This article draws upon, but also critiques, activity theory by combining analysis of how an activity theory derived research intervention attempted to address both everyday work practices and organisational power relationships among children's services professionals. It offers two case studies of developmental work research (DWR) interventions in…

This article surveys three strands of development in the further education of young people in England since the Second World War: its institutional evolution, some aspects of the experience of its students and staff, and the political and economic imperatives that have given it shape and direction. The account draws upon a wide range of primary…

In the early 20th century, the Hertfordshire (England) Local Education Authority had a class-bound perspective on vocational education, whereas two utopian communities within it held that vocational and academic education should be offered equally to all. Despite these differences, a positive relationship developed that briefly benefitted the…