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Educational research, and research in the Social Sciences more generally, has experienced a growth in the introduction of ethical review boards since the 1990s. Increasingly, universities have set up ethics review procedures that require researchers to submit applications seeking approval to conduct research. Review boards and the rules and conditions under which they operate have been criticised as obstructive, unnecessarily bureaucratic, and even unethical. At the same time, review boards and their procedures have been acknowledged as contributing to consideration of the ethical conduct of research. This paper explores the issues related to ethical review and examines the wider ethical considerations that may arise during the research process. The paper concludes that a purely administrative process of review is inadequate to ensure the ethical conduct of research, especially qualitative research. Rather, it is argued that ethical research entails the resolution of a potential series of ethical dilemmas as they arise during research. As such, the ethical conduct of research is a matter of researcher formation and development.

This article provides an overview of "Reel to Real," a Moving Image Education project undertaken with groups of young people who require "More Choices, More Chances," the overarching policy context in Scotland which aims to provide support for those young people aged 16-19 years who have completed compulsory education but find themselves not in employment, education or training. Supported by Skills Development Scotland, Scottish Screen (now Creative Scotland) and Urban Learning Space, "Reel to Real" aimed to promote learning with and through digital media. The overall project evaluation was to determine the benefits of learning and preparation for work in such a project as well as the experiences of the participants. This article focuses specifically on the perceptions and experiences of the young people involved in the project in order to understand what they felt they had gained from the project and how they perceived this may have helped them as they prepare to embark on employment. Data were gathered through observation and focus group interviews with groups of young people aged 16-19 years undertaking the "Reel to Real" project.

This paper reports on the collaborative development of a "National Framework for Inclusion" under the auspices of the Scottish Teacher Education Committee by a working party representing each of the Scottish Universities providing initial teacher education. Recent research, international legislation and Scottish education policy have refocused the notion of "special educational needs" based on ideas of individual deficit to support and provision for all learners. As teachers are therefore charged with responsibility for an increasingly diverse population of learners, the National Framework of Inclusion was developed to support both pre-service and qualified teachers to work inclusively to provide fair and meaningful experiences for all learners. The paper examines the underpinning principles of the Framework, describes the collaborative process of its development and provides one innovative example of its use.

This article describes various views of special teacher students towards inclusion. In order to examine these, we analysed a series of statements made by students in Finland, Norway and Sweden. The specific aims were to see how these views can be seen as supportive or challenging for inclusion in schools. A questionnaire with one closed question and two open-ended questions was used in all countries. The results show that students in similar Nordic countries have different views about inclusion. Norwegian students mostly supported inclusion while Finnish students expressed the most reservations. The arguments about inclusion by Norwegian students were the most pupil-focused; those by Finns were teacher-focused, with Swedes being in between. The results seem to reflect the educational policy in these countries. Discussions, more information, as well as good models of inclusion seem to be needed. The implications of these findings for special and regular teacher education are also discussed. (Contains 1 note and 5 figures.)

In November 2003, the Scottish Executive Education Department (SEED) commissioned the SCRE Centre at the University of Glasgow to evaluate the impact of Section 15 of the "Standards in Scotland's Schools etc Act 2000". The evaluation took place between January 2004 and August 2005. A major strand of the research was the impact of the presumption of mainstreaming on special schools, including an exploration of the changing role of special schools, and the changing demands on staff in special education. The evidence presented in this paper suggests that whilst there may be widespread support for specialist provision within a policy climate of inclusion, the sector has undergone significant changes in the last few years. These changes have had a particular impact on the curriculum, teaching and learning, and "specialness" of special schools. However, not all of these changes are due to the impact of mainstreaming.

This article draws on data emerging from an evaluation of behaviour support strategies in secondary schools in an education authority in Scotland. The authors all work at the University of Glasgow. Jean Kane has research and teaching interests in the area of special educational needs; she offers consultancy to local authorities in the development of inclusive policies and practices in schools. Dr George Head has research and teaching interests in the area of social, emotional and behavioural difficulties and social inclusion; he is also an experienced teacher. Both Jean Kane and George Head are lecturers in the Faculty of Education. Nicola Cogan is a researcher at the Strathclyde Centre for Disability Research and has a background as a research psychologist in the health sector. In Scotland, the growth of behaviour support provision is closely related to broader policy on social inclusion. It is argued in this article that new models of behaviour support can be developed in the light of previous and related experience in the development of inclusive support systems in schools. The authors present a typology of behaviour support, drawing upon their evaluation of provision, and discuss the characteristics of the types of support that emerge. Using data from exclusion statistics, pupil case studies and interviews with teachers, managers, pupils and parents, Jean Kane, George Head and Nicola Cogan explore the implications of their work for future developments in support for pupils who present difficult behaviours.

This article gives findings from the first year of an evaluation of various behavior support programs in 21 secondary schools in Scotland. Focus is on analysis of exclusion data, school reports on the initiative, and case studies of 116 pupils receiving behavior support. Discussion notes difficulties reconciling the flexibility required for inclusion and the emphasis on improving academic outcomes. (Contains references.) (DB)