Mediation, Translation and Local Ecologies: Understanding the Impact of Policy Levers on FE Colleges

Autor/inn/en	Spours, Ken; Coffield, Frank; Gregson, Maggie
Titel	Mediation, Translation and Local Ecologies: Understanding the Impact of Policy Levers on FE Colleges
Quelle	In: Journal of Vocational Education and Training, 59 (2007) 2, S.193-211 (19 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1363-6820
Schlagwörter	Adult Education; Translation; Educational Policy; Government Role; Colleges; Administrators; Tutors; Interviews; Labor Market; Educational Environment; Foreign Countries; Inclusive Schools; Vocational Education; Student Recruitment; United Kingdom (England) + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Adult; Adults; Education; Adult basic education; Adult training; Erwachsenenbildung; Politics of education; Bildungspolitik; College; Hochschule; Fachhochschule; Förderlehrer; Lehrender; Tutor; Interviewing; Interviewtechnik; Labour market; Arbeitsmarkt; Lernumgebung; Pädagogische Umwelt; Schulumwelt; Ausland; Inclusive school; Integrative Schule; Ausbildung; Berufsbildung
Abstract	This article reports the views of managers and tutors on the role of policy "levers" on teaching, learning, and inclusion in colleges of Further Education (FE) in our research project, "The impact of policy on learning and inclusion in the Learning and Skills Sector (LSS)." Using data from five research visits conducted over two years in eight FE learning sites, we explore the processes by which colleges "mediate" and "translate" national policy levers and how this affects their ability to respond to local need. The paper tentatively develops three related concepts/metaphors to explain the complexity of the policy/college interface--"the process of mediation", "acts of translation" and "local ecologies". We found that policy levers interacted with a complex set of national, local and institutional factors as colleges responded to pressures from the external environment and turned these into internal plans, systems and practices. We conclude by suggesting that national policy-makers, who design national policy levers, may not be fully aware of these complexities and we make the case for the benefits of greater local control over policy levers, where these interactions are better understood. (Contains 1 figure and 18 notes.) (Author).
Anmerkungen	Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/default.html
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10