The study examined pupils’ and teachers’ experiences of the food and healthy eating topic within the Science curriculum, including documentary analysis of the National Curriculum, schemes of work and pupils’ exercise books, and direct consultation with pupils and teachers. Pupils were consulted using questionnaires and focus groups, teachers with interviews. Data collected illustrated that, although the National Curriculum outlined what should be taught in each key stage, demonstrating progression, errors of interpretation appeared in the schemes of work. Some concepts were introduced earlier than intended and revisited without progression at later times in the pupils’ education. Pupils felt elements of the topic were repetitive due to content being covered in other school subjects and that lessons lacked preferred teaching and learning activities. Teachers were unclear about pupils’ prior learning and although they knew what teaching and learning activities engaged the pupils they did not have the time to include them. Some teachers included concepts earlier than the National Curriculum intended to increase progression. The study recommends clearer specification and guidance of when concepts should be taught, along with less frequent revisiting, supported by assessment of pupils’ prior knowledge and the inclusion of a greater variety of teaching and learning activities.

This thesis discusses teaching sensitive issues in a framework of education for democracy and social change. Specifically, the research examined how teacher-education students in South African teacher-education institutions in the Western Cape province are taught about HIV/AIDS and sensitive issues and how they describe their experiences. The thesis discusses how social change, i.e. the transition from a traditional and modernist society to a society with postmodern features, affects schooling as it changes the social structures in which schooling take place, and furthermore how sensitive and controversial issues come to the surface and demand to be dealt with as society changes. This has implications for the educational framework chosen – i.e. going from an authoritarian form of education to education for democracy based on democratic teaching methods, student participation and diversity. This thesis is built of the assumption that only teachers who are properly prepared to handle teaching in a diverse classroom will be able to handle teaching sensitive and controversial issues. There were two main findings of the research. Firstly, the need for teacher professionalism, defined as teachers’ didactic and reflective competence in teaching sensitive issues. Secondly that there is a need for participatory democratic education in dealing with sensitive and controversial issues.

The research uses a Realistic Evaluation approach (Pawson and Tilley, 1997) to begin to identify and refine shared programme theories that underpin alternative education programmes (AEPs) that support children who are at risk of school exclusion to remain in mainstream school. A Realist Synthesis (Pawson, 2006) of the relevant literature begins to identify programme theories underpinning the AEPs’ approach. Realist interviews (Pawson and Tilley, 1997) with a range of stakeholders, including education practitioners, children and a parent who have experience of one Local Authority AEP, are used to refine the programme theories identified. Supportive programme outcomes included: increasing parental engagement, promoting an effective school environment and promoting skills and resilience in the young person. Programme context conditions and mechanisms are identified as promoting the achievement of these outcomes. The bio-ecological theory (Bronfenbrenner, 2005) provided a model that located one potential analytic framework which identifies the purpose of the programme as ‘facilitating change in the child’s ecological context systems to enable a more supportive environment for reintegration’. These embryonic programme theories and the RE approach are discussed in light of how they can enable practitioners to develop a clearer understanding of how AEPs, and other education programmes, can effectively support children.

This thesis seeks to establish the merits of engaging in skills competitions and the requirements for further education colleges to consider in doing so effectively. This study uses qualitative methodology based on data gathered from two case studies, each being a college of further education in the West Midlands. The case studies produced transcripts from 22 semi-structured interviews with staff employed at these colleges, and responses from 28 vocational teachers from the case study colleges to an on-line questionnaire. The perspectives of the respondents are considered against themes emerging from a review of relevant literature on skills competitions, quality assurance, vocational teaching, change management, vocational identity and continuous professional development within further education. Following an analysis of the findings it is suggested that skills competitions can be used to enhance vocational education. This is enabled through embracing the 'craft' of vocational teachers and their students, within a corporate approach to the introduction and use of skills competitions by colleges of further education. This approach is sustainable where colleges encourage the development of environments that are defined as 'expansive', but is less likely to sustain enhancements in vocational education where environments are seen as 'restrictive'.

This largely conceptual thesis explores the epistemological nature of students' engagement with disciplinary knowledge, primarily in further education contexts. The disciplinary nature of students' engagement is frequently obscured by concerns relating to their engagement with educational processes. A model which distinguishes between different forms of knowledge and which places disciplinary knowledge at the centre of the educational context is proposed. This model serves as an organising idea throughout the thesis. Approaches to theorising educational knowledge, including social realist, sociocultural and situated theories of learning as well as Bernstein's work, are analysed, critiqued and in some cases adapted. A case study of the school science curriculum and scientific literacy explores the principles of recontextualisation of disciplinary knowledge and a key debate concerning the nature of 'authentic learning' is identified. It is argued that while Bernsteinian and social realist theories are useful in elaborating the role of forms of knowledge within the curriculum, these theories tend to neglect social relations to knowledge in different epistemic contexts. An alternative view which recognises the function of mythological disciplinary narratives is proposed. This conceptualisation acknowledges that disciplinary discourses are only fully meaningful in their authentic contexts and emphasises the role of pedagogy in bridging the meaning that is made between agential participants in the different contexts. The fully elaborated model for forms of knowledge within the educational context locates a realist theory of knowledge within sociocultural theory and provides an epistemological account of students' relationships with disciplinary knowledge. It provides a theoretical tool for practitioners and those engaged in curriculum development for thinking about students' engagement with disciplinary knowledge. Implications for aspects of policy and practice are discussed, as are opportunities for further research.

The purpose of this study was to investigate ICT-related EFL teacher development in the context of Chinese national College English reform. Four aims were established. First, to examine the current situation in a specific institution from the perspectives of: 1) teachers' attitudes towards ICT use in the context of College English reform; 2) the integration of ICT in English classes; 3) provision of ICT support within current continuing professional development (CPD) programmes for EFL teachers. Second, to assess the suitability of the CPD policies and practices for EFL teachers as a way of supporting the national College English reform. Third, to identify key issues affecting the effective provision of CPO in relation to ICT for EFL teachers. Fourth, to suggest possible solutions to problems identified and directions for future research. The study employed a case study involving quantitative and qualitative methods in order to give an in-depth account of the process of implementation of the reform at particular point in time. The findings indicated that initially the majority of teachers had held positive attitudes towards ICT use in English teaching and the national reform, but their enthusiasm was waning in the light of inadequate support and training. The national reform had, however, stimulated the improvement of ICT competence of both teachers and students. At the same time, it had challenged EFL teachers to adapt to new teaching materials, student-centred classroom teaching and how to guide students in their autonomous learning. In terms of ICT-related CPD policies and practices, there existed a gap between the current policies in the provision of CPD and demand for this. Recommendations are made for future research and for improvements in policy and practice of ICT-related CPD for EFL teachers in China.

This thesis is my professional autobiography that records an action research process of three full cycles ranging from 2004 to 2006. I follow a narrative style and a first person perspective to present this process in loyalty to the action research nature and my research reality. I work at an online institute (the Institute) of a Chinese university and I am responsible for course design and development of degree-bearing courses in English language education via online delivery to learners nationwide. My job is contextualized in a situation in China where online course design and development booms in practice, yet it lacks theoretical guidelines, quality research with responsive approaches and staff with professional identity and practice. I started my research in 2004 with a mono-commitment -- a real-situation task of adapting the courseware of an "orientation” module of a post-diploma BA course in English language education. I worked alone as both a researcher and a practitioner, only to find that the task involved more than just courseware design - it dealt with subject matter in that online course design and development was a process as well as a product that aimed at the construction of a learning system (the "What" issue); it also dealt with a methodological issue of selecting a research approach that could accommodate my research need and situation (the "How" issue). I started my second research cycle in 2005 with dual commitments – the exploration of instructional design as a subject matter guideline and action research as a responsive research methodology. I led a team of 3 tutor-researchers and 15 learner-researchers through a process of "plan -- act -- analyze and reflect” during the design, development, implementation and evaluation phases of the "orientation" module. Two issues emerged from this research cycle. One was that there existed four major tensions between instructional design and the learners' reality: time design, media selection, support design in relation to interaction and group learning, and assessment design. The other was that action research could be applied as an effective approach to professional development. I conducted my third research cycle in 2006 with tri-commitments – professional development (the "Who" issue) of 12 new staff at the Institute in addition to a further exploration of instructional design (the "What" issue) and action research (the "How" issue). This research cycle revealed that the interventional strategies worked to some extent, but some issues persisted and new issues emerged. Among them, the tensions between instructional design and the learners' reality, and the multi-faceted context of the research were repeatedly recognized. The three research cycles have informed my further research to establish a paradigmatic and practical framework that can integrate the "What", the "How" and the "Who" issues. This framework is termed multimodal learning system design that adopts a design, learning, multimodal and ecological view to guide a cyclical process that involves a community of practice in inquiry and reflection as well as all the major stakeholders (e.g. designers, tutors, administrators and learners) and a product that creates a learning system. This framework is valued for its responsiveness to sustainable improvements and changes in the online education field full of innovation and challenges in theory, research and professionalism.

Being a teacher is key to my identity. That I remain committed to a system characterised by low morale, poor conditions, compromised values and disparaged beliefs, surprises me. This thesis asks why and how I sustain a life in public education and what relevance my story may have for others. It poses the following questions: • What values, beliefs & educational approaches are important to me in education & why? • What experiences have contributed to the resilience of my approach to education? • How does my account relate to those of particular others? • What implications does the exploration of the values & beliefs of myself & others have for my present action in education? Such questions are important because of increasing evidence of teacher unhappiness in the UK. This thesis claims that systematic attention to fundamental beliefs promotes change and can build capacity. It traces a journey from introspective analysis towards public and collegiate action in education - a journey I think may be useful for others. Using the systematic study of autobiographies, diaries, letters, key influences and conversations, I seek answers to my questions by examining deeply held beliefs that prompt each major or minor decision. Values subsequently run through this thesis. The resulting enhanced self-understanding and professional activity is used to generate a theoretical basis and practical guidance for staff development in education. An original feature of this ethnographic research is that close friends were research participants. Friends form and fix each other’s’ stories and support the actions that sustain us. They are central to our resilience and other aspects of well-being. Values-conversations with these friends confirmed that values can form young, and remain relatively unchanged over long periods. Our conversations deepened relationships and our joint resolve to act in-line with our values. A common commitment to creativity, though based on different definitions, defined our identities, directed our values and sustained friendship itself. This thesis is also distinctive in its interdisciplinarity. My art works form a deliberately silent narrative argued to be as true, fluid and vulnerable as my words. I also use a musical structure called sonata form systematically to interrogate my conclusions. A blend of methodologies, dominated by auto-ethnography calls upon other interpretative approaches including: art and music criticism, grounded theory and action-based study. This mix of methodologies expressed my cross-curricular thinking and provided the engine that powered the staff development action recorded in the penultimate chapter. The term ‘interdisciplinary praxis-focussed autoethnography’, is introduced to emphasise the intention of action through autobiography which characterises this work. My approach shows that living/working in accordance with core values, developing/nurturing friendships and identifying/extending our distinctive creative strengths have been central to me and my friends’ resilience. This realisation changed my practice in teacher education. It strengthened my belief that teacher well-being is key to improving school experience for children.

This thesis focuses on an investigation which aimed to explore how teachers interpret their roles and construct their professional identities in relation to school improvement and how they can be supported in their contributions in this respect. The initial research questions were set within a conceptual framework linking teacher professionalism and school improvement, in particular the symbiotic and reciprocal relationships between individuals and organisations which were illuminated by the concepts of agency and structuration. Research aims, questions and conceptual development were reflexively and iteratively modified, to encompass the significance of school context in influencing professional identity and agency and to explore intractable dilemmas arising in interpreting external and internal policy requirements in relation to personal values. The implications of narrative enquiry for validity were acknowledged, focusing on distilling the ‘essence’ of situated professional selves and identities through portraiture to explore these substantive themes. The professional values, priorities and aspirations of six teachers were investigated through semi-structured interviews incorporating elicitation tools, and presented as a form of nested case study where individual portraits were set within the organisational landscapes of their two contrasting schools, based on evidence representing a range of perspectives. This involved navigating the methodological territory between narratives and portraits. Analysis is presented as an ‘exhibition’, with three ‘galleries’ exploring different themes emerging from the empirical evidence. This enabled comparisons to be made between the stance that teachers choose to take in relation to internally or externally driven change and their own motivations, aspirations and actions to achieve outcomes according with their personal values and concerns. The research contributes new understandings in relation to how, within ‘imposed’, ‘selected’ and ‘constructed’ organisational environments (Bandura, 2001), teachers’ professional identities are, to a greater or lesser extent, imposed or constructed. This in turn affects their agency in influencing their professional environments aligned with their personal professional values and aspirations. The empirical evidence therefore shows the significance of organisational cultures, leadership and individual agency, in influencing how professional environments and identities are constructed or imposed. A new model is derived from the empirical evidence and parallel conceptual development, contrasting complementary epistemological, ontological and agentic perspectives for schooling. This provides a framework for developing professional identity and professionality, in which individual agency is considered a vital dimension. Since teachers have a predominantly narrative understanding of reality, it is argued that narrative and visual approaches are key to such school improvement work. Making the agentic perspective visible and developmental supports key components of agency - intentionality, forethought, self-reactiveness and self-reflectiveness (ibid.). The resulting levels of engagement give grounds for optimism in supporting teachers’ more powerful individual and collective agency, including working critically and strategically with systemic reform, contributing proactively to local initiatives for change and pursuing personal change agendas.

This research investigated the ways in which Management Information Systems (MIS) support learning in FE colleges, based on an analysis of data deriving from respondents in three colleges. The study has adopted Weick’s (1995) theory of Interpretive Sensemaking (SM) as an underpinning theory to explore teacher and managerial responses to discourses of using data to inform decisions. The study is qualitative in nature and uses interviews, documents, and participant observation data, to understand and explain social phenomena. A case study methodology is used in this study as it provides an opportunity for in depth analysis of the role of MIS using various sources and methods of investigation. Two methods of data collection are used. The first data collection method used in this study is documentary collation and analysis. The document sources include sets of policy and procedure texts. The documentary analysis also includes the internal reports generated by MIS software or provided by MIS staff on schedule. The second method of data collection employed in the study is interviews. The interviews data collected are from one to one semi structured interviews and focus groups. In total 60 members of staff were interviewed from which 20 participants were interviewed in focus groups. The study suggests that the main providers of data come from MIS services in colleges. MIS provide tools to make the data available for practitioners to use on a daily basis to support learning. The study suggests that there are some barriers which do not help practitioners to use the data effectively in order to improve learning in FE colleges. This study reveals a number of recommendations for FE colleges to embrace to improve the use of data in decision making and learning: easy access to data, data integration, good communication, professional development, collaboration, motivation to use data, available support in place, purpose to use data, data quality, useful and user friendly software tools, and ownership of data. Additionally two original frameworks have been evolved, a framework for effective MIS in FE colleges and a framework for steps to improve the effective use of data in support of education and learning. Both frameworks can be adopted and implemented easily in FE colleges and can enable educators to support learning and monitor success and achievements effectively.