This research project involved the collection of data from pupils with Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties (EBD), who were not attending a mainstream school, in order to gain an improved understanding of their behaviour. The factors and processes that they perceived as having influenced their behaviour were explored and analysed from a broad theoretical base. Data were collected through taped interviews with the pupils and analysed both within individual cases in order to better understand individual pupil’s experiences, and also across cases in order to highlight common experience and perception. The results revealed that EBD pupils perceive a wide range of factors and processes within the school system, wider social systems and their own individual selves, as significant in influencing their behaviour, and they are often able to describe the nature of and motives for their behaviours in some detail. It is hoped that this research will contribute to the current theoretical debates concerning the behaviour of EBD pupils, and in addition that it will encourage professionals to value and respect the pupils’ own perspective, to improve techniques and strategies for obtaining these perspectives, and to use them to ensure appropriate and successful support or provision for these pupils.

The study was conducted to investigate Kenya’s milestones in realising the Millennium Development Goals and the Education for All goals with regard to educational provision for children with SEBD in Kenya. A multiple case study design involving a mainstream school and a rehabilitation school was adopted. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews, observations and document analysis, which was then systematically coded before proceeding to cross-case analysis for interpretation and to draw conclusions. The study findings revealed that despite the efforts made by the Government of Kenya to achieve the EFA goals by 2015 and to improve the quality of education for children with SEN, there was evidence that children with SEBD remained marginalised, with most receiving no education at all. This was largely attributed to an unwillingness by mainstream school teachers to accommodate children with SEBD; an exam-oriented curriculum, which did not accommodate learners with SEN; lack of alternative education for children with SEBD who could not cope within the mainstream school system; and lack of clear policy guidelines on behaviour management and the educational provision for children with SEN in general.

Volume 1 of this thesis contains a critical literature review paper and a full length report of a study to examine the decisions of parents’ of children with SEN when choosing a secondary provision for their child and the factors that influence this. The review presents the results of a literature scoping exercise looking at two linked areas: educational provision for pupils with a statement of Special Educational Needs in England and the decisions parents of these children make when choosing a secondary placement to send their child to at change of phase. The research paper uses a multiple case study design to explore this issue in the context of one LA. Pupils in the study had attended their local primary school in year 6 but then transferred to differing provision: mainstream high; resource provision within mainstream; or special school. An exploration of the factors leading to these different outcomes is considered. The study uses socio-cultural and activity theory as a framework in the design and data gathering phase of the research and subsequently to discuss and explore the results. Implications for future research and practice of Educational Psychologists are considered.

This thesis sets out to investigate two aspects, first to explore written academic feedback as a genre and second, to use corpus approaches to investigate any significant strategy revealed by the genre study. Feedback reports were gathered from two Humanities departments from undergraduate students who were doing an English programme in a UK higher education institution. The first aim of this research is to identify the rhetorical structures or functions of feedback by analyzing its moves, steps, and acts structure. A genre analysis was carried with 100 feedback reports. Although both departments used different templates in giving feedback, the findings from the genre analysis show some distinctive patterning of feedback, indicating that written academic feedback is a genre. The second part of this research was developed in the process of genre analysis where one of the salient features of feedback is in tutors’ use of hedging. The EdEng corpus was compiled from the feedback reports. From the findings of the corpus study, hedging is often expressed through four sub-components: modal verbs, vague language, stance adverbs, and submodifiers. Through the findings of this study, I hope to be able to raise awareness of the current feedback writing system and to provide salient ways for tutors to give feedback in essays.

Cyberbullying is a relatively recent phenomenon originally coming to the forefront of the public agenda following a number of anecdotal accounts. It has been defined as “any behaviour performed through electronic or digital media by individuals or groups that repeatedly communicates hostile or aggressive messages intended to inflict harm or discomfort on others” (Tokunaga, 2010: 278). This study is designed to explore cyberbullying issues in school settings from the perspective of teaching professionals. This area is of consequence given that research focussing on face-to-face bullying has suggested that teaching professionals and school staff can have differing definitions and understandings of bullying behaviour and the high prevalence of unreported cyberbullying in schools. The participants in this research were Anti-Bullying Co-ordinators in eight schools in one Local Authority. The staff who participated were employed in a range of settings (Primary, Secondary, Middle and High schools). The views of teaching professionals were obtained using semi-structured interviews and the data were analysed using Thematic Analysis (Braun and Clarke, 2006). The results indicate that teaching professionals are beginning to develop an understanding of issues relating to cyberbullying and acknowledge the unique features of this type of behaviour. The findings also highlight that consideration has been given to the level of involvement schools should have when dealing with cyberbullying issues. Furthermore schools are aware of the impact of this type of behaviour and have employed a range of methods to prevent and intervene in cyberbullying. However schools still require additional support to understand how to respond to this phenomenon more comprehensively.

It is a truism that children make greater educational progress when their parents are included in their educational journey from childhood to adulthood. A key focus of this thesis is the particular role accorded to parent-school partnership as a means of engaging parents in the decision-making process concerning their children’s schooling. The study was particularly interested in pupils deemed to have special needs and school-related difficulties. The issues addressed related to parents’ understanding of disability and SEN issues; disabling barriers experienced when parents sought to get involved in the schooling of their children, particularly barriers which determined their level of participation in parent school partnerships; and the development of inclusive education based on good practice. The methodology for conducting the research consisted of the life history method and focus groups: specifically, twelve individual case histories and three focus groups. Life history interviews and focus group sessions were conducted over a one-year period with twenty-four parents living in one urban locality of the United Kingdom. A particular emphasis was placed on the experiences of Black parents including parents who are themselves disabled and have children with special educational needs. The findings revealed that parents experienced many personal, social and instructional barriers with the education system. These barriers shaped their sense of identity and circumscribed their level of participation in parentschool partnerships. In particular, parents felt undervalued. Though parents thought that the longevity of these barriers would require a concerted effort before change could be effected, they were willing to propose a number of suggestions that could be incorporated into good practice in order to develop an inclusive education system. Overall, there was a call for initiatives to provide a range of specialist support, practitioners and training to parents in order to address home and school-related issues, particularly those relating to managing special needs and school exclusion. The results of the research offer insights into what it is to be a parent whose voice is not always heard when their child comes into contact with the state education system.

The context for this qualitative case study is the primary school classroom and the Wider Opportunities instrumental teaching programme. The rational for the research is based on the premise that there is real potential for professional collaboration in the teaching of music when two bodies of knowledge are brought together, combining the class teacher’s expertise in pedagogy and the visiting instrumentalist’s expertise in music. The study investigates the nature of the professional collaboration between the generalist class teachers and the visiting instrumentalists in five primary schools in an outer London borough. The theoretical bases developed from the literature are framed by the concept of collaboration; the theories of behaviourism, progressivism and constructivism and their contribution to learning and teaching; and the writings of Swanwick (1979, 1988, 1994, 1999) on music education. The methodology used to examine the experiences of class teachers, head teachers, pupils, instrumental teachers, associates connected to the local music education hub and experts from the field of music education comprised questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and the observation of twenty Wider Opportunities lessons over a twelve month period and analysed using thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke, 2006, 2012; Howitt and Cramer, 2011). The themes that emerged from the data included detached collaboration; uncertainty about the aims of the Wider Opportunities programme; incomplete discourses of music education; and missed opportunities for professional learning. The key findings from this study identified that rich collaborative practices were an underused resource in the schools. Several factors prevented meaningful collaborations, including a crowded curriculum which limited the time available for curriculum planning and professional discussions, and the status given to arts and music education in primary schools. Although rich collaborative practices were not fully embedded in the case study schools, there was evidence to suggest that some teachers would have welcomed closer collaboration. The Conclusions to the study highlighted the need for closer communication between the music education hubs and the schools involved in the Wider Opportunities programme in order to clarify the aims and approaches. Furthermore, the promotion of professional collaboration in the Wider Opportunities programme should be strengthened in schools by providing more opportunity for professional discussions between teachers and the sharing of expertise.

This study examines the preparedness of FE teachers for educational change with particular focus on a recent merger between two further education colleges in South East England. The merger was conceived three years before implementation with the intention of developing a model that eliminated competition and promoted collaboration between the two colleges. Previous studies on changes in the further education sector (LSIS 2010; LSC 2010) have shown that change whether internally or externally imposed can impact on teachers who are the main fulcrum of educational change but they seem to have very little input in the change process even though they have to constantly adapt their mental framework to cope with the challenges associated with change. The study specifically explored how the merger between both colleges was conducted and whether teachers were prepared to cope with, manage and implement a change of this magnitude. It then goes on to discuss whether teachers require specific skills and knowledge to enable them cope better with change and if so, how such skills should be incorporated into their professional development. The research was designed as a case study which draws on a mixed method approach. Research data were collected through surveys and interviews with six teachers from both merging colleges in order to gain detailed insights into their experiences and how this impacted on their personal and professional lives. The participants who took part in the study were mostly teachers most of who hold additional management responsibilities including course leadership and management. Other participants were curriculum leaders. Data obtained from interviews were transcribed and analysed, with the following themes emerging: integrating cultures and systems, communicating change, motivation, the impact of power and politics during mergers, emotional and psychological issues of change and the pace and timing of the merger. One of the key issues that emerged from the data was teachers’ perception of their role as change agents and their acceptance that change was an intrinsic part of their job that they have to adapt to. The issue however, was the lack of training in change management to prepare and equip them with the skills to manage and cope with change. The non-inclusive, top-down approach to educational change was also an area of concern for teachers because their needs are usually ignored. In developing the case study, selected statistical analyses were conducted to measure the relationship between key variables. The research concludes that, as professionals working in a rapidly changing environment, teachers in the FE sector would benefit from acquiring ‘new knowledge’ in change management which will not only equip them with vital skills to cope with change, but also place them on the same level as other professionals. An alternative framework that empowers teachers for change management and mergers in the FE sector is provided and recommended as a tool that would be of particular use to those responsible for teacher induction, and for coordinating professional development of teachers.

This study is the first to attempt in Hong Kong to collect data about flight dispatch training for airlines. The purpose of this study was to examine the learning experiences of flight dispatchers when using different learning approaches and instructional methods for learning. In the light of an analysis of the training practices linked to the theory of adult learning, self-directed learning, learning style and learning satisfactions, we can determine the beliefs, expectations, and desires of flight dispatch trainees. This thesis argues that effective flight dispatch training goes beyond traditional instructor-centred teaching strategies (pedagogical approach). The new way of thinking about teaching flight dispatchers should also be based on adult learning theory and principles of andragogy. In addition, this thesis argues that flight dispatch training today is likely to be designed according to the needs and preferences of all stakeholders, rather than only according to the requirements of aviation regulators. The research questions are: What are flight dispatchers, trainers and flight dispatch managers' perceptions and expectations regarding the use of instructional methods and strategies currently used in flight dispatch training? What are flight dispatchers, trainers and flight dispatch managers' attitudes towards the use of computer-based training as an alternative instructional tool to replace classroom training? The research methodology adopted uses a mixed-method, sequential explanatory approach. Survey results have shown clear evidence that andragogy, self-directed learning and learning satisfaction play vital roles in the process of flight dispatch training. The results indicated that flight dispatchers' preferred mode of delivery is independent of their learning style, and classroom training had a more favorable reaction than did computer-based training, as demonstrated via quantitative and qualitative analyses. Those taking the computer-based course scored an average of 1.53 (effectiveness) and 0.65 (satisfaction) points lower than did those experiencing classroom training. The survey results did not support the findings from the literature that indicated all adults preferred self-directed learning. This study also included a qualitative analysis to address considerations of computer-based training as an alternative flight dispatch training delivery method. Although most trainees in the study said they preferred classroom training or on-the-job training, the majority felt that computer-based training was an appropriate delivery method to complement other, traditional methods of delivering flight dispatch training. Furthermore, the analysis of variances (ANOVA) for computer-based training satisfaction mean scores and generational group (novice and experienced flight dispatchers) were calculated. The results indicated that flight dispatch experience did not influence levels of satisfaction. To enhance or increase the creativity, innovativeness, and learning capacity of the workforce, a well-balanced training approach between formal classroom training, computer-based training, and on-the-job training should be encouraged in order to harness the advantages of both formal and informal learning.

Inequality in and through formal school education has been part of the Indian education since it came into existence under British rule. In contemporary India this educational stratification is taking increasingly alarming and unacceptable forms even as socioeconomic disparities are on the rise. This stratification manifests itself in all aspects of education from infrastructure and facilities in schools to availability of teachers and the quality of curriculum and pedagogy in classrooms. However, there is a dearth of ethnographic work which systematically investigates students’ classroom experience, especially, work that locates this experience within larger social, economic and political logics and attends to intersecting power relations in contemporary India. This thesis offers accounts of (re)production of social relations, specifically, intersections of gender, class and caste (genderclaste), in and through education through an interrogation of classroom texts and practices. On the basis of a classroom ethnography conducted in an urban school in central India, this thesis attempts to understand how genderclaste relations inscribe various aspects of students’ classroom experience, namely, pedagogy, curriculum and what I term, the moral curriculum. Drawing upon feminist critiques of caste- and gender-based difference and discrimination, that is, Brahmanical patriarchy as well as its intersections with class relations in the urban Indian context, this thesis offers insights into how students are constructed within the dominant classroom discourse as historically specific, genderclasted subjects. Further, within the theoretical framework offered by Michel Foucault’s and Jacques Ranciere’s respective engagements with subjectivity, it also focuses on instances of students’ governmental and political subjectivation. In conclusion, this thesis argues that teachers’ class-caste distance from students and the institutionalisation of dominant genderclaste relations in schools seek to render students’ concerns, constraints and abilities invisible in the classroom. However, students assert their equality through micro narratives of resistance, contestation and survival in the classroom, thus disrupting social and educational categories (“Dalit”, “girl”, “good” student) and opening up possibilities for change.