On the making and taking of professionalism in the further education workplace

This paper examines the changing nature of professional practice in English further education. At a time when neo-liberal reform has significantly impacted on this under-researched and over-market-tested sector, little is known about who its practitioners are and how they construct meaning in their work. Sociological interest in the field has tended to focus on further education practitioners as either the subjects of market and managerial reform or as creative agents operating within the contradictions of audit and inspection cultures. In challenging such dualism, which is reflective of wider sociological thinking, the paper examines the ways in which agency and structure combine to produce a more transformative conception of the further education professional. The approach contrasts with a prevailing policy discourse that seeks to re-professionalise and modernise further education practice without interrogating either the terms of its professionalism or the neo-liberal practices in which it resides

Evaluation of modelled spatially distributed predictions of soil erosion by water versus field-based assessments

Policy makers concerned about soil erosion and its impacts need good quality information on which to base their decisions. There is a trend toward using erosion models to aid such decision making. Such models are based on data obtained from experimental plots. The theoretical results need to be compared with information gained from monitoring erosion in the field to assess if theory accords with reality. Data from the Minimum Information Requirement version of the Water Erosion Prediction Project model (MIRSED) are compared to information gained from field monitoring over a 5-year period (1982–1986) in 11 localities widely spread throughout England and Wales. Two of the localities, Gwent and Shropshire, are examined in detail. The model seriously over predicts erosion, both in amount and extent. Also, the statistical distributions of the data values are different. The model predicts erosion will happen where it does not. The reasons why the two assessments of erosion differ greatly are explored. This comparison shows there is an urgent need to develop models which incorporate information gained from field-based observations. Until better models are devised, policy makers and decision takers should treat the results of modelling exercises with great caution

A review of the impacts of degradation threats on soil properties in the UK

National governments are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of their soil resources and are shaping strategies accordingly. Implicit in any such strategy is that degradation threats and their potential effect on important soil properties and functions are defined and understood. In this paper, we aimed to review the principal degradation threats on important soil properties in the UK, seeking quantitative data where possible. Soil erosion results in the removal of important topsoil and, with it, nutrients, C and porosity. A decline in soil organic matter principally affects soil biological and microbiological properties, but also impacts on soil physical properties because of the link with soil structure. Soil contamination affects soil chemical properties, affecting nutrient availability and degrading microbial properties, whilst soil compaction degrades the soil pore network. Soil sealing removes the link between the soil and most of the ‘spheres’, significantly affecting hydrological and microbial functions, and soils on re-developed brownfield sites are typically degraded in most soil properties. Having synthesized the literature on the impact on soil properties, we discuss potential subsequent impacts on the important soil functions, including food and fibre production, storage of water and C, support for biodiversity, and protection of cultural and archaeological heritage. Looking forward, we suggest a twin approach of field-based monitoring supported by controlled laboratory experimentation to improve our mechanistic understanding of soils. This would enable us to better predict future impacts of degradation processes, including climate change, on soil properties and functions so that we may manage soil resources sustainably

Lieu de Mémoire : Exhibition view [Image no. 15869]

Copyright of the artist. Photographer: Chantal Labbé, SCA Images Online.For more information about this item, browse to http://hdl.handle.net/102.100.100/562

Soil and Soil Maps

RESP-495

The agronomic significance of soil mapping units

RESP-613