Sally Elton-Chalcraft

‘We are like dictionaries, Miss, you can look things up in us’: evaluating child-centred research methods

Research concerning children is often presented with only a brief comment on the research methods adopted. This paper takes a ‘behind the scenes’ view and I discuss my adoption of a non-hierarchical ‘least adult role’ adapted from Mandells work in 1991 to undertake qualitative research in the sensitive area of childrens multicultural awareness in two high-proportion minority ethnic schools and two schools with a predominantly white intake. I discuss my approach as a ‘traveller’ rather than a ‘miner’ and the use of jelly beans and Bean Sheet to gauge the childrens perceptions of their multicultural awareness. The value placed on the role of the child in the research design and implementation is examined, and I evaluate the advantages and limitations of adopting such child-centred approaches for the teacher researcher.

Counter Terrorism Law and Education: Student Teachers’ Induction into UK Prevent Duty Through the Lens of Bauman’s Liquid Modernity

This chapter explores the way student teachers understand their professional role in relation to the UK’s counter terrorism legislation as it relates to schools. Data were collected from one hundred and fifty students based on their experiences in schools and analysed using Bauman’s notion of liquid modernity as a theoretical frame. We argue that despite a normative attachment to notions of professional objectivity and political detachment in the classroom, most student teachers interpreted their new duties as legitimate and were uncritical of legislation and policy that expects them to play an overtly political role in schools.

Gender, race, faith and economics: Factors impacting on aspirant school leaders

This article explores factors inhibiting or encouraging women and men from Black and Minority ethnic (BME) and also white backgrounds to pursue leadership positions in English schools. Data are drawn from a commissioned evaluation of three National College of Teaching and Leadership (NCTL)-funded courses which investigated the extent to which the 33 participants felt their course successfully prepared them to take on a leadership role. Findings showed that although primary aspirant head teachers and most women into secondary headship gained confidence and felt more competent as their courses progressed, their desire to become leaders, in some cases, decreased. The opposite was the case for the BME participants, most of whom cited, along with increased confidence and perceived competence, an increased desire to become middle leaders, despite some accounts of prejudicial treatment. Factors cited by participants as impacting negatively on their desire to become leaders included work–life balance, accountability, faith, economic factors (size of school, travel costs) and issues concerning gender, particularly for women participants, who saw themselves as leaders both at work and in the home. Findings provide an insight into the continuing structural inequalities experienced by a small sample of aspirant school leaders which have implications for future leadership preparation provision.