This thesis discusses how assessment data are used to support the learning of pupils aged four to seven years in four Kent primary schools. The sample was 451 pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2; the researcher collected and analysed quantitative data from pupil attainment on school entry – either as Baseline Assessment or the Foundation Stage Profile – and from results in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of KS1, both as SATs and Teacher Assessment. These data were triangulated with qualitative data collected from a semi-structured questionnaire, classroom observations and interviews with the Reception class practitioners. The author – a head teacher with many years’ experience of primary schools and the Early Years – outlines recent and current government policy and links these to assessment theory and existing practice in the four schools studied. She identifies some possible influences on attainment and looks at how value-added data are currently used as measures of pupil performance. The three research questions look at whether benchmark data can be used to predict future achievement, the educational implications of using value-added data as measures of pupil performance, and whether benchmark data can be used to support learning in the primary classroom. The findings led the researcher to conclude that accurate prediction from prior attainment is not possible at the present time and that contextual value-added data are only useful when other variables are taken into account. However, the findings showed that benchmark data – when used formatively – can be useful in supporting pupils’ learning. This study will help head teacher colleagues to look at data in a fresh way, and to identify and target the needs of individual pupils to optimise their performance from the beginning of the Foundation Stage to the end of Key Stage One.

This thesis evaluates the effectiveness of peer mediation programmes in 3 primary schools in Birmingham. It investigates whether the ‘Iceberg’ system of peer mediation training, and the setting up of a peer mediation service, can reduce bullying, and have an effect on the self- concept of Year 5 pupils. The literature review section of the study reviews existing literature concerning peer mediation, humanism in education (humanistic values underpin the mediation process) behaviour management in schools and bullying. These are all areas that are revisited as part of the empirical research. The empirical research has a quasi-experimental research design which uses both quantitative and qualitative analysis. The experiment was set up to answer the main research questions as objectively as possible, given the author’s existing wider involvement in this area of work. Pre-test and post-test measures include pupil questionnaires and interviews with teachers and headteachers. The positivist framework of the main experiment, however, proved to be somewhat restrictive in answering some interesting new questions which emerged as a result of the programme not being implemented as planned in 2 of the experimental schools. The findings suggest that peer mediation can be used as a strategy to reduce bullying and improve pupil feelings of empowerment and self-esteem provided it forms part of a wider strategy to empower pupils and improve their personal and social skills. The difficulties of carrying out an experiment in a school setting, however, make the results inconclusive and more research is recommended in order to understand the links between peer mediation, humanistic practices in the classroom, and the apparently central role of the headteacher

Economic, social, technological and educational factors have led to an increase in the use of ICT (Information and Communication Technology) in education at all levels. Most research concerning this has focused on the way in which e-learning can be used to improve teaching and learning across the curriculum and has neglected the teaching of ICT as a subject (Hammond, 2004). In a 1999 Ofsted inspection, ICT was found to be the least well taught subject in primary schools. The present research considers how the teaching of ICT could be better supported in the UK and Saudi Arabia. In the first stage, an investigation was made of the teaching of ICT in UK primary schools to understand why its teaching had been rated unfavourably. It was discovered that teaching focused on technical aspects (i.e. how to use specific applications) whilst ignoring the communication and information parts. Although it has been argued widely that e-learning improves teaching and learning across the curriculum, observations showed that e-learning was not, in itself, used to support teaching of the ICT curriculum. Hence, this research explored the ways in which the teaching of the ICT curriculum (to 9-11 year olds) could be made more effective, particularly through the incorporation of e-learning material. It was hypothesized that the experience of teaching and learning could be enhanced if e-learning material was designed which specifically addressed the needs of the teachers and young learners. Evidence collected in the course of the research suggested that little material existed to support the ICT curriculum, and that e-learning material produced to support other subjects does not always suit the teachers’ needs. Therefore in the second stage of the research, a design approach that engaged end users (teachers and young students) was proposed which was tested and refined during the design of e-learning material to support the teaching of the Multimedia Unit of the ICT National Curriculum. The resulting e-learning material was evaluated in UK schools to determine the extent to which it satisfied user needs and its effectiveness in teaching the intended learning outcomes. The results in both cases were positive implying that such a method could lead to the production of useful supportive material. As a former Saudi Arabian computer teacher, one of my personal goals was to provide opportunities to improve the experience of teachers and children in my own country. As such I have been interested in how I can transfer my understanding of the UK educational system to my home country. Following the successful evaluation of the elearning material in the UK, a demonstration of how a child centred design approach can be used to design effective educational material. Unfortunately although such a process might produce more effective learning outcomes and pleasurable material, I also found that such an approach is considered incompatible with commercial design environments. In the last stage of the thesis strategies are discussed which could be used (particularly in Saudi Arabia) to encourage the producers of educational materials to engage in the design of more effective teaching and learning experiences, especially in relation to the primary ICT curriculum. One such strategy would be to train undergraduates in applying a more user centred design approach as an integral part of their practice. The resultant design approach has now been approved by the Director of the Graphic Design Department in Dar Al Hekma Collage (Jeddah – Saudi Arabia) to be taught as a design approach for designing e-learning material for children on the Information Design Course. Additionally, a set of recommendations was developed for the Saudi Ministry of Education addressing the sort of revisions needed to improve the ICT curriculum in Saudi Arabia.

The present thesis explores main issues regarding school bullying, based firstly on an extensive literature and research review, and secondly on a research study which took place within a period of two academic years, in Nicosia, Cyprus. The study aimed to explore and compare bullying experiences among pupils with learning difficulties (LDs) and typically developing (TD) pupils as match controls, and identify whether learning disabled pupils are bullied on a higher frequency or severity compared to their non-disabled peers. Types of bullying (verbal, physical, and particularly relational) and several factors underpinning these, were investigated. The study also aimed to explore school staff’s views and experiences regarding bullying, and to examine gender and age issues regarding the experiences of the sample in bullying. In addition, it aimed to examine bullying mental health effects on the victims, with a particular focus on its relational type. Lastly, a survey with 620 pupils from the sample schools, aged 9 to 12 years, was conducted to investigate the nature of bullying across the whole population of pupils in these schools at these ages. The sample included six primary inclusive schools located in Nicosia, a number of pupils who participated in the bullying survey (n=620), 12 pupils with LDs and 12 TD pupils aged 9 to 12 years as the main focus groups, and six head teachers and 37 teachers from the sample schools. The data collection tools included the Life in School Questionnaire (LIS) to examine generally the bullying experiences of the samples, the Reynolds Bully Victimization Scales to examine involvement in physical and verbal bullying, and specifically involvement in relational aggressive incidents and mental health effects on the victims. Also, semistructured interviews were conducted to explore in depth the samples’ experiences regarding bullying in their schools. The results showed that similar numbers of pupils with and without LDs reported victimization and generally no statistically significant differences were found when comparing the two focus groups. The interviews, on the other hand, identified interesting factors underpinning the LD pupils’ victimization were identified, and important data regarding bullying in Cypriot primary schools were collected.

This ethnographic study was initiated by the concern that elementary art education is an endangered subject, not only marginalised but expendable. This concern was based on informal conversations with pre- and in-service teachers and observations during pre-service teacher evaluations in elementary schools in Ontario, Canada. From these conversations and observations, it seemed that the emphasis in elementary schools is on core subjects with anything else deemed to provide balance alongside initiatives to improve literacy, numeracy, character, and inclusion. The school day is teeming with subjects and initiatives and the resulting crowded curriculum may be affecting teaching and learning in non-core subjects, such as art, negatively. In addition to such external issues are individual challenges faced by generalist teachers with little or no background in visual arts. These teachers’ lack of comfort with art might, I surmised at the start of this study, impede the effective planning, implementation, and assessment of art education. To understand what impacts art education, specifically visual arts instruction, I used a variety of interpretive enquiry methods to interrogate what makes art in elementary schools a vulnerable if not an expendable subject. Initially seeking to find out if art was expendable, I went beyond this to explore perceptions of teachers on teaching art through a localised small-scale study involving 19 elementary teachers in two school boards in north-eastern Ontario. I conducted interviews, recorded observations, and read related documents to answer my research questions, which were as follows: Why is art education important, or not, for students, educators, parents, and other stakeholders? Is art jettisoned in favour of implementing other policies and curricular subjects? Do teachers use other programmes and initiatives as an excuse not to teach art? How do teachers feel about teaching art? Is art expendable? Nussbaum’s (1997) capacities (critical self-examination, connectedness with the world, narrative imagination, scientific understanding) provide the theoretical framework for the study, support the analysis of the state of art education, and help defend its importance at the elementary level. Possible barriers to effective art education (history, policy, practice, economics, geography) and how they may affect learners’ ability to connect with the capacities through visual arts instruction are also analysed and discussed. Through this study, I found that elementary art education is threatened in the participants’ schools for a number of reasons including external issues (minimal attention to, inconsistent delivery of, and poor funding for the mandated art curriculum; a high focus on literacy, numeracy, and other initiatives) and internal issues (discomfort with teaching art; wide range of concepts of art). The study concludes with concerns regarding overall problems with miscommunication and disconnection that threaten effective elementary art education. Recommendations for addressing external and internal issues, and these overall problems are outlined, along with plans to improve art education in pre-service teacher education, in-service practice, and the world beyond the classroom.

The purpose of the current research was to explore teachers’ experiences of working with selectively mute children in primary and nursery school settings. In particular, participants’ experiences were organised into the concepts, thoughts, feelings and behaviours and whether there were mediating factors which influenced the kind of experiences teachers had. The research also explored if these experiences changed and developed over time. The design was a semi-structured interview technique. The sample consisted of 20 primary and nursery teachers in England and Wales who had previous (N= 9) and current experiences (N= 11) of working with a selectively mute child. The data were coded using Nvivo software and analysed using Thematic Analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006). The data indicated that thoughts consisted of teachers’ causal attributions for the development of Selective Mutism, their expectations, their perceptions of the selectively mute child, their parents and siblings, and their perceptions of their professional role and that of the educational psychologist (EP). Frustration and anxiety were the most frequently cited feelings and therefore it may be argued that working with a selectively mute child is a stressful experience when teachers are uncertain of the best course of action and when they feel unsupported. Teachers’ behaviours consisted of the strategies they used to communicate with the child and to enable the child to access the curriculum. Thoughts, feelings and behaviours changed and developed over time. Several factors were identified which served to mediate teachers’ experiences including levels of teacher-child attachment, levels of pupil and parental engagement, the context and involvement from outside agencies.

Bringing about school improvement has become a national focus for education. There has been little research into school improvement from the perspective of intervention, yet it has become an urgent issue due to the commitment to address under-performance in schools. This research provides insights into the use of research findings about school improvement and effectiveness in working with schools; and insights about how best to support schools in promoting a culture and ways of working in which development can be secured. It uses the development of two projects, in the first phase gaining insights from intervention with eight schools, and in the second phase gaining a closer look at the impact of interventions in two schools at the different levels of headteacher, deputy, subject leader, class teacher and children. The sample draws on schools from different contexts. In the first phase, schools were considered where intervention was welcomed, and the second phase included schools with more embedded difficulties and where intervention had not been sought. The interaction between the impact of intervention at school, classroom and pupil level is explored, drawing out the inter-relationship between the elements of intervention in promoting improvement. The research drew upon a phenomenological perspective to consider the perceptions of those involved in terms of the interventions; methods of data collection were developed which drew upon both qualitative and quantitative processes, including narrative analysis. A model for intervention is offered alongside the identification of the activities and skills of interveners working to promote school improvement. Aspects of change are identified in relation to the technical, cultural and micro-political development. A new identification of the phases of development is given, and aligned to the inter-related aspects of the change process. Turbulence and uncertainty had to be managed constructively as schools moved to the awareness that the skills of rigorous self-evaluation were a key lever for their improvement. Identification of the intervention which supports aspects of change and is phased for different stages of improvement is a recommended way forward.

In 2002 the delivery of Citizenship Education, at Key Stages Three and Four, became compulsory in English Schools. The National Curriculum Order (QCA, 1999), which defined the nature of this new subject, drew heavily on the report by the Advisory Group on Education for Citizenship and the Teaching of Democracy (The Crick Report) (QCA, 1998). This thesis examines Crick’s model of citizenship education and the way that it is perceived by citizenship coordinators, those teachers most directly responsible for its delivery. The research methodology involved two major components; a literature based analysis of Crick’s model and semi structured interviews with ten citizenship coordinators. My findings relate to four key research questions. What underlying principles and philosophies exist regarding the purpose of citizenship education in a Liberal Democracy? Which principles and philosophies did the Crick Report adopt and how are these reflected in the National Curriculum subject of ‘Citizenship Education’? What do citizenship coordinators perceive as the purpose of Citizenship Education, and to what extent is their approach influenced by theory and policy issues? And finally, Could a greater understanding of the philosophical underpinnings of Citizenship Education among citizenship coordinators, improve its provision? With regard to the first two questions I argue that Crick established a sensible compromise position between competing conservative and progressive interpretations of the subject’s purpose. With regard to the third, the interviews with citizenship coordinators indicate that whilst all showed progressive intentions for the subject the majority (80%) showed a lack of consistency in their approach, often demonstrating a much more conservative approach than they intended. I suggest that the reason for this is a combination of two factors; a lack of conceptual understanding and the impact of various policy pressures. Finally, addressing the fourth question, I argue that a clear understanding of the subject’s philosophical underpinnings could have a positive impact on the problem, and make recommendations about how this may be achieve through adjustments to both government policy and schools’ training programmes.

M.Ed. / South Africa's democratic government inherited a divided and unequal system of education. Under apartheid, South Africa had nineteen different educational departments separated by race, geography and ideology (Department of Education, 2002:4). In this education system, teachers taught a syllabus and learners were required to meet certain objectives. These objectives were normally fixed and had to be achieved by all learners within a certain time frame. Assessment was based mainly on knowledge by means of a test. This system did not serve the needs of all learners in the country (Pretorius, 1998:1). Curriculum change in post-apartheid South Africa started immediately after the election in 1994 when the National Education and Training Forum began a process of syllabus revision and subject rationalisation (Department of Education, 2002:4). The purpose of this process was mainly to lay the foundation for a single national core syllabus. This brought about the implementation of Curriculum 2005 in 1998 which marked a watershed in the educational history of South Africa. The Outcomes-based education (OBE) approach represents a paradigm shift in education. / Prof. Duan Van der Westhuizen

Este trabalho teve como objetivo analisar a estrutura de gestão da/na Educação Infantil em um município no interior paulista. Identificou-se, por meio dos dados construídos previamente pela pesquisa mais ampla realizada pelo Grupo de Estudos e Pesquisa de Políticas Educacionais para a Infância (GEPPEI) que abrange estudos em doze municípios pertencentes à microrregião do Estado de São Paulo, que o município em questão apresentava uma organização da estrutura de gestão da Educação Infantil bem diferenciada do convencional em que geralmente há um diretor e/ou coordenador por unidade. Esses dados prévios revelaram que no município E (preservação da identificação) havia uma divisão de unidades por diretoras que funcionava em sistema rotativo de visitas a essas unidades, tendo em vista que não poderiam estar em todas ao mesmo tempo e também sem a permanência em uma única unidade. Realizou-se uma pesquisa empírica, em uma abordagem qualitativa por meio de estudo de caso. Na primeira etapa do estudo, acompanhou-se quatro unidades, sendo duas creches e duas pré-escolas com o intuito de observar as práticas desenvolvidas por essas unidades, tendo em vista a não permanência das diretoras. Para a construção do texto final desta dissertação, percebeu-se a necessidade de concentrar as análises dos dados construídos em uma etapa da Educação Infantil, sendo assim optamos pelas creches. Tais dados foram construídos por meio de observações participantes, com a anotação em caderno de campo acerca das vivências acompanhadas. Em razão deste recorte da pesquisa, na segunda etapa do estudo, as entrevistas semiestruturadas foram realizadas nas duas creches com as famílias, professoras, funcionárias e diretora dessas duas unidades. As entrevistas também aconteceram no âmbito da Secretaria Municipal de Educação (SME) com a Secretária de Educação e Superintendente Administrativo da Educação. As análises dos dados construídos ao longo deste estudo revelaram que a creche, cuja diretora não estava presente diariamente, contava com uma funcionária da sua confiança que desempenhava, além das atividades previstas para a sua função, resolvia situações do cotidiano da unidade, mas recorrendo à diretora sempre que necessário. Tanto no caso da creche em que a diretora não estava presente diariamente quanto na que ela permanecia, foram observadas determinadas situações de desrespeito aos diretos das crianças. No segundo caso, não foram observadas intervenções por parte da diretora em relação às situações de desrespeito. Com base no referencial teórico utilizado acerca do princípio da gestão democrática e a especificidade do trabalho desenvolvido na Educação Infantil, foi possível concluir, por meio deste estudo, que os objetivos educacionais desta etapa eram pouco compreendidos mesmo entre os gestores da própria SME. Tal evidência interferia, consequentemente, na qualidade do trabalho desenvolvido nas creches observadas, independentemente da presença da diretora. Dessa forma, concluímos que a presença da diretora não representava a garantia dos direitos fundamentais das crianças, haja vista a forma de provimento do seu cargo - indicação do poder executivo - repercutindo assim em uma atuação fragilizada nas unidades que eram de sua responsabilidade. Quanto à gestão da SME, havia uma postura hierárquica, em que a gestão das unidades de Educação Infantil era tratada somente no âmbito da Secretaria e às diretoras cabia a execução dessas decisões nas unidades. / The aim of this study was to analyse the management structure of Primary Education in a city located in the state of Sao Paulo. Previous data acquired from a more comprehensive research performed by the Research and Study of Political Education in Early Childhood Group (GEPPEI) addressing twelve cities in Sao Paulo micro region showed that the considered city has an organizational Primary Education management structure that differs from the conventional hierarchy. Conventionally, each school would have a designated Head teacher or School coordinator. The analysed data showed that city E (identity preserved) had the institutions divided by Head teachers, working in a rotation system between schools rather than remaining in one school. Under this prism, further qualitative research based on a case study was performed. Two important points were considered when the field research started, the established relationship with the Head teachers that was comparable to the institutions denominated as matrix where the Head teacher remained in one school on a daily basis, and on the opposite side, the institutions denominated non-matrix had non-effective presence of the Head teacher. Consequently, this observation was important to outline the tools for data acquisition as well as to decide upon the institutions to be studied. Initially, four institutions were observed, two matrix (nursery and preschool) and two non-matrix (nursery and preschool). In addition to the participant observation (based on field notebook records of observed experiences), documental analysis and semi-structured interviews were also applied as a tool for data acquisition. It was identified from the field observation that each non-matrix institution had a trusted employee that tried to solve daily issues for their Head teacher, remaining still linked to the school direction. Conversely, even with the effective daily presence of the Head teacher at the matrix institution, it was observed that childrens rights were not being respected in certain situations, upon which the Head teachers did not take a position. The data acquisition at the matrix and non-matrix nursery was focused on family members, teachers and head teacher interviews. Moreover, interviews under the scope of Municipal Secretary of Education (SME) were performed with the Secretary of Education and the Administrative Superintendent of Primary Education. The principle of democratic management and specificity of work in Primary Education were the theoretical approach used on this study and from what was possible to conclude that the educational objectives are still misunderstood even by the SME, which directly interferes on teaching practice development in the institution, regardless of the Head teachers effective presence. Therefore, the educational aims are not clear, and the management facing its democratic status will remain damaged as well as the education provided to the children.