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This thesis investigates the extent to which the National Policy on Education (NPE) and its implementation have provided high-quality pre-primary education in Plateau State, Nigeria. The NPE was drawn up by the Central Government of Nigeria, and revised most recently in 2004, and includes a philosophy and objectives designed to meet the aspirations of citizens. In practice, however, a range of national and international factors, including economic and socio-cultural conditions, have so far impeded the development of high-quality early childhood education. The study is situated within global debates on early childhood education, but in a context where there is a paucity of research in this field. The theoretical and analytical framework of this study is underpinned by the "CIPP" evaluation model which examines the NPE in principle and in practice through the use of four aspects: "context", "input", "process" and "product". The policy development itself is analysed using the policy cycle of Ball (1994) and Bowe et al (1992), while data on the policy implementation were collected from teachers, parents, proprietors and children by means of a survey, followed by five school case studies. Analysis of the data shows varying perceptions and provision of quality in the schools. The NPE was found to offer limited access to children because of family poverty and the high fees charged by the proprietors, while the didactic teaching methods in the classrooms failed to offer children active participation or play-based learning. For those children who accessed pre-primary education, the NPE achieved the objective of preparing children for primary school, and that of childcare, while other objectives were less well met. Socio-cultural and economic factors are identified as additional barriers to policy implementation. A Policy Triangle model is proposed as a means of understanding and assuring the quality of pre-primary provision.

There are more than a billion people learning English as a second language around the world, and the majority of those language learners are in China. However, so many go overseas to learn English that Chinese learners of English is probably the largest national group of language students in the world. This huge learner population of students of the English language has thus made phenomena such as those of study-abroad, sojourner and intercultural adjustment all the more important, and its implication for Singapore is also significant. The purpose of this research, therefore, investigates the adjustment of PR China students to life in Singapore. It attempts to elicit those factors that affect the study's 18 students and examines to what extent those factors promote and hinder their adjustment to the new environment. While most empirical studies of intercultural adjustment were conducted on students adjusting to host cultures that were very different to their own, this study looks at the adjustment of students whose culture shares more similarities than differences with the host country. This research of intercultural adjustment is therefore unique, especially when the complex of attitudes, beliefs and practices may reveal that adjustment can be problematic despite cultural and even ethnic similarities. It also attempts to relate to other studies where considerable research on the intercultural adjustment of students has already been done, and intends to link, where possible, to general and interaction adjustment domains that represent those factors that most confront student sojourners. Studies in the Asian region are also scrutinized for relevant and related areas that could directly inform this study. The findings show that the students found their adjustment to life in Singapore problematic, and that there are many physical aspects in the environment, ranging from food to the weather, that have affected their adjustment. Only a quarter of the students reported some adjustment but the rest found it difficult to adjust to those physical aspects.

English Language education in China has gone through several stages of development in the past 30 years. The early method of language learning was centred on grammar acquisition but this has since moved to the current approach of communicative competence development. Although the Official Document in 2001 laid down ‘cultural awareness’ as one of the language teaching objectives, there seems to be a gap between the new curriculum and what goes on in classrooms. The aim of this study is to investigate teachers’ perspectives on cultural teaching in terms of the teaching objectives of language and culture; teachers’ understanding of ‘culture’; the cultural topics they favour to teach in the classroom; the techniques they use to teach culture; time allocation to culture teaching and finally their attitudes towards intercultural communicative competence so as to design courses at the teacher training college to meet the needs of the teachers. The method of my research involves a survey: questionnaires were sent to the schools as well as trainers in the teaching college after a pilot run and group discussion in refining the questions. The returned survey is then categorized and analyzed based on Byram’s intercultural communicative competence model. The analyzed results show encouraging signs of teachers’ and college trainers’ willingness to engage in cultural teaching, but the results also reflect teething problems to fully engage cultural communicative competence in the classrooms. The highly examination-oriented environment, the practical approach of teachers and students and the academic qualification/experience of teachers are some of the current problems in teaching culture in the classroom. The teachers’ college plays an important role in changing the perception of cultural teaching of teachers and the results show a need for courses to build the understanding and confidence of teachers in the classrooms.

In Japan, where the traditional focus of English teaching has been on knowledge of a foreign language as a system, increasing emphasis is now being placed on the ability to communicate internationally. Achieving competence in a foreign language may be the result of many factors including teaching methodology, instructional materials and personal motivation. This thesis examines how much communicative ability depends on classroom input, and how important other factors are in achieving success in written and spoken English. Two different English courses currently offered in Japanese high schools – ‘International Understanding’ and general/academic – are examined, and their effect on communicative competence, language knowledge, motivation and attitudes to teaching and learning English are analysed. Two groups of learners were traced throughout their 1st-year at senior high school, and their learning experiences are situated within the educational, and specifically English language learning, context of Japan, where the influence of societal pressures and public examinations conflicts with the need to learn English as a means of global communication. After locating the research within the literature on communicative language teaching (CLT) and EFL policy and practice in Japan, a working definition of communicative competence is proposed against which to evaluate the communicative ability of the learners. A mixed-method approach was taken to gather data on the teaching and learning process on the two courses, employing questionnaires, interviews, classroom observation and tests of written and spoken communicative competence and overall proficiency in English. The findings demonstrate that those learners following the International Understanding course have generally increased their communicative competence as measured by essay and oral interview tests, and have improved their scores in an English proficiency test recognised in Japan as a marker of academic achievement, to a statistically greater degree over those learners following a traditional EFL course. Significant differences were also confirmed in motivation. Although further research into similar specialist English courses is needed, this study provides one case in which the two opposing goals of ELT in Japan of communicative competence and academic achievement successfully converge. The implications of the study are that with relatively small changes in teaching methods, yet substantial changes in teacher attitudes, the problem of communicative ability in Japan might be addressed.

This thesis is about quality in post-secondary education, with its main theme being the adaptation, validation and application of a quantitative instrument for investigating student learning. While different conceptions of educational quality have been proposed and various approaches to addressing the quality issues have been practiced, it is argued that to cope with the education reform and the expansion of post-secondary education in Hong Kong, the concept of quality as transformation should assume a more central role, and more attention should be paid to the student experience in general, and student learning in particular. Forming the basis for the empirical investigation of this thesis is the selection and adaptation of two instruments developed and validated in western higher education contexts, namely the Course Experience Questionnaire (CEQ) and the Inventory of Learning Styles (ILS). These instruments are applied in the local response context of post-secondary education in Hong Kong. The platform of study comprised six member schools of the Caritas Community and Higher Education Service (CCHES), from which student feedback was collected on a wide range of personological and contextual observables for the validation of a composite research instrument adapted from the CEQ and the ILS, and for the initial exploration of systematic relationships among the relevant observables. Findings are that, although cultural effects manifested in their adaptation for post-secondary education in Hong Kong, the CEQ and the ILS, with further revision of some scales, should be able to serve as a basis for the design of an instrument for effective collection of students’ perceptions of their learning environment and students' learning patterns in this new response context. Apart from some phenomena that need further investigation, the initial exploration of systematic relationships among the relevant observables found many results similar to those reported in other published work, in particular the central role assumed by regulation strategies among the ILS components.

This thesis focuses on the rationale for visual arts education in the context of Singapore. It does so by examining key policy documents and interviewing key stakeholders. In the mid 1960s, Singapore was separated from the Federal of Malaya, leaving the country in uncertainty because of the lack of natural resources. Also the withdrawal of the British colony had left the Singapore economy in turmoil. The only pragmatic solution for the government was to resort to human capital to develop the economy, which mainly centred on promoting science, engineering, commerce and technology learning. Mathematics and science were given the highest priority as these subjects offered skills that were desirable for the economy. In the 1990s, the government realised that for the Singapore economy to continue to grow steadily, foreign talent would play a crucial role. One way to attract these talents was to develop Singapore into a vibrant arts and cultural scene. The government began to pay attention to arts education as it was felt that the arts could offer skills for potential cultural manpower to contribute in the cultural industry for the purpose of enticing talents to work, live and contribute to the Singapore economy. There has therefore been a shift in attitudes to the arts. The conflicting interests motivated me to seek to establish the rationale for visual arts education in Singapore. The research was carried out using two research methods: documentary analysis to examine key documents pertaining to the Ministry of Education (MOE) arts syllabuses and Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts (MICA) reports and qualitative interviews to seek the views of the art teachers, arts scholars/academics and policy makers. The research findings show that the rationale for visual arts education is related to three broad areas: (i) the development of personal developmental skills (ii) the development of ‘extended logic’, ‘self-confidence’ and ‘art history’ (iii) the contribution to the cultural and creative economy. These three areas at first appear to be in conflict but are in fact inter-connected. The thesis makes recommendations for the coherent presentation of arts policy in Singapore.

This study applies social science methodology to the innovation of e-learning so that decision makers and other stakeholders can assess aspects of its effectiveness, to provide a more secure base for action. In this study, e-learning’s effectiveness was evaluated at two universities in Saudi Arabia, through male learners’ perceptions. Some account was taken of variables to assess statistically significant differences in their views. The data was collected by mixed methods: using a questionnaire from a sample of 300 learners and a focus group interview attended, later, by 21 learners. The findings showed that e-learners believe that they are able to learn autonomously using all features made available by the technology. They reported that they were motivated by the interactivity of e-learning and pursued their courses with intensity and success. There was positive agreement in all four dimensions considered by the research. Significant variables within this positive rating were previous e-learning experience and ICT skills. The study also collected learners' views about the positives and negatives of e-learning, its requirements and barriers, as well as learners' suggestions for the development of e-learning. Learners appreciated the opportunities offered by e-learning and the way it supported their studies, facilitating communication and accommodating their learning needs and circumstances. They recognised that it helped to meet an increased demand for learning. On the other hand, they noted some hazards to physical and social health and some confusion arising from the diversity of information accessible through ICT. They felt improvements could be made by planning, training and by specialized personnel. Most of the barriers they noted arose from infrastructural weaknesses and lack of acceptance of e-learning. Respondents said they were aware of financial constraints and of language barriers. Universities, working closely with communities and the private sector, could address many of these identified issues in products and infrastructure. This study concludes with some recommendations as well as suggestions for future research.

This study examines the extent to which teachers’ (N=248) and students’ (N=968) perceptions of effective teaching and students’ evaluations of teachers in six colleges of technology in Oman match or mismatch. It also investigates Omani students’ (N=922) ability to identify the teaching dimensions underlying a widely used American instrument used for collecting students’ evaluations of teachers and the extent to which the teaching dimensions found in Oman are similar to or different from those found in America and elsewhere in the West. In addition, the present research assesses the reliability of students’ ratings in Oman and the effect of a number of course, teacher, and student background characteristics on these ratings. Results showed that while teachers and students matched in their perceptions of various characteristics of effective teaching, they significantly differed in their valuation of many criteria of effective teaching. Differences were also observed between the two groups’ perceptions of the validity and utility of students’ ratings and the role of the student as an evaluator of teaching. The results also showed that Omani students are capable of identifying most of the teaching dimensions underlying the standardised American rating instrument. A few factors, however, appear to be inseparable in the Omani context. The inter-rater reliability of students’ ratings collected from Oman was analysed and found to be of good standard and only slightly lower than what was found in North America and Australia for the same instrument. Consistent with previous research, it appears, however, that students’ ratings are affected by various student, teacher, and course background characteristics. The evidence on the differences between teachers and students in their perceptions of quality college teaching and their criteria for judging teaching effectiveness calls for more investigation and verification. It is argued here that many of the mismatches in perceptions can be traced to students’ educational upbringing in pre-college education. Therefore, the assumption that quality can be improved in higher education irrespective of what learning styles and habits students bring with them from schools may be unrealistic. Contrary to the prevailing stance in Oman’s higher education, which generally views students’ ratings with distrust and suspicion, the present study results appear to provide preliminary support for the use of students’ ratings in Oman’s universities and colleges as a source of information in teaching evaluation and improvement. It is argued that involving students in the evaluation of teaching is an essential tool in implementing, institutionalising, and enhancing the newly introduced standards in teaching and learning.

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