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Wise technology integration is not simply a matter of selecting to use, but a matter of how to effectively use technology in context within the curriculum. Technology integration cognition should t...

The collection of papers in this Special Issue takes an innovative approach to one of the most contentious issues concerning the future of the education of teachers. Should we continue to rely on t...

In this paper, which takes the form of a dialogue, we discuss the possible directions that vocational education might take in the contemporary social, economic and technological context of the early 21st century. Taking account of the unresolved debates around vocational education internationally and future global economic demands for expertise we discuss tensions and dichotomies that continue to shape the character of vocational education by questioning definitions of the ‘vocational’ historically and in current policy. These include: the relation between ‘vocational’ and ‘academic’ pathways and the possibility of their integration, the meaning of technical education, the purpose of vocational qualifications, the role of trade unions and employers, and whether there should be a ‘skills route’ for ‘low attainers’. The principal focus is on the English context, although the discussion draws on comparative examples where relevant, as well as broader factors likely to be significant in any country.

We examined the malleability of two frequently-cited attitudes toward change and their relationship with transformational leadership using a repeated measures design for two time points separated b...

BACKGROUND: Event-specific drinking occasions (e.g. holidays, special occasions, school breaks) have been associated with heavy drinking and negative alcohol-related consequences among college students. The current study extends prior research by examining understudied holidays and changes in protective behavioral strategy use during these event-specific drinking occasions. METHOD: Participants were 537 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 who retrospectively reported drinking in the past two weeks. Several alcohol use variables (e.g., frequency, quantity, heavy episodic drinking frequency), negative alcohol-related consequences, and protective behavioral strategies were assessed for the previous 14 days. Ten event-specific drinking occasions were coded for the 14-day reporting period. A series of Analysis of Covariance models were conducted to examine differences on alcohol use variables, negative consequences, and protective behavioral strategies for weeks that included an event-specific drinking occasion relative to a no holiday reference timeframe. RESULTS: Compared to the no holiday reference group, several event-specific drinking occasions (e.g., Labor Day, Martin Luther King Day) were associated with greater alcohol use, negative consequences, and protective behavioral strategy use. In contrast, other occasions were determined to be low-risk holidays (e.g., Veterans Day) when protective behavioral strategies were less frequently used. Some occasions (e.g., spring break) did not exhibit the expected clear pattern of risk. CONCLUSIONS: College students’ alcohol use, negative consequences, and protective behavioral strategy use vary across event-specific drinking occasions. Determining which event-specific drinking occasions are associated with risky alcohol use and the lowest use of harm reduction strategies is important for prevention and intervention programs.

This Introduction provides an overview of the distinctive contribution of the late David Raffe to educational research in the UK and internationally over a 40-year period. His wide-ranging research on post-compulsory education and training systems was enriched by the development of conceptual distinctions that have become part of the lingua franca of sociology and the study of education reform. David’s particular style of scholarship focused on the improvement of education systems through collaborative working; historical and comparative analysis and the processes of policy learning. In particular he argued that both researchers and policy actors should understand the specificities of their own national contexts rather than simply engage in ‘policy borrowing’ from other contexts or countries. The Introduction also outlines how the various contributors to the journal have engaged with David’s scholarship, and demonstrates the continuing relevance of his intellectual legacy to understanding today’s turbulent political and policy world. © 2017 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

In this paper, following some brief introductory remarks, I provide a context to this Symposium by presenting a brief autobiographical account explaining how I became involved in curriculum theory and the idea of a knowledge-led curriculum and how I was led to write the paper under discussion. I then make brief comments on each of the six papers individually, concluding with some thoughts about the implications of the collection of papers as a whole for the future of curriculum theory.

I welcome John Beck’s paper (Beck, 2013) and its personal generosity, which stands in such contrast to the tone of John White’s earlier critique (White, 2012), to which he refers. His paper not onl...

This paper begins by identifying what it sees as the current crisis in curriculum theory. Following a brief history of the field, it argues that recent developments have led to it losing its object––what is taught and learned in school––and its distinctive role in the educational sciences. Arising from this brief account of the origins and nature of this ‘crisis’, the paper argues that curriculum theory must begin not from the learner but from the learner’s entitlement to knowledge. It then develops a framework for approaching the curriculum based on this assumption which is illustrated by an example of how the Head Teacher of a large secondary school in England used these ideas. Finally, it examines three widely held criticisms of the knowledge-based approach developed here and the issues that they raise.

To improve the quality of research and commentary concerning adolescent sexuality and evaluation of both comprehensive sexuality education and abstinence education programs, this article aims to help readers (1) select appropriate measures to study adolescent sexual behavior, (2) develop appropriate study designs to evaluate adolescent sexual health behavior intervention outcomes, and (3) interpret study results. Examples of measures that have been used in studies are identified. Suggestions are made as to measures that may be better choices. Additionally, different types of designs are highlighted and discussed. Instances in which reports and published articles have incorrectly interpreted the results of research studies are presented.

This study examined how exposure to a computer-generated, avatar-based environment influences student composition of an essay in response to a writing prompt. Drawing on the distinctions between firsthand and secondhand experiences, this article sketches an ecological model of writing that attempts to explain why students exposed to an avatar-based environment wrote first-person essays in the present tense, whereas students exposed to a comparable web page-based environment wrote third-person essays in the past tense.

The estimation of parameters of real estate return distributions is affected by the tools used to do the work. Consistent with previous studies, investment risk models with infinite variance descri...

Case study for ILO Technical workshop on implementation and impact of NQFs, 13-14 May 2010, Geneva

This article is based on the AAHPERD Research Consortium Scholar Lecture delivered at the 2010 AAHPERD National Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana. Dr. Young's various projects are five-time winners of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Award for Outstanding Work in Community Health Promotion. His drug education program, Keep A Clear Mind, authored with Chudley Werch, is a winner of the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention's (CSAP) Exemplary Program Award. It has also been promoted as a Model Program by CSAP, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and is on the National Registry of Effective Programs. He has received a number of other awards from professional organizations and institutions.

Everyone who lived through the 1960s sees it through his or her own distinct prism. The conventional view is that it was a time mainly of flower children and angry protesters, of black power and militant feminism. (1) The 1960s were a time when the nerve endings of the body politic were constantly stimulated with new sensations, but it was also a time of mindless fantasy, groundless arrogance, spiritual awareness, callow youth and misguided elders. (1) The year 1969, witnessed the first men on the moon (Nell Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin via Apollo 11), initiation of U.S. troop withdrawal from Vietnam, the Woodstock Music and Art Festival in upstate New York on Max Yasgur's dairy farm and invention of the microprocessor, beginning the computer revolution. In 1969, Zager and Evans released their hit song In the Year 2525. This year was also when the U.S. government banned the use of cyclamate artificial sweeteners, the "Chicago 8" was indicted in the aftermath of the Chicago Democratic Convention and Wendy's Hamburgers opened. In addition, the U.S. Army investigated Lt. William Galley for alleged massacre of civilians at the village of My Lai in South Viet Nam, the battery-powered smoke detector was invented, major league baseball player Curt Flood sued baseball challenging the "reserve clause" that restricted a player's choice about for whom he played, and Tommy Hilfiger began selling flowered shirts and bell bottom pants at the People's Place in Elmira, New York. For those in health education, 1969 also marked the debut of School Health Review, the forerunner to the current American Journal of Health Education. The inaugural issue of School Health Review, in September of 1969 included the article, "Changing Health Behavior in Youth," by Dr. Godfrey M. Hochbaum. (2) The 1969 Hochbaum (2) article, reprinted in this issue of the Journal, is segmented in three sections. The first section is an introduction, the second is entitled "A Common Denominator--The Effects on Health," and the last section is "Difficulty of Application to Everyday Life." In the introduction, the author suggested that before considering the need for changing health behavior, it may be advantageous to contemplate how we learn about health behavior. This may help us understand why effecting change can be difficult and how health educators might best succeed in bringing about positive health behavior. The introduction follows a developmental theme. As infants and young children, we rely on our parents to provide for our health and safety. As we become older children and adolescents, we begin to take more personal responsibility for our own health and well being. Hochbaum uses hygiene, safety and healthy habits as examples of areas in which there is a shift in responsibility from parent to child. He identifies concepts of "rewards and punishments" for health behavior, "desirable and undesirable behavior," the development of "habits" and "behavior patterns" and the impact of knowledge concerning the influence of behavior on future health status. The influence of parents and other adults on personal health behavior is also noted, along with personal experiences with illness, influence of medical personnel and peers. Finally, television is identified as a factor in influencing desirable/undesirable health behavior. In the next section of the introduction he discusses ideas, attitudes and beliefs about health and illness, and notes that some health behaviors/habits are well established in early childhood, before young people understand the impact of those behaviors on present or future health. When children go to school they are exposed to more systematic and reliable health information. They are also gaining the ability to judge and make decisions about some of their own health behaviors. Hochbaum also suggests that the problem in helping young people establish patterns of healthy behavior is that often they cannot distinguish between desirable/ undesirable behaviors or health promoting/health threatening habits. …

Background: To reduce problem drinking, interventions must be directed toward those factors associated with problem drinking. Purpose: This study examined how perceptions of the role of alcohol related to problem drinking among a convenience sample of 301 college students. Methods: Fifteen items concerned with drinking behavior or perceptions regarding the effects of alcohol and were subjected to factor and multiple regression analyses. Results: Three factors emerged: problem drinking, social bonding and sexual attractiveness. Adjusted multiple regression analysis by gender, using problem drinking as the dependent variable, indicated that for both males and females the perception that alcohol facilitates social bonding and the perception that alcohol enhances sexual attractiveness together accounted for a Significant (P

This paper argues that underlying the links being made between the need for educational change in responding to the knowledge economy is an evacuation of the content of curricula and a misplaced emphasis on ‘genericism’ and experience. As an alternative the paper draws on ideas from Durkheim, Vygotsky and Bernstein to make the case for the ‘differentiation of knowledge’ and in particular the differentiation between school and everyday knowledge as a principle for a future curriculum.

Background: Relatively little is known about the sexual behaviors of older people, and the relationship between quality of life and sexuality has not been fully explored. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of sociological, cultural, and psychological factors to further explain variance beyond biological changes that influence participation in sexual intercourse, sexual satisfaction, and overall quality of life. Methods: Data were collected using a mixed-mode approach to optimize participant response and coverage. Residents of a large active retirement community served as the study participants. Results: Logistic regression identified a set of biopsychosocial variables which significantly distinguished between those who participate and do not participate in sexual intercourse. Multiple regression procedures identified sets of variables that significantly predicted sexual satisfaction and quality of life. Discussion: Overall findings add to the existing body of literat...

Background: The literature available on attitudes toward eating patterns and people choosing various foods suggests the possible importance of “moral” judgments and desirable personality characteristics associated with the described eating patterns. Purpose: This study was designed to replicate and extend a 1993 study of college students’ judgments of others based on described dietary fat patterns. Methods: Participants rated male or female peer models described as having low-fat, high-fat, or “good fat” eating habits. Data were analyzed using factorial MANOVA to determine effects of model gender and described eating pattern on two scales: likeability and personal success orientation. Results: The results of this analysis revealed no signifcant overall effect of model gender. However, there was a signifcant overall effect of described eating pattern (F(6, 574)=38.48, p

Background: “Hooking up” behaviors, or sexual activities without commitment or emotional attachment, are occurring among college students. Purpose: This study examined the relationship between hooking up and two measures of religiosity. Methods: Data was obtained from students at a mid-southern university (n=459). Results: Most respondents indicated that they have hooked up. Males (64%) were more likely to report the behavior than females (47%). Religious attendance and religious belief played a significant role in distinguishing between those who have and have not participated in hooking up behaviors. Discussion: Results indicate religiosity may determine involvement in casual high-risk sexual encounters that expose college students to sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancy. Translation to Health Education Practice: Results should be of value to college-level sexuality educators and considered by those involved in sexual health programming on college campuses.

Background: Prototype theory is an emerging theoretical framework. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the patterns of prototypical risk behaviors among adolescents in the United States. Methods: The study involved a secondary analysis of data from the World Health Organization data set, Health Behavior of School-Aged Children. Specifically, we investigated the association between the prototypical risk behavior profiles identified from the data and the observed group membership of adolescents such as gender, ethnicity, grade level, and residence location. Results: Two risk behavior profiles were identified, and they showed differing risk behavior patterns and experiences during early and middle adolescence. Discussion: The study extended and complemented the literature by incorporating the notion of prototypicality into risk behavior patterns and identifying some unique behavioral challenges typically facing different subgroups of adolescents. Translation to Health Education Practic...

This paper is part of the ongoing work of the author and others in developing a social realist theory of knowledge for educational studies. It contrasts Durkheim and Vygotsky's theories and why both are important for educational theory. It begins by emphasizing the similarities between them; that knowledge has to be understood in terms of its historical development in human societies and that the acquisition of knowledge is the primary goal of formal education. In contrasting the ideas of the two writers the paper develops the distinction between ‘structure’ for Durkheim and ‘activity’ for Vygotsky and explores some of the strengths and weaknesses of each approach. It then examines how the ideas of the two writers have been developed by their leading followers in sociology and psychology‐ giving particular consideration to the work of Basil Bernstein and Yrjo Engestrom. It concludes with some broader issues concerning theories of knowledge in educational studies.

There has long been controversy in this country about the implementation of school-based sexuality education. In recent years, however, the controversy has centered on abstinence education. Critics of abstinence education programs seem to have three major concerns relative to abstinence education programming: (1) promotion of religion; (2) provision of inaccurate information; and (3) ineffective programming. The focus of this article is on the charge that abstinence education programs are ineffective in reducing risky sexual behavior among teens. Since the federal government is spending hundreds of millions of dollars on programs that must meet the a-h definition of abstinence education this is an important public policy issue. This article includes a review of published evaluations of abstinence education programs (limited to evaluations that addressed behavioral outcomes), commentary on aspects of Doug Kirby's analysis of the effectiveness of abstinence programs, as well as commentary on Robert...

Debates about both the possibility and the implications of merging further and higher education into a single seamless system are of relatively recent origin, in the UK at least. Most countries hav...

(2005). Enhancing Research Productivity in Health Education: What, Why, and How. American Journal of Health Education: Vol. 36, No. 6, pp. 322-330.

Many commentators have indicated that our nation is in a crisis of character. This study examined the relationship between cheating and lying behaviors and constructs previous research has shown to be associated with health behaviors. Participants in the study were 700 students in grades 6-12 from a single southern school district. The questionnaire included items dealing with health and character issues, self-esteem, educational expectations/life goals, self-efficacy scale, and religious beliefs. Results indicated that substantial numbers of students had participated in the following undesirable behaviors in the last year: told lies to stay out of trouble (83.95%), told lies to keep someone else from getting in trouble (70.68%), cheated on an examination in school (47.54%), stole one or more items from stores (17.29%), and stole items from an individual (24.51%). Those who thought these behaviors were wrong were significantly less likely to have engaged in these behaviors. A variety of negative ...

The aim of this study was to determine if critical parameters for elite performance could be identified among a population of female shot putters. The performance of seven of the top women shot putters competing at the 2002 USA National Championships was examined. Video data were captured using two Panasonic 60 Hz cameras and the best throws of each athlete were digitized and analyzed using a Peak Motus three‐dimensional motion analysis system. Thirty variables were examined for their effect on the distance of the throw. Correlation analysis indicated that measured distance was positively correlated with release speed (r = 0.97, p < 0.0003) and shoulder‐hip separation (r = 0.72, p < 0.06) and negatively correlated with release angle (r = ‐0.74, p < 0.056), rear knee angle at rear foot touchdown (r = ‐0.93, p < 0.003) and rear knee angle at release (r = ‐0.76, p < 0.047). Greater knee flexion angle at both rear foot touch down and release along with a neutral shoulder‐hip angle at release were ide...

Sexuality is considered by most religious traditions to represent general temptation, procreation or a way to strengthen emotional bonds. The purpose of this study was to determine if frequency of religious attendance and perceived degree of religiosity could distinguish between those students who have and have not participated in selected sexual behaviors. Data were collected from a convenience sample of undergraduate students (n = 408) at a southeastern university. Students voluntarily completed a questionnaire in a regular classroom setting. The questionnaire elicited information regarding the frequency of attendance at religious services, perceived strength of religious feelings, perception of God's view of sex, and participation in the following sexual behaviors: sexual intercourse (ever, last year and last month), giving oral sex (ever and last month), receiving oral sex (ever and last month), and anal sex (ever). Data were analyzed using both univariate analysis (chi-square and analysis of...

This paper draws upon a range of ideas and concepts developed by the British sociologist Basil Bernstein to examine recent challenges and changes encountered by members of professional occupations, including those who teach and research in higher education. The paper discusses and seeks to develop Bernstein's analysis of how particular structurings of knowledge may be related to the formation of occupational identities centred in what Bernstein refers to as 'inwardness' and 'inner dedication'. It then examines a range of challenges to such identities-particularly those arising from the 'regionalisation' of knowledge and from 'genericim'. The paper concludes by assessing the prospects for perpetuating such identities in an era of increasing marketization and managerialism.

This study examined area-specific self-esteem scores by sexual behavior relative to adolescents' values concerning participation in sexual intercourse as an unmarried teenager. The sample consisted of 332 students in grades 7–12 from a Southern rural school district. Students were asked if they had ever had sexual intercourse (yes/no) and if they had participated in sexual intercourse in the last month (yes/no). Respondents also indicated on a 4-point scale their response to the statement “It is against my values to have sex as an unmarried teenager.” Data were analyzed using a 2 × 4 (behavior x values) analysis of variance for each of the three area-specific self-esteem scores (peer, school, and home). Results indicated that students who had participated in sexual intercourse had significantly lower scores in school and home self-esteem than those who had not participated. In addition, those who “strongly agreed” with the values statement and indicated they had not had intercourse had the highes...

PT: So, what were you trying to do, originally, when you set out to do Family and Kinship in East London (1957)? MY: Well, I'll answer that question in a slightly elliptical way. We have just finis...

(2003). National Qualifications Frameworks as a Global Phenomenon: A comparative perspective. Journal of Education and Work: Vol. 16, No. 3, pp. 223-237.

A Papuan Plutocracy: Ranked Exchange on Rossel Island John Liep Aarhus, Aarhus University Press, 2009 xxxviii + 376 pp., glossary, bibliography, index, ISBN 978-87-7934-446-4, US$80 (paper) ‘To fel...

This study examined the relationship between self-esteem and the sexual behavior and intended sexual behavior of Hispanic middle school students. Students in grades 6–8 (n=1,077) from a predominately Hispanic school district completed a questionnaire designed to elicit information regarding self-esteem, sexual knowledge, attitudes, intended behavior, and behavior. Results for behavior variables were as follows: (1) “sexual intercourse ever”—those who had never participated in sexual intercourse scored higher on both home and school self-esteem; (2) “sexual intercourse last month”—those who had not participated in sexual intercourse in the last month scored higher on school self-esteem; and (3) “intent to have sexual intercourse”—those who scored higher on home and school self-esteem had lower levels of intent to participate in sexual intercourse, those who scored higher on peer self-esteem had higher levels of intent to intend to participate in sexual intercourse. Our results highlight the import...

The purpose of the study was to determine how the state coordinators of abstinence education programs defined the term “sexual activity.” A questionnaire was mailed to Title V abstinence education coordinators in each of the 50 states, Washington DC, and the three territories receiving these federal funds (n=54). In addition to demographic data, the questionnaire asked the respondent to indicate whether or not the state/territory had established definitions of the term “sexual activity” and, if so, to identify what those definitions were. In addition we asked respondents to indicate whether selected behaviors constituted sexual activity. Seventeen coordinators (31.5%) provided at least partial responses to the survey. Of the states that responded, none indicated that his or her state had a definition of sexual activity. The participation rate in the study by abstinence coordinators was not high, but the questionnaire did elicit much reaction. This included efforts by individuals and organizations...

The purpose of the study was to examine adolescent perceptions of the terms abstinence and sexual activity and also to determine if age, gender, virginity status, attendance at religious services, and perceived religiosity were associated with any particular perception of these terms. Current federal efforts to prevent teen pregnancy have emphasized abstinence education. The legislation that authorizes funding for these programs requires that educators teach students that they should abstain from sexual activity until marriage. The terms abstinence and sexual activity, however, are not defined. Participants in this study (311 students in grades 7–12 in a southern, rural school district) completed a questionnaire that included two open-ended questions asking them to define the terms abstinence and sexual activity. The most frequent definition of sexual activity (34.4%) identified it as “having,” “participating,” or “engaging” in “sex.” Thus, the definitions given by students were not more precise ...

The purpose of the study was to identify characteristics of state legislators who supported or opposed school sex education and abstinence education programs. Subjects for the study were 135 members of the Arkansas state legislature. Subjects participated in a mail survey with 73 legislators (54%) responding. Results indicated greater support among Democrats for sex education. Support for abstinence education was independent of party affiliation, but frequent churchgoers were more likely to oppose abstinence education. Support for legislation to promote the teaching of abstinence was independent of religiosity, but subjects indicating a greater degree of religiosity were less likely to think that “education related to sexuality should be limited to abstinence until marriage.” These results have implications for working with legislators on issues related to sexuality/abstinence education.

This paper argues that the question of knowledge needs to be reconceptualised if sociology is to make its potential contribution to current debates about the curriculum. It begins with a review of the dominant assumptions underlying contemporary curriculum policy: neo-conservative traditionalism and technical-instrumentalism. It then examines the relativist position on knowledge that follows from the postmodernist critiques that have recently come to dominate social theory, particularly in the sociology of education. The paper argues that, in different ways, each of these approaches avoids the question of knowledge and hence leaves unresolved epistemological and educational dilemmas. In the final section, the paper draws on recent research in the sociology of science to develop what is referred to as a social realist approach to knowledge and explores its implications both for the curriculum and the claims that we are entering a 'knowledge society'.

This study sought to determine support for comprehensive school health programming among members of the Arkansas Legislature. A 42-item questionnaire was used to elicit demographic information, as well as information relative to the subjects' attitudes, beliefs, and values concerning health and legislation relevant to school-age children. Each member of the legislature (n=135) was mailed a letter that explained the study, requested to participate, and advised that the questionnaire would be forthcoming. Multivariate analysis of variance indicated that there were significant differences in the level of support for comprehensive school health education by party affiliation, with Democrats reporting greater support. There was no difference in support by level of church attendance or religiosity. For the two additional items concerning teacher qualifications, results indicated that support for these items was not independent of party, with Democrats more likely to disagree. These results should be of...

We attempt to describe what a methodology for situated action should do for students given problem solving in school settings. Working from an ecological account of perception-action, we propose that a methodology for understanding situated action should afford the instructional designer (often the classroom teacher), the methodologist, and the problem solver opportunities to co-construct coupling dynamics that operate on multiple space and time scales including "real time." With this goal in mind, we propose the use of the Jasper Planning Assistant (JPA), an online learning and assessment system that becomes part of the design-learning-research situation and serves as a scaffold for the learner. Through analysis of log-file data produced by the JPA, we illustrate that a methodology for situated action should be neither a purely quantitative nor qualitative account, but rather an inscription-an emergent visualization of the coupling dynamics between a student and his or her environment. We conclude that i...

This paper provides an overview of the (a) - (h) definition of abstinence education contained in the 1996 Welfare Reform Act. There are several issues involved, including: wording of the legislation and implementation by federal agencies and states, the restriction of access to information, the definition of the term sexual activity, the marriage standard, medical accuracy, and the establishment clause of the First Amendment of the Constitution. Federal involvement in abstinence education is discussed, including the Adolescent Family Life Act, Kendrick et al. v. Heckler and related suits, and abstinence education under welfare reform. Most Americans probably agree that young people would be well advised to delay the initiation of sexual behaviors that place them at risk for pregnancy and STDs. Nevertheless, there are significant concerns regarding the currently used federal definition of abstinence education. Those who believe that sexuality education should truly reflect the characteristics of a democrat...

The drive to ‘unify’post-compulsory education and training systems is one of the most important current developments in education policy. However the concept of ‘unification’ lacks clarity, is not widely recognised, and is pursued through different measures in different countries. In this paper we propose a conceptual framework with which to analyse the different meanings of and debates about unification. Using England and Scotland as examples, we show how the framework may be used to analyse existing systems, reform strategies, and processes and pressures for change. The framework is exploratory and will need to be tested and developed in relation to a wider variety of education systems.

Recent reforms of teacher education in England and Wales and the extent to which they reflect a response to global economic pressures are considered. The paper challenges the view that such pressures are inexorable determinants of educational policy and argues that any country will need to develop its own national approach to modernising teacher education in light of the global context and its particular circumstances. It draws on the idea of reflexive modernisation developed by Giddens et al . (1994) and discusses its implications for teacher education policy. The paper considers four themes in recent teacher education policy in the UK; the shift away from the educational disciplines, the shift towards school-based approaches, the emergence of more centralised forms of accountability of teacher competence and the greater responsibility of schools in the professional development of teachers. The paper argues that in each case UK policies represent a one-sided response to the need for improving th...

This paper begins with an analysis of the changes in 14—19 education from the beginning of the 1980s until the last government's White Paper 14‐19 Education: Learning to Compete, which appeared in March 1997. It then considers the tensions in this legacy before exploring some of the issues that might be involved in realising the Labour Party's aims as set out, before the General Election, in their policy document Aiming Higher. Finally, the authors speculate, in light of developments since the Labour Party's victory on 2 May, on a possible scenario for the next decade and outline the kind of 14–19 system that we might be wanting to try to develop in the future.