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Qualifications, Knowledge and Curriculum Divisions: an Analysis of the Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Diploma

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Qualifications, Knowledge and Curriculum Divisions: An analysis of the Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Diploma Stavroula Bibila School of Social Sciences Cardiff University Doctor of Philosophy 2016 Declarations This work has not been submitted in substance for any other degree or award at this or any other university or place of learning, nor is being submitted concurrently in candidature for any degree or other award. Signed S. Bibila Date 30 May 2017 STATEMENT 1 This thesis is being submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of PhD in Social Sciences (Education). Signed S. Bibila Date 30 May 2017 STATEMENT 2 This thesis is the result of my own independent work/investigation, except where otherwise stated. Other sources are acknowledged by explicit references. The views expressed are my own. Signed S. Bibila Date 30 May 2017 STATEMENT 3 I hereby give consent for my thesis, if accepted, to be available online in the University’s Open Access repository and for inter-library loan, and for the title and abstract to be made available to outside organisations. Signed S. Bibila Date 30 May 2017 i Acknowledgements My first debt is to my supervisors Prof. Gareth Rees and Prof. David James. Without their genuine interest in the study, their commitment to my progress and their insightful advice, this thesis would not have materialised. Their contribution to my development as a researcher has been so significant, and yet so subtle, that it is difficult to single out and describe particular tokens of their help. I am also grateful to the people who agreed to be interviewed for the study and trusted me with internal reports and other official documents from their organisations. Equally, I appreciate the principals’ and head teachers’ willingness to allow me access to their schools. Finally, I would like to thank Prof. Michael Young, Dr Julian Edge and Dr Dimitrios Anagnostakis for generously sharing with me written materials and ideas and for offering me practical support and encouragement on demand! The study was jointly funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Welsh Joint Education Committee (WJEC) and I would like to extend my gratitude to these two organisations and to Dr Tom Hall (Cardiff University) for supporting me as a candidate for the studentship. ii Dedication Στη Mητέρα μου, με απέραντη ευγνωμοσύνη… To my Mother, with immense gratitude… iii Contents pages Declarations i Acknowledgements ii Dedication iii Contents iv Abstract v List of Chapters 1-3 List of Abbreviations 4 List of Tables 5 - 6 List of Figures 7 List of Appendices 8 Chapter 1 9 - 24 Chapter 2 25 - 44 Chapter 3 46 - 69 Chapter 4 70 - 92 Chapter 5 93 - 120 Chapter 6 121 - 147 Chapter 7 148 - 178 Chapter 8 179 - 213 Chapter 9 214 - 256 A Personal Epilogue 257 - 259 Appendices 260 - 281 References 282 - 313 iv Abstract This thesis is based on a research study that examined aspects of the implementation of the Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Diploma. Particular emphasis is given to the compulsory integration of Essential Skills Wales into the upper-secondary curriculum and the extent to which this contributes towards fulfilling the policy promise to offer a common learning Core to all students irrespective of their programmes of study and site of learning. By drawing insights from Bernstein’s sociology, I provide a principled analysis of the challenge of integrating these generic forms of everyday knowledge and make empirically visible their theoretically identified misrecognition and complexity. Based on a comparative twin case study (i.e. Communication and Application of Number) carried out across six considerably different educational sites, my findings uncover the peculiarities and challenges of pacing and evaluating the teaching and learning involved in Essential Skills Wales, and also point to administrative constraints, individual and institutional commitment to the demonstration of knowledge acquisition (i.e. certification). Students’ choices of subjects and qualifications (i.e. A level and BTECs), and the prioritisation of these, point to the power Higher Education institutions have to influence upper-secondary education. This is a separate strand of empirical work in the study, through which we see the possibility of a shift towards vocational qualifications under the overarching Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Diploma. Based on this indication, I put forward the suggestion that, although the Welsh Baccalaureate is a notable attempt to change the relationship between specialised and everyday knowledge, and between academic (general) and vocational qualifications, it remains the latest form of the applied studies track in a tripartite upper-secondary system. To conclude, the Welsh Baccalaureate may contribute to the creation of a more subtle system of pedagogic differentiation, but upper-secondary education in Wales and the rest of the UK will most likely continue to be highly specialised, competitive and stratified. v List of Chapters pages Chapter 1. Introduction 9 - 24 1.1 Chapter Overview…………………………………………………………...…….. 10 1.2 A (Personal) Tale of Two Systems………………………………………… 11 1.2.1 The Welsh Baccalaureate……………………………………….….…… 13 1.3 The Study………………………………………………..……………………..…...….16 1.3.1 Part 1 of the Study…………………………………………………............15 1.3.2 Part 2 of the Study……………………………………………………....… 17 1.4 Thesis Outline……………………………………………………………………..… 21 Chapter 2. The Welsh Baccalaureate in Context 25 - 44 2.1 Chapter Overview……………………………………………………………….… 26 2.2 Vocationalisation - 1980s………………………………………………….…… 27 2.3 Baccalaureate Proposals - 1990s…...………………………………………. 32 2.4 The Welsh Baccalaureate - 2000s……………………………………….….. 37 2.5 Linking Chapters 2 and 3…………………………………………….……….… 43 Chapter 3. Curriculum Theories 46 - 69 3.1 Chapter Overview………………………………………………………….……… 47 3.2 The Welsh Baccalaureate through Curriculum Theory…………… 48 3.2.1 Modes of Pedagogised Knowledge…………………………………... 55 3.2.2 Horizontal and Vertical Discourses………………………….………. 59 3.3 Social Realism and Powerful Knowledge……………………….…..…… 63 3.4 Linking Chapters 2, 3 and 4……………………………………….…………… 68 Chapter 4. Theorising the Study 70 - 92 4.1 Chapter Overview…………………………………………………………………. 71 4.2 Bernstein’s Theory………………………………………………………………... 72 4.2.1 Classification and Framing………………………………………...…… 73 4.2.2 The Pedagogic Device………………………………………..…………… 81 4.2.3 Pedagogic Practices…………….…………………………….….……….. 87 4.3 Linking Chapters 4 and 5………………………………..……………………… 91 - 1 - Chapter 5. Methodology and Methods 94 - 120 5.1 Chapter Overview………………………………………………………….……… 94 5.2 Part 1 of the Study: Objectives and Methodology………..……….….. 97 5.2.1 Data Collection Methods……………………………………………..….. 99 5.2.2 Data Analysis Methods…………………………………………….…….. 101 5.3 Access to Data - My Role as a Researcher………………….……………. 105 5.4 Part 2 of the Study: Objectives and Methodology…………………..... 110 5.4.1 Data Collection Methods……………………………………………….... 112 5.4.2 Data Analysis Methods…………………………………………………... 116 5.5 Linking Chapters 4, 5 and 6……………………………………………..……... 120 Chapter 6. Contextualising the Study 121 - 147 6.1 Chapter Overview……………………………………………………….…….…… 122 6.2 Vocationalisation and Assessment……………………………………..….. 123 6.3 Optional Choices……………………………………………………………………. 128 6.4 Essential Skills in the Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Diploma.. 139 6.5 Linking Chapters 6 and 7……………………………………………………..… 145 Chapter 7. The Complexity of Essential Skills 148 - 178 7.1 Chapter Overview………………………………………………….……….……… 149 7.2 Skilled Performances…………………………………………………………….. 150 7.2.1 Communication………….……………………………………………...….. 150 7.2.2 Application of Number…………………………………………………… 153 7.2.3 Comparisons………………………………………………………………… 155 7.3 Integrating Essential Skills…………………………………………………….. 161 7.3.1 Approaches: Embedded, Combined, Standalone…………………. 162 7.3.2 Levels: Material - Topic - Purpose…………………………….……… 167 7.3.3 Levels: Purpose……………………………………………………..…….... 175 7.4 Linking Chapters 7 and 8………………………………..……………………… 178 Chapter 8. The Power of Certification 179 - 213 8.1 Chapter Overview………………………………………………………………... 180 8.2 Developing Versus Assessing the Skill…………………………………… 181 8.2.1 Communication…………………………………………………………….. 184 8.2.2 Application of Number………………………………………...………… 201 8.3 Linking Chapters 7, 8 and 9……..………………………………...…………… 212 - 2 - Chapter 9. Conclusion 212 - 256 9.1 Chapter Overview………………………………………………………………..... 215 9.2 Revisiting the Study……………………………………………………………..... 215 9.3 New Insights and Implications………………………………………………. 219 9.3.1 The Welsh Baccalaureate as the Applied Studies Track……...... 214 9.3.2 The Misrecognition and Complexity of Generics………….……... 225 9.3.3 Essential Skills in the Welsh Baccalaureate………………..………. 237 9.3.4 Social Realism, Powerful Knowledge and Justice……………..…. 245 9.4 The Way(s) Ahead……………………………………………….…………….… 252 - 3 - List of Abbreviations A level GCE Advanced Level - General Certificate of Education Advanced Level AS level GCE Advanced Subsidiary Level - As above - Advanced Subsidiary BTEC Business and Technology Education Council CPVE Certificate of Pre-Vocational Education CQFW Credit and Qualifications Framework for Wales DCELLS Department for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills DES Department of Education and Skills DOE Department of Education DVE Diploma of Vocational Education EQF European Qualification Framework ESOL English for Speakers of Other Languages ESW Essential Skills Wales GCSE General Certificate of Secondary Education GNVQ General National Vocational Qualification ICT Information
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