The thesis argues that language research in education is implicitly positivistic, and that in:'focussing on communicative functions, most ,investigations ignore the processes of expression. This imbalance has influenced theory and method in English Studies, which should acknowledge both aspects. After a review of linguistic influences, a phenomenological epistemology is developed. This provides the basis for an account of language which restores the element of expression. The centre of the work comprises two parallel strands of enquiry which have an elaborated distinction of de Saussure's langue and parole as their common structure. After sketching a simple model of some of the features of langue, one part draws on phenomenological writing. It shows how the formal structure of language has its roots in experience; langue, therefore, - as a science of elements - is ,extended to comprehend the relationship of those necessary abstractions to the structures of experience underlying them. The other part shows how such a philosophical account has an empirical and useful validity; literary method is used to describe the expressive acts of students as they discuss poetry. Consonant with the first part, parole is viewed as so many instances of experience disposed to sharing meaning. This illumination of parole suggests some);"truths which research methodology must respect if it is to recognise the character and event of meaning. In conclusion, several principles of art which the expressive nature of language shares are elaborated with examples from 'literature, and pedagogic implications illustrated from the author's experience. Finally, phenomenological enquiry is characterised as a method which can investigate the experience of language in education; such work respects the personal, experience of meaning, and so the moral dimension of research lies in the problem of communicating that effort for meaning to others.

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No description available.

The purpose of the study was to examine the teaching behaviours of Hong Kong physical education students teachers. Thirty-two local pre-service and in-service student teachers were videotaped teaching two ball games lessons in their own schools or in the allocated schools during their final practicum. Each videotaped lesson was coded using the Physical Education Teacher Assessment Instrument (PETAI). Data generated by the PETAI were comprehensively described and comparison was made between the two groups' behaviour categories by employing the independent t-test. Results indicated that the in-service group had significantly higher percentages of response presentation and total teacher instructional time than the pre-service group did, whilst the pre-service group spent significantly higher percentages of time in planned presentation, equipment management, activities organization, behaviour management and overall management time than did the in-service group. Six pre-service and in-service student teachers were randomly selected to participate in the second phase of the study. They were observed teaching two ball games lessons and were invited to take part in two pre-lesson interviews and two post-lesson stimulated recall sessions. Qualitative data were collected through lesson observation and interviews. Constant comparison and analytic induction were used to organize and categorize the data. Results showed that there were similarities and differences in teaching behaviours, teaching strategies and decision making during different stages of teaching between the two groups of subjects. Although the two groups of subjects held similar teaching beliefs and perceptions about physical education, they appeared to possess different teachers' knowledge of teaching. It was likely that the different teaching experience in physical education between the two groups accounted for the differences in their teaching behaviours. Findings of the present study hold implications for the preparation of physical education teachers.

Phase I of this study investigates students' perceptions of vocabulary learning strategies that they use in studying foreign languages: how frequently these strategies are used and how efficient they are believed to be. Questionnaires were analysed from 359 Chinese learners of English, 276 British learners of French, and 80 British learners of Mandarin. The first and last groups were also interviewed in depth.;The results suggest that there are a few similar patterns of learning strategies between the three groups. However, there are large number of significant differences in emphasis in the use of key strategies. Thus, it seems that there are two types of asymmetry in vocabulary learning strategies: those that stem from cultural background including academic cultural background, and those that relate to the target language.;In Phase II, six Chinese key words are selected, firstly to ascertain differences in students' perceptions of the meanings of the words and secondly to examine their evaluations of strategies to learn these specific words. Differences between 153 Chinese native speakers, and 34 British learners who are learning Mandarin were investigated. A reference group is British who are not learning Chinese (N=41).;The results show that Chinese learners of English have a wider range of lexical knowledge than British learner of Mandarin. Furthermore, the results show that the vocabulary learning strategies suggested that British learners of Mandarin and Chinese learners of English are not significantly different from general vocabulary learning strategies investigated in Phase I. A number of conclusions, implications and suggestions are drawn from the results for cross-cultural vocabulary pedagogy.

The subject of this thesis is the career choice of final year women civil engineering students. Though a considerable body of general literature exists on women in the labour market, including women in engineering and women in construction, there is a lack of knowledge about women in civil engineering specifically. Present attitudes are largely based on unproven assumptions unsupported by empirical data. By examining the career choice of the group, the aims of the thesis were to examine the factors affecting career choice of women civil engineers; to extend the knowledge base and to test some of the current thinking about women in engineering and construction. Four objectives were formulated. These concerned the initial reasons for the career choice, differences in male and female choices, whether there is a relationship between college experiences and career choice and whether there is a relationship between career expectations and career choice. These objectives were explored in a comprehensive literature review, and in an extensive series of interviews followed by a national survey of all final year women civil engineering students and an equivalent number of final year male civil engineering students. The data was analyzed by testing a number of hypotheses for each of the four objectives using advanced statistical techniques. The results of the study showed that there were a very large number of complex factors involved in women's career choice. Of particular interest were the differences in the career choices of male and female civil engineering students, that some college experiences of women were related to career choice and that generally the beliefs women had of a career in civil engineering did not appear to be related to their choice of sector of civil engineering. The thesis, in its original research, has clearly made an important contribution to the study of women in civil engineering and there is ample scope for future research projects to build on this original research. These findings have important implications for career advisors, teachers, lecturers in higher education as well as employers in the construction industry.

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No description available.

The purpose of this study was to test the effectiveness of the use of free time as a positive reinforcer in the management of study behavior in an aversive educational environment. It was hypothesized that the presentation of free time contingent upon completion of the study assignment would result in maintained study behavior and reduced student absenteeism.

The problem of this study was to survey the perceived effectiveness of a human relations training program for a select group of Public Safety Officers at the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport. In relation to this select group of Public Safety Officers, the purposes of the study were as follows: (1) to describe the selection procedures, (2) to provide a general overview of the procedures involved in a thirteen-week police training program, (3) to describe the human relations training aspects of the thirteen-week police training program, (4) to describe the public safety officer trainees in terms of their performance on various criteria measurements, (5) to assess and describe the personality characteristics of the Public Safety Officer trainees, and (6) to determine the Public Safety Officers' perceptions of, and reactions to, the human relations training aspects of the thirteen-week police training program.