This qualitative research is an exploration of the experiences of student teachers during teaching practice as a component of initial teacher education in Malawi. The research was necessitated by a general lack of knowledge about secondary school teacher education in Malawi and the view that teaching practice is one of the major components of concern for professional learning among student teachers. An activity theory perspective provided a theoretical and conceptual lens of understanding teaching practice. The elements within activity theory which were of particular significance related to tools/artefacts, subjects, objects and outcomes in teaching practice; rules/norms within an activity system of teaching practice; perceptions of individuals about teacher education and a teaching activity; pedagogical actions and understanding during teaching practice; the community relationships in school systems where student teachers carried out teaching practice; division of tasks; activity settings; tensions/contradictions, as well as innovations within the activity of teaching practice (Engestrom, 1999). The participants in the study were drawn mainly from student teachers on a three-year teacher education programme at one of the teacher education institutions in Malawi. The results from the study showed that the student teachers had different perceptions for teaching as well as differing goals for joining a secondary school teacher education programme; that student teachers had varied experiences during teaching practice and the varied experiences influenced learning to teach in various ways. The shortage of material resources impeded some activities that student teachers could carry out. The findings showed that some pedagogical tools that student teachers had learned in college were not always easily used in the schools. The community relationships between student teachers and teachers in the schools affected professional development in some way. The supervision component of teaching practice also generated mixed experiences from student teachers. The study participants proposed innovations aimed at resolving some of the tensions and contradictions faced during teaching practice. The innovations related to facilitative supervision, holistic assessment, changing the time and duration of teaching practice as well as student teachers' placements. The enriched understanding of the experiences of the student teachers makes significant contribution to knowledge within teacher education in Malawi.

The initial focus of this thesis is on mentors' professional knowledge base, and subsequently on the pedagogical strategies employed by mentors and their use, in so far as it occurs, of adult learning theories, which have been said to form the dominant conceptual framework for mentoring (Hansford et al., 2003: 10). These issues are considered important as, despite acknowledgement by the DfES in 2001 as to the relevance of theory in mentor training, in practice mentor training is often limited to familiarisation with government and Partnership requirements in order for them to undertake the assessment of student teachers. Consequently very little attention is given to learning theories within mentor training. Whilst connections between mentoring and learning theories exist in literature my research highlights that there is a potential dichotomy between the literature and practice of mentoring. It therefore considers the extent to which adult learning theories are actually used in current mentoring practice. In addition my research also looks at the way mentor teachers' pedagogic strategies are shaped by the context and purposes they are working within, and the role ascribed to them. My research is based upon an in depth Case Study of 20 mentors from one HEI Partnership. It utilises qualitative method tools, with the primary tools being observations and semi-structured interviews. These tools assisted in progressively developing my research questions and conclusions as part of an inductive process. The results of my study show that the practice of mentors is largely influenced by their prior experience, primarily as teachers but also as student teachers; they see theory as having little influence on their practice. In addition my study indicates that few mentors are aware of learning theories or their principles. Nonetheless it indicates that the practice of most mentors includes the application of the principles of a number of adult learning theories. My research concludes that mentors use some of these principles through the development of their own personal construct theories, which in turn largely relies upon their prior experience, and through the framework provided by the HEI Partnership.

Quality of education remains a problem in higher education in Vietnam and can be considered one of the most crucial and greatest challenges that institutions are now facing and which they need to make great efforts to resolve. Among the various factors that influence this is the quality of the teaching staff in higher education institutions. Due to the shortage of highly qualified academic staff, higher education institutions of both public and private are competing both with each other, and with organisations outside the educational sector, in recruiting academic staff. The thesis explores current issues of staffing and academic staff development in private universities in Vietnam, the policies implemented by them to promote academic staff development, and the extent to which these policies have proved to be effective in raising teaching quality. A comparative and qualitative method with multiple case studies was used for the research. Six higher education institutions in Vietnam, three public and three private, were chosen as case studies. Standards of staffing in public institutions were used as the bench mark for the comparative study, as public higher institutions in Vietnam have a longer history of establishment and operation, which have helped them build up cadres of highly qualified and experienced teaching staff. Data on higher education policies and issues relating to academic staff development and the quality of education in these institutions were gathered using a mixed methods approach. The results of the study showed that institutions of both sectors were facing similar issues in recruiting and developing their academic staff. With financial support from government, public universities are more advantageous than private ones in recruiting and retaining academic staff, thus whilst private universities used economic benefits as their core policies, public institutions attracted and retained academic staff by providing them opportunities for professional development. The research shows that there are still many decisions to be made in the establishment of an effective policy on academic staff development to overcome challenges facing institutions of both the public and the private higher education sector in Vietnam.

This thesis reports on a mixed methods research project into the emerging area of computer simulation in Initial Teacher Education (ITE). Some areas where simulation has become a staple of initial or ongoing education and training, i.e. in health care and military applications, are examined to provide a context. The research explores the attitudes of a group of ITE students towards the use of a recently developed simulation tool and in particular considers the question of whether they view computer simulation as a ‘third place’ between faculty based ‘theory’ elements and school based ‘practice’ elements of their training or whether they consider the simulation to be enhanced ‘theory’ learning. Data from pre-experience and post-experience questionnaires are compared. A series of indicative case studies, representing positive and negative changes in attitude, are presented from data collected using semi-structured interviews. A range of themes emerge indicating that the students’ attitudes towards computer simulation are complex and not based on single factors such as the fidelity of the simulation presented. A major finding of the research is that students’ attitudes towards the computer simulation appear to reflect deep seated views of teaching and learning unrelated to simulation. Indications are that if future use of simulation is to be effective then designers must pay at least as much attention to emotional impact as cognitive development. Evaluation of the success of the study is included and suggestions for further study are made.

As a Reading Recovery Teacher Leader, it was possible to study a group of teachers learning to teach Reading Recovery. It was observed that not only did the teachers eyes open to the possibilities of student learning, but also to their own learning. With this in mind, the focus of this study is to follow a group of three teachers who are transforming their learning during the 2008-2009 academic year. Parallel to their learning, a new theory of offering professional development will be explored, that could be employed beyond the confines of Reading Recovery. The methodology employed facilitates the generation of a new theory surrounding professional development. The alternative theory of professional development is offered as an attempt to imitate the success of teachers learning through Reading Recovery professional development.

The aim of this study was to explore teachers’ perceptions of continuing professional development in Hong Kong, focusing on teachers’ perceptions of CPD activities and teacher competencies in the Teacher Competencies Framework (TCF) in the latest government CPD policy, “Towards a Learning Profession: The Teacher Competencies Framework and the Continuing Professional Development of Teachers” (hereafter as “CPD Document 2003), as well as their perceptions about facilitating and inhibiting factors affecting CPD. In order to accomplish these purposes, one central research question was created: What are teachers’ perceptions of CPD activities and their professional development needs and what factors affect their CPD participation? The study was conducted in three primary schools in Hong Kong. This study took a multi-methods approach, i.e. quantitative and qualitative research, in which the data were collected through a self-developed survey questionnaire to teachers, as accompanied by focus group interviews and follow-up individual interviews with teachers. The major findings of the study were: 1. Teachers preferred higher academic study most but they slightly preferred production of publications for their CPD. 2. Teachers participated in higher academic study most but participated in production of publication the least. 3. Teachers perceived higher academic study and peer class observation as the most effective CPD activities but publication is still a lowly recognized CPD activity. 4. Four CPD domains of teachers’ perceived needs were extracted from the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) factor analysis, comprising: School Development, Teaching and Learning, Student Development, and Professional Relationships and Services. Teachers had the highest CPD needs in the ‘Student Development’ domain. 5. Facilitating factors were categorized under eight themes, namely, school factor, personal factor, financial factor, time, CPD provider, family factor, relationship with others and government factor. 6. Inhibiting factors were categorized under six themes, namely, time, heavy workload, financial factor, CPD provider, school factor and personal factor. 7. Finally, school factor was found as a determinant factor affecting CPD. It was found as the most influential factor affecting teachers’ preference, participation and their perceptions of the effectiveness of CPD activities. The implications of school-based professional development, government policies and future research related to CPD are discussed at the end of the thesis.

This study aimed to go beyond a simple descriptive analysis and attempt a critical investigation of phenomena related to job satisfaction. Specifically, the purpose of study was to identify the conditions under which Korean academics work; what aspects they valued in relation to their jobs; how satisfied they were with their jobs; the challenges they faced; how these challenges influenced their job satisfaction; and whether or not there were differences in job satisfaction between particular groups based on demographic and institutional factors. In this study, a qualitative interview and a questionnaire survey were deployed as data collection methods. Twenty-five academics from ten universities in Korea participated in the interview. In addition, 700 questionnaires were sent to academics from fourteen universities and 519 of which were returned. After some of these were deemed unusable, 498 questionnaires were used for the study. The academics involved in this study exhibited different levels of satisfaction with different job aspects. Generally, they reported being satisfied with their work, academic freedom, recognition, development, interpersonal relationships, and job security. However, they were dissatisfied with their pay and with policy and administration, and were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied with their working conditions. Overall, they were slightly satisfied with their jobs. Korean academics attached more value to intrinsic aspects, e. g. work, academic freedom, development, and recognition, than to extrinsic aspects, e.g. workload, pay and administration. This was corroborated by the finding that intrinsic aspects were more likely to have a greater impact on overall job satisfaction than extrinsic aspects. This thesis showed differences in job satisfaction between groups defined on the basis of age, gender, academic discipline, control type, and university location. Older academics exhibited higher job satisfaction than did their younger colleagues. The reason put forth is that older academics enjoy advantageous circumstances in areas such as pay, professional development, and promotions. Female academics reported lower satisfaction with most job aspects and lower overall job satisfaction than did their male colleagues. This gender gap was attributed to the male-dominated culture in academe, heavy family responsibilities, and the lack of support structure. Academic discipline influenced job satisfaction to some extent, which was thought to be attributable to differences in working conditions and culture between academic disciplines. Academics at private universities reported higher pay satisfaction than their counterparts at public universities, whereas academics at public universities reported higher satisfaction with university administration than did their counterparts at private universities. Academics at universities in Seoul reported higher satisfaction with most job aspects, as well as higher overall job satisfaction, than those at universities in provincial areas. This was likely because academics at universities in Seoul enjoyed better conditions than those at universities in provincial areas.

This thesis is a case study of a small number of Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) education providers in the East of England. It focuses on their response to the introduction of mentoring for Initial Teacher Training (ITT) and aims to describe existing interpretations and practice, highlight confusion and concerns and offer insights into the next steps for both the VCS and providers of ITT courses in the wider sector. From 2007, all new teachers in the Post Compulsory Education and Training sector are required to undergo ITT which includes mandatory mentoring support. This research was undertaken in the period immediately following the introduction of this requirement. Data was collected through a focus group and individual interviews with managers and teachers from diverse VCS organisations. This allowed for a range of opinions to be heard, analysed and interpreted and some comparisons to be drawn across and within organisations. The choice of a thematic analysis using the tools of grounded research ensured that the data could emerge and be constantly questioned as part of the research process, to avoid researcher influence wherever possible. Links have then been drawn between existing theories of mentoring and the research findings leading to conclusions to inform users and providers of mentoring and suggestions for further research. The findings can be summarised into six key points - • the definition and purpose of mentoring and the role of mentor leading to a continuum of confusion • support is identified by VCS providers as the key element in a mentoring relationship • activity is taking place in the VCS that could be described as mentoring but is unvalued and undervalued • VCS providers feel that other providers offering mentoring for ITT need to be aware of the specificity of setting and the ethos of individual organisations • there is little resistance to the introduction of mentoring for ITT into the VCS with an implicit acceptance that it is a good thing • the models of mentoring currently in use are based on inadequate pragmatism as they are a compromise.

This study was borne out of a necessity to discover the best approach to deliver a Diploma in Teaching in the Lifelong Learning Sector (DTLLS) award that would meet the needs of trainee teachers and at the same time meet the demands of political and organisational agendas. The aim of the study was therefore to explore, identify and to gain an increased understanding of the factors that influenced the learning experiences of a group of trainee teachers working in the lifelong learning sector who were enrolled onto a DTLLS award. This award was accredited by a medium sized university located within an urban, high unemployment, Government regeneration area, in the Midlands (UK). It was delivered at five of the university's partnership colleges where trainees were required to attend formal classroom-based training sessions for four hours each week. An interpretative, case study, multi-method approach was used to gather data from 327 trainees, twelve of whom volunteered to be interviewed. Other data was gathered from interviews with eleven teacher educators, questionnaires distributed to all 327 trainees, data drawn from the university's Information Service Department (I.S.) and from the journal entries that I kept during the time of the research. Four themes emerge from the data gathered; diversity, identity, conditions for learning and learner autonomy. It is the interpretation and illumination of the complexity, as well as the plurality, of relationships that exist within and across these themes, that adds to, as well as supports, the field of literature that is already available. The evidence presented within these four themes relates to the variations in trainees' characteristics and backgrounds, support available for the trainees and an over-burdensome, regulated initial teacher education model. Based upon the analysis of the findings, this study suggests that initial teacher education within the Lifelong Learning Sector (LLS) should be modelled around a supportive framework that encourages trainees' professional enquiry and building of own contextualised content. Additionally, (further) acknowledgement of trainees' strong sense of different identities and diversities is required as is an increased focus on processes that support the development of trainees' learning capacities. This thesis contends that doing this would support trainees' growth in becoming more self-organised, autonomous and reflective practitioners - able to take control of their own learning within whatever initial teacher education model is in current existence.

This research shows that Gambian teachers have complex reasons for joining and remaining in the teaching profession. It builds upon the literature concerning teachers' professionalism in developing countries by describing and analysing Gambian teachers' professional discourses. This thesis argues that Gambian teachers are active participants who create 'narratives of action' which assert their professionalism. Gambian teachers understand their work as professional through the overlapping moral discourses of nationalism and Islam. These professional discourses sustain and empower Gambian teachers who often work in difficult material conditions. Current literature on teachers' professional lives and careers is predominately North American and European. By providing a 'space' within which Gambian teachers' 'storied narratives' may be heard, this thesis geographically adds to the literature on teachers' professionalism. Gambian teachers' 'genealogies of context' are based upon histories, religions and cultures different to those found within Europe or North America. Thus Gambian teachers' professionalism is situated within specific geographical and cultural discourses. Despite the concept of a Gambian situated professionalism, the thesis discusses those professional discourses which are shared between Gambian teachers and teachers in Europe and North America. This work internationally develops the concept that there are different situated professional cultures of teaching and at the same time shared professional teaching discourses.