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This study examines the development (through focus groups) and evaluation on learning outcome (though cluster/regression analysis of online access and related data) of a blended learning instructional design provided for second year undergraduates in a part of their Financial Reporting module at a two UK Universities. The resources, provided via the University's Virtual Learning Environment (Blackboard), include short interactive screencast videos which complement the traditional lecture. Individualisation of learning is a key aspect to the design, which is based upon the Four Component Instructional Design Model, which is in turn grounded in Cognitive Load Theory and Multimedia Learning Principles. The provision offers the student autonomy to learn at their own speed, according to their own prior learning experiences. The instructional design is based upon the completion of task sets, increasing in complexity, with supportive and procedural information videos available to assist students in completing each task. The online provision promotes self-explanation through in-video quizzes and Blackboard tests and frees up lecture time for active learning sessions incorporating flipped learning techniques. A significant challenge of the flipped lecture is the attendance in active learning sessions of unprepared students, who have not watched videos or completed pre-lecture activities. Cluster analysis of patterns in student behaviour indicative of adopted learning strategies, identifies consistent link across two cohorts between timely engagement with the learning material and performance in the final exam, adjusting for prior knowledge. Advice on the design of online videos is presented, based on the literature and feedback from focus groups of students on the course, and suggestions provided to reduce the risk of unprepared students attending active (flipped) learning sessions. A case is made for adopting peer instruction. A scoping of the accounting education literature suggests this study to be the first instructional design within accounting education based upon the Four Component Instructional Design (4C/ID) model. This follows the call from Mostyn (2012) for application of Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) to "strengthen accounting research designs by utilizing applicable CLT research results" (p 243).

Globalization and technological advancements have questioned the traditional roles of teachers and have led to a rise in recommendations on the skills that teachers are required to have to meet the demands of the knowledge society. A common occurrence in developing countries is to import and attempt to implement the programs and policies that have been established in developed countries without taking into consideration contextual differences that exist between them. This has led to implementation gaps and several policies and programs being unsuccessfully implemented in developing countries. As Hawe, Shiell, Riley and Gold (2004) observe, 'it is prudent to explore more naturalistically how the intervention might vary according to the different community contexts into which it is placed. This would allow one to delve deeper into the intervention and explore naturally occurring events and influences in the setting or environment of the intervention that might act to contribute to or impede intervention success' (p. 789). Thus, the rationale for this research is in exploring how Low-Cost Private Schools (LCPS) in Nigeria influence the implementation of a cross national intervention (Classroom Based Inquiry). This study has a threefold interest of exploring teachers' perceptions of Classroom Based Inquiry as a Professional Development structure, identifying the contextual factors in Low-Cost Private Schools that influence the implementation of Classroom Based Inquiry and highlighting the realworld implications for researchers interested in conducting similar research in challenging contexts. The sample includes 8 teachers from 2 Low-Cost Private Schools in Southwest Nigeria and adopts a qualitative case study approach using data collected from three sources: individual interviews and focus group discussions with participating teachers, and the researcher's reflective journal; analyzed through thematic and theoretical analysis. The study utilizes the Multi-Level Model of Implementation Quality framework (Domitrovich et.al, 2008) which identifies three layers of factors -the individual or teacher level factors, the school level factors, and the macro level or external contextual factors- that influence the implementation of school-based interventions. The findings of this study indicate that principal leadership and school characteristics played pivotal roles in teachers' implementation quality, and suggests that uncovering issues of power, conflict, resistance, and negotiations is essential in developing a deeper understanding of how context influences the implementation of Classroom Based Inquiry. Despite participating teachers' perceptions that Classroom Based Inquiry was an effective structure for their professional development, the findings suggest that certain preconditions must be present for teachers in Low-Cost Private Schools to implement Classroom Based Inquiry. Implementation would not be satisfactory if these preconditions are not addressed. This study makes significant contributions theoretically, methodologically, and practically. The study proposes that the integration of cultural norms and micropolitics into the Multi-Level Model of Implementation Quality Framework (Domitrovich et.al, 2008) would make it better suited for use in the Nigerian context and similar contexts. It also discusses the implications for stakeholders as well as recommendations and suggestions for future research. The study argues that unless the contextual factors that hinder teachers' implementation of educational innovations are adequately addressed, successful implementation of Classroom Based Inquiry, or any similar cross-national program would remain a mirage.

Given the spread of the implementation of Online Communities of Practice (OCoP) as a new approach to organisational learning in the context of continuing professional development (CPD) programmes in some countries such as the UK, USA and Australia, this study conducts a trial in which the OCoP is introduced for this purpose in Saudi Arabia. The aim of the study is to establish the potential of the OCoP to function as an approach to CPD, and how such a mechanism can be adopted in the Saudi context to have an impact upon teachers’ professional performance and development. I designed the OCoP and the sample was composed of 14 male teachers of ICT in secondary schools located in five different cities in Saudi Arabia. The teachers interacted with each other in the OCoP, discussing eight subjects that they chose for themselves. In order to explore the operation and outcomes of the OCoP, I used qualitative methods, in particular semi-structured interviews, classroom observation of a sample of teachers, and observation and monitoring of teachers’ interaction within the OCoP over a three-month period. The overall findings show the positive impact of adopting an OCoP in CPD programmes. They reveal that some teachers change their practice and improve their levels of reflection. Additionally, the findings show significant differences between the levels of contribution made by teachers in the OCoP compared with their participation and engagement in other general online communities and in training courses attended in the country’s Training Centres. Furthermore, the study points to the importance of commitment and internal motivation among teachers in the context of the OCoP since without this, the overall aims of the Community cannot be achieved. The study also raises critical issues concerning the psychological aspects of teachers’ professional development, specifically the need to allow teachers more autonomy in determining their professional needs, and the requirement for trust to be built among teachers since the presence of such autonomy and trust promotes greater engagement in the CPD process. As a result of the trial OCoP, several avenues for further research are suggested in order to gain a deeper understanding of the potential of OCoPs in the educational field.

At the present time there is common agreement among academics and practitioners that the notion of inclusion means more than simply access to education. The mere placement of children in mainstream educational environments does not suffice to foster participation and equal opportunities for success. In Greece, this is particularly the case for children with challenging behaviour, the majority of whom are educated in mainstream classrooms. Personal experience shows that students and experienced kindergarten teachers feel ill prepared to manage these children. This, in most cases, results in the children being isolated from the pedagogical process. This form of internal segregation, in addition to the fact that the teacher’s role, and consequently teacher education, is key in promoting inclusive practices, provides the overall rationale of this study. Initial teacher education is a context in which changes in professional values, knowledge and beliefs can and do occur. Within this frame, the present study examined the initial kindergarten teacher education provided to kindergarten teachers with an aim to shed further light into how they can be better prepared to accommodate the needs of their hard-to-manage pupils within mainstream settings. Using an activity theory perspective, the study was designed in such a way so as to allow student teachers to be followed in their transition between university and school through their school placement. This allowed for a coupling of the university and school contexts and thus provided a means of analysing contrasting practices in order to find possible misalignments and contradictions between these two contexts. The aim was to learn more about how these two systems can be better aligned with implications for improving the initial kindergarten teacher education curricula and pedagogy. A qualitative multiple case study design was employed in order to explore student teachers’ experiences of their teaching practice. The participants in the study were drawn mainly from student teachers on a four-year teacher education programme at one of the universities in Greece. Beginning teachers were also observed and asked to reflect retrospectively on their transition from university learning to actual teaching at school. Inadequate preparation, lack of relevant modules and the gap between theory and practice were a few of the constraints that were pointed by this study. However the interest focused on the way these elements were located in concrete contextual conditions. The constraints students and beginning teachers face in developing inclusive practices for their challenging pupils are located at the level of the contrasting practices and discourses of the school practicum. Within these constraints students and beginning teachers adopt particular student teacher/teacher identities with ramifications on the children who have challenging behaviour.

The study is designed to capture teacher knowledge, beliefs and attitudes towards the teaching and learning of children with dyslexia/ learning difficulties within the Greek context. It provides insights into understanding about teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion, which can shape professional identity. The umbrella research question is: how can teachers’ experiences of, and beliefs and attitudes about, children with learning difficulties/dyslexia influence teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion, in the context of Greek mainstream primary school? The meaning of dyslexia is viewed from the point of view of mainstream and special primary school teachers’, which is in turn informed by the Greek government’s revised definitions. In practice in Greece ‘dyslexia’ is used as an umbrella term for learning difficulties. Despite the seeming contradiction, it is not uncommon for children with mild learning difficulties to be categorised as having dyslexia. The focus of this thesis is then on the teachers’ beliefs about teaching children with some kind of learning difficulty, who they would consider as dyslexic. Recent education policies encourage a search for pedagogical methods and teaching techniques, to respond to the diversity of the needs within mainstream classrooms. However, although the Greek government has introduced inclusion, many teachers believe that they do not have the skills or resources to manage the situation. Multiple case study methodology is used and the unit of analysis is the individual teacher. This allows engagement with teachers’ beliefs about inclusion of children with dyslexia within the Greek context. Analysis was within the set of data connected with the individual teacher in order to show the existence of their beliefs and later themes were identified across the cases. The sample consists of 20 Greek primary teachers: 17 mainstream teachers and 3 special school teachers. It is purposive, not representing the wider population, for it is deliberately selected to capture a diversity of beliefs informed by known factors, according to international literature (age, teaching experience, severity of case etc). This provides evidence for the existence of identified beliefs rather than the inference of the prevalence of certain beliefs amongst the population. A number of research instruments have been used: interviews with concept maps, observations, narratives and review of documentation. Progressive focusing on the research question during initial analysis led to the identification of two of these cases for more in-depth study, including sustained classroom observation. These are referred to as the “in-depth cases”.Thematic analysis reveals themes of beliefs and attitudes, encoding problems that participants are trying to resolve or to make sense of, and how certain beliefs about the inclusion of children with learning difficulties are mediated by deeply rooted cultural models of disability, compassion and learning. The diversity is illustrated amongst participants with a small number of examples. The study situates the individual accounts in the wider socio-cultural and political context. Prevalent teacher attitudes combine high performance- as historically established in Greece-transmission teaching and disability as limiting, a lack in some way. On the other hand, alternative inclusive practices come mainly from teachers who had received specific related professional development, which included opportunity for critical reflection on their teaching practices. These cases demonstrate the diversity of certain beliefs that influence attitudes, and give a pointer to how one might tackle change.