The Motivations and Outcomes of Studying for Part-time Mature Students Completing Higher Education Programmes at Further Education Colleges

Part-time students account for 31% of higher education students in the UK and 56% of part-time undergraduate students are over the age of 30 on entry (UniversityUK 2013). Whilst the motivations and successes of part-time mature students have been previously considered (Swain and Hammond 2011, Jamieson et al 2009, Feinstein et al. 2007) these studies have focussed on students who are either studying at university or by distance learning, and did not consider students on higher education courses at further education colleges. Parry et al (2012) identify that 7% of UK undergraduates study at a further education college and that 283 colleges offer courses at this level. However the literature relating to higher education students at further education colleges is very limited (Wood 2012), and there are no studies on the experiences and successes of part-time mature students in higher education at further education colleges. This research addresses the gap in the literature by considering the motivations and successes of part-time mature students at a sample of further education colleges in the West Midlands. It adapts approaches from Jackson and Jamieson (2009) relating data on age, gender and qualifications on entry to student achievement and retention, and uses interviews to explore the reasons for studying, barriers to study and the experience of part-time studying. Thus the research seeks to develop understanding of the experience of part-time study for mature students in a format that allows some comparison with existing studies of part-time mature students at university and by distance learning

Population differentiation of Southern Indian male lineages correlates with agricultural expansions predating the caste system

Christina J. Adler, Alan Cooper, Clio S.I. Der Sarkissian and Wolfgang Haak are contributors to the Genographic ConsortiumPrevious studies that pooled Indian populations from a wide variety of geographical locations, have obtained contradictory conclusions about the processes of the establishment of the Varna caste system and its genetic impact on the origins and demographic histories of Indian populations. To further investigate these questions we took advantage that both Y chromosome and caste designation are paternally inherited, and genotyped 1,680 Y chromosomes representing 12 tribal and 19 non-tribal (caste) endogamous populations from the predominantly Dravidian-speaking Tamil Nadu state in the southernmost part of India. Tribes and castes were both characterized by an overwhelming proportion of putatively Indian autochthonous Y-chromosomal haplogroups (H-M69, F-M89, R1a1-M17, L1-M27, R2-M124, and C5-M356; 81% combined) with a shared genetic heritage dating back to the late Pleistocene (10–30 Kya), suggesting that more recent Holocene migrations from western Eurasia contributed, <20% of the male lineages. We found strong evidence for genetic structure, associated primarily with the current mode of subsistence. Coalescence analysis suggested that the social stratification was established 4–6 Kya and there was little admixture during the last 3 Kya, implying a minimal genetic impact of the Varna(caste) system from the historically-documented Brahmin migrations into the area. In contrast, the overall Y-chromosomal patterns, the time depth of population diversifications and the period of differentiation were best explained by the emergence of agricultural technology in South Asia. These results highlight the utility of detailed local genetic studies within India, without prior assumptions about the importance of Varna rank status for population grouping, to obtain new insights into the relative influences of past demographic events for the population structure of the whole of modern India.GaneshPrasad ArunKumar, David F. Soria-Hernanz, Valampuri John Kavitha, Varatharajan Santhakumari Arun, Adhikarla Syama, Kumaran Samy Ashokan, Kavandanpatti Thangaraj Gandhirajan, Koothapuli Vijayakumar, Muthuswamy Narayanan, Mariakuttikan Jayalakshmi, Janet S. Ziegle, Ajay K. Royyuru, Laxmi Parida, R. Spencer Wells, Colin Renfrew, Theodore G. Schurr, Chris Tyler Smith, Daniel E. Platt, Ramasamy Pitchappan, The Genographic Consortiu

The Development and Validation of the Empathy Components Questionnaire (ECQ)

Key research suggests that empathy is a multidimensional construct comprising of both cognitive and affective components. More recent theories and research suggest even further factors within these components of empathy, including the ability to empathize with others versus the drive towards empathizing with others. While numerous self-report measures have been developed to examine empathy, none of them currently index all of these wider components together. The aim of the present research was to develop and validate the Empathy Components Questionnaire (ECQ) to measure cognitive and affective components, as well as ability and drive components within each. Study one utilized items measuring cognitive and affective empathy taken from various established questionnaires to create an initial version of the ECQ. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to examine the underlying components of empathy within the ECQ in a sample of 101 typical adults. Results revealed a five-component model consisting of cognitive ability, cognitive drive, affective ability, affective drive, and a fifth factor assessing affective reactivity. This five-component structure was then validated and confirmed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) in an independent sample of 211 typical adults. Results also showed that females scored higher than males overall on the ECQ, and on specific components, which is consistent with previous findings of a female advantage on self-reported empathy. Findings also showed certain components predicted scores on an independent measure of social behavior, which provided good convergent validity of the ECQ. Together, these findings validate the newly developed ECQ as a multidimensional measure of empathy more in-line with current theories of empathy. The ECQ provides a useful new tool for quick and easy measurement of empathy and its components for research with both healthy and clinical populations

Attitudes toward antipsychotic medication: The impact of clinical variables and relationships with health professionals

CONTEXT: Nonadherence to antipsychotic medication is a major cause of psychotic relapse and is strongly influenced by attitudes toward treatment. Although patient variables such as insight and symptoms that contribute toward attitudes have been identified, the contributions of relationship and service factors have not been adequately studied. OBJECTIVE: To determine relations between clinical and service variables and attitudes toward medication in people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. DESIGN: Consecutively admitted patients were approached to take part; 23 refused. Measures included symptoms, insight, drug adverse effects, self-reported adherence, attitudes toward treatment, perceived relationship with the prescriber, ward atmosphere, and admission experience. Data were analyzed by a proportional odds model and structural equation modeling to test predicted paths between experience of admission, relationship variables, attitudes toward treatment, and self-reported adherence to medication. SETTING: Twenty-eight inpatient wards at 8 hospitals in North Wales and the Northwest of England. Sites included hospitals with inner-city and rural catchment areas. Patients Two hundred twenty-eight patients meeting DSM-IV criteria for schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, assessed during acute admission. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Attitudes toward treatment and self-reported adherence to medication. RESULTS: The data fit a model in which attitudes toward treatment were predicted by insight, relationship with staff (especially the physician-prescriber), and the patient's admission experience (maximum likelihood chi(2)(49) = 89.3, P<.001). A poor relationship with the prescriber, experience of coercion during admission, and low insight predicted a negative attitude toward treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The quality of relationships with clinicians during acute admission appears to be an important determinant of patients' attitudes toward treatment and adherence to medication. Enhancing such relationships may yield important clinical benefits