First I wish to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Professor Viv Edwards, for her consistent encouragement and great help. I dedicate this thesis to her with my sincere thanks and as a small gift from an overseas student. I hope that she has enjoyed watching one of her students growing up academically through her patient and careful guidance．

I would also like to express my gratitude to all the Chinese parents,children, community school teachers, and to the mainstream British teachers, whom I had interviewed or who assisted with my research in other ways. Their friendly help and honest opinions made the process of data collection smooth and enjoyable．

I wish to thank the staff of the Reading ＆ Language Information Centre. They have been both friendly and kind-like members of my family. They have given me lots of practical help and encouragement in my work and in my private life in the UK. They have also provided me with a very comfortable working environment for the three years of my Ph.D. research.

I owe a real debt of gratitude to my parents who have been looking after my son in China during my time in the UK. They have supported me spiritually and also practically. I thank my son, Anbo, too, who understands his mother's situation and has motivated me to finish my thesis as quickly as possible．

Last but not least, I offer sincere thanks to all the friends who have helped and supported me. It is you who have given me the courage and confidence to come this far．