Research in Post-Compulsory Education
Journal Data
| Type | JOURNAL |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Routledge (GB) |
| ISSN | 1359-6748 / 1747-5112 |
| Scopus | 7000153220 |
| Wikidata | Q15761293 |
| OpenAlex | S20419620 |
| Website | https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rpce20/current |
| Total publications | 24 |
| Coverage period | 1996 - 2026 |
| Country | GB |
| Language | EN |
| Indexing | Scopus indexed |
| Cited by | 2 |
| SJR | 0.409 (Q2) |
| SNIP | 0.835 |
| CiteScore | 1.7 |
| h-index | 1 |
| Overton policy citations | 1 |
| Female authorship share | 59.6% |
This journal focuses on research in post-compulsory education. While education is a social science, anthropological content is typically occasional rather than structural in such venues, placing it in the broader social science category
Education · Adult and Continuing Education Topics · Collaborative Teaching and Inclusion · Disability Education and Employment · Diverse Education Studies and Reforms · Doctoral Education Challenges and Solutions · Education and Critical Thinking Development · Education Systems and Policy · Educational and Psychological Assessments
Academic experts’ perspectives on strategic benefits, challenges, and development of Professional doctorates in midwifery within a small-state context
Professional doctorates (PDs) provide an advanced pathway for midwives to integrate clinical expertise, research, and leadership. While well established in countries such as the United Kingdom, their relevance and feasibility within small-state higher education systems remain underexplored. This study examined midwifery academics’ perceptions of the benefits, challenges, and contextual considerations associated with developing a Professional Doct…
The transition from further to higher education
The transition from further to higher education is a critical period that can impact success and retention, particularly for traditionally underrepresented students. This study surveyed 54 first-year Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation students at a UK university to explore expectations and experiences during transition to higher education with a focus on educational background and socio-economic status. Findings revealed differences in expected c…
Embedding improvement in Dutch middelbaar beroepsonderwijs (MBO)
TVET (technical and vocational education) colleges often launch improvement initiatives yet struggle to sustain results in daily practice. This study examines what enables and hinders Dutch middelbaar beroepsonderwijs (MBO, secondary vocational education) teams in embedding quality improvement (QI) in routine work. We conducted 21 semi-structured interviews with managers, team leaders, and teachers across multiple MBO programs. Data were analyzed…
A corpus analysis of Tesol learner reviews
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have become a prominent platform for teacher professional development, particularly in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). This exploratory study employs corpus linguistics methods, specifically keyword, collocation, and thematic analyses, to examine learner perspectives on the ‘TESOL specialization’ MOOCs on Coursera, which consist of eight courses designed for English language teachers. B…
‘They don’t care’
Trust is a fundamental element in the student-institution relationship, yet little is known about how students experience distrust within higher education. This qualitative study examines how undergraduate, graduate, and professional students perceive, experience, and respond to distrust in their higher education institution (HEI). Drawing on data from seven focus groups, three primary themes emerged through a reflexive thematic analysis: 1) expe…
Enacting generative AI policy in english further education colleges
This paper critically examines how national policies promoting generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) are enacted within English Further Education (FE) colleges between 2023 and 2025, with a focus on vocational and technical education. Drawing on documentary analysis of national policy, regulatory texts and institutional materials, the study is informed by policy enactment theory and a social justice lens. The study identifies a persistent ga…
Navigating the Fourth Industrial Revolution in Zimbabwean higher education
The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is reshaping global societies, economies, and education systems by introducing advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, robotics, and the Internet of Things. This study explores the opportunities, challenges, and strategies for integrating 4IR technologies within Zimbabwean tertiary education, guided by the principles of Education 5.0. Using an interpretive qualitative approach, data …
Re-imagining VET
The paper adopts an approach derived from critical theory and structuralism. It sets itself four main tasks. Firstly, to set the discussion within an engagement with vocational education and training (VET) that serves to explore its conceptualisations, considering their limits and radical possibilities. This section morphs into the second, which examines the capitalocene, which locates the climate crisis in the context of class society. Here agai…
Creating cultural change in large organisations
Creating cultural change within large organisations is a complex process that involves action across all levels of the institution. In the context of incomplete and uneven processes of marketisation, ‘top-down’ managerial approaches pose further challenges for organisational change in the UK Higher Education sector. Drawing on a study exploring the implementation of ‘good practice’ recommendations for addressing BAME (Black and Minority Ethnic) o…
Engineering students educational experiences of further and higher education teaching in the United Kingdom
Despite the high number of students enrolling each year in engineering degree programmes at universities across the United Kingdom, relatively few studies have examined the teaching and learning experiences encountered by these learners. This study addresses that gap by comparing the perspectives of 209 first-year engineering students at a post-92 English university with their prior educational backgrounds in further education settings. Findings …
Project-based differentiation in adult foundation skills
Addressing Foundation Skills (language, literacy, numeracy and digital (LLND) capability) has long been recognised as important for learner progression and workforce participation in vocational education and training (VET). However, meeting the needs of diverse learners within cohort style provision remains a pedagogical challenge. This qualitative case study examines how differentiated task design can be enacted through a shared project structur…
Negotiating curriculum co-creation
This study investigates how curriculum co-creation facilitates authentic learning through negotiated curriculum transformations using the context of business and management education. Drawing on the negotiated curriculum lens, it examines 22 scholarly contributions via an abductive, integrative review to identify curriculum transformation mechanisms, their relationships with authentic learning and contingencies therein. A conceptual framework is …
Students’ perspectives on the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on wellbeing, attendance, retention, and higher education
In an era characterised by the impacts of the cost-of-living crisis and COVID-19, this research examines the effects of the UK’s cost-of-living crisis on the well-being, attendance, and retention of undergraduate Business School students through an online questionnaire. The findings unveil that students grappling with soaring rent and mortgage expenses endure adverse effects on their mental health rating and attendance in classes. Moreover, it is…
Discovering development
This article examines the Development Apprenticeship (DAship) Programme of Professional Assistance for Development Action (PRADAN) as a distinctive model for grooming grassroots development professionals in India. Drawing on qualitative documentary analysis of 21 retrospective first-person narratives published in NewsReach between 2001 and 2019, the study explores how extended field immersion, mentorship, and reflective learning shape participant…
Why and how do people become teachers in the Australian VET sector?
The paper reports on research undertaken to inform public debate on shortages of teachers in and for the vocational education and training (VET) sector, in Australia and elsewhere. The project surveyed currently employed VET teachers about their motivations for becoming VET teachers, and reasons for staying in the job. This paper analyses the findings relating to motivations for entering the occupation. An on-line survey was administered to all s…
Visual programming for digital competency development in vocational education and training teachers
Industry 4.0 necessitates enhanced digital competencies among vocational education and training (VET) teachers globally; however, significant gaps in technology integration persist, particularly in developing countries where resource constraints demand innovative solutions. This pilot feasibility study explores visual programming platforms as an accessible approach to enhancing VET teachers’ digital competencies, with implications for broader pos…
Exploring foreign-born teachers’ (FBTs’) professional development in higher education institutions in Finland
The aim of this article is to explore foreign-born teachers’ (FBTs’) professional development (PD) in higher education institutions in Finland. The uniqueness of the study comes from its narrative research approach, which gives voice to FBTs, who are situated on the edges of the faculty of the universities of applied sciences (UASs). The research data consist of narratives written by 18 participants from 13 different UAS organisations in Finland.…
Socio-economic factors shaping students’ enrolment decisions in JCT training programs
The paper investigates seven socio-economic factors influencing Saudi students’ perception of enrolling in Jeddah College of Technology (JCT). The student survey is composed of 340 students pooled in three strata, i.e., sampling by department, by living place, and by students’ seniority at the JCT. The study has used a five-point Likert scale questionnaire, which was analysed using the Chi-square test. The prevalence of the socio-economic factors…
Investigating the potential for first-year residential field courses to facilitate the establishment of teacher-student relationships in biological sciences undergraduate degrees
Teacher-student relationships (TSRs) in higher education impact many aspects of the student experience, including engagement and performance. However, relatively little is known about the mechanisms of establishment of TSRs, and in particular, how these are influenced by specific learning environments and contexts. Here, we undertake an exploratory investigation using first-year biological sciences undergraduate residential field courses to exami…
From social responsibility to self-directed lifelong learning in early university education
Lifelong learning competencies have become central to contemporary higher education; however, limited empirical attention has been paid to how these competencies begin to develop during the early stages of university education. This study examines how preparatory class students develop lifelong learning competencies – particularly self-directed learning, collaboration, problem-solving, and self-awareness – through engagement in a structured commu…
Where data rule the roost – teachers’ perspectives on job satisfaction, autonomy and change in UK post-compulsory education
The shortage of teachers continues to be not only a national, but an international issue, with serious consequences for the educational system. Retaining teachers and making sure they have optimal levels of job satisfaction to support their hard work should be a top priority. Many variables connected to teacher well-being can impact teacher professional development, management of workload or even attrition from the profession, and so our research…
Employability, knowledge and the creative arts
This paper draws on research into the experiences of young people classified as NEET (not in education, employment or training) on an employability programme in the north of England, and uses Basil Bernstein’s work on pedagogic discourses to explore how the creative arts can be used to re-engage them in work-related learning. Whilst creating demand for young people’s labour is central to tackling youth unemployment, the paper contends that using …
Work‐based learning as a field of study
This article addresses the challenges that Garnett suggests face higher education through the lens of Bourdieu. In taking up the challenge set by Garnett for higher education in the knowledge economy and responding to its powerful and primary artefact – intellectual capital – the article reviews and uses the analytical tool of Bourdieu’s practice in the context of work‐based learning in higher education. The article suggests that the rivalry betw…
Learning Biographies in Adult Education
As pan of a larger study, including Germany and Poland, the author interviewed 30 people in Austria belonging to three different age groups in order to document and investigate their learning biographies. Particular emphasis was given to the influence and relevance for learning of critical incidents in the biographies of the interviewees. The author found a pattern of critical incidents in people's life histories, which can stimulate learning int…
Employability, knowledge and the creative arts
This paper draws on research into the experiences of young people classified as NEET (not in education, employment or training) on an employability programme in the north of England, and uses Basil Bernstein’s work on pedagogic discourses to explore how the creative arts can be used to re-engage them in work-related learning. Whilst creating demand for young people’s labour is central to tackling youth unemployment, the paper contends that using …
Work‐based learning as a field of study
This article addresses the challenges that Garnett suggests face higher education through the lens of Bourdieu. In taking up the challenge set by Garnett for higher education in the knowledge economy and responding to its powerful and primary artefact – intellectual capital – the article reviews and uses the analytical tool of Bourdieu’s practice in the context of work‐based learning in higher education. The article suggests that the rivalry betw…
Learning Biographies in Adult Education
As pan of a larger study, including Germany and Poland, the author interviewed 30 people in Austria belonging to three different age groups in order to document and investigate their learning biographies. Particular emphasis was given to the influence and relevance for learning of critical incidents in the biographies of the interviewees. The author found a pattern of critical incidents in people's life histories, which can stimulate learning int…
Work‐based learning as a field of study
This article addresses the challenges that Garnett suggests face higher education through the lens of Bourdieu. In taking up the challenge set by Garnett for higher education in the knowledge economy and responding to its powerful and primary artefact – intellectual capital – the article reviews and uses the analytical tool of Bourdieu’s practice in the context of work‐based learning in higher education. The article suggests that the rivalry betw…
Employability, knowledge and the creative arts
This paper draws on research into the experiences of young people classified as NEET (not in education, employment or training) on an employability programme in the north of England, and uses Basil Bernstein’s work on pedagogic discourses to explore how the creative arts can be used to re-engage them in work-related learning. Whilst creating demand for young people’s labour is central to tackling youth unemployment, the paper contends that using …
Academic experts’ perspectives on strategic benefits, challenges, and development of Professional doctorates in midwifery within a small-state context
Professional doctorates (PDs) provide an advanced pathway for midwives to integrate clinical expertise, research, and leadership. While well established in countries such as the United Kingdom, their relevance and feasibility within small-state higher education systems remain underexplored. This study examined midwifery academics’ perceptions of the benefits, challenges, and contextual considerations associated with developing a Professional Doct…
The transition from further to higher education
The transition from further to higher education is a critical period that can impact success and retention, particularly for traditionally underrepresented students. This study surveyed 54 first-year Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation students at a UK university to explore expectations and experiences during transition to higher education with a focus on educational background and socio-economic status. Findings revealed differences in expected c…
Embedding improvement in Dutch middelbaar beroepsonderwijs (MBO)
TVET (technical and vocational education) colleges often launch improvement initiatives yet struggle to sustain results in daily practice. This study examines what enables and hinders Dutch middelbaar beroepsonderwijs (MBO, secondary vocational education) teams in embedding quality improvement (QI) in routine work. We conducted 21 semi-structured interviews with managers, team leaders, and teachers across multiple MBO programs. Data were analyzed…
A corpus analysis of Tesol learner reviews
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have become a prominent platform for teacher professional development, particularly in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). This exploratory study employs corpus linguistics methods, specifically keyword, collocation, and thematic analyses, to examine learner perspectives on the ‘TESOL specialization’ MOOCs on Coursera, which consist of eight courses designed for English language teachers. B…
‘They don’t care’
Trust is a fundamental element in the student-institution relationship, yet little is known about how students experience distrust within higher education. This qualitative study examines how undergraduate, graduate, and professional students perceive, experience, and respond to distrust in their higher education institution (HEI). Drawing on data from seven focus groups, three primary themes emerged through a reflexive thematic analysis: 1) expe…
Enacting generative AI policy in english further education colleges
This paper critically examines how national policies promoting generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) are enacted within English Further Education (FE) colleges between 2023 and 2025, with a focus on vocational and technical education. Drawing on documentary analysis of national policy, regulatory texts and institutional materials, the study is informed by policy enactment theory and a social justice lens. The study identifies a persistent ga…
Navigating the Fourth Industrial Revolution in Zimbabwean higher education
The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is reshaping global societies, economies, and education systems by introducing advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, robotics, and the Internet of Things. This study explores the opportunities, challenges, and strategies for integrating 4IR technologies within Zimbabwean tertiary education, guided by the principles of Education 5.0. Using an interpretive qualitative approach, data …
Re-imagining VET
The paper adopts an approach derived from critical theory and structuralism. It sets itself four main tasks. Firstly, to set the discussion within an engagement with vocational education and training (VET) that serves to explore its conceptualisations, considering their limits and radical possibilities. This section morphs into the second, which examines the capitalocene, which locates the climate crisis in the context of class society. Here agai…
Creating cultural change in large organisations
Creating cultural change within large organisations is a complex process that involves action across all levels of the institution. In the context of incomplete and uneven processes of marketisation, ‘top-down’ managerial approaches pose further challenges for organisational change in the UK Higher Education sector. Drawing on a study exploring the implementation of ‘good practice’ recommendations for addressing BAME (Black and Minority Ethnic) o…
Engineering students educational experiences of further and higher education teaching in the United Kingdom
Despite the high number of students enrolling each year in engineering degree programmes at universities across the United Kingdom, relatively few studies have examined the teaching and learning experiences encountered by these learners. This study addresses that gap by comparing the perspectives of 209 first-year engineering students at a post-92 English university with their prior educational backgrounds in further education settings. Findings …
Project-based differentiation in adult foundation skills
Addressing Foundation Skills (language, literacy, numeracy and digital (LLND) capability) has long been recognised as important for learner progression and workforce participation in vocational education and training (VET). However, meeting the needs of diverse learners within cohort style provision remains a pedagogical challenge. This qualitative case study examines how differentiated task design can be enacted through a shared project structur…
Negotiating curriculum co-creation
This study investigates how curriculum co-creation facilitates authentic learning through negotiated curriculum transformations using the context of business and management education. Drawing on the negotiated curriculum lens, it examines 22 scholarly contributions via an abductive, integrative review to identify curriculum transformation mechanisms, their relationships with authentic learning and contingencies therein. A conceptual framework is …
Students’ perspectives on the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on wellbeing, attendance, retention, and higher education
In an era characterised by the impacts of the cost-of-living crisis and COVID-19, this research examines the effects of the UK’s cost-of-living crisis on the well-being, attendance, and retention of undergraduate Business School students through an online questionnaire. The findings unveil that students grappling with soaring rent and mortgage expenses endure adverse effects on their mental health rating and attendance in classes. Moreover, it is…
Discovering development
This article examines the Development Apprenticeship (DAship) Programme of Professional Assistance for Development Action (PRADAN) as a distinctive model for grooming grassroots development professionals in India. Drawing on qualitative documentary analysis of 21 retrospective first-person narratives published in NewsReach between 2001 and 2019, the study explores how extended field immersion, mentorship, and reflective learning shape participant…
Why and how do people become teachers in the Australian VET sector?
The paper reports on research undertaken to inform public debate on shortages of teachers in and for the vocational education and training (VET) sector, in Australia and elsewhere. The project surveyed currently employed VET teachers about their motivations for becoming VET teachers, and reasons for staying in the job. This paper analyses the findings relating to motivations for entering the occupation. An on-line survey was administered to all s…
Visual programming for digital competency development in vocational education and training teachers
Industry 4.0 necessitates enhanced digital competencies among vocational education and training (VET) teachers globally; however, significant gaps in technology integration persist, particularly in developing countries where resource constraints demand innovative solutions. This pilot feasibility study explores visual programming platforms as an accessible approach to enhancing VET teachers’ digital competencies, with implications for broader pos…
Exploring foreign-born teachers’ (FBTs’) professional development in higher education institutions in Finland
The aim of this article is to explore foreign-born teachers’ (FBTs’) professional development (PD) in higher education institutions in Finland. The uniqueness of the study comes from its narrative research approach, which gives voice to FBTs, who are situated on the edges of the faculty of the universities of applied sciences (UASs). The research data consist of narratives written by 18 participants from 13 different UAS organisations in Finland.…
Socio-economic factors shaping students’ enrolment decisions in JCT training programs
The paper investigates seven socio-economic factors influencing Saudi students’ perception of enrolling in Jeddah College of Technology (JCT). The student survey is composed of 340 students pooled in three strata, i.e., sampling by department, by living place, and by students’ seniority at the JCT. The study has used a five-point Likert scale questionnaire, which was analysed using the Chi-square test. The prevalence of the socio-economic factors…
Investigating the potential for first-year residential field courses to facilitate the establishment of teacher-student relationships in biological sciences undergraduate degrees
Teacher-student relationships (TSRs) in higher education impact many aspects of the student experience, including engagement and performance. However, relatively little is known about the mechanisms of establishment of TSRs, and in particular, how these are influenced by specific learning environments and contexts. Here, we undertake an exploratory investigation using first-year biological sciences undergraduate residential field courses to exami…
From social responsibility to self-directed lifelong learning in early university education
Lifelong learning competencies have become central to contemporary higher education; however, limited empirical attention has been paid to how these competencies begin to develop during the early stages of university education. This study examines how preparatory class students develop lifelong learning competencies – particularly self-directed learning, collaboration, problem-solving, and self-awareness – through engagement in a structured commu…
Where data rule the roost – teachers’ perspectives on job satisfaction, autonomy and change in UK post-compulsory education
The shortage of teachers continues to be not only a national, but an international issue, with serious consequences for the educational system. Retaining teachers and making sure they have optimal levels of job satisfaction to support their hard work should be a top priority. Many variables connected to teacher well-being can impact teacher professional development, management of workload or even attrition from the profession, and so our research…