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Education Studies: the issues explored

The rest of this volume seeks to reflect the nature of the discussion within this chapter. While it is not exhaustive, it will provide the reader with a detailed introduction to the issues they will encounter as they progress with their studies. Part 1, ‘Theoretical Perspectives’, demonstrates that education is not absolute. That is our current system is neither natural nor unchangeable; indeed, it is only relatively recently that education for all in the UK has been available. The part also demonstrates that the current system is ideologically based and that various alternative approaches and philosophies could be considered. Education Studies: the issues explored Part 2, ‘Policy’, shows us that political intervention in education shapes the experiences of learners. We can examine issues of international approaches and also the impact that international competition has upon the British system. In this part, alternative educational provision is considered, which helps us exam
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What is Education Studies?

As previously mentioned, Education Studies is the academic study of education and while the exact content will differ from institution to institution, certain elements will remain core to the degree programmes. Education is not an uncontested environment and as you progress through this volume you will encounter a range of perspectives. One thing that you will immediately notice is that education is not limited to what takes place in schools, or indeed other formal institutions such as universities and colleges. The role of politics in education is of crucial understanding, as is the family background of an individual. The responsibility we put on education and the approaches we bring to it are all of importance. Finally, the ways in which we internalize information and how we learn as adults and children remain of crucial importance. Each of these issues is found within this volume and will no doubt form an integral part of your studies. It is further worth noting two issues: first
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The role of government in Education

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Education is a highly regulated industry. The regulation covers the age at which you start school, the length of time you spend in the classroom, the number of days you spend in school in any given year and the core subjects you study. Additionally, the training teachers receive and the requirements of that training are centrally controlled. Teachers and schools are further controlled by a standardized assessment process that not only checks the progress of the child but also the teacher of their class and the school they attend. The role of government in Education At the heart of the political interference that education is subjected to is the idea of improvement in public services through competition. In many previously nationalized industries such as the utility gas, telecommunications, water and electricity, this has resulted in de-regulation, allowing other providers to offer similar services with the aim of reducing prices and improving the service to the consumer. The
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The purpose of education

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A more pertinent and useful discussion is concerned with the purpose of education, as it is only through this that any definition will begin to make sense. Throughout this volume, the chapters examine the role of education as the development of morality, a meritocracy that separates individuals according to ability, and as a tool to ensure that the status quo of class, ethnicity and gender mixes in society is maintained. What all of these elements suggest is that education has a role to play in preparing individuals to form a useful part of society. Many articles and chapters discussing education highlight the views of Peters (1966), who described education as being something that we intend to transmit, that we transmit it in a morally acceptable way, and that, furthermore, what we are transmitting should be worthwhile. This attempt at a definition is of course highly problematic. What information could be considered worthwhile bearing in mind that we are, in the case of primary
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What is the study of education?

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Throughout your education, you will have studied a range of subjects at both primary and secondary level. Some of you will also have studied at FE colleges or in HE institutions. You may also have engaged in some studies away from schools, in youth clubs, summer schemes and at various other locations. Prior to any formal educational experiences in institutions, you will no doubt have learnt to walk, talk, interact with others in social situations, and perhaps even read and write. If you were educated in England, you will no doubt have attended a primary school and a secondary school where you will have studied a range of subjects; some you will have enjoyed while others less so. You will have had excellent inspiring teachers and others whose impact upon you was not so positive. You have no doubt jockeyed for position among those you attended school with, your peers. You no doubt received punishments, some fair, others not, and at times received rewards and praise. You may have rec
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What is Education?

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What is ‘Education’ ? What is its primary purpose, and what is not? Which approaches support it, and at which levels of cognition? So many basic questions that many of our ‘trained teachers’, among others, ask. And very few fora to discuss the limited responses they have found so far. Therefore, the need for a book of this kind, on basic concepts and introductions to various relevant theories, was felt. The present textbook, ‘Basics in Education’, is related to one of the core components of the two-year B. Ed. The programme, introduced by NCERT recently. It aims to help the student teachers understand and analyse diverse concepts related to education, their premises and contexts. It discusses crucial concepts like the nature and goals of education, the processes of education, different forms of knowledge and the process of knowing, organisation of knowledge in the school curriculum, the autonomy of the teachers and the learners, and the role of education in inculcating values amo
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