Education for Muslim girls in contemporary Britain: social and political dimensions

This research examines how the discourses of gender, 'race ', culture and religion are articulated in the educational experiences of Muslim girls. Using the data collected in a private Muslim girls' school (old Town High) and a single-sex state school with a high proportion of Muslim girls (City State) it critically examines how stereotypical representations may come to constitute a commonsense understanding of Muslim women and how these representations can exercise an important influence in shaping teacher perceptions about the presumed needs of their Muslim students. The theoretical perspective adopted, is shaped principally by ideas within poststructuralism viewed through the lens of feminism. This allows for an exploration of the interplay between the discourses of 'race', gender, culture and religion and their shifting nature. It also allows for a critical examination of the micro-political - that is how power is exercised at local levels, how oppression works, is experienced and where resistance is possible. The thesis is divided into three Parts. The first Part provides a background to the case studies. The second Part is concerned to detail the theoretical framework of the research followed by a methodological placing and evaluation of the case studies and the third Part concerns itself with a multi-layered analysis of the data. Throughout the phases of this analysis the treatment of 'race' and gender as a duality and the repercussions this has for the Muslim students in the state school emerges strongly. These findings have many implications for equal opportunities initiatives in state schools for the research indicates that the matter of 'difference' in equal opportunity work is not dealt with in any adequate way at all. It concludes by arguing for the introduction of strategies which go beyond practical, structural and 'problem solving' equal opportunity mode. It argues for strategies which combine perspectives which deal with, fragmentation, hybridity and pluralism with critical perspectives which centre on an examination of how it is that some students are positioned at the margins of school life and value systems and how they can be repositioned at the centre

ImpaCT2: pupils' and teachers' perceptions of ICT in the home, school and community

The Strand 2 report of the ImpaCT 2 research describes the results of applying a range of research methods to explore, how pupils use ICT, in particular out of school and what had been gained from this use. ImpaCT2 was a major longitudinal study (1999-2002) involving 60 schools in England, its aims were to: identify the impact of networked technologies on the school and out-of-school environment; determine whether or not this impact affected the educational attainment of pupils aged 8 - 16 years (at Key Stages 2, 3, and 4); and provide information that would assist in the formation of national, local and school policies on the deployment of ICT

ImpaCT2: the impact of information and communication technologies on pupil learning and attainment

The report explores the impact of networked technologies on patterns of use of ICT in English, Mathematics and Science at Key Stages 2, 3 and 4 and the relative gain for high ICT users versus low ICT users in each of these subjects. This publication reports primarily on the outcomes of Strand 1, but draws on some material from the other strands of the study. ImpaCT2 was a major longitudinal study (1999-2002) involving 60 schools in England, its aims were to: identify the impact of networked technologies on the school and out-of-school environment; determine whether or not this impact affected the educational attainment of pupils aged 8 - 16 years (at Key Stages 2, 3, and 4); and provide information that would assist in the formation of national, local and school policies on the deployment of ICT

Education for Muslim girls in contemporary Britain: social and political dimensions

This research examines how the discourses of gender, 'race ', culture and religion are articulated in the educational experiences of Muslim girls. Using the data collected in a private Muslim girls' school (old Town High) and a single-sex state school with a high proportion of Muslim girls (City State) it critically examines how stereotypical representations may come to constitute a commonsense understanding of Muslim women and how these representations can exercise an important influence in shaping teacher perceptions about the presumed needs of their Muslim students. The theoretical perspective adopted, is shaped principally by ideas within poststructuralism viewed through the lens of feminism. This allows for an exploration of the interplay between the discourses of 'race', gender, culture and religion and their shifting nature. It also allows for a critical examination of the micro-political - that is how power is exercised at local levels, how oppression works, is experienced and where resistance is possible. The thesis is divided into three Parts. The first Part provides a background to the case studies. The second Part is concerned to detail the theoretical framework of the research followed by a methodological placing and evaluation of the case studies and the third Part concerns itself with a multi-layered analysis of the data. Throughout the phases of this analysis the treatment of 'race' and gender as a duality and the repercussions this has for the Muslim students in the state school emerges strongly. These findings have many implications for equal opportunities initiatives in state schools for the research indicates that the matter of 'difference' in equal opportunity work is not dealt with in any adequate way at all. It concludes by arguing for the introduction of strategies which go beyond practical, structural and 'problem solving' equal opportunity mode. It argues for strategies which combine perspectives which deal with, fragmentation, hybridity and pluralism with critical perspectives which centre on an examination of how it is that some students are positioned at the margins of school life and value systems and how they can be repositioned at the centre

Video: modalities and methodologies

In this article, we set out to explore what we describe as the use of video in various modalities. For us, modality is a synthesizing construct that draws together and differentiates between the notion of ‘video’ both as a method and as a methodology. It encompasses the use of the term video as both product and process, and as a data collection tool and a cultural phenomenon. The idea of video modalities has been developed by us in our own research and writing in order to help researchers and research participants critically reflect on the potential of video as a resource for making meaning and generating knowledge. In this article, we argue that discussing modalities of video is helpful in exploring the nature of video-based data, the use of video within mixed methods research, and the links between such methods and a range of methodologies. In doing so, our intention is to consider two interlinked questions: firstly, the relationships between video and methodological assumptions and the potential of video to open up the way to mixed methods approaches, and secondly, the potential contribution of video to epistemological frameworks. Our overall aim in doing this is to help researchers think through how they might use and integrate video into their research designs

'Voice', young people and action research

This article moves from an overview of what is meant by the term 'voice' to discussing the significance of its links with action research. It does this through using a simple typology of three types of voice: Authoritative, Critical and Therapeutic. Each type of voice represents a different process of articulation and intended outcome. It then moves on to consider 'voice' and the collaboration of young people in educational action research by unpicking a series of four assumptions which delineate major theoretical and practical possibilities and limitations. These assumptions provide a critique of the underpinning ideologies held by professionals when supporting and listening to young peopl