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Tracing the economic promise that dominates the development discourse, Drori's (1998) model of "science for development" highlights the putative link between science education at all levels, the expansion of scientific labour force, and subsequently national economic development. Across the global South, this model has been negotiated and internalised through a national focus on science-and recently Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)-education as a means of national development. Using a postcolonial lens and Malaysia as the site, this study aims to explore the idea of development through the prism of rural young people's aspirations in the periphery, in their encounter with STEM education as the state's intermediary for national development. Through a comparative case study design, the aspirations of eight young people (16 year olds) in one secondary school in luar bandar (rural, literally meaning "outside the city") are contrasted against the national discourse emphasising STEM through the centralised education system. I pay careful attention to the translation of the science for development model into STEM education policy and implementation, as well as young people's day-to- day experiences in the luar bandar. Perspectives of young people are contextualised with that of nine teachers in their school, six experts and policy makers, as well as development discourses gleaned through relevant documents. Whilst navigating the STEM pathway and their lives in the luar bandar, young people describe aspirations for development characterised by a desire for infrastructure and technology advancement, a balance of global desires and national distinction, commitment to family as well as affinity and mobility in/out of the local environment. Such aspirations are circumscribed by material conditions shaped by national forces. As a form of exposure to novel experiences, participatory informal STEM education attuned to their local development realities points to the embodied and affective sense of rasa (feel, intuition, sense) that augments their "capacity to aspire" (Appadurai, 2004). In this study's emphasis on the vertical dimension of the comparative case study-placing development as a dialogue between the state and young people in the luar bandar-I provide new empirical material that expands and nuances perspectives on rural young people's aspirations and foreground the interplay of scale and context in comparative studies of rural education. Attentive to Bahasa Melayu (Malay language) as a source of conceptualising and analysing, I also offer methodological and conceptual contributions for education and rural studies. The findings of this study suggest the need to honour young people's aspirations as resources for the epistemic and material project of development, and offers a tangible example of an informal STEM education project rooted in young people's development concerns in a specific place.

This thesis examines the Conservative Party's attitude towards the role of the state between its loss of the 1929 election and the downfall of the National Government in May 1940. The appropriate extent of government intervention was one of the most important political debates in the twentieth century, and is critical to understanding the social and economic policies of a controversial decade. Despite this, how the governing Conservatives viewed the state remains neglected. Historians of 1930s Tory domestic policy have variously argued it was too interventionist, not interventionist enough, or quite reasonable. This thesis answers this question by examining an extensive range of archival and other primary sources. In doing so, it provides the first overview of the National Government's domestic policymaking. The thesis has six chapters. Chapter one outlines the evolution of Conservatism from the advent of the mass electorate up to 1929. Chapter two explores the development of Conservative policy in opposition up until the party's unexpected return to government via the multi-party National Government 1931. This is treated separately to the remaining chapters to better assess the impact being in coalition had on policymaking. For the 1931-40 period, the thesis breaks into four case studies: industrial reorganisation, welfare, housing, and education. These four topics were chosen because they were of great contemporary significance. Additionally, because the Conservatives reacted differently in each policy area, comparing them reveals where Tory ideological boundaries lay. This thesis argues that while most Conservatives were reluctant to turn to the state at first instance, they would at least tolerate state intervention when they believed a key institution was threatened. It further argues that while Conservatism was open to outside influences, whether from coalition partners, ex-Liberals, or civil servants, this was only where those ideas were in accordance with what they understood as Conservative principles.

This thesis explores experiences of education for young men incarcerated in a Scottish prison. This study utilised the research of Erving Goffman (1961) as a starting point for understanding the social world of people in custody. The core objectives of this study are aimed at understanding the personal biography of prisoners, exploring how prisoners interpret and give meaning to learning and education in prison, the role of the institution in providing an environment of learning, and the potential outcomes of prisoners participating in learning and education in custody. This study also examines how and why learning may be impactful to prisoner identity, self-perception, and assesses the importance of formal and informal learning for people in custody. The findings of this study suggest that the prisoner experience is influenced by individual motivation, self-awareness, support systems, and relationships. This research further reflects a strong connection between student identity and positive traits (i.e. resilience, hope, and optimism) as directly correlated with learning in prison and also suggests that the choice to engage in learning while in prison is representative of ongoing change and individual growth. Research related to the prisoner experience is further enhanced by understanding that identity for people in custody may be perceived differently depending on the age and/or gender of the incarcerated person. Identity development may prove to be critical to combating stigma and labelling as a result of incarceration as this research identified that prisoners tend to associate themselves with socially constructed stereotypes as a method of coping.