The National Curriculum assigns oracy as a bench mark of academic success alongside literacy, focussing on primary [spoken] and secondary [written] language components for learning. It has generally been assumed that children acquire speaking/listening skills naturally through opportunities to talk. However, a number of children are deprived of chances to communicate because of social, emotional, physical and cognitive difficulties. This highlights oracy as a competence and a subject area like literacy, that needs a framework for teaching. It also brings into question the relationship between speaking/listening and reading/writing and how it is successfully facilitated. Collaborative frameworks for professionals involved in communication development [teachers/ therapists/carers] need to be developed and implemented. With these perspectives in mind, research was conducted to clarify the nature of communication difficulty and examine frameworks for teaching. Four main aspects are located: PERSONAL ISSUES - achieved through comparative studies of 'normal' and 'communication impaired' children [4-8 years] using a profile to detect conversational and cognitive differences. PARENTAL ISSUES - assessed from a questionnaire looking at attitudes towards communication management. PROFESSIONAL ISSUES - evaluated through a comparison of different management styles. POLICY ISSUES - highlighted from quantitative and qualitative information from the studies. Data collected suggests specific differences in performance between 'normal' and 'communication impaired' children. Management adopted either an INDIVIDUAL approach, concentrating on specific language components in weekly clinic sessions, or an INTERACTIVE method, based on a support strategy within school. The school-based approach was significantly more successful in achieving academic success for children. Thus policy has to address the type of oracy-literacy management offered to all school children as well as those requiring specific support. It must target responsibilities of teachers and therapists working together to implement the language curriculum as well as resolve their different education and health service training/working models. Learning is acquired through the medium of spoken and written language and standards of attainment can only be evaluated if both components are evaluated. Unfortunately the traditional separation of oracy-literacy activity has worked against full understanding of its relationship in learning. The National Curriculum gives a new context to consider both aspects in education. This research clarifies personal and social issues in communication and describes a framework that can achieve academic success for the considerable number of children who fail to learn satisfactorily.

The already complex nature of international schools has been magnified by the multiple external influences of rapid globalisation, the agenda of the Global Education Reform Movement and the increasing commercialisation and corporatism within the sector. As a result traditionally planned change processes have become difficult to sustain. Typically, the success of these planned change processes depends upon the personality and skills of the school leader in attempting to control or reduce the impact of complexity. This study adopts an alternative perspective viewing complexity not as a leadership problem to be managed, but as a potential source of creativity to be embraced. The alternative approach sees change as an emergent social process best delivered through dialogue and embedded leadership. This leads to a conceptual framework of Dialogic Development Process (DDP) as a way to understand how dialogue contributes to emergent thinking and learning, the promotion of an organisational culture of innovation and to sustained organisational change. A mixed methods action research project was conducted over three years. An intervention used a cyclical process of appreciative inquiry workshops to facilitate generative dialogue with the on-going participation of the wider community. The intervention led to better strategic planning and a number of rapid transformative shifts in thinking and practice in the school’s change process. Dialogue contributed to the emergence of innovative actionable and coherent plans. Decentralised control and embedded leadership led to greater participant agency and ownership of outcomes. Community involvement contributed to organisational coherence and a networked perspective, and enhanced the legitimacy of the Head. Though further testing is required the Dialogic Development Process framework holds promise as a model for emergent change in complex organisations like international schools.

This study aimed is to develop understandings regarding how parents of Indian Heritage participate in the school life of their children in a school of Leicester, UK. In order to pursue this aim, I adapted an interview-based research strategy and a case study approach. Interview based data were collected from 17 school personnel and 17 Indian Heritage Parents (IHPs) between 2013 and 2014. The data so obtained were analysed inductively that led to the following findings. • IHPs form a diversified ethnic minority group and they do not have a unified perception of PI in support of their children’s school and non-school learning. • Second generation IHPs and some first generation settled IHPs with fluent English and good educational background, remain involved equally in school-based and home-based activities. • Other IHPs with average English and moderate education are school followers. They follow the school instructions at home but they have limited SBI. • Many IHPs with low level of Education and very little English perceive themselves involved by visiting the school informally and interacting with bilingual staff, and other parents. • Some IHPs are involved but remain more critical as Active Partners. • The school has locally developed strategies with no special provisions for EMPs' involvement but it has wide range of strategies enable to involve all parents including parents from India. • All the parents expressed their satisfaction with the school that reflects the successful implementation of existing policies. However, in some cases the school expectations towards different parent control their involvement and do not give them freedom to make their own choices. This raises the issues of social justice in the school. The study concludes that locally and contextually developed strategies of schools are more fruitful than a unified national policy. IHPs' perception of PI; prior school experiences; level of spoken English; awareness of English schooling are elements influencing actual parents' involvement. This is a case study carried out in a socially deprived area of Leicester and therefore, I do not claim to generalize the findings on a wider population in other areas.

This research conducted within a rural, 11-16 all ability secondary school, in the East Midlands, explores how dyslexia is perceived by students with dyslexia and their teachers. An interpretative study it takes the epistemological stance of social constructivism, drawing together salient concepts from literature to synthesise a Conceptual Framework which is used to formulate research questions, inform methodology and act as an analytical tool. Perception is integral to learning; teachers’ perceptions impacting upon pedagogy, interaction and curricular opportunities, whilst students’ perceptions affect motivation and academic achievement. Dyslexia is a complex condition, a disability, presenting in different forms with varying degrees of severity, creating definitional and diagnostic difficulties, misconceptions and debate. Two dominant models of disability exist; a social model and a medical model. The former suggests society disables, whereas the latter views deficits as intrinsic to the individual. Data gathered through group interviews with students with diagnoses of dyslexia, semi-structured interviews with teachers and policy documents identifies perception as a complex dialectic of biological, psychological and cultural factors. SEND policy whilst formulated within an inclusive social model promotes a medical model of disability; language perpetuating the notion of the deficient student and affirming socio-historic connections between literacy and intelligence. Teachers perceive dyslexia through a medical model impacting upon pedagogy; intervention remediating difficulties. Intervention however, comprehended as barrier removal; a social model. Diagnosis is significant to student perception. Pre-diagnosis socio-historic links between literacy and intelligence were palpable. Diagnosis explains difficulties; literacy no longer a measure of intelligence, the label overcoming the stigma poor literacy skills engender. Providing a student voice the research, has implications for policy and practice, inviting practitioners and policy-makers to consider barriers to learning and examine practice.

The United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) complex history, its current demographics, its youthfulness as a country, and the fact that it is a region undergoing fast-paced change make the issue of cultural identity particularly relevant and urgent to address in this part of the world. This is especially true given the rapid spread of English in the sphere of education and everyday life in recent years. The study investigates the effects of global English on cultural identity in the UAE through the perspectives of three distinct participant groups all working or studying at a large state university in the UAE’s capital, Abu Dhabi. Taking a hybrid approach in the form of a phenomenological case study, the research draws on in-depth qualitative data from open-response questionnaires, focus groups and the researcher’s research journal. Salient findings from the study revealed vastly differing views concerning English and Arabic. While English was associated with the wider world, education, future careers and global communication, Arabic was connected to religion, home life, traditions and the region of the Middle East. Although the majority of Emirati participants held positive views towards English, seeing it as important, necessary and enabling, concerns were raised throughout the study over its dominance in multiple domains, including education, and its effects on the Arabic language and local culture, especially for the next generation. The study revealed Emirati cultural identities to be complex, multifaceted and at times conflicting. Hybridity in identity construction was prominent in terms of differentiated bilingualism, code switching and use of an informal creative written language combining English and Arabic, known as ‘Arabizi’. In terms of teaching preferences, native-speaker English teachers were favoured, along with a marked interest in learning about western culture as part of an English course. The majority of participants called for a choice between or combination of English Medium Instruction (EMI) and Arabic Medium Instruction (AMI) in Emirati Higher Education (HE). The findings led to four main recommendations for future policy and practice. These include challenging contrasting views of English and Arabic, promoting Arabic and local culture in education, a greater acceptance of hybridity over purity, and providing a choice regarding medium of instruction in higher education.

No description available.

The problem investigated is that of the relationship between success in foreign language learning by junior children and the organisation of their learning groups, in particular, the use of undifferentiated (mixed- ability) classes. Four distinctive methods are used:- (i) historical survey of the background to foreign language teaching; (ii) appraisal of rationale; (iii) dissection of teachers views about mixed-ability foreign language learning using a questionnaire; (iv) experimental evaluation of learning success with specially designed oral attainment tests. An extensive survey employs three contrasted regional studies viz. England, Germany and Sweden. In all three countries the overall approach is now more comprehensive and flexible and non-selective. Mainly oral methods rely on cooperative children and informal, adaptable teachers; carefully graded structural components of language are learnt "naturally" in situations. There is increasing Interest in teaching foreign languages to younger children of all abilities. Certain aspects of this approach seem weakly developed. There is scant agreement about aims end the criteria of success. Many principles lack foundation; it is not clear how far they secure consolidation and continuity in learning. Little attention is paid to the feasibility of suiting a generalised approach to the specific characteristics of various learning groups. Dissection of teachers' views reveals some group differences over basic issues and much dissatisfaction. Attainment testing of streamed and unstreamed children in four schools indicates higher scores (a) for streamed children, (b) for girls. Superior performances are most marked in spontaneous question answering. Yet, absolute differences are small and overlap is marked. To use these results as a basis for selective teaching seems inadvisable. The operation of specific and peculiar factors within the mixed-ability class deserves urgent and careful scrutiny. We need to appraise teacher attitudes, to analyse the components of childrens' success, and to explore further the possibilities of using differentiated and individualised instruction techniques.

The field of study was the preparation of primary B.Ed. students for the teaching of reading. It was carried out at a time of public debate about the quality of education and particularly in the preparation of teachers for reading. Review of relevant research revealed a paucity of information in this area. The aim of the study was to explore students' knowledge, skills and beliefs in the teaching of reading, identifying areas of discrepancy between intended and actual performance and to use the acquired information to explore ways of improving existing procedures for the preparation of teachers in reading. Over five years the study involved four teacher training institutions and a sample of 835 students, 680 teachers and 151 college supervisors. The study, focusing on the final block school experience of students, consisted of two phases. Phase I adopted survey methods employing purpose designed questioimaires and interviews to gather information on students' performance in the teaching of reading as perceived by themselves, their classteachers and supervisors. This provided a baseline and focus for further study. Phase II was carried out in one institution. It adopted an action research approach and explored the potential and limitations of a specially designed programme to heighten students' 'reading metaknowledge'. A Follow-up Study probed the performance of recently qualified teachers in this area. The outcomes of the study were: 1. Findings demonstrating possible ways of improving students' perceived performance and feeling of competence in teaching reading by raising their awareness of knowledge they held 2. Development of a model for learning to teach reading, identifying the role of metacognition in linking theoretical knowledge with teaching activities 3. Development of research instruments for exploring beliefs and perceived performance in the teaching of reading. The study has implications for theorists and practitioners in the field.

The aim of this study was to ascertain the nature of the self-esteem, academic self-image and oral skills of the first year students at the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and to examine how these variables were associated with a number of independent variables; sex, age, ethnicity and English SPM scores (examination at a upper secondary level). These variables are related to the complex background of Malaysian society and the learning of English. The sample consisted of 212 first year students from UTM. The short version of the Coopersmith Self-Esteem inventory - 1967 (Bahasa Malaysia and English version) was used as the measure for students' self-esteem; the Barker-Lunn Academic Self-Image - 1970 (Bahasa Malaysia and English version) was used as the measure of academic self- image and the ARELS Oral Examination was used as the measure of students' oral skills. Eight research questions were formulated and a number of statistical analyses were employed to analyse the data gathered. They included descriptive statistics, the Pearson product-moment correlation, t-tests, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and stepwise multiple regressions. The Pearson product-moment correlation coefficent revealed a direct relationship between self-esteem and academic self-image. The results also showed a direct relationship between academic self-image and ethnicity and between oral skills and English SPM scores. There was no evidence to show that sex or age had any effect on the self-esteem, academic self-image and oral skills of the students. The stepwise multiple regression results demonstrated that sex, age and ethnicity were poor predictors of students' self-esteem and oral skills. In conclusion, this study emphasises the need to enhance students' self-esteem, academic self-image and oral skills to assist them to achieve excellence at the highest level.

The curriculum for primary mathematics in Sri Lankan schools was revised recently with the aim of introducing constructivist approaches to the teaching and learning process. When initiating these changes, only minimal attention was given to the learning experiences of young pupils, especially for the low-attainers in primary mathematics. Recent studies also have shown that low attainment is still a major problem in Sri Lankan primary schools. Thus, this study aims to fulfill the major requirements by giving attention to the learning experiences of low-attainers in primary mathematics. The intention is to gain a better understanding of the practical experiences of low-attaining students and their teachers. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to explore the learning experiences of low-attaining pupils in mathematics in primary grades in order to recommend a set of suitable remedial measures to overcome the problem. Under the qualitative research approach, the embedded multi-case study design was used to explore the learning experiences of low-attainers in primary grades. The data collection instruments used in the study included a lesson observation schedule and semi-structured interview schedules for teachers and students. The study investigated four Sri Lankan primary teachers’ lessons pertaining to the following fields: (i) The teaching process (ii) The learning process (iii) teachers’ perception in teaching mathematics (iv) students’ experience in learning mathematics. The qualitative analysis of the data revealed an insight into the teaching and learning process in primary schools in Sri Lanka. The important themes identified within the case were: teachers under pressure in teaching, problems of time management and emotional reactions of students in learning mathematics. Under those main themes the following crucial sub themes were also identified: poor physical environment of the schools, lack of resources, lack of expertise in teaching mathematics, poor support system, pressure of examinations, parents’ attitudes and gender issues. Under these themes and sub themes, the findings clearly showed that the negative attitude towards mathematics among the low-attaining students. Most of the low-attaining pupils believed that mathematics is a hard subject to understand and it is devoted only to more able students. They believe that teachers also neglect them. Lack of leisure activities, the workload, nobody helping them at homes to solve mathematical tasks and they were beaten by teachers or humiliated by peers due to failure in the subject were the common learning experiences of low-attaining pupils. The findings of this study have several implications for further investigations into classroom practices and classroom learning environment, re-designing the curriculum implementation, modifying the policy and decision making process to overcome the existing problem of low-attainment in primary mathematics within the Sri Lankan school context.