In recent years, there have been calls for an increase in our understanding of the mental health needs of young people who have been excluded from school and therefore attend Pupil Referral Units (PRUs) (Centre for Social Justice, 2011; Mental Health Foundation, 2002; National Children’s Bureau, 2011). Evidence suggests that disruptive behaviour (DB) and depressive symptoms (DS) are closely linked. Previous research suggests that DB is a risk factor for DS, and vice-versa. Due to the likelihood of high levels of DB in young people excluded from school, the aim of this thesis was to examine the relationship between DB and DS in a PRU sample. Results showed a significant correlation between DB and DS; this was stronger than the correlation between DB and anxiety. Furthermore, the presence of negative self-concept increased the influence of DB on DS and of DS on DB. It seems that there is a mutual relationship between DS and DB, in part explained by the presence of a negative self-concept. Surprisingly, no association was established between DB, DS and academic attainment. The findings have implications for research and professional practice. Efforts should be made to increase awareness of affective difficulties, such as DS, in disruptive pupils.

Developing an ability to understand and use metaphor is essential for successful language learning. While teachers/researchers have examined the effects of metaphor training in language classrooms, they have rarely embedded the instruction into a four skills language curriculum. To fill this gap, this study explores the effectiveness of metaphor instruction in developing reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills for both EFL and ESL learners. During this two-part study, the pre-test and post-test scores of an experimental group of 11 EFL students who received metaphor and metonymy instruction in the four skills were compared with a control group of 10 EFL students. Next, the test scores of two experimental groups of 11-12 ESL students who received metaphor and metonymy instruction in either reading and writing or listening and speaking were compared with two control groups of 12 ESL students. The thesis finds that explicit metaphor instruction can lead to modest improvements for some aspects of metaphor use. However, as different task types, genres, and topics were found to require different types and amounts of metaphor and metonymy use, the thesis also finds that it is essential to consider the nature of the communicative task when developing metaphor instruction.

This thesis explores students’ experiences in higher education in England in the early 21st century. It uses a longitudinal perspective, drawing upon data from semi structured interviews with undergraduates as they progressed from transition to graduation. The thesis argues that students enrol at university with learner identities shaped by different educational and social backgrounds. Once at university, students move through a process of acclimatisation during which they build upon particular capacities that enable them to succeed in higher education. These capacities help students to build robust undergraduate identities which allow them to exercise agency in their learning. However, as they do so, they carry with them varying degrees of risk and have to negotiate the disjuncture between expectation and reality in their undergraduate experiences. An understanding of the impact of risk and disjuncture has important implications in the rapidly changing world of higher education and these, alongside concepts of field, habitus, capital, and academic and social integration, help to explain undergraduate experiences in the rapidly changing political economy of higher education. Focusing on the particulars of individual experiences highlighted the significant investments individuals make in their studies and for whom the world of higher education can be an uncomfortable place.

This study investigates all graduate entry to nursing in England, focusing on the perceptions and experiences of nursing students and health professional educators at one English university. It presents a history of nurse education, debates the cases for and against the move to an all graduate entry, and introduces a conceptual framework based on the influences on, and expected outcomes of, the undergraduate nursing student. The study adopts a single-embedded case study design. Data was collected between October 2012 and September 2014 using questionnaires and focus groups. Statistical analysis and thematic analysis (using the framework devised by Braun and Clarke, 2006) were undertaken on the quantitative and qualitative data respectively. The undergraduate student nurses reflected a positive attitude towards nursing, seeing a therapeutic relationship and the values underpinning ‘compassion in practice’ as fundamental to the role of Registered Nurse (RN). They also demonstrated motivations that reflected these principles and, to some extent, recognised them in themselves. The importance of developing and demonstrating graduate attributes was acknowledged, but these were not seen to be as significant as the fundamental principles of what it means to be a nurse. The majority of health professional educators supported the move to an all graduate entry to nursing, with nurse educators being more in favour that their Allied Health Professional colleagues. There was also clear recognition that the role of the RN had changed and that RNs needed graduate attributes in order to manage the complexities of twenty-first century healthcare. Participants in this study saw the move to all graduate entry as welcome and necessary, although this view was not universal. Reasons students gave for pursuing a career in nursing reflected those identified in earlier studies. The students’ experiences in clinical practice were affected by the standards of care they observed, the quality of mentorship and by issues related to ‘belongingness’. The study highlights and contributes to the on-going debate surrounding the development of nursing as a profession, confirming that the ideals of altruism have not been lost in the development of academic processes and identity.

Despite serious attention given to talent management in schools over recent years, a leadership crisis remains (DfE, 2015). This study assists in closing the gap, outlining how schools can effectively identify, develop and sustain leadership potential. It builds on previous work, using a case study of five Birmingham primary schools, with interviews from Heads, Senior and Middle Leaders and documentary sources (Rhodes and Brundrett, 2006). Findings indicate a greater shift towards the inclusive but strategic nature of educational leadership talent than traditionally assumed (CIPD, 2007). Significantly, proficient teachers are indicators of potential leaders in primary schools (Gunter, 2005). An ability to influence, emotionally connect and demonstrate willingness are further indicative to the profile of high-potential leaders (Hay Group, 2008). Teacher-leader approaches – shadowing and co-coaching – are central to talent development. A morally-connected approach is crucial for leadership sustainment (Fullan, 2004). The study also reveals that, to avoid a perpetuation of leadership bias, long-term development must address the matter of disillusionment amongst experienced leaders. Evidence collated helped to refine common talent development interpretations and frameworks. The study provides a useful model for sustaining educational leadership. It also highlights implications and provides recommendations for policy-makers, academics and practitioners wishing to sustain leadership talent.

The reforms supporting children with special educational needs and disability have undergone significant changes with the introduction of a coordinated system which places parents and children at the heart of processes, with education, health and social care professionals working together to support the needs of children. There has been little focus within research in this area, that in relation to the role of Educational Psychologists (EPs) and on multiple perspectives of working together particularly that including children and their parents. The current two phased study therefore utilised a multiple case study design to explore the expectations and experiences of EPs, professionals from health, social care and education, parents and children on working together through the statutory assessment process under the Children and Families Act (2014) through the application of Activity Theory methodology. The findings suggest roles for EPs, parents and children and support and constraints of working together similar to that identified within literature with additional roles, supports and constraints identified as directly related to the process. Methods of enhancing working together through the process are suggested and the implications of the findings to the practice of EPs, professionals, parents, children and the Local Authority are discussed along with future research.

This research explores the effects of a group intervention aimed at reducing self-reported test anxiety with sixth form students preparing to sit AS / A Level examinations. Previous research has suggested that a combination of cognitive behavioural therapy, relaxation skills training and study skills approaches are most effective in alleviating test anxiety and an intervention was designed combining these approaches. The effectiveness of the intervention was measured using a mixed methods design, with test anxiety measured pre and post-intervention using self-report questionnaires and two focus groups: the first in the pre-examination period and the second following the examinations. The results from the questionnaire showed that, after completing the intervention, participants’ test anxiety had been significantly reduced (p = <0.05), while the findings from the qualitative data suggested that participants felt that the intervention had skilled them with practical tools to reduce anxiety associated with high stakes testing. The findings suggest that the intervention is promising as a proactive approach in educational settings with pupils who have been identified as experiencing test anxiety. The implications of the research for the work of EPs are considered.

Short-term international study tours are increasingly available as an elective academic credit course at Canadian universities and seminaries. My research examined the pedagogy of such study tours to ascertain whether a study tour that encourages critical reflection assists students to synthesise learning to the extent that their pre-existing conceptual framework is modified or transformed. Since all the tours had a spiritual or religious theme, I also investigated the extent to which these study tours encouraged transcendent experiences and spiritual learning. I investigated four study tours, two of which went to Spain and included a pilgrimage along El Camino de Santiago, another to Israel/Palestine exploring both historical sites and contemporary issues, and the fourth to Cyprus, Malta, and Rome, exploring the history and legacy of Paul, the Christian apostle. In addition, I participated in a local Ontario, Canada, pilgrimage and a service learning trip to an orphanage in Mexico as comparatives to the study tours. Adopting an interpretivist methodology, data was gathered from students and professors through questionnaires and interviews, and from my observations as a participant researcher. The data were interpreted to map how learning is occurring using Kolb’s experiential learning cycle and Illeris’ three−dimensional learning model, and to identify what contributes to learning. The research discovered that the student’s localised conceptual framework associated with the home context can be modified or transformed by the experience on-the-ground at the tour destination, resulting in transformative learning or moving students toward transformative learning. To encourage student learning, pre-tour preparatory studies should address the potential gap in student’s background knowledge and their existing meaning schemes, and should prepare the students for experiential learning. Reflective time and space should be provided during the tour to allow students to process their experiences, including emotional responses. And, post-tour assignments should encourage critical reflection that integrates and consolidates learning. To encourage spiritual learning requires accommodating students’ diverse interpretations of spirituality, and allowing students similar space and time, particularly at sacred places, to process spiritual experiences.

This research was undertaken to explore and explain the contexts and mechanisms influencing full-time class teachers’ emotional wellbeing (EWB) in a primary school rated ‘outstanding’ by the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted). Despite being associated with issues high on the national agenda including pupil wellbeing, pupil performance, teacher retention and teacher recruitment, the wellbeing of school staff is a cause for concern calling for supportive and positive measures. Previous findings often describe wellbeing in deficit terms: the impacts of stress and burnout; however, research on what promotes teachers’ EWB is relatively scarce or, in Ofsted outstanding primary schools, non-existent. The current qualitative study aims to address this gap by applying grounded theory (GT) methodology to data collection and analysis on what enhances and hinders teachers’ EWB in their professional role and what interventions could be implemented to produce desirable outcomes. Semi-structured interviews were employed to elicit the views of 5 full-time class teachers at a mainstream primary school in an outer London borough. Adopting a critical realist ontological and epistemological stance, a general, abstract theory grounded in the views of the participants was drawn and discussed in relation to existing literature on psychological theory and research. Findings provide evidence to inform professionals linked to the chosen setting on what teachers think ‘works’ for them and how this could be applied in practice. It is hoped that outcomes will also facilitate further research in similar settings.

In the past three years, the Educational Psychologist (EP) profession has undergone significant developments as a result of the revised Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Code of Practice (Department for Education, 2014). Two specific changes outlined in the SEND Code of Practice underpin the purpose of this research. The first was the change in terminology from Behaviour, Emotional and Social Development (BESD), to Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH), as one of the four broad categories of identified SEND. The second change was the extended age range of which the SEND Code of Practice now relates to: 16-25 years. The aim of this research was to explore how college staff co-constructed SEMH needs in their setting, to offer a valuable insight as to how EPs can best support similar settings in the future. Existing literature highlighted an absence of EP research on SEMH needs in post-16 education, or how college settings conceptualise SEMH needs. This study used a Discourse Analysis approach to explore how participants in a focus group (6 staff members in a sixth form college) co-constructed SEMH needs through their discourses, and a social constructionist epistemology underpinned the approach to this study. The identification of dominant and suppressed discourses illustrated variation in the staff members’ talk, suggesting the difficulties and dilemmas that arose when co-constructing a term such as SEMH. Emphasis placed on various discourses of SEMH was seen to impact on practice, highlighting the importance in identifying dominant and suppressed discourses of SEMH in educational settings. The college setting was seen to hinder and support SEMH needs simultaneously, and contrasts between disempowering and empowering students and staff to manage SEMH needs were explored. The emotional energy required to work with adolescent students was highlighted, and the extent to which discourses of pathologising students with SEMH needs functioned to defend against social anxiety, was also explored. The role of reflexivity throughout the research process, strengths and limitations of the study, and implications for EP practice were discussed.