Student performance in general subjects such as language and mathematical skills is poor in secondary vocational education. A professional culture of teaching--including recruitment of well qualified teachers, effective teacher collaboration and effective teaching practice--could be the key to success. To what extent is there a professional…

The performance of agricultural science students is consistently low as seen in their external examinations. This could be attributed to the poor teaching methods, materials and techniques applied in teaching the subject. This study determined the multimedia application effects on the academic achievement of Agricultural science students. It…

In this report on education systems in Repeatedly High Performing Jurisdictions (RHPJs) the authors present data on the assessment approaches used at the end of basic secondary education. These assessments are conducted at around the age of 16, at approximately the stage when students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland take the General…

This report is an updated version of analyses undertaken in previous years (Gill and Crawford, 2016; Gill, 2017; Gill, 2018) looking at the impact of the introduction of new accountability measures (Progress 8) on the qualifications and subjects taken by students at the end of Key Stage 4 (KS4). The focus of this report is on changes to the uptake…

Cambridge Technicals are vocational qualifications offered by OCR at Levels 2 and 3, for students aged 16 and above. They are designed with the workplace in mind and provide an alternative to A levels. The successful completion of a Cambridge Technical can provide opportunities to progress into employment, onto professional development programmes…

Several areas in the UK allocate children to secondary schools based on exam results at age 11. While many studies have investigated how attending academically selective schools affects pupils' subsequent educational attainment, we know very little about how grammar attendance affects other outcomes, such as pupils' self-confidence, academic…

This report is an updated version of an analysis undertaken last year (Gill, 2017) which looked at the impact of the introduction of new accountability measures (Attainment 8 and Progress 8) on the qualifications and subjects taken by students at the end of Key Stage 4 (KS4). It adds in data from the 2016/17 academic year, which was the second…

The recent introduction of new accountability measures in English schools, such as Progress 8, may have had an impact on the qualifications and subjects taken by students and offered by schools in England. The main headline measure by which schools are judged has been changed from the proportion of students achieving 5 or more GCSE grades A* to C…

This European Training Foundation (ETF) assessment provides an external, forward-looking analysis of Azerbaijan's human capital development issues and Vocational Education and Training (VET) policy responses in a lifelong learning perspective. It identifies challenges related to education and training policy and practice that hinder the…

The overall aim of the study is to understand effective practice and lessons that can be learned from the approaches currently being adopted, particularly in relation to curriculum design and employer engagement, as well as the broader challenges facing University Technical Colleges (UTCs). More specifically the objectives of the research are to:…

Improvements in workforce skills are essential for European countries to attain higher economic growth and to compete effectively on product markets. Literature indicates a positive relationship between levels of education and productivity growth. This report builds on and expands this body of research in two ways: (1) It investigates the…

Background: Assessment grades are "estimates" of ability or performance and there are many reasons why an awarded grade might not meet a candidate's expectations, being either better or poorer than anticipated. Although there may be some obvious reasons for grade discrepancies, such as a lack of preparation or under-performance, there…

Within the policy field of student assessment, the assessment of students for qualification and certification in upper secondary education has special importance since key decisions for the progression of students may be taken on the basis of assessment results. Students in most OECD countries face increased specialisation in upper secondary…

The employability of university graduates constitutes a major policy concern in both developed and developing nations. In this context, the present study uses self-reported data to compare the earnings and employment expectations of university students, and the realised earnings and employment paths of recent graduates. The sample consisted of 476…

This paper and the four commissioned works on which it is based are guided by the important question: How can we start valuing practices and outcomes of teaching and learning that are difficult to reduce to numbers? As the process of developing indicators for the Post-2015 education targets unfolds, some of the targets are at risk of being dropped…