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The research reported in this the pie has been an attempt to investigate and describe some of the realities of classroom learning. Beginning with a critical review of previous research in the sociology of education the first chapter goes on to report the author's initial attempt at research in this field. The conclusions were that, (i) social class factors are mediated through classroom processes, (ii) the expectations of the teacher are a likely influence on pupil achievement, and (iii) the attitudes of a child towards school learning are effectively determined by his experiences at primary school. Chapter two describes an experiment supporting the hypothesis that children are aware of their teacher's expectations for them. A repertory grid technique for determining the perceptions of a teacher towards individual pupils is explained in chapter three. This chapter also presents an analysis of pupils' classrcom behaviour in terms of the constructs of those pupils' teacher. Chapter four looks at the power of these constructs to account for achievement when compared with a socio-economic variable. It is argued that social class is net a significant factor at classroom level. In chapter five a research plan is outlined. This involved observing pupils in five primary schools and following them to a single comprehensive school. This chapter argues that the symbolic interectionism of C-.H. Mead provides a useful theoretical framework for explaining classroom interactions between teacher and pupil. Chapter six is an empirical account of the curriculum and teaching methods in the observed schools. Chapter seven presents four case studies in which it is shown how children transact through these interaction? an agreed classroom-self. By the repertory grid technique it was? possible to shew which pupils were perceived favourably and which unfavourably by their teachers'. Chapter eight discusses children 'who were perceived differently by teachers in primary and secondary school. The adaptation made by these children to their new school was related to their teachers perceptions of then, Chapter nine deals with, academic ability and self perception. An experiment showing the wide agreement between the members of a class about their relative abilities is described. Chapter ten is an account cf the formation of. friendship cliques in the non-streamed primary and secondary schools I observed. Finally, chapter eleven argues the relevance of my findings to educational research.

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Concern is expressed by a wide range of scholarly and political opinion over the decline of parental authority. The activities of welfarist and theraputic agencies are argued to have undermined parents' abilities to circumscribe their children's social and moral well being. I set out this argument through what I call the decline thesis by drawing on the school as a representative welfarist institution. The school is chosen for two other reasons. First, it has more legitimacy than other influential state backed agencies because it has an important educational function. Second, arguments over the loss of parental authority converge with arguments over the loss of an education authority in the classrooms. The decline thesis generates an idealised model of a division of responsibility between parent and teacher which has now broken down. Implicit in this argument is the notion that teachers no longer have an authority in class because their professional concerns are more sociological than educational. One important manifestation of this is the power teachers now have to both take away and redefine the responsibilities that parents have. Drawing on data from interviews with parents and teachers, I assessed the extent to which parents' and teachers' experiences and perceptions match the concerns expressed through the decline thesis. There was little sense in which parents reflected these concerns. Although there was some question mark over the disciplinary function of the school, parents tended to confidently assert their ability to set a moral and social agenda within the home. Teachers on the other hand, although rejecting the traditionalist assumptions made about control in class, reflected the view that some parents had abdicated their responsibilities for bringing up their children.

The period from 1975 to 1990 was a time of profound change for staff development in secondary education in Scotland. At the start staff development was relatively informal and unstructured, dependent upon the motivation and commitment of the individual teacher; it developed into a collegial undertaking with the focus moving from the individual to the group; finally, staff development became a function of school management and responsive to the external governance of education. The purpose of the thesis is to analyse the process of change over this period by focusing on the policy making level and by considering concepts and theories from wider research literature on the management of change. It therefore suggests how staff development might best be supported. Extended interviews with 13 senior educationists who played a prominment part in educational policy during the period, most of whom were now retired, explored their perceptions of the factors influencing staff development over this period. The interviews were recorded and key sections were transcribed. Through cross-referencing across the interviews, emerging themes were further related to concepts developed in the research literature. Two conflicting approaches to the management of staff development in Scottish secondary schools were noted, one aiming at liberal empowerment and the other moving towards an increasingly managerialist stance. The trend towards managerialism appeared first among regional education authorities, and was then built on by central authorities in Scotland, which have increasingly taken control over the direction of staff development. The strengths and limitations of both approaches are discussed, and an alternative approach is suggested, in which leadership rather than regulation characterises the role of the centre, the school's capacity for staff development is exploited, and a district level of governance gives direction and support for staff development.

The thesis explores complexity in education through the philosophical lenses of Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari and in particular engages with notions of becoming. There is a resistance to traditional models of methodology in attempting to work in rhizomatic ways, not only in the collection and analysis of data, but also in the process of writing. As such there is a case made for 'amorphodological' rather than methodological approaches to research. Accordingly there is no formal methodology or literature review. Instead, the method and literature are weaved or matted into the whole in an attempt to bring forward the notion of folds and lines of flight as outlined by Deleuze and Guattari. The thesis draws on a strong and recent tradition of experimentation with writing through the work of Oenzin, St. Pierre, Richardson and others. Similarly, data has not been sought or formally collected for the thesis, but the author works instead with the notion of 'found' data and the idea of resonance and return in selecting data for analysis and exploration. To this end, the presentation of the data is 'performative' (Denzin 2003) and the author develops the notion of 'cadaver' data in order to explore Deleuzian concepts of returns. The intention is not to draw a conclusive 'is' from the process, but to layer a series of 'ands' into the work - to live with and work with multiplicity and complexity and to ultimately explore whether or not it is possible to work as a teacher within current policy and ideological constraints while maintaining the distance required to play as a rhizomatic-researcher. The possibility of holding onto what 'matters' at a personal and professional level while performing the material outcomes necessary to survive within current accountability structures is examined. To this end, the thesis posits the idea of the teacher as 'becoming- Mobius'; being between seemingly binary positions and develops this in terms of acts of resistance through pedagogy and curriculum.

Orientador: Gilberta Sampaio de Martino Jannuzzi / Dissertação (mestrado)-Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Educação / Made available in DSpace on 2018-07-13T20:20:34Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Ribeiro_ArildaInesMiranda_M.pdf: 9105683 bytes, checksum: 0894bb6b268bbef3b9d4511d9255839e (MD5) Previous issue date: 1987 / Mestrado

This is an autobiographical study using a Living Theory Action Research methodology supported strongly by storytelling and visual data as a means of analysing, illustrating and generating a living educational theory concerning the attributes 'good enough' (Winnicott, 1965:140-152) dialogical educators might strive for in light of the Buberian 'I – Thou' dialogical encounters (Buber, 1955). This thesis is concerned with 'I' as an early childhood pedagogy instructor, an Israeli-Jew from a Hebrew-speaking culture, working mainly in three educational frameworks in three cultures: an Israeli-Arab college which is predominately Muslim; secondly, as director of a course for Druze care-givers on the occupied Golan Heights and, thirdly, as pedagogy instructor in an academic Teachers' Training College that is affiliated with the Zionist Kibbutz movement, servicing the multicultural and multinational sectors of the Israeli society. The originality of the thesis lies in the process of synthesising and acknowledging instances of 'being in the unknown'; in revealing the values that enabled me to recognise and see beyond the socially constructed discourse, values, ethics and morals in varied cultural contextual and educational settings and move beyond their limitations, enhancing my ability to be a better dialogical educator. Although the issues of 'Dialogue' and 'Thou' have been elaborately discussed, the process of revealing the 'I' and the resultant attributes one has to possess in order to be in dialogue with the 'Thou' is not explicit (Buber, 1955). I assert that the process of unveiling one‘s core self (Rogers, 1969) - the 'I' is a necessary component or phase in the process of becoming a ‗good enough‘ dialogical educator. This assertion is examined in the light of fundamental literature on dialogue mainly from Buber, Freire, Rogers and Korczak.

Many of the issues concerned with equality of opportunity in education have a spatial base. As studies in the geography of education assist the understanding of the problems involved, the first part of this dissertation considers the situation in breadth. In addition to reviewing some of the relevant studies already completed, it attempts to demonstrate the potential value of other work in this field of study. The second part examines the particular need in educational planning for an approach with a spatial base. The special function of models in such planning is then discussed before an examination is made of the possible location theories that could be used as a basis. The two major theoretical frameworks, involving (a) interaction theory and (b) central place theory are considered in more detail to see how they could be used in studies of educational systems. In order to test some of the ideas against actual conditions, a case study is carried out in part III. The spatial organisation of the educational system in the area around Bath is analysed through a type of 'systems analysis'. A spatial model of a primary/secondary school system is formulated using central place theory as its conceptual framework. This is then tested against the 'descriptive' model representing the actual situation. It is found that the suggested k = 7 hierarchical model is matched in reality but not in the form of an hexagonal lattice. In addition, some secondary schools share 'feeder' primary schools and do not operate on discrete sub-systems according to Christaller's 'administrative principle'. It is concluded that, in spite of theoretical and practical problems, the spatial model derived from central place theory provides a framework which assists educational planning.