The educational policies of 1860s Britain came into being as a result of the interplay between social, economic and political conditions, and the changing discourses of childhood and education that arose from them. While essentialised conceptualisations of 'the child' had existed since the early Enlightenment period, it was not until the…

A classic in the philosophy of education, considering the fundamental purpose and function of schools, translated into English for the first time. The open access edition of this book was made possible by generous funding from Arcadia--a charitable fund of Lisbet Rausing and Peter Baldwin. This classic 1971 work on the fundamental purpose and…

Building on existing critiques of contemporary arrangements in higher education, this paper focuses on the claim that the human capital model undermines the civic or public role of universities, restricts student engagement with learning and damages the capacity for critical thinking and empathy. Interviews with students studying either Business…

The methods used when samples of journal articles are treated as the basis for measuring levels of quantification in national sociologies are examined. The data come from every identified example in English. It is found that operational definitions of 'quantitative' vary, while 'qualitative' work is characterised simply by the absence of…

Quantitative metrics in research assessment are proliferating all over the world. The demand has led to an increase in bibliometric practitioners and service providers. Their professional roles and competencies have not yet been subject to systematic study. This paper focuses on one important service provider in evaluative bibliometrics--academic…

There has been much debate about the study of British youth cultures, often involving the analysis and critique of two dominant theoretical frameworks: the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies (CCCS) "subcultural" position and the "post-subcultural" position. This paper, will engage in this debate by offering an alternative…

The author provides a perspective on the current state of educational sociology in Great Britain and the United States. (DE)

Looks at the nature of the influence of sociology upon student teachers by considering the way in which candidates for the B. Ed. degree in one area training organization have tackled examination questions on the sociology of education. (Author)

The 11 papers in this book address, from a sociological perspective, a variety of contemporary educational reform issues in Great Britain. The papers examine the direction and role of sociological research in education. Sociology education has an important role to play in raising questions about the British educational system and its premises. The…

This study investigated how literary elites in three different cultures interpreted a group of novels written by George Lamming, a writer from the Caribbean area whose novels were read, discussed, and interpreted over a span of 20 years beginning in the 1950s. Concludes that cultural differences influenced the readers' interpretations. (JDH)

To date, qualitative research into occupational groups and cultures within academia has been relatively scarce, with an almost exclusive concentration upon teaching staff within universities and colleges. This article seeks to address this lacuna and applies the interactionist concept of "identity work" in order to examine one specific…

The author feels that the traditional background in sociology, or even social administration, does not provide suffient personal guidance to those who work in administrative positions. Objectivity and compassionate understanding must be combined in the applied social science curricula. (Author/PG)

Examines reasons why work-sharing has gained increasing acceptance. Reasons include long-term unemployment, growing labor supply, and decreasing labor demand. The author reviews examples of current work-sharing schemes in Great Britain, Europe, and the United States. Future developments in work-sharing programs are discussed. (AM)

This book examines women's lives, past and present, to understand experiences of mature women students in universities. Chapter 1 explores current research and literature on mature women students in adult and continuing education. Chapter 2 reflects on the value of sociology and particular theoretical approaches such as feminist sociology, action,…