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This research project tries to investigate how the integration of culture and language or Cultural Language can enhance the teaching and learning of the Persian language in a Persian Heritage Language school. Furthermore, it aims to investigate the relationship between Persian Heritage Language and its effect on conserving the cultural awareness of the second and third-generation Muslim Persian - British in London. In this project, I attempt to propose a new framework with a 'cultural syllabus' to be incorporated into language education to develop, preserve, and revitalize Persian language skills amongst the future Persian generation living abroad. In another word, my research is aiming to link the teaching of cultural matters with the Persian language to impact positively on the children's general attainment in the Persian language. To do this, I started to conduct a participatory action research project through the lens of ethnography. I employed four main types of research methods and techniques: classroom observations, focus groups, feedback interviews or conversations and reflection sheets. Three groups of participants took part in this research. The main participants of the investigation were a group of 75 Persian-English bilinguals (boys 35 and girls 40; mean age: 10.3) who have been living in the UK for different lengths of time (mean: 6.9 years). The second group consisted of 5 monolingual Persian teachers in the UK. The third group of participants were sixteen Persian parents who were born in Persia and immigrated to the UK at different ages. The main areas of impact found in data extended to (a) teachers' personal and professional development; and (b) impact on learners, parents, and the educational environment. In the light of the findings from this project, I found that cultural and Islamic elements with the Persian language should not remain separate entities and insisted that their integration can contribute towards a holistic approach to the teaching and learning of the Persian language. Hence, this research has given important support for the positive impact of cultural familiarity in the culturally-oriented syllabus for language learning enhancement in heritage language contexts. Furthermore, I found that heritage schools like IRIS School allow children a safe haven for exploring cultural and linguistic awareness.

The mechanisms controlling radiocaesium migration through the peat soil were investigated by considering physico-chemical & biological factors affecting radionuclide adsorption/desorption in the peat soil using the Batch & Column Methods as well as a "Direct Fumigation Extraction Method". The biological factors were investigated under different conditions by variation of the micro-organisms content in the peat soil, the soil solution and leaching conditions. Samples of peat soil were reacted with solutions containing caesium ions, and the effect on caesium-Kd determined. The caesium adsorption/desorption was found to be influenced by concentration of caesium and other cations (NH4+, K+ and Ca++) and by the pH of the solution. Below pH 3, in presence of calcium and potassium, desorption could occur as the exchangeable sites on microparticles were replaced by other cations. At pH>1, in presence of ammonium, adsorption could occur. The distribution coefficient, Kd value was strongly reduced following the addition of NH4+, K+ and Ca++ at a fixed pH. NH4+ was found to be more effective in the caesium desorption than the other cations. By increasing the concentration of radiocaesium (>0.2 MBq/100μl) the effect became much less leading eventually to an increase in caesium-Kd values. A decrease in the caesium-Kd was also observed at pH<3 in peat samples. It was found that the caesium adsorption approached to an equilibrium state at pH>3 depending upon caesium concentration in peat solution. Caesium adsorption took 180 days to reach equilibrium state. For the measurement of the release/uptake of radionuclides in the peat soils by the microbial biomass, homogenised wet peat samples were fumigated by chloroform. The influence of the microbial population present in the peat on the environmental mobility of caesium was clearly demonstrated.