Alastair Wilson

Policy and provision for disabled students in higher education in Scotland and England: the current state of play

Higher education in the UK has been through a period of major change since the mid‐1980s. A massive expansion in the number of students has been coupled with a reduction in the unit of resource, increased inter‐institutional competition and greater accountability. Within this demanding context, pressure has also been applied to institutions to improve accessibility for disabled people, through funding council mechanisms, quality assurance procedures and, more recently, changes in legislation. Drawing on the findings of an ESRC‐funded research project, Disabled students and multiple policy innovations in higher education, involving a survey of higher education institutions, the article describes and discusses the current state of policy and provision for disabled students in higher education in Scotland and England. It concludes that, while there are definite signs of progress in the development of provision for disabled students, many areas need much further attention. A particular area of concern is teaching and learning. Effecting real change in this area means addressing questions which challenge conventional notions of effective teaching and learning practice. It is argued that improvements in provision for disabled students in this area would mean improvements for all students. Disability is still seen as a fairly distinct policy area, mainly addressed by student support services. Further significant progress can only be made if disability is embedded into all institutional policies and procedures. Its relocation, particularly in the area of teaching and learning, however, will demand a significant commitment on the part of all institutions.

Building Collaborative Communities of Enquiry in Educational Research.

This article explores the concept of community of enquiry through an examination of 3 case studies: (a) a school-based community of enquiry involving pupils, teachers, and researchers; (b) a community of enquiry involving teachers from around 100 different schools in a Scottish local authority, together with policy advisers and researchers; and (c) the project team involved in the present study itself. The 3 case studies are considered in relation to 7 factors identified in previous research as significant considerations when attempting to build a community of enquiry, namely: dialogue and participation; relationships; perspectives and assumptions; structure and context; climate; purpose; and control. The authors conclude by highlighting key issues and potential implications for attempts to foster collaborative partnerships between educational researchers and practitioners.

Parents, professionals and special educational needs policy frameworks in England and Scotland

The research reported in this article investigates the extent to which parents of children with special educational needs (SEN) were involved in the process of assessment and recording (Scotland) or statementing (England) as active citizens, or whether they continued to occupy the passive role of service client.This article analyses competing SEN policy frameworks in England and Scotland, and explores the position of parents and professionals.We conclude that, while the English system allows parents greater power to exercise rights, they are not always willing or able to adopt the role of active citizens. Conversely, while Scottish parents have fewer opportunities to engage actively with the process, some parents are able to take an active role.While national systems differ in terms of the policy frameworks they reflect,there is considerable leeway for parents and professionals to reinforce or undermine the broad thrust of centralised policy.

Using a Virtual Research Environment to Support New Models of Collaborative and Participative Research in Scottish Education.

Drawing on research supported within the Scottish ‘Applied Educational Research Scheme’ this paper explores the use of the Virtual Research Environment (VRE) in developing ‘communities of enquiry’ in Scottish education and research. It focuses on the role of VREs in influencing collaborative working and educational research. The paper uses three vignettes to illustrate the ways in which VREs have the potential to transform the processes of collaborative enquiry and research in education, by offering new ways of conducting research and engaging various stakeholders (the policy, practice and research communities). The paper argues that, while initially the work conceptualised VREs essentially as tools to support communities of enquiry, it has become clearer during the analysis of emerging data from the project that VREs are developing as new environments in which participants engage and generate new forms of knowledge. They pose ethical dilemmas and challenge the status and analysis of data. The authors conclude that practitioner use of VREs needs to be recognised as a legitimate approach to collaborative working and that virtual dimensions to communities of enquiry require careful nurturing if they are to prove successful.

Gender, social capital and lifelong learning for people with learning difficulties

Social capital is currently a very popular idea in social science. In this article, it is argued that the idea of social capital has tended to be developed in a somewhat unidimensional way which takes little account of wider social factors which structure peoples lives. A gender critique of social capital ideas is developed and the extent to which social capital theory may be useful in understanding the ways in which lifelong learning is experienced by people with learning difficulties is ubsequently considered. It is argued that social capital thinking is useful in understanding the nature and effects of peoples social networks, but that social capital will be limited in its usefulness until existing theories incorporate wider sociological understandings.

Capital, culture and community: understanding school engagement in a challenging context

Engagement in learning is seen as a key to success at school. The article reports on a study into the ways in which one school has attempted to engage with its community in an area of multiple deprivation. Using Bourdieu’s concept of cultural capital, the article explores the ways in which school management aims to boost students’ embodied cultural capital as a means towards achieving academic success, and looks at the perceptions of key informants and school students on these issues. The report shows the considerable efforts schools in such areas need to expend, the economic challenges, and the difficulties and dilemmas which students often encounter in trying to negotiate the cultural divide between home and school.

‘It's like an itch and I want to get it away but it's still there’: understandings and experiences of anxiety and depression among young people with intellectual disabilities

This paper reports findings from a study funded by the Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities which aimed to explore experiences of anxiety and depression among 17 young people with learning disabilities in Scotland. A series of unstructured interviews were conducted with the young people while one semi-structured interview took place with their families and/or with relevant professionals. The young people talked about their distress in various ways, including medical terms, bodily sensations, feelings and emotions, behaviours, and specific fears. Those who could identify the cause(s) of their distress referred to stressful life events, troublesome medical conditions, difficulties negotiating the transition to adulthood, and social isolation. The young people said relatively little about what helped reduce their distress: a few had good formal or informal support while others had tried to develop their own coping strategies. The findings are discussed in relation to social crisis theory. Policy and practice implications are highlighted.

KEY INFORMANTS’ PERSPECTIVES ON TEACHER LEARNING IN SCOTLAND

ABSTRACT: This article outlines the policy context for teachers’ learning and continuing professional development in Scotland and considers this in relation to the perspectives of key informants gained through interview. The analysis draws on a triple-lens conceptual framework and points to some interesting contradictions between the policy text and the expressed aspirations of the interviewees. Current policy and the associated structural arrangements are viewed as broadly positive, but interviewees express concerns that an unintended emphasis on contractual arrangements might inhibit the more transformative elements of professional learning.

Who gets to play? Investigating equity in musical instrument instruction in scottish primary schools

There is a widely held view that learning to play a musical instrument is a valuable experience for all children in terms of their personal growth and development. Although there is no statutory obligation for instrumental music provision in Scottish primary schools, there are well-established Instrumental Music Services in Local Education Authorities that have been developed to provide this facility for pupils. This article presents the findings of a study that was aimed at investigating the extent to which the opportunity to undertake instrumental instruction in Scottish primary schools is equitable. The study employed a mixed-methods approach. Data were gathered from 21 Scottish primary schools, a total pupil population of 5122 pupils of whom 323 pupils were receiving instrumental instruction. The analysis involved an investigation of the academic profile of this group, the representation of children with additional support needs (ASN) and the nature of their ASN. A qualitative analysis of policy and guideline documents and interviews with Heads of Instrumental Services, headteachers and instrumental instructors served to explain and illuminate the quantitative data. The findings showed that particular groups of children with ASN were significantly under-represented and offer explanations of the processes by which this occurs.

Welfare for those who can? The impact of the quasi-market on the lives of people with learning difficulties

This article, drawing on the research findings from the ESRC-funded project ‘The Meaning of the Learning Society for Adults with Learning Difficulties’ explores how the introduction of the 1990 NHS and Community Care Act, with its emphasis on the establishment of a ‘mixed economy’ in social care, has affected the lives of people with learning difficulties living in a rural area of Scotland. The impact of the quasi-market, in particular the purchaser–provider split and the operation of contracts, on the lives of three adults with learning difficulties is examined.