SFCA 16-19 Education: Pedagogy
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Papers in this collection focus on the methods and practices which constitute teaching and learning in the contexts of 16-19 education.
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Item To what extent is the use of flipped learning in A level Biology suitable for students with lower prior attainment?(2025) Marshall, SarahBackground and Purpose: Flipped learning has gained attention for its potential to enhance student engagement and learning by shifting content delivery outside the classroom and prioritising interactive activities during lessons. However, concerns remain about its suitability for students with lower prior attainment. This study examines the effectiveness of flipped learning in supporting such students within the context of A-level Biology at a co-educational sixth-form college in Somerset, United Kingdom. Aims: The research aimed to evaluate whether flipped learning could enhance engagement and understanding for students with lower prior attainment. Design or Methodology: Using Lesson Study as an investigative framework, teachers collaboratively planned, observed, and refined a flipped learning lesson on "Plant Responses." Students completed preparatory tasks, including structured textbook activities and watching videos, before engaging in interactive classroom activities. Case study students with the lowest prior attainment were observed, and feedback was collected through student feedback and teacher reflections. Findings: Flipped learning positively impacted all students, including those with lower prior attainment. Teachers observed higher-quality questions, answers, and practical task engagement amongst all students compared to traditional lessons. Case Study students reported feeling more confident than usual due to the completed preparation work, which increased their willingness to participate in class discussions. Teachers valued the collaborative planning process, which led to the development of highly effective teaching resources and activities, although the increased preparation time was a notable challenge. Conclusions, Value, and Implications: The study highlights flipped learning's potential to fostering deeper understanding and confidence amongst students with lower prior attainment, provided that preparatory tasks are well-structured and accountability is maintained. While effective, the model demands significant teacher preparation time, suggesting incremental implementation. Expanding this approach across a full module and scaling it to other disciplines could offer further insights.Item Pedagogy or Andragogy? An exploration into Teaching and Learning in the Sixth Form Sector and Implications for Curriculum(2025-03-10) Lees, AmyBackground and purpose: The rationale for the inquiry was to explore the principles of andragogy in the context of a 6th form college and to investigate if 6th form students are more aligned in their learning preferences to how children learn (pedagogy) or how adults learn (andragogy). This research was needed to address an understudied area of sixth form instruction as post-16 teacher training courses usually use principles of pedagogy even though students in this sector are not children, therefore this topic required further exploration. Aims: The inquiry aims to investigate a significant challenge in post-16 teaching which is supporting students transition from school into college and the delivery of a curriculum that enables students to develop the confidence and independence to move from teacher-directed to self-directed learning. The focus of the inquiry is to establish to what extent 6th form students share the same characteristics as adult learners using the 5 assumptions of andragogy as a framework. Design or methodology: The inquiry was implemented as a Learning Preferences questionnaire which was devised to measure the extent to which students agreed with statements relating to the 5 assumptions of andragogy. 873 sixth form students responded to an online questionnaire that was anonymously completed independently, in class or during tutorial. Quantitative analysis compared descriptive statistics on each dimension of andragogy. Findings: The inquiry found that 6th form students showed preference for andragogy across all dimensions, there was no significant difference between students enrolled on level 3 & 2 courses. Level 2 students demonstrated views more aligned with pedagogy in relation to Readiness and there was a significant difference in Motivation between sixth form and FE students with regards to Motivation. Conclusions, originality, value and implications: In the context of sixth form teaching andragogy is more relevant than pedagogy, explicit use of these principles within the curriculum can help students to make the transition from school and recognition of motivation, experience and readiness to learn in the post-16 classroom may be a more suitable approach to teaching adolescent students than theories devised for the teaching of children.Item Establishing retrieval practice as a learning culture in A-Level Sociology(2025-03-10) Curtis, HannahBackground and purpose: The need to enhance student retention of Year 1 content during Year 2 independent study time motivated this research due to the linear model of the A Level Sociology exams. Prior to the research, Sociology students were encouraged to review Year 1 material independently, but the uptake was inconsistent, due to varied confidence in revision techniques. Existing literature suggests that retrieval practice, interleaving, and spaced learning are effective in improving memory retention, prompting research to explore strategies to cultivate a more consistent learning culture. Aims: The research aimed to assess the impact of integrating Year 1 content review into Year 2 study routines through structured weekly quizzes. Design or methodology: Ninety Year 2 Sociology students (aged 17-18) participated in this study for a duration of 5 weeks. The students sat a baseline test, followed by weekly knowledge quizzes, and concluded with a final test to assess the impact of the intervention. The students were provided with a schedule to revise independently for the knowledge quizzes. All assessments were implemented in a controlled classroom setting. Students were also issued with a questionnaire following the final assessment. Findings: The data indicated a significant improvement in test scores from a mean of 61.73% in the baseline to 77.4% in the End-of-topic-test (Z = -7.7365, p < .01). The survey indicated that most students found the quizzes beneficial, with 68% reporting some level of revision prior to the tests. Conclusions, originality, value and implications: This research contributes to understanding how structured retrieval practices can be implemented to improve long-term student knowledge retention in examined subjects. The findings suggest that regular quizzes can significantly enhance content retention. The introduction of structured revision plans proved crucial and increased student confidence in their independent revision. The teachers within the department have continued to embed such frameworks to support student learning and exam preparation.