Terry Haydn

Recruiting and Retaining Teachers:Understanding Why Teachers Teach

This book is a culmination of several research studies (Cockburn, 1993, 1994, 1996a, 1996b, 1997, 2000; Haydn, Cockburn and Oliver, 2000) and examines why people embark on teaching as a career and their reasons for remaining or leaving the profession. A range of research strategies were used with a concentration on semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. Data were accumulated from over 2000 respondents. The research provides new insight into what job seekers desire from their careers and why teachers remain in teaching despite the increasing challenges. The book is of particular value at a time when large numbers of teachers are experiencing high levels of stress and leaving the profession prematurely as it provides new insight into both what motivates teachers and what demoralizes them. The book proposal was refereed prior to acceptance for publication. Cockburn wrote half of the book and undertook 75% of the research.

'First do no harm': Factors influencing teachers' ability and willingness to use ICT in their subject teaching

Abstract The paper reports on a Department of Culture, Museums and Sport (DCMS) funded project which provided modest amounts of time for teachers to be freed from their classroom teaching to explore the use of information and communications technology (ICT) in their subject teaching, and to meet up together to discuss their use of new technology. The funding was sufficient to provide a day of supply cover for two groups of secondary teachers in different curriculum subjects (history and science) to meet towards the start of the academic year to discuss their use of ICT, a day of supply cover to work on their ideas and interests, and a day to meet together again towards the end of the year to share ideas and experiences. The rationale behind the project was to allow teachers the freedom to explore their own areas of interest in the area of ICT and to avoid a prescriptive or ‘coverage’ based approach. There was a conscious attempt to avoid target setting and audits and teachers were encouraged to come to the end of year meeting even if they had nothing ‘to put on the table’. The concluding section of the paper describes the outcomes of the project. The main issue to emerge was the highly positive reaction of the teachers involved. Whilst for some there were significant ICT outputs, all those involved found the process useful and enjoyable, especially the collaborative sharing process in the final session. This was in marked contrast to other ICT training experiences which many of the teachers had been involved with.

IDENTITY AND SCHOOL HISTORY: THE PERSPECTIVE OF YOUNG PEOPLE FROM THE NETHERLANDS AND ENGLAND

ABSTRACT: The article presents the findings from a survey of over 400 young people in metropolitan areas in the Netherlands and England concerning their views on identity and school history. The research explored pupils’ ideas about which facets of history were of interest to them, what history they believed should be taught in schools, and their views on the purposes of school history and history in general. The coding of the data made it possible to delineate between those from different ethnic minority backgrounds, boys and girls, age and level of education and first or second generation of migration. The study revealed significant differences between young peoples ideas about history and identity, and those advanced by politicians and policy makers in the Netherlands, England and elsewhere. The concluding section of the paper considers the implications of the findings for policy makers in the field of history education in schools.

Pupils' enjoyment of history: what lessons can teachers learn from their pupils?

This article explores pupil attitudes towards history as a school subject in England, with a view to developing a better understanding of the factors which influence disaffection or engagement with the subject. The study attempts to identify what pupils like and dislike about how they are taught and what they are taught in history lessons. The study was carried out in 12 secondary schools with pupils aged 11–14. Questionnaires were returned from 1740 pupils and 160 of these were involved in focus group interviews. The findings show that how pupils are taught appears to matter more than what they are taught and identifies teaching approaches that pupils considered to be particularly effective, and teaching approaches that appear to contribute to pupil disaffection and disengagement from the subject. The study also provides insights into the extent to which pupils find history enjoyable compared to other school subjects. Although the study is primarily of interest to history teachers, it may also be of interest to teachers of other subjects who have a concern for the degree of pupil engagement with their subject.

How do you get pre-service teachers to become ‘good at ICT’ in their subject teaching? The views of expert practitioners

The paper reports on a particular strand of the outcomes of the English contribution to an Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development comparative study, ICT in Initial Teacher Training, which aimed to develop insights into how courses of initial teacher training prepare student teachers to use information and communications technology (ICT) effectively in their teaching. The paper extracts from the broader dataset the views of practitioners who were identified as being particularly ‘expert’ in their use of ICT, on what strategies and interventions are most helpful in developing teachers who are able to use ICT to enhance learning in their subject teaching, and also what it means ‘to be good at ICT’ as a subject teacher. Although some findings confirm research elsewhere on the importance of Technological and Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) frameworks, other aspects of the study question some of the assumptions which have been made about teacher induction in this field in England, which may have implications for the training of pre-service teachers in other countries.

Pupil perspectives on the purposes and benefits of studying history in high school: a view from the UK

Drawing on data from 1740 pupil questionnaires and 160 pupils in focus‐group interviews, the study aimed to gain insight into British pupils’ ideas about why they study history at school. The paper considers the implications of these ideas for history teachers and teacher educators. The data suggest that many pupils have very vague ideas about the purposes of school history. The variations among schools suggested that there are things that teachers can do to explain the purposes and benefits of school history to their pupils. The outcomes of the study also indicate that there is a case for teachers devoting more time and thought to helping pupils to understand the purposes and benefits of studying their subject in secondary school in order to improve the motivation and engagement of their pupils. The study may also have similar implications for teachers of other school subjects.

High school students' views on history

The article reports the outcomes of a survey of 678 Dutch, English, and French students in multicultural high schools located in three urban areas, with the aim of developing insight into the sort of history they consider worthwhile. The research was undertaken in the context of widespread concern about the effects of recent migration patterns on the cohesion of the nation‐state. The outcomes show that many of these youngsters do not construe their identity in primarily national terms; their interest in the past lies mainly in areas such as family, religious, and trans‐national history. Using factor analysis, it was possible to identify five profiles of historical interest which could be related to students’ backgrounds. In addition to uncovering facets of history that are of interest to young people, these profiles revealed some remarkable differences. Native boys valued ‘Pride and connection with Dutch–English–French history’ more highly than native girls and all non‐natives. Non‐native students valued ‘Connection with history of migrants’ more highly than natives; girls appreciated this profile more than boys. The conclusion suggests that recent attempts to revive history in primarily national terms may result in a model of school history that many students consider irrelevant.

Classroom Management and Disaffection

Abstract This article reports on aspects of the Norwich Area Schools Consortium (NASC) cross-school Classroom Management and Disaffection research project undertaken as part of the NASC programme. It documents the dual interwoven ‘stories’ of teacher engagement in research as a learning expand the substantive research undertaken. The project took place in two stages, the focus of the second stage emerging from the analysis of the first stage. Research into both pupil and teacher perceptions concerning disaffection and classroom management was investigated in the first stage. The second stage attempted to unravel the complex relationships between disaffection, curriculum, pedagogy and context from pupil perspectives, with insights on the relationship between a good lesson and a good teacher being of particular interest. A full report on the NASC Classroom Management and Disaffection research is available from the authors.

What happens to a subject in a ‘free market’ curriculum? A study of secondary school history in the UK

Approximately 7 out of 10 pupils in England choose to exercise their right to drop history as a school subject as soon as they are able to do so (at the age of 13 or 14). However, this 30% overall take‐up rate conceals massive variations between schools, with over 80% of pupils continuing to study the subject in some schools, and under 5% in others. The study which was funded by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority sought to gain greater insight into the factors influencing post‐compulsory take‐up of history, with a complex range of factors emerging as influencing these figures. The findings should be of interest to those involved in history education in high schools and for those involved with other subjects that are similarly affected by the freeing up of the post‐14 curriculum.

Responsible research: in defence of measured conclusions and cautious claims

Taylor and Francis CCJE_GN_438959.sgm 10.1080/03057640903387818 mb idge Journal of Education 0305-764X (print)/1469-3577 (online) Original Article 2 9 & Francis 39 4 000December 2009 erryH y n t.haydn@ue . c.uk Many readers of this journal will be familiar with David Hargreaves’ critique of educational research. In his 1996 Teacher Training Agency lecture, Hargreaves argued that the gulf between education researchers and education practitioners, and the fact that much research in education does not impact on teachers’ practice, has made it easy for policy-makers to marginalise or disregard education research findings. In 2003, Foray and Hargreaves (2003, pp. 7–9) argued that ‘the capacity to produce and use knowledge’ was a problematic area in the professions, and that educational research in particular was characterised by ‘relatively slow knowledge production and dissemination’, and was weak in terms of ‘knowledge spillovers’. Other criticisms of educational research have come from Smithers (Times Educational Supplement, 22 January 1999), who argued for the quick transmission of findings ‘in disposable form’, and from Millett (1998) who argued that it was reasonable to expect ‘crisp summaries written in plain English’ which emphasised the practical implications of research findings. Although the UK government has acknowledged the importance which should be attached to evidence based practice, here also there is a concern that ‘those who want this information can get it easily and quickly’ (Blunkett, 2000, closing words). My thoughts about the qualities and virtues of the papers in this collection have been influenced by having recently read a high-profile UK government commissioned report which seemed (to me) to be disconcertingly confident and certain in some of its quite drastic and potentially disastrous recommendations, on the basis of what seemed to be a quite dubious ‘warrant’ in terms of the substance and method of the enquiry. (It is not possible to comprehensively substantiate this assertion within the word limits imposed by an editorial, and so it seems unfair to identify the report in question, but readers may wish to reflect on their own experience of encountering a research report that was over-confident rather than over-cautious in interpreting its findings.) There are some potential dangers in the demand for quick and ‘disposable’ research knowledge, particularly in a climate where policy-makers may be seeking to use education research as a means of validating their policies (Somekh, 2003a, b). In the words of Edwards (2000, p. 302):