Reading for pleasure is defined by Cremin (2014) as volitional, in which there is an anticipated satisfaction from such an activity. However, why children read and how it benefits them, has only been receiving attention in the policy space in the la... Read More about Voices at the Margins: An exploration of the perceptions of 'vulnerable' children, their families’ and library professionals regarding reading for pleasure and public libraries.
Outputs (18)
As the retention and recruitment crisis continues to grow within education, a focus on retaining experienced, dedicated and passionate headteachers is a national priority. A combination of safeguarding, dysregulated behaviours, mental health needs an... Read More about With the head in mind: Evaluating the efficacy of supportive structures for headteachers that mitigate the impact of vicarious trauma and protect mental health.
Children’s perspectives of their wellbeing during the transition from primary school to secondary school (2024)
Thesis
Transitioning from Primary School to Secondary School is cited as one of the most challenging stages of a young person’s educational journey (Hopwood et al. 2016). Whilst the voice of the child is largely absent in existing literature, large scale q... Read More about Children’s perspectives of their wellbeing during the transition from primary school to secondary school.
An autoethnographical study of leadership in a new Church of England free school (2024)
Thesis
Effective leadership in education is paramount given the amount of public expenditure dedicated to it (Daniels et al., 2019) and because of the increasing accountability placed upon headteachers (Hitt and Tucker, 2016; Leithwood, 2010; Muijs, 2011).... Read More about An autoethnographical study of leadership in a new Church of England free school.
Protecting transformative optimism in the art classroom: Exploring aspirant art teachers’ shifting ideals (2023)
Thesis
This extended, normative case study was initiated in response to my professional concerns regarding the capacity of student art and design teachers to defend and extend their personal ideals for future classroom practice. Placement in schools, a majo... Read More about Protecting transformative optimism in the art classroom: Exploring aspirant art teachers’ shifting ideals.
Knowing and being: A narrative inquiry into undergraduate students’ experiences of learning law at a post-1992 university (2023)
Thesis
This thesis presents a narrative inquiry into students’ experience of learning law during a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) programme at an English, post-1992, university. It arises out of twenty years’ experience of teaching law and developing curriculum on... Read More about Knowing and being: A narrative inquiry into undergraduate students’ experiences of learning law at a post-1992 university.
Disruptive learning and optimal flow: Game jams in heterotopic affinity space (2022)
Thesis
Game jams are intensive, time-bound videogame-development events where students, professionals, and hobbyists form teams to create games against the clock. Jams are popular, offering accessible, informal learning environments which promote teamwork,... Read More about Disruptive learning and optimal flow: Game jams in heterotopic affinity space.
This study is a Case Study (CS) informed exploration of a pupil’s eye view of Character Education (CE), in a CS school. It is intended to find out what they think of CE claims it can be ‘caught, taught or sought’ (Jubilee Centre, 2018).
It consid... Read More about One size doesn’t fit all: Exploring complexity in young people’s perceptions of Character Education a critical realist case study.
Family transitions and home education: circumstances, processes and practices (2022)
Thesis
This study investigates the processes leading certain UK families to home educate. The research focus is: What circumstances inform the transitions of families to home education? The analysis draws upon a large-scale online survey, face-to-face inter... Read More about Family transitions and home education: circumstances, processes and practices.
Using Constructivist Grounded Theory Methodology, this study explores the perceptions of learning of eight career changing trainee teachers enrolled on four one-year primary or secondary postgraduate Initial Teacher Education programmes in England. T... Read More about Experiencing Initial Teacher Education as a career changer in England: A Constructivist Grounded Theory exploration of trainee teachers' perceptions of learning.
While most education professionals report their straightforward enactment of Prevent, a critical multilevel analysis of 17 interviews with education professionals in the Bath and Bristol areas of the UK data demonstrates however, that the policy is w... Read More about Counter-terrorism measures in the classroom: Exploring the perceptions and experiences of education professionals enacting the Prevent Duty in Bath and Bristol.
PHEADRUS: Using Gadamer’s interpretive phenomenology to examine the pedagogy of business schools (2020)
Thesis
This research project started as a demonstration of how the interpretive phenomenology and hermeneutics of Hans Georg Gadamer could be applied to the study of business pedagogy. It became a journey that ended as a narrative of how engagement in a phe... Read More about PHEADRUS: Using Gadamer’s interpretive phenomenology to examine the pedagogy of business schools.
Exploring how play-based pedagogies support mixed ethnic identity formation (2020)
Thesis
This thesis explores some of the ways in which children’s ethnic identities have been conceptualised by sociocultural and funds of knowledge (FOK) theorisation. Situated within the context of a private day nursery in the north of England, the study p... Read More about Exploring how play-based pedagogies support mixed ethnic identity formation.
What 'gives life' to critical pedagogy in the lifelong learning sector? (2020)
Thesis
Critical pedagogy is an educational philosophy and approach to teaching and learning which challenges social and political hierarchies, and questions of power. Teachers and students co-create knowledge in order to develop an awareness of oppressive s... Read More about What 'gives life' to critical pedagogy in the lifelong learning sector?.
Background: There is considerable interest in Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) at global level, and within the United Nations Development Programme Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), goal 5.3 aims to eliminate all harmful practices, including reduc... Read More about How can approaches aimed at preventing Female Genital Mutilation be improved and developed using participatory methods with second-generation young people in the UK?.
The focus of this research was to investigate both how further education (FE) lecturers and middle managers engage in professional development and what they perceive to constitute effective professional development. This focus represents an area of s... Read More about The view from the deck - exploring lecturers’ and middle managers’ perceptions of English FE sector professional development: A case study evaluation.
In a man’s world: The experiences of women in academic employment in Nigerian universities (2020)
Thesis
Despite the fact that women are increasingly embracing academic opportunities, evidence suggest that not only are women numerically underrepresented in academic employment, their progress is often slowed down and stifled by a range of barriers and ch... Read More about In a man’s world: The experiences of women in academic employment in Nigerian universities.
Existing information regarding methodological journeys is predominantly restricted to autobiographical accounts, which may limit understanding, particularly in relation to the development, and significance, of methodological consciousness. This thesi... Read More about Exploring the social construction of philosophical assumptions: the methodological journeys of doctoral researchers in the social sciences.