This thesis considers the student voice in relation to higher education and its delivery in further education colleges and the implications for leaders in the sector. It considers differences in perception and choice between widening participation students, using questionnaires, focus groups and interviews to compare two student groups undertaking full-time study of either a bachelors or a foundation degree, one group studying in a university and another group studying in a college setting. The findings inform our understanding of why some non-traditional students choose colleges and others university for their higher education. The mind-set at the stage of decision-making is already different and students are prioritising whether the present or the future is most important. Those students choosing university are future-orientated, risk-managers with a transformational approach to education. They have clear expectations of their HE experience and an understanding of the wider university experience and the delayed benefits. They are likely to be embedded choosers with a secure learner identity. Those students choosing colleges are orientated in the present, risk-averse with an instrumental approach to education. They are accepting of a different experience, with fewer expectations. They are likely to be pseudo-embedded or contingent choosers with a tentative learner identity.

This research identifies the assumptions underpinning Different discourses about literacy and investigates their impact on the professional values of adult literacy Practitioners. Four key discourses are identified, ‘Literacy as skills’, ‘literacy as an experiential process’, ‘literacy as a social practice’, and ‘literacy as a critical transformation process’. The research explores the philosophical roots of these different discourses, and also those of the different learning theories which act as a framework for the teaching and learning of literacy. Informed by a postmodern perspective, based on Lyotard’s (1984) concepts of ‘meta-narratives’, ‘little narratives’, ‘language games’, and ‘the differend’, the research ‘brings life’ to the literacy discourses by using the ‘professional narratives’ of adult literacy practitioners as data. These are presented as a number of individual case studies. The findings clearly indicate that the ‘literacy-as-skills’ discourse, imposed by policy-makers and now embedded in the power structures of educational institutions, is not supported by this particular group of research participants, who are strongly orientated towards the ‘literacy as a social practice’ and the ‘literacy as an experiential process’ approaches.

The purpose of this research is to identify the influence of emotion on Margaret Archer's 'Modes of Reflexivity' (2003, 2007, 2012). As such, the study scrutinises, critiques and utilises as a framework for analysis, the behaviours and perspectives identified by Margaret Archer in her modes of reflexivity research. The philosophical approach adopted includes a predominantly sociological social constructionist ontology and epistemology. The context within which this study is set is the UK higher education environment, and specifically within Business and Management doctoral study. The twelve research participants involved in this study were all working towards the completion of either part-time or full-time doctorates over the fifteen month data collection period. At the heart of this research is the consideration of 'emotional reflexivity' (Burkitt, 2012; Holmes, 2015) and its potential relevance within Archer's modes of reflexivity research. In a bid to address these theorists' positions and their claims that considerations of emotion are largely missing from Archer's work, this research aims to make explicit the relationship between emotion and reflexivity specifically within Archer's modes. Attention is paid to when and how emotion is involved in the reflexive deliberations of the participants involved in this study.

This study investigates how and to what extent following a training programme at postgraduate level affects trainee translators’ perception of translation problems and the way they justify their decisions. This study explores how trainee translators describe the strategies they used to identify translation problems and the justification of the decisions made, as well as to what extent trainee translators integrate the theoretical knowledge acquired throughout the course into translation practice. The one-year master’s degree programme in Translation Studies at the University of Birmingham was used as a case study to undertake this research. Data was collected at different stages throughout the academic year (2012-2013). The research techniques used in this case study consisted primarily of a translation task completed by trainee translators and accompanied by forms to comment on translation problems and translation strategies. The task was followed, in some cases, by retrospective interviews. Textual analysis using the appraisal system developed by Martin and White (2005) was used to examine the stance trainee translators adopted in describing their strategies. This study suggests that translation training, in particular theoretical knowledge of translation acquired throughout the programme, has an impact on the trainees’ perception of translation problems and the manner in which they justify translation strategies. The present study also advances a new hypothesis: trainee translators become more objective and assertive in the justification of their solutions as a consequence of following a translation training programme.

This work examines the effects of playing commercial video games on the development of the student abilities referred to as 'graduate attributes'. Graduate attributes are those generic skills such as critical thinking, communication, resourcefulness or adaptability which are considered desirable in graduates, particularly where employability is concerned. However, most Higher Education courses have not hitherto been explicitly designed to teach or develop these attributes. Many commercial video games, on the other hand, require players to exercise a range of such skills and competences in order to progress; for example, communicating with fellow players in order to succeed in a team-based multiplayer title. Despite suggestions from scholars including James Paul Gee, Kurt Squire, and John Seely Brown that games may be of educational and developmental benefit to players, there exists little empirical evidence for the efficacy of using commercial video games to develop these skills. The work described here addresses this lack of evidence and proposes a positive correlation between the development of specific skills and the playing of video games in a university environment. Three distinct studies are described: a small pilot study, the main experimental study, and a large cross-sectional survey. The pilot study indicated that of the attributes identified by the host institution, effective communication, adaptability, and resourcefulness were the most promising candidates for further study. The pilot was also used to identify instruments suitable for the measurement of these attributes. For the main experimental study, undergraduate students in the first and second of four years in the College of Arts were randomly assigned to either an intervention (N = 16) or a control group (N = 20). Previously validated survey-based instruments designed to measure adaptability, resourcefulness, and communication skill were administered to both groups at the beginning and at the end of the eight-week study, over the course of which the intervention group played specified video games under controlled conditions. A large effect size was observed, with mean score change 1.1, 1.15, and 0.9 standard deviations more positive in the intervention group than the control on communication, adaptability, and resourcefulness scales respectively (p = 0.004, p = 0.002, and p = 0.013 for differences in groups by unpaired t-test). A second communication measure revealed generally positive score changes for the intervention group, but the difference between control and intervention was not statistically significant. The large effect size and statistical significance of these results supported the hypothesis that playing video games can improve self-reported graduate skills. Qualitative analysis of post-intervention interviews with study participants further supported the hypothesis, and offers insight into how students perceive the potential benefits of playing video games in a university context. Interview data revealed that, in particular, students see value in exercising the communication, collaboration, and problem solving skills that are required to succeed in a commercial video game. It was also found that participants valued the opportunity to relieve stress afforded by playing video games on campus, and that playing games also allowed for players to consider wider ethical, social, and cultural issues. A large (N = 2145) survey of students' existing game play habits and attribute attainment was also conducted in order to gain insight into how the results of the laboratory-based study compared to the student population in general. The survey revealed that the effects on graduate attribute attainment observed in the experimental study were not observable in relation to existing game play habits. Indeed, non-players were often found to score best on self-report measures of graduate skills. While no causal relationship can be inferred from these survey data, it appears likely that the most effective means by which games can be used to develop such skills at university level is to deploy them in a formal learning environment, such as that described here. Furthermore, the survey revealed that the skills gained by undergraduates over their four-year degree were relatively slight, compared to the gains measured over the course of the eight-week game-based intervention. This study suggests that a game-based intervention of the type described here can be effective in developing certain graduate attributes, and indicates that such attributes may be developed in a relatively short space of time, contrary to the tacit assumption that they can only be acquired slowly over an entire degree programme.

This thesis investigates workplace and organisational learning over the period 2000-2010 in a Belgian development agency (VVOB), involved in the implementation of educational development projects. It explores some of the structural causes of the perceived learning deficit at the project and the agency-wide level, and links it with similar findings in other development agencies. For the project level, two case studies in Zimbabwe (ZimPATH and St2eep) were selected in which the project's management invested significantly in team learning. These practices were put against the learning support activities that the head office was catering for. The study follows a qualitative case-study design inspired by phronetic-based research (Flyvbjerg, 2001), and utilises a mixed method approach to data collection involving a variety of research instruments. The author of the thesis worked in different positions in the field and in the head office (1997-2007). An improved version of the concept of learning patterns (Sterck, 2004) is introduced to gain insights in the tenacity of learning practices. It is derived from an in-depth analysis of the underlying characteristics of the formal and informal learning activities. Important drivers of the observed learning patterns are argued to be axiological in nature. These result in strongly diverging views about why learning should happen, what should be learned, and how learning should be organised. These views are captured and analysed through a newly constructed concept, the learning support framework. The findings for project level learning are multiple and point at the importance of both intra-organisational and external factors. The working environment of the two case study projects was characterised by internal (micro-political) and external (institutional and socio-economic) sources of pressure that seriously complicated learning processes. However, evidence is provided that both project teams managed to develop powerful learning processes. The ‘situated' learning patterns of ZimPATH and St2eep shared a view of learning as a strategy to deal with the complexity of work. Knowledge was regarded as a process, with a focus on knowledge creation and the use of local knowledge. Both projects integrated learning in their daily practice via the extensive use of social learning practices and by creating conducive conditions for implicit learning. The bulk of these practices was going under the radar in the head office. It treated implicit learning rather passively and it hardly addressed the structural factors hindering such learning. As a consequence, teams without skills and insights into workplace learning were largely left on their own. The analysis of agency-wide learning in VVOB confirms research that indicates that ‘tacit knowledge does not travel easily' (Gertler, 2003, p.84). The strong bias towards vertical learning processes, ICT-solutions and the codification of knowledge created a bureaucratic learning pattern. It did not stop VVOB from entering into a profound crisis. A severe institutional emergency, triggered by external pressure of back donors and institutional partners in the years 2005 and 2006, together with changes in the management brought the momentum for change. The resulting improvements in learning at the field level were, however, not replicated for agency-wide learning. This is linked in the thesis with a lack of ‘institutional proximity' (Gertler, 2003). Initiatives introducing changes in existing learning practices are deemed to face fierce resistance unless they take into account crucial internal factors (such as the configuration of views, interests and history with regard to knowledge and learning), and various external causes of pressure. An alternative 3 step approach is proposed. In conclusion, unless development agencies and back-donors become more responsive towards the challenges of sharing tacit knowledge across organisational, institutional, cultural and power divides, projects like ZimPATH and St2eep are likely to remain pockets of innovation.

This thesis examines the learning experiences of fourteen mature women entrants who successfully completed a Higher National Diploma or degree in a Further Education College in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. The women were all from non-traditional backgrounds in that they had left school with few or no qualifications and had returned to education later in life. They all had other competing demands on their time such as families, partners and employment and they were the first generation of their family to gain a Higher Education (HE) qualification. The focus of the study is on the one hand to give a voice to the women and to let them talk and interpret their experience of early education and then of college. On the other hand it focuses on what we, as adult educators, can learn from the successful journeys of non-traditional women entrants and how this can inform our professional practice. The students were interviewed using semi structured interviews in order to ascertain how they accessed education as adults, the difficulties they encountered and the coping strategies that helped them successfully complete their studies. Liminality was used as a heuristic tool to examine the women’s educational journeys. Concepts of identity, transformative learning and resilience were explored through their personal narratives. It appears from the findings that gender still adversely affects choice. For women this means less choice of what to do and when to do it. Whilst the women attempt to shape their own biographies anew through education, this is done against a background where their domestic responsibilities still take precedence. Despite this, the supportive and trusting relationship with lecturers contributed to the efficacy of the learning experience, as did the incremental route from FE into HE. For some women the presence of a supportive partner or a significant other appears to have played a part in their success. In terms of professional practice, an understanding of the women’s journeys is essential if we are to put systems in place to effectively support them and to help them stay. Consideration of this may also help in navigating the tenuous and unsettling journeys which the women take in actually getting to college in the first place. Finally, as adult educators, we should be aware and engage more actively with the political process. Awareness of the link between funding and policy is crucial if we are to develop, not only Scotland’s young workforce, but marginalised learners who may not fit in with the current policy priority.

This qualitative study explores the outcomes of learning by adult learners in three different contexts (sites) of adult education. My particular concern is with adult learners who are often socially excluded in and by formal learning contexts hence the sites of learning for my empirical research are (a) an Adult Basic Education Centre, (b) a Family Learning Centre and (c) a Nacro Centre. I use a range of data collection methods including keeping a journal, undertaking observations and fifteen in-depth interviews. I develop a framework around ideas of agency, power and structure, factors which impact upon adult education learners and learning, through existing research and literature from writers such as Bourdieu, Freire, Jarvis and Brookfield. The framework defines a concept of \(powerful\) \(learners\) \(and\) \(learning\) - learning which enables learners to acquire social and cultural capital and to make real choices about their lives. I use this framework to analyse not only my empirical data but also the government policies from the last twenty five years which support adult education. My findings conclude that learning opportunities need to be wide ranging, that few government polices lead to \(powerful\) \(learning\), and that only one of the learners within my case studies can be described as ‘\(liberated\)’.

This qualitative study employed a participatory approach to consult with sixteen autistic students on their experiences of success. Participants were students at five different UK higher education institutions. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, the research explored how they defined their successes and made sense of them in relation to their autism diagnoses. A flexible, multi-staged interview process was used. Evaluations indicated that the methodology enabled participation on both practical and theoretical levels. Participants became co-analysts of their data and demonstrated commitment to the project. The students described a wide range of successes, from the academic to the deeply personal, providing powerful counter-narratives to the dominant deficit-based interpretation of autism. The encouragement of one key individual (professional, family member or friend) had often been greatly influential to their achievements. Findings indicated the need for participants to both resist essentialist discourses regarding autism and to make themselves ‘extra-visible’ as an autistic person in order to assert their rights, with the autism diagnosis perceived as both an aid to self-understanding and a cause of additional barriers. In raising awareness of their own needs, participants contributed to broader understandings of autism, becoming educators and role models. The research demonstrates the importance of insights from autistic individuals, in particular showing how making sense of the autism label relates to perceptions of success. Implications for post-diagnostic support are discussed.

This thesis proposes a critical enquiry into the issue of creativity, focussing on teacher education in the English Lifelong Learning (LLL) sector. I examine the role of creativity in this context and link sector research and practice to an alternative, immanent, form of ethics. My thesis has three parts, the first of which identifies and contests current approaches to creativity and redefines it from the perspective of teacher education in LLL. To tackle this complex problem, I draw on recent literature in the field in conjunction with the work of philosopher Gilles Deleuze (1925-1995). I recast the notion of lifelong learning as an event in order to explicitly relate practice, creativity and ethics. Drawing on this analysis, the second part of my argument describes an alternative, “operative” model of creativity and provides examples of its implication in practice. The films and creative practices of acclaimed director Michelangelo Antonioni (1912-2007) are used to exemplify the sort of “shock to thought” which Deleuze equates with certain types of cinema, and which, I suggest, can contribute to creative teaching and learning practices. I bring together Deleuze’s ideas about how creative “stutters” and “interstices” function, providing a set of interlinked parameters with which to think about creative teacher education practices in LLL. Improvisation, chance and error are investigated from the viewpoint of the ethical practices immanent to them. These parameters structure the third part of my thesis, which critically examines the extent to which research and practice in LLL might actually achieve the ambitious goals this implies. Drawing on Deleuze’s positions on moral and ethical behaviour, I develop an ambitious re-statement of ethical practice which aims to better relate to practices of teacher education in LLL and their creative potential.