This paper focuses on the movement known as ‘teachers as researchers’, which has become an international phenomenon, and posits that it may be compatible with the policy of the ‘New General Education Curriculum’ of Vietnam. In order to examine teachers’ perceptions of their ability to undertake such research the methodology employed was qualitative in nature and consisted of two phases including a survey questionnaire with open ended questions administered to respondents in 100 high schools and secondary schools in 35 locations in cities and provinces in Vietnam, followed by in-depth interviews with four practitioners. It analyses the context, examines the challenges, and recommends strategies in order to develop teachers as researchers in the Vietnamese context. The main findings include that teachers currently lack interest in carrying out research because initial teacher training does not equip them sufficiently, they thus do not have confidence that they possess the relevant skills, and they perceive that there are limitations in support and leadership in schools, especially in relation to incentives to carry out research. The paper recommends that policy makers and school leaders take the necessary measures as soon as possible in order to encourage teachers to undertake research on practice since this would enhance the quality of teaching and students’ learning outcomes and contribute to the effective implementation of the new general education curriculum.

"The educational leader in a world of covert threats: creating multi-level sustainability." Education 3-13, ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print), pp. 1–2

"French sentence builders: part one, primary / Spanish sentence builders: part one, primary / Italian sentence builders: part one, primary." Education 3-13, ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print), pp. 1–2

Vietnamese government policy has been one of complete equality of opportunity in schools and in wider society, both as a commitment to social justice and as a way of enhancing the economy of the nation by facilitating and encouraging much greater inclusion of women in economic activity. One of the main aims of the work was to trial programmes of training for teachers and teacher education students about gender equality in education using the model of Socialisation, Externalisation, Combination and Internalisation (SECI), first developed in Japan, which integrates knowledge acquisition with social learning activities (Nonaka and Takeuchi, 1995). The response to the programme of training using the SECI model was positive, suggesting that this approach may be an effective model for both Initial Teacher Education and Continuing Professional Development for High School Teachers in Vietnam.

For several years, the development of special issues of Education 3-13 has been overseen by our excellent Deputy Editor, Dr Ruth Dann, who has been working with the journal for more than twenty yea...

The National Curriculum for Outdoors is a series of 5 texts providing, as the titles suggest, a complete scheme of work for the whole of the primary age range. It is written by an outstanding team ...

"Rethinking class size: a complex story of impact on teaching and learning." Education 3-13, 49(4), pp. 509–510

This is an excellent book on an important topic and it will be of interest to many readers of the journal. Malini Mistry and Krishan Sood have developed an increasingly high profile in the field of...

: The aim of the study is to analyse the influence of socio-demographical variables on type 2 diabetes self-management among black Africans in Liverpool, England. The study adopted the descriptive survey research design of the ex-post facto type. A self-developed questionnaire with four sub-sections was used to collect data. Data was analysed using simple percentages and frequency counts for demographic information about the respondents, while research questions were tested using chi-square analysis. Thirty Black Africans ages forty to seventy-nine living in Liverpool participated in the study. The results show that out of the six socio-demographical variables considered only four (Age, Marital status, factors contributing, Year of diagnosis, and level of education) significantly had potential to influence the self-management of patients with type 2 diabetes. The average age of participants was sixty. Five participants were in their forties, eight participants were in their fifties, ten participants were in their sixties, seven participants were in their seventies. Six of the participants were married, four were widowed, five were divorced, three were separated, and two never married. Diagnosis of diabetes ranged from three months to thirty years and above. The level of education of the participants range between (46.7%) Diploma certificates holders in various disciplines, (26.7%) GCSE certificate holders and (26.6%) hold at least a first-degree certificate. All of the participants have had a diabetes self-management health talk in one way or the other at least once since being diagnosed. It is therefore concluded that health education as a means of assisting individuals, acting separately or collectively, to make informed decisions about matters affecting their personal health and those of others must be ensured.

"Meeting the needs of young children with english as an additional language." Education 3-13, 48(8), p. 1024

The study reported in this paper examines the challenges of developing an in-service training programme for early years teachers in a school in Thailand relating to the topic of enhancing young children's self-discipline. It is argued that in-service training in Thailand has tended to focus on knowledge acquisition through direct instruction during short courses. By contrast, the training programme developed during the project employed the Socialisation, Externalisation, Combination and Internalisation (SECI) Model, first developed in Japan, that integrates knowledge acquisition with social learning activities. A blended methodology was employed to examine the efficacy of the SECI approach that included interviews with teachers and school leaders, classroom observation, questionnaires and behaviour checklists. Findings suggest that an adapted SECI model is effective in the education of teachers in Thailand and may have relevance more widely in the field of teacher education in other nations.

The government of Vietnam has shown a commendable commitment to complete equality in society, including in schools yet there is evidence that gendered attitudes still exist, including in primary schools. The main aims of the research reported in this article were to investigate the lived experience of gender equality in primary schools in Vietnam through an examination of the views of teachers and school leaders and to investigate the challenges facing school leaders in implementing government policy. A qualitative research design was employed that consisted of semi-structured interviews with teachers, Deputy Headteachers and Headteachers in four primary schools in Ho Chi Minh City. The findings from the study revealed that gender equality remains a problematic issue in the primary schools where this study took place. In particular, teachers themselves showed gender bias towards the learning ability of boys and girls in different subjects and it was reported that girls who had early puberty struggled with their learning. Moreover, none of respondents expressed a knowledge of government policy on gender equality. Recommendations include suggestions that further training for teachers is required in relation to this important topic during initial teacher training and whilst in-service.

Primary teaching Initial Teacher Training courses across the UK have been under pressure from central government, Ofsted and the media to recruit more male students to their courses with the aim of increasing the proportion of males in the primary teaching workforce. This is because increasing the number of male role models in primary schools has been mooted as the solution to boys' underachievement, especially in reading and writing. There is, however, little evidence showing any correlation between boys' educational outcomes and the number of male primary teachers in schools. The purpose of the project reported in this paper was to ascertain the beliefs of the future primary school workforce about this focus on the need for male role models in schools. A mixed-methods approach was employed: 120 male and female primary trainees were surveyed and a further 48 took part in group interviews, all of whom were based in an Initial Teacher Training department in a university in North West England. Results indicated that although aspiring teachers felt that males and females could make equally good role models for children their personal value systems perpetuated the myth that boys need male role models to achieve better educational outcomes.

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to comparatively examine the issue of gender equality in high schools in Vietnam and England. Design/methodology/approach - Data gathering consisted of interviews with teachers in two high schools and the staff of a pedagogic university in Vietnam and staff of one high school and of the initial teacher training department of a university in England. Data were analysed using a combination of grounded theory, cross-cultural study and narrative analysis within a liberal feminist framework. Findings - The main findings from Vietnam include that despite a strong commitment to gender equality by the central government, both pedagogy and curriculum in Vietnamese high schools fail to promote gender equality, and that gender equality is, therefore, espoused rather than enacted. Findings from England revealed considerable success had been achieved in gaining equality of both opportunity and outcomes, but that a more sophisticated discourse on gender in education needed to emerge. Practical implications - Implications of the study include recommendations that more extensive training on gender equality is provided in both countries, but especially in Vietnam, in relation to curriculum, pedagogy and school leadership. Originality/value - This paper provides analysis and commentary on the issue of gender equality in both Vietnam and England. No such study has previously taken place in the context of Vietnam, and a comparison is offered with the more "developed" situation in the UK.