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This article constitutes a 'reply and alternative' to two papers that appeared in a 2021 Special Issue of British Educational Research Journal. Both articles drew on theories of populism as a political logic to explain recent trends in England's education policy. I begin by highlighting how the contributors mobilise 'populist' political logics within their own 'anti‐populist' discourse. I then argue that the theory of epistemic communities, borrowed from the field of public policy analysis, offers an alternative interpretation of the dynamics described in (and exemplified by) the two articles. This alternative interpretation foregrounds the values, beliefs and policy enterprises of two rival communities that seek to influence education policy through the supply of expertise. I argue that attending to how these communities function helps explain how a new group of policy entrepreneurs has come to constitute an increasingly influential 'counter‐epistemic community' and established a mutually beneficial trade in legitimacy with English policy makers. To date, the theory of epistemic communities has been under‐utilised in the study of education policy, but applying the theory to education policy in England provides new insights into how these communities function when the nature of expertise is contested. England's educational policy context also exemplifies the importance of 'fit' between policy makers and experts' beliefs, and the role of policy makers in assembling and curating communities of experts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The historic environment—comprising a palimpsest of landscapes, buildings and objects—carries meaning and plays a crucial role in giving people a sense of place, identity and belonging. It represents a repository of ever-accumulating collective and individually held values—shared perceptions, experiences, life histories, beliefs and traditions. These social or private values are mostly ascribed by people to familiar places within this environment based on the ontological security which this everyday heritage provides. However, these values are notoriously hard to capture and categorize. This makes it difficult to incorporate them into heritage-management strategies, which typically rely on objective, fact-based datasets. In this paper, we present a new methodology to capture those elusive values, by combining Topic Modelling with the principles of Grounded Theory. Results show that our novel approach is viable and replicable and that these important values can be effectively and meaningfully integrated, thus creating more inclusive approaches to heritage management than exist currently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstinence from alcohol is a way of life for many American evangelicals, with rates of abstention running at over 70% among some Pentecostal denominations. This paper examines the religious beliefs that, historically, have supported teetotalism. The most notable of these is Christian perfection, a doctrine that originated in 18th-century England, that was then radicalized in America in the early 19th century. Abstinence from alcohol is highest among denominations that make Christian perfection the cornerstone of their teachings, and lowest among those that discount human agency. The paper also argues that 19th-century American evangelicals were by no means committed uniformly to temperance as a way of life, and that this was especially true of the various Methodist churches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper is concerned with the conflicting principles revealed respectively by those who argue for the common school and by those who seek to promote a system of schools that, though maintained by the state, might reflect the different religious beliefs within the community. The philosopher, John Dewey, is appealed to in defence of the common school, though similar ideas are reflected in the developing comprehensive ideal in Britain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The introduction to this paper provides a brief review of the literature on religious belief and practice suggesting that much of this remains to be fully assimilated within the sociology of religion. The paper examines the contention that contemporary British religious practice can be characterized as 'believing without belonging'. Drawing on a survey of rural residents in five areas of England, the paper suggests that a majority of people express high levels of religious belief and a sense of belonging to a particular denomination. Formal religious observance is, however, low. Through a detailed examination of attitudes to the Church of England, a picture emerges of a populace with a well developed sense of the role of the Church and its clergy which is, in the main, affirmative and positive. An important question remains as to why such sentiment is so unevenly transmitted into formal religious observance such as regular attendance at church services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the beliefs and practices of university lecturers around assessment theories and their links with teaching practices. Given the discrepancies in the literature, the research explored the gap in theoretical understandings of summative and formative assessment and the relationship between them, as well as the relationship with lecturers' own practices. In total, 109 lecturers from a Colombian institution of higher education participated. An instrument consisting mainly of quantitative questions, with some qualitative questions, which was originally designed to investigate these beliefs and practices among higher education lecturers in England, was used. The translation, validation and reliability processes of the instrument were carried out. Thus, an exploratory factorial study was performed to establish the dimensions of the instrument, determining seven factors. The results indicate discrepancies between what lecturers understand by formative and summative assessment and their practices in the classroom. This coincides with the theoretical contradictions also found in the analysis of specialised literature. It is concluded that a detailed understanding of the discrepancies between beliefs and practices would be valuable in redesigning the ways in which the training of lecturers' assessment competencies is approached. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article develops a paper presented at the British Association of Interchurch Families 40th Anniversary Conference, Swanwick, UK, 23-25 August 2008. It is divided into two parts. The first part provides an introduction into the concept of 'domestic church', thereby referring briefly to its origins in the NT and in the early Church and focussing more extensively on its retrieval in the recent magisterial teaching of the Roman Catholic church. It is also asked in which areas of theology and faith practice the concept may be fruitful and where its possible shortcomings may lie. The second part explores what the significance of the concept could be for interchurch families and, vice versa, what interchurch families' specific contribution is to further developing the (idea of) domestic church. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Ontological interpretation sheds light on the nature of educators' ideological beliefs. • Ideological beliefs involve the attribution of values to ontological categories. • EAL educators hold and shift between different ontological beliefs. • EAL educators conceptualize language primarily in terms of national identity. • EAL students lacking English can be conceptualized by educators as lacking language. • Ontological clarity should be included as an important goal of teacher development. In this paper we propose that careful analysis of educators' ontological beliefs concerning English and other languages can be interpreted from their attitudinal discourse and can shed light on how potentially harmful ideological beliefs persist in educational systems. We explore the relationship between ideological and ontological beliefs about language(s) and argue that the ontological dimension has been overlooked in previous work on educator ideologies. Analysis of interview data from educators working with English as an Additional Language (EAL) students at seven primary schools in the north of England suggests a pervasive hegemonic ideological belief, consistent with the 'monolingual habitus', in which English is commonly positioned as 'language itself' and other languages are associated with stratified levels of cultural capital. From this analysis, we infer shared conceptualizations of English and other languages, and of nation and national identity, separately from the values associated with them. We address how a process of ontological interpretation can potentially be used in teacher development programmes to allow educators to understand and reassess their own ideologies and professional practices, challenging and more effectively resisting unhelpful narratives from those in positions of greater power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The article presents an overview of the utilization of moral certainty and the phrase, beyond reasonable doubt, in the eighteenth century context and culture of England. It offers information on the interdisciplinary concerns of authors Barbara Shapiro and Ronnie Lippens about general beliefs of society on proof and evidences. Moreover, the evolution and history of criminal trials are also mentioned.

Research into the relationship between the Anglican tradition and its schools is relatively undeveloped in England. The research reported here draws on Benne's (2001) significant components of the relationship between educational institutions and their founding religious tradition to examine whether these components are a helpful way of describing religious character in Anglican schools. While school leaders and staff are committed to the Christian faith and seek to establish an ethos informed by Christian beliefs and practices, they are less able to articulate a distinctive philosophy of education particularly with respect to teaching, learning and the curriculum; some reasons for this are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Context The attitudes of medical professionals towards physician assisted dying have been widely discussed. Less explored is the level of agreement among physicians on the possibility of 'rational suicide'-- a considered suicide act made by a sound mind and a precondition of assisted dying legislation. Objective To assess attitudes towards rational suicide in a representative sample of senior doctors in England and Wales. Methods A postal survey was conducted of 1000 consultants and general practitioners randomly selected from a commercially available database. The main outcome of interest was level of agreement with a statement about rational suicide. Results The corrected participation rate was 50%; 363 questionnaires were analysed. Overall 72% of doctors agreed with the possibility of rational suicide, 17% disagreed, and 11% were neutral. Doctors who identified themselves as being more religious were more likely to disagree. Some doctors who disagreed with legalisation of physician assisted suicide nevertheless agreed with the concept of rational suicide. Conclusions Most senior doctors in England and Wales feel that rational suicide is possible. There was no association with specialty. Strong religious belief was associated with disagreement, although levels of agreement were still high in people reporting the strongest religious belief. Most doctors who were opposed to physician assisted suicide believed that rational suicide was possible, suggesting that some medical opposition is best explained by other factors such as concerns of assessment and protection of vulnerable patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the compatibility of Richard Hooker's radical views on the freedom of the will and the resistibility of grace with his views on Augustinian doctrine of predestination. It highlights on Hooker's late manuscript defence that he wrote shortly before his death in 1600, in which he defended his views when it was criticized as heterodox and reminiscent of the dangerous opinions spread across England. Hooker's views on predestination in relation to Reformed tradition is evaluated, particularly on the order of the divine decrees and his distinction between the God's antecedent and consequent will. The article argues that in his doctrine of divine foreknowledge, Hooker incorporated the highly controversial Molinist concept of divine 'middle knowledge.'

The article presents a review concerning the works and devotional manuscripts of the patrons of English organist and church music composer William Byrd. It notes that Byrd dedicated each of the printed collection to every one of his patrons, and that some of the patrons were his friends and were also involved with the production and even the performance of Byrd's music. Patrons that were mentioned include Henry Howard (15440-1614), which was considered the most paradoxical figure among the patrons and John Lumley (1534-1609), patron of Byrd's 1591 "Cantiones sacrae." It mentions that the manuscripts made by Howard and Lumley invoke some larger questions about religious practice and religious loyalty in early modern England.

When making decisions about prenatal diagnosis, couples not only draw on their understanding of the condition but also broader aspects of their cultural identity. This article looks at how faith and religion mediate attitudes towards screening, prenatal diagnosis and termination of pregnancy for sickle cell and thalassaernia disorders. The article specifically reports on a qualitative study, which used focus groups from a variety of faith communities (Muslim, Sikh, Hindu and Christian), at risk of haemoglobin disorders, living in England. Our findings suggest that the decision about whether or not to have diagnostic testing generally related to attitudes towards the termination of pregnancy. The consequences of the condition were as important as religious beliefs to most people. More generally, faith beliefs emerged as negotiable and contingent: realized within a broader moral framework. Religion was felt not to be prescriptive and reproductive decisions were seen as personal. When making decisions, people utilize faith within a broader context of individual, family and social relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports on an investigation into the language learning beliefs of students of French in England, aged 16 to 18. It focuses on qualitative data from two groups of learners (10 in total). While both groups had broadly similar levels of achievement in French in terns of examination success, they dffered greatly in the self-image they had of themselves as language learners, with one group displaying low levels of self-eficacy beliefs regarding the possibility of future success. The implica tions of such beliefs for students' levels of motivation and persistence are discussed, together with their possible causes. The article concludes by suggesting changes in classroom practice that might help students develop a more positive image of them selves as language learners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decline in church attendance in England is well documented, though explanations vary. One explanation is that worship services themselves may be unattractive; even when Christian belief (of some kind) continues, there is no perceived need to express this through worship. Religious experiences of former attenders are not easily accessible; here the focus is on the religious experience in worship of those currently attending church services. Religious experience is considered in terms of three types of personal, religious and contextual characteristics. There are five key findings: the quality of worship experience is directly related to a sense of belonging; compared to United Reformed and Methodist congregations, Anglican churches provide an exciting and spirit‐filled experience; Salvationists tend to have a more positive experience of worship than others—but are also more likely to be bored; some positive experiences are more likely for people who rarely attend than for monthly or frequent attenders; finally, those new to a congregation are substantially more likely than others to have positive experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Part I. Focuses on the religion and social organization of Irish travellers on a London, England caravan site. Major reasons why Irish traveller religion has been neglected; Religious beliefs and activities of travellers; Basic component unit of Traveller social organization.

Background: Despite robust evidence for their effectiveness, it has proven difficult to translate alcohol prevention activities into routine health care practice. Previous research has identified numerous provider-level barriers affecting implementation, but these have been less extensively investigated in the wider population. We sought to: (1) investigate patients' beliefs and attitudes to being asked about alcohol consumption in health care; and (2) identify the characteristics of those who are supportive of addressing alcohol consumption in health care.Methods: Cross-sectional household interviews conducted as part of the national Alcohol Toolkit Study in England between March and April 2017. Data were collected on age, gender, social grade, drinking category, and beliefs and attitudes to being asked about alcohol in routine health care. Unadjusted and multivariate-adjusted logistic regression models were performed to investigate associations between socio-demographic characteristics and drinking category with being "pro-routine" (i.e. 'agree completely' that alcohol consumption should be routinely addressed in health care) or "pro-personal" (i.e. 'agree completely' that alcohol is a personal matter and not something health care providers should ask about).Results: Data were collected on 3499 participants, of whom 50% were "pro-routine" and 10% were "pro-personal". Those in social grade C1, C2, D and E were significantly less likely than those in AB of being "pro-routine". Women were less likely than men to be "pro-personal", and those aged 35-44 or 65 years plus more likely to be "pro-personal" compared with participants aged 16-24. Respondents aged 65 plus were twice as likely as those aged 16-24 to agree completely that alcohol consumption is a personal matter and not something health care providers should ask about (OR 2.00, 95% CI 1.34-2.99).Conclusions: Most adults in England agree that health care providers should routinely ask about patients' alcohol consumption. However, older adults and those in lower socio-economic groups are less supportive. Drinking status appears to have limited impact on whether people believe that alcohol is a personal matter and not something health care providers should ask about.Registration: Open Science Framework ( https://osf.io/xn2st/ ). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]