What place has grammar in the English curriculum? An analysis of ninety years’ policy debate: 1921 to 2011.

Since 1921 England’s governments have commissioned enquiries into English and literacy teaching, leading towards published recommendations and requirements for English grammar teaching. Governments’ officially sanctioned publications represent their policy aspirations for English and literacy. Research studies have explored the subsequent challenge for schools and teachers who must integrate grammar into a subject whose wider philosophies may conflict with an explicit grammar element. My study draws on critical theory to analyse the ideological discourses of English grammar these official policy documents reveal, and how they conflict or coincide with wider ideologies of English and literacy in schools. My study uses a two-stage analysis. First is an intertextual analysis using a corpus approach to identify the data’s grammar topics through its keywords and argumentation types. Second is a qualitative critical discourse analysis (CDA) of the documents’ main ideas and ideological discourses. The CDA analysis reveals three main ideological discourses of grammar, namely of ‘heritage and authority’, ‘standards and control’, and ‘life chances and skills’. These discourses are constructed from both prescriptive and descriptive traditions of linguistic thinking, and draw on ideological perspectives of teaching and teachers, learning and learners, and changing philosophies of English over time. The findings show no direct connection between the topic keywords policy authors use and the ideological positions they adopt. But there is a clear trend in argumentation approaches used to make hoped-for claims for grammar’s place and benefits in subject English. The discourses found question whether teachers are sufficiently prepared for grammar teaching and whether learners are sufficiently prepared for communicating in the workplace. The policy ideologies of grammar found in the qualitative analysis are finally re-mapped against wider philosophies of subject English to identify the broad policy trends

Comparative perspectives on initial primary teacher education and training in England and Pakistan

This study explored the extent to which initial teacher education and training programmes provide an adequate preparation for the needs of the primary school teachers in England and Pakistan. An integral part of this exploration was the identification of particular aspects of ITE programmes which had a significant impact in enhancing the professional development of teachers, the effectiveness of the ITE programmes and then overall quality. The second notable feature is that this study is a comparative one. The researcher chose two countries where initial teacher training programmes were being implemented, albeit in different ways. England and Pakistan are two contrasting countries from different global regions and having different cultural and social contexts. This is not a problem for comparison because the issue is whether they provide an adequate and enriching professional preparation for beginning teachers in their respective contexts. The study also aims to explore how far the English experience has potential for development and improvement in the Pakistani initial primary teacher education programme. The issue was examined in detail in different teacher education institutions located in England and Pakistan. For this purpose the researcher used Bereday‘s comparative methodology to investigate the juxtaposition of these two initial teacher education programmes. The researcher hopes thereby to add to the stock of theory through the use of a cross-national study.The study indicated to what extent the beginning teachers were adequately prepared for the demands of work and the responsibilities expected of them as perceived by the profession and other stakeholders. A number of factors were found to contribute to the perceived adequacy of the professional preparation of student teachers. An enriching curriculum together with availability and quality of physical facilities and educational resources contributed to this situation. At the same time, the support from the principal stakeholders in terms of funding and staff professional development was also cited as impacting upon the quality of pre-service teacher education provided to the beginning teachers in England and Pakistan. The aim of this research was to investigate initial teacher education in Pakistan and England to gain insights into two initial teacher education systems with a view to improving initial teacher education in Pakistan. To achieve this aim, a cross-cultural study using a multi-method approach was adopted. This research revealed how questionable it can be to merely state what the similarities and differences really are between two initial teacher education systems. Nonetheless, it did identify some important differences as between the two initial teacher education systems, namely in terms of:- cultural differences affecting initial teacher‘s attitude and values;- differences in governmental vision, political will, and government policies and institutional provision;- teacher education curricula, policies and delivery;- traditional and economic disparities; and theoretical underpinning.Having conducting this research, it is the view of the writer that it is possible for Pakistan to gain from certain aspects of the experience in England, especially in administration and quality control

The radical Right and teacher education : an analysis of, and response to, the restructuring of initial teacher education in England and Wales under the Conservative and New Labour governments 1979-2001

Following the 1979 general election, Conservative governments radically restructured\ud Initial Teacher Education (ITE) in England and Wales (a process that I argue is\ud substantially retained by New Labour in its policy on ITE and in education more\ud widely). The aim of this thesis is to examine and evaluate Radical Right policy on ITE\ud and responses to it, and to propose an alternative Radical Left policy based on the\ud theories and data analysed.\ud The thesis begins by describing the content and context of the restructuring and by\ud charting various responses from the education community. It proceeds to identify\ud ideological approaches to ITE that are 'alternative' and 'oppositional' to the Radical\ud Right.\ud To make sense of the restructuring, I examine five theoretical analyses of state policy\ud and of the articulations and disarticulations within the ITE policy process. These are\ud 'state autonomy', postmodernist, 'quasi- postmodernist', culturalist neo-Marxist, and\ud structuralist neo-Marxist analyses. I then describe and evaluate what aimed to be a\ud Radical Left 'critical transformative' ITE course (the Crawley BEd) that I led from\ud 1990-1995. Here I present data on student teacher and NQT reactions to that course,\ud which I compare to other courses that I surveyed.\ud In the light of this data I then revisit the theoretical explanations by referring to the\ud limited 'transformativeness' of the Crawley BEd, and to the success of Radical Right\ud policy on ITE (and education more widely) nationally. My theoretical conclusion is that\ud a structuralist neo-Marxist analysis best explains the data and policy developments.\ud Finally, I suggest some implications for policy, deriving from structuralist neo-Marxist\ud analysis

Schooling the Market: Venture Philanthropy, Field Building and the NewSchools Venture Fund

Since the 1980s and the Reagan administration’s report “A Nation at Risk” and with the passage of No Child Left Behind during the George W. Bush Administration, the ground of public education has shifted. Reform efforts previously geared toward improving the system of public education have been superseded by the efforts of venture philanthropies and foundations like Gates, Walton and Broad to remake education into a private market. The power of these institutions politically, socially and economically to reshape the educational landscape inAmericaraises fundamental questions about the role of wealthy elites and their influence on democracy and education. How is this educational map being redrawn? What field are being created and what processes are being repurposed? What are the purposes, values and ultimately its impact on the young people of theUnited States? To engage these questions within a qualitative case study approach and be able to trace the effects and reach of the movement of neoliberal social policy in education, this dissertation research will focus on the role of intermediaries, and the NewSchools Venture Fund in particular. My case study focuses on the NewSchools Venture Fund as one of the oldest and most influential intermediaries, interconnected with other powerful forces of venture philanthropy, venture capital, technology and leaders of government and policy. It offers a rich location from which to assess what Datnow and Park call “Large-Scale Reform in an Era of Complexity.” Employing a critical policy framework to keep the larger context in view as well as foregrounding concerns of social justice, my case study will explore the development, reach and policy practices of NSVF. The data sources for my research, I will interview some of key NSVF stakeholders, document and analyze its “artifacts,” and do a Social Network Analysis (Scott) of the key players to map their connection to shapers of policy and practice. Further, this analysis will afford the opportunity to assess the potential development of a new social form of power relations called Shadow Elites, theorized by Wedel and elaborated by Picciano and Spring. The theoretical framework for the dissertation will include, but not be limited to, critical work on neoliberalism (Harvey, Brown, Duggan, Ball, Apple) and given the emergence of intermediaries as a force in educational policy an critical theory approach to the study of organizations (Burch, Ozga, Bourdieu). The findings of the study will help to map the shifting terrain of public education, see the effects of privatization in key aspects of charter schools, charter management organizations, data, leadership and policy and advocacy – all central investments in the NewSchools Venture Fund “portfolio.” This mapping and analysis will in turn raise questions about the direction of public education for policy makers, community members and educational activists

A multiple perspective approach to information system quality

The motivation for this research is a concern with the high rate of informationsystem failures reported in the academic literature and in practitioner publications. Itis proposed that the adoption of the customer-centred ideals and methods of qualitymanagement in information system development will increase the likelihood of thedelivery of successful information systems. The approach taken in the research is towork with the ideas of multiple perspectives - organizational effectiveness, work-lifequality, and technical artefact quality - and multiple stakeholders.The research approach is to use action research. The fieldwork comprisesthree phases. The first phase involved interviewing system developers and thesecond phase consisted of two case studies of implemented information systems.This preliminary analysis, together with a theoretical investigation of the foundationsof quality, was used to inform the development of a quality approach to informationsystem development. The information system development methodology (ISDM) isbased upon Multiview, a multiple perspective approach to information systemdevelopment, and the total quality management method used is quality functiondeployment. The resultant hybrid methodology is known as ISDM/Q.The ISDM/Q is tested using action research on a live system developmentproject concerned with the development of a wind tunnel control and data collectionsystem. Extensive organizational analysis was conducted to place this softwaredevelopment within a wider organizational context, involving quality requirementsworkshops and quality planning. The outcomes of the research are assessed in termsof the learning recorded with respect to the framework of ideas, the methodology(ISDM/Q) and the domain in which the action research took place. The field workshowed that there were benefits to using a quality metaphor in information systemdevelopment but that this would require a significant change in the culture and styleof information system development organizations. A practical contribution of theresearch is the development of quality function deployment for information systemdevelopment

The implementation of cooperative learning: a case study of cooperative learning in a networked learning community

This thesis presents a case study of the implementation of cooperative learning in a networked learning community of two secondary schools and eight primary schools in the north of England. How this came about in a context of national educational prescription, in which cooperative learning has played little part, has driven this research. Before examining this further, however, it is important to clarify what is meant by cooperative learning. Based on this, the rationale for the research will be presented, together with the research questions. The chapter will conclude with an overview of the structure of the thesis

Project Manager Confidence and Risk Awareness

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationship between project manager confidence and the ability to assess risk during the early planning stages for a new product development project in a business environment. The problem addressed was that a project manager’s confidence level may lead to insufficient risk awareness and contribute to project failure. The study was conducted among 257 project manager practitioners in the US. The study expanded on the research conducted by Fabricius and Büttgen (2015) which found that project manager overconfidence affects expectations of project success and plays a critical role in the inaccurate assessment of project risk during project planning. A secondary correlation analysis (excluding outliers) found a statistically significant result leading the researcher to reject the null hypothesis, meaning there is evidence to show that overconfident project managers exhibit lower risk awareness. The study has practical implications to project manager practitioners by raising the awareness of understanding how project managers influence risk management in their projects as a prelude to potential project success or failure

EDUCATION IN ‘LATE’ MODERNITY A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF NEW LABOUR REFORM, 1997-2007

New Labour entered into government in 1997 with a stated intention to develop a new consensus in education. This was to be practical rather than ideological in its basis, and was to provide a modernising and radical approach to reform that would go beyond the debates of the past. This study assesses the basis for this new consensus and the extent to which it appeared in New Labour’s agenda of education reform between 1997 and 2007. Discussion draws attention to the dichotomised nature of debate that existed surrounding the future direction for education reform between market-oriented or democracy-based approaches, contextualised in the ideological bases of the social democratic Left and the New Right. However, the weaknesses of each suggested a need to develop alternative perspectives and strategies for the future. Drawing upon the work of Anthony Giddens the possibilities for such an alternative approach are explored, pointing in particular to the nature of the contemporary period as one of ‘late’ modernity. Here the possibilities presented, as well as the risks created, present an urgent need for new approaches to government and individual life. New Labour’s attachment to Giddens’s ideas are examined through their take-up of the Third Way as a label for a project of modernisation. Analysis of the developing education policy agenda considers how change and continuity in the approach to reform was informed by the Third Way. Drawing upon an extensive research literature the limitations, conflicts, and tensions in this Third Way approach are also assessed. It is argued that whilst New Labour’s policy agenda contained modernising appeal and potential, it failed to establish itself as a coherent new framework. Thus, it also failed to build a basis for radical reform. The study concludes by arguing that a broader Giddensian perspective on ‘late’ modernity offers potential in a contribution to the nature and necessity of future reform. However, whilst it guards against simplistic approaches to utopian prospects, it must similarly recognise the complexity of realising such hope in practice

SCHOOL BASED TRAINING: A COMPARATIVE CASE STUDY OF AN ARTICLED TEACHER COURSE AND A ONE YEAR PGCE

Merged with duplicate record 10026.1/760 on 27.03.2017 by CS (TIS)This research is based on a case study of two primary Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) courses at the same university which was carried out at a time of rapid change and major reform. One of those courses, the Articled Teacher (AT) PGCE was of the 'school based' variety much heralded at the time as the way forward for the preparation of teachers. In this scheme, learner teachers were based, usually alone, for two years in one school in the care of a mentor, with a chance of a 'teaching practice' in another school. The ATs came into the university for seminars, lectures and tutorials. The other route was a more traditional one year course where the students, 75 in number, were based in the university and were sent out, sometimes alone, sometimes in groups, into two or three different schools for 'teaching practice' or 'school experience'. The research focussed on three major factors in making comparisons between the two groups: 1) patterns of loyalty to, and support from, the university and the school; 2) the sources of their theorising about teaching - the ATs relying more on their own personal experience mainly because of their constant need to survive in their schools; 3) the differences between the course providers in schools and in the university which were more important for the ATs because of their course's emphasis on 'partnership' rather than 'integration'. The findings of the fieldwork are placed in the context of a discussion of the recent reforms in initial teacher education with particular reference to their implications for school based training