Higher education is in a state of flux; the massification of the system has brought a diverse range of students, including mature students into HE, and the system is challenged to deliver education to this broad cohort in the context of diminished resources. These changes present challenges to the nature of the education relationship between the student and the education system which McElhinney (2007) suggests should be built on trust and the principle of mutual benefit. Meanwhile Ireland has been identified among the ‘laggards’ (Scheutze and Slowey 2002) in adapting to the demands of this non-traditional student cohort. This constructivist grounded theory study focused on exploring mature students’ understanding of the role of trust in their HE experience. The concept of trust which is at once complex and multidimensional (Tschannen-Moran 1997) contributes to the effectiveness of organisations (Kramer and Cook 2004) suggesting its relevance in HE at this time. My research was informed by McKnights Trust Model (1998, 2001, 2002) and Tierney (2006) and Sztompkas (1999) cultural approach to exploring the mature students experience of trust. In addition to the traditional semi-structured interview my research incorporated a visual (Pink 2003) dimension using pre-existing photographs to assist with the research process. The research has identified that HE is conceived as a place of risk for the mature students, and that the trust that is interwoven into the HE experience impacts significantly on their engagement in HE: it is fundamental to their decision to engage in HE, and plays an important role both in the relationships from which they embark on their HE journey and those that they create during their time in HE. The significant trust relationships for mature students are with others the same as them and, from a teaching and learning perspective, the trust relationship with the lecturer is very significant. The mature students were identified as ‘vigilant social perceivers’ (Sztompka 2006, p.33) accomplished in interpreting the clues as to the trustworthiness of their HE relationships.

"Studying through" micro-sites of documents, meetings and parliamentary debates, this research makes a contribution to a greater understanding of the policy process from the perspective of an insider. It demonstrates how the policy process informs policy outcomes and influences ideas of the regulator and regulation. Taking paragraphs 25 and 28 of Ireland's 1999 Qualifications (Education and Training) Act, which focus on the recognition of providers of higher education, the methodology of "studying through" leads to particular insights about the exercise of authority and how decisions are made. The juxtaposition of policy as rational choice whose implementation-trajectory can be predicted, with a concept which sees its effects emanating from a flux of micro-accidents of local interests, is false. The study presents a selection of stories where the actions and motivations of the regulator are scrutinized for how they engage with the task of choosing whether an entity might become a registered provider of higher education. The stories reveal the contingencies of events leading to it decision and the absence of any developed idea of both higher education and regulation. They also show a gravitational pull towards rational authoritative choice in policy implementation. A further element revealed is the role of educational imaginaries and shifting patterns of governance and their key respective influences on the regulator and what gets regulated. The historical and conceptual context from which the 1999 idea of a regulator emerged is significant. This analysis is relevant for the policy-worker as well as the reader of policy and higher education regulation literature. The 1999 Act was repealed in 2012 and replaced by the Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Act 2012. The research findings on the implementation of the 1999 Act which reveal the shifting nature of regulation and authority in higher education are pertinent for policy workers and those with an interest in public policy.

This thesis is a foresight study of alternative futures for Institutes of Technology within the Irish higher education system. The research focuses on the potential role and functions for the Institute of Technology sector in 2020. A strategic foresight methodology employing scenario design as the theoretical framework is applied. The general goals and contribution of the research are: to present foresight as a strategic methodology; to record developments and present a . snapshot' of the operating environment of the Institutes of Technology, including higher education trends, and agendas to 2010, and subsequently 2020; to present scenario narratives and alternative future paths for the Institutes of Technology to 2020; and, finally, to invite discussion on the future alternatives for the role and functions of the Institutes of Technology. The key purpose is to offer insights that may assist policy makers in choosing appropriate strategies for higher education in Ireland in 2020. The research identifies two significant challenges (critical uncertainties) relevant to the future determination of the role and functions of the Institutes of Technology for 2020, namely the structure of the higher education system and the relevance of teaching and/or research. As a consequence, four alternative scenarios are outlined: Stratocumulus, a dual higher education system consisting of Community Colleges that are aligned with and act as feeder colleges to the traditional research-orientated Universities; Altostratus, a stratified higher education system consisting of National Technological Universities and traditional research Universities; Altocumulus, a binary higher education system consisting of regionally aligned Institutes of Technology and traditional research-orientated Universities; and, Cirrostratus, a unitary higher education system consisting solely of Universities, where a hierarchy based on reputation has emerged in relation to research. Finally, there is a postscript discussion on factors relevant to choosing a particular scenario as a strategic option for higher education in Ireland to 2020.

The concern at the heart of this research is that students are not always able to make informed decisions in relation to course and college choices in the transition from school as evidenced by both the drop-out rates and numbers of students expressing dissatisfaction with their choice of college or course. This study was motivated by a personal and professional need to understand the influences that are brought to bear on the decision-making process for these young people so that I might be able to help them make more informed decisions as part of my practice as a career guidance counsellor. Central to this study were semi-structured interviews with three groups: five students in the midst of the decision-making process; five students returning from college at Christmas, and five teachers closely involved in advising and helping the students, comprising careers advisors, subject teachers and a year head. During the interviews, aspects of the students’ lives, their experiences, their perceptions of education and how each of these impinged on their choices, unfolded through the ‘stories’ they share. A consideration of historical and policy particularities impacting on the development of education, including the provision of career guidance, advice and information in Ireland sets the scene here for the analysis and discussions of these narratives. The term stories or narratives are not used as they would be in an ethnographic study, where the stories of the participants are used to describe the culture of a group in a detailed and complex manner (Punch 2009). This research project is quite specific and the term stories or narratives are used in relation to the students’ experiences of the decision-making process as told by the students themselves. The resulting dissertation thus blends career guidance theory, research and policy in the area and an interpretation of the realities as experienced by the students and from the perspectives of the teachers who have responsibilities for helping the students decide on their next pathway. A grounded theory methodology is used to interpret data from the interviews and a questionnaire was used to inform the questions asked as part of the interview process. Career guidance, advice and information is often seen as a matching process supporting the criticism frequently levelled at ‘trait and factor’ approaches that they are an over simplification of a complex process. This study explains the importance of influences such as the family, peers, socio-economic factors, school and geographical location. The research methodology highlights the different ways in which students experience the decision-making process. A constructivist approach is taken to interpret individual realities for students as they make choices in the transition from school. A social constructivist approach to practice is proposed where career advisors and students actively participate together to make more informed choices. From an interpretation of the findings from this study, analysis of professional knowledge in relation to career guidance, and reflections on my own practice, implications and recommendations for a different modified provision of career guidance, advice and information are presented.