A study has been carried out at the University of Edinburgh in order to examine how physics students’ abilities and attitudes towards study change during their time at university. This is a large topic with numerous possible avenues of research, as a result the field has been narrowed for this thesis in order to focus on three main subject areas; how students adapt during the transition from school to university, how students attitudes towards studying physics change during an undergraduate degree and, finally, student data handling skills in the undergraduate laboratory with links to whether student perceptions of their data handling skills are consistent with their ability. It has been found that students may face difficulties going from school to university study. Students potentially face gaps in their prior learning due to differences in school leaving qualification syllabi, which is compounded by instructors having expectations of student ability that are higher than student actual ability. It has been seen that students become less positive in their attitudes towards study over the course of their first year of instruction, potentially due to a drop in confidence. In the subject area of attitudes towards study, longitudinal studies have been carried out in order to examine the expert-like thinking of students. Results gathered are suggestive of a selection effect with the most expert-like thinkers possessing levels of expert thinking similar to those of physics instructors, even when initially entering the degree program. Investigation of student laboratory work has shown that there is a large gap between student estimations of their own ability and the reality of such skills. This has been demonstrated by contrasting the results of surveys examining student perceptions towards practical work with data gathered from a data handling diagnostic test that has been designed and implemented as part of this thesis.

The first purpose of this study was to validate a modified and personalised form of the College and University Classroom Environment Inventory (CUCEI) and then to use this instrument to examine the actual and preferred classroom environment perceptions of students and instructors at the senior secondary and post secondary levels. A third purpose was to examine students' attitude to their courses on three specific scales, namely, Satisfaction, Difficulty and Speed. A sample of 504 students and24 instructors from Canada and the Australian Capital Territory completed the CUCEI. The students also responded to an attitudinal questionnaire. Statistical analysis confirmed the reliability of the CUCEI. The Cronbach alpha reliability figures, using the individual student as the unit of analysis, ranged from 0.73 to 0.93 and from 0.76 to 0.94 for the actual and preferred versions respectively. Good alpha reliability figures were also apparent for instructor versions, ranging from 0.72 to 0.90 for the actual version and from 0.72 to 0.93 for the preferred version. When the two levels were compared, students at the higher level had a less favourable perception of their learning environment. Hardly any difference in perceptions was seen in the learning environment between male and female students. There were significant differences in the perceptions of the classroom environment by mature students. Mature students perceived task orientation and equity more favourably than did younger students. Senior secondary students were generally more satisfied with their science courses than post secondary students. There was no difference in their attitude to the speed of delivery of science courses. The sample of 24 instructors generally perceived their environment more favourably than did their students, however, senior secondary instructors viewed the learning environment more favourably ++ / than the instructors at the post secondary level. The study also suggests that instructors at the post secondary level are aware of the changes in students classroom environment and seem to take into account these changes. Qualitative data collected from class observations and student and instructor interviews complemented the quantitative findings of the study.

Pursuing higher education after high school is a common practice in the United States, and for many individuals this process is expected. However, students in historically underrepresented communities still have a substantially harder time transitioning from high school to college, and there are currently an increasingly broad range and scope of college preparation programs that address this issue. This report examines how social and cultural capital frameworks highlight and explore the different aspects of a student’s life that can affect whether he/she is able to access college-related resources. Using these general constructs, this report attempts to illuminate elements that are currently missing in existing programs, and highlight current successful transition programs. / text

Currently, offender education, in general, is inadequate in supporting offenders to progress to university, succeed in Higher Education (HE) and progress into sustainable employment. In the community the picture is grim regarding offender education with little literature or policy to support academically able offenders to break free of low-level attainment constraints imposed by institutionalised stereotypical support mechanisms. What little exists is focused on low level attainment: a little Maths and English and basic employability support. Probation staff are ill-equipped to support higher ability offenders due to lack of systems, limited educational offer and funding systems and targets that are designed to support short-term crime reduction targets, at the cost of well documented educational needs of offenders. What is not so well documented is that there is a significant minority group of offenders who are capable and could progress to university, if they had support, encouragement and a probation education system that acknowledged that not all offender needs are linked to basic skills and behavioural issues. It is this one size fits all education system that is at the heart of poor attainment, progression and success and this has been repeatedly reported through independent studies from OFSTED. If probation cannot support lower level education attainment above the minimum standards expected by government, what hope is there for higher ability offenders to access support and education to enable them to progress to HE? This study aims to contribute to the policy debate in community based offender education in the UK by answering the central research question of this thesis: How do you design a community based offender education model that incorporates support to access Higher Education? Preliminary aims include exploring alternative delivery and funding models to encourage and support offenders in and into Higher Education. This fresh approach to offender education is aimed at reducing marginalisation and increasing participation in HE. The literature review has been segmented into three chapters. Chapter one explores the current situation of offender education, using the Leitch report as a structure of enquiry. Chapter two progresses onto vocational training, NVQs and unitised accreditation as possible routes for offenders to gain access to higher-level skills. The final chapter of the review explores a possible model for the formation of a self-funding organisation formed for the purpose of supporting offenders towards and throughout their HE journey. This chapter uses literature drawn from corporate university texts and case studies of charitable organisations. There are overlapping themes throughout this document, drawing on a wide scope of literature to determine the benefits to individuals, organisations and society as a whole of the development of an organisation designed to help offenders gain access to support, funding and progression in and into HE. Each chapter of the literature review highlights existing knowledge on the subject area and this has influenced the design of the methodology of this study i.e. stakeholder analysis using case studies. Changes to policies related to funding for higher-level education for offenders, attitudes and perceptions of offender education and ability and support structures to help offenders achieve their true potential are required. The conclusion of this thesis demonstrates that the current offender education system in the UK is inadequate and potentially subjugates those offenders who are capable of progressing to higher education, either due to not knowing how to progress to HE, normally due to intergenerational poor levels of education, or due to having other barriers that need supporting whilst studying for a degree. Higher education is proven to change life aspirations, positively affect health and impact on families and communities for generations. Why not for offenders?

The study describes and evaluates how Grade 7 teachers in the Mashonaland East Province of Zimbabwe used the Step in New Primary Mathematics Grade 7 textbooks in their teaching, and the impact it had on mathematics teaching and learning. The purpose of the study was to investigate how the teachers used the mathematics textbooks and to suggest areas of improvement. These textbooks were distributed to all the primary schools in Zimbabwe in 2010, under the donor-driven Education Transition Fund. This curriculum initiative sought to address the severe textbook shortage and to improve the performance of the learners. The study examined the ways the teachers interacted with and mediated the textbooks in mathematics lessons, what material they used or did not use from the textbook, how they used it, and why they used it in the specific ways. In order to achieve this objective, an empirical study of a sample of grade 7 teachers in the province was undertaken. Social constructivism was the main theory that guided the study. Stratified purposeful sampling was employed to select three out of eight districts in the province, and to select eighteen schools from the three districts for participation in the study. Each district contributed the same number of questionnaire respondents (n=30) and interview respondents (n=2). A mixed methods design, which combined a questionnaire, a semi-structured interview and non-participant lesson observation, was adopted. The results indicated that the use of these textbooks raised the teachers’ and learners’ motivation, created some opportunities for teacher learning, and improved the learners’ performance in mathematics. However, the teachers’ low confidence levels in teaching some topics, the absence of regular staff development programmes, and also textual errors had a negative effect on how the textbooks were used. The teachers did not cover all the textbook content, neither did they demonstrate or encourage the learners to use alternative strategies to solve the problems in the textbooks. A number of teachers showed resistance to the use of these textbooks. This study provided evidence that points to an urgent need for the improved quality of mathematics textbooks, as well as an improvement in the teachers’ competencies, namely by placing greater emphasis on the use of textbooks in pre-service and in-service teacher training programmes. Based on the results of the study, a framework for teachers’ effective resource utilization is proposed. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

The study describes and evaluates how Grade 7 teachers in the Mashonaland East Province of Zimbabwe used the Step in New Primary Mathematics Grade 7 textbooks in their teaching, and the impact it had on mathematics teaching and learning. The purpose of the study was to investigate how the teachers used the mathematics textbooks and to suggest areas of improvement. These textbooks were distributed to all the primary schools in Zimbabwe in 2010, under the donor-driven Education Transition Fund. This curriculum initiative sought to address the severe textbook shortage and to improve the performance of the learners. The study examined the ways the teachers interacted with and mediated the textbooks in mathematics lessons, what material they used or did not use from the textbook, how they used it, and why they used it in the specific ways. In order to achieve this objective, an empirical study of a sample of grade 7 teachers in the province was undertaken. Social constructivism was the main theory that guided the study. Stratified purposeful sampling was employed to select three out of eight districts in the province, and to select eighteen schools from the three districts for participation in the study. Each district contributed the same number of questionnaire respondents (n=30) and interview respondents (n=2). A mixed methods design, which combined a questionnaire, a semi-structured interview and non-participant lesson observation, was adopted. The results indicated that the use of these textbooks raised the teachers’ and learners’ motivation, created some opportunities for teacher learning, and improved the learners’ performance in mathematics. However, the teachers’ low confidence levels in teaching some topics, the absence of regular staff development programmes, and also textual errors had a negative effect on how the textbooks were used. The teachers did not cover all the textbook content, neither did they demonstrate or encourage the learners to use alternative strategies to solve the problems in the textbooks. A number of teachers showed resistance to the use of these textbooks. This study provided evidence that points to an urgent need for the improved quality of mathematics textbooks, as well as an improvement in the teachers’ competencies, namely by placing greater emphasis on the use of textbooks in pre-service and in-service teacher training programmes. Based on the results of the study, a framework for teachers’ effective resource utilization is proposed. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)