This study investigated the grammar needs of Chinese EAP Foundation students and developed electronic self-access grammar materials for them. The research process consisted of three phases. In the first phase, a corpus linguistics based error analysis was conducted, in which 50 student essays were compiled and scrutinized for formal errors. A tagging system was specially devised and employed in the analysis. The EA results, together with an examination of Foundation tutors’ perceptions of error frequency and gravity led me to prioritise article errors for treatment; in the second phase, remedial materials were drafted based on the EA results and insights drawn from my investigations into four research areas (article pedagogy, SLA theory, grammar teaching approaches and CALL methodologies) and existing grammar materials; in the third phase, the materials were refined and evaluated for their effectiveness as a means of improving the Chinese Foundation students’ use of the article. Findings confirm the claim that L2 learner errors are systematic in nature and lend support to the value of Error Analysis. L1 transfer appears to be one of the main contributing factors in L2 errors. The salient errors identified in the Chinese Foundation corpus show that mismanagement of the article system is the most frequent cause of grammatical errors; Foundation tutors, however, perceive article errors to be neither frequent nor serious. An examination of existing materials reveals that the article is given low priority in ELT textbooks and treatments provided in pedagogical grammar books are inappropriate in terms of presentation, language and exercise types. The devised remedial materials employ both consciousness-raising activities and production exercises, using EAP language and authentic learner errors. Preliminary evaluation results suggest that the EA-informed customised materials have the potential to help learners to perform better in proofreading article errors in academic texts.

Studies investigating the career progression of BME teachers identify institutionalised discrimination, social inequality and unfavourable school practices as forces militating against the realisation of their school leadership aspirations. This study adds to this discourse by exploring some mediating forces, shaped by life history, beliefs, values, and workplace reactions, in the realisation of school leadership aspirations. In this regard, this research explores issues relating to the leadership roles a group of BME teachers conceive for themselves and their perceptions of success; the balance of personal, professional and situational factors, and the dynamics between personal agency and workplace structure, all in relation to leadership success. Since this study concerns aspect of life histories, values, beliefs, and workplace reactions, recognition of the utility of qualitative approach was given, and as such the semi-structured interviewing as the method to gain an authentic understanding to these research issues was employed. What emerged from the study is that conception of leadership roles underpin personal judgements about what leadership or career success means. Real or perceived success is shaped by mediating dimensions of a personal, professional and situated nature, such that when in balance, agency exercised directly at a conceived leadership role reinforces the self-perception of school leadership success, whereas when dimensions are negatively imbalanced, the ability to pursue conceived leadership roles is inhibited, thus creating a sense of career stagnation. The sense of progression or stagnation is reinforced further with the mediating extent to which agency is exercised in concert with or against prevailing structures. These findings result in implications for both research and practice.

Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a treatment approach which over the last 25 years has received increasing evidentiary support. In recent years efforts have been made to explore the effectiveness of MI in educational settings. Research has highlighted favourable outcomes in terms of increasing academic achievement (Strait, Smith, McQuillin, Swan and Malone, 2012, Terry, Strait, McQuillin and Smith, 2014),reducing levels of obesity (Flattum, Friend, Neumark-Sztainer and Story (2009) and improving teacher-student interactions (Wells, Jones and Jones, 2015) in secondary and higher education settings. However, a literature search revealed that only one published study, (Atkinson and Cryer, 2015) adopting a case study methodology, has investigated the use of MI with Primary aged pupils. The aim of the current study was therefore to investigate whether a 4/5 week MI intervention could improve the disruptive classroom behaviour of six primary aged pupils. A Single Case Experimental Design (SCED) was implemented adopting an AB design. Repeated observation measures were taken to assess the efficacy of the MI intervention. This data was triangulated with a pre and post measure of class teacher’s perception of pupil’s behaviour, assessed using Goodman’s (1997) Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). The results of the study show improvements in three of the participants’ disruptive classroom behaviour, highlighted by the repeated observation measure. In the remaining three cases there were no clear changes in any of the targeted behaviours that could be reliably attributed to MI. In addition the single case data is supported by a reduction in the Total Difficulties Score for all pupils on the SDQ (Goodman, 1997). Limitations of the study are highlighted and implications of the findings in relation to Educational Psychology practice are discussed.

Too often, buildings do not correspond to the original design aspirations of designers. This PhD project aims to investigate whether or not buildings branded as exhibiting ‘design excellence’ perform well in practice, focusing on the quality of the indoor environment and the satisfaction of occupants. It also intends to explore how to ensure that buildings with design quality achieve good performance in use. Buildings which won reputable design awards are assumed as exhibiting design excellence acknowledged by the architectural profession. With the need for sustainable schools with design quality, the Post-occupancy Evaluation (POE) studies of five RIBA Award-winning schools were conducted in this research, using the case study approach for two years, in order to investigate actual performance of the schools branded as exhibiting design excellence. The POE studies which measured building performance, i.e. environmental performance and energy performance, and architectural performance, i.e. user feedback, handover issues, management and maintenance, were carried out in each of the case studies. The evaluation results were then compared with the latest environmental standards and the corresponding benchmarks. The case studies show that not all the schools studied achieved good performance in practice. Common issues emerged in four of the five schools, related to daylighting, overheating issues, the use of low carbon technologies, gaps between predicted and actual energy performance and occupant experience – use of controls. It indicates that receiving architectural excellence awards cannot assure good performance in use, and hence the ‘performance gap’ between the original design intention of the designers and actual building performance. The performance gap was found due largely to the inappropriate design decisions related to environmental design issues and improper operation and maintenance in use, besides the issues related to construction process which was not studied in this research. The design-related factors – design process and aftercare service – were inferred to have a great impact on building performance. This research project results in three contributions to existing knowledge and practice. The first contribution is to provide guidance for the evaluation of building performance of non-domestic buildings, especially schools. The guidance is composed of three key performance indicators (KPIs) that can be further divided into seven performance indexes, allowing the evaluation undertaken in a holistic manner rather than simply relying on an individual asset. The second contribution is to summarise challenges and constraints in conducting POE studies of schools. Specific recommendations regarding how to collect meaningful data for POE studies of schools were provided, which can be used as a reference for others. The third contribution is the analysis of the impact of design process and aftercare service on building performance and the corresponding suggestions of judging building performance in the RIBA Awards. As it is difficult to judge actual performance of a project in design award schemes due to the ‘time’ effect of awards, the awards submission is suggested to stress on documentation related to these elements in order to assist the jury to judge building performance in a sensible manner. This research highlights the importance of understanding and assessing building performance in determining design excellence. Building Performance Evaluation (BPE) should be made mandatory for all entries for the RIBA Awards and other architectural excellence awards. Alternatively, architectural design awards could be judged on actual performance of the buildings which received the awards after a few years of occupation through a valid POE study. With the technical nature of POE studies, it suggests POE studies for award-winning buildings to be done by a third party.

It has been over 35 years since the publication of Reddy's 1979 study of the metaphors for communication, an article that could be said to mark the starting point of Conceptual Metaphor Theory. However, despite the understanding that metaphor and figurative language are fundamental to language, in that time there has been little progress in introducing metaphor into the L2 classroom, especially at lower levels. This thesis argues that learners at this level have figurative resources that have not yet been acknowledged, but could be key elements in developing an L2 metaphor pedagogy. To explore this possibility, a mixed methods investigation of the effect of mutimodal writing prompts based on extended metaphors was conducted with two cohorts of low-intermediate Japanese university students. The mixed methods data analysis revealed not only that the presentation of one extended metaphor could 'activate' metaphorical knowledge of other extended metaphors and induce the production of metaphoric language, but that multimodal material provides an as yet unexploited resource for an L2 metaphor pedagogy.

This thesis reports on research regarding the influence of family structure on young people’s engagement in physical activity. It focussed on understanding how young people’s physical activity dispositions were constructed within wider structural forces that impacted on their everyday lives. A socio-cultural theoretical perspective was adopted and the data were collected using a mixed methods approach. Participants were young people from three inner city comprehensive schools in the Midlands, UK, who completed questionnaires (n = 381) and paired, semi-structured interviews (n = 62). All schools were from low socioeconomic areas since this provided a greater diversity of family structures. As such, three family types were most prominent in this study: intact-couple, lone parent and stepfamily. The data took the form of surveys and interview transcripts and were analysed using PASW Statistics and inductive and deductive procedures respectively. The analytical framework was influenced by the social theory of Bourdieu, recognising the importance of structure and agency. Family was recognised as a social ‘field’ that shaped young people’s dispositions towards specific activities. Moreover, the transmission of an intergenerational habitus within families was bound by their cultural, social and economic resources, which differed according to family structure and contributed to existing societal inequalities.

The previous government developed guidelines for schools detailing primary prevention approaches that could be used to reduce risk and promote resilience in young people against extremist groups (DCSF, 2009). A community psychology approach is utilized in this research to gain the views of young people in one Local Authority (LA) about the most effective ways to implement the DSCF (2009) guidelines and build resilience locally. The guidelines will be adapted on the basis of the results so that implementation within the LA is relevant to local needs. Focus groups were designed using the structure of the Supply and Demand Model (Meah and Mellis, 2006) of radicalisation and were held with Year 9 students (n=22) from three secondary schools within the LA. A thematic analysis approach was taken to analyse the data gathered. The students developed their own thoughts about effective strategies to prevent violent extremism, which included: developing an environment that facilitates a sense of belonging in school; and providing opportunities for positive multi-cultural experiences. Students had concerns about approaches that encourage debates on current affairs (DCSF, 2009) because they felt this would create hostility in school. It was felt by participants that preventative approaches should focus on primary schools because secondary aged students already have established, fixed ideas. The utility of the Supply and Demand model (Meah and Mellis, 2006) as a risk and resilience framework for violent extremism is discussed.

This study is concerned with a group of schools involved in a Targeted and Mental Health in Schools (TaMHS) project in a Midlands Local Authority. The schools reported that they felt the term ‘mental health’ hindered parental engagement with the project. The study therefore examines in detail influences on parental engagement. This study takes a realist epistemological stance and employs a ‘Realistic Evaluation’ (RE) methodology identifying Contexts, Mechanisms and Outcomes that may account for parental engagement. A review of the literature suggested that there were influences on parents’ decision to engage with schools. From this review, an initial programme theory was drawn up identifying possible Contexts and Mechanisms resulting in the Outcome of parental engagement. Data were gathered through individual interviews with teachers and parents. Emerging Contexts and Mechanism suggested that were or should have been operating in TaMHS were highlighted in transcripts. The study found that explanations for parental engagement were related to factors additional to the use of the term ‘mental health’. Several contexts and mechanisms provided possible explanations as to what helped and hindered parental engagement.

This study investigated why boys were more likely to be excluded than girls. The main research site was an 11-16 comprehensive in a market town, although findings were triangulated through a project in a feeder junior school. The research evolved in two phases. Phase One involved 67 loosely structured, fifty minute interviews with pupils who had been excluded for a fixed term. Phase Two involved four action research projects which triangulated and developed the Phase One findings. The projects consisted of an Anger Management therapeutic group with some of the excluded boys interviewed in Phase One, two days of staff training in Transactional Analysis, a self-discovery club with junior school pupils at risk of exclusion and a year 7 drama curriculum which taught Transactional Analysis, conflict resolution, meditation, emotional literacy and self-awareness. Findings were analysed using Strauss and Glaser’s concepts of grounded theory, emergent themes and the constant comparative method. Transactional Analysis was used as a practical as well as an analytic tool. The practical research took place between 1999 and 2002. The study found that all of the children who had been excluded were either threatened with loss or had suffered or were suffering from losses which threatened their safety and/or security. The effects of these losses gave rise to the emotions of bereavement which included anger. Boys and some girls used the emotion of anger as a mask for other emotions such as sadness and fear. The masking of vulnerable emotions was part of the way in which the boys constructed their masculinites. The losses brought with them loss of attachment and low self-esteem which led to students being more influenced by their peer group than by the adults around them. It was found that it was possible to counter the effect of these losses and the negative effects of the anger. The action research methods proved to offer part of the answer to the research questions. Trust was central to the development of new attachments and teachers could develop this trust using Adult-Adult behaviours, from an ‘I’m OK, You’re OK’ life position. Positive strokes encouraged desired behaviour. However, central to the ability to use these techniques was the concept of self-awareness that could be accessed through talking and being listened to by some one who did not judge. Meditation also proved to be helpful in bringing awareness and minimising stress. The concept of the Drama Triangle proved invaluable in understanding what occurred during exclusion incidents. Techniques were found to work with staff, secondary and primary school pupils. The implications of the research are that it is possible for staff to minimise exclusion incidents directly and indirectly by modelling peaceful behaviours. The research shows that pupils get excluded when they are under stress and that it might be profitable to listen to them after an exclusion to elicit their feelings. The study recommends future research which develops these ideas in other settings and investigates what happens for the teachers during an exclusion incident.

The aim of the research is to explore young offenders' (YOs') subjective narratives of their life trajectories, ascertaining what internal and external factors have influenced their criminal pathway and capacity to desist from further criminal involvement post-incarceration. Young people's (YP's) narratives were collected through semi-structured, life-story interviews. In addition, youth justice professionals' views were obtained through focus groups, to gain insight into the systemic strengths and difficulties as interpreted by those who worked within the organisation. Similarities and discrepancies between YP's and professionals' views are considered. Numerous themes were established from YP's narratives and professional accounts, which highlighted a complex range of individual characteristics and elements of the system that have acted as both risk and protective influences across their life trajectories. Application of the Developmental Psychopathology framework (Cicchetti, 1984) was explored, to conceptualise the dynamic, interactive processes which occur between factors over the course of YOs' development. The outcomes are relevant for professionals working with offenders, ex-offenders, or children at risk of offending, including professionals in the youth justice system and Educational Psychologists (EPs), with implications for practice.