Knowledge, Power and Educational Reform: Applying the sociology of Basil Bernstein

This book is made up of a selection of writings from an international team of scholars, highlighting the contribution made to the field of educational policy and educational policy research by Basil Bernstein's work on the sociology of pedagogy. These contributors explore, analyse and engage with contemporary political reforms of education, contemporary pedagogic debates and the changing nature of professional knowledge, relationships and structures. The subjects covered include:

• particular concepts such as voice research
• the significance of social class in relation to the language, schooling and home cultures
• differences between official and pedagogic recontextualising fields
• formation of different types of identities
• the construction of the learner
• formation of teacher identities and use of pedagogic discourses
• analysis of performance-based educational reforms and its impact on pedagogy.

Rob Moore is Senior Lecturer in Education has taught at primary, secondary, further and higher levels in English education. He currently teaches a range of sociology of education courses that cover sociological perspectives and education and more specific areas such as social exclusion and childhood and family. Special interests in epistemology and the problems of knowledge, education and social change, educational differences and youth transitions.

John Beck is Director of Studies for Education at the University of Cambridge teaches mainly in the areas of Sociology of Education and Professional Studies on undergraduate, secondary PGCE and Masters courses. His main current research interests include: citizenship and citizenship education; social theory and social policy within the sociology of education; and aspects of personal and social education including sex education.

Harry Daniels is Professor of Education at the University of Bath. He has written many books including Vygotsky and Pedagogy, 2nd edition (Routledge) which is widely used around the world as an introduction to Vygotsky’s work.

Madeleine Arnot is Professor of Sociology of Education A sociologist of education who is particularly known for her work on gender and education. Her research and teaching interests include social inequalities in education (race, class and gender); family, youth and citizenship; citizenship education; and educational policy and social change. She is currently on the Executive Editorial Board of the British Journal of Sociology of Education and the editorial board of International Studies in Sociology of Education, and associate editor of Gender and Education.