Through a substantive grounded theory case study emerged conceptual categories related to the craft of experienced graduate research supervision: temporal-futurizing, ruling-requiring, motivating-alliancing, critiquing-comprehending, intellectualizing-presiding. These were compared with the qualities of novice supervisors. (Contains 41…

Social learning theory and situated learning were reflected in the discourse of British adult students in a childcare/early childhood education course. They attached considerable importance to placement experiences and had concerns about the theory-practice gap and the quality of placement support. (Contains 51 references.) (SK)

Critical incidents technique was used to investigate the expertise of 11 staff development leaders in British higher education institutions. A model of professional expertise including both functionalist and experiential conceptions of expertise was developed and tested. It proved useful in prompting reflection. (Contains 13 references.) (SK)

A reflective account of work experience undertaken by a teacher trainee reveals the learning derived from observation of the delivery of basic skills in the workplace. (Contains 20 references.) (SK)

Case studies of three further education teachers illustrate different identity positions and discourses. What emerges is a complex image of teachers exploiting blurred role boundaries in the flexible workplace. (Contains 27 references.) (SK)

Qualitative data on 20 physical therapists from a larger study showed they were motivated and committed to continuing professional education but felt guilty taking time for it due to work demands and personal circumstances. Support from professional associations and employers was needed to help integrate continuing education into practice.…

Functional/technical definitions of literacy have shifted to the concept of literacies. Focus groups in Scotland (n=113) explored the meaning of literacies, incentives and barriers to participation, and formation of learner identities. Participants indirectly adopted a deficit perspective. They did not share the pluralist conception of theory and…

The focus was on the study methods of nurse students during their first 2 years in higher education. Qualitative data were obtained by interviewing a sample of the first year students, plus a sample of second year students in two nursing specialities. The essay was found to be the most difficult format, particularly for those coming straight from…

High profile mergers involving further education colleges have become a feature of post-16 education in England since the mid-1990s. Senior staff with little, if any, previous experience of the process have implemented most mergers and they are unlikely to repeat it. This article reviews merger activity in the further education sector since…

Higher education institutions in the United Kingdom are subject to a variety of pressures to encourage a more inclusive and broader based student body. This has resulted in an extended range of flexible course delivery patterns for mature, part-time students. This article discusses a pilot to extend the academic year for a small cohort of such…

This article analyses current concerns over grading standards and academic inflation. Attempting to clarify a complex phenomenon, the researchers took advantage of a rare opportunity afforded by one university's policy reducing the number of high grades awarded by its Education department. The issue providing the focus of study was whether…

The United Kingdom Merchant Navy has a very poor record on access and training for females in terms of marine careers across all levels. Furthermore, it is a world where equity and equality are often simply overlooked, partly because the difficult and harsh realities of "normal" working conditions effectively marginalise both women and men. In…

Among current concerns in the further education sector in the United Kingdom, the attainment and retention of students has attracted much consideration and subsequent intervention. In many colleges, tutor time and resources have been allocated to providing a personal tutorial entitlement for students that includes one-to-one discussions with an…

In recent years, in both Australia and England, research centres and research policies with regard to vocational education and training (VET) have been introduced. In Australia the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) has had responsibility since 1996 for the national VET research and evaluation programme, while in England the…

This article explores various questions through examining such postmodern thinkers as Derrida, Lacan and, in particular, Levinas. Can educational research be an ethical practice? Should educational research be about putting the other first? What is the responsibility of the educational researcher for the educators' responsibility? What is the…