The Scottish Government

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Jim Gallacher, Nuala Toman and Joanne Caldwell (Centre for Research in Lifelong Learning,
Glasgow Caledonian University)
Professor Richard Edwards (Centre for Research in Lifelong Learning, Stirling University)
Professor David Raffe (The University of Edinburgh School of Education)

ISBN 0 7559 2822 9 (Web only publication)

This document is also available in pdf format (120k)

Introduction

This study was commissioned in March 2004 by the Scottish Executive and the development partners in SCQF; Scottish Qualifications Authority ( SQA), Universities Scotland, and the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education ( QAA). At this point the SCQF was still in its development and implementation phase and as a result, it was decided to carry out a small scale qualitative study looking at the initial impact of the SCQF. This work would focus on the impact of the SCQF in colleges and higher education institutions, recognising that at this early stage the process of embedding the SCQF was more advanced within the further and higher education sectors, although there was an acknowledgement that work was still ongoing in these sectors. One of the key aims of the research was also to identify areas that could be explored in more depth as the SCQF develops further within these and other sectors.

Main Findings

• People's knowledge and understanding of the SCQF vary according to the extent to which they use it. Knowledge and understanding of SCQF is high among those further education ( FE) and higher education ( HE) staff who have used it, but more limited among other staff within institutions, other stakeholder groups, and the wider community.
• Respondents from all sectors reported positive perceptions of the Framework. They expect it to clarify pathways and progression, create new opportunities for learners and encourage greater cohesion in provision. However some are sceptical about the extent to which these expectations would be met and others feel that early "hype" has encouraged unrealistic expectations. Many feel that progress has been slow.
• Within HE the SCQF has had an impact on curriculum development and review, validation, admissions arrangements and programme planning. In FE colleges it has facilitated the mapping and planning of provision and progression.
• There is little evidence that SCQF has contributed much to the development of articulation and credit transfer arrangements between FE colleges and higher education institutions ( HEIs) beyond providing a language and tools to underpin arrangements.
• The importance of widening the Framework to include qualifications beyond those provided in FE and HE was noted by many respondents. In particular the need to include community learning and development, and vocational and work-based qualifications was as a priority.
• The partnership-based arrangements for managing and administering the SCQF are seen to have been a strength in the Framework's early development, but they have contributed to the slow rate of progress, and several respondents feel that new management structures are now required.

Context

The SCQF was formally launched in December 2001, and its aims are to:

• assist people of all ages and circumstances to access appropriate education and training over their lifetime to fulfil their personal, social and economic potential;
• enable employers, learners and the general public to understand the full range of Scottish qualifications, how they relate to each other and how different types of qualifications can contribute to improving the skills of the workforce.

The SCQF is intended to provide a national vocabulary for describing learning opportunities and will: make the relationships between qualifications clearer; clarify entry and exit points, and routes for progression; maximise the opportunities for credit transfer; and assist learners to plan their progress and learning ( ¹SCQF, 2001, pp.1-2). It is a comprehensive framework which includes higher education, academic and vocational qualifications, and aims to include informal learning and is distinguished by the leading role the university sector has played in its development.

¹SCQF (2001) An Introduction to the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework.

Research Design

The research has been qualitative, employing a purposive sampling framework involving specialists, practitioners and stakeholders from national organisations, FE/ HE institutions, employers and professional bodies. The fieldwork consisted of 69 interviews. 20 with key informants and representatives of national organisations, 5 with UK informants, 34 with staff from further and higher education institutions, 5 with employers, and 4 with professional bodies. Two subject case studies of Social Studies and Engineering were also undertaken.

The first stage of the research involved interviews with key informants. Based on the analysis of this data, it was agreed that the research would focus on staff in further education colleges and higher education institutions. This reflects the fact that this is where almost all of the activity involving SCQF is taking place at present. It was also agreed that other areas such as schools, community learning and development, and vocational education and training would be followed up through interviews with representatives of key stakeholder groups.

Findings and Implications

This research aimed to explore the initial impact of the framework on policies and practices associated with lifelong learning, and to examine factors which influence, facilitate or hinder responses to the SCQF, and the practical issues that are raised.

Knowledge and Understanding

• Knowledge and understanding regarding SCQF varied considerably within the institutions and organisations included in this study. In general it was good among those who were involved with the framework and its implementation.
• While the research has only undertaken limited investigations of levels of knowledge among learners, employers, the general public, and within the school sector, all respondents who commented on these issues suggested that knowledge and understanding of SCQF among these groups is relatively limited.

Perceptions and Expectations of the Framework

• In general, respondents' perceptions of the Framework were positive, and a number expressed high expectations in terms of securing recognition of equivalences in qualifications, and opening up new pathways. However, some also expressed concern that expectations regarding credit transfer were not being met, and there was a perception among many respondents that progress was slow.
• A number of respondents expressed concern that statements about the Framework had encouraged unrealistic expectations regarding the potential for the Framework to introduce change.

Impact of the Framework

• In many cases, and particularly in the HE sector, there was recognition that SCQF has had an important role in introducing a common language of credits and levels and that it has acted as a catalyst encouraging institutions to carry out quality enhancement activities.
• With respect to wider change within the Scottish educational system, it is important to distinguish between the specific contribution of SCQF and the impact of the sub-frameworks, such as National Qualifications and Scottish Credit Accumulation and Transfer System ( SCOTCATS), which were incorporated within it. There is only limited evidence of change which can be attributed to the specific contribution of SCQF.
• With respect to the development of articulation and credit transfer arrangements between FE colleges and HEIs, there was little evidence that SCQF had contributed much beyond providing a language and tools to underpin arrangements that would have usually been introduced in the absence of the SCQF.
• The importance of widening the SCQF to include qualifications beyond those provided in FE and HE was noted by many respondents. In particular the need to include community learning and development, and vocational and work-based qualifications was recognised as a priority.
• Interviewees involved in developing frameworks elsewhere in the UK perceived that Scotland was ahead of the rest of the UK. There were good relationships among the teams developing the different frameworks. There were strong pressures, especially from employers and labour-market interests, for a coordinated approach.

Future Management and Development of the Framework

The four Development Partners ( DPs) have had a key role in developing SCQF. A number of respondents expressed the view that this partnership arrangement for the control and management of the Framework had been very successful in the development stage. This had helped establish the consensus required to agree the basic principles on which the Framework should be built, and ensure acceptance of and participation in the Framework across all sectors. However, concern was expressed that this had limited the range and speed of developments, and that the momentum for change was being lost.

There is a need to establish more clearly the role and function of the Framework. It would appear that at present that there are differing views and expectations of the Framework. Two possible models have been identified:

• A more limited function as an 'enabling' or 'communications' framework, an instrument of change rather than an agent of change. In this view the emphasis is on maintaining and extending the Framework, developing links with other frameworks in UK and Europe, and similar activities of this type.
• A more extensive remit in which the Framework is itself an agent of change, proactively encouraging openness and flexibility. In this view the emphasis is not just on maintaining the Framework, but on considering how it can contribute to a wider agenda of change.

Clarification of this type seems important in developing appropriate structures for the control, management, development and administration of the Framework. Respondents recognised that there is now a need to establish new structures for the control, management and administration of the Framework, which will be better suited to enabling it to move forward to its next phase of development.

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The report "Evaluation of the impact of the Scottish credit and qualifications framework ( SCQF)", which is summarised in this research findings is a web only document and is available on the publications page of the Scottish Executive website at: www.scotland.gov.uk/publications/recent

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