Gordon Clark

The development of alternative farm enterprises: A study of family labour farms in the northern Pennines of England

Abstract This paper offers an empirical test of a middle-order theorisation of business change on family labour farms. The concept of ‘paths of farm business development’ is examined in the northern Pennines of England using discriminant analysis and 34 variables drawn from the published literature on the dynamics of the family farm. Farm indebtedness is shown to be the dominant variable discriminating between farms in the different pathways, although the exact role of farm debt varies between pathways. Farm families selecting the alternative farm enterprise (AFE) pathway can be divided between those that display ‘accumulation’ (principal AFE) and ‘survival’ (marginal AFE) behaviours. The findings are contextualised to the U.K. and an era of historically high interest rates and farm indebtedness.

Conceptualizing Integrated Rural Tourism

Abstract Rural spaces are no longer associated purely with agricultural commodity production but are seen as locations for the stimulation of new socio-economic activity, often incorporating tourism, leisure, speciality food production and consumption and e-commerce. Within the context of debates about integrated and territorial approaches to rural development in Europes ‘lagging regions’, this paper introduces the notion of ‘integrated rural tourism’ (IRT) and describes the various methods of research used in an EU research project that forms the basis of this special edition. IRT is theorized as tourism explicitly linked to the economic, social, cultural, natural and human structures of the localities in which it takes place. The argument is that IRT–as a theory and approach–leads to more sustainable tourism (broadly conceived) than other forms of tourism because it creates powerful network connections between social, cultural, economic and environmental resources. The notion of IRT is also intended to open up practical ways of thinking about improving linkages between tourism and local and regional resources, activities, products and communities in the light of changing trends in tourism demand.

Measuring integrated rural tourism.

Abstract If the concept of integrated rural tourism, as developed in the SPRITE (Supporting and Promoting Integrated Tourism in Europes Lagging Rural Regions) project, is to be used as an operational tool to assess the all-round value of tourism in rural areas, there needs to be a means of measuring the value of tourism, and changes in it. Statistical, ‘objective’ methods of achieving this are critiqued. This paper describes the development of an alternative methodology for assessing the changes in the value of tourism witnessed by different groups of stakeholders in the study areas across Europe between 1992 and 2002. The methodology allows for a holistic view of the extent to which rural tourism is integrated into the local economies and cultures. Differences in perceptions regarding change in the value of tourism between actor groups and countries are noted. Illustrative examples are given of specific events and forms of rural tourism that are perceived as being of high value. It is concluded that while tourism is now better integrated than it was ten years ago, further improvements can be made in identifiable areas and dimensions and for particular actor groups.

Geography and Lifelong Learning: A Report on a Survey of Geography Graduates.

Abstract Previous studies have revealed what employers have said they require in terms of career or transferable skills in their prospective employees when they leave university. This paper reports on a survey of groups of geographers who graduated one, five and 10 years ago from two different British institutions of higher education. The students identified the features of their geography training which had been of most value to them in their careers and pinpointed aspects which could have been better developed in their degree courses. Conclusions are drawn about the future of the geography curriculum in the light of the graduates’ views on their ‘graduateness’ and their likely career patterns in the 21st century.

Developing New Lecturers The Case of a Discipline-Based Workshop

An educational development issue common to all disciplines and countries is how to combine generic development of staff as teachers with appropriate engagement with the specificities of teaching individual subjects. This article explores the nature of the relationship between the generic and the discipline specific, defines the role of the disciplines in educational development, and describes a residential workshop used by geographers, environmental and earth scientists in the UK to deal with their disciplines’ needs in the context of newly appointed lecturers.The workshop was marked by a high level of interaction and the sharing of ideas among the facilitators and participants. The article describes how the lecturers developed the discipline-specific element, reports on the workshop’s evaluation and suggests ways in which other disciplines and staff in other countries might adapt the ideas here.

‘It’s just like an extra string to your bow’: Exploring higher education students’ perceptions and experiences of extracurricular activity and employability

Students’ experience of higher education comprises not only their academic studies but also their extracurricular activities. This article reports on the findings from a mixed-methods research project, exploring in detail the nature and value of extracurricular activity engagement and the significance of institutional schemes encouraging extracurricular activity engagement, from a UK student perspective. Our findings reveal that many students are actively engaged in a variety of extracurricular activities and recognise their value for employability. However, fewer students are strategic in their patterns of involvement, which may be hindered by a lack of career planning. Furthermore, extracurricular activity engagement can be detrimental to academic study, and engagement alone does not assure employability benefits. However, structured institutional schemes encouraging extracurricular activity engagement may facilitate reflection, enabling students to make best use of their experiences for their future careers. Our research contributes to a growing body of research evidence on ‘life-wide learning’.

Attendance and Performance: Correlations and Motives in Lecture-Based Modules

Does attending lectures improve student performance? Using novel attendance data, we examine statistically the relationships between attendance and performance for first-year and third-year students. The relationship is moderately positive: very high attendance is significantly associated with an improvement in performance over very low attenders of between 5.3 and 12.8 per cent, depending on circumstances. Then, we provide qualitative evidence from in-depth interviews with students about their views and motives regarding lectures. We find a range of reasons why attendance may be less than complete, and conclude that attendance is related to performance in complex ways.

The Educational Value of the Rural Trail: A Short Walk in the Lancashire Countryside.

Abstract This paper explores the educational value of a rural trail—a field visit on foot—using as an example a trail in a small area of countryside near Lancaster in northern England. This trail provides those teaching rural geography in higher education with a means of developing their students’ skills of informed observation and interpretation of field evidence based on study and discussion on‐site. A trail can enhance the appreciation and teaching of conceptual matters such as cultural approaches to rural geography. It also encourages the integration of diverse theoretical approaches to rural studies (based on culture, planning and management) and the simultaneous consideration by students of both local (often personal) details and national (or even global) pressures for change. The paper concludes that the rural trail has considerable pedagogical and academic merit for rural geographers.

Teaching Geographical Information Systems in Geography Degrees: A Critical Reassessment of Vocationalism

Geographical information systems (GIS) are in tune with the current ethos of higher education because of their perceived vocational value. However, it is particularly difficult to teach GIS vocationally. This paper critiques the claim of vocationalism. The authors use an innovative method of evaluating a module that enlists its alumni to reflect on the career value of their GIS teaching. The survey was analysed to show how, to what extent and for which graduates GIS had been vocationally useful. The paper concludes that GIS is vocational but in variable and complex ways for different students.

Enterprise Education in Geography at Lancaster.

Abstract The initial development of a scheme for ‘enterprise education’ within the Department of Geography at the University of Lancaster is described. The constraints and opportunities provided by the United Kingdom Training Agencys Enterprise in Higher Education Programme are set out. It is concluded that evaluation of the scheme will be lengthy and conceptually difficult. The influence of the Programme in the short term will derive less from its structure than from how it is interpreted and implemented by specific institutions of higher education, departments of geography, academic staff and students.