This article uses a multi-level ecological model to explore the dynamics of localities in England and their effects on the 14+ participation, progression and transition (14+ PPT) of young people at a time when nationally and internationally there is a recognition that transitions from education to employment are both more complex and take longer.…

In British social science degree programmes, methods courses have a bad press, and statistics courses in particular are not well-liked by most students. A nationally-coordinated, strategic investment in quantitative skills training, Q-Step, is an attempt to address the issues affecting the shortage of quantitatively trained humanities and social…

Adult Education and Literacy (AEL) empowers individuals to become self-sufficient by providing the basic skills and knowledge necessary to complete a secondary education credential and helps them meet their education and career goals. Nationally, AEL programs serve 1.5 million adults who are no longer in school and who lack basic literacy and math…

This book shares a range of examples where international students have undertaken a work placement, practicum, internship or participated in work integrated learning. Contributions reflect on the successes and challenges that this particularly diverse group of students experience when undertaking work placement programs in a variety of…

In this paper, we explore how the use of a specific mentoring model focusing on the evolution of the relationship between mentor and mentee, may influence the incidence of failure. In our research we employed a case study methodology to examine a regional public service mentoring scheme in the UK where a developmental relationship mentoring model…

"The Wiley Handbook of Educational Supervision" offers a comprehensive resource that explores the evolution of supervision through contributions from a panel of noted experts. The text explores a wealth of topics including recent and dramatic changes in the complex context of today's schools. This important resource: (1) Describes…

The workplace is becoming acknowledged, if not without some contention, as a site of knowledge production that can have equal validity with academic and other research-oriented contexts. One way of investigating practice-based knowledge generation is through doctoral work that is based on research and development in the workplace. Examination of a…

In studies of professional learning, the rise of sociomaterial accounts draw attention to the political importance of nonhuman as well as human actors, the material as well as discursive, as inter-related in knowing and action. Of particular relevance to the issue of inter-professional work in health services, some researchers have argued that…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper was to investigate the embedded process that enables or constrains low-income low-qualified employees' access to workplace learning in small organizations. Design/methodology/approach: Informed by the sociomaterial approach and cultural historical activity theory, this study adopted a qualitative cross-case study…

The question addressed in this paper is: what does a knowledge claim consist of in the context of the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)? The research comprises a case study of RPL applicants' entry into a postgraduate diploma (a fourth-year programme) in project management. The focus is on the knowledge claims made as part of the RPL application…

Drawing on longitudinal data from the ESRC-funded "Adult Basic Skills and Workplace learning" project (2003-2008), together with recent findings from research undertaken under the auspices of the LLAKES research centre (Centre for Learning and Life Chances in Knowledge Economies and Societies), this paper seeks to explore the key factors…

A qualitative case study was carried out in order to understand the enacted reality for three primary school teaching assistants of the notion of situated learning in relation to Lave and Wenger's concept of communities of practice and their description of legitimate peripheral participation. The case study subjects were studying for a work-based…

Information Technology (IT) encompasses all aspects of computing technology. IT is concerned with issues relating to supporting technology users and meeting their needs within an organizational and societal context through the selection, creation, application, integration, and administration of computing technologies (Lunt, et. al., 2008). The…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the effectiveness of action design research (ADR), a combination of action research and design science research, when conducting research where both practical relevance and academic rigor are required. Design/methodology/approach: This paper presents ADR in action in order to motivate its use when…

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to identify factors that influence vocational students' development of professional skills during workplace learning and to examine the effects and relationships of these factors. Design/methodology/approach: The results were based on the responses of 285 graduating Finnish vocational students. The…