In traditional university higher education the normal expectation is that academic staff will undertake teaching and research. There is an implicit assumption that active researchers provide a high quality learning experience, with research-informed teaching at its core. The research presented in this thesis explores aspects of the teaching-research nexus in university and college-based higher education. As there is not traditionally a research culture within college-based higher education it may be assumed that the learning experience may be of a lesser quality. This research considered four aspects of provision. It considered institutional and lecturer views on the nexus before examining what students experienced and how engaged they were in their lecturers' research. Comparisons between the types of institution showed an expected cultural pattern between universities and colleges stance on the nexus, where CBHE focused on teaching, post-1992 universities on research-informed teaching, and the pre-1992 universities highlighting their research reputations. The student experience is shown to diverge from this pattern. The CBHE psychology students had a more research-rich experience than those at universities, with varying levels of engagement with lecturers' research. The evidence form this study suggests that research, in its traditional form, may not be necessary to enhance learning. It indicates that there needs to be further exploration about the role of scholarship within higher education to develop a better understanding of the role of CBHE in the higher education sector, and what it may contribute to the teaching-research nexus. This may have implications for the status of CBHE in the higher education landscape, as has been suggested by the first TEF outcomes.

abstract: ABSTRACT Much of teacher feedback research is conducted in the L1 and L2 contexts. There is a paucity of research about feedback in the Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language (TCFL) context. Particularly, little is known about teachers' feedback practices and student views of teacher feedback. The present study was undertaken to fill the research gap by focusing on teachers'written feedback. Student data from surveying 38 students was interpreted with teacher data gained from interviewing three teachers. The findings indicate that teacher written feedback, which occurred in a multiple-draft writing cycle, generally accorded with recommended feedback principles. Students responded favorably to teacher written feedback. The results also reveal discrepancies between teachers' feedback practices and student perceptions of and preferences regarding teacher feedback. The results show that students wanted more written comments from teachers, though most teachers didn't prioritize written comments. Despite teachers' practices and their inclination toward offering coded indirect error correction, students in the study expressed their preferences for direct error correction. Most students are interested in receiving teacher feedback that addresses all aspects of writing rather than primarily focusing on language accuracy. The reasons that may account for the disjuncture are also discussed in the study. The study concludes that it is important for teachers to be aware of student attitudes and expectations regarding teacher feedback. Teachers should be flexible enough to provide individualized feedback. Pedagogical implications are included in the paper in the hope of shedding light on the development of effective and helpful teacher feedback. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.A. Asian Languages and Civilizations 2012

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Motivational interviewing (MI) has been used extensively and often effectively in medical settings to support behaviour change in adults. There is emerging evidence that MI may also be a useful approach for working with young people in schools. This thesis investigated the effectiveness of MI in educational settings and is presented in three sections. The first paper is an evaluative systematic literature review examining the evidence for student-focused MI in educational settings. Eleven studies were included in the review, although just eight were identified as 'best evidence' and included in the synthesis. Overall there is evidence for the effectiveness of student-focused MI in the areas of behaviour, school-based motivation and academic achievement. However, a number of methodological weaknesses were identified in the existing literature, which provides clear pointers for future research. Previous research has highlighted the potential usefulness of MI when used as a therapeutic intervention with disaffected students. However, to date, there has been little published research investigating students' views on MI. The second paper aims to investigate students' views on an MI intervention. Three disaffected students took part in an individual MI intervention, which was delivered by three educational psychologists (EPs). Semi-structured interviews were used to obtain the students' views, immediately after the intervention and again at a follow-up interview three months later. The results indicated that students were enthusiastic about the intervention and most perceived that there had been a positive impact on their learning motivation and classroom behaviour. However, these results were not consistent with questionnaire responses and two of the students experienced exclusions around the time of the intervention. The implications of these ambiguous findings are discussed in relation to the use of therapeutic interventions by EPs and the possible factors that are crucial to the success of MI interventions. The third paper provides a critical appraisal of the overall research process, including implications of the work, wider context of the research and dissemination of evidence to professional practice.

This research paper looks at teachers’ views, and use, of formative assessment in the subject of English 6. It also highlights students understanding and processing of feedback and their opinions of eight assessment tools. The study was carried out using mixed methods research with individual teacher interviews, a student focus group interview, and a questionnaire. My finding shows the difficulties with identifying formative assessment and working with this in a way that helps students in their development of English 6, and the need for tools to make feedback and guidance clearer for students. Furthermore, this study identifies the need for guidance from the Swedish national agency of education regarding how teachers should incorporate formative assessment in their classroom.

Syfte och frågeställning Syftet med studien är att bidra med kunskap om elevers uppfattningar om vilka faktorer i undervisningen som främjar deras välbefinnande. Genom att låta elever beskriva den undervisning som de anser främjar deras välbefinnande finns en förhoppning om att bidra med värdefull kunskap som kan tillföra förståelse för hur undervisningen skulle kunna utvecklas för att främja elevers välbefinnande. ● Vilka faktorer i undervisningen upplever elever främjar deras välbefinnande? Teori Studiens teoretiska ansats har sin utgångspunkt i det psykologiska perspektivet med betoning på det kognitiva. Teorierna beskriver den syn på eleven, lärande och välbefinnande som används i studien. Metod Studien är kvalitativ och bygger på semistrukturerade intervjuer. Urvalsgruppen består av tio niondeklassare från en kommuns fyra högstadieskolor. Intervjuerna genomfördes dels digitalt och dels i fysiska träffar. Intervjuguiden bestod av tre frågor och följdfrågor av sonderande karaktär. Resultat Studiens resultat visar att de faktorer i undervisningen som eleverna upplever främjar deras välbefinnande är: tillgänglighet, variation, valmöjlighet, att få vara aktiv och självständig, positiva sammanhang, kreativa arbetssätt, utmanande uppgifter, tillfälle till återhämtning, tillitsfulla, vägledande och uppmuntrande relationer och att få känna sig kompetent. När undervisningen innehåller dessa faktorer känner de starkt engagemang och välbefinnande. Ett genomgående tema urskiljde sig: variation och engagemang genom delaktighet och inflytande. Specialpedagogiska implikationer Specialpedagogen ska tillsammans med elevhälsan främst arbeta hälsofrämjande och förebyggande. Här har specialpedagogen en viktig funktion när det gäller att definiera och skapa en gemensam kunskap om och förståelse för vad ett hälsofrämjande perspektiv och förhållningssätt är. Ett viktigt förändrings- och utvecklingsarbete för specialpedagogen är att tillsammans med lärarna organisera för en hälsofrämjande undervisning där eleverna ges stor möjlighet till delaktighet och inflytande. Undervisningens utformning och elever som blir lyssnade på är en nyckel i arbetet med att främja elevers välbefinnande.