The Development of the Primary Advisory Service in Scottish Education between 1965 and 1985

Crombie, Margaret Harkness (1990) The Development of the Primary Advisory Service in Scottish Education between 1965 and 1985. MLitt(R) thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

This study has two principal aims. The first is to chart the growth and development of the Advisory Service in Scottish Primary Education between 1965 and 1985 . The second aim is to describe what it is that primary advisers do, to set out what they themselves think about their work, and to discuss the implications of these findings. The Introduction explains the background to the study and outlines the methodology employed. Limitations and gaps in the existing literature are identified, and the need for a comprehensive and systematic investigation is established. Major educational documents, both national and local, serve as a useful starting point, and these are supplemented by information gathered from questionnaires and interviews. Chapter I deals with the decade 1965-75 in Scottish primary education, and identifies the principal issues which emerge from a study of the 1965 Primary Memorandum. Here the emphasis is on the challenge contained in this document - the need for change, in theory and in practice, the importance of developing better links within the education service and the demand for increased professionalism in the teaching force. The role of a developing advisory service is examined in relation to these trends, and attention is drawn to the repercussions of the growth of this new group - the advisers - for the traditional roles of the Colleges of Education, Her Majesty's Inspectorate and the schools themselves. Chapter II contains an examination of the political and economic context of education between 1975 and 1985, an analysis of the significant educational documents published during this period, and a description of the development of the advisory service during these years. The implications for education during a period of contraction and increased scrutiny of public spending are discussed. Despite these constraints, it is argued that there emerged a recognition of the comprehensive role of the adviser as facilitator, resourcer, liaiser, monitor and supporter. Chapter III presents a profile of the advisory service, drawing on information supplied by advisers themselves through questionnaires and interviews. Among the issues which emerge are a wide variation in the numbers of schools for which advisers are responsible, the existence of a complex pattern of remits, the lack of any uniform pattern growth, and a diversity in the way in which the service is managed. Chapter IV explores the role of the adviser in relation to the management of change. Havelock's model of educational change provides the main basis for the discussion, and use is made of information drawn from the questionnaires and interviews. An attempt is made to evaluate the effectiveness of the adviser in the role of change agent. In Chapter V consideration is given to the kind of liaison which has developed between the advisory service and other agencies in Scottish education. Discussion focusses on the nature of the partnership between advisers and the Colleges of Education, Her Majesty's Inspectorate and COPE. In Chapter VI attention is drawn to the emergence of different kinds of work patterns and new demands on adviser's time. The introduction of the Parents' Charter along with an increasing diversity of commitments have implications for the management of the service especially in relation to the adviser's own developmental needs. The desirability of providing a systematic and relevant programme of professional development is emphasised. Chapter VII deals with key aspects of the adviser's role in an attempt to identify if there is one aspect which receives priority and so gives an indication of the essential style and character of the service which has developed over the twenty year period. Consideration is also given to the way in which current events in education may alter the pattern of advisory work in the future.

• Item Type: Thesis (MLitt(R))
• Qualification Level: Masters
• Keywords: Education history, Education policy
• Date of Award: 1990
• Depositing User: Enlighten Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:1990-78198
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 28 Feb 2020 12:09
• Last Modified: 28 Feb 2020 12:09
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/78198