What is Education?

Essay Topics and Guidance

In this assignment, we are looking for a reflection on the concepts or debates

discussed in the course. In order to make this more focused, we are asking you to
review one article from the list below.

Campbell, T. (2015). Stereotyped at Seven? Biases in Teacher Judgement pf

Pupils’ Ability and Attainment. Journal of Social Policy. 44 (3), pp. 517-547.

Fusen, K. C. (2009). Avoiding Misinterpretations of Piaget and Vygotsky:

Mathematical Teaching Without Learning, Learning Without Teaching, or
Helpful Learning-Path Teaching? Cognitive development 24 (4), pp. 343–
361.

Marples, R. (2010) What is education for?, in Bailey, R., ed., The Philosophy
of Education: An Introduction. London: Continuum, pp. 35-46.

Marshall, B. (2015). Learning, Pedagogy and Assessment. In: E. Hargreaves

and D. Scott, eds., The SAGE Handbook of Learning. London: SAGE
Publishing Inc., pp. 254-263.

McCulloch, G. (2006). Education and the Middle Class: The Case of English
Grammar Schools, 1868-1944. British Journal of Education Studies, 35 (6),
pp. 698-704.

Standish, P. (2003). The Nature and Purposes of Education. In: R. Curran,

ed., A Companion to the Philosophy of Education. London: Blackwell
Publishing, pp. 221-231.

Whilst you choose one article to review, we encourage you to consult other literature
or concepts you have covered in class to inform your reflection. You are encouraged
to draw on wider reading (e.g. from the further reading on the reading list).

The reflective essay should be 2,000 words (+/- 10%). It is worth 70% of the final
grade for the module.

It is suggested that your essay has two main elements:

 description of the article, its concept(s) and methods.
 reflection on the article, including the application of its concepts and some
critical evaluation.

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Suggested elements to include in your essay

Description:
- Tell the reader which article you are presenting.
- What is the article about? What are the main arguments of the text?
- What theoretical concept(s) does it introduce? And how do the authors work
with this concept?
- What kind of evidence does the article draw on (e.g. what kind of data or
research evidence does it use)?
- What conclusions are presented by the author(s)?
- How does the article compare/fit with other reading you have done on this
topic?

Reflection and application:

- What is your assessment of how the article uses its concept(s) (e.g. are you
convinced by the arguments, do you agree/disagree with the conclusions,
what questions did the text bring up for you, etc.)?
- Do the arguments and/or the conclusions of the article resonate with you?
How do they speak to you? Can you relate to them? Do they align with or
contradict other articles you have read? etc.
- Can the concept(s) and arguments in the article be applied to other education
or social problems?

In order to fully engage with this essay task, you will need to read more widely than
the journal article you are discussing. You may also wish to draw on other readings
you are already familiar with as well as additional sources.

N.B. Some of the journal articles may engage with more than one concept, e.g. while
their main focus is on curriculum, they also engage with learner identities; or they
may combine an exploration of the moral and political aspects of education.

Further Information
There will be an ‘Assessment Workshop’ on Monday 3 rd July, where more
information will be given and where you can ask further questions. You will also have
the opportunity to meet in small groups to discuss your essay and/or anything else
related to the assessments.

Essay submission: 12:00 noon on Friday 14th July 2023

Please upload the final version of your assignment to Moodle by this deadline. It is
essential that you submit this on time. There are penalties for late submission,
unless due to Extenuating Circumstances an extension has been granted. Please
make sure the filetype is PDF.

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Assessment Criteria
Assessment for this module follows the assessment guidance spelled out in the UCL
Assessment Criteria Guide (Level 4 – First undergraduate level). You can find this on
the module Moodle page under the Assessment tab. Any questions about the
general assessment regulations or the assessment for this module can be directed
to the module leader.

In addition to the assessment criteria for level 4 (see Assessment Handbook), below
are key areas for the reflective essay, we are in particularly interested in:

 Clarity in your engagement with and description of the article

 Evidence that you can apply and work with the concept(s) discussed in the
article
 Evidence of wider reading (beyond the article)
 Is the essay well structured?
 Is the essay clearly written?
 Is there appreciation of the complexity of the issue/topic?
 Is there a logical flow or overall argument?
 Academic conventions (such as correct use of citations and references).

The essay will be graded using the following assignment-specific criteria:

A+ The essay demonstrates highly detailed knowledge and understanding of the

concepts and theories used in the article, explicitly acknowledging other stances,
with reference to an exceptionally wide range of other literature. The work
demonstrates consistently logical and articulate critical analysis and makes
persuasive points throughout, within a highly articulate, balanced argument, drawing
convincing conclusions. Consistently accurate and assured use of academic
conventions.

A: The essay demonstrates detailed knowledge and understanding of the concepts

and theories used in the article. The work demonstrates some critical analysis of the
article, explicitly acknowledging other stances, with reference to a range of other
literature. The review is structured with an introduction, followed by a coherent,
perceptive and persuasive ‘story’ which leads to strong conclusions. Consistently
accurate use of citation and referencing conventions.

B: The essay demonstrates good knowledge and understanding of the concepts and
theories used in the article. The work shows good analytical ability, by using
evidence from a range of sources to demonstrate differing stances. The arguments
are generally logical, coherently expressed, well organised and supported. The
essay draws sound conclusions. Citation and referencing conventions are used
correctly.

C: The essay demonstrates sound knowledge and understanding of the concepts

and theories used in the article. The work uses evidence from beyond the Key
Readings to demonstrate an emerging awareness of different stances and to support
a coherent argument. The conclusions drawn are broadly valid. The use of citation
and referencing conventions is generally appropriate.

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D: The essay explains the content of the article in the student’s own words, without
plagiarism, and demonstrates broadly accurate knowledge and understanding of the
concepts and theories used. The argument is emerging but not yet coherent. The
work makes some use of evidence from other reading to support the student’s views
and draws some relevant conclusions.

Fail: A largely descriptive Essay, missing any analysis or sense of argument. There
is superficial knowledge and understanding of concepts, with some inaccuracies,
and little evidence of any reading. Some views are illogical or contradictory. Little
evidence to support views and conclusions are absent or lack validity.

The essays will be assessed by the module leader, and second marked by another
examiner. Your grades and summative feedback will be released around 21 st July
2023.

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