Ralf St. Clair

Performing desires: the dilemma of aspirations and educational attainment

The authors critique the mechanistic notion of aspirations running through much research and policy-making on educational and vocational outcomes. They present a performative model, with individuals drawing on limited social resources to express aspirations within constrained contexts. This argument is illustrated by discussion of the findings of large-scale empirical investigation of the aspirations of 490 young people in three UK schools. Five themes from this analysis are presented and it is argued that these need to be explored in order to enrich and expand our understanding of young peoples expression of aspirations.

In the Market for Ideas: How Reforms in the Political Economy of Educational Research in the US and UK Promote Market Managerialism.

Transformations in educational research structures in the United States and UK over the past decade are examined, and it is argued that these changes are manifestations of wider forces. Rather than internal developments in the field, they are better understood as serving the changing interests of the state in an era of increasingly globalized capital. The argument that the imposed changes improve the quality of educational research is shown to be inconclusive. It is suggested that these structural transformations can be seen as an attempt to promote market managerialism in educational research for political ends.

Ludic Literacies at the Intersections of Cultures: An Interview with James Paul Gee

Abstract Professor James Gee addresses issues of linguistics, literacies and cultures. Gee emphasises the importance of Discourses, and argues that the future of literacy studies lies in the interrogation of new media and the globalisation of culture.

Beyond the Barriers: Understanding Decisions to Participate in Continuing Higher Education Among Under-Represented Groups

0 ne of the challenges facing continuing higher education, as with most education aimed at adults, is how to expand and diversify the student population. If there is to be a genuine and effective move towards a learning society for all, it is essential to have participation from as wide a cross-section of the population as possible. This ideal is some way from realization. Educators and administrators need to understand and respond strategically to the choices people make, and continuing higher education has a substantial and central role to play in extending higher education possibilities to those who do not fit the traditional student mold. Fulfilling this potential requires educators to understand peoples decisions about education and respond to them creatively. It would be helpful to have a way of understanding participation as an active choice that makes sense for certain individuals in their particular context, but perhaps not for others. In this article, I consider continuing higher education to refer to programs offered by institutions of higher education that do not serve conventional full-time undergraduate or graduate student groups. At my own institution, a large research-driven Scottish university with one of the most extensive continuing education programs in the United Kingdom, this includes noncredit programs designed for the general public as well as specific programs to support university entry for marginalized groups. Both of these areas are key concerns for a learning society. The first provides an affordable way for people to remain engaged in learning across a wide range of topics and contributes to a general culture of learning. The second is related to equity of opportunity, ensuring that people are not alienated from higher education due to disadvantage early in their lives. Continuing higher education is concerned with both maintaining engagement with education for those who have previous experience and supporting engagement for those new to higher education. In this discussion I consider some of the issues involved in more fully understanding participation for different social groups, based on a review of participation literature from North America and the United Kingdom (UK) . The focus of much of these discussions is adult education in general, but the internal evidence from my own institution shows the patterns are highly consistent with continuing higher education, especially the overand under-represented segments of the population. The need to understand the participation decisions of specific groups is summarized clearly in an exhaustive survey of around 10 years ago:

Terra Incognita: How Research Can Help to Chart Unexplored Terrain in Adult Literacy

AbstractThe aim of this article is to make initial suggestions as to how certain aspects of adult literacy and numeracy education would benefit from research resources. The author identifies several issues affecting literacy research, such as limited research capacity and lack of a shared international forum. He then discusses four aspects in more detail: models of literacy, the benefits of literacy education, instructional practices, and the effects of diverse settings for practice. In all of these areas, he argues, it is important that attention is paid to the distinction between research about and research in literacy and numeracy education, as these two types of research serve different purposes using different strategies. The article closes with a call for more reliable research-based information in order to inform and enrich the professional judgement of educators.RésuméTERRA INCOGNITA: COMMENT LA RECHERCHE PEUT AIDER À DRESSER UNE CARTE D’UN TERRAIN ENCORE INEXPLORÉ DANS L’ALPHABÉTISATION DES ADULTES – le but de cet article est de faire des premières suggestions quant À la façon dont certains aspects de l’alphabÉtisation des adultes et de l’Éducation en calcul tireraient bÉnÉfice des ressources de la recherche. L’auteur identifie plusieurs problèmes affectant la recherche en alphabÉtisation, tel que le manque de capacitÉ limitÉe de la recherche et le manque d’un forum international commun. Il discute ensuite de quatre aspects plus en dÉtail : modèles d’alphabÉtisation, avantages de l’Éducation en alphabÉtisation, pratiques d’enseignement, et effets de divers arrangements pour la pratique. Dans tous ces secteurs, soutient-il, il est important de prêter attention À la distinction entre la recherche au sujet de et la recherche dans l’Éducation en alphabÉtisation et en calcul, dans la mesure où ces deux types de recherche servent des buts diffÉrents utilisant des stratÉgies diffÉrentes. L’article se referme sur un appel pour une information plus fiable basÉe sur la recherche afin d’informer et d’enrichir le jugement professionnel des Éducateurs.ZusammenfassungTERRA INCOGNITA: WIE DIE FORSCHUNG DABEI HELFEN KANN, UNERFORSCHTES GELÄNDE DER ERWACHSENENALPHABETISIERUNG ZU KARTIEREN – Dieser Artikel gibt erste Hinweise darauf, in welcher Weise die Ergebnisse der Forschung für bestimmte Aspekte der Ausbildung Erwachsener in Lesen, Schreiben und Rechnen von Nutzen sein könnten. Der Autor benennt verschiedene Faktoren mit problematischem Einfluss auf die Alphabetisierungsforschung, wie etwa begrenzte ForschungskapazitÄten oder das Fehlen eines gemeinsamen internationalen Forums. Vier Aspekte werden im einzelnen diskutiert: Unterschiedliche Alphabetisierungsmodelle, Vorteile von Alphabetisierung und Bildung, diverse Unterrichtspraktiken sowie die Auswirkungen bestimmter Praxissettings. Der Autor legt dar, dass es in all diesen Bereichen auf den Unterschied zwischen Forschung über Alphabetisierung/Rechenschulung und Forschung innerhalb von Alphabetisierung ankommt, da diese unterschiedlichen Forschungsweisen durch die Anwendung unterschiedlicher Strategien unterschiedlichen Zwecken dienen. Der Artikel endet mit dem Ruf nach mehr und zuverlÄssiger forschungsbasierter Information zur Förderung der Urteilsbildung von Mitarbeitenden im Bildungsbereich.ResumenTERRA INCOGNITA: CÓMO LA INVESTIGACIÓN PUEDE AYUDAR A VISUALIZAR TERRENOS INEXPLORADOS EN LA ALFABETIZACIÓN DE PERSONAS ADULTAS – Con este artículo, el autor presenta primeras sugerencias sobre cÓmo se podrían beneficiar con recursos de la investigaciÓn determinados aspectos de la alfabetizaciÓn de personas adultas y la educaciÓn en matemáticas. El autor identifica varios puntos relacionados con la investigaciÓn sobre alfabetizaciÓn, tales como las limitaciones de capacidades de investigaciÓn y la falta de un foro internacional compartido. Además, se ocupa con mayor detalle de cuatro aspectos: modelos de alfabetizaciÓn, beneficios de la educaciÓn en lectoescritura, prácticas de instrucciÓn y los efectos de diversos enfoques sobre la práctica. En todas estas áreas, según el autor, es importante hacer una distinciÓn entre la investigaciÓn sobre la alfabetizaciÓn de personas adultas en un contexto social más amplio, y la investigaciÓn sobre temas internos relacionados con la promociÓn de la alfabetizaciÓn de personas adultas, ya que estos dos tipos de investigaciÓn sirven a diferentes propÓsitos aplicando estrategias diferentes. El artículo termina reclamando una informaciÓn basada en la investigaciÓn que sea más confiable, para aportar conocimientos y enriquecer el criterio profesional de los educadores.