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.

This thesis investigates the impact of School Nutrition and Health programs implemented by the Government in Public primary schools in India. Section A focuses on evaluating the National Program of Nutritional support to Primary Education launched in 1995. Under this scheme, children enrolled in government primary schools received 3 kilograms of food grains per month, free of cost, conditional on enrolment and a minimum attendance requirement. In chapter 1, we provide a detailed survey of the related literature, highlighting the multi-dimensional impacts of these programs on educational and health outcomes. In Chapter 2, we evaluate the impact of the School feeding program (SFP) in India on primary school starting age and enrolment using the National sample survey. We adopt two methodological frameworks to estimate the program impact, namely, a difference-in-differences (DID) technique and duration analysis. The findings indicate that the program was effective in increasing enrolment and encouraging children to start school at the stipulated entry age. In chapter 3, we study the impact of the SFP in India on primary school completion using the District Level Household survey. Using the DID methodology, we find that the program had a positive effect on primary school completion, with differential effects by gender and years of program exposure. Additionally, we identify whether the program generated positive educational externalities between siblings in the family. Section B of this thesis evaluates a complementary policy, The School Health Program implemented in Government primary schools in Karnataka, India. The program provided free health services to students in public schools, consisting of- micronutrient supplements, deworming treatment and regular health screenings by Doctors at the school premises. We investigate whether this program was effective in improving pupils’ educational and health status. Using administrative data on student’s academic and health records collected from public schools, we find that the program led to an increase in school participation measures and academic performance, with heterogeneous effects across subjects and performance distribution. The program impacts on anthropometric indicators are positive, but statistically insignificant for both boys and girls. We conclude that School Nutrition and Health programs are extremely beneficial in a developing country context to improve children’s educational and health status, by lowering schooling costs and by providing parents with incentives to send their children to school. These programs have the potential to improve future welfare and quality of life, through increased educational attainment and improved health and nutrition.

This cross-national research is a comparative study of Muslim headteachers working in state schools in England and Pakistan. The primary focus of this research is to explore the role of religion in Muslim headteachers' professional practice; how it influences their leadership actions, the principles underlying these actions and the different sources from which the headteachers seek guidance while leading their schools. Bearing in mind the importance of context, this research considers various factors operating at the micro (personal), meso (institutional) and macro (national) levels and which influence the way Muslim headteachers in both countries perceive religion in their leadership role. Within the multi-level contextual framework, this thesis focuses on those factors which are particularly related to the Muslim headteachers’ religion and to the place of religion in the public spheres of England and Pakistan. The main participants of this research were Muslim headteachers selected from ten state-maintained schools (primary and secondary); five each in England and Pakistan. A qualitative approach was adopted using semi-structured interviews with the Muslim headteachers and focus group interviews with pupils and teachers in their schools. The interviews from Muslim headteachers provided insight into the influence of religion on their leadership principles and actions. The focus groups elicited the perceptions of teachers and pupils of their experiences of the headteachers’ religion in a leadership role. Key findings of the research have revealed that while the need to act professionally in a state school is somewhat similar between Muslim headteachers in both countries, the religion of the headteachers plays out very differently in the two countries. In England, the Muslim headteachers expressed their religion in a covert way although they acknowledged that religion was at the base of most of their leadership principles. The language/discourse of leadership principles used by these headteachers was mostly secular and reflected their consciousness of the need to conform to professional expectations as well as to the multi-religious and multi-cultural environment in the selected schools. In Pakistan, the Muslim headteachers viewed religion as the primary source of guidance for their personal as well as professional actions. Although the language/discourse of the leadership principles used by these headteachers was quite similar to their counterparts in England, they emphasised the religious foundation of their principles and guidance. By demonstrating the impact of (a) the individual contexts of the schools and (b) the place of religion in the national context on the different ways in which the religion of Muslim headteachers is played out in their leadership, this research has made an original contribution to knowledge in England and Pakistan. Considering the historical weakening of the public expression of religion in England, this study on Islam in education and educational leadership has the potential of offering insights into how a minority religion in a Christian-majority country can be considered influential in the face of growing apprehensions about religion in general and Islam in particular. In Pakistan, while acknowledging the dominance of Islam in the public sphere, the findings of this research can contribute to wider debates about the role of Islam in education and its possible implications on issues pertaining to religious minority students.

This ethnographic multiple case study aims to examine the impact of creative drama on young EFL learners in South Korea. While working in the field for decades, I have observed the imbalance between the high demands from the public and the paucity of pedagogical and theoretical methods of EFL teaching for young learners. Therefore, I suggest the pedagogy of drama as an alternative EFL teaching method for children in view of the sociocultural and sociolinguistic axiom. In particular, I take Vygotsky’s notion into account, which underpins the social constructivists’ understanding of education. I embarked on the investigation by carefully selecting two case classrooms of children and one case group of teachers; accordingly, the three case studies were amalgamated and reviewed in depth in pursuit of the true knowledge of the context. In order to construct rigorous knowledge, I have followed the qualitative and non-positivist paradigm of analysis by applying a hermeneutical interpretation of the context. In addition, I have adhered to the notion of bricolage, which stresses the researcher’s active role in the course of knowledge construction. The analysis uncovered that the pedagogy of drama enables EFL children to liberate themselves physically and emotionally, and hence promotes an autonomous social interaction that prompts frequent and meaningful oral language use. Moreover, the study indicates that EFL teachers are positively impacted by the pedagogy of drama in that they alter their pedagogical views to become more open, non-traditional and democratic. Thus, they begin to incorporate social interactional and communicative approaches in their EFL teaching. In addition, the analysis reveals that an adequate teacher’s role is a significant factor in enhancing meaningful context building and natural oral language use in EFL classrooms, in which children grow as authentic language users as well as autonomous social beings who convey their true voices.

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.

This research was designed to explore the ways that Muslim schools are dealing with the tensions arising from the diversity presented to them within their own religious group and how this then shapes individual schools as they operate within a post 9/11 and 7/7 social context. The work was carried out in six case study schools located within four different geographical contexts in England. Giddens’ notion of “double hermeneutics” informed the theoretical and conceptual frameworks driving the research in its aim to analyse the relationships between structure and agency operating within these schools and to understand them as social phenomena. To a lesser extent, these frameworks were also influenced by Gadamer’s interpretation of the “practical wisdom” concept which is used as a conceptual tool for data analysis. In setting out to provide a nuanced picture of these schools and explore their trajectories, four traditional theoretical typologies of Islamic education underpinned the analysis. These typologies were identified as important in understanding the dilemmas presented to Muslim schools in constructing themselves as “academically successful institutions” without compromising on their “Islamic ethos”. More so, as these schools deal with the tensions arising from maintaining an Islamic ethos while competing in an era where consumerist parental attitudes and academic achievement in the league tables are important to their future. The critical question that these schools’ leaders are facing is: How can the right balance be struck between “Islamic ethos” and the market dynamics of quality schooling? In resolving this dilemma, the concept of “what constitutes being a good/practising Muslim” was found to be key to how the case study schools managed this balance. This thesis argues that Muslim schools in Britain are being diversified by a continuously changing process that is shaped by internal factors as they try to balance the everyday dilemmas presented to them with the external factors that impact on them as they compete and operate within a wider educational context. As they grow in experience and confidence in their educational achievements Muslim schools are less influenced by “imported” factors. This then frees them to work on “tailoring” the education they offer more specifically to their own needs and challenges while taking into account and balancing this with their wider British influences. This has implications for those social debates such as multiculturalism, inclusion and exclusion and community cohesion that are now necessarily being influenced by a late modern social context.

Research studies have identified that some children with Septo Optic Dysplasia and Optic Nerve Hypoplasia demonstrate autistic phenomenology (Parr et al., 2008; Ek et al., 2005; Pring & Ockelford 2005; Bahar et al., 2003). It was found in fifty-six children, aged between four to sixteen, with isolated Hypopituitarism, Septo Optic Dysplasia and Optic Nerve Hypoplasia, that a susceptibility to autistic disorders in children was closely related to children’s degree of intellectual disability, and also their visual loss, but not their hormone deficiencies. The theses found that those children with greater severities of neurological impairments were more vulnerable children to autistic disorders. Furthermore, sensory impairments, and Self Injurious Behaviours, which are common to children with autistic disorders, intellectual disability and/or visual loss, were also reported in children with Septo Optic Dysplasia and Optic Nerve Hypoplasia, but only in children who had greater levels of intellectual disability and visual loss. The clinical relevance of the findings of the thesis is that all children with Septo Optic Dysplasia and Optic Nerve Hypoplasia should have their development closely monitored by pediatric services at the hospital they attend. Furthermore, not being able to isolate the impact of intellectual disability, from that of the impact of visual impairment makes it difficult to isolate the origin of autism in the blind. The study also raises the further possibility that intellectual disability and visual loss may have an accumulative effect to the severity of autistic disorders.

This research study constitutes an ethnographic investigation of the social positioning of 16 ‘supplementary schools’. The study incorporates positioning theory coupled with Blommaert’s approach to discourse as theoretical and analytical frameworks. The realm of supplementary schooling is complex and diverse with each school engaged in various educational projects dictated by multiple socio-political and historical factors. This complexity however is not adequately represented within current research literature. The first phase of this study investigates the key purposes of 16 diverse supplementary schools in Birmingham. This phase also encompasses the establishment of a framework in which the social positioning of schools are represented. Such a framework will challenge existing essentialised notions of supplementary schooling. This aspect of the study is achieved through semi-structured interviews with school leaders from all 16 schools. This social positioning of supplementary schools is further explored within phase 2 of the study, through an in-depth case study of an African-Caribbean school. Here, classroom observation fieldnotes, interactive recordings and staff interviews afford an exploration of the relationship between school positioning and micro-level discursive practices. Analysis of this data demonstrates that supplementary schools are complex socio-political enterprises that are situated within and respond to multiple historical, social and political storylines. The study argues that these historical, social and political contexts should be considered in order to gain a developed understanding of the role and social positioning of these institutions.