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This research explores the relationship between leaders and organizational performance from the perspective of a public school education system that serves students from the beginning years of Kindergarten to High School graduation. Significant literature exists that acknowledges the known impact and behaviours of leaders for organizational success. It also highlights the need for further research into the design and impact of leadership development opportunities for both potential and current leaders in the organization. This research further explores the specific behaviours, actions and thinking of current leaders and school principals in the system that have a demonstrated impact on results, as defined by objective academic and culture performance measures along with affective responses from teachers. The literature review focuses on the impact of leaders in both education and management from the theoretical stance of transformational leadership given its direct link between leadership behaviours and organizational performance. It highlights current research related to the impact of the leader on organizational success and indicates multi-dimensional characteristics to develop and explore as part of an integrated leadership model. Research related to leadership development along with current models/frameworks for school leadership development are solely reviewed to assess the behaviours, actions, and practices identified as elements of a successful principalship. Having positioned the research in the literature, the proposal defines the reasons for a mixed-methods research design. The case is made for a relativist research paradigm in Chapter 3 which outlines the research design and methodology. Careful consideration is given to the specific research methods and data analysis techniques from both a quantitative and qualitative stance. The findings of this thesis support the effects of transformational leadership on student performance. In the quantitative study, the results showed a positive effect of principal leadership, as measured by transformational leadership on several student achievement and culture variables. There was also a positive effect on the teacher outcomes in relation to the actions of the principals. The qualitative study identified attributes, actions, thinking and practices that were common, integrating transformational leadership behaviours, instructional leadership, strategic thinking, networking and contextual awareness. The findings suggest that an integrated leadership approach is linked to student success. It supports past research that identifies links, both direct and indirect, between the transformational behaviours of the principal and student achievement and engagement. Furthermore, it adds to the research field by identifying multidimensional variables beyond those of transformational leadership that are essential actions, knowledge, and behaviours for effective principal leadership.

This thesis explores the role of mood in adherence to changes in behaviour required for weight maintenance following weight loss in an obese sample. Significant increases in physical activity are necessary for successful weight maintenance, yet this change in lifestyle remains challenging for many. Anecdotally, the importance of being in the 'right mood' to make lifestyle changes is frequently reported. A systematic review of the weight maintenance literature revealed that a number of behaviour change techniques were associated with effective weight maintenance interventions. Therefore, the current randomised control study employed relevant behaviour change techniques within two goal setting interventions to improve either daily steps walked or mood compared to a control group in a weight loss programme cohort. The number of daily steps walked and mood were evaluated and the following questions were addressed: 1) In an obese population enrolled in a weight loss programme, do goal-setting interventions increase the number of steps walked compared to those in a control group? 2) Does the mood score differ for those participants in the mood improvement intervention group compared to those in the steps-walked intervention or control groups? 3) Does weight change differ for those individuals who have shown mood improvement compared to those whose mood is unchanged/worsened? The primary outcomes of steps walked, mood and weight were recorded immediately after intervention and again after unsupervised follow up 6-months later. The results showed that all groups increased the number of steps walked but not significantly so. This increase was greatest for the steps-walked group during the active intervention period but greatest for the mood intervention group during the unsupervised follow-up period. Mood improved significantly for all groups and was associated with significantly increased weight loss at follow-up. A trend for increased steps walked being associated with improved mood was observed in the 6-month follow up period. These findings highlight the links between mood and continued participation in lifestyle behaviour changes required for weight maintenance. Future research priorities are outlined for this field.

Sociologists are generally in agreement that the closing decades of the twentieth century involved striking changes in the landscape against which British young people grew up. Transformations in education and the labour market had the potential to dramatically alter and re-shape patterns of social inequality. This thesis addresses the importance of family effects upon educational attainment, early career prospects and, in turn, the post-16 trajectories of young adults against the contextual changes of this period. Recently, youth researchers have been keen to argue that we are continuing to progress towards a ‘post-modern era’, which centres on the ‘individualisation’ or ‘detraditionalisation’ arguments of Beck and Giddens; where structural factors, such as gender and social class are diminishing as the defining elements of the pathway a young person will take. In this study, the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS), a contemporary source of longitudinal data from the early 1990s onwards, is used to demonstrate a lack of evidence of detraditionalisation, or the weakening of structural factors in determining the outcomes of young people. To the contrary, the gap between those from advantaged and less advantaged backgrounds remains wide. Furthermore, this research augments and extends previous studies of educational and early labour market outcomes by providing more comprehensive and integrated statistical analyses of household, family and parental effects, using techniques for longitudinal data analysis which give insight into patterns of social inequality being replicated in current contexts. Evidence using 17 years of longitudinal panel data indicate that, over time, family effects on school attainment and early labour market outcomes remain strong.

Teachers report that advanced knowledge of the day’s activities can considerably lessen anxiety for children with autism, especially if this information is highly visual in its presentation. Teaching children with autism often follows a highly structured approach including use of visual planning aids, such as symbolic timetables (Gillberg & Coleman, 2000; Mesibov, Browder, & Kirkland, 2002). Children with autism have been noted to be skilled at using computers and it has been suggested that the computer presents an ideal resource for both educational and recreational use (Attwood, 1998; Higgins & Boone, 1996; D. Moore, 1998; Murray, 1997). However, in spite of widespread use of visual timetables in schools by children with autism, there is little evidence of research being conducted in the area of computerised timetabling for this population. The overall aim of this particular study was to develop an interactive, computer-based timetable and to explore and assess the practical value for children with autism. The research was of an ethnographic nature and involved a case study approach. The development of the interactive timetable followed a user-centred design. Participating children attended a language and communication class attached to a mainstream primary school in Scotland. Seven males aged between six and nine years of age were involved, with four of the children able to participate in the final evaluations of the interactive timetable. Other participants included special needs teachers, nursery nurses, speech and language therapists, and parents of participating children. Examination of a symbolic timetable identified several important issues relevant to the design of an interactive timetable, whilst consideration of parental and educationalist views, gathered through interview, highlighted both benefits and concerns. By extending use to the home environment, the interactive timetable was considered to facilitate communication between child and parent. Concerns regarding access, size and position, user ability, and availability of resources were identified. Although findings were inconclusive, it was possible to communicate timetable information in a computer-based form and furthermore, the children appeared to enjoy using the timetable. Whilst the setting for this study was a single language and communication class attached to a mainstream primary school, this research has implications for a wider debate. The study found generally that the prospect of using information and communication technology to display an interactive timetable which was accessible both at school and at home, offered numerous possibilities for children with autism and their families.

Food labels serve as a form of communication between producers and consumers (Olynk, 2012) and show the values or characteristics associated with the product (Barham, 2002). As consumers become more interested in where their food comes from, they are also beginning to purchase food items from stores or markets that share their personal values. The principle of convergent selectivity suggests consumers have the freedom to make choices for themselves, rather than those based on public opinion (Stephenson, 1967). Therefore, consumers are making their grocery shopping decisions based on their beliefs and values. Mothers have an increased awareness and knowledge of various food products due to their role in selecting healthy foods for their children. This study used Q methodology to identify mothers' values in their grocery making decisions. Mothers (N = 33) between the ages of 18 and 50 years sorted 47 photos of food labels to demonstrate values in product purchases. Factor analysis, field notes, and post-sort interviews were used to interpret the results as the Healthy Aware Mom, the Healthy Avoider Mom, and the Healthy Holistic Mom. The Healthy Aware Mom was interpreted to be familiar with agricultural practices and believes foods with positive ingredients to be healthy, such as those with added vitamins and minerals. The Healthy Avoider Mom works to avoid negative ingredients such as dyes and preservatives, but will purchase products with labels showing positive ingredients, such as vitamins and minerals. The Healthy Avoider Mom is also skeptical of production practices. The Healthy Holistic Mom values relationships with producers as they want to know how and where their food was produced. They look for information on how a product not only effects their family, but the entire supply chain. Further research may lead to a deeper understanding of consumers perceptions related to agricultural production methods and their values when purchasing groceries.

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This thesis examines the political process of the health reforms enacted in Chile during the Presidency of Ricardo Lagos (2000-2006). The Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF) is used to answer the question: How were the health reforms during the Lagos administration of 2000-6 achieved within the existing institutional arrangements that were put in place during the authoritarian period? As emphasised by the historical institutionalist literature, Chilean politics, since the return to democracy, has been characterised by inertia and limited transformation. My research seeks to understand how it was possible to bring about policy change in a context in which everything seemed fixed. The contribution of this thesis is twofold: first, examining the health policy reform through the lens of the ACF, this study contributes to expand the theoretical development of this framework. Second, this study contributes to enrich the existent literature about the Chilean case, analysing original data to identify the factors that enable policy change. Focusing on explanations for policy change suggested by the ACF, the findings suggest that health reform was achieved through a path of negotiated agreement. This agreement was facilitated by three main factors: an evolution of coalitions, the strategic mobilisation of resources, and the institutional arrangements inherited from the authoritarian regime. Using a qualitative case study, informed by the international health policy literature, and using the ACF as a theoretical framework, the Chilean case is scrutinised. Evidence was gathered through an appraisal of data collected from a variety of documentary sources, as well as the thematic analysis of transcriptions of congressional hearings and 26 semi-structured elite interviews. Applying ACF allowed me to identify and understand the dynamics of the Chilean health reforms, by examining how actors grouped into coalitions, shared belief systems, and acted strategically to determine the outcome of the reforms.

This study explores the experiences of emergency nurses working in a new Major Trauma Centre in the UK National Health Service, and how reconfiguration of trauma services has affected perceptions and working practices. Methods: Drawing on the principles of focused ethnography, fieldwork was conducted over 5 months in the Emergency Department (ED) of a newly designated Major Trauma Centre in London. It comprised approximately 53 hours of participant observation, and conversations and semi-structured interviews with 31 nurses. Qualitative thematic analysis was conducted of fieldnotes and interview data. Results: The findings reveal a complex picture of the experiences of emergency nurses within the Major Trauma Centre, with interrelated themes emerging. The first gives an account of how major trauma work has led to a perceived increase in the status and profile of the ED. The second theme explores the draw of trauma and how it is viewed as an exciting component of the nurses‘ work. The third looks at the idea of the „decent‟ trauma patient, examining the hierarchy of interest within trauma work, and the final theme explores ED nurses‘ accounts of their task-orientated roles in looking after trauma patients. Conclusion: The study shows how the value placed on the high profile ‗specialist‘ major trauma work pervades the culture of the department and how the protocol-driven nature of this work fits the immediate patient needs but minimises the ability of nurses to negotiate their professional boundaries in a way they are able to in other areas of their practice. Thus major trauma work is an outwardly exciting but ultimately unsatisfying aspect of the ED nurses‘ work. More importantly, the collectively accepted notion of the major trauma patient as the one with technically demanding complex injuries that can only be catered for by a ―Centre of Excellence‖, risks undermining the value placed on the care of other patients in the ED.