Abstract The selective recontextualisation of musical knowledge from societal practice into educational content—mediated by diverse political and pedagogical influences—is neither ideologically neutral nor epistemically determinate. Rather, the reframing of ‘horizontal’ musical intuition into ‘vertical’ musical conceptualisation within the secondary music classroom creates a ‘discursive gap’ with the potential to perpetuate a hidden curriculum of implicit and exclusionary musical values and to cultivate pupils' and teachers' experiences of vulnerability and disaffection. In this article, we use Bernstein's theory of pedagogic discourse to analyse the findings of a two‐year, collaborative action ethnography with one classroom music teacher and a Year 8 (aged 12–13) class of 16 pupils at one English secondary school. Focusing on the use of iterative action research cycles to introduce examples of diverse musical genres within a topic‐based unit on ‘Music Through the Ages’, we illustrate how the music teacher responded to pupils' musical vulnerabilities through facilitating opportunities for both subjective, everyday musical engagement and objective, conceptual musical engagement. We consider how the shifting locus of power and control in the classroom helped pupils navigate contrasting ways of musical meaning‐making, and how this negotiation was sometimes disrupted by the pressure of summative assessment examining western art music values and vocabularies. Although this legitimised an exclusionary hidden curriculum and negated otherwise inclusive, participatory learning, we suggest that equitable, ipsative and practical modes of assessment could be effective for reattributing value to both horizontal and vertical aspects of musical knowledge.
Abstract The study reported in this paper investigates the impact of four aspects of school climate (i.e. mastery learning climate, performance learning climate, student voice support and children's voice practices) on student learning outcomes. Drawing on panel data of the Children's School Lives national longitudinal study of Irish primary schooling, this paper investigates whether any of these aspects of school climate predict changes in schools' effectiveness status. Data from around 1500 students participating at each time point were analysed. School effectiveness was measured in terms of schools' contribution to student academic achievement in reading and mathematics, after controlling for student background characteristics. School climate constructs were measured using teacher reports, with construct validity and measurement invariance across time established. Multilevel modelling techniques were used to classify schools, at first, based on their effectiveness status at each time point, and subsequently, based on changes in their effectiveness status across time points (i.e. improvement, stability or decline). Discriminant function analyses investigate whether changes in school climate constructs predict changes in schools' effectiveness status. Mastery learning climate, student voice support and children's voice practices were found to predict changes in schools' effectiveness status across time periods and subjects. However, performance learning climate was found to have inconsistent effects. The results highlight the need for greater clarity in the conceptualisation of performance climate, as well as the importance of school‐level interventions aimed at promoting mastery climate and student voice as strategies for school improvement.
Abstract Despite their groundbreaking contributions to our understanding of the natural world and the universe, women's roles in biology, chemistry, physics, astronomy, environmental science and geology remain largely absent from standard educational specifications in the United Kingdom (UK), particularly at Key Stage 4 (KS4) and Key Stage 5 (KS5), or their equivalents across the UK nations. In this study, we conduct a content analysis of science specifications at KS4 and KS5, or equivalent levels, across the four UK nations and six examination boards, analysing the number of scientists represented and the contexts in which they are included. These UK science specifications introduce scientists predominantly through their associated concepts, rather than through explicit mentions of the individuals themselves. Among the 181 scientists mentioned at KS5 or equivalent, only three female scientists are included: Rosalind Franklin, Marie Tharp and Inge Lehmann. For the 86 that are mentioned at KS4 or equivalent, Rosalind Franklin is the only woman referred to. As a result of this analysis, we find that several major scientific breakthroughs taught in UK specifications were made by women, but these women are not explicitly included in the compulsory learning material. Such omissions mean that students are not required to be exposed to the fact that women were instrumental in advances across the history of science, and the onus is placed on individual teachers to include these contributions. We advocate for minor, targeted adjustments to the UK science specifications to incorporate key contributions from women. We provide examples of how such inclusions could be made with minimal disruption to existing teaching frameworks.
Abstract While university student transitions are often framed as processes of becoming, this perspective does not fully capture the multifaceted nature of student transitions. Even approaches that acknowledge the heterogeneity of student experiences and adopt a rhizomatic perspective tend to imply individual autonomy rather than reflect the hyper‐connected nature of contemporary student life. To our knowledge, there are no empirical studies that explore student transitions as becoming from a relational perspective. This is an oversight because the experiences of students throughout their time at university are underpinned by different forms of relationships. Our qualitative study involves postgraduate university students and draws from their personal reflections to ask: How do students experience transition as becoming in relation to others and their environment? Our data reveals that each student has multiple unique micro‐experiences, including what we describe as nutrients and toxins which, respectively, can enrich or erode their experiences. Together, these form a relational network of student transitions as becoming. We use the concept of mycelium as a metaphor to represent the entangled and interconnected ecosystem of emotions and relationships, which shape student transitions, moving from the individual to the collective level. We contribute to theory of student transition by highlighting the relational aspects of student transition as becoming. We theorise transitions as relational, symbiotic and collaborative networks, including numerous interconnecting micro‐experiences that are often unseen by university staff. Collectively, these form the ‘mycelium of student experiences’ which can contribute to relational pedagogy in all aspects of students' lives in higher education. We argue that higher education institutions can be enablers of students' mycelium networks to successfully support them through their university journeys.
Abstract This study examines primary school students' critical mathematical thinking (CMT) skills and processes and how they manifest across grade levels. Using a qualitative case study design, the study involved 24 students attending a private primary school, with six students from each of Grades 1–4. Data were collected through task‐based, semi‐structured individual interviews and analysed through descriptive thematic analysis supplemented by descriptive quantification. The findings showed that Explaining, Analysing , and Evaluating were more prominent in CMT than Interpreting and Creating . Students commonly justified their reasoning, articulated solution strategies and recognised mathematical relationships, whereas interpreting unfamiliar situations, questioning and generating or evaluating alternative solutions were less frequently observed. Grade‐level patterns indicated that CMT dimensions did not manifest uniformly across primary education, with Evaluating and Creating being more prominent in the upper grades. Overall, the results indicate that primary school students can demonstrate all five dimensions of CMT from the early grades, although their prominence varies across dimensions and grade levels and suggest that these processes may be further supported through instructional practices.
