Yes / National and international guidance recommends whole-school approaches to physical activity, but there are few studies assessing their effectiveness, especially at an organisational level. This study assesses the impact of the Creating Active School's (CAS) programme on organisational changes to physical activity provision. In-school CAS leads completed a 77-item questionnaire assessing school-level organisational change. The questionnaire comprised 19 domains aligned with the CAS framework and COM-B model of behaviour change. Wilcoxon Signed Rank Tests assessed the pre-to-nine-month change. >70% of schools (n = 53) pre-CAS had inadequate whole-school physical activity provision. After nine months (n = 32), CAS had a significant positive effect on organisational physical activity. The positive change was observed for: whole-school culture and ethos, teachers and wider school staff, academic lessons, physical education (PE) lessons, commute to/from school and stakeholder behaviour. This study provides preliminary evidence that CAS is a viable model to facilitate system-level change for physical activity in schools located within deprived areas of a multi-ethnic city. To confirm the results, future studies are required which adopt controlled designs combined with a holistic understanding of implementation determinants and underlying mechanisms. / Z.E.H is funded via match funded PhD by the University of Bradford and Sport England Local Delivery Pilot Bradford. Authors, A.D-S and D.D.B. were supported by Sport England’s Local Delivery Pilot—Bradford. A.D-S and D.D.B were (also) supported by the Welcome Trust, a joint grant from the UK Medical Research Council (MRC) and UK Economic and Social Science Research Council a British Heart Foundation Clinical Study grant [CS/16/4/32482] the National Institute for Health Research under its Applied Research Collaboration Yorkshire and Humber [NIHR200166]; ActEarly UK Prevention Research Partnership Consortium [MR/S037527/1]; NIHR Clinical Research Network through research delivery support for this study.

According to the literature school refusal is a complex disorder. Whilst the condition only occurs in 2% of the general school population, more interestingly the problem accounts for about 8% of clinically referred children (Burke & Silverman, 1987). This study focuses on the school refusal of a young adolescent male. This thesis has examined the degree to which school refusal can be minimised through employing a whole school approach underpinned by effective pastoral care (WSNPC intervention program). The research questions were as follows: To investigate the effects the WSNPC intervention program has on the: minimisation of school refusal; replacement of the motherlfigurehead in the mother-child relationship relative to separation anxiety; and = improved emotional, social and intellectual wellbeing of the school refuser. The methodology adopted for the study of school refusal regarding a young adolescent male was based on a grounded theory approach and also included a combination of action research and case study methods. Qualitative paradigms measured the degree of the participant's school refusal. A variety of instruments were employed to measure the participant's perceptions of school refusal. The implementation of multiple strategies were based upon data collected and evaluated, both as a result of intentional efforts, or as an unintentional by-product of the study with the expressed aim of maximising the participant's school attendance. The evidence presented in this study indicates the strategies employed via the WSA/PC intervention program were helpful in improving the participant's attendance at school. The results give an insight into the level of comprehension for the sample of school refusal and its response in terms of understanding the reasons for such thinking. The limitations of single case methodology are acknowledged in the study and suggestions for further research discussed.

The purpose of this research was to implement and evaluate a whole-school health model (Health Promoting Secondary Schools [HPSS]), grounded in self-determination theory (SDT). The approach used a "For Youth with Youth" planning strategy designed to change school environments (culture, policy and practices) in order to help high school students become more physically active and eat more healthful diets. Three interrelated research projects were conducted to address the purpose of this study. A concurrent mixed-methods design was used to: (a) gain an understanding of the experiences of teachers and the Action Team as they planned and implemented school-based healthy living strategies (Project 1); (b) evaluate the impact on and relationship between SDT constructs and students’ motivation to engage in health-related behaviours (Project 2); and (c) evaluate the motivation of students in physical education classes grounded in SDT and its impact on their enrolment in grade 11 elective physical education (Project 3). In Project 1, 23 teachers and 37 Action Team members participated in focus group interviews. School observation field notes and Action Team meeting minutes were collected throughout the intervention process. Analysis of the data revealed that several factors were associated with participants’ experiences and motivational processes. These factors included: (a) Competing Responsibilities, Technical Difficulties, and Lack of Computer Access (b) Resources, Reminders, Workshops, and Collaboration (c) Choice-Based Design Impacts Participants’ Experiences; (d) Teacher Control Impacts Student Engagement (e) Teacher Job Action Inhibited Implementation of HPSS Action Plans. The findings from this study can facilitate future school-based projects by providing insights into student and teacher perspectives on the planning and implementation of a whole-school health model. In Project 2, 379 grade 10 students in ten participant schools (5 intervention schools; 5 control schools) completed self-report questionnaires pre and post intervention to evaluate the impact on students’ motivation to engage in health-related behaviours. Results showed students attending HPSS intervention schools reported significantly lower amotivation scores for healthy eating compared to students in usual practice schools. No significant differences were found between conditions on motivation towards physical activity. The findings indicate that a choice-based whole-school health approach may be an effective approach for decreasing amotivation towards healthy eating behaviours. In Project 3, a sample of 373 grade 10 students completed self-report questionnaires to assess their perceptions of autonomy, relatedness, and competence towards grade 10 Physical Education. Enrolment rates were collected from participant schools to determine the impact of the HPSS intervention on student enrolment in grade elective physical education. Multilevel analysis showed no significant differences between conditions post intervention on overall psychological need satisfaction or individual SDT constructs. For enrolment in elective physical education, chi-square analyses showed a significant difference in proportion of female students in HPSS intervention schools enrolled in grade 11 elective physical education. Findings show support for a whole-school health model to improve female student enrolment in elective physical education programs. / Graduate

Syftet med studien var att undersöka hur lärare i grundskolan tänker kring, och beskriver hur de arbetar med, studie- och yrkesvägledning inom ramarna för det som i läroplanen (Lgr 11) beskrivs som ett ansvar för hela skolan. Studien genomfördes med kvalitativ metod i form av intervjuer med åtta lärare på sammanlagt fyra grundskolor inom Stockholms län. Resultatet visade att flera av lärarna likställde studie- och yrkesvägledning med studie- och yrkesvägledaren. De flesta av lärarna var inte medvetna om att de hade ett ansvar för skolans studie- och yrkesvägledning, utifrån rådande styrdokument. Det kunde sägas att lärarna ansåg att syftet med studie- och yrkesvägledning var att förbereda eleverna inför framtida studie- och yrkesval, även om det fanns skillnader i hur detta uttrycktes och vad det arbetet kunde innebära. Tidsbristen uppgavs vara ett hinder och de flesta hade svårt att knyta an studie- och yrkesvägledning till sitt eget ämne. Lärarna var främst präglade av sin egen erfarenhet av studie- och yrkesvägledning, snarare än att deras uppfattningar om området kunde härledas till styrdokumenten, information från rektor eller utbildning. Resultatet analyserades utifrån teorin om närbyråkrater i relation till begreppen förstå, kunna och vilja. Det konstaterades att det fanns en väldig variation lärarna emellan både vad gäller tankar kring innebörd och det praktiska arbetet. Studien visade sig kunna bekräfta en del av de resultat som Henryssons avhandling om syo-kulturer i skolan visat (Henrysson, 1994). Detta skulle kunna tyda på att mycket litet har utvecklats på 20 år vad gäller lärares förhållningssätt gentemot studie- och yrkesvägledning som ett ansvar för hela skolan. / The purpose of the study was to examine how teachers in elementary school think about, and describe how they work with, guidance and counselling within the confines of what the curriculum (Lgr 11) describes as a responsibility of the whole school. The study had a qualitative approach, where interviews with eight teachers in four schools within the county were conducted. The results showed that several of the teachers equated the guidance and counselling with the guidance counselor. Most of the teachers were not aware that they had a responsibility to the school's guidance and counselling, based on current policy documents. It could be said that the teachers felt that the purpose of guidance and counselling was to prepare students for future academic and career choices, although there were differences in how this was expressed and what the work could entail. Lack of time was reported to be an obstacle, and most found it hard to implement guidance and counselling to their subjects. The teachers were mainly influenced by their own experience of guidance and counselling, rather than their perceptions of the area could be attributed to the policy documents, information from the principal or education. The results were analyzed based on the theory of street-level bureaucracy in relation to the concepts of understanding, able and willing. It was found that there was a tremendous variation between teachers in terms of both ideas about the meaning and practical work. The results of the study in conjunction with a twenty year old PhD thesis may indicate that very little may have evolved in terms of teachers' attitude towards guidance and counselling as a whole school approach or responsibility.

Environmental Education is widely considered to be indispensable for realizing behaviour which supports sustainable life. Several international declarations and South African policy documents plead for the inclusion of environmental education processes at all levels of formal education. The White Paper for Education and Training (1995) stipulates that environmental education should be presented in accordance with an interdisciplinary, integrated and active approach to learning. The aim of this study was to investigate the role a learner activity plays in the decisions learners make to live more in the interest of the sustainability of the environment. Three schools that are engaged in the project Build capacity for life were selected. The project aims at implementing an environment management system at the schools by means of which the environment forms an integral part of school management and of the curriculum. The study is performed as a qualitative case study in which data was collected by means of observation, focus group sessions and interviews. The learner involvement in the staging of an activity that dealt with energy consumption and the influence thereof on the environment was investigated. Firstly, the collected data was organised by means of matrixes and brain charts and then analysed with the help of plotting charts. The findings indicate that learners are capable of recognising the relationship between electric energy, littering and air pollution. Learners are aware of the impact they as energy consumers have on the environment and could list methods according to which they creatively save energy on the school grounds and at their homes. Their performance is testament to a responsible attitude towards the environment and to the fact that they are convinced of the value of making people aware of environmental issues. From this, it can be inferred that, should channels and structures exist at schools by means of which learners can gain access to the management of their schools, they would be able to make contributions to promoting the sustainability of the environment. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

Environmental Education is widely considered to be indispensable for realizing behaviour which supports sustainable life. Several international declarations and South African policy documents plead for the inclusion of environmental education processes at all levels of formal education. The White Paper for Education and Training (1995) stipulates that environmental education should be presented in accordance with an interdisciplinary, integrated and active approach to learning. The aim of this study was to investigate the role a learner activity plays in the decisions learners make to live more in the interest of the sustainability of the environment. Three schools that are engaged in the project Build capacity for life were selected. The project aims at implementing an environment management system at the schools by means of which the environment forms an integral part of school management and of the curriculum. The study is performed as a qualitative case study in which data was collected by means of observation, focus group sessions and interviews. The learner involvement in the staging of an activity that dealt with energy consumption and the influence thereof on the environment was investigated. Firstly, the collected data was organised by means of matrixes and brain charts and then analysed with the help of plotting charts. The findings indicate that learners are capable of recognising the relationship between electric energy, littering and air pollution. Learners are aware of the impact they as energy consumers have on the environment and could list methods according to which they creatively save energy on the school grounds and at their homes. Their performance is testament to a responsible attitude towards the environment and to the fact that they are convinced of the value of making people aware of environmental issues. From this, it can be inferred that, should channels and structures exist at schools by means of which learners can gain access to the management of their schools, they would be able to make contributions to promoting the sustainability of the environment. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

This study examines how modern language teachers in secondary schools in Sweden reflect on their capacities and motivation to implement Education for Sustainable Development [ESD] (lärande för hållbar utveckling [LHU]) in their lessons. Based on the theoretical framework of teachers´ beliefs, a postal survey was prepared, combining a Likert scale with open questions. As for now, the teachers in German in this study are seemingly unaware of the connection between ESD and their subject´s main purpose, which is to prepare the students to initiate and participate in authentic, communicative situations in the target language, and the requirement to foster intercultural dialogs within Europe. Neither are they aware of how the neuropsychological processes involved in foreign language learning are linked to the global sustainable goals SDG 4.7, SDG 16, and SDG 17 within Agenda 2030. Instead, the study confirms how the historical development of the term sustainability and ESD (LHU) has left a trail of confusion behind itself. As a result, six attitude types could be defined, each with different challenges based on the teachers' understanding of ESD and their underlying philosophical, ideological, and professional convictions. Besides the difficulties of placing their own subject within ESD, most teachers are convinced about the importance of sustainable development for mankind, which creates a dilemma of intrinsic incoherence and therefore less engagement. To increase their sense of capacity, they are unified falling back on former, contra-productive practices and turning to texts- and workbooks for help. The study concludes that there is a risk, that when language teachers are not given access to relevant knowledge and professional learning communities, in which they can explore the connection between their subject, ESD, and Agenda 2030, the Swedish society and schools will further lose the subject´s values and its unique neuropsychological related potential. This potential includes the ability and motivation to initiate and participate in peace-building intercultural dialogues within and outside Sweden, even if one´s language standards are still inadequate, as well as an individual prerequisite for empathy and compassion.

Being physically active contributes to health throughout life. Schools can play a key role in developing students’ capability for lifelong physical activity (PA). The main purpose of this thesis was to explore how this capability in adolescents in the Netherlands can be fostered. It builds on the assumption that to develop agency for lifelong PA, adolescents need the ability to reflect upon their assets for PA, are actively involved in shaping PA experiences that are meaningful to them and are supported with making the transfer of these experiences to their own contexts. This is mirrored in the Health Promoting Schools approach, which supports children’s development by using the school setting to promote PA, and in the Salutogenic approach, focusing on identifying factors or ‘assets’ that enhance PA. Both approaches advocate a school climate empowering students to become agents in their own lives.  To investigate our assumption we performed four studies with secondary schools in the Netherlands. In the first study, we unpacked the concept of agency to argue the relevance of developing PA related student agency through enabling their autonomy and freedom to engage in PAs that fit their goals. In the second and third studies, to inform PA-enhancing strategies, we developed and applied a procedure for two action research methods, the Structured Interview Matrix and Photovoice. This procedure enabled students to express their perspectives on PA and deliberate with peers. Ninety-three students from four schools aged 12–14 participated in two group sessions, discussing four asset categories derived from the literature: talents, passions, the social environment and the physical environment. The analyses of students’ perspectives show that: a) they need to perceive PAs as meaningful, appealing, contextually possible and manageable; and b) they use a variety of reasoning processes to decide whether to engage. In the fourth study, we analysed policy documents, interviews and focus groups with school managers, teachers and municipal sports professionals from six secondary schools. The results showed that, besides offering sufficient and varied PAs and PA opportunities, students’ reflection on the meaningfulness of these experiences and their transfer to other contexts is not embedded in the school curricular practices. We conclude that to educate students for the capability of lifelong PA, schools’ pedagogical approach should contain at least three elements: First, listening to students’ perspectives on their assets for PA and engaging them actively in shaping their PAs. Second, facilitating students to reflect upon these PA experiences to discover what makes them meaningful and fit their aspirations. Third, supporting them in contextualising and transferring their experiences to students’ daily life contexts. We, therefore, argue for a salutogenic approach in schools focusing on respecting and enhancing students’ agency concerning their PA thereby enhancing their capability to be physically active. This requires a school culture in which agency as a consistent pedagogical principle is embraced and practised. / The work of Gwendolijn Boonekamp was supported by a grant from the HAN University of Applied Sciences under decision number: 2017/1133.

Inclusive Education has gained significant currency nationally and internationally. It demands that the teacher be able to meet the needs of learners with impairments in ordinary classrooms. The success of inclusive education rests on quality teacher preparation geared towards inclusive education. The focus of this investigation is on preparedness of mainstream primary school teachers in implementing inclusive education policy in the Nongoma circuit. The lack of teachers prepared to provide quality inclusive teaching to learners and the limitations of existing support structures both impact on inclusion. Through a questionnaire an effort was made to ascertain teachers’ preparedness for inclusive education in the Nongoma circuit. This measure was utilized to determine the extent to which teachers are prepared for the implementation of inclusive education in the classroom. It was also used to describe the nature of training provided by District Based Support Team in an advancement of inclusive education practices in the classroom. The researcher also identified enabling strategies required for teachers in an inclusive classroom environment. Finally, recommendations on strategies for the successful implementation of inclusive education in the classroom were made. The data was collected through a questionnaire. The researcher selected three wards Nongoma circuit as research sites with all teachers in the selected schools participating. / Inclusive Education / M. Ed. (Inclusive education)

Inclusive Education has gained significant currency nationally and internationally. It demands that the teacher be able to meet the needs of learners with impairments in ordinary classrooms. The success of inclusive education rests on quality teacher preparation geared towards inclusive education. The focus of this investigation is on preparedness of mainstream primary school teachers in implementing inclusive education policy in the Nongoma circuit. The lack of teachers prepared to provide quality inclusive teaching to learners and the limitations of existing support structures both impact on inclusion. Through a questionnaire an effort was made to ascertain teachers’ preparedness for inclusive education in the Nongoma circuit. This measure was utilized to determine the extent to which teachers are prepared for the implementation of inclusive education in the classroom. It was also used to describe the nature of training provided by District Based Support Team in an advancement of inclusive education practices in the classroom. The researcher also identified enabling strategies required for teachers in an inclusive classroom environment. Finally, recommendations on strategies for the successful implementation of inclusive education in the classroom were made. The data was collected through a questionnaire. The researcher selected three wards Nongoma circuit as research sites with all teachers in the selected schools participating. / Inclusive Education / M. Ed. (Inclusive education)