M. Murphy

Research and education

Introduction. Approaches to Educational Research Part 1: Planning an Education Research Project Choosing a Topic and Writing a Proposal. Reviewing the Literature. Sampling. Data Analysis. Writing Up Part 2: Research Strategies Surveys. Experiments. Case Studies. Ethnography. Action Research Part 3: Methods of Data Collection Questionnaires. Interviews. Focus Group Interviews. Observations. Documents. Using the Internet Part 4: Theorising Research Using Theories and Concepts in Research. Evaluating Methods. The Position of the Researcher. Ethical Issues in Educational Research. Educational Research with Children and Young People.

Adult education, lifelong learning and the end of political economy

Abstract The concept of lifelong learning has become ubiquitous in education policy and theory, a development that has not escaped the attention of those working in adult education. For all the debate, little has been said regarding the political and economic forces behind its renewed importance. The paper argues that one of the main reasons for this silence is the uncritical acceptance of globalisation and post-industrial theories of social change. Individually, these theories constitute the end of politics and the end of economics respectively. When combined, they signify a theory of change that neglects the political economy of lifelong learning. This neglect paves the way for an acceptance of lifelong learning policy as a neutral reaction to benign and inevitable technological transformations. A structural theory of power is needed in adult education in order to place policies such as lifelong learning within the context of late capitalism.

Review of: M. Bowl, Non-traditional Entrants to Higher Education: “They Talk About People Like Me”

Books reviwed: Irene S. Rubin - Class, Tax & Power: Municipal Budgeting in the United States Helen F. Ladd - Local Government Tax and Land Use Policies in the United States, Understanding the Links

Troubled by the past: history, identity and the university

Much emphasis is currently placed on the impact of marketisation on higher education and the damage it has caused to forms of academic and student identity. Evident is a concern that much of value in these identities has been lost amidst the pressure of audit, performance indicators and consumerism. This paper explores the changes to these identities to gauge how appropriate the ‘loss’ thesis is as a diagnosis of current challenges. In exploring these issues, the paper argues that, while the past is troubling, the reasons for this trouble have as much to do with concerns over democratic accountability as they do with external political interference. The paper concludes by using this ideological tension to characterise the university as ‘mediating publicness’, a characterisation that may provide an alternative to current concerns over loss, doubt and institutional inertia.

Covert action? Education, social policy and law in the European Union

Education in Europe has been one more aspect of social policy, traditionally held to exist within the sovereignty of member states, which has been encroached upon by supranational institutions. This paper explores the legitimacy of the partial control over education matters that has been gained by the European Union since the 1970s, examining in particular the role of the European Court of Justice and also the European Commission, in reshaping and altering definitions of legal competence in the fields of education and training. Special emphasis is placed on the method by which an original competence in training has been reconstituted to incorporate some aspects of education policy. Implications for democratic legitimacy and accountability at the European level are discussed.

Learning as relational: intersubjectivity and pedagogy in higher education

The decision to make the UK student population financially responsible for their own university education has major implications for the future of higher education provision. Chief among these implications will undoubtedly be a much stronger emphasis on the student experience, not least the experience of the teaching and learning environment. Given the increasing influence of consumerism on student identity, the distinct possibility exists that such notions of market-led accountability will be first in line to shape how the academic–student relationship is redefined and understood in future years. It is therefore an appropriate time to explore alternatives to such a narrow understanding of relationships—an understanding that inevitably tends to frame direct accountability in terms of economic exchange. It is argued in this paper that one alternative can be developed by exploring a more relational approach to HE pedagogy, and more specifically one that is based on a synthesis of critical theory and psychoanalysis. By emphasising the intersubjective nature of learning and teaching and the role of emotions in this regard, the paper argues that a relationally centred approach takes seriously questions of trust, recognition and respect at the heart of the academic–student relationship, while also making space for doubt, confusion and relational anxiety.

The Micro-Politics of Micro-Leadership: Exploring the Role of Programme Leader in English Universities.

This study is based on interviews with 25 programme leaders at two universities in England. Programme leadership is ubiquitous and essential to effective university operations, yet there is surprisingly little research on the role. It is an ambiguous and complex form of leadership, existing as it does in the space between standard academic and manager profiles. Existing literature on other leadership roles highlights such ambiguity as a major source of stress and cause of inefficiency. Drawing from the perspectives of current programme leaders, four main areas of difficulty are identified: role confusion, the management of others, the status and demands of leadership, and bureaucratic burdens. The paper suggests that the role of programme leader should be taken more seriously at both a research and institutional level, and that sufficient support should be implemented in relation to the four challenges mentioned above. Any real engagement with leadership at programme level, however, should also take into account the micro-politics of institutional management, a politics that combines issues of values, status and identity with more prosaic concerns over role definition, workload and student support.

Between facts, norms and a post-national constellation: habermas, law and European Social Policy

Jurgen Habermas has had a long-standing interest in the process of European integration, viewing it as an inescapable response to the pitfalls of globalization and the shortcoming of nation-state bounded welfare systems. He believes that, in the form of political and economic integration, Europe is being given a ‘second chance’. He argues, however, that in order to fulfil its democratic potential, a European form of solidarity, expressing itself via a post-national public sphere, is a development that cannot be left to historical fate; a ‘legally mediated solidarity’ is the key to the formation of a post-national identity in Europe. In particular, he singles out the development of a post-national form of social policy as a crucial component of future solidarity construction. The present paper critically explores this potential role for law and social policy in Europe, casting some doubt on the value of both to Habermass vision of a cosmopolitan solidarity and public sphere.Jürgen Habermas has had a long-standing interest in the process of European integration, viewing it as an inescapable response to the pitfalls of globalization and the shortcoming of nation-state bounded welfare systems. He believes that, in the form of political and economic integration, Europe is being given a ‘second chance’. He argues, however, that in order to fulfil its democratic potential, a European form of solidarity, expressing itself via a post-national public sphere, is a development that cannot be left to historical fate; a ‘legally mediated solidarity’ is the key to the formation of a post-national identity in Europe. In particular, he singles out the development of a post-national form of social policy as a crucial component of future solidarity construction. The present paper critically explores this potential role for law and social policy in Europe, casting some doubt on the value of both to Habermass vision of a cosmopolitan solidarity and public sphere.

The politics of adult education: state, economy and civil society

There has been a recent general resurgence of interest in civil society, a resurgence that is also found in adult education. Radical adult educators, in particular, view civil society as the privileged sphere of radical learning and social change. It is seen as the site to engage in democratic struggle, social movements and political change. This new elevation of civil society is tied into a wider crisis on the political left ? the crisis of socialism. This crisis is reflected in the wider debates on the politics of civil society, a debate centred on the differences between Marxist and post-Marxist definitions of civil society. The purpose of this paper is to clarify this debate, and outline its implications for adult education theory and practice. To this end, the paper examines the history of the civil society idea, a history demonstrating that analyses of civil society need to be placed alongside understandings of the state and the market. These understandings of political and economic society provide the bases for two very different political agendas - socialism and radical democracy. The paper discusses how these two agendas impact on adult education, in particular how different analyses of the state/economy/civil society relationship suggest divergent conceptions of social conflict.

The Politics of Time on the Frontline: Street Level Bureaucracy, Professional Judgment, and Public Accountability

This article reports on a study carried out on the impact of quality assurance mechanisms on street-level bureaucrats in Northern England (teachers, nurses and social workers). A key aim of the research was to explore the ways in which these mechanisms negotiate the much older regulatory function of time. The findings suggest that these mechanisms contribute to forms of time compression across professional activities, time compression in turn having consequences for professional judgement. The study explores the mechanisms via which this occurs, while also examining the implications of the research for debates about democracy, political regulation, and public sector management.