Using case study and a mixed methods approach this study considers the perceptions of secondary school teachers and pupils about the location and space in which science lessons are taught and how different lesson venues impact on pupils' behaviour and learning. Activity Theory is used as a conceptualisation. The science lesson is the Activity at the centre of this and consideration is given to the different influences that different factors have on the lesson. New-build schools of the 21st Century, many of which were built as part of the Building Schools for the Future (DfES 2003, 2004) initiative were often designed with limited specialist science accommodation and this impacts on where else science teaching happens. Three schools were identified in the north-west of England where teaching occurs in the three distinct and different types of accommodation: school science laboratories, open spaces where multiple groups of pupils can be taught simultaneously by individual teachers and generic classrooms. After initial approaches to the three science departments a total of 14 teachers and 293 were recruited to take part in the research. Field work data were collected in a range of modes: photography, individual teacher interviews; small group pupil interviews and lesson visits during which activity data were collected. Pupils in the classes that were visited also completed a questionnaire and a total of 293 of these were collected. Findings suggest that though teachers understand the role of practical work in the science curriculum the inclusion of practical tasks in the lessons visited was limited; though more practical activities were incorporated into school science laboratory based lessons little practical work happened when lessons were based in open spaces and none when lessons were timetables in classrooms. Teachers state a preference to teach in laboratories for a range of reasons including: ability to engage with practical activities; the enclosed space of the laboratory reduces/eliminates extraneous distractions/noise when compared to teaching in open spaces; it feels appropriate to teach science in specialist accommodation. Pupils overwhelmingly enjoy science lessons especially when practical work in included and so have a preference to being taught in science laboratories. Using the conceptualisation of Activity Theory and considering the various factors that affect an Activity it is clear that the Tools/Artefacts, the venue, are/is the most influential single factor when it comes to teachers planning science lessons and pupils engaging in these. Recommendations for the management of open spaces for teaching science are offered for a range of time scales including immediate action, gradual actions which require some planning and distant, long term, actions as well as it a range of levels embracing whole school, departmental, individual teacher level and pupil level.

In the Cayman Islands the majority of government teachers are expatriate. This research study examines the experiences of nine expatriate teachers in the two government secondary schools in Grand Cayman. A case study approach was used with the bounded time from 2005, the year after Hurricane Ivan, to 2011, the second year of the transformation of the government secondary school system in Grand Cayman. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight participants from Caribbean and non-Caribbean nationalities. As an insider, being both an expatriate teacher and working in the government secondary school system in Grand Cayman, my autobiographical account was included in the data collected. The research study examined the reasons given for migration by these teachers as well as their recruitment and orientation into their Caymanian teaching experience. The accounts described, analysed and focused on how they adjusted professionally and personally to the new experiences. A year later a further interview was conducted with each available participant to gather what changes had occurred in their circumstances and the way they viewed their international posting. Push and pull factors such as finances, weather, seeing more of the world, lack of crime, improved family life were all described as important to varying degrees by the participants. An important feature that was recognized was the influence and support offered by having a confidant such as a spouse or close friend/roommate during the adjustment to the new environment. With this in place, there was less of a dependence on the wider community or diaspora. Also viewed as key was the need for the provision of accurate information about the society, the school and the curriculum before the teacher arrived on the island. This study recognises the potential for further research into the views of home country nationals and the impact of migratory practices on small island developing states in a globalised society.

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This study is a small 'real-time' snapshot to illuminate participant perceptions. The extent of which 'talk' of sharing whole school decision-making occurred in practice in School A was explored from a middle and senior leader perspective. A grounded theory case study approach was used and a small sample of four middle leaders, three senior leaders, and a headteacher were interviewed from School A in the North of England. The interview data was triangulated through observations, documentary analysis of documents, such as agendas and minutes of meetings, before being analysed and compared against existing academic literature. Two important overarching theoretical concepts of 'relationships between middle and senior leaders' and 'organisational culture' emerged which underpinned the sub-concepts of 'balkanization', 'collaboration', 'capacity building', 'job role', and 'hierarchy'. The findings show a culture of transactional leadership is operating in School A and an ethos of balkanization indicates middle leaders are working in individual departments. There is a belief amongst the middle leaders that their involvement in whole school decision-making is contrived, however, the data also indicates that middle leaders may not readily accept whole school decision-making as part of their wider role. Research outcomes, which emerged from the data, suggest possible ways forward for School A to increase and embed collaborative decision-making between middle and senior leaders within the existing transactional school culture.

This thesis reflects on the perceptions of resilience of more than fifty early career secondary teachers and is intended as the initial stage of a longitudinal research inquiry. It focuses on how the resilience of new entrants to the teaching profession is challenged and eroded, but also sustained and nurtured, in the initial year of teacher training and as a newly qualified teacher. Drawing on bricolage, the inquiry is qualitative in approach, using a range of methods, including a resilience test, questionnaires, interviews and a range of creative writing approaches, to explore deeper insights into the experiences and perspectives of early career teachers. This thesis complements important work in the field, including Gu and Day (2013) and Johnson et al., (2015), by adopting a wide-ranging and creative approach to gathering evidence from a group of early career teachers. The honesty and vulnerability of the participants has inspired me to consider ways in which resilience may be fostered at the beginning of a career in teaching. Clear implications for a more holistic view of the individual teacher at the heart of initial teacher education are highlighted as a result. Recommendations are made for changes to provision in initial teacher education, including a stronger focus on the emotional aspects of the teacher’s role, and a re-thinking of reflective practice and mentoring as part of transformational learning in the teaching profession.

No description available.

Today, it is encouraging that followership is regarded as a factor within the leadership equation. However, research attention on followership overall is limited and within the field of education, its study remains firmly in the shadows. Indeed, a search for published followership-centric research carried out in this field revealed just 17 studies worldwide, with Thody’s contribution (2003) the sole point of reference within the UK. This study contributes to this limited body of research by exploring the followership of schoolteachers working in the secondary education sector. Using Gronn’s Career Model (1999) as a framework to understand why teachers follow, the study used biographical-style interviews (n=15) to reveal factors that have shaped the agency of schoolteachers, influencing their journeys to followership. In addition, the study administered Kelley’s (1992) Followership Questionnaire in order to understand how teachers follow (n=69). Factors found to influence why teachers follow included the role of parents, schooling and of key people and these findings align with research carried out on the career journeys of senior educational leaders. In addition, the combined insight drawn from the quantitative and qualitative data revealed a predominance of exemplary followership among the teachers. The study suggests that this approach to followership is dominant among teachers due to them being engaged in leadership practice, both within and beyond the classroom. Further, that teachers’ commitment to task, enhanced through working in a profession that enables them to satisfy important personal values and beliefs, also encourages the practice of exemplary followership.