No description available.

Despite humour being encouraged as a resource for teachers, particularly language teachers, in the classroom, there has been scant investigation into students' humour in spoken interaction in the same context (though see Bell, 2002, 2005, 2009b). Addressing this gap using Linguistic Ethnography and a Conversation-Analysis- informed approach, this study investigates the interpersonal functions of inter-student humour (ISH) among international postgraduates at a transition point between the language classroom and the vocational environment. ISH's role in shaping identities as professionals, as well as in co-constructing transportable identities (Richards, 2006), is investigated, as are humour distribution in the class and the resources international postgraduates use when 'doing' humour. The extent to which ISH creates a conducive learning environment forthese students (Ryan and Viete, 2009) is also investigated. Data were principally video recordings alongside non-participant observation of classroom interaction supported by interviews. Students are demonstrated to use humour to heighten affiliative work. They use ISH to do normative (Long and Graesser, 1988), as well as positive and negative, face work (Brown and Levinson, 1987; Goffman, 1967). This study suggests that the students' professional orientation influences their humour, supporting Richards (2010). I highlight a notable difference in the sort of humour taught to learners of English, which tends to be in the form of context-independent jokes, or puns, and the sort of ii Rachel Gerrnanier-Manvell X2S62718 spontaneous context-bound humour observed as being used by non-native speakers of English in spoken interaction in the international postgraduate classroom. Consequently, I suggest that a practical implication of this study is that attention be paid in English preparatory classrooms to the sorts of spontaneous humour they use in spoken interaction. As using humour as a relation builder enhances international postgraduates' feeling of belonging (Ryan and Viete, 2009) their teachers should, this study suggests, privilege opportunities for ISH in their classrooms.

The primary emphasis of this thesis is on the potential impact of quality systems on teaching staff and post — 16 education institutions as a whole, with a particular focus on Further Education, the author's area of work. A further emphasis is on the process that attempts to measure quality and an analysis is made of quality systems and various quality models adopted by educational organisations. The variety of quality systems introduced into organisations to promote quality is examined and investigated including the OfSTED/ALI Common Inspection Framework (CIF), Investors in People (liP), the ISO 9000 series, Total Quality Management (TQM), Excellence for Quality Model (EFQM), the National Health Service Commission for Health Improvement and the Self Assessment process. There is a particular focus on the factors that can affect the quality of provision. Broad contextual issues are discussed, particularly the unique, historical background of Further Education and the associated ideological questions that arise in response to this focus. There is recognition within the research and the literature of both external and internal pressures on education and training organisations within the sector from systems that are designed to promote quality. The thesis explores the effect of different systems on individuals within a range of organisations. The research focuses on eight teachers in the post-16 sector who explore the impact of quality systems in their organisations and their perceptions of the effect on themselves and their colleagues. Issues relating to the impact of quality systems on staff are identified; the relationship between the intended and the actual effect of the systems are discussed and ways forward to improve quality in the sector are suggested and explored.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

Cette thèse aborde la réalité virtuelle pour l’apprentissage médiatisé du français ou de l’allemand langue étrangère. L’étude analyse comment l’immersion et l’interaction en réalité virtuelle peuvent faire émerger un sentiment de présence dans l’environnement virtuel, et ainsi contribuer à contextualiser la situation d’apprentissage. Une centaine de lycéens français et allemands ont expérimenté trois environnements virtuels, développés par le projet européen EVEIL-3D. À l’issue d'un jeu sérieux immersif en langue cible, ils ont témoigné de leur expérience. L’analyse de ce corpus souligne la subjectivité de l’expérience en réalité virtuelle. En étudiant la production en langue cible, les stratégies d’usage de la langue, l’interactivité, l’engagement corporel et l’accompagnement de l’apprenant pendant l’immersion, la recherche montre les apports et les limites de la réalité virtuelle comme dispositif d’apprentissage des langues médiatisé par les technologies numériques. / This doctoral thesis explores virtual reality as a digital environment for language learning, specifically for French or German as a foreign language. The study examines how immersion and interaction in virtual reality generate a sense of presence in the virtual environment and thus contribute to a contextualization of the learning situation.Approximately one hundred pupils from French and German secondary schools tested three immersive environments of the European project EVEIL-3D. After using a foreign language in an immersive serious game, pupils were surveyed on their virtual reality experience. Results show the importance of subjectivity of the experience. This research additionally investigates speaking in the foreign language, language usage strategies, interactivity, physical engagement and how to support the pupils during immersion. Finally, it points out both the drawbacks and opportunities of using virtual reality as a digital environment for language learning.