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This thesis investigates cultural content in a sample of British ELT global coursebooks published over the past three decades from a cultural studies perspective. Using a constructionist epistemology, the study aims to identify the nature of cultural content, to account for the form it takes and to examine what a group of Barcelonabased teachers think about such content and the role of culture in ELT. The research design is based on a modified version of the `circuit of culture' proposed by Du Gay, Hall et al. (1997) for the investigation of the construction of meanings associated with cultural artefacts. A descriptive framework, combining elements of content analysis and social semiotics, is applied to four best-selling coursebooks. Their `representational repertoires' are shown to be typified by a pervasive `native speakerism', and the deployment of discourses of feminism, multiculturalism, individualism and consumerism, alongside the ongoing globalizing of content. This content is partly explained by referring to publishers' guidelines and interviews with publishers, in which a discourse analysis approach is used. However, it is only by turning to the literatures on visual communication, consumerism and the concept of promotional culture that a fuller explanation can be provided. What emerges is a picture of a carefully constructed artefact, only some of whose meanings resonate with those of the teachers. Interviews reveal that they construe their practice in terms of teaching English as an international language for predominantly lingua franca purposes. Broad approval for the representational practices associated with gender and race does not extend to the pervasive `native speakerism' or content which is seen as irrelevant to the context of instruction. The thesis suggests that the form cultural content takes is best decided by locals for whom English may have a range of meanings other than those determined for them by British ELT publishers.

It will be argued here that in the Unonia International School many students' language repertoires are central to their lives in ways that differ from those in national schools, and that these students can benefit from an enrichment of their language repertoires. I trace the issues involved which have led to a situation where there is a preponderance of monolingual input to the programmes and curriculum provided in such schools, and a failure to acknowledge bilingualism as an autonomous discipline, a case argued in the text. An assimilationist pedagogical ideology towards English at the UIS is considered inappropriate for international school students, who are seen as living in an 'international space' where English-as-an-International-Language is but one part of their language repertoires, their mother-tongue(s) maintaining a prominent position in their identities as regards sociocultural, cognitive and academic formation. This study is a natural development of my Institution Focused Study, which investigated students' views of their languages. The data collected for the present study consists of discussions with parents, teachers and administrators at the Unonia International School, and is analysed to ask how these constituent groups perceive, understand and value the effectiveness of the mother-tongue programme at the school. Sociological developments in the world at large, namely 'the new capitalism,' will also be introduced as possible explanations for ways in which more satisfactory outcomes for students are not achieved. The impact and influence of the curriculum model of the International Baccalaureate on the language choices of students, of the body responsible for accreditation, the Council of International Schools, and of the body which supports subject committees, the European Council of International Schools will be investigated and recommendations suggested which may be more positive for developing satisfactory trajectories for international students. The aim of this study is thus to investigate the views of the UIS community involved with the mother-tongue programme.

Within the last two decades, the study in UK classrooms of the Holocaust narrative (that is, the twentieth century events whereby six million Jews and many others perished through Nazi policies) has developed considerably. Reasons given for this are not limited to its importance in European history, but include its use as a stimulus to pupils in considering wider social and moral issues. Both the literature on the subject of Holocaust Education and classroom practitioners cite rationales which include countering racism and encouraging active approaches to citizenship. This is despite existing bodies of knowledge in related fields which indicate that sustained behavioural change among pupils as a result of such lessons is unlikely. Notwithstanding the depressing nature of the subject matter, teachers who are particularly committed to this topic often cite positive responses in the classroom in terms of pupil engagement. The research question addressed in this study concerns what pupils may be learning in these lessons and involves qualitative research carried out mainly in three English secondary schools. Findings suggest that Holocaust Education can help pupils to develop a greater awareness of the nature of humanity and the fragility of social values, including an appreciation of the complexity of making moral choices. The discourse within which the teacher approaches the lessons is a defining factor, but she cannot predict the way in which the pupil will respond. Pupil engagement may enable teacher desires to be fulfilled, while pupils may experience a perception of empowerment, deriving from a sense of partnership with the teacher as they confront 'difficult knowledge' together. While specific aims and objectives set for Holocaust Education are unrealistic, the development of positive classroom relationships and the possibilities for learning experiences may be enhanced.

It is frequently proposed that the curriculum of schools, colleges and universities should be more integrated. But what does integration, and in particular an integrated curriculum, mean? Previous accounts have not picked out the underlying philosophical issues. In this thesis I seek to identify the main logical and epistemological problems in integrating knowledge for purposes of learning. The thesis is divided into four parts . In part l, I introduce the problem by pointing to the logical difficulties in subjecting to philosophical examination the ordinary language by which we describe and promote practice. Curriculum integration is a particular instance of this - what is being integrated is by no means clear, and so there is need for preliminary distinctions between different curriculum definitions. In part II, I analyse what is meant by knowledge, especially by its differentiation into distinct kinds, in so far as this must enter into the division of subject-matter upon which the curriculum draws. In doing so, I examine two quite different objections, both of which enter into proposals for a more integrated curriculum. The first insists upon an undifferentiated unity to knowledge; the second insists that curriculum divisions are artificial, explicable simply by social and historical factors . In part III, I exarrane four ways in which, given the differentiation of knowledge, it might nonetheless be said to be integrated for particular purposes: in the logical connections between kinds of knowledge; in practical thinking; in the exploration of some central idea, theme or topic; or in the everyday language of commonsense. In part IV I exam1ne a conception of the integrated curriculum (integrated around the interests and enquiry of the pupil) which incorporates a radical departure from the analysis of knowledge 1n part II.

This study attempts to analyse curriculum development in the general secondary school in Egypt in its relation to the social, economic and political changes that have taken place since 1952. To accomplish this, an analysis of secondary school curricula in two other countries, namely America and England, which have been faced somewhat earlier than Egypt with some of Egypt's current problems, is carried out. Thus in their relation to the social, economic and political changes, the secondary school curricula in the three countries are judged. In addition, in order to understand the nature of these curricula and to characterise changes that have taken place over the period being examined, the major curriculum theories which have dominated educational practices in the world, are identified. Various socio-economic and political changes are associated with the process of modernisation and domecratisation. The effect of this kind of change on secondary school curricula in the three countries takes two forms; first, the need for schools to supply the labour market with skilled manpower flexible and adaptive to the rapidly changing needs of society; second, the need for curricula to provide opportunities for young people to learn the skills needed for making democratic decisions and for participating actively in their society's affairs. Education at secondary level in the three countries has responded (in different degrees) to these demands at mainly organisational level. However, the pragmatic curriculum in America has been geared, to some extent, to these demands. But the same did not occur with the essentialist curriculum in England nor particularly with the encyclopaedic curriculum in Egypt. Thus, problem analysis and its intellectualisation is the subject of Chapter 1. The analysis of contextual variables or causes in the three countries, America, England and Egypt, is carried out in Chapters 2, 4 and 6, respectively. Then, in Chapters 3, 5 and 7, the analysis of curricula in the three countries is carried out. Finally, a theoretical framework to close the gap between theory and practice in the general secondary school in Egypt is suggested in Chapter 8.

Clinical reasoning is central to the practice of occupational therapy and can be viewed as one of three components which comprise clinical competence; the other components being relevant knowledge and relevant skills. These three components are highly inter-related, influenced by attitudinal factors and related to prior knowledge and experience; this makes the assessment of clinical reasoning challenging. Problem-based learning (PBL) is an educational strategy well suited to preparing graduates for life-long learning and the evolving practice environments within which they will work. One of the key objectives of a problem-based curriculum is to create a learning environment within which learners can develop clinical reasoning skills alongside self-direction. There is limited research evidence within occupational therapy to suggest how effective PBL is in facilitating the development of clinical reasoning. This study aims to explore student acquisition of clinical reasoning within the PBL curriculum through the use of a case study assessment. This mixed-methods study explores the assessment of clinical reasoning in graduate entry occupational therapy students who have completed an accelerated 2-year PBL curriculum. A Clinical Reasoning Instrument (CRI) was developed to rate clinical reasoning ability in completed case study assessments, the main assessment method of the curriculum. Exploratory Factor Analysis was used to explore the underlying dimensions of clinical reasoning. Student reflections on learning from clinical experiences associated with the case study assessment were analysed using qualitative content analysis. The study concludes that students demonstrate variation in use of clinical reasoning and self-direction which are strongly influenced by practice placements and learning approach. The study recommends that the development of clinical reasoning in occupational therapy needs to account more fully for the complex and situated nature of learning that takes place within clinical environments and that assessment in PBL needs to be more aligned with the goals of capability and life-long learning.

This thesis explores the appeal that a sample of children's poetry has for a group of thirty children in their final year of primary school in the United Kingdom. It examines this appeal within a socio-historical context that perceives literature written for children as playing an important role within a 'developmental state' (Lee, 2001) - a State where children are seen as sites of investment and as 'human becomings'. The thesis argues that the literature written for children forms part of the discourse that has historically attempted to define, manage and maintain contemporary conceptualisations of childhood. Within this context of adult society's ideological claim over literature written for children - including poetry - the study explores the nature of the appeal the texts generate for a class of ll-year olds. Through the use of a triangulation of case studies, the enquiry investigates how this appeal reflects children's own understanding of their childness (Hollindale, 1997). It will argue that although children's literature continues to be written for a variety of adult purposes, children are able to manage the messages and meanings found within the poetry and create their own pleasures from the texts with which they engage, rejecting those that they individually dislike.

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Throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, Lebanon's pluralisms of multiconfessional and multicultural communities continue to sway the nation to and fro between conflict and post-conflict statuses. Since 1946, however, leaders in government and education have focused on citizenship education as a fundamental vehicle for social cohesion, justice and peace. Understandings of citizenship that teachers and students have as well as their experiences of teaching and learning it inside the National and Civic Education classroom provide insight into the challenges and practices of learning for active citizenship. Across 16 schools, data was collected from 19 civics teachers through semi-structured interviews. Also, 435 students in years 10 and 11 participated in a self-reflective survey pack and class discussion. The first section of the survey pack allowed students to construct their conceptualizations of citizenship while the second section inquired into their learning experiences. The teachers presented a nationalist-based citizenship and an education that allowed students to practice democracy and demanded strategies of memorization for learning content knowledge. The students conceptualized a maximal notion of citizenship and argued to replace current practices of memorization with collaborative and dialogic learning activities. Students also found the textbooks prescriptive and, consequently, hypocritical. Teachers and students experienced difficulties and limitations with the curriculum, timetable and the management of emotions during controversial discussions. Students and teachers in Lebanon have, for the first time to date, described their conceptions of citizenship and discussed their civic education classroom experiences. From the evidence, I discovered the limitations of dialogic and participative classroom learning activities, a catch-22 of citizenship learning and a model of education for active citizenship. The innovative methodology pioneered a participative learning activity and an exercise demonstrating the capabilities of students contributing to education reform.