Before independence, in 1980, the education system of Zimbabwe was organised along racial lines. This organisation of education along racial lines disadvantaged Black Africans in the context of both access to and quality of education experience. The transition of the Black Africans from primary to secondary school appeared to be capped for both academic and non-academic vocational secondary school programmes. Upon attaining independence, the government of Zimbabwe embarked on educational reforms and rapid expansion of the education system. These reforms aimed at establishing equitable provision of education to the disadvantaged Black Africans. Reforms focused on the millennium development goals (MDG) whose aims were to provide (primary school) education for all by 2015. The economy of Zimbabwe, which experienced growth soon after independence, declined rapidly in the late 1990s and 2000 leading to the hyperinflation of 2008. This led to adverse effects on the provision of quality education and teacher demotivation. Some teachers in this study revealed a sense of a compromised professional identity; there was also a sense of a teaching community that included many ‘accidental’ teachers. It was also possible to detect many teachers having a sense of a lack of control; discontentment was high among the teacher respondents. There was also a reluctance to understand the need for accountability and commitment by a significant number of the teacher respondents.

GNVQs epitomise one strand of contemporary philosophy of education. However, a question that arises is whether GNVQs, having built on the ethos of NVQs, abandon all earlier educational philosophies in favour of the competence movement endorsed in the USA. A question central to this study revolves around whether earlier, alternative philosophies of education also have something of value to offer. To answer this, traditional approaches to educational provision are identified and explored in terms of their possible 'ideal types'; these ideal types being seen to be represented by liberal, general and vocational education. To give such ideal types relevance in modern society they are related to significant educational provision, in this instance educational provision for 16 - 19 year olds. A curriculum criticism of A Levels, BTEC Diplomas, RSA, NVQs and GNVQs is therefore conducted, taking into account the historical development, philosophy, aims, the content and the teaching and learning methods of each approach. To achieve parity of comparison the field of Business Studies was used as an exemplar. The culmination of this stage of the research requires that the findings of the curriculum criticism are mapped against the established ideal types, the purpose being to identify elements that could be said to embody liberal, general and/or vocational education. For example, GNVQs are clearly linked to the vocational, their breadth can also be said to contribute to the general, but are they liberal in any way? The findings indicated that the inclusion of Key Skills and the student centred approach did offer some potential for a liberal education. To support these findings interviews and an attitudinal survey were conducted. The rationale for this was to explore and reveal the extent to which staff and students concerned with GNVQ Business held the same beliefs as those generated by the desk research; both sets of findings were in concordance. The final stage of the research programme was concerned with the future direction of GNVQs. Interviews were conducted with education policy makers and industry representatives. They were concerned with what the 'ideal' post-1 6 education programme would entail in the light of perceptions of liberal/vocational/general education. Staff and students were again consulted by way of vedfication of the conclusions drawn. The research concludes that liberal education was considered by many as the ideal way forward for post-16 education. GNVQs were seen as predominantly offering general education. From this one could infer that GNVQs are not, therefore, seen as the ideal post-1 6 programme. However, when 'ideal' elements of post-1 6 education are discussed some consideration of the world of work was deemed essential (though not a concern of traditional liberal education) and the inclusion of Key Skills were deemed important, as was a student centred approach to learning. In the light of this GNVQs have some potential for meeting the desired/essential components of an ideal post-16 education programme. Greater consideration, however, is required with regard to self-development and social awareness in order to promote liberal aspects of post-16 education. A combination of these factors within a GNVQ programme would represent a marriage of liberal, vocational and, general education philosophies and approaches to education; an 'ideal'post-16 education programme.

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is the focus of a great deal of attention, both in terrns of, policy, its implementation and research. It could be considered the most highly scrutinised of all subjects. For more than 30 years there have been many statements made about its impact on everyday life. Just as ICT has subtly transformed the working practices and communication system of the world, so it has been assured to make an equal, and more obviously positive, impact on the world of education. This thesis explores the impact of ICT on the attitudes, habits and thoughts of pupils in secondary school. Acknowledging the potential, and interest in different programmes, it looks at ICT not as an isolated phenomenon, nor in terms of potential programmes and the efficacy of distance learning, but in the context in which it is used in schools. The thesis is based on exploring the ways in which pupils experience ICT in school rather than in their homes, and how they experience ICT as part of their daily school expenence. The first part of the thesis outlines the history of the impact of Technology, in the context of earlier media, and examines the many assertions of its power and the hopes of the impact of IT. It also traces the many complex ways in which the Information Technology can be used and have an impact, and the various theories that underly its potential. It makes it clear that there is comparatively little empirical research on the impact of ICT in the school context. Research on particular programmes and lessons abounds but not research on the secondary pupils' attitudes and experience as a whole. The methodology used is a mixture of observation, questionnaire and interviews. In such a complex subject it was considered important to use triangulation to explore the impact of ICT; from its uses as part of the school curriculum, to its relationship with, other subjects. The most significant evidence is perhaps, derived from lengthy semi-structures interviews (as well as the questionnaire). Secondary school pupils in years 9 and 10 in six schools (with contrasting socio economic catchments) completed questionnaires and interviews. Whilst the thesis explores many aspects of the pupils' experience of ICT it does so in the context of day-to-day school life. The central point is however, the ways in which pupils think of school life generally, and the impact of ICT within this context. Any disappointment with any lack of fulfilment of the great hopes of ICT is perhaps explained by of how schools are run as institutions. They perhaps have not changed in any radical way to accommodate the new technology. The acceptance of the inevitability of computers, and their use in systems of communication (and the pleasure at home) is matched by the acceptance that school is an experience demonstrated by its social rather than academic aspects, in which ICT is just another lesson.

This submission contains eight papers and a synoptic commentary to be examined for the award of PhD on the Basis of Published Work. The papers focus upon the further education (FE) system in England. Each examines significant contemporary or historical issues and provides a critical analysis of the changing nature of FE. Collectively, the publications constitute an original and significant contribution to understanding further education and the social and economic context within which it is placed. The commentary highlights the links between the different papers and demonstrates their coherence; it locates the publications within an overarching analytical framework; and it shows how the work submitted makes a significant contribution to knowledge. It also explains my contribution to the three coauthored papers that constitute part of this thesis. It is argued that, taken together, my work provides a sustained and consistent critique of the English further education system from a critical materialist perspective.

This research study draws on the experience of twenty newly appointed head teachers, those in year one and two of their headship role in secondary schools in Tanzania. The study gathered the head teachers’ experience, perceptions, and suggestions about their own continuing professional development and that of others in schools. It strived to understand how and when these new heads of schools are trained, and whether they receive sufficient training before taking on a headship role. It further sought to understand the significance of mandatory leadership qualifications in enhancing the head teachers’ knowledge, skills and abilities to lead schools. In particular, it argues that despite the rhetoric on better education management at district, regional and ministry level at present, there is still a widespread need for education leaders, researchers and all other education providers to emphasise the importance of school leadership development programs for school leaders. The research findings indicate that head teachers can gain the required knowledge and skills to lead their schools through short and long term leadership training programs and also through accession to headship in schools. Consequently, the majority participants commented on mentoring and coaching, as significant programs in head teacher development. Moreover, the study recommends that there is a need for the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training to increase budgets for school leadership development programs and to ensure that clear policies and directives shape leadership development in schools, and those directives demarcate how formal training for newly appointed head teachers can be achieved.

This Modular PhD research project investigates the relationship between \(nihonjinron\) and EFL classroom practices in Japanese junior high schools. Its overarching concerns are Can traces of \(nihonjinron\) be found in the body of data gathered for this module? and How important are these traces to observed EFL practices? By adopting a social realist approach to critical social research, attention is brought to agentive processes – as revealed through ethnographic means of inquiry – in the study of ideological discourse. In the process, the gaps and contradictions between what people say and what they do emerge as important research concerns, and as points of interest in the analysis of the complex links between structural and agentive processes shaping Japanese EFL education in secondary schools. Analysis of the data collected for this module reveals that the presence of \(nihonjinron\) in, and its importance to, observed EFL practices is marginal.

Educational subsidies are becoming important mechanisms in promoting access to education among many countries. In Ghana, subsidy for Secondary Education is available to all students irrespective of their income backgrounds with the government granting only partial subsidies. Despite the strong political commitment to redress historical inequities in educational funding mechanisms, policy actions in relation to Secondary Education Financing in Ghana appear to fall short of achieving the desirable goals when viewed through a vertical equity philosophical perspective. It was against this background that this study sought to explore the management of educational subsidies in public Senior High Schools in Ghana and its implications for enhancing meaningful access and participation in Secondary Education. Although the education financing field presents a landscape and proliferation of theories, this study employed the vertical equity theory as its theoretical foundation. The study employed the concurrent triangulation research strategy by incorporating both positivist and interpretivist paradigms (combining both qualitative and statistical analysis). This was necessary because of the wide range of data needed to draw the necessary conclusion on effective funding mechanism for Secondary Education. Heads of Senior High Schools, management of the Secondary Education Division of the Ghana Education Service and parents of students at the secondary school level participated in the study. Both primary and secondary data were collected. Interview guides were used in the collection of qualitative data while statistical data were collected from EMIS. Statistical data analysis was done using Microsoft Excel. The qualitative data from the interviews were thematically analysed using data transcription. The study found out that, social accountability mechanisms to monitor how heads of schools utilised their allocated funds are highly ineffective due to lack of transparency. There were weak internal controls and monitoring systems. The releases of the subsidy have been unduly delayed due to government inability to release the funds on time. The subsidy as a mechanism of financing Secondary Education in Ghana is quite inequitable; giving students with different needs the same amounts of resources. There is the need to verify the enrolment figures submitted by heads of schools for the subsidies before disbursement of funds are made while ensuring that the relevant stakeholders are involved in the management of the funds. Government alone cannot afford to provide secondary education hence a cost sharing policy seems to be the optimal choice in providing adequate funds to schools. However, it is essential to ensure that the poor who lack the ability to pay in a cost sharing system are targeted and their education paid for by the government. Again policies in relation to education financing must consider the principles of equity, affordability, adequacy and efficiency. The implication therefore is the formulation of an objective, targeting mechanism to cater for those who cannot pay.

Although research studies are plentiful regarding the cognitive aspects of children’s and young people’s reading difficulties, surprisingly few consider the emotional or relational impact of those difficulties. Those which do rarely invite young people to share their experiences of struggling to master this fundamental life skill. This exploratory, qualitative study used a psychosocial methodology to explore the reading experiences of young people who find reading difficult. A psychosocial ontology and epistemology gave equal consideration to the meaning constructed through participants’ social interactions and the unconscious psychological processes at work for participant and researcher, and facilitated an understanding of the emotional experience of each participant. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with two 12-year-old boys (UK school year 8) with persistent reading difficulties, using Free Association Narrative Interview (FANI) techniques. Each boy was interviewed twice, creating his own narrative in response to initial questions or prompts. The boys were also observed twice in a typical English lesson, using principles of infant observation. A reflective research diary was used to record the researcher’s personal responses to all aspects of the research. Interview data were analysed using thematic analysis. Reflective process notes from each observation provided an additional perspective on each boy’s experiences. Psychosocial research supervision enabled a reflexive stance to be maintained, holding in mind the ‘whole’ person, acknowledging the researcher as psychologically defended, and considering the relevance and appropriateness of themes as they emerged. Semantic and latent themes specific to each participant were identified. Although the aim was not to generalise between the boys’ experiences, similarities were found within the following areas: ‘(un)helpful helping’, ‘believed and understood?’, ‘lazy, dumb and stupid’, and ‘smarter sisters’. The findings provide a rich account of participants’ experiences as ‘struggling readers’. Strengths and limitations of the study are discussed, together with implications for teaching and Educational Psychology practice.

This thesis considers the introduction of the free school, questioning whether the culture of such start-up schools differs to that of existing schools. The research focuses on the extent to which the founding headteacher controls the formation and continuation of culture, and by what methods. The research builds on existing theories of organisational culture to establish a current understanding of leadership of school culture within English schools and compares this it five secondary free schools. Within each case study a range of stake holders were interviewed, and documents analysed to investigate how the intended culture was planned for the schools, and what emergent culture has resulted. The findings presented show an explicit need to plan and embed a new culture and give some practical suggestions as to how to achieve this. Free schools studied demonstrated some distinctive cultural elements, unique in the consistency with which they were embedded. It is postulated these cultural facets are as a direct result of the political turmoil surrounding the free school, and largely result from the external opposition to such schools. The importance and power of the founding generation of staff and students in creating new culture has also emerged as a critical theme.

There has been much consideration given to supporting the post-16 transition needs of young people with learning difficulties and complex needs who have been educated within special school settings, but limited attention paid to those within mainstream schools. This study explores the transition planning and support experiences of four young people with identified additional educational needs, attending a mainstream comprehensive secondary school as they approach their transition into further education or work-based training. It also explores the views of their SENCO, Connexions Personal Advisor and a teacher in order to illuminate professional perspectives. The impact of the framework for transition support outlined in the SEN Code of Practice (DfES, 2001) on the support delivered and the resulting experiences of young people constitute a further area of enquiry. Within an integrating conceptual framework derived from Bronfenbrenner's (1979 & 2001) ecological systems theory and bioecological model, qualitative data derived from semi-structured interviews were analysed and interpreted using thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006). Within Bronfenbrenner's (2001) 'person, process, context and time' model, a range of factors that independently and in combination influenced the transition planning and support experiences, were indentified. The research highlights how these factors interact with one another, and how the complex interactions within and between systems further mediate the young person's experiences. The research also draws attention to a difference between espoused theory and theory in practice (Argyris & Schön, 1974), in regard to transition support and planning provided in the school.