Search Results

This article reviews critically a range of theoretical perspectives on school-to-work transitions. The argument is made that despite the complexity of the theoretical literature relating to youth transitions, certain strands or themes can be identified in the development of such perspectives. Theories previously based almost exclusively on socialisation and structures have been broadened to include elements of explanation based on individual choice and subjectivity. The individualisation thesis and postmodernist theory, for example, represent important developments in this respect, but more still needs to be done to incorporate dimensions of agency, choice and individual subjectivity into explanations of youth transitions.

Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

The aim of widening participation in higher education (HE) in the UK has never been more important than it is now. Even though the numbers of students in HE have increased considerably in recent years, there is strong evidence that socially disadvantaged groups remain seriously under-represented in HE. For example, private school students are 55 times more likely to win a place at Oxbridge and 22 times more likely to go to a top-ranked university than students at state schools who qualify for free school meals (FSM). This paper briefly explores the current landscape of interventions to promote fairer/improved access to higher education. It focuses primarily on recent or current multi-university interventions which have had some kind of evaluation. Particular attention is given to: (1) the characteristics/activities of such interventions which research shows to work well; and (2) indications of the best/most effective research methods to employ in this area.

Excerpts from publication. Show less

This article investigates the importance of basic skills in literacy and numeracy for success on intermediate vocational courses at age 16+. Two measures of attainment in literacy and numeracy are examined: General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) grades in English and Mathematics and the Basic Skills Agency (BSA) tests in communication and numeracy. The study uses a random sample of 142 students drawn from a population of all first-year 16 to 17-year-old students who enrolled at a London Further Education college in 1994. A sub-sample of students on General National Vocational Qualification (GNVQ) Intermediate and National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) level 2 courses is examined in greater depth. At the GCSE middle-grade range there is a wide range of literacy and numeracy outcomes as measured by the BSA assessments. GCSE Maths and English passes at these grades do not guarantee threshold attainment levels in basic numeracy and literacy. No significant relationship is found between prior attainment as measured by GCSE Maths and English grades and course outcomes. The BSA assessments scores prove to be more helpful in predicting student outcomes on the Intermediate GNVQ but are still fairly weak predictors. The high proportion of leavers from the sample gives cause for concern. There is no evidence to indicate that weaker students leave Intermediate GNVQ courses early, if anything, the reverse is true. A significant proportion of Intermediate GNVQ students gained their awards after the prescribed 1-year study period. Commitment and motivation to succeed appear to be as - if not more - important than academic qualifications for success on Intermediate GNVQ.

Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

This survey of all further education (FE) and sixth form colleges in the UK aimed to establish the scale and extent of e-learning use among FE lecturers in three subject areas, examine the associations between the use of e-learning and intermediate outcomes for learners and staff, and explore the policy implications of the use of e-learning in FE. Key findings include: the majority of lecturers surveyed were using e-learning in their teaching and learning practice, most often in the preparation and planning for teaching; learners were perceived by their teachers to use e-learning most often to undertake research, present work and work independently; there were strong correlations between the areas where lecturers used e-learning and where they perceived it to be effective, i.e. the most commonly reported impacts being on planning, preparation and sharing materials with lesser effects on aspects of the teaching-learning interface and the least effect on administration and management or efficiency; similarly, there were correlations between teachers’ use of e-learning and their perceptions of its impact on learners; most teachers surveyed were confident in their use of e-learning to plan and prepare lessons, to communicate with learners and to teach in front of the class but fewer were confident in using e-learning to track and monitor the progress of students; and most teachers surveyed indicated sufficient access to e-learning resources to plan, prepare, share materials and communicate with learners but around half felt that there was insufficient access for themselves and students to e-learning resources in the classroom. Although attitudes were positive overall, the findings suggest some possible barriers and enablers to e-learning use in FE, e.g. institutional ethos and environment, sufficient access to e-learning resources for use in the classroom, and sufficient support for teachers, especially in terms of time to develop and embed e-learning within everyday teaching practice. Show less

The Increased Flexibility for 14-16 year olds Programme (IFP) was introduced in 2002 by the UK Department for Education and Skills (DfES) in order to 'create enhanced vocational and work-related learning opportunities for 14-16 year olds who can benefit most'. Partnerships between schools and colleges and training providers were formed and two cohorts of Year 10 students began two-year vocational courses including National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs), other Vocational Qualifications (VQs) and new General Certificate in Secondary Education (GCSEs) in vocational subjects. The partnerships aimed to enhance student attainment, develop their skills, knowledge and social learning, and increase retention in education and training after 16. The National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) was commissioned by the DfES to conduct an evaluation of the first and second cohorts of IFP students. The evaluation aims to: assess the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of the implementation of the IFP, and identify those delivery models and implementation practices and strategies that appear to be most successful; evaluate the extent to which the IFP has fulfilled its national aims, objectives and targets; and assess the impact of vocational qualifications and new work-related learning opportunities on young peoples' skills, knowledge, attitudes, attendance, attainment and post-16 progression. This report presents the main findings from the follow-up surveys of a sample of Year 11 students, schools and colleges and training providers, which were undertaken in spring 2004, and, in addition, draws on the findings of the evaluation thus far.

Other reports from the evaluation are indexed at TD/TNC 77.125, TD/TNC 80.678 and TD/TNC 80.679. Show less

The Increased Flexibility for 14-16 year olds Programme (IFP) was introduced in 2002 by the UK Department for Education and Skills (DfES) in order to ‘create enhanced vocational and work-related learning opportunities for 14-16 year olds who can benefit most’. Partnerships between schools and colleges and training providers were formed and two cohorts of Year 10 students began two-year vocational courses including National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs), other Vocational Qualifications (VQs) and new General Certificate in Secondary Education (GCSEs) in vocational subjects. The partnerships aimed to enhance student attainment, develop their skills, knowledge and social learning, and increase retention in education and training after 16. The National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) was commissioned by the DfES to conduct an evaluation of the first and second cohorts of IFP students. The evaluation aims to: assess the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of the implementation of the IFP, and identify those delivery models and implementation practices and strategies that appear to be most successful; evaluate the extent to which the IFP has fulfilled its national aims, objectives and targets; and assess the impact of vocational qualifications and new work-related learning opportunities on young peoples’ skills, knowledge, attitudes, attendance, attainment and post-16 progression. This report presents a profile of the partnerships between schools and colleges that were established to deliver the IFP to Year 10 students in 2003. It outlines the characteristics of the students who were participating and the qualifications they studied. This is the second cohort of students participating in IFP and comparisons with the first cohort are provided throughout the report.

Other reports from the evaluation are indexed at TD/TNC 77.125, TD/TNC 80.651 and TD/TNC 80.678. Show less

The Increased Flexibility for 14-16 year olds Programme (IFP) was introduced in 2002 by the UK Department for Education and Skills (DfES) in order to 'create enhanced vocational and work-related learning opportunities for 14-16 year olds who can benefit most'. Partnerships between schools and colleges and training providers were formed and two cohorts of Year 10 students began two-year vocational courses including National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs), other Vocational Qualifications (VQs) and new General Certificate in Secondary Education (GCSEs) in vocational subjects. The partnerships aimed to enhance student attainment, develop their skills, knowledge and social learning, and increase retention in education and training after 16. The National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) was commissioned by the DfES to conduct an evaluation of the first and second cohorts of IFP students. This report focuses on the outcomes for participants who participated in the programme between 2003 and 2005 (second cohort) during a time of change in 14 to 19 policy. The evaluation of the second cohort of IFP participants aimed to: evaluate the extent to which the IFP has fulfilled its national aims, objectives and targets; and assess the impact of vocational qualifications and new work-related learning opportunities on young people’s attainment and post-16 progression. Overall, the majority of participants in the second cohort had achieved their qualifications in line with expectations based on their prior attainment and other background and school-level characteristics. The majority (87 per cent) of the representative sample of young people had progressed onto further education or training after completing their involvement in IFP. Implications for policy and practice are proposed in relation to: sustaining progression; provision of appropriate qualification types; English and mathematics provision within the IFP programmes; addressing discontinuation; and location of study.

Other reports from the evaluation are indexed at TD/TNC 77.125, TD/TNC 80.651, TD/TNC 80.678 and TD/TNC 80.679. Show less

The Increased Flexibility for 14-16 year olds Programme (IFP) was introduced in 2002 by the UK Department for Education and Skills (DfES) in order to 'create enhanced vocational and work-related learning opportunities for 14-16 year olds who can benefit most'. Partnerships between schools and colleges and training providers were formed and two cohorts of Year 10 students began two-year vocational courses including National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs), other Vocational Qualifications (VQs) and new General Certificate in Secondary Education (GCSEs) in vocational subjects. The partnerships aimed to enhance student attainment, develop their skills, knowledge and social learning, and increase retention in education and training after 16. The National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) was commissioned by the DfES to conduct an evaluation of the first and second cohorts of IFP students. The evaluation aims to: assess the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of the implementation of the IFP, and identify those delivery models and implementation practices and strategies that appear to be most successful; evaluate the extent to which the IFP has fulfilled its national aims, objectives and targets; and assess the impact of vocational qualifications and new work-related learning opportunities on young peoples' skills, knowledge, attitudes, attendance, attainment and post-16 progression. This report describes the main findings from interviews conducted during follow-up visits to nine partnerships. Findings revealed that, on the whole, students who had participated in the first two years of IFP were on course to achieve their qualifications and had benefited from personal and social development and preparedness for the future. Partnerships were most effective when good communication and relationships between the partners were present, along with commitment from all parties to shared aims and objectives.

Other reports from the evaluation are indexed at TD/TNC 77.125, TD/TNC 80.651 and TD/TNC 80.679. Show less

The Increased Flexibility for 14-16 year olds Programme (IFP) was introduced in 2002 by the UK Department for Education and Skills (DfES) in order to 'create enhanced vocational and work-related learning opportunities for 14-16 year olds who can benefit most'. Partnerships between schools and colleges and training providers were formed and two cohorts of Year 10 students began two-year vocational courses including National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs), other Vocational Qualifications (VQs) and new General Certificate in Secondary Education (GCSEs) in vocational subjects. The partnerships aimed to enhance student attainment, develop their skills, knowledge and social learning, and increase retention in education and training after 16. As part of the evaluation of IFP, the DfES commissioned the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) to undertake a program of case study visits to nine IFP partnerships. The purpose was to investigate the extent to which IFP had become 'embedded in partnership provision and the wider 14-19 agenda' and factors that affected this process either positively or negatively. Specific objectives were to: identify the current partnership arrangements and the extent to which these had changed in relation to the nature of the cohorts and models of delivery; explore the development of IFP including the extent to which it had become embedded in institutions' provision; examine staff's perceptions of the contribution of IFP, and their partnerships' experience, to the transition into the new 14-19 arrangements; investigate the perceived outcomes for young people, staff and institutions from participating in IFP; and explore young people's experience of participating in IFP including their reasons for participating, experience of the program and the main outcomes including their intended future progression. The overall success of the partnerships was indicated by the generally positive view of staff and students about working in partnerships. In addition, the membership of the partnerships had remained stable or had consolidated over the four years of the program. Partnerships with more effective outcomes were characterised by clear selection criteria acknowledged by both college and school staff, effective support for students, and good communication at operational and partnership levels. Show less