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This report presents a large scale exploration of the roles, practice and influence of members of staff in a central educational development department working alongside academic discipline-based teaching staff in a UK University. The project uses Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) for this exploration. The concept modelled within this doctoral project is one of developmental mentoring embedded in the management and design of an externally funded project – the Pathfinder Project. This includes using the characteristics of developmental mentoring and the five phases of the mentoring relationship. The concept model is compared to and discussed in a real-world situation of discipline-based teaching and learning. This activity takes place throughout the life span of the Pathfinder Project during the academic year 2007-08. This doctoral project heavily influenced the design and delivery of the Pathfinder Project although Pathfinder remains an entity in its own right. The doctoral project and the Pathfinder Project shared data however the analysis, findings, conclusions and recommendations are different. The work-based research questions which this doctoral project seeks to address are concerned with the means to develop ways for a central department to work most effectively with discipline-based teaching staff. The project outcomes offer a model for staff development that helps build staff capability and capacity. From a practitioner/researcher point of view, outcomes also suggest how the experiences and findings of this project can inform the work-based context for educational developers. This project report integrates project outcomes with a reflective critical commentary written in the first person. The project report includes original images throughout the text as could be expected from a user of SSM.

This thesis provides a comparative theoretical analysis and empirical description of teachers' Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in Abuja and Portsmouth. The theoretical sections comprise a comprehensive review of literature that examines teaching as a profession and key developments and the contribution of CPD towards teacher professionalization in both countries. The empirical aspect investigates and discusses the findings relating to teacher professional development, providing a comparative analysis of teacher profile and CPD in both countries. The aim of this research is to identify, compare and evaluate teachers' CPD in English and Nigerian primary schools, in order to explore any transferable best practices that can enhance the quality of teachers in an urban district of Abuja. It draws upon literature on comparative education research as an underpinning concept, and examines the peculiarities between the public and private primary schools foregrounding the unique context of urban Abuja. The study uses qualitative research design and a combination of mixed methods including interviews, questionnaires and a comprehensive review of literature and documents over the last two decades. Field work was carried out between September 2009 and June 2010, and the survey sample consisted of 205 teachers in Abuja, 48 in Portsmouth, and interviews with headteachers and CPD coordinators. Data analysis involved descriptive statistics and cross tabulations using PASW 18 which are presented in tables, figures and charts. Findings suggest that teaching conditions and opportunities for CPD in both countries may differ based on contextual factors; however, there is a common drive towards professionalism and teacher quality. Better opportunity for teacher professional development exists in private schools in Abuja, which is attributable to more autonomy, competitive market and high demand for quality education. The study highlights some transferable practices which include a planning and implementation model, and a SPARC framework for teachers' CPD which constitutes skills, professional training, attitude, and research and collaborative activities. It suggests implications for further research and recommendations for school leaders, researchers and policy makers.

This was a mixed-method study investigating factors which might affect newly-qualified teachers’ continued motivation to teach in the post-compulsory sector during the period 2000-2004. It aimed to identify the nature of demotivators and to measure the extent and impact of these on intentions to remain in teaching. Research would suggest that nation states’ changes to the management of education to address the challenges of globalisation have caused tension between teachers’ motivation to teach and outside interference to control the process of teaching. Consequently, retaining teachers in both the compulsory and post-compulsory sectors is a significant concern, not only in the UK but internationally. However, despite being described as ‘pivotal’ to government objectives of social justice and economic success, the post-compulsory sector has tended to be under-researched. Although studies have explored the impact of New Public Management and Incorporation on the working conditions for experienced teachers and investigated trainees’ perceptions of the sector, there appeared to be a gap in the research focussing on newly-qualified teachers (NQTs) during this time. It is hoped that this research will contribute to this body of literature. This was an exploratory study followed by a confirmatory enquiry and was conducted in two phases. A qualitative approach was adopted for the first phase to re-interrogate data collected for a MA in Research Methods. Data collected from NQTs using focus groups and reflective essays written as part of the assessment for their initial teacher training course, was re-interrogated to identify the nature of demotivators in the sector. The subsequent findings informed the second phase and the design of a survey instrument to investigate the prevalence of these demotivators and the impact of these on intentions to continue teaching with a much larger sample of NQTs. Herzberg’s Motivation-Hygiene Theory (1959) and Deci and Ryan’s Self-Determination Theory (1975, 1985, 1992, 2000) formed the theoretical framework for this investigation. Ten higher education institutions from the East Midlands, Yorkshire, South-West and South-East of England, who had delivered training provision to meet the standards of the Further Education National Training Organisation since their introduction (FENTO, 1999), assisted in this project by forwarding the instrument to 2,235 NQTs. The survey was self-administered and 308 completed questionnaires were returned (13.8% return rate). Research would suggest that the first three to four years after training will determine whether teachers stay in the profession; it is hoped that the findings will highlight factors responsible for the fragility of a long-term teaching career in this sector.

This study is a qualitative investigation of the professional identity structure of teachers in Barbados, a small post-colonial Caribbean territory. The aim was to determine whether Barbadian teachers regard themselves as professionals and to what extent their occupational/professional identity structure could be described by a pre-conceptualized set of categories. Data was collected from a focus group made up of teachers of both genders from primary, secondary and tertiary educational institutions in the country. Teachers in the study claim to be professionals despite acknowledging that teaching in Barbados is not recognized as a profession. This seemingly paradoxical claim is explained by the fact that teachers regard being a professional as an individual determination characterized by a different set of criteria from those that define a profession. By making this claim, Barbadian teachers appear to have mitigated the potential threat to the coherence of their professional self-concept brought about by the perceived discrepancy between the importance of their role as teachers and the non-recognition of teaching as a profession. The empirical data supports the four pre-conceptualized identity categories but four additional categories were uncovered. Overall, the findings support the contention that professional identity is an aspect of the self-concept; consequently, it is subject to the principle of self-concept maintenance.

This interpretive study explored how Saudi Arabian nationals employed as English-language teachers within intermediate and secondary Saudi schools understand the concept of teacher leadership, and how they perceive themselves as teacher leaders. The study also explored teachers’ views of current factors that empower or disempower them in being teacher leaders, as well as the roles and support they desire. The research used an exploratory design methodology encompassing three qualitative research methods: focus groups, one-to-one semi-structured interviews and reflective essays. The participants included nine Saudi English-language teachers from intermediate and secondary public schools. Participants were able to define teacher leadership in relation to: practices inside the classroom, practices outside the classroom and teacher knowledge and professionalism. The participants also perceived themselves as teacher leaders with potential professional capital that would allow them to engage and participate professionally in their school community of practice. The data revealed that teacher leadership is not the general practice in Saudi public schools; however, participants reported practices of teacher leadership that they desired and aspired to. The study also reported the many barriers to teacher leadership that currently exist, such as lack of teacher leadership roles, lack of support from the heavily centralised educational hierarchy, insufficient and inadequate pre-service and in-service training, and lack of voice in decision-making processes. Despite these barriers, the participants were eager to act in teacher leadership roles because they believe these roles carry benefits for themselves, their colleagues, headteachers, curricula and students. Based on the data obtained in the research, the study proposed a model for “professional teacher leadership” that supports teacher leaders as professionals who have professional capital to work with professional agency and autonomy in a positive atmosphere of communities of practice. This model could have benefits if applied in the context of Saudi Arabia and would be transferrable to similar contexts globally. The study concluded with some theoretical and practical recommendations for the Ministry of Education and for teachers in regards to teacher leadership within Saudi Arabia. Through teacher perception and reported experiences, TESOL teachers can challenge policy and provide a basis for developing new ways emerging from them in the context, as in-depth perspectives can give a voice to participants. Based on the literature reviewed and the design of the current research with its underpinning theoretical and conceptual frameworks, additional pathways are suggested for future research.

There are so far few attempts to understand the teaching occupation and the meaning of being a good teacher as understood by teachers, a central issue in the improvement of schools. This study explores Chilean teachers’ perceptions of their professional identities, since conflict and stress around questions of identity affect teachers’ emotional well-being, impacting their capacity to engage emotionally with students and the wider school community, and thus their capacity to provide significant learning experiences which are key elements of successful learning. On the contrary, positive leadership and sufficient intellectual and material resources for reflection and discussion on the situation of conflicts on teachers’ professional identities can trigger processes of personal and professional growth, enhancing professional identity meanings, and thus effectiveness in providing significant learning experiences. To look at teachers through the lens of identity allows us to explore the combination of personal and contextual factors that affect their identities, bringing an understanding of teachers' perceptions about their identities and the contribution of other social actors to them in Chilean primary public schools. In this vein, it is important to acknowledge that most teachers have strong motivations in choosing the occupation. These motivations are often related to their sense of vocation as well as their personal beliefs and values. In this context, teachers’ professional identity meanings are explored in underperforming schools by means of semi-structured interviews of twenty primary teachers. By a careful qualitative analysis, this study found different groups of influences that define these identities, shaping and re-shaping at least three professional identity profiles with consequences for teachers’ autonomy in professional judgements, agency and collegial relationships, and impacting their capacity to provide significant learning experiences.

Quality is now at the centre of education policy and teacher performance is seen as critical to the enhancement of learning outcomes. Quality has become a particular priority in the developing world following two decades of expansion of access driven by the Education for All (EFA) movement. Teacher quality, performance and effectiveness are widely thought to be dependent on a complex combination of competency and motivation. However, studies have remained heavily focused on competency-related issues, resulting in the neglect of a deeper understanding of motivation in relation to incentives and context. This omission is particularly glaring in the case of research on developing countries – and Cambodia, the focus of the present study, is no exception. This study therefore investigates the complex relationship between teacher motivation and incentives on the one hand, and motivation and context on the other, exploring how teacher characteristics mediate these relationships. This study defines the ‘motivated teacher' as an individual who strives for goals that are closely associated with those of the school in which he or she teaches. To examine these relationships, the study employs a mixed methods approach, combining analysis of national survey data and semi-structured interviews; drawing on responses from a survey of 676 teachers, classroom observations of 284 teachers, and follow-up interviews with 18 teachers. Quantitative datasets reveal larger patterns of association between teacher incentives and motivation, and the qualitative dataset offers a deeper understanding of the phenomenon. This mixed methods approach itself is seen as one part of the contribution of this research: it helps deepen and enrich current understandings of teacher motivation, opening the door for policies that are more sensitive to diverse contexts. The study found that the meeting of basic needs such as an adequate working environment and living salary was insufficient to satisfy most Cambodian teachers. Indeed, it emerged that salary levels were as low as those of factory workers, a situation that leads to the perceived low social status of teachers. Moreover, the data indicate that while teachers – particularly those who work in rural and remote areas – do identify the work environment as a critical motivator, this in itself cannot guarantee sustained motivation. Beyond such basic incentives, the active support of the school director was identified as the most significant motivator across age groups and regions. Two additional factors were also found to be significant, but differed according to age group: firstly, recognition from community and colleagues is most important to mid-career teachers; and secondly, professional development opportunities represent a strong motivator among newly assigned teachers. Within this complex nexus of incentives and motivation, the study found initial intrinsic commitment and motivation to become a teacher to be a consistently powerful factor in shaping higher motivation throughout a teacher's career. This was associated with the impact of incentives on motivation; indeed, the data suggest that newly assigned teachers tend to have higher intrinsic motivation than those who have been in the profession for more than ten years. Thus, the thesis proposes that the same incentives can have different effects on teacher motivation, depending on whether or not the individual is intrinsically driven to enter the profession, and on his or her length of service. The thesis concludes by proposing the following education policy reforms: (i) improvement of basic working conditions and a raise in the salary level; (ii) strengthening of instructional support; (iii) revision of entry requirements for the ‘good teacher award', with greater focus on mid-career teachers; (iv) greater provision of in-service training, as well as induction support for new teachers; and (v) reformation of the current entrance examination for teacher training institutions with greater emphasis on strong intrinsic motivation. Finally, this study seeks to open up further avenues for future research in the area of intrinsic teacher motivation by identifying the phenomenon as a contributory factor in education delivery, and drawing attention to how this variable has hitherto been absent from research on developing countries.

This Ethnographic/Autoethnographic study reflects in rich detail a young teacher’s life as she navigates the changing landscape of her first pregnancy, the birth of her child and her subsequent return to work as a full-time teacher. Using data which has been collected from a personal journal which she kept throughout the eighteen month period of the study, it examines the practical and emotional challenges which she faced, and the commitment, self-sacrifice and dedication required of her for the continuation and advancement of her career. By combining her data with observed field notes, semi-constructed interviews and reflexive narrative, I have been able to offer a holistic and balanced account of her experience and expose the complexities of motherhood today and the impact they have on a woman’s life choices and professional decision making. My study revealed how this new mother faced a myriad of decisions and dilemmas, decisions, which ultimately impacted on her emotional well-being, and her power and identity as a woman, a wife, a daughter and a professional teacher. Its findings suggest that notwithstanding the historical political and legislative policies which have been implemented, in reality, little has changed since my own experience of being a working mother some thirty years ago. It recommends that if the increase in working mothers is to continue to rise, more must be done, both culturally and institutionally to alleviate the physical and emotional pressures which currently only serve to exacerbate the guilt and stress which appear to be an innate characteristic of the maternal condition. It concludes by recommending that working mothers need to harness “their strengths, their ability to learn, their confidence and joy in their work –[because this is] all part of being a woman now, [it is] part of [their] female identity” (Friedan, 1963, p.331), and rather than accepting motherhood as being a moderating factor, they should allow it to become an influence for further personal and professional growth and liberation, so that they can reassert their power and fight back to assume their equal place in society (Kristeva, 2015).

The alarmingly high rates of teacher attrition in the UK and abroad are perhaps unsurprising given that teaching is consistently ranked among the top most stressful occupations. Up until relatively recently, researchers have sought to address this problem by investigating the causes of teacher stress and burnout, and the coping strategies that teachers may use in response to feeling stressed and burnt out. However, this has facilitated a deficit approach to understanding the problem, with teachers viewed as personally responsible for their stress and burnout because they have failed to engage in strategies to ‘cope’ with their problem. Rather than focusing on the idea of ‘coping’ with a ‘problem’, this research adopted a ‘what-works’ approach and investigated teacher resilience. This qualitative research adopted a phenomenological approach and data was collected over two phases using semi-structured interviews. In total, 30 participants were interviewed; 25 experienced mainstream class teachers in phase one of data collection and 5 mainstream primary school teachers in phase two of data collection. NVivo9 supported a thematic approach to data analysis, which identified themes in the strategies and major processes that facilitated the experience of teacher resilience. The findings reveal that complex interactions exist between the personal and environmental factors that facilitate the experience teacher resilience during professional challenges. The participants’ conceptualisations of teacher resilience are compared and contrasted with previous research and theorybased literature on teacher resilience, and directions for future research are suggested. Implications for Educational Psychologists are discussed, including systemic interventions at the individual teacher and whole school level.