Dual Battles: A Case Study of Lecturers Working Across Further and Higher Education

ABSTRACT

This paper presents data from a small‐scale case study which reviewed the roles, pedagogies and identities of lecturers in dual positions working across further and higher education in England, UK. The following research questions were designed and framed with Bronfenbrenner's (1979) ecological model: (1) how do the roles of lecturers working across further and higher education in dual positions differ? (2) what pedagogical differences exist for lecturers working in dual positions? (3) what impact does working across two educational sectors have on lecturer identities? Findings from six lecturers based in the UK are discussed and highlight the emphasis placed on the pastoral function in education in terms of roles; the prescriptive nature and pressures of teaching in terms of pedagogies and the lack of skills development in terms of professional identities. The study aims to plug a gap in research into the transition between further and higher education lecturers (FE‐HE).