Can historical perspectives be inserted into the policy cycle? An Australian tertiary education case study

Author(s):

Francesca Beddie(presenting / submitting)

Conference:

ECER 2017

Network:

17. Histories of Education

Format:

Paper

Session Information

17 SES 13,

Paper Session

Time:

2017-08-25

13:30-15:00

Room:

K3.12

Chair:

Helena Ribeiro de Castro

Contribution

This paper draws on the experience of a project commissioned by the Australian National Centre for Vocational Education Research. Its main research question was: How can an understanding of the development (in the 1960s) and implementation (from the 1960s to 1980s) of a binary policy of higher education in Australia inform the current debate about reforming the tertiary education sector?

The reforms in the 1960s in Australia were prompted by the findings of the Martin Committee set up the Menzies government, which was in turn influenced by the Robbins Report (1963) in the United Kingdom and California Master Plan for Higher Education of 1960 developed by Clark Kerr. They resulted in a binary system of universities and colleges of advanced education (akin to European polytechnics, institutes of technology). The hypothesis of the research was that with the current unified system of universities splintering, it was timely to better understand the challenges the binary system faced and what lessons it offered.

Method

The project’s methodology aimed to demonstrate the utility of an historical perspective. It was conducted in two parts: 1) a desktop review of primary and secondary materials related to the Martin report and its implementation; and 2) a roundtable at which the historical essay was critiqued by senior figures in Australia’s tertiary education administration and its implications for current policy directions discussed. This paper will also draw on the model developed by NCVER to try to measure the impact of its research on policy and practice in tertiary education in Australia and to encourage researchers to conduct their projects with impact in mind.

Expected Outcomes

With Australian tertiary education policy still in flux, the researcher has continued to make efforts to inject the findings into policy thinking, through a variety of dissemination channels (conference presentations, newspaper articles, submissions to parliament, correspondence with ministers). However, it is hard to identify the traction the findings have had. This highlights the challenges of conducting rigorous research that can fit into the policy cycle but also reveals the importance of dissemination efforts that take account of policy makers’ priorities.

References

Beddie, F. (2014a) A differentiated model for tertiary education: past ideas, contemporary policy and future possibilities, NCVER, Adelaide. https://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/publications/all-publications/a-differentiated-model-for-tertiary-education-past-ideas,-contemporary-policy-and-future-possibilities Beddie, F. (2014b) What next for tertiary education? Some preliminary sketches, NCVER, Adelaide. Beddie, F. (2013) Public service: the role of history and historians in government, Australian Policy Online, 26 August 2013. http://apo.org.au/old-site/commentary/public-service-role-history-and-historians-government Committee on the Future of Tertiary Education in Australia 1964, Tertiary Education in Australia, Volumes I, II Commonwealth of Australia, Melbourne [the Martin Report] Committee on the Future of Tertiary Education in Australia 1965, Tertiary Education in Australia, Volume III Stanwick, J., Hargreaves, J. & Beddie, F. (2009) Assessing the impact of NCVER’s research, NCVER, Adelaide. http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/2152.html

Author Information

Francesca Beddie (presenting / submitting)

University of Canberra

Faculty of Education

Bundanoon

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