In this thesis I set out to explore the area of specific learning difficulties, an area of conflicting theories, understandings, policies and provision. The purpose of this comparative research in such a heavily debated area was to illuminate the commonalities and differences which can be observed across countries. Comparative research in a policy related area has a long tradition. However, Greece and Scotland provided two different cultural and educational backgrounds which made the comparisons particularly interesting. The nature of, as well as the provision for, specific learning difficulties is investigated in this research through the eyes of those involved. The perceptions of policy agents, head teachers, learning support teachers, mainstream teachers, parents and pupils, as well as the underlying constructs evident in policy documentation and literature in both countries, provided the data on which this thesis was based. This thesis seeks to compare current policies and provision in Scotland and Greece, to investigate the discrepancies between policy and provision, to highlight the differences in perceptions about the nature of specific learning difficulties among the different groups within and between the countries, and to identify factors which might have influenced these perceptions and the current provision. In addition, as both countries are members of the European Union, the impact that the EU had in forming the current policies or provision is also examined. The case-study schools were selected by policy agents in Scotland and from a list provided by the Ministry of Education in Greece. Case-study pupils were selected by the learning support teachers of the schools selected, or the head teachers using the learning support teachers files. The aim was that no preconceptions held by the researcher about the nature of specific learning difficulties influenced the selection of the case-study schools and/or pupils, consistent with the ethnographic principles of investigation. The data was gathered through semi-structured interview schedules which, although they maintaineda structure, allowed the respondents to play the leading role. The interviews were supported by observation of the case-study pupils, from which examples were drawn to use as exemplification during the interviews. Relevant policy documents and literature, not only those explicitly about specific learning difficulties but also those rather more generally about special educational needs were also studied and compared with the constructs held by professionals and consumers. The findings of this study indicated that culture, societal and educational context had influenced the perceptions of, and the provision for, specific learning difficulties. This was highlighted by the fact that the differences among the various groups within the same country were substantially less distinctive than those between Scotland and Greece. These differences highlighted the `inclusive' Scottish society, supporting the notion of `rights' of individuals, whilst in Greece the attitudes were focused on `exclusion' and the `protective' role of the family. The educational systems also played a significant role; the Greek system is heavily hierarchical, with a prescriptive curriculum based on knowledge and delivered by common-to-all books which focus on the `average' child. In contrast, the Scottish system has been characterised as task-oriented and able to differentiate according to children's needs. In addition, the Scottish curriculum is designed for all pupils, and includes guidelines for 'support for learning' targeted at those with special educational needs. The distinctiveness of the Greek and the Scottish societies and educational systems was reflected in the different understandings of special educational needs. In Scotland, they were seen as a continuum of needs including specific learning difficulties. In relation to specific learning difficulties the location of problems was perceived to be to a large extent within the learning environment and, in conjunction with the dominance of the `rights' discourse, responsibilities were placed explicitly on mainstream and head teachers as well as learning support. The latter's role was perceived as co-operative teaching and consultancy. In Greece, concerns were raised about the system itself and its limitations. Characteristics of this system were the lack of clear responsibility on the part of head teachers, and the lack of co-operation between learning support teachers (regarded as responsible for specific learning difficulties) and mainstream teachers. The construct of special educational needs as set of categories of impairment, the distinctive special and general education systems, the provision for specific learning difficulties in 'special classrooms' and the locus of the problem perceived to be within the child, all reflected the dominant position of the 'medical and charity' discourses in the society. In conclusion, although the aim of the education systems has been stated as being `inclusive' education in both Greece and Scotland, I argue that the two countries are at different points, closer or further apart, from their goal. However, the complexity of the various factors involved in the educational development of the two countries presented in this thesis makes a linear comparison a simplistic one, and hence unsuitable. Nevertheless, as both Greece and Scotland reiterate their objective towards "one school for all", a goal set also by the EU, the latter's impact in Greece is stronger. EU acts through its role as `expert' and co-ordinator of exchanges and by funding projects to support inclusive education. This comparative research has indicated how studies of this kind can raise the awareness of the impact of characteristics of national societies on an area of education which has common rhetoric ('inclusion') across countries but where practice and provision can look very different `on the ground'.

This study presents cross-cultural research into women's sexuality, and orgasm in particular. Qualitative interviews of women who have undergone excision of the clitoris and women who have not form the core of my data. My analysis indicates that female orgasm in diverse societies is problematized and controlled, causing me to postulate numerous similarities between women despite cultural and physical differences. One of the most significant findings is that similar attitudes toward the clitoris might be invoked to explain both its removal, in excising societies, and clitoral-vaginal theoretical bifurcations in non-excising ones. / The originality of my theoretical approach is to examine various types of social constructionism. I demonstrate its pertinence to an understanding of the literal construction of the body through social practices or social imperatives which determine physical reality. My use of the term constructionism as anti-essentialism also enables me to identify common components of drive theory in diverse cultures, and to demonstrate their lack of correlation with sexual behavior. Finally, constructionism is a crucial element to my analysis of subjective beliefs concerning female orgasm. Interpretation of physiological response supports a belief in clitoral-vaginal opposition in defiance of the interdependence of these two organs, thereby reflecting the constructionist insistence upon reality as socially defined. / The originality of this research lies in its comparative perspective and resulting emphasis on similarities in culturally diverse groups. Female sexuality and orgasm are filtered through social existence. A physiological response can thus be denied or substantiated by social means.

In the last thirty years appropriation has been studied as the practice of reworking earlier works of art or literature by presenting them in new contexts, or to challenge notions of individual creativity or authenticity in art. However, the term "appropriation" is hotly debated in the fields of Indigenous and Post-colonial studies for technologies such as the English language, writing and visual art have for a long time assumed the connotation of 'colonial property'. The object of this enquiry is to explore the extent to which Indigenous Australian appropriations of the English language, writing and visual art, provide -- though they differ widely in terms of themes, strategies and styles -- a terrain for discussing unexplored issues of intercultural representation, epistemology and interpretation. The dissertation offers a close reading of literary and visual "practices of proximity", such as interlanguages, editorial relations and cross-cultural exhibitions, in order to demonstrate that Indigenous Australian appropriations variously disrupt neo/colonial claims of property. This dissertation is organized thematically, and consists of three parts entitled "Interlanguages", "Intertextual Performances" and "Contested Sights". Each part consists of three chapters, which move from an initial questioning of technology as colonial property, to the close analysis of some Indigenous appropriations and non-Indigenous counterappropriations. Situated at the crossroads between Indigenous and Postcolonial studies, the dissertation offers insights into the timely debates on sovereignty, difference and subject positioning. The combination of theories of "appropriation" and "intersubjectivity" illuminates a new path in theorizing Australian intercultural relations. The Australian contact zone is unveiled as a place of Indigenous sovereignty where the colonial subject is ontologically and epistemologically constituted in correlation with Indigenous peoples. Thereby, the Indigenous/non-Indigenous intersubjective relation is recognised as the ground from which notions of the colonial self and other derive and which colonial reifying selfreflection has misconceived as separate.

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Universities admit students from diverse backgrounds and have an obligation to accommodate all the students in various educational programmes to ensure that they acquire relevant skills and knowledge. The provision of Textile, Clothing and Design programmes to students with diverse academic backgrounds in universities of technology in Zimbabwe has led to various concerns raised by the textile and clothing stakeholders. The concerns include poor performance of students, high student failure rate, high student drop out, late completion of programmes by students, and other problems emanating from curriculum implementation approaches used by the lecturers. This study therefore, sought to find out how students with diverse academic backgrounds are catered for in the provision of TCD programmes in the two sampled universities of technology in Zimbabwe, with a view to assist the students and to enhance the quality of TCD provision. The study adopted a post-positivism paradigm and used a mixed method research approach that integrated concurrent qualitative and quantitative procedures in data collection, analysis and interpretation. A questionnaire, interviews and document analysis were used to collect data from respondents. Purposive sampling procedure was used to select 36 TCD lecturers, 2 universities’ quality assurance directors, 2 TCD faculty deans of studies, and 2 department chairpersons. Collected data were analyzed using statistical and non-statistical procedures. The study revealed that catering for students with diverse academic backgrounds was practiced in the two universities despite the absence of a curriculum implementation policy to guide the provision of TCD programmes to students with diverse academic backgrounds at university level. It emerged that catering for students with diverse academic backgrounds in implementing TCD curricular at the two sampled universities was faced with various challenges that include lack of lecturer training with regard to catering for students from diverse academic backgrounds and inadequate lecturer training in depth TCD subject content knowledge and ICT teaching technology packages. The study also revealed that there is not enough university and stakeholder participation with regards to supporting and monitoring curriculum implementation process to cater for students with diverse academic backgrounds. Although there were challenges encountered in catering for students with diverse academic backgrounds, the study reveals that there are pockets of good practice in some curriculum implementation strategies implemented by the two institutions such as use of student centered teaching and instructional approaches, university support and lecturer commitment to assist the students. The study findings conclude that although catering for TCD students with diverse academic backgrounds was being practiced in the two universities of technology, there are very critical issues observed over the programmes implementation process that include absence of curriculum implementation policy, lack of training of lecturers and inadequate participative TCD stakeholder involvement. Based on the study findings and reviewed literature, the researcher suggests an alternative curriculum implementation framework for catering for students with diverse academic backgrounds that may help improve effectiveness of university programmes implementation.

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The increasing need to select individuals for tasks suited to their personality make-up, has added to the challenge psychology faces of developing tests which can be applied to subjects from different cultures and environments. Many attempts at such designs litter the history of industrial and cross- cultural personality research. Among those to have survived years of reassessment, is the cognitive style approach developed by Herman Witkin. Intro., p. 1.

The topic of interpersonal relationships and the factors that enhance the longevity and strength of these have been well documented. Whilst there has been a steady increase in the occurrence of interracial relationships, it has not been matched by an increase in studies on the phenomenon and indeed very little empirical attention has been given to these relationships. Leslie and Letiecq (2004) highlight that the existing research on the phenomenon focuses primarily on the reasons individuals select partners outside of their own racial group. As interracial marriages are reportedly more vulnerable to divorce than marriages among same-race individuals, it seems important to examine the dynamics and quality of interracial relationships (Leslie & Letiecq, 2004). The goal of the study was therefore to explore the cross-cultural differences that inform the experiences, challenges, and strengths for partners in committed interracial relationships. In this qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual study, the author has explored and described the specific cross-cultural differences that the couple has encountered in their relationship and the impact that these differences have had on the quality of their relationship. Furthermore the study aimed to explore and describe the strengths the couple has drawn from these cross-cultural differences to enhance the quality of their relationship. A combination of purposive and snowball sampling techniques has been utilised to identify interracial couples who have been in a committed monogamous relationship of at least one year. The sample consisted of eleven individuals. Semi-structured individual interviews were utilised as the data collection tool, and Tesch‟s model of data analysis (in Creswell, 1998) has been employed. This model of data analysis consists of eight steps that have been used to analyse the data. Five themes emerged from the study: (1) cultural difference factors, (2) negative factors that influence the couple‟s coping with cultural differences, (3) positive factors that influence the couple‟s coping with cultural differences, (4) factors relating to cultural differences that strengthen the relationship and (5) recommendations to other interracial couples. The findings of the study make a meaningful contribution to couple counselling interventions for interracial couples, and also add to the body of knowledge on this sparsely researched topic.