Researching Widening Access

This authoritative volume is a truly international contribution to the worldwide debate on how best to widen access to lifelong learning. The first section of the book comprises research studies from around the world, reflecting the diversity of contexts in which widening access is researched and considers issues central to the access debate, including different understandings of the concept of access, organisational and structural change, curriculum development, entry policies, performance and retention and labour market outcomes. The second section illustrates diverse and innovative methodological approaches that have been employed by researchers in the field, and considers the range of approaches available. Given the growing concern around the world on the need to combat social exclusion and to improve economic circumstances through access to lifelong learning, this book acts as a unique reference point informing the ongoing debate, exploring the relationships between research, policy and practice.

This is an essential research companion for students, academics, and policymakers investigating the global phenomenon of widening access to education.

Among the greatest challenges of the twenty-first century is that of providing adequate educational opportunities to all citizens of the globe. This anthology – a tribute to the life and work of the Nigerian educationist Michael A. Omolewa – discusses the educational dimensions of social justice, reviews approaches to widening access, analyzes case studies from around the world, and considers future directions in education policy and research.

Researching Medical Education is an authoritative guide to excellence in educational research in the health professions. Presented by the Association for the Study of Medical Education and the Association for Medical Education in Europe, Researching Medical Education includes contributions from a team of international clinicians and non-clinical researchers in health education, representing a range of disciplines and backgrounds. This accessible reference provides readers with the basic building blocks of research, introduces a range of theories and how to use them, illustrates a diversity of methods and their use, and gives guidance on practical researcher development. By linking theory and design and methods across the health profession education research spectrum, this book supports the improvement of quality, capacity building and knowledge generation. Researching Medical Education is the ideal resource for anyone researching health education, from undergraduate, through postgraduate training, to continuing professional development.

Researching Transitions in Lifelong Learning presents new research from Britain, Australia and North America. The authors include leading scholars with established international reputations - such as Kathryn Ecclestone, Norton Grubb, David Boud and Gert Biesta - as well as emerging researchers with fresh and sometimes challenging perspectives.

The importance of adult education is growing steadily— be it in relation with migration, matters of inclus - ion, the work place etc. Thus, this international perspective on the most important research issues in adult education is a wealth of knowledge for anyone related to this field. The book is composed as a text book and thus, provides didactic material for discussion and further exploration of research in the field of AE from an international perspective. From the Contents: EU policy in Education and AE: links with Research opportunities on the field Support for Research in Adult Education in the European Union Main areas of Research in AE at the International level · Research on Migration. · Research on Inclusion, Access and Participation · Professionals, Assessment and Counselling · Learning in the Workplace International organisations and networks with influence to Adult Education

How do we understand and explain who has access to higher education? How do we make sense of persisting and new forms of inequality? How can global, national and institutional policymakers and practitioners make higher education more inclusive? Access to Higher Education: Theoretical perspectives and contemporary challenges seeks to update thinking on these questions, combining new voices and emerging perspectives with established writers in the field. This pioneering text highlights the contribution of social theory to issues of access to education, with chapters introducing and drawing on the works of key interdisciplinary thinkers including Pierre Bourdieu, Margaret Archer, Amartya Sen and Herbert Simon. It then moves to examines how theoretical perspectives can be applied to the contemporary challenges of forging more equal access, with examples drawn from a wide range of contexts, including the UK, the US, Australia, South Africa and Japan. Global in scope, this book documents the shared nature of the access challenge in a period when higher education is growing rapidly, but inequalities continue to be stark. It concludes by proposing a new direction for research and a reassertion of the role of the researcher as a social activist for disconnected and disadvantaged groups, equipped with the thinking tools needed to move the agenda forward. Access to Higher Education is a rigorous text for the global research community, with relevance to policymakers, practitioners and postgraduate students interested in social justice and social policy. It provides those with an academic interest in access and a commitment to enhancing policy with theoretical and practical ideas for moving the access agenda forward in their institutional, regional or national contexts.

First Published in 2012. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.