bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Discipline and Normalisation in the Nursery: The Foucauldian Gaze
Authors: Holligan Chris
Published: April 2022

In this paper we provide a Foucauldian critical analysis of empirical data derived from interviews with nursery teachers. The aim of the interviews was to illuminate teachers’ perceptions of the teaching and learning of values in the pre-school. Foucault’s social theory is regarded by commentators (Smart, 1995) as being subversively oriented towards knowledge and its utilisation by the professions. Our study draws upon some of his main concepts such as power-knowledge, surveillance, normalisation and govemmentality and employs them to help explicate the interpretation of our data. At first blush a Foucauldian perspective would appear to be particularly inappropriate as applied to nursery education given the latter’s association with ideals of individual freedom and self-expression, but it is suggested that greater govemmentality at an official level may be eroding the orthodox discourse of educational child-centredness (Bruce,1987), It is principally maintained that, in line with Foucault’s ideas, professional practice in nurseries may be understood as laying the foundations for the production of governable subjects. Three case studies constitute the field work underpinning this study, two of which were undertaken in working-class urban areas and the other in an affluent middle-class suburb. Finally it is acknowledged that the integrity of his perspective might itself be regarded as suspect, there being no obviously independent stance by which to privilege Foucault’s critique over the teachers’ own paradigms of socialisation. However, we claim that the importance of Foucault’s ideas resides in their challenge to complacency and professional insularity.
Completion Rates of Scottish Vocational Qualification (SVQ) Courses: A Research Study
Authors: Cloonan Martin , Canning Roy
Published: April 2022

This article examines notions of completion as applied to candidates taking Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs). It is based on case-study research carried out by the authors in the winter of 1998/99. It is argued that a number of factors militate against the compilation of meaningful completion rates for SVQs, the most important of which are the type of candidate, the funding regime and the poor quality of data held by Awarding Bodies. The conclusions reached are of direct relevance to policy makers in post-16 education and training in Scotland.
Language Learners and Diverse Legacies: Question of Confidence
Authors: Nicolson Margaret
Published: April 2022

In general, Scots have not shown an excess of confidence in their potential to learn languages. A school system which did not previously encourage the majority to study languages, but reserved them for a certain academic elite, has undoubtedly played its part in this. A study of a group of Open University language learners supports the view that it is mainly those with considerable school experience of language learning, and strong present links with the language who have the confidence and motivation to enter and remain in the adult language learning arena. Yet, Scotland has a rich historic and current multilingual profile which largely goes untapped and which could be of great benefit in raising language awareness and confidence about language learning. In a devolved Scotland, it now seems appropriate to widen participation, to make language learning a more inclusive domain, and to rekindle a previously discouraged polyglot mentality. An ideal opportunity presents itself to introduce new policies which would reverse negative cultural and educational legacies and enhance confidence in language identity and language learning potential. This would provide the means to a healthier and more open cultural and social dialogue, ensuring the democratic future of Scotland in the world at large.
Absence for Medical Reasons: A Neglected Issue in Scottish Educational Policy
Authors: Closs Alison
Published: April 2022

Improving school attendance is a target for countries world-wide as part of their drive towards more effective, inclusive schools and higher pupil achievement. This article first seeks an educationally substantive, rational basis for improving school attendance among the reasons normally put forward. It then looks at how school attendance/absence in general is perceived in Scotland, as reflected in educational research, policy and practices. It concludes that ‘unauthorised’ absence has attracted more official attention than ‘authorised’, despite higher absence levels of the latter. The article then focuses on the largest single given cause of absence — medical reasons — and suggests that this issue should be disaggregated and addressed for the dual purposes both of supporting better the education of those children whose absence is inevitable, and of enabling the improved school attendance of those children who could, in terms of their health, actually attend school. Ways ahead are proposed.
The McCrone Report: Some Staffing Implications for Initial Teacher Education in Scottish Universities
Authors: Sharp Stephen
Published: April 2022

The McCrone recommendations will mean an increase of over 20% in teacher salaries between April 2001 and August 2003. Salary settlements in universities however look likely to continue the 3% per annum of recent years. This paper considers how the two scales will probably compare in August 2003. The figures suggest that it is unlikely that primary or secondary teachers who have achieved any promotion would be interested, at least on salary grounds, in a permanent move to work in an institute of higher education. Instead, the most likely teacher group from which permanent recruitment of practitioners will come is experienced but unpromoted staff. It is concluded that this need not have any negative implications for initial teacher education as professional preparation but that universities might have to do some PR work in schools in order to attract the right applicants.
Language Learner Motivation: Comparing French Class Attitudes of Scottish and Canadian Secondary Pupils
Authors: Diffey N. , Morton L. L. , Wolfe A. , Tuson J.
Published: April 2022

A survey and interviews conducted with 150 pupils (aged 13 to 15 years) studying French in a Scottish and a Canadian secondary school revealed many commonalities in the motivational profiles that emerged. However a stepwise discriminant function analysis also revealed some differences. The Canadian pupils’ attributions of success and tendency towards negative attitudes to teachers suggest an overall higher degree of teacher dependency. They also showed a higher interest in foreign languages consistent with higher ratings for instrumental orientation, which may be linked with socio-political differences between the countries in the perceived value of learning another language. Group interviews conducted with volunteers from each sample provided qualitative data for the differentiated and the non-differentiated variables. Findings of the study, it is suggested, reinforce the importance of addressing the social aspect of foreign language study particularly among adolescents.
Preparing Tomorrow's People: The New Challenges of Citizenship Education for Involving Scottish Pupils and Teachers in Participative Decision-Making Processes
Authors: Deuchar Ross
Published: April 2022

This article explores the recent cultural and political changes that have led to the renewed interest in citizenship education in schools. The implications of New Labour’s ‘Third Way’ politics are examined in relation to new priorities for Scottish schools set out by Learning and Teaching Scotland, and the implications for school democratisation are explored. Drawing upon qualitative research in progress in a small sample of Scottish schools, the article explores evidence of pupil and staff participation in school decision-making processes. This evidence is measured against the continuing existence of school hierarchical and bureaucratic procedures. The article opens up new questions about the democratisation of school systems in the pursuit of education for active citizenship, in the drive to prepare young people and their teachers for a world with new and complex challenges.
A Forlorn Aspiration? The Story of Sucse
Authors: Nisbet John
Published: April 2022

The Scottish Universities Council for Studies in Education (SU CSE) began informally in 1965 as a meeting of the staffs of the Education Departments of the four ancient Scottish Universities. Scottish Educational Review and the formation of the Scottish Educational Research Association were first discussed at these meetings. In 1971 the Council was formally constituted as a representative voice of the Scottish University Departments of Education. One aspiration was to coordinate degree courses across the universities in a distinctive Scottish MEd degree with credit transfer to promote mobility. In the end the organisation was unable to survive the divisive climate and the rapid developments of the 1980s.
From Oxford to Edinburgh: 43 Years of Commonwealth Co-Operation in Education
Authors: Williams Peter
Published: April 2022

With 2003 being the year of the triennial Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers (CCEM), this paper presents an historical overview of the 43 years of co-operation between Commonwealth countries in the field of education. Edinburgh will be the fifteenth conference in a series that began in the 1950s with the first Commonwealth Education Conference in Oxford in 1959. Although, from today’s vantage point, it may seem as if that first Conference took place in another age altogether, there are fascinating parallels between the fifteenth and the first conferences. Some of these parallels are curious oddities, others perhaps of greater potential significance. Most particularly, the importance of drawing on Commonwealth resource capacity is as much an issue in 2003 as it was in 1959. This paper addresses the centrality of education resource capacity as the Commonwealth as an international organisation, locates in new fora of political, social, educational and economic decision-making.
‘Simplicity Itself’: The Creation of the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework
Authors: Raffe David
Published: April 2022

The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) aims to become the ‘national language’ which will describe all qualifications in Scotland in terms of levels and credit points. It is the latest in a series of measures to ‘unify’ the Scottish education system. The paper describes key features of the SCQF, outlines the key stages in its development and discusses some of the issues raised in its current implementation phase. These include problems of fitting qualifications into the Framework, issues of compatibility with UK and international frameworks, and the tension between alternative views of what constitutes full implementation of the Framework. The creation of the Framework has been incremental, voluntaristic, partnership-based and pragmatic, but these features of the process will be under strain as implementation proceeds. The paper concludes by discussing the likely impact of the SCQF on Scottish education.

“Describing the past is complex; describing the future is simplicity itself. The credit point will be exactly the same whether someone is at the early stages of school, in a further education college, in a professional statutory body or learning anywhere in Scotland. A common unit of currency will run through absolutely everything. One of our important goals is to try to bring about that simplicity.” Norman Sharp, QAA Scotland (Scottish Parliament 2002b, pp.22-23)
Shared Social Space or Digital Divide? A Global Agenda for Social Inclusion
Authors: Gourley Brenda
Published: April 2022

Much has been written about “the digital divide” but, generally, it is seen as a development issue. The word ‘development’ is in itself a difficult word, but it has some common usage which includes those things which can be done to improve the quality of human life. It is clearly important for a whole range of reasons, not the least of which is the moral imperative. As we become familiar with many of the human tragedies which beset our globe we have also come to understand that conflict is one of the greatest inhibitors of development. Democracy itself cannot take root and flourish in strife tom regions - for the ability to stand for election and argue different causes needs peace and a certain amount of stability. So democracy is hostage to peace and peace is usually hostage to development. It is no accident that some of the most strife tom arenas are the same arenas where resources are limited and people sort it out in the oldest way known to mankind. Development, in turn is often about education and it is therefore most appropriate that we consider what development means and, further, what it means in this technological world.

The phrase “digital divide” is one with which we are all familiar: it is almost a cliché, and the implication is that if it could somehow miraculously be bridged many of the development issues would be solved. Can we create a more just and equitable global society through the appropriate application of modem technologies, or are they much more likely to divide us yet more ruthlessly than in the past? Are we locked in some tragic struggle which has no fundamental hope of resolution? These are the issues examined in this presentation.
Developments in School Choice: Local Case Studies in an International Comparison between Scotland and the Netherlands
Authors: Teelken Christine
Published: April 2022

Comparative case studies in the Netherlands and Scotland indicate that although formal education policies support school choice, in local situations choice is not encouraged. In order to explain this gap several differences between formal education policy and the actual functioning of education will be distinguished. This provides a more detailed view and a more realistic picture of local choice on a day-to-day basis. This study found that the limited availability of information, the bureaucratic choice procedures, the strictly enforced admission criteria and the lack of educational diversity between schools, all result in actual discouragement of choice.
Theory of Learning or Theory of Education? Comment on Maclellan and Soden from a Teacher’s Perspective
Authors: Smith Colin A.
Published: April 2022

Maclellan and Soden (2003) rightly argue that teachers’ expertise includes knowledge of learning theory. However, there are possibly some assumptions underpinning the form of their argument that, when examined more closely, suggest that the applications of learning theory to teaching, and to questions of teacher expertise, are more complex than a reading of their article suggests.
Integrated Services for Children with Disabilities: A Staff Development Perspective
Authors: Kane Jean , Banks Pauline
Published: April 2022

This paper derives from research commissioned by a Scottish local authority (LA) and its associated Health Board through its Joint Strategy Group. Within an overall policy framework of social inclusion and the pursuit of social justice, the Joint Strategy Group considered the social and economic impact of disabilities on children and families and addressed how more integrated policy and service provision for this group might be developed. To that end, issues of staff development and training were identified as a priority and the writers were asked to investigate, first, what was needed by different groups of staff across all departments and, second, how far those needs were being met within the framework of current provision. The work was carried out with a range of staff from the Health Board and from LA departments providing a range of services. The focus in this paper is on findings emerging in relation to education staff and to the adequacy of systems of staff development in supporting their participation in coordinated support for pupils with additional support needs. Qualitative and quantitative data enabled comparison between the staff development opportunities available to different groups of staff. Interesting disparities and anomalies arise from these comparisons and these are discussed here.

The paper contextualises the project in current social policy with its emphasis on social inclusion and the pursuit of social justice. Integrated services are viewed as a main means of pursuing social inclusion, not least in education where the recent Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 endorses provision through coordinated support. This paper argues that the impetus towards more integrated services throws into relief dissimilarities in the staff development experiences of teachers and others supporting young people. Differences and tensions in approaches to staff development are discussed and evidenced using data from the research project. At worst, the lack of congruity in opportunities available to different groups could undermine effective joint working but will, in any event, create difficulties for those trying to promote a culture of collaborative working. Finally, the paper offers some thoughts on the implications of the research for a staff development strategy in relation to coordinated support for children with additional support needs.
The Introduction of a Unified System of Post-Compulsory Education in Scotland
Authors: Raffe David , Howieson Cathy , Tinklin Teresa
Published: April 2022

This paper summarises the findings of a study of the first four years of Higher Still. The reform aimed to provide ‘opportunity for all’ by introducing a ‘unified curriculum and assessment system’ of post-16 education. Higher Still’s flexible climbing-frame model did indeed extend opportunities, especially for middle- and lower-attaining 16 year olds who stayed on at school and for students with special needs. It encouraged collaboration between schools and colleges and it enhanced the comprehensive principle rather than undermined it. It placed vocational and general education on a formally equal footing, although its short-term impact on subject choices was modest. However, while the climbing-frame model extended access it was less successful in increasing attainment, and the goal of a seamless progression framework proved difficult to realise. Moreover, the system introduced by Higher Still was not fully unified: implementation in the college sector was incomplete and schools and colleges implemented somewhat models of curriculum and assessment. Some of the ‘unifying’ goals of Higher Still transferred to the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework.
Better Learning – Better Behaviour
Authors: Head George
Published: April 2022

In our efforts to address the problem of pupil behaviour in Scottish schools, perhaps the least effectively supported members of the school community have been teachers. A range of programmes has been used to support pupils, principally through strategies aimed at behaviour modification. Moreover, policy guidelines have also suggested that, in order to minimise disruption to their own and others’ learning, the starting point to dealing with the learning of young people experiencing social, emotional or behavioural difficulties (SEBD) is to deal with their behaviour. In particular, the Report of the Discipline Task Group, Better Learning – Better Behaviour (SEED, 2001) might be seen as prioritising behaviour over learning. This paper argues that behaviour and learning are inextricably linked and that dealing with behaviour as a prerequisite to addressing learning, therefore, may be the wrong starting point, thereby placing unfair expectations on both pupils and teachers. Additionally, if there is such a thing as ‘inappropriate’ behaviour, then the ‘appropriate’ behaviour with which it should be replaced is learning behaviour. A pedagogical focus on learning allows a conceptualisation of SEBD as a learning difficulty, thereby reconsidering the rights of young people who may be experiencing SEBD as co-terminus with, rather than in competition with, the rights of other learners (Visser and Stokes, 2003). Finally, the paper examines one possible pedagogical approach, namely metacognition and a mediational style of teaching, as a way of supporting teachers to deal with SEBD as a learning difficulty.
Part-Time Employment of Scottish School Students: Towards Evidence Based Policies
Authors: McKechnie Jim , Stack Niamh , Hobbs Sandy
Published: April 2022

The employment histories of 716 school students in urban and rural Scotland were analysed. Questionnaire responses obtained while the students were in S3 and S4 revealed that a clear majority had had paid employment, with more students in the rural area working than in the urban. Different types of jobs are prevalent in the rural and urban areas. Rural students tend to work longer hours. Gender differences in types of employment also emerged. It is argued that these findings are significant for emerging debates regarding the possible accreditation of part-time employment in a student’s educational profile. The variations found in the work undertaken by these students suggest that regulations concerning such accreditation should not be based on mere common sense assumptions about the character of school students’ jobs.
What Does Discipline Mean in Secondary Schools Now?
Authors: McCluskey Gillean
Published: April 2022

In this paper I argue that the political focus on disciplinary exclusion and the accompanying ‘league tables’ using exclusion as an indicator of performance, have led to an impoverished understanding of what discipline means in secondary schools today. I suggest that ever-increasing legislation, guidance documents and policy guidelines within a context of an overall tightening of control and surveillance in educational settings cannot bring about the ‘workpeace’ (MacBeath, 1999: 24) which both staff and pupils seek. I explore the data from a small-scale, qualitative study which gathered the views of secondary-age pupils with a range of experiences and understandings of school discipline systems. The findings from this study are used to interrogate current understandings of discipline processes in general and the national Guidance on Exclusion (C8/03), in particular. I argue that the findings from this study outline a series of challenges to such policies but also offer grounds for hope.
Partnership in ITE in Scotland and England: Can we Learn Again from Research and from Experience?
Authors: McIntyre Donald
Published: April 2022

This paper looks at the part that schools have played, and could play, in initial teacher education (ITE) in Scotland and England. It reviews the common problems of which these two countries (and indeed many others) gradually became aware in relation to their twentieth century systems of ITE, controlled by, and largely located in, higher education institutions (HEIs). It looks next at the efforts made by teacher educators and the teaching profession, again in both countries, to reform ITE through strengthening the part in it played by schools and by practising teachers and through developing more balanced and integrated partnerships for ITE between schools and HEIs. The general failure of these efforts is recognised and the different consequences in the two countries of this failure, through government efforts to impose reform, are examined. The brief final section of the paper suggests that present circumstances in both countries may present opportunities for renewed efforts for reform.
Teacher Education in Northern Ireland: Policy Variations Since Devolution
Authors: Montgomery Alison , Smith Alan
Published: April 2022

Change has become a common theme in education across the United Kingdom, impacting on many different aspects of the system, including teacher education. In Northern Ireland, teacher education is currently the focus of a major review. The review is exploring the nature of the particular changes and challenges facing teacher education and in addition, considering how it might be best prepared to address these. This paper describes teacher education in Northern Ireland, highlighting its unique characteristics and the particular historical, contextual and structural factors which have influenced its development. The paper also outlines specific developments occurring within the wider education system and considers how these may impact on teacher education. To conclude, the authors reflect on the challenges of effecting change in education within the particular policy context in Northern Ireland, where alternate periods of devolution and direct rule have limited the potential for change.
Validity and Utility of Mclean’s Attitudes to Achievement Questionnaire
Authors: Boyle Elizabeth A , Anderson Tony
Published: April 2022

McLean (2003a) described a model of motivation for practical use in Scottish schools. An important part of this model concerns attitudes to achievement, defined as sets of beliefs influencing how students go about learning. McLean’s model is similar to Elliot’s achievement goal theory which identifies mastery/performance and approach/avoidance as providing two main distinctions in understanding goals (Elliot, 1999). The aim of the current study was to assess the construct validity and utility of McLean’s attitudes to achievement questionnaire and examine overlaps between attitudes to achievement and Elliot’s achievement goals. 141 Scottish first year undergraduates completed both questionnaires. A four-factor solution did emerge in item level factor analysis, although many items did not load as predicted by McLean. Parallels were found between the approach scales from the two questionnaires but the focus of the avoidance scales was different. Only avoidance scales were linked to academic performance, suggesting that avoidance merits further consideration.
The Gender Balance of the Teaching Workforce in Scotland: What’s the Problem?
Authors: Riddell Sheila , Tett Lyn , Ducklin Alan , Stafford Anne , Winterton Mandy , Burns Catherine , Ferrie Joanna
Published: April 2022

Historically, formal barriers to gender equality in teaching were justified on the grounds that a predominance of women within the profession would be detrimental to the social and emotional development of male pupils, who needed male teachers as role models. Such arguments continue to be voiced in debates about what should be done to tackle the declining proportion of men in the teaching profession in Scotland. The research reported in this paper investigated the nature of the gender balance amongst teachers in Scottish publicly funded schools, undergraduate students’ attitudes to teaching as a career and policy-makers’ and practitioners’ accounts of the underlying reasons for the growing gender imbalance in teaching. Practical suggestions were sought for possible courses of action to ensure greater diversity amongst the teaching workforce. In this paper it is argued that, whilst there is consensus on the need for a teaching workforce which reflects social diversity, recruiting reluctant men into teaching would be counter-productive. Rather, ways have to be found of promoting the positive aspects of teaching to both men and women, and, at a more general level, encouraging men to place greater value on the caring and empathic qualities which are increasingly required in teaching.
Formative Assessment and Beginning Teachers: Ready or not?
Authors: Mitchell June
Published: April 2022

Quality Assurance Agency subject reviews of higher education indicate that assessment is an area of concern (Rust, et al., 2005) though the usefulness of formative assessment strategies for supporting learning is well documented (Laurillard, 2002; Taras, 2001, 2002, 2003; Yorke, 2003; Falchikov, 2005). Concurrently, UK policy initiatives are in place to ensure the use of formative assessment in schools. There are few investigations of how teacher education institutions utilise assessment as a learning tool though teacher education merits detailed examination, sitting between higher education and the school sectors. This paper explores issues of formative assessment as a content element of educational studies modules. It gauges how assessment techniques are utilised in work with beginning teachers, specifically as exemplified in one teacher education institution. Finally it considers how teacher educators negotiate learning about assessment with student teachers within the context of a school-focussed national policy initiative to implement formative assessment.
Implicit Theories of Ability: Teacher Constructs and Classroom Consequences
Authors: Hamilton Lorna
Published: April 2022

In this paper it will be argued that teacher constructs of ability play a particularly significant role in teacher judgements of children’s achievements and potential and consequently on children’s learning experiences. In particular, consideration is given to the implicit (personal) theories of ability which individuals draw upon to inform their thinking, beliefs and attitudes within contrasting school contexts. Drawing on a broader study containing multiple perspectives in four case study schools, emphasis is placed on teacher constructs. Findings focus on the nature of teacher definitions and the expectations they have of pupils.
Applied Educational Research in Scotland: Some History and Challenges for the Future
Authors: Brown Sally
Published: April 2022

In this invited piece, Sally Brown provides a personal perspective on where applied educational research in Scotland has come from over the last few decades and the challenges it currently faces. The paper draws on the direct involvement of the author in a number of major research projects, either as a researcher directly involved in data gathering and analysis, or as an adviser on important programmes of research. The paper outlines the expectations of research of policy-makers, practitioners, and of researchers themselves, before charting some attempts at collaboration among Scottish institutions in the production of educational research. The key issue of capacity building in order to produce high quality research is discussed in the context of the merger of the former teacher education colleges with universities. Some of the challenges to capacity building are identified, including institutional policy and practices and the commitment and enthusiasm of the current workforce. A major challenge is sustaining the collaborative practices which AERS has attempted to foster. In a globalised environment, the added value of Scottish higher education institutions working together seems to be self-evident. The paper asks us critically to examine this assumption.
Tough, Intelligent Accountability’ in Scottish Secondary Schools and the Role of Standard Tables and Charts (STACS): A Critical Appraisal
Authors: Cowie Michael , Taylor Dave , Croxford Linda
Published: April 2022

‘Systems of tough, intelligent accountability’ are heralded by the recent policy document Ambitious Excellent Schools (Scottish Executive, 2004a). This paper considers what ‘tough, intelligent accountability’ might mean, and how this might differ from systems that are currently in place in Scottish secondary schools. It focuses on the role of the Standard Tables and Charts (STACS) in current accountability systems. STACS are derived from National Qualifications data for each Scottish secondary school, to compare the performance of each subject in the school and to analyse performance in the attainment measures within National Priorities. They are used in performance reviews and inspections to hold schools and teachers to account for students’ performance. The paper considers whether STACS can be considered a form of ‘intelligent accountability’ or whether perverse results are intrinsic to such statistical systems. It further considers how the accountability system could be made more intelligent.
Changing Teachers, Changing Scotland?
Authors: Kennedy Aileen , Christie Donald , Forbes Joan , Fraser Christine , MacDonald Ann , Menter Ian , Paton Grace , Reid Lesley
Published: April 2022

Teacher professionalism and development are central to the study of education across the globe, and in particular, are central to concepts of educational reform and change. This article explores the centrality of teacher professionalism and development to the three substantive networks of the Applied Educational Research Scheme (AERS) in Scotland, examining how they feature within discussions about: school management and governance; schools and social capital; and teachers as learners. The article explores each of these contexts in turn concluding with consideration of how the work of the three AERS networks might help to understand and inform an agenda for change.
ADHD: Creating Continuing Dilemmas for Education in Scotland.
Authors: Stead Joan , Lloyd Gwynedd
Published: April 2022

Over the last fifteen years the diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has acquired a high level of professional acceptance and public awareness in Britain. A range of critiques have also developed in relation to the concept of ADHD, the constellation of symptoms that make up the ‘disorder’, its diagnosis and the use of medication. However diagnoses and medication rates continue to increase. This increasing medicalisation of behaviour is paradoxical in relation to current policy and legislative direction of Additional Support for Learning in Scotland.

This paper summarises some of the critiques of the concept of ADHD, discusses their minimal impact on practice and refers to research data to highlight some issues for education. The data from a small pilot study highlights the role primary schools take in the diagnosis of ADHD, their relationship with the diagnosing professionals and the management of prescription medication during the school day. Finally the paper argues for further social and educational research on this important issue.
Students’ Perceptions of Training in Counselling Skills: Personal, Work and Study Outcomes
Authors: Hamilton Robert , Mackenzie Alison
Published: April 2022

This study explores students’ perceptions of outcomes of counselling skills training. The course was a Counselling & Psychotherapy in Scotland (COSCA) accredited certificate course intended to develop counselling skills in those who were seeking to utilise them in a variety of professional and non-professional contexts such as nursing, teaching, and volunteering management. The course was located in an adult learning environment and was underpinned by andragogical principles. The research took place in a context in British society that has seen increasing demand for people with counselling skills linked to an increased appreciation of the value of the human resource. Most students believed they had derived personal and professional benefits from participation in the course: greater understanding of self and others, improved communication skills, and enhanced confidence. Enjoyment and intellectual stimulation had encouraged many to undertake or at least consider further study. Since the data presented here are drawn from nine student intakes over a nine-year period, arguably they represent more than just a single snapshot of student experience.
Between a Rock and a Hard Place? Curriculum for Excellence and the Quality Initiative in Scottish Schools
Authors: Reeves Jenny
Published: April 2022

With the Scottish government renewing the pledge to implement A Curriculum for Excellence (2004) the schools’ sector arguably faces a period of radical reform that could fundamentally affect the nature of pedagogy and schooling. This paper explores the disjunction in national policy that is foregrounded by this particular initiative. Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) can be seen as an attempt to move the Scottish approach to school improvement away from an alignment with the tenets of ‘hard’ managerialism and the requirement for conformity with centrally determined procedures and practices. It can be interpreted as using a ‘softer’ version of the discourse, where notions of organisational learning and contextualised development are seen as the basis for securing better performance. As such the implementation of CfE might be construed as incompatible with the approach to school improvement embedded in the Quality Initiative in Scottish Schools. This paper argues that the key to curricular reform lies with increasing the capacity for teacher, as well as student, learning in schools and that this requires a major revision of our approach to accountability. Given the recent OECD report on schooling in Scotland, the outcomes of the Crerar review of audit and inspection and the signing of the Government Concordat with local authorities, this is an ideal time for rethinking how we set about achieving quality assurance.
Small Scottish Primary Schools: An Endangered Species?
Authors: Wilson Valerie
Published: April 2022

Twenty percent of Scotland’s primary schools have fewer than 50 pupils each and these very small schools were the subject of research in 1996 and 2006 funded by the Scottish Government. This article draws upon findings from the follow-up conducted in 2006. It is based upon a postal survey of 100 very small schools and interviews in nine case study schools. Its aim is two-fold: first, to provide a profile of very small schools in Scotland; and second to identify the difficulties inherent in the role of teaching headteacher. By way of a conclusion, the author argues that although small schools may not be endangered, their structure and the role of their headteachers may have to change.
Factors Restricting the Early Professional Learning of Secondary Teachers in Scotland and how these might be tackled
Authors: Reid Ashley , Weir Douglas
Published: April 2022

The initial teacher education (ITE) process for those who wish to become secondary teachers in Scotland has been remarkably static over the past two decades. By examining a variety of sources and particularly a recent study of some of those who are becoming Geography teachers, it is suggested that custom and pragmatism combine to sustain the one-year consecutive entry route (Professional Graduate Diploma in Education [PGDE]) as the dominant form of ITE for secondary teachers. Three key areas relating to the PGDE(Secondary) route are explored: the dominance of the one-year course; how fit for purpose the course is within the continuum of early professional learning; and the opinions of stakeholders. The source material is also critically interrogated to explore what might be a better preparation of secondary teachers and what roles ought to be played by the Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs) in that preparation.
Fostering Curriculum for Excellence teachers’ freedom and creativity through developing their intuition and imagination: some insights from Steiner-Waldorf education
Authors: Oberski Iddo
Published: April 2022

Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) in Scotland aims for young people to develop into responsible citizens, confident individuals, successful learners and effective contributors. It recognises teachers need more ‘freedom to teach in innovative and creative ways’ (Scottish Executive 2006a: 16). I argue that in the light of these proposals, changes are needed to the professional standards for teachers in Scotland and possibly also to teacher education courses, as teachers will need to become freer and more creative to allow them to exemplify the aims of CfE. However, even if understood in a commonsensical way, creativity and freedom are not currently explicit in the ITE Standards. Looked at with a deeper understanding of what creativity and freedom could mean, CfE could be seen as providing real opportunities for teachers and pupils alike, but ITE standards are then seriously lacking in addressing this. As the ideas of freedom and creativity have long been highly valued in the Steiner-Waldorf (SW) sector, I will draw on Steiner’s philosophy of freedom to argue that the development of teachers’ intuition and imagination should be the foundation for their creativity and freedom.
‘They’re out to line their own pockets!’: can the teaching of political literacy counter the democratic deficit?; the experience of Modern Studies in Scotland
Authors: Maitles Henry
Published: April 2022

Nearly a decade into the new millennium, the teaching of political literacy as a strand of education for citizenship has taken on a new urgency throughout much of the world. In most developed countries there is now a feeling that young people need to develop a healthy respect for democratic procedures and consequent methods of participating to shape modern society and an understanding that real political literacy means moving beyond the strictures of traditional civics courses. The introduction into places as far apart as Scotland and Hong Kong of aspects of political education in primary schools (Cheung & Leung 1998; Maitles 2005) has itself reflected a worry (almost a moral panic) in government circles about youth alienation, albeit with some debate as to whether schools should be the places where this is developed. This paper examines the attitudes of young people towards politics, explains some peculiarities of education in Scotland and reports on research into the knowledge, interest, cynicism/trust and values/attitudes of approximately 1600 pupils – 50% of whom study Modern Studies whilst the others study history or geography. The paper explores whether those pupils studying Modern Studies have a stronger basis in some elements of political literacy than those who do not study it. The results suggest that Modern Studies students have more knowledge, greater interest and are less cynical but, that in terms of values, there is no discernible difference.
Marketisation, Choice, and Scottish Education: enhancing parent and pupil voice?
Authors: Cope Peter , I’Anson John
Published: April 2022

Current educational policy in many parts of the world is dominated by the discourse of the market. Choice is seen as a lever by which quality will be enhanced through its direct effects on providers. Choice is intended to provide an exit for users but, in doing so, it is argued by policy makers that it makes user voice more effective. This paper examines the relationship between exit, voice and loyalty in public services using Scottish education as a case study where choice is constrained by both geography and political factors. We consider the implications of Le Grand’s (2003, 2007) analysis of public services in terms of characterising providers as “knights” or “knaves” and users as “queens” or “pawns” and discuss the advantages and difficulties of maintaining a system of knightly providers and queenly users.
Tribalism and Competitive Branding in (Scottish) Higher Education
Authors: Humes Walter
Published: April 2022

This paper offers a description and analysis of recent developments in higher education, taking account of the expansion of the sector, the financial pressures to which it is subject, and the ideological climate in which it operates. It examines the significance of the emergence of various university ‘mission groups’ or ‘think tanks’ for the unity and coherence of the sector as a whole. Although the main focus is on Scottish higher education, the analysis makes some reference to UK-wide developments and to global pressures affecting the HE systems of all countries. The effects of corporate culture and competitive branding on the traditional values and purposes of higher education are discussed, and it is argued that there is now a serious divide between university leaders and academic staff. It is also suggested that the current discourse of higher education shifts uneasily between principles that are not readily compatible: excellence and access; quality and inclusion; global reach and community engagement. The need for academics to contribute to wider public debate about the aims of higher education is seen as an important first step in achieving a more coherent role for the sector as a whole.
Bold, Rude and Risky: Rethinking Educational Professionalism
Authors: Fenwick Tara
Published: April 2022

The Scottish Chartered Teacher initiative to develop and recognize accomplished teaching is unique among such schemes, and offers exciting possibilities with its emphases on professional enquiry, collaboration, social justice, and especially teacher leadership. However, it is argued here that some troubling issues need attention if the CT movement is to achieve the impact of its promise. Problematic silences in its discourse may lead to more parochial rather than more expansive teaching; structural gaps in its implementation threaten its sustainability; and a certain timidity in the Standard steers away from the most compelling issues for public education and teaching. This discussion suggests that we consider ways of encouraging teaching to be more bold, rude and risky. The intent here is to provoke useful questions about how we all might better support educational professionalism for global complexity.
Consultation and engagement? The reshaping of teacher professionalism through curriculum reform in 21st Century Scotland
Authors: Baumfield Vivienne , Hulme Moira , Livingston Kay , Menter Ian
Published: April 2022

Currently schools in Scotland are engaged in major curriculum and assessment reform entitled Curriculum for Excellence (CfE). In common with other areas of education policy pre- and post-devolution, the CfE development process has been characterised by consultation, but additionally ‘engagement’ has been sought with stakeholders. This paper offers an account of the development of the engagement process and reports key findings to emerge from within the profession. Drawing mainly from data derived from teachers who participated in the process, the paper considers the re-professionalising claims attached to the new flexibilities within the revised curriculum. The paper initially addresses the challenges faced by the profession in working with looser curriculum structures that afford a higher degree of professional judgement to teachers and greater autonomy to school leaders to build the curriculum to meet local needs. In the discussion that follows, it emerges that those teachers who experienced fuller ‘engagement’ with the draft curriculum materials, through piloting them, tended to be more wholehearted in their disposition towards the new curriculum and its associated pedagogy, than those who had only been ‘consulted’, through completing questionnaires, for example.
Practitioner research and excellence in teaching
Authors: Reeves Jenny , Redford Morag , McQueen Irene
Published: April 2022

This paper explores the relationship between established teachers’ professional learning and their use of practitioner enquiry, or action research, as a means of improving the quality of their classroom teaching. It reports on one aspect of a ten-month pilot study jointly funded by the Scottish Government and the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) to explore means of evaluating the impact of the Chartered Teacher initiative on pupil learning. Whilst the study found evidence for the beneficial effects of teachers’ engagement in practitioner research, as part of the requirement for the completion of Chartered Teacher programmes, it also raised a number of issues as to exact nature of participants’ learning and whether current approaches to the use of practitioner research in teacher education need to be revised.