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ABSTRACT The paper considers the implications of the concept of the essential contestability of education for the professional independence of teachers. Its conclusion is that liberal educational ideas provide the strongest theoretical framework for such independence, with child-centred ideas a not very close second. Potential dangers to teachers' professional autonomy from transcendentalist, instrumentalist and reconstructionist theories of education are highlighted. The paper does not endorse unlimited contestability or unrestricted professional independence for teachers and outlines conditions, related to the Paradox of Freedom, in which restrictions are fully justifiable. However, it concludes that in contemporary liberal-democratic societies constraints on educational contestability should be as minimal as possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper substantiates a way of encapsulating the claims to educational knowledge of empirical research and communicating them simply to would-be users by drawing on a concept of fuzzy logic. A fuzzy prediction replaces the certainty of scientific generalisation ('x in y circumstances results in z') by the uncertainty, or fuzziness, of statements that contain qualifiers ('x in y circumstances may result in z'). The paper also tentatively suggests that the likelihood of 'z' occurring can be indicated by a best-estimate-of-trustworthiness which, in the absence of empirical evidence, is based on the researchers' professional judgement (arising from the literature and experience). Alone, a fuzzy prediction is no more than the researcher's equivalent of the politician's sound-bite, and as such may have little credence, but when supported by a research account which makes clear the context of the statement and the evidence justifying it, the fuzzy prediction provides a powerful and user-friendly summary which can serve as a guide to professional action. Fuzzy prediction invites replication and this, by leading either to support of the statement or its amendment, contributes to the edifice of educational theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Against the background of a society living after the 'end of tradition', this mostly theoretical paper develops a conceptualisation of the nature of tradition and discusses the central role it still plays in the construction of teachers' professional and schools' institutional identities. In doing so, the paper speculates on the degree to which currently there is taking place in education a reinvention of established and very familiar pedagogic and school traditions alongside the creation and emergence of new ones. It also suggests that reflections along these lines may provide a theoretically innovative way of bridging the gap between micro-institutional and macro-social analyses of teachers' work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Everyone will agree that education ought to prepare young people to lead a meaningful life, but there are different ways in which this notion can be understood. A religious interpretation has to be distinguished from the secular one on which this paper focuses. Meaningfulness in this non-religious sense is a necessary condition of a life of well-being, having to do with the nesting of one's reasons for action within increasingly pervasive structures of activity and attachment. Sometimes a life can seem meaningless when it is not so in fact. In more extreme cases it may in fact be to some extent meaningless. Equipping young people for a meaningful life is a worthwhile, but not all-important educational aim. Educators should help them not only to see their lives as meaningful but also to lead lives that are meaningful. This involves continuous engagement in the nesting of reasons mentioned above. Where autonomy is also an aim, temperamental attunement to possible options—rather than exposure to all possible options—and time to explore them are important considerations. Questions arise here both about social justice and about whether current school curriculum and timetabling arrangements help or hinder pupils in living a meaningful life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an overview of studies into effects and side effects of control mechanisms in education. We focus on effects and side effects of inspection visits and public performance indicators. A first conclusion is that the studies do not provide us with a clear answer to the question of whether inspections have positive causal effects on the quality of schools. Results of studies of publications on public performance indicators are more unambiguous. They lead us to the conclusion that although principals and teachers believe performance indicators are important, parents and pupils take very little notice of these indicators when choosing schools. A third conclusion concerns the occurrence of side effects of school inspections and other control mechanisms in education. Several of the studies discussed clearly refer to the existence of these side effects, such as 'window dressing' and other types of 'gaming'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the policy of single-sex classes that is currently being adopted in some schools as a strategy for addressing boys’ educational and social needs. It draws on research in one Australian government, coeducational primary school to examine teachers’ and students’ experiences of this strategy. Interviews with the principal, male and female teachers responsible for teaching the single-sex classes and the students involved in these classes are used to illustrate the impact and effect of the strategy on pedagogical practices in this particular school. The data are used to raise critical questions about the impact and effects of teachers’ pedagogical practices in light of the current literature and research about single-sex classes. In this case study, it was found that teachers had a tendency to modify their pedagogical practices and the curriculum to suit stereotypical constructions about boys’ and girls’ supposed oppositional orientations to learning. It is concluded that teacher knowledges and assumptions about gender play an important role in the execution of their pedagogies in the single-sex classroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the professional responsibility of schools in England to provide effective induction practices in the context of a central government mandated policy. It looks at individual schools as ‘habitats’ for induction and the role of school leaders and LEAs as facilitators or inhibitors. Notions of professional responsibility and public accountability are used to analyse the small number of ‘rogue’ school leaders who, within the new legislative framework, treat new teachers unprofessionally and waste public resources. A typology of ‘rogue’ schools that are in some way deviant in transgressing induction requirements is developed and the various sanctions that can be deployed against such schools are examined. How LEAs handle their monitoring and accountability role and manage deviant schools is considered. Finally, suggestions are made for improvements, such as the need to clarify professional responsibility and refine systems of professional accountability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The globalisation of higher education implies the application of a neo‐liberal market forces model based on competition and choice. This is happening in Germany by gradual stages, and is often, but not necessarily correctly, assumed to be antagonistic to the Humboldtian model that underlies the classical German university tradition. This paper reports a survey which showed that staff and student role relationships were permeated by paradoxes and mutual incomprehension, and that the goodwill, dedication and respect of the professors towards their students were being wasted due to deficits in organisation and structure. Freedom, an integral part of the Humboldtian model, was much more beneficial to the staff than to the students, many of whom called instead for better guidance and course structure. The professors were sceptical about some features of re‐structuring such as more executive leadership on the part of their management, and did not want their institutions to be run like enterprises—though they did want them to have more autonomy. About one third were willing to accept a diminution in state power. The system seems at a stage where the advantages of the Humboldtian model are being 'delivered' only incompletely, and the potential of a market model has not yet been fully realised. Humboldt was himself an intellectual predecessor of neo‐liberalism, and would not have been opposed to the notion of a reduction in state power, even though this runs counter to the present 'German model'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current conceptions of citizenship favour public involvement in dialogue on controversial issues such as GM food. `Students with higher levels of civic knowledge are more likely to expect to participate in political and civic activities as adults' (Kerr et al 2003, p. 4). Young people need to be aware of the nature of controversy and be able to see how arguments are constructed to sway our opinions it' they are to he fully scientifically literate. A survey of the literature suggests that the principles and methods relating to the teaching of controversial issues are themselves controversial. Fins irony is more relevant to teachers now than ever before. In England, the teaching of `Citizenship' has been compulsory for students aged 11-16 in the state sector since September 2002. As it is currently framed, `Citizenship' includes education for sustainable development and the teaching of the nature of controversy. This paper explores the issue of teachers' readiness to use controversial issues in the classroom, and reports on research involving focus groups and questionnaires. We suggest that many teachers are under-prepared and feel constrained in their ability to handle this aspect of their work. We conclude by offering a set of foci for developing Support materials to help teachers he more effective at teaching controversial issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The views of a range of teachers towards South Asians in schools and colleges in Birmingham are explored in this paper. Based on 23 teachers, often senior in nature, from 11 educational institutions (9 schools [1 independent, 2 selective, 6 comprehensive] and 2 further education colleges), analysis of attitudes is in relation to gender and religion; socialisation and language differences between South Asian groups; and teacher ethnicity and antiracist multicultural education policy. It was broadly found that teachers viewed the education of South Asians based on the modus operandi of the educational institution they represented as well as the way in which differing South Asians based on socio-economic status, ethnicity and gender were thought to act and behave. There are implications for how South Asians are perceived as individuals as well as groups by teachers, as well as how schools can make a real attempt to improve existing home–school relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many education systems continue to express concerns about an apparently inexorable increase in the number of pupils displaying difficult behaviour in schools and classrooms. Within the English context the government has tried to address and respond to these concerns by undertaking a variety of initiatives and offering guidance and training to schools on the management of behaviour problems. However, we argue that there is a significant danger that by focusing too narrowly on the needs of those pupils with the most obvious and pressing behavioural difficulties the needs of those with emotional problems are overlooked. We highlight the existence of a 'gap' in much of the policy and guidance in England regarding pupils with emotional problems and offer explanations of why this situation has occurred. In support of this we draw from the extensive literature that already exists and also from a recent large-scale survey undertaken in Greece. This survey of teachers' attitudes provides an important comparative dimension in understanding the dangers that exist for policy makers, professionals and teachers in both 'developing' and developed contexts in the face of increasing disruption in schools. The paper concludes with suggestions for policy makers on how this gap might be avoided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses a series of recent critiques of school effectiveness (SE) research from within the academic community and the responses to them by SE researchers. It uses these as a basis to explore the nature of current SE research and its relationship with government policy. It is argued that much SE research has been too closely concerned with specific government policies as well as having weak theoretical and empirical support. The general response of the SE community to these criticisms is judged to be inadequate and recommendations for future directions are made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Calls for more male teachers are prevalent in current gender debates in education. A dominant argument in this debate is that boys are often alienated from school because of a lack of male role models in feminised areas of the school curriculum and in primary schools. Little research has investigated male teachers' accounts of their work within feminised environments. Drawing on data collected in two research studies in music education, this paper focuses on accounts given by male teachers about (a) practices adopted specifically to work with boys and (b) the role of the male music teacher. Analysis of these data suggests that some male teachers working in feminised areas of the school curriculum adopt practices which, rather than challenging dominant constructions of masculinity, sometimes reinforce gender stereotypical behaviours in boys. We argue that calls for increasing the number of male teachers in feminised areas of schooling need also to be informed by open discussion of the underlying assumptions about masculinity which teachers themselves bring to their work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]