Education in UK
Education in the UK encompasses a diverse system that includes early years, primary, secondary, further, and higher education. It is overseen by the government and aims to provide a well-rounded education to students, focusing on academic, social, and personal development. The system also includes vocational and technical education pathways to cater to a range of student needs and aspirations.
7 Key excerpts on "Education in UK"
eBook - ePub- Robert Burgess, Robert Burgess(Authors)
- 2018(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...6 Education * Robert G. Burgess Although there is a vast literature on ‘education’ and the ‘sociology of education’ it appears that researchers are far from clear as to what counts as ‘education’ and the ‘educational process’. A brief glance at a range of basic texts devoted to social science and educational studies indicates that the term ‘education’ is often ill-defined and used to apply to a narrow range of social circumstances. Despite the fact that ‘education’ is a life-long experience that can be acquired through the family, the peer group, the church, the trade union, the workplace and so on, it is often the case that education is equated with schools, colleges, classrooms, curricula and examinations. In these circumstances, we need to consider how researchers have defined ‘education’ and for what purpose. This chapter therefore focuses on the way in which ‘education’ has been defined within major areas of the sociology of education. As ‘education’ is in part defined by social legislation there are numerous differences between the structure of the educational systems of different societies and in turn this influences the ways in which researchers define ‘education’. Accordingly, much of the discussion provided in this chapter together with examples of empirical evidence will be drawn from the United Kingdom and in particular from the English educational system. Education as an area of study As a recent review of social science and educational studies by Hartnett (1982) indicates, ‘education’ is the subject of research by anthropologists, psychologists, historians and philosophers as well as sociologists. Indeed, the field of study is one in which researchers have applied their disciplines to ‘education’. Among sociologists this has resulted in a preoccupation with the policy concerns of governments and the professional problems of educators (cf. Young, 1971; Karabel and Halsey, 1977)...
eBook - ePub- Gary McCulloch(Author)
- 2011(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...Lastly, the social sciences such as sociology, psychology and economics address a range of domains in our wider societies, and try to understand these more fully and critically in empirical and theoretical terms. Each of these areas has a legitimate interest in the history of education. At the same time, it might be said that each embodies a different notion of what the history of education involves and of why it might be important because of its own set of priorities. From the point of view of education, the history of education needs to help to explain the problems and opportunities of education, and where possible to help to improve and develop it further. In terms of history, the potential contribution of the history of education is first and foremost to help to understand our historical past. As social science, the history of education may furnish telling examples of wider social issues. Yet there is, distinct from these separate notions of the history of education, also an inclusive vision, and a grand tradition. The history of education can seek to reach across these diverse constituencies to stake a claim in all three, education, history and the social sciences, and to build on its strengths across them. These areas of study may in other words generate a common and integrated mission for the history of education rather than divergent and competing paths or frameworks. One may acknowledge that the position of the history of education, besides being strategic in relation to these wider fields, can often be uncomfortable and insecure. For example, Donato and Lazerson, reviewing the discussions held at a special conference of historians of education in the US sponsored by the Spencer Foundation in March 2000, reflected that ‘Social scientists place a high value on research design; educational historians often wonder what that means’ (Donato and Lazerson 2000, p. 4)...
eBook - ePubStudying Education
An introduction to the study and exploration of education
- Janet Lord(Author)
- 2020(Publication Date)
- Learning Matters(Publisher)
...2 How does the study of other subjects expand our understanding of education? David Menendez Alvarez-Hevia Key words foundation disciplines sociology philosophy history psychology purpose of education progressive education traditional education learning theories Key Notes Philosophy, history, sociology and psychology have contributed significantly to the academic study of education. The philosophy of education focuses on some important questions that help us to consider the nature of education. Historians argue that if we understand education in the past, we can apply that understanding to the present and to our thinking about the future of education. Sociology is the study of society and social life at the macro and micro level. Sociology helps us to explore the function and position of education in society. Psychology is the study of the human mind and behaviour, including how people learn. Many disciplines or areas of knowledge must be considered when trying to understand education as a complex human and social phenomenon. Introduction When you hear the word ‘education’, you usually think of schools and teachers. However, the academic study of education requires a wider approach. Education as a discipline (an area of study) is multidisciplinary (meaning that the study of education also relates to the study of other subjects). Although education is influenced by a wide range of other areas of study, the main ‘foundation disciplines’ (the disciplines that are considered to be the ‘roots’ of education as an area of study) are: philosophy; history; sociology; and psychology. This chapter introduces and explores the way that these foundation disciplines contribute to expand our understanding of education as a rich and exciting area of study. We begin by examining the relationship between education and philosophy, focusing on two fundamental questions that frame all the debates about education. We go on to explore history, sociology and psychology...
eBook - ePubAdvanced Educational Foundations for Teachers
The History, Philosophy, and Culture of Schooling
- Donald K. Sharpes(Author)
- 2013(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...In my effort, I have synthesized its various disciplines and ideas into a theme by answering and unifying two rather straight-forward questions: Why have some ideas persisted in education and others have not, and who has benefitted from education? I have no illusions that I will actually answer these questions fully, only that I will identify for you a constellation of factors that will make it possible to draw reasonable conclusions about the ideas, figures, and features that significantly shaped education as we know it today. Chapter 1 also explores the relevance of social sciences in their varied meanings to education, and how knowledge of the broad patterns of understanding that they provide can promote professional teacher knowledge, as well as encourage a variety of improved instructional practices. We will begin with an exploration of teacher knowledge and teaching acts. We will then elaborate on the proposed theme that considers the two questions posed earlier, followed by an exploration of the relevance of the social sciences in education, and then finally conclude with a model for instructional practice and a teaching guide that can also be used as a guide for reading the text. Teacher Knowledge and Teaching Acts Educational foundation experiences for the teacher candidate usually begin with an introduction to formal schooling and study of a selection of topics: why people become teachers, the definition of schooling, the demographics of the teaching profession, and the current topical issues concerning schools, like vouchers and charter institutions. This book not only acknowledges these subjects, but also explores in great detail the intellectual foundation and the advanced professional knowledge necessary for teacher education. Much of the curriculum content, including school organization, and methods of instruction have been derived from the long history, philosophy, and culture of education...
eBook - ePub- James Arthur, Ian Davies(Authors)
- 2012(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...Education is also the only major area of public policy which is compulsory for all citizens – hospitals are for the unwell, prisons are for offenders, benefits are intended for a disadvantaged minority, and so on. But everyone is required by law to attend school, or to make equivalent arrangements at home. And education is held responsible by policy-makers for a bewildering range of phenomena including the economy (a trained workforce), social mobility, social cohesion, and social justice. So, although education research is only a small part of all this education it is still a large undertaking itself. There are more education researchers in the UK than in any other field or discipline (Gorard et al., 2004). Education research in the UK is funded by central and local government, by near-government bodies like the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency, the Training and Development Agency, or the Learning and Skills Council, by research councils such as the Economic and Social Research Council, by learned bodies such as the Royal Society or the British Academy, by think tanks such as the Social Market Foundation or the Institute for Public Policy Research, by practitioner bodies such as the NUT or ATL, by large charities like the Nuffield Foundation, Gatsby, or Joseph Rowntree, by individual benefactors such as the Sutton Trust or Bowland Trust, and by many of the same kinds of bodies in Europe, the USA and worldwide including the OECD, the EC Directorate for Education and Culture, and the Spencer Foundation. The research is conducted by these bodies themselves as well as by academics, practitioners, and increasingly by private consultants. This means that there is a vast amount of data collected on education, and a vast amount written about education research...
- David Galloway, Anne Edwards(Authors)
- 2014(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...In educational jargon, the liberal view of education gave way to an instrumental one, in which schools and colleges were seen as an instrument for social change. The ethos of liberal education for some and learning to labour for others was replaced by the enterprise culture for all, at least in political rhetoric. The impact of an increasingly vocational orientation in the curriculum affected all sectors of the education system. In the secondary schools it was seen in the introduction of work experience, in many schools for all pupils, and the appointment of careers education specialists. It was also seen in the appointment of representatives from local industry and commerce to governing bodies. At the same time HMI started to take an interest in schools' links with industry and teacher training courses had to satisfy a committee appointed by the Secretary of State that they were equipping students to develop their pupils' knowledge and understanding of the world of work (DES, 1989a). Psychology and personal and social education The political attention to education throughout the 1980s was explicitly motivated by interest in the personal qualities that schools should, according to the government, be developing in their pupils. This raises questions about the contribution that psychology makes to the theory and practice of personal and social education. It should by now be clear that psychology can never tell teachers what is 'appropriate' personal and social education, nor can it specify with any authority the aims or scope of personal and social education. Psychologists do claim to tell us what concepts children can grasp at different ages. This has obvious implications for understanding children's moral development, though even here there is controversy between different schools of thought...
eBook - ePubTeaching Social Behaviour
Classroom Activities to Foster Children's Interpersonal Awareness
- David Warden, Donald Christie(Authors)
- 2013(Publication Date)
- David Fulton Publishers(Publisher)
...Chapter 2 Education for Personal and Social Development in Context The social context Within the context of growing concerns about standards of behaviour and morality amongst children, teachers, together with others in the caring professions, are increasingly being called upon to help individual children and families with serious social and emotional problems. Schools regularly find themselves having to deal with challenging antisocial behaviour among children and adolescents (teachers themselves having been victims of violent attacks in some cases); they are asked to help tackle crime and drug abuse in communities; and they are called upon to be in the front line both to detect and cope with child abuse in its various forms. In essence, what is now being expected of teachers and schools by society is that they should play a more vigorous role in averting what is seen as a general collapse in moral values and standards of behaviour. Generally speaking, it would appear that the social world is perceived as an increasingly dangerous place. Much has been written about how the fears of parents for their children’s safety are being translated into curbs on children’s freedom. Children’s leisure activity is constrained by what some see as almost a siege mentality among parents. For increasing numbers of children spare time is spent in relative social isolation in the home watching TV and playing video games. Hence, opportunities for the acquisition of social skills in interaction with the peer group are lost. There are also concerns about the quality of social experience provided for children within the family. Relationships are coming under pressure from many quarters, producing for large numbers of children the kinds of instability and insecurity often seen as being associated with the development of inappropriate patterns of social behaviour...
