In this research, a transdisciplinary synthesis and extension of design thinking is created, leading to a comprehensive and philosophically grounded “fit, stick, spread and grow” framework for analysing designs and designing as a social, technological and pedagogic process. Through this framework the [re]making of higher education is seen in a new light. The framework is built using insights from design research, architecture, innovation studies, computer science, sociology, higher education pedagogy studies, business studies and psychology. The research is further enriched and empirically grounded through case studies and design studies, in many instances co-developed with participant staff, students and alumni using techniques from “design anthropology”. The research is carried out at the University of Warwick, an example of a young, fast growing, self styled, entrepreneurial higher education institution. In addition professional designers (architects) and creative industry leaders are interviewed so as to put these cases in the wider context of design and business today. In Part One of the thesis, the University of Warwick is explored as a supercomplex organisation, following Barnett (2000). Supercomplexity has positive consequences for individuals with already well developed design capabilities in that they can more effectively exploit opportunities, but for the majority, it presents difficulties and disruption. This creates a design divide, related to the digital divide, which limits the spread and growth of vital innovations. Part Two moves on to the positive task of creating a framework that examines and defines the nature of design (using an assemblages approach adapted from Deleuze and Guattari), designing, designers (professional, guerrilla and everyday), designerliness and design capability (both individual and collective). It considers challenges in managing design capability (especially ad hocism in everyday designing) and strategies for more designerly designing (including Design Thinking, the Thick Boundaries approach and practices from the creative industries). Designing is shown to work most effectively when it achieves fit (with our practices, projects and concerns), stick (enduring over a reasonable time), spread (to further people, projects and concerns) and grow (extending our capability for further designing). The fit, stick, spread and grow framework is shown to be a simple but powerful set of concepts for easing the transition to designerliness by default and more evenly distributed design capabilities.

This thesis is an ethnographic study of a purpose built, co-educational Roman Catholic comprehensive school that was conducted between April 1973 and July 1974, when the researcher took a part-time teacher role in the school. The main methods of social investigation were: participant observation, unstructured interviews and documentary evidence. The study examines the operation of the school from a teacher's point of view. Special attention is given to the ways in which teachers and pupils define and redefine situations within the school. An opening chapter surveys the problems, theories and methods that were used in the study. Part one locates the school in a social context and examines the extent to which its physical division into Houses and Departments influenced the Headmaster's conception of the school and the definitions and redefinitions of the situation that were advanced by Heads of Houses and Departmental staff. There are chapters on the Headmaster's conception of the school, House staff and Department staff, and an analysis of the social processes involved in three social situations. Similar themes are examined in part two in relation to Newsom pupils and their teachers. There are chapters on Newsom pupils and Newsom teachers and the definitions, redefinitions and strategies that were used in classrooms by teachers and pupils. The thesis concludes that the physical division of the school into Houses and Departments influenced staff recruitment, school organization and the ways in which teachers and pupils defined and redefined their activities. The evidence in this study suggests that although different pupils were brought together in a comprehensive school on a single site, it is doubtful whether one school was in operation as the label 'comprehensive' appeared to cover a diverse set of activities. An appendix examines the problems of conducting ethnographic research in a comprehensive school.

This thesis sets out to describe and discuss, to analyse and criticise post-compulsory education in the francophone part of Switzerland, or Suisse romande. A further object is to see whether this part of the oldest confederation in the world might have lessons on the educational front to offer the European Community or indeed whether there might be practices in the EC whose adaptation to Suisse romande's situation and circumstances might be beneficial. The remaining object is to propose a series of models for educational structures - autonomous, synthetic and pluralist - and to determine which model fits which part of Suisse romande's post-compulsory education. After describing the rationale behind the work, the thesis moves on to set out the historical, geographical, economic and cultural background to the area in question in order to provide a context for the main body of the discussion. This reduces the need for tangential digressions to explain particular aspects of education in Suisse romande. The main text covers post-compulsory school (with a description of the end of compulsory school), vocational training, adult education and higher education with a concluding chapter devoted to drawing together some of the threads spun in the course of the thesis. The writer found that Suisse romande in particular and Switzerland in general have much experience which the EC might do well to examine. There is, for example, the creation of national certificates in vocational training which, although of equal value throughout the country, bear the clear stamp of their Canton of origin. Autonomous structures have been brought together, in the case of schools, by negotiation between Cantonal authorities (with the encouragement of Federal government).

Strategy development is an issue of great importance for the practitioners and at the centre of the academic research over the last century. This thesis concentrates on the investigation of strategy from the development and implementation process point of view. In particular, this thesis presents a study on the relationship between organisational direction and performance measurement. Organisational direction manifests the purpose of the existence for the organisation and its future desired state, while performance measurement is a monitoring and control mechanism for the assessment of the performance achievements. It is a common place that organisational success requires the alignment between organisational direction and performance measurement. On this topic, the existing published literature includes a significant number of recommendations on how to manage effectively the relationship between organisational direction and performance measurement; nevertheless, there is a distinct lack of empirical evidences on the current status and trends of this relationship. Therefore, this thesis examines the interrelationship and interdependencies between these two concepts. The present research has been conducted through three different empirical investigations: an exploratory case study, a survey and follow up interviews. The exploratory case study examines the relationship between organisational direction and performance within an academic institution, the University of Warwick. The survey, was built on the observations made on the exploratory case study, and examined the role of organisational direction and performance measurement in the success of the strategic development process. Finally, the follow up interviews have been undertaken in order to enhance the findings of the survey and to provide insights and explanations for the variations observed in the survey. Synthesising the results from the three empirical investigations, it is attempted to describe the trends, dynamics and practicalities of the relationship between organisational direction and performance measurement and to present the determinants of this relationship.

The introduction of regional language bilingual education in France dates back to the late 1960s in the private education system and to the 1980s in the public system. Before this time the extensive use of regional languages was forbidden in French schools, which served as ‘local centres for the gallicisation of France’ (Blackwood 2008, 28). France began to pursue a French-only language policy from the time of the 1789 Revolution, with Jacobin ideology proposing that to be French, one must speak French. Thus began the shaping of France into a nation-state. As the result of the official language policy that imposed French in all public domains, as well as extra-linguistic factors such as the Industrial Revolution and the two World Wars, a significant language shift occurred in France during the twentieth century, as an increasing number of parents chose not to pass on their regional language to the next generation. In light of the decline in intergenerational transmission of the regional languages, Judge (2007, 233) concludes that ‘in the short term, everything depends on education in the [regional languages]’. This thesis analyses the development of language policy in bilingual education programmes in Alsace; Spolsky’s tripartite language policy model (2004), which focuses on language management, language practices and language beliefs, will be employed. In spite of the efforts of the State to impose the French language, in Alsace the traditionally non-standard spoken regional language variety, Alsatian, continued to be used widely until the mid-twentieth century. Whilst Alsatian has been spoken, the traditional language of writing and reference has been standard German. Today Alsace is a region of north eastern France, but it has existed under the political control of Germany for prolonged periods of time in the past, changing hands between the two countries five times between the seventeenth and twentieth centuries. Since the mid-twentieth century a significant language shift away from Alsatian has occurred in the region, with estimates that over 90% spoke the language variety in 1946 in comparison with only 43% of the population in 2012 (OLCA 2012a). Regional language bilingual education programmes were introduced in Alsace in the early 1990s in the private and public education systems. In both systems the language-in-education policy supported has primarily promoted the learning of and through French and standard German. The case study that forms the central part of the thesis seeks to examine current language policy in practice. It will analyse the place of Alsatian in the modern regional language bilingual classroom and examine the language beliefs of the key actors in the bilingual education programmes (namely parents, teachers and policy-makers at regional level). Finally, it will discuss what this means for efforts to reverse the language shift in twenty-first-century Alsace.

This aim of this study was to explore the various influences on the food choices and behaviours of Maltese primary schoolchildren. Using an ecological framework and following sociological theory of consumption it sought to uncover any group differences in food perceptions, beliefs, preferences and intake, as well as identify any culture-cuisine orientations of foods consumed in different settings. A multi-method grounded approach was adopted, where results from each stage of the research informed the focus of subsequent stages. A culture-sensitive research tool was developed for exploring children’s food consumption and preferences in ten different home-based and non-home-based settings. Data was collected via a large-scale survey with a stratified sample of 7-8-year-old children (N=1088) and their parents (N=932). Follow-up focus group interviews with children (N=16 groups) and telephone interviews with parents (N=30) were also conducted in order to obtain more detail on influences on food intake. Analysis based on gender, household level of schooling, school type, region and access to cable TV showed that Maltese children’s overall food intake was fairly similar across groups, though some specific patterns did emerge. Girls seemed to prefer and consume ‘lighter’ more ‘feminine’ foods and boys ‘heavier’ more ‘masculine’ foods. Children attending independent (fee-paying) schools tended to exhibit more ‘modern’ food practices based on novel and processed foods. They also tended to eat weekday supper with their family less frequently than other groups. Children attending state schools tended to consume more meat-based meals, milk and traditional Maltese foods. Children from the rural island of Gozo seemed to place greater value on balance, quality and freshness of food and ate their weekday supper with their family more frequently. A pronounced Westernisation of Maltese children’s diet was evident. Traditional Maltese foods were only predominant in home-based snacks. Grandparents emerged as having an important role in exposing children to traditional cuisine. Mothers’ provision of food for children was based primarily on hedonic and health motives. Strategies used to promote consumption of healthy food included controlling availability, information-giving and being prescriptive rather than restrictive. In general, both children and parents acknowledged the value of school food rules, although attitudes differed with regard to extent of imposition. Parents also felt that TV food portrayal was a strong influence on their children’s food requests, as was to a lesser extent modelling of food behaviours by peers. Children’s knowledge of the health value of food was good, though a few misperceptions existed and certain food associations were barriers to intake. Taste, texture, convenience and healthfulness were key attributes which attracted children to food. Local health promotion initiatives and nutrition education interventions need to target the different influences on Maltese children’s food intake functioning at the different ecological levels. These include the children’s own food perceptions, beliefs and valuations, as well as the different routes of influence of the mother, grandparents, the school and television.

Children’s Centres are a relatively new development. There is little published research available about their impact on improving outcomes for children and their families and about the role of the educational psychologist (EP) in Children’s Centres. This thesis describes an action research project that was run in Children’s Centre in the North East of England. The project explored the use of a drop-in service that was offered to parents and carers attending the Children’s Centre. An EP provided this service and the purpose of the drop-in was for parents or carers to be able to speak confidentially to an EP about concerns or issues in connection with any aspect of their child’s development or behaviour. The drop-in service was run intermittently over a two-year period and approximately forty parents and carers attended. Data to inform the research aims and questions were collected using a variety of approaches including: semi-structured interviews, records of discussions, questionnaires, research diary, audio and video recordings. The audio recording was analysed using thematic analysis and the other data were analysed by using patterning to look for themes or issues from the various data collected. Reflective discussions during the action research process facilitated opportunities for triangulation and respondent validation. The drop-in evolved from one where the EP waited for parents to visit them in a designated room to one where the EP attended the groups run by the Children’s Centre staff. The latter model increased the uptake of the service. Another important factor in parents’ engagement with the service was identified by staff at the Children’s Centre. This was the need to develop trust between the parent and the EP. Although, initially, the service was for parents, the staff at the Children’s Centre requested access to the drop-in service. A solution focussed framework was found to be a useful tool to guide the structure of the drop-in. A wide range of topics were brought to the drop-in reflecting Sheppard’s et al’s (2007) discussion about the types of issues upon which the parents were seeking support when they attended Children’s Centres. The study acknowledges that the drop-in is only one type of service that might be provided by an EP and that generalisations to other Children’s Centres might not be appropriate or necessary. However, the study demonstrates the way in which an action research methodology helped to develop a service based around the needs of the community, and facilitated the provision of a drop-in service that was valued by parents and staff in the Children’s Centre.

King Edward's Birmingham, an independent school, provides wholly free places to some 10% of its annual intake of 120 boys. This research investigates how such boys fare academically at school and how their schooling could affect their subsequent lives. Because they have passed the fierce entrance examination without the benefits middle class children might have received through attending feeder prep schools with perhaps additional coaching, the meritocratic thesis suggests they should excel in the school and achieve impressive qualifications. Conversely, the work of Bourdieu and Bernstein indicates that dissonance between home and school environments could create social difficulties and cause these boys to underperform significantly. The results show that most free-place boys achieved results similar to their fee-paying counterparts although few really excelled and a noticeable minority struggled throughout school and gained disappointing final grades. On leaving education, those from the working class prove less likely to enter the elite professions and those who do so advance less than their middle class peers. These differences could be attributed to lower amounts of cultural and social capital. A change in the focus of extra-curricular activities at King Edward's to target the building of these forms of capital could prove beneficial.

This thesis presents an investigation of the contribution school information management systems make to teaching and learning based on qualitative and quantitative research in the Bailiwick of Guernsey in the Channel Islands. addressed the question of whether information systems contribute to teaching and learning and to the mission of the school; to what extent their adoption forms part of an emphasis on performativity and school improvement or on the transformation of the teaching and learning agenda. In the course of the research a further question was posed which sought to identify how practice in this area could be improved to support teaching and learning better. The research built on a critical analytical study which took the form of a Systematic Review of the literature. Initial research drew on data from a sample of Guernsey teachers, an Education Department manager and the Director of the company that produces the Schools Information Management System. This was followed by a collaborative action research project in one school involving the Headteacher, the Senior Leadership Team, other Teachers, Students, Administrative Staff and Parents/Carers. Consistent with this approach the position adopted by the researcher was non-neutral: she does not control environment and knowledge was constructed along with those that participated in the research.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the course Eng 311, Advanced Communication Skills, offered by the Department of Modern Languages at Middle East Technical University. To fulfill this aim two questionnaires were designed to be administered to 198 out of 923 students taking this course, one at the beginning of the term and the other at the end of the term. What is more, another questionnaire was designed to be e-mailed to 114 graduate students who took this course before they graduated. In addition, a different version of the questionnaires was designed to be administered to 22 instructors teaching this course. Later, five of these instructors were also interviewed by the researcher. In this way, all these participants&rsquo / opinions about the objectives, materials and the assessment in Eng 311 were identified. The quantitative data gathered from the questionnaires were analysed by conducting t-tests, ANOVA tests and chi-square tests. The qualitative data gathered fro the open-ended questions in the questionnaires and the interviews were analysed by content analysis by the researcher. The results of the study revealed that the participants were satisfied with the course. Most of the objectives of the course were considered as important by most for the participants. As regard the materials, although there were some complaints about some parts of the textbook, it was considered as effective as a whole. The type of materials that were rated the lowest were CDs and videos. As for the assessment, it was revealed by the results that there were some problems regarding standardization in the department, and the breakdown of points. In addition to these, some instructors also complained that the time allotted to the components of this lesson was not sufficient.