This research addresses the role of classroom discourse in supporting children’s learning in Kenyan primary schools. Using a triangulated research approach, I explored the teachers’ practice and perceptions of their discourse strategies. This study involved the development of a classroom observation framework, a questionnaire schedule and a semi-structured teacher interview; this led to the generation of both qualitative and quantitative data. In developing the research instruments, 1 particularly reviewed the work of Flanders, Sinclair and Coulthard, Barnes, Wragg and Brown, and Hardman. Underpinning my study was a theoretical framework of how children learn, which was drawn from the ideas of Vygotsky, Bruner, Piaget, Edwards and Mercer. A strand within this framework was the consideration of the context of learning through a second language. The ideas of Mayor and Wells, together with their implications for classroom discourse and organisation, were discussed here. My analysis of the classroom discourse focused on the three dimensions identified by Sinclair and Coulthard: teacher initiation, pupil response and teacher feedback. Within these dimensions, my discussion considered teacher input and its combination of initiation and feedback strategies. It also considered three elements of pupil response - their nature, their length, and whether they were choral or individual. Attention was also paid to the way in which the pattern of classroom discourse ensured curriculum coverage and created a semblance of pupils’ participation in the learning, which belied their actual passivity. My study concludes with a discussion of the implications of the research findings for inservice training. Whilst acknowledging that such training alone cannot address the constraints faced in the Kenyan schools, it suggests that it has a role to play in developing teachers’ professionalism and raising their awareness of their own practice and its implications for children’s learning.

The experiment was designed to investigate the relationship of psychological tests, college grades and certain biographical and demographic data among a group of teachers with assessments of their teaching ability obtained after two years of teaching. The teachers came from three colleges of education in North West England and comprised a sample of 222 non-graduates and graduates. (a) 299 teachers took the test battery at the end of their college courses in 1965. Two years later in 1967 they were contacted and asked to complete a questionnaire which asked them to: (i) estimate their degree of satisfaction with teaching, (ii) list their causes of satisfaction and dissatisfaction with the job, (iii) indicate how far their expectations about teaching had been realised, (iv) assess their college courses in the light of subsequent experience. (b) Providing permission was given, the head teachers of all respondents were approached and asked to rate each teacher on a six-point scale on eight specified facets of the teacher's role. These were concerned with both organisation and personal relationships. (c) Extensive enquiries and follow-up procedures were instituted to trace missing or reluctant teacher or head teacher respondents. Eventually 222 replies from teachers and their head teachers were received Certain variables collected in 1965 plus the demographic data collected in 1967 were combined with the teachers' responses and the head teachers' ratings. These totalled 50 variables and they were subjected to a series of factor analyses, multiple regression analyses, and split plot analyses of variance - the analyses of variance being followed by t tests between selected pairs of variables. The analyses indicated that:- (a) Field performance was predicted by college teaching grades, (b) 'Successful' and 'less successful' teachers were clearly discriminated in terms of the predictor variables, (c) 'Real' differences in performance obtained between various groups of teachers, e.g. men and women.

Previous research investigating the relationship between the physical school environment and students' experiences of school have focused on sensory variables within the classroom (e. g. light, noise and temperature) or focused on particular areas of the school (e. g. classroom or playground). It is argued that this approach fails to capture the complexity of the physical school environment as it does not consider students' subjective perceptions of their physical school environment and does not capture the functionality of their space. This research investigates students' perceptions of their physical school environment and how this relates to their self-esteem, learning goals, academic achievement and behaviours in school. In the first stage of this research six focus groups were conducted with students between 11 and 17 year old from two secondary schools to gain an understanding of how the physical school environment hindered or facilitated their behaviours. In the second stage, 610 secondary school students (11-17 years old) from two schools (School A and School B) were surveyed across three phases. Cross-sectional and longitudinal data was collected.

This study utilised a descriptive research methodology to determine the leadership styles of primary school headteachers in Riyadh City and their relationship with pupils' achievement. Following a review of the literature, questions were generated as follows:1. Is there a relationship between the number of years of experience of the headteacher and his educational level (qualification of the headteacher)?2. Is there a relationship between the educational level (qualification of the headteacher) and school size (number of pupils in school)?3. Is there a relationship between school size and experience of the headteacher?4. Is there a relationship between the educational level (qualification) of the headteacher and the achievement of pupils?5. Is there a relationship between the experience of the headteacher and the achievement of the pupils?6. Is there a relationship between school size (number of pupils in school) and pupil achievement?7. Is there a relationship between the educational level (qualification) and the style of the headteacher in leading the school?8. Is there a relationship between the experience of the headteacher and his style in leading the school?9. Is there a relationship between the school size and the style of the headteacher in leading the school?10. Is there a relationship between the achievement of the pupils and the style of the headteacher in leading the school? Pfeiffer and Jones' (1972) adaptation of the Leader Behaviour Descriptive Questionnaire (LBDQ) was used. The findings of the study revealed three administrative styles: Spokesman and Manager, Striving for Achievement and Professionalism, and Autocratic. These three styles are predominant in primary schools in Riyadh. They do not have a link with pupil achievement, but there was a relationship between the qualification of the headteacher and the achievement of pupils and also the experience of the headteacher and pupil achievement. No evidence was found to suggest that any other relationships existed. The study supports the need for qualifications and experience and other general criteria to be taken into consideration when selecting school headteachers, and formal training to be given prior to becoming primary school headteachers. With all this in mind, it should be noted that in measuring pupil achievement, we cannot take the headteacher's leadership style for granted.

This is a grounded enquiry which seeks to uncover why Assessment for Learning (AfL) is difficult for teachers to put into practice. Through a subjective-interpretive methodology it explores the experiences of seven teachers in one primary school on the Channel Island of Guernsey who volunteered to make their practice problematic. Analysis of focus group discussions explores their viewpoints, understandings, motivation and experiences to explain how (AfL) is understood and why it is enacted in differing ways. By applying Giddens' structuation theory (1984) the research illuminates the conflicting forces acting on teachers to enable and constrain their agency. It explores how perceptions change through raised discursive consciousness and the conscious articulation of practice which is understood as reflective practice. It draws out the conditions that support transformational change, illuminating the very real issues facing practitioners and implications for those making requirements of them. The research illuminates how the paradigm of technical rationality influences teachers' understanding of the curriculum, their professional identities and enactment of their role, their models of teaching and learning, and ultimately their perception and enactment of (AfL). Within a culture of accountability it draws attention to the significance of the emotional affective aspect of teachers' work.

In a performativity-driven school system, where academic results determine the annual assessment of its teachers. an undeniable amount of pressure is exacted on beginning teachers, Within each school in such a system, there exists a set of cultural practices that dictate how teaching is done, so as to maximize the academic output of its pupils, It is within such an environment that beginning teachers learn to survive after their initial teacher training. It is thus important to understand how such a school culture impacts and influences the beliefs and practices of beginning teachers. In the midst of the massive recruitment of teachers. the questions that naturally arise are 'Are beginning teachers' identities and their pedagogical approaches socialized by school systems? and 'If so, in what ways?' This narrative study is set within the context of Singapore, where the performativity discourse is dominant. It explores the journey of four beginning teachers from their pre-service training to their second year of teaching. The beginning teachers' narratives reveal how the micropolitics of the schools shape their values, beliefs and practices. It uncovers the process of teacher socialisation in the Singapore school system. Through a narrative approach, their, otherwise suppressed, stories are heard, And with this revelation, teacher education and the teacher education institute's existing relationship with schools must fundamentally change.

This seven-year research project analysed the teacher followership traits of a high-performing school in Hong Kong and discussed how the experience may offer some insight into successful teacher followership traits and teacher competencies. The qualitative approach was adopted to examine the process of successful teacher followership in a total of seven cases-six teachers and their school head-with reference to the exemplary followership model suggested by Robert Kelley (1992). The embedded case study was designed to identify the differences among three award-winning teachers, three non-award-winning teachers, and their school head. Analysis of the six successful teachers yielded four primary categories related to successful teacher followership and teacher competencies: (a) successful followers are primarily doers in their organization; (b) successful followers are primarily lovers/caring to their students/customers; (c) more successful followers tend to be learners in behaviour; (d) more successful followers tend to be hunters in personality. I address implications for teacher followership, teacher competencies, leadership studies, teacher education, and government policies concerning education as well as teacher tl:aining. Data collection was mainly done by (a) questionnaires; (b) recorded semi-structured interviews; (c) written documents; and (d) the researcher's four years of reflection notes. From the interviews and themes identified in the seven cases, it is suggested that values rather than skills or knowledge are the key teacher competencies found in the six successful teachers and their school leader/head. And these educators were not only the doers: Most important, they were also the lovers, the learners, and the hunters in their school. The followership and leadership experience in this high-performing school may provide a good case for understanaing the dynamics of followership and leadership as well as drawing the theoretical and practical implications for research, policy formulation and implementation, not only in Hong Kong but also in other international communities. This study on successful teacher followership will tender some insight into leadership, teacher professionalism, and school success.

This qualitative research study explores Teaching Assistants’ perceptions of their work within mainstream primary schools, reflected in the substantive research question: Working within a national framework – what are teaching assistants perceptions of their working lives? The voices of the TAs themselves are privileged within a field of study where research is mainly undertaken from the viewpoint of the researcher or other stakeholders in schools. This research is set within the context of national frameworks and the discourses surrounding the work of teaching assistants. Whilst this study seeks to read the world in a post-structural manner, it is set within the everyday life of schools alongside the contingencies and national frameworks surrounding it and a critical methodological approach is used. Interviews providing qualitative data are the chosen method for providing an opportunity for TAs to describe their experiences and voice their perceptions, and the study deploys a thematic analysis of this data. Three dominant themes emerge, National Frameworks, Interactions with Parents and Children, and School Environment. The study suggests that both commission and omissions of national policy affect the work of a teaching assistant and that the implementation of these policies presents complex relations of professionalism, identity and positioning in schools.

This is a multi-method (auto) ethnographical study, grounded in feminist theory which seeks to explore the working experiences of female part-time teachers in secondary education. Carried out over twelve months, it uses interviews, observations, conversations and self-exploration to document types of working experiences that six female part-time teachers have in everyday school life. It considers these experiences at three levels: structurally at a social level, at the level of the organisation of the school and on a personal level. The study shows that the everyday working experiences of the research participants were not restricted to in the moment situations, but were created in a framework that was predefined by sociocultural norms and existed beyond their control in organisational policy. Noticeably their working experiences were predominantly negative and the participants felt a sense of injustice in how they were treated when compared to their full-time counterparts. Throughout the interviews the participants vocalised the injustice they experienced personally in their work but continued to sympathise with the difficulties facing employers in managing part-time teaching staff. My findings suggest that, in their everyday working life these women experience inequalities that they take for granted as a result of common sense attitudes towards part-time workers and teaching as a profession. This thesis adds to under-researched debates on teaching and part-time employment and calls for school management to work to ensure part-time teaching staff are fully integrated into the profession, in order to bring about long term changes in practice.

Stress among diverse members of school communities has received differing levels of attention and research activity. Whilst teaching has been studied extensively and is consistently recognised as one of the top three most stressful occupations, stress among headteachers and pupils has received less attention from researchers. This submission includes a critical review of the current state of knowledge and research in respect of stress, coping and well-being in schools (considering headteachers, teachers and pupils) and the significant original contributions to the growth and development of knowledge in this field made by a book, four chapters and four journal articles. The corpus of the selected works is embedded in extensive research and project work spanning more than twenty years, carried out with over 3200 adults and pupils drawn from over 200 primary, secondary and special schools in the UK. As the work was oriented toward solving practical problems in the “real world” iii (Feilzer, 2010, p8), a pragmatic stance was a primary consideration for each of the projects. Research designs adopted were varied, including methods drawn from both quantitative and qualitative paradigms. A dual process transactional model of stress and coping is presented as the underlying framework for the studies. Results indicated that, despite the differences in the role and status of the varied populations investigated and the contrasting environments in which they operate, some consistencies were found in terms of levels of stress resulting from the impact of; organisational factors; interpersonal relationships; communication inconsistencies and daily hassles on coping and well-being. These findings informed key elements of the behaviour management training programme on the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) courses at the University of Cambridge, recognised as “excellent” and “highly distinctive” by Ofsted (e.g. 2008, 2011), and have been incorporated into the Teacher Training Agency guidelines for behaviour management training for all teachers (TTA, 2012).