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  • About
  • The Global ETD Search service is a free service for researchers to find electronic theses and dissertations. This service is provided by the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.
    Our metadata is collected from universities around the world. If you manage a university/consortium/country archive and want to be added, details can be found on the NDLTD website.
1

The contribution of active travel to school to physical activity in children and adolescents

Southward, Elissa Fay January 2014 (has links)
Active travel is a possible method to increase physical activity in children and adolescents and it has been associated with higher physical activity in youth. However, it is unclear what the precise contribution of the journey is to daily physical activity relative to other activity before and after school. The aim of this thesis is to explore and quantify the contribution of school specific active travel to physical activity in children and adolescents aged 10-16 years. Participants were from the PEACH Project (Personal and Environmental Associations with Children's Health) in Bristol, England. One thousand three hundred and seven UK primary school children had been recruited in their final year (Y6, 10-11 years), of whom 953 were followed-up the first year of secondary school (Y7, 11-12 years) and finally 585 were followed-up the final year of secondary school (Y11 , 15-16 years). Longitudinal analyses in Chapter 4 showed a change from active to passive travel between Y6 and Y7 was associated with decreased weekday physical activity. There was little change in travel mode between Y7 and Y11, and physical activity decreased over this time; however children who walked to/from school still had the greater physical activity compared to car/bus users. In Chapter 5, analyses based on combined accelerometry, GPS and GIS showed that the journey was a major contributor to children's daily physical activity levels in Y7. A comparison of two GPS models in Chapter 6, found a 12.7% loss of data, due to signal acquisition and dropout issues, in GPS data measured by the Garmin Foretrex 201 compared with the BT QStarz (used in Y11); therefore, journey MVPA, duration and distance were likely underestimated in Y6 and Y7. Longitudinal analyses in Chapter 7 showed that as physical activity levels decreased with age, journey related physical activity increased and became an increasingly important contributor to physical activity. Physical activity acquired during the school journey was similar for both boys and girls, but since girls were less active than boys overall, the journey contributed a greater proportion of their daily MVP A. This thesis confirms the important role of active travel in contributing to children's weekday physical activity and suggests that interventions which aim to maintain and increase active travel between primary and secondary school may be an important public health target to reducing the decline in physical activity levels seen throughout adolescence, especially in girls.
2

Girls and their ambitions : a sociological study of educational aspirations

Fuller, Carol Louise January 2008 (has links)
Debate on the effects of class on educational attainment is well documented and typically centres on the reproductive nature of class. Class based theory focuses primarily on the role of structure and/or agency in education, and studies of the effect of class on aspirations typically predicts outcomes that see education reinforcing and reproducing a student's class background. Despite a number of UK government initiatives to help raise higher education participation to fifty per cent by 2010, for the working class numbers have altered relatively little. In large part this has been explained as the result of working class students suffering 'a poverty of aspiration'. Despite this, however, some working class students do aspire to higher education and some do 'make it'. Using data from an ethnographic case study of an underachieving girls' school in England, I attempt to understand and explain why some students aspire to higher education whilst others do not, even when they share similar social characteristics. I argue that whilst class is very powerful in explaining educational attainment, understanding aspirations is somewhat more complex. I suggest that the interplay of class alongside other equally important factors including for example, gender, ethnicity, trust, emotional support and self confidence and identification is what shapes attitudes and aspirations and is what explains why some working class girls aspire more highly than others. I conclude that whilst undeniably embedded in a social and economic context that is structured, aspirations are shaped individually and are influenced by a student's own biography. Therefore, whilst economic constraints for example, might seriously hinder the aspirations of one student, paradoxically they compel another to achieve.
3

A comparative study of gender-related attitudes towards mathematics between students who take advanced mathematics in Cyprus and England

Christou, Natasha January 2012 (has links)
This mixed-method study explores the attitudes towards mathematics of sixth form high achieving students opting for advanced mathematics in Cyprus and England. The study aimed to examine differences or similarities between male and female students in Cyprus and England in terms of their attitudes towards mathematics and compare them within and across the two countries. In addition, the study aimed to develop an insight into the factors that may influence the attitudes towards mathematics of male and female students in the two countries involved. Data were collected through a Likert-scale questionnaire and a semi-structured interview. Factor Analysis was employed for the questionnaire data which was followed by Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) and post-hoc tests. The interview data were analysed using thematic analysis. The study revealed that the overwhelming majority of students in Cyprus and England had positive attitudes towards mathematics (i.e. a utilitarian view of mathematics, interest in mathematics, and desire to pursue studies in mathematics-related fields). Findings from the study also indicate that perceived parental/teacher influence in mathematical learning had a positive impact on students’ attitudes towards mathematics. However, a small number of students in both countries expressed negative feelings towards their mathematics teachers. The students in Cyprus often felt that the mathematics teachers at school did not play a significant role in their mathematical learning, because of the immense influence of private tutors in Cyprus. On the other hand, those students in England who expressed negative feelings towards their mathematics teachers attributed these feelings to their teachers’ teaching styles and personality. In addition, findings suggest that female students in Cyprus had a less gender stereotypical view of mathematical ability compared to female students in England and male students in Cyprus. Conversely, for both male and female students in England mathematics was an area of strong male significance in a symbolic sense (i.e. images of male mathematicians dominating higher-level mathematics, or thoughts of boys being naturally good at mathematics and girls being good at languages, etc.).
4

Longitudinal comparative study of distinct student cohorts : emotional competencies, learning styles and academic achievement

Stewart, Mary Frances January 2013 (has links)
No description available.
5

Development and feasibility of an intervention to promote active travel to school

Ginja, Samuel Augusto Azevedo January 2016 (has links)
Introduction: Active travel to school (ATS) is a source of physical activity for children. Aim: a) Develop an ATS intervention and b) test its feasibility in Year 5 children. Methods: a) Intervention development: Review of ATS and other relevant interventions; review of behaviour change theory; public involvement. Intervention: every ATS day equalled one ticket into a £5 voucher draw. b) Feasibility testing: Cluster-randomised pilot trial in two primary schools with process evaluation. Daily outcome measures: parental ATS reports (optionally by SMS); child ATS reports; accelerometry (moderate-to-vigorous physical activity [MVPA] during journey to school). Results: a) Limited evidence for ATS intervention effectiveness but some evidence for using incentives in health promotion. Twelve theories identified but their utility for ATS intervention development was unclear. Eight families, a head teacher, and a young person’s group supported the development of an ATS incentive scheme. b) Four schools agreed to participate in the study (3.3%) and two were selected, 29 child-parent pairs were recruited (33.0%), and 27 retained for the 9 week study (93.1%). Materials returned on time: accelerometers (81.9%), parental ATS reports (82.1%), and child reports (97.9%). Parent-child agreement on school travel mode was moderate (k=0.53, CI 95% 0.45; 0.60). MVPA differences (minutes) for parent-reported ‘ATS vs non-ATS trips’ were significant, during parent-reported times as corresponding to the school journey (U=390.5, p < 0.05; 2.46 (n=99) vs 0.76 (n=13)) and in the pre-classes hour (U=665.5, p < 0.05; 4.99 (n=104) vs 2.55 (n=19)). MVPA differences for child-reported ‘ATS vs non-ATS trips’ were also significant, both during parent-reported trip times (U=596.5, p < 0.05; 2.40 (n=128) vs 0.81 (n=15)) and the pre-classes hour (U=955.0, p < 0.05; 4.99 (n=146) vs 2.59 (n=20)). In a process evaluation, interviewees reported that procedures were generally appropriate. Conclusion: An ATS incentive scheme seems feasible. ATS reports showed validity vis-à-vis accelerometry. Further work is required to improve recruitment.
6

Lessons in school travel work

Evans, S. January 2006 (has links)
This paper investigates the effectiveness of initiatives currently being introduced as part of school travel work and aims to understand how the delivery of these initiatives can be improved. The term school travel work is used to denote measures that encourage children to walk, cycle or take public transport to school. Although existing research in school travel work has investigated the effectiveness of individual initiatives on reducing car dependency, or evaluated the overall effectiveness of school travel plans, little research has systematically evaluated and compared the effect of a combination of initiatives on modal shift. This paper is based on data collected between December 2005 and August 2006, including the use of questionnaires and in-depth interviews. The paper concludes that walking initiatives and education and training initiatives are considered most effective at reducing car dependency on the school run. Cycling initiatives, traffic management initiatives and improvements to public transport are considered reasonably effective at reducing car dependency. Car sharing initiatives and specialised school bus services appear to be less effective at reducing car dependency on the school run. The effectiveness of initiatives varies between schools on account of the school location, type of school, attitudes of the school and local authority and socio-economic factors. Overall, it is considered that school travel work is reasonably effective at reducing car dependency. Key recommendations are made for schools, school travel advisors and Central Government to improve the effectiveness of school travel work in the future. It is considered that it is not possible to persuade all parents to abandon their cars and adopt more sustainable modes of transport, however, it is considered that school travel work can be effective at encouraging increasing numbers of parents and pupils to adopt more sustainable modes of transport on the school run.
7

Critical incidents : exploring theory, policy and practice

Beeke, Matthew A. January 2011 (has links)
Responding to critical incidents in school communities has become an established part of the practice of educational psychologists (EPs). Despite this the EP professional journal literature is sparse, the last major study being conducted by Houghton in 1996. Within a mixed methods design this study aimed to explore various aspects of EP practice in response to critical incidents. Firstly, critical incident policy and EP journal literature was examined to provide a definition of 'critical incident'. Secondly, following a review of relevant literature separate online questionnaires were developed and completed by 39 Principal EPs and 50 EPs to provide an overview of practice in response to critical incidents. Thirdly, semi-structured interviews were carried out with a number of practicing EPs. Within an 'espoused theory / theory in use' framework, the interviews sought to examine EP practice in relation to theory espoused in the relevant professional and policy literature. The definition generated, which remained robust throughout the study, suggested a systemic impact of critical incidents as well as the impact on individuals and groups. Questionnaire data indicated that critical incident training and policy are now widespread. Debriefing was commonly carried out by EPs following critical incidents and supervision for EPs remained a salient issue. Evaluation of the critical incident work described was largely through informal consultation with school staff. The thematic analysis of interview data yielded several factors and theories in the practice of EPs that had received relatively little attention in policy and EP journal literature. Consideration of the wider trauma literature led to further suggestions of ways in which these may be applied to EP practice. It is argued that greater consideration of the systemic impact of critical incidents coupled with an awareness of the application of salutogenic and positive psychology approaches can provide balance to conceptualisations based on the negative sequelae for individuals and groups.
8

An exploration of the link between pupil motivation and disruptive behaviour in the classroom

Ikeogu, Nneka January 2011 (has links)
The relevance of motivation to education and pupils' academic achievement has long been recognised, and research has indicated that the concept of motivation may also be reliably linked to pupils' behaviour in school. A key aim of the present study is to investigate the link between pupil motivation and disruptive behaviour in the classroom. In particular, the study will examine whether the combination of achievement goal theory and self-determination theory can provide a better explanation for pupils' disruptive behaviour in the classroom than either theory alone. A further aim of the research is to explore how aspects of classroom and school structures might impact on pupil motivation and behaviour. A mixed methods design was employed in service of the research questions. A sample of 257 pupils aged between 9 and 11 from four primary schools completed a questionnaire containing items related to their perceptions of their classroom goal structures, personal goal orientations, perceptions of teaching and liking for school. Pupils also reported on their engagement in disruptive behaviour in the classroom. Interviews were conducted with class teachers and a member of the senior management team in each school to elicit their views on school practices and processes that they believed to have an impact on pupil motivation and behaviour. Overall, the study found that the combination of achievement goal theory and selfdetermination theory provided a better explanation for pupils' engagement in disruptive behaviour, with pupils' perceptions of a classroom performance approach and liking for school being the most significant predictors of disruptive behaviour, along with gender. Class teachers reported the use of practices underpinned by aspects of both theories in their classrooms as a way of motivating pupils and promoting good behaviour. The enhancement of pupil motivation was generally considered as a priority and was featured in school policy documents. Implications of the findings are discussed in the context of curriculum delivery in schools and the development of whole school practices which aim to encourage pupil motivation and promote positive behaviour.
9

Zionists and anti-Zionists : political protest and student activism in Britain 1968-1986

Rich, Dave January 2015 (has links)
No description available.
10

Rhetoric and reality : student participation and what schools seem to value

Mitchell, Stephanie Jane January 2008 (has links)
Since the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) was ratified by the UK government. numerous policy ~documents have been issued based upon the principle of the .(1 child's right to be heard (Article 12). However. the government has since been criticized for failing to implement the principles of the CRC and specifically Article 12 in the context of education (UN. 1989). This multilayered study therefore explores student voice in Northern Ireland in two interrelated strands involving 60 students from five post-primary schools and 20 adult stakeholders to determine the extent of student voice and the factors that enable or inhibit its expression. Methods drawing upon students' views of what seemed to matter to their school included focus-group interviews and impromptu drawings to create visual metaphors of school supported by one-to-one interpretative interviews. Stakeholder views were explored through confidential. in-depth. one-to-one individual interviews. The core findings reveal three over-arching themes (1) conformity. (2) competition I performance (3) participation' I wellbeing expressed through two different emphases of reputation-oriented or internal community-oriented schools. Although students may be valued variously for themselves. their initiative or their reflected glory. valuing student opinion or voice was strqngly evident in only one school. Some diffidence about the value of their own voices was also evident aimong the adults. The stakeholder interviews reveal three archetypal conceptions of the adult I child relationship. Overall, factors that enable or inhibit student voice emerge as levels of trust in students and a disinclination to listen due to professional pride, fear of change, negative feedback and the consequences of losing or sharing power. In seeking to illuminate and bridge the gap between the rhetoric of student voice and the reality of its existence, the study identifies the key features of the process towards a comprehensive enabling of student voice in schools.

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