This study explores a common perception that the number of short term adult residential colleges in England and Wales is in decline due to a lack of clarity of purpose, little or no investment and an apparent lack of strategic direction on the part of those who own these establishments. This is despite clear evidence that studying in a residential setting enhances the quality of the learning experience. In very practical terms this research will explore what kind of business model might be successful in such circumstances, and provide an opportunity to secure the future of these unique establishments. The thesis examines the value of such institutions and goes on to investigate the possible reasons why, over the past 60 years the number of short term residential colleges has declined. By examining the financial and enrolment results of five colleges over a two year period, as well as interviewing principals and learners, proposes a model to secure a future for residential education in this country. The topic for this thesis was identified by the author as a result of 20 years experience as Principal of a short term residential college and latterly Head of a county residential education service. The colleges investigated were situated in England and differed in size, ownership and managerial structure. They have over the past 50 – 60 years promoted and sold adult residential courses of varying lengths to the adult population. The research approach adopted in this thesis includes an examination of available literature to determine the original purpose and subsequent development of short term residential colleges. Two major research strategies were used: firstly quantitative analysis of data collected over a two year period representing five different approaches to ownership and management and secondly qualitative analysis of data collected from interviews with principals and active learners to establish the present and future position direction of the five case studies. The data was triangulated to demonstrate concurrent validity, reliability and confidence in the findings. The findings of this research provide evidence that there has, over the past 60 years, been a decline in the number of short term residential colleges and that the decline is mainly confined to those colleges owned and managed by county councils. Of the five case studies, three owned by county (or city) councils face an uncertain future due to lack of direction, commitment and investment as well as financial constraints placed upon them. The findings established that active learners clearly supported the quality of residential learning experience. This thesis recommends that to survive colleges must have a clear unambiguous purpose fit for the 21st century. Colleges that are not charitable organisations would benefit from adopting the organisation model in having clear objects encapsulating a unique selling point whether it is defined as a segment of the adult learning sector or a specialist subject area. The main conclusions drawn from this study are that the adult residential college has a place in the adult learning landscape. Colleges must be financially independent and be nationally recognised for outstanding quality in the adult residential courses they offer.

The overarching aim of this thesis is to enhance the theoretical status of post-compulsory education by effecting a non-empirical, psychoanalytic examination of adult teaching and learning theories. The study arises out of the observation that – in comparison with disciplines within the Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities - psychoanalytic perspectives are both underemployed in practical contexts and have negligible theoretical impact within this field. The study provides a contribution to educational theory and practice through the development of a postmodern psychoanalytical methodology and its methods. These are operationalised through the development of a suite of tools based on Jung's (1971) the theory of psychological types. This involves the adaptation of Jung's psychological categories into epistemological characteristics that are then used to identify strengths, contradictions and omissions within theoretical material. The resulting Jungian Typological Instrument (JTI) is applied to selected case study topics that reflect contemporary discourses, theories and concepts within the field of adult teaching and learning. In order to demonstrate the effectiveness of the JTI it is applied to two case study topics and critically examines their theoretical underpinnings. The first of these topics is the 'micro' model of reflection-in-action, which is drawn from Schön's (1983) formulation of reflective practice. The larger, 'macro', discourse of lifelong learning forms the second case study as articulated in the UNESCO report Learning to Be (Faure et al. 1972) and the Green Paper The Learning Age (DfEE 1998). The insights and outcomes arising from these analyses form the evaluation process for the methods. As psychoanalytic approaches are not unproblematic, this investigation incorporates philosophical reflection and conceptual analysis as meta-level evaluation strategies for the methodological level of the study. This dual-level evaluation reveals that the proposed methodology and methods together offer a robust and trustworthy approach to theoretical analysis, which has potential applications for both theory and practice within the adult teaching and learning context.

Further Education (FE) is almost a new venture on the Maltese Islands particularly for UK NVQ Levels 1 and 2. In 2001 the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST)introduced the Foundation Certificate: A Further Education (FE) access course without entry requirements. Drawing mainly on the study by Ball, Maguire and Macrae (2000), Bourdieu’s habitus and structure (1977; 1990; 1993) as well as Evans’ bounded agency (2002; 2007) and Evans and Heinz’s (1993: 1994) transition types, this thesis explores the transitory experience of eight female students from Compulsory to Further Education. Between 2007 and 2010 these students narrated their experiences prior to entry at MCAST, as students on the MCAST campus, during their work placements as well as on their workplace. Findings indicate that FE and work were chosen by elimination of the academic path even though it seems that school did not prepare the participants for these routes. The MCASTBTEC formative assessment system was deemed harder to get used to but fairer than the exam-based system. At MCAST students felt free to make their own choices and were treated as adults. Work placement experience for students seems to influence course choice. Full-time workers ex-students) indicated that they were given a lot of training, and that work was an alternative learning environment. This was important to retain their job and to further their studies. This thesis identifies three transition trajectories as well as a model for understanding the self in transition to FE within the Maltese context by identifying theories which are adaptable to this particular scenario. It also provides key learnings for policy makers and practitioners within the Maltese educational context. These include the exposure of students to MCAST, in-service training for subject and guidance teachers at service in secondary schools and guidelines for standardized induction as well as monitoring programmes aimed at increasing student retention. These strategies would ease the transition period making both MCAST and secondary schools more inclusive learning environments.

This study aims at investigating the adults' motivations for participating in organised learning of the African drums in Hong Kong at the turn of the century: how they participate in related learning, why they take part, and how they have developed varied motivations for learning. Adhering to its constructivist perspective of the social world, this research has adopted a qualitative grounded theory approach and targets at generating a substantive theory about adults' motivations for learning the African drums. Data were collected via open-ended interviews with 82 informants who were sampled according to their conceptual relevance to the evolving theory, and analysed by coding, memoing, and sorting. Results of this research have identified four major categories of motivations: Professional Development, Sheer Interest, Referential Motivations, and Learning for the Sake of Learning. It is also found that the adults do not participate in learning for a single clear-cut motivation, but a mix of different reasons, and that they may demonstrate changes of motivations along with changes in life events and accumulation of knowledge and skills of Afro-drumming. This research has also identified a social process that underlies the development or surfacing of the adults' motivations for learning the African drums. The socio-cultural preconditions, mainly the local performances, multimedia publicity, and education of Afro-drumming, and the individual factors embracing the adult learners’ areas of social functioning, personal backgrounds in music and general education, and reference groups, have interacted to determine the adult learners' motivations. In addition, the findings have highlighted the rising importance of job-related and health-care reasons for adults' participation in music learning in today's world, rendered the teachers and course providers of the African drums strategic implications for widening the coverage of their clientele and creating deep learning experiences for the adult learners, and suggested some directions for future research.

The introduction of the 2007 Further Education Teachers’ Qualifications Regulations has meant that a wider group of providers, including those providing adult and community learning (ACL), have had to check that teaching staff are appropriately qualified. However, will this requirement help to ensure that there is ‘better’ quality provision or will it just be an additional cost that takes resources away from delivery of learning? This thesis is to see if any evidence can be found that teachers with higher qualifications, in particular teaching qualifications, provide ‘better’ teaching and learning and obtain higher grades in class observation, and also therefore during inspection. It also looks to see if any other characteristics of teachers employed can be identified as having an impact on classroom performance so that providers working in a similar area to the WEA, and using a workforce that is predominantly part-time sessional tutors, can consider employment and staff development policy to help meet the needs they face regarding quality and inspection. This is done by comparing tutor profiles of the Workers’ Educational Association (WEA), employed over a four year period (academic years 2005 – 2008), and grades in 4,267 internal observations of teaching and learning (OTL) undertaken during this period. The thesis explores the background and context of the current reforms of qualifications for teaching staff in the sector and then places the WEA provision and its teaching staff in a wider context. It also considers the use of OTL, and its effect on tutors, as part of a the self-assessment process and how the current quality agenda for the Further Education sector fits within the move of Government to more accountability, measurement and ‘performativity’.

This research study investigates the similarities and differences in assessment policy, perspectives and practices in relation to student learning, desirable graduate outcomes and lifelong learning (LLL) in two departments with similar disciplines: Sociology and Social Policy and English Studies of the Midlands University (MU) – UK and Sociology and English Linguistics and Literature of the Ho Chi Minh City University (HCMU) – Vietnam. The study’s conceptual framework was developed from research literatures on assessment, mainly David Boud’s framework of sustainable assessment or assessment for longer term learning, as the framework for data analysis. The methodology is a comparative case study, and the methods include using semi-structured interviews with 22 staff in both cases, four student focus groups, an action-based intervention at the English department of the HCMU, and document analysis. The similarities and differences across the comparative cases are explained on the basis of the economic, socio-cultural and HE contexts, while Boud’s framework is reframed theoretically and operationally for these contexts, and as a guide to improving practices. The data shows that although more elements of Boud’s framework were found in the MU than the HCMU, assessment in both cases was an imperfect realisation of this framework. The argument is made that this framework can offer a good vision for the two cases to aim at in terms of changes in their assessment perspective and practices, but the framework itself should also be reframed with contextual and cultural features of assessment, as well as the development of human capabilities and functionings in order to encompass a fuller range of educational goals. It is concluded that above all assessment should support not only learning at university but also expansive rather than reductive LLL.

Current demographics within the United Kingdom present a challenging picture, with older people forming a considerable proportion of the population. In particular, older people are spending a longer period outside paid work at a point in the life course constructed as retirement. Increasingly, some older adults are returning to learning as a means of remaining socially connected, keeping active and purely for pleasure. Research which seeks to understand the relevance and importance of learning in later life remains quite disparate and, in addition, there is a lack of longitudinal or biographical research which seeks to explore this phenomenon. The research reported in this thesis aims to offer new insights into later-life learning by exploring how retired older people narrate their experiences of learning, and through consideration of the interrelationship this experience to life course capital.

The thesis investigates whether contemporary policy and practice support formal and informal learning in the field of archaeology. Also, the assumption that multi-sector partnerships broaden community participation in heritage activities is interrogated. The multi-method comparative research model applied both empirical and qualitative methods to three case studies in the Midlands of Britain. Each of these projects gained funding to exhibit archaeology to the public during the course of the research. The policies and practices of the key individuals in the partnerships were investigated through taped interviews, and the data was analysed using cognitive mapping (Tolman, 1948, Buzan, 1993). Data about the visitors were gathered through questionnaire surveys, taped oral accounts, and observational studies. The interests, concerns and agenda of the principle stakeholders were compared. The results indicated that the role of the volunteers was crucial to the success and sustainability of the projects. However, some volunteers felt that they were weaker partners, and this was linked to a distinction between amateurs and professionals. The power of local authorities in heritage partnerships and their conflicting roles as developers and guardians of the archaeological heritage are questioned. Ways to facilitate participatory partnerships are suggested. The research draws on Foucault's definition of discourse, and Bourdieu's human capital theories and his concept of habitus and distinction. The links between informal and formal learning are rarely researched and theorised, but this study identifies how archaeologists, acting as "cultural intermediaries" (Bourdieu, 1984: 14), can create and sustain learning opportunities for adults, collapsing some of the traditional hierarchies between popular entertainment, community knowledge, and intellectual knowledge. The thesis places learning in archaeology within the theory of a structured taxonomy of learning (Biggs, 1971, Biggs and Collis, 1982).

Sports leadership has received increased promotion during the past two decades, as a tool for providing individuals with leadership skills and in contributing towards community sport development objectives. Sports Leaders UK (SLUK) play a key role in providing sports leadership training programmes in the UK, training over 200,000 leaders each year. This aims of this research was to evaluate the work of SLUK, in contributing towards the development of sport the personal and career development of the leaders undertaking the awards. A mixed methods approach was adopted to achieve ‘enhancement’ of findings. The first quantitative phase involved binary logistic regression analysis of SLUK’s candidate database (n=76,179) and set out to identify the predictor variables associated with award completion. The second quantitative phase provided analysis of surveys (n=76), and set out to explore relationships between the leaders’ career and personal development and involvement in the SLUK awards. The final qualitative study sought to gain the views and perspectives of the sports leaders who had engaged with the SLUK awards through the use of semi-structured interviews (n=16). This study aimed to further investigate the impact of SLUK awards on career development and in contributing towards sport and other community outcomes. Results showed that the SLUK awards were perceived to contribute to developing sport, particularly within the school environment. Furthermore, with the training and development of more sports leaders who are actively leading sport, more opportunities were found to be provided across the UK. Engagement in the awards was found to increase feelings of self-worth, which in turn helped build self-esteem and confidence in the leaders. Important factors which appeared to be associated with award completion and continued leadership behaviour included location of the award (i.e. centre type) and choice of participation in the awards. The research provides original contribution to knowledge by exploring the impact of SLUK awards on the leaders’ personal development and community sport. Future delivery of sports leadership needs to be focused in communities if sports leaders are to make the transition from schools to community clubs and continue volunteering. Support from mentors was found to be crucial in ensuring that sports leaders sustain their voluntary leadership.

Lifelong learning requires motivation to complete learning projects across the lifespan. Understanding an individual’s commitment to extended periods of learning is not well understood. There are particular gaps in longitudinal and biographical accounts of learners grounded in frameworks of lifespan theories. Equally missing are accounts that consider the dynamical nature of learning across time. Three learner biographies are examined to develop a dynamical control perspective of motivation for extended learning. Drawing on a regulatory framework the Lifespan Theory of Control and concepts from complexity perspectives particularly Non Linear Dynamical Systems Theory, including feedback, attractors and bifurcation, A model is offered which synthesises processes of control, motivation and dynamics leading to competence and accounting for extended periods of learning.