Since the 1990s, there have been repeated calls for the systematic use of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) to inform educational decision-making. The advent of the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) -- described as England's What Works Centre for Education -- in 2011 has made this a reality in England: by 2020, over a third of English schools…

It has been suggested that features of contemporary educational policy create and encourage teaching and learning practices that dampen human motivation. This paper sought to analyse and extend this discussion through the lens of self-determination theory (SDT). Key questions are discussed such as (1) what is human motivation from a…

The aim of this paper is to bring critical attention to the ways in which notions of "success" and "failure" are applied to teaching and learning in schools in England and Wales. The main philosophical text that guides the discussion is Derrida's "Signature event context", which contains a reading of J.L. Austin's…

This paper critically examines the application of research into cognitive neuroscience to educational contexts. It first considers recent warnings from within the neuroscientific community itself about the limitations of current neuroscientific knowledge and the urgent need to dispel popular "neuromyths" which have become accepted in…

Science education in Great Britain needs to develop more human and humane themes; e.g., students should study aspects of science that are essential to their self-understanding, and they should evaluate their own personal understanding of key scientific concepts and theories. Researchers should study the learning process variables of science…

An evaluation of Peter Bryant's criticisms of Piaget shows that Piaget's work is still a suitable psychological resource for educational thinking. Piaget's constructivist theory has undergone recent revision and is, therefore, of interest to those with psychological or educational commitments to constructivism. (Author/RM)

Proposes an approach to deal with learning difficulties of children with special needs. Identifies three major needs of such students and recommends the application of this active modification approach. Suggests that responsibility for the student's failure always lies with the educational system rather than with the child. (KO)

Asserts that many aspects of teaching are imbued with uncertainty. Suggests that teacher educators should introduce their students to the myriad uncertainties they will face in their work and encourage them to view them as an essential driving force in teaching. (CFR)