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1
Michaelides, Anthony. "Vocational cooperative education in Cyprus, 1960-1986." Thesis, Durham University, 1987. http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/6691/.
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Christodoulou, Eleni. "The politics of peace education in Cyprus." Thesis, University of Birmingham, 2015. http://etheses.bham.ac.uk//id/eprint/6030/.
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The focus of this thesis is \(resistance\) \(to\) \(peace\) \(education\) in the conflict-ridden island of Cyprus. Departing from the premise that education, and in particular antagonistic historical narratives immersed in demonised articulations of the Other, have obstructed the transformation of the conflict, I attempt to uncover what is crippling constructive dialogue and critical thinking when it comes to peace education in the Greek-Cypriot community and bring forward ways to improve this. In particular, I analyse negative hegemonic discourses over potential changes to history textbooks that not only distort the objectives of peace education, but also exacerbate existing fears and insecurities. These nationalist discourses present changes associated with peace education as a betrayal and threat to the nationalist struggle, a process I argue constitutes the \(securitization\) of peace education. Through the ‘politics of peace education’ framework, I show how within a particular community, institutions and discourses both constitute and are constitutive of, asymmetric power relationships that act as impediments to peace education. I expose and interrogate the conditions of possibility that ensure resistance to peace education is not only reproduced, but is also successful through the exercise of asymmetrical power relations.
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Eliophotou, Menon Maria Panayiotou. "Factors influencing the demand for higher education in Cyprus." Thesis, University of London, 1995. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.309081.
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Konstantinou, Chrysovalentini. "Introducing technology in Cypriot primary music education : examining change in teacher thinking and practice." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2014. https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.708379.
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Constantinides, Adonis C. "Provision of education in the middle school years in Cyprus." Thesis, Durham University, 1994. http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/5851/.
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The aim of this study is to examine the type of education offered during the middle school years in Cyprus. At first an attempt is made to define middle school years and relate this concept to the educational system of Cyprus and other countries. The History of Education in Cyprus is briefly surveyed to set the background against which the Gymnasium, a distinct educational unit catering for the middle school years, has evolved and reached its present form. The aims, objectives, structure and content of the Gymnasium are examined in detail. Qualitative and quantitative measures are employed to investigate the role of the Gymnasium within the educational system and the degree to which this role is successfully accomplished. The results reveal that on the whole, content and time span of the Gymnasium are satisfactory. There is, however, a strong feeling that there is scope for improvement in the content of the curriculum in order to make it more effective. On the basis of the findings of the present survey a model of a new educational unit is presented which intends to bridge the gap between the primary and secondary education at its lower end and pave the way to the smooth transition from the free compulsory to the upper secondary level of education. The programme of the new unit is hoped to serve more effectively the primary aim of the concept of the democratisation of education, namely the provision of equal educational opportunities to all according to individualised goals, needs, abilities and talents. Finally certain recent developments in the educational system of Cyprus and their implications for the future of the Gymnasium are discussed. A proposal for the reorganisation of secondary education is developed and its merits are presented.
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Demetriades, Frixos C. "A study of teacher education, training and development in Cyprus." Thesis, Durham University, 1985. http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/7244/.
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This is a historical and empirical study of the system of education and professional development of Greek Cypriot teachers. It is divided into three parts. Part One surveys the historical evolution of the system from 1830 to 1960, a period which was marked by the establishment of Normal Schools, their replacement with Teachers' Training Colleges, and the change of the professional status of primary school teachers from community to Government employees. Part Two analyses the process of consolidation and reform of the system during the last 25 years (1960-1985), and examines the work and the problems of the Paedagogical Academy and of the Paedagogical Institute, and the increasing professionalsation of the teachers. Part Three is an empirical survey and statistical analysis of the views of nearly 4,000 teachers, student teachers, aspirants, teacher educators, representatives of the teachers' unions, and officials of the Ministry of Education on major current issues that confront the system. The main recommendations, which are put forward, analysed and costed in the thesis, are the following: (a) Prospective secondary school teachers should be selected according to the quality of their academic qualifications, and irrespective of seniority as defined by their date of graduation from university, and be trained professionally at the Paedagogical Institute for one year before appointment, (b) The training course at the Paedagogical Academy should be extended from three to four years, and serving primary and pre-primary school teachers should complete successfully a supplementary course in their free time, before being placed on the same pay scales envisaged for their new and better qualified colleagues, (c) The Institute and the Academy should be staffed with tenured lecturers, who should also be charged with the task of advising new teachers in their schools during their probationary period, (d) The system of compulsory and voluntary in-service training courses at the Institute should be extended, consolidated and carefully validated, and in-service training credits should be recognised for promotion purposes in a quantifiable way, stated explicitly in the respective regulations.
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Avtzaki, Nickolaou Maria. "Education and ethnic conflict resolution : bicommunal academic links in Cyprus." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 2012. http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/12913/.
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Many contributors to the interdisciplinary field of conflict resolution have emphasised the impact of socio-psychological and psycho-cultural influences in maintaining and perpetuating ethnic conflicts. The review of the literature concerning Cyprus reveals that such factors have been active in the 37 years of ethnic separation between the Greek-Cypriot and the Turkish-Cypriot communities. Although strategies are available to bridge communities and offer prospects for a reconciliation and peace centre on facilitating interaction, contact and dialogue between communities at all levels, it is surprising how little has taken place between the two academic communities on the island. This is in contrast to the picture found in similar conflict cases, such as the ones in Northern Ireland and Israel-Palestine. Despite some notable efforts and collaborations currently in place, the numbers involved constitute a very small fraction of the two academic bodies. The research has aimed at establishing the role of higher education in divided societies, not only by examining theoretically and philosophically its importance as a part of a reconciliation process but also by depicting the opinion of academics from both parts of Cyprus. The research has shown that although they are optimistic about future links, they nevertheless identified major implications stemming out of the issues of ‘recognition’, nationalism, social pressure, the impact of media and the characteristics of the academic cultures in each respective community. These explain the contrast between much good-will and little real action. The analysis of findings includes a discussion of possible strategies to establish an open dialogue between the two academic communities and to facilitate collaborations.
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Teklos, Panayiotis. "An investigation into pupils' attitudes towards secondary music education in Cyprus." Thesis, University of Hull, 2011. http://hydra.hull.ac.uk/resources/hull:5821.
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The focus of this study was on the identification of pupils’ attitudes towards music education in secondary schools of Cyprus. There is a growing body of literature about the Cypriot music education scene, although the majority of studies to date have concentrated on primary school settings with less attention given to the secondary sector; thus, the purpose of this study was to address the current gap in the Cypriot music education literature as well as to contribute more generally towards research in the field of music education. A theoretical model was constructed in the light of previous literature in the field and in response to Bronfenbrenner’s influential ecological theory about child development. The model highlighted the influence of personal, social and educational aspects on the formation of pupils’ attitudes and was used in the creation of the research instrument as part of the empirical enquiry within this thesis. A Pancyprian questionnaire was carried out with a sample of 2996 pupils aged between 12 and 18 years of age representing all of the districts of Cyprus in both Gymnasium and Lyceum schools. The questionnaire focussed on gathering pupils’ perceptions about secondary music education and the subject of Music in school. Different personal and demographic factors were cross-examined in the data, including the effects of gender, district, experience, school type and school grade. Overall, pupils’ attitudes were largely negative, since almost half of the participants provided unenthusiastic and unfavourable responses towards school Music (45.9%), while there was more positive feedback about private music tuition in Cyprus (69.3%). Pupils’ attitudes were based on personal beliefs and views about the subject as well as levels of interest and knowledge gained from music lessons. The study showed that significant relationships exist among five key variables in the creation of pupils’ attitudes, so female pupils, experienced pupils, Gymnasium pupils (especially those within Grade A) and pupils from the Larnaca district were more positive towards the subject of Music, in comparison with others.
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Charalambidou, Christiana. "Over-education, on-the-job search and job polarisation in Cyprus." Thesis, University of Sheffield, 2018. http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/22685/.
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The present thesis is an empirical investigation into three labour market phenomena, namely over-education, on-the-job search and job polarisation in Cyprus. Chapter 2 uses longitudinal panel data from the EU-SILC for the period 2005-2011 and employs a multitude of both static as well as dynamic probit models to examine the micro and macro determinants, persistence and dynamics of over-education. The main novelty in terms of the determinants of over-education is the inclusion of macro level independent variables to control for both aggregate supply and aggregate demand labour market conditions. These are found to be strongly significant and to have the expected sign. This chapter also disentangles the effect of past over-education experience on the likelihood of current over-education using a Wooldridge (2005) dynamic probit model with Mundlak (1978) corrections. Results demonstrate that over-education is not only a long-run phenomenon for many workers but also that current over-education is largely due to past circumstances of the individual with this state dependence present in all career stages. Chapter 3 uses pooled cross sectional data from the EU-LFS for the period 2000-2015 to examine the determinants of on-the-job search and to shed light on its relationship with over-education. An econometric complication arises due to the possibility that unobserved heterogeneity could be driving both over-education and on-the job search. In order to overcome this potential endogeneity issue, an Instrumental Variables (IV) approach is implemented, using one of the macro level determinants found to significantly affect the likelihood of over-education in Chapter 2, as an IV for over-education. Results show that there is a strong positive relationship between over-education and on-the-job search both in the Probit and Ordinary Least Squares as well as in the IV regressions. This analysis is also replicated for the UK and Germany with results pointing to the fact that Cyprus behaves more like the more flexible UK labour market rather than the stricter German labour market. Chapter 4 looks into the phenomenon of job polarisation using EU-LFS data for the period 1999-2014. Jobs are defined as specific occupations within sectors, a methodology called the jobs approach, and are ranked both according to their modal education level as well as by their average wage. The net employment changes are then plotted over time to observe trends in job change. Results demonstrate that job polarisation has taken place in Cyprus but only when jobs are ranked according to wages. Following this finding, the raw proportions in each job level by age and year, as well as broken down by education are presented so as to observe how the workforce has changed its shares across the various job groups over time. Lastly, in order to examine job mobility of workers displaced from mid-level jobs as a result of routinisation, pseudo cohorts based on age and education are constructed and followed over four distinct periods of time. IV regressions at the cohort level are then ran with results providing evidence of job mobility from mid-level towards low-level and to a lesser extent towards high-level jobs while no evidence of movements out of the labour market is found.
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Gavrielidou, Eleni. "A micro-political analysis of education policy processes in Cyprus : the case of special education." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 2011. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/10019970/.
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Sotiroula, Stavrou. "Learning through translanguaging in an educational setting in Cyprus." Thesis, University of Birmingham, 2015. http://etheses.bham.ac.uk//id/eprint/6358/.
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This study is a classroom linguistic ethnography with a Year 4 class of 18 students, aged 9 years, in a village primary school in bidialectal South Eastern Cyprus. The research methods include a year of participant observation, in-depth interviews and fieldnotes. The study applies Hornberger’s (1989) theoretical framework of the biliteracy continuum for a critical perspective on the way this Greek Cypriot community reflects hierarchical views of Cypriot Dialect, (CD) and Standard Modern Greek, (SMG) in academic contexts which involve both linguistic varieties. The study analyses translanguaging and literacy practices in classroom talk to focus on students’ collective efforts when negotiating meanings of texts, helping them to jointly construct knowledge (Garcia, 2009; Creese & Blackledge, 2010). The analysis shows that, regardless of negative views of CD, children and teacher use CD as a learning resource. The students draw on all their available linguistic resources to understand and construct knowledge through types of talk, such as exploratory talk (Mercer, 2000; 2004) enacted through translanguaging practices. Evidence showed that learning through translanguaging can be both cognitive, such as understanding the pedagogic task, as well as social and cultural, based on and embedded in, the way students shared their ideas and reasoned together.
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Kyriakou, Kyriakos A. "The skills required for a Cypriot as a European citizen : the role of education." Thesis, University of Bath, 2012. https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.571867.
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Angelidou, Kakia. "Successful headship leadership in primary schools in Cyprus." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 2010. http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/13044/.
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This research explored the nature and conduct of successful leadership in the context of Cyprus; how policy and school contexts and heads' experience influence headship leadership. The empirical findings of this study draw upon ethnographic methods rooted within the naturalistic paradigm in order to illuminate the complex and dynamic nature of headship leadership in a specific country context. A group often successful heads in urban primary schools of Cyprus was selected. Data was collected through observations, a review of a number of schools' documents and semi-structured interviews carried out with each of the successful heads and with people that had everyday conduct with them. The overall findings provided empirical evidence of the complexity of successful head teachers day-to-day practices and pointed to the positive and negative in themes of 'policy contexts', 'the values of society' and 'school and experience contexts'. These results support earlier evidence on successful leadership but also extend this. The evidence from this research has important implications for head teachers' learning and development and the role of the government in raising standards of schooling in Cyprus.
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Kyriacou-Savva, Elena. "Women in primary education principalship in Cyprus : experiences from past to present." Thesis, University of Leicester, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/27829.
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The aim of this thesis is to cast light on the neglected ‘walking phenomenon’ (Morton, 2002) of women’s uneven participation in Cyprus primary school management and to investigate the reasons causing it. More specifically, the research offers insights into women’s experiences of progressing to and experiencing primary school principalship in Cyprus from 1961 to 2010; examines whether and to what extent these experiences have changed over the last five decades; and maps the reasons women leaders provide for their disproportionate representation in principalship over this period. Underpinned by the principle of ‘fitness for purpose’ (Cohen et al., 2007), the interpretive paradigm, a qualitative approach (narrative inquiry), snowball sampling, semi-structured in-depth narrative interviewing of 23 retired and in-service women principals as well as thematic analysis are adopted. With regard to women’s experiences of progressing to principalship, the findings suggest that women educators in primary education between 1961 and 2010 had generally been non-leadership oriented; had followed fairly unplanned occupational trajectories; and thus had needed external encouragement to enhance their confidence and set themselves on the pathway to principalship. Participants had been fairly unaware of discriminatory dynamics during the interview for promotion. In terms of women’s experiences of principalship, the outcomes indicate that, despite a growing positive ethos, stereotypical preconceptions identified in the school, community and family contexts regarding women in leadership posts – particularly of younger age – persist. The comparison of women’s experiences of progressing to and experiencing primary school principalship in Cyprus between 1961 and 2010 reveals comparable conducive and/or impeding impacts on women’s advancement as well as on their leadership role as such, throughout the period under consideration. A range of reasons for women’s disproportionate representation in primary school principalship are proposed by narrators that fall in three intersected levels coined in this thesis: a) the Macro level: Socio-cultural barriers, b) the Meso level: Institutional barriers and c) the Micro level: Personal/Psychological barriers. Some implications for theory, policy and practice are provided and recommendations for future research are proposed.
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Karamanidou, Maria. "Women principals in Cyprus primary schools : barriers to accession." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 2017. http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/42894/.
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This thesis focuses on the barriers that women principals face in Cypriot primary schools. This research had six aims including the overarching aim. The overarching aim of this research is to examine the career progress of female principals in Cyprus primary schools and to address the apparent under-representation of women in leadership positions. The research also aimed to establish the barriers that female leaders face in order to be promoted as principals, and how they can be overcome. Another aim was to establish how gender issues play a part in creating barriers to promotion as a school principal and how these may subsequently affect them in leading the school. A third consideration was to comprehend what barriers women may have faced in their childhood years and to establish whether, and to what extent, female leaders face internal and external barriers in Cyprus schools. The research also sought to identify the support or enablers that may facilitate women’s career progression. The enquiry was conducted using mixed method approaches, including both surveys and interviews. These quantitative and qualitative methods were combined to facilitate methodological triangulation. The data were collected sequentially, with the surveys preceding the interviews. This sequence was planned to obtain generalisable data first and to secure self-selected participants for the interviews. The quantitative data were collected through a whole population questionnaire survey administered to all women principals (C.187) in Cyprus primary schools, using Survey Monkey. Qualitative data were collected, from all twenty women principals who agreed to be interviewed. The findings show that societal culture and discrimination, the influence of the patriarchal family, family and domestic responsibilities, the intersection between women’s age, sex and the location of schools and professional development, were powerful influences on the career trajectory of these women primary school principals. These themes recur in several places, showing the pervasive nature of these influences on women principals in Cyprus. The thesis reports these findings and connects them to other literature on women principals. The present work is informed by contemporary feminist and gender theories.
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Gerosimou, Elina. "Understanding primary school teachers' professional development needs for fostering inclusion in Cyprus." Thesis, University of Hull, 2011. http://hydra.hull.ac.uk/resources/hull:5753.
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The aim of this study was to develop an understanding about primary school teachers' professional development needs, for fostering inclusion in Cyprus. The study focused on teachers' experiences and the meanings that they hold about them. In particular, an exploration of teachers' views about inclusion was made, along with an investigation of the factors that enable or prevent them from promoting inclusion. Also, teachers' views about their professional development needs and their responses towards available professional development opportunities were explored. The research involved a collective type of case study in two primary schools of Cyprus, over a period of six months. The first school shared similar characteristics with other primary schools of Cyprus and was the main school of the study. The second school was part of a new government initiative and was used as complementary, in order to enhance the understandings gained from the main school. All of the methods that were used in this study had a qualitative nature: participant observations, critical incidents, informal conversational interviews, semi-structured interviews and document collection. Through the process of analysing and interpreting the data, the overall understanding gained was that teachers' professional development needs are related to three areas of need. These areas relate to the dominant value systems, pedagogy, and the unique contexts. It is argued that they are influencing one another and are interacting with each other. Thus, by addressing these areas of need, in a number of ways suggested by the findings of this study, this is likely to enable teachers in Cyprus to foster inclusion.
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Chrisostomou, Charalambos Loizou. "An investigation of the information technology provision in initial teacher education in Cyprus." Thesis, University of Birmingham, 2000. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.369376.
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Liasidou, Anastasia. "A sociological and historical analysis of special education policymaking : the case of Cyprus." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 2006. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/10006698/.
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Theodosiou, Zipiti Galatia. "Ethnic minority students in secondary education in Cyprus : their attainment and risk profile." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2014. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/ethnic-minority-students-in-secondary-education-in-cyprus--their-attainment-and-risk-profile(6c511113-bf68-4965-b0fb-66333b8cc655).html.
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The attainment of ethnic minority students in their host countries has been occupying a significant part of the international literature for many years. However, results suggest that no generalisations can be made on whether an ethnic minority group underachieves in a particular country and the reasons behind their attainment levels, unless that specific group has been investigated in the country in question. Cyprus joined the EU in 2004 and since then the demographic composition in the island changed dramatically; a change reflected in schools. The literature on ethnic minority group attainment in secondary schools in Cyprus is virtually non-existent and, as such, in this PhD programme the aim was to examine the attainment of ethnic minorities compared to native students and the reasons behind the observed patterns. In order to answer the research questions a series of studies were carried out. Initially, two quantitative studies were conducted. These studies used trimester grades as a proxy of attainment and Rasch analysis to turn these ordinal student grades into a linear scale. Descriptive statistics and multiple regression analyses were then run to check for trends and significant associations. Two qualitative studies then followed. Firstly, a focus group study was conducted utilising the help of six young female teachers, all teaching classics to create a homogeneous group. Then followed an interview study utilising semi-structured interviews on sixteen teachers. For both studies a thematic analysis was undertaken on the transcribed discussions. Another quantitative study then followed which employed an enhanced methodology to the first two studies and richer data. The final study was a mixed methods study and concentrated on school absences. Results demonstrate the reality in lower secondary schools in Cyprus for the first time. The minority group Georgians, the first time that this group is met in the literature, and a combination of other smaller groups put together in a group called ‘Others’, are shown to achieve significantly lower than natives. Ethnic background, gender, generation status, absences, the socio-economic status of the family and the character of the local educational system were shown to be related to student attainment. The widely held belief that ethnic minority students do even worse in those subjects that are more language-dependent is disproven; rather it is the content of the subject that is felt to be more influential on attainment. Also, the recently emerging consensus that unexcused absences are more strongly associated with attainment than excused absences is not upheld in this study; a more detailed classification of unexcused absences might be responsible for this. Finally, it is interesting to note the differential influence of different absence variables on different school subjects. Findings highlight the need for change and improvement in the educational practice in Cyprus and add to both the local and international literature. The specific factors identified can form the basis on which to base suggestions for improvements and further research.
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Stavrides, Michael G. "The interaction of audience-listening and composing : a study in Cyprus schools." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 1995. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/10006589/.
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Ioannou, Nicoletta. "Professional development and professionalization of adult education in Cyprus : views and perceptions of adult educators." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 2018. http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/51517/.
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Adult educators have been identified in the academic and policy literature as crucial to the success of national and regional strategies to deliver quality teaching to adult learners who require new knowledge and skills to meet changing social and economic needs. However, the majority of adult educators are part time practitioners who frequently lack any formal training or specialized expertise for teaching adults (Andersson, Köpsén, Larson and Milana, 2012; Jarvis, 2004). Across the world, limited attention is given to their professional development, leaving the majority of them to assume this responsibility by themselves. This is the case in Cyprus. The Cypriot adult education sector is characterised by part-time practitioners with low pay, limited professional development opportunities and uncertain career prospects. The professionalization of the sector and the development of adult education as a recognised profession has not been a priority. This study used a mixed-methods approach rooted within the pragmatic paradigm. This allowed a range of opinions to be heard, analysed and interpreted, and for some conclusions to be drawn regarding the ‘essential features’ of professional development and how these can contribute to the professionalization of the adult education sector in Cyprus. Questionnaires and group interviews were used to understand the perceptions of adult educators regarding their professional development and to identify emerging issues relevant to their professional identity and to the professionalization of the adult education field in Cyprus. Policy-makers and academics were also interviewed. The findings demonstrate the high levels of motivation that adult educators have to participate in professional development both to improve their teaching competences and to meet the needs of their learners. They reveal the personal fulfilment that adult educators gain from their work, despite their low professional status and uncertain prospects. The research shows that adult educators seek professional development focused upon classroom-based and didactical skills that can make them better teachers of adults. The establishment of a supportive environment, identification of adult learners’ needs, acknowledgment of adult educators’ prior experience, placing the learner at the centre of the teaching process, reflective practice and experiential learning, are seen as important components of professional development. The research findings have important implications for policy and practice in Cyprus. They inform recommendations for systematizing the adult education sector, defining its philosophical framework and priorities, and establishing a responsible body to monitor the professional development of adult educators and the sector in general. There are implications for practice; that the developmental needs of adult educators can be met through systematic professional development provision and that this should draw upon key stakeholders (adult educators, academic organizations and professional development providers) for its design. Finally, the research contributes to professional practice and academic discipline by providing a better understanding of adult educators working in this sector, the challenges they face, how they define their professional identity and their perceptions on how to improve their professional future. By offering insights into professional development and professionalization from the perspective of adult educators, it is hoped that the research can contribute towards positive change for adult education in Cyprus, to the advantage of educators and learners, and thereby to the advantage of Cypriot society in general.
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Efthymiou, Antri (Andriana). "Teaching critical thinking in primary schools in Cyprus : a collective case study." Thesis, University of Warwick, 2015. http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/97567/.
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This case study explores the effects of participatory drama on groups of upper primary school students in Cyprus with the intention of enhancing their critical thinking. For the purposes of this research, a series of twenty-four drama workshops based on several drama contexts and stories were designed and carried out in three primary school classes, considered to be the three units of analysis of a collective case study. The research was also informed by elements of ethnography and reflective practice and explored the students’ voices, choices, actions and general responses to the drama contexts and issues they were presented with. At the same time, this project looks at the students’ and their teachers’ considerations and reflections on the learning experiences and explores the students’ stances and group decisions and how they related these to their real-life experiences and actions. The discussion of the findings focuses on what the research tells us about how drama might be considered important for children’s critical thinking. The constraints which hindered this research are also presented while questions related to the potential of drama to achieve similar goals are proposed for further exploration.
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Hadjimatheou, Anastasia. "The effectiveness of physical education continuing professional development for primary school teachers in Cyprus." Thesis, University of Birmingham, 2017. http://etheses.bham.ac.uk//id/eprint/8021/.
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The aim of this study was to explore Cypriot primary school teachers' views on and experiences of effective and ineffective Physical Education Continuing Professional Development (PE-CPD) provision. Extensive qualitative data were collected to ensure a deep understanding of the issues from the perspectives of Cypriot teachers. Methods used were an open-ended survey distributed to all public primary schools, and interviews and focus groups with teachers and CPD providers. The survey was sent to all primary school teachers responsible for PE in Cyprus. In addition, fifteen teachers were identified as individual case studies, key CPD providers were interviewed, and a focus group comprising three CPD providers and three case study teachers was conducted to generate shared dialogue. The data indicate that from the perspective of these teachers in Cyprus, there is a widespread failure of PE-CPD to meet their learning needs. Yet, in contrast to much of the negative data that reinforces the international CPD literature, strong evidence of the powerful and positive impact of one approach to PE-CPD emerged. These data reveal interesting insights into the importance the teachers attached to passion, a focus on co-learning, and their views of themselves and their identities as teachers and learners.
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Kambouri, Maria. "Early-years teaching of science in Cyprus : appreciation of young children's preconceptions." Thesis, University of Warwick, 2011. http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/49669/.
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The goal of this study is to investigate the area of young children’s preconceptions in science. The research focuses on teachers working in public and private kindergartens, and children attending these kindergartens, aged from three to five and a half years old. The area of the children’s preconceptions, has been extensively investigated by other researchers in the past but research focusing on early-years teachers and children’s preconceptions is still almost untouched, especially when talking about Cyprus. Inspired mostly by other countries’ literature and the importance of foreign research results, this study aims at identifying the Cypriot teachers’ appreciation of the children’s preconceptions by discovering whether teachers identify and take into account the children’s preconceptions when planning and teaching a Natural Sciences lesson. It also aims at giving suggestions and implications on how teachers can respond to the preconceptions that children might have. To do this, a case study has been applied to facilitate the utilization of a number of different methods, like questionnaires, interviews, focus groups, observations and a minor document analysis. The results indicate that teachers tend to avoid identifying the children’s preconceptions when teaching Natural Sciences. This indicates that there is lack of appreciation of the children’s preconceptions and their consequences when not acknowledged. It also indicates that teachers in Cyprus are not aware of the constructivist theory and its importance in children’s learning. As a result, teachers in Cyprus need to be better trained and informed in regard to the children’s preconceptions and to Natural Sciences in general. To help teachers respond to the children’s preconceptions, the study develops a list of children’s common preconceptions and a number of different ideas and suggestions for proper methods which can be used to help teachers identify the children’s preconceptions and guide children to overcoming them.
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Therapontos, Nasia. "Evolving music education in the digital age : sound-based music in public schools of Cyprus." Thesis, De Montfort University, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/2086/11609.
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Years now, sound-based music has been struggling to reach a wider public. Research supports that in order to promote sound-based music, it should be introduced at an early age in someone’s life to have the opportunity to familiarise himself/herself with it and accept it (Kopiez and Lehmann, 2008). This thesis investigates the implementation of sound-based music in public schools in Cyprus. Building on previous research aiming to introduce sound-based music ideas and concepts into the music classrooms (Savage, 2005; Higgins and Jennings, 2006; Wolf, 2008; Holland, 2011), this research aims at creating a sound-based music curriculum that will be appropriate for the implementation in such a teaching-learning environment in Cyprus. The research focuses on the Educational Reform Programme of Cyprus (2008-2015), which aims at modernising the Cypriot education system. This project offers the opportunity to investigate a set of sound-based music lesson plans, implemented in music classrooms. The research examines the reactions of teachers and students towards these lessons, and the evaluation of the lesson plans in order to be suitable for primary and secondary schools of Cyprus. It is an interdisciplinary project, allowing for educational as well as musical concepts to inform its content and structure. The research follows a grounded theory methodology, utilising a mixed-methods approach involving multi-site case studies and action research. In total of six schools, with six teachers and 117 students, eight different sound-based music lesson plans were created, implemented and evaluated, in a total of 18 lesson periods. During these lessons, a combination of questionnaires, interviews, observations, visual data and tests have facilitated the collection of both qualitative and quantitative information relating to the teachers, the students and the lesson plans. Findings of this research identify that the specific set of lesson plans implemented in the schools is considered as appropriate to be used in the music classrooms of Cyprus. The sound-based music lessons introduced new ways of using ICT in the music classroom, supporting the national initiatives of the Ministry of Education and Culture of Cyprus. It was also identified that these lessons offer an inclusive education, with creative activities, engaging students with the learning experience. However, the outcomes of the research recognised the need to understand the multidimensional change necessary to take place before such an implementation, such as the need to resolve any teachers’ concerns relating to the implementation of innovative material as well as any issues related to the equipment.
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Kazamia-Paschalidou, Androulla. "Development in primary and pre-primary education and curriculum in Cyprus since independence (1959-2003)." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 2004. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/10019814/.
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Kadji-Beltran, Chrysanthi. "Evaluation of environmental education programmes as a means for policy making and implementation support : the case of Cyprus primary education." Thesis, University of Warwick, 2002. http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/1296/.
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This investigation emerges from the awareness of the marginalisation environmental education faces and the need for the development of an effective policy for the implementation of environmental education in Cyprus. The purpose of the research study is to present. as an end product, information that would be useful in the formation of a National Programme for the implementation of environmental education in Primary Education in Cyprus. The thesis describes the current situation of environmental education and examines current practices. Out of a limited variety of environmental education programmes that currently run in Cyprus Primary Education, the Eco-School project is taken as an example. This research study, firstly, aims to measure the success of the Eco-School project, by testing children's environmental cognition, awareness and action and comparing them to the environmental cognition and action of children in other schools outside the programme. It also attempts to reveal the factors that contribute to successful implementation of the project as well as practices that could be improved or avoided. The teachers' opinions are analysed both at organisational and personal levels. Since they are closely involved in any school innovative project, they should be given the opportunity to express their opinion and experience about the organisation of the policy, their expectations and the problems they foresee. Briefly, the general research aims are to: 1. describe the current situation of environmental education in Cyprus; 2. obtain interested parties' opinions about the development of a National Programme for the implementation of environmental education in Cyprus Primary Education; 3. verify and evaluate the impact of the Eco-School project 4. distinguish the factors that contribute to the successful implementation of an environmental education programme. Finally the information obtained is the basis of a proposal model, which might facilitate environmental education implementation.
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Papanicolaou, Nicos. "An investigation into policy and management of museum education for primary schools in Cyprus with special reference to art education." Thesis, University of Roehampton, 2003. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.529612.
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Eliadou, Annita. "Responding to student diversity : a study of the experiences of 'foreign-speaking' students in secondary schools in Cyprus." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2014. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/responding-to-student-diversity-a-study-of-the-experiences-of-foreignspeaking-students-in-secondary-schools-in-cyprus(9795babb-b3b2-4fdf-8c33-170bf0c352f5).html.
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This thesis examines the responses of the educational system of Cyprus to increasing student diversity. The study it reports was set in a sensitive socio-political context, within which the previously homogenous Greek-Cypriot society faced an unprecedented and unanticipated rise in net migration rates from the mid-1990s. The need to respond effectively to the challenge of increasing population diversity and to issues of ethnic, linguistic, religious and cultural diversification was evident within the wider Cypriot society, and was reflected within the educational system. Despite this, there is an identified gap in knowledge and research on the topic of increasing student diversity in Cyprus. With these concerns in mind, the research focused on exploring the experiences of secondary school students of ages 11-14, who had recently arrived in Cyprus and were categorised as foreign-speaking. The aim was to explore factors hindering and promoting these students’ inclusion in schools through identifying barriers and resources to their presence, participation, achievement and socialisation. The study used a qualitative exploratory case study design. Data were collected in three secondary schools through a multi-method approach that considered the views of various school stakeholders, particularly the “voices” of foreign-speaking students regarding their school experiences. Data analysis involved the constant comparative method which allowed the consistent scrutiny of findings from various research methods using a theoretical framework based on the idea of inclusive education. A model was developed and used to discuss the perceived barriers and resources to foreign-speaking students’ inclusion. Barriers and resources were identified as stemming from educational policy, educational practice in schools and classrooms, students’ traits and characteristics, and finally students’ home and community environments. The barriers created a context of inequality of opportunities for foreign-speaking students’ school experiences and future life achievement in comparison to their other classmates. The findings of the study provide a basis for evaluating exclusionary pressures that prevent foreign-speaking students from engaging meaningfully with their school lives equally to other classmates, and propose that inclusive education within the Cypriot educational context can have a wider scope that does not rest only with traditional research on special needs education. It also confirms the importance of conducting contextualised educational research on issues of inclusion, as relevant literature presents inclusive schools as organisations that should address challenges in reflection to their own cultural and political context. The thesis also suggests that the identified barriers and resources have implications for policy and practice that need to be addressed in order to adopt more inclusive educational pedagogies for foreign-speaking students, and considers it important that the formulation of any response should be informed in reflection to similar international studies. Its implication lies with identifying unused resources that could otherwise be mobilised to enhance schools’ response to increasing diversity. Finally, it makes recommendations for future research on the identified resources for promoting inclusion. Such research should be directed at further exploring the factors contributing to providing equal educational opportunities for all learners within an approach that promotes respect for diversity and considers diversity as a source of inspiration and learning.
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Kyriakidēs, Leōnidas. "Primary teachers' perceptions of policy for curriculum reform in Cyprus : with special reference to mathematics." Thesis, University of Warwick, 1994. http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/36105/.
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The thesis reports and analyses findings from an investigation into Cypriot teachers' perceptions of national policy for curriculum reform in primary schools, with special reference to teaching and assessment in Mathematics. Questionnaires were sent to three samples of teachers: a 10% sample of Cypriot teachers randomly selected from the total population (n=257); all teachers in five primary schools (n=51); all beginning teachers (n=123). The latter sample was compared with a sample of English beginning teachers. A response rate of 70% was obtained and statistical analysis was carried out by SPSS-X. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 teachers, mainly as a form of triangulation. There were seven main findings. First, curricular purposes concerning pupils' ability to solve investigations, and to gain mathematical knowledge were seen as equally important; and ability to talk about Mathematics the least important. Second, formative purposes of assessment were accorded most, and summative purposes least importance. Third, teachers agreed with active pedagogy and with the application of mathematics to other subjects. Fourth, they conceptualised assessment as natural part of teaching but paradoxically favoured formally structured techniques of assessment. Fifth, classroom organisation rarely met policy requirements for a balance of whole class, group and individual activities. Sixth, cluster analysis revealed the absence of a collective professional view of the process of curriculum change. Seventh, statistically significant differences in perceptions were associated with characteristics of the class taught but there was no whole school effect. Other influences on perceptions were professional and political. Implications for the implementation of curriculum policy in Cyprus are discussed drawing on the theories of Nias and Fullan. It is argued that a revised policy, emphasising teacher participation and school-based development is needed and this would require a new conception of teacher professionalism. A heuristic model of curriculum change and a short term strategy for curriculum change are outlined.
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Yiasemis, Christakis Georgiou. "Understanding school effectiveness and school improvement in Cyprus : a study of the perceptions of stakeholders." Thesis, University of Warwick, 2005. http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/2597/.
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The modern and post-modern world has tried to explain the factors that lead to effective schooling. The school effectiveness (SE) movement investigates the characteristics of effective schools and how these characteristics may lead to improved pupil achievement. This study investigates the factors that contribute to effective schooling in Cypriot primary schools according to teachers, parents and pupils perspectives. In addition this research investigated people’s attitudes towards the understanding of school effectiveness and school improvement. In the first part of the study 165 teachers, 166 parents and 188 pupils took part. The data was collected using questionnaires. In the second part of the study 5 teachers, 5 parents and 7 pupils were interviewed and an in depth investigation was made about the questionnaire findings and the factors that contribute to effective schooling. The study’s findings explore implications for school improvement and development as well as for policy issues.
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Mertkan, Sefika. "Leadership capacity building for sustainable educational reform in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 2010. http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/11768/.
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This study examines the recent educational reform initiatives in North Cyprus with particular emphasis on (1) building head teachers' capacity to lead instructional development and organisational improvement, and (2) improving the system capacity to support head teachers in the effective undertaking of their roles. The study frames the current domain of headship in North Cyprus within the external system infrastructure in which head teachers operate, illustrates the national framework for building head teachers' capacity to lead, and looks at how the existing opportunities for leadership capacity building can be enhanced, along with the system infrastructure, to provide a context within which the enhanced capacity can be realised. The study employs a mixed-method design with an inductive drive, where the qualitative paradigm has a dominant and the quantitative has a supplemental status. Surveys, qualitative interviews, and documentary analysis were used to answer the research questions the study explores. Findings clearly show that the case of North Cyprus is an instance of 'vernacular globalisation'. Implemented in a very 'glocal' context in response to very particular problems, the reforms are influenced by local histories and narratives of the nation as much as by such global imperatives as the heightened need for up-skilled citizens. The study reveals that head teachers operate within a highly centralised system, which lacks infrastructure, a strong focus on teaching and learning, and credible monitoring and evaluation systems. It is common for heads to spend a significant amount of time dealing with bureaucratic and operational matters, and questions of instruction and professional development seem to be beyond their remit. This is a condition that needs to change. There are also significant problems with the professional development opportunities for head teachers that must be addressed. Keywords: Educational Reform, Educational Change, Educational Leadership, Capacity-Building, Education Policy
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Makriyianni, Chara. "History, museums and national identity in a divided country : children's experience of museum education in Cyprus." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2007. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.612726.
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Konstantinides-Vladimirou, Katerina. "Mid-career teacher motivation and implications for leadership practices in secondary schools in Cyprus." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 2013. http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/13663/.
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Teacher motivation can be conveniently interpreted within a framework of motivation theories that are related to the fulfilment of needs (Herzberg, 1968, Maslow, 1954, McClelland, 1961). This thesis argues that mid-career teachers’ motivation is context-specific and relates to the fulfilment of teachers’ needs. Grounded in phenomenology and drawing on semi-structured interviews with twelve mid-career teachers, six headteachers, and six focus groups with thirty-eight students in six lyceums in Cyprus, this qualitative study presents the factors that can motivate secondary teachers with 11 to 20 years of teaching experience to become (more) active in their schools. These factors which constitute the key findings of my study and the contribution of my study to the field of teacher motivation are: the ‘moderators’: recognition, inspection for evaluation, personal life, and experience; and the ‘needs motivators’: satisfaction, collaboration, fairness, and decision making. The ‘moderators’ may determine the extent to which teachers’ ‘needs motivators’ are fulfilled. This study makes a significant contribution to policies designed to enhance leadership practices related to the motivation of mid-career teachers.
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Bilgen, Fatos Eren. "Negotiating professional identities in higher education during redundancy and uncertainty : narratives of TEFL teachers in Northern Cyprus." Thesis, University of Warwick, 2013. http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/62113/.
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Framed within the ‘narrative turn’ in the human sciences, this thesis aims to explore the negotiation of professional identities in higher education during a time of uncertainty and redundancy. Drawing on narrative interviews with ten English language teachers at a higher education institution in Northern Cyprus, the lived experience of redundancy is explored from the perspectives of the redundant teachers, who had to leave their institution after redundancy, and the retained teachers, who remained at the institution after redundancy. Narratives constructed before and after redundancy shed light on the socially constructed and dynamic nature of negotiating professional identities and reveal that while individuals’ identities are shaped within their communities of practice, the institutional and group identities are also mutually reconstructed during this complex and continuous process. In this respect, this thesis is a story of collective becoming of a community of practice which experienced disintegration as a result of redundancy and uncertainty. In this thesis I argue that the experience of losing one’s job can have a profound influence on both professional and personal identities and may result in identity shifts as well as the rejection of a new identity. The lived experience of redundancy and what happens to a community of practice when it experiences disintegration are both under-researched areas in applied linguistics, English language teaching (ELT) and studies in higher education (HE), yet at a time when the impact of the economic crisis on higher education around the world is being keenly felt, they are particularly relevant. In addressing this gap in the literature, the thesis offers insights that will be of value to teacher trainers and managers in both ELT and HE.
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Heyberi, Ebru. "Integrating technology in the curriculum for enhanced learning : a comparative study in England and North Cyprus." Thesis, University of Birmingham, 2013. http://etheses.bham.ac.uk//id/eprint/4042/.
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This research compared English and Turkish Cypriot teachers’ pedagogical approaches to using Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in the classroom and explored differing contexts of ICT use in the two countries. Research methods included self-completed questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and three rounds of a modified Delphi technique aimed at building consensus around what constitutes a model of practice. Two secondary schools in each country participated. Findings highlighted differences in access to resources between ‘good’ and ‘improving’ schools and between Turkish Cypriot and English schools. Access to reliable technology and basic ICT training are identified issues for Turkish Cypriot teachers whilst effective integration of ICT in teaching is identified as a key issue for English teachers. Turkish Cypriot and English teachers differed in their pedagogical approaches but instructivist teaching methods continue to be a major component of teaching in both countries’ schools. The Delphi method proved a useful process to encourage mutual engagement toward shared goals, exploring different contexts of use and building consensus on a model of practice. The consensus building activity suggested some parameters for a model of practice, generated useful lesson plans and proved a potentially useful method for encouraging a sense of joint ownership for professional development in this area.
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Kyriakides, Elena. "Effective teaching of literacy in Cyprus : an investigation of the practice of Grade 1 teachers." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 2014. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/10018408/.
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A key finding from the research into school effectiveness is that children's educational progress is highly dependent on effective teachers (Darling-‐Hammond, 2000; DEST, 2005; NCQT, 2011). But, the literature into teacher effectiveness offers less literacy-‐specific evidence. Nonetheless, successful literacy learning in Grade 1 is crucial as it has long lasting consequences on children's literacy development (Riley, 1996, 2007; Tymms et al., 2009), thus making the effective teaching of literacy an important focus of investigation. Researchers have also raised the issue of the inter-‐relationship of effective teaching and the context within which it takes place (Hopkins and Reynolds, 2001; Campbell et al, 2003). Within the specific context of Cyprus there is a paucity of evidence into teachers' literacy practices in correlation with the insights from the effectiveness research. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate this particular context and use the insights offered in order to illuminate thinking about effective literacy teaching practice. In order to do so, it draws upon relevant bodies of literature, to identify the features of effective literacy teaching in Grade 1 classrooms. By using these teachers as a lens into teaching practices, the study explores what these teachers do and also how the omissions in their practice compare with the literature in the field, as well as what they do differently and which has not, as yet, been widely recognised. In addition, the study examines what teachers report they rely on and how they claim to have learned their practice. The study is located within a qualitative -‐ interpretive paradigm, using thematic coding to deductively and inductively analyse classroom observations and interview data from fifteen teachers who were deemed to be effective. The findings offer an agenda to re-‐consider both the content and pedagogy of effective literacy teaching in Grade 1. Also, the implications that arise for programmes of Initial Teacher Education and Continuing Professional Development are addressed.
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Christodoulou, Christina. "Developing year one pupils' language through children's literature and the local dialect in the Republic of Cyprus." Thesis, University of Brighton, 2015. https://research.brighton.ac.uk/en/studentTheses/c666f9e3-6f0d-42d2-8e4b-13885f7c3df9.
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This research was conducted into the development of year one pupils’ literacy and language in Limassol in the Republic of Cyprus. Though predominantly Greek speaking, the island has a significant minority of non-Greek speaking inhabitants who learn using Greek as an additional language (GAL) alongside some use of their Cypriot dialect. The main aim of this study was to examine whether an early experience of studying quality children’s literature, including texts in the island’s dialect, supplementary to the main text-book, may enhance oral language development and promote literacy.
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Americanos, Adonis. "Factors influencing international students' decisions in choosing a Cyprus higher education institution : implications for recruitment and marketing." Thesis, Middlesex University, 2011. http://eprints.mdx.ac.uk/9106/.
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This research project was the first of its kind to be carried out for any of Cyprus’s Higher Educational Institution (HEI). Its purpose was to determine and study the factors influencing international students’ decisions in choosing a Cyprus HEI, namely Americanos College (AC). It therefore establishes and contributes to the understanding of the factors that ‘pull’ students to Cyprus and its HEIs. Based on the findings, the primary research aim was to suggest changes to the current recruitment and marketing policies and practices of AC, in order to increase AC’s international student population. In meeting the research objectives, this study employed the exploratory and intrinsic case study research method. The study involved the gathering of a combination of qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques (DCTs) and this methodological triangulation enhanced the validity and reliability of this study. More specifically, it entailed an extensive literature review on students’ choice and decision-making in higher education, current trends in the international educational scene as well as in the higher education marketing. Furthermore, in the absence of any local empirical research (except for a few relevant questions of the study), this project reviewed the international empirical research in-depth on relevant aspects, such as study abroad, HEI choice and decision-making. Moreover, this research employed a survey questionnaire on a sample of 509 AC international students and five in-depth interviews of AC’s admissions staff members. In addition, it entailed observations by the researcher of the admissions department setting in order to further support the data collected from the other three DCTs. The key findings of this research suggest that the first reason international students choose Cyprus’s HEIs is the relatively low tuition fees (TF) charged as compared to other more well-known destinations. Another reason for their choice is the easy admissions and immigration procedures. In addition, the findings clearly show that the HEIs’ agents are by far the most influential persons in the decision-making process of international students prior to their coming to Cyprus. Furthermore this suggests that the role of current students and alumni in the recruitment of students is very important and this is directly linked with a strong word of mouth (WOM) effect. Finally, the research findings helped in developing more effective international student recruitment and marketing practices. The practical and straight-forward recommendations will undoubtedly change AC’s recruitment and marketing practices, accommodating among other things, the students’ views on a number of important issues. This in practice means that AC can now adopt a more targeted approach in recruiting international students.
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Hadjiyiannakou, Anastasia. "Exploration of special and inclusive education practice in Cyprus : on the road to Ithacas : moving towards inclusion." Thesis, University of Sheffield, 2007. http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/3609/.
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This thesis is about the everyday practice of inclusion in Cyprus. When I started this work I believed that my work must have a practical application, in the educational life of Cyprus. Being a fan and a practitioner of inclusion, I have the chance to be a member of the education community trying to apply inclusion in the everyday life of school in primary education in Cyprus. My working experience, together with academic knowledge, helped me to understand more deeply the importance of creating change. I wanted to evaluate the application of inclusion, and I wanted this investigation to come from real findings, from everyday life of schools. This is why I have chosen to investigate two different types of schools. The first school is what we name in Cyprus "special" school and the second one is a primary school which is trying to apply inclusion. The research data that I gathered came from various perspectives, since I wanted to have a clear view of the issue. I decided to use qualitative methods of gathering the data and the way I have decided to present the results was through writing different stories. This way of presenting the data of the research, provided me with more freedom in order to write everything that I wanted to. Since I wanted my work to have practical implications I am concluding this thesis by suggesting several changes that have to take place in order to implement real inclusion in Cyprus. The main finding from my research is that inclusion involves complex feelings and attitudes and thus it cannot be applied in a simplistic way. Inclusion is a social phenomenon and it concerns change not only in the field of education, but also in the whole society.
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Delikurt, Pembe. "'Policy' in their own words : a construction of education policy by the political elite in North Cyprus." Thesis, University of Kent, 2005. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.418559.
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Rotsides, Christos. "The educational system of Cyprus since 1960, with particular reference to the relationship with the European Union." Thesis, University of Wolverhampton, 2000. http://hdl.handle.net/2436/90237.
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Hoppas, Costas A. "Strategic human resource management and oganisational performance : a study of the university administrators in Cyprus." Thesis, University of Wolverhampton, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/2436/322367.
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Nowadays, organisations are seeking to understand how one of the last truly competitive resources, their human resources, can be managed for competitive advantage (Allen and Wright, 2006). As Wright and McMahan (2011) state, today an organisation’s human resources have become more important than ever to their success. Consequently, a better understanding is needed of the role of HRM in creating better organisational performance. Although, human resource management practices have continued to be the focus of strategic HRM research (Combs et al., 2006), human capital has received little attention (Takeuchi et al., 2007), and human resource behaviours have received even less (Sun et al., 2007). This study theoretically develops and empirically tests a conceptual model that describes how the system of HRM practices is likely to have an impact on organisational performance. Drawing on the Resource Based View, the Behavioural Perspective and the Social Exchange Theory, the study provides a conceptual framework consisting of five constructs through which the underlying mechanisms linking the system of HRM practices and organisational performance are examined. It is proposed that HRM systems improve organisational performance by strengthening human capital and employee attitudes and behaviours (employee commitment). Primary data was collected from public and private universities in the Republic of Cyprus. The empirical analysis investigates the interrelationships between multiple independent and dependent variables that exist in the relationship between the perceived system of HRM practices and organisational performance. The study also intends to test the Resource Based View (RBV) and Social Exchange Theory at the higher education sector, by examining the level of human capital and employee commitment as mediating mechanisms through which a system of HRM practices affects university performance. To analyse the data and test the proposed hypotheses, Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) were employed. Goodness-of-fit measures were utilised to assess the structural fit of the overall model. As the aim of the study was to test and investigate the structural model that explains the relationship between the five constructs, standardised path coefficients and the significance of the hypothesised relationships were utilised to test the postulated hypotheses in a causal diagrammatic form. The results of the analyses revealed that the perceived system of HRM practices has significant positive effects on both, the level of human capital and employee commitment. In addition, the analysis indicated that the level of human capital has significant positive effects on employee performance, while at the same time employee commitment has also significant positive effect on employee performance. Moreover, the impact of employee performance on organisational performance was found to be positive and statistically significant. The analysis also revealed that the perceived system of HRM practices has a significant positive and direct impact on organisational performance. Finally, the relationship between employee commitment and organisational performance is significant and direct. Interestingly, the model indicates no significant direct impact between the level of human capital and organisational performance. The current research can be considered as pioneering in the area of strategic HRM in higher education, since it demonstrates that the simultaneous use of the Resource Based View and the Social Exchange Theory can provide empirical evidence for examining the mediating role of organisational resources (the level of human capital) and employee attitude and behaviour (employee commitment) as well as employee performance at university-level education. In addition, the results of this thesis contribute to the existing body of research and knowledge and provide recommendations regarding the role of the perceived system of HRM practices as an organisational mechanism that may help universities to configure valuable bundles of committed administrative employees who are equipped with high level of knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA’s).
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Eracleous, Maria. "The pathway of the heart : a study of the education of emotions in pre-school settings in Cyprus." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2008. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.612244.
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Michaelides, Manolis. "Information and communication technology in Cyprus primary schools : a study of the integration process, teachers' use, and the influential factors." Thesis, University of Hull, 2011. http://hydra.hull.ac.uk/resources/hull:8411.
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Information and Communication Technology (ICT), and specifically computer technology, was abruptly introduced in Cyprus primary schools in the early 1990s without ensuring that the facilitating conditions for its unhindered infusion into education’s core processes of teaching and learning were in place. Nevertheless, the recently launched overall reform of the Cypriot educational system intensified and systematised the process of ICT integration in schools. In this context, the thesis researches the process of ICT integration in Cyprus primary education, taking into consideration teachers’ perceptions on a diversity of issues related to ICT implementation, the factors that seem to be influencing ICT use, as well as their professional development in ICT. The analysis of the collected data resulted in several findings, indicating that the process of ICT integration is unsatisfactory, since teachers’ ICT use is low and restricted only to a small number of resources. Simultaneously, the applications of ICT are mostly for tasks that are not directly connected to actual teaching and learning. Overall, the study shows that ICT did not manage to be smoothly interwoven into teachers’ everyday instructional practices, nor did it manage to be naturally incorporated into students’ learning environment as an integral part of their everyday learning experiences. Teachers indicate that the lack of time, their uncertainty of how to integrate ICT in their work, the unsuitable curriculum, the problematic access to equipment, the frequent technical problems, as well as the lack of immediate technical support, are some of the most significant factors affecting ICT use. Nevertheless, the study shows that there is a positive ground on which ICT can be successfully and meaningfully integrated in schools, like teachers’ positive ICT attitudes, their willingness and demand for quality ICT training, and the positive impact that ICT seems to have on some of teachers’ professional responsibilities. Additionally, the study indicates that teachers’ use of audiovisual resources, their ICT self-efficacy beliefs, their attitudes toward ICT, their pedagogical beliefs, as well as their views on the barriers and enablers to ICT use are significant predictors of teachers’ ICT use. Based on the study’s results, the thesis suggests that the ongoing reform of the educational system provides a great opportunity to set up the right conditions that will facilitate the sound integration of ICT in schools. This includes the reconsideration of ICT integration’s theoretical background and objectives, the release of time to teachers as a result of the new curriculum, the reconsideration of teachers’ professional development in ICT, as well as the establishment of an updated technical infrastructure and a solid technical support mechanism.
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Öztabay, Ceren. "The formally stated, observed and perceived realities of research education in initial, university-based English language teacher education in North Cyprus : a case study." Thesis, University of Warwick, 2015. http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/77832/.
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Despite the growing volume of research on ‘teacher research’, little is known about student-teacher research engagement in academically oriented, pre-service English language teacher education (ELTE) programmes. Previous studies have focussed exclusively on student-teacher (ST) research tied to teaching practice (TP). Therefore, almost nothing is known about what forms ST research in ELTE may take prior to TP or when no arrangements are made for TP-related ST research. Reported here is a case study of pre-service STs’ research education (RE) provision at a university in North Cyprus which was delivered as a single, third-year module focussing explicitly on the acquisition of research knowledge and practical skills through a ‘hands-on’ research project. The case study particularly investigates the formally stated, observed and perceived ‘realities’ of RE in the context through official document analysis, key informant interviews, classroom observations and repertory grid (RepGrid) interviews with four STs taking the observed module. The findings of the case study indicate more incongruence than harmony between the RE ‘reality’ domains and the values attributed to RE in general by different stake-holders and participants. The case study, therefore, has important implications for initial, university-based ELTE policy and practice regarding the status, structuring, capacity and delivery of explicitly intended RE provision. The study also highlights the importance of the purpose and meaning of compulsory research engagement being conveyed to the STs when RE is unrelated to TP and, hence, there is no prospect of a ‘teacher research’ project.
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Kyriakides, Christos. "The Cyprus University of Technology students' attitudes towards technology and the frequency and type of educational technology used during academic courses." Thesis, Saint Louis University, 2014. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3631304.
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Purpose: Electronic media is eliminating the barriers of time, space, and distance. Digital technology is very convenient and effective in many aspects of our lives. It changes the way we live, interact, communicate, learn, work, and even play. Technology and information technology is becoming essential to numerous individuals and to various types of organizations. The purpose of this study is to describe the students' view on frequency and type of technology used at the Cyprus University of Technology during courses to support instruction. In addition, this study explores what are the Cyprus University of Technology students' attitudes towards technology in general.
Methods: The research method employed in this study was quantitative. Data collection included the use of a survey. The target population of this study was the students of the undergraduate program at the Cyprus University of Technology in Limassol, Cyprus. That survey was sent to all the undergraduate students and the sample number that was used in the survey for the descriptive statistic analysis was 334.
Findings: Students indicate that technology elevates the level of teaching and that technology assists students in achieving their academic goals. In addition, students find the use of technology and learning management systems extremely important for their academic success. The students report that forms of communication that utilise technology are extremely important to their academic success. In addition, students believe that handheld mobile devices to be of high importance to their academic success.
Implications: A notable percentage of students specify that they wish their instructors would use all resources/tools with a higher frequency. In addition, the students indicate that they wish their instructors use more the Course or learning management system. Furthermore, the students state that they wish their instructors would use more technology to communicate with their students. Moreover, students point out that it is important that more or better technology is available in order to learn, study, or complete coursework. Furthermore, students wish their instructors use new technologies and they suppose that it is extremely or very important that they themselves were better trained or skilled at using available technologies for learning and completing course work.
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Papanikolaou, Georgia. "An investigation on in-service and pre-service primary school teachers' perceptions and awareness about multicultural education in Cyprus." Thesis, University of Sheffield, 2011. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.574530.
Full textAbstract:
Cypriot society has always been multicultural. During the past few years, however, recent socio-political developments have led to an increasingly cultural, ethnic, linguistic, religious and diverse society that created significant challenges for the education system. This thesis seeks to investigate and understand the perceptions and awareness of both in-service and pre-service primary school teachers regarding multicultural education in the Greek Cypriot context. The study therefore, focuses on two dimensions: (a) it examines the understanding of, and behaviours towards multicultural education of in-service primary teachers in a multicultural school setting in Cyprus; and (b) it seeks to understand what are the perceptions and awareness of pre-service primary teachers of a particular university. The study draws on literature in the field of multiculturalism, culture, critical pedagogy and aspects of Bourdieu's conceptual framework and links its current understanding to that of the teachers involved, explaining how and why they think, respond and react the way they do. This thesis suggests that a critical approach to multicultural education may allow schools and teacher education to address diversity meaningfully in these ever-changing times. Methodologically, the thesis follows a critical ethnographic enterprise and data were generated by semi-structured interviews and observations. Two groups of primary school teachers participated in the research: (a) a sample of twelve, in-service primary teachers and (b) a sample of twelve, pre-service primary teachers. The main conclusions drawn from the study revealed that, in-service teachers' professional role was subjected to curriculum demands and institutional structure. Key findings indicated: a lack of definition, as in-service teachers had different conceptualisations for multicultural education; students' characteristics and teachers' expectations as significant aspects regarding the quality of implementation of multicultural education; insufficient educational policy regarding multicultural education; and language and racial stereotyping were issues that were clearly prevalent at the time of this study. Pre-service primary teachers appeared to hold positive perceptions on multicultural education and provided a critical definition on it. The three key findings include: pre-service teachers' awareness of potential multicultural issues; insufficient education programme of teacher education; failure of teacher education to open the gates to diversity teacher faculty and diverse student candidates. Recommendations are made and specific areas are identified in the thesis as needing further investigation.
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Tomasidou, Nandia. "Exploring the relationship between drama and the well-being of primary school children in Cyprus : an ethnographic case study." Thesis, University of Warwick, 2013. http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/58372/.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis investigates the potential of the arts, and drama in particular, to contribute to the personal, social and emotional well-being of primary school children. It is based on a six-month fieldwork in two educational institutions in Cyprus; a Primary School and a Youth Theatre. I conducted a series of drama workshops with 46 children aged 6-13, in order to examine whether and how their engagement with drama led to benefits associated with the following aspects of their well-being: Happiness and pleasure; sociability, social skills and skills of working with others; self-esteem, self-confidence and sense of achievement; beauty; and children’s voice. I have decided to focus on these, among many others, because when recent official reports in the UK and Cyprus suggested that the well-being of children is under threat, they translated the phenomenon into terms that fall into these categories. Additionally, while looking at the data generated during my fieldwork, I realised that they pointed strongly to these directions. The recent interest with well-being has led governments in the UK and Cyprus to invest in the designing and implementing of special educational programmes that aim to help children develop their social, emotional and behavioural skills. These programmes are Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) in the UK, and Social and Emotional Education (SEE) in Cyprus. Yet a number of critical reports have pointed out that the very programmes designed to address the well-being of children, are actually posing the risk of undermining it. These criticisms focus on their ‘target-driven’, ‘management-by-objectives’ approach, that has been evaluated as having had little substantial impact on student welfare. In my thesis, I will argue for an alternative understanding of children’s well-being; one that can be achieved in a more natural, organic way, through their participation in drama and the arts, and through their taking pleasure in aesthetic experiences. I will mount my argument using practical evidence from my research, which made use of the methodologies of ethnography, case study and reflective practice, and which implemented the methods of participant observation, semi-structured interviews and questionnaires, practitioner’s journal, and drama conventions as research tools. However, it is important to note that the approach of addressing well-being through drama and the arts is not without its problematic aspects. It invites a different set of challenges and implications to those of SEAL and SEE, some of which conflict with general pedagogical approaches. For example, my findings suggest that youngsters flourish on a personal, social and emotional level when they are allowed to engage with horror fiction and boisterous play. These are areas that teachers and parents might understandably perceive as crossing the boundaries of what is permissible and what is not within a classroom context. Whereas I am not denying that these approaches involve certain risks, in my thesis I propose a classroom pedagogy that can help deal with these challenges. As it will become evident throughout my thesis, issues relating to the correlation of drama to the personal, social and emotional growth of children are not technically straightforward. It is a multi-layered and more complex relationship than what the immediate responses to it might be. What I hope to have achieved is to have unpicked some of the complex issues and limitations arising from this relationship, and to have offered certain pedagogical suggestions that can make flourishing through participation in drama and the arts possible for students.
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Christodoulou, Niki. "The impact of guided reflective practice on the teaching of English as a foreign language in higher education in Cyprus." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 2013. http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/13635/.
Full textAbstract:
The present thesis is an in-depth examination of the potential of facilitating reflective practice in the educational world of Teaching English as a Foreign Language in Higher Education. More specifically, the current thesis investigates the impact of Guided Reflective Practice on the practice of five university teachers of English as a Foreign Language in Cyprus. Although language research increasingly acknowledges the importance of reflection in excavating the personal, individual and emotional nature of teachers’ work, educational policies and professional teaching standards tend to overlook the humanistic and emotional dimensions of the teacher’s role. Teachers are passionate human beings and their identity, behaviour and emotions are intimately connected with their personal beliefs and values, thus their reflective selves. At the same time, emotions are also socially constructed and a teacher’s behaviour emerges as a result of interactions with others. Successful teacher interactions, however, presuppose an environment of trust, openness and willingness. In such a context, the individual can feel free to both engage in a journey of self-awareness and co-construct knowledge in a reflective dialogue with others who can facilitate the reframing of pre-existing beliefs and practices. Few empirical studies exist which illustrate the incorporation of reflective practice as a facilitative and developmental tool offered to Higher Education English as a Foreign Language in-service teachers in a co-educational and appreciative environment. The main purpose of this investigation is the increased understanding of ‘self’ and EFL practice through learning to apply reflective practice as a vehicle for mindful and caring interactions with others. The study incorporates insights from humanistic learning theory, relational cultural theory and critical constructivism. It also examines the ways in which the research process has influenced and reshaped my practice and identity as English as a Foreign Language educator and reflective facilitator. I link my research commitment to my belief in the uniqueness of the individual and the importance of learning as a result of building human relationships through reflective and dialogical interactions with others. Using an action inquiry methodology and qualitative data collection and analysis, the study endeavoured to address three research questions by investigating the teachers’ perceptions of the impact of guided reflective practice and assessing their response to the process. Data collection methods included reflective journals, reflective inquiry group meetings, dialogue observation sessions based on video-recordings, online chats, and holistic interviews. From the present study emerged the Collaborative, Appreciative, Reflective Enquiry (CARE) model for teacher development, revealing new understandings and insights for TEFL through practices in which emotions are a primary catalyst for transformational teacher learning. The proposed CARE model of guided reflective practice constitutes an alternative framework which identifies ways of facilitating and operationalising reflection in an ‘acritical’ and appreciative context, highlighting its emancipatory potential as a tool for growth and development and not as an institutional requirement. I am claiming that the significance of my research lies in the fact that it offers new conceptualisations vis-à-vis the capacity of teachers of Higher Education English as a Foreign Language to learn and maximise their potential through reflection when they feel appreciated as individuals and educators. More specifically, findings about participants’ and my own learning reveal an increased self-awareness and awareness of practice, an ability to critically reflect on context without being judgmental of others, and a willingness to reframe practice. More importantly, however, findings show a felt appreciation for the therapeutic effects of reflection and a positive approach to practice as a result of being guided and supported in the reflective practice process by understanding others. Implications include the significance of appreciative reflective practice in teacher interactions and collaboration, of teacher agency in the knowledge production in Teaching English as a Foreign Language, and the importance of positive emotionality in empowering teachers to live out their identities and values in practice. It is my hope that this small pocket of teacher reform in the study can pave the way forward to similar reform initiatives in the Teaching English as a Foreign Language domain that would entail human connectedness and caring in teacher learning through reflection.