Here you can find out about the Agency’s research strategy and current and past research.
The TDA’s research strategy for 2007 – 2010 sets out how the Agency aims to improve research quality, research communication and the knowledge management of research. The strategy is produced by the Strategic Research team, sitting within the TDA’s Strategy Directorate. The aim of the team is to support the construction and dissemination of high quality, relevant research, and to minimise stakeholder burden, thereby enabling the TDA to improve services to children in schools through our three business benefits.
Research projects
| Theme | Information | Research title |
|---|---|---|
| School workforce development | This report outlines the findings from an investigation into the relationship between increases in expenditure on Associate Staff and changes in attainment. To examine this relationship, data was gathered from 83 maintained secondary schools in England. | Increased expenditure on Associate Staff in schools and changes in student attainment (PDF 173 KB) |
| The Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) commissioned research to inform different aspects of its role in relation to school workforce development. The aim of this paper is to present in a summary form the main findings from these commissioned research projects. In so doing we hope to gain a better understanding of the current knowledge base concerning staff development. | What do we know about school workforce development? (PDF 143 KB) | |
| The Training and Development Agency has commissioned the Institute of Education, working with the Learning and Skills Network, to advise them on the development of a national school workforce strategy for EAL. This strategy will set out a vision for the next five years in which every EAL learner is supported in achieving their full potential, and every member of the teaching workforce is appropriately equipped to enable them to contribute in making this vision a reality. | Review of research in English as an Additional Language - EAL (PDF 173 KB) | |
| Change and modernisation (including research on workforce remodelling and extended schools) | The report provides an insight into the reasons provided by schools for engagement and non-engagement in the ECM and ES agenda. | Engaging schools in sustainable Every Child Matters and Extended Services |
| Continuing Professional Development (CPD) | The CPD state of the nation study provides insights into current CPD practices and how effective they are in schools. The report also examines the status of CPD amongst teachers and school leaders. |
Schools and CPD – State of the Nation synthesis report (PDF 231 KB) Literature review report (PDF 333 KB) Qualitative research summary (PDF 472 KB) |
| The Testbed project was set up to inform Agency thinking about the cultural and managerial conditions required in schools to best support whole school workforce development. | Testbeds - final report February 2008 (PDF 269KB) | |
| The staff development outcomes study investigates how professional development, undertaken systematically across the whole school workforce, can lead to improved outcomes. The research will examine the relationships between professional development activity and indications of achievement.. | Staff development outcomes study (PDF 740 KB) | |
| The mentoring and coaching review is a desk and internet study that highlights the types of mentoring and coaching models available to schools. The review will analyse the models of mentoring and coaching and assess how they have a positive impact on practitioners and learners. |
Mentoring and coaching for professionals report (PDF 604 KB) |
|
|
The Evidence for Policy and Practice Information and Co-coordinating Centre (EPPI) undertook four systematic reviews of research into continuing professional development (CPD). Following this investigation, some key learning points were defined in summaries for three identified audience groups. |
EPPI research (PDF 117 KB
EPPI leaders (PDF 108 KB) EPPI policy (PDF 186KB) |
|
|
The Early Professional Development careers study aims to provide evidence relating to the professional development priorities of early career teachers. |
Early Professional Development careers research (PDF 61 KB) | |
|
A look at who the workforce is; what the workforce does; and what we know about the benefits of recent reform for the workforce and for children and young people. |
Impact of school workforce reform (PDF 72 KB) | |
| Initial Teacher Training (ITT) |
The Teacher Supply and Recruitment Team at the TDA has funded a number of reports to support the recruitment and retention of teachers. |
|
| The NQT Survey asks questions to newly qualified teachers (NQTs) on such topics as quality of training, the application process and acquiring information on teaching. | NQT survey 2009 (PDF 94 KB) | |
| The TDA conduct a number of systematic literature reviews as part of our ongoing ITT research strategy. These reviews help the TDA to identify current effective ITT practices, relevant research and highlight gaps in professional knowledge relevant to teacher training. | Systematic literature reviews | |
| The TDA have awarded 16 research and development awards with a SEN focus. The awarded projects are designed to support the development of the SEN knowledge base in ITT and CPD by encouraging innovative, exploratory and developmental research. | Teacher training resource bank website: Research and development award | |
|
The career exploration evaluation aims to assess whether the needs of enquirers are being met. It will also consider the effectiveness, impact, quality and value for money of the following programmes funded by the TDA: open schools, regional careers advisers, school introduction, teaching advocates, taster courses and the student associates scheme. |
For more information on this project please contact research@tda.gov.uk. | |
|
The TDA’s national English as an additional language (EAL) audit report investigates the supply of, and demand for, EAL provision in schools. The report provides an overview of the current state of EAL training and development provision, nationally and in discreet regions. The audit also explores regional variation in availability and take-up of accredited and non-accredited provision. |
The national audit of English as an additional language training and development provision (266 KB) |
|
|
LSN was commissioned by the Training and Development Agency for School (TDA) to conduct research into the experiences of minority ethnic support staff working in schools. In particular, the project focused on the recruitment, retention and deployment experiences of minority ethnic support staff and their impact on pupils, parents, colleagues and the school in general. |
Research into Minority Ethnic Support Staff in Schools (PDF 319 KB) | |
|
This report presents the interim findings from the newly qualified teacher quality improvement study part two. |
Quality improvement study part two: interim findings (PDF 254 KB) |
|
|
This report looks at schools facing challenging circumstances. |
||
|
This report reviews successful strategies in the recruitment of males to initial teacher training programmes. |
||
| Marketing and communications research |
The Future Foundation asks a group of professionals in employment sectors facing precarious times about what they see as important to their career and, most importantly, whether this has changed since the beginning of the downturn. |
Added values: why professionals could be turning to teaching (PDF 926 KB) |
| The state of the nation projects looks at the motivations and barriers to joining a career in teaching and whether these have changed over time. | State of the nation: motivation and barriers qualitative research (PowerPoint 2MB) | |
| The schools positioning research investigated the opinions and awareness of school leaders in relation to the TDA brand. The investigation aimed to develop a unique positioning statement that clearly describes the services the TDA provides for schools, emphasises its value and is equally relevant to school leaders. | Schools positioning qualitative research report (PDF 1.9 MB) | |
| The TDA media preferences study assesses the TDA’s ability to communicate effectively and coherently with its schools audiences, while achieving optimum value for money. The research aims to add value to the TDA’s services for stakeholders by gaining insight into the best ways to communicate with intended audiences. | TDA stakeholder tracking research (PDF 5.7 MB) | |
|
The TDA-registered initial teacher training applicants vs. direct applicants project investigates direct applicants for the first time to understand if, and how, they differ from applicants registered with the Teaching Information Line (TIL). |
Registered applicants vs ‘direct’ applicants (PDF 930 KB) | |
| Strategic research | The CitizenCard Pupil Voice report is a direct survey of pupils' opinions on key areas within the Agency’s remit including views on teachers, the wider workforce and on extended services. | CitizenCard Voice (PDF 267KB) |
|
In 2007, as part of the TDA’s Strategic Research Programme, the TDA commissioned research to assess the TDA’s performance against each of the three strategic performance indicators set out in the 2007–10 corporate plan. The change engagement comparative study (CECS) forms part of this programme of strategic performance assessment and relates to the third indicator – supporting modernisation. The CECS aimed to assess the effectiveness of the TDA’s change management tools and processes by investigating how schools engage with change (by assessing their change management behaviours) and how the school sector compares to others within the public sector (the police, the National Health Service and local government), at managing change. |
Change engagement comparative study (PDF 1.5 MB) |
TDA research supporting external resources
Initial teacher training – the international context
The TDA sponsors the initial teacher training section of the INCA website. INCA (International Review of Curriculum and Assessment frameworks) provides descriptions of government policy on education in Australia, Canada, England, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the USA and Wales. It focuses on curriculum, assessment and initial teacher training frameworks for pre-school, primary, lower secondary and upper secondary education in schools (3 to 19 years age range).
NQT Quality Improvement Study
The NQT quality improvement study has been designed to investigate NQT recruitment over a three year period, tracking the attitudes of SLTs as they recruit, then monitor, the performance of their NQTs. To enable the widest possible access to the findings of this important TDA study, a project website has been launched, which includes summaries and full copies of the first phase report, with separate sections on key themes including NQT induction, recruitment, retention and ITT.
TDA research and development awards
A new round of special educational needs (SEN) research and development awards are currently being awarded, and all previous initial teacher training research and development awards which have been funded by the TDA are now available to view at the Teacher Training Resource Bank's website. The new SEN focused awards will all be made available on the SEN portal.
Teacher Training Resource Bank
Funded by the TDA, the Teacher Training Resource Bank (TTRB) web portal provides access to research and evidence-based resources for the teacher training community. Users have free access to over 4,000 resources, all of which we consider authoritative, relevant and credible. Teacher educators review every piece of material included in the TTRB for quality. The TTRB accesses resources from other TDA-funded networks: Multiverse, Behaviour4Learning and 14 individual subject resource networks.
To register for updates and use of the e-librarian service, which allows users to ask a trained librarian for advice about research you are conducting, view the TTRB's website.
The Educational Evidence Portal
The Educational Evidence Portal is an innovative online resource dedicated to, and for, educational professionals. The portal provides practical evidence and research materials to underpin practice and policy making. Research and evidence is freely available from multiple organisations on a wide and ever-growing range of topics on one easy to search site.
Research documents are available from leading education organisations including TDA, DCSF, the General Teaching Council for England and Ofsted.
To find out more, visit the Educational Evidence Portal.
Further information
Contact the Research Team.
