Current cries for accountability nearly always result in some form of testing. For critical race theorists, most of the standardised tests that poorer-blacker children experience in schools inevitably legitimise their so-called ‘deficiencies’. Critical race theorists contend that the high stakes testing game is more accurately an endorsement of the dominant culture’s superiority, and policies such as the No Child Left Behind Act continue to instantiate inequity and validate white supremacy, despite well-published claims to the contrary. The empirical data reported in this study were collected during a mixed- method in-depth case study in one diverse high school in Florida (2010- 2011). This study’s findings suggest that far from being a relic of the past, segregation by race in schools is alive. Permissive segregation of poorer- blacker ‘mainstreamed’ students and wealthier-whiter ‘magnet’ students, under the veneer of meritocracy and ‘magnet schooling’, was based almost exclusively on a student’s performance on standardised tests. This study also claims that magnet students as group have significantly benefitted from the induction of NCLB, with black students controversially loosing ground since its inception. The Social Studies curriculum, said to be a multicultural intervention through which issues of racial inequality could be challenged, was found to be fundamentally Eurocentric in approach; offering only ‘legitimate’ and ‘privileged’ white narratives as the ‘official knowledge’. Finally, this study finds limited support for ‘oppositional culture theory’. Although black students did recognise the value of education, it was usually in a theoretical sense, as black students were conscious of the white hegemonic barriers they faced in school. Although traditional methods of analysis could translate the black group’s rejection of traditional scholastic rewards as being ‘oppositional’, critical race theory contends that black students more accurately utilised their Afrocentric agency to resist, survive and succeed within and beyond the institutionally racist climate of schooling in ‘post-racial’ America.

‘Class, motherhood and mature studentship – (re-)constructing and (re)- negotiating subjectivity’ is a thesis which explores the complex psychosocial dimensions of aspiration, motivation and participation in higher education as a working class mature student and mother. Psychosocial interviews were used to explore the lives and experiences of thirteen working class mothers who became mature students at four Universities in South Wales. Taking an explicitly psychosocial approach to analysis, and drawing on the researcher’s own subjectivity as a tool used in concert with an eclectic range of relational, psychoanalytic work, it considers the emotional/affective and unconscious elements of aspiration, motivation and the consequences for subjectivity as working class women, and as mothers and students within the landscape of contemporary neo-liberalism. The thesis aims to offer nuanced understandings of aspiration, motivation and transformation as a complex psychosocial phenomena centred around a web of intergenerational and affective practices in relation to classed relational, cultural, historical, geographical, and temporal contexts. As a thesis it argues that; aspiration, motivation and participation in higher education needs to be understood within the context of real women’s lives and the relational and affective landscape of family, class, gender and culture if issues of aspiration are to be addressed. It considers that paying attention to unconscious processes is central to academic understandings of this psychosocial phenomena, supporting the warrant for psychoanalytically inflected research methodologies. It contends that aspiration, motivation, participation in higher education and social mobility are complex processes containing painful aspects, conflicts and contradictions. It argues also that the way in which higher education is used by the women as a space in which to (re)- negotiate subjectivity is more complex than government agendas of social mobility take account of. Finally, in highlighting and exploring the links between trauma and higher education, it suggests and supports the idea that the potential of the ‘space’ of higher education goes beyond transparent universal understandings. In addition to being a material space, it was also an imagined and emotional ‘place’. For the women in this study it was a ‘place’ of safety and containment but not without risk.

Starting university is often associated with increasing levels of alcohol use, resulting in a range of negative outcomes in student populations. Current and historical attempts to moderate consumption have had limited success, often lacking consideration of the full range of influences associated with the behaviour, including the role of the university context. Reflecting socio-ecological approaches emphasising the intersection of personal and social influences, this study considers the role of alcohol in the social processes of first year students undergoing transition. Through organisational analysis, it further examines the development of alcohol processes within the university context providing the setting for transition and the enactment of alcohol behaviour. A case study of one university was conducted using mixed qualitative methods, specifically semi-structured interviews, document analysis and observations of campus alcohol practices. It was established that multi-level influences act to pre-institutionalise students by reinforcing conceptions of identity that normalise excess alcohol use, experienced alongside pre-transition anxieties centred around peer group formation. Post-arrival, alcohol acts to provide commonality for new students, reducing anxiety and facilitating the development of social groups. University processes which present social opportunities as central to initial institutionalisation, act to support the normalisation of heavy alcohol use. This means that safe drinking messages currently attempted within this context contrast with student needs to successfully adapt to their new role, resulting in limited impact. Findings indicate that a multi-level approach to identifying the complex interaction of individual, interpersonal and organisational factors affecting student alcohol use can provide new insights into intervention development, informing effective practice through the identification of barriers and facilitators to strategic planning and delivery.

Free school meal provision in the UK has a long history, representing an important mechanism to tackle child poverty, address inadequate diets and tackle childhood obesity. However, concern revolves around levels of non-take up, since a significant proportion of those entitled don’t register, or once registered, don’t consume the meal. The take up of entitlement varies by Local Authority, indicating the impact of the local context. Existing research has identified a range of influential factors but by seeking to isolate factors, such an approach overlooks why these factors exist, how they are interrelated and why they affect the people they do. This study uses a collective lifestyles approach to explore the social context of free school meal provision to understand the interaction between policy, context and the individual and the influence of these interactions on uptake of entitlement. Using a case study methodology, four schools within one Local Authority in Wales were examined; data were collected by a review of policy documents, focus groups with pupils and interviews with policy makers, stakeholders, local authority and school staff and parents and pupils. Underpinned by a socio ecological framework, factors at a range of analytical levels were examined. Free school meal policy has been shaped by historical and structural factors, including devolution and this influences implementation at the local level. For pupils, issues associated with the school food environment, food availability, the built environment and the social processes of school dining influence the likelihood of having school meals and for pupils on free school meals, the ability to conform to peer norms is shaped by marginalisation, influencing the uptake of entitlement. Recommendations focus on minimising marginalisation by ensuring confidentiality throughout school processes and ensuring that free school meal pupils can participate in the same school food practices as the wider pupil population.

This thesis examines the stories that young people tell about becoming refugees and seeking asylum. It is a qualitative study based on 42 single narrative interviews, conducted in schools, public libraries and advocacy settings. The participants originated from 19 countries and ranged in age from 12-23 years, with four participants over 18 years. Stories represent a significant resource for asylum seekers, since the process of seeking asylum relies heavily on providing narrative testimony. Whilst there is an established field of literature focusing on the experiences of young refugees, little attention has been paid to the storied aspects of their lives. Beyond this, there are also significant gaps regarding young refugees’ journey experiences and the role of time in shaping their lives. This research seeks to fill these gaps by providing an in-depth study of the stories that young refugees tell and the ways in which themes of journeys and time feature in their accounts. The findings of this thesis are divided across three substantive themes, journeys, stories and time. Firstly, by examining participants’ accounts of being uprooted and in transit, the analysis demonstrates how migration journeys can be highly significant experiences for young refugees, shaping their lives long after their physical journey has ended. Secondly, this thesis highlights the significance of stories within the asylum system and the ways in which young people’s narrative and embodied accounts can come under scrutiny. Finally, this thesis points to the ways in which young refugees can experience a sense of being governed through time as they seek asylum. This thesis has sought to provide insights for both academic and policy audiences about the multiple aspects of insecurity that young refugees negotiate. Beyond this, the findings of this thesis demonstrate the creative and adaptive ways in which young people seek to forge more secure futures within contexts of displacement.

This research investigates the influence of role models on student entrepreneurial motivation. It aims to find out and explain the most influential role model from several possible constructs. The mechanism by which such individuals can influence student entrepreneurial motivation and how that works was considered. As a foundation this research used and extended a conceptual understanding and framework from two previous core studies. These were Gibson (2004) and Shane et al., (2003). The latter work discusses the determinants of entrepreneurial motivation from quantitative and qualitative point of views. Gibson (2004) argued that the, then, existing literature had gaps concerning our understanding of entrepreneurial roles models. This gap still exists today but it is hoped that this study makes a significant contribution to our understanding of how role models influence others to consider taking up an entrepreneurial career. This study is particularly concerned with senior undergraduate business students at a university in Indonesia and underscores the importance of social influence as one of the determinants of the impact of role models on entrepreneurial motivation. Two hundred and ninety-one undergraduates responded to the initial questionnaire and thirty-eight took part in a further in-depth interview with the researcher. To provide a common basis for their understanding of the entrepreneur and entrepreneurial activities, a seperate baseline questionnaire was used. This study found that depending on the construct, the role model, directly or indirectly, exerted significant influence on individual entrepreneurial motivation. It found also that the closure mechanism (as suggested by Sorensen, 2007) which was developed out of the charisma and reputation components of Gibson (2004) was the most common mechanism when a student "appointed" another individual as their role model. This finding was strengthened by having considered the ways that role modles influence an individual and what is the possible influence and impact on that individual's daily and future life. The research also offers an important finding regarding the concept of proximity and the possible degree of influence of the role model on an individual's future career choice. Correlation between the individual and possible constructs of the role model provided an insight into the relative influence of role models and this can be used to consider the possible alternatives to delivering entrepreneurship education in universities. Interestingly, parents had the most influence followed by entrepreneurs. Lecturers can influence future careers in general but not specifically influence entrepreneurial motivation. Although it has contributed to filling the skill exisiting research gap, this study also has limitations, but offers interesting challenges. It is a study rooted in a single culture. The researcher understands that it would be possible to generalise the detailed findings and results to other countries given that cultural dimensions differ (Hofstede, 2012). However this very limitation offers the challenge of extending this research agenda through comparing and contrasting students from differing cultural backgrounds.

This qualitative study investigates the impact of physical activity on the well-being of a group of older people with dementia from diverse ethnic backgrounds. The study is influenced by the theoretical perspectives of symbolic interactionism, social constructionism and embodiment. Participant observation and semi-structured interviews are used in eight well-being cafés and day centres in a northern city in the UK, where people with dementia living in the community perform different types of exercise and dance. Nineteen people with dementia and eight carers took part in the participant observation stage. Thirteen individuals with dementia from the participant observation phase are asked about their relationship with physical activity. Thematic analysis is used to generate themes and Van Manen’s hermeneutic phenomenological approach is used to guide interpretation. Participants from all ethnic groups express positive beliefs and attitudes towards physical activity and some individuals overcome substantial barriers in order to be physically active. Participants experience a range of benefits including enjoyment, social contact and enhanced mood. Physical activity provides the context in which participants could employ their embodied ability to express themselves, communicate, locate themselves effectively in the social world and connect socially with others in a non-verbal manner. The well-being profile devised by Bradford Dementia Group (Bruce 2000) is applied to identify positive effects of physical activity. Engagement in physical activity is found to fulfil participant’s psychosocial needs and therefore positively affect well-being. Barriers and facilitators which influenced participants’ engagement in physical activity are identified. Engaging in physical activity can be easily disrupted. Staff and volunteers are not always effective in facilitating physical activity and their efforts sometimes result in participants expressing ill-being. Some participants find it difficult to perform physical activity because their ethnic identities are incompatible with the cultural characteristics of available activities. A number recommendations relating to policy and practice are made to assist in the provision of physical activity that is likely to support the well-being of people with dementia.

This thesis aims to critically explore how young men aged 18-24 construct ‘health’ in terms of their knowledge, beliefs and behaviours and to examine what influence these factors may have on their own lifestyle practices, particularly, but not exclusively, in relation to food and how this informs their masculine identity. Statistics suggest that as a group young men are the worst at ‘following’ health promotion guidelines and as such are ‘positioning’ themselves as being at risk of developing certain illnesses and diseases such as cancer and diabetes as a result of this non-conformance. Men’s diets are often portrayed as being unhealthy; high in meat content and low in consumption of fruit and vegetables. Furthermore men’s health is often viewed in opposition to women’s and inequalities in health between men and women are often put down to man’s pursuit of hegemonic masculinity. This thesis will argue that statistics alone do not tell the whole picture as men are not a homogenous group, with differences in sexual orientation, class and age, to name but a few. Therefore to help understand the health behaviours of young men better their voices need to be listened to. This thesis will seek to understand the impact health promotion messages as well as other ‘educational’ sources such as the media, have upon the knowledge, health beliefs and behaviours of young men and if these ‘messages’ help or hinder their participation in such. This thesis draws upon qualitative data to investigate how food and health are understood and negotiated by young men as part of their lived experiences and will take a thematic approach to data analysis. The key findings suggest that the young men involved in this research had a good knowledge of what are considered healthy behaviours however these were not necessarily the ones they followed. The men were interested in their health albeit in a way of bodily appearance, particularly in respect of fatness, and presentation of an acceptable masculine physique rather than in reducing their susceptibility to illness and disease. Food for the participants was not something to be consumed in order to sustain a ‘healthy’ blood pressure for example but was something which they used as part of their physical activity regime to help build muscle and ‘keep in shape’. This was particularly important when the body was considered to be under the judgemental ‘gaze’ of others therefore being on holiday and having a ‘holiday body’ was where the display of an acceptable masculine physique was considered essential.

This research attempts to contribute to the discipline of management practice by studying the behaviour of a specific group of low paid workers. Evidence has been gathered, via an ethnographic study of three groups of cleaners in three different types of organisation – clinic, school and hotel, about the employment relationships enjoyed by these cleaners and their employers; and the extent to which their psychological contracts contribute to their performance. Findings suggest that, not only do employees in each case study demonstrate diverse behaviour, but also certain facets of performance are unlikely to be obtainable from the employees studied. The research concludes that some issues facing the organisations in this study can be generalised beyond cleaning the workplace to other low-paid types of work and that using a management strategy, which ignores the present reality of such types of work and ignores the idiosyncrasy of the psychological contracts of the people to whom it is applied, could be unwise.

Aim: The aim of this dissertation is to produce an original piece of investigative research into perceptions of smoking cessation services provided by the TCP in the Riyadh region. Objectives: In order to realise this aim, the dissertation has the following objectives: 1. To investigate perceptions of the extent of the health care (smoking cessation) services provided under the TCP for smokers in the Riyadh region. 2. To investigate the perceptions of male clients and health care services professionals in the smoking cessation clinics in this region, on the effectiveness of the clinics in raising awareness of the dangers of smoking, in order to encourage smokers to quit. 3. To identify the perceived strengths and limitations of health care (smoking cessation) services provided for smokers in the Riyadh region specifically as a platform for developing those strengths in the future. Design: Primary data was collected through questionnaires administered to male clients attending the smoking cessation clinics in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and professional staff working in those same clinics. The views of respondents represent their individual subjective experience of one specific aspect of an objective social experience, in this case the functioning of the Tobacco Control Program. Methods: A questionnaire was devised based on the policies and activities of the Tobacco Control Programme in Saudi Arabia. Convenience sampling was used, conducting the survey among 500 male clients attending the smoking cessation clinics in Riyadh and 30 staff in the clinics. The sampling was purposive, seeking to obtain the views of service-users and service-providers in the clinics, as those who would be expected to be more informed about the Tobacco Control Programme rather than a random sample drawn from the general population, such as a household survey. The Pilot Study was conducted in a smoking cessation clinic run by an anti-smoking charity in Riyadh. Results: The results obtained from both sets of questionnaires indicated in Sections A and B that respondents considered that the Tobacco Control Program was actively engaged in a series of activities relating to tobacco control, in raising awareness of the hazards of smoking and providing treatment. Responses in Sections C and D suggested that clients and staff 3 perceived that the Tobacco Control Program was operating effectively, despite some difficulties occasioned by a lack of resources. Conclusions: The level of satisfaction with the performance of the Tobacco Control Program indicated in the responses was high. The uniformity of the responses may be responsible due to two factors – a relative lack of cultural diversity among respondents, and limitations of the study itself in overcoming potential problems of reporting bias. Given the setting of the study and the methods chosen, this may have resulted in a measure of unwillingness to criticise aspects of the Program. Nevertheless, as the first study of satisfaction with the TCP since its inception in 2002, valuable lessons will be learned for future surveys to obtain data, perhaps based more closely on surveys such as those conducted in the UK to measure satisfaction with the NHS. A more standardised international approach should, therefore, be the way forward in terms of research design and methods.