Policy, Belief and Practice in the Secondary English Classroom - by Bethan Marshall & Simon Gibbons & Louise Hayward & Ernest Spencer (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Studies of comparative classroom practice in the teaching of secondary English are limited, especially when it comes to exploration of the day-to-day practice of English teachers in the secondary classroom. This book presents a case study analysis of secondary classroom practice in three countries: Canada, England and Scotland. Each country has had different degrees of state involvement within the secondary English curriculum over the last twenty years. England has had the highest degree of state involvement in that it has had several statutory national curricula and a variety of assessment regimes. Scotland has had a non- statutory curriculum and no national tests and Canada has had no national curriculum at all, with education being determined at province level, and each province varying its policies.

The research adopts a case study approach involving both classroom observation and interviews with teachers. Through this, the authors explore the impact of state involvement on the reality of what happens in secondary English classrooms. The book invites readers to consider the applicability of the findings to their own contexts, to examine their own practice in the light of this and to consider the nature of the relationships between policy, personal belief and practice in the teaching of English.

About the Author

Bethan Marshall is Senior Lecturer in Education at King's College London, UK, where she specialises in issues relating to the teaching of English and assessment.

Simon Gibbons is Senior Lecturer in Education and Director of Teacher Education at King's College London, UK.

Louise Hayward is Professor at the University of Glasgow, UK, and specialises in assessment and assessment for learning.

Ernest Spencer is Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Glasgow, UK.