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This thesis is an in-depth analysis of creative pedagogies among business students in an Irish college. Specifically, the research investigates student perspectives on creativity and how student insights can inform and shape change. This research adopts a qualitative approach and provides a nuanced account of creative pedagogies through the lens of the student using existing literature and primary data collection. Qualitative data was collected from sixty-two groups of students via the world café as the data collection method. The data was rigorously analysed using inductive thematic analysis using three large student cohorts of five-hundred and seventy-two students, in total. This research uncovered the coexisting creativity structures between the educator and the student. This interdependence based on confidence, cultural background, and social cohesion, supporting Vygotsky's theory of social constructivism. These conclusions indicate that creativity at the higher level of education has multiple student-specific levels and factors and is premised on complex data collection and results, including motivation, risk, and reward. These have a crucial role in redesigning how higher educational institutions can promote creativity in the teaching, learning, and assessment environments. In doing so, this research manifests the need for future research to illustrate the pluralistic nature of creativity. Whilst students gravitate towards the educator to lead and manage the environment, students also want to play a part in developing the content and breaking down barriers for better inclusivity and student involvement in the transformational educational landscape. This emancipatory research adopted a partially online approach for the world café, overcoming the difficulty of capturing large-scale analysis in the qualitative paradigm. This is a unique and original contribution to educational research focusing on the learner rather than the educator as the underpinning of the research. It has changed the trajectory for a further exploratory investigation into the student perception on shaping future education.

High quality end of life (EOL) care requires a range of holistic approaches. Patients approaching the end of their lives frequently experience a variety of debilitating and distressing symptoms(e.g. nausea, breathlessness, or pain). Patients may also experience spiritual distress: a multifaceted form of existential anxiety which can include fear, regret, loss of connection, loss of hope, and loss of meaning. Spiritual distress within EOL care appears to be influenced by a lack of international consensus regarding definition, uncertainty regarding assessment tools and their use, and variation in specific interventions used to help relieve such distress. This conceptual ambiguity appears to directly influence patient care, both in the identification and assessment of spiritual distress and in relation to specific interventions utilised to alleviate such distress. The assessment of spiritual distress in a community context is also problematic: most published studies to date are based within acute hospital settings. None would appear to describe how spiritual distress is perceived/experienced by community nurses within different care settings or attempt to evaluate spiritual distress as experienced by patients dying within their own homes. Likewise, literature describing the use of assessment tools within a community setting, specific interventions to alleviate such distress, and how practitioners perceive the effectiveness of such interventions appears scarce. This study explores the perceptions of twenty-one community nurses (11 hospice, 10 NHS) regarding spiritual distress, as observed in EOL community-based patients. An initial literature review first attempts to situate spiritual distress within the wider backdrop of spirituality, spiritual care and spiritual needs. A qualitative investigative study was then undertaken using semi-structured interviews. Textual data were subsequently transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis, as described by Braun and Clarke (2006). The study's findings suggest that spiritual distress is a challenging phenomenon for practitioners to effectively manage within community nursing. Ambiguity associated with such distress would also appear to directly influence the quality and delivery of nursing care for EOL patients within both care settings.

Background: Global research on health-seeking behaviours for malaria treatment suggests that exploring community perceptions and attitudes to health-seeking is essential in formulating responsive treatment policies and comprehensive strategies that promote appropriate health-seeking behaviours and overall well-being for different populations. Existing evidence conducted in Nigeria has highlighted some of the barriers that contribute to delay in treatment-seeking for malaria. However, this evidence is predominantly quantitative and is carried out in different regions of Nigeria, with essentially limited evidence in Makurdi, located in the North-Central region. Furthermore, there is very little evidence in the NorthCentral region of Nigeria that has explored perceptions and attitudes to health-seeking delay for malaria treatment. Therefore, this study aimed to take a qualitative approach to explore the perceptions and attitudes contributing to delay in health-seeking behaviour for malaria treatment in Makurdi, Nigeria. The Health Belief Model (HBM) was adopted as the model used to conceptually frame this research which assists with understanding the perceptions and attitudes contributing to the delay in healthseeking behaviour for malaria treatment in Makurdi, Nigeria. The HBM provided a structure to compare the findings with previous studies that have used the HBM in the field. Method: A qualitative research design with an interpretive philosophical stance was adopted to answer the research question and meet the objectives of the study. A total of 39 semi-structured interviews were conducted among adult Nigerians (n=18), traditional healers (n=7), healthcare professionals (n=10), and Ministry of Health policymakers (n=4) to ascertain their views using a semi-structured interview guide. Data were analysed using the framework analysis approach. Findings: The review of literature on the care pathways for malaria treatment reported a dearth of literature available in the public domain. However, based on the available evidence the following pathways for malaria treatment in Nigeria were identified: consultations with traditional healing services, purchase of herbal concoctions (locally called 'Agbo') from hawkers of herbal drugs, visiting spiritualists for cleansing and ritual sacrifices, faith-based healing, consultations with drug vendors for remedies, home management with traditional medicines/self-medication and hospital/health centre visitation. The semi-structured interviews with respondents revealed some key findings. These are presented in relation to the key construct of the Health Belief Model. Such as, perceived efficacy included: effectiveness and safety, lack of trust and confidence in medical treatment, fear of drug resistance and potential side effects, family views and treatment pattern, and preservation of cultural values/heritages. Perceived severity included: commonalization of malaria, easy-to-treat, and comparison of malaria with other diseases. Perceived susceptibility included: susceptibility associated with exposure to hot sunlight and susceptibility related to evil spirits and stress. Perceived benefit included: no unique benefit in medical treatment when compared to traditional medicines. Perceived barriers included: perceived high cost of biomedical treatment from health facilities, fear of being diagnosed with a different ailment, and health workers' behaviour towards patients. Conclusion and Recommendation: The findings from this research suggest the need for extensive health education, involving communities and families, aimed at promoting prompt and effective treatment-seeking for malaria, and making it a top priority of the Ministry of Health through the combined efforts of the electronic media system and introduction of person-to-person centred campaign approach. Also, the need to expand the coverage of the national health insurance scheme is key to accommodate other categories of the general population without occupational and socio-economic restrictions as it presently is, this will reduce the economic burden of accessing healthcare facilities for malaria treatment, thus, encourage effective and prompt health-seeking behaviours in Nigeria.

The German automotive industry is facing the most challenging and demanding change in its 130-year history. It finds itself at a crossroads with an unknown future ahead. The renunciation of internal combustion engines and the pressure to replace them with emission-free electric engines poses an immense challenge to the entire industry. This thesis examines how electrification as a pro-environmental change is communicated and perceived, and how its communication differs from conventional change communication. An explorative case study structure was applied. It focuses on three automotive companies from South-West Germany, of which two are supplier companies, and one is an original equipment manufacturer. In total, 41 participants took part in semi-structured interviews. Secondary data in the form of publications issued by the government and automotive companies were additionally analysed. Moreover, observations at the study locations were undertaken to gain an understanding of how electrification as a change impacts the work environment of this thesis' participants. This thesis found that the perceptions of electrification differ between automotive companies and are linked to the extent to which corporate cultures, business models, and individual beliefs support and facilitate pro-environmental actions. Moreover, an understanding of how German automotive companies attempt to communicate electrification was established. This thesis shows that companies discontinue their established change communication processes and replace them with new communication methods. In response to electrification, the case study companies created communication methods that they have never used before to communicate changes, showing the uniqueness of this pro-environmental change. This research is the very first academic contribution that explores automotive companies' communicative responses to electrification and the perceptions towards electrification and its communication. Thus, this thesis aims to understand how automotive companies address electrification and how they utilise new communication methods in the pursuit of moving transportation into a new age.

The study investigated the perceptions the acceptance and continued use of e-LMS for teaching and learning in South African ODeL university. A quantitative research method using a cross-sectional design was deemed appropriate to collect data that answered the research questions of this study. Two questionnaires were designed to be completed by both academic staff and first year students of a language department. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) was adopted as the theoretical framework underpinning this study while Bourdieu's concept of habitus, capital and field and constructivism were used as philosophical underpinnings. The findings of this study clearly indicate that despite e-learning being in its infancy in this ODeL university and South Africa in general, students and academic staff are already using the e-LMS for learning and teaching respectively. However, facilitating conditions and technological habitus which include e-LMS system overload, poor bandwidth, high data costs, minimal participation of both academic staff and students, among others, still bedevil the implementation of e-learning within the South African ODeL context. Structural equation modelling was also used to test UTAUT constructs and found that all constructs had no relationship with behavioural intention. However, age, experience and computer access were moderating variables. The findings of the study contribute to the body of knowledge on the use of UTAUT in the South African ODeL context. More importantly, the study contributes a framework for acceptance and continued use of e-LMS for ODL universities in the context of developing countries.

Social influence is an important part of human relationships and people's daily interactions (Turner 2005) and causes changes in attitude, values, emotions, behaviour, and actions. This interpretive study explores the social influence perceptions and experiences of eleven professional individuals. It analyses who their influencers were and how they affected participants' decisions and actions to engage in a professional doctorate. Turner's (2005) concept of social power through others and Broome's (2009) philosophical concept of reasoned judgement, motivation and action were used to understand how the participants' social interactions affected their actions. Research participants were professional doctorate students at various stages of their study. Each professional participated in semi-structured interviews and completed a sociogram to explore the effects of social influence. Template analysis, a form of thematic analysis, was selected to analyse data because this approach supported the development of multiple iterations as new themes emerged, allowing other themes to be changed or deleted. The findings highlight how friends' and families' influential skills signposted doctoral study and the ways they used social power to encourage, challenge or dissuade professionals from engaging in a doctorate. An unexpected finding was the significant effect authoritative parents had on adult children with established careers and the way these parents' education expectations affected their children's doctoral engagement. The findings also identified how professional colleagues' status, expert voice and in-group membership were important influences, as participants aspired to attain the same status and expert voice as their colleagues and become influential professional practice advocates. The research makes an original contribution to knowledge and PD practice as it illustrates the perceptions of how family, friends, and professional colleagues used influential strategies and the effect this had on professional doctoral students' personal and professional decisions and actions.

This thesis is comprised of an empirical study that investigated eight adults' lived experience of T2-low severe asthma by utilising the methodology of interpretative phenomenological analysis, and a systematic review of the experiences and perceptions of children with asthma by utilising the methodology of thematic synthesis. Resulting themes and implications for research and practice are outlined in both pieces of work.

This thesis offers an idiographic, qualitative analysis of the career experiences, perceptions and aspirations of secondary Depute Head Teachers (DHTs) in a single Scottish Local Authority. The purpose of the focus on deputes, a significantly under-researched group within educational leadership, was twofold: to investigate their recounted experiences as deputes and to explore how these impacted their perceptions of, and aspirations towards, headship. An exploratory survey was offered to all 28 potential participants within the target Local Authority. Semi-structured interviews were then conducted with 15 self-selected DHTs. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to analyse the interview transcripts. Three key themes emerged: Being a DHT, Perceptions of Headship and Headship Aspirations. Informed by Archer's work on the competing impacts of structure and agency on decision-making (2003), the thesis considers how participants variously shaped their careers and the particular factors which influenced them within their apparently common structural context. The group displayed both heterogeneous and homogeneous aspects in this regard and in their constructions of headship and broadly positive, though qualified, aspirations towards it. Related implications for policy and practice are considered and areas for future research are identified. The thesis offers a fresh contribution to the field through its focus on the 'lived experiences' of deputes within a Local Authority outwith Scotland's central belt and in its identification of contributions to addressing the recognised challenge of attracting school leaders, derived from current potential aspirants. This thesis and its findings are likely to be of interest to members of the teaching profession and specifically to those considering promotion to senior leadership within it. Consequently the thesis is also likely to be of use to those concerned with supporting, selecting and recruiting these individuals at school, Authority and national level.

Background and objectives: With the increase in the number of South Asian international students at universities in the UK in recent years, many cross-cultural issues have arisen. The literature review in this thesis introduces the challenges faced by international students, including language and cultural barriers, academic and financial difficulties, interpersonal problems, racial discrimination, and loss of social support, alienation and homesickness. Their increased vulnerability to such challenges may increase their need to access counselling in the UK. However, very little is known about their perspectives on mental health and seeking counselling. Presently, there is a lack of literature relating to South Asian international students perceptions of counselling. The present study examines this gap and contributes to the existing literature by exploring, in depth, the perceptions of counselling among South Asian individuals in a university setting in the UK. Further, it explores the factors that influence their perceptions. The main research questions in this study were: 1) what are the perceptions of South Asian international students towards accessing counselling in the UK?2) What are the factors that facilitate and inhibit South Asian international students in accessing counsellingMethodology:A qualitative design was used for this research. Eleven participants were recruited for this study in an attempt to include a heterogeneous sample made up of both genders across different cultures and countries. Individuals involved came from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and the Maldives. The students perceptions of counselling were explored in depth using semi-structured interviews and the data were analysed using thematic analysis. Findings: Seven main themes were derived from the thematic analysis: Previous positive experiences of counselling, previous negative experiences of counselling, positive perceptions of counselling, negative perceptions of counselling, different understanding of counselling, barriers to accessing counselling, factors which encourage access for counselling. While previous research has shown that Asian students are unwilling to seek counselling due to stigma towards mental health, the findings of this study demonstrate that South Asian international students were open to seeking counselling in the UK when faced with challenges such as career or academic-related issues. The findings also suggest that language and cultural factors could be a barrier for them to seek counselling in the UK. Additionally, this study indicates new findings regarding the preferences of South Asian international students towards a more directive approach to counselling, as well as the characteristics of a counsellor, like warmth and empathy, could be factors which encourage access to counselling. It also demonstrates that a number of participants had a different understanding of the term counselling equating it with the concept of career guidance or advice. Conclusion: This study concludes that promoting the use of counselling services on campus or online awareness campaigns about mental health could reduce stigma amongst international students and could encourage them to seek such services more in the future. Further, the use of a multicultural approach by counsellors may encourage international students to access such services and might allow counsellors to more appropriately tailor their traditional approaches to meet the needs of this population.

For half a century, the seas have been transforming from a mare nullius, to an area of enclosed and private rights. Despite the growing body of literature addressing these transitions, there has been a lack of engagement with property rights and enclosure in Scotland's seas. Using a conceptual lens of historical institutionalism, the research explores the drivers, consequences, and perceptions of enclosure in two case studies in Scotland; spatial enclosure via marine spatial planning, and resource access enclosure in fisheries. Defining enclosure as the process of concentrating rights and power, the research foregrounds the issues of power imbalances, distributional conflicts, and a lack of knowledge and transparency. Q-methodology is applied to detail the range of views on enclosure in the participating stakeholders. The findings of the thesis suggest that the introduction of both the MSP regime, and the market-led fisheries management system, are not efficiently allocating resources in a rational manner. Rather, institutional change has been steadily influenced by political thinking and powerful actors, so that rights and resources are being concentrated to fewer hands. The research also suggests that a diverse array of understandings of ownership are present in Scotland's seas that are not currently foregrounded in policy. Excluding these forms of ownership will lead to further tensions between users. As such, understanding the marine environment as a series of social institutions is necessary for designing a governance regime that is both equitable and sustainable. By understanding the sources of rights, and how they are performed in concrete relations between individuals, regulators can better address potential conflicts, and avoid destructive enclosure. The research therefore recommends further engagement with stakeholders, and acknowledgement of rights through different participatory or financial channels.

The basic concept underpinning the teaching of ESP is preparing learners to interact successfully in target communities after the completion of their course. Many ESP classrooms however still lack the ability to achieve such a mission. Only a few studies have attempted to examine these courses in light of the perceptions of both teachers and learners to understand their experiences and how the ESP courses can effectively serve in catering for the target needs of the learners. This study explores the ESP courses in one college in Kuwait from the perspectives of the key stakeholders, teachers and learners. The main aim of the present study is to probe into the teachers' and learners' views regarding several aspects of their ESP experiences in order to pinpoint the factors that impact their attitudes and performance in the context of ESP courses with the intention of informing future improvements. This study can be helpful for ESP practitioners, course designers, and program managers in different contexts to understand the nature of the realities experienced by both teachers and learners in the ESP courses and how they understand their impact on their teaching and learning experiences in the ESP courses. The study follows an exploratory approach within the interpretive paradigm. Individual interviews with seven ESP teachers and five focus groups with 32 learners were conducted following a qualitative approach aimed at finding rich data to support ESP teaching and learning developments. The transcripts from the interviews and focus groups were analysed to identify the key themes and issues emerging from the data. The findings unveil the complex cognitive and environmental forces as factors which have a significant influence on the teachers' and learners' ESP experiences in the investigated context. Findings from this study suggest that cognitive factors such as the teachers' and learners' conceptualisations of the nature of ESP and ESP instruction, as well as their conceptualisations of learners' future needs were significant factors which shaped their experiences of the ESP course. The study also revealed that environmental factors like teachers' and learners' perceptions of issues related to social categories as well as perceptions related to the planning and management of the ESP courses also influenced their attitudes and practices in the ESP courses. The study provides a better understanding of the ESP courses in the investigated context and provides insights into the complex nature of the relationship between the teachers and learners. Based on the findings, there are several implications for ESP teachers, course designers and program managers in relation to pressing issues such as pre and in-service teacher education, ESP awareness, learner preparedness and empowerment.

In this research project, I carried out an ethnographic study that took place in an inner London Primary school. In this study, I explored the perceptions, feelings and thoughts that the pupils and staff held on the introduction and use of the iPads and the cloud services in the school. Further to this, I wanted to document and gain insight into how the grappled with these technologies; their successes, failures and what they felt could be done to improve the implementation of these technologies in the school. When I first started this study because I observed that whilst there was a fair bit of research on the subject matter, most of it was done in countries such as North America, Sweden, Japan, Australia and Finland. Very little was done in the United Kingdom. Further to this, most of the research done was actually done on the technology itself and the potential benefits that it offers as opposed to the feelings and perceptions of educators and pupils. More specifically, their feelings on matters such as the suitability of the technologies, is it worth the investment, how it compares to the tradition ways of doing things, is it actually effective or is it a gimmick? In my research, I am yet to find another study that offers this where a deprived inner city school is concerned. One with a very limited budget where research such as mine could aid them in determining whether at this time it is worth investing in the technologies and if they do decide to invest in it, my research will offer guidance as to what the general feelings are about it.

A new paradigm of placeless and timeless access to technologies encouraging a movement from electronic to mobile access of services and resources (Lehner, Nosekabel & Lehmann, 2002) through mobile learning has been gaining momentum in education. There is a growing body of research investigating the impact of mobile devices in combination with wireless technologies and if they can provide for a new approach to education(Craig and Van Lom, 2009). Gikas and Grant (2013) highlight the growth in use and importance of mobile wireless devices on university campuses. This has contributed to the escalation of student options and learning experiences both on and off campus and a need for the higher education sector to meet prospective student digital demands and expectations of a quality learning experience (Garrison and Kanuka, 2004). Adequate support and resource provision of information technologies to maximise student skills and experiences is essential (Anagnostopoulou and Parmer, 2010). Much e-learning research has focused primarily on the practitioner perspective and design of e-learning materials with a definite disregard for the learner’s view (Conole et al., 2006). The successful integration and implementation of technology in teaching and learning requires an understanding of student attitudes and acceptance of technology (Davis, 1993). The goal of this mixed method research inquiry was to investigate in Phase I the attitudes and perceptions of upper-sixth post-primary level users and in Phase II the attitudes and perceptions of first year undergraduate students’ to the use of mobile devices for learning. Phase II introduced a longitudinal element interrogating first year undergraduate student attitudes at three points during the academic year. This provided the researcher with data from students’ use of the mobile device at two distinct levels of education. The data gathered has been analysed, evaluated and discussed through the lens of the extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM2). TAM measures users’ perceptions of Usefulness, Ease of Use, Attitude to Use and Intention to Use and the model is extended through the introduction and measurement of external variables Perceived Resources and Perceived Media Richness. In Phase I post-primary student attitudes (n = 579) have been derived from a quantitative data collection method: a closed survey of upper-sixth level students followed by qualitative data collection through focus group sessions. In Phase II, three closed surveys of first year undergraduate students were introduced at the beginning of semester one (n = 1,162) and the end of semester one and two (n = 190). The data obtained from these collection methods has been analysed and interpreted based on three key questions, which stem from the aim of the inquiry: Is there a relationship between students’ perceptions of Resources, Usefulness, Ease of Use, Attitude and Use of a mobile device? Is there a relationship between students’ perceptions of Media Richness, Usefulness, Ease of use, Attitude and Use of a mobile device? Is there a relationship between students’ perceptions of Usefulness, Ease of Use, Attitude and Use of a mobile device? Knowledge is acquired and transformed when users interact socially and the use of mobile technologies in teaching and learning contexts can aid this if integrated successfully taking into account the social and cultural factors involved (Keengwe and Bhargava, 2014). The design for long-term effective persistent use of new technologies will present challenges for educational institutions and this study aims to address Information Technology (IT) knowledge, research and educational policy and practice. Overall, the study results confirm the acceptability of the extended technology acceptance model and provides an informative representation of the mechanisms which influence user acceptance of mobile device use for learning and should therefore be helpful in applied contexts for forecasting and evaluating user acceptance of the mobile device. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

Background: Research exploring the perceptions of patient safety has been conducted in hospitals and primary care settings, while it is mostly absent in the ambulance and emergency services. Exploring staff perceptions of patient safety is essential as it can highlight their concerns and priorities, providing an understanding of issues they consider significant and necessary to support the development of research, policy, education and practice. This study aimed to gain insight into the perceptions of staff across all organisational levels and in multiple Ambulance Service NHS Trusts in England. Objectives: 1.) To explore the meaning of ‘patient safety’ to staff within three Ambulance Service NHS Trusts in England, and how this differs between NHS Trusts and organisational levels. 2.) To investigate staff perceptions of risks to patient safety. 3.) To explore staff perceptions of reporting patient safety incidents within the NHS Ambulance Services. Methods: An exploratory generic qualitative approach was adopted utilising semi-structured interviews to capture the perceptions of patient safety from staff in three Ambulance Service NHS Trusts in England. Fourteen to fifteen participants across three distinct organisational levels (operational, management and executive) represented each NHS Trust, with fortyfour interviews conducted in total. The Framework Method was used for the analysis of the large qualitative dataset. Findings: Five overarching themes emerged from the interviews with participants, including Varied Interpretation of Patient Safety, Significant Patient Safety Risks, Reporting Culture Shift, Communication and Organisational Culture, representing the overall staff perceptions of patient safety in the NHS Ambulance Services. It was evident that the perceptions of patient safety varied between different organisational levels but was largely consistent within these levels across all three Ambulance Service NHS Trusts. Conclusion: The findings demonstrate that participants believe the NHS Ambulance Services are becoming safer for patients, thereby indicating an awareness of some of the historical issues with patient safety and the steps taken to address them. In particular, the perception that the reporting culture had improved substantially in recent years, was of the most notable and had not been captured in any similar research. The inclusion of several levels of staff and three distinct NHS Trusts provided an in-depth understanding of the perceptions of patient safety in the NHS Ambulance Services. Given the consistency of the responses across organisational levels and NHS trusts, the identified issues from this study may be generic and applicable to other ambulance and emergency services.

In this thesis, I explore 42 autistic individuals' transitions into further and higher education (FHE) in England, drawing on personal experience as well as interview data. I was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome in 1998 at the age of 13. At the age of 15, my mother introduced the topic to me, and autism soon became the foundation of my socio-political identity. The discussion is divided into three themes; stigma and perception management strategies, formal and informal support networks and the interplay of autism with institutional factors. I draw upon Tringo's (1970) work on the hierarchy of impairment and Goffman's (1963) work on stigma. Tringo's (1970) hierarchy of impairment led me to my intra-communal hierarchy of impairment (perpetuated by autistic individuals against autistic individuals) and Goffman's (1963) work on stigma led me to my four degrees of openness; autistic individuals can be indiscriminately open, or indiscriminately reticent, but openness if relevant, and openness if necessary, are more common strategies. UPIAS' (1976) work on the social model of disability laid the foundation for my socio-political identity and this thesis. I argue autism has been largely absent from the political arena. I outline how there are four ideals; the ideals of self-regulation, normalcy, ability and independence. Eager to conform to these ideals, eager to self-present as 'independent', 'self-regulating', 'normal' or 'capable', some autistic students are reluctant to request support and accommodations, complicating the transition to FHE.

Background: In the UK, primary care providers are involved in delivering community care and are the gatekeepers to specialist services. The second most frequent reason for consulting the General Practitioner relates to mental health difficulties. There may be variations in the pathways to care for Muslims with mental illness. The literature showed a paucity of high quality literature in the field of Islam and mental health. Objectives: The thesis investigated the aspects belonging to the Islamic faith, which are most important to Muslims suffering from mental health difficulties and illness. The study focused on gaining a deeper understanding how Islamic beliefs and views influence the perceptions and attitude of Muslims towards mental health and illness and how this helped them cope or did not. Connected to this was the objective of identifying barriers and facilitators relevant to pathways to care, involving existing care systems and Muslim scholars who may be consulted. Methodology: A qualitative approach was utilised to address the research questions. Semi-structured in-depth interviewing took place with Muslim patients and scholars. 16 patients from 12 different ethnic groups were interviewed. All the patients had experience suffering from mental illness. 17 traditional scholars from 10 different ethnic groups participated in the study, 13 male and 4 female scholars. Results: The study highlighted a number of important insights in relation to the interface between Islam and mental health. Muslims hold a specific view in the outlook on life, pain and suffering. These views fall outside the realms of mental illness. Islam facilitates a sense of purpose and meaning of life. In the Islamic tradition, health, well-being, emotional and mental health are recognized and conceptualised in a distinct manner through expressions, meaning and strong spiritual dimension. However the majority of scholars were only familiar with a small number of emotional concepts in the Qura'an and Hadith. Religious beliefs influenced the perceptions of Muslims towards mental health and illness along with alternative explanations and notions such as punishment and weak faith explored. Understanding and dealing with emotions was less frequently highlighted by scholars in comparison to other coping strategies. The pathway to care for Muslims was examined and highlighted specific factors that might act as facilitators or barriers to accessing mental health care. Muslims hold a different model of mental health. Even if distress is recognised as a mental health problem, there are barriers for Muslims accessing help. Muslims also utilised diverse coping strategies in a holistic manner, some of which were specific to their faith. Muslims accessed scholars in their role supporting people with mental 12 health issues but there were some negative experiences when attending the mosque and dealing with Imams. Scholars held a limited understanding of mental health and mental illness. Discussion: It was imperative to understand the nuances that exist in Islamic concepts and its context relevant to the person. It was argued there needed to be an understanding of how these concepts connected to the understanding of the individual, their spiritual development and how the person chooses to practice their faith. Islam for Muslims was not necessarily understood to be about prevention of depression or other mental health difficulties. Rather, it was perceived as a means to understand their experiences and alleviate pain and suffering. Belonging to the Islamic faith could help with certain circumstances, which also depended on the context and the persona's understanding and application of their faith. Furthermore, faith provided a mechanism for the individual to develop resilience and facilitate recovery. There is a richness of specific concepts used in Islamic tradition which has not been previously described in medical literature. Muslims adopted a variety of coping strategies which centred on different levels including individual, community, relationship with God & Prophet Muhammad and religious practices. The impact of emotional difficulties and distress and usefulness of strategies for the person needs to be considered. Social strategies shaped by a religious outlook were utilised. Conventional approaches and Islamic concepts are not mutually exclusive and may be seen as complementary. People may resort to spiritual practices to avoid dealing with emotional difficulties. The strengths of the study included the methodological process, with the recruitment of diverse participants and qualified scholars. There was a deeper analysis of the concepts and findings highlighted the importance to contextualise these concepts in relation to the individual. The study was limited as it did not consider the socio-political background of scholars, no recruitment of participants took place from the third sector and all the interviews took place in English. Conclusion: There are important facets of the Islamic faith in relation to mental health and well-being that are of value to Muslims. Central to this is the distinct ontological perspective Muslims hold. The understanding of emotional and mental health from an Islamic perspective does not necessarily rely on realms of illness or scientific outlook. The Islamic paradigm is conceptualised in a distinct manner and does not fit with the traditional western medical model. It is evident the prism through which Muslims understand their religious beliefs cannot be ignored as they influence perceptions towards mental illness, care and treatment. An awareness of these areas can improve an understanding of the pathway to care for a Muslim, accessibility to services and explanatory models. Muslim scholars play a crucial role in supporting individuals with mental health needs. Here lies an opportunity to develop community based interventions and address the challenges in relation to training needs.

The literature shows that research into the aesthetic aspects of prostheses is limited. Although there are suggestions that prostheses with high levels of emotionally-driven design may improve users' well-being, they are based only on theoretical findings. Therefore, in this thesis the effects of emotionally-driven prostheses on users' lives and society's attitudes were explored, with respect to culture and more specifically, the theories of individualism/ collectivism. In order to investigate the effects of culture, the research was conducted in two countries with different cultures; the UK (individualistic) and Greece (collectivistic). The thesis began with a literature review across three core areas: user, product and environment, and revealed the importance of investigating an additional area; that of prosthetists. The research employed a qualitative approach and consisted of four studies. Study I was an online questionnaire to explore users' preferences towards prostheses, with respect to their culture. Study II consisted of semi-structured interviews and informational probes to comprehend the role of prostheses on users' lives, with respect to prosthetic appearance. In Study III, the aim was to investigate prosthetists' attitudes towards the needs of prosthetic users by conducting semi-structured interviews. Finally, Study IV was an online questionnaire to explore non-users' attitudes towards the design of prostheses. The research showed that the use of prostheses for the completion of users' body was not an adequate factor to improve their well-being, and a shift on users' desires towards emotionally-driven prostheses has occurred. From the variables that were tested, sex, age, cause and area of limb-loss may affect people's attitudes towards the design of prostheses. Furthermore, the results showed that prostheses with high emotionally-driven design evoked emotions, in both users and non-users, with higher levels of pleasantness and arousal than the emotions that were elicited by the prostheses of lower emotionally-driven designs and thus, they may trigger a greater behavioural reaction. This suggested that emotionally-driven prostheses may eliminate users' stigmatisation by increasing their self-confidence and altering society's attitudes. However, attention needs to be paid in collectivistic countries, as emotionally-driven prostheses may enhance users' stigmatisation.

Conductive Education (CE), a psycho-pedagogic approach to working with individuals with neuromotor disorders (Sutton,2002), is practised in Statutory and Third Sector health and education provisions within the UK. This fact alone raises the need to explore the role and professional accountability of the conductor as the professional delivering this programme of education. Whilst there is a Professional Body (Professional Conductors Association) (PCA) and a requirement for validated Continuing Professional Development (CPD), there is no benchmark for expertise, or identification of the characteristics, skills and knowledge associated with it. This thesis as an exploratory study of conductors' perceptions of expertise is the first of its kind to be undertaken with conductors working in the UK. CE, underpinned by both constructivist and constructionist methodologies (Grundtvig, 2012), fits well with Personal Construct Theory (PCT), the chosen methodology for this study. This study is undertaken in two main phases. In the first, Repertory Grid Technique (RGT), as a research method associated with PCT (Hagans, Neimeyer, Goodholm, 2000), is used to interview 20 Conductors working in the UK. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is used to construct a quantitative analysis of individual grid findings, a process that serves to underpin subsequent thematic analysis. An iterative process of thematic analysis, influenced by Constructivist Grounded Theory (Charmaz, 2006), facilitates synthesis of the conductors' perceptions of expertise. Expertise is perceived by the conductors to be holistic in nature and comprised of belief, personality, knowledge and skill. With reference to the pragmatist underpinnings of Positive Psychology, (Peterson & Seligman, 2004), items generated in phase one are subsequently used to construct a 92-point questionnaire. This questionnaire as a self-reflective measurement tool serves to complete the aims of this study. This exploratory study broadly fulfils its aims and addresses expressed need for greater accountability, academic justification of practice, desire for professional development and pragmatism within CE (Kozma, 1995). Weaknesses are identified, however the findings of this study serve to raise awareness of expertise, impact practice and conductor training.

This thesis explores the management of change in higher education by applying a Habermasian conceptual framework to understand, explore and operationalise academic perceptions of Educational Technology. It questions the uncritical acceptance of techgerialism (i.e. managerialism through technology) in the Higher Education Institution (HEI) in a case study of academic perceptions of Educational Technology over a decade of change in one post-1992 HEI. Perceptions were drawn from participants in one school in the HEI to counter the paucity of research focusing on academics' views of Educational Technology. Increasingly in-depth interviews were conducted over three rounds of data collection in an emergent research design based on narrative analysis. Each phase of change was interpreted as an example of formal, political and then more collegial change respectively. Academic participants expressed broadly similar negative perceptions of Educational Technology change in their HEI: suspicion, resistance, displacement and lack of confidence in leadership. These were categorised as examples of Habermasian social pathologies (anomie, alienation, disintegration and social instability) rooted in concerns about an increasingly powerful HEI systemworld. When discussing Educational Technology, participants expressed socio-cultural concerns more readily than they addressed pedagogic issues and demonstrated both critical and tolerant beliefs towards the management of change. The insider-outsider position of the researcher changed during the research which influences its development. The impact of this shifting perspective is considered reflexively throughout the thesis. The main contribution to knowledge is the augmentation of a Habermasian conceptual framework around lifeworld, systemworld and communicative rationality. Adapting his theory of social pathologies, the thesis suggests that there are corollary values, predominantly unarticulated by the participants, which may ameliorate these pathologies. The Educational Technology pathologies found in the data are 'inverted' to values (e.g. anomie to enculturation, alienation to solidarity) as part of the analysis. The thesis concludes by presenting a mechanism for operationalising a Habermasian public sphere, informed by these identified values, as a forum for developing intersubjective consensus and undistorted communication in the HEI.

This thesis addresses the challenges associated with the implementation of models of person-centred care in newly operational care homes in an English context. This study critically evaluates a model of care produced in house, with academic support named in this thesis as EMBRACELIFE. The implementation of person-centred care in newly opened care settings is yet to be explored. Data collection took place between September and November 2015. An ethnographic approach was taken to fieldwork. Semi-structured interviews and/or unstructured observations were conducted with 20 care workers and 10 people with dementia. Document analysis was also undertaken on 6 personal care plans. A letter from the care provider completed the data set. A thematic approach to data collection was undertaken, informed by principles of discourse analysis. The finding revealed a culture of care organised around task. Overarching themes indicative of task-based practice were the care planning, activity, outdoor space, care worker perceptions, the mealtime experience, leadership and a lack of choice. The model of care was therefore not fully implemented. The research indicated the implementation process was hindered by organisational issues. These were inadequate staff training, unmet staff expectations, low staff satisfaction, a lack of a team ethos, a high agency staff presence, a lack of flexible care delivery. The newly operational status of the home had a uniquely mediating influence on these findings due to the challenge of assembling a new staff team, having a domino effect on the organisational issues described. This thesis concludes by suggesting care providers are in need of more support if they are to overcome organisational barriers, accentuated by the challenges of opening a new care home, to achieve person-centred cultures of care in such settings.

Informal public transport (IPT) has emerged as an adaptive alternative to formal public transport in developing countries. The informal public transport service has both positive and negative impacts on the wellbeing of urban dwellers. As such, there are varying discourses on whether IPT should be considered an urban resource or a problem. The impact of urban growth in terms of population increase and urban spatial sprawl creates public transport challenges in developing countries. It is against this backdrop that this study explored the perceptions of informal public transport stakeholders on the quality of service (QoS) experienced in the City of Ibadan, Nigeria. A pragmatist philosophical approach is adopted in this study in order to explore the stakeholders' perceptions of the QoS of IPT in Ibadan. A convergent mixed methods research design was employed to explore the set objectives seeking to understand how the impact of urban growth in Ibadan has developed a demand for public transport, more so against the backdrop of the diminished public investment in transport services and infrastructure. The study seeks to identify and explore stakeholders' perceptions on the established IPT in Ibadan. The study developed a multi-criteria evaluation model to explore and analyse such perceptions on QoS on identified three Local Government Authorities (LGAs) in Ibadan. The identified issues are discussed using culture sensitisation of governance in the context of Ibadan and reflecting such perceptions against the ideals for individuals and public. Findings from the study reveal mixed stakeholders' perceptions. The descriptive analysis and narratives of the stakeholders reveal that some of the criteria are positively perceived. The application of the Kruskal Wallis Analysis for variability across the three studied local authorities reveal that there is insignificant influence of the socioeconomic characteristics of the users on perceptions of IPT. However, an analysis of individual criteria established in the multi-criteria evaluation model reveals a low users' perceptions of the QoS provided by IPT users. The study concludes that the positive perceptions attributed by users of the IPT, despite its otherwise poor QoS, is explained by the fact that the use of IPT in Ibadan is not out of public choice but a necessity given that there is no other alternative mode of public transport. Consequently, the study concludes that perceptions of informal public transport relate to the impact on individuals and public wellbeing. This is alternative thought from discourses that perceive urban growth in terms of population growth and physical spatial sprawl to the shift towards explaining the impact of urban growth and need for transport in terms of public wellbeing. Following on to this, the study draws a recommendation for a transport policy and practice developed from the nexus of the regulatory state, the informal transport sector and the users of informal transport driven by the view that informal transport is a key contributor to public wellbeing in cities of the developing world. Thus, the IPT should be sensitised as a permanent and 'formal' element for the City of Ibadan and not perceived as illegal and targeted for withdrawal from the urban.

Background: In Oman, 33.3% of women attended late for publicly funded antenatal care in 2015 and 24% did not attend for the recommended 4-6 visits during their pregnancy. This low attendance suggests a need to explore attendance for antenatal care for low-risk pregnant women in Oman. Methodology: An exploratory qualitative design informed by constructivist grounded theory methodology was used in this research. Methods: In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with an initial purposive sample of nine pregnant women. The initial analysis enabled theoretical sampling of thirteen non-participant observations during women's appointments, interviews with ten care providers, and six women who booked late after 12 weeks of gestation. A constructivist grounded theory analytical framework of initial, focused and theoretical coding was followed to analyse all the data collected. Findings: The core category consists of five interrelated sub-categories: perceived benefits and value of antenatal care; timing of the first antenatal visit; woman-carer interactions during antenatal care; experiences with antenatal care delivery; and supplementary use of private healthcare. The integral categories explain the social processes and issues surrounding antenatal care. The emergent core category, Navigating antenatal care, reflects the views of the women and their care providers. The women were unhappy with the organisation and physical environment of care but attended their appointments to ensure optimal pregnancy outcome and to alleviate their fears of developing complications. Thus, they used both private and public healthcare and sourced online information in response to their feelings of obligation to protect their fetus. Conclusion: The women appeared disempowered and to lack control over the care they received. Thus, they accepted conditions such as long waiting times in an uncomfortable environment and the disrespect they encountered during their visits. There was a discrepancy between what the women expected and needed from their antenatal care and the actual care and information they received, which did not satisfy their needs. This could be due to a lack of woman-centred care and limited involvement in the plan of care. Thus, women sought further reassurance by accessing private clinics, using online information, and networking with others, which also resulted in a late booking for public antenatal care.

This mixed method study sought to explore the perceptions of key stakeholders in education, on the role and contribution of ICT in Scottish secondary schools towards generic skills development among pupils for post school transitions. The timing of this study coincided with a period characterised by contextual pressures globally, marked with technology changes, youth unemployment and curriculum reviews. A review of literature was conducted systematically to evaluate the explicit permeation of ICT in Scottish schools. A sequential mixed method design was adopted for the two phased study commencing with a convenience sampling technique for the first phase, involving 1364 upper secondary school pupils from all eight schools, 64 teachers and the 17 employers in one local Council in Scotland. A purposive sampling technique was applied to select two sample schools for the second phase, based on best use and practices of ICT. Questionnaires were administered online and in person at the first phase, followed by a semi structured interview at the second phase. SPSS was used for descriptive statistics, correlation analysis and one way Anova, while Nvivo 10 software was used for thematic analysis from the interview transcript. The study offers a framework for personalisation starting with identification of pupils’ ability and ICT skill level at inception classes, followed by a personalised learning design incorporating pupils’ interest, ability and post school destination. The study also proposes separate roles for teachers and policy makers in order to maintain teachers’ autonomy, as policy makers’ interference has been identified to have an impact on teachers’ professionalism, effectiveness and confidence necessary for imparting generic skills in pupils. A series of recommendations are provided for future research, including a longitudinal evaluation of generic skills acquired from individual school subjects through the upper school years to post school destination, to ascertain effective transfer and sustainability of generic skills.

There are repeated calls and efforts to promote creativity more in schools. In this regard, the key role of teachers in developing creative learning environments has become well recognised. In discussions about how teachers can do this, creativity researchers have occasionally consulted young children for their perceptions of how creativity can be encouraged but have rarely consulted adolescents. This study aims to add adolescents’ views and experiences to the agenda of how we can foster their creativity in schools. Using Straussian grounded theory, I adopted a case study approach to understand adolescents’ perceptions of how creativity was fostered by teachers in the curriculum. The research is set in a highly-regarded international school in central Europe. I consulted 14 to 16-year-old adolescents studying in the final two years of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP). I also consulted their teachers on themes that the adolescents found relevant. The purpose of the study is encapsulated by the three research questions ‘how do adolescents define creativity?’, ‘how do adolescents perceive creativity being encouraged by teachers?’ and ‘between adolescents, teachers and researchers, how aligned are beliefs about fostering creativity in the classroom?’.Participants shared their perceptions through online questionnaires, focus groups, online discussion forums, individual and paired interviews, and emails. Through ongoing data collection and analysis, four main categories of creativity-fostering teaching practices emerged. These were disciplinary relevance (D), student empowerment (E), personal and social relevance (R), and creative metacognition (M), all interrelated through the core category ‘shaping boundaries’. This categorisation led directly to the development of what I called the ‘DERM model’ that aims to provide teachers with guidance for fostering creativity in the classroom. This model reflects the beliefs of adolescents which shared many similarities with those of teachers and creativity researchers.

The study is based in critical issues in the field of English Language Teaching (ELT) as second or additional language and informed by Critical Pedagogy (CP), the study uses thematic discourse analysis through critical analysis techniques. The main focus of this research is to explore the extent of intercultural understanding and perceptions of the English Language Teachers (ELTs) towards students in their culturally heterogeneous ELT classrooms about certain academic behaviours, namely plagiarism (Academic Integrity) and learners’ classroom participation and relationship of these academic tasks to the cultural orientation of English Language Learners (ELLs) in ELT classrooms in the Canadian context. Participating ELTs teach adult students of color and ethnic diversity in different English language teaching situations and come both from across Canada, at the macro level (Stage 1-survey questionnaire), and from Nova Scotia, at the micro level (Stage 2-focus group discussions). The thesis also demonstrates factors that may contribute to Canadian ELTs’ perceptions about the issue of understanding non-white and racially non-main stream ELLs. The thesis aims at bringing attention to the need for a collaboratively developed Professional Development (PD) training component focused on intercultural understanding from a critical perspective, for the ELTs in the Canadian context. It is expected that the findings will gain some traction among the ELT community, especially in the Canadian context and will contribute to highlighting the importance of understanding of cultural differences and inclusion of this understating in the continuous professional development of English language teachers.

Co-teaching as an inclusive educational model is a new approach in Greece which aims to support the inclusion of children with special educational needs (SEN) in mainstream schools. This research aimed to investigate and evaluate co-teaching practices as well as teachers’ and students’ with SEN perceptions with regard to co-teaching. This research adopted a mixed methodology in two independent phases in order to address the needs of the study. Namely, 140 teachers were surveyed and multiple case studies of five different secondary co-taught classrooms were incorporated. This study showed that the way co-teaching is implemented in Greek secondary schools is closer to the model of “one teach-one assist”. Specifically, co-teachers saw the general teacher as responsible for all children, while the special teacher as responsible for an individual child with SEN included in a mainstream classroom. Thus, limited special teacher role expansion to all children was observed. The study showed that the general teachers were more negative about the sharing of various classroom responsibilities compared to the special teachers. Moreover, the approach of children’s withdrawal out of class was implemented to a significant extent. According to the research findings it was largely the special teachers who preferred this integrated approach and not the general teachers. Also, limited differentiation and grouping methods were used by co-teachers. In addition, this study indicated that co-teaching pairs did not collaborate with each other in an extensive way and did not commonly plan lessons together. Thus, teacher participants were quite sceptical in relation to the potential personal benefits of co-teaching to themselves. This study showed teacher training in co-teaching, teachers’ sensitivity and positive attitudes towards children with SEN, collaboration between co-teachers and mutual planning time, clear and official allocation of co-teaching roles and special teachers employment at the beginning of the academic year were all regarded as factors which would facilitate the successful implementation of co-teaching. Interestingly, the present study revealed that from the perspectives of both teachers and children with SEN the model of “one teach-one assist” seemed to have positive academic outcomes to children with SEN. However, the model of “one teach-one assist” seemed to have not only positive but also negative social and personal outcomes for children with SEN. From the perspective of some teachers and children with SEN respondents it seems that the model of “one teach-one assist” limited the social interactions of some children with SEN and interrelationships with the remaining children, which was due to sitting next to them during the lesson time and escorting them during the break time. Moreover, children with SEN did not see that co-teaching resulted in their social skills development. As a result some children with SEN expressed their unwillingness to be supported by a special teacher during the following academic year. Among the various disadvantages of co-teaching that children with SEN mentioned was the confusion that they usually felt when both teachers were speaking simultaneously. Lastly, children with SEN who experienced the out of class support expressed their preference for being supported out of the mainstream classroom. This was because they saw that the out of class support benefited them academically.

Background: Occupational stress is a global and complex phenomenon, and workers in developing countries can be affected by it (International Labour Organisation 2001). Staff within maternity settings have been identified as being at risk of suffering from stress, resulting in adverse health outcomes (Evenden and Sharpe, 2002). However, MWAs’ perceptions of stress have not been captured and are not reflected in the literature. Purpose: The aim of this study was to explore MWAs’ perceptions of occupational stress, possible cause(s), the impact and support available and the coping methods they adopted within maternity care settings (hospital) in Nigeria. Methodology: This study adopted a qualitative methodology. Husserl’s (1962) phenomenological approach was chosen as it enabled the researcher to collect rich, in-depth, descriptive accounts of the MWAs’ perceptions of the phenomenon under study through the use of semi-structured interviews. Findings: The major sources of stress for MWAs included work overload, long working hours, staff shortages, work exploitation and intensification and lack of support from senior staff. The stress levels MWAs experienced impacted on their health and well-being and resulted in related behavioural and physical reactions. Conclusion: This study confirmed that MWAs were exposed to similar stress factors experienced by other health workers and reported in the research literature. Additionally, it demonstrated the need for more qualitative studies to explore the perceptions of occupational stress among under-represented groups of healthcare workers. Importantly, this study created an opportunity to explore the experience of dedicated women facing challenging employment practices in hospital settings in Nigeria. Equally, it gave a voice to these unrecognised, almost invisible women, who were the MWAs that played a key role within the maternity services.

The aim of this study is to examine Internet financial reporting (IFR) in an emerging capital market. It has three main objectives: first, to examine the provision of financial information on the websites of Chinese listed companies and identify the factors determining the financial information on such websites; second, to examine the economic consequences of IFR on a company's value in China; and, third, to investigate the perceptions of Chinese participants regarding IFR. Fifteen research questions were designed and twelve hypotheses formulated to accomplish the above aims and objectives. This study applies an empirical approach to investigating IFR practices of Chinese listed companies. The study combines quantitative and qualitative research methods, with an emphasis on quantitative research methods. To answer the research questions and test the twelve hypotheses, data collection comprised an IFR index review and semi-structured interviews. Descriptive analyses showed relative improvement in the disclosures of financial information, corporate governance information, social responsibility, timeliness of disclosure, presentation and usability on the sampled websites. The results of a univariate analysis and a multivariate analysis indicated that company size, industry type, big-4 auditor type, state share ownership, foreign share ownership, CEO duality, and the proportion of independent directors are significant explanatory variables associated with disclosures on corporate websites. Conversely, leverage, profitability, legal person ownership, and board size have no predictive value for determining Internet financial reporting practices among listed companies. Sensitivity analyses were performed and the results were consistent. This finding meets the expectations of agency theory, signalling theory, institutional theory, the cost and benefit approach, and stewardship theory. The finding from the interviews with company participants suggested that factors determining whether companies adopt IFR include: communication tools with investors and other stakeholders, provision of timely information to investors, the extent to which having a website improves a company's image and reputation, management decisions and likelihood of winning awards. Factors influencing companies not to disclose financial information on their websites included the presence of financial information in other media. Additionally, some companies had no website because there is no legal requirement to do so and so a website is not a management priority. Participants from companies also provided some ideas for IFR improvement from China's perspective. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to discover whether IFR and its components affect a firm's value. Models for both 2010 and 2011 revealed that IFR total score has a significant negative impact on firm value. Additional regression tests were therefore performed to examine firm value and IFR components, IFR content, timeliness, corporate governance, social factors, presentation and usability all have a negative effect on firm value. A significant negative association between IFR information and firm value suggests proprietary costs are particularly relevant for IFR disclosure. This study contributes to the literature by providing empirical and theoretical evidence about IFR practices of China listed companies. Results from statistical analysis, together with perceptions of participants, as expressed in interviews, provided a better understanding of IFR practices. In light of the research results, regulators and policy makers are expected to benefit from a clearer understanding of the needs of the market, thereby creating a new challenge for regulators when developing future schemes regarding the financial reporting regulatory framework, in order to achieve a higher level of compliance and transparency. These empirical results provide a significant benefit to professional bodies; in particular, furthering understanding of IFR practices and their characteristics, helping to standardise IFR content, to define codes of conduct, and to dictate rules and recommendations for the future. The findings will benefit companies seeking to learn about how to exhibit best practice. The results will be interesting to academics and future researchers in the area of emerging markets, as the Chinese stock market is developing rapidly and offers a unique institutional environment. This research also provides useful insights into the relationship between agency issues, the cost and benefit approach, unique institutional frameworks and IFR.

The purpose of this project of research was to investigate the perceptions of female coaches and their gendered identities using quantitative and qualitative data. A mixed-methods approach was taken using questionnaires and interviews. Videos depicting a coach interacting with athlete/athletes were shown to participants prior to completing the questionnaires. This method was used in order to investigate if there was a difference in how male and female coaches are perceived because of their gender and investigate if the masculinity/femininity of a female coach would influence others’ perceptions of their ability and the coach-athlete relationship. Semi-structured interviews were used to investigate how the influence of gender on perceptions of coaches may have influenced the experiences of female sport coaches. An unstructured interview was conducted to investigate the effect of gender across a coach’s career. This thesis has contributed to the body of knowledge concerning how female coaches are perceived and female coaches’ experiences in sport. It has advanced the literature on Social Role Theory to the context of sport. The main findings of this research are: (a) female coaches are rated higher than male coaches for relationship quality and empathy when in an emotional scenario, (b) female coaches perceived to be masculine are rated consistently higher within relationship quality and competency in a coaching scenario, (c) female coaches’ experiences are affected by their traditional social role associated with gender and by society’s gendered perceptions of sport, and (d) there are more factors which discourage rather than encourage the progression of female coaches.

Introduction and Background: Measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) are infectious diseases, primarily of childhood, which cause significant mortality and morbidity globally. These infections are, however, vaccine preventable and there is potential for them to be eradicated worldwide through the strategic use of organised population immunisation programmes. Following the introduction of the MMR vaccination in the UK in 1988, uptake was initially good and a high level of population vaccination coverage was achieved. This was sustained until 1998 when a study by Dr Wakefield and colleagues was published in the Lancet suggesting the theoretical possibility of an association between MMR and Autism/bowel disease. Intense media coverage followed, uptake of MMR vaccine fell to less than 80% in Somerset, and community outbreaks of measles, which had almost been eliminated in the UK, began to reappear. The Wakefield study was subsequently discredited and was eventually retracted by the Lancet in 2010. In August 2008 the Chief Medical Officer announced a national MMR catch-up campaign, targeting all children between the age of 13 months and 18 years who had either not been vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella, or had only partial immunisation. These children were invited again for vaccination and the campaign was completed in January 2009. This study was undertaken to explore, in depth, the quantitative data available in respect of the uptake of MMR at the time of the 2009 campaign, and also to provide new qualitative data in relation to the attitudes, beliefs and experience of MMR and immunisation services of parents who continued to decline MMR for their children after the 2009 campaign, in order to identify factors which affected parental decision-making, add to the wider knowledge base, and to use this knowledge to improve the future development of immunisation services in Somerset. Methods: The overall objective of the study was to investigate a number of social, demographic and geographic characteristics of parents and children associated with MMR uptake, to compare these characteristics within and between defined sub-sets of the Somerset population, and to explore the basis on which parents in Somerset make decisions in relation to MMR immunisation. The study design adopted was a ‘mixed methods’ approach comprising of a cross-sectional design with three sequential phases - an exploration of baseline epidemiological data; a survey conducted with parents of children who remained unimmunised after 2009; and finally, semi-structured interviews with a sub-set of these parents. Results: The key findings from the study are: Parents who decline MMR for their children are not a homogenous group, but consist of a number of sub-groups each of which have different motives, decision pathways and predicted outcomes in relation to potential to change their mind and accept MMR There are differences in geographic distribution between the two age groups investigated Whilst the ‘Wakefield’ study did, and still does have, an impact, it is not the only or most important factor in their continuing decision-making. There is evidence that health professionals have a key role in addressing parental concerns in respect of immunisation. GP practice was the most significant factor associated with uptake in the Phase 1 study, and this was further confirmed in interviews with parents. Parents make decisions through engagement, through communicating and relating to others and this offers a potential mechanism for health professionals to influence decisions through open engagement with parents. Discussion and Conclusions: Three parent sub-groups were identified (Single Vaccines; Medical Comorbidities and Natural Health). These sub-groups were further investigated and factors associated with the decision-making pathways of each group were identified. This resulted in the development of the ‘MMR Parent Engagement Framework’ as a tool for use by professionals in planning their interactions with parents to improve and encourage more open dialogue in order to positively influence parental decision-making in relation to accepting MMR or other vaccinations. From a commissioning perspective, embedding frameworks such as this in service specifications offers a more cost-effective approach to improving immunisation uptake than funding large, poorly targeted catch-up campaigns. It is therefore recommended that further research is undertaken to provide evidence of the effectiveness of the approach in practice, and to inform future commissioning decisions. Additional recommendations to improve the effectiveness and delivery of immunisation services are also made in respect of GP Practice specific factors, independent schools, ethnic minority communities, vaccine overload, media, and data validation. The study has already directly influenced changes in current practice at both a local and a national level.

This research explores leadership effectiveness in organisations in Kuwait from the perspective of Chief Executive Officers (CEOs). This is an area that has been neglected by the extant literature, and no integrated model for assessing CEO effectiveness exists for us to fully understand the phenomenon. Based on a positivist qualitative research approach, evidence was drawn from 16 CEOs using semi-structured interviews. The evidence was corroborated by using data obtained from participant observations of two CEOs working in the same organisation as the researcher. The results indicated that CEOs perceive leadership effectiveness as driving execution and not necessarily the realisation of goals themselves. Their experiences of leadership lead to CEOs in Kuwait believing that leadership effectiveness depends on their leadership style, relationship with the Board and the Executives, experience and family ground, societal and organisational culture, the business environment and CEO characteristics. On the basis of the participants’ perceptions of leadership effectiveness, it is recommended that CEO leadership development in Kuwait should focus on these areas, as this should equip CEOs to be effective in formulating clear visions and executing strategies to enable economic development of the country, and this should help them to compete globally. As the study focused on private and public companies, future research could consider CEOs from governmental and not-for-profit organisations to expand the sample of CEOs.

Concerns about anthropogenic climate change, fossil fuel depletion, energy security, and damage to our ecosystems are acting as a catalyst for action in many sectors of industry and society. One key sector which has been identified as crucial for addressing these issues is the building sector. Therefore, in the UK context, with the aim of reducing carbon dioxide emissions, the requirements for new homes in terms of their energy efficiency are becoming ever more stringent, leading to the introduction of the zero carbon homes standard from 2016. Alongside this, broader priorities for sustainable development have been established in the UK, with a focus on the creation of sustainable communities. These are communities which support the diverse needs of residents and provide a good quality of life whilst protecting the natural environment. The literature suggests that the volume housebuilding sector is failing to meet housing demand in terms of either quantity or quality. Furthermore, it is apparent that the sector is failing to respond to voluntary stimuli for the delivery of zero carbon homes. Thus, it is with an overall aim of supporting the delivery of zero carbon homes and sustainable communities that this thesis has been undertaken. The UK Government suggested in 2011 that self-build homes, in which the occupant is involved in either building or commissioning the home, are more likely to be affordable, energy efficient and innovative than open market housing. Self-build housing accounts for only around 10% of new homes built in the UK, and group self-build is a small proportion of this. The UK Government has an aspiration to double the size of the self-build sector, with an expansion in the group self-build sector, over the decade to 2021. Literature on the self-build sector is limited, and that on the group self-build sector even more so. Indeed, gaps in knowledge in terms of the motivations for and benefits of group self-build exist. There are also gaps in knowledge in terms of the barriers to group self-building and ways in which the expansion of the sector could be best supported. Furthermore, existing literature on drivers for and barriers to zero carbon homebuilding is limited and fails to gather opinions from the broad range of professionals involved in the delivery of new homes. With the aim of addressing these gaps in knowledge, three complementary studies were conducted with an element of focus on the region of Cornwall, in South West England. With the aim of exploring opinions of professionals involved in the delivery of new homes regarding zero carbon homebuilding, a series of 34 semi-structured interviews was undertaken within the first study (Perceptions of zero carbon homebuilding). The second study was undertaken with the aim of investigating professional and expert opinions on the suitability of group self-build as a development model for zero carbon homes and sustainable communities (Self-build perceptions). This investigation employed the Policy Delphi method, an iterative, non-contact group research process in which data was gathered from participants through three rounds of online questionnaire surveys. This second study was formed of two concurrent studies; one employed a panel of national participants within England, the other a panel of regional participants within South West England. The third and final study aimed to explore the experience-based opinions of group self-builders through a series of 11 in-depth interviews (Group self-build reflections). The three studies are presented independently. However, each subsequent study is built upon the knowledge gained in the previous study. Within the final chapter of the thesis, the results are brought together and triangulated through a consideration of how the findings coalesce to cast light on the three central concepts of zero carbon homes, sustainable communities, and group self-build housing. The findings from this research identify and elucidate a number of themes of drivers for and barriers to zero carbon homebuilding. Themes of drivers include: legislative, economic, social responsibility, individual, and industry. Themes of barriers include: economic, skills and knowledge, industry, legislative, and cultural. Multiple potential support mechanisms for the delivery of zero carbon homes were also identified. The findings highlight the need for a cultural shift in the housebuilding industry, reducing the over-reliance on volume housebuilders. A broad range of benefits and motivations for group self-building have been identified and explored. However, whilst a strong appetite for environmentally sustainable development amongst group self-builders is established, this research casts some doubt on the central assertion that group self-build homes will be more energy efficient than speculatively built homes. Differences between the individual and group self-build sector were exposed both in terms of the motivations and the barriers faced. This thesis demonstrates how the benefits of group self-build housing serve to help create sustainable communities, and how they also serve to address some of the barriers to zero carbon homebuilding. The findings of this research demonstrate that group self-build housing offers a significant number of potential benefits towards the delivery of zero carbon homes and the creation of sustainable communities.

This thesis sets out to analyse perceptions of the legacy value of an undergraduate degree from graduates at different distances since graduation. This perspective has not been systematically sought within higher education today. Submission of the work comes as attention in England is focused on ‘teaching excellence’ and Government expectations that a higher education degree should deliver lasting value to graduates and taxpayers alike. Thus the work has importance in providing new research identifying that the graduate voice supports more realistic student expectations and effective curricula. Underpinned by constructivist theories of research (Kukla, 2000) and learning (Dewey 1916) the study sought to understand the value of a degree through the experiences and perceptions of graduates. It explored with them how they recognise and allocate value within well-established areas such as economic/financial, academic and personal, defined by previous researchers including Barnett (1990), Mezirow (1991) and Caul (1993). A mixed methods two-phase study gathered quantitative and qualitative data from 15 interviews and an online survey of 202 graduates from universities in England across all institutional mission groups. Graduates were invited to examine and allocate the relative value of their degree in economic/financial, academic and personal terms. The primary conclusion was that whilst 99 per cent of graduates perceived value in their degree they attributed least value to the economic/financial benefits. This indicates a discrepancy between graduate perceptions of value and the hegemonic cost/benefit discourse that underpins political policy around individual tuition fees. The findings additionally determined a statistically significant relationship between students’ entry motivation and graduate perception of degree value. Graduates whose entry motivation as students had been to meet the expectations of others were more likely to perceive lower value in their degree than those motivated by personal aspiration and a career goal requiring a degree. Graduates reporting the highest value perceptions also evidenced selfauthorship during their degrees. The relationship between high perceptions of value and likelihood to recommend a degree or institution emerged as statistically significant. Analysis of the findings resulted in the creation of a conceptual model of graduate perception of value which recommends institutions resource drawing on the graduate voice to develop and sustain value within and surrounding a degree to sustain their work. The findings revealed implications for sustaining student enrolment and institutional advancement in an increasingly commercialised, competitive and marketised sector. The thesis demonstrates ways in which regular collation and publication of graduate perceptions of value evidence, and inform, the legacy of undergraduate degrees across the sector and from specific institutions.

This thesis examines British-Chinese encounters in the half century before the Opium War, an under-researched medium term period that had profound consequences for both China and Britain. Unlike previous studies on China’s early relations with Britain or the West, this thesis is conducted closely from a perceptional point of view, with its principal focus on British people’s first-hand impressions of China and attitudes towards Chinese affairs as a result of these encounters. It shows that British perceptions of China, by and large, increasingly worsened throughout this period. During the two royal embassies to China, British observers from the Macartney and the Amherst missions presented similarly negative views of Chinese civilisation, but proposed conflicting measures in terms of realising Britain’s commercial and diplomatic objectives in China. In the run up to the Opium War in the 1830s, the image of a Chinese government manipulated by a capricious and despotic monarchy was gradually constructed and seen as the primary cause of China’s backwardness. China was hence increasingly envisioned as an isolated ‘other’ that could not be communicated with by appeals to reason or through normal diplomatic negotiations. In this context, a coercive line of action, supported by British naval force, was eventually regarded as a just and viable approach to promote the wellbeing of both British and Chinese common people. Although these developing unfavourable views about China did not determine the outbreak of the Opium War, they were certainly important underlying forces without which open hostilities with China would probably have been neither justifiable nor acceptable to the British parliament or people. This thesis also seeks to set this half-century of British-Chinese encounters in the context of Chinese history. It briefly describes how a changing image of Britain was developed by the Chinese government and people during this period. It shows that both local elites in the southeastern coastal areas and the elites at the imperial court in Beijing obtained credible as well as inaccurate information about Britain and its people. These early notions held in the southeast and in the Beijing sometimes had an impact on each other, but sometimes stayed distinct and unaffected. This situation partly explains why the Chinese government was caught off guard when a serious challenge from Britain occurred in the form of the Opium War.

Early modern Poland-Lithuania figured significantly in the political perceptions of Europeans in the long seventeenth century – not only due to its considerable size and enormous commercial and military resources, but also, and just as importantly, due to its exceptional religious and political situation. This interest in Poland-Lithuania was shared by many Britons. However, a detailed examination of how Britons perceived Poland-Lithuania at that time and how they treated Poland-Lithuania in their political debates has never been undertaken. This thesis utilises a wide range of the previously neglected source material and considers the patterns of transmission of information to determine Britons' awareness of Poland-Lithuania and their employment of the Polish-Lithuanian example in the British political discourse during the seventeenth century. It looks at a variety of geographical and historical information, English and Latin descriptions of Poland-Lithuania's physical topography and boundaries, and its ethnic and cultural make-up presented in histories, atlases and maps, to establish what, where and who Poland-Lithuania was for Britons. Poland-Lithuania's political framework, with its composite structure and unique relationship between the crown and nobility, elicited a spectrum of reactions, and so this thesis evaluates the role that both criticism and praise of Poland-Lithuania played in British constitutional debates. Consequently, the study argues that Britons' perceptions of Poland-Lithuania were characterised by great plasticity. It claims that Britons' impressions of the country were shaped by multiple – real or imagined - borders, whether cultural, economic or political, but also that Britons were affected by the exposure to a uniform, idealised historiography of this country. Crucially, the thesis asserts that references to Poland-Lithuania constituted an ingenious ideological and polemical device that was eagerly used throughout the period by Britons of diverse political sympathies. Moreover, through the examination of the kingdom's geopolitical role, particularly its fluctuating position as a “bulwark of Christendom”, side by side its engagement against Protestants, the thesis challenges the assumption that anti-Catholicism dominated seventeenth-century British perceptions of the world.

Elite tennis players are required to perform on a variety of tennis court surfaces which differ in mechanical characteristics, such as friction and hardness, influencing their performance and risk of injury. To understand the influence of surfaces on performance and injury risk, three studies were conducted to investigate tennis players' perceptions and biomechanical responses during tennis-specific movements on different court surfaces. In study 1, tennis players perceptions of acrylic and clay courts were identified following a thematic inductive analysis of semi-structured interviews (n = 7) to develop a series of visual analogue scales (VAS) to quantify perceptions during studies 2 and 3. Perceptions of predictability of the surface and players' ability to slide and change direction emerged, in addition to anticipated perceptions of grip and hardness. Study 2 aimed to examine the influence of court surfaces and prior clay court experience on perceptions and biomechanical characteristics of tennis-specific skills. Perception, kinematic, insole pressure and mechanical data were collected on an acrylic and a clay court. In agreement with findings reported in study 1, lower mechanical friction and hardness on the clay court were perceived and accompanied by less predictability and greater difficulty to change direction whilst being easier to slide. As result of sliding, players' adopted an altered technique on the clay court compared to the acrylic leading to reductions in loading provide evidence to explain lower injury risks previously reported on clay courts. Prior clay court experience did not influence players' perceptions. However, biomechanical response to the clay surface differed, such that players with high clay court experiences contacted the ground with an everted foot, believed to contribute to controlling sliding. Differences in perception-response relationships were reported between experience groups suggesting players with greater clay court experience are better able to choose an appropriate response to improve their performance. Friction properties of the surface may change during play on clay courts due to player movements and sliding on the court. Therefore there may be areas of expected and unexpected changes to friction to which players must respond to. Study 3 aimed to examine the influence of changes in friction and players awareness of these changes on perceptions and biomechanical response. Compared with study 1 and 2, players found it more difficult to identify differences in perceived grip during study 3, possibly due the smaller mechanical friction differences reported. Unexpected reductions in friction produced greater initial ankle inversion angles compared to the expected decreases in friction, increasing players' risk of injury. Lower horizontal and vertical loading rates were reported on the lower friction conditions where further sliding was reported; suggesting a reduced injury risk by allowing longer time spent applying the forces. This thesis has identified key perception variables that enabled a holistic understanding of perceptions and their interaction with biomechanical response. Mechanical friction was an important factor influencing players' ability to slide. Sliding on clay resulted in altered loading characteristics, pressure distributions and kinematics potentially reducing players' injury risk. Tennis players' experience of clay courts does not influence their perceptions of the surface but the response that players adopt, which lower their risk of injury and increase performance. It is important when playing on a clay court that friction properties are maintained across the court during a tennis match as much as possible to reduce injury risks, due to the influence of unexpected changes to friction on perceptions and response.

Over the past 20 years there has been a clear shift in Peru’s mortality profile towards non-communicable diseases. As part of this transition, childhood overweight and obesity (O&O) has become a growing public health concern. In order to address this challenge, context-specific information is needed concerning prevalence, associated factors and culturally appropriate interventions. To this end, I conducted a mixed methods study using a socio-ecological framework to investigate childhood overweight and obesity in Peru. This study found a prevalence of 19.2% overweight and 8.6% obesity among children aged seven to eight in a pro-poor cohort in Peru. Factors associated with being overweight in this cohort included: a high socioeconomic status, living in metropolitan Lima, an O&O mother, being male and being an only child or having only one sibling. The quantitative analysis highlighted the prevalence in O&O in this population and revealed a number of relationships explored in more depth via interviews and focus group discussions. The qualitative component of this research explored these associations amongst a sub-sample of children, parents and teachers in three distinct geographical regions in Peru. My qualitative research showed that parents, teachers and children are aware of the health implications of childhood overweight and obesity and that they have a sophisticated understanding of the many factors that influence its aetiology. Participants also had many suggestions for ways to address this issue in their community. This information was complemented by a systematic review and meta-analysis of the evidence of childhood O&O interventions that took place in Latin America published between 1990 and 2011. A combination of diet, physical activity and pharmaceutical strategies have shown modest effect on BMI reduction in O&O children, but more evidence is needed for effective population-level prevention strategies. The findings highlight the need for comprehensive, multi-level interventions. Notable intervention components include: kiosco reform, junk food taxation, creation of recreational space and enhancement of school-based physical activity programmes. To accomplish this, communities need to be mobilised and work together with school administration, municipal and national government.

Preliminary evidence indicates that although there have been attempts to ensure continuity across the primary-secondary transition (Tobell, 2003), discontinuities remain and that there is a „hiatus in progression‟ (Galton et al., 2000). For pupils the transition to secondary school is a time of change leaving their small familiar primary school and entering a large unfamiliar secondary school. This thesis presents pupils‟ expectations and experiences of the primary-secondary transition, across the curriculum and specifically with regards to Physical Education (PE). The primary-secondary transition with regards to PE is marked by significant changes in resource provision, and a mode of delivery from (mainly) non-specialist teachers to subject specialists (Capel and Piotrowski, 2000). As an exploratory case study, an ethnographic approach was adopted with „pupil-voice‟ a distinctive and central feature. Two phases of fieldwork were conducted. The first phase examined Year 6 (aged 10-11) pupils‟ expectations of the primary-secondary transition at Urban Primary and tracked these pupils into City Comprehensive to explore their experiences (June-October 2011). The second phase of fieldwork examined the particularities of the transition concerned with PE. Once more, expectations of Year 6 pupils at Urban Primary were explored and tracked into City Comprehensive (June-October, 2012). Thematic inductive analysis was conducted and there were four super-ordinate findings which relate to: pupils‟ perceptions of the process of transition across the curriculum and with regards to PE; the notion of „being good enough‟; social implications of transition; concept of „growing up‟; teachers and teaching. Findings suggest that these factors contribute to a discontinuous experience for pupils during transition. Future research directions point towards a focus on academia across transition and a consideration of the development in physical competence within primary school settings. Throughout this thesis reflexivity and reflection were used to provide an insight into the research journey as part of the doctoral apprenticeship.

The work selected for this portfolio comprises two language-specific case studies (‘Russian and Soviet loanwords and calques in the Czech lexicon since the beginning of the twentieth century’ and ‘Češi a slovenština’ [The Czechs and the Slovak language]), two publications on the critical reception of foreign vocabulary in Czech (‘The legacy and limitations of Czech purism’ and Attitudes to lexical borrowing in the Czech Republic), and a detailed article on the implications of naming practices for perceptions of the self and others (‘The Czech-speaking lands, their peoples and contact communities: titles, names and ethnonyms’). Extensive use is made of original material, including two nationwide quantitative surveys conducted on my behalf by the Public Opinion Research Centre of the Institute of Sociology of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (CVVM), and two small-scale questionnaires carried out for me by Dr Miroslav Růžička of the Czech University of Life Sciences (Prague), as well as a range of other empirical data, dictionaries, encyclopaedias, electronic corpora, and additional sources of lexical and historical information. My commentary employs a thematic approach, which aims both to acquaint the reader with the main findings of each of my publications, and to indicate the broad direction of my output. Supplementary information is provided in the commentary, where required, to contextualize and synthesize my arguments, to shed light on recent scholarship in cognate fields, and to ensure narrative continuity. The ‘new’ knowledge thus complements and frames the discussion of my selected publications, thereby helping to guide the reader through the exposition of my writings. The principal unifying themes of the chosen pieces are their emphasis on (1) the role of language in the national consciousness and self-perception, (2) the influence of external forces on the shaping of the Czech lexicon, and people’s reactions to those forces, (3) public perceptions of lexical borrowing, and (4) changing attitudes to the notion of ‘foreign’, as reflected in the national idiom. The commentary is divided into eight chapters, as listed in the Table of Contents. My study begins with a general introduction to my academic background, and to the content and themes of this thesis, as summarized above. Chapter 2 is based principally on my article ‘The legacy and limitations of Czech purism’, and provides a combination of historical setting and statistical analysis. The next chapter presents a résumé of the overall impact of foreign languages and cultures on the historical development of Czech, with the aim of contextualizing the findings of subsequent chapters. Chapter 4, which draws mainly on ‘Russian and Soviet loanwords and calques in the Czech lexicon since the beginning of the twentieth century’, reevaluates the impact of Russian and ‘Soviet speak’ on the Czech lexicon. In chapter 5, I consider in detail the asymmetrical nature of Czech–Slovak language relations, with reference to the views of over 1,400 informants interviewed for ‘Češi a slovenština’ and Attitudes to lexical borrowing in the Czech Republic. Chapter 6 compares the results of my survey for the latter publication, referred to as ‘Perceptions’, with a series of other questionnaires, including Tejnor’s groundbreaking 1970 study of foreign words. ‘The Czech-speaking lands, their peoples and contact communities: titles, names and ethnonyms’ provides the substance of much of chapter 7, which focuses on the Czechs’ tendency to see themselves in terms of opposition to outsiders, and on the depiction of ‘foreignness’ in the Czech lexicon. The commentary concludes with a summary of my principal observations relating to aspects of language contact and lexical borrowing in Czech, and to their implications for the self and others. Taken collectively, the eight chapters provide a framework for the discussion of my published work and for the thematic and conceptual links that validate their consideration as a corpus of cognate research activity.

Background: The focus of this study is on how far GPs' perceptions of dementia map onto the components and contributing factors to stigma as described by Link and Phelan (2001; 2006) and Jones et al. (1984). Aim: The study explores GPs' perceptions of dementia as a stigma, develops a specific conceptualization of the stigma of dementia and considers implications for timely diagnosis. Methods: Data from twenty-three GPs in northern England were collected by semistructured telephone interviews. Within the context of a qualitative design, a combined process of grounded theory and framework analysis was adopted to collect and analyse data. Results: The findings reveal that GPs' perceptions of dementia map onto Link and Phelan and Jones' identification of contributing factors and components of stigma and may hinder timely diagnosis. Three themes emerged reflecting a dynamic process of making sense of dementia, relating perceptions to oneself and considering the consequences of dementia. Within those themes, certain categories had particular salience for GPs, namely the characteristics of the attribute, existential anxiety and discrimination. The themes and categories are inter-related and can be considered as parts of a system. Perceived lack of reciprocity could be detected in most categories which suggests that it is influential in the social construction of the stigma of dementia. Conclusion: The data suggest that current conceptualizations of stigma are insufficient to fully account for the stigma of dementia. A specific conceptualization of the stigma of dementia is proposed and the implications of GPs' perceptions for timely diagnosis are discussed.

Anxiety and depression are among the most common psychiatric disorders in childhood and adolescence (Costello, Egger, & Angold, 2005). Although the parental environment appears to play a role in the development of emotional disorders (e.g., Abramson & Alloy, 2006), cognitive styles within the families of adolescents with internalising disorders have received little attention. The main aim of this thesis was to increase the understanding of maternal cognitions in relation to internalising disorders experienced by adolescents. Specifically, maternal attributional style, catastrophic worries, selective attention and perceptions of adolescents' social competence were examined through a combination of cross-sectional, correlational and experimental designs in the programme of five studies conducted with a clinical sample. Three groups of adolescents and their mothers participated in the studies: adolescents with clinical internalising disorders, adolescents with clinical externalising disorders and a non-referred group of school-children along with their mothers. In support of the hypotheses, mothers of adolescents with clinical internalising disorders had more negative attributional biases than the mothers in the two control groups. When parental attributions were examined from the child's perspective, adolescents in the clinical internalising group perceived that their parents had more negative attributions than both control groups. Examination of maternal evaluations of adolescents' social skills, revealed that even though adolescents did not have social deficits according to objective ratings, mothers of adolescents with internalising disorders underestimated the performance of their children compared to the non-referred control group. Significant relationships were found between maternal and adolescent attributions and perceptions of social competence, suggesting a link between maternal and adolescent cognitive style. Furthermore, mothers of the clinical internalising group produced a greater number of worries which were more catastrophic in content than mothers in the control groups. Contrary to predictions, mothers of adolescents with clinical internalising disorders did not selectively attend to threatening information related to adolescents' behaviours. Analyses using combined data from the four studies that showed significant relationships provided evidence that different cognitions in mothers and their children are interrelated, highlighting the importance of interactions between various cognitions within the family. Additionally, attributional style, catastrophic worries and negative perceptions were found to discriminate families with adolescents with internalising disorders from those with adolescents with externalising disorders or non-referred adolescents. The studies included in this thesis extend the current literature on maternal cognitions and adolescent internalising disorders and suggest that mothers of adolescents with internalising disorders are characterised by cognitive biases that should be taken into consideration in both research and clinical practice.