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Following discussions with staff (7), successive and progressive individual interviews were held throughout their course with a small group of undergraduates (8) taking a combined studies degree in a college of higher education. Data were not confined to the course but took a broad view, including their formal and informal lives and the interplay between them. What the informants faced and how they changed are all clearly illustrated. The students' experiences are described and analysed using a concept of transformation as achievement and process. This concept is compared with other theories of transformation in the educational literature. It is argued that the students faced three phases of exposure: social exposure, the need to be accepted in a new setting; academic exposure, having to take seriously the formal judgements of tutors and sustain the will to study; and the 'final' phase of personal exposure, self- awareness and letting go of dependence. Commitment, routine and support were central to success. Although the concept of education which informs it must reflect the values of the writer, the argument is firmly grounded in the data. To obtain an authentic portrayal, the critical incident technique was deployed in an extended way, through a form of questioning, which, it is suggested, could itself have a part to play in the tutorial role. The study contributes to a fuller understanding of students' college careers by offering an holistic perspective and filling a gap in higher education research. It was based on data from a few informants in a small distinctive college at a particular time, but its possible wider relevance for theory and practice are discussed.

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This thesis maps the development of 'higher education internationalisation' through the autobiographical journey taken by way of the researcher's life. In doing so, the researcher draws on the interpretive research method 'Reflective Topical Autobiography' (RTA) to present a subjective perspective of 'internationalisation' and to reflect on the transnational higher education initiatives and collaborative ventures that have led to the development of (entrepreneurial) cross-border higher education from the early 1980' s through to the present A bibliometric study of the 'higher education internationalisation' literature is also undertaken, which shows the quantitative output of this topic over the course of three decades. As first-person, subjective accounts of 'higher education internationalisation' were found to be non-existent in the literature surveyed between 1980 and the present, this thesis aims to fill this void and to complement the abundant store of third-person, objective accounts. In doing so, the goal of this thesis is to determine whether a first-person perspective of 'higher education internationalisation' can both contribute to the knowledge-store of this topic and provide a sound epistemic footing for investigating 'higher education internationalisation'. Moreover, as this is the first time RTA is being used to investigate 'higher education internationalisation', the effectiveness of RT A as a research methodology in providing a solid framework for investigating first-person perspectives and reflecting on shareable understandings of 'higher education internationalisation' will be investigated. Likewise, the potential of autobiographical data to generate 'knowledge' within the research process, and at what point self-study becomes research, will be determined. Furthermore, this thesis aims to establish what lessons about 'higher education internationalisation' can be learnt and what knowledge can be generated by looking reflectively at lives in which 'higher education internationalisation' has played a defining role. Finally, this thesis examines the themes about 'higher education internationalisation' that are revealed through the research process.

International students are transient visitors to our academic communities yet they form an integral part of the social context of Higher Education in the UK. Although individually these students remain in UK universities for a limited period of time, as a group they are always present on campuses and in classrooms and are therefore a significant element of the social and cultural landscape of Higher Education. Some research has focused upon how international students benefit and improve the quality of academic and social exchange within the classroom and on campus (Volet and Ang, 1998). However, there has been only limited research that has considered international students' friendship groups (Bochner, 1977, Black et al, 1991) and qualitative studies that relate social networks of international students and learning are rare. The aim of this study was to analyse the role of socio-cultural context in the academic and personal experience of a group of international students in order to investigate how these students' social networks contributed to the development of their personal and learning experience. This study sought to explore the factors that were involved in the international student's development of social networks both in their academic activity and the activities that surround their learning experience. The study was approached using a qualitative framework, employing semi-structured interviews and an extensive observation scheme. The research did not begin with a formulated hypothesis and both issues and theory were allowed to emerge throughout the pilot study and the main data collection. As the study progressedit becamea pparentt hat the international studentsi n the study were part of a strong and supportive network that resembled a community of practice. It appeared that ' this purposeful and highly motivated international community was developed as a means of replacing social capital that was lost in transition from their home context. Through their contact with the international network (UK students appeared to be peripheral to this network) the students seemed to develop a view of themselves as part ofa global community. It is the suggestion of this study that international students' participation in a network that is made up of a majority of international, non-UK members should not be seen as a deficit. The students in this study viewed their international community as an important part of their learning experience. However, it may be that universities need to strengthen their emphasis on the social context of learning in order that all students and staff may benefit from the perspective that contact with an international community can bring.

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Set in the context of a Post-92 university college Education Studies department, this thesis investigates how new undergraduates might be supported in the transition to Higher Education. It describes an intervention informed by research into Academic Literacies that was undertaken in a first year, first semester module. The intervention aimed to scaffold participation in academic practice, and in particular academic literacy practice, in collaborative workshops within the context of the module content. The methodological approach combines action research with aspects of ethnography to produce ‘ethnographic action research’. Drawing on the work of Lave & Wenger, students working in groups are conceptualised as academic student communities of practice, and audio recordings of students engaged in collaborative activities provide evidence of their lived experience of the module in three domains: what they do; what they know; and how they position themselves in relation to academic practice. The findings show how talk about practice, within the context of participation in practice, is instrumental to change in all three domains: the negotiation of distinctly ‘academic’ ways of working in groups; the construction of meaning in the relationship between what is known about academic practice and what is done; and, the construction of the self as academic. I conclude that Higher Education pedagogical arrangements need to build communities that talk about practice and consider how such an approach responds to future challenges.

This study explores students’ sense of belonging through the accounts of nineteen undergraduate students studying at an inner city post-1992 university. Participants' accounts were obtained through semi-structured interviews conducted at three key points during their first year of study. The resulting analysis is influenced by Bourdieu's concepts of habitus, field, capital and knowledge of the rules of the game, which are used to explore the impact of student dispositions on their experiences and perceptions of belonging. The study shows that university can be a particularly challenging place for students from non-traditional backgrounds and it questions the view that belonging is about individual student commitment to institutional values. Belonging is conceptualised in a more nuanced multi-dimensional manner reflecting institutional habitus such as a 'one size fits all' approach to both induction and social provision. The study argues that the onus is on the university to overcome inherent inequalities making belonging easier by encouraging student voice; providing care through help, support and guidance; examining the benefits of small group teaching and paying particular attention to the needs of clearing students. Further, strategies built on unproblematised views of elearning and the independent learner need to be reviewed as participants, especially nontraditional students, articulated both as evidence that the university did not validate them as individuals.

This study investigates the experiences of 16- to 19-year old students in different educational environments: in school sixth forms, general FE colleges and a sixth form college, taking both A levels and Advanced GNVQs, and in rural (Cornwall) and urban (Southeast London) areas. Firstly, a framework for the study was established, with a consideration of the development of different courses and institutions from an historical perspective. A study of quantitative data, relating to the destinations of young people between the ages of 16 and 18, followed, including an in-depth look at the case study areas of Southeast London and Cornwall. This led into the main study, where interviews were carried out with 138 students, including 16 students who produced photographic diaries of their experiences, in nine institutions. These interviews and photographic diaries explored the experiences of the students in all aspects of their lives, including their time in education as well as their lives beyond the institutions. On the basis of the interviews and diaries, students were classified as either jugglers (those who mixed studying with other interests); workers (those who focussed mainly on their studies) or players (those who did not put a great emphasis on their studies). It was discovered that there were more jugglers in schools, and more players in FE colleges, with figures for the sixth form college falling roughly between the two extremes. Several differences were noted between students in rural and urban areas; for example, as those in relatively remote areas were often forced to remain at the school or college throughout the day, regardless of free periods, both the educational and social aspects of their lives were altered accordingly. There were fewer differnces between those on GNVQ and A level courses, although there were more players among those on GNVQ courses. Although students taking GNVQs and A levels reported different preferred learning activities, the subject had more of an effect on the teaching style used than the type of course, with both GNVQ and A level students typically experiencing similar classroom activities. Students in FE colleges were less likely to report feeling tired or stressed than those in schools and sixth form colleges, but were also more likely to complain that they were not pushed enough by the college, and were therefore not realising their full potential. The implications of these, and other results, are discussed, with suggestions for further research.

This study aimed to suggest a model of the activities that Higher Education (HE) students undertake when they involve themselves in the Quality Assurance Process (QAP) in their institutions. Also, it aimed to identify the factors that may influence the extent and the quality of student involvement. The data was collected from a case study university in order to test the theoretical proposed model of student involvement in the institutional QAP. A mixed methods approach was used to answer the research questions. The quantitative data was collected by using the web-based questionnaires with 535 students and 67 staff. The qualitative data was collected by interviewing 11 students and 9 staff, and focus groups with 18 class representatives. The findings showed that the proposed model is confirmed and the students could participate in the QAP in their institution by carrying out three salient activities, these were: involvement in responding to QA questionnaires; involvement in QArelated committees at School, College and University levels; and involvement in direct QAP procedures. Moreover, ten factors were revealed that could impact on student involvement in the institutional QAP. The most significant ones were: communication between different groups (students and their student representatives; class representatives and the Students’ Association (SA); the SA and students; the HE institution and students; and between the SA and the HE institution), student awareness, student disinterest in involvement, and the training of student representatives. The findings affirmed the importance of student involvement in the institutional QAP and this practice should be given considerable attention in order to increase the extent and the quality of student involvement.