This research focuses on the ways in which teaching assistants are deployed to support learning in secondary schools and investigates the effect of the different deployment approaches used. Much of the previous policy and research literature conceptualises the relationship between the teacher, teaching assistant and learner as tripartite and hierarchical - a three-way relationship in which the teacher has the major responsibility for promoting learning. Key debates in the literature include whether teaching assistants make a positive contribution to learning, represent good value for money or have an impact on educational attainment. The lack of consensus provided the impetus for this case study which contributes further to the debate. In this case study, the theorisation of the teaching assistant's role is grounded in the constructivist theories of Vygotsky and Bruner and, to a lesser extent, of Piaget. The role is also considered in the light of the theories of Bandura, Malaguzzi, Black & William and James et al. In the classroom this means that the learning is not only focused on what the teaching assistant does to support learners but also how learning is supported through the use of specific approaches. The study suggests that some models of deployment allow teaching assistants more scope to work in particular ways which offer more opportunities for learning. Methodologically, the research takes the form of an exploratory case study. The study was completed within the defined boundaries of three schools and seven lessons. Unlike previous studies which have taken predominantly quantitative approaches and provide a focus on the measurement of learners' attainment, this case study takes a wholly qualitative approach in order to focus closely on the interaction between teachers, teaching assistants and supported learners and how particular models of deployment support learning. The case study involved six teachers, seven teaching assistants and fourteen learners from three state comprehensive schools, located in one local authority. Different deployment models were observed. These included the more typical model where teaching assistants were deployed to support individuals, pairs or groups of learners within the classroom or to work in a different location with a small group of learners withdrawn from the class. Also observed was a higher level teaching assistant team teaching with a teacher in the classroom and a ordinary level teaching assistant deployed in managing a learning support facility and working independently from the teacher. Data were collected through a four stage approach that began with joint semi-structured interviews with pairs of teaching assistants and teachers. Joint interviews were followed by lesson observations. Following this, teachers and teaching assistants were interviewed separately in order to obtain their individual perceptions of the learning of supported learners in the lesson. Lastly, group interviews were conducted with supported learners to obtain their views on the support they had received. The different data sources were examined using four perspectives to identify the various ways in which teaching assistants were being deployed and how these supported learning. The case study provided a range of qualitative data from which it was possible to explore the complexities of the relationships between teachers, teaching assistants, and learners and to identify models of teaching assistant deployment which allow them to contribute more fully to learning. The study also highlighted the importance of building professional relationships. It concluded that the lack of planning between teachers and teaching assistants, the unavailability of training for teachers on managing the work of teaching assistants and for teaching assistants on supporting learners, all have a negative effect on support for learning. The learners suggested that they appreciated the academic and pastoral help they were given while also being able to provide examples where learning was over-supported and, therefore, detrimental to intellectual independence. The study, therefore, has implications at different levels - for example, for policy makers and institutions who determine roles, models of deployment and the training and management of teaching assistants when they are working both inside and outside of the classroom.

Quality is now at the centre of education policy and teacher performance is seen as critical to the enhancement of learning outcomes. Quality has become a particular priority in the developing world following two decades of expansion of access driven by the Education for All (EFA) movement. Teacher quality, performance and effectiveness are widely thought to be dependent on a complex combination of competency and motivation. However, studies have remained heavily focused on competency-related issues, resulting in the neglect of a deeper understanding of motivation in relation to incentives and context. This omission is particularly glaring in the case of research on developing countries – and Cambodia, the focus of the present study, is no exception. This study therefore investigates the complex relationship between teacher motivation and incentives on the one hand, and motivation and context on the other, exploring how teacher characteristics mediate these relationships. This study defines the ‘motivated teacher' as an individual who strives for goals that are closely associated with those of the school in which he or she teaches. To examine these relationships, the study employs a mixed methods approach, combining analysis of national survey data and semi-structured interviews; drawing on responses from a survey of 676 teachers, classroom observations of 284 teachers, and follow-up interviews with 18 teachers. Quantitative datasets reveal larger patterns of association between teacher incentives and motivation, and the qualitative dataset offers a deeper understanding of the phenomenon. This mixed methods approach itself is seen as one part of the contribution of this research: it helps deepen and enrich current understandings of teacher motivation, opening the door for policies that are more sensitive to diverse contexts. The study found that the meeting of basic needs such as an adequate working environment and living salary was insufficient to satisfy most Cambodian teachers. Indeed, it emerged that salary levels were as low as those of factory workers, a situation that leads to the perceived low social status of teachers. Moreover, the data indicate that while teachers – particularly those who work in rural and remote areas – do identify the work environment as a critical motivator, this in itself cannot guarantee sustained motivation. Beyond such basic incentives, the active support of the school director was identified as the most significant motivator across age groups and regions. Two additional factors were also found to be significant, but differed according to age group: firstly, recognition from community and colleagues is most important to mid-career teachers; and secondly, professional development opportunities represent a strong motivator among newly assigned teachers. Within this complex nexus of incentives and motivation, the study found initial intrinsic commitment and motivation to become a teacher to be a consistently powerful factor in shaping higher motivation throughout a teacher's career. This was associated with the impact of incentives on motivation; indeed, the data suggest that newly assigned teachers tend to have higher intrinsic motivation than those who have been in the profession for more than ten years. Thus, the thesis proposes that the same incentives can have different effects on teacher motivation, depending on whether or not the individual is intrinsically driven to enter the profession, and on his or her length of service. The thesis concludes by proposing the following education policy reforms: (i) improvement of basic working conditions and a raise in the salary level; (ii) strengthening of instructional support; (iii) revision of entry requirements for the ‘good teacher award', with greater focus on mid-career teachers; (iv) greater provision of in-service training, as well as induction support for new teachers; and (v) reformation of the current entrance examination for teacher training institutions with greater emphasis on strong intrinsic motivation. Finally, this study seeks to open up further avenues for future research in the area of intrinsic teacher motivation by identifying the phenomenon as a contributory factor in education delivery, and drawing attention to how this variable has hitherto been absent from research on developing countries.

There is a growing body of research that suggests that participating in collaborative, long-term continuing professional development (CPD) is the most effective type of CPD for teachers. An example of such CPD is a teacher learning community (TLC) where a group of teachers work together in school to discuss pedagogy and practice, observe each other in the classroom and feedback, all of this is done with the intention of improving student outcomes. This case study follows 12 teachers and their experience of a TLC over one academic year at a secondary school in south east England. The focus of the case study was to find out how teachers learn in a TLC, how the TLC contributes to their professional learning, what are the outcomes of the TLC, the essential elements plus the strengths and limitations of the TLC and finally, what elements of a TLC and teacher learning from this project might be transferable to other schools. As an insider-researcher and member of the Senior Leadership Team, I collected qualitative data to uncover what goes on within the TLC and beyond it in order to understand how teachers learn in a TLC. The data sets consisted of ethnographic participant-observer notes, before and after interviews with five teacher participants, survey data and also interviews with teachers who had taken part in TLCs that had run in previous academic years. Key contributions to knowledge are that teachers learnt through key processes of discussion, experimentation, reflection, and observation; the combination of these dimensions for some teachers also led to the development of metacognitive skills. Furthermore, learning in a TLC and the development of these metacognitive skills take a significant amount of time to develop. A further contribution to knowledge is that TLCs also contribute to the emotional well-being of teachers providing support and encouragement which is much needed in a wider national and international culture of accountability and performance related pay. The main barriers to learning in the TLC were generally related to a lack of time to carry out observations and engage in the related processes. I conclude that TLCs have a positive impact on teachers and the school in a variety of ways, which leaves key decisions for Headteachers and policy makers: how can long-term collaborative CPD be supported and funded in schools and what cultural and financial shifts are required to enable all teachers to have the opportunities to participate in them.