There has, for some years, been a growing concern about participation in university-entrance level mathematics in England and across the developed world. Extensive statistical analyses present the decline but offer little to help us understand the causes. In this paper we explore a concern which cannot be explored through national data-sets,…

Retention in initial teacher preparation (ITP) and the teaching profession, in England and elsewhere, has been the subject of numerous articles in academic and professional journals. Whilst a number of common findings are beginning to emerge from research on this subject, notably on the causes of student teacher withdrawal, studies have tended to…

Little consideration has been given to the factors which motivate children to take up music tuition, or their reasons for giving up. In part, this is a reflection of the limited extent to which children have been consulted directly in relation to issues exclusively affecting them. This study considered opportunity and motivation for young people…

A trend in adult foreign language classes in England is that a large enrollment leads to a large dropout rate. Many dropouts are intimidated by class organization and atmosphere and the range of student ability and experience. Solutions include integration of language classes into adult learning centers and diversification of the syllabus to meet…

An evaluation addressed how existing services in England, especially the ConneXions career guidance service, reach or overlook groups of young people at the margins--those from minority ethnic groups who experience social exclusion and disaffection. Material from 2 sets of indepth interviews with 64 young people (most 16 and 17 years old) in 2…