This study was designed to examine pupils' increasing disengagement from school science as they transition from primary to secondary education. The research adopted a mixed-methods and multiphase approach to investigate upper primary (ages 10-11) and lower secondary (ages 11-12) teachers’ perspectives and practices of inquiry-based science education, with the aim of identifying where pupil decision-making occurred. Besides questioning teachers and observing classroom practices, the English science national curriculum documents for Working Scientifically were also scrutinised to assess how policy advice might orient guidance for practice. The first phase of the research involved an anonymous online questionnaire that elicited science teachers' self-reported views on inquiry-based education. This was complemented by a second phase involving seven lesson observations, teacher interviews, and focus group discussions with pupils. Findings from phases one and two indicated that although upper primary and lower…
This thesis explores the learning possibilities afforded by crosslinguistic translanguaging (Cummins, 2022) at the intersection of mathematics education and sociolinguistics research. The study focused upon a class of 8-9-year-old pupils engaging in a sequence of four lessons exploring the mathematical operation of division, within a bilingual school in the UK. The first two lessons were taught through the medium of English and the second two in French, within an ‘immersion-style’ bilingual education context. The four focus lessons were video- and audio-recorded and then transcribed, then analysed using translanguaging interaction analysis. Individual semi-structured interviews were held with each teacher directly following their teaching sessions, to explore their perceptions of the pupils’ learning. Pupils’ perspectives were gathered through two cycles of focus group discussions, the first focusing on their learning in English and the second on their learning in French. The results indicate that both teache…
This thesis examines the geopolitical dynamics of Central Asia in the context of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). It begins with a comprehensive literature review discussing the BRI's potential to reshape the global order and its specific impact on Central Asia, focusing on energy politics, water management, regional identities, and the involvement of major global powers. The study critiques mainstream International Relations (IR) theories, highlighting their limitations in addressing Central Asian geopolitics, and advocates for a Neogramscian approach to better analyse Sino-Central Asian relations. Methodologically, the thesis employs a qualitative, soft interpretivist framework to investigate the nuances of Chinese influence in the region. Detailed in the chapter "Ascertaining Hegemony: Epistemology and Thematic Analysis," this approach outlines how non-positivist forms of political influence and hegemonic structures are identified. The Covid-19 pandemic necessitated a shift from planned in-person f…
Corporate social responsibility/sustainability (CSR/S) reporting is not fit for purpose. It needs to change to meet the needs of Millennial business leaders, who place a stronger emphasis on sustainability, authenticity, and stakeholder impact, when compared to previous generations. CSR/S reporting has not been previously viewed through a generational lens, and the intersectionality of CSR/S reporting with Millennials as business leaders is a largely unexplored area. This thesis aims to close this gap through an analysis of Millennial information needs, corporate disclosure practice and expert opinion on how CSR/S reporting can develop to meet these emerging challenges. A three-stage methodology was followed. In Stage 1, to analyse sustainability attitudes and reporting needs, 67 upcoming Millennial leaders were surveyed. In Stage 2, to assess the current reporting landscape, a content analysis of the sustainability reports of 25 FTSE 100, 25 FTSE 250 and 10 private companies was undertaken. Stage 3, informe…
The study investigates the relationship between design and use of the main reception and waiting area in hospitals. The investigation is based on the assumption that, via its effect on user attitudes, design influences appropriateness in use. This study was prompted by the availability of considerable evidence which suggested that hospital users were particularly dissatisfied with the design of reception and waiting areas in many hospitals. Compounding the problem is a lack of empirical studies examining the relationship between the design of main reception and waiting areas and appropriateness in use. The results obtained from a case study in National Health Service hospitals, designed to the Nucleus system, showed that neither the differences in the number of amenities, nor theiz physical size, nor the ‘proximity’ between the main reception and waiting area and other departmental reception and waiting areas, produced differences in their appropriateness in use. In practical architectural terms, it seems tha…
The Egyptian Strategic Tourism Development Plans are trying to play an increasingly important role in supporting the hoped-for transformation of Egypt’s undeveloped areas into world-class tourism destinations. The plans aim to add a considerable number of hotel rooms in the Red Sea region within the immediately forthcoming years. Particular natural features such as corals and other marine characteristics provide the main supply of revenue for locals, including fishermen; however they also constitute at the same time the core tourism attraction. Local people feel their land rights are being challenged by outsiders and threatened by planned tourism development of the area. They fear being cut off from traditional opportunities. Tourism development in the Red Sea region is characterized by the disregard of communities and illustrates the failure to improve local development and alleviation of poverty. This research investigated the relationship between mass-tourism development and local communities in the southe…
Children’s attendance at school is a key priority due to the current high proportion of absences from England’s state schools. Studies have explored the multifactorial nature of pupil attendance, however these have often focused on reasons for absence. This study presents a novel perspective by focusing on who and what motivates pupils to attend. The study involved sixteen children in year 4 and year 6 of an English primary school, who participated in a drawing task followed by focus group discussions. Thematic analysis of the data provided an insight into the participants’ individual and shared views. The emergent themes were examined using Self Determination Theory (Ryan and Deci, 2017), with a particular focus on the extent to which participants were motivated by forms of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, as identified by the theory’s motivation continuum and Organismic Integration Theory (Pelletier and Rocchi, 2023). The outcomes of this research indicate that many factors motivated the participants …
Teams play a crucial role in organisations, facing the challenge of delivering high performance in an environment of perpetual change and increasing disruption and complexity. These fast-paced environments can cause stressors which can impact how teams function, and how team members interact together. Team coaching is increasingly used to support teams, yet empirical research in this area is limited. Additionally, although mindfulness in the workplace has been extensively researched, demonstrating various benefits for individuals, research on team mindfulness is limited. This is surprising as teams are deemed to be a valuable asset to organisational structure. Team mindfulness is a relatively new construct. Current studies suggest that high team mindfulness can reduce team relationship conflict and improve cohesion, but little is known about its development or the impact of team coaching on enhancing a team’s ability to be mindful. This study aims to address this existing gap by exploring the perceived impact…
This thesis discusses my body of work that provides an evidence-based professional development framework for effective personal tutoring which positively impacts individuals, institutions and the higher education sector. Seven publications are presented in this Critical Appraisal. Comprising two books, an edited book (and a chapter within), a book chapter and three journal articles, they appeared between 2015 and 2023 as part of ten years of research over 20 years of practice in education as a teacher, personal tutor and leader within further and higher education. They represent a journey of practice and research, with increasing theorisation over time, offering an identification of personal tutoring’s importance, an analysis of how it can be enhanced and a professional development resource to benefit students, staff and institutions. The professional development framework provided by the earlier publications is refined using the outcomes of the empirical research of the subsequent publications which further …
With the introduction of real-life testing limitations and the advances in the simulation technology, the driver-in-the-loop type simulation environments have gained great popularity over the past decade and become the norm used in the high level of motorsport engineering for driver and vehicle development purposes. Since the tyre is a critical component affecting the overall behaviour of a road-going vehicle, tyre models offering reliable real-time simulation capabilities have therefore gained significant research interest in the field of vehicle dynamics. However, the commercialised nature of the well-developed tyre models currently available in the literature imposes a number of less than ideal limitations and constraints, which makes the implementation of the state-of-the-art methods a challenging and impractical task. The present research work investigates development of practical, high fidelity and computationally-efficient tyre models applicable for real-time simulation purposes, with the ultimate …