Glossary

Searchable glossary containing hundreds of definitions and descriptions of education terms, acronyms and abbreviations used by the LTS online service and in Scottish education.

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E-procurement	Where businesses buy and sell supplies or services to other businesses – over the internet and/or intranet.
EA (Education Authority)	Every one of the 32 local authorities in Scotland is also an education authority for its area.
EA officer	An Education officer, who helps to develop, put in place and monitor key education plans that contribute to the successful operation of the education service provided by local education authorities (LEAs) or councils. An EA officer usually works in school support services, pupil services or planning and resources.
Early education	In this document the terms ‘early years’ and ‘early education’ refer to all pre-school and early primary settings. The term ‘staff’ is used to refer to all those working with young children including headteachers, heads of centres, teachers, early childhood practitioners, classroom assistants and support for learning assistants.
Eco school	The Eco Schools programme is an international initiative designed to encourage whole school action for the environment. It is an award scheme that accredits schools that make a commitment to continually improve their environmental performance.
Ecumenical	Establishing or promoting unity among churches and / or religions. A term often associated with the worldwide church of Christianity.
EI (Emotional intelligence)	The ability to perceive understand and act appropriately and reflectively on one’s own and other people’s feelings and emotions. Where EI is not specifically related to cognitive or academic intelligence, it encompasses qualities such as self-awareness, self-control, and self-motivation. A person with emotional intelligence will have the ability to empathise with others and practise restraint.
EiE (Enterprise in Education)	Every one of the 32 local authorities in Scotland is also an education authority for its area.
EIS (Educational Institute of Scotland)	The oldest teaching union in the world. The Institute plays a full part in the trade union movement in Scotland, the rest of the United Kingdom and international teacher affairs through affiliation to and active participation in the trade union organisations.
Email	Electronic mail. A service which allows people to send and receive messages and files, usually through a computer.
Email lists	Distributed email lists use software to manage messages within a group: everyone who subscribes to the list gets every message, and every reply goes to all subscribers.
Emoticons	Characters used in text or email messages to indicate emotions and attitudes that would be conveyed by body language in face-to-face communications. They are created by using symbols on the keyboard: for example, a smile is represented with a basic smiley :-) The colon represents the eyes; the hyphen is for the nose, and the parenthesis for the mouth.
Emotional intelligence	The ability to perceive and understand, and act appropriately and reflectively on, one’s own and other people’s feelings and emotions. Whereas emotional intelligence is not specifically related to cognitive or academic intelligence, it encompasses qualities such as self-awareness, self-control, and self-motivation. A person with emotional intelligence will have the ability to empathise with others and practise restraint.
Emotional literacy	The ability to identify, manage and express our feelings and to understand what other people are thinking and feeling.
Empirical data	This is information based on observation and experience, not scientific reasoning. Empirical data is often very accurate, although it is not accepted as scientifically sound; however, no area of science is devoid of a real-world/empirical component.
Empirical research	Empirical research is any research that bases its findings on direct or indirect observation as its test of reality.
Encryption	Complex mathematical codes which secure private information on computer networks.
Enquiry learning	Enquiry learning is a learner-centred approach that emphasises higher order thinking skills. It may take several forms, including analysis, problem solving, discovery and creative activities, both in the classroom and the community. Most importantly, in enquiry learning pupils are responsible for processing the data they are working with in order to reach their own conclusions.
Enrichment programmes	Programmes of work designed to provide depth and breadth to a skill, theme or subject. They often demand a higher order level of thinking.
Entitlements	Definition of six key elements which all children and young people are entitled to experience though the curriculum at the different stages.
Entrepreneurial	The ability to see new ideas, opportunities, and methods and if need be, to take risks.
EOC (Equal Opportunities Commission) Scotland	Works to create a fairer society for women and men in Scotland. It provides information and advice, campaigns on issues of sex equality and supports legal cases. It works with the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Government, spreading best practice and promoting equality.
Equal	Having the same quantity, measure, or value as another.
Equal opportunities requirements	Describes the legal duties placed on public authorities by equalities legislation. The phrase has been used as short-hand since the Scotland Act in all relevant legislation and policy guidance.
Equal Opportunity	Equal opportunity is a descriptive term for an approach intended to give equal access to an environment or benefits or equal treatment for all. For example, access to education, employment, health care or social welfare to members of various social groups, some of which might otherwise suffer from discrimination.
Equality	The state of being equal - treating everyone the same.
Equity	Equity is the quality of being impartial or fair. An equitable approach does not mean treating everyone the same because it takes into account issues of difference so that different needs and requirements of individuals can be met in order to achieve equality.
ESOL (English as Second or Other Language)	Sometimes previously referred to as ESL (English as a Second Language) or ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages).
Ethnic	Ethnic is much more commonly applied to minority or marginalised groups than to the ways of the perceived majority population, whose low level of attributed ethnicity seems to derive from the high value apparently associated, in developed Western societies, with the ability of individuals and societies to accommodate rapid change unhindered by traditional group ties and constraints.
Ethnic minority	Term in general use to describe any section of the community on racial grounds who form a minority within that community. The term is sometimes prefixed with ‘black’ to underline the emphasis on visible minorities who may be targeted on account of visible difference.
Ethnicity	The term means, 'relating to or characteristic of a human group having certain key features in common'. It is derived from the Greek 'ethnos' meaning a (non-Greek) "race" or people. Though apparently neutral at one level of definition, 'ethnic' as a term does, in practice, in such phrases as ethnic food, music or clothes, within the UK imply a condition of being non-normative, foreign or quaint. It may also suggest a lack of sophistication or a tendency to the parochial, for example, ethnic literature. In extreme situations the idea of 'ethnicity' has been used to justify genocide such as in 'ethnic cleansing'.
Ethnocentrism	A belief in the superiority of one's own ethnic group. This belief can be transferred into a value system, which can then determine actions, behaviour and practice. This term is often associated with race relations discussion.
Ethos	The fundamental values of the school or educational establishment.
Eurydice (information network on education in Europe)	An institutional network for gathering, monitoring, processing and circulating reliable and readily comparable information on education systems and policies throughout Europe.
Evaluation	The process of determining the significance or success of a lesson, project, innovation, policy, etc.
Evidence (of learning)	In assessment or evaluation, evidence is used to give a valid foundation to a judgement, or proof, that the criteria of success have been met at a particular level. In essence, this consists of any relevant behaviour or event. In assessment it includes what pupils do and say in classwork, or in response to a particular task, as well as what they write, or their performance in a test.
Exemplar	A model of work used to demonstrate the achievement of, or failure to achieve, the criteria or standard for success.
Exemplification	The means of providing models demonstrating the achievement of or failure to achieve the criteria or standard for success.
Experiences and outcomes	Definition of the experiences and outcomes of Curriculum for Excellence which describe the expectations for learning progression in all areas of the curriculum
Experiential learning	Experiential education is the process of actively engaging learners in an authentic experience that will have benefits and consequences; ie, they learn by doing instead of hearing or reading about the experiences of others. For example, through work experience and role play.
Extended reading	Involves reading beyond set texts. Depending on the context, this may involve pupils in reading for pleasure, to find information, to compare views and ideas or to evaluate literary skill, to complete texts, extended extracts from texts, or a number of related texts on the same subject or theme.
Extended writing	An activity in which pupils are required to develop, at some length, a piece of writing on a topic or theme. It provides the opportunity for writers to pursue and develop ideas or arguments more substantially. It also brings important concepts such as planning, structure and characterisation into focus.
Extra curricular programmes	Activities that are outside the regular curriculum of the school, such as the school choir, orchestra, gymnastic or football teams, computer clubs, etc.
Extranet	A network which uses internet technology, but can only be accessed by certain organisations or individuals.
Extrinsic motivation	When we do something because someone else makes it worthwhile for us by promising a reward or frightens us into doing it.