Paradox and promise in joint school/university arts research

Collaborative university and school research projects are inevitably labour intensive endeavours that require the careful negotiation of trust and the joint development of critique of current practice. While this raises tension it also builds generative communities of inquiry that can enhance both theory and practice. This paper reports on an Arts project undertaken in primary classrooms between university staff and generalist teacher co-researchers focusing on children’s idea development in dance, drama, music and art. This two year project is briefly outlined and some issues that arise in school research are explored. Project collaborators need to exercise caution in their examination of practice and strive to resist premature closure. All parties need to hold the tension of apparent contradictions, being both interested (in effective Arts pedagogy) and disinterested (in order to heighten perception) so that they might ‘surprise themselves in a landscape of practice with which many are very familiar indeed’ (McWilliam 2004:14). These issues and paradoxes in collaborative research are considered alongside some particular processes that build school and university partnerships

Exploring children's development of ideas in music and dance

Eisner maintains that the Arts education community needs ‘empirically grounded examples of artistic thinking related to the nature of the tasks students engage in, the material with which they work, the context’s norms and the cues the teacher provides to advance their students’ thinking’ (2000:217). This paper reflects on preliminary results of a collaborative research project between teachers and university researchers that is investigating how children develop and refine arts-making ideas and related skills in Dance and Music in a small sample of schools in New Zealand. Factors such as the place of repetition in the development of ideas, the relevance of offers, the place of verbal and non-verbal communication in arts idea generation, and group work as an accepted ritual of practice, are explored and discussed

A qualitative study of the motivations for Anabolic-androgenic steroid use: the role of Muscle Dysmorphia and Self-esteem in Long-term users

Background: The use of Anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) among the non-competitive weightlifting community has increased considerably in the UK in recent years, presenting a public health issue. The motives behind use have received considerable attention, with motivations linked to body dissatisfaction, low self-esteem, and more recently, muscle dysmorphia (MD). However, the causal roles of MD and self-esteem in AAS use remain unclear. Therefore, this paper examines the origins and changes to motivations in long-term users. Methods: A qualitative study recruited eight male weightlifters from a needle exchange programme in South Wales, UK. Participants were interviewed about their initial introduction to AAS and their motivations for initial and continued use. Results: The interview data confirmed the importance of the training community in providing advice and guidance on AAS. Those interviewed cited some motivations for use which included self-esteem, body dissatisfaction, MD, social acceptance, and age-related concerns. Implicit in these motivations was a psychological addiction to the positive effects following AAS use, which for some men, had led to psychological dependency and body image pathology. Conclusions: The changes in motivations described by the AAS users provide key insights into the complex nature of AAS use. For some men, low self-esteem, body dissatisfaction and MD precede AAS use, and for others, they are consequences of use. These findings have significant implications for future research and public health initiatives

A River Otter's, Lontra canadensis, Capture of a Double-crested Cormorant, Phalacrocorax auritus, in British Columbia's Gulf Island Waters

Direct and apparent predation events by River Otters (Lontra canadensis) on birds have been recorded on marine islands and freshwater lakes. We add to this the first known observation of a River Otter capturing a marine bird on the ocean

Using a VLE to enhance a Foundation Chemistry laboratory module

For the past few years, we have been experimenting with an e-learning approach to our introductory laboratory classes for first year students. Our overall objective was to maximise students’ useful time in the laboratory. We considered that time spent with students gathered around a desk watching a demonstration is not an efficient use of staff or students’ time.It is well recognised that students’ performance in the laboratory can be enhanced if they are familiar with the background of the experiments which will be conducted, hence the use of ‘pre-labs’. We have been delivering our ‘pre-labs’ electronically by requiring students to work through a package before coming to the laboratory. As well as covering the theory and background to the experiment, short video clips have been included so that students will also have seen the experiment being performed. They should at least recognise the apparatus! The package concludes with a short assessment quiz which must be completed.The packages were mounted on the University network using WebCT and meant that students could undertake the exercises at a time (and place) of their choosing rather than being confined to set laboratory hours.This communication will describe the packages and our experiences as well as an initial evaluation of our approach. Although largely anecdotal, staff felt that they spent less time on more mundane aspects of laboratory work and more time discussing chemistry.Students also felt that they were better prepared for the experiments before they came to the laboratory. Some of the pitfalls and technical problems that had to be overcome willalso be described

Diffusion within aqueous atmospheric aerosol

Atmospheric aerosol particles influence our planet's climate and contribute to poor air quality, increased mortality and degraded visibility. Central to these issues is how atmospheric aerosol particles interact with gas species to affect chemistry and cloud formation. Recent research shows that some aqueous solutions relevant to atmospheric aerosol (notably secondary organic material, which constitutes a large mass fraction of atmospheric aerosol particles) can be highly viscous and can behave mechanically like a solid. This has led to suggestions that these particles exist out of equilibrium with the gas phase in the atmosphere, with implications for heterogeneous chemistry and ice nucleation. In order to quantify any kinetic limitations, it is vital to have quantitative data about the diffusion of various relevant species within these materials. This thesis describes the direct measurement and application of water diffusion coefficients in aqueous solutions relevant to atmospheric aerosol, including sucrose and secondary organic material. A water diffusion model is developed, validated and used with a new parameterisation of the water diffusion coefficient in secondary organic material to quantify the rate of uptake and loss of water from aerosol particles. It is shown that, although this material can behave mechanically like a solid, at 280 K water diffusion is not kinetically limited on timescales of 1 s for atmospheric-sized particles. This is not the case, however, for colder conditions: modelling of 100 nm particles predicts that under mid to upper tropospheric conditions radial inhomogeneities in water content produce a low viscosity surface region and more solid interior. This may significantly affect aerosol chemistry and the ability of particles to nucleate ice. Also reported are the diffusion coefficients of sucrose in aqueous sucrose at higher concentrations than have been previously investigated. These measurements provide insights into the role of organic molecules in aerosol evaporation and chemistry. Together with the diffusion coefficients of water measured in this material, they will also offer a valuable means to study the fundamental nature of diffusion in a simple but widely used material, and specifically the breakdown of the Stokes-Einstein relationship

Uncertainty of historic GLAD forest data in temperate climates and implications for forest change modelling

Forest loss and degradation are central problems in the context of climate change and biodiversity conservation. The identification of areas of loss relies on accurate base maps. Central datasets in this context are the products of the Global Land Analysis & Discovery (GLAD) project. Although the GLAD forest cover products are primarily intended to serve as a near real-time flag for areas of forest loss, its historic datasets are increasingly also being used in ways that go beyond this initial focus. To date, very little information is available on the performance of GLAD data in temperate regions. This study aims to address this research gap by comparing the GLAD baseline forest cover maps for the years 2000 and 2010 with UK national forest datasets. The results showed substantial commission errors, which highlight potential problems when deviating from the GLAD datasets’ intended use. GLAD data appear to be less useful in regions with a high proportion of medium to low-density canopy cover. In such cases, its application in forest models should only be used in conjunction and cross-calibration with good quality reference data