The purpose of the thesis is to investigate how the professional role and leadership of preschool teachers are perceived by them and other stakeholders and what contextual factors affect the preschool teachers' role and leadership. A further purpose is to investigate how preschool teachers see their professional identity and how the stakeholders' perceptions and relevant contextual factors appear to affect this. The research also has a political purpose as it is giving a voice to a profession that has been fighting for many years for acknowledgement whilst a gendered stereotypical view and discourse in society means that working with the youngest children is considered women's work and therefore subordinated. A theoretical framework, emerging from the literature, is used to analyse the findings, including Whitty's (2008) and Oberhuemer's (2005) ideas of 'democratic professionalism'. The theoretical perspective, or the philosophical stance, informing the methodology of the research, is interpretive, or 'symbolic interaction ism', which stems from the pragmatist philosopher and social psychologist George Herbert Mead (1934), and the sociologist Herbert Blumer (1969). The main research tool used is focus group interviews. The main findings of the research reveal that the preschool teachers tend to focus on the educational dimension of their role where they see themselves as professionals and experts. All elements strengthening that dimension are perceived as 'positive'. They hardly mention the preschools' function of social justice and contextual factors related to the economic function, as the number of children in the groups (classes) and the children's long day in preschools are affecting their role and leadership in a 'negative' way and impacting on their professional identity. Leadership within preschools is mainly seen as traditional and the professional identities of Icelandic preschool teachers, or how they see themselves as professionals and leaders, are also affected by prevailing stereotypically gendered perceptions of some of the stakeholders. In fact they are barely differentiated from the laypersons who numerically dominate their field.

The introduction of Higher Level Teaching Assistants (HLTAs) in 2005 is arguably one of the most controversial, and significant, changes to school staffing since teaching became an all-graduate profession in the 1970s. This study focuses on the first two years of the HLTA policy in four primary schools which adopted the HLTA role from its outset. Data from semi-structured interviews, questionnaires and a study of documents are used to build case studies which demonstrate how the HLTA role has evolved somewhat differently in the four schools, raising the question of the effects of practitioners upon policy at the local level. Using the policy cycle (Bowe et al 1992) as a theoretical framework, the study draws upon the literature on professionalism (Whitty 2008) and professional learning communities (Bolam et al 2007), on leadership (Fullan 2001, 2007) and micropolitics (Ball 1987), and on Stephen Ball's (1997, 2008) more recent work on policy analysis, to consider the power of primary practitioners to influence and reinterpret policy, thus adding to our understanding of the policy process. The study suggests that although there remains considerable ambiguity around perceptions of the HLTA role in schools nationally (Pye Tait 2006), in the case study schools, there has been evidence of strong and committed leadership for the HLTA project from the headteachers, and a well defined and widely accepted professional HLTA role has emerged in each site. It concludes that an understanding of, and commitment to, policy intentions within the 'context of practice' (Bowe et al 1992) can be crucial to the realisation of policy-makers' goals.

Oral language skills of children entering nursery aged 3 years, have been identified as delayed in up to 50% of the population in deprived, urban areas. However, a wealth of research evidence indicates that language skills can be augmented by specific practices, activities and environmental resources provided by staff in nursery and childcare settings. With the aim of introducing evidence-based research into Early Years settings, the Every Child a Talker programme was delivered in ten training days over six months to volunteer settings in the United Kingdom. This mixed-methods research study sought to examine the impact of the programme on the language-supporting practices and knowledge of staff in Early Years settings. The sample consisted of two groups: nine Nursery settings where at least one staff member had received Every Child a Talker Training, and nine matched settings where no staff member had completed such lengthy professional development training in supporting language skills. Settings in both groups were matched based on similar characteristics of their pupil populations: socioeconomic needs, percentages of pupils speaking English as an Additional Language, and percentages with Special Educational and Language needs. A mixed-methods approach was used, with the first phase of the research design generating quantitative data. The Communication supporting Classrooms Observation Tool was used to create a "snap shot" of the practices, activities and environmental resources used to support language development in each setting. Concurrently, a questionnaire elicited data regarding staff's self-reported measures of confidence and knowledge in how to support oral language skill development. Observation and questionnaire data were first analysed separately and then together using non-parametric tests, the Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests. Following completion of this first phase, the second phase of the project aimed to identify facilitating factors and/or barriers to implementing practices known to support children's oral language development. Interviews were carried out with participants from eight settings, and qualitative data collected and analysed using a Thematic Analysis approach.

This thesis aims to examine, document and narrate young able children’s constructions of learning, ability and schooling as a means through which a teacher’s professional identity, pedagogy and practice are unveiled. The focus is on understanding the impact that a teacher and a group of young able learners (who have the potential to reach high levels of performance in one or more areas of endeavour) have on each other’s identities, learning and experiences together with an examination of the kind of inclusive practices that are effective in stimulating the minds of young able children and ultimately meeting their diverse learning needs. The research study, located within an interpretative, social constructivist paradigm in its attempt to construct meaning and knowledge inductively, adopted a qualitative approach through narrative inquiry as teacher and learners were given a voice through the construction of intertwined narratives that were later analysed and interpreted. Data was collected through a variety of tools that included the use of a reflective diary, visual narrative and participatory methods with children. The data yielded three main themes about aspects of the teaching and learning process that seem to influence the learning trajectories of six young able learners – the importance of supportive learning contexts for meeting the needs of highly able learners, the impact of powerful interactions with others and with the environment, as well as the notion of identity construction that seemed to form an integral part of their daily interactions as learning dispositions were acknowledged, inclusive practices adopted and, as a result, positive learner identities were developed and enhanced. Moreover, this thesis brought forth a number of interesting points and suggestions aimed at policymakers, educators, teachers and researchers working and researching with and for children regarding the relevance of learning about one’s professional practices by listening to children’s voices as well as the effectiveness of adopting a constructivist, inquiry-based and participatory approach to learning for the development and nurturing of the diverse needs and abilities of young able children in mixed-ability classrooms.

This study is about intent and experience in a primary teacher education mentoring initiative in Uganda. The initiative’s intent was to extend teacher educators’ capacities, enabling them to improve primary education quality in all government schools across Uganda. The main research question was about how mentoring is understood in a mentoring programme to improve teacher education in Uganda. A framework is used map three constituencies: the expectations of the mentoring initiative originators as expressed through local documentation and the expectations and experiences in the initiative of mentors and co-ordinating centre tutors (CCTs). Semi-structured interviews were the main form of data collection and included twenty-eight CCTs who were based in one primary teachers college (PTC) in Eastern Uganda and fifteen international volunteer educators (mentors) based in separate PTCs across Uganda (recruited by an NGO, VSO). The study found that mentoring is interpreted in a range of ways within the mentoring programme. These interpretations affected both sides of the mentoring relationship to different degrees and at different points in the development of the initiative. Even with the broad parity in seniority and experience of CCTs and mentors, the operationalising of the initiative resulted in mentors leading (or facilitating) the mentoring relationship. Yet the acceptance of personal professional learning in CCTs is a key phenomenon if the work is to be sustainable. The areas of challenge were the expectations of the foreign volunteer educator mentor in the placement, the impact on motivation of intermittent funding and the negotiation of productive professional relationships.

No description available.

This thesis explores the job of nursery nurses working in English Primary and Infant Schools in terms of their tasks and perceptions of their jobs. Educational management theory presently overlooks the increasingly important role of support staff, and in particular nursery nurses, who receive a professional training. The literature review reveals that there is no coherent body of research on nursery nurses and shows that their job as support or complementary staff is patchily under researched. The literature reviewed also deals with the problematic question of how can school effectiveness be maximised if the contribution of members of staff, such as nursery nurses, is not fully recognised. This is a descriptive study and it analyses data from covert participant observation; questionnaires; group interviews and telephone interviews, obtained from the majority of nursery nurses working in one County. The purpose of the research was to establish the extent of the nursery nurses' jobs and to find out their opinions on their current position in schools, working with three-five year olds. The findings portray nursery nurses as often invisible within the school culture, and their increasingly unrecognised workload. Nursery nurses perceive that various groups within the school and outside it are not aware of the extent of their role, nor do they ascribe appropriate value to it. It is argued that the way forward is for the school sector and others in Early Years education to recognise and reward professionals other than Early Years teachers. A case for increased research, focused on nursery nurses as complementary colleagues, is made. Given the current political and educational emphases on Early Years, this group of professionals is in danger of being a wasted, unrecognised and invisible resource.

This thesis describes a study of the relationships between self-efficacy in primary school teachers and their classroom management strategies in England and in Turkey. The study includes a survey of 73 Turkish teachers and 51 British teachers in terms of teacher efficacy in classroom management, followed up by observation and interviews with 6 teachers identified as high and 6 teachers as low efficacy. The role of self-efficacy in classroom management is examined through the application of Bandura's (1977, 1986, 1997) self-efficacy approach. A second important part of this study is the investigation of cultural differences between teachers in England and in Turkey with respect to misbehaviour and its management. The study demonstrated that as teachers felt more efficacious they were more likely to employ effective, long term and positive methods to deal with misbehaviour and, in doing so, to create a more appropriate and orderly learning environment. This then enhanced teachers' confidence and encouraged positive, quality relationships with pupils. Similarities rather than differences were common in terms of misbehaviour and methods used by both British and Turkish teachers to deal with it. However, some considerable differences existed, suggesting that, in comparison with British teachers, Turkish teachers lacked in familiarity with the concepts of classroom management and discipline in education terms through pre or in-service training and training in the use of systematic management strategies based on certain theoretical roots. A striking difference emerged in the application of discipline policies in the British sample as there are no such policies in the Turkish context. The development of self-efficacy appeared to result from experience, as a means of seeing positive outcomes of their own behaviour, positive encouragement from parents and the head, observing colleagues and from teacher personality. The findings of the study are discussed in order to formulate implications for teacher training courses and for qualified teachers. Training programmes to enhance self-efficacy in classroom management and discipline are suggested.

This study investigates the development of pre-service teachers with reference to the core conditions of counselling in a guidance training programme, which is a part of a pre-service new B.Ed, module. It aims to make some suggestions for effective preparation of the pre-service teachers to play their guidance role in Hong Kong primary schools. Qualitative rather than quantitative research approach was used. The sample was a class of 37 pre-service teachers. Among them, 16 student teachers with some seemed to be very aware of, others largely ignorant about the guidance role of teacher were selected for in-depth interviews to chart their development. Their responses for handling of two different cases of pupils' problems in the interview schedule were analyzed. Classroom assessment technique for the whole class of student teachers was used to get feedback and to monitor the progress of the programme. The results of the study show that student teachers had increased awareness and understanding of the guidance role of teachers during the training programme. They also developed their abilities in handling pupils' problems in terms of attitude towards pupil, feeling for pupil and counselling strategies and skills. Nearly all of them had progress in each of these three areas in different contexts of pupils' problems. However, they had greater progress in case 1 of an anxious pupil (with emotional difficulties) than in case 2 of an angry pupil (with emotional and behavioural difficulties). Moreover, bias towards pupils existed in both cases. Six different groups with different progress were identified among the 16 student teachers. The themes / patterns for change in attitudes, feeling and skills were explored. They were suspension of judgment and empathetic understanding. From their learning experiences, the training methodology that help them most were watching videos, case study and newspaper cutting, understanding theories, lecturing and interacting with the lecturer, group discussion, role play and doing ranking in multi-response exercise. These were in descending order of reported frequency. The results of the present study have implications for policy setting and implementation of Whole School Approach to guidance in schools and teacher education programme. At the end, a model is proposed for removing or minimizing bias of teachers towards pupils in teacher education. This is very important for effective guidance and counselling.

The question the study seeks to address is what kind of effects primary teachers experience before, during and after an inspection by the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted). The focus of the study is the classroom and staffroom interaction of teachers in a small primary school serving a disadvantaged estate in the North of England. Working as a voluntary classroom assistant in each of the classes in the school throughout the school's Ofsted year, the researcher adopts the role of participant observer, noting the teachers' response to the Ofsted process, as evidenced in their day-to-day activities and interaction. The study begins by explaining the researcher's interest in this area of study and approach, then sets this against the background of recent research into the work of teachers in English primary schools. In Chapter Three, the practicalities of undertaking fieldwork in the school are explored, relating these to literature which the researcher found particularly helpful in making sense of the realities of undertaking an ethnographic approach in this environment. An outline sketch of the background to school inspection in the UK is undertaken in Chapter Four to place the experiences of the teachers in context. The major part of the study, in Chapter Five, is given over to the story of Banktop School's Ofsted year, as observed by the researcher working as "another pair of hands" in the classroom. The analysis of this data in Chapter Six draws attention to three main themes throughout the year - the anxiety of the teachers; their view of Ofsted as separate from their own values in their day-to-day work; the stress on public performance as central to successful assessment by Ofsted. In the final chapter, the experiences of the year are viewed in context of the research reviewed in Chapter Two and consideration is given to the limitations of the methodology. The usefulness of the Ofsted model of school inspection in the professional development of primary teachers is questioned.