This research set out to discover why some Higher Education (HE) students adapted very quickly to online environments and showed excellent learning behaviours and outcomes, while others found many barriers to the same activity. Given the rapid spread of virtual learning environments (VLEs) in HE Institutions, HE teachers need clear ideas about how to prepare and support learners in these environments. If individual differences among students could be identified, which affected “readiness” for learning online, then this information could be used to develop appropriate support and prevent such differences working to disadvantage groups of students. The project explored the perspectives of a group of HE teachers who could speak from experience as 'early adopters' of VLEs for pedagogic purposes, in order to discuss the 'readiness' of students for learning in an online context. Research questions focussed on how teachers could manage transition and integration of online technologies within HE, and how they could identify variations in students' approaches to the technologies and mediate the less successful ones. A grounded analysis method was applied to transcripts of interviews with HE teachers with experience and enthusiasm for integrating online and face-to-face teaching and learning. The 'constant comparative' method was used to fragment the data and develop categories of ideas in relation to the research questions. The findings confirmed differences between traditional and online teaching and learning, affecting the approach of both teacher and student, but gave no support to the concept of 'readiness'. Conclusions focussed on the process of preparing students for learning with online technologies. Further outcomes related to the changing teacher's role and the impact of teachers' beliefs on the design and integration of online technologies. Detailed suggestions were produced for appropriate learner induction to enable a more positive engagement with online technologies. The potential plasticity of the online learning space is shown to offer opportunities for supporting diverse learning approaches.

This study is set in Saudi Arabia within the context of increasing national and international emphasis on inclusive education of deaf students and where policy overtly supports increasingly inclusive schools. This research is important because it is one of the few qualitative Saudi Arabian studies that have been conducted within the interpretive paradigm with a view to understanding the complexity of inclusive education. It specifically explores the factors that have influenced its theory and practice at inclusive boys’ primary schools for deaf students in the Saudi educational context. The empirical study which was set in the Local Educational Authority in Riyadh city focuses on the perceptions of schools' principals, teachers and parents of deaf students. It explores the knowledge, understanding, attitudes and experiences of these three groups of participants regarding the inclusive education of deaf students, in order to establish the factors that influence inclusive education and determine the kind of services that are needed for inclusive education of deaf students in the Saudi context. The study had two stages: the first involved exploratory focus-group interviews with schools' staff including schools' principals, teachers and parents of deaf students; and, stage two was based upon individual interviews, observations and documentary data. I adopted a purposive sampling strategy in both cases and overall 61 participants were included. A key finding was that principals of inclusive schools lacked the knowledge and understanding of inclusive education necessary for effective education for deaf students. This arguably has affected their attitudes and unconstructively influenced their attitudes towards the inclusive education of deaf students in their schools. Whilst the majority of teachers of deaf children had more knowledge and the necessary positive views towards their inclusive education and have tried to adapt classroom materials and activities to accommodate deaf students, the lack of support from principals inhibited them. In addition parents appear to lack knowledge about inclusion and its possibilities for their children and they are as such excluded from influencing educational policy and mostly do not play the role in inclusive schools to support their children that Saudi Arabian policy suggests they should. Other inhibiting factors for inclusive education for deaf students included insufficient facilities and resources, lack of training courses and lack of collaboration among school staff and between staff and parents of deaf students. My research indicates that these insufficiencies cannot be addressed without there being a symbiotic relationship between principals, teachers, parents, the Local Educational Authority, the Ministry of Education and the school environment. There is a strong need to create mechanisms to change the knowledge, attitudes and qualifications of principals, teachers and parents. Therefore in response to these findings I have developed and proposed a strategic model that focuses on the deaf student and their educational support, for the Saudi Education System. There is considerable research needed if inclusive education for deaf students is to be more grounded in an understanding of the context. The study ended with utilising its findings and previous literature to develop recommendations for theories of inclusive education and made contributions to knowledge about the role of attitudes. It also provided a set of policy guidelines and made suggestions about pedagogy. In Saudi, organisationally the Local Educational Authority need to pay more attention to funding inclusive schools and providing facilities and specialised training to school staff and parents. With work this may lead to successful inclusive education for deaf students in Saudi Arabia.

The contribution of mindfulness towards occupational stress is an under-researched aspect of primary school teaching in Ireland and internationally. The purpose of this research is to investigate the consequences for teachers who practise mindfulness. A qualitative approach was used to explore the occupational stressors experienced by primary school teachers and the contribution that mindfulness makes toward stress reduction. The research, involving interviews with 20 primary school teachers in urban and rural schools throughout Ireland, was carried out in 2013. The research provides evidence of teachers’ ability to respond to occupational stress by internally regulating thoughts and emotions. The consequences of such internal self-regulation proposed by the study include the development of internal teacher attributes, a contribution to professional practice and significant classroom outcomes which contribute to teacher coping skills and resilience. The literature review exposed that there were few frameworks or models relevant to mindfulness and teaching. The ‘Mindfulness in Teaching Model’, which is presented in this thesis, addresses this gap. Few qualitative research studies have been conducted in Ireland or internationally on how mindfulness impacts on teachers’ lives. This thesis serves to illuminate, for the first time, how the practice of mindfulness affects the effectiveness and professionalism of primary school teachers in Ireland.

A participatory action research and constructivist grounded theory-based intervention, by an educational psychologist, to determine helpful and unhelpful factors in targeted group intervention with three anxious primary school girls. The aims of this research were to explore the perceptions of anxious, reticent children, their parents and teachers of a modified and targeted intervention, implemented by an educational psychologist (EP) and based on the FRIENDS for Life programme (FRIENDS)(Barrett, 2004). A case study approach was used to gather the data necessary to address the aims. The targeted intervention was delivered weekly by the EP using an integrated, study-specific, participatory action research (PAR) and constructivist grounded theory (Charmaz, 2014) (CTG) approach for data analysis and theory development. Two settings within a primary school were strategically used by the EP to dilute any stigma associated with intervention for the three anxious target group (TG) girls aged between nine and eleven (N=3). The three girls were also participant during the same period in the universal application of the programme with the rest of their class peers (N=9). The thesis takes as it starting point the fact that anxiety is thought to be one of the most common forms of psychological distress in children and young people (CYP) (Cartwright-Hatton et al., 2004) with prevalence being reported as high as twenty one per cent (Kashani and Orvaschel, 1990) and most studies estimating around ten per cent (Carr, 2006). Fortunately, the school-based programme FRIENDS for Life, (FRIENDS), based on Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) principles, appears to be efficacious both at a targeted and universal level with CYP. Little is known however about this programme’s application specifically with sub-clinically anxious CYP who are frequently apprehensive about verbal interaction at school and for whom mild to moderate anxiety is indicated. This study attempts to fill this gap. Modifications were made to the FRIENDS programme activities to allow for children’s non-verbal programme participation and to optimise the reticent target group children’s comfort within the group setting. The role of the EP in building therapeutic alliance with the anxious children was also explored. Study findings suggest that the intervention was positively perceived by participants and that the children perceived story-writing to be their preferred way of working with FRIENDS programme content. The use of the seven principles, based on the acronym PRECISE, was deemed useful to the EP in building therapeutic relationship with the reticent children. Findings underpin the study’s proposal for a conceptual model for EPs involved in group work with anxious children. The proposed ‘EPPPE’ model describes how EPs can use the PRECISE (P) principles in applying their skills in sensitive Programming (P) within a school community’s cognitive Ecological (E) context to support anxious children in targeted intervention.

This study examines the development of leadership. The aim is to investigate the concept of a leader (the headteacher) developing leadership in a new and developing school. The study explores the notion of a vision for leadership, the structures which are evident each year and the development of leaders and leadership within the school. This case study research was undertaken in a single school at the end of its first seven years at the point when the first cohort of students went to university and the school converted to a new academy. The presence of two consecutive Ofsted judgements of outstanding leadership suggested leadership had developed well making this an appropriate environment in which to investigate leadership development. This post facto study adopts a qualitative approach gathering data from three sources: an extended series of interviews with the headteacher; semi-structured interviews with a sample of middle leaders who had had different experiences within the school and documentary evidence in the form of staffing structures from each of the previous school years. These three sources provided a means for the triangulation of evidence. A number of points emerge from the study: the variance in perspectives of the headteacher and middle leaders; the changes in structure and the growth of a hierarchy; the development of leadership factors such as communication and external pressures which impact on this. The research identifies a number of key elements: the concept of leadership which appears organic and changing and where different leadership experiences can coexist within a planned leadership model; the relationship between leadership vision, leadership structure and leadership development and the changes to the relationship over time; communicating theleadership vision through change from opening to establishment. The research challenges the belief that leadership is an entity or concept defined by a fixed set of skills and features. The research moves forward from models of distributed and hybrid leadership to demonstrate the complexity, fluidity and flexibility of leadership development. The process of and deployment of leadership affects and is affected by the context and must be able to respond to all contingencies. The quality of information is essential in making decisions regarding leadership. The qualilty of communication of that information enhances knowledge across the organisation and secures commitment and engagement of all middle leaders.

This study concerned the concept of teacher induction, understood globally as the process of initiating newly qualified teachers (NQTs) into their roles as effective teachers and members of a school organisation. Despite longstanding proposals advocating change for teacher induction in the Republic of Ireland, Ireland has no statutory provision for this and there remains a significant gap in the Irish literature about how induction is currently functioning. The research investigated primary level NQT induction using a qualitative multi-case study, interviewing principals and NQTs in eight schools. These interviews explored principals’ rationales for providing induction and what they made available for their NQTs. NQTs’ perceptions were then sought about the effectiveness of their induction. A conceptual framework for evaluating the components of an effective induction programme was adapted from the literature to enable focused critique of Ireland’s provision and guidance for future developments. Four typologies of school-based induction were chosen to categorise the data: laissez faire, collegial, competency based, and self-directing professional. In all but the last of these, a rhetoric–reality gap was found; resulting in unforeseen consequences such as conflicts of interest between principals and NQTs. Evolving from the critique and the typologies, a reconstructed framework of the components of effective induction was devised to align with perceived needs of principals and NQTs. This can aid policymakers and stakeholders in future planning for NQT induction in Ireland.

This research has developed an alternative conceptual framework for school leadership which is context sensitive, practice oriented and centred on leadership for learning. The framework is construed on a set of practices which are considered to be optimal for leadership in a school and is based on three conceptual domains: leadership for pedagogical purpose; leadership for engagement; and leadership for empowerment. The three domains link sets of day to day leadership practices which inform pedagogical purpose; engage a wide constituency of others to be part of leadership practice; empowers this constituency to lead. At the centre of the constituency are the staff and students in the school, parents, school governors and a wide range of community stakeholders. Developed through substantial debate of the context of secondary schools in England and a wide range of theories, models and perspectives of leadership, the framework was used to undertake an inquiry into headteacher perception of leadership practice in their schools, focusing on a sub-regional group of secondary headteachers in the South East of England. A sequential mixed methods procedure was used which allowed analysis and discussion of a combined and sequential data set. Exploratory factor analysis of questionnaire data, enriched by thematic analysis of interview data, enabled a framework for perceived leadership practice to be constructed and compared to the conceptual framework for leadership underpinning the research. The findings indicate that despite some aspects of excellent leadership practice there may be limited practice in important aspects of leadership in the schools particularly with regard to leadership for engagement and leadership for empowerment. Significant sources of leadership practice available in staff, students, parents, other schools, and governing bodies are likely to be under-developed and under-deployed in most schools. Excessive accountability, both explicit and implicit, in the standards based school improvement processes driven by central government and the fundamental lack of trust which this implies creates barriers to the development of effective leadership practice. The findings of this research suggest that headteachers appear trapped in their primacy and often feel unable to utilise the leadership resources available to them because of accountability in relation to their agency, the capacity of others to lead and the perceptions of others that leadership is in the sole provenance of the head. This thesis has shown that the headteacher’s primacy in school leadership is crucially important to establishing leadership in the school which fosters learning and engages and empowers others. It is headteachers who will nurture leadership practice which is purposefully concerned to maximise student learning, fully engaging of all potential leadership resources and empowering other leaders, staff, students, parents and school governors to be part of the leadership of the school.

The purpose of this research is to gain insight into how school principals make sense of and promote social justice in their schools in South Africa. Underpinned by the ontological view that knowledge of the world comes from many perspectives, and set within the interpretive, constructionist paradigms, this qualitative study explores seven principals’ attempts to promote social justice. The data was gathered using semi-structured interviews with principals and staff members from schools in both the public and independent sectors. The findings reveal the principals’ interpretation of social justice. They also identify those frameworks of leadership which when applied by principals,appear to support social justice better. The thesis argues that principals’ efforts to promote social justice are constrained by government policies and further compounded by the lack of capacity, in terms of individuals’ ability and understanding, at a National or Provincial level. It is also argued that the community within which the school is positioned significantly influences the principals’ attempts to promote social justice. It was also evident that the principals have interpreted and reinterpreted social and cultural justice in light of the context within which their school is positioned. The conclusion is that despite principals’ attempts to promote social justice, both the school context and external political and economic factors significantly constrain their success. Hence education in South Africa continues to struggle to deliver social justice to the majority of learners. This research contributes to the limited literature on leadership in So uth Africa and provides a voice for school leaders to identify the reality they face, rather than expressing the rhetoric of the government.

In order to provide effective and sustained support for university managers as they learn to manage, more needs to be found out about the critical factors which underpin this process. Presenting the findings from an initial exploratory study within one institution, this thesis examines the perceptions of university managers, both academic and professional support, of how they learn within their roles. Although the study draws initially on HE based research, findings from the wider fields of management learning, professional learning and sensemaking are also incorporated as a means of recognising and then analysing the divergent factors affecting how managers learn to manage. To examine their perceptions, a series of semistructured interviews is undertaken with a purposive sample of twenty-four university managers from a range of academic and professional support roles. These interviews are supplemented by a follow-up study with four of these managers, all relatively new into their current senior posts, an interview with a member of the Executive Team, an analysis of selected institutional strategic plans, and the completion of reflective journals by five of the original group of managers. The interview transcripts are initially deconstructed using Weick's (1995) seven characteristics of sense making, and then further analysed through the lens of the integrated conceptual framework, enabling a systematic examination of the data. The evidence collated suggests that these managers are 'learning to make sense of a number of different issues such as their changing identities, the complexity within their roles, the institutional context in which they work and the expectations on them from others. Furthermore, to understand how university managers learn involves a paradigm shift which acknowledges that this process is no longer a formal acquisition ion of skills or knowledge set within a structured classroom environment. Instead it is a complex, multi-faceted and amorphous process, grounded in workplace tasks and impacted upon by the words and actions of others. Responding to the changing context of both the institution and the HE sector, this process of learning is constantly evolving, and, due to the differing characteristics of each individual manager, the way they interpret and make sense of it varies. In essence, this study offers the opportunity to rethink the way university managers learn, and questions the efficacy of conventional management development programmes to effectively support this process.

Higher Education in the UK appears to be in a state of flux with ever changing policy for the recruitment and funding of home and EU students. As the market becomes more competitive the recruitment of international students studying specialist Master’s programmes is expanding, introducing greater variability into the educational supply chain. This study has investigated the factors affecting academic success, and reviewed recruitment from a supply chain perspective. The study has then focused on the importance of having the required underpinning knowledge to study on specialist Master’s programmes in achieving academic success. A quantitative methods approach has been adopted, aligned with a realist ontology and positivist epistemology to carry out the investigation. The current criteria used for entry to the programmes at Northumbria were compared with similar HEIs. Expert opinion was used to determine the underpinning knowledge students were expected to have when enrolling on to specialist Master’s programmes and this was verified on newly enrolled post graduate students through the survey method using a test. The results were then used to identify variations in underpinning knowledge in the educational supply chain and investigate the use of a model to predict academic success. The criteria for entry to specialist Master’s programmes was identified as having varying levels of both English and academic qualifications. The level of underpinning knowledge known by graduating Northumbria undergraduate and enrolling international postgraduate students was found to be similar and can be linked to academic success. This study has contributed to knowledge by confirming that there is a statistically significant positive relationship between underpinning knowledge and academic success. A contribution to practice has been made by using supply chain theory to identify the variation in student underpinning knowledge entering the educational supply chain and providing a test that can be used to predict academic success.