This study examines the importance of play and its role in the learning process in selected nursery schools in Britain and Saudi Arabia. In particular, attention is focused on cognitive, social and physical development and the provisions made for play in the selected samples in both countries. The investigation involves a close survey of relevant literature and a small-scale research conducted by the author through the use of observation, oral interviews and intervention study. The major finding of the comparative analysis of nursery schools sampled in both Britain and Saudi Arabia was that nursery education in Britain is of a higher quality than that provided in Saudi Arabia. The findings suggest that in Britain learning provision for children is of a very high quality and carefully planned to meet children's developmental and learning needs. There is adequate provision of purpose-built buildings, staff training and teaching aids which are used during play in Britain, while in Saudi Arabia there is a dearth of purpose-built building, staff training and teaching aids and equipment used during play. Play is not employed as a medium of learning for infants in Saudi Arabia. The study has also found that play enhances children's cognitive, social and physical development if used as a medium of learning and within an environment which has very high quality provision. Based on the findings of this study a number of recommendations are proposed which aim to improve current pre-school education. These include the need to recognise the importance of play activities (learning through play), to young children within the school environment; the necessity for teachers in Saudi Arabia to employ an exploratory, investigative and imaginative approach in their day-to-day teaching; the necessity for nursery school buildings to be purpose-built with emphasis on good play environment and the urgency for the provision of adequate teaching materials to facilitate the systematic in service training of staff, all with the aim of raising the desired standard and quality of nursery education in Saudi Arabia.

This thesis addresses the question: 'How do Higher Education Accreditation Policy Processes Compare Among Emerging CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) Territories?' I investigate the perspectives of accreditation policy experts, namely researchers, analysts, text writers and implementers, through written materials and interviews, to be able to answer the research question. I begin by discussing the new regionalism as a theoretical backdrop to the study and explain how the philosophy and approaches to new regionalism relate to the development of Caribbean higher education accreditation policy framework, as articulated by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). In this discussion, I refer to Jules' (2008) postulate of harmonization of regional education policies within CARICOM. His study was analyzed as a suitable frame of reference for my study. In this study, I used a critical policy analysis to assess the policy production processes in five countries in the Caribbean region as they relate to regional accreditation. These policies are measured against the draft model legislation for accreditation proposed by the CARICOM. In addition to this, I focused attention on three policies -Barbados, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago- to understand the mechanism of harmonization. The study focuses on the new development on regional sustainability called the CSME, the central aim of the policy within the CSME and corresponding processes by which higher education accreditation policies were being formulated and enacted. I applied theoretical thematic analysis to analyze data from documentary sources and experts' perceptions to interpret how accreditation policy production processes were applied in three stages in policy analysis; `defining policy', `researching policy' and `negotiating policy'. These stages were examined in relation to globalization contexts, nation state policy making within a federal context and the roles of politics, empirical policy research and stakeholder participation. Data analysis revealed that accreditation policy production and implementation showed a tendency to exhibit what Jules referred to as `harmonization' at the CARICOM level, whereas `policy borrowing and dissemination' seemed to have occurred at the national level due to contextualization pressures. The political negotiation process was al voured approach during policy production. Conversely, inadequate emphasis was placed on empirical policy research. Although stakeholders were consulted, their views were considered much less than the state's role in policy production. Following from this analysis, the thesis argues for the need to emphasize an empirical approach to the study of accreditation policy and practice that utilizes culturally appropriate education policy frameworks as tools for education policy making in the Caribbean region.

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This study has been undertaken because of concern about falling standards of English proficiency among school children in Malaysia. It has set out to investigate whether the use of children's literature as a resource in the teaching of English might help in arresting this decline. A review of literature pointed to the link between reading literature and language learning. Learning a language is clearly more than acquiring a set of discrete skills. It involves the mastery and interplay of listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. The knowledge about language that comes from reading children's literature is particularly valuable for the beginning learner. Cardiff and Malaysian teachers' responses, elicited by a variety of means, reinforced the view that reading strategies can be further developed by listening, reading, interacting and responding to stories, rhymes, poems and plays. It was hypothesised that teachers in Cardiff, where the use of children's literature is common practice in English teaching, would agree that it was a useful tool for language learning. This proved to be the case, their responses showing that not only did children's literature make English lessons fun and assist language learning, it provided many more benefits because of its rich storehouse of genres. In Malaysia, where it is not in common use, primary school English language teachers' views were also sought as to the feasibility of using children's literature in their English Language teaching. Malaysian teachers of different demographic characteristics were in strong agreement that its use would assist language learning and attainment of teaching objectives, while making English lessons enjoyable. However they maintained that appropriate training and materials would have to be provided before such pedagogic practice was considered.

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