Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 01425690120067962, Jun 28, 2010
This article is based on research undertaken as part of a project designed to promote support for... more This article is based on research undertaken as part of a project designed to promote support for part-time teachers in sociology. Contemporary changes in higher education are the backdrop for suggesting that a reflexive sociology should scrutinise itself, including the conditions and experiences of part-time teachers in their own department. Empirical data raises issues about the implications of the working conditions of part-time teachers for the formation of sociology as a discipline in the current higher education system, and for the formation of an individual's professional identity.
The paper places itself in conversation with literature about how the experience and outcomes of ... more The paper places itself in conversation with literature about how the experience and outcomes of university education are structured by intersections between social class, ethnicity, gender, age and type of university attended. The focuses is on the acquisition of sociological knowledge of undergraduate students in four universities of different reputation. It employs Basil Bernstein’s concepts of pedagogic identity, pedagogic rights, classification and framing. Drawing on curriculum analysis and a longitudinal study of 31 students, the paper describes and illustrates the nature of the sociology-based disciplinary identity found; and, shows how the formation of this identity gives access to pedagogic rights thereby developing valuable capabilities. Addressing the question of whether pedagogic rights are distributed unequally by university, it was found that they were not distributed, as might be expected, according to institutional hierarchy. It is argued that the acquisition of university sociological knowledge can disrupt social inequality.
The International Journal For Academic Development, Jul 9, 2006
ABSTRACT The paper begins by outlining evidence that mentorships are extensive in British higher ... more ABSTRACT The paper begins by outlining evidence that mentorships are extensive in British higher education. Second, it examines the role of the mentor, drawing attention to the complexity and confusion that exists around this central issue. Next, the authors turn to the various models of mentoring. Taking issue with those who support formal intervention and hierarchical relationships, they argue for a more organic approach, in which regulations are not closely prescribed and participants are empowered to develop their partnership in ways that are congruent with their culture. The paper questions the relative lack of convincing data on the effectiveness of mentoring, either from research or from within organizations’ own evaluation systems, and suggests a future research agenda focused on this issue. Throughout, the focus is on the role of the mentor rather than the role of the mentee or protégé, drawing on data from the authors’ own universities, two ‘old’ research‐led universities with traditions of collegiality (Nottingham is a large provincial university that was founded in the 1880's and acquired a Royal Charter in 1948; Keele dates from 1950, is a smaller, campus‐based university, with strong traditions of multi‐disciplinarity).
Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 0268093940090304, Jul 9, 2006
This paper analyses some of the policy‐practice lessons learned from the Technical and Vocational... more This paper analyses some of the policy‐practice lessons learned from the Technical and Vocational Education Initiative as its influence comes to an end. Historically, perhaps, TVEI will be remembered as a moment in education policy and practice, characterizing the transitional phase from local to central determination of the curriculum. This paper considers how TVEI affected the culture of teaching, learning and curriculum in ways unintended and not envisaged at the time by teachers, schools, LEAs, unions and government. It argues, however, that if TVEI radically embodied crucial changes going on in British society its influence has been limited. The fact that there has been resistance and opposition to the straitjacket of the National Curriculum and testing nevertheless suggests that there is a critical lesson to learn from TVEI: namely, that education policy which fails to engage with the culture of the school, college and teaching profession is unlikely to achieve meaningful reform.
The project 'Developing Discourses: Higher Education and Poverty Reduction in South Africa' explo... more The project 'Developing Discourses: Higher Education and Poverty Reduction in South Africa' explores how university-located professional education might contribute to South Africa's transformation priorities, in particular poverty reduction, which we conceptualize as the expansion of human capabilities. This working paper builds on the idea that the project is developing (drawing on the work of Amartya Sen [1999] and Martha Nussbaum [2000]) that 'propoor professionalism' can be identified as a set of professional functional capabilities, encouraged by a range of curriculum and pedagogic indicators, which would educate professionals to function in the interests of the poor.
In this paper, we outline how the literature on phenomenography, specifically , and the literatur... more In this paper, we outline how the literature on phenomenography, specifically , and the literature that adopts a "critical approach", specifically , can be brought together to help us to understand the barriers that face students and teachers in engaging in learning and teaching in higher education. Our attempt is motivated by a wish to relate the different foci of each perspective. We argue that the phenomenographic literature has been successful in suggesting theoretically informed and research-based ways in which learning environments might be structured to improve the quality of students" learning. However, it is largely silent on the extent to which barriers to learning can be due to structural inequalities outside of the learning environment. More critical approaches foreground these structural inequalities but their suggestions for teaching and learning practices are often weak. In bringing these two perspectives together, we develop a model of academic engagement that takes into account both experiential and structural influences on the quality of teaching and learning in higher education.
Taking a perspective drawn from Basil Bernstein, the paper locates itself at the boundary between... more Taking a perspective drawn from Basil Bernstein, the paper locates itself at the boundary between teaching as transmitting disciplinary knowledge and teaching as a set of generic 'good practice' principles. It first discusses the value of undergraduate sociology-based social science knowledge to individuals and society. This discussion leads to highlighting the importance of pedagogical framing for realising the value of sociological knowledge. A longitudinal three-year study in four different status universities suggested that studying undergraduate sociology-based degrees can give students access to what Bernstein called 'pedagogic rights' of personal enhancement; social inclusion; and political participation. Access to the rights is through the formation of a 'specialised disciplinary identity' whereby the student becomes a person who knows and understands specific content, which is applied to lives and society, and who has developed the skills and dispositions of a social scientist. In pedagogical terms more evidence of equality than inequality was found: despite some subtle differences, whatever the status of the university attended, the same disciplinary identity was projected and students' perceptions of the quality of their teaching strongly mediated the formation of a disciplinary identity and access to pedagogic rights.
International Journal of Educational Development, 2009
... Walker a , b , Corresponding Author Contact Information , E-mail The Corresponding Author , M... more ... Walker a , b , Corresponding Author Contact Information , E-mail The Corresponding Author , Monica McLean a , Arona Dison b and Rosie Peppin-Vaughan a. ... ethos will play a role in shaping the formation of students and what they might potentially be and value (Higgins, 2007 ...
Little is known about what happens to disciplinary knowledge when it is taught in contemporary UK... more Little is known about what happens to disciplinary knowledge when it is taught in contemporary UK universities of different status. Here, Basil Bernstein's theories are applied to what sociology lecturers say about teaching, demonstrating that in conditions in which students are less likely to engage with sociological theory, lecturers, particularly in universities of lower status, employ ‘biographical methods’ to ensure
The paper draws on an extensive literature search about the ‘research‐teaching nexus’, insights f... more The paper draws on an extensive literature search about the ‘research‐teaching nexus’, insights from interviewing twelve university history lecturers about student progress in undergraduate degrees, and ideas about the role of disciplines in student learning to argue (i) that the educational goal for students of ‘becoming a practising historian’ is more desirable than ‘acquiring transferable skills’; and (ii) that research
... Opportunity Knocks? ... teams of the Teaching Quality Assessment (TQA) is problematic, the im... more ... Opportunity Knocks? ... teams of the Teaching Quality Assessment (TQA) is problematic, the impetus provided can be used as an opportunity to explore ... The former are used when action is being taken and contain assump-tions about the professional situation; while the latter are ...
Abstract At a time of growing interest in suitable forms of education and training for university... more Abstract At a time of growing interest in suitable forms of education and training for university teachers, the article intends to explore the proposition that teaching portfolios can provide evidence of how novice university teachers think and practise. It is argued that the context ...
This article examines the ways in which a high quality system of undergraduate education is repre... more This article examines the ways in which a high quality system of undergraduate education is represented in recent policy documents from a range of actors interested in higher education. Drawing on Basil Bernstein's ideas, we conceptualise the policy documents as reflecting a struggle over competing views of quality that are expressed through pedagogic discourses. We identify two pedagogic discourses: a dominant market orientated generic discourse and an alternative discourse that focuses on transformation. We argue that the market orientated generic discourse is dominant because it is more coherent and consistently presented than the alternative discourse, which is much more fractured. In conclusion, we argue that re-focusing the alternative discourse of quality around students' relations to academic knowledge may offer a way in which to bring the different actors from the higher education field together in order to form a stronger, more cohesive voice.
Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 01425690120067962, Jun 28, 2010
This article is based on research undertaken as part of a project designed to promote support for... more This article is based on research undertaken as part of a project designed to promote support for part-time teachers in sociology. Contemporary changes in higher education are the backdrop for suggesting that a reflexive sociology should scrutinise itself, including the conditions and experiences of part-time teachers in their own department. Empirical data raises issues about the implications of the working conditions of part-time teachers for the formation of sociology as a discipline in the current higher education system, and for the formation of an individual's professional identity.
The paper places itself in conversation with literature about how the experience and outcomes of ... more The paper places itself in conversation with literature about how the experience and outcomes of university education are structured by intersections between social class, ethnicity, gender, age and type of university attended. The focuses is on the acquisition of sociological knowledge of undergraduate students in four universities of different reputation. It employs Basil Bernstein’s concepts of pedagogic identity, pedagogic rights, classification and framing. Drawing on curriculum analysis and a longitudinal study of 31 students, the paper describes and illustrates the nature of the sociology-based disciplinary identity found; and, shows how the formation of this identity gives access to pedagogic rights thereby developing valuable capabilities. Addressing the question of whether pedagogic rights are distributed unequally by university, it was found that they were not distributed, as might be expected, according to institutional hierarchy. It is argued that the acquisition of university sociological knowledge can disrupt social inequality.
The International Journal For Academic Development, Jul 9, 2006
ABSTRACT The paper begins by outlining evidence that mentorships are extensive in British higher ... more ABSTRACT The paper begins by outlining evidence that mentorships are extensive in British higher education. Second, it examines the role of the mentor, drawing attention to the complexity and confusion that exists around this central issue. Next, the authors turn to the various models of mentoring. Taking issue with those who support formal intervention and hierarchical relationships, they argue for a more organic approach, in which regulations are not closely prescribed and participants are empowered to develop their partnership in ways that are congruent with their culture. The paper questions the relative lack of convincing data on the effectiveness of mentoring, either from research or from within organizations’ own evaluation systems, and suggests a future research agenda focused on this issue. Throughout, the focus is on the role of the mentor rather than the role of the mentee or protégé, drawing on data from the authors’ own universities, two ‘old’ research‐led universities with traditions of collegiality (Nottingham is a large provincial university that was founded in the 1880's and acquired a Royal Charter in 1948; Keele dates from 1950, is a smaller, campus‐based university, with strong traditions of multi‐disciplinarity).
Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 0268093940090304, Jul 9, 2006
This paper analyses some of the policy‐practice lessons learned from the Technical and Vocational... more This paper analyses some of the policy‐practice lessons learned from the Technical and Vocational Education Initiative as its influence comes to an end. Historically, perhaps, TVEI will be remembered as a moment in education policy and practice, characterizing the transitional phase from local to central determination of the curriculum. This paper considers how TVEI affected the culture of teaching, learning and curriculum in ways unintended and not envisaged at the time by teachers, schools, LEAs, unions and government. It argues, however, that if TVEI radically embodied crucial changes going on in British society its influence has been limited. The fact that there has been resistance and opposition to the straitjacket of the National Curriculum and testing nevertheless suggests that there is a critical lesson to learn from TVEI: namely, that education policy which fails to engage with the culture of the school, college and teaching profession is unlikely to achieve meaningful reform.
The project 'Developing Discourses: Higher Education and Poverty Reduction in South Africa' explo... more The project 'Developing Discourses: Higher Education and Poverty Reduction in South Africa' explores how university-located professional education might contribute to South Africa's transformation priorities, in particular poverty reduction, which we conceptualize as the expansion of human capabilities. This working paper builds on the idea that the project is developing (drawing on the work of Amartya Sen [1999] and Martha Nussbaum [2000]) that 'propoor professionalism' can be identified as a set of professional functional capabilities, encouraged by a range of curriculum and pedagogic indicators, which would educate professionals to function in the interests of the poor.
In this paper, we outline how the literature on phenomenography, specifically , and the literatur... more In this paper, we outline how the literature on phenomenography, specifically , and the literature that adopts a "critical approach", specifically , can be brought together to help us to understand the barriers that face students and teachers in engaging in learning and teaching in higher education. Our attempt is motivated by a wish to relate the different foci of each perspective. We argue that the phenomenographic literature has been successful in suggesting theoretically informed and research-based ways in which learning environments might be structured to improve the quality of students" learning. However, it is largely silent on the extent to which barriers to learning can be due to structural inequalities outside of the learning environment. More critical approaches foreground these structural inequalities but their suggestions for teaching and learning practices are often weak. In bringing these two perspectives together, we develop a model of academic engagement that takes into account both experiential and structural influences on the quality of teaching and learning in higher education.
Taking a perspective drawn from Basil Bernstein, the paper locates itself at the boundary between... more Taking a perspective drawn from Basil Bernstein, the paper locates itself at the boundary between teaching as transmitting disciplinary knowledge and teaching as a set of generic 'good practice' principles. It first discusses the value of undergraduate sociology-based social science knowledge to individuals and society. This discussion leads to highlighting the importance of pedagogical framing for realising the value of sociological knowledge. A longitudinal three-year study in four different status universities suggested that studying undergraduate sociology-based degrees can give students access to what Bernstein called 'pedagogic rights' of personal enhancement; social inclusion; and political participation. Access to the rights is through the formation of a 'specialised disciplinary identity' whereby the student becomes a person who knows and understands specific content, which is applied to lives and society, and who has developed the skills and dispositions of a social scientist. In pedagogical terms more evidence of equality than inequality was found: despite some subtle differences, whatever the status of the university attended, the same disciplinary identity was projected and students' perceptions of the quality of their teaching strongly mediated the formation of a disciplinary identity and access to pedagogic rights.
International Journal of Educational Development, 2009
... Walker a , b , Corresponding Author Contact Information , E-mail The Corresponding Author , M... more ... Walker a , b , Corresponding Author Contact Information , E-mail The Corresponding Author , Monica McLean a , Arona Dison b and Rosie Peppin-Vaughan a. ... ethos will play a role in shaping the formation of students and what they might potentially be and value (Higgins, 2007 ...
Little is known about what happens to disciplinary knowledge when it is taught in contemporary UK... more Little is known about what happens to disciplinary knowledge when it is taught in contemporary UK universities of different status. Here, Basil Bernstein's theories are applied to what sociology lecturers say about teaching, demonstrating that in conditions in which students are less likely to engage with sociological theory, lecturers, particularly in universities of lower status, employ ‘biographical methods’ to ensure
The paper draws on an extensive literature search about the ‘research‐teaching nexus’, insights f... more The paper draws on an extensive literature search about the ‘research‐teaching nexus’, insights from interviewing twelve university history lecturers about student progress in undergraduate degrees, and ideas about the role of disciplines in student learning to argue (i) that the educational goal for students of ‘becoming a practising historian’ is more desirable than ‘acquiring transferable skills’; and (ii) that research
... Opportunity Knocks? ... teams of the Teaching Quality Assessment (TQA) is problematic, the im... more ... Opportunity Knocks? ... teams of the Teaching Quality Assessment (TQA) is problematic, the impetus provided can be used as an opportunity to explore ... The former are used when action is being taken and contain assump-tions about the professional situation; while the latter are ...
Abstract At a time of growing interest in suitable forms of education and training for university... more Abstract At a time of growing interest in suitable forms of education and training for university teachers, the article intends to explore the proposition that teaching portfolios can provide evidence of how novice university teachers think and practise. It is argued that the context ...
This article examines the ways in which a high quality system of undergraduate education is repre... more This article examines the ways in which a high quality system of undergraduate education is represented in recent policy documents from a range of actors interested in higher education. Drawing on Basil Bernstein's ideas, we conceptualise the policy documents as reflecting a struggle over competing views of quality that are expressed through pedagogic discourses. We identify two pedagogic discourses: a dominant market orientated generic discourse and an alternative discourse that focuses on transformation. We argue that the market orientated generic discourse is dominant because it is more coherent and consistently presented than the alternative discourse, which is much more fractured. In conclusion, we argue that re-focusing the alternative discourse of quality around students' relations to academic knowledge may offer a way in which to bring the different actors from the higher education field together in order to form a stronger, more cohesive voice.
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Papers by Monica McLean