PLUS!PLUS! SocietyNow IN FOCUS Society 8 page supplement ESRC STRATEGIC PLAN ESRCow RESEARCH MAKING AN IMPACT SUMMER 2009 ISSUE 4 LeavingLeaving a markmark Events shaping society since the moon landing Polly School Fair trade Toynbee: league tables: tourism: The social Falling short of Bringing it vocalist expectations back home Welcome to the summer issue of Society Now, the Economic and Social Research Council’s (ESRC) regular magazine which highlights our funded research and the impact of social science. Few events are truly world-changing, but the 10 16 40th anniversary of the Apollo moon landing is a reminder of how particular events can change our perception of our world, or indeed ourselves. The cover feature focuses on events or developments over the last decades that have left their mark on our society – for better or worse. Other features in this issue include research on fair trade tourism and school league tables, the recent Michael Young Prize winners, and an interview with social affairs journalist and 17 18 writer Polly Toynbee. The In Focus supplement is dedicated to the new ESRC Strategic Plan – an important unless otherwise marked ‘road map’ for our strategic priorities over the next fi ve years, setting out research Alamy challenges ahead. © I hope you will fi nd the magazine enjoyable and informative, and I welcome feedback and hotography ideas for content. Editor, Arild Foss 22 26 All Society Now p In this issue... FEATURES 10 Leaving a mark Forty years after Apollo 11’s ‘giant leap REGULARS for mankind’ we take a look at events and 3 News developments that have changed our world 16 Changing land policy 15 Opinion Land management research by Michael The views and A decade of devolution statements Young Prize winner Mark Reed has led expressed in this to national and international impact publication are 20 The UK by numbers: those of the authors Leisure and culture 17 Tackling the blood trade and not necessarily those of the ESRC Unsafe blood supply practices at the NHS 28 Information and updates were uncovered by Michael Young Prize People; publications; news briefs; winner Carol Grayson websites; events 18 Turning the tables School league tables are seen as an indicator IN FOCUS of quality – but they don’t tell us how the Society Now school will perform in the future THE ESRC STRATEGIC PLAN 22 Voices: The social vocalist The supplement highlights the ESRC’s new Strategic Journalist and writer Polly Toynbee talks Plan, mapping out the research challenges over the about social affairs, research and the effect next fi ve years. Contents also include an introduction of recession from the ESRC Chair Alan Gillespie and an interview with 26 Avoiding the guilt trips the ESRC Chief Executive Ian Diamond about investing Tourism can alleviate injustice and poverty in research in an economic downturn – or exacerbate it. Research highlights the paradox of the tourist trade 2 SOCIETY NOW SUMMER 2009 Maximising teacher skills ■ Britain on the move ■ Volunteers dislike ‘lab rat’ status ■ Hospital targets payNEWS off ■ Understanding women child molesters ■ Religious questions ■ New family forms are not norms ■ Reaching the public with robotics ■ Food fi ghts ■ Using the internet to mobilise British Chinese ■ Reaching across the digital divide ■ NEWS Facing loss ■ Maximising teacher skills GAINING EXPERTISE AS a teacher is For example, more effective teachers arise from this study,” claims Professor a process that continues throughout a created a positive climate for learning Day. “At present, initial teacher training teacher’s career, says new research from by challenging pupils’ ideas and being does not stress suffi ciently either the the Teacher and Leadership Research more innovative; they gave more time need for lifelong learning or the fact Centre, University of Nottingham. to developing individual relationships that those starting on their careers are “Our fi ndings show that the old with pupils, focusing on building not the fi nished article. Introducing notion that experience or years in the self-esteem, engendering trust and trainee teachers to the difference teaching profession somehow equates maintaining respect; and they offered between effective and more effective to expertise is entirely false,” Professor individual support to pupils’ specifi c teaching would raise the bar for them.” Christopher Day points out. “Teachers needs to build motivation and ensure In terms of current teachers, need to develop expertise throughout inclusion in the class community. researchers suggest that their fi ndings their career and there’s no point at Teachers themselves said that should be more systematically included which those who want to be more enthusiasm for teaching, a positive in existing procedures for observing effective teachers can stop learning.” In this two-year study, researchers analysed the classroom practices of 80 The more effective teachers drew on a teachers identifi ed as effective in terms greater range of diverse teaching strategies of their school’s national test and exam results and data on pupil attitude. The “and practices, regardless of school phase research also involved a further 38 school leaders and some 3,000 pupils relationship with children and high and assessing teachers’ classroom in 38 schools in England. motivation and commitment were the performance. “Many of the dimensions” “A key aim was to discover what most important factors in effective of more effective teaching can be taught distinguishes more effective teachers teaching. Their least important factors using methods such as feedback,” from those who are simply effective,” were years of teaching experience, good Professor Day concludes. “We need to explains Professor Day. “We found pedagogical knowledge and having a increase the focus through continuing that while a number of key factors sense of vocation. Children’s views on professional development on raising (such as creating a positive climate for effective teaching varied with age. In classroom expertise, not just for those learning, promoting positive teacher- year 2 the strongest factor was ‘overall starting in the profession but across all pupil relationships, creating structured pupil enjoyment and security’; in ages and levels of experience.” ■ and well-paced lessons) contributed year 6 it was ‘positive teacher support to classroom effectiveness, the more and reassurance’. For year 9 pupils, i Contact Professor Christopher Day, effective teachers drew on a greater ‘teacher interest in pupils’ and ‘teacher University of Nottingham Telephone +44 (0) 115 951 4423 range of diverse teaching strategies and approachability’ were very important. Email [email protected] practices, regardless of school phase or “Several implications for both ESRC Grant Number RES-000-23-1564 socio-economic status.” teachers and the policy community SUMMER 2009 SOCIETY NOW 3 IN BRIEF Britain on CREDIT CONSTRAINTS In the current fi nancial climate the move many fi rms fi nd themselves particularly credit constrained. WHILE MUCH MEDIA A new study aims to analyse the attention is paid to the topic impact this has on how fi rms of international immigration structure their dealings with into Britain, the matter of who is partners in the supply chain. moving where within Britain Questions include whether credit has been largely ignored. constrained fi rms exposed to Internal migration is market risk wish to outsource or important, Professor John insource operations, and whether Stillwell argues, because credit constrained fi rms with this is the key phenomenon investment opportunities charge responsible for explaining too high prices. population change and demographic ESRC grant number RES-000-22-3468 restructuring in many parts of the country. Hence, in a new 12-month PANDEMIC RESPONSES study, researchers from the University How people behave, interact and of Leeds set out to develop a clearer travel during a pandemic could understanding of internal migration limit or exacerbate their risk of fl ows taking place within the UK and infection. Effective planning involving different ethnic groups. “White people requires an understanding of Based on an analysis of Special do indeed show how people are likely to change Migration Statistics and commissioned a tendency to move to areas of greater their behaviour when faced with tables from the 2001 Census on seven concentration of white people. And a pandemic. This new research ethnic groups – white, Indian, Pakistani spatial patterns of migration within network is bringing together and other South Asian, Chinese, black, London show that internal migrants a range of experts to develop mixed and other – fi ndings show of all ethnic groups have a tendency to methods with which to predict that the propensity to move within move from deprived neighbourhoods to how individuals may respond to Britain varies between ethnic groups. areas of less deprivation. infectious disease outbreaks. Despite the fact that nine out of every “But, interestingly, all non-white ESRC grant number RES-355-25-0019 ten migrants are white, several ethnic ethnic groups except the ‘mixed’ group minorities have higher migration are moving to areas in London with MANAGING DIABETES propensities than whites. The Chinese lower shares of population in the same Does the way people view have a particularly high rate – especially ethnic groups as themselves. This diabetes affect the way in which within the 20-24 age group – and are fi nding supports work documented they manage their illness? A new most inclined to move longer distances. elsewhere that serves to dispel the study aims to explore whether the While migration involves just over ten myth of ‘non-white ethnic group ability to ‘make sense’ of diabetes per cent of the population, more than self-segregation’ despite the range of is important in helping people 15 per cent of people whose ethnicity positive factors such as familiarity, manage the emotional impact of is described as ‘other’ non-white in security, family links, and shared living with an ongoing illness.