Overeducated and over here the experiences of skilled EU migrants on self-initiated foreign work experiences in unskilled UK jobs

This study investigates the phenomenon of overeducation among 19 highly-skilled migrant workers from EU countries working in jobs in the UK which are not commensurate with their qualifications and experience. Building on recent qualitative studies of the lived experiences of both self-initiated expatriates and migrant workers, the thesis aims, through in-depth qualitative interviews, to interpret, evaluate and refine our understanding of the experiences of highly skilled migrants in the UK in jobs which do not make use of their qualifications and experience. The study sheds light on the experiences of a growing group of internationally mobile EU citizens, who, rather than undertake the one-off movements typically studied in the migration literature, are able, as a result of the freedom of movement which they enjoy as EU citizens, to undertake more fluid mobility between EU nation states. By so doing it addresses the need for a better understanding of contemporary career mobility within the EU which is vital if the community s ideals of a more mobile, skilled and adaptable workforce, able to increase the community s competitive ability in the face of growing globalisation, are to be realised. Incorporating insights from the literature of migration, expatriation, careers and underemployment, the study seeks to gain an understanding of the migrant workers reasons for coming; the barriers they face in their search for employment which is commensurate with their qualifications and experience; their adjustment to their new work, cultural and social environments; and the effect that their stay here has on their sense of identity. The study suggests that the migrants inability to find work commensurate with their skills and experience could have adverse effects on their mental health and may detract from their ability to integrate fully into wider UK society. By restricting its focus to individuals in jobs which are not commensurate with their qualifications and experience, the study helps to add to the relatively small body of knowledge on individuals in skill- and status- underemployment undergoing voluntary (i.e. unforced) downward transitions. The reality of the interviewees situation was very often at odds with their preconceptions. The study has examined the way in which they faced up to the multiple demands of their new environment. It is hoped that it will encourage further research to address these issues and by so doing benefit future generations of EU migrant workers

Let my laptop lead the way : A middle eastern study

This paper describes the experiences of both students and faculty in two tertiary institutions in the Middle East: a university for women and a vocational college for men. Both of these institutions have recently made it mandatory for students to purchase a laptop computer. Four factors are identified as crucial when introducing new technological innovations into curricula: culture, gender, infrastructure and support, and faculty. Moreover, specific cultural factors affect Gulf and Islamic students. Gender differences in learning styles are of particular importance given the single-sex school background of all students in this Islamic state. The impact of unexpected technical problems and the need for institutions to develop and implement integrated plans for change are considered particularly important to faculty, who have to cope with a new workload created by the introduction of laptops and an unexpected new learning paradigm

Development of a readiness ruler for use with alcohol brief interventions

Background A quick method of assessing readiness to change was needed for a major study of implementing screening and alcohol brief intervention in England. For this purpose, a Readiness Ruler that had been validated among a sample of male college students in the USA was adapted and applied to a sample of excessive drinkers in a general medical practice located in a deprived area of Gateshead, England. Methods 72 participants identified as excessive drinkers by health professionals completed a single-item Readiness Ruler, the 12-item Readiness to Change Questionnaire (RCQ) and the AUDIT questionnaire. Results In terms of concurrent validity, the relationships between the Readiness Ruler, on the one hand, and either stage of change allocation or a dimensional score derived from the RCQ, on the other hand, were highly significant but weaker than expected. When patients who endorsed the “maintenance” point on the Readiness Ruler were excluded from the analysis, the above relationships were considerably strengthened for reasons that are discussed. On this basis and with another small change, a final Readiness Ruler was developed. Conclusion If the validity of the Readiness Ruler is confirmed in subsequent research, a quick and simple way of measuring readiness to change will be available for research or clinical work with alcohol brief interventions

Barriers for highly qualified A8 immigrants in the UK labour market

The number of migrants arriving in the UK from the EU accession countries has been higher than projected. The evidence indicates that they have been over-represented in low-paid and low-skilled jobs. This is arguably transitory and there should be good prospects of upward mobility. Over-qualification among A8 migrants, measured using the Annual Population Survey data, is examined in this article. The findings show that A8 migrants have been subject to migration penalties at the high end of the UK labour market. There are persistent labour market disadvantages for A8 migrants in the UK and their over-qualification may be a long-term concern

The Problem of Confirmation in the Everett Interpretation

I argue that the Oxford school Everett interpretation is internally incoherent, because we cannot claim that in an Everettian universe the kinds of reasoning we have used to arrive at our beliefs about quantum mechanics would lead us to form true beliefs. I show that in an Everettian context, the experimental evidence that we have available could not provide empirical confirmation for quantum mechanics, and moreover that we would not even be able to establish reference to the theoretical entities of quantum mechanics. I then consider a range of existing Everettian approaches to the probability problem and show that they do not succeed in overcoming this incoherence

Effect of environmental and feedback interventions on pacing profiles in cycling: a meta-analysis

Insearchoftheiroptimalperformanceathleteswillaltertheirpacingstrategyaccordingtointrinsicandextrinsicphysiological,psychologicalandenvironmentalfactors.However,theeffectofsomeofthesevariablesonpacingandexerciseperformanceremainssomewhatunclear.Therefore,theaimofthismeta-analysiswastoprovideanoverviewastohowmanipulationofdifferentextrinsicfactorsaffectspacingstrategyandexerciseperformance.Onlyself-pacedexercisestudiesthatprovidedcontrolandinterventiongroup(s),reportedtrialvarianceforpoweroutput,disclosedthetypeoffeedbackreceivedorwithheld,andwheretime-trialpoweroutputdatacouldbesegmentedintostart,middleandendsections;wereincludedinthemeta-analysis.Studieswithsimilarthemesweregroupedtogethertodeterminethemeandifference(MD)with95%confidenceintervals(CIs)betweencontrolandinterventiontrialsfor:hypoxia,hyperoxia,heat-stress,pre-cooling,andvariousformsoffeedback.Atotalof26studieswithcyclingastheexercisemodalitywereincludedinthemeta-analysis.Ofthese,fourstudiesmanipulatedoxygenavailability,elevenmanipulatedheat-stress,fourimplementedpre-coolinginterventionsandsevenstudiesmanipulatedvariousformsoffeedback.Meanpoweroutput(MPO)wassignificantlyreducedinthemiddleandendsections(p 0.05).NegativefeedbackimprovedoveralltrialMPOandMPOinthemiddlesectionoftrials(p 0.05).Theavailabledatasuggestsexerciseregulationinhypoxiaandheat-stressisdelayedinthestartsectionoftrials,beforesignificantreductionsinMPOoccurinthemiddleandendofthetrial.Additionally,negativefeedbackinvolvingperformancedeceptionmayaffordanupwardshiftinMPOinthemiddlesectionofthetrialimprovingoverallperformance.Finally,performanceimprovementscanberetainedwhenparticipantsareinformedofthedeception

Monument and material reuse at the National Memorial Arboretum

This is the author's manuscript of an article published in Archaeological Dialogues.Exploring the relocation and reuse of fragments and whole artefacts, materials and monuments in contemporary commemorative memorials in the United Kingdom (UK), this paper focuses on the National Memorial Arboretum (Alrewas, Staffordshire, hereafter NMA). Within this unique assemblage of memorial gardens, reuse constitutes a distinctive range of material commemoration. Through a detailed investigation of the NMA’s gardens, this paper shows how monument and material reuse, while used in very different memorial forms, tends to be reserved to commemorate specific historical subjects and themes. Monument and material reuse is identified as a form of commemorative rehabilitation for displaced memorials and provides powerful and direct mnemonic and emotional connections between past and present in the commemoration through peace memorials, of military disasters and defensive actions, the sufferings of prisoners of war, and atrocities inflicted upon civilian populations. In exploring monument and material reuse to create specific emotive and mnemonic fields and triggers, this paper engages with a hitherto neglected aspect of late 20th- and early 21st-century commemorative culture

Taxometric Investigation of PTSD: Data From Two Nationally Representative Samples

Current psychiatric nosology depicts posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a discrete diagnostic category. However, only one study has examined the latent structure of PTSD, and this study suggested that PTSD may be more accurately conceptualized as an extreme reaction to traumatic life events rather than a discrete clinical syndrome. To build on the existing literature base, the present research examined the latent structure of posttraumatic stress reactions by applying three taxometric procedures (MAXEIG, MAMBAC, and L-Mode) to data collected from large nationally representative samples of women (ns = 2684 and 3033) and adolescents (n = 3775). Results consistently provided evidence for a dimensional PTSD solution across samples and statistical procedures. These findings have important implications for the theory, assessment, and investigation of posttraumatic stress reactions