Alternative education: Investigating equality, inequity and opportunity through education outside of school

Introduction

Over the last few decades, a myriad of pedagogic approaches, community learning contexts, schools, programmes, and curricula have evolved to constitute the practices of ‘alternative education’ (AE). The eclectic group of philosophies, pedagogic approaches, curriculums, and learning sites commonly associated with forms of AE are inherently homogenous, diffuse and highly individualised to the micro, meso and macro socio-cultural contexts within which they are practiced. Some, but not all, of the following are often regarded as forms or expressions of AE (Fensham-Smith, in-press):

• Democratic schools
• Distance and remote online schooling and educational programmes
• Forest schooling and outdoor learning programmes
• Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller education
• Home-schooling/home education, including unschooling, world education and self-managed learning.
• Hospital Education
• Informal community initiated/led co-operatives.
• Micro-schools, flexi-schooling (hybrid home/school settings)
• Micro-schools, learning pods and small learning environments.
• Montessori and Steiner schools
• Museum Education
• Pupil referral units, alternative provisions, and programmes
• Refugee and migrant education

Fundamental controversies about what AE is alternative to, and importantly, for whom, continue to be defined and redefined through the knowledge production of its stakeholders. At the very centre lies debate about what counts as a ‘good’ education and how, what, when and where children and young people, parents/guardians, communities, and the state should play a role in ensuring that the educational pathways travelled through AE ensure equity, equality of opportunity and participation into adulthood (Fensham-Smith, 2021 & Fensham-Smith, 2024-in press).

This special issue aims to showcase empirical and theoretical contributions that add to discourses surrounding what a ‘good’ education looks like, and newly reconfigured challenges of becoming, being and belonging as told through stakeholders (practitioners, learners and researchers) working within and across different alternative education contexts, communities and places.

List of Topic areas

• Learner experiences and identities:
  • Learner experiences of receiving alternative provision, educational transitions into alternative provision and on to further and higher education
  • Learners' social, emotional and wellbeing outcomes, self and identity
  • Educator/practitioner pedagogic practices and experiences of facilitating alternative provision programmes and/or community co-operatives
  • Alternative modes of assessment in alternative provisions; accreditation experience learning and criteria for assessing learning without formal curriculum
• Educator/practitioner experiences of:
  • Designing and delivering and alternative education programme, curriculum and/or learning community
• Theoretical and/or methodological issues in research and scholarship within AE:
  • Representation of minoritised and under presented communities and groups
  • Children’s Rights, parents and the role of the state
  • Children and Young People’s voice and representation in empirical research and policymaking
  • Advocacy, trust and access issues
• Comparative education:
  • Mainstream and AE dualism

Call for Abstract

Abstracts are invited on the theme of Alternative Education (AE), discussing key aspects of access, equality of opportunity, and equity.

Empirical, methodological and/or theoretical contributions considering the following AE contexts are encouraged:

• Democratic schools
• Forest schooling and outdoor learning programmes
• Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller education
• Home-schooling/home education, including unschooling, world education and self-managed learning.
• Hospital Education
• Informal community initiated/led co-operatives.
• Micro-schools, flexi-schooling (hybrid home/school settings)
• Micro-schools, learning pods and small learning environments.
• Montessori and Steiner schools
• Museum Education
• Pupil referral units, alternative provisions, and programmes
• Refugee and migrant education

Referenced abstracts of 250-350 words should include: an indicative submission title, study aims and research question/s. The context of the AE under study, and whether the work offers an empirical, methodological or theoretical contribution to field should be clearly stated.

Submissions Information

Submissions are made using ScholarOne Manuscripts. Registration and access are available here.

Author guidelines must be strictly followed.

Authors should select (from the drop-down menu) the special issue title at the appropriate step in the submission process, i.e. in response to "Please select the issue you are submitting to".

Submitted articles must not have been previously published, nor should they be under consideration for publication anywhere else, while under review for this journal.

Key dates

Referenced abstracts (250-350 words) to be submitted by: 20 May 2024

Email for abstracts: [email protected]

Authors notified of outcome: 31 May 2024

Full paper submission opens: 1 June 2024

Submission closes: 1 September 2024