In this article, Bourdieu's theory of capital is used to examine differences in the professional attitudes of staff who work in the English Further Education (FE) sector. Little empirical work has been conducted in this field despite evidence that positionality can influence how professionalism is experienced. Bourdieu distinguishes three forms of…

Higher education is increasingly positioned as a private good for prospective students in England, through which they can hope to gain an economic return on their 'investment'. This paper offers new ways of thinking about the purpose of university study and the benchmarks of graduate success. Using Margaret Archer's understanding of the concept of…

The paper problematises conceptualisations of Vocational Education and Training (VET) and its relationship to social justice by examining a number of debates. It explores a post-structural policy analysis which is sensitive to the manner in which, through research, we constitute the object of our inquiry and as a result of this process subtly…

Resilience training for Further Education (FE) managers has become an increasingly familiar aspect of management development. This paper challenges the accepted orthodoxies underpinning resilience as a 'learnable' skill required to succeed as a manager. In particular, it addresses the concepts of toxic positivity, growth mindset (Dweck) and Grit…

A growing body of evidence has been assembled in recent years indicating the influence that early educational experiences can have on a young person's prospects of progressing to university. These include experiences associated with the transition to post-16 study, which can also involve a move to a different educational institution. Whilst…

Transition has an impact upon the emotional and social development of the individual as well as academically. This paper argues that transition is not a one-off event but is an ongoing process that is repeated over time. In entering further education (FE) the impact of transition in the move from formal schooling to post-compulsory education is no…

This paper focuses on the colleges and institutes of higher education (CIHEs), major providers of HE, almost sixty of which existed in England and Wales between the 1970s and the early twenty-first century. Its central argument is that a failure to develop the CIHEs as specialist institutions of advanced professional learning along the lines of…

The author is Teaching and Learning Manager at the college with rsponsibility for observation of all teaching staff and their professional development. This research looks at differing concepts of pedagogy through an investigation of observation data and an analysis of 'blended learning sessions' at a college that is at the forefront of using…

This study intends to identify existing permeability pathways between post-secondary education and training in Cambodia and to highlight hindrances that hamper the smooth permeability between the two systems. Adopting a hybrid process, the study combines both inductive and deductive thematic analysis approaches in coding transcribed interviews at…

This article details the findings of a research project that aimed to interpret and understand the experiences of further education lecturers as they undertook initial teacher education. Using rigorous methods grounded in hermeneutic phenomenology, the research situated in colleges in Scotland and Wales structured as two significant case studies…

Drawing on data collected in two stages this paper analyses the inclusive practice a college of Further and Higher Education in the North West of England. Thoughts and experiences were sought through the creation of analytical auto ethnography alongside in depth interviews with key actors. Research focused on the historical development of…

In a turbulent working environment with varying expectations and challenges is it fair to expect further education teachers and managers to maintain and improve standards? This article highlights that with the incorporation of colleges began a series of initiatives to professionalise the FE sector. This coupled with pressures for those who work…

This article explores the perceptions of international students studying in the UK regarding their transition from undergraduate to postgraduate study, the challenges they faced in the process and the factors that supported that transition. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 44 taught international postgraduate students at a UK…

Following legislative changes introduced under the Children and Families Act (2014), educational psychologists (EPs) now work to support the needs of children and young people up to the age of 25. While there is a small but emerging base of contemporary research exploring the role of the EP within the post-school sector, to date few studies have…

This paper presents insights from a qualitative case study in Glasgow, Scotland, using semi-structured paired interviews to explore the aspirations of BME Muslim young people labelled by policy as requiring More Choices, More Chances as they prepare to leave compulsory education. The young people were identified by their schools and affiliated…