Technology and Design was introduced at Key Stage 3 for all pupils in Northern Ireland, as a result of the Education Reform (NI) Order in 1989. Central to the process of introducing this new and compulsory subject, the government spent in excess of £167M to make provision for the subject in all post-primary schools. This paper explores the perceptions of teachers of Technology and Design (known as Design and Technology in GB) in post-primary schools throughout Northern Ireland to the introduction and implementation of the subject. The methods involved a questionnaire survey to all teachers of Technology and Design throughout Northern Ireland (n = 587) and one-to-one interviews with 24. Findings suggest that teachers consider Technology and Design to be a worthwhile subject and believe that it adds much to the educational experience of the pupils involved. Nonetheless, there is general acceptance that difficulties surround the whole issue of subject definition and content delineation. As a consequence, significant demands are placed upon these teachers as they work to ensure that all pupils are given a worthwhile and valuable learning experience. These findings are discussed in terms of teachers' perceptions of subject definition, delineation of subject content, the nature of the work involved and issues related to academic ability.
The establishment of a project to support and develop the role of nursing auxiliaries working with elderly people is described. Organised and run by two clinical facilitators, a variety of research methods, including interviews and non-participant observation of clinical practice, were used to establish baseline data. The interview information showed that there was general dissatisfaction among trained and untrained staff about the auxiliaries' roles, and clinical practice assessment of 206 auxiliaries demonstrated deficiencies in their communication, lifting and infection control techniques. Individual ward development and management of change plans were then set up and operated.
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