Value Propositions in Higher Education: an S-D logic view

Service-dominant (S-D) logic is portrayed by Vargo and Lusch (2008) as a "mindset", a way of examining exchange. Higher education as a whole is a context in which (S-D) logic might be explored yet has attracted comparatively little attention to date. In particular, a key element of S-D logic is the ‘value proposition'. In this working paper a discussion on the nature of the value proposition and what this may represent in the context of higher education is presented with a view to posing questions for debate which need further development

Metabolic Rate Models and the Substitutability of Predator Populations

1. Much of the debate surrounding the consequences of biodiversity loss centres around the issue of whether different species are functionally similar in their effects on ecological processes. In this study, we examined whether populations consisting of smaller, more abundant individuals are functionally similar to populations of the same species with larger, fewer individuals. 2. We manipulated the biomass and density of banded sunfish (Enneacanthus obesus) and measured their impact on populations of Southern leopard frog (Rana sphenocephala) larvae. We also evaluated the ability of models relating metabolic rate to body size to predict the relative impacts of populations that differ in average body size and population density. 3. Our results indicate that population biomass, density and their interaction each play a large role in determining the effect of a predator population on its food resource. Populations with smaller but more abundant individuals had effects as large or larger than those populations with larger but fewer individuals. 4. Although we found qualitative agreement between the observed relative effects of populations with that predicted by allometric models, we also found that density-dependence can cause effects of a population to differ from that expected based on allometry. 5. The substitutability of populations differing in average body size appears to depend on complex relationships between metabolic rate, population density and the strength of density-dependence. The restrictive conditions necessary to establish functional equivalence among different populations of the same species suggests that functional equivalence should be rare in most communities

Exploring the influence of creative thinking on the pedagogy of primary-aged children’s writing

This two year case study explored the influence that creative thinking has on writing pedagogy within a primary school context. Whilst the fields of creative thinking and writing pedagogy have been researched extensively, there is a paucity of research that explores how they are inextricably connected. It is useful to consider this connection in the context of firstly, children’s writing and thinking development and secondly the context of an English education system driven by high stakes testing that puts an emphasis on product not process. This testing arguably drives schools’ pedagogic decisions towards a focus on attaining good marks in the test often at the expense of understanding and knowledge application. The study involved design and facilitation of writing workshops for six primary classes in one school over a two year period. Data were collected through observation, follow-up interviews and focus groups and documentation analysis. Data were analysed using a thematic approach informing the development of a ‘think for writing’ planning model for practitioners. Analysis revealed several pre-requisites for children’s development of creative thinking. Notably, working within a classroom that is developed to enable thinking through consideration of task, developing learner agency and valuing the process of writing. For thinking to then influence writing, teachers must develop creative self-efficacy in their learners through teaching in between the building blocks of the writing process as much as on the blocks themselves. The findings have implications for teaching of writing in primary schools, such as developing writing pedagogies that both satisfy a high-stakes testing and accountability agenda whilst developing creative thinking. There are also implications for developing primary English modules in teacher education that emphasise the importance of working in between those writing building blocks. Recommendations are made for the development of these approaches utilising my ‘think for writing’ framework

Egypt’s 2011–2012 parliamentary elections: Voting for religious vs. secular democracy?

This study investigates whether individuals’ attitudes towards democracy and secular politics have any influence on voting behavior in Egypt. Based on data from a survey conducted immediately after the Egyptian parliamentary elections in January 2012, this study finds that Egyptians’ attitudes towards democratic governance were quite negative around the parliamentary elections, yet Egyptians still endorsed democracy as the ideal political system for their country. However, empirical findings suggest that support for democracy has a limited impact on electoral results. On the other hand, the main division in Egyptian society around the first free and fair parliamentary elections was the religious-secular cleavage. As people support secular politics more, they become significantly less likely to vote for Islamist parties. These results illustrate that preferences in regard to the type of democracy – either a liberal and secular or a religious democracy – were the main determinant of the historic 2012 elections in Egypt

Review Article: Anthropology and the Biblical Exile

Over the past three decades there have been a few attempts to use social anthropology to explore the Old Testament (OT) and interdisciplinary studies of this sort are now becoming more mainstream. Historical and archaeological data concerning ancient societies are necessarily limited in scope, and anthropological comparisons may offer insights into historical peoples who cannot be observed. This article discusses recent trends in post-exilic studies, in particular those appealing to anthropology

Applying the framework for culturally responsive teaching to explore the adaptations that teach first beginning teachers use to meet the needs of their pupils in school

Previous research has shown that beginning teachers are capable of adapting their practice to the needs of ethnically diverse pupils. This paper investigates the possibility that such teachers were developing their practice into what I have termed culturally adaptive teaching. A variety of methods were used to collect qualitative data that focused on the perspectives of teachers in schools across Yorkshire and Humberside, (UK) over the course of an academic year. The framework for culturally responsive teaching (CRT) was used as a lens through which to analyse the data collected. It enabled findings to emerge that took the framework beyond that of CRT, to one of culturally adaptive teaching. Teachers continually adapted their practice, in terms of cultural sensitivity, to better meet the needs of their pupils. If we can apply this framework and support beginning teachers to help them understand issues of cultural diversity in the classroom, we might be able to engender a real systematic change in teaching for the benefit of pupils

Counter terrorism law and education: student teachers’ induction into UK Prevent duty through the lens of Bauman’s liquid modernity

This chapter explores the way student teachers understand their professional role in relation to the UK's counter terrorism legislation as it relates to schools. Recent discussions on the nature of teacher professionalism characterise the relationship between the state and teachers whereby teacher’ autonomy is increasingly eroded and compromised by policy. Using Bauman’s concept of liquid modernity as a theoretical lens we analysed data collected from fifteen interviews with post graduate student teachers and one hundred and fifty questionnaires. Despite a normative attachment to notions of professional objectivity and political detachment in the classroom, most student teachers interpreted their new duties (to prevent radicalisation and promote fundamental British values), as legitimate and were uncritical of legislation and policy that expects them to play an overtly political role in schools. We argue that recent legislation and initiatives around extremism and radicalisation repositions teacher professional identity so that their involvement as part of a counter terrorist strategy is normalised

Epidemiologic and Molecular Analysis of Human Tularemia, United States, 1964–2004

Distinct subpopulations of F. tularensis differ in their clinical manifestations, geographic distribution, and likely modes of transmission