As part of the Transforming Learning Cultures in Further Education (TLC) project, questionnaire data were collected from three consecutive cohorts of students in a wide range of learning sites, initially four in each of four Further Education (FE) colleges in England. This paper focuses on changes in perceived learning environment as mapped by…

This paper reports on the social factors influencing the learning of two cohorts of school students and their experience of compulsory secondary education in a city in southern England - the secondary schooling phase of a 12-year, longitudinal ethnographic study that also tracked the same children's experiences through primary schooling. We embed…

This study explores the experiences of newly qualified teachers of foreign languages in English secondary school contexts as they both seek opportunities and develop their abilities to use information and communications technologies (ICT) as a tool to support foreign language learning. A cohort of newly qualified foreign language teachers from the…

This article is based upon a secondary analysis of three successive cohorts of the Youth Cohort Study of England and Wales and examines the effects of social class and ethnicity on gender differences in General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) attainment for those who left school in 1997, 1999 and 2001 respectively. The article shows that…

This paper looks at underlying patterns of school effectiveness through analysing a GCSE examination data-set over a period of ten cohorts (1993-2002) in one very large English school district. Both value added and raw score approaches were explored by employing different statistical multilevel models to examine time trends of school and pupil…

This study addresses issues surrounding the recruitment and training of black African religious education teachers within the context of the government's intention to make the teaching profession more representative of the wider community. In relation to this there is a strong emphasis in the Teacher Training Agency's "Qualifying to…

Recent initiatives in England have promoted education for citizenship, including teaching about topical global issues, for both primary and secondary pupils. Little is known, however, of primary children's interest in this area or the extent to which they see themselves as active citizens. This article reports on a study into primary children's…

Examined the relationship between moving home, family structure, and children's well-being in the National Child Development Study (NCDS) Second-Generation, a study following over 17,000 Britons born in 1 week in 1958. Found little to no association between moving home and children's well-being. Associations between family living arrangements and…

In the United Kingdom the educational phase that exists between compulsory school (for ages 5-16) and universities is dominated and controlled by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). This body was established in late 2000 as a state funded quasi-governmental educational agency. This small scale qualitative study of educational provision in the…

Investigated as a function of adults' birth cohort--a group of adults born during a specific time period--were beliefs influencing current attitudes toward parenting that prevail in England and the United States. Particular attention was given to the value attached to parental role in relation to the specific roles of spouse and worker. The total…

The National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) is carrying out a nine year evaluation of citizenship education in England on behalf of the Department for Education and Skills (DfES). The Citizenship Education Longitudinal Study (hereafter, the Study) began in 2001 and is tracking a cohort of young people from age 11 to 18, who entered…

There has been a substantial rise in British education levels in recent decades, and new empirical evidence suggests that less able but wealthier children have benefited most from this expansion, at least during the 1970s and 1980s. There are many potential explanations for this trend. For example, during this period, the UK's highly selective…

Follows up an earlier age cohort study done in the 1980s. Discovered that, although differences in achievement related to gender and socioeconomic factors remained consistent and generally increased over time, greater change was found in patterns of ethnic differences. Discusses possible explanations for the findings and implications for…

We explore the association between urban density and pupil attainment using three cohorts of pupils in schooling in England. Although--as widely recognised--attainment in dense urban places is low on average, this is not because urban environments disadvantage pupils, but because the most disadvantaged pupils with low average attainments attend…

The Increased Flexibility for 14-16 year olds Programme (IFP) was introduced in 2002 by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) to provide vocational learning opportunities at key stage 4 for those young people who would benefit most. The programme, which entailed FE colleges and training providers working in partnership with schools to…