Education and educational research, according to the current fashion,
are supposed to be concerned with ‘what works’, to the exclusion of all
other considerations. All over the world, and particularly in the
English-speaking countries, governments look for means of improving
‘student achievement’ as measured by standardized test scores. Although
such improvements are often to be welcomed, they do not answer all
significant questions about what constitutes good education. Also the
research on which they are based is not the only legitimate way to do
educational research. Social research, and therefore educational
research, cannot ignore the distinctive nature of what it studies: a
social activity where questions of meaning and value cannot be
eliminated, and where interpretation and judgment play a crucial role.
In this book distinguished philosophers and historians of education
from 6 countries focus on the problematical nature of the search for
‘what works’ in educational contexts, in practice as well as in theory.
Beginning with specific problems, they move on to more general and
theoretical considerations, seeking to go beyond over-simple ideas
about cause and effect and the rhetoric of performativity that
currently has educational thinking in its grip.
The many public debates launched by governments on education, such
as Tony Blair's emphasis on "education, education, education" have
nonetheless failed to consider the place of the good society in educational endeavor. The traditional account of education is that it not only
teaches pupils the skills to earn a living, but also teaches a concern
for the welfare of others, a love of the many cultures of learning and
a commitment to the best values of society. Education and the Good
Society seeks to examine these considerations and to restore them to
the center of the educational debate.
This completely rewritten and updated fifth edition of the long-running bestseller, Research Methods in Education covers the whole range of methods currently employed by educational researchers.
It continues to be the standard text for students undertaking educational research whether at undergraduate or postgraduate level. This new edition constitutes the largest reshaping of the text to date and includes new material on:
• qualitative, naturalistic and ethnographic research methods;
• curricular and evaluative research;
• critical theory and educational research;
• feminist perspectives on research;
etc.
Educational Testing provides support for those
undertaking training in, and for training providers of, the Certificate
of Competence in Educational Testing (CCET) (Level A). Developed by the
British Psychological Society (BPS) the CCET aims to meet a need for
standards for the use of tests in education in the UK, to encourage
responsible test use by psychologists and non-psychologists alike.
Written by the designers of the certificate and endorsed by the BPS's Steering Committee on Test Standards, Educational Testing is the only book of its kind available:
Covers the 71 elements of the CCET in detail and acts as a ‘course text’ for those in training
Describes each core competence
Provides model answers and examples
Offers
an indication of the range of ways in which the core competences may be
assessed by the Assessor, based upon the existing BPS Guidance for Assessors document
Appendices
offer guidance on BPS Standards, a glossary of technical terms, useful
web-sites and on-line resources and Test Publishers Addresses.
This book integrates in a unique way all that is known about changing teachers' practice, the key to all educational development. All attempts to ` raise standards' or to 'make schools relevant to the 21st century' rest on helping teachers to develop new skills. The Professional Development of Teachers: Practice and Theory draws on the author's 30 years of experience, on a series of new empirical studies, and on the extensive literature on staff development to develop an integrated model of effective professional development.
