Research

The learner and their context

This research is concerned with topics such as learners’ experience outside formal education; learner voice; online cultures; as well as developments and trends in learners’ behaviour and experience.

Harnessing Technology: The learner and their context - interim report

Harnessing Technology: The learner and their context - Mapping young people's uses of technology in their own contexts – A nationally representative survey

Harnessing Technology: The learner and their context - Choosing to use technology: How learners construct their learning lives in their own contexts -Key findings from the first year of research

Harnessing Technology: The learner and their context - Increasingly autonomous: Learners using technology in the context of their family lives and beyond - 14 individual case studies

Harnessing Technology: The learner and their context - Increasingly autonomous: Learners using technology in the context of their family lives and beyond - Analysis of a series of case studies conducted with learners in their homes

Pedagogy and the curriculum

This research is concerned with a broad range of topics such as assessment; teaching approaches; formal and informal learning; personalisation and differentiation. It encompasses research into approaches resulting from, and afforded by, technology developments.

Harnessing Technology: Preliminary identification of trends affecting the use of technology for learning

Harnessing Technology: Discontinuities with current practice which effect the use of technology for learning

Harnessing Technology: New modes of technology-enhanced learning - Opportunities and challenges

Harnessing Technology: New modes of technology-enhanced learning - A case study series

Harnessing Technology: New modes of technology-enhanced learning - Action research studies

Business processes for delivery

This research is concerned with processes, support and services at a local, regional and national level. This includes funding mechanisms, procurement approaches, training and professional development. An important aspect of this research is the development of an understanding of successful approaches taken in other sectors and markets, and identifying how similar benefits can be realised within education.

Harnessing Technology: Business practices which support risk-taking and innovation in schools and colleges

Emerging trends from research

Harnessing Technology: Analysis of emerging trends affecting the use of technology in education

Harnessing Technology: Emerging technology trends (March 2009)

Evaluation of the Computers for Pupils Initiative

This is an evaluation of the Computers for Pupils initiative, which aimed to provide up to 100,000 learners with access to technology at home in the most deprived areas of England.

Evaluation of the Computers for Pupils Initiative final report and summary

Impact 2009

The Impact study focuses on the attainment and achievement of learners. Nottingham University will distinguish a small number of "ICT implementation modes" and engage with schools at a level of detail which permits the construction of a detailed and accurate representation of their practice. Over a period of months and in collaboration with key institutional informants, they will make repeated mappings of the form, contents and detail. Each will then be the object of reflective conversation with practitioners and learners within that institution, as well as a shared object of reflection for other institutions.

Narrowing the Gap 2009-2010

This research will explore the broad ranging factors influencing the use of technology in narrowing the gap for low-achieving learners. It will explore factors such as the range of approaches with technology which support narrowing the gap for secondary-aged learners.

Narrowing the Gap: Literature Review

Parental Engagement Research 2009-2010

An exploration of the ways in which parents' use of online services (provided by school and LAs) and texting can effectively support their family learning experiences. This project will consider the broad-ranging ways in which schools can support parental engagement in their children's education (focusing on KS2 and KS3 learners), asking which technology practices are the most effective and how they impact on parents.

An exploration of parents' engagement with their children's learning involving technologies

Deep learning with technology for 14-19 year old learners

A project exploring what knowledge and skills learners need in order to be effective deep learners now and in the future, which technology-enabled practices and structures in the 14-19 context support these goals and how and which practices accelerate the learning gains afforded by technology in the 14-19 setting and in what way.

Deep learning with technology for 14-19 year old learners - research reports, literature review, and neuroscience

Impact in FE

A study of the impact of ICT in the Further Education sector, seeking to explore issues such as the impact of the increasing use of ICT in the FE sector on learner outcomes, the specific impact of particular aspects of technology, how technology can save time, and the perspectives of teaching and management staff concerning the changes, advantages and disadvantages of the increasing use of ICT in FE.

NEETs Intervention Study

Becta's 2007 research on the potential of ICT to re-engage NEETs found that young people who are NEET are high users of ICT, and that there is substantial potential for ICT to help provide young people who are NEET with information, advice and support in making education and employment-related decisions. Based on these findings and other evidence, Becta is trialling an intervention with the aim of re-engaging young people who are NEET by establishing a peer-to-peer support network on a social networking site which will provide a platform for discussion and exchanging advice.

Practitioners' Tools

A set of focus groups with practitioners in schools and colleges to establish the characteristics of effective technology-based tools and digital resources from the practitioner perspective, the characteristics of effective non-digital tools and resources, how these resources help practitioners to do specific tasks well, where practitioners access tools ford teaching and learning and the key challenges which they face.

Web 2.0 Technologies for learning at KS3 and KS4

This research was to help shape Becta's own thinking and inform policymakers, schools and local authorities on the benefits and issues of Web 2.0 technologies and how their use could be effectively and safely realised. The research presented an overview of current research and thinking on Web 2.0 in education, provided insight into learners' use of Web 2.0 both at home and at school, evaluated the impact on learning and teaching of Web 2.0 and the opportunities presented by its use in education, and investigated barriers and challenges to implementation by evaluating experiences across schools in different local authorities.

Harnessing Technology Schools Survey

A nationally representative survey of the uptake of ICT in schools across England, gathering data on a wide range of topics including personalising learning, infrastructure and teacher continuous professional development.

Harnessing Technology Schools Survey 2009

FE and Skills surveys

Four projects will establish the current levels of the use and impact of technology in the FESR sector for colleges, work-based learning, offender learning and personal and community development and learning. The key objectives are to asses the take-up and use of technology at both an institution and workforce level, and to use the findings to help assess the effectiveness of current FE and Skills e-learning policy in the light of recent developments in government strategy.