This study examines the discursive practices of two Family Literacy, Language and Numeracy practitioners teaching a family literacy programme together. Drawing on positioning analysis and linguistic ethnography, I am exploring how the practitioners use narratives-in-interaction to position themselves, each other, the parents with whom they work, and the programme on which they teach. This research reveals how both dominant and locally constructed discourses are invoked, reworked and embedded within the practitioners’ narrative allusions, with such discourses often becoming naturalised through their repeated citation. Analyses of the interactional and lexical content of narratives-in-interaction facilitate this study’s twin-focus on the social identification of the narrated, and the narrators’ emergent identity construction. Investigating the discourses that circulate about parents uncovers how the telling of narratives not only impacts on the ways in which the parents are socially identified in discursive terms, but suggests that this may affect how the parents are dealt with in more practical ways by the practitioners. Through the sharing and co-construction of small stories, the practitioners make claims in relation to their own identities, particularly in terms of their working relationship with one another and the roles they undertake in concert and in counterpoint to each other.

Postgraduate trainee teachers undergo profound shifts in their pedagogical understanding and practices through the year that they are taught at a UK Higher Education Institution. Using an ‘explanatory sequential design’ mixed methods approach in a paired pre–post data retrieval scheme, this longitudinal study investigated the espoused pedagogical beliefs of three cohorts of PGCE trainees at the onset, and toward the end, of their studies in a primary initial teacher education department in a major HEI in the UK, with corroborative results and discussion from further cohorts. Using an adaptation of the ‘practices’ scale of Swan (2006), trainees’ pedagogical beliefs were charted and described on a created continuum running from transmissionist to child-centred through answering 25 items, and shifts from pre-course to post-course were investigated on two fronts – individually and for each ‘practice’ under study. Two general principles are represented in the data: trainees seem to either make rather more radical shifts towards child-centeredness or more slight shifts towards a more teacher centred orientation. The average shift documents a significant trend towards a greater learner-centrism across all cohorts in the longitudinal study, which was further explained and substantiated by the qualitative comments from participants in the Community of Inquiry sessions that were run.

Autonomy has been proposed by Self-determination theory (SDT) as universally beneficial to subjective well-being (SWB). This assumption is questioned, however, by cross-cultural researchers who argue that autonomy is less central within collectivist societies. The thesis addressed this controversy by conducting a mixed methods study with Ecuadorian and British university students. In line with SDT, the results of questionnaires and focus groups demonstrate that autonomy is likely to be conducive to SWB in both collectivist (Ecuador) and individualist (the UK) societies. On the other hand, the findings suggest a cross-cultural differentiation in ways in which various versions of autonomy correlate with SWB. Self-generated or individual autonomy correlated positively with SWB in both cultural contexts, whereas autonomy achieved by genuine self-endorsement/internalization of external influences was only beneficial for participants from the collectivist culture. Furthermore, the data point to higher levels of individual autonomy in the British sample. Finally, the findings from focus groups indicate the higher importance and internalization of external influences among Ecuadorian students. Overall, therefore, although the study reconfirms key tenets within SDT, it also suggests that the studied variables and their relationships might be mediated by cultural self-construal, which, in turn, can have implications for international pedagogical practices.

The study examined pupils’ and teachers’ experiences of the food and healthy eating topic within the Science curriculum, including documentary analysis of the National Curriculum, schemes of work and pupils’ exercise books, and direct consultation with pupils and teachers. Pupils were consulted using questionnaires and focus groups, teachers with interviews. Data collected illustrated that, although the National Curriculum outlined what should be taught in each key stage, demonstrating progression, errors of interpretation appeared in the schemes of work. Some concepts were introduced earlier than intended and revisited without progression at later times in the pupils’ education. Pupils felt elements of the topic were repetitive due to content being covered in other school subjects and that lessons lacked preferred teaching and learning activities. Teachers were unclear about pupils’ prior learning and although they knew what teaching and learning activities engaged the pupils they did not have the time to include them. Some teachers included concepts earlier than the National Curriculum intended to increase progression. The study recommends clearer specification and guidance of when concepts should be taught, along with less frequent revisiting, supported by assessment of pupils’ prior knowledge and the inclusion of a greater variety of teaching and learning activities.

This thesis discusses teaching sensitive issues in a framework of education for democracy and social change. Specifically, the research examined how teacher-education students in South African teacher-education institutions in the Western Cape province are taught about HIV/AIDS and sensitive issues and how they describe their experiences. The thesis discusses how social change, i.e. the transition from a traditional and modernist society to a society with postmodern features, affects schooling as it changes the social structures in which schooling take place, and furthermore how sensitive and controversial issues come to the surface and demand to be dealt with as society changes. This has implications for the educational framework chosen – i.e. going from an authoritarian form of education to education for democracy based on democratic teaching methods, student participation and diversity. This thesis is built of the assumption that only teachers who are properly prepared to handle teaching in a diverse classroom will be able to handle teaching sensitive and controversial issues. There were two main findings of the research. Firstly, the need for teacher professionalism, defined as teachers’ didactic and reflective competence in teaching sensitive issues. Secondly that there is a need for participatory democratic education in dealing with sensitive and controversial issues.

The research uses a Realistic Evaluation approach (Pawson and Tilley, 1997) to begin to identify and refine shared programme theories that underpin alternative education programmes (AEPs) that support children who are at risk of school exclusion to remain in mainstream school. A Realist Synthesis (Pawson, 2006) of the relevant literature begins to identify programme theories underpinning the AEPs’ approach. Realist interviews (Pawson and Tilley, 1997) with a range of stakeholders, including education practitioners, children and a parent who have experience of one Local Authority AEP, are used to refine the programme theories identified. Supportive programme outcomes included: increasing parental engagement, promoting an effective school environment and promoting skills and resilience in the young person. Programme context conditions and mechanisms are identified as promoting the achievement of these outcomes. The bio-ecological theory (Bronfenbrenner, 2005) provided a model that located one potential analytic framework which identifies the purpose of the programme as ‘facilitating change in the child’s ecological context systems to enable a more supportive environment for reintegration’. These embryonic programme theories and the RE approach are discussed in light of how they can enable practitioners to develop a clearer understanding of how AEPs, and other education programmes, can effectively support children.

This thesis seeks to establish the merits of engaging in skills competitions and the requirements for further education colleges to consider in doing so effectively. This study uses qualitative methodology based on data gathered from two case studies, each being a college of further education in the West Midlands. The case studies produced transcripts from 22 semi-structured interviews with staff employed at these colleges, and responses from 28 vocational teachers from the case study colleges to an on-line questionnaire. The perspectives of the respondents are considered against themes emerging from a review of relevant literature on skills competitions, quality assurance, vocational teaching, change management, vocational identity and continuous professional development within further education. Following an analysis of the findings it is suggested that skills competitions can be used to enhance vocational education. This is enabled through embracing the 'craft' of vocational teachers and their students, within a corporate approach to the introduction and use of skills competitions by colleges of further education. This approach is sustainable where colleges encourage the development of environments that are defined as 'expansive', but is less likely to sustain enhancements in vocational education where environments are seen as 'restrictive'.

This largely conceptual thesis explores the epistemological nature of students' engagement with disciplinary knowledge, primarily in further education contexts. The disciplinary nature of students' engagement is frequently obscured by concerns relating to their engagement with educational processes. A model which distinguishes between different forms of knowledge and which places disciplinary knowledge at the centre of the educational context is proposed. This model serves as an organising idea throughout the thesis. Approaches to theorising educational knowledge, including social realist, sociocultural and situated theories of learning as well as Bernstein's work, are analysed, critiqued and in some cases adapted. A case study of the school science curriculum and scientific literacy explores the principles of recontextualisation of disciplinary knowledge and a key debate concerning the nature of 'authentic learning' is identified. It is argued that while Bernsteinian and social realist theories are useful in elaborating the role of forms of knowledge within the curriculum, these theories tend to neglect social relations to knowledge in different epistemic contexts. An alternative view which recognises the function of mythological disciplinary narratives is proposed. This conceptualisation acknowledges that disciplinary discourses are only fully meaningful in their authentic contexts and emphasises the role of pedagogy in bridging the meaning that is made between agential participants in the different contexts. The fully elaborated model for forms of knowledge within the educational context locates a realist theory of knowledge within sociocultural theory and provides an epistemological account of students' relationships with disciplinary knowledge. It provides a theoretical tool for practitioners and those engaged in curriculum development for thinking about students' engagement with disciplinary knowledge. Implications for aspects of policy and practice are discussed, as are opportunities for further research.

The purpose of this study was to investigate ICT-related EFL teacher development in the context of Chinese national College English reform. Four aims were established. First, to examine the current situation in a specific institution from the perspectives of: 1) teachers' attitudes towards ICT use in the context of College English reform; 2) the integration of ICT in English classes; 3) provision of ICT support within current continuing professional development (CPD) programmes for EFL teachers. Second, to assess the suitability of the CPD policies and practices for EFL teachers as a way of supporting the national College English reform. Third, to identify key issues affecting the effective provision of CPO in relation to ICT for EFL teachers. Fourth, to suggest possible solutions to problems identified and directions for future research. The study employed a case study involving quantitative and qualitative methods in order to give an in-depth account of the process of implementation of the reform at particular point in time. The findings indicated that initially the majority of teachers had held positive attitudes towards ICT use in English teaching and the national reform, but their enthusiasm was waning in the light of inadequate support and training. The national reform had, however, stimulated the improvement of ICT competence of both teachers and students. At the same time, it had challenged EFL teachers to adapt to new teaching materials, student-centred classroom teaching and how to guide students in their autonomous learning. In terms of ICT-related CPD policies and practices, there existed a gap between the current policies in the provision of CPD and demand for this. Recommendations are made for future research and for improvements in policy and practice of ICT-related CPD for EFL teachers in China.

This thesis is my professional autobiography that records an action research process of three full cycles ranging from 2004 to 2006. I follow a narrative style and a first person perspective to present this process in loyalty to the action research nature and my research reality. I work at an online institute (the Institute) of a Chinese university and I am responsible for course design and development of degree-bearing courses in English language education via online delivery to learners nationwide. My job is contextualized in a situation in China where online course design and development booms in practice, yet it lacks theoretical guidelines, quality research with responsive approaches and staff with professional identity and practice. I started my research in 2004 with a mono-commitment -- a real-situation task of adapting the courseware of an "orientation” module of a post-diploma BA course in English language education. I worked alone as both a researcher and a practitioner, only to find that the task involved more than just courseware design - it dealt with subject matter in that online course design and development was a process as well as a product that aimed at the construction of a learning system (the "What" issue); it also dealt with a methodological issue of selecting a research approach that could accommodate my research need and situation (the "How" issue). I started my second research cycle in 2005 with dual commitments – the exploration of instructional design as a subject matter guideline and action research as a responsive research methodology. I led a team of 3 tutor-researchers and 15 learner-researchers through a process of "plan -- act -- analyze and reflect” during the design, development, implementation and evaluation phases of the "orientation" module. Two issues emerged from this research cycle. One was that there existed four major tensions between instructional design and the learners' reality: time design, media selection, support design in relation to interaction and group learning, and assessment design. The other was that action research could be applied as an effective approach to professional development. I conducted my third research cycle in 2006 with tri-commitments – professional development (the "Who" issue) of 12 new staff at the Institute in addition to a further exploration of instructional design (the "What" issue) and action research (the "How" issue). This research cycle revealed that the interventional strategies worked to some extent, but some issues persisted and new issues emerged. Among them, the tensions between instructional design and the learners' reality, and the multi-faceted context of the research were repeatedly recognized. The three research cycles have informed my further research to establish a paradigmatic and practical framework that can integrate the "What", the "How" and the "Who" issues. This framework is termed multimodal learning system design that adopts a design, learning, multimodal and ecological view to guide a cyclical process that involves a community of practice in inquiry and reflection as well as all the major stakeholders (e.g. designers, tutors, administrators and learners) and a product that creates a learning system. This framework is valued for its responsiveness to sustainable improvements and changes in the online education field full of innovation and challenges in theory, research and professionalism.