Yvonne Hillier

Deliberative Policy Analysis: Adult Literacy Assessment and the Politics of Change.

The field of adult literacy in England has a long history, but has particularly developed during the last three decades. Along with the rest of post‐school education and training, it has been substantially reshaped by national policy initiatives since the 1970s. During this period it has struggled to assert itself as a legitimate area of policy and practice through changing political, economic and cultural times. This article draws upon a research project funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) that tracked the development of adult literacy, numeracy and ESOL from the 1970s to 2000 using life history interviews and documentary policy analysis to compare policy, practitioner and learner perspectives. The article discusses the key influences that have shaped this new field. It describes the deliberative policy analysis framework used to analyse the data and to identify tensions and gaps that have existed between practice, policy and research. It illustrates the analysis by applying it to one key thematic area that emerged from the study, that of assessment.

Innovation in VET: networks and niggles

This article draws upon research funded by the National Council for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) on trends in teaching and learning in vocational education and training (VET) in Australia and internationally in the United Kingdom and Europe and from a series of workshops on innovation in teaching and learning in VET which the authors conducted in March 2009 in Australia. We discuss attitudes and perceptions held by Australian VET practitioners about innovation in VET that emerged from the workshops and the research and draw attention to the central role that networking plays in the process of innovation. These findings then serve as a lens for examining innovation theories and models of innovation that are applicable to change and improvement in education. We argue the focus should be shifted from leading edge innovation and ‘natural’ innovators to environments in which mainstream VET professionals work. We conclude that innovation ecology is a more helpful model to understand innovation in VET teaching and learning practices.

‘Nothing will prevent me from doing a good job’. The professionalisation of part‐time teaching staff in further and adult education

Approximately 85,000 part‐time teaching staff working in further education (FE) and adult and community learning (ACL) are often seen as ‘a problem’. The intrinsic ‘part‐timeness’ of these staff tends to marginalise them: they remain under‐recognised and largely unsupported. Yet this picture is over‐simplified. This article examines how part‐time staff make creative use of professional autonomy and agency to mitigate problematic ‘casual employment’ conditions, reporting on results from Learning and Skills Development Agency‐sponsored research (2002–2006) with 700 part‐time staff in the learning and skills sector. The question of agency was reported as a key factor in part‐time employment. Change is necessary for the professional agency of part‐timers to be harnessed as the sector responds to ambitious sectoral ‘improvement’ agendas following the Foster Report and FE White Paper. Enhanced professionalisation for part‐time staff needs greater recognition and inclusion in change agendas.

Critical practitioners, developing researchers: the story of practitioner research in the lifelong learning sector

This article examines the growth of practitioner research in England through the creation of the Learning and Skills Research Network (LSRN) and identifies its effect on subsequent developments in what is generally known as the Lifelong Learning Sector (LLS). It offers an analysis of this development as a case study in developing practitioner research. Staff in further education (FE) and adult and community learning (ACL) are normally expected to focus on teaching and training rather than undertake research, in contrast with their counterparts in higher education (HE) where, particularly in the more traditional universities, staff are expected to undertake research as primary focus. The increasing focus on evidence‐based policy making by government provides a growing impetus to foster research capability within the LLS. The large organisational structures that comprise the LLS today demand strong management of resources, human, capital and financial. For any government targets to be met, the sector needs to be galvanised into appropriate and effective action. To best achieve this requires research and development and the practitioners could benefit from this need to develop their own research skills in the creation of, and use of, research findings. The author argues that research in the LLS needs to be designed appropriately but also needs to be undertaken where the intervention and origination of targets and goals is not a political but a sector‐led endeavour.

Exploring practice – research networks for critical professional learning

This paper discusses the contribution that practice-research networks can make to support critical professional development in the Learning and Skills sector in England. By practice-research networks we mean groups or networks which maintain a connection between research and professional practice. These networks stem from the philosophy of practitioner and action research in education. We use two examples both from higher and further education in England where continuing professional development has become a mandatory requirement for teachers in the Further Education (FE) sector. Our examples suggest that critical professional development can occur and although we are able to begin to identify some of the ways that these networks operate it is less clear which appropriate theories should support our work. The second part of the paper therefore explores some theoretical perspectives that focus on networks operating as systems. We discuss Actor Network Theory and Activity Theory which show how networks are populated by individuals with agency and suggest that a helpful way to contextualise the benefits of networks is provided by the concept of expansive learning providing a different understanding of how professional learning and development take place.

The changing faces of adult literacy, language and numeracy: literacy policy and implementation in the UK

This article draws upon a research project funded by the ESRC (R000239387) that tracked the development of adult literacy, numeracy and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) from the 1970s to 2000 in England using life‐history interviews and documentary policy analysis to compare policy, practitioner and learner perspectives. The article discusses the key influences shaping the field. It outlines the Deliberative Policy Analysis framework used to analyse the data. It identifies tensions and gaps that have existed between practice, policy and research. It illustrates the analysis through discussion of key thematic areas that emerged from the study.

Working together: community and university partnerships

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how government policy has encouraged universities and their community group partnerships to work together through the relationship between the University of Brighton and members of community groups in Hastings who are researching recent educational regeneration in the town. It identifies lessons learnt from engaging community members with such research.Design/methodology/approach – The University of Brighton in Hastings was set up to be a catalyst for change in one of the most deprived coastal towns in the country. The Coastal Regeneration Research Centre (CRRC) was created in 2008 to undertake a research‐led programme within, and focused upon, the community and has established a track record of research and engagement in this community. Research projects have been supported by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), East Sussex County Council (ESCC) and Hastings Borough Council (HBC) and the Ore Valley Forum.Findings – The relationship b...

Working Together: Research and Scholarly Activity in Further, Adult and Vocational Education.

Vocational education and training (VET) systems differ internationally regarding how practitioners are required to hold qualifications to teach, or undertake continuing professional development. Few require the undertaking of research into professional practice, although in some cases there are strategies to encourage and enhance this. This article provides an insight into how vocational practitioners in England have been encouraged to examine their professional practice through two initiatives: a research network and an HE-supported practitioner-research programme. Both have attempted to create systematic, collaborative approaches to changing and improving professional practice by placing the practitioner at the heart of their activities. The challenges of supporting such initiatives are examined in the context of the increasing demands placed upon practitioners as VET is directed to meet economic goals of many nation states.