The name is absent

57

the

case

training ,

as far as this was possible (Lacey et

al 1973, Chl Pl).

Whilst its

achievements were considerable it is also the

that there are very real limitations in research of this kind

for professionally concerned practitioners.

First there is the constraint of the time scale which influences

what can be attempted and what therefore can be achieved. The

research makes the point clearly.

Fairly early on in the design stage of the research
we realized, from the point of view of both approaches
that the time span of the training year was insuffi-
cient for either an adequate description or an
adequate assessment to be made of teacher social-
isation or that of Sussex students in particular
(1973 Ch3 P2)

The solution which was adopted moved the focus away from structural

elements and their part in the process of teacher socialisation.

This was a natural consequence of the design which in adopting the
device of a follow-up of the students after a year shifted the focus

from course structures to individual responses.

Such a focus was

also emphasised by the commitment to a substantial

comparative element

in the

research which was seen as central to the evaluation of the

Sussex scheme.

Here the

requirements of the

contributory disciplines

may be seen to be more

influential in the shaping of the research

than the possibly more

mundane requirements of participants whose

voice is absent at this stage. They remain the objects of the

researchers attention.

In discussing professional socialisation

processes they say