News Media Depiction of A Level and GCSE Results in 2003

• Start date: 01 August 2003
• End date: 31 January 2004

The purpose of this research project is to conduct an analysis of local and national print and broadcast media coverage of the publication of A Level and GCSE examination results in August 2003. The research will accumulate a new body of research data via documentary analysis of media reportage, supplemented by interviews with key informants. Its contribution to knowledge and understanding will be to rectify the dearth of research into the relationship between education issues and the specific processes and formats of news production. Building upon a pilot study conducted during 2002, the proposed research will utilise concepts and categories derived from media analysis, in order to: (1) identify the key discursive and presentational features of print and broadcast news coverage of A Level and GCSE results in August 2003; (2) develop critical analysis of the ways in which reporting of 2003s examination relates to the ongoing exam standards debate; (3) explore the extent to which opportunities exist for educationalists to influence media coverage of examination results and standards. The components of the proposed research are: (1) collation of print and broadcast news items in the period surrounding publication of A Level and GCSE results in August 2003; (2) coding and analysis of print and broadcast data according to elements of news content (subject matter, narrative structure and tone of comment), presentation format (source, design and structure of the news item) and discursive form (range of participants voices, language and visual features); (3) a series of open-ended interviews with a small sample of education policy-makers, awarding body representatives, teaching professionals,and popular and specialist journalists; (4) co-operative work with policy-makers and practitioners to develop consultancy workshops that address the construction of exam news (and other education news issues) and suggest strategies for educationalists to influence news media coverage. The outputs of the research will be: (1) a full set of data relating to print and broadcast news coverage of A Level and GCSE results in 2003; (2) a typology of exam news templates and of the discursive features of the news medias coverage of 2003s examination results and related issues; (3) an account of the data collection, coding and analysis processes via which these were developed; (4) the development of replicable techniques of data collection, coding and analysis that can be utilised in future studies of other forms of education news production (5) a minimum of two peer reviewed journal articles, a minimum of two conference papers, plus at least one popular news article; (6) a minimum of two consultancy workshops for policy-makers and practitioners that address the construction of exam news issues and suggest strategies for educationalists to influence media coverage of examination results and standards (and other education issues)