Vocational, Further and Higher Education

Led by Professor Kathryn Ecclestone, this theme explores the links between policy, principles and practice across the sectors of vocational, further and higher education, drawing in the work of the University’s Oxford Centre for Staff Learning and Development (OCSLD) and the Centre for Excellence in Teacher Training in Post-Compulsory Education. Specific areas of interest are developments in formative and summative assessment and their impact on students’ motivation, attitudes to learning and their autonomy, reflective practice and the development of teachers’ skills and understanding, the privatisation of services and systems in the FE sector and the management of transitions.

Current research projects include:

• a two-year project Improving Formative Assessment in further and adult education, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, the National Research Centre for Adult Literacy and Numeracy (NRDC) and the Quality Improvement Agency (QIA)
  
• a multi-institution Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) project evaluating 14-19 curriculum reforms
  

Research projects are a central component of the work of the Westminster Partnership Centre for Excellence in Teacher Training.

Staff researching in this area are:
Liz Browne
Martin Haigh
Jenny Hankey
Trudy McAuley
Marian McLachlan
Marlene Morrison
Margaret Price
Chris Rust
Mary Samuels
Rhona Sharpe
Jane Spiro
Susannah Wright