In light of calls to improve the capacity for social science research within UK higher education, this article explores the possibilities for an emerging pedagogy for research methods. A lack of pedagogical culture in this field has been identified by previous studies. In response, we examine pedagogical literature surrounding approaches for…

This narrative synthesis based on a literature review undertaken for the project "Creating Citizenship Communities" (funded by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation) includes discussion, principally, about what research evidence tells us about young people's definitions of community, of types of engagement by different groups of young…

This paper argues that the introduction of access agreements following the establishment of the Office for Fair Access (OFFA) has consolidated how English higher education institutions (HEIs) position themselves in the marketplace in relation to widening participation. However, the absence of a national bursary scheme has led to obfuscation rather…

Research is increasingly highlighting the influence of school contexts on school processes and student achievement. This article reviews a range of social justice rationales for taking school contexts into better account, and highlights the challenges contextualisation currently poses for practice and for policy. It notes important constraints on…

This article explores the educative importance of ethos from a broadly philosophical perspective. It is argued that, for a range of reasons, the notion of ethos in the context of education needs to be brought into clearer focus. An analysis is offered of the concept of ethos, with particular reference to the context of classrooms and schools. The…

We suggest that there is a need for those who seek to explore issues associated with the implementation of citizenship education in England to clarify its specific nature. This can be done, at least in part, through a process of comparison. To that end we review some of the connections and disjunctions between "character education" and…

Religious education (RE) has often found itself at the centre of debates about education's role in promoting social cohesion in contemporary multi-religious societies. The paper considers RE's relationship to religious plurality within the broader context of politics of curriculum and debates on pluralism. Drawing upon the recent works on the…

This article is concerned with the relationship between assessment information and teacher planning. In the UK, although planning used to be central to characterizations of formative assessment, the most recent government proclamations under the Assessment for Learning banner offer no clear role for teachers making decisions about what to do based…

Problems in the interpretation of the term empathy, and the value of the development of empathy in the teaching of history are discussed. Although the definitions here are presented in the context of history, they are relevant to the teaching of other subjects where an empathetic response is sought. (Editor/KC)

Reviewed is the work of W. H. Winch, a major pioneer of research in educational psychology in Britain in the early 1900s. He emphasized the need for research to be related to the teacher's classroom situation. (KC)

The authors' thesis is that educational research responds to external social and policy events rather than creates them. They attempt to forecast external developments in Scotland which will affect research and highlight the trend toward collaborative research. (SJL)

The author examines reasons why, historically and currently, a great deal of controversy in Italian education focuses on the provision of textbooks. He discusses such issues as single national textbooks, participation in selection, effects on teaching methods, provision of class libraries, and the requirement that parents pay for textbooks. (SJL)

In England, teachers' salary structures and promotional opportunities are determined by a complex system of national law and local discretion involving formulas for school size and weightings favoring older pupils. The author traces the development of this system and considers its impact on school organization and teachers' career opportunities.…

In examining progressive education in Britain, the author finds that, while the future of the distinctively "progressive" style is in question, many of progressive education's main features already exist in British schools: tolerant discipline; coeducation; modified examinations; and encouragement of curriculum experiments and of the arts and…