This thesis explores the relationship between policy development and policy implementation with particular reference to the Testbed Learning Communities Pilot as outlined in the Skills Strategy (2003). The policy process, it is argued, is an important aspect of government and, as such, successful implementation is a desired outcome. The key proposition at the heart of this research is that: the relationship between policy generation and policy implementation is critical to the achievement of the intended policy outcomes. This thesis begins by discussing the concepts of Lifelong Learning and Learning Communities within the context of globalisation and it is argued that globalisation exerts an influence on public policy. This is particularly apparent in the fields of learning and skills, which, through the Skills Strategy (2003), are connected directly to economic success. Case studies of two Testbed Learning Communities contextualise the policy implementation process and from the subsequent analysis four common themes emerge. These are evaluation, project duration, axiological issues and the extent to which the project took account of existing practice. The analysis and discussion of themes from the case studies supports the proposition above and also suggests that the policy process undermined the achievement of the intended policy outcomes. This thesis proposes that the values deployed in support of policy should be a fundamental part of the policy process, providing the framework within which policy can be defined and deployed. The implications of the findings from this research lead to a conclusion that a change is required in the way that policy is developed and implemented and that this change must begin within the political culture of the government itself.

This research is concerned with the implementation of the new degree in social work following the Care Standards Act of 2000. The degree was introduced against a backcloth of extraordinary changes in the provision of welfare, the practical delivery of social work services and the education of social work students within a higher education setting which itself has undergone profound changes. It examines the political and economic changes which have impacted on the welfare state and how those in turn, have affected what is taught to social work students and how it is taught in our universities. By exploring the implementation of the degree in Wales insights from academics and government officials were analysed to gain a better understanding of the policy drivers which lay behind the implementation of the degree and its impact on the various 'players'. Nine participants were interviewed from different settings including the University, the Care Council for Wales and the Social Services Inspectorate for Wales. People's accounts revealed a sharp difference in perception as to the way the degree was introduced, the nature of partnership working and the ultimate effectiveness of the new degree in improving the skills and knowledge of future social work practitioners. Several implications for policy and practice are presented. The analysis suggests the need for a broader debate as to what is taught on social work programmes and how it might be assessed, which should involve academics, practitioners, service users and government officials. The task is to create a curriculum which offers a less predetermined understanding of practice characterised by uncertainty, without losing a concern for safe practice. This may require a shift of authority towards practitioners' situated judgements and away from predetermined outcomes, both in respect of programme planning and policy guidelines on the specification of standards. A new alliance is proposed to encourage a more authentic engagement with the process from practitioners, service users and social work educators.

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As participants in today¿s society, where the most important resorce is knowledge, the researcher bent on making virtual experiences that contribute to the training of both students and teachers in knowledge management as the flag for the developmentofindividual and organizational competitive advantages. The research presented aimed to develop a model for analyzing the behavior of students when performing collaborative activities over the Internet. The empirical studywas conducted at the Faculty of Engineering ofthe University ofCarabobo, Venezuela and specifically in the departrnent of Mathematic ofthat institution. The experiment was divided into three phases, covering about five years working with a virtual classrooo. In the earlystages, aspects related to the formation ofgroups and argumentative process, were tested, as pillars for the collaborative construction of knowledge. These preliminary results linked to the theoretical and methodological review ofthe behavior variables related to collaborative, served as input for the final phase of model development. Among the results obtained, point out the strong direct influence interpersonal factors (trust and cohesion), perceived usefulness and perceived ease ofuse on knowledge sharing behavior.ltwas identified the importance ofshared values in strengthening the cohesion ofthe team and that the group's working time and the number of interactions that have the members to eaeh other, influences the development oftrust between them. Finally, it can be conclude that while the establishment of an evaluation strategyto prevail the help and cooperation among team members, the teams can be formed in anywayand thatwill not affect their performance. The approach of clear rules oforganizing activities and offering tasks that promete cognitive conflicts are scaffolds for the construction ofknowledge. The proposed model showed that these simple rules pave the way for trust to thrive and group cohesion. The assessment ofthat model made with PLS Graph program, showed a high reliability anda significant predictive power. where the 60%ofthe presumed relationships between variables were approved. / Siendo partícipes de la sociedad actual, donde el recurso más importante es el conocimiento, la investigadora se inclinó en realizar experiencias virtuales, que contribuyeran al entrenamiento tanto de estudiantes como de profesores, en la gestión del conocimiento, como bandera para el desarrollo de ventajas competitivas a nivel individual y organizacional. La investigación presentada tuvo como objetivo desarrollar un modelo para el análisis del comportamiento de los estudiantes cuando realizan actividades colaborativas a través de Internet. El estudio empírico fue realizado en la Facultad de Ingeniería de la Universidad de Carabobo, Venezuela y específicamente en el departamento de Matemática de dicha Institución. La experiencia se dividió en tres fases, que abarcaron alrededor de cinco años trabajando con un aula virtual. En las primeras fases, se comprobaron aspectos referidos a la conformación de grupos y al proceso argumentativo como pilares para la construcción colaborativa del conocimiento. Estos resultados preliminares unidos a la revisión teórica y metodológica sobre las variables relacionadas con el comportamiento a la colaboración, sirvieron de insumos para la fase final de desarrollo del modelo. Entre los resultados obtenidos se destacan la significativa influencia directa que tienen los factores interpersonales (confianza y cohesión), la utilidad percibida y la facilidad de uso percibido sobre el comportamiento para compartir conocimientos. Se detectó la importancia de compartir valores en el fortalecimiento de la cohesión del equipo de trabajo y se determinó que el tiempo de trabajo del grupo y la cantidad de interacciones que tengan sus miembros entre sí, influye en el desarrollo de la confianza entre ellos. Finalmente, se registran como conclusiones que mientras se establezca una estrategia de evaluación que haga prevalecer la ayuda y colaboración entre los miembros del grupo, los equipos pueden formarse de cualquier manera y ésto no afectará a su rendimiento. El planteamiento de normas claras de organización de las actividades y el ofrecimiento de tareas que fomenten los conflictos cognitivos, son andamios para la construcción del conocimiento. El modelo propuesto demostró, que estas reglas simples preparan el terreno para que florezca la confianza y la cohesión del grupo. La evaluación de dicho modelo realizada con el programa PLS Graph, reflejó una alta confiabilidad y un significativo poder predictivo, en donde se aceptaron el 60% de las relaciones presumidas entre las variables.

Este trabajo da cuenta del proceso de indagación sobre la relación entre poder, discursos e identidad en la construcción social de las identidades docentes universitarias en la Universidad de Guadalajara, México. Las hipótesis de la investigación son las siguientes:· La identidad docente se construye socialmente· Existe una relación contundente entre discursos, poder, identidad y cambio educativo.· En la construcción social de la identidad las relaciones de poder entre los discursos juegan un papel determinante.· Existen relaciones de poder entre los discursos oficiales y los discursos docentes.· No existe un discurso que sustente y oriente las prácticas docentes, sino una red de poder entre diversos discursos.· Conocer esta red de relaciones de poder discursivas es clave para entender el cambio institucional. El primer capítulo presenta algunos referentes teóricos que se elaboraron a lo largo de la investigación para profundizar y sustentar tres principales constructos: poder, identidad y discurso. Este recorrido teórico permite evidenciar desde dónde se ubica el autor para dar forma a este proyecto. En un segundo momento se presenta la metodología y delimitación de la investigación, que es por demás interesante, ya que se explicita detalladamente el recorrido metodológico, las preguntas que surgieron a lo largo de este recorrido, los pasos que permitieron avanzar, así como algunas limitantes. El tercer capítulo consta de un detallado acercamiento a la institución Universitaria donde se realizó la investigación, ya que se trata de un contexto mexicano y se busca que el lector tenga los elementos necesarios para una lectura más profunda y contextual del reporte de investigación. Primeramente se hace un recorrido por la Universidad de Guadalajara, después por el Centro Universitario de Ciencias de la Salud, sobre el Personal Académico del Centro y finalmente, se presenta el Programa de Desarrollo Curricular (PDC) que pretende un cambio institucional. Todo lo anterior permitió visualizar todos los discursos a evidenciar para objeto de esta investigación. En el cuarto capítulo se hace un análisis descriptivo de todos los discursos que se presentaron en este proceso de innovación (PDC) pretendido por el Centro Universitario de Ciencias de la Salud: DOE (Discurso Oficial externo), DOII (Discurso Oficial Interno Instituido), DOIINST (Discurso Oficial Interno Instituyente), DD (Discurso Docente). Esta parte es por demás interesante ya que se explicitan los elementos discursivos que los conforman, así como el perfil docente que pretenden instituir, es decir la forma que desean que tengan los docentes, su identidad, dominar su forma de ser, pensar y sentir. El quinto capítulo contiene los resultados del análisis interpretativo, en donde principalmente se da cuenta de que existe un discurso que emerge de los docentes y que tiene un potencial enorme, que al confundirse como formas de resistencia al cambio, es desaprovechado por la institución y por los mismos docentes. Concluyendo que la identidad docente universitaria se construye precisamente en las relaciones de poder discursivas y que conocer esta red de poder discursiva es primordial para entender el cambio institucional y la identidad docente. / This work describes the investigation process related to the connections between power, discourse and identity in the social construction of identities of lecturers and tutors at the Universidad de Guadalajara, México. The main hypothesis of this research are the following: the teaching identity is socially constructed; there is a strong link between discourse, power, identity and educational change; in the social construction of identities, the power relations between discourses play a fundamental role; there is no discourse that supports and directs teaching practices, but a power network between different discourses; knowing this network of discursive power connections is key to understand the institutional change. The first chapter offers several theoretical references about three constructs: power, identity and discourse. In the second section, the research methodology and delimitations of the investigation are presented in order to explain the methodological development in detail, the questions that arose, the steps that allowed us to advance, as well as some of the limitations we found. The third chapter is a more detailed description of the university institution where the research was conducted, to allow the reader the necessary elements for a deeper and contextual reading. The fourth chapter is dedicated to a descriptive analysis of all the discourses presented concerning the innovation process (PDC) intended by the Centro Universitario de Ciencias de la Salud: DOE (External Official Discourse), DOII (Internal Established Official Discourse), DOIINST (Institutive Internal Official Discourse), DD (Teaching Discourse). This section is especially interesting because it explains the discursive elements that shape it, as well as the teaching profile they intend to establish. The fifth chapter presents the results of the interpretative analysis, in which it is clear that a discourse emerges from the teachers and it has a huge potential, however when it is misinterpreted as a form of resistance to change, it is not taken advantage of by the institution or by the teachers themselves. Finally, it is concluded that the university teaching identity is constructed precisely in the discursive power connections and that knowing this discursive power network is key to understanding the institutional change and teaching identity.

This research focused on the study of entry qualifications and Third Level achievement of Business Studies Students. Quantitative and qualitative research methods were undertaken to investigate the findings. Quantitative studies of over two hundred students were analysed over a period of four years. This tracked students through the NCBS for two years, plus the NDBS for one year and the BBS degree for one year. Qualitative research involved interviewing over one hundred students in Third Level Business Studies courses,from both sectors of the higher education binary system in Ireland. What follows includes some of the principal findings of the research study. The findings showed that there was a positive but not perfect association between LCE points achievement and subsequent achievement in Third Level Business Studies. A study of the mandatory qualification requirement of Mathematics and English found that higher achievers in Mathematics had a better achievement rate in Third Level. However, the subject of English did not appear to provide a reasonable correlation with Third Level achievement. The research studied the three second level Business Studies subjects available on the senior cycle curriculum; Accounting, Business Organisation and Economics. Accounting was shown to be the most beneficial subject to study for achievement. Study of the subject at second level was shown to have inherent advantages for students compared to their counterparts who had not studied it. Students with poor academic achievement in their LCE can attain higher achievement academically in Third Level Business Studies than higher achievers in the LCE with the principal reasons for this including their commitment to studies in Third Level education. The thesis remedies a gap in the research literature. Consequently the findings will be of significant benefit to stakeholders including students, teachers, parents,career counsellors and curriculum developers.

This study evaluated the programme Higher Diploma in Computer Studies offered by the City University of Hong Kong. The evaluation aims to ascertain the effectiveness of the programme curriculum in accordance with the industry needs and requirements. This is a descriptive study, which utilizes Stufflebeam's (1971) context, input, process, and product (CIPP) evaluation model. Context evaluation serves planning decisions by helping to determine what needs are to be addressed and by defining the objectives for an educational programme. Input evaluation serves structuring decisions by helping to determine what resources are available and what alternative strategies for the programme should be considered. Process evaluation serves implementing decisions by determining how well the plan is being implemented and identifying possible revisions needed. Product evaluation serves recycling decisions by determining the results that were obtained, both intended and unintended and assessing how well the initially identified needs have been met. Questionnaires were developed to obtain information needed for the four types of evaluations from stakeholders of the programme. They were the employers of the programme graduates, the programme graduates, the current students, and the teachers of the programme. The findings from this study revealed that the programme is still in great demand in the Hong Kong Society, the programme is producing the right kind of graduate for the job market, and the programme objectives have been met accordingly. This study has also identified some operational aspects needing improvement. The programme should not position itself as a terminal qualification, but some form of bridging programme should be developed to allow graduates to further pursue a degree level qualification.

This research investigates adult education programmes for women in rural Thailand, provided by the Ministries of Education, and the Interior, and the National Council of Women. Chapter I presents findings which show that there is a higher percentage of women than men illiterates: that more men than women enrol in elementary and secondary education, but that almost equal numbers enrol in universities. The evidence shows that women's traditional occupations determine their choice of subjects of study. Chapter II discusses the development of adult education, describing its aims and philosophy, the 1940 Act of Compulsory Literacy, the structure of the Adult Education Division and the establishment of adult education centres. Chapter III analyzes the special educational needs of rural women against the socio-economic backgrounds. Village women are interested in improving the quality of their own and their families' lives; and their ability to earn. Their special learning needs are for dressmaking, livestock product, arable farming, small business activities, domestic skills and general adult education. Chapters IV, V and VI discuss the information obtained from field surveys of educational programmes for rural women in the North and the Northeast. It is shown that the Adult Education Division provides general adult education, functional literacy and family life planning programmes, newspaper reading centres, leadership training and mobile vocational training. The Ministry of the Interior stresses training for leadership, for small trades and co-operatives in home economics, weaving, child care and arable farming. The National Council of Women concentrates on vocational skill and leadership training. Chapter VII discusses the place of the mass media in adult education, including educational radio programmes. It shows that rural women are very interested in music, drama, current news and family improvement. Chapter VIII summarizes the research and suggests that educational programmes for Thai rural women could be improved by drawing on the experience of other countries with similar problems.

Studies of teaching and learning in Higher Education in the UK have focussed mainly on the implications of its macro structures and larger systems or, to a lesser extent, the lives of those affected by them at the micro level (Trowler, 2008). These are both legitimate approaches. However, from a sociocultural perspective it is important to consider the relationship between the individual and their context. The complexity and challenge of doing this is cognisant with the postmodern condition (Harvey, 1990) and reflective of doing research in 'new times' (Quicke, 1998). This study was driven by the desire to challenge my beliefs, deepen my knowledge of context and develop my practice as an academic developer. To do this a Cultural Studies theoretical perspective is employed to provide a contextual framework. A methodological bricolage uses discourse analysis to reveal the political and institutional contexts. From the literature reviewed the response of Higher Education to the policy discourse of teaching and learning emerges, a means for comparison of institutional provision is generated and an interview schedule for the research participants is formulated. From the interviews 'portraits' (Lawrence-Lightfoot & Hoffman Davis, 1997: Stronach & McLure, 1997) of the research participants' lived experience of the in-house Post Graduate Certificate course are created. They illustrate the concerns and challenges that confront being and belonging in 'new times' and reveal partial, in-between and borderline lived experiences (Bhabha, 1994; Clegg, 2008; Whitchurch, 2008). The importance of the Post Graduate Certificate community emerges as well as the potential for multi-disciplinary professional development spaces to support identity formation and shift. An effective community of this kind has two essential requirements: first, a curriculum that is the antithesis of technicist approaches is necessary to mediate the performative technologies of the discourse of teaching and learning in Higher Education and second, tools that help academic developers acommodate the mutable identities of participants as they grapple with being in 'super complex' times (Barnett, 2008).

The Saudi education system is facing a climate of change and interest in exploiting new technology and educational approaches to improve teaching and learning. In this climate, the present study explores the feasibility of introducing computer assisted cooperative learning at the Language Institute of Umm Al-Qura University, in terms of teacher attitudes to computers and their experience with/attitudes towards co-operative learning; administrative support for such innovation; and students' responses to a cooperative learning environment. A four-part Likert-type questionnaire was administered to 148 teachers of Arabic and Islamic Studies from four universities, to investigate their positive and negative attitudes to computers, feelings about computers' usefulness, and intimidation about using computers. At Umm Al-Qura University, views on co-operative learning were obtained from 35 teachers of Arabic and Islamic Studies, by means of interviews. Interviews were carried out with five senior administrators at the university, regarding development in curricula and teaching methods, including training and staff development needs and funding issues. Twenty-two students of elementary Arabic from the University's Language Institute took part in computer assisted cooperative learning sessions, using software developed by the researcher and were observed and interviewed. Teachers, irrespective of personal and professional characteristics, generally had positive attitudes to computers, while administrators claimed that efforts to provide computer access and training to teaching staff were underway. Teachers also had generally positive attitudes to cooperative learning, and some sceptics were won over by the sight of their students participating actively and with enjoyment in the sessions conducted by the researcher. There was however evidence of reluctance by teachers to give students responsibility for their learning. Teachers and administrators blamed each other for what they saw as stagnation in educational approaches, but both groups favoured change. The researcher concludes that the introduction of computer-assisted cooperative learning supported by appropriate training could benefit both students and teachers and offers recommendations for its implementation.