There are many routes to attaining qualified teacher status within the UK. Set within an interpretative paradigm this research considers two distinct routes to QTS, namely those of the Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) and that of the Graduate Teaching Programme (GTP). The empirical work in this research explores, through an in depth and iongitudinal approach, the expectations and experiences of trainees on these two routes.

This study explores cognitive dissonance as an educative resource in complex professional learning. Cognitive dissonance is an elusive phenomenon but one which is experienced by many adult learners as they engage in professional development. Research suggests harnessing the range of emotions felt from experiencing cognitive dissonance and using it as an educative resource can be a positive approach in complex professional learning. However, facilitators of professional learning appear to find it challenging to identify characteristics of cognitive dissonance and recognise it as it occurs within learners. There is little guidance to be found on how facilitators might make most effective use of cognitive dissonance as an educative resource to support transformative learning. An exploratory case study was adopted to investigate how cognitive dissonance was recognised and experienced by learners and facilitated by tutors engaged in an intensive literacy intervention professional development programme. Data were analysed using a grounded theory approach within a theoretical sampling frame to create a conceptual model of how cognitive dissonance was experienced by learners, recognised and utilised by facilitators as an educative resource. This study identified characteristics and features of cognitive dissonance that may support facilitators in recognising and harnessing it as it occurs. Study of facilitators' skills in recognising and managing cognitive dissonance within the professional learning environment revealed a complex relationship between their observational acuity, experience in role and personal commitment to critical reflection. Conscious decision making by the facilitator within a learning environment that supports risk taking creates more effective use of cognitive dissonance as an educative resource.

The professional attitudes of student teachers, their tutors in training institutions and staff in schools were investigated at a time of reorganisation of teacher education. The initial stage of the research included a close examination of the problem area in order to obtain an assessment of the scope of the current research in the context of investigations in adjacent areas. The examination of aspects of teaching as an occupation and of the organizational frameworks within which professional expectations develop highlighted the problems of transfer between stages of occupational socialisation. The core of the research the preparation of an attitude scale. Conservatism was considered as basic to the development of professional attitudes and hence an Educational Conservatism questionnaire was created and presented to students in their third or postgraduate years of teacher training in colleges and universities, to their tutors, and to probationer and senior teachers in schools. Individual item scores and total scores (C-scores) were calculated and compared to find coherence and division between the attitudes of these occupational groups. From analysis of these scores students and their tutors were found to be more in sympathy with each other's professional expectations than with those of staff working in schools. The probationer teachers occupied a transtition state more educationally conservative than the members of the training institutions and yet less educationally conservative than their senior colleagues in schools. This was found to be the case whether training/experience was confined to work with Primary children only or included Secondary work. The effects of the age group and the sex of respondents were not found to be more than marginal compared with the influence of the institutional climate. Members of university Schools of Education were found to be significantly less educationally conservative than members of Colleges of Education. The present decrease in the use of monotechnic institutions for teacher training and the developing patterns of initial and in-service education are factors which appear to reduce the opportunities available for intensive professional socialisation, particularly at the first stage. From the C-score analysis a need was seen for organisational studies to be included in the initial training curriculum. This would present opportunities for developing an understanding of the circumstances giving rise to differing professional expectations and maximise the chances for training tutors to prepare students for the school environment. This could help to reduce stress at the transition stage, as the student emerges into the 'real world' of teaching.

This is a study of organisation in a College of Education. From a study of employed professionals in their working environment, an attempt is made to exhibit the diversity of meanings which members of the teaching staff give to the situation in the College; and to relate these meanings to the structural differentiation which has taken place within the organisation, and also to the wider context outside College from which the members derive their values and belief systems as professionals. Changing cultural values and goals in the College since the foundation are reviewed and its present objectives, performance and organisational characteristics considered. I employ a technique of open participant observation over a period of 3 years. All consenting members of the fulltime staff were interviewed and invited to complete an Osgood-type semantic differential instrument. The results were subjected to Factor and Cluster analysis, a technique whereby broad groupings of staff may be identified by multivariate objective characteristics, in the hope that by the use both of statistical-factorial and clinical processual approaches significant groupings could be detected amongst respondents in the light of which processes being observed would be more intelligible. By a study of negotiation at departmental level and an extended analysis of the nature, conditions and processes of decision making on the College Academic Board over a period of eight terms, processes are exhibited which operated to maintain requisite integration and enable overall policy to be decided and the enterprise to be organised to pursue common goals. It is concluded that the management of a requisite working consensus by negotiation is a central task of leadership in such enterprises.

This study investigates the relationships between the teaching practices of a cohort of year-four mathematics specialist pre-service teachers (n=48) at Hafouf Teachers' College in Saudi Arabia and their mathematics conceptions. These conceptions were compared to those of the whole cohort of year-three Arabic, mathematics and science pre-service teachers (n = 130). The mathematics conceptions of the two cohorts were surveyed at the beginning of the college semester and the year-four mathematics pre-service teachers were subsequently observed whilst on their teaching practice semester. In addition, the year-four mathematics pre-service teachers were surveyed toward the end of the teaching practice semester to investigate possible changes in their conceptions after their teaching experiences. The design of the study can be regarded as associational research that is not only limited to correlational methods but also benefits from other approaches, such as survey and qualitative methods to involve recording, analysis, comparison, and interpretation of study settings. Data were collected using three instruments: (1) a Likert-type questionnaire to measure conceptions of mathematics and its teaching; (2) a lesson observation schedule to observe teaching practices; and (3) mathematics subject knowledge grades as a measure of mathematical ability. Analysis of pre-service teachers' mathematics conceptions identified seven factors: confidence and enjoyment, experiences of mathematics, connectionist view, usefulness, transmission view, procedural view, and exploratory view. Pre-service teachers' belief systems were not internally coherent but instead comprised a mixture of traditional and reform beliefs about mathematics and its teaching. Mathematics and science specialists showed more confidence and enjoyment in mathematics than Arabic specialists, but also held views of teaching mathematics that were more transmission-oriented. Prior to their teaching practice experiences, the year-four mathematics pre-service teachers revealed similar conceptions to their year-three counterparts.. However, their teaching practice experiences increased their level of confidence and enjoyment in mathematics but also decreased their belief in the exploratory view of teaching mathematics. No significant relationship was established between the year-four pre-service teachers' espoused beliefs and their enacted beliefs in terms of traditional and reform orientated practices in the classroom. Regardless of their espoused beliefs, mostly the pre-service teachers adopted traditional teaching practices. The research also indicated that year-four mathematics pre-service teachers' subject knowledge grades were not significantly related to the level of mathematics subject knowledge they demonstrated when teaching in the classroom. Based on the findings, several recommendations are made and possible directions for further research are suggested.

This portfolio investigates the development of the National College for School Leadership, first announced by the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, at the first New Headteachers Conference in October 1998 and confirmed in the Green Paper 'teachers meeting the challenge of change'. The portfolio covers the twelve-month period between New Headteachers Conferences. At the first conference the College was announced; at the second we learned it would be sited at Nottingham University. The portfolio is designed to contribute to the debate about what should underpin the workings of the College. It contains a series of separate papers which also interrelate. The papers focus on four factors which are likely to impact on the work of the College. The author considers these factors to be crucial to the development and growth of the College and its acceptance by the profession both nationally and internationally as, in the words of the Prime Minister, a 'centre of excellence'. These factors are: • the impact of policy development; • the definition of and role of leadership; • what we mean by learning; and • a preferred future for schools in the 21st Century. Section 1 provides an introduction and a rationale of why the work has been undertaken. It argues that the knowledge age demands new and radical thinking in how we train and develop school leaders. Section 2 provides the theoretical framework for the portfolio. Section 2a provides the research design and methodology and the systemic model which the author has developed to underpin both the College and the portfolio's propositions. Section 2b contains a series of papers which review the literature relating to the four factors. Section 3 comprises a series of research papers dealing with the author's work on policy development, leadership, learning and futures models. These papers present both a national and international perspective. Included is the author's own research into the development of the National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH) culminating in a new model for its transfer to the College. The final paper in the series provides a model for the College. This model is not intended to 'be set in stone' but reflects the author's research position and views at the time of writing. Section 4 is an analytical and reflective narrative outlining the author's journey through this portfolio. This study is essentially both postmodernist and a tale. It does not reach any final conclusions but sets out a series of propositions and seeks ideas and possible routes of pursuit to inform the development of the College. It asks questions, but it provides no definitive answers. Rather, it is intended to contribute to Socratic dialogue, a theme the author pursues throughout. Since the papers are independent and targeted for different purposes there is some overlap and variety in style. John Wheeler, the quantum physicist, posited recently: December, 2000 is the 100thanniversary of the greatest discovery ever made in the world of physics, the quantum. To celebrate, I would propose the title 'The Quantum: The Glory and the Shame'. Why glory? Because there is not a branch of physics which the quantum does not illuminate. The shame, because we still do not know 'how come the quantum?' (contained in a letter from John Wheeler to J. P. McEvoy, the author of 'Introducing Quantum Theory'). This stance informs the spirit of this research

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The post-modern era has seen the rising influence of technical rationality across society, its institutions and functions (Turner 1990): and, Initial Teacher Education/ Training (ITE/T) has not been immune to this. Technical rationality is marked by bureaucratisation and rationalisation and has led to an 'intervene and prescribe' approach to ITEfT. The advocacy for technical-rationality amongst ITEfT policy makers raises the study's principal question: 'What are some of the implications, and influences, of UK [England] government's techno-rationalist driven ITE/T policy over the last 25 years on primary student/trainee-teachers, ITE/T providers, ITE/T policy makers and society in England?' The study considers this question, through research at the macro-level (policy review) and micro-level (case study of a small group of primary student/trainee-teachers undertaking ITEfT in the 1990s). The study's research concludes that ITE/T policy over the last twenty-five years had led to both significant achievements but also raised significant issues. Achievements on a macrolevel include: the creation of a quasi-ITE/T market has widened consumer choice (Le Grand and Bartlet 1993), invoked regulation through 'next steps' agencies working through the 'new managerialism' (Dunsire 1995; Gains 1999) to achieve common standards and processes (Furlong 2005), the recent adoption of a 'Third Way' approach (Giddens 1998, 2000; Newman 2001) has achieved greater stakeholder participation in ITE/T policy making and implementation including the re-defining of teacher professionalism (through QTS standards). These achievements have in turn produced the highest standards in new teachers (Tabberer 2003, 2005). At a microlevel ITE/T policy has achieved greater choice for individual consumers, and increased direct participation in ITE/T particularly for teachers and schools. The study suggests that despite techno-rationality driven policy's successes that it has limitations, principally discounting the human attributes or social capital of 'teacher as person' (Clark 1995: 4) which had motivated primary student/trainee-teachers to enter teaching in the first place, and which remained stable amongst the study's student/trainee-teachers despite the influence of technical-rationalist government policies. The most significant feature of the QTS standards in influencing student/trainee-teachers' teacher thinking is the relative balance between technicalreflection, practical-reflection and critical-reflection. The study's findings raise the question: 'what 'type' of new teachers does society expect: those of technical deliverers/technicians (Lawlor 1990) or reflective practitioners/moral-craftsperson (Tom 1984)?' Further consideration of this question leads to defining the key challenge facing ITE/T policy makers and stakeholders as being: (i) defining the qualities society expects of its new teachers (teacher professionalism) ...; and, (ii) considering how ITEfT can best educate student/trainee-teachers to support sustained improvement for gll pupils, including the most under-privileged, and contribute to 'a fairer society'? The study concludes that if further progress is to be made on raising standards for Q)l pupils and creating 'a fairer society', as outlined in government's most recent policies (DfES 2004a, 2004b and 2006), that a broader approach which 'counts-in' explicitly the human-side to teaching (Elbaz 1992, Hargreaves 1998, Dunne 1997), needs to be adopted. Four recommendations are developed which seek to enhance the part ITE/T plays in raising standards for 'all pupils' and creating 'a fairer society'. Several ways in which research could inform further policy making and developing ITE/T practices are highlighted.

This case study describes the experience of an American researcher and eight Senegalese high school English teachers piloting a teacher study group (TSG) in order to explore whether TSGs might be effective as professional development in Senegal. The most effective forms of professional development support teacher learning in both content and pedagogy, taking into account the importance of context, culture, and personal experience. In Senegal, resources for professional development are limited and teachers face challenges that include large class size, limited instructional resources, and the pressure of high stakes testing. TSGs, a type of collaborative professional development, could meet the criteria of effective professional development activities while being feasible in the challenging educational landscape of Senegal. This study sought to discover if implementing TSGs could be logistically feasible, if they could have value as professional development in that setting, and if the participants (teachers and administrators) saw value in them as professional development. The results of this study indicate that logistically it does seem feasible to form TSGs in Senegal. The challenges that faced this group do not seem insurmountable. It seems that this group could be an effective form of professional development because not only did the teachers engage in discussions which deepened their pedagogical and content knowledge through collaborative reflection, but they did this in a manner consistent with their context and culture. The teachers, without exception, perceived their participation in the group as a valuable learning experience. The administrators' perceptions of the groups were varied, but more positive than negative. Overall, TSGs seem to be a valuable professional development activity to explore further in Senegal and in other settings facing similar challenges. How TSGs could be adapted to meet the needs of teachers and administrators is discussed using insights gained from this group's experience.

Decisions about different educational pathways have been linked extensively with inequality of outcome and explaining this link has been a focus of much recent research. The emphasis for such research has largely been at key transition points such as secondary school choice and entry to Higher Education. A key question has been the extent to which decisions are influenced by the structuring effects of social class and cultural background or individual agency. This study examines the educational decision-making of graduate student teachers in relation to whether or not to take Masters level credits on courses of Initial Teacher Education. It uses a mixed methods case study approach to collect data from the staff, student teachers and documentation within an Initial Teacher Education department of a Higher Education Institution. The study draws upon a Bourdieuian theoretical perspective to understand the individual nature of the decision-making process and how it led to patterns of inequality. The process of decision-making is considered through the interrelated dimensions of agency, contexts and values. The study reveals that the student teachers' decision-making was multifaceted, and demonstrates the different ways in which important factors were linked and dependent on the overlapping influences of socio-cultural background. The majority of student teachers decided not to take Masters level credits, in many cases seeing the Masters level pathway as too risky. The major influential factors included concerns about time and workload and fear of failure with perceptions of level of academic skills contributing towards this. For some student teachers the perceived value of Masters level for teaching and aspirations for personal progression were also important factors. The study also demonstrates that inequitable patterns of outcome related to student teachers' characteristics could be aggregated from individual decisionmaking. The study draws the conclusion that the introduction of differentiated educational pathways should be accompanied by careful monitoring to ensure that the aims of widening participation are not compromised. Recommendations are made for the types of support that could accompany this particular case of educational decision-making and lessen any stratifying effects. These recommendations could be transferrable to other situations where decisions have to be made about a particular educational pathway.