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The project was designed to investigate how a piece of software could be used in the teaching of Energy. The central aim of the research was to show how the incorporation of software in the teaching of energy is dependent on a variety of factors, notably pupil's cognitive levels, and their underlying conceptions of energy. The subjects of the study were four classes consisting of three age groups, who participated in a six week energy project. The data consisted of: (a) A special purpose conceptual questionnaire; (b) CSMS Science Reasoning Tasks; (c) Observations during teaching; (d) Pupils work during teaching; (e) Data about pupils from teachers and school records. The questionnaire was given to pupils before and after teaching. From an analysis of the results it was possible to describe a structure of pupil's conceptions of Energy. Three of the classes were given Piagetian tests to establish pupil's cognitive levels, as a possible way of predicting problem areas that might occur in the use of the software. Observations of the interaction between pupils and the computer were made and used to develop teaching strategies. Detailed records of the pupil's project work were collected. The analysis of this work was made through: 1 A "systemic" network, that characterised pupil's conceptions of Energy from their written work; 2 A comparison of the cognitive level (on Piagetian lines) of the written work and the cognitive demands of the tasks set through the software; 3 A comparison of cognitive levels on SRTs and cognitive level as evidence in pupil's work and in their conceptions; 4 In certain cases, data about pupils was obtained from the teachers and school records to substantiate the results found in the analysis. In so doing, some of the influences on the learning and teaching of energy with the use of a piece of software have been explored.

In this thesis it is argued that, beneath the surface modernity of literacy education in Israel, lie age-old mechanisms that are being used to instil into young readers an unquestioning adherence to the voice of a single cultural text. Children in the modern Israeli State are the latest heirs of an ancient religio-cultural tradition. Throughout its 'longue duree', the Jewish community has sought its identity and striven for continued existence by dedication to ideals of literacy and to a single Text. A review of the whole course of Jewish history which focuses on the role of literacy reveals that this is the case. Close inspection of the approach of the contemporary Israeli State to the teaching of literacy in primary schools shows that these ancient imperatives are still present and active, albeit in transformed ways. The ideology of the Israeli State, embodied in its 'Discourse of Nation-Building' shapes and moves the centralised school-system and its pedagogy. The main themes of the 'discourse' - solidarity, cohesion and defence - lie beneath the apparently neutral surface of standard reading-scheme texts. During the first hours of learning to read in school, the Israeli child is also being invited to set out on the road to being a soldier. An ethnographic study of what actually takes place when literacy is being taught in Israeli first grades establishes that, for the young Israeli, the first encounter with school literacy is a moment in her personal and social life when she is initiated both into the ancient Text and into the modern national/political discourse. The whole process serves the requirements of citizenship, rather than those of becoming a genuine reader.

This thesis explores how individuals in the UK come to and sustain engagement with global justice issues (such as poverty, development and human rights). It responds to a scarcity of relevant research and a stated desire for greater understanding from those involved in development education and related areas. Relevant literature is used to develop: a working definition of the UK Global Justice Movement; a new conceptual framework for understanding forms of engagement; a ‘route map’ summarising knowledge about individuals’ journeys to engagement; and an understanding of current practice and debates in development education and related fields. Using narrative research techniques, the study then presents five individuals’ life stories with respect to engagement with global justice issues. The respondents come from a range of backgrounds and utilise a number of different forms of engagement, but all act in some way as educators/multipliers of engagement. Their stories are analysed using two different ‘lenses’: together, considering themes relevant to development education, and separately, investigating how concepts related to identity (Social Identity Theory, Identity Theory and Narrative Identity) can be used to understand individuals’ engagement. This analysis includes discussion of: the places in which learning happens; debates concerning learning, criticality and visits overseas; the extent to which respondents might be understood to be development educators themselves; roles they have played; the in- (and out-) groups mentioned; and the various sources of narrative available to each of them over the course of their journeys to and within engagement. Finally, the thesis suggests implications for researchers, policy makers and practitioners. This includes: future use of the concepts developed; further exploration of the potential learning value of ‘low cost’ forms engagement; supporting individuals to engage with different organisations and issues ‘across’ the movement; and, considering possibilities for work with families and faith groups.

This thesis presents a detailed analysis of the student experience of qualifying as an actuary, and reflects upon what might be learnt from this. The actuarial profession is small and, outside the financial sector, little known. However, within the financial sector, actuaries are influential. Their professional examinations are seen as very demanding and the qualification is coveted. This exploration of the students' perspective, breaks new ground in research on the profession by: adopting principles of 'illuminative evaluation' (Parlett & Hamilton, 1972) and later developments in qualitative research; and using adult learning theory as the conceptual framework. Themes which emerged from the study coalesce around three dominant concerns: adjusting to the learning milieu, the disjuncture between expectation and experience and, finding and decoding clues. These are elaborated separately, then integrated in a series of case studies which demonstrate the diversity of student experience. Dynamic Concept Analysis (Kontiainen, 1973, 1989) is employed to structure the case studies, and highlight the relational nature of influences upon the learning experience. Kontiainen's model of adult learning (1991) is modified to improve its interpretive power in the context of distance learning, and to incorporate the findings of research into student approaches to learning. Contributions are made to the discourses of actuarial education, professional education, distance education and adult learning. Attention is drawn to the pivotal role of the correspondence course tutor in supporting: adjustment to the learning milieu; and high quality learning. Overload is a recurrent theme, and is associated with perceptions of control and validity. Questioning of the validity of several aspects of the education and assessment processes by members of the profession, is discussed. A possible general model for the student experience of actuarial examinations is presented.

The fragmented origins of global education in the UK and the development of Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship separate from Citizenship Education mean that today the umbrella term ‘global education’ still covers a host of humanistic educations. In line with Huckle’s arguments for investment in Citizenship Studies and Bonnet’s ‘Education for Sustainable Development as a frame of mind’, this thesis adopts the acronym GCESD for Global Citizenship Education as Sustainable Development. An acknowledged challenge for GCESD in its many forms is lack of explicit philosophical and theoretical foundations, resulting in low academic status, reduced prestige and peripheral impact. Though neglected by neoliberal instrumentalist discourses, a rich tradition of mainstream philosophy and theories does exist offering integrity to a conceptualisation of a critical global educator. Critical Realist philosophy, Critical Social Theory, psycholinguistic Frame and Positioning theories, supported by cognitive and sociolinguistic research, provide insights into the inherently political nature of education; meanwhile, Critical Discourse Studies and Critical Pedagogy present strategies for analysis and application. Engestrom’s Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT), centring consciousness and agency, encapsulates the synthesis. Embodying this ‘vision’, an Interview Schedule, provides critical global educators with a tool for self- and negotiated-evaluation. Analysis of eighteen semi-structured interview transcripts points to factors which determine the personal and professional development of the critical global educator. In an increasingly heteroglossic world, the thesis argues for the crucial importance of Critical Discourse Studies as educators in every discipline honestly engage the individual learner's stream of consciousness. It asserts that consistent critical global education requires education policy which develops transition coherently, from personal transmission of global citizenship through transactional professional ‘response-ability’, to transformational political justice for all.

This study investigates the South/North Educational Linking Process and sets out to discover how the Southern end is affected. It focuses on relationships described as links, partnerships, sister schools or something deeper and sustainable. It argues that the terminology used is important, enabling relationships to be positioned on a “Linking-Partnership Continuum”. My research question is addressed using a qualitative methodology, based on a mixed methods case study approach. The empirical research is framed conceptually with ideas from Postcolonialism, Cultural Education and Development Education. The analysis is supported by Critical Pedagogical Discourse and draws particularly on work by Andreotti and Quist-Adade. The relationships investigated are set within a rapidly evolving literature, as well as UK policy decisions affecting Development Education. A Ghanaian pilot study is used as a starting point. Key themes are then explored through in depth studies of the S/NELP in eight schools in Uganda and Tanzania. The analysis draws particularly from two secondary schools and one children’s centre. The study has found that in the context of school linking, teachers, students and schools’ local communities are affected in several ways. Teachers’ pedagogy develops through collaboration with UK counterparts, but reciprocal visits are rare. Science, Mathematics, Information and Communications Technology (ICT), English and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) benefit. Students note less tangible outcomes, such as friendships with their UK peers. The S/NELP promotes engagement in development and Development Education/global learning. Capacity building identified includes physical infrastructure, library resources and facilities promoting income generation. Local communities are affected, contributing to progress towards the UN MDGs. The focus of this study is Southern voices. The most important aspects emerging are those of power relations, funding arrangements and avoiding dependency. Southern schools must be able to set their own school linking agenda, without feeling obliged to fit Northern hegemony.

This study considers the planning process of the Geography fieldworkplanner. Arising from personal experience and from a review of relevant literature a number of different aspects of this process has been examined. Emphasis is on practical planning in a period of educational change. In essence the study identifies a balance between opportunity and constraint, between the ideal and what is practical. The research design,a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods, is built upon a series of questionnaires and interviews involving schools, local education authorities and field study centres. This study,which covers the second half of the 1980's,has the value,therefore,of painting a picture of fieldwork provision,through an assessment of planning during a period of change. Questionnaires and interviews conducted with teacher-planners,pupils, local education authority representatives and field study centre staff raise a number of questions and reveal a complex inter-relationship of influencing factors,all of which affect the fieldwork picture. Results show that the commercialised fieldwork market is becoming wider, greater opportunities are now available for field study through a range it of approaches. Competition and market forces determined by supply and demand trends are setting out a new climate of fieldwork opportunity,supported by requirements of GCSE and 'A' Level syllabuses for outdoor study. However the picture also shows that the fieldwork planner is now faced with a much more complex planning environment in which to operate ,one which reveals a lower confidence level,a requirement for a greater input of energy,enthusiasm,expertise and time if fieldwork programmes are to be planned safely and successfully so as to achieve a set of predetermined geographical and educational aims and objectives. The balance between the two sets of forces creates the dynamic picture which is painted here. Although the onus to provide fieldwork in secondary schools is on the fieldwork planner the number of factors acting on the planning process is numerous and interrelated. A view of the completed picture provides opportunity to assess pointers which may well affect the provision of fieldwork in schools during the 1990's.

This thesis aims to elucidate the influences that determine the extent to which the National Science Curriculum of Trinidad and Tobago, as presented by teachers, engages students as critical thinkers. The interpretation of critical thinking is seen in terms of an emancipatory paradigm which leads to social justice. The work takes the form of a case study completed at a mixed gender government secondary school. The context is set within an education system that has come out of a colonial history and where critical thinking is seen as important for the economic advancement of the nation. However, the level of success necessary for achieving this advancement is not seen as being actualised within the present educational regime. A qualitative approach was taken in which critical theory and postcolonial theory were employed in establishing the nature of the power relations at play within this setting. The methods included content analysis of curriculum documents, exercise books and textbooks, lesson observations, focus group interviews with students from Forms 1 to 5 based on a video clip stimulus and structured interviews with teachers. The interviews were all subjected to NVivo coding to determine the themes related to the research questions. The main findings were that students’ skills in terms of the cognitive and affective domains and their critical thinking skills did not appear to develop significantly as they progressed through school nor were the students any more confident to engage in social activism. The pedagogical methods used were more based in direct instruction and did not fulfil the expectations of a critical pedagogy as advocated in the National Certificate of Secondary Education (NCSE) and Caribbean Secondary Examination Certificate (CSEC) syllabuses. A neoliberal agenda is seen as influencing the maintenance of an elitist education system and suggestions are provided for changes within the administration of the system, teacher training and pedagogical methods which would result in a more appealing, relevant and motivating school science.

This study aims to investigate problems of curriculum planning and development in geography, with special reference to the curriculum of Portuguese secondary schools. It identifies the theoretical and practical influences which affect curriculum planning and development and gives some suggestions and a rationale that can be employed to overcome these problems. The theoretical bases of curriculum planning and development in general and of curriculum planning and development in geography are examined first. Following this theoretical backg round, the evolution of geographical education over the past 150 years is indicated in order to contribute to an awareness of curriculum change in the past. In order to obtain evidence of the present main problems concerning geographical education and to collect opinions on how to improve it, questionnaires were sent to geography teachers in secondary schools. Questionnaires were also sent to 9th year and 12th year students respectively, (approximately 15 and 18 year old) to ascertain their views about geography and its teaching. To discover how the process of curriculum planning takes place at school level, interviews were undertaken with the heads of geography departments of eight secondary schools which differ in several aspects, e.g. in location, in type, in size, in number of geography teachers and their qualifications and in the availability of teaching resources, among others. In orderto find out how the process of curriculum planning has evolved since the revolution of April 25th 1974 interviews were conducted with curriculum planners. Lastly, strategies and conditions needed for curriculum development in geography are put forward. The essential conclusions of this investigation are that in orderto improvethe delivery of the geography curriculum in Portugal it will be necessary: first, to develop the links between the central, regional and school authorities; secondly, to raise the level of qualifications of teachers of geography; and thirdly, to increase the resources available to schools' geography departments. Consequently the quality of delivery of the curriculum will depend on teachers having expertise in schoolbased curriculum development. The possible ways of extending this study are also discussed in the final chapter.