Exploring conceptual legal knowledge building in law students’ reflective reports using theoretical constructs from the sociology of education: what, how and why?

The substantive content of the undergraduate law curriculum in the UK is currently under scrutiny as a result of forthcoming changes in the entry level requirements of the legal profession. As a result LLB curriculum designers are evaluating what knowledge should be included in the curriculum, how students should access this knowledge, and which pedagogic approaches to adopt. This study will analyse student submissions for an assessment item at York Law School called the reflective report to explore how students are building their conceptual legal knowledge, and what this means for curriculum designers. The data analysis will be informed by the theoretical constructs of three sociologists of education, Michael Young, Basil Bernstein, and Karl Maton, including their respective concepts of social realism, hierarchical and horizontal knowledge structures, and semantic gravity. It develops themes exploring how students can weaken the semantic gravity of knowledge to make meanings that reach beyond the learning context. It draws some conclusions about the implications of the research on future curriculum design and the importance of developing students’ engagement with powerful knowledge in the delivery of legal education in an academic environment. ARTICLE HISTORY Received 8 June 2016; Accepted 10 October 2016