The thesis examines the concept of normalisation of Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL), i.e. complete, effective integration of technology, in the context of primary Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) in England. While normalisation research is conducted predominantly in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context, understanding normalisation in the primary mainstream education in England is important due to the contrast between teachers’ lack of readiness to deliver languages as part of the National Curriculum, and technology penetration in the classrooms. This thesis therefore, taking a sociocultural perspective of Activity Theory, attempts to redefine normalisation to include context specific characteristics, identify what factors contribute to and impede normalisation, and assess where primary CALL is on route to normalisation. An ethnographic approach was deemed to be most suitable to gain deep understanding of normalisation. Prolonged immersion in a primary school and the thematic analysis of observations, interviews, field notes and audio recordings revealed that factors impeding normalisation of primary CALL revolve around the following areas: attitudes, logistics, training and support and pedagogy. The issues related to the subject itself, e.g. negative attitudes toward the subject, lack of skills, impact on the achievement of normalisation to larger extent than issues related to technology. Hence in the primary context, normalisation needs to be considered from the point of view of normalisation of MFL and then the technology that is embedded into MFL. The analysis of the data allowed the researcher to create a model which serves as a form of audit of factors that need to be considered when thinking of successful technology integration into languages. Such guidance is needed for the primary MFL context having reoccurring issues, but is also relevant to primary EFL contexts in Europe where similar problems related to teaching of the subject are reported.

The post-conflict nature of the Kosovo society and economy led to an urgent need to address educational policy, specifically to raise the quality of the reconstituted formal schooling system. To address this priority major foreign aid and government subsidies were targeted at both the demand (students) and supply (school) side. One of the major contributors, the World Bank, aimed to improve the supply side by allocating development grants to schools in order to improve student performance. In this thesis the following four research questions are addressed: how appropriate are current evaluation strategies of education policy initiatives in developing countries, what has been the impact of school development grants on student dropout, attendance and student attainment, what are determinants of pupil dropout, attendance and attainment and what are the implications of the answers to the above questions for the reform of education policies in developing economies and the evaluation of policy initiatives. This is the first study that critically reviews previous attempts at evaluating educational initiatives in Kosovo and then employs econometric methods to measure the impact of school development grants on educational outcomes. A quasi experimental approach is utilised and comparisons made between schools with treatment and schools without treatment. A similar study for Cambodia serves as a reference for our research, though we have extensively refined the approach taken in that study. The empirical evidence presented in this thesis suggests at best only a marginal positive impact of these policy initiatives on educational outcomes. More specifically there is some evidence of reduced dropout but no effect is found on student attendance and attainment. These findings are consistent with the results of recent reviews of the literature on this type of policy initiative. This study seeks to act as an example of best practice which can be followed in future evaluations of policy initiatives in countries like Kosovo. It draws important conclusions about the need at the policy design stage to formulate appropriate evaluation strategy and to address related issues about data quality, collection and analysis.

Bis 1990 ging die politische, soziale, wirtschaftliche und technische Entwicklung in beiden deutschen Staaten mehr als 40 Jahre getrennte Wege. Das trifft auch für die Ausbildung von Wasserbauingenieuren zu. Die Autoren unternehmen den Versuch, das Bild der zugehörigen Entwicklung im Osten Deutschlands nachzuzeichnen. Sie konzentrieren sich dabei auf die Technische Universität Dresden als den Hauptstandort der damaligen universitären Wasserbauausbildung in der DDR. Im vorliegenden Aufsatz werden die Tatsachen, die Probleme und das Erreichte dargestellt und besprochen. / More than 40 years the political, social, economic and technical development in the two German states went different ways until 1990. This also applies to the education of civil engineers in the field of hydraulic engineering. The author undertakes the attempt to trace a picture of the related development in East Germany. During the GDR-period the Dresden University of Technology was the major place for university education of hydraulic engineers (GDR = German Democratic Republic).

More than 40 years the political, social, economic and technical development in the two German states went different ways until 1990. This also applies to the education of civil engineers in the field of hydraulic engineering. The author undertakes the attempt to trace a picture of the related development in East Germany. During the GDR-period the Dresden University of Technology was the major place for university education of hydraulic engineers (GDR = German Democratic Republic). This is why the development of the education in Dresden and its relations to the hydro practice will be mainly considered here. In this paper the facts, the problems and the achievements are told and discussed. / Bis 1990 ging die politische, soziale, wirtschaftliche und technische Entwicklung in beiden deutschen Staaten mehr als 40 Jahre getrennte Wege. Das trifft auch für die Ausbildung von Wasserbauingenieuren zu. Die Autoren unternehmen den Versuch, das Bild der zugehörigen Entwicklung im Osten Deutschlands nachzuzeichnen. Sie konzentrieren sich dabei auf die Technische Universität Dresden als den Hauptstandort der damaligen universitären Wasserbauausbildung in der DDR. Im vorliegenden Aufsatz werden die Tatsachen, die Probleme und das Erreichte dargestellt und besprochen.

The introduction of the Foundation Phase gave a unique opportunity to study the interpretation and delivery of a play-based early childhood curriculum. This new curriculum saw the disappearance of Physical Education for pupils under the age of seven in Wales. Physical Education is acknowledged as more than the development of physical competence, being part of a process concerned with lifelong physical, intellectual, social and emotional learning accrued through a range of physical activities, in a variety of contexts (Doherty and Brennan, 2008). As such a goal of Physical Education is physical literacy, (Hardman, 2011; Talbot, 2007). In light of this, this research set out to explore the contribution of the Foundation Phase to the development of children’s physical literacy. In order to achieve this, a three-phase complementarity mixed-methods design (Greene et al., 1989) was used to generate data over two years in selected schools in Wales. The schools were found to be enacting the Foundation Phase with fidelity to the original aims of the policy makers by demonstrating the key features of play-based active learning, focused adult-led sessions, child-initiated learning, and use of the outdoors for learning. In so doing they were deemed to be successful in achieving the aim of the Foundation Phase of developing independent, motivated active learners. The Foundation Phase was also found to be supporting the development of children’s cognitive development with good levels of achievement in literacy and numeracy assessments. The playful pedagogy observed in the schools enabled the pupils to have autonomy in their learning. Pupils were motivated, active and engaged in embodied learning both indoors and outdoors. The findings indicated that the Foundation Phase was making a positive contribution to the development of children’s physical literacy.

Mit dem vorliegenden Band „Nach Bologna: Praktika im Studium – Pflicht oder Kür? Empirische Analysen und Empfehlungen für die Hochschulpraxis“ von Wilfried Schubarth, Karsten Speck und Andreas Seidel wird die Reihe „Potsdamer Beiträge zur Lehrevaluation“ unter neuem Titel und veränderter inhaltlicher Schwerpunktsetzung fortgeführt. Die Umbenennung in „Potsdamer Beiträge zur Hochschulforschung“ versteht sich als ein Schritt hin zu einer thematischen Öffnung der Reihe für die verschiedensten Felder der Hochschulforschung. Der vorliegende Band widmet sich einem der zentralen Reformziele von Bologna: der Frage des Praxis- und Berufsbezugs und dabei insbesondere den Praxisphasen im Studium. Mit der Bologna-Reform werden im bildungspolitischen Bereich sehr vielfältige strukturelle und inhaltliche Ziele verfolgt. Das Ziel dieses Bandes besteht deshalb darin, empirische Forschungen zu Praxisbezügen und Praxisphasen im Studium vorzustellen, diese in den Kontext aktueller Debatten um Studienqualität und Studienreform zu stellen sowie Folgerungen für die Gestaltung von Praxisphasen abzuleiten. Inhaltliche Schwerpunkte bilden das BMBF-Forschungsprojekt ProPrax und die Praxisphasen im Lehramtsstudium. Die Beiträge dieses Bandes gehen aus einem gleichnamigen Workshop hervor, der am 1. Oktober 2010 in Potsdam stattfand. / The present conference volume „Beyond Bologna: Internship in studies – obligation or option? Empirical analysis and recommendations on the praxis of higher education“ by Wilfried Schubarth, Karsten Speck and Andreas Seidel is part of the serial “Potsdamer Beiträge zur Lehrevaluation” which is actually renamed as “Potsdamer Beiträge zur Hochschulforschung“. The new title supports modified focal points for research and provides opportunities for several fields of higher education research. The volume focuses on the practical relevance and the development of professional skills in academic studies as one of the central intentions of the Bologna Process. This Reform involves a variety of structural and content-related intentions in the field of educational policy. The aim of this conference volume is therefore to present empirical research with regard to practical relevance and internship in academic studies. It is linked to the current debate concerning quality of academic studies as well as the higher education reform in general and draws conclusions for the practical implementation of academic internships. The ProPrax research project, founded by the BMBF, and its first results as well as internships in teacher education are main issues of this volume. The contributions result from the correspondent Potsdam conference on October 1st 2010.

Qu’est-ce qui se négocie, s’invente, ou se noue, dans les trames de l’histoire intergénérationnelle, à travers le processus d’arrachement et de rattachement à l’islam des étudiantes descendantes de migrants originaires du Maghreb ? S’y dessine une dialectique de l’arrachement et du rattachement qui donne sens et forme aux recompositions religieuses opérées par les filles en même temps qu’à leur rapport complexe à la société française, où se projette leur volonté affirmée d’exister comme sujet féminin autonome. Inhérent à la dynamique du processus d’expérimentation de la jeunesse, révélateur des tensions, des doutes et des contradictions, la conflictualité qui hérisse cette quête d’autonomie la signale comme un marqueur de rupture identitaire qui modifie en profondeur les relations intergénérationnelles. Ce processus, à la fois cohérent dans son unité et scandé par de grandes ruptures, se déroule dans une trajectoire en quatre phases traversées par une même dialectique de l’arrachement et du rattachement :1/ le temps du questionnement identitaire, temps de la déstabilisation de l’identité individuelle et du rejet des marqueurs ethniques ; 2/ le temps « de l’adolescence », temps des choix et de la rappropriation de l’origine ; 3/ le temps « exploratoire » des possibles religieux, temps de l’affranchissement de la transmission patriarcale et de la libre enquête autodidactique ; 4/ le temps de la « militance », temps de l’invention d’une islamité féminine originale des « soeurs ». In fine, se pose la question de la possibilité d’une émancipation féminine structurée par l’engagement religieux auprès des 31 étudiantes de Bordeaux et d’ailleurs. / What sort of bargaining or devising attitude or even deciding point is to be found in the yarns of the weft of their personal history down through generations when young female students descendants of Maghreb migrant families choose to experiment islam ? So “entry” into religion cannot be regarded as a sudden occurrence. It is an intense dialectical process, of painful separations followed by renewed ties which gives meaning to even shapes identity reconstruction of these young women. Simultaneously, the dialectic also clarifies the complex relationships which the latter have with French society. Here there is no change in religion rather a conversional process marked by an « entrance » in an Islamic religious time and space which is not obvious for them. It is a Muslim religious belonging which the girls choose, as opposed to their family heritage and in the feminist vision of the integration model like “Frenchies”. The typical ideal path of French female students’ process to Islam goes through four analytic phases and ultimately raises the issue of a possible emancipation of women structured by religious commitment. The different phases of a religious trajectory examined in our study are as follows: the first phase is one of questioning identity, destabilization of individual identity and rejection of ethnic markers. The second is the phase of adolescence. The third is the exploratory phase of religious possibilities. Finally, the fourth and last phase is a time for religious activism (University/halqa/mosque). Thus, the quest for emancipated behavior, part of a process of modernity, occurs through their religious experiment. among 31 students in Bordeaux, Grenoble and Marseilles.

This article describes ‘Kidumatica’ – a highly successful project for the promotion of talented students from underprivileged backgrounds. In its 11 year run, Kidumatica has evolved into a way of life for its many students, allowing them opportunities to realize their potential, enter advanced academic studies, and successfully enter a society rich in knowledge and achievement. Kidumatica is based on academic research in the fields of excellence, cognition and mathematics education, and on the social principle of equal opportunity for all and one’s right to self-realization and aspiration, regardless of ethnic background and socio-economic status. Beyond these social/educational purposes, Kidumatica is also a research model and laboratory for testing new programs and teaching methods for gifted students. The following are the basic premises of the Kidumatica model, its goals and how they are achieved, including the recruitment of club members and the mathematical content.

Despite a number of reforms to education, concern over teachers’ knowledge and confidence to teach physical education persists. This thesis examines the process of becoming a primary physical educator at the initial stage of a teacher’s career. The aim of which is to consider the ways beginning teachers source their professional knowledge and the implications this has on their confidence to teach. The study argues for a clear articulation of the subject’s knowledge-base and proposes a framework for the development of knowledge in primary physical education initial teacher education. Participants were drawn from a range of providers in England and were in the final year of their programme. The research adopted a mixed method approach using an online survey to obtain quantitative data and interviews to elicit constructs about beliefs from four case-study participants. The study identified that beginning teachers had perceived high levels of confidence across the subject’s knowledge-base, but areas of most and least confidence were varied and personal to the individual. The sourcing of knowledge was mainly drawn from school and university settings, but in many cases personal interests and prior experiences formed a central role in sourcing content knowledge when no opportunity was presented. Despite the varying routes that exist to become a primary physical educator, this research argues that all beginning teachers require a breadth of knowledge during initial teacher preparation, with university and school partnerships offering explicit roles in developing professional knowledge to a secure level. It further argues that it is through a focus on individual teacher transformation, not merely reflection that will ensure inherent challenges faced by primary physical education will be addressed.

This thesis aims to examine the Fellowship of St Alban and St Sergius, an ecumenical body that promotes relations between various Christian denominations. Despite being founded on the grounds to promote relations and dialogue between the Anglicans and the Orthodox, it has widened this scope, introducing new churches in its life, conferences, publications and history. In the first and second chapters of this thesis the first eighty five years (1927-2012) of its history are explored, identifying the Society’s strengths and weaknesses in achieving its objectives, whilst studying its theological approaches to the reunion work, understanding that this body has been a progressive fellowship, theologically and ecclesiastically. The third chapter investigates the life and the theological, philosophical and historical views of Nicolas Zernov, who had as a life goal to foster relations between the churches, whilst also promoting Orthodox and Russian topics to a Western audience. The final chapter examines two themes by two important members of the Fellowship, Metropolitan Kallistos of Diokleia’s ideas on deaconesses and women priests and former Anglican Archbishop Rowan Williams’ views on icons. These two topics are interesting and current for the continuation of the relations between the Orthodox Church and the Anglican Communion, trying to further understand each other in order to eventually achieve what many in the Fellowship profess and what the Bible promotes, ‘that they all may be one’ (John 17:21). The conclusion of the thesis assesses the work of the Fellowship, whilst also looking into the post 2012 objectives and achievements of the Fellowship and the future goals of the Society. Therefore, this paper is a quest for truth, a quest for theology and a quest for unity.