The research aim was to investigate the current policy-to-practice context for inclusive education in England for children with Moderate Learning Difficulties (MLD). A case study of one London Borough focused on mainstream and special education provision. Research questions required an examination of the policy-to-practice context of MLD and Bowe, Ball and Gold (1992) policy trajectory model was utilised to structure the research design and frame the data gathering. This facilitated an examination of contexts of policy influence, policy text production and practice, where text is reinterpreted. Successive stages of data gathering informed those that followed, from scrutiny of Hansard to access policy influences, through analysis of changing SEN legislation, to interviews with stakeholders and observations of target children with MLD. Hansard texts revealed lack of clarity in SEN definitions, the statementing process, parental choice and funding that led to inconsistencies in interpretation of policy and inequalities in inclusive practice at local level. Analysis suggested that efforts to create clarity and direction in local policy were thwarted by continuing difficulties to define MLD and inclusive education. Interviews indicated that educational provision for MLD children was adversely affected as this inhibited identification, consistent and effective interventions and thereby created possible inequities in funding allocation. Whilst robust funding formulae were in place, lack of clear group definition introduced a level of interpretation into the process, rendering equity in funding less likely. Interviews and observation indicated tensions and dilemmas were evident for practitioners in balancing the needs of all pupils, allocating resources and meeting individual needs. The experience of individual pupils were affected by deployment of staff, individualisation of the curriculum and social inclusion with peers, in both mainstream and special settings. Challenges facing all those involved in taking national policy, interpreting it and enacting it locally are identified and implications considered.

This qualitative study explores parent-teacher relations in public secondary schools in Pakistan in order to understand the interaction and communication between parents and teachers. The study is guided by Bourdieu’s conceptual and analytical tools of capital, habitus and field and uses these to disentangle the underlying structures and practices of parents and teachers. The thesis argues that the relations and practices of parents and teachers are not inert entities; rather they are dynamic and multidimensional in character. In this, class and culture, power and structures are significant, as are the dynamics of reproduction and stratification. Chapters Five through Eight draw heavily on empirical data from parents and teachers to explore the dynamics of teachers’ communication with parents. The thesis demonstrates that teachers’ communication with parents is individually and collectively underpinned by the teachers’ habitus and the field influence of the schools. The thesis argues that the underlying influences and structures of the teachers’ habitus and the schools lead most teachers to portray parents as uninterested in school visits and present them as homogenised. However, there are variations in the way teachers share their experiences. The pattern that emerges suggests that generally schools do not have formalised and institutionalised procedures for contact with parents. However, teachers’ communication with parents emerges as a complex, dynamic and patterned process, which is not only engrained in specific situations but is also underpinned by the power and class dynamics of the stakeholders. The parents’ data show them to be deeply attuned to their children’s world, through which they demonstrate that they are not ‘hard to reach’. Rather the schools themselves are hard to access. The thesis illustrates the variety and richness of the parents’ lives by examining the interplay between their habitus and field. The thesis demonstrates that whilst parents differ individually in terms of their habitus, the role of culture and field implicitly determine and collectively shape and inform parental practices and the realities around them. The interplay between parental habitus and the dynamics of the field provides a structuring structure that shapes and in some ways redefines parental habitus. The thesis also demonstrates that the interplay between parental habitus and capital, field and class provide a deep, rich and complex structure of thought and practices of parents. This interplay results in a paradox for most parents, as on the one hand, they see no bounds in harnessing their ideals and potentials but on the other hand, they do not possess the right amount and quality of structures to be able to realise these ideals. Finally, the thesis considers the implications and limitations of the study and offers recommendations designed specifically for teachers, parents and policy makers. The discussion focuses on the originality of the research and on the justification of the contribution to knowledge, which is followed by reflections on the research experience and suggestions for further research.

This thesis examines non-formal settings for development education by non-governmental organisations (NGOs). I focus on teaching and learning methodologies and on the attitudes and actions generated in learners. The study is informed by transformative learning theory, particularly as developed by Jack Mezirow (2000) and by Paulo Freire (1970). I look at opportunities for non-formal transformative learning in both Britain and in Spain and the use of participative methodologies to develop knowledge and understanding of and attitudes towards global development issues. I consider how such personal transformations might lead to social change and how a postcolonial analysis might affect the way issues are presented. This is a qualitative study informed by interviews with staff from seven organisations in the UK and seven in Spain. Illustrative cases are also provided based on observations of three non-formal educational activities in each country and interviews with learners attending these courses. I found that the extent to which participative critical dialogue was generated by such development education activities varied and depended on a number of factors, including the length of the course and pedagogical styles of the facilitators. Learners showed signs of transformation through the activities. Many talked about increased self-esteem and changes in understanding and attitudes. This had consequential influences on behaviour, particularly relating to more sustainable consumer behaviour and other lifestyle or career choices. I note that, through opportunities for transformative learning, participants also formed networks that could contribute to social as well as personal transformations; this relates to the stated aims and objectives of the NGOs and thus has important policy implications.

It has been estimated that as many as one in five adults in England have difficulties with literacy or numeracy skills (DfEE, 1999). Raising the standards of language, literacy and numeracy (LLN) skills amongst all adults of working age in England has become one of Government's highest priorities (DfEE, 2001a). The Skills for Life strategy (DfEE, 2001a) was launched in England in March 2001. Its fundamental aim was to allow adults to improve their LLN skills; identified as a crucial factor in enabling adults to be able to contribute fully to society, both socially and economically. As a result of the strategy, some identified target groups, e.g. the unemployed and benefit claimants, have found that receipt of benefits has had 'conditionality' attached to it; that is they are required to undertake activities, including training, in order to be able to continue to receive welfare benefits. This study considered the Skills for Life strategy in relation to an identified target group: long term unemployed adults attending training programmes provided by a private training provider, contracted on behalf of Jobcentre Plus to deliver Skills for Life training programmes. Their learning experiences whilst attending this training programme are explored, alongside the experiences of other adults with poor LLN skills also attending Skills for Life training programmes through other pathways: a 'hard to reach' group attending training at a further education college and a 'prisoner' group accessing Skills for Life training through the prison education system. The research was conducted predominantly using a qualitative methodology. Semi-structured interview was the primary research tool for gathering data for this study. These were supported by undertaking informal classroom observations and informal discussions. This provided an opportunity to triangulate the primary data and led to a robust data-set. Using the conceptual framework provided by Pierre Bourdieu's thesis on the reproduction of culture, society and education, evidence is presented to support the argument that the Skills for Life strategy is being used as an apparatus of symbolic violence; legitimised through misrecognition. The concepts of social and human capital are utilised to consider how, or if, the Skills for Life strategy is working to develop social cohesion and economic competitiveness within the adult workforce: one identified mission of the strategy. I argue that the strategy is situated in a tense field between these concepts, rather than the envisaged complementary relationship. Based on analysis of the data, I present evidence to support the argument that in the race to compete in the new global knowledge economy, Government has devalued the social networks upon which our society has historically relied for social stability. Further analysis of collected data provides evidence that making attendance at training provision a 'conditionality' of receipt of welfare benefits is unlikely to result in a significant increase in an adult's LLN skills. Whilst attendance at training provision can be increased through the use of interventions, such as sanctioning, this negative association acts as a barrier to an adult engaging in the training activities. The major finding of the study is that adults do not engage in learning as a result of compulsion and, in fact, activity rejects engagement as a result of compulsion. This supports more than a century of learning theory that concludes that learning is most effective when an individual chooses actively to learn. Despite a mounting body of research, developed through the work of the National Research and Development Centre for Adult Literacy and Numeracy (NRDC) and others, promoting a social practice approach to teaching and learning LLN, activity continues to revolve around a functionalist, decontextualised delivery mechanism. The thesis concludes with some suggestions for both policy and practice in the development of Skills for Life training provision. It argues that flexible training programmes which are linked to personal interests, whether social or vocational, will provided an improved framework in which to achieve the aspirations set out in the Skills for Life strategy (DfEE, 2001a).

This study explored teachers’ perceptions of their job resources, how they are constructed under perceived change demands and the perceived influence of participants’ school contexts. A mixed-methods research design was followed. It consisted of a pilot-study, a survey and two rounds of semi-structured interviews in a convenience sample of secondary school teachers that were employed in schools located in a region of the Midlands in UK from June 2010 till July 2013. Based on Demerouti et al.’s (2001) generic definition of job resources, six aspects of participants’ perceptions of Job resources were addressed: a) teachers’ perceptions of their schools as learning organisations, b) teachers’ perceptions of their school activities/arrangements, c) teachers’ perceptions of Job resources and their Positive Psychological capital, d) teachers’ perceptions of their sources of engagement support, e) teachers’ perceptions of available sources of support, and f) teachers’ perceptions of the influence of their school contexts’ on their perceived sources of support. This thesis will present a literature review of key areas in relation to the study’s research questions and methodological issues regarding its research design. It will discuss each aspect of teachers’ perceptions of job resources in relation to relevant literature and it will show how the findings answered the research questions, present the study’s limitations and contribution to the field. Overall, the study’s findings are in accordance to psychological and educational research in teachers’ perceptions of sources of support in their work-environment. In particular, the surveys’ and interviews’ analyses showed that those sources of support mainly involve teachers’ perceptions of their relationships with their colleagues and leadership as well as their perceptions of their participation in decision-making committees and their perceived influence in any developments in their schools. The contribution of this study is that it focuses on what individual teachers perceive as most important for them. This is important as it can highlight what sources of support may best meet the needs of individual teachers. This became especially evident through the analysis of interviewees’ responses about what supported them when they faced a change in their careers. Most importantly the present study showed the complexity of adopting a holistic approach towards teachers’ job resources. For example, participants in both surveys and participants in the first round of interviews focused on non-work related aspects of their lives to describe what supports their engagement in their work. On the other hand, in the second round of interviews, where the focus was on the perceived influence of participants’ school contexts on teachers’ perceptions, such descriptions did not occur. Finally, the use of both surveys and interviews to explore teachers’ perceptions of job resources allowed both targeting specific factors in teachers’ work-environment, as well as letting individuals reflect on them.

This thesis aimed to address and inform the gap in current sport psychology/coaching research, knowledge and practice related to the implementation of technical refinement in already learnt, well-established and self-paced skills. This was achieved through a series of studies conducted within golf. Accordingly, Chapter 2 revealed technical refinement as neither systematic nor consistent within and between European Tour players and coaches and high-level amateurs. Building on this need, the systematic Five-A Model was derived from the literature (Chapter 3), targeting outcomes of permanency and pressure resistance. Following, motor control (Chapter 4) and kinematic (Chapter 5) measures, technological methods from which these data could be obtained (Chapter 6) and appropriate training environments and task characteristics (Chapter 7) were determined, aimed at enabling informative tracking of progress through the Five-A Model in applied golf coaching environments. Having developed these ranges of measures and methods, Chapter 8 presented three longitudinal case studies aimed at implementing and tracking progress through stages of the Five-A Model. Results revealed outcomes with different levels of success in facilitating technical refinement, based primarily on psycho-behavioural limitations that were also found in Chapter 2. Therefore, as a final check on measures proposed, Chapter 9 confirmed previous suggestions by tracking six performers making short-term technical refinements within a single training session. Finally, Chapter 10 summarised the findings and implications of this thesis. Particular emphasis was directed towards the impact of psycho-behavioural skills in determining the success when attempting refinements, the further development of informative measures to track progress and inform coaches decision making and the wider implications of this research within clinical and rehabilitation settings.

This thesis reports on the implementation of an Educational Management Information System (EMIS/SMPP) in the Malaysian Ministry of Education (MMOE) since 1995. An EMIS enables data to be collected, processed, stored and retrieved, and allows data and information to be disseminated to support the main activities and 'business' cycles of educational organisations. The thesis investigates decision-makers' use of EMIS/SMPP and their perceptions as to its value and shortcomings. It highlights issues affecting the development of an integrated system/database in the MMOE from the point of view of decision-makers. It also offers suggestions for improving the implementation of EMIS/SMPP and developing an integrated system in the MMOE. The study involved a literature review, participant observation. Furthermore, interviews with a representative sample of decision-makers, the potential users of EMIS, were held. The relationships between issues raised by the decision-makers were examined and discussed with reference to two multiple cause diagrams. The study found that use of EMIS/SMPP was sparse. Several human-, organisational/management- and technological-related issues were identified as contributing to restricting the use and usefulness of EMIS. Two models of EMIS implementation are presented. The first is the model produced by the EMIS implementation team. This proved inadequate due to unclear specification of stages and identification of management and information integration, system review and management involvement. A second model addresses these weaknesses by specifying activities or interventions at specific levels and building in feedback loops in the system implementation process. A manager of change/ technology is seen as a key factor in the implementation of EMIS, the more so considering the constraints on change with the existing organisational culture and structure of the MMOE. The study provides a unique insight into change in a public organisation in Malaysia. It offers important insights into a range of human-, organisational/ management- and technological-related issues associated with change. Additionally, it offers specific recommendations for the development of integrated information systems. Areas for further research are identified.

Social relationships within the school and recognition of teachers' efforts are two main elements respondents say are crucial for their sense of career satisfaction. However, "satisfaction" is found to be a complex concept, and one which allows a deeper and more comprehensive conceptualizing of respondents' lives. While teachers may display a sense of "job comfort", in which they are generally comfortable with "satisfactory" work conditions, this proves to be a superficial expression of contentment. "Job fulfilment", on the other hand, describes a deeply satisfying relationship with the tasks they do, and the school environment generally: "job fulfilment" suggests an experience of a profound sense of comfort with the intrinsic rewards of their job. The research suggests there are important implications in terms of how intrinsic and extrinsic satisfiers work both in relation to the wider social structure, as well as within the school itself. My research recognized that respondents moved through four main career stages: the academic stage, the novitiate stage, the maturation stage and the mid-career stage. Each stage was marked with specific characteristics; teachers in each stage expressed different, though clearly related concerns. This research presents a clear linkage between the initial decision to teach, subsequent development of a commitment to teaching, and the concomitant desire to quit. The research examines the applicability to Oman of extant models of teacher career stages, developed in the Western literature, and considers where an Omani developmental model may agree with and where depart from these models. The overall findings illustrate the powerful role of socio-cultural forces on teachers' professional and personal development and, considering these, facilitate the discussion of issues of gender and job satisfaction within the teaching profession. Wider extrapolations from the data analysis may help generate further research on teachers, giving them the voices they need for their future development and empowerment.

Malaysian employers have considerable reservations when it comes to graduates’ employability skills, particularly their flawed English language competence. Given the challenges faced by higher education institutions in Malaysia to match employers’ requirements, there is a need to initiate holistic and comprehensive research on the curriculum practices of current English for Occupational Purposes (EOP) courses. This study sought to better comprehend employers’ perspectives, expectations and practices in dealing with the English language demands of the workplace environment. The requirements demanded by Malaysian employers will determine the key definition of professional communication skills for successful workplace functions. The aim of this study was twofold. Firstly, it intended to define Professional Communication Skills (PCS) by looking at the needs and requirements of Malaysian stakeholders, namely employers, the government and academia. This component explores the requirements, suggestions as well as common practices in relation to English language communication carried out at the workplace in the public and private sectors in Malaysia as voiced by the stakeholders. These valuable facts will help to fulfil the fundamental objective of this study, which is to determine the key definition of professional communication skills identified by Malaysian stakeholders for successful workplace functions. A clearly defined Professional Communication Skills Framework in English is aimed for at the end of this study. Secondly, it also aims to produce an informed, impartial and highly valid PCS framework for English by having the stakeholders thoroughly involved in creating meaning and amending the components within the framework during the validation stage of the study. Additionally, in order to make sure that the framework is not only valid but also achievable, a few experts in the field of teaching English in higher education have looked through the framework thoroughly. This qualitative study sits within the interpretivist paradigm, where data were primarily drawn from in-depth interviews with 24 respondents in the following subgroups: 1) human resource managers from key multi-national industries (10 respondents); 2) government executives who recruit entry-level employees for public sector (4 respondents) and; 3) EOP instructors and HE liaison officers for industrial training (10 respondents). The data were subjected to rigorous deductive and iterative analysis in which soft systems methodology (SSM) was applied. To assure the rigour, integrity and legitimacy of the research process and its worth, trustworthiness criteria were applied all the way through the study. Key findings of the study centre on the complexities of graduates’ English language workplace literacies, where it was discovered that the balance of breadth and depth of communicative competence should be embedded throughout the system of education, as early as in pre-primary education. Contrary to expectations, the findings illustrate that graduates’ personal attributes were rated more important than communicating fluently in the English language. Stakeholders compellingly proposed that these attributes should be stressed during the teaching and learning process in HE institutions and observable measures should be designed to assess the graduates’ personal attributes that are desired by stakeholders. The findings also stress the dire need to put emphasis on fluency over accuracy in the HE curriculum. This study has yielded findings that make an original contribution to both the theory and practice of English language literacies since it adds to the broader view of workplace literacies by unveiling the requirements for English language used in a professional setting situated in a Malaysian context. This study has provided conclusive evidence by documenting Malaysian stakeholders’ requirements regarding the workplace literacies of graduates, scrutinising the findings and developing a practical PCS framework for English, using a Communication Competence Model (Morealle, Spitzberg and Barge, 2007) as its point of departure. These outcomes are especially beneficial for informing policy makers’ agendas in producing competent graduates for the future local and global workforce.

Atualmente as agências reguladoras estão focadas no controle de resíduos de antimicrobianos, pesticidas entre outros que são prejudiciais no meio ambiente, saúde humana e animal e que podem ser encontrados em alimentos, água de rio entre outros, como por exemplo, resíduos de sulfonamidas (SAs) no leite bovino. A quantificação desses compostos em amostras complexas requer o preparo da amostra, extração, préconcentração dos analitos e eliminação dos interferentes que são necessários para o desenvolvimento de métodos cromatográficos. Por isso, é vantajoso que se utilize métodos simples, rápidos, baixo consumo de reagente, alta sensibilidade, maior precisão analítica e automação das análises. Neste contexto, este estudo explora uma das técnicas de preparo de amostra baseadas em sorvente mais empregadas a SPE na sua vertente automatizada, SPE on-line. Recentemente, o uso de novos sorventes mais seletivos têm recebido grande interesse como os líquidos iônicos (ILs) imobilizados na sílica. Diferentes abordagens para a síntese da sílica modificada por ILs foram estudadas. O sorvente sintetizado pela reação sol-gel através via catálise básica apresentou maior eficiência de extração para as SAs. Os resultados obtidos por espectroscopia vibracional na região do infravermelho e microscopia eletrônica de varredura sugerem que o IL foi ancorado à sílica. O sorvente baseado em sílica modificada por IL ([C4MIM] [PF6]) foi selecionada como fase extratora para o isolamento e pré-concentração de SAs em leite bovino utilizando um sistema SPE on-line -LC-ESIQToF / MS. O método desenvolvido mostrou um LOQ de 5-7,5 µg mL-1, enquanto que a faixa de recuperação relativa da extração foi de 74-93%. A faixa de precisão e exatidão intra e inter-dia obtida foi de 1,5-12,5 e 2,3-13,1, respectivamente. Outra vertente explorada neste trabalho foi o uso de colunas tubulares abertas (OT) em cromatografia líquida. Até agora, as colunas OT foram usadas principalmente para análise de peptídeos e proteínas, e seu potencial para a separação de pequenas moléculas ainda não foi totalmente explorado. Preparou-se uma coluna de SPE de 5 cm em um tubo capilar aberto composto por 84 canais (10 μm de diâmetro interno (id) cada) de um capilar de fibra de cristal e a parede interna de cada canal foi revestida com um polímero orgânico -OD –DVB – mPLOT SPE). A mPLOT SPE foi acoplada com uma coluna tubular aberta PS-DVB de 10 μm x 2 m com detecção em espectrometria de massa por nanospray (OTLC-MS) no modo positivo. Num estudo comparativo com colunas de SPE monolíticas e empacotadas a mPLOT SPE-OTLC melhorou significativamente a préconcentração e o formato do pico das SAs e seus metabolitos (~ 300 Da). A baixa backpressure e a geometria da mPLOT SPE combinada com a filtração automática (AFFL). / Nowadays health regulatory agencies are focusing on the presence of residues of antimicrobials, pesticides among other that are harmful to the environment, human and animal health that are found on food, river water among others, as example, the residues of sulfonamides (SAs) in bovine milk. The quantification of these compounds in complex matrices requires the sample preparation, extraction and preconcentration of the analytes, besides the elimination of the interferents for the development of chromatographic methods high sensitivity and analytical selectivity. Therefore, it is advantageous to use simple, fast methods that exhibit high selectivity, low reagent consumption, high sensitivity, higher analytical precision and automation of analyzes. In this context, this study explores one of the most employed sample preparation techniques, solid phase extraction (SPE) on automatization approach, the on-line SPE. Recently, the use of new sorbents more selective have received great interest as the ionic liquids (ILs) immobilized on the silica surface. Different approaches to the synthesis of silica modified by ILs were studied. The sorbent synthesized by sol-gel methodology through basic catalysis showed higher extraction efficiency for SAs. The results obtained by infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy suggested that IL was anchored to the silica surface. The silica modified by IL ([C4MIM] [PF6]) was selected as sorbent for the isolation and preconcentration of SAs in bovine milk using an on-line SPE system -LC-ESI-QToF / MS. The method showed a LOQ of 5-7.5 μg mL-1, while the relative extraction recovery range was 74-93%. The accuracy and precision intra- and inter-day range was 1.5-12.5 and 2.3-13.1, respectively. Another aspect explored was the use of open tubular column (OT) for separation of small molecules. OT columns have been used primarily for peptide and protein analysis, and their potential for small molecules separation has not yet been fully explored. A 5 cm SPE column (mPLOT) was prepared in an open capillary tube composed by 84 channels (10 μm inner diameter (id) each) of a crystal fiber capillary and the inner wall of each channel was coated by organic polymer (PS-OD–DVB). The mPLOT was coupled with a 10 μm x 2 m PS-OD-DVB open tubular column with positive mode nanospray mass spectrometry (OTLC-MS) detection. Compared to the use of monolithic / particulate SPE columns, SPE-OTLC mPLOT significantly improved the preconcentration and peak forms of SAs and their metabolites (~ 300 Da). Low backpressure, mPLOT geometry and the combination with automatic filtration (AFFL) was essential to sample preparation and separation of small molecules on complex matrices.