Abstract: In this thesis I aim to investigate the influences affecting the teaching approaches adopted by Libyan English as foreign Language University teachers (LEFLUTs) in language classrooms. The thesis explores the context in which LEFLUTs work in terms of the opportunities and challenges of teaching English in Libyan universities. In particular, the concept of two generations of teachers, Older Generation Teachers (OGTs) and Newer Generation Teachers (NGTs),resulting from significant political and cultural shifts in attitudes to the English speaking world that have occurred in Libya in recent times, is critically examined . The perceptions of teachers in one university in Libya were analysed through their responses to a series of scenarios presenting typical problems encountered by EFL teachers in the classroom. The scenarios were designed to elicit their interpretation of the situation, the kinds of knowledge and experience they drew upon and the pedagogical strategies they might employ to deal with the situation. In addition to scenarios, semi-structured interviews enabled the respondents to develop and expand on their interpretations. The design and use of scenarios represents an innovative approach to research in the Libyan context where very little work has been done to try to understand how teachers make sense of their practice and how the negotiate the challenges of the political and cultural context. The investigation of the influences affecting LEFLUTs has drawn upon the work of Shulman on the different forms of knowledge required in teaching and the absence of a well developed body of pedagogical content knowledge within the LEFLUTs community is discussed. The need for more opportunities for initial and continuing professional development (CPD), raised in the interviews is set within the context of typology of CPD that emphasises the benefits of working within a community of practice, and an approach to professional development through action research is proposed. The overarching theoretical framework for the thesis is social constructivism both in terms of understanding the dynamic influencing how the LEFLUTs make sense of their experience and also in the proposals for developing an approach to CPD.

Educational technology has yet to deliver the benefits or successes that were expected in educational practice, especially in relation to issues other than the communication and delivery of teaching materials. Evidence suggests that these difficulties stem from the mismatch between formalised virtual learning environments and everyday sensemaking and between the rich potential for enhanced learning afforded by new technology and the constraints of old-style educational practice. In addressing this mismatch, some commentators suggest that the primary need is for a new culture of educational practice-and even that such a culture is already emerging, and others identify the need for a new paradigm for educational technology. The aim of this thesis is to explore the potential for a new paradigm for educational technology based on the principles and tools of Empirical Modelling (see http://dcs.warwick.ac.uk/modelling). The thesis builds upon previous research on Empirical Modelling as a constructionist approach to learning, and in particular Roe's doctoral thesis 'Computers for learning: an Empirical Modelling perspective'. Roe's treatment of Empirical Modelling can be viewed as generalising the use of spreadsheets for learning through applying 'programming by dependency' within the framework of existing educational practice. In contrast, this thesis is concerned at a more fundamental level with the contribution that Empirical Modelling can make to technology enhanced learning that may lead to new educational practices. In particular, it identifies eight significant characteristics of learning that are well-matched to Empirical Modelling activity, and associates these with experimental, flexible and meaningful strands in learning. The credentials of Empirical Modelling as a potential new foundation for educational technology are enhanced by demonstrating that Empirical Modelling is radically different from traditional software development and use. It provides a methodology for modelling with dependency that is more closely related to the use of spreadsheets for learning. The thesis elaborates on the relationship between Empirical Modelling and learning in a variety of different contexts, ways and applications. Three examples drawn from computer science higher education are explored to emphasise the experimental, flexible and meaningful characteristics of Empirical Modelling. This discussion of Empirical Modelling in a specific educational context is complemented by an investigation of its relevance to learning in a wider context, with reference to a broad range of subjects, to specific issues in language learning, and to the topics of lifelong learning and collaborative learning. Although the application of Empirical Modelling for learning is as yet too immature for large scale empirical studies, its potential is evaluated using informal empirical evidence arising from Empirical Modelling practice at Warwick. The sources for this evaluation are well-established teaching activities relating to Empirical Modelling in Computer Science at the University of 'Warwick, comprising an introductory module and a number of final year undergraduate projects. The thesis concludes by considering the extent to which Empirical Modelling can go beyond the support for constructionism envisaged by Roe, to address the broader agenda of supporting constructivist learning using computers. To this end, a close relationship between Empirical Modelling and a vision of constructivism recently set out by Bruno Latour in his paper 'The Promises of Constructivism' is demonstrated.

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) of teachers has been seen as one of a key element to improve teacher quality and the quality of education in many countries, as well as in Thailand. The current Thai education reforms have recognized the importance of CPD for teachers to maintain and update their knowledge and skills to be able to teach students effectively. They also recognized the need of effective leadership in schools to lead, manage, and support teachers in order to achieve such change. The purpose of this study is to support CPD experiences for teachers to enhance teaching practice and improve student achievement. It was undertaken using a combined methods investigations of both quantitative and qualitative data to understand the current situation of CPD experiences for teachers in Thailand, and extend the knowledge of effective CPD. The study covered respondents from a survey of teachers, and the interviews of headteachers and teachers from selected schools in Chiang Mai, which is located in the North of the country. It was concluded in the study that most respondents were appreciated opportunities for CPD and valued the benefits of CPD to teachers, students, and the schools as a whole. With the increased expectations for highly qualified teachers, all schools need to provide the necessary support for teachers through a range of CPD experiences to enable them to teach to high standards. CPD must be of the highest quality to be effective in order to enhance the teaching practice and student achievement. The study hope that the results and information provided here would be valuable for anyone who are interested in, as well as those who are responsible for an improvement and implementation of CPD.

There is a long tradition of paper based materials evaluation in ELT, but at this juncture, a scarcity of studies on ELT Multimedia (MM) materials evaluation. Such studies as have been undertaken have tended to adopt the perspective of the materials developer rather than the end user. But there have been no developed studies of evaluation methods which could be adopted by potential users. Despite calls being made for systematic evaluation, not many proposals have been developed, and there has been little exploration of potential best practice, or of the 'goodness of fit' between methods and evaluation puposes. This study aims to investigate evaluation methods in order to establish best practice in the evaluation of multimedia CALL applications, with a focus on learners' experience and opinions, and with the aim of enabling potential teacher-users of CALL materials to gauge the suitability of materials for their learners. Chapter one of this thesis provides a rationale for this study and an overview of the background to this research. Chapter two presents a review of literature undertaken in four domains: educational evaluation and research methods; Human Computer Interaction (HCI) usability evaluation methods; ELT materials evaluation; and studies ofCALL materials in use. Chapter three focuses on the design and conduct of the study by explaining how some methods of evaluation were trialled in a pilot study and four were selected for adoption and analysis in the main study. The methods selected were Foeu.r Groups, Rttrospective Protorolr, PLUM and SUM! Questionnaires and Activity Monitonitg. To determine the qualities and limitations of these methods, a set of criteria was developed from the literature on software usability evaluation methods in HCI and a broader literature on educational evaluation and research methods. The four data study chapters (4-7) each discuss one of the chosen methods and descnbe how the method was ,6perationalised in an evaluation of learner responses to multimedia software. The final chapter draws together the discussion of the findings and presents different proposals for best practice. The focus in the discussion of findings is on how the chosen methods performed according to the set of criteria. The findings confirm that focus groups and questionnaires are quick and efficient methods whereas retrospective protocols and activity monitoring provide more detailed and protracted data. Teacher evaluators can be guided by the objectives of their evaluation to explore different combinations ofthese methods. Participants in the pilot were 12 ESL students from the University of Warwick and in the main study 45 Freshman/sophomore students from a university in Pakistan. The materials used to operationalise methods were the EASE CD-ROMS listening to Lectures and Seminar Skills 1: Presentations. The research contributes to the field in undertaking an in-depth and extensive study of evaluation methods applicable to CALL materials, whi~ adopt a leamer-centred perspective, and conform to sound principles within educational evaluation, yet which draw on practice in the field of HCI, since this expertise is so relevant in the rapid development of multimedia materials for use in ELT. Moreover, by developing the composite set of core criteria this study has created a tool which practitioners in the field can use to select most appropriate methods for their particular evaluation purposes.

This thesis is based on three English language teacher case studies located in the Middle East where classroom discourse has been analysed in order to establish the impact that an appraisal observer has on teachers‘ behaviour. The literature suggests that the presence of an observer alters events in the classroom, but to date there has not been any research into the nature of these changes which draws on transcripts of observed lessons. Each teacher recorded a model (observed) and a pedagogic (non–observed) lesson with similar parameters so that they could be compared, and commonalities and differences identified. The teachers were then interviewed in order to establish their understanding of the salient features of appraisal observations, as were three supervisors responsible for observing teachers in similar contexts. Transcripts of the lessons were analysed using SETT (Walsh, 2006), and the interview data was also transcribed and evaluated. The results indicate that there are significant differences between model and pedagogic lessons in terms of the external factors (planning, sequencing, interaction, amount of administration, student use of L1). However, the internal factors (the features of ongoing verbal interaction between teacher and students in the classroom) remain fundamentally the same whether or not an observer is present, although the teacher demonstrates greater control in a model lesson. By analysing transcripts of classroom interaction, this research indicates what happens in the classroom when teachers are being observed, providing data to confirm existing claims about observer effects, and suggesting that the learner role is greater than originally thought. The importance of observer training is identified, as well as the need for a fundamental review of observation, encompassing all parties involved, if it is to be a true reflection of the classroom behaviour of the teacher being observed.

This study examined classroom questioning with a socio-cultural theoretical framework to gain a better understanding of how teacher questioning operates as a pedagogical and learning tool in English classroom settings in Taiwan. Four teachers and twelve students in four different classes in three secondary schools participated in this study in the second term of the academic year 2006. Three kinds of interviews (pre-observation, post-observation, and stimulated recall interviews) were conducted for all subject teachers in order to obtain in-depth information for further analyses. 12 focal students were selected to respond to the questionnaire and participated in the semi-structured interview with the researcher. 24 class periods were videotaped and twenty of them were transcribed verbatim. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches were employed to analyze the collected data. Teacher questions served as important devices to self-clarify, to push learners’ language production, to encourage comprehensible output, to impart knowledge and to mediate learners’ language learning and cognitive development. Both Mandarin and English languages used in teacher questioning had pedagogical functions. Also, the research findings indicate that there is a strong relationship between teachers’ teaching and learning goals and their decisive use of questions to scaffold classroom participation and learning. L1 use as private speech in learner responses was found to have affective, social, and cognitive functions. Most of the time, the four classes which were observed were quiet and passive. After analyzing the questionnaire and interview data, the researcher found that some socially-constructed affective factors, the learner-teacher or learner-learner interpersonal relationships, and some specific Taiwanese socio-cultural reasons might cause learners to hold back from classroom interaction. The instructional goals of the subject teachers differed in the opportunities they created for learning. The research findings also suggested that no matter which languages the teachers used, how to make efforts to negotiate forms and meanings with students is the most effective way to improve learners’ learning. Socio-cultural theory is indeed a viable theoretical framework for analyzing teachers’ solicitations but further research can be improved by conducting a complementary socio-cognitive model that emphasizes that social and cognitive concepts are even more closely connected. It addition, it seems important for further research to carry out prolonged and extensive fieldwork to obtain in-depth data and investigating long-term, not short-term, effects of teacher questioning.

Although the necessity for the young child to become a confident reader in the early years of schooling is indisputable, we are less in agreement about the ways in which teachers might best achieve that. Approaching reading as part of subject matter knowledge, and providing a hierarchy of the concepts, understandings and skills that children need to acquire in order to read successfully, may be one way of facilitating practitioners’ ‘reflection in action’. (Schön, 1987). With this in mind, the project reported here studied the beliefs held by various types of early years teachers/workers about the teaching of reading and the relationships between these beliefs and their teaching practices. Through the use of one hundred and sixty questionnaires, nine interviews and nine observations, this thesis discusses the following questions: Do early years teachers use a theoretical framework in their instructional approach to teaching reading? If so, is there a relationship between their theoretical orientations toward reading development and their pedagogical practices? This study suggests that offering subject-matter related training to early years practitioners, that for the scope of this study includes an understanding of the reading process, could lead them to make informed decisions about curriculum content. This in turn could enable them to offer a clear rationale behind what they consider as developmentally appropriate practice and what they actually do in the classroom.

Despite recent challenges, CLT remains influential and continues to be implemented in a number of contemporary ELT contexts. This project represents an attempt to investigate the history of CLT as a means of gaining a clearer understanding of its main principles and ideas. The investigation aims to identify some key concepts in the discourse of the ELT Journal over the period when the communicative approach is believed to have emerged. Two consecutive periods are studied; an earlier (1973 to 1981) phase when the journal was edited by W.R. Lee, and a later (1981 to 1986) period under Richard Rossner. The project makes use of two separate keyword “traditions” to examine words that play an important role in the discourse of the journal. Firstly, a machine-based, corpus procedure was carried out, using the collections of articles as a kind of corpus. Later, a more thorough, detailed keyword analysis was undertaken, borrowing from the techniques pioneered by Raymond Williams, in which the histories of individual words are traced chronologically across texts. Chapter One, the literature review, presents a rationale for the project and the use of history to illuminate our understanding of CLT. It carries out a review of the existing body of literature covering the emergence of the approach and suggests a more systematic and thorough-going historical approach based on primary sources is now needed. Chapter Two describes the process by which I assembled the methods and tools necessary to carry out the analysis. Chapter Three describes the project procedure itself, explaining the decisions made, and processes arrived at, to carry out the investigation. Chapter Four presents the first phase of the project’s findings. Quantitative keyword lists are presented and briefly discussed in relation to existing accounts. Chapters Five, Six, Seven, Eight, and Nine are “word histories” for the keywords COMMUNICATIVE, LEARNER, ACTIVITY, TASK and SYLLABUS, respectively. Using the findings from Chapter Four as a starting point, each chapter traces the history of an important keyword across the chronological period of the corpus, recontextualising data isolated by the quantitative keyword procedure. Chapter Ten is the project’s discussion and conclusion.

This study examines implementation of early years mathematics policy in reception classes (RCs) in England. It addresses the core question: what is the relationship between policy and practice in the Foundation Stage (FS) mathematics curriculum for three- to five-year-olds, in particular, implementation in RCs? Policies and their implementation are analysed by means of the policy trajectory model outlined by Bowe et al. (1992) which separates the creation and implementation of policy into three distinct but interactive cycles: context of influence, context of policy text production, and context of practice. It both guided and framed this study. In the context of influence, scrutiny of international policy revealed a recognition of the importance of high-quality early years education, as a means to raising school achievement. This posed a challenge to RC teachers charged with both accessing and extending children’s rich mathematical knowledge through appropriate, yet accepted FS practices. The context of policy text production uncovereded a tension between the drive to raise standards through whole-class interactive methods and the need for an appropriately play-based and informal FS pedagogy. Elite interviews revealed an awareness of and concern about this but showed little optimism for future development of practice, In the context of practice, RC teachers revealed a positive attitude towards FS curriculum and pedagogy. Observed practice, however, was seen to vary considerably. Tensions in FS mathematics policy were thus enacted in RCs through practice that ranged from didactic teacher-led numeracy tasks poorly matched to children’s capabilities to colourful practical mathematics activities that did not necessarily extend children’s learning. The policy trajectory model revealed strong top-down pressures that took little account of the impact on those charged with implementation, with RC teachers caught in a nexus of forces, reflecting requirements to deliver accepted FS practice and increase formality of numeracy lessons.

This thesis explores how policy for initial post-16 education and training has changed repeatedly since the 1970s, leading to numerous different arrangements and to new forms of transition for young people. It evaluates critically how GNVQs fit into this picture, and relates their role to wider debates around the purpose of initial post-16 education and training. Using a case study, which focuses on the experience of lecturers and full-time students in one college of further education in the Midlands in the 1990s, the study finds that the social conditions of learning were very significant for students’ and lecturers’ perceptions of GNVQ. Despite the emphasis on qualifications-led reform, and the highly-specified nature of GNVQ, which attempted to impose new approaches to learning, students and teachers made sense of their experience and constructed their own meanings for GNVQ by reconciling the specifications with students’ orientations to learning and imagined futures. They engaged in ‘making the best of it’, by collaborating or colluding to make GNVQ work for them. However, the actions of students and lecturers in making the best of the constraints of GNVQs needs to be set within the context of wider structures and patterns of opportunity, where GNVQs form part of a system which continues to be dominated by A-levels and the academic route. This results in unequal opportunities within diverse qualifications pathways. The study concludes that any proposals for change to initial post-16 education and training need to combine understandings of the structural context in which young people’s transitions are taking place, with more detailed insight into the experience of teachers and students, who make and shape the meaning of different routes and qualifications in practice.