Enrichment is one of the important educational facilities that are provided for gifted students. However, the research on gifted enrichment programmes still requires further exploration in order to meet the diversity of gifted students. The purpose of this study was to determine the important components of an enrichment programme in science for gifted boys in the 6th grade of primary schools in Saudi Arabia. The current study has critiqued the components that are recommended in the literature pertaining to gifted programmes that include the Renzulli Model, VanTass- Baska Model, and Oasis Enrichment Model. Gifted programmes discussed are then discussed in relation to those that are provided to gifted students in schools and Universities in Saudi Arabia. Mixed methods were used in this descriptive study. Three methods have been used, documentary analysis, questionnaire, and interview. The documentary analyses of selected science textbook in 6th grade used mixed (qualitative and quantitative) approaches. The participants included 220 gifted students in primary schools in 6th grade from Dammam, Riyadh, and Jeddah city in Saudi Arabia, and 10 teachers and 10 supervisors of gifted education in science. Gifted students responded to questionnaires in order to ascertain their opinions about the current science textbook in 6th grade and what they would like to find in the Proposed Enrichment Programme (PEP). Interviews were conducted with teachers and supervisors of gifted education to examine in depth their IV perception about the current 6th grade science textbook and the Proposed Enrichment Programme in order to meet the needs of Saudi gifted students in 6th grade. The data from questionnaires were analysed in two phases. Firstly, the data were analysed and presented item by item for both the current science textbook ( ST questionnaire) and the proposed enrichment programme ( PEP questionnaire). All the items were examined by Chi square test to calculate whether there are any significant differences among each item in both questionnaires. Secondly, comparisons were made among the themes that emerged from the ST and PEP questionnaires. The responses of the interviewees were assigned to one of the content themes (attitudes to science, thinking skills, and contents and activities). Analysis of the words from respondents and counting frequencies of occurrence of ideas, themes, pieces of data, words (Cohen et al., 2007). The questionnaire data showed that the most important theme in the PEP for the gifted students is the “content of knowledge”. This reflects the students‟ views of the inadequacy of knowledge in the ST and their desire to further the development of content knowledge in the PEP. All the data from students and teachers and supervisors indicated that the ST needs to be improved to meet the needs of gifted students in two main areas: the level of thinking skills (e.g. evaluating and creating), and that the topics should be close to students‟ daily life and their environment. The findings of this research study showed agreement across all data collection instruments regarding the weakness of the activities in the 6th grade science textbook. This study considers that in order to enable gifted students to fulfil their potential in science in the regular classroom, it is necessary to provide further content and activities that require high levels of thinking, as provided by the PEP. The findings in this study clearly showed that there is a need for more challenge to stimulate gifted learners to learn which should be included in the PEP

As policing evolves radically to meet the demand of a twenty-first century society, the training methods and educational tactics employed in the development of the next generation of officers must also evolve. This investigation incorporates both literature and empirical analysis of standards, expectations, and opportunities within the United Kingdom Initial Police Learning and Development Programme (IPLDP). Emphasising particular findings from participants at all stages of this programme, the techniques and concepts emphasised by the current training initiative are called into question, challenging decision makers to consider the impact of such system design. Ultimately, this research suggests that although present in the IPLDP, practical application of knowledge and skills is a fundamental necessity for developing effective, successful student officers. Many of the issues and challenges cited by the survey participants are directly linked to programme limitations that are innately incorporated in a process that favours classroom learning and theoretical assessment. It is the practical application of skills within the UK society that will ultimately test the knowledge gained by student officers; and in many cases, supervisors and students alike are finding that the programme is lacking. This analysis suggests adjustments in the programme dynamics, emphasising experience, evidence, and application as primary means of transcending the many limitations of theoretical assessment of work based assessment

This thesis reports research using a qualitative approach and a social constructivist lens to explore the experience of preparing for examinations in higher education from the perspective of fourteen dyslexic students. Particular attention is paid to students' feelings about examinations as well as their revision strategies and the influences on the development of those strategies. The research was conducted in two phases with maximum variation purposive sampling used to recruit as diverse a range of participants as possible for each. Phase one data collection activities involved in-depth interviews and cultural probes; phase two involved participant-led, conversational interviews stimulated by photographs taken by the participants prior to the interview. Data analysis combined elements of inductive thematic analysis and life-history and life-story research approaches. A profile of each participant, in their own words, was crafted as the foundation for further interpretation. Participants described strategies which could be grouped into three broad, overlapping categories: emotional, practical and cognitive. Each individual could be placed along a strategy continuum according to his or her dominant strategy. Their 'sense of control' over their academic lives emerged as a core theme. Findings indicate that as dyslexic students gain a sense of control over their academic lives they move along the revision strategy continuum, from an initial emotional reaction to exams (emotional ‘non’-strategists/anti-strategists) through a stage of dealing with exams in a practical way and experimenting with strategies (practical emergent-strategists) to a final metacognitive stage where they have found a system, method or procedure that works for them (cognitive super-strategists). The individual's journey along the strategy and sense of control trajectory is influenced by life experiences including the diagnosis of dyslexia (and its timing) and comments made by significant others or a critical incident which may act as a turning point.

Maria Montessori famously designed her own materials to support children’s development. Thus far, the literature which focuses on Montessori Sensorial education - and on creativity, problem solving and creative problem solving - has not investigated connections between these matters. This study investigated the effect of using the Montessori Method on children’s skills, especially in creative problem solving. This research examines the integration of Montessori materials into a social context to develop children’s creative problem solving, and analyses these data using the Creative Problem Solving (CPS) framework [Isaksen et al., 2000] and Rogoff’s model [1990] of social interaction. The study provides a new way of using the CPS framework, for data analysis, rather than as a way of training an individual or a group in solving problems creatively. The methodology combines a quasi-experimental design with a sample of qualitative cases. The research was conducted in one pre-school in Saudi Arabia, in the city of Riyadh, and involved twenty-four five-year-old children (12 boys, 12 girls) and four teachers. Six matched pairs of children were observed using Montessori sensorial materials (MSM) for one academic year. All the children were assessed on their problem solving capacities, in order to compare their development, using the British Ability Scale-II. The results from the quantitative analysis reveal significant differences between the experimental and control groups in their capacity to solve problems, using a pre-post-test of the four subscales of the BAS II. The qualitative analysis shows social interaction assists children in the “understanding of the challenge” component of the creative problem solving process while individual differences were identified in relation to the three creative skills. The results revealed the children’s different ways of framing and solving their own problems creatively through exploring different positions of the materials and applying them in creative solutions. The research also found that children’s own individual experiences with, and interests in, the material affected their creative problem solving.

This study looks at a group of Malaysian university students’ perceptions, experiences and behaviours when presented with an informal, participatory Facebook interaction group for English language practice. Three methods of data collection, namely questionnaire, LMT100 Facebook interaction group, and semi-structured interview were employed in stages. The findings show a discrepancy between the participants’ perceptions of using Facebook for English language learning (ELL), and their experiences and behaviours when presented with the interaction group. Only a quarter of the participants used the group actively by initiating interaction threads, and communicating with each other. A huge majority acted passively by making their participation visible just once or repeatedly through the means of likes and short comments. The rest of the members were silent readers who never made their involvement visible over the period of six weeks. The students showed higher participation rate when presented with three topics; entertainment-based, grammar quizzes, and university-related inquiries. This was discussed as students’ selective interests and preferences in learning. The types of online content suitable for English language learning was also addressed. More passive interviewees reported small improvements in their communicative competence from the interaction activity. The active interviewees however only felt a boost in their confidence to use English publicly rather than experience enhanced English language ability. The discrepancy between the students’ perceptions and behaviours are discussed from three levels of sociocultural influences which are personal, institutional, and societal. The students’ prior English language learning experience within an education system that privileges examinations may have influenced their (non)participation in the LMT100 group. The interviewees also indicated the existence of sentiments in racial, political, and religious issues, which may have influenced their learning experience at the university. The findings indicate that the informal, unstructured English language interaction platform on Facebook as having great potentials, although not tremendously successful in this study. Several implications are presented as strategies that may assist the integration of Facebook for English language learning in the future.

This thesis is a contribution to the debates about the impact of ‘postmodernism’ on qualitative research practices. It is a performative discourse on the invention of feminist research methods with/in the postmodern (here, related to the pedagogy of Rape Crisis volunteer counsellor training). It addresses how feminism acting with/in postmodernism may experiment with the invention of a ‘new’ method hyper-textual electronic bricolage, which 1 name from my readings of Gregory Ulmer’s re-readings of Jacques Derrida. The research takes into account the enframing limits of technologies to argue that the theory and practice of electronic data analysis has been modelled to fit with/in existing notions of reading, writing, and the culture of qualitative research practice. It asserts that to invent a feminist research practice with/in the postmodern requires that we use hypertext not to do the work of print but to facilitate an alternative way of knowing materials. The thesis attends to the possibilities of electronic scripting as invention, and to the production of a print text arising from this. This electronically generated method bears the same relation to current CAQDAS (computer aided qualitative data analysis) techniques as the ‘new’ evocative ethnographic writings bear to the traditional ethnographic text. The thesis tells a reflective story of carrying out feminist inspired empirical work with/in the postmodern. It shows how, if feminism acting with/in the postmodern conceptualises research as an enactment of power relations between constituted subjects, the nature of our research conceptions and practices changes. It includes a multi-linear layered ‘collective story’ arising from the electronic hypertext generated from qualitative interview materials. This scripts some of the common themes that are important in forging an understanding of women’s experiences of Rape Crisis counsellor training, yet always retains an awareness of the significant differences between these tales. Finally, the thesis suggests that, if we are to develop feminist research methods with/in the postmodern that take into account the enframing limits of our technologies, we need to attend to the re-mapping of validities as we move from print to electronic ways of doing/knowing research.

This thesis examines higher education reforms in Kazakhstan from 1991 to 2016, and uses the policy transfer framework to analyse the case of the Bologna Process in this developing post-communist country. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, newly independent Kazakhstan aimed to shift from a resource-based economy to an industrial innovation-based economy. Modeled on Western countries’ training to develop its professionals and competitive experts, Kazakhstan aimed to reform its education system to increase the quality and competitiveness of its higher education, and to enhance the recognition of local research and faculties. In order to integrate into the international educational space, and to connect with the education systems of the USA and Europe, Kazakhstan initiated its entrance into the Bologna Process which is an intergovernmental policy for the development of higher education in Europe. Policy transfer is used as an explanatory theory. It is a useful theoretical approach to understand post-communist countries in transition because it provides a critical analytical tool with which to understand significant changes of direction. The policy transfer was used to explain why Kazakhstan signed the Bologna Process. This research used 41 semi-structured interviews with international and national actors engaged in the Bologna Process to understand the relationship between European, national and institutional levels. The broad notion of policy transfer accommodates various tools for conducting empirical research, including the policy cycle, multi-level, ideational and process-centred approaches. By applying a theoretical framework that was so far predominantly used in Western countries, this thesis contributed to the academic literature on post-communist countries. This thesis considered four different, but connected concepts: policy learning, international policy transfer, lesson-drawing and path dependency. This research argues that the policy transfer process in higher education mainly occurs through learning. Not only reforms or policy were transferred, but policy ideas and knowledge were transferred too. Lesson-drawing and lesson learning occurred in the example of countries where higher education and science are advanced and well-developed, such as the USA and some European countries. In changing its education system and becoming integrated into the European Higher Education Area, Kazakhstan used lesson-drawing, policy learning and international policy processes. International policy transfer provides a model which is applicable to post-communist countries with different political, ideological, economic, social and cultural backgrounds. Many transfers involve a combination of voluntary and coercive elements. Policy makers sought ‘new’ knowledge and policy ideas from other systems that were compatible with their ideological and cultural perspectives. In Kazakhstan, the transfer was voluntary, and could be characterised as lesson-drawing. At the same time, the country faced a need to change its social and economic situation due to the collapse of the country. All of these changes drove policy makers to engage in policy transfer in order to cope with external pressures such as globalisation and international integration. Bottom-up initiatives were launched where universities persuaded the Ministry of Education to adopt decisions at the national level. This thesis argues that national and institutional levels were equally involved in the process of decision-making in Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan inherited the Soviet system of higher education. Historically and culturally, the country is not associated with Western Europe, and both history and culture have to be taken into account in the process of policy transfer. This research argues that path dependency is one of the dimensions of policy transfer, and that historical paths of a country should be considered before transferring policy from abroad. Understanding of path dependency should guide evaluation of all possible constraints that might limit the policy transfer process from the West to developing countries This thesis developed the concept of policy transfer by considering path dependency as a key factor in explaining policy reform, making an original and distinctive contribution to the knowledge of policy making and, more broadly, academic literature, in Kazakhstan and internationally.

The Arabic language and the Islamic faith can be considered the cultural centres of life in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). However, English has often been linked to modernisation and development. The KSA is one of the countries that is in possession of oil reserves, and most of laborers that work in this area are native English speakers or English- speaking Saudi nationals. This economic development has increased the demand for English language acquisition by Saudi citizens. As a result, the English language has become very important in the KSA. Therefore, there would presumably be support for and interest in gifted English language learners (GELLs). However, there are concerns about supporting GELLs in the KSA. The focus of gifted education has remained on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects. While the acknowledgement of gifted learners within STEM subjects and the considerable educational efforts that are being made to support them are a positive development, these efforts needs to extend beyond STEM subjects to the rest of the subjects. For example, there is a paucity of research investigating the best practices for identifying and supporting GELLs in the Saudi Arabian context. The current study focuses on four aspects of teaching GELLs: teacher attitude, the identification of GELLs, practice and support for GELLs. Teacher attitude underpins the learning and teaching process and appears to be closely linked to identification. The government of the KSA requires that schools identify gifted learners, so understanding how teachers and head teachers identify gifted individuals, particularly GELLs, is an important aim of this study. Strategies for supporting gifted learners are widely used in STEM subjects in the KSA, but little is known about how or even if English as foreign language (EFL) teachers utilise such strategies for GELLs within the classroom. The current study seeks to better understand classroom practice for GELL in the EFL classroom in the KSA. There is a need to ensure that the support offered to GELLs is appropriate, so exploring the views of GELLs in EFL classrooms concerning the kind of support they perceive they require and the kind of support they perceive they currently receive is an important aspect of the study. This study presents findings from: a) a questionnaire that was completed by 100 EFL teachers, b) classroom observations of 10 EFL classes, c) 10 semi-structured interviews with head teachers, d) 10 semi-structured interviews with EFL teachers and e) four focus group sessions held with groups comprising five GELLs each in six Saudi female secondary schools in Almadinah City. The findings of the questionnaires filled out by EFL teachers indicate that many of them hold positive attitudes towards GELLs, though these views do not always translate into practice. The analysis of the data gathered through the classroom observations demonstrates that the most relevant teaching practices currently used by EFL teachers in this study relate to curriculum planning and delivery in their EFL classes. The findings also suggest that EFL teachers are the primary identifiers of GELLs, which is problematic because a lack of official documentation combined with EFL teachers’ beliefs and attitudes may result in the potential mis- or nonidentification of GELLs. The views of the GELLs who participated in the focus group sessions show that additional support regarding EFL classes is required, including, for example, the development and provision of more interesting and relevant topics and resources. Throughout the thesis, the role of the teacher is identified as crucial for offering appropriate learning experiences for GELLs. One major recommendation of this study is the need for the development of effective teacher education and training in both teaching the English language and teaching gifted learners (including GELLs). This training could occur on two levels. First, this training could occur during initial teacher education to ensure that ideas about supporting the learning of all are included in courses. Second, this training could occur as a part of continuing lifelong professional development to all educators. In this way, teachers and head teachers will continue to engage in learning about learning once they are practicing teachers. In order to the policy and practice to support GELLs, head teachers and teachers need the autonomy to manage different aspects of school, including classroom practice, pedagogies and curricula in order to meet the needs of learners, including GELLs.

This study proposes a practitioner-oriented model for fostering student academic, social, emotional, and cognitive (ASEC) engagement in learning activities, and it assesses its potential to achieve such aims. The rationale underpinning this research is that the UK currently faces a social problem of negative attitudes towards foreign language learning. This is manifested by the steep decline in the number of schoolchildren that take up Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) in upper secondary education. In light of this, research has consistently demonstrated that attitudes towards learning languages can be transformed if we regularly provide students with engaging experiences in the classroom. Unfortunately, pedagogical solutions that guide secondary schoolteachers on how to engineer engaging classrooms on a daily basis are scarce in educational research. This study uses an action research approach to assess the potential of the proposed pedagogical model to stimulate student ASEC engagement in MFL contexts. This entails two consecutive implementations of the model among a group of 19 Year 9 (difficult and male-dominated) students of Spanish by means of two long-term learning activities. The results from both implementations seem to confirm that the proposed practitioner-oriented model can contribute to promoting student engagement in learning activities at academic, social, emotional, and cognitive levels when it is fully deployed. The study contributes to the field of MFL primarily by offering an assessed pedagogical model that can stimulate regular student ASEC engagement in the MFL classroom, which, in turn, may contribute to the positive transformation of student attitudes towards foreign language learning.

What does learning disability mean in the ‘real world’? is a qualitative sociological thesis that explores the discursive resources used by different groups of people in relation to the term learning disability. Learning disability is a term that can mean different things to different people. It is also a term that can be seen from a variety of theoretical standpoints. Indeed, the term learning disability exists within a semantic tangle of definitions, concepts, colloquialisms, politics and attitudes that is fraught with historical, social and political tensions. While this is a feature of many terms, how learning disability is understood is of direct consequence to people with learning disabilities and the lives they live. This thesis aims to address this confusion and to work towards a re-evaluation of concepts and definitions of learning disability. The empirical work undertaken for this thesis is based on two philosophical positioning statements that emanated from the literature review: that learning disability is both an embodied reality and a social construct; and that people’s views, perceptions, and understandings are meaningful reflections of social reality. In order to obtain the perceptions of people experiencing the ‘real world’ of learning disability, a combination of focus groups with people without learning disabilities and photovoice sessions with people with learning disabilities were used. The resultant findings have been analysed using a combination of discourse analysis and interpretive engagement. From this data, it is concluded that dominant models of disability, found in current learning disability policy and research as well as in the research participants’ talk, result in the (mis)representation of learning disability. In order to redress this issue, it is argued that the body, including the brain as a bodily organ, must be reoriented to a position of influence within understandings of learning disability.