It seems that many parents have concerns about their child's current mental health and more broadly about their development and what kind of potential they have at school and beyond. In Neil Humphrey's article, "Are the Kids Alright? Examining the Intersection between Education and Mental Health," Humphrey offers some promising points of…

In this article, Margaret Lamb begins by introducing readers to her interpretation of "honours" and "honours education" and describing the experiences that have formed her perspectives on the topics she discusses. In the remainder of the article, she (1) places some characteristics of Oxford undergraduate education in a wider…

This paper addresses issues raised in two recent papers published in this journal about the UK "Association of Business Schools' Journal Quality Guide (ABS Guide)". While much of the debate about journal rankings in general, and the "ABS Guide" in particular, has focused on the construction, power and (mis)use of these…

This "Rejoinder" responds to criticisms made by Simon Hussain (2011) about the construction and operation of the "Association of Business Schools' (ABS) Academic Journal Quality Guide". In this paper the broad purposes of journal lists and guides are outlined before an account is given of the long history and multiple forms of…

Institutional research (IR) has a variety of definitions. International societies, such as the US-based Association for Institutional Research (AIR), stress not so much the topics of research, but the outcomes: "improved understanding, planning, management, and operation of postsecondary educational institutions and agencies";…

Paul Newton (2010), with his characteristic concern about theory, has set out two different ways of thinking about the basis upon which equivalences of one sort or another are established between test score scales. His reason for doing this is a desire to establish "the defensibility of linkages lower on the continuum than concordance."…

Early in his paper, Radford discusses the origins of Western universities and argues that they were designed to provide a "very practical preparation for life and particularly for the professions, specifically law, medicine and theology." Radford then mentions how a core part of such education was grammar, rhetoric, and dialectic.…

The article "Thinking About Linking" by Newton (2010) presents a novel philosophical perspective on the way that educational assessments should be linked. Newton starts by describing the linking framework as it was characterized in various publications and identifies a cross-cultural dimension in the definitions and uses of test…

The paper reflects on the use by the UK central government of statistical evidence in educational policy matters. Particular attention is given to school league tables. The paper is generally critical of government attitudes, but suggests that progress towards rational decision-making does occur. (Contains 5 notes.)

The aim of this article is to reflect on and explore questions of truth and objectivity in the sociology of educational knowledge. It begins by reviewing the problems raised by the social constructivist approaches to knowledge associated with the "new sociology of education" of the I970s. It suggests that they have significant parallels…

Reviews models of staff development in British higher education. Five micro models of staff development practice are described and evaluated; three macro models of staff development responsibility are identified; relationships between micro and macro models are discussed; and the most suitable models are suggested. (20 references) (LRW)

Describes a typology that attempts to outline the major phases of the development of ethnic revitalization movements in Western societies. Various phases of ethnic revitalization are described as related primarily to the United States and United Kingdom. Also discusses the rise of anti-egalitarian ideology and research. (CT)

Many say that the functions of education are skill development, socialization, and sorting. These objectives are contrasted with the four objectives for higher education that Lord Robbins included in his 1963 report: instruction in skills, promotion of general powers of the mind, advancement of learning, and transmission of common standards of…

Presents arguments concerning the linguistic assimilation of Blacks (West Indians) in Britain, and the research methodology used to examine this issue. One argument holds that the studies' designs are flawed, allowing a false interpretation that Blacks are linguistically assimilated; the other argument upholds the research findings. (WAS)

That young children need space seems an unsurprising statement. So unsurprising that it scarcely needs further examination, to say nothing of further thought. But what is really meant by "space" when considered in the context of young children in school and their developing needs? Various studies have mostly described the actual physical…