This article considers ethnographic data collected during undergraduate students' transition to higher education. Drawing on communities of practice theory, the research focuses on the psychological process of identity as a trajectory, considering how reconciliation and negotiation of identities across and between communities influence transition.…

Inspired by scholarly calls to focus more intently on the influence of context on leaders' construction and negotiation of identity, this paper draws on evidence from our Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) project in London, New York City and Toronto. Throughout the paper, we strive to illuminate how the city-based context influences how…

This article explores perceptions of the role of education as a potential medium of transformation and a vehicle to challenge and renegotiate symbolic and cultural notions of gender identity. Drawing on data collected at two time points over 10 years, it considers four young women from working-class backgrounds in England who aspired to and then…

This paper explores religious adolescents' reported experiences of secondary schools. Fifty-four qualitative interviews were conducted in places of worship in three cities in England with Christians (n = 46), Jews (n = 38) and Muslims (n = 15). Secondary schools of a religious and non-religious character were reported as not providing a suitable…

This study in an English context focused on the development of teachers identified as "emergent" school leaders. It explored the aspirations and experiences of such leaders, applying a sociocultural view of identity development. Five participants from across school phases, backgrounds and ages were interviewed and generated participant…

Based on findings from a 5-year research project called "Critical Connections", this article sets out an integrated framework for language learning in the context of multilingual digital storytelling. Following an explanation of the theoretical approach, four vignettes are presented which illustrate the principles in practice.…

Taking the English National Curriculum as its main example, this article argues that an overly nationalistic, normative and "fact-based" citizenship education curriculum is failing to engage the dimensions of young people's identities which they experience as deeply meaningful. There is thus a chasm--albeit a false one--between official…

Acts of terrorism, moral panics, and negative stereotypes contribute to racialised and Islamophobic ascriptions of Muslimness in Western contexts. In educational institutions such representations occur in the curriculum, in conflict between peers, and in prejudiced and discriminatory behaviour of teachers. For adolescents identified or…

This article examines how two primary schools in rural England with overwhelmingly White populations (of students and teachers) dealt with incidents of racist bullying in relation to their race equality policies. The data are drawn from in-depth interviews with parents, head teachers and teachers. The article draws on the work of Foucault to argue…

Successive governments have pledged to enhance the quality of apprenticeship in Britain so as to achieve "parity of esteem" with academic study. Yet, at the same time, the discourse of the academic-vocational divide has dominated the academic, policy-maker and practitioner debates. This paper draws on two recent studies designed to…

Professional doctorates are designed to enable students to blend their doctorate level study with their working lives. During the course of their studies women undergo identity change and transformation as their perspectives change, this has knock on effects at home and at work. Women students, who are mothers, also have to balance and juggle…

There has been only cursory research into the sociological and psychological aspects of ethnic/racial discrimination among ethnic minority gay and bisexual men, and none that focuses specifically upon British ethnic minority gay men. This article focuses on perceptions of intergroup relations on the gay scene among young British South Asian gay…

Drawing on the findings of a Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) funded, multi-institutional, regional project, "Transitions West Midlands", this paper works with Further Education (FE) students' transition narratives as they look forward to, and back from the move from FE to HE and explores the role of the local,…

This article examines the experiences of 22 Black and minority ethnic (BME) trainee teachers who were enrolled on a secondary teacher training course at one university over a two-year period. It argues that BME trainee teachers experience different forms of exclusionary practices in the classroom, but use their identities in a positive way to…

This article explores the extent to which young people in predominantly middle-class environments identify with Europe and considers the influence of European education policy, school ethos and curricula. We compare data drawn from individual and focus group interviews with students aged 15-17 at a state school and a European School in England.…