A central aim of the Bologna Process is the development of a European Higher Education system with qualifications recognised between signatory countries, enabling greater labour mobility_ For this to become a reality employers must become aware of what Bologna offers them. This dissertation 'examines their awareness levels. Its focuses on employers' knowledge of relevant aspects of the process and their evaluation of its usefulness, especially in relation to graduate recruitment. The study is based on research carried out with employers linked to four major universities: Bristol (England), Turku (Finland), Padova (Italy) and Iasi (Romania).All have a strong interest in the European employment market, and well established Careers Services offering professional recruitment services. They are all members of the COIMBRA group of leading European universities. This study also offers insights into the awareness, use, and potential value of the Diploma Supplement (as key component of the Bologna Process) for employers in these centres. The result is a comparative mixed method study between four different countries based on qualitative and quantitative analysis of awareness levels of employers' awareness of Bologna. The research involved a questionnaire survey of employers, plus focus groups with some of those surveyed, representing different sizes of organisations, all having links with their university Careers Services. The main aim was to establish employers' existing knowledge of Bologna and its mechanisms such as the Diploma Supplement, and how this might affect their future recruitment plans. The research findings indicate an overall lack of awareness among all employers surveyed. There were differences in knowledge levels between countries, though the size of firm did not appear to be a consistently significant factor correlated to awareness levels. The findings suggest part of the reason is the overall academic bias of Bologna, with the system having been developed primarily for the benefit of the academic community, not for the general labour market. The study concludes that if employers are to be fully involved in the development of the Bologna process, benefitting from instruments like the Diploma Supplement, considerable work is needed to raise levels of awareness and involvement.

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The debate surrounding the nature and purpose of management education in the UK's business schools is inextricably entwined with the notion of management as a profession and the nature of management knowledge. Universities have traditionally been viewed as being at the cutting e'dge of the creation of knowledge about management and of being the ideal site for the education of managers. However, there is a growing disquiet about the relationship between management knowledge and practice and the ability of business schools to develop managers of the calibre needed by the UK to compete internationally. Whilst acknowledging that the nature of management knowledge and the political forces which shape its creation are important in this debate, the emphasis here is on how managers learn. Action learning has long been held up as the answer to the lack of a critically reflective element in management education yet there is little evidence to show that it has fulfilled its promise. The nature of Critical or critical management education is considered and the utility of Critical Management pedagogy is questioned. There are few accounts of action learning being used in higher education and a confusing range of descriptions of what action learning is. Therefore, a large-scale action learning project in the Small and Medium Sized Enterprise sector was chosen as the site of study. Data are reported and analysed from participant observation at eight action learning set meetings, 21 individual interviews and 19 learning journals. Whilst the initial intention was to use discourse analysis, this was abandoned as the power of 'words in their speaking' became apparent as a mediator of critical reflection both in the Action learning set and in the interviews. An updated framework for conceptualizing learning is offered which describes various levels of learning. However, the model proposed here is much more explicit about the nature of reflection or reflexivity at each level, exemplifying particularly how critical reflection is at the core of higher level learning. Social constructionist approaches to learning, including action learning, are proposed as a philosophical underpinning for management education:and as synonymous with critical reflection. Blockages to the introduction of such a pedagogical philosophy in business schools include a lack of consideration given to teaching and learning and a continuing emphasis on research output as the direct route to secure funding for the school and promotion for oneself as an academic. There is an ongoing and urgent need to ignite this debate and to create accounts of best practice that may inspire thoughtful teaching and learning thus fulfilling our obligation as academics to the wider management community.

This study explores intercultural communicative competence in a distance language learning programme at the Open University in the UK. The research was based on two cohorts of distance language students of German, one at beginner and one at advanced level. This study uses an approach that combines quantitative and qualitative research methods through the use of questionnaires and in-depth, semi-structured telephone interviews. It was established that the conceptual framework of intercultural communicative competence developed by Byram (1997b) and his collaborators is the most comprehensive and viable framework for this project. There is evidence in the literature that this framework has been used successfully in different contexts (Byram & Morgan, 1994; O’Dowd, 2006; Sercu et al., 2005a). Little research has been conducted on the development of intercultural communicative competence in adults, with the exception of Aarup Jensen et al. (1995). So this project addresses a gap in the research into intercultural communicative competence among adults. Furthermore, it focuses on a programme of language study at a distance, which is another area for which only limited research evidence could be found. The findings of the project, both the quantitative and qualitative aspects, demonstrate that these learners gained knowledge through the study of a prescribed package of course materials, and that there is evidence of the acquisition of intercultural communicative competence of varying degrees, as stipulated in Byram’s conceptual framework. The findings also demonstrate that the framework of intercultural communicative competence would benefit from the addition of a sixth dimension to encapsulate the experiences and diverse backgrounds that specifically adult learners bring to the study of a modern foreign language: experience of life or <i>savoir s’appuyer sur son expérience.</i>

Through a qualitative interview approach, this study attempts to shed light on the expectations and experiences of students at a new post-1992 university. The approach of the study is one of allowing student voices and ideas to be heard and to be mediated by a critical narrative from the researcher. The data analysis suggests that students acquire, as a direct result of their lived experience, an articulate and critical understanding of the purpose and place of the university in contemporary UK society and of their own place within the university system. While the university experience did indeed deliver the anticipated rich social life, some felt quite unambiguously that they had had no really structured opportunity to engage intellectually or to discuss the big ideas of life. Almost all the group felt that the university experience had indeed allowed them to know more about themselves or had, at least, allowed personal characteristics or preferences to be confirmed. Few felt that they had been delivered skills relevant to the workplace and although most could readily understand that a degree could give them access to better life chances, only a minority felt that enhanced future salaries. were a main driver in their attending university. Few students saw attendance at university as a privilege. Most could see that they had indeed sacrificed in terms of short-term earning capacity and felt themselves to be under some sort of duty to put something back into society. Many expressed a wish to use their skills and knowledge to help other communities in other parts of the world. While some saw the university as a place to achieve personal growth and change, others spoke of the university as a huge national and international communications network which crucially gave mass access to knowledge in the broadest sense.

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The aim of this study is to investigate individuals' reasons for educational re-entry, by comparing the instrumentally driven with the personally motivated. This exploration of the relationship between motives and past and present educational participation is in the context of the current agenda for lifelong learning. This aim is pursued by examining the stated participation reasons, perceptions of educational experiences, and views, of mature students. Two student groups were selected from two city-based FE colleges. They were on a vocational and a non-vocational course, traditionally defined as oppositional strands in the educational discourse. The research strategy was grounded in the major implications arising from the literature review and especially a key influential work. This entailed an evolving consideration of the central issues surrounding the portrayal of participants and representation of voice. A multi-layered approach incorporated the essential element of biographical methods. The qualitative perspective, based on interview and observation, included some quantitative methods. A narrative form of questionnaire and use of visual imagery were introduced, to enable an exploration of subjective motives. The analysis of the emerging themes led to the development of a typology of the adult learner. The findings indicate no distinction between those with career and noninstrumental goals, but a uniform pattern of enrolment in pursuit of change. The subsidiary commitment to study was accompanied by enjoyment of new learning, although expecting work or domestic conflict, and significantly, all nonvocational participants anticipated alienation. The significantly intangible, though recognisable difference in self perceived as a result suggests learning to be more transformational than compensatory, particularly considering the non-vocational sample's previous high level of certification. This has implications for the compensatory model of lifelong learning, and suggests that further exploration of the perceptions of all adult learners, regardless of course destination, might be valuable for the promotion of lifelong learning.

The rationale for interprofessional education (IPE) is based on the assumption that it will result in improved interprofessional practice. Despite the evidence that prequalifying IPE will modify attitudes and provide knowledge and skills for collaboration, this evidence tells us little about whether these new skills and attitudes can be applied and sustained in professional practice. The aim of this research project was to explore how midwifery students who participate in pre-qualification interprofessional education apply their learning to the context of professional practice, and what elements facilitate this application. A purposive sample of midwifery students, midwifery educators, Heads of Midwifery and newly qualified midwives from four universities in the UK participated in semi-structured interviews, focus groups and qualitative questionnaires. Using the principles of Grounded Theory, the emerging findings highlight how professional and systemic factors both promote and prevent newly qualified midwives from turning their interprofessional theory into practice. Graduates appear better able to apply their training when interprofessional working and learning is made explicit within both the university learning environment and the workplace. This understanding of how newly qualified midwives apply IPE to practice is useful for advancing IPE curriculum development and for encouraging effective interprofessional relationships between midwives and other health professionals.

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