Abstract
Individualised Learning has attracted the attention of curriculum developers, psychologists and educationalists during the last two decades. These studies have looked at different aspects of it. However individualised learning as it is practised in secondary school classrooms, has been one of the less widely investigated manifestations. The study presented in this thesis was concerned with the identification of different elements which characterise individualised learning in Physics classrooms. The combination of classroom environment and individualised learning material represents a highly complex situation which requires a broad approach in investigation. Bearing in mind the exploratory nature of the research presented here, it would not have been appropriate to test pre-established models or ideas. The research approach used led to a greater degree of understanding of classrooms using individualised learning, rather than to the validation of pre-established hypothesis. Although these classrooms are affected by both internal and external factors the ones which were taken into consideration in this study were those that appeared to influence the occupants' day-to-day behaviour. The overall aim was to study individualised learning in operation, to discover the changes which have taken place in teachers' and students' behaviour as observed in practice. This research has found that; a) According to the teachers there is no unique way of defining a particular approach to individualised learning. The variety of interpretation led to a variety of practice which did not depend on the quality of the material used but rather on the personal qualities and beliefs of the teacher. b) Teachers described changes in their behavioural role in the classroom in four areas; preparation, control, interaction and motivation. These factors have taken on a new importance in the classroom. c) Greater student participation in the classroom activities has introduced a new social order, where the "resource status" of each participant is a fundamental factor in interactions. d) Teachers and students expressed opinions of the lab. work that showed that experiments included in individualised learning should mainly be used to reinforce knowledge learned rather than to introduce new concepts. Furthermore they agreed that students should be trained to take the best advantage of the experimental situation. By considering the aspects mentioned above, it was possible to suggest some guidelines for the training of Physics teachers in the use of individualised learning.