Foundation Stage (the key stage for children 3-5) settings. The REPEY research has shown that the most effective pre-school settings (in terms of intellectual, social and dispositional outcomes) achieve a balance between the opportunities provided for children to benefit from teacher-initiated group work, and in the provision of freely chosen yet potentially instructive play activities. The analysis also shows an association between curriculum differentiation and matching in terms of cognitive challenge, and 'sustained shared thinking'. The evidence suggests that the better a setting does on each of these dimensions of pedagogic practice the more effective it will be. The most effective settings also adopt social/behaviour policies that involve staff in supporting children in rationalizing and talking through their conflicts. Profile of centres selected for in-depth case studies (plus two reception classes) Centre no. Type of provision No. on roll Some under 3s 017 Nursery class approx. 50 - 106 Nursery class approx. 40 - 214 Local authority day care approx. 60 yes 219 Private day nursery approx. 50 yes 225 Early excellence centre approx. 120 yes 306 Private day nursery approx. 90 yes 324 Nursery school approx. 120 - 401 Play group approx. 40 - 413 Private day nursery approx. 120 yes 417 Nursery class approx. 50 - 421 Nursery school approx. 100 - 426 Early excellence centre approx. 200 yes [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the teaching of social administration in Great Britain. Formal teaching of social administration began in university courses of Great Britain, which were established before the first world war for those who wished to prepare themselves to engage in many forms of social and charitable effort. Since then, professional training for social work has developed inside and outside the universities, and the original certificate courses have become an academic preparation for subsequent training. The growth of these degree courses and the admission to one-year certificate courses of increasing numbers of graduates from other fields, have obliterated many of the original two-year certificates. Some universities have abandoned social science certificates altogether, some have converted them into one-year courses for graduates only, and others still run both types of course or an uneasy combination of the two. Meanwhile the employers of social workers are accepting the need for training and new courses are being set up in technical colleges outside universities.

It is fundamental that students are able to identity where they have developed specific professional competencies during their study. This ensures students can not only articulate their competencies well in job applications and assessments but also draw on their experiences for use in the workplace. The aim of study was to ascertain if desirability of an element or competency as indicated by employers, was reflected in an equivalent level of program content, appropriately perceived by the student. A case study approach mapped elements of the previously developed Competencies for Food Graduate Careers framework against food sciences curricula at University of Nottingham. The mapping process facilitated evaluation of appropriate levels of inclusion of each element in degree programs, by recording types of content and experiences provided, in collaboration with teaching staff. Perspectives of the student experience were captured using an online survey. In addition, guidance from a prior industry survey provided context of the level of desirability for each element across the range of graduate roles in the United Kingdom. The results showed some areas of mismatch, where curricular content did not align with employer expectations or student perceptions. This has informed review of this curriculum, to best reflect "competency development" to meet the needs of the food industry. Recommendations were made to address gaps through enhancement of content, delivery, communication, or assessment. Additionally, the exercise has suggested a more informed development of curricula categorization and coding for future similar mapping activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Anatomical Society has developed a series of learning outcomes in consultation with dentists, dental educators and anatomists delivering anatomical content to undergraduate dental students. A modified Delphi methodology was adopted to select experts within the field that would recommend core anatomical content in undergraduate dental programmes throughout the UK. Utilising the extensive learning outcomes from two UK Dental Schools, and neuroanatomy learning outcomes that remained outside the Anatomical Society's Core Gross Anatomy Syllabus for Medical Students, a modified Delphi technique was utilised to develop dental anatomical learning outcomes relevant to dental graduates. The Delphi panel consisted of 62 individuals (n = 62) from a wide pool of educators associated with the majority of undergraduate dental schools in the UK, representing a broad spectrum of UK Higher Education Institutions. The output from this study was 147 anatomical learning outcomes deemed to be applicable to all dental undergraduate programmes in the UK. The new recommended core anatomy syllabus for dental undergraduates, grouped into body regions, offers a comprehensive anatomical framework with which to scaffold clinical practice. The syllabus, presented as a set of learning outcomes, may be used in a variety of pedagogic situations, including where anatomy teaching exists within an integrated dental curriculum (both horizontally in the basic sciences part of the curriculum and vertically within the clinical years). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wages are a composite measure of the return to education and the return to work experiences. Work experiences are often defined as workers who gain experiences on-the-job. However, work experiences can also be part of a study curriculum in vocational secondary education. We estimate the return to in-school work experiences by comparing the Heckman selection model and the Rubin matching model. First, we show that students with in-school work experiences earn +16% more in the first years of labour than their theoretical peers. Second, we indicate that both empirical models do not appropriately deal with censored observations in the presence of an informal market. Including information on a set of censored observations increases the effect to +22%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The UK postgraduate curriculum in clinical pharmacology and therapeutics (CPT) incorporates the common competencies required of all physicians and shows how trainees from other specialties, including primary care, can train in CPT. Various models of training and assessment are possible. Evolution of the current system to meet new challenges would maintain an established tradition, with a ready source of training funds. However, this would require greater input from all consultants in CPT, including the training and assessment of trainees. A joint venture with the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine would have the advantage, if the Faculty agreed, of introducing ready-made curriculum modules and assessment tools that have been accepted by the General Medical Council. However, extra modules relevant to CPT would have to be constructed to complement the common areas already in the pharmaceutical medicine curriculum, and there would be a perceived loss of the independence that clinical pharmacologists currently enjoy when making decisions about manufacturers' products. Abandoning externally approved training in CPT would allow the specialty to devise its own training and assessment in the necessary skills. Critically, however, this would impair the status of the specialty and would incur loss of financial support from postgraduate Deaneries. To attract high-calibre trainees, we must completely define CPT training and assessment structures. Most clinical pharmacologists seem to prefer to allow the current structures to evolve under external guidance. However, this will not succeed unless all trained clinical pharmacologists contribute to development of both the curriculum and specific assessment tools, and open their teaching and assessment skills to scrutiny. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author reflects on the proposal of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) to the British government to create incentives for students to study science, technology, engineering and mathematics courses. He mentions the InSCIght paper published by the Society of Chemical Industry (SCI) that calls for action to stop and reverse the decline in science education in Great Britain. He discusses the problems faced by British college students in financing their education.

This article analyses the role of Individual Learning Plans (ILPs) in teachers' work in the Skills for Life sector. It shows how ILPs, originally a means of formative assessment, have become part of a system of performance indicators and function as a key mediating mechanism between local interactions and system goals. The article draws on theoretical perspectives from the new literacy studies and the sociology of science to reveal the pivotal role of texts in projects of social ordering. The methodology is a version of institutional ethnography, whereby an artefact (the ILP) is tracked as it circulates across the different sites of its production and use. Documentary and interview evidence are used. The article concludes that, in its current form, the ILP shapes teaching and learning relationships and aligns both tutor and student identities. Permissive guidance, combined with a core curriculum, the demands of audit and inspection, positions tutors uncomfortably as active mediators between student experience and the policy discourse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known about the underlying causes and developmental patterns of stability and change in early reading abilities. In a longitudinal study of twins (n=4,291 pairs), individual differences in reading achievement assessed by teachers using U.K. National Curriculum (NC) criteria showed substantial heritabilities at ages 7, 9, and 10 years (.57-.67) and modest shared environmental influences (.10-.17). Stability in NC scores was primarily mediated genetically. There was also evidence for age-specific genetic influences at each age. Genetic influences on reading are substantial and stable during the elementary school years despite the shift from "learning to read" to "reading to learn." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schools in England are now being encouraged to 'personalise' the curriculum and to consult students about teaching and learning. This article reports on an evaluation of one high school which is working hard to increase student subject choice, introduce integrated curriculum in the middle years and to improve teaching and learning while maintaining a commitment to inclusive and equitable comprehensive education. The authors worked with a small group of students as consultants to develop a 'student's-eye' set of evaluative categories in a school-wide student survey. They also conducted teacher, student and governor interviews, lesson and meeting observations, and student 'mind-mapping' exercises. In this article, in the light of the findings, the authors discuss the processes they used to work jointly with the student research team, and how they moved from pupils-as-consultants to pupils-as-researchers, a potentially more transformative/disruptive practice. They query the notion of 'authentic student voice' and show it as discursive and heterogeneous: they thus suggest that both a standards and a rights framings of student voice must be regarded critically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pupil observation and educator–pupil discourse have recognised relevance within early years practitioners' repertoires, with long traditions of practice in England and elsewhere. Observation is now enshrined within the Foundation Stage Curriculum for 3–5 year-olds (England) (soon to become part of the Early Years Foundation Stage for Birth–5) and is advocated in fulfilling the Foundation Stage Profiling (assessment) requirements for individual children. This article begins by drawing on research by the author and on related research and theory to illustrate some complexities in learning processes in young children. The research has led to the development of an observation-interpretation tool—the Social Play Continuum. The Continuum, a tool to support the formative dimensions of observation, details progression in learning whilst the broader research has illustrated factors impacting on progression. An example of researcher–pupil dialogue is then analysed to consider the related dilemmas and potential of discourse within formative assessment. The article considers whether current policy development and documentation sufficiently recognise and encompass learning complexities and learner potential in young children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents an analysis of case study data from a project evaluating Personal Development Planning (PDP) at a large post‐1992 university in England. The study was undertaken as part of a strategy of encouraging schools to build on existing experience while at the same time ensuring consistency with new national guidelines for the implementation of PDP across the whole sector. The aim of the research was to understand the models already available for supporting and developing PDP, and the views of different stakeholders about the place of PDP in the curriculum. The research was designed to engage with teacher beliefs in order to provide models of practice that could inform innovation. The study was based on interviews with staff and data were analysed on the basis of clusters of features to create models of different practices and approaches. Three ideal types of PDP emerged: professional, employment and academic. Each of the modes was associated with particular disciplinary domains, although none of them existed in pure form. The data suggest that pedagogic identities based on introjection and strong boundary maintenance displayed greater tension in relation to PDP than those areas already constructed on projection. UK moves towards PDP are part of an international trend. The great advantage of case study data, however, is that they allow insight into the dynamics of implementation at the local level and in this case the potential of generic initiatives based on projection to destabilise aspects of academic identity. New initiatives are more likely to succeed if they engage positively with teacher beliefs rather than being posed in contra‐distinction to them; the first step, however, is to understand and theorise them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study set out to investigate the impact of the official endorsement of ‘interactive whole class teaching’ on the interaction and discourse styles of primary teachers while teaching the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies. In both strategies, interactive whole class teaching is seen as an ‘active teaching’ model promoting high quality dialogue and discussion between teachers and pupils. Pupils are expected to play an active part in discussion by asking questions, contributing ideas and explaining and demonstrating their thinking to the class. Using computerized systematic classroom observation, discourse analysis of transcripts and a questionnaire, the project looked specifically at the discourse strategies currently used by a national sample of primary teachers when teaching the literacy and numeracy strategies and their perceptions of current practices. The findings suggest that traditional patterns of whole class interaction have not been dramatically transformed by the strategies. The implications of the findings for classroom pedagogy, teachers' professional development and future research priorities are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a pressing need for medical graduates to be fully prepared to take on the responsibilities of prescribing and to be able to respond to continual inevitable rapid changes in therapeutics. The curricula in UK medical schools were greatly influenced by Tomorrow's Doctors, published by the General Medical Council in 1993. This has recently been updated. While it highlights the management of disease and use of drugs as key learning objectives, it offers little specific guidance. In this document we expand on these broad statements, provide a view of how these learning objectives might be achieved, and identify the key elements of a core curriculum in prescribing and therapeutics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article considers four areas of research on study-skills. The article begins by documenting the development of interest in study-skills courses in British secondary and primary schools. It continues by examining some of the research on study-skills courses and their components—most of which has been carried out in the context of higher education. A third section contrasts individualised study-skills courses developing in Britain with more directed learning-strategies courses being developed in the USA. Finally, the article concludes by suggesting some possible rapprochements between these two main approaches to devising courses in study- skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the results of a series of surveys on youth training scheme (YTS) curriculum in further education in Great Britain. It provides more descriptive discussion about the differences between employer based courses and college based, special needs courses. Factors taken into consideration when conducting the survey were geographical location, occupational area trained for, type of college and unemployment rate in local area. Provision of education and training for the Youth Opportunities Program was based on the premise that the young people involved were likely to be different from further education's usual clients and would need different treatment. The results also show that many YTS teachers do not share the assumptions that used to be made about Youth Opportunities Program

The authors' evaluation of their experience of in-service education leads to a re-consideration of educational theory, the impact of research on teachers, the interaction between educational institutions, the function of peer-group learning, the expansion of school-based in-service education and the networking of curriculum development agencies. This experience provides an empirical and ideological basis for justifying school-based curriculum research. It suggests that models of the teacher as researcher can generate theories of education that will impinge more strongly on teachers and teaching, providing they are genuinely 'school-based'. Action research, in the context of school-centred, problem-solving approaches to in-service education, is presented as a productive way forward providing that different educational agencies recognise the value of applied research and development, appreciate the importance of small scale and co-operative research and understand that research outcomes may have more to do with sensitising individual teachers than shaping educational policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study that examines British educational processes which considers the relationship between curriculum placement and ability, streaming, pupil ambitions and social class. It is based on an intensive study of two schools, which allowed for the collection of an archive of ethnographic-type data in addition to the data analyzed. The hypothesis tested is derived as much from the concerns of the teachers interviewed as from academic literature. Based on interview material and theoretical literature, the hypotheses examined were, that curriculum placement is related to social class even when ability is held constant, that curriculum placement is related to past streaming even when ability is held constant, that curriculum placement is related to pupil ambitions even when ability is held constant and that the effect of past streaming on curriculum placement is through its effect on pupil ambitions. The hypotheses were examined with hierarchical models of multiple regression analysis.

The article presents a case study on the small-scale evaluation of a tertiary level service course, "Physics and Chemistry for Environmental Scientists," in Great Britain. Key issues discussed include the examination of the design, operation and institutional context of the course that was provided for first-year environmental science students by a teaching team of two chemists, two physicists and an environmental science lecturer acting as a link between the environmental and physical sciences. The pros and cons of the course are analyzed, as well as their implications for education and educational research.