Violated assumptions? Exploring the challenges of a cognitive acceleration programme.

This small-scale qualitative study focusses on a four-year funded science intervention programme, Let’s Think Secondary Science (LTSS). LTSS is based on the Cognitive Acceleration through Science Education (CASE) approach which was adopted in the published programme Thinking Science (Adey, Shayer & Yates, 1995). Improvements in pupil attainment were attributed to the CASE approach (Adey & Shayer, 1990) and also more recently (Oliver & Venville, 2016). Shayer (1999) posits some assumptions for effective intervention using this approach, two of which are: 1. That the teachers are skilled in the CASE pedagogy and have experience of teaching formal reasoning in science and 2. The pupils have the opportunity to witness formal reasoning by their peers (Shayer, 1999). A report by Shayer, Ginsburg and Coe (2007) suggested that UK pupils’ reasoning ability declined between 1975 and 2003 and this may have implications for the LTSS programme. Indications at the outset of LTSS revealed that the science teachers were reporting difficulties with the lessons from both their own and their pupils’ perspectives. In order to explore the situation in more depth, this research involved the collection of interview data from the PD tutors (n=5) and project teachers (n=10). Preliminary analysis is suggesting that issues with staffing and the school environment, a lack of teacher skills in implementing the intervention in some areas of formal reasoning and limited pupil engagement affected the extent to which the CASE approach could be implemented. As a result, some of the assumptions put forward by Shayer (1999) for effective implementation of the CASE approach might not have been realised. This suggests that there is scope for further support for formal reasoning in science before pupils move into the secondary phase and a need for more focused professional development for teachers, particularly in the area of mathematical and statistical reasoning

The PGCE(Primary) student experience

Maintaining the teacher workforce through recruitment of new teachers, or by retaining existing teachers, is high on the political agenda in the UK (House of Commons Education Committee, 2017). Furthermore, primary school teacher supply is of global concern (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation Institute for Statistics (UIS), 2016). Therefore, when preservice teachers make the decision to drop out of their teacher training programmes before completion this is worthy of further investigation. This mixed-methods institutional case study focussed on one English higher education institution’s Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) (Primary) teacher training programme to better understand patterns in enrolment, and the preservice teachers’ sense of attachment or detachment to it. The research questions were: i. How and to what extent are gender, age and undergraduate degree classification associated with a successful PGCE (Primary) programme outcome? ii. What is the lived experience of a group of student teachers enrolled on a PGCE (Primary) programme and how does this impact their sense of attachment to or detachment from the programme and to primary school teaching as a career? As part of the mixed-methods approach, a quantitative methodology was adopted that explored institutional patterns of student teachers success in the gaining of qualified teacher status (QTS) and of programme dropout. Data were collected from five cohorts of student teachers (n=705) enrolled on the one-year PGCE (Primary) programme. Regression analysis revealed that statistically, male student teachers were 2.6 times more likely to drop out of the programme than females, and dropout became more likely with increasing age. However, despite the statistical significance, the practical significance of these findings was limited and there were groups of student teachers for whom the regression model did not fit. Descriptive phenomenological analysis of participant interviews (n=8) revealed a complex social experience driven by the quality of relationships; the student teachers’ developing teacher identity, and the extent to which they could reconcile their individual identities and values. These findings led to a revised conceptual framework for the PGCE (Primary) experience that illuminated a discrete but transient PGCE (Primary) community of practice in which individual student teachers feel able to persist with their teacher training and enter a career in teaching or make the decision to drop out. There are implications for teacher training programme design and support mechanisms for student teachers

‘So, you want us to do the marking?!’ – peer review and feedback to promote assessment as learning.

The aim of this small scale research study was to investigate whether a primary school formative assessment strategy could be transferred to Higher Education. Visualisers are an increasingly used teaching and learning resource in primary classrooms. Using examples, work is analysed and improved allowing for explicit scaffolding of feedback strategies as well as the unpicking of success criteria. This study sought to use a similar approach with part-time PGCE students, many of which were returning to education after a break. Using two curriculum modules (science and English) example assignments were analysed and improved using the visualiser to prompt discussion as a group and with partners. This then fed into peer and self- marking/ evaluation with the opportunity to apply some of the strategies explored earlier. Data (questionnaires, interviews and assignment feedback) was collected before, during and after these scaffolded sessions and indicated that the students found it to be a valuable strategy in terms of exploring some of the tacit aspects of academic writing. The immediacy of the feedback, dialogic nature of the sessions and common shared understanding that the visualiser allowed all seemed to have impacted positively

Using iPads to increase the level of student engagement in the peer review and feedback process.

This investigation explored the use of iPads in an HE setting in order to evaluate how and if they could enhance an already established approach to peer review and feedback. The context centred on a cohort of 140 pre-service teacher education students engaged in small group assessed activities in one of their modules. Although some aspects of the existing formative assessment process worked well, the level of student engagement in peer review was felt to need improvement. An opportunity to explore the use of iPads in group work and collaborative learning environments arose as part of the York St John University (YSJ) iPad Project. The management and deployment of the iPads was based on Apple’s ‘institutional’ model and was informed by the YSJ Technology Enhanced Learning quality framework

Chinese male kindergarten teachers: factors affecting job satisfaction and organisational commitment

In early childhood education there is an increasing focus on the issues related to male kindergarten teachers. The shortage of men entering the teaching profession, the high turnover rate, and social marginalisation pose a challenge to the recruitment and retention of male kindergarten teachers. Furthermore, an imbalance in the ratio of men and women in early childhood education can also have an impact on children's educational development, as male teachers are also seen to be beneficial to children's ongoing development. This quantitative study explores the factors affecting Chinese male kindergarten teachers' job satisfaction and organisational commitment. The results show that six influencing factors positively impact job satisfaction: public attitude, pay satisfaction, work pressure, interpersonal relationships, promotion and professional development, and physical work environment. Also, there is a positive relationship between job satisfaction and organisational commitment. There are implications for recruiting and retaining male kindergarten teachers, for early childhood education policymakers and training providers

Research-2-Practice Supporting Secondary Science Teachers to Engage with Education Research

Evidence-informed teaching has been a focus for the UK government since 2014 and whilst there is a suggestion that engagement with research to inform practice can enhance the quality of teaching, access to high quality research is a challenge for school-based practitioners. Successful schools make research more accessible to staff by building research resource banks and by collaborating with universities. Whilst stronger schools also support teaching staff to become more independent in their engagement with research, there can be a tension between access to research and the judgement of its quality. Furthermore, teacher workload has been highlighted as a concern across the education sector and this includes that of trainees engaged in initial teacher education. Lesson planning has been identified as something that can be burdensome for trainees and the expectation that they develop individual lesson plans should be reviewed to help address workload issues

Research-2-Practice Supporting Primary School Teachers to Engage with Science Education Research

Evidence-informed teaching has been a focus for the UK government since 2014 and whilst there is a suggestion that engagement with research to inform practice can enhance the quality of teaching, access to high quality research is a challenge for school-based practitioners. Successful schools make research more accessible to staff by building research resource banks and by collaborating with universities. Whilst stronger schools also support teaching staff to become more independent in their engagement with research, there can be a tension between access to research and the judgement of its quality. Furthermore, teacher workload has been highlighted as a concern across the education sector and this includes that of trainees engaged in initial teacher education. Lesson planning has been identified as something that can be burdensome for trainees and the expectation that they develop individual lesson plans should be reviewed to help address workload issues

Resources, Capabilities, and Routines in Public Organizations

States, state agencies, multilateral agencies, and other non-market actors are relatively under-studied in strategic management and organization science. While important contributions to the study of public actors have been made within the agency-theoretic and transaction-cost traditions, there is little research in political economy that builds on resource-based, dynamic capabilities, and behavioral approaches to the firm. Yet public organizations can be characterized as stocks of human and non-human resources, including routines and capabilities; they can possess excess capacity in these resources; and they may grow and diversify in predictable patterns according to behavioral and Penrosean logic. This paper shows how resource-based, dynamic capabilities, and behavioral approaches to understanding public agencies and organizations shed light on their nature and governance

BHPR research: qualitative1. Complex reasoning determines patients' perception of outcome following foot surgery in rheumatoid arhtritis

Background: Foot surgery is common in patients with RA but research into surgical outcomes is limited and conceptually flawed as current outcome measures lack face validity: to date no one has asked patients what is important to them. This study aimed to determine which factors are important to patients when evaluating the success of foot surgery in RA Methods: Semi structured interviews of RA patients who had undergone foot surgery were conducted and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis of interviews was conducted to explore issues that were important to patients. Results: 11 RA patients (9 ♂, mean age 59, dis dur = 22yrs, mean of 3 yrs post op) with mixed experiences of foot surgery were interviewed. Patients interpreted outcome in respect to a multitude of factors, frequently positive change in one aspect contrasted with negative opinions about another. Overall, four major themes emerged. Function: Functional ability & participation in valued activities were very important to patients. Walking ability was a key concern but patients interpreted levels of activity in light of other aspects of their disease, reflecting on change in functional ability more than overall level. Positive feelings of improved mobility were often moderated by negative self perception ("I mean, I still walk like a waddling duck”). Appearance: Appearance was important to almost all patients but perhaps the most complex theme of all. Physical appearance, foot shape, and footwear were closely interlinked, yet patients saw these as distinct separate concepts. Patients need to legitimize these feelings was clear and they frequently entered into a defensive repertoire ("it's not cosmetic surgery; it's something that's more important than that, you know?”). Clinician opinion: Surgeons' post operative evaluation of the procedure was very influential. The impact of this appraisal continued to affect patients' lasting impression irrespective of how the outcome compared to their initial goals ("when he'd done it ... he said that hasn't worked as good as he'd wanted to ... but the pain has gone”). Pain: Whilst pain was important to almost all patients, it appeared to be less important than the other themes. Pain was predominately raised when it influenced other themes, such as function; many still felt the need to legitimize their foot pain in order for health professionals to take it seriously ("in the end I went to my GP because it had happened a few times and I went to an orthopaedic surgeon who was quite dismissive of it, it was like what are you complaining about”). Conclusions: Patients interpret the outcome of foot surgery using a multitude of interrelated factors, particularly functional ability, appearance and surgeons' appraisal of the procedure. While pain was often noted, this appeared less important than other factors in the overall outcome of the surgery. Future research into foot surgery should incorporate the complexity of how patients determine their outcome Disclosure statement: All authors have declared no conflicts of interes

‘Stepping on the teacher’s toes’: Student teachers’ experience of a one-year postgraduate teacher training programme.

Student teachers engaging in periods of training in the classroom, supported by experienced mentors, is an accepted model for teacher training. This qualitative study adopted a descriptive phenomenological approach to establish the lived experience of a group of postgraduate primary student teachers across their teacher training year. A community of practice theoretical lens (Lave and Wenger 1991) was applied and findings suggested that in some cases student teachers can be regarded as legitimate peripheral participants (LPP) in a primary school context and learning gains made. However, learning and successful outcomes were still shown to take place even when the student teachers might not be regarded as LLPs. There are therefore limitations to the community of practice model. Attention paid to student teachers’ individual circumstances might better contribute to their self-efficacy and subsequent motivation to enter the teaching profession. There are implications for mentor training and further research