Performative ontologies. Sociomaterial approaches to researching adult education and lifelong learning

Sociomaterial approaches to researching education, such as those generated by actornetwork theory and complexity theory, have been growing in significance in recent years, both theoretically and methodologically. Such approaches are based upon a performative ontology rather than the more characteristic representational epistemology that informs much research. In this article, we outline certain aspects of sociomaterial sensibilities in researching education, and some of the uptakes on issues related to the education of adults. We further suggest some possibilities emerging for adult education and lifelong learning researchers from taking up such theories and methodologies. (DIPF/Orig.

Writing masters and accountants in England – a study of occupation, status and ambition in the early modern period

The purpose of this paper is to address the lack of knowledge of the accounting occupational group in England prior to the formation of professional accounting bodies. It does so by focusing on attempts made by the occupational group of writing masters and accountants to establish a recognisable persona in the public domain, in England, during the seventeenth and eighteenth century, and to enhance that identity by behaving in a manner designed to convince the public of the professionalism associated with themselves and their work. The study is based principally on early accounting treatises and secondary sources drawn from beyond the accounting literature. Notions of identity, credentialism and jurisdiction are employed to help understand and evaluate the occupational history of writing masters and accountants. It is shown that writing masters and accountants emerged as specialist pedagogues providing expert business knowledge required in the counting houses of entities which flourished during a period of rapid commercial expansion in mercantilist Britain. Their demise as an occupational group may be attributed to a range of factors amongst which an emphasis on personal identity, the neglect of group identity and derogation of the writing craft were most important.history ; accountants ; bookkeepers

LITERACY FOR LEARNING IN FURTHER EDUCATION IN THE UK: A SYMPOSIUM

The Literacies for Learning in Further Education (LfLFE) project, a collaboration between two universities – Stirling and Lancaster – and four further education colleges – Anniesland, Perth, Lancaster and Morecambe, and Preston, funded for three years from January 2004 as part of Phase 3 of the TLRP. The project draws on work already done on literacy practices engaged in by people in schools, higher education and the community and seeks to extend the insights gained from these studies into further education. It aims to explore the literacy practices of students and those practices developed in different parts of the curriculum and develop pedagogic interventions to support students’ learning more effectively. This project involves examining literacy across the many domains of people’s experiences, the ways in which these practices are mobilised and realised within different domains and their capacity to be mobilised and recontextualised elsewhere to support learning. A project such as this raises many theoretical, methodological and practical challenges, not least in ensuring validity across four curriculum areas in four sites drawing upon the collaboration of sixteen practitioner researchers. This symposium of four papers examines some of the challenges and findings from the first eighteen months of the project. The first paper explores some of the findings regarding students’ literacy practices in their everyday lives and those required of them in their college studies. The second focuses on one approach adopted by the project as a method through which to elicit student literacy practices. The other two papers focus on different aspects of partnership within the project, in particular the attempts to enable students and lecturers to be active researchers rather than simply respondent

Taking ownership: The story of a successful partnership for change in a Pacific Island science teacher education setting.

This paper explores an example of a partnership approach that appears to be producing sustainable change in a Pacific Islands education setting. The people involved report on the way science education staff from the Solomon Islands School of Education (SOE) and staff from the Faculty of Education University of Waikato (UOW), New Zealand worked together on the redevelopment of undergraduate science education courses for the SOE. Together we sought to identify significant factors supporting the process. The development required significant change and posed a number of challenges yet resulted in local staff producing high quality materials and programmes and taking ownership of ongoing development. More importantly, there was significant personal professional learning in both science education and initial teacher education for local Solomon Islands staff. Factors contributing to the success of the partnership are explored through the perceptions of the participants and include the quality of relationship, mutual respect, emphasis on conceptual agreement when working together, and the involvement of local staff in decision-making

A Multi-faceted Provenance Solution for Science on the Web

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Milli-arcsecond--scale Spectral Properties and Jet Motions in M87

We have combined high resolution VLBI Space Observatory Programme (VSOP) data at 1.6 and 4.8 GHz with Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) data at higher frequencies and with similar resolutions to study the spectral properties of the core of M87 with milliarcsecond resolution. The VSOP data allow a more accurate measurement of the turn-over frequency, and hence more reliable determination of associated physical parameters of the source. Comparison of the images with previously published images yields no evidence for significant motion of components in the parsec-scale jet. In addition, the brightness temperatures obtained from model-fits to the core are well below the inverse Compton limit, suggesting the radio emission we are observing is not strongly Doppler boosted. Colour version on http://www.vsop.isas.jaxa.jp/survey/publications/m87.ps.gzComment: To appear in PASJ VSOP special issue. Minor correction

ABC for Climate: Dealing with Expensive Simulators

A single molecule or molecule complex detection method is disclosed in certain aspects, comprising nano- or micro-fluidic channels.U

Guiding adults impartially : a Scottish study

In Scotland, the development of guidance for adults has been significant in the last few years. A 1992 Inspectorate report concluded that: 'Considerable progress has been made in developing effective arrangements for student guidance' (SOED, 1992: 36). However, the same document also called for improved pre-entry guidance and better course induction, the development of policy statements on guidance, and the commitment of resources to improving facilities, staff training and advocating. Since 1993, the Scottish Office-backed Adult Guidance Initiative-Scotland (AEGIS) has been responsible for raising awareness about good practice in guidance, and has produced policy documents and staff development materials on quality assurance and networking and held a number of national conferences. Researchers at the Scottish Council for Research in Education published four major studies in 1993-4, describing the experiences of adult returners, patterns of progression in post-school education and adult guidance practice. In 1996, the Scottish Office published strategy proposals for adult guidance, to include a telephone helpline (SOEID, 1996). TI1is was followed by an action plan on lifelong learning and guidance, including support for local guidance networks and increased marketing of learning opportunities (SOEID, 1997a and 1997b). Further research reports on the provision of guidance as part of access to higher education in Scotland were also published in 1996 (Blencowe et al, 1996; Blair and Tett, 1996). This article is based on research carried out to investigate the extent to which the principle of impartiality is perceived to be relevant and applicable by guidance practitioners in their work with adults. Guidance professionals have drawn attention to the importance of impartiality as a basic principle governing their practice. Also, the imperative of giving adults information and advice which is impartial and not influenced, for example, by recruitment targets for courses, is stressed in statements of good practice and practitioners' charters. The person-centred counselling approach underpinning these statements and charters tends to be strongly 'non-directive'. Guidance services have developed considerably in the last few years, but there is increasing competition between course providers and this has raised concerns about jeopardising impartiality