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Values show who we are as individuals, the beliefs we uphold, and the principles we defend for they influence our thoughts and actions. The values portrayed through thoughts are not only translated in the form of actions but also through the language we use to communicate with one another. As such, there is a fundamental need to investigate if values are reflected in one's choice of language use. The role of language in communication is imperative because the 'how' and 'why' a word is used are significant and presents more sense than the meaning of the word alone. This study examined students' values in their language use in two different modes of communication, which is spoken and written in a blended learning environment. The spoken sessions were face-to-face and the written sessions were through the online forum discussions. Any emerging values that the participants exhibited in their language use were based on Schwartz' Basic Human Values which consists of 19 values. The study was a qualitative one that employed purposeful sampling and the data was collected through classroom observations, online forum entries, and interviews. The face-to face tutorial sessions presented data for classroom observation while the postings the participants wrote on the forum board furnished data for online forum entries and emerging values were clarified through interviews. The data was analysed using discourse analysis, and thematic analysis to facilitate the identification of the values and the reasons for using a particular word/phrase that reflected values. Since the interpretation of values is subjective, 2 stages of blind inter-rating were conducted using Cohen's Kappa Statistics for reliability. Based on the findings, a list of values revealed in the participants' language use showed that some participants exhibited similar values like politeness and tolerance while others displayed different ones like caring and humility. Some were aware of these values while others were not. The findings also showed that values highlighting social focus are not the only emerging ones during a social interaction. The presence of personal values played an equally vital role is establishing communication in a social context.

This thesis is motivated to harness UK children’s enthusiasm and energy on using social software to connect with each other. The overarching research aim of this thesis is to investigate how social software can cultivate children aged 11 – 14 as a community of learners out of school, in order to support their education. Two key issues: informality of out-of-school learning and transitions of learning practices across home and school, are identified as research challenges. Community of Practice is proposed as the theoretical construct to open up and provide useful coverage to respond to these two challenges. In five case studies, various methodologies are utilised to investigate the actual uses that children make of social software as well as to explore the networked dynamics within a community that mediate the fate of technology. First, UK children’s use of a nationwide homework message board in two subjects: Maths and English is investigated. Findings suggest that seeking for help is the prevailing concern expressed by the children, when they confront their private study out of school. A strong emotional tone is evoked in the board, which sustains children’s co-participation as a community. Second, whether and how an online whiteboard can support children’s GCSE Maths exam revision with a teacher during out-of-school hours is explored. Findings shed light on the difficulty in nurturing a community of learners through social software and .the role of a teacher’s online presence out of school. The third study explores how a group of students and a teacher are cultivated as a learning community across classroom (physical) and a social networking site (virtual). Findings suggest that the informality of socio-emotional chat, content production and identity construction helps to identify the non-academic dimension of being a learner within a community. In order to cultivate a learning community, it is suggested that children should be supported to form a community that will function better in the class rather than just being put into continuous tuition hours with extra teacher support out of school. Findings also discover the benefit to access a teacher via multiple communication channels. Furthermore, in an attempt to illuminate the underlying networked dynamics in a social software-supported community, Chinese children using a homework message board is investigated. Findings suggest that the specific emotional tone revealed in the UK message board is related to the UK children’s particular perspectives in learning and knowledge. Finally, interviews with two cultural groups of children: English and Chinese are conducted, in which the children mapped their in-school and out-of-school activities and their personal preferences of technologies. Findings suggest that the fate of a supportive technology must be judged with a firm grasp of the learning culture that it is implemented.

What are the beliefs of expatriate teachers who live and work in a foreign country?. The research identifies and interprets the beliefs of expatriate teachers working within a federally run, English-medium college in the United Arab Emirates providing free vocational education to local Emirati students. The period of the study was from 2009 - 2010. The study aimed to explore and understand their beliefs within the environment that affect expatriate teachers' practice. An interpretative case study approach investigated ten expatriate teachers, (three English teachers and seven subject specialists) selected from a stratified sample employed within a vocational institution. Two semi-structured interviews were conducted, amounting to over 20 hours of recorded discussions. The political, social and cultural context was also documented through a literature review. A vocational community of practice initiative provided the opportunity to collect data for a preliminary study. Discussion from two group sessions and four individual interviews provided three broad themes to frame the research questions: • teaching and learning • their knowledge of Emirati students • their views on the organisation in which they work The key questions explored expatriate teachers' perspectives about Emirati students and the organisational context in which they worked. Expatriate teachers were questioned on their understanding of the Emirati student approach to education, the Emirati student influence on the organisation and the cultural cues which affected their teaching. In addition, the study explored expatriate teachers' perspectives on the organisational context in which they worked, the security of their employment and the issues affecting their morale. The investigation adds to the collective understanding of expatriate teachers' perspectives and beliefs within a UAE Emirati cultural teaching context. The findings indicated that expatriate teacher beliefs are set within a political, social and employment context where the balance of power is with the employer and an employment landscape is governed through short-term employment contracts. Emirati student opinions obtained through regular feedback played an important role in teacher evaluations. The resulting insecure job context provided challenges for engagement, commitment and professional development. Expatriate teachers expressed concern about the impact of student-teacher evaluations, student influence, their job security and the power of their employer. In addition, expatriate teachers commented that student success was supported by a positive teacher/ student working relationship with strong social and cultural connections, thus nurturing a student-centric approach to teaching, which was both vocational and practical. There is a tension between raising standards and driving student achievement and the balance between failure and success, which could ultimately influence the job survival of the teacher within the institution. This research contends that institutions who engage expatriate teachers must acknowledge and mitigate the political, social and cultural context in order to ensure that the goals of achieving student success are realised. Engagement could be in the form of continuous professional development, which incorporates social and cultural training to support contextual effective teaching practice.