Ralph Catts

SOCIAL CAPITAL, SOCIAL INCLUSION AND CHANGING SCHOOL CONTEXTS: A SCOTTISH PERSPECTIVE

ABSTRACT: This paper synthesises a collaborative review of social capital theory, with particular regard for its relevance to the changing educational landscape within Scotland. The review considers the common and distinctive elements of social capital, developed by the founding fathers – Putnam, Bourdieu and Coleman – and explores how these might help to understand the changing contexts and pursue opportunities for growth.

Information Skills Survey: Its Application to a Medical Course

Objective - To test if the Information Skills Survey(Catts Information Skills Survey for Assessment of Information Literacy in Higher Education) is suitable for the purpose of investigating the information literacy levels of a group of students in medicine. If not, the study was designed to determine the modifications that are necessary to make the Information Skills Survey a reliable instrument for investigating the information literacy levels of a group of students in medicine. Method - Administration of the Information Skills Survey to two groups of medical students. To confirm the validity of the results, follow up questions and interviews were also conducted. Statistical analysis was carried out to determine the internal consistency of the questions in relation to the Information Literacy Standards and also to determine the statistical significance of the results. Results - The two groups of students reported similar results for a number of the tested skills. However, several areas of difference were also identified. The main areas of difference between the two groups were the questions that can be interpreted as being related to clinical practice. This was also emphasised in the interviews. Conclusions - The Information Skills Survey is a useful tool to investigate the information literacy skills of groups of medical students who are in their early years of study. Further research needs to be done to develop valid questions for medical students in the clinical years. This would reflect the different information resources that are used in clinical practice.

Schools, Social Capital and Space.

This paper reports on the significance of social capital in relation to education, exploring its relevance to teachers and other professionals as well as among young people. It draws on aspects of five case studies undertaken by the Schools and Social Capital Network, within the Applied Educational Research Scheme in Scotland. These case studies focused on: an Inclusive Learning Network of teachers and parents of disabled children and young people concerned with inclusion; students from refugee families in one primary and one secondary school, working in association with Asylum Seekers Support Project units; young participants in a local authority youth club; independent (private) schools and a Get Ready for Work Programme. A framework for accounting for bonding, bridging and linking social capital as practices was developed and space was an emergent theme from these case studies.

Recognising current competencies of volunteers in emergency service organisations

Purpose – The paper seeks to show the relationship between organisational structure and flexibility of training has not been well researched. Focusing on the role of recognition of current competencies, this study provides evidence of the effects of the former on the latter.Design/methodology/approach – In this paper evidence was obtained by comparing six emergency service organisations using comparative case study. Data were collected through individual and group interviews and from document searches. Organisations were categorised as organistic or mechanistic based on volunteer experiences and published organisational structures. The flexibility of curriculum, delivery of training, and recognition of current competence were assessed and compared with organisational structure.Findings – The paper finds that mechanistic organisations had high levels of insular trust and relied on training as a means of socialising new volunteers into the norms and practices of the organisation. They required all recruits ...

Introduction: Innovations in Theory and Practice

International changes in society, including changes in economic power and management, new technology, demands for sustainability and demographic changes have challenged those who work in vocational learning sectors to consider approaches that will support workforce development and adult education. Many years and resources have been put into the formal system of vocational learning, while less government resources have been expended on informal learning systems. Pertinent questions for the formal system sector include what could and should be done to better provide vocational learning for those presently likely to pursue learning via both the formal and informal sectors. The theoretical aspects of vocational learning that support the development and understanding of vocational learning processes and practices are set out in this chapter, and an overview is offered of the diverse range of international examples of innovative approaches to vocational education theory and practice presented in this book.

Reviews: E-Learning and Social Networking Handbook: Resources for Higher Education, Lifelong Learning in Later Life – A Handbook on Older Adult Learning

This book tackles two substantial issues of significance throughout education including higher education. The first is to provide a review of current literature on e-learning and social networking in higher education. The second is to provide a handbook of resources and exemplars of the use of 20 forms of e-learning. The publication is in its second edition and four of the six chapters represent the discussion of the substantive educational issues that make this an important topic in the context of higher education. The authors discuss aspects of e-learning design and the choice to be made among forms of e-learning, and the constraints in course design. These sections are essentially the same as in the first edition and I could not find any references in these chapters to publications since 2007. The other two chapters are a large Chapter 4 which provides information and an exemplar for each of the 20 selected examples of e-learning resources. This chapter makes up half the substantive text. There is also a very short and very general ‘postscript’ which attempts an update of developments in e-learning from 2008 to 2013. Chapter Four is entitled ‘The tools in practice’ and consists of a summary for each of the selected forms of e-learning and social networking tools including wikis, gaming, and e-books. Each of the 20 forms of ICT tools is necessarily treated in a summary and descriptive format given the limited allocation of more or less four pages of text. The commentaries make generalisations and hence do not differentiate between different forms of the same type of ICT resource. For example, social networking is addressed in one four-page section which includes MySpace and Facebook but not LinkedIn. Twitter however is given a separate section. I could find no mention of the various proprietorial forms of social networking which are used in secondary schools, and nor is reference made to e-learning platforms like Moodle, Blackboard, or Web-CT. Likewise, all forms of ‘games and simulation’ are treated together in another short four-page descriptive section. These generalised summaries are insufficient to provide a reader with a basis for either deciding on the utility of the form of e-learning resource or for selecting between available options or strategies for use. A further limitation of the classification system is the segmentation of e-learning resources which in

Community education, learning and development

Hammond cites other cases in North Carolina, Connecticut, and California, where state politicians have handled education reform for better or worse. Darling-Hammond believes that the significant improvements to the US education system may provide solutions to social issues like poverty, poor parenting, and the belief of inferiority continue to plague low-income, minority students. In Chapters 6–7, Darling-Hammond states that the top priority among educational reformers in the US is to improve student achievement among low-income, minority schools. The author mentions that in the 1970s, the US was the unquestioned education leader in the world. However, currently, the US is among the lowest achieving first-world countries. The author sees this significant drop to be attributed to a lack of attention and resources in schools for low-income, minority students. She finds examples through the countries with the highest achievement: Finland, South Korea, and Singapore. She states:

Vocational Learning Futures

Successful vocational learning outcomes depend on two factors. The first is the system itself and the way it is structured, how the system endorses and accredits skills, and the degree to which it includes and recognizes learner outcomes. The second, and perhaps the more important, is the quality and success of the learning that occurs during vocational learning experiences, whether those are formal or informal. Improving vocational learning outcomes requires us to develop an understanding of what research tells us about two aspects of the learning experience, namely what contributes to the nature and structure of the system, how well it caters to the needs of learners, industry and society, and what factors contribute to successful vocational learning. This chapter analyses the studies discussed in this book to illustrate the implications for practice and for theory. The analysis demonstrates that vocational learning is achieved by people who are enabled to access and use networks where information and skills are accessible. Formal TVET models that meet the challenges for future workforces will then recognize and connect to learners’ contexts and identities, while enabling them to develop, maintain and expand their vocational skills.

Mature Adult Learning and Employment

In most developed economies a substantial number of mature adults are not in employment for many and diverse reasons. Many have low prior educational attainments, low self-esteem and have been living in poverty. Most nations have initiated efforts to engage unemployed mature adults but in the main these have limited success. Most of these retraining programmes focus on numeracy, literacy and especially skills in using information technology. This chapter provides evidence for a more successful strategy. A reanalysis of data collected in Australia in 2003 has identified the crucial importance of recovering social identity and strengthening social capital as the prerequisites for successful re-entry to further education and employment. The conditions for success in designing initial re-entry programmes for adults are outlined.