The aim of the present study is to investigate the factors which influence the child's understanding of angle. Fifty-four students aged from 6 to 14, were set 92 activities to solve in three separate sections. The activities were elaborated according to six interwoven variables: (a) activities in static and dynamic perspectives carried out under (b) three different representational systems: oral (everyday life model), written (paper and pencil model), and bodysyntonic (Logo model). These were inserted in three situations (c), rotation, navigation and comparison, using (d) different materials. The children were asked (e) to perform an action or to recognise differences and similarities between angles, followed by an explanation, or description of what they had done. All activities involved (f) different sizes of angle. The findings were submitted to both quantitative and posteriori qualitative analysis. Cross-sectionally by age, the data indicate a strong trend of improved performance with age. This points to a developmental effect, but the school's influence has to be taken into account. The results suggest that the child's acquisition of the conception of angle has a dynamic perspective as its starting-point. In particular, the children performed better within activities which involved rotation. This does not imply that every child used the dynamic perspective of angle consistently across all tasks. In fact the choice of perspective frequently changedaccording to the meaning of the situation, which could sometimes be depended on cultural influences. This was particularly apparent in the watch arena, the situation which the children were most successful. In a comparison of representational systems, the best performances were achieved in activities on Logo, while activities conducted with paper & pencil proved to be the most difficult. Performance was also enhanced in tasks which required action by the children. These findings indicate that there exist various factors influencing a child's understanding of angle, and these factors are close interrelated.

Earlier studies have shown that the majority of the teachers in primary schools in Nigeria are ill-equipped to teach science. It was also established that most of these primary school science teachers had rather poor background and training in science. The present study was therefore designed to establish the efficacy of practical workshops as a way of furthering teachers' professional competency in science. This was done through a field study of these teachers in their teaching environment. The investigation was carried out in three phases. The first phase involved a questionnaire survey covering 180 primary six teachers located in three of the 30 states of Nigeria (Anambra, Kaduna and Plateau). The aim of this survey was to identify the topics in the primary science core curriculum which the teachers found difficult to teach. It was found that the teachers found magnetism a difficult topic to teach. The second phase involved the mounting of a 2-day in-service training workshop on the teaching of magnetism, for fifty teachers located in Anambra state. The workshop was designed as one of the mechanism for improving the knowledge and teaching skills of the teachers in science. The third phase of the study involved post-workshop visits, follow-up interviews and the observation of the teachers in action in their own classrooms. The visits were followed by a 1-day workshop which provided an opportunity for the workshop programme to be evaluated as well as for the teachers to meet for mutual exchanges of experiences. The outcomes of the workshops indicated that the teachers, as a result of their participation in the workshops, had achieved a greater understanding of magnetism and subsequently were able to teach the topic more confidently. The implications of this study for pre-service and in-service teacher education programmes as well as classroom science teaching practice are discussed.

This research set out to examine initial teacher training programmes for school mathematics in institutions in Nigeria with the aim of establishing their characteristics, quality and appropriateness. The focus of the study was the curricula of colleges of education and the understandings and expectations of student teachers at the terminal point of their training in these colleges. The study sought to determine: a) the characteristic features of programmes that exist in Nigeria for the initial training of school mathematics teachers; b) the differences among the training programmes; c) the relationship between the training curricula and the school mathematics curriculum in Nigeria; d) the level of understanding of school mathematics subject matter among trainees who have completed the training programmes. Data were collected and analysed from three sources to allow triangulation of findings. The first sought information from curricular provisions in initial training programmes, in terms of the knowledge components expected to be understood by a mathematics teacher. The second, a school mathematics contents test, was used to identify prospective teachers' level of understanding of school mathematics at the end of their training. The third, a questionnaire, was used to seek mathematics teacher trainers' views about the training programmes in their institutions. The research drew the following conclusions: 1) There are differences between mathematics teachers training programmes in Nigeria. The initial teacher qualifications awarded by different colleges of education cannot, therefore, be said to be of the same quality. 2) Mathematics teachers training programmes in Nigeria are not achieving their intended objectives because there are contradictions between their stated aims and the curricular provisions for training. 3) The level of understanding of subject matter by prospective teachers in Nigeria is low. Over 30% of student teachers cannot be relied upon to teach the school mathematics syllabus with confidence. 4) There is low understanding among teacher trainers of the objectives and philosophy of teacher education in Nigeria. Most teacher trainers believe that the main purpose of training is to help student teachers develop enthusiasm and intellectual ability for further mathematics. In summary, it is suggested that the curricula for training school mathematics teachers at colleges of education in Nigeria are not related to the subject matter of school mathematics nor to the needs of trainees and they need substantial revision.

This research study focuses on the role of kinaesthesis and motor response in promoting musical memory. The main questions addressed are: What is the nature of musical memory? How is it promoted? Is a kinaesthetic or muscular strategy a particularly effective means of promoting musical memory? The investigation which follows is mainly conceptual, yet reinforced by some empirical work. It falls into three parts: 1) Cognitive processes; 2) The potential role of kinaesthesis and movement as imagery strategies; 3) Empirical investigation. In part one a framework for the investigation is established. The study of general aspects of memory is linked to research in music cognition and memory. A chapter on representation and imagery is concerned with those techniques and strategies by which musical memory is developed. Part two examines the nature of kinaesthesis and its role in cognitive processes and musical cognition. Rhythmic experience is considered in relation to kinaesthesis and its overt manifestation in physical movement. The major contribution of Emile Jaques- Dalcroze is presented, as a study of kinaesthetic strategy in practice. The close correspondence between music and expressive movement is examined, before a chapter in which a conceptual framework is proposed. The third and final part presents the empirical work undertaken in testing the kinaesthetic principle: 'The stronger the muscular sensations, the clearer and more precise the images' (Jaques-Dalcroze) A replication experiment is described which forms the basis for an experiment on kinaesthetic strategy, the success of which lends support to the theoretical evidence presented. Conclusions are drawn and Dalcroze practice reviewed in the light of these findings and the preceding theoretical work.

Most present day educational software has been designed for use as a cognitive tool, aimed at fostering students' learning outcomes and without considering the teaching framework in which it will be used. A literature review demonstrated that there is a lack of evidence about teachers' concepts and beliefs concerning educational software. In order to address this issue a case study was designed in which teachers would need to think deeply and purposefully about the characteristics and features of software. The case chosen was a process of educational software development, in which two teachers, a software engineer, a psychologist and a graphic designer, were committed to develop a piece of software during a seven month period. In each session the teachers expressed ideas and conceptions about software and were continuously reflecting on its nature. The sessions were video-recorded and the tapes transcribed, these data were analysed using both qualitative and quantitative techniques using systemic networks to organise and give a structure to the categories of analysis. Based on the discussion of the findings, the main implications of this study are represented as a model of understanding of educational software that considers teachers' actual concepts and beliefs about computers and software. This model, firstly, shows, that these teachers conceived of the computer as a resource that could replace them in the role of managing students' rehearsal of materials, and, secondly, presents the characteristics of the educational software that these teachers designed and shows the dimensions of their teaching strategies (classroom atmosphere, pedagogy, and learning conceptions) that were embedded in these characteristics (human-computer interface, browsing, and interaction with the software respectively). This model demonstrates significant links between the study of Pedagogy and the study of Information Technology in Education and has implications for the relationship between these two areas of research and consequently for teacher training.

This study seeks to explore English teachers’ understandings of the challenges of classroom talk. A key assumption is that while many teachers and researchers view talk for learning as valuable, there is still a problem when it comes to actually using talk and small group learning widely. There are many different challenges that emerge when teachers try to promote this type of learning. Rather than study classroom discourse therefore, I wanted to focus on teachers’ understandings of how talk works in the classroom. This was the problem I wanted to research in more depth. I start the study with my own talk autobiography. I reflect on my own life in education and my life as a teacher in urban schools and highlight the role of talk, language and learning in my intellectual development. Having done this I identify the questions I wanted to ask teachers. I wanted to hear their stories of talk as pupils and as teachers. I chose to talk to six teachers at different stages of their careers in different phases of education. Later, I return to the teachers and ask them to video a lesson and identify what I am calling ‘a critical moment for talk’. We then evaluate such moments collaboratively. The study is sociocultural in approach. Further, the life narrative case studies draw on traditions of practitioner and feminist research with the aim of making teachers’ expertise more visible in wider debates about classroom talk. The analysis of the case studies suggests that a teacher’s own experiences in education and their values influence pedagogy and specifically their approach to talk. They reveal the challenges of dealing with conflicting power relationships within group work and during whole class dialogue and consider some solutions. The era and context are shown as particularly powerful factors in influencing pedagogy. Today what I refer to as the ‘talk for learning model’ is under attack and the focus has returned to the promotion of standard English. The aim of the study is make teachers’ intuitions and insights available about the place of talk and what they have found challenging about organising talk for learning.

Studies in Foreign Language (FL) lexical acquisition have become more specialized since the development of Applied Linguistics. This study is multi-facetted and aims to investigate and analyse French vocabulary acquisition by two groups of successful young learners: gifted Language Two (L2) learners and young English/French ‘choice’ bilinguals in comparison with a group of L2 learners. The term choice bilingual is used to refer to a specific type of bilingual which is an under-researched group. The research identifies the similarities and differences between the groups in the storage of and access to L2 lexis and in their working memory. It determines what strategies for learning they employ and compares learners’ attitudes and beliefs about language learning with their parents’ perceived attitudes towards their children’s learning of French. The study investigates patterns for successful learning of lexis which may help to improve pedagogical practices for assisting vocabulary acquisition. The research data involve aptitude, vocabulary and working memory tests, and a questionnaire. The reason for the adoption of this multi-set data examination method is to present a coherent and comprehensive analysis of the issue being studied. The thesis contributes to the field of second and foreign language lexical acquisition and presents relevant empirical data. The results of the study add positive evidence to research related to the importance of strategy training and the development of working memory for L2 learners. There is also evidence to suggest the possibility of using specifically designed vocabulary network tests to assist in judging vocabulary and linguistic development. This study is set in the context of an attempt by the government to make a second language a compulsory subject at primary level in UK state schools originally in 2010 and now in 2014. It looks at French as the L2 for British school children in the independent sector and English/French choice bilinguals all aged 10-13.

The thesis presents a research that focuses on how children's learning processes occur when algebra is introduced as a language-in-use. The research incorporates graphic calculators as a means for providing children with a computing environment where communication is held by using a symbolic language similar in syntax and notation to the algebraic code. The use of calculators is shaped by a set of tasks specifically designed for this study. The tasks are arranged in order to simulate the social processes through which children learn the mother tongue. The design of the learning environment is based on Bruner's research on children's language acquisition. According to this, the major aim of the study is to investigate the ways in which the calculator's symbolic code shapes children's expressions of general relationships, and more specifically the kinds of notions and strategies that children develop through using calculator language. The study seeks for an explanatory framework that might provide a better understanding of the potential of technological resources in the teaching of algebra. The study drew promising results that provide evidence for an alternative approach to teaching algebra. The thesis offers a discussion of the theoretical background and its relationship with the teachina method. It also provides an analysis of children's achievements and difficulties.

The aim of this study is to investigate children's developing sense of number in the computational medium of Boxer. Boxer's combination of graphical and symbolic elements afforded the opportunity for children to visualise numbers in an operational way while simultaneously offering insights into how this operational approach mediated their thinking. There were three inter-related aspects to the study, with visualisation being the common feature of all three. • (i) How does the visual structure of Boxer influence students' (aged 9 - 11) ability to program? • (ii) What interpretations do students place on a number system extended beyond the natural numbers and how did they choose to represent these? • (iii) How can the learning environment of Boxer be exploited as a context for developing students' sense of number? Following an exploratory study, pedagogical models for investigating issues (i) and (iii) were developed. For issue (i), Boxer was exploited as a means of introducing itself. This, in turn, meant documenting the issues involved in a process of iterative design. For issue (iii), a model of learning was developed which proposed that the children should construct their own microworlds. Following an off-computer investigation of issue (ii), the model was refined to that of children constructing operational computational objects, and the research aim broadened to include an investigation of how these objects mediated their expression of number. This part of the research consisted of a longitudinal study lasting two years. It entailed case studies with four pairs of children, while the rest of the class learned Boxer independently. None of the children had previous Boxer or Logo experience. The research setting was a normal classroom in an inner-London primary school. Data for issues (i) and (iii) was obtained by means of video recordings and annotated print-outs, while data for issue (ii) was obtained by written records and audio recordings. Evidence from the research suggests that students' programming is significantly more structured in Boxer relative to Logo, and this structure is directly related to the visual nature of Boxer. Moreover, data from the number studies suggests that this visual structure was also instrumental in providing students with the means to connect number processes with number concepts, thus enabling them to engage with number ideas which might otherwise have been beyond their reach.

The research focuses on the analysis of the self-perception patterns present among Spanish adolescents. The investigation of this topic is carried out by means of the development of a methodology adequate to deal with the shortcomings of existing approaches. The theoretic approach consists in the consideration of those adolescents —thirteen and fourteen years old students— as autonomous social agents who define their own personal strategies in a dynamic of interactions with their environment. This view of students as autonomous social agents is refined through the concept of a self-perception system which draws on some basic notions of systems thinking and cybernetics. Some self-perception systems show similarities which indicate the presence of distinct self-perception patterns. The detection and characterization of those patterns is the main aim of this research. The empirical basis of the research is provided by essays written by 116 students belonging to four state schools in Madrid. Those schools are located in four different socio-economic areas of that city. The common topic of the essays was "How do you see your life as a youngster, as a middle age person and as an elderly person?". The analysis of the conceptual content of those essays produces the specific concepts used by each individual. These data are then processed by means of a methodology called socio-semantic analysis, which combines Q-analysis and Multidimensional Scaling. The outcome of this methodology is a set of socio-semantic maps in which concepts and individuals appear located according to their socio-semantic distances. The interpretation of those maps allows for abstract different patterns of self-perception in the sample: profession centred pattern, a family centred pattern and a dual or conflictive pattern, which is characteristic of some girls. The sociological significance of the notion of self-perception patterns stems from the fact that the considerations of the specific patterns that are at work in a given social environment —in this case an educational environment— may be instrumental in explaining the behaviour of the agents acting within those environments.