This article is about a small-scale research project which aimed to investigate in one local authority (LA) in England some of the outcomes of the nationwide PNS/EMA (Primary National Strategy/Ethnic Minority Achievement) pilot project, begun in 65 LAs in England in January 2004. The research project itself was conducted in the summer term of 2006…

Addressing connections between higher education and "industry" framed by UK government creative industries strategies, this article draws on research with games design students to explore their transition from being a student to being "industry-ready". The article introduces broader currents within higher education around…

This paper draws from the "Literacies for Learning in Further Education" research project, funded through the Teaching and Learning Research Programme. Drawing on the empirical study of literacy practices in eight childcare courses in Scotland and England, we seek to demonstrate that, integral to the learning careers of students are…

This paper analyses and discusses the roles and participation of those involved in a collaborative action research project to highlight the factors that influenced their content, quality and intensity. Emphasis is given to the reflections of the facilitator (author) on the processes employed to achieve equal participation and roles in the action…

This article draws upon a research project funded by the ESRC (R000239387) that tracked the development of adult literacy, numeracy and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) from the 1970s to 2000 in England using life-history interviews and documentary policy analysis to compare policy, practitioner and learner perspectives. The article…

This article draws on the experience of a research project designed to bring together practitioners and researchers in further education (FE) colleges and the higher education (HE) sector in pursuit of ways of creating more accessible learning opportunities for students in colleges. Here we explore some of the assumptions underlying the…

This article discusses some of the processes and findings of a small-scale research project, which aimed to investigate how an arts education practitioner could contribute to the development of a global dimension in the Key Stage 2 (KS2) art curriculum. Through a close analysis of aspects of the project, we explore what it means to attempt to…

This article reports on the first year of an Esmee Fairbairn Foundation-funded research project into the design and evaluation of an original "framework" for mapping the behaviour and development in, and through, music for children with complex needs, specifically those with profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD). An initial…

This article considers participation in post-compulsory mathematics education (Advanced or A-level) which is currently exercising education policy-makers in England and elsewhere. I argue that the central problem is neither that of devising an economically motivated strategy for increasing student numbers nor simply raising the level of…

The article presents the rationale, methodology, and selected outcomes from "More than a body's work," a collaborative, international, arts educational interactive research project. The project, taking place in both New York and England, explored the ways in which young people construct and "perform" identity through the…

Background: This paper outlines the findings from a research project carried out in the UK that explored the relationship between parental engagement and student achievement. Purpose: The 12-month research project was commissioned to explore the relationship between innovative work with parents and the subsequent impact upon student achievement. A…

In this paper we draw upon 14 semi-structured interviews with the participants in a teacher-researcher project on the theme of "ensuring African Caribbean attainment" with the aim of shedding light on the purposes, processes and lived experiences of teacher research in a difficult and contentious intellectual and practical domain. After…

This article presents the findings of a qualitative research project about the difficulties in accessing advocacy faced by adults labelled as having autism and Asperger's Syndrome in the Northwest of England. It is also an example of partnership working between three organisations. The article examines both the process of team-led (emancipatory)…

Some methodological issues are discussed that arise from our comparative research conducted since the early 1990s into primary schooling in Finland and England. This research has been identified as part of a "new" comparative education that uses qualitative research strategies and which prioritises sensitivity to cultural context in data…

This paper describes the design and subsequent impact of a scientific research skills course. Student understanding of the university research environment, their confidence in finding and using scientific literature and in scientific writing and presentation pre- and post-course was investigated. The findings suggested that understanding of the…