Widening participation has encouraged students from a diverse range of backgrounds into university with more students commuting (many being Black and Minority Ethnic, BME). Since timetabling forms a major way by which students identify and interact with their learning environment understanding its influence is important. This project aimed to…

In this paper, we approach modelling mathematics dispositions from a different methodological perspective in order to shed more light into the complex interplay between teaching practices and students' learning outcomes. We draw on survey data from around 5000 students from Year 7-11 (age 11-16) from 40 Secondary schools in England. Our…

A great deal of bullying behavior takes place at school, however, existing literature has predominantly focused on individual characteristics of children associated with bullying with less attention on school-level factors. The current study, comprising 23,215 children (51% boys) recruited from Year 4 or Year 5 (M = 9.06 years, SD = 0.56 years)…

Informal science learning (ISL) experiences have been found to provide valuable opportunities to engage with and learn about science and, as such, form a key part of the STEM learning ecosystem. However, concerns remain around issues of equity and access. The Enterprising Science study builds upon previous research in this area and uses the…

In England teachers of secondary school mathematics and science are in short supply and it is important to understand how pre-service teachers develop and maintain networks of support during their training year and the impact these networks can have on their training outcomes. The purpose of this study is to examine how changes to the size and…

Purpose: This paper explores the context, development and outcomes of a cross-European in-service training programme, developing mobile learning practices in school classrooms--MLEARN--in The Netherlands, England, Greece and Italy. This paper focuses on: contextual backgrounds; a training needs analysis; and initial, mid-term and final outcomes…

This article explores the notion that asking and exploring so-called "big questions" could potentially increase the diversity and number of students who aspire to work in science and science-related careers. The focus is the premise that girls are more interested than boys in the relationships between science and other disciplines. The…

Young people's aspirations remain an enduring focus of education policy interest and concern. Drawing on data from an ongoing five-year study of young people's science and career aspirations (age 10-14), this paper asks what do young people aspire to at age 12/13, and what influences these aspirations? It outlines the main aspirations and sources…

Using almost 60,000 responses to the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) / Advance HE "Student Academic Experience Survey" collected between 2015 and 2019, this report considers if the UK still has a single higher education sector -- from the perspective of students. Some important differences are revealed among locally-domiciled…

We hypothesized that in adolescence, maladaptive narcissism interacts with low self-esteem to predict a preoccupied attachment style ("attachment for self-affirmation hypothesis"), and with high self-esteem to predict an avoidant attachment style ("attachment for self-enhancement hypothesis"). We expected gender differences in…

This paper explores students' non-economic motives for attending university. Drawing on the results of a tri-national survey involving online questionnaires and email interviews with education students at English, German and Portuguese universities, it compares and discusses the extent to which the participants are motivated by a number of…

International students at universities away from their home context experience a significant change to the way they engage with the world, as they think, reflect and act in response to the new context. Drawing on Archer's concept of reflexivity (2003; 2007; 2012), this paper demonstrates that international students are compelled into reflexive…

This issues paper examines the retrospective satisfaction of graduates with their higher education choices, using data from a nationwide survey of former students. This is to identify whether there is variation in the frequency with which graduates from different equality groups say they would be likely to make different choices if they were able…

In this article, we provide a critical explanation and critique of neoliberalism. We attempt an innovative focus ranging from the wider contemporary political and ideological shifts, to the way in which neoliberal policy specifically influences higher education and the consequences thereof. We follow a narrative logic in three parts where we first…

The UK Government has set a goal that the "vast majority" of students in England will be studying mathematics to the age of 18 by the end of the decade. The policy levers for achieving this goal include new Core Maths qualifications, designed for over 200,000 students who have achieved good grades at the age of 16 but then opt out of…