Search

British Yemenis are one of the oldest communities that have migrated and settled in the UK, yet they have been under-represented in academic literature. The voices of young people from within this community have previously been overlooked. This research provides an opportunity to redress this imbalance through an exploration of the everyday experiences of British Yemeni young people. The data presented was generated via a longitudinal study of six British Yemeni young people, using photo-novella and semi-structured interviews to articulate their experiences. The framework adopts Dreier's theory of the conduct of everyday life (2011) to explore personality as governed by actions, and Roth's understanding of personhood in practice (2020) to examine the notion of learning and development, both examining the evolving and developing cultural dynamics of young people. The findings are presented in two ways: (1) A content directed approach to understanding experiences of each participant, (2) A thematic analysis to show relational experiences shared between the young people. The findings provide portraits of the various social constructions of British Yemeni young people's hybrid and evolving cultures and structures. While such experiences are not unique to British Yemenis, the way in which the young people connect their lived experiences of Yemeni culture and structure with the dominant mainstream British cultures around them, provides a contribution to research that focuses on issues of ethnicity, cultural hybridity, and diaspora.

This thesis began as an ethnographic study on deaf college students' literacies in the North of England. The well-documented gap in academic attainment of deaf students when compared to age-equivalent hearing peers raises questions over the opportunities afforded by settings for promoting learning. Deaf college students in England underperform hearing peers in ways that may not be explained by additional special educational needs alone. Redefining the project in terms of translanguaging meant focus on the use of semiotic resources unbounded by named languages. Articulation with sociocultural and poststructuralist perspectives emphasised the semiotic and discursive nature of processes involved in communication, learning and subjective positioning. The main objective is interpreting deaf students' translanguaging practices and subjective stances towards them. Following an ethnographic approach, analytical work was extended over time. Materials generated for analysis include reflective journal entries, field notes, photos, interviews, language portraits and analytical memos. Five participants (18, 19 and 28 years old) at one college agreed to join the study, all of them profoundly deaf and BSL users. Overall, this study argues that semiotic repertoires should be considered as emergent dynamic properties of shared communication spaces. The flexibility found in deaf students' translanguaging practices stands in contrast with evidenced asymmetries in communication and the enactment of subjective positions that value semiotic resources differently. Differences in sensory orientations and lack of shared resources with hearing peers and teachers are sources of complexity that may produce less opportunities for dialogical learning and that were only partially ameliorated in the observed college setting.

This study is a comparative case study across Mainland China, Hong Kong and Singapore in four settings using the three social theories of learning (Bakhtin, Foucault, Bourdieu) as the main analytical framework. This study addressed four research questions: 1. How are educational policies on 'learning through play' similar and different in Mainland China, Hong Kong and Singapore? 2. How do teachers working in four early educational settings enact educational policies on 'learning through play'? 3. How do teachers explain the meaning of 'learning through play'? 4. How do teachers account for their role in teaching 'learning through play'? Research methods included interviews, observations and analysis of national and regional and site-specific policy documents in the context of the four early childhood education settings. A case study approach was used, together with an interpretive paradigm informing the analysis, drawing on Foucauldian, Bakhtinian and Bourdieusian ideas. Analysis generated from this study indicated that practitioners' understandings and implementations of 'learning through play' in each unique sociocultural-historical context are complex and multifaceted. Discussion of this is taken up in terms of wider challenges to binary thinking about West versus East as discussed by Chen (2010) in Asia as method in relation to pedagogical ideas and practices, and how this has the potential to advance alternative and multiple forms of pedagogical models and concepts in other early childhood education settings.

This thesis explores the potential contribution of Iranian feminist civil society (FCS) to promotion of women's empowerment through a lens, which seeks to critically identify the hegemonic project that is articulated in their discourse. This entails the critical analysis of how various social actors within FCS report the contribution of their work to women's empowerment. Consequently, in order to gain a better understanding of state/civil society relations, the potential implications of the findings of the above analysis are discussed. Drawing on Gramscian perspectives on state/civil society relations and battle of hegemony, this thesis considers FCS to be a terrain of hegemonic battles whereby counterhegemonic discourses can be articulated through raising collective consciousness, challenging patriarchal hegemony, and creating multiple alternative discourses. Empirically, this thesis investigates the concepts of battle of hegemony and its contribution to transformation of power relations within the works of Iranian FCS, analyses the discourses produced by social actors within FCS, and explores how these discourses are shaped by and respond to the socio-political environment in which they are articulated. Theoretically, this thesis seeks to identify how Gramscian concepts can speak to the hegemonic projects articulated in Iranian FCS and how his perspectives can aid in understanding the relations between FCS and state in Iran. In considering such projects in terms of the production of discourses by social actors, the thesis uses Bakhtinina dialogism which can help to illuminate the inter-animation of diverse voices within both the work and perspectives of social actors. Furthermore, by extendinding Gramsci's framework to include and adapt Laclau and Mouffe's concept of counterhegemonic interventions, this thesis also unpacks FCS' operational strategies within the Iranian context. The data collated for this thesis includes analysis of a document written by a religious scholar and published in a feminist journal, and six semi-structured interviews with two feminist journalists and four feminist filmmakers. The key findings of this thesis are as follows: Social actors within Iranian FCS adopt heterogeneous -and sometimes opposing- approaches in articulating and communicating their discourses. This diversity can benefit FCS operations in order to limit the possibility of articulating an alternative dominant discourse by feminist intellectuals which excludes marginalized/disadvantaged women's voices within the discourse of FCS. Such diverse discourses also challenge the narrow and highly controlled margin of action for civil society by the state, in which pluralism and criticism is often constrained and limited. Overall, this thesis a) addresses a gap in the literature regarding the relationship between theocratic states and FCS and the potential contribution(s) of FCS to women's empowerment in the countries with theocratic regimes; b) presents a Gramscian-Bakhtinian analytical framework that can be applied in future studies that investigate state/civil society relations and the cultural hegemonic battle for transformation of power relations, and c) explores cultural realms within FCS and theoretically and methodologically analyse their potential contribution to women's empowerment.

This thesis considers the experience of independent learning of a small group of international students studying in three sixth-form colleges in England. It is an empirical account of independent learning experience at college level and the resulting understanding of this experience. It follows a multimethod approach to develop the vlog-interview method involving data collection from eight international students in one academic programme, the university preparatory International Foundation Programme (IFP), across three different independent sixth-form colleges in England. I follow an emergent approach to code and analyse the data collected. Independent learning emerged as a phenomenon with three dimensions rooted in transformational experience: affective, behaviour and cognitive experiences. The thesis offers an account of independent learning-as-experience through three distinct domains, which encompass the students' college world. Conceptually, the study - as framed by an experience perspective of independent learning - rejects the linear processual model of independent learning. Instead, I conclude that Challenging preconceptions, Extending engagement and Crossing the bridge are key components of the three dimensions outlined above and illustrated in the shifts in students' independent learning, which contributes to a more nuanced understanding of independent learning and of the student as an independent learning 'experiencer'. This distinguishes this conceptualisation from a process and development view of independent learning identified in the literature. The thesis thus furthers understanding of what independent learning might be in the (international) student experience. First, it enriches understanding of students' independent learning in the sixth-form college context. Second, it further conceptualises independent learning. Third, it provides a perspective of 'experience' in relation to the impact of students' beliefs on their independent learning ability. Fourth, by working with the concept 'independent learning-as-experience', it offers an example of using an African-centred approach to guide the increasingly complex knowledge systems of the present times. Fifth, the study contributes to qualitative educational research methodology by developing the vlog-interview method to reveal students' (re)conceptions of independent learning as not limited to processes, practices and approaches to learning. Last, the study addresses some deficit notions underpinning much of the discussion about international students, particularly in Western countries, regarding learning experiences in post-16 settings, and suggests an experientially progressive awareness of independent learning in an increasingly changing environment for learning and development.

Background and objectives: Despite a large amount of literature on parents in academia, to date there has been limited empirical research into the area of returning to work after parental leave. This study is original in looking at this topic from the perspective of UK based academics. Given the stressors faced by parents who return to work after parental leave, it is important for counselling psychologists to look into this issue. Therefore, the overarching purpose of this study was to explore academic mothers and fathers' experiences of returning to work after parental leave in a research-intense University. Method and analyses: A qualitative design was employed to explore the experiences of returning to work after parental leave of fifteen academic parents across the whole institution. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, and the transcripts were analysed using the reflexive thematic analysis approach. Findings: Qualitative findings highlighted five themes within the data: 'Concerns about returning to work', 'Adjustments to new work patterns', 'Organisational factors influencing return to work', '(Perceived) division of childcare responsibilities' and 'Impact on career progression'. Conclusions: The key areas which influenced the experience of returning to work after parental leave were: the access to paid parental leave; the experience of flexibility that academic work entails and the negotiation of academic and parenthood identity and roles. Potential implications for counselling psychology and organisations, limitations and suggestions for further research are discussed.

This thesis reports on a study carried out in Malaysia, my home country. The Malaysian government supports the inclusion of children with disabilities in education in line with United Nations initiatives, however the main focus so far has been on children with physical and learning disabilities. This study focuses on the inclusion of deaf children, where improved access to hearing aids, including cochlear implants, has led to more deaf children developing spoken language and being included in mainstream classrooms. Little is known in low and middle-income countries about the status and development of inclusive education in primary schools for deaf children, their parents and the education stakeholders involved. The Malaysian context provides a particularly interesting case study because of the rapid increase in the availability of technology which is enabling the inclusion of larger numbers of deaf children in mainstream schools.

This thesis is a case study of three virtual communities for parents of children with special needs in Taiwan. The main focus of this research was on understanding the role that virtual communities play in providing support for parents. This study addressed the following research questions: How do virtual communities provide support for parents of children with special needs in Taiwan? What motivates Taiwanese parents of children with special needs to search for support through virtual communities? How does the support provided through virtual communities impact the relationship between Taiwanese parents of children with special needs and professionals? This thesis constructs an analytical framework that helps in understanding the concept of support in virtual communities for parents of children with special needs. Employing this framework identified three broad types of support: informational support, advocacy, and emotional support. In this study, informational support included parenting skills, advice, and access to services; advocacy referred to articulating needs and rights; and emotional support included solidarity, increased self-esteem, acceptance, and affirmation. All three virtual communities were established by parents; two are managed by parents, and one is managed by a professional. Web-based observations were conducted in each virtual community from November 2014 to December 2015. Semi-structured interviews were held with 14 parents, 7 professionals, and 6 administrators and concentrated on experiences of, and motivations for, seeking and providing support through virtual communities. The analytical framework was used to identify broad themes in the data. A thematic analysis was employed to look across the cases to identify commonalities and differences, and finally, a systematic analysis borrowing from social network analysis was used to map the interactions among the participants. The main findings of this study indicate that information and support related to parenthood and parenting skills was easily accessed through virtual communities. Parents were found to join together to share their experiences of parenting, comfort one another, and advocate for their needs through the virtual communities. The parents occasionally excluded members of the community to ensure that all members shared similar parenting values. In addition, parents are beginning to gain control of knowledge and their relationships with professionals through virtual communities. This paper's main contributions to knowledge are as follows: (1) Virtual communities allow parents to redefine themselves in ways that they believe are publicly acceptable. (2) Parents are using virtual communities to exercise power to renegotiate their identity and obtain resources. (3) Parents are also starting to alter the power relationships between themselves and professionals.

This exploratory study was inspired by the author’s voluntary work with streetconnected children and youth in Kenya. It develops an understanding of the experiences of young people leaving the street in two provincial Kenyan towns. Although there has been extensive research concerned with street-connectedness, there has been a limited focus on young people’s transitions away from the street. Participants were identified with the help of three organisations: fifty-three young people, aged 12 -28, participated in semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and visual methods, during two field research visits to Kenya, in 2012 and 2013. The study found that their experiences of leaving the street were influenced by their day-to-day interactions with family, friends and other members of the communities into which they transitioned. These interactions influenced how accepted the young people felt and the extent to which they believed they were supported economically, physically and psychosocially, especially with regards to their relationships with family members. The participants’ interactions with school-based peers and teachers were particularly important in schools and training centres, where they struggled to develop a sense of belonging. Being street-connected is an integral part of the identities constructed by young people after they leave the street and establish places for themselves in their families, schools, local communities, and wider society. Such street-connectedness can be a strength: the resilience and skills developed on the street are useful attributes in adapting to new situations, potentially providing income-generating opportunities later on. However, the stigmatisation and resulting marginalisation they experienced on the street can have lasting effects. Barriers to inclusion experienced on the street influence a young person’s ability to develop a sense of belonging to their new situation after leaving the street. This study makes a conceptual contribution. Street-connectedness begins when a young person first arrives on the street, and continues until what could be years after they leave it. This street-connectedness can be characterised by three liminalities. The first is associated with living in the physical space defined as being on the street: a physical embodiment of liminality. The second, describes the process of being in transition as a young person newly arrived on the street, or having recently left the street: each being a liminal phase. The third liminality is described by an identity-forming social space, associated with being, and having been, street-connected: a liminal identity. This liminal identity, associated with being street-connected, impacts upon young people (re)entering home communities and, in particular, education, and highlights a need to consider and address the effects of these impacts.

This thesis explores how the Omani primary school system responds to pupils' differences. The study took place within a centralised school system, which has a high level of government commitment to meet the international agenda with regard to Education for All and, more recently, the Sustainable Development Goals. Influenced by the thinking of the Index for Inclusion, the study generated a series of 'signposts', which were grouped under the themes of policy, practice and culture, which guided data collection, data management and the presentation of the findings. Qualitative data were generated via a multi-method approach that included documentary analysis, interviews with senior policy makers, school administrators, teachers, pupils, and parents. Data collection also included general and classroom observations, as well as a participatory photography exercise with eight pupils who were believed to be facing forms of exclusion. These data were analysed using thematic analysis, informed by literature relevant to the study focus, the series of signposts, and the researcher's insider knowledge as an experienced member of the Ministry of Education in Oman. The findings confirm that current national policies in Oman are committed to ensuring that all children have access to schools. However, despite these good intentions, there are various context-specific barriers that impede the system from responding to pupil differences. These barriers were identified as stemming from a confusion in understanding about certain key concepts arising from international trends, such as 'all', 'diversity', 'inclusion' and 'quality'. This confusion, combined with certain structural barriers related to communication, collaboration and leadership, makes it difficult to implement international thinking across the system. In addition, attitudes and assumptions about the abilities of some groups of learners proved to be further major barriers when responding to pupils' differences. Together, these barriers create a context of inequality of opportunity for various pupils and appear to restrict their future life chances in comparison to those of their classmates. Drawing on these findings, a context-specific model of conceptual, structural and attitudinal barriers is proposed as a way forward for the Omani school system to better understand the barriers faced in responding to pupils' differences. This model is seen as a contribution to knowledge with regard to responding to pupils' differences that may be relevant to other national contexts, particularly those with centralised educational systems.

This thesis investigates the effects of participating in activism on the people who struggle for social change. Using a critical pedagogical framework, the study contributes to the theorisation of 'social movement learning' by drawing distinctions between processes, outcomes and implications of learning, and by developing the concepts '(un)learning'and 'pedagogical adversaries'. The research examines how activists who participate in social and political action develop different perspectives of social change. The conclusions draw on data collected throughout 2014, specifically interviews with, and observations of, UK-based Egyptian activists who engaged in social action during the continuing 25 January revolution between 2011-2014. As activists reflect on their understandings in the context of revolution and counter-revolution, coup d'etat, elections, strikes and various forms of social and political change, they reveal many 'pedagogical entry points'. The findings illustrate that social movements are continuous processes and sites of important, rich and potentially transformative learning because they generate pedagogical moments through which activists can engage with and develop critical perspectives of the way the world is and should be. Analysis of social movement learning as (un)learning exposes the cumulative and continuing nature of learning and unlearning, and generates important insights into how social movements challenge established 'knowledge' and 'truths' to create progressive alternatives. Drawing on critical and radical theories of social change, the thesis demonstrates the importance of continuing to question conceptualisations of social change and of a political imagination that understands the pedagogical potential of disjuncture and challenge.

This thesis examines the responses of the educational system of Cyprus to increasing student diversity. The study it reports was set in a sensitive socio-political context, within which the previously homogenous Greek-Cypriot society faced an unprecedented and unanticipated rise in net migration rates from the mid-1990s. The need to respond effectively to the challenge of increasing population diversity and to issues of ethnic, linguistic, religious and cultural diversification was evident within the wider Cypriot society, and was reflected within the educational system. Despite this, there is an identified gap in knowledge and research on the topic of increasing student diversity in Cyprus. With these concerns in mind, the research focused on exploring the experiences of secondary school students of ages 11-14, who had recently arrived in Cyprus and were categorised as foreign-speaking. The aim was to explore factors hindering and promoting these students’ inclusion in schools through identifying barriers and resources to their presence, participation, achievement and socialisation. The study used a qualitative exploratory case study design. Data were collected in three secondary schools through a multi-method approach that considered the views of various school stakeholders, particularly the “voices” of foreign-speaking students regarding their school experiences. Data analysis involved the constant comparative method which allowed the consistent scrutiny of findings from various research methods using a theoretical framework based on the idea of inclusive education. A model was developed and used to discuss the perceived barriers and resources to foreign-speaking students’ inclusion. Barriers and resources were identified as stemming from educational policy, educational practice in schools and classrooms, students’ traits and characteristics, and finally students’ home and community environments. The barriers created a context of inequality of opportunities for foreign-speaking students’ school experiences and future life achievement in comparison to their other classmates. The findings of the study provide a basis for evaluating exclusionary pressures that prevent foreign-speaking students from engaging meaningfully with their school lives equally to other classmates, and propose that inclusive education within the Cypriot educational context can have a wider scope that does not rest only with traditional research on special needs education. It also confirms the importance of conducting contextualised educational research on issues of inclusion, as relevant literature presents inclusive schools as organisations that should address challenges in reflection to their own cultural and political context. The thesis also suggests that the identified barriers and resources have implications for policy and practice that need to be addressed in order to adopt more inclusive educational pedagogies for foreign-speaking students, and considers it important that the formulation of any response should be informed in reflection to similar international studies. Its implication lies with identifying unused resources that could otherwise be mobilised to enhance schools’ response to increasing diversity. Finally, it makes recommendations for future research on the identified resources for promoting inclusion. Such research should be directed at further exploring the factors contributing to providing equal educational opportunities for all learners within an approach that promotes respect for diversity and considers diversity as a source of inspiration and learning.