The Swedish Agency for Higher Education evaluated in 2007 the nursing programs at Swedish Universities, and confirmed that several programs lacked definition of the main subject of the discipline;- namely caring- and/or nursing. The caring science disciplines showed indications of increasing signs of fragmentation, in that sub-disciplines were evolving. There is a unique foundation of theoretical knowledge that is specific for the caring professions grounded in caring theory and philosophy. For some reason the theoretical foundation and contexture of providing care seems to fade off with time in clinical practice, as well as an explicated theory-practice gap; that theory does not go along with clinical practice. An assumption in this thesis is that caring theory somehow seems to evaporate; as nurses become clinically active- caring theory does not seem to be much reflected upon.The overall aim was to investigate into the meaning of caring to nurses in municipal elderly care, and into their explicit and implicit understanding of caring theory in their daily practice.The theoretical perspective was caring science, while the epistemological frame was of a phenomenological hermeneutical life world approach. Data was gathered by interviews with nurses working in elderly care and analyzed to grasp the structure of the phenomenon of caring in theory and practice. The thesis comprises four studies of which three empirical was consolidated with a Jean Watson’s specific caring theory, ending up in a better understanding of the approach of caring in nursing and the role of theory in practice. The findings of the studies show that the lived experience of caring as narrated by the participating nurses comprises both implicit and explicit theoretical foundation to existential caring theory. The explicit use of theory or certain theoretical affiliation was not obvious; rather what may be theoretical inputs was expressed as the importance of being present and the necessity of having a health perspective in caring. By illuminating caring and concepts from caring theory, the meaning of caring in their professional lived experience, the primary intention or choice of working as nurses became apparent again. There seems to be different perspectives related to caring theory, but as the empirical findings shows, there is a consensus behind what caring is, both in theory and in practice. As a result from the analysis the aim of caring itself may be more salient and focused if based on existential phenomenological caring concepts and theory, as this corresponds with the nurses understanding of holistic intentional caring with a health perspective. A gap exists, but is more related to organizational restrictions such as role constraints and time pressure than to the meaning of caring in theory and practice. Mediating care is a concept that embraces the implications of all the outcome concepts of the analysis and it has the possibility of being the expression of immanent and transcendent dimensions in caring. Mediating care represents the expression of our understanding of life, our values and norms. It is given expression through the insights into, and the ways we connect to one another, our ability as carers (nurses) to reach out to another in his or her being, as well the understanding of ones own being in caring. Theoretical and practical reflection and cultivation of clinical sensibility has the opportunity of inspiring for an expanded caring consciousness, manifested in the mediation of care.

The purpose of the current study is to investigate the relationship between experiences with diversity offered in an international university in Malaysia and the ways students and staff view integration. The problem that promoted this study arose from the researcher’s own experience of being an international student with difficulties in integrating in a multi-cultural environment in the university. Two outcomes are investigated in this study, the meaning of the term ‘integration’ as viewed by the students and staff and the conscious effort that is being implemented by authority and the students themselves towards achieving an optimal level of integration. This research intends to investigate the gap between the ideal level of integration and the existing level, and offer solution towards bridging the gap. Although several studies have been conducted in the past that extol the benefits of being educated in a more racially diverse environment, it is a relatively new area of educational research especially in the South Asian context and in Malaysia. Malaysia is on its way to becoming a hub for international students. The policy-makers in Malaysian higher education realize that with the influx of foreign students comes the issue of integrating these students and faculty that have come from other countries. This study had been designed to bridge the gap that exists between the local and international students and with the local community outside the campus. Findings from the study along with the theories from the literature review present the current scenario on integration and the recommendations suggest a way forward for the institution to reduce inter-group prejudices and foster optimal integration in the campus. The thesis begins with an introduction to the current scenario and summarizes the meaning of the term integration, race and ethnicity and its relevance to the concept of internationalisation as proposed by exponents in this field of research. The thesis then elaborates on the context of the study with the focus on Malaysian Higher Education policies and policies on internationalisation as drafted by the University of Nottingham and the relevance of such policies towards the study. The researcher explores literature found in this field of work and selects three theories to form the foundation of the study. The chapter on the literature review explains the theories in detail and how these three theories have been used to explore the current study. The research methodology is explained with the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus being chosen as a single case study to help focus attention on the case. A mixed method was used in designing the research, combining both quantitative and qualitative research methods in different ways, where both distinctive approaches contribute towards an understanding of the phenomenon. Quantitative research was conducted with 291 students from various departments in the second and third year of their studies and qualitative interviews were conducted with 15 participants comprising students and members of the teaching and administrative staff. The findings were analysed using SPSS version 20 and NVivo software. The analysis of the quantitative data was further discussed and the data showed that more than half the participants lacked clarity on the meaning of the word integration and its significance in their lives. Students and staff members showed a lack of clarity and understanding of the policies promoted by the university to foster integration. Students preferred being in their homogeneous race groups when it came to their academic activities. They also preferred spending their leisure time with students of their own race. The students were appreciative of the fact that the faculty respects every student equally and tries consciously to mix the races in assignment groups. The study revealed the complexity of the perception-practice dynamic, and the multi-faceted factors which influence student perception and behaviour in relation to optimal integration. Taking the findings from relevant literature and the results of the present study into account, recommendations for the university have been formulated regarding student integration. The recommendations consist of a clear vision and realistic goals in terms of integration. Recommendations also consist of promoting intercultural exchange through inculcating diversity in the curriculum and promoting intercultural interaction between international students and the local community outside the university campus and to carefully monitor integration and react appropriately to changes. The thesis ends with a conclusion summarizing the key findings, the significance of the study, limitations of the study and the scope for future research. The study recommends interventions to be used at different stages to measure and monitor the impact of such interventions towards creating optimal integration in the university and reduce the prejudice prevalent amongst racial groups in the campus at present.

The aim of this project was to explore whether voice care and development, prior to qualification, could mitigate potential vocal attrition in newly qualified teachers/lecturers within their first year of teaching. A specific focus of the research was to see if any causative relationship could be seen to exist between vocal change, specifically change in vocal quality, and the exigencies of the teaching role. Vocal quality in this instance is defined as the way in which individual voices demonstrate discrete features of pitch, resonance, degree of breathiness and clarity of the note. The sum of these features is perceived as voice/vocal quality. The study sought to gain a deeper knowledge of the vocal demands of the teaching role with a particular focus on the experiences of newly qualified teachers and lecturers. It was hoped, that information gained as a result of the study, would add to the current canon of knowledge regarding the vocal demands on teachers as a feature of their professional role. As a result of the study a number of important elements were identified, some of which go beyond the original focus of the research but arise from data gathered doing it. A number of recommendations are made which, it is hoped, will inform future working practice and increase vocal health within the teaching profession.

Bringing about school improvement has become a national focus for education. There has been little research into school improvement from the perspective of intervention, yet it has become an urgent issue due to the commitment to address under-performance in schools. This research provides insights into the use of research findings about school improvement and effectiveness in working with schools; and insights about how best to support schools in promoting a culture and ways of working in which development can be secured. It uses the development of two projects, in the first phase gaining insights from intervention with eight schools, and in the second phase gaining a closer look at the impact of interventions in two schools at the different levels of headteacher, deputy, subject leader, class teacher and children. The sample draws on schools from different contexts. In the first phase, schools were considered where intervention was welcomed, and the second phase included schools with more embedded difficulties and where intervention had not been sought. The interaction between the impact of intervention at school, classroom and pupil level is explored, drawing out the inter-relationship between the elements of intervention in promoting improvement. The research drew upon a phenomenological perspective to consider the perceptions of those involved in terms of the interventions; methods of data collection were developed which drew upon both qualitative and quantitative processes, including narrative analysis. A model for intervention is offered alongside the identification of the activities and skills of interveners working to promote school improvement. Aspects of change are identified in relation to the technical, cultural and micro-political development. A new identification of the phases of development is given, and aligned to the inter-related aspects of the change process. Turbulence and uncertainty had to be managed constructively as schools moved to the awareness that the skills of rigorous self-evaluation were a key lever for their improvement. Identification of the intervention which supports aspects of change and is phased for different stages of improvement is a recommended way forward.

Widespread concerns about obesity and overweight, have led to a focus on children’s diets, with government responses emphasising family responsibility for the provision of healthy food and for nurturing independent food choices. In parallel, the health promoting school approach attempts to reinforce messages within communities and families. Despite the potential for promoting consistent messages across settings, understanding the interface between families and schools remains limited, with a failure to appreciate the way in which food is embedded within social relationships and contexts. This study aimed to explore the family-school interface. It focused on the recursive interplay between agency and structure, employing ‘practices’ as a way of exploring how agency transforms structure, while also attending to taken-for-granted meanings of food as expressions of the structure. Case study methodology was employed with eleven families across three communities in South Wales to explore the perspectives of parents (n=18) and children (n=18). Audio-diaries together with interviews unpacked tacit understandings behind food practices, which are often difficult to articulate. Interviews with primary school heads and teachers (n=5) explored schools' experiences of family-school interactions. This thesis adds new understandings of the family-school interface, illustrating shifting discourses of control as individuals occupy multiple contexts at different times. These revealed dilemmas in the accomplishment of control: providing children with a balanced diet alongside the practicalities of parental-work, while attending to individualised food preferences. Structure-agency perspectives also uncovered multiple layers of meaning attached to food, emphasising the need to take account of the social context within which control is navigated. Targeted recommendations are considered. For schools, suggestions include improved partnership working with children and parents in order to overcome existing inherent tensions. For families, recommendations acknowledge the wider significance of food beyond nutrition, appreciating the contexts and constraints of family life. Policy recommendations relate to food availability, affordability, and changes to employment structures.

This study explores primary school teachers' experiences of the changes that have occurred in education since the end of apartheid in South Africa and the end of communist rule in Russia. It outlines the national educational contexts and critically examines the nature and implementation of new policies in these two 'transitologies'. International literature on teacher responses to educational reform and on the potential of schooling to be democratic and to develop democracy in society is explored as background to the study. The research is based on two periods of field work in each country, between 1996 and 1998. In the second phase, case studies were developed of six Russian and six South African teachers, incorporating lesson observation and interviews about their life histories, educational experiences, classroom practice, and attitudes toward the educational reforms. The findings, based on the individual case studies and a cross-case analysis, reveal that teachers experience a range of 'competing imperatives' which make a coherent perspective and consistent practice difficult, even where teachers agree in spirit with the reforms. Their responses to these dilemmas depend on a number of individual and contextual factors, many of them arising from the personal life experiences of the teacher. For each, the construction of a coherent self-identity, despite the scope of the changes experienced, has been an important part of the process of transition.

This thesis will argue that the contemporary educational system of Cyprus denies young people opportunities to participate in the creation of their culture, which can provide the nest for the exploration and understanding of their individual and collective lives. Culture, in schools, is treated not as a dynamic process in which the young people can play the main role but instead as a static field of knowledge that should be studied and learnt. This approach, however, contradicts the same principles that were the foundations of the ancient culture that the young Greeks have inherited from the past whose performative and participatory nature ascribed to it a proactive and democratic public life that guaranteed everyone the right to speak and act. This thesis argues that the Greek young people of contemporary Cyprus should be entitled to participation in recreating and reconstructing the meanings and values of those stories that have inherited from the past and that bind them together as one people in ways that help them make sense of their contemporary private and public roles. The thesis argues that the myths of the past should be reinterpreted and repositioned again in the present to respond to the immediate social context of the young people in a participatory and democratic way so as to enable a progress of this culture and a connection between the past, the present and the future. The thesis shows that culture is under continuous reconstruction taking on the example of fifth century BC Athens where theatre and public life fed one another and developed to respond to the current socio-historical context of the time. Throughout, the thesis shows in what ways theatre can provide the means for the investigation of the inherent meanings in the myths of the past and also its significance in playing the role of the social agent that can enable transformation and progress. The thesis consists of an introduction, eight chapters and a conclusion. In the Introduction I identify the problem that exists in the contemporary educational system of Cyprus concerning the way that the field of culture is approached and present the conceptual framework that provides the foundation for proposing a new Theatre of Myth. Chapter one provides a critical reflection on and analysis of the oral culture of Homer to the democratic fifth century BC Athens and the birth of tragedy. Chapter two studies, both from the ideal and the material aspect, the social role of the Athenian tragic theatre and its polis during the fifth century. Chapter three seeks to base the arguments made in the thesis of the educational and political role of the fifth century theatre through a critical analysis of its form and content. Chapter four identifies and supports the principles of the proposed Theatre of Myth, drawing from the twentieth century developments in Modem Drama whilst chapter five shows how the Drama-in-Education tradition attempts to bridge the practices in the Modem Drama paradigm to come closer to the proposed theatre model. Chapter six provides the methodology followed for a pilot case study that attempts to transfer the Theatre of Myth into practice, which is the preoccupation of chapter seven. Chapter eight discusses and analyses the findings of the case study to inform the theoretical lines of the model of the Theatre of Myth. Some conclusions are discussed concerning the potential and the limitations of the Theatre of Myth in the end of the thesis.

In 2002 the delivery of Citizenship Education, at Key Stages Three and Four, became compulsory in English Schools. The National Curriculum Order (QCA, 1999), which defined the nature of this new subject, drew heavily on the report by the Advisory Group on Education for Citizenship and the Teaching of Democracy (The Crick Report) (QCA, 1998). This thesis examines Crick’s model of citizenship education and the way that it is perceived by citizenship coordinators, those teachers most directly responsible for its delivery. The research methodology involved two major components; a literature based analysis of Crick’s model and semi structured interviews with ten citizenship coordinators. My findings relate to four key research questions. What underlying principles and philosophies exist regarding the purpose of citizenship education in a Liberal Democracy? Which principles and philosophies did the Crick Report adopt and how are these reflected in the National Curriculum subject of ‘Citizenship Education’? What do citizenship coordinators perceive as the purpose of Citizenship Education, and to what extent is their approach influenced by theory and policy issues? And finally, Could a greater understanding of the philosophical underpinnings of Citizenship Education among citizenship coordinators, improve its provision? With regard to the first two questions I argue that Crick established a sensible compromise position between competing conservative and progressive interpretations of the subject’s purpose. With regard to the third, the interviews with citizenship coordinators indicate that whilst all showed progressive intentions for the subject the majority (80%) showed a lack of consistency in their approach, often demonstrating a much more conservative approach than they intended. I suggest that the reason for this is a combination of two factors; a lack of conceptual understanding and the impact of various policy pressures. Finally, addressing the fourth question, I argue that a clear understanding of the subject’s philosophical underpinnings could have a positive impact on the problem, and make recommendations about how this may be achieve through adjustments to both government policy and schools’ training programmes.

My original contribution to the body of knowledge is a portfolio of evidence which includes: • An evaluation of Reache (Refugee and Asylum seekers Centre for Healthcare professionals Education) North West using a PEST (Political, Economic, Social and Technological) analysis and Thematic Content Analysis of semi-structured interviews which led to the development of the Reache North West model of education and training for refugee healthcare professionals. • The development of a course entitled Safe and Effective Clinical Communication Skills and the dissemination of this course via conference posters, oral presentations and a published journal article. In the case of the conference posters, the course was identified as good practice on two occasions. • A business case which led to the development of the Salford Communication and Language Assessment Resource (SCoLAR). This thesis analyses and critically appraises the action research, ideas, reports and publications, from 10 years of organizational experience. This also includes over ten years of personal experience teaching and managing education programmes for international students, and over four years of working with refugee healthcare professionals, assisting them in returning to their professional role in the UK. The evaluation of Reache North West sought to answer the research question ‘Are we effectively preparing refugee doctors for work in the NHS?’ Although there were only 5 respondents the evaluation answered this question positively. Also discussed is the process for the development of the safe and effective clinical communication course and the difficulty in this course to other groups of internationally trained doctors. My observations and experience of working with International Medical Graduates who have encountered language and communication difficulties are also discussed with the acknowledgement that more robust research processes are needed for future research.

This thesis presents an examination of leadership practice as it responds to the implementation of a gifted and talented program. The examination is conducted through the lens of moral leadership theories. This thesis heeds the call from researchers who have suggested the need for moral case studies to assist school leaders in 'making confident ethical judgments that transcend mere intuition' (Campbell, 1995: p. 605). Theories from moral philosophy and concepts from moral psychology are brought into the discussion in an attempt to address concerns with respects to the theoretical underpinnings of the concept moral leadership. The combined framework advances a model of a moral process that provides specific sign posts that allow for an inquiry into the moral decision making a school leader undergoes in addressing a moral issue. This study uses a multi-method research design involving both narrative and statistical analyses focused upon data generated from semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, observations, and document analysis. My analysis of key informants provides additional insight into the process that school leaders undergo in order to address a moral issue. The significance of the analysis was the generation of five categories: personal integrity, professional ethics, structural collaboration, exogenous influences and constructive concerns. Each of the five categories highlighted were influential in the decision to implement the gifted and talented program. The organisational and geographic context for this examination is an International School located in Turkey (IST).