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This study aims at understanding how individuals in Shanghai engage in labour market competition and lifelong learning in a newly marketised and competitive context. It probes the individuals’ participation in ‘the Training Programme for Talents in Shortage’ (STTP), their perceptions of the value of lifelong learning and their experience in competing for employment. It takes the position that rather than focusing only on policy-makers’ views, an understanding of people’s perceptions and participation in this programme can provide a proper basis for the formulation and the evaluation of the policy on a learning society (Gerard and Rees, 2002). STTP is a localized education and training programme in the post-compulsory sector, providing qualifications with largely local value. It has been developed and implemented by the Shanghai Municipal Government since 1993 as a means to enhance the city’s stock of human capital and to promote the development of a ‘learning society’. On the one hand, STTP is inspired and designed by straightforward human capital development concerns and has been implemented through a decentralized, semimarketised approach, to maintain the momentum of the city’s development by targeting key skills shortages. On the other hand, significant socio-economic changes, such as the emergence of a labour market, lead individuals to take on full personal responsibility for their own social position and to compete against each other. People seek to obtain all sorts of advantages to manage and construct their employability; this study investigates the role of STTP and its qualifications in building individuals’ portfolio of skills, qualifications and other aspects of their individual human capital. The thesis draws on two sets of literature: that on lifelong learning and employability, and that on sociological theories of engagement with and participation in lifelong learning, notably rational choice theory and theories of positional competition. Both quantitative and qualitative methods of data gathering and analysis were applied. A questionnaire was administrated to 279 course participants; and interviews were conducted with 11 course participants, 4 non-participants and 4 course deliverers and policy-makers. Both instruments explored perceptions and experiences of the labour market, reasons for participating (or not) in STTP, their views on lifelong learning and the relationship between STTP, lifelong learning and the labour market. The finding suggests that a full understanding of individuals’ work and learning involves an analysis of a complex of relational interdependence between socially and culturally derived factors and personally subjective views of whom they are. In addition, the finding suggests that certain aspects of STTP, coupled with existing perceptions of formal education in Shanghai on the one hand and various interpretations of the needs of the labour market on the other, may be acting to challenge the original intentions of the programme, especially in terms of building a learning society.

This thesis seeks to consider Thai students and their reasons for choosing to study in United Kingdom universities. Through the literature review it has been identified that higher education is globally expanding. Competing knowledgebased economies with higher education institutions have led education to be considered a market commodity and consequently the marketization of higher education in competitive world markets. This is exemplified by discussion of the United Kingdom higher education policies and the resulting demand for higher education in the United Kingdom. The numbers of overseas students studying at higher education institutions in the United Kingdom is rising, with a notable increase in the number of students from South-East Asia. In its endeavour to increase its knowledge-based economy, Thailand has increased opportunities for Thai nationals to study overseas through scholarships and Government policies. The advantages of overseas degrees to individuals, these include a facility with English language, enhanced employment and promotion prospects, and increased social status, are discussed. A study of Thai students studying in the United Kingdom has been used to explore the reality of these advantages for individual students. A case study approach was used and personal interviews with students and questionnaires with their parents and grandparents. The data was analysed using a ‘categorical-content perspective’ narrative method (Lieblich et al., 1998). The thesis concludes that, despite as a nation Thailand having good geographical links with other advanced countries such as Japan and China, living in an economically stable and democratic country, having excellent opportunities to access Thai universities and having no direct links with the United Kingdom, Thai students still see real advantages to studying at higher education institutions in the United Kingdom. This decision is influenced by social and cultural factors, in particular the extended family, and potential financial rewards. However as a result of studying overseas in the United Kingdom the Thai students experience and have to resolve various social and cultural tensions. They have become more individualistic in their attitudes and opinions, which are at odds with the traditional collectivist values, held by their families and deeply entrenched in Thai society.

This study explores the dynamics of leadership of Asian, Black and Minority Ethnic (ABME) principals in England’s Further Education colleges. It identifies and describes the motivations and characteristics of their leadership which propel and sustain it. The research outcomes suggest that their leadership is learner and community focused. It is aimed at improving fairness, equality and social justice. The principals are driven by their deeply rooted principles, passions and values flowing from their direct experiences of disadvantage, disparities and racial discrimination. Their personal up-bringing, socialisation and heritage have not only inspired and encouraged them to come into education, but have also energised them in their journeys as leaders. The ABME principals’ trajectories, however, have been mediated by a persistent tendency within the establishment to marginalise and underestimate their capabilities, compounded by FE bureaucracies and organisational impediments. They have taken these obstacles as challenges and seized opportunities for further formalising their passions and principles into leadership strategies for transforming their colleges and influencing the FE environment. This thesis is based on empirical evidence, collected from interviews with the first generation ABME principals: the class of 1998/9 – 2008/9, offering an historic snapshot of their experiences, within the conceptual framework provided by the review of literature on educational leadership, FE management, race and ethnicity.

This thesis explores the institutional development of social engagement (SE) programmes within higher education institutions (HEIs). Since the 1990s, universities in the United States and Canada have become increasingly active in directly addressing social issues such as poverty, social exclusion and political participation in their own local communities. The past decade has seen similar developments at universities in the United Kingdom. At the global level as well, there are increasing discussions about the role and responsibilities of HEIs in human and social development. To facilitate their engagement with wider social issues, HEIs frequently create SE programmes which coordinate activities between university-based actors and community-partners. A significant body of literature exists on SE programmes; however, these writings fall into two categories: firstly, promoting the concept of university engagement and, secondly, evaluating the impacts of such programmes on communities or students. What is far less theorised or researched are the intermediary processes which enable the social engagement aspirations of HEIs to come to fruition, generating these documented impacts. This study aims to produce new knowledge and insights on how university SE programmes are created and institutionalised over time. This research is a qualitative study of SE programmes at three HEIs, two in the UK and one in the US. The data for the study has been drawn from primary programme documents, participatory workshops and interviews with more than one-hundred staff, academics, students and community-partners involved with these programmes. The research suggests that, despite differences in size, mission and national context, there are common enabling factors which lead to the creation of these programmes and which facilitate their successful institutionalisation within their respective institutions. Moreover, the research also suggests that the presence of these programmes catalyses unexpected outcomes within the HEIs themselves, such as changes in the formal curriculum as well as changes in the overall learning culture of the institutions where these SE programmes were located. Considered together, these findings suggest that the presence of these programmes contributes to the development of a systemic ―institutional pedagogy‖ which encourages students, staff and academics to engage with important social and developmental issues in their local communities, and often more widely as well.

Se supone que los estudiantes universitarios han pasado un proceso de selección y tienen un nivel intelectual suficiente para seguir estudios de nivel superior, sin embargo los obstáculos que presenta el estudio de la Química sólo son superados por algunos estudiantes, quienes con los mismos profesores y textos de referencia, son capaces de obtener excelentes calificaciones.La tesis se orientó al análisis de las características estos estudiantes, tanto las de tipo cognitivo, como las autorreguladoras y las motivacionales, que influyen en sus logros académico. Se hizo un estudio exploratorio con entrevistas a profesores en activo, quienes atribuyeron los éxitos de los estudiantes a la atención y participación en el aula y al tiempo que dedican al estudio. Los investigadores citan como variables importantes la capacidad metacognitiva y autorreguladora y factores básicos del aprendizaje con éxito. La metacognición íntimamente relacionada con la autorregulación formando un sistema que permite al estudiante verse a sí mismo y adaptarse a las condiciones necesarias para alcanzar sus metas.Las metas están, a su vez influenciadas por el concepto de si mismo y su autoestima, por sus creencias y valores, que se reflejan en la selección de las estrategias y estilos de aprendizaje. Otro de los campos que hemos analizado es la posible influencia de las dificultades propias del contenido temático. Las dificultades que presenta el estudio de la Química, se deben principalmente a tener que explicar hechos que se pueden ver, mediante teorías que requieren imaginarse lo que ocurre a escala de los átomos, además requieren aprender un lenguaje específico formado por símbolos, fórmulas y ecuaciones.La investigación se llevó a cabo con la cooperación de estudiantes de tres facultades de Química de México. Empleamos cuestionarios cuyas preguntas fueron organizadas en tres partes: Una para identificar características de tipo cognitivo mediante la resolución de un problema; otra para averiguar las estrategias para apropiarse del conocimiento y la identificarse con un estilo de aprendizaje y una tercera, para que el estudiante expresara sus motivaciones, metas y visión al futuro.Los resultados mostraron que no hay un prototipo de estudiante con éxito académico sino una diversidad. Identificamos similitudes entre estos estudiantes, tales como, planeación previa de una acción, búsqueda de analogías y modelos para representarse los conceptos, apoyo en sus compañeros para autoevaluarse, etc. Las diferencias entre distintos tipos de razonamiento, de estrategias y de estilos de aprendizaje son debidas a que los estudiantes son capaces de procesar la información de acuerdo a sus posibilidades e intereses, por lo que no dependen tanto del sistema de enseñanza como de sus propias estrategias y metas.En cuanto a implicaciones para la docencia se puso de manifiesto la necesidad de promover la diversidad y autonomía del alumnado, comunicar claramente los objetivos, favorecer la construcción del modelo global de resolución de problemas y su transferencia. Ayudar a establecer una conexión entre el nuevo conocimiento y otros campos, proporcionar instrumentos y estrategias que permitan reconocer los propios errores y dificultades y a autorregularlos y estimular las motivaciones internas / When students reach university, they have passed a selective process that is supposed to guarantee their continuity their studies at higher level. However, the obstacles present in the studies of Chemistry are overcome only by some particular students. These students have the same university teachers and textbooks than all, but they manage to obtain high qualifications. This thesis is focused in the analysis of the cognitive, self-regulation and motivational characteristics of those successful students.To begin with, an exploratory study was done within-service university teachers. Some factors such as attention and participation in the classroom and time devoted to study were remarked as related with students' success. However, several investigations show that metacognition and self-regulation skills are fundamental for success in learning.Metacognition is strongly related with self-regulation. Both constitute a system used by the students to be conscientious of their own learning and have the opportunity to adapt their own characteristics as necessary in order to achieve their goals.A goal are, at the same time, influenced by self-concept and believes that can be inferred from their selection of strategies and learning styles.We have also analyzed the possible influence of the difficulties of Chemistry content itself, that is, difficulties due to the three levels used in Chemistry for explaining. In Chemistry, visible phenomena at macroscopic level is explained by theories based on a microscopic world of atoms and molecules, both using an specific language with symbols, formulas and equations. This research was made with the cooperation of students of 3 Faculties of Chemistry in Mexico. We used questionnaires structured in three parts: First to identify cognitive characteristics by analyzing how students solve a problem; second, to identify learning strategies and third with open questions to express their motivation, goals and believes about their future.The results show that there is not only one profile of successful student but some diversity.We have identified similarities between students such as planning actions for solving problems, creation of models and analogies to self represent the concepts and strategies of self-evaluation with their friends.The differences between different types of reasoning, strategies and learning styles are due to different capabilities and interest of students so they depend more on their own strategies and goals than on how are they taught. These results have implications for teaching at university level. It has shown to be important to: promote the autonomy and diversity of the students; to communicate clearly the objectives of the different tasks; to help to construct a global model for solving and transferring problems together with a connexion between the new concepts and other fields; to give instruments and strategies to recognize their own mistakes and difficulties and, finally, to favor the development of self regulation an internal motivations in students.

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El objetivo de la presente investigación es analizar el proceso interactivo que ocurre en el desarrollo del conocimiento de los estudiantes que inician la carrera de ingeniería, y contribuir con la enseñanza de las matemáticas a nivel universitario. En particular con la enseñanza del Cálculo Diferencial, en lo que se refiere a los gráficos cartesianos que representan movimientos rectilíneos.Para llevar a cabo este objetivo, analizamos procesos dinámicos en el discurso de los estudiantes, del segundo semestre de Ingeniería, cuando, después de una clase de física en el Ciclo Básico, trabajaban en las soluciones de distintas tareas que envolvían el cálculo de la velocidad y el dibujo de gráficos cartesianos posición/ tiempo.En el marco teórico, hemos focalizado la atención, en la teoría de la corporeidad y en el modelo de estrategia argumentativa, centrando nuestro interés, en el papel que juega el discurso de la profesora, en el desarrollo de las soluciones de sus estudiantes, al resolver en pequeños grupos varias tareas extra-clase propuestas. Hemos observado y analizado los argumentos que utilizan los estudiantes participantes y los posibles mareamientos cognitivos presentes en sus discursos.La construcción de los datos se hizo a partir de videos, trascripciones, y el material escrito producido por los estudiantes y por la profesora.Como contribuciones teóricas y metodológicas, proponemos una articulación de la teoría de la corporeidad, con el modelo de la estrategia argumentativa para los estudios de las interacciones en clase de matemática, que considere, no solamente las características del contexto educacional venezolano, sino también, otros casos similares, que tengan cursos de ingeniería, con la misma estructura programática. Presentamos también, singulares posibilidades de análisis cualitativo para los procesos interactivos que se mostraron.Constatamos que las especificidades del discurso en los distintos espacios, la clase y la extra-clase, actúan sobre los aspectos del contenido del conocimiento de los estudiantes.Concluyendo, subrayamos la importancia del lenguaje utilizado por el profesor/a en su clase. Dicho lenguaje establece un género de discurso o habla, que muchas veces es aparentemente apropiado por los estudiantes, pero con una investigación más profunda, se muestra que, parte del discurso del alumno es como un adorno, lo utiliza porque la profesora lo valora, y no porque le sirve como una herramienta, que verdaderamente los ayude a solucionar un problema.Indicamos, de la misma forma, que el análisis realizado a partir de la perspectiva lingüística, y con la articulación acá utilizada, ayudó tanto a la profesora/ investigadora como a la profesora participante en el estudio, a abrir nuevas ventanas para tener miradas distintas a las usuales ("insights") en la comprensión del conocimiento de los estudiantes. / "CARTESIAN REPRESENTATION OF RECTILINEAR MOVEMENT: A STUDY OF BASIC ENGINEERING STUDENTS' ARGUMENTS"TEXT:The objective of this research is to analyze the interactive process that take place during the development of students' knowledge, that entering engineering courses, and also, make a contribution to mathematics' teaching at university level. In particular, the teaching of Differential Calculus, concerning Cartesian graphs that representing rectilinear movements.In order to carry out this objective, we analyze dynamic processes of second semester Engineering students' speeches, while they are working on different tasks that involved calculation of speed and drawing position/time Cartesian graphs, after a physics class.The theoretical framework was focusing on the Embodiment Theory and the Model of Argumentative Strategy, centering our interest, in the role that the teacher's discourse plays in the development of its students' solutions, solving various extra-class proposals tasks in small groups. We observe and analyze arguments used by the students and potential cognitive mappings present in their speeches. The data construction was based on videos, transcripts, and written material produced by students and the teacher.As theoretical and methodological contributions, we propose to joint the Embodiment Theory and the Model of Argumentative Strategy for studying interactions in class, to consider not only characteristics of Venezuelan educational context, but also, other similar cases, taking engineering courses, with the same program structure. We also display singulars possibilities for qualitative analysis of the interactive processes observed. We note that the specificities of the speech in different spaces, class and extra-class, worked on some students' knowledge aspects.In conclusion, we emphasized the significance of the language used by the teacher in her class. This language establishes a kind of discourse or speech, which often seems appropriate by students, but with further research, shows that some of the student's speech is like an ornament, used because it is valuable to the teacher, and not because it serves as a tool that truly help them solve problems.We indicate too, that the analysis realized from the linguistic perspective, and the articulation used, helped both the teacher/researcher and the participant teacher, to open new windows for different insights in the comprehension of students' knowledge.

Esta Tesis Doctoral fundamenta los problemas tratados desde el cuerpo de conocimientos elaborado en la investigación en Didáctica de las Ciencias Experimentales. La situación de partida que justifica esta investigación, tienen que ver con el hecho que desde este cuerpo de conocimientos, uno de los factores que más ha impactado en la Formación inicial y continuada de Profesores, ha sido plantearse y reflexionar argumentadamente sobre todo aquello que hemos de saber y saber hacer los profesores de ciencias. En la actualidad, hay un consenso generalizado por considerar con toda atención la formación de profesores si queremos que en un amplio número puedan llevarse a las aulas de clase los abundantes y prometedores resultados de la investigación y la innovación contemporánea en Didáctica de las Ciencias. Todo ello, con mayor razón cuando se interviene en profesores universitarios de ciencias encargados de la formación inicial de profesores de ciencias de educación básica y de bachillerato.Hemos considerado en este trabajo que la formación de profesores de ciencias implica cambios didácticos mirados desde dos perspectivas: cambios en la epistemología docente y en la práctica docente. Desde la epistemología docente se consideran las concepciones y las actitudes de los profesores de ciencias en torno y hacia la ciencia, la actividad científica, la historia de la ciencia, el currículo y la evaluación en la ciencia, y la enseñanza y el aprendizaje de la ciencia. Desde la práctica docente, se consideran los esquemas de acción que siguen los profesores en su trabajo diario como enseñantes. En suma, se trata de cambios didácticos que permiten en los profesores de ciencias, el aprendizaje y puesta en escena de conocimientos sobre Didáctica de las Ciencias. Hemos encontrado que los profesores universitarios de ciencias suponen que el conocimiento científico se desarrolla por la vía de la investigación (incluso, enfocada desde posturas de naturaleza positivista y empirista), mientras que para enseñar ciencias basta con conocer técnicas de trabajo en el aula. Para atender esta problemática, hemos supuesto que una transformación en las concepciones y en las prácticas en la enseñanza de las ciencias en profesores universitarios encargados de la formación inicial de profesores de ciencias, contribuiría a vivenciar y a fundamentar en las futuras generaciones de profesores, formas alternativas de concebir y de proceder en la enseñanza de las ciencias.La investigación que se ha seguido se ha orientado por una metodología cualitativa por estudio de casos con triangulación de información a partir de cuestionarios, rejillas de observación y entrevistas. Entre las principales conclusiones obtenidas citamos las siguientes:· El programa de Actividades seguido con los Profesores Universitarios de Química que han formado parte de esta investigación, ha posibilitado favorecer explícitamente una concepción novedosa sobre la Didáctica de las Ciencias. De igual forma, ha posibilitado favorecer explícitamente una concepción novedosa sobre otras disciplinas como la epistemología y la historia de la ciencia. · El aprendizaje de los profesores participantes acerca del cuerpo teórico propio de la Didáctica de las Ciencias, ha podido evidenciarse en forma de elaboraciones conscientes manifestadas en cambios conceptuales, actitudinales y procedimentales hacia la enseñanza de las ciencias. · Este programa de actividades ha posibilitado que los profesores que han formado parte de la investigación consideren ahora la enseñanza como una actividad de investigación, equivalente a una investigación científica, y la ciencia como una actividad más constructiva, más humana y más basada en la elaboración de ideas progresivamente más explicativas y con mayor poder predictivo. · En definitiva, ha demostrado ser un modelo eficaz para favorecer la inserción de profesores universitarios de ciencias, en el interesante y prometedor campo de la Didáctica de las Ciencias Experimentales desde donde pueden enfocar su actividad docente como una auténtica actividad profesional, interesante y retadora.

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