The evaluation of widening participation activities in higher education: A survey of institutional leaders in England

This paper reports the results of an online survey of senior managers with responsibility for widening participation (WP) in English universities. 57 institutions participated, giving a response rate of 38 percent. The questionnaire primarily focused on (a) the targeting of WP activity, (b) concepts of success, (c) perceptions of ‘successful’ WP activities, (d) perceptions of institution WP success, and (e) approaches to evaluation

ENGINEER: Evaluation and analysis of the project impact

An evaluation report analysing the impact of the EU funded ENGINEER project, intended to design and implement materials to promote engineering in primary schools across Europe through science and technology. The report examines impact on teaching and learning in schools and science and technology centres in ten EU countries

Landscape as Heritage: Negotiating European Cultural Identity

environmental policy; identity; European identity

Understanding students’ critical thinking ability: A comparative case of Chinese and British undergraduates

The purpose of this study was to investigate to what extent the language factor contributes to students’ critical thinking abilities. The critical thinking (CT) skills and abilities of final year undergraduate students studying on the same program were tested using a modified Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal questionnaire. The students were divided into two groups: a Chinese-educated group and native-speaking and British-educated one. The results indicated that the overall CT skills of the English-speaking students are higher than those of Chinese students and especially in certain aspects of the appraisal. It was also found that Chinese students performed better when completing the appraisal in their native language

Police Custody Healthcare: An evaluation of an NHS commissioned pilot to deliver a police custody health service in a partnership between Dorset Primary Care Trust and Dorset Police

This evaluation was sponsored by Dorset Primary Care Trust and the South West Strategic Health Authority to examine the local commissioning relationship established to providepolice custody healthcare across Dorset's three 24/7 custody suites, located in Poole, Weymouth and Bournemouth. This initiative has the status of a national pilot, and the evaluation is expected to carry lessons for a wide range of audiences in and beyond Dorset

Don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it's gone? Skills-led qualifications, secondary school attainment and policy choices

In the name of curriculum breadth and raising standards, recent government policy in England has removed a large number of non-academic qualifications from the list of those that secondary schools can count in league tables, discouraging their use. Most of these were vocational qualifications, but they also include skills-led qualifications. This paper reports mixed methods research investigating the relationship between mainstream secondary school qualifications in England and a specific, widely used skills-led qualification: the Certificate of Personal Effectiveness (CoPE). Neither academic nor vocational, CoPE requires learners to assemble a portfolio of evidence in response to ‘challenges’ negotiated with the teacher. It is designed to promote a reflective learning orientation and to develop (and assess) skills that underpin learning and future employability. We use a combination of regression analysis, pseudo-experiment and qualitative case study. Our research shows that CoPE is associated with improved outcomes in the ‘mainstream’ academic qualifications often regarded as the benchmark for the quality of schools and much of what goes on in them. Thus, we argue that certain reforms designed to raise standards are likely to depress attainment in the very qualifications deemed as core indicators of educational standards