research report

A right and an entitlement: legislating for change in early learning and childcare

Survey of local authorities to explore their expectations and aspirations for what the legislation might deliver for early childhood education and care in Scotland. Views are presented in the context of the current debate about the importance of investing in provision for young children and their families. The survey suggests those responsible for providing and commissioning these services in local authorities strongly favour introducing a legal entitlement to integrated early childhood education and care and school age childcare.

Simple things, done well: making practical progress on digital engagement and inclusion

There is a growing body of understanding about how technology can be used to support job seekers: providing responsive pathways that help establish (and extend) the job seeker’s connections; supporting the development of new skills; providing access to new markets and new forms of employment, and of course searching for, and applying for jobs more easily.

Incentivising knowledge exchange: a comparison of vision, strategies, policy and practice in English and Scottish Higher Education

Final report of the SRHE Annual Research Award 2011/12. It considers the ‘incentivisation’ and ‘institutionalisation’ of knowledge exchange activities within the higher education policy in the UK.

It is an exploratory piece based on comparing the policy, strategies and funding incentives in the English and Scottish higher education sectors.

Early childhood transitions research: a review of concepts, theory and practice

Paper that reviews the major perspectives in research on early childhood transitions. Assessing concepts in developmental theory that preceded transitions research, as well as more recent approaches including systems theories and the role of children as active participants in transitions, the paper reveals the predominant areas of focus in both academic and professional studies.

Early years education: perspectives from a review of the international literature

Review to gather together, describe and comment on international evidence on the educational experiences offered to young children. It was commissioned by the Scottish Executive Education Department at a time when the existing curriculum guidance (A Curriculum Framework for Children 3 to 5, SCCC, 1999) was under review and a national process of educational reform for children aged 3-18 was under way.