During my placement with a Local Authority (LA) as a Trainee Educational Psychologist (TEP) I was asked to investigate successful reintegration – when young people have remained in their new school for over a year. By listening to the stories of these young people, I hoped to understand their experience of reintegration. In doing so, I felt able to provide a more informed understanding of reintegration and this could also help other professionals to develop a richer understanding of the reintegration experience. From my position as a feminist researcher, I hoped to amplify the marginalised voices of young people who had experienced reintegration. The young people who I interviewed had previously been permanently excluded from a mainstream secondary school and placed at an Inclusion Centre before being allocated a new school. I chose not to interview the professionals at the various settings because I value highly the importance of listening to the stories of young people, without attempting to seek out any ‘truth’ or corroboration with other professionals or adults. Narrative therapy style questions were used to prompt the young people and their storytelling was facilitated with the use of a ‘story mountain’. I used I Poems as a creative way of providing meaningful accounts of the stories shared and as a means to enable closure from the research process. I chose thematic analysis to analyse the content of the interviews to help answer my research questions. The significant themes emerging from the analysis highlighted relationships, identity and the learning environment as critical for the young people. These themes were discussed with a view to understanding the lived experiences of reintegration for the young people and to consider how they themselves made sense of this process. The thesis concludes with a discussion around the limitations of this research and provides some suggestions for future research. Implications for educational psychology practice are also discussed.

Individuals regarded as being on the autism spectrum are commonly understood to experience difficulties with social communication and to have an inflexible style of thinking (APA, 2013). Recent research has proposed a prevalence rate for autism in the UK of 1.04 per cent (104 in 10,000) (MacKay, Boyle and Connolly, 2016). Autism ‘diagnosis’ in the UK is a National Health Service-led process, whereby professionals involved, compare a child or young person’s behaviours against a behavioural checklist (NICE, 2011): hence the use of medical language or terminology around this topic. For children and young people autism diagnosis tends to be ‘done to’ or ‘given’, rather than ‘done with’ or ‘sought’. I wanted to hear the views of adolescents who had been given an autism spectrum diagnosis and to explore the impact of this diagnosis on their relationships, their sense of self and their future aspirations. I hope that health and educational professionals and young people will be interested in hearing these voices and viewpoints. I decided to focus upon adolescent females, a group whose voices are missing from much of the literature around this subject. There are many more males diagnosed with autism than females and autism could therefore be regarded as a predominantly male ‘disorder’ or ‘condition’. Adolescent females who are diagnosed with autism experience a dual difference: difference from their ‘typical’ peer group and being in a female minority of people ‘diagnosed’ with autism. Six females aged between 14 and 20 participated; five participants were attending mainstream schools and one participant is a university student. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to analyse or make sense of participants’ accounts and to identify superordinate themes for individual participants and across the group. IPA aims to offer insights into how a person makes sense of a given phenomenon, in the case of this research, having been given an autism spectrum diagnosis. Three superordinate themes for the group emerged from IPA analysis: Understanding Autism, Acceptance or Rejection and Self and Autism.

This thesis set out to discover if comprehensive forms of internationalisation in higher education have been adopted in recent years in China and England. It is also a response to calls (Yang 2014, 2016, Marginson 2014d, Ryan 2011a) for western researchers to develop more nuanced understanding of the cultural, historical and political forces influencing the development of internationalisation in China. The study adopts a case study form of inquiry; three higher education institutions (HEIs) in China and three HEIs in England were selected as the case institutions. Respondents were all selected as internationalisation enthusiasts (Warwick 2014) with senior management responsibility for internationalisation within their institutions. Vice –presidents, Deans of Faculties of Education (or equivalent) and mangers of International Offices (or equivalent) were interviewed in both countries. The research is located in a broad range of literature so that the contested and symbiotic nature of globalisation and internationalisation can be reviewed, including an examination of the dark side of internationalisation as conceptualised by Hudzik (2015) with specific reference to inequities faced by institutions in China. A rationale for the identification of comprehensive internationalisation as the seminal definition underpinning this study is presented and the development of 3 iterations of a conceptual framework designed to support the data analysis is identified. A narrative analysis of the single case institutions provides context and background for the multi-case analysis of three institutions in China and three comparable institutions in England. The findings and discussion from the multi-case analysis are presented in three chapters structured under three themes. Theme A Student and staff mobility including student and staff recruitment, Theme B Internationalisation of the curricula and Theme C Strategic co-operation, partnerships and capacity building. The findings and discussion chapters confirm that the six institutions involved in the study were adopting comprehensive approaches to the implementation of internationalisation. Approaches were changing at an unprecedented rate and there were distinct signs that the balance of power in Anglo-Sino collaborative partnerships was shifting.

This study used focus group methodology to access the views on learning of Key Stage 3 pupils who are Profoundly Deaf, educated within a mainstream school resourced for pupils with hearing difficulties. One of the main aims of the study was to access the young people's views using their preferred language, British Sign Language (BSL). The study had two elements, one of the chosen methodologies was focus groups, but another was participatory action research. A case study approach was also utilised. The participatory action research element of the methodology involved a Profoundly Deaf young person with British Sign Language as his preferred language volunteering to be involved in moderating the focus group and taking part in aspects of the research process. Thematic analysis of the young people’s focus group discussion revealed some interesting themes, in terms of what influences their learning: motivation, access to additional support and the importance of the Deaf community. An attempt was made to go beyond an analysis based on content; further analysis of the young people’s interaction was carried out. The findings highlighted the young people’s insight into their learning experiences, but also the complex, though remarkable nature of British Sign Language. The study reminds professionals of the importance of actively encouraging pupils whom as individuals within society are marginalised, to express their views and increase their participation in research. It is stressed that professionals need to be pro-active in developing appropriate methods that are personalised to meet the needs of all individuals. Focus groups with modification may prove useful to Educational Psychologists and young people in ensuring young people’s views can be shared across disciplines.

The main aim of this study was to promote reading for pleasure by evaluating the impact of an intervention study on kindergarten children in Saudi Arabia. To achieve this aim I undertook an evaluation case study by choosing three classrooms (KG1, KG2 and KG3) in one kindergarten, and implementing an intervention which fostered reading for pleasure. The project consisted of five separate elements, which were identified following a review of the literature on reading for pleasure. These were: using iPads for reading, introducing story sacks and high quality books in the classroom, using an interactive read aloud approach and establishing a home-school relationship. Prior to the project, I interviewed the teachers and observed children. I then undertook /five professional development workshops for teachers and one development workshop for parents and teachers in which the various elements of the intervention project were introduced. Following these development sessions, I observed children as the changes were implemented, and I also interviewed teachers and parents. The findings of this study indicated that introducing the five elements of the intervention programme into the classroom promoted children’s curiosity and engagement with regard to reading for pleasure. In addition, school-home partnerships with regard to reading were enhanced. The findings of the study indicated that children’s individual needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness in relation to reading were met as result of the intervention, which contributed to their self-determination. This resulted in children’s motivation for, and pleasure in, reading being enhanced. The study has implications for research, policy and practice, identifying that there is a need to develop professional development programmes that promote reading for pleasure in kindergartens in Saudi Arabia.

This thesis examines the attitudes of early childhood practitioners regarding the use of technology with young children. The study utilised qualitative methods to investigate the range of attitudes that exist towards the use of technology with young children, as well as to explore the factors which have led to the practitioners’ attitudes. In phase one of the research, four focus groups with a total of twenty-two participants were held to begin to understand the range of attitudes that exist and to select participants for phase two. In phase two, ten participants were selected from the focus groups who represented the full range of attitudes expressed, from extremely negative at one end to extremely positive at the other. These ten participants engaged in in-depth interviews to explore their attitudes towards the use of technology with young children. Findings suggest that the attitudes of early childhood practitioners towards technology use with young children are more nuanced than simply positive or negative with a third category of ‘it depends on…’ attitudes emerging. A wide range of different factors, both extrinsic and intrinsic, have led to these attitudes; however, this thesis proposes that practitioners’ beliefs regarding technology as well as more existential beliefs, such as their pedagogical beliefs in the most appropriate approach to early childhood education and their belief in the importance and value of family life, are an extremely significant determinant of attitudes towards technology.

The Sultanate of Oman is situated on the Arabian Gulf in the Middle East. It has invested enormously in the education and training of its people. However, recent reports on Oman’s development, as well as educational articles by Omani scholars, highlight that many Omani graduates lack critical thinking skills (Ministry of Education & The World Bank Report, 2016; Thakur & Al-Mahrooqi, 2015; Mehta & Al-Mahrouqi, 2014). Situated within the context of Oman’s only national university, a qualitative case study was conducted on 11 English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers and 10 EFL learners. Informed by socio constructivist perspectives that Cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) provides, this study aims to identify effective teaching and learning practices that contribute to the development of critical thinking skills that can then be integrated into EFL teaching. This thesis contends that the development of critical thinking in Omani learners through EFL education at university level is important because EFL teaching can provide the necessary affordances by incorporating the perspectives of CHAT. Results indicate that the creation of constructivist learning environments (CLEs) that enable diverse scaffolding techniques, promoting social interaction, development of meta-cognitive skills (Richardson, 2003), use of open-ended questioning (Paul, 1990), teacher-modelling of strategies (Bailin et al., 1999b), and purposeful practising of tasks for development/transfer of skills (Halpern, 1990) are effective strategies that can foster critical thinking. Focusing on the development of these key strategies can be an effective approach for EFL teachers to adopt to help improve the critical thinking skills of their learners. It is hoped that the findings of this study can be theoretically advanced to situations other than the chosen sample. The study hopes that Omani EFL learners will achieve their educational goals and will be prepared to face the challenges of 21st century jobs through their enhanced critical thinking.

Classes in England for students of adult literacy and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) have been severely cut back in the past seven years. Those that remain are run on the basis that the class can only be viable through accreditation if it meets current funding targets within specified time periods, reducing many schemes to crash courses in employability. Adult education had been cut by 40% by 2015 alone. The overt purpose of literacy classes is now rooted in functional skills English syllabi, built on the assumption that students attend courses for qualifications. There is not enough known about why the students themselves – both ESOL and native speakers – are motivated to come forward for classes. In this research, an experienced adult literacy/ESOL teacher ran 26 in-depth interviews with students and teachers in four organisations in South London and two in Birmingham to find out what they valued about the classes they were attending at the time, other than obtaining qualifications. A social practices approach is used to examine students’ motives for improving their literacy, alongside discussions of learning theory, and an auto-ethnographic approach is used throughout the dissertation. Findings include a very broad range of reasons for why students are in class and what they gain from learning that enhances their everyday lives. Insight is provided into how students use technology as part of everyday life. It was discovered that many respondents need to continue to learn as long as possible. These results are considered in the light of globalisation studies, learning theory, ‘vulnerability’ theory and multicultural studies of superdiversity.

In 2006, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) – a federation of sovereign Caribbean states – decided that the Bachelor of Science in nursing degree would be the standard qualification for entry to nursing practice in its English-speaking member countries. Indications were that by 2011 all of the English-speaking states had not implemented the regional policy. This research study was conducted to reveal the origin and nature of the 2006 CARICOM nursing education reform, trace its pattern of implementation, and determine the implications of that pattern for the coverage and coherence of healthcare in the region. An interpretive study with a multiple case design was conducted. Six case units were investigated through a staged approach to this empirical study. The research drew on the findings of interviews with selected policy actors, and on findings from the review of relevant documentary sources. The main findings were that the reform was not fully adopted in the region; that system tensions delayed its implementation; and that country-specific factors produced the variation in its adoption by member states. These findings have implications for the harmonization of nursing across CARICOM and, by extension, for CARICOM’s functional cooperation in nursing services. They also have implications for the region’s accomplishment of the World Health Organisation’s objective of universal access to quality healthcare – part of its Universal Health Coverage by the year 2030 agenda. The results should be useful to Caribbean and international health and education policy scholars and actors.

Intersecting spaces is a qualitative case study that examines a third-year group of undergraduate architectural students’ meaning-making in an Irish Higher Education(HE) Institute of Technology (IoT) through a social semiotic multimodality lens. Architectural students face many challenges in their studies but a core undertaking concerns their capacity to address the rhetorical component of making architecture. The research addressing architectural communication through a social semiotic multimodality lens, particularly in an Irish architectural education setting, is limited. My constructivist leanings underpinned my decision to develop a case study, and use four research tools, a focus group, observation, a questionnaire, and semi-formal interviews. My main research question considers to what extent the multimodal communication resources the participants use, during an observed review, work together to enact meaning? The research forming the frame for this study embodies five intersections between the architectural and social semiotic multimodality domains, namely ‘the environment’, ‘rhetorical component’, ‘resources’, ‘multimodality’, and ‘communication and learning’. Several main findings emerge. The participants’ level of insider knowledge relates directly to their ability to access and participate fully in the shared knowledge and skill base repertoire of the community of practice at the research site and shapes their rhetorical meaning-making. The participants’ multimodal literacy levels regarding choosing and using multimodal resources across the analogue and digital environment influences their ability to make rhetorical meaning. The dynamic nature of the orchestrated ensemble in the observed review underlines the performative aspect of the participants’ rhetorical meaning-making from the social semiotic multimodality angle. In foregrounding the overlapping architectural communication and social semiotic multimodality aspects of the architectural participants’ meaning-making, this study addresses my main research question. The study builds on architectural design and communication research by exploring the issue through an unfamiliar lens and contributes as an exemplar to the limited social semiotic multimodality research focused on meaning-making in the Irish architectural education context.