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In 2003 A New Initiative To Counteract This Problem Was Launched. The ...

In 2003 a new initiative to counteract this problem was launched. The Learning and Skills Research Centre (LRSC) an offshoot of the further education thinktank the Learning and Skills Development Agency (LSDA) was charged with the responsibility of resolving this issue.
The project identified 27 tactics pursued with varying degrees of success to beef up the impact that a research project can have on its target audience. The tactics range from simply issuing guidelines that have emerged from the research, with or without a full report to providing financial incentives for adopting the recommendations. In between lies, a range of other techniques i.e. holding seminars and presentations for target groups, lobbying the 10 most influential people in the relevant field.
As already discussed in section 1, unless research improves practice, there is little point in undertaking the investigation in the first place. Therefore, a key feature of the proposed research project will be to provide the key stakeholders (i.e. teachers) with strategies that can be utilised to combat the problems caused by disaffected young people.
Research Models
Section 2.1 analyses the poor conversion rate of transforming research conclusions and recommendations into practical policies which can be applied by educational institutions and practitioners. In 2003 the Learning and Skills Development Agency (LSDA) was charged with the responsibility of generating a higher conversion rate. However, the root cause of this problem lies potentially in the research model that is selected to form the basis of any investigation.
Teachers Under Pressure
It is possible to draw a parallel between disaffected teachers and disaffected pupils. Teachers complain about having too much paperwork to complete. Not only there is too much of it but there is an argument to suggest that most of it is irrelevant to the job that teachers actually do. Quality assurance measures in the public sector often means having even more new policies to comply with and more boxes to tick. Ever increasingly amounts of forms to complete, makes teachers dissatisfied in the short term.
However, for a sizeable proportion long-term disaffection and alienation has become norm. The message they perceive from the educational authorities that is ticking the right boxes is now more important than what happens in the classroom. The introduction of SATS in the mid-1990s and the never ending demands to attain higher GCSE pass rates means that too much emphasis is placed on getting pupils to perform better when taking tests and exams.
Perception Becomes Reality
Whilst this is important, it means that now too much focus is now placed on a very narrow definition of what being a successful teacher is all about. That is, getting pupils to pass exams.


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