Governmental reform of Teacher Evaluation (TE) policies is a currently global phenomenon. Evidence indicates that evaluation of teachers can be the catalyst to improving the professional standards of staff. Working within the critical realist paradigm, this research investigates the causal power that can enable, or constrain, teacher agency and professional development through teacher evaluation mechanisms in primary schools in Kuwait. An examination of current teacher evaluation policies from two perspectives is provided: policy as ‘text’ and policy as ‘discourse’. In the analysis of policy as text, the research includes a critical comparative analysis of the operation and conceptual basis of teacher evaluation in Kuwait and England. Allied to evidence from literature on existing teacher evaluation practices, it can be concluded that cultural and economic factors are the most important variables to be considered in any comparative review of systems. This research adopts a mixed methods approach to examine the contribution of teachers’ evaluation policies to the improvement in the professional levels of primary schoolteachers. The empirical quantitative and qualitative data was collected through a questionnaire administered to a sample of 475 primary school teachers, from 19 schools, in four districts. Interviews were conducted with 12 primary school teachers, from 4 schools, and 4 supervisors, all from one district. The research findings revealed similarities between certain conceptually based policies in England and Kuwait. Both identified the purpose of TE as being to improve and evaluate teachers’ performance, through classroom observation. In both countries, the line-manager is considered to be the main player in the process. Teacher effectiveness is judged on the basis of a pre-determined set of criteria. Finally, each has a commitment to an annual evaluation cycle ending with a summative report. However, the major difference between the two countries lies in the interpretation of what constitutes an effective teacher and how the summative report is used. The empirical findings highlighted the perception by teachers of their marginalisation from the TE mechanism in the Kuwait. Nonetheless, approximately 67% of the teachers in the sample felt that the evaluation process was fair and useful, and 55% considered it led to an increase in job satisfaction. The research concludes with recommendations to increase the effectiveness of the TE mechanism in Kuwait, based on an analysis of participants’ responses ii and the conclusion that teachers, and those working directly with them, are best placed to identify strategies for improvement.

The aim of this thesis is to explore how the gendered division of teaching work is shaped, so as to theorise these dynamics of gender and power: male domination and female subordination within the primary teaching workplace. Drawing on empirical data from the ethnographic research in a primary school in Taiwan, men's dominance in higher posts as well as the preference for men in the teaching of PE and computing courses has been observed, despite the fact that female teachers are a majority. By contrast, women and feminine attributes are devalued in the administrative hierarchy. The evidence supports that the teachers, regardless of their gender, value caring and its critical role in their classroom practices. More importantly, the influence of personal attributes, the emphasis on professionalism, and the humanist approach have been identified as providing various accounts of caring. Disciplinary roles, role models, the teaching of older children and difficult classes and leadership roles are considered to be men's work. I argue that male association with authority and power is generated through gendered task segregation. Furthermore, male domination in power is a consequence of the endorsement of women. The differentiation of power is thus embedded in interpersonal interactions as part of this teacher workplace culture. The findings further indicate the complexities of gendered power: female teachers' reliance on men and their masculinity, which revealed not only that women suffer more negative experiences from the principal's leadership but also their lack of confidence in the power struggle. In addition to involving male domination and female subordination, power relations in my research may also indicate the importance of male allies and their sharing of power in the workplace.

This study explores the learning experiences of students on a four-week block on mathematics as part of The Open University’s Foundation Degree for primary teaching assistants. The key research questions seek to identify the outcomes and processes of the teaching assistants’ study in relation to their work ‘supporting’ children’s mathematical learning, and their wider experience as teaching assistants. The study adopts an interpretivist, constructivist approach based on an illuminative evaluation framework (Parlett & Hamilton, 1972). A questionnaire gathered data from 67 students to provide a broad picture of their experience during the block. Progressively focused telephone interviews were carried out with nine students using their written assignments, online forum posts and questionnaire responses as prompts to discussion. From the literature review I identified two potentially relevant areas of theory, in particular, Harland & Kinder’s (1997) ordering of INSET outcomes, and Lave & Wenger’s (1991) theory of ‘legitimate peripheral participation’. All nine teaching assistants identified positive outcomes from their study relating to their practice, in particular their increased confidence in mathematics as a subject, and ability to work with children in a fine-grained way to the extent that many aspects of their practice might be more accurately characterised as teaching rather than ‘supporting’ learning. A key finding concerned the ways in which the teaching assistants’ study enabled them to develop agency as practitioners, and strengthened their participation in the professional life of their school. The study brought out how issues surrounding the learning of mathematics sometimes heightened the extent to which this occurred. Harland & Kinder’s hierarchy of INSET outcomes and the notion of legitimate peripheral participation were found to be helpful concepts for understanding the outcomes of the block of study on the work of teaching assistants, but were both identified as insufficiently nuanced to adequately characterise the diversity and complexity of their varied roles and individual career trajectories.

Evaluation is an essential component in education. Through evaluation, educationists can identify what has been achieved, what needs to be improved and what should be developed. Educational evaluation can be applied to several areas, such as curricula, students, teachers and schools in general. This study focuses on teacher evaluation and argues that teacher evaluation systems should be more effective in accurately determining teacher performance, should support the making of fair decisions in relation to sanctions or rewards and should support professional development. The aims of this study were firstly to analyse and evaluate the current teacher evaluation system in Kuwait, and secondly, to suggest an alternative teacher evaluation system based on a ‘Risk-Based Analysis’ approach. This study used a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods to gather data. In particular, a questionnaire was designed to collect teachers’ perspectives on the current system and was distributed to 599 teachers in nine primary schools in three Kuwaiti educational districts. Interviews were conducted with nine head teachers and twelve inspectors in order to obtain more in-depth data regarding the current system. The study also carried out additional interviews with the same head teachers and inspectors, and held a focus group with 45 teachers, in order to probe their views concerning the proposed alternative system. The results of this study have revealed that the actual purposes of the current system are primarily focused on achieving summative evaluation, while the desired purposes of teacher evaluation are to secure both summative and professional development. The current system most frequently uses observation to evaluate teacher performance; however, participants expressed a desire for a broader range of evaluation tools to be used. The study found that teachers more frequently have discussions with, and receive written feedback from, heads of departments as opposed to the other two evaluators (head teachers and inspectors). They rated the value of the discussion and written feedback from heads of departments as more valuable than that which is given by the other two groups of evaluators. The study also found that teachers’ views were clustered, with some teachers indicating that the current system does not support them in their performance development and others indicating that it does. Finally, the study found that adopting the alternative system would improve the validity and reliability of teacher evaluation, would link teachers’ performance with promotions and rewards while introducing sanctions for underperforming teachers, as well as would facilitate and promote professional development.

The inspection of state schools by the Office for Standards in Education (OfSTED) has been a major and very expensive national undertaking since 1992 and has had a substantial impact on the professional lives of all teachers. Although principally an exercise in accountability, this thesis investigates the other claim of OfSTED, that of improvement through inspection. The focus seeks to examine the effect of inspection on the improvement of teaching quality. The relationship between OfSTED, local education authorities, schools and individual teachers is examined, applying the Becher and Kogan model for examining structural levels within normative and operational modes. OfSTED employs a methodology increasingly under criticism from the research establishment and highlights a major difference between England and Wales and other countries. This is especially so in those states in Australia where teachers, local authorities and academic researchers work in true partnership with the central authority in the promotion of quality and school improvement. The value of inspection in improving teaching quality is demonstrated to be limited, with most teachers believing that the process has little positive impact on them professionally and many, supported by increasing research findings, believing that the process undermines teachers' professionalism and can actually lower pupils' standards of attainment. The stress created by the process is considered to be a major negative factor in the management of the nation's teachers.

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Further Education and Sixth Form Colleges in the Learning and Skills Sector have made considerable strides in working with learners from diverse backgrounds, have a good track record of tackling inequality for learners and an inspection framework that places an emphasis on improving equality and diversity. However, the experience of some staff is starkly different. In October 2002, the sector published the Commission for Black Staff report, Further Education Leading the Way, which identified institutional racism as a factor negatively impacting on the career progression of Black and Minority Ethnic staff. Seven years on from this report and despite initiatives addressing many of the recommendations, there has been little success in terms of increasing the number of BME staff in senior positions. This is undermining the reputation of the sector and has the potential to affect how a 'leadership succession crisis' is being tackled. Amidst the backdrop of a major global recession and increasing fears of a reversal of the minimal progress that has been made, this thesis revisits the experiences of BME staff seven years on from the report. Through a documentary analysis of sector policies and strategies and the conducting of interviews and focus groups, it reviews how the sector responded then, examines the position of BME professionals now and evaluates the impact of strategies implemented following the recommendations given in 2002. Findings suggest that the most significant barriers are the institutional and micropolitical behaviours that reflect a lack of understanding, awareness and value of the contributions that BME professionals bring to our institutions. The results highlight the importance of the need for a wider discourse about theories of race and the racial discriminatory factors that impact on leadership and management issues in the Learning and Skills Sector and which continue to act as barriers to BME staff progression. Critical Race Theory (CRT) is offered as a framework for this dialogue and further research on the concept of a BME leadership style is suggested.

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This thesis critically explores perceptions of professionalism around supply teachers. Investigating contemporary education policy as experienced by, and formed about, those working on the margins of education offers significant insights into how notions of identity and status (including my own as a supply teacher) are perceived during times of change. The onset and continuing impact of the 2008 recession, combined with the 2010 election of the first coalition government in the UK for decades, set the research against a dynamic socio-economic backdrop that saw changes introduced throughout the public sector, including education. Changes to education policy in both school provision (the introduction of academies and free schools) and workforce remodelling, provide the context for the research, as drivers of education centred around productivity, efficiency and alleged freedom of choice become the norm for stakeholders in education. A qualitative and interpretive approach via semi-structured interviews enabled the collection of rich data whilst post-structural theoretical concepts were drawn upon to further analyse the data in an attempt to understand the dynamics, and contribution, of power and knowledge in the formation of discourses circulating around the supply teacher. Exploring notions of professionalism from the margins offers important critical insights into the discursive positioning of supply teachers with regard to professional identity. An investigation of how individuals negotiate the discursive gap highlights how supply teachers get bound up in the complexity of numerous and often competing discourses at both macro- and micro-level. From this, the thesis aims to highlight how, despite their marginal positioning, supply teachers remain an important part of the wider teaching cohort.

The difficulties that looked-after children and children adopted from care (LA/A children) face in school are highlighted in a range of government statistics and include a high prevalence of social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD). These needs can be understood in relation to the negative early experiences the majority of LA/A children have had when living with their birth families, drawing on attachment theory. Attachment theory also suggests that relationships with key adults in school are central to supporting these pupils. Teaching assistants (TAs) are often employed to provide additional one-to-one support for children with SEBD, including LAJA children. However relatively few studies explore how T As make sense of their role and experiences. This thesis reports on qualitative research which explored the experiences of six T As who work one-to-one with LA/A children with SEBD in mainstream primary schools. It focuses on how they perceive their role and relationships with pupils, what challenges they face and what they find supportive. Semi- structured interviews were carried out and analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Findings are discussed in relation to the existing literature and to attachment and systems theories. They corroborate with and extend existing research findings relating to the importance of: the relationships between TAs and pupils; TAs having an understanding of the issues that underpin pupils' behaviour; and positive relationships between staff. The way T As conceptualised their role is understood as 'being an attachment figure' to pupils with aims including developing pupils' trust in adults and their self-esteem. Systems theory was used to explore how this role was understood by and integrated with the wider school system. Positive relationships with colleagues were suggested as providing T As with a 'secure base', helping them manage the emotional impact of the role. Implications for Educational Psychology (EP) practice and practice in schools are discussed.