This study investigates the process of learning on a Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults (CELTA) course. Research on many courses in teacher education has indicated that courses have a weak impact on the beliefs of trainees, in that trainees emerged from these courses largely unaffected by the ideas presented on the course and entered teaching with an approach which echoed their experiences as students in school. It is somewhat surprising therefore that within ELT it has long been argued that the Certificate programme has a strong impact on trainees. The aim of the present study is to explore the learning on the CELTA programme, focusing particularly on the pedagogic beliefs of the trainees themselves. Rather than adopt a purely constructivist approach to learning to teach, which involves the study of trainees' beliefs and reflections on the course, I have adopted a more eclectic framework and a multi-perspectival approach. In addition to more individually focused constructivist ideas I incorporated theory from sociocultural approaches such as the use of tools and a learning as participation approach, and also theory from the study of cognitive skill or expertise. The study employed an in-depth case study approach, using multiple research tools: interviews, questionnaires, observation of a course in its entirety, in addition to the collection of documents such as lesson plans and assignments. It was intended that this would provide a thick description of the course which was studied. The findings centre around the cases of six trainees on the course, their beliefs, experiences and reflections. It was found that trainees begin the course with a range of beliefs, some of which are idiosyncratic and others which could be summarised as 'antididactic'. These latter beliefs seem often to be a reaction to their school experiences. As such, the trainees on the whole welcome the more student-focused approach to which they are exposed on the course and their beliefs are largely unchanged. These findings also suggest the importance of social interaction amongst the trainees for learning to teach, and that this should be considered for mainstream teacher education courses. They also indicate that trainees' beliefs need to be recognised and engaged on teacher education courses in general and, in particular, the CELTA programme.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

This thesis aims to understand the catalysts and triggers that influence engagement in lifelong learning amongst adult learners undertaking access courses in the South Wales Valleys. As they are conceptualised within this thesis, catalysts and triggers pertain to how returners to formal learning explain their encounters with environmental influences, personal circumstances and shaping events throughout their lives. Together they constitute two interrelated influences in the lives of returners to learning that, when analysed, offer insight into learner participation and reengagement. The initial part of this thesis draws on a broad range of adult education literature to clarify the context of lifelong learning from the historical development of adult education to present initiatives, while exploring the development of the geographic region this study is situated in to contextualise some of the wider influences that may impact upon individual learner's reengagement. The latter component of the literature review draws together the previous research on more individual aspects of adult learner participation including motivation, lifespan development theory, learning careers work and research into learner trajectories. While much existing research is more functionalist in nature, failing to capture the perspective of the learners themselves, this research study eschews the deterministic conceptions of learner engagement by being situated within an interpretivist paradigm and focusing on deriving meaning from learners' lived experiences. The work adopts an interpretive interactionist perspective with a focus on creating meaning in social contexts and how individuals approach formal learning on the basis of prior personal experiences. The empirical data is collected via interviews with local South Wales adult education tutors and group interviews with access to higher education students at local further education colleges, which are supplemented by critical life path documents completed by the students. Key findings, derived through a grounded theory approach, and contributions to the literature in this field centre around the rich individual experiences of learners and the development of a conceptual framework outlining the diverse personal influences articulated by the learners and the convergence of multiple catalysts and triggers resulting in a powerful range of emotions and learning community engagement. The originality of the work lies in the interdisciplinary approach, the methods employed and the insights it provides into the unique influences on these participants' reengagement decisions in this context. The development of this framework constitutes an original contribution to knowledge as it has been constructed interpretively from the lived experience of learners, it offers greater contextual insight than existing models of participation and it focuses specifically on access learners and the context of the South Wales Valleys.

No description available.

This research study explores how older people are supported in their pursuit of informal learning within the context of Northern Ireland. It will particularly explore how middle-class retirees interpret and make sense of their involvement in later life learning and the extent to which this contributes to active ageing. Due to the increasing emphasis on informal learning, the responsiveness of Government policy and the role in educational provision by the voluntary and community sector is a particular focus. A qualitative approach was adopted and semi-structured interviews were carried out with a sample of 22 people that consisted mostly of middle-class retirees with the University of the Third Age. They are all over the age of 60 and no longer working and participating in informal learning groups whilst in retirement. In addition, three key stakeholders from separate organisations involved in policy development and delivery were also interviewed. The qualitative approach provided a deeper understanding of how older people are supported in their pursuit of informal learning and how they interpreted later life learning experiences. The study finds that despite a national and international policy emphasis on later life learning, there is a notable lack of support to encourage older people to become involved in informal learning. Whilst Government policy appears to offer learning opportunities to everyone, including older learners, in reality, support for learning in later life is primarily available only to those individuals with low academic attainment to provide them with a basic level qualification. However, the research findings show that middle-class retirees do not wish to pursue qualifications, rather they largely engage in later life learning for a variety of reasons analogous with the working environment. There is evidence of a need for social interaction and belonging; to exploit previously denied opportunities; and to create a sense of structure. Conclusions suggest that middle-class retirees involved in later life learning gain more than the new knowledge and skills acquired. Learning presents an invaluable contribution to their overall outlook on life and well-being in retirement. Therefore, not only do middle-class retirees need support to actively age, they also need support to actively learn.

This thesis explores learning motivation in a vocational further education setting, and investigates whether and why learners may not be achieving as highly as expected. The purpose of this study was to explore a learner’s transition into further education (FE) and the impact of their past educational and life experiences on their motivation to learn. A form of life course research was used to explore why some learners fail to reach their minimum expected grade profiles, as indicated by value added data, and appear to leave further education without achieving as highly as expected. A detailed study of what goes on in practice at programme level to enhance the progress made by the learner provides a rounded study of learning motivation. This study uses a qualitative case study methodology and a form of life course research. A desk based interrogation of policy literature and the construction of policy across macro (national), meso and micro levels sets the context of study. Semi-structured interviews with ten BTEC National Extended Public Services students were used to form partial life stories that were analysed using Pierre Bourdieu’s concepts of ‘capital’, and ‘field’. Classroom observations of teaching and learning practices explore what is going on in practice. The findings detail a wide ranging number of factors that can attribute to learning motivation. These include ‘emotional factors’ such as the influence of peers, parents and teachers, the approach and personality of the teacher, and critical incidents at various points in a learner’s education. In addition, there are ‘cultural factors’ such as religion, perception of the value of qualifications, assessment preferences, and cultures associated with FE. Whilst the data highlighted sub-themes pertinent to the broader emotional and cultural factors that may impact learner motivation, these findings also present the diverse and individualistic nature of learning and learner motivation. The discussion illustrates the multifaceted and complex nature of learning motivation and highlights the importance of social structure in the development and maintenance of learning cultures. More specifically, the discussion highlights the importance of significant others and the reciprocal nature of emotional investment in education. A range of conceptual models are introduced to help teachers and managers understand the complex and multifaceted nature of learning motivation providing useful tools for curriculum design and intervention. These models can help teachers and managers to understand the key capital transactions and transubstantiations between learners, parents, teachers, and peers from a Bourdeusian perspective thus understanding the value of various capitals (namely cultural and emotional) and how they interact within the network of fields that are at play at the educational site.

In 2005, twenty four Lindale schools implemented the DCSF (Department for Children, Schools and Families) framework “Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning” (SEAL). The framework was initially introduced for primary aged children with the aim of developing their social and emotional skills, through the domains of self awareness, managing feelings, motivation, empathy and social skills. However, research around the development of children’s social and emotional skills had also suggested that this could improve attainments, attendance and reduce exclusions. This research explores the impact of the DCSF SEAL curriculum on the distal measures of Key Stage 2 SATs (Standardised Attainments Test) results, attendance, exclusions and pupil referrals for social, emotional and behavioural outreach support. It is longitudinal and compares the data for Lindale primary schools implementing SEAL with those who were not implementing the framework. The impact is measured between 2005, when SEAL was first delivered in twenty four Lindale primary schools, to 2009 when all primary schools had received training in this area. In 2007, semi structured interviews were carried out with a sample of the 2005 cohort of schools. Responses are presented from head teachers, SENCos (Special Educational Needs Coordinators), children and other colleagues in the authority regarding the impact of SEAL in these schools. The study also considers, in more detail, the impact of SEAL on five schools from the original cohort, who were considered to be examples of “Best Practice” in this area. The research indicates no association between the implementation of SEAL and improvements in Key Stage 2 SATs results, attendance or exclusions. These findings were replicated in the more in depth consideration of five schools. However, there has been a gradual decrease, year on year, in the number of pupils referred for social, emotional and behavioural outreach support as an increasing number of schools have implemented SEAL. The views of professionals and children, involved in the original cohort of schools implementing SEAL, are positive about the framework’s impact, particularly in terms of pupils’ behaviour.

Adolescents with language impairment frequently experience difficulties with story- telling tasks and the development of their story-telling or narrative abilities differ from those of typically developing young people. In this study a dynamic assessment and intervention approach was used to assist the development of narrative abilities of secondary-aged pupils with language difficulties. The initial phase of the study involved eliciting narratives from pupils using a wordless picture book. This was followed by two individually administered mediated learning experiences over a two-week period. Pupils' narratives were elicited and scored following this. The second phase involved small, group mediated teaching of narratives over a ten-week period at the end of which pupils' narratives were retested. Sixtysix pupils across four secondary schools participated in the study and were assigned to either an experimental or a control condition. A two-phase, sequential, mixed methods design incorporating both a within and a between subjects design using a test-mediate-retest method within a dynamic assessment paradigm was employed. Pupils' views were obtained through three focus groups. The views of the professionals involved in the intervention were obtained through post-intervention reflective sheets. A conventional content analysis that adopted a constructivist paradigm was used to analyse the data from the focus groups and the reflective sheets. A highly significant improvement was found in both the qualitative and quantitative aspects of the intervention group's narratives following the dynamic assessment and intervention phase and the group-mediated teaching sessions. However, a within-group analysis showed a slight decline in the quantitative but not the qualitative narrative measures following the group mediated teaching of narratives. The pupils in the intervention group also showed significant gains in their narrative performance on a standardised test of narrative ability following the group mediated teaching of narratives. A surprising result was that pupils in the control group showed a five percent improvement in the qualitative but not the quantitative aspects of their narratives. Pupils and professionals reported an increased awareness and understanding of the importance of narratives and the inclusion of aspects that made up a complete narrative. Pupils reported on how particular mediation strategies had helped them with their story telling while professionals reported an increased understanding of a mediated teaching approach. Pupils and professionals reported an increase in confidence and expressed a need to link the mediated teaching of narratives to class-work and monitoring systems used in school. In spite of the study's limitations, the results showed how the narrative abilities of secondary-aged pupils with language difficulties could be developed through a dynamic assessment and intervention approach enabling pupils to become active learners.