This thesis explores participants' experiences of presence in virtual worlds as a specific case of mediated environments, and the factors that support that experience of presence, with the aim of developing practice when using these technologies in learning and teaching. The thesis begins with a framework that was created to bring together concepts from a range of disciplines that describe presence and factors that contribute to presence. Organising categories within the framework were drawn from a blend of Activity Theory and Communities of Practice. Five case studies in Second Life (preceded by a pilot study employing webconferencing) were conducted in order to investigate learners' experiences in these environments. Qualitative and quantitative data were gathered from these cases. The data from the separate cases were analysed using a cross-case synthesis and the role of presence, and the factors that support it, were identified. An additional strand of investigation established a typology of different forms of resistance by students to learning in virtual worlds. The findings of the study were that an experience of presence is strongly linked to students' satisfaction with the learning activity. This experience of presence was more linked to students' preparedness or ability to engage with the environment than with technological limitations. Some students' resistance to learning in virtual worlds were informed by values they held about technology, but others appeared to display an inability to experience embodiment through their avatar. The experience of presence appeared to develop over time. This can be interpreted as stages in students' development of a virtual body image, body schema and virtual identity. Different learning activities are more appropriate to different stages in this development. The thesis concludes with a suggested model for supporting students' development of presence. The implications of these findings for educators and for further research are discussed.

Text in Afrikaans / In hierdie studie is gepoog om vanuit 'n fundamentele pedagogiek-perspektief, die hele aangeleentheid rakende die normatiewe in die tegnokratiese bestel, te belig. Daar is aangedui dat die wyse waarop norme in die tegnokratiese bestel tot vergestalting kom geen vanselfsprekendheid is nie, aangesien die tegnokratiese era deur 'n onloënbare werklikheid van voortdurende verandering gekenmerk word. Hierdie tendens van verandering het meegebring dat outentieke norme, soos dit in die verlede gehuldig is, vandag nie meer die toonaangewende norme in die opvoedingsgebeure van die tegnokratiese era is nie. Trouens, dit blyk of daar vandag weinig of geen plek is waar Christelike norme prakties deur die Christen uitgeleef kan word nie. Om 'n greep op hierdie werklikheid te verkry, is daar 'n antropologies-ontologiese fundering van die mens as normatiewe synde ondemeem. Die bevindinge waartoe gekom is, dui daarop dat die mens die enigste gemoeide met waardes en norme onder die lewende wesens is. Vervolgens is daar 'n dieptestudie op die mens se huweliks- en gesinsituasie ondemeem, ten einde fundamentele uitsprake te kan maak oor die wyse waarop die norme deur die tegnokrasie geraak is. Dit het hieruit geblyk dat die tegnokratiese bestel ook die huweliks- en gesinsituasie nie ongedeerd gelaat het nie, en dat daar vandag ander waardes betreffende die huweliks- en gesinsnorme gehuldig word. Deur 'n diepteskou op die skoolsituasie, soos dit tot openbaring kom in die bedrywigheidstruktuur, kon daar duidelik aangetoon word dat daar 'n waardeverskuiwing ten opsigte van norme ingetree het. Daar word al hoe meer toegegee aan 'n sogenaamde "neutrale" opvoedingspraktyk, wat daartoe lei dat daar 'n felle aanslag teen Christelike norme heers. Verder het dit uit die ondersoek geblyk dat ten spyte van die negatiewe greep wat die tegnokratiese era op die mens se norme het, hy aileen staande kan bly indien hy die norme in sy huwelik, gesin en skoal met openbaringsinhoude van die Heilige Skrif vul. In die verband is spesifiek die Dekaloog uitgelig om as norme vir 'n partikuliere Christelike opvoedingspraktyk in die gesin en skoal te kan dien. / This study attempts to analyse the phenomenon of normativeness in a technocratic society as seen in a fundamental pedagogic-perspective. It is indicated that the way norms are manifested in the technocratic world cannot be accepted as a matter of course, because the present technocratic dispensation is characterized by an indisputable reality of continual change. This tendency to change causes authentic norms, that were adhered to in the past, to no longer be the guiding principles in the education practice of the technocratic dispensation. As a matter of fact, it appears that there is little or no place, where the Christian can practise his Christian norms today. To obtain a grip on this reality, an anthropologic-ontologic foundation of man as a normative being, is embarked upon. The resultant findings indicate that man is the only being involved with values and norms. A radical study is· also made of man's marriage and family situation to highlight fundamental findings on the way norms are being effected by the technocratic dispensation. It becomes evident that the entire marriage and family situation are also vitally affected by the technocratic forces, while it is evident that other values concerning marriage and family norms are practised today. By means of a thorough study of the school situation, as manifested in the activity structures, it becomes clear that a change of values has occurred concerning the norms being applied in schools. Today there is continuous yielding to a so called "neutral" education practice, leading to a sharp attack on Christian norms. Furthermore, research emphasizes that despite the detrimental influence exercised by the technocratic elements upon the norms of man, he can still assert himself if his norms are embedded and sustained by the inspirations of Holy Scripture. The Ten Commandments are specifically selected to be applied as norms for a particular Christian education practice in the home and school. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Fundamentele Pedagogiek)

This longitudinal study provides a critique of current delivery of PSHFE and Citizenship lessons and offers an original transdisciplinary approach to these learning-for-life subjects. Using action research methodologies, the study investigated whether selected Shakespearean stories could stimulate Socratic discussions on the decisions made by the characters. Then, in parallel with the topics on the PSHFE and Citizenship curricula, the students philosophised on alternative ways of thinking and acting and vicariously develop their own social and moral reasoning. The research design was based on the eclectic ‘bricoleur’ model developed by Kincheloe and Berry (2004) and was supported by both quantitative and qualitative analyses. In order to capture the complexity of measuring the impact of Shakespearean stories a threetiered research template was designed. Based on the response to neo-Kohlbergian conundrums discussed in the thrice-yearly home interviews, the informers’ personal and social development (PSD) was assessed using Kohlberg’s ‘six stages in moral reasoning’ as a measuring stick. Then, having triangulated the PSD variations from other sources, ‘partial connections’ (Law, 2007, p.155) were sought between the Shakespearean stories used in the action research and the informers’ PSD. Case study analyses indicate that, for the majority of the informers, partial connections were made between the Shakespearean stories and their PSD during KS3. The boundary set by this investigation was that the case studies consisted of seven randomly selected informers based in one school. However, the aforementioned quantitative studies were used to establish the representability of the students to the wider population. The action research offered nine interpretive discoveries which could contribute to more effective delivery of PSHFE and Citizenship. The key conceptual discovery was that PSHFE and Citizenship need another kind of pedagogic approach if they are to help develop empathetic and active citizens - an approach which would move the teacher/student relationship towards a facilitator/student partnership and have ramifications for teacher recruitment and training.

The immense value of the arts has long been recognized by diverse cultures and such recognition has mostly guaranteed their inclusion in educational and school curricula the world over. The arts are considered valuable for numerous reasons, but their inclusion depends on particular interpretations of their merits that may sometimes have failed to realise their full or real potential. Although some ways of valuing the arts date back to antiquity, debates about the value of arts certainly deserve no less consideration in the modern context. Plato was sceptical about the moral value of the arts and regarded them as of dubious educational significance. He thought the arts were more a matter of rhetoric than reason. However, taking a more positive view of the moral power of the arts, Aristotle defended both the arts and rhetoric as potentially contributory to personal formation and the development of moral virtue. At all events, if the arts are to remain educationally defensible, it is arguable that educational theorists and policy makers need to demonstrate their capacity for: (i) objective aesthetic judgement; and (ii) the communication of knowledge and/or truth. Both of these are contentious, as artistic and aesthetic value judgements have often been said to be subjective or personal. In this context, the distinction between judging something as good (which requires reasons) or simply liking it (which does not) is crucial. Here, establishing the objective rational character of the arts seems to be a precondition of demonstrating their potential for knowledge or truth. Arguably, however, there are different respects in which arts may be said to contribute to the development of understanding and appreciation in human agents of themselves, of their relationships with others and of the world, e.g.: (i) aesthetic (sensory) appreciation; (ii) development of imagination; (iii) understanding of aspects of human psychology; (iv) education of the emotions; (v) and moral understanding. In this essay, various philosophical defences of the ‘intrinsic’ (personally formative) educational value of the arts will be drawn from the literature of philosophy and education. Following discussions of ancient arguments for and against the arts, the thesis will discuss at some length defences of the educational value of the arts offered by the American great books tradition, British literary and cultural critics and more recent educational philosophers and theorists. In the final ‘conceptual’ chapter of the thesis, two contemporary works of cinema are discussed to reinforce the key arguments of the thesis. However, having explored the nature and potential of the arts and arts education from a philosophical perspective, this study then seeks to enquire into recent Scottish educational policy developments with reference to the role of arts in arts education and in education more generally through: (i) the exploration of policy documents and official guidelines; and (ii) the voices of interviewees and other research participants involved in Scottish policy making. The thesis will conclude from this enquiry that the educational value and significance of the arts is not adequately appreciated in contemporary Scottish (and perhaps other) educational policy and practice. The study concludes by advocating a return to Aristotle’s conception of the arts as contributory to phronesis (the practical wisdom of virtue), rather than techne (the technical knowledge of skill). Narrow specialisation in forms of training are liable to leave people uninitiated into the wisdom and moral power of the arts –benefits that should ideally be available to all. From the perspective of this thesis, only a broad educational approach that encompasses thorough arts education will result in well-rounded, emotionally intelligent and truly educated human beings.

This study is concerned with a group of schools involved in a Targeted and Mental Health in Schools (TaMHS) project in a Midlands Local Authority. The schools reported that they felt the term ‘mental health’ hindered parental engagement with the project. The study therefore examines in detail influences on parental engagement. This study takes a realist epistemological stance and employs a ‘Realistic Evaluation’ (RE) methodology identifying Contexts, Mechanisms and Outcomes that may account for parental engagement. A review of the literature suggested that there were influences on parents’ decision to engage with schools. From this review, an initial programme theory was drawn up identifying possible Contexts and Mechanisms resulting in the Outcome of parental engagement. Data were gathered through individual interviews with teachers and parents. Emerging Contexts and Mechanism suggested that were or should have been operating in TaMHS were highlighted in transcripts. The study found that explanations for parental engagement were related to factors additional to the use of the term ‘mental health’. Several contexts and mechanisms provided possible explanations as to what helped and hindered parental engagement.

As momentous changes continue to sweep across higher education, tertiary-level English for Academic Purposes (EAP) has experienced a time of challenging and sometimes painful professional transition. In many Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) around the world, EAP units have been transferred from academic departments to administrative offices responsible for international student recruitment and entrepreneurial talent development. The new locus of conflict for many teachers of EAP has centered on the significant disconnect between them and their new administrative managers about the purposes of second language pedagogy. This thesis is a qualitative grounded theory study situated within these restive dynamics. Drawing from in-depth interviews of over ninety informants at eleven higher educational institutions in the UK, Japan and the United States, I focus upon the new middle managers of EAP units, referred to in this thesis as Blended EAP Professionals (BLEAPs). I develop a Critical Grounded Theory about the processes and strategies BLEAPs use to survive in corporatized HEIs while working with international students and Teachers of EAP (TEAPs). It was discovered during the course of analysis that, even while BLEAPs are often responsible for teaching EAP classes, those who succeed in corporatized HEIs dedicated most of their energies to processes identified as Hunting & Gathering, Weighing & Measuring, and Molding & Shaping. All of these are linked to a basic social process, which is theorized to be that of Struggling to Manage and to Lead. This thesis discusses each of these processes in detail, and after explaining how the data used in this grounded theory study was philosophically construed, methodologically structured and theoretically analyzed, I consider the implications of this theory for Tertiary EAP as the profession approaches the middle of the 21st century.

Le personnage de Robert Owen (1771-1858) est associé à l’histoire de la scolarisation de la petite enfance grâce à la création de l’Infant School de New Lanark en Écosse (1816). Cette école n’était cependant que la première étape de son projet. Le réformateur social souhaitait changer la société par l’éducation : son œuvre pédagogique se révèle donc bien plus vaste. Notre travail de recherche se propose d’éclairer ses réalisations éducatives destinées à l’ensemble de la population. Owen considérait cependant son expérience écossaise comme un « compromis » avec sa philosophie sociale. Nous avons donc tenté de comprendre ses conceptions théoriques au-delà de ce qu’il put mettre en œuvre. Il revendiquait l’originalité de ses propositions. Celles-ci sont interrogées à l’aune du courant pédagogique majeur des 18ème et 19ème siècles, celui de la modernité éducative (Hameline ; Houssaye) / Robert Owen’s figure (1771-1858) is well known as regards infant education thanks to his foundation of New Lanark Infant School in Scotland (1816). This school was however only the first step of his project. The social reformer wanted to change society through education: his pedagogical work therefore proves to be far more important. Our research intends to shed light on his educational achievements addressed to the whole population. Owen was however considering his Scottish experience as a “compromise” with his social philosophy. We thus attempted to comprehend his theoretical conceptions beyond what he was able to implement. He claimed the newness of his proposals. Those are examined with regard to the main 18th and 19th centuries’ pedagogical movement: educational modernity (Hameline; Houssaye)

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