How do teachers know what they know about opportunities in Higher Education? An investigation into teachers’ H. E. knowledge base and how it is acquired.
Paper presented at the British Educational Research Association Annual Conference, University of Glamorgan, 14-17 September 2005
Author
Rob Foster, Edge Hill College of Higher Education, Lancashire, U.K.
Research team
Jean Groves, Edge Hill College of Higher Education, Lancashire, U.K.
Fiona Hallett, Edge Hill College of Higher Education, Lancashire, U.K.
This paper reports the findings of a research project carried out with secondary school teachers in the North West of England about their knowledge of opportunities in Higher Education (HE). The research is the initial phase of an AimHigher development project aimed at enhancing the knowledge and skills base of teachers in the North West region who will be involved in giving guidance to pupils on options beyond 16, thereby supporting the increased participation of young people in Higher Education.
Edge Hill is working in partnership on this project with Manchester Metropolitan University and Greater Merseyside Connexions. The research findings will inform the development work being undertaken by Greater Merseyside Connexions in relation to information resources and will provide a comparative perspective with the parallel research in post-16 colleges being undertaken by Manchester Metropolitan University.
The starting point for this research was the consistent evidence of two significant factors in decisions by young people about entering HE. The first of these is that, for many young people, choosing HE is a process that begins early in their education, often in the 12 – 14 age range, i.e. Key Stage 3. For example, as long ago as 1996, Howieson and Semple identified the need for guidance and support at an earlier age than it was typically offered. More recent research (e.g. Foskett et al 2004) comes to similar conclusions. The second factor is the strong evidence that many students will seek and take notice of the opinion and advice of a teacher whom they know well and trust rather than necessarily the ‘expert’ person, e.g. Careers or AimHigher Coordinator. In the words of Foskett et al (2004):
‘ …teachers were seen also as being influential in the choices of pupils, particularly if they were perceived as inspirational.’
(Foskett et al, 2004:29)
The investigation sought answers to the following questions:
· What demands are made of teachers who work with Key Stage 3 and 4 pupils in terms of guiding or advising pupils about opportunities in HE?
· How do teachers acquire their knowledge and understanding of HE?
· In what areas of HE knowledge do teachers feel most secure and most challenged?
· What additional sources of update information about HE would teachers find most useful?
Research sample and methodology
The research was conducted by means of a questionnaire sent to some 750 teachers across the area covered by AimHigher North West, i.e. Cheshire & Warrington, Cumbria, Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Greater Merseyside. The questionnaire consisted of a mixture of coded response items and open response items. This was then followed up by semi-structured interviews with approximately 10% of respondents.
The ideal in this research would have been to select a sample of teachers that was representative of the regional population of teachers. While some attempt was made to select a sample that was broadly representative in terms of both regional spread and type and size of secondary school, a number of constraints means that we are unable to claim that the sample achieved is truly representative, and this should be kept in mind in respect of the analysis presented here.
The sample used in this survey was, at least to some extent, one of opportunity, in that many of the schools selected were chosen because they were ones where the researchers had some personal contact – these were approached as being most likely to agree to participate.
The target group of teachers to be surveyed was identified as those who did not have a specialist guidance role such as Careers Coordinator or AimHigher Coordinator and who had significant involvement with Key Stage 3 and 4 pupils, preferably as both form tutor and subject teacher.
A sample of some 90 11 – 16 secondary schools, including special schools, across the region was identified and the contact person in each school was asked to identify a group of teachers who met the above specification (approx. 8 – 15 per school, depending on the size of school). The contact was then sent the appropriate number of questionnaires in hard copy and an electronic version.
In practice, the number of responses per school ranged from 3 to 13. A total of 464 teachers completed the questionnaire, a return compared to questionnaires distributed of approximately 62%. 105 respondents submitted their questionnaires electronically. 53 teachers (approx. 11% of respondents), also selected to provide an approximate spread in terms of both geography and nature of school, then took part in follow-up semi-structured interviews.
Analysis of Findings
1. Information about your role as a form tutor and Year 9-11 subject teacher.
Teaching/Tutor Role / YES % / Comments /I regularly teach pupils in Year 9 / 84
I regularly teach pupils in Year 10 / 93
I regularly teach pupils in Year 11 / 91
I always tutor a Year 9 form / 14
I always tutor a Year 10 form / 16
I always tutor a Year 11 form / 16
I keep the same form group for a number of years / 53 / Rotation Pattern:
Year 7 – 9 : 16%
Year 7 – 11: 39%
Year 8 – 11: 4%
Year 9 – 11: 17%
Year 10 – 11: 24%
I teach PSHE/tutorial lessons with my form / 64
Teaching materials for these lessons are provided for me by the programme leader / 71 / Some overlap with the category directly below
I am expected to develop my own materials for these lessons / 24
It is part of my tutorial role to offer individual advice or guidance to members of my form / 86
I am regularly consulted by members of my form about HE opportunities / 39 / Some overlap with the category directly below
I am occasionally consulted by members of my form about HE opportunities / 77
Responses to Question 1 indicate that school contacts had accurately identified their sample, with all teachers operating as both subject teachers and form tutors in Key Stages 3 and 4.
More than half (53%) kept the same tutor group for a number of years, sometimes all the way from Year 7 to Year 11. Just below half (46%) were always tutors for a particular year group (e.g. Year 11). This appeared to be significant; for example, respondents who always had a Year 11 form tended to give a higher priority to knowledge about HE.
86% of respondents said they had a specific guidance role with their form / tutor group (64% also taught PSHE with their form). Crucially, more than three quarters (77%) said they were consulted by members of their form about HE with 39% saying they were ‘regularly consulted’. Almost all respondents who were always Year 11 tutors came into the ‘regularly consulted’ category.
Typical comments:
‘I take the same tutor group for their full five years, so issues around options, possible future plans, etc, tend only to come round when they are in Year 9 or 10. Pupils just arriving from primary have other things on their mind’
I always have a Year 11 form and I know some of them are looking at sixth form and beyond so I need to try and keep reasonably well informed about HE’
2.What areas of knowledge, skills and expertise do you draw on when offering guidance to pupils on opportunities in HE?
Area of Knowledge, Skills and Expertise / YES % / Comments /Own experiences of HE / 98
Your own children's experiences / 50
Family and friends' experiences / 76
Former pupils' experiences / 56
Update briefings for staff, HE visits, pupil briefings on HE / 37
Consultation with ‘specialist’ colleagues / 40
Your roles and/or responsibilities outside school / 20
HE prospectuses, books, leaflets ‘T.E.S.’ / 41
HE or educational websites, Internet sources / 29
Other, please specify. / 1 / “formerly a recruitment consultant”
“outside experiences”
Virtually all respondents (93%) in the survey identified their own direct experience of HE as their main source of knowledge. Free response comments and follow-up interviews indicated that this was still frequently the case even when that experience had been a long time ago. This ‘direct experience’ was extended for some three quarters of respondents (76%) by the experiences of their own children, other family members and friends.
More than half (56%) drew on the experiences of former pupils. Around a third (37%) had update briefings on HE e.g. from specialist colleagues in school, HE staff visiting school or by going on visits to local Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).
Around 40% of respondents also consulted a range of ‘expert’ sources, e.g. specialist colleagues in school (40%), HE prospectuses and other printed sources (41%) and web-based sources (29%). However, some 60% of respondents did not consult any of these sources.
Typical comments:
‘I think we just generally know what we did, and draw on our own experiences’
‘It’s more than twenty years since I was at university but I can still remember it vividly’
‘It’s always good to have former pupils, especially recent ones, who will share their experiences with present pupils. It’s great for challenging the ‘not for the likes of us’ mentality’
3. In which areas of Higher Education opportunities do you feel confident?
Topic / PercentageHEIs experienced personally by the teacher (i.e. as student or as parent / friend of student) / 68
Degree courses in own subject specialism / 58
General benefits of HE (e.g. wider potential job choice) / 56
Training / employment opportunities in teaching / 46
Local HEIs / 23
Application procedures (UCAS, GTTR, etc.) / 21
Other topics:
Vocational routes
Experiences of former pupils / 11
10
Not surprisingly, respondents felt most secure when they were on what they regarded as familiar territory. More than two thirds (68%) were most comfortable when answering questions about HEIs of which they had personal experience, either directly as a student there or indirectly via the experiences of family or friends. Free response comments and follow-up interviews revealed that, for a significant number of respondents, their experience of a particular HEI was partial (e.g. they only knew one faculty or one campus) and / or some years (even decades!) out of date.
Some 58% felt they had secure knowledge of degree courses, university departments with good reputations, etc. in their own subject specialism. Many indicated that this was the only aspect of their HE knowledge that they regularly updated.
More than half (56%) felt secure in talking in general terms about the likely benefits of going to HE, such as enhanced job choice, higher earning potential and the experience of being a university student.
Just under half (46%) were confident if asked about teaching as a career (although free response and interview comments suggested that many found it difficult to be neutral on the matter with some wanting strongly to encourage students towards teaching and others equally strongly to deter them).
Other ‘comfort zones’ for some respondents were knowledge of local HEIs (23%), application procedures (21%), vocational courses (11%) and the HE experiences of former pupils (10%).
Typical comments:
‘My son has just started at university and I feel as though the process we’ve been through and my son’s experiences give me a useful basis to talk to my form’
‘It’s a long time since I was at university but I don’t think that the fundamentals have changed that much’
‘I tend to keep up to date with what is happening in Modern Languages, since that is my specialism’
‘I feel I know about teaching as a career. My problem is I just want to say to them: Don’t do it!’
‘I came up the vocational route and feel I can advise on that’
4. Which aspects of the role of offering guidance on opportunities in Higher Education do you experience as particularly challenging?
Topic / PercentageQuestions about HEIs not known to the teacher / 94
The range and pattern of unfamiliar courses (e.g. Foundation degrees, diplomas) / 66
Future employment prospects related to particular courses or subjects / 48
Qualifications other than conventional degrees / 42
Changes in practical issues, e.g. student finance / 27
Current application procedures (UCAS, GTTR, etc.) / 21
Other topics:
Opportunities for pupils who are not ‘academic high flyers’
Course entry requirements (e.g. ‘points’ system) / 9
7
Most respondents (94%) were concerned by questions about HEIs of which they had no personal experience or knowledge. Free response and interview comments indicate that most knew to whom or where to refer their pupils but they often felt inadequate that they could not personally respond to the query.
Some two thirds (66%) were uncomfortable in the area of unfamiliar courses and qualifications. A significant proportion indicated lack of knowledge of such developments as foundation degrees and HE diplomas; others knew little of vocational or part-time routes.
Almost half (48%) of respondents found questions about the employment prospects offered by particular degree courses or subjects especially challenging. (In fairness, this is also true for most ‘experts’ in the field; predictions of future trends in the employment market are just that and no one is in the position to offer the kind of certainty that some pupils are seeking).