An exploration of inclusive practices in schools: case studies of two primary schools

This thesis uses the accounts of teachers and senior leaders from two case study schools to explore issues impacting upon the development of inclusive practices within schools. The notion of inclusion is a complex and problematic one, and this study illuminates that complexity through the accounts and experiences of two ‘ordinary’ schools mediating the challenges of developing inclusive practices within the current educational system. The study purposefully focuses upon the perspectives of the teachers and senior leaders. Other voices, including those of the pupils, parents and support staff within the school, have not been included, in order to retain the focus upon gaining greater depth of understanding of the complex issue of inclusion through the eyes and voices of the professionals (teachers and senior leaders) engaging in the decision making and day to day planning for meeting the needs of all pupils. The study uses an ethnographic case study approach to gather data through semi-structured interviews, observation (including classroom visits), learning conversations and strategic focus group discussions. A three phase research approach has been developed to reflect ongoing engagement with the complex issue of researching perspectives towards developing inclusive practices within schools. A non-judgemental and non-evaluative research approach has been utilized, which moves away from the researchers’ usual role working with schools in a collaborative or advisory capacity, and models the need to create interruptions in thinking and practice to be able to fully understand the complex factors impacting upon the development of inclusive practices within schools. The perspectives and accounts of the teachers and senior leaders enable tensions existing within policy, literature, research and practice to be identified. The study argues that attention needs to be paid more to the emotional aspects of the experience of developing inclusive practices, and the impact that that has upon staff groups, rather than a narrow focus upon specific actions and outcomes. The centrality of values and principles which are shared and continually discussed and re-negotiated to produce an embedded inclusive school culture is acknowledged, as well as the impact of positive, supportive and inclusive staff relationships within this process

How the decarbonisation discourse may lead to a reduced set of policy options for climate policies in Europe in the 2020s

Centered on molecule-based energy carriers, policy challenges of phase-two Energy Transition (ET2) differ significantly from the electricity-centric ones (ET1) met by Europe so far. Calls for full electrification and frames shaped by notions of ‘renewable’, ‘green’, ‘ambition’ and ‘net-zero decarbonisation’ suggest that ‘lock-ins’ may emerge not only from (by now well-researched) incumbent strategies but also from advocacy discourses inherited from ET1. With power and knowledge inextricably conjoined, discourses co-construct the policy agenda. To succeed with ET2, Europe must develop a reflexive, multi-level and interdisciplinary strategy that covers the techno-economic-behavioral dimensions and the influence of discourses on policy formulation. By using discourse analysis and discursive institutionalism as an anchor for cognitive neuroscience and for the relevant social science and political science, ET research can consider how science-based and emotion-driven perspectives interbreed in policy and discourse complexes. How shared conceptual spaces are contested can help improve the reflexivity of ET research as well as provide insights on opposition. A keener understanding of two-way interaction between policies and discourses will help free ET2 policies from ET1 lock-ins

Monitoring the environmental sustainability of countries through the strong environmental sustainability index

Countries still lack adequate metrics to monitor environmental sustainability across a range of relevant environmental and resource issues. The Strong Environmental Sustainability Index (SESI), which is based on the Environmental Sustainability Gap (ESGAP) framework, is intended to fill this gap. SESI is the result of aggregating 21 indicators across different dimensions. Each of the underlying indicators is related to the functions of natural capital and normalised using science-based targets. SESI uses the geometric mean to aggregate in order to reflect the limited substitutability between the functions of natural capital. The results of the index, which is computed for 28 European countries, show that several functions of natural capital are impaired in Europe. Countries tend to perform worse in indicators related to pollution and ecosystem health, compared to indicators that describe the provision of natural resources, and human health and welfare. Because the results are sensitive to assumptions in the normalisation, weighting and aggregation processes, the relevant choices have been aligned with the theoretical underpinnings of the ESGAP framework. SESI responds to the demands of the ‘Beyond GDP’ community on the need for a single environmental sustainability metric that can complement GDP in its (mis-)use as a headline indicator for development

Time for Science-Based National Targets for Environmental Sustainability: An Assessment of Existing Metrics and the ESGAP Framework

Despite the overwhelming scientific evidence on the ongoing degradation of the environment, there is a clear gap between the urgency of the environmental crisis and the policy measures put in place to tackle it. Because of the role of metrics in environmental governance, the way environmental information is translated into metrics is of utmost relevance. In this context, we propose criteria to assesses the suitability of environmental metrics to monitor environmental sustainability at the national level. After assessing well-known environmental metrics such as the Sustainable Development Goals indicators and the Environmental Performance Index, we conclude that countries still lack robust and resonant metrics to monitor environmental sustainability. In order to bridge this metric gap, we present the Environmental Sustainability Gap (ESGAP) framework, which builds on the concepts of strong sustainability, critical natural capital, environmental functions and science-based targets. Different composite indicators are proposed as part of the ESGAP framework. Through these metrics, the framework has the potential to embed strong sustainability thinking and science-based targets in nations in which these concepts are not currently sufficiently reflected in policies

Classifiying advanced concepts to assess device requirements for high efficiency solar cells

The efficiency of terrestrial solar energy conversion is fundamentally limited by the Landsberg limit of 93%. Single junction solar cells can, however, reach only about a third of this efficiency, a limitation first formulated by Shockley and Queisser [1]. Many concepts have been proposed to overcome this Shockley-Queisser (SQ) limit for single junction solar cells. In this contribution, we are going to explore the classification of these concepts according to the processes that occur in them and explain how this affects model-building for these devices and the requirements they have to fulfil

Quantifying parasitic losses from metal scattering structures in solar cells: How uncertainty in optical constants affects simulation results

The optical constants of many metals commonly used in solar cells, e.g. as contacts or for light trapping structures, are not documented consistently in the literature, with different sources giving different values. In the case of metallic structures designed to improve absorption in a solar cell junction, the use of data from different sources can give strongly varying results for the effectiveness of nanophotonic light-trapping structures. The trade-off between diffraction into more oblique orders in the junction, enhancing absorption in the photovoltaic material, and the number of photons absorbed parasitically in the metal means small differences in the optical constants can lead to different very conclusions about the EQE and J SC . This work documents the different optical constants for silver, aluminium, gold and titanium from several sources, the effect this has on plasmon quality factors, and quantifies the effect on modelling outcomes by considering the optimization of a test structure using a grid of metal nanodisks on the front surface of a thinned-down GaAs cell. Finally, we consider the effect for a structure previously predicted to give a very high J SC for a solar cell with an ultra-thin GaAs layer

Analytical expressions for the efficiency limits of radiatively coupled tandem solar cells

The limiting efficiency for series-connected multijunction solar cells is usually calculated from the assumption that the individual junctions are optically isolated. Here, we develop an analytical formalism to predict efficiencies attainable in the presence of luminescent coupling, i.e. if the individual junctions in a series-connected multi-junction stack are coupled optically, so that luminescence from one junction can be absorbed by the lower bandgap junction below. The formalism deals with non-radiative recombination through the definition of the luminescence extraction efficiency. Using our general formalism we find that the limiting efficiency of a tandem cell becomes much less dependent on exact bandgap combination when luminescent coupling is considered and proceed to consider two technologically important examples of current-mismatched tandem solar cells. We find that a series-connected GaAs on silicon tandem cell can be more efficient than the underlying silicon cell alone, if the luminescence extraction efficiency of the GaAs junction is sufficient. An analysis of luminescent coupling in a perovskite on silicon tandem cell shows that the efficiency penalty for a perovskite bandgap below the optimum value can be mitigated if the luminescence extraction efficiency is high. We suggest that material quality and stability might be more important considerations for perovskite on silicon tandems than engineering the bandgap to achieve precise current matching

Teaching for Life

The Teaching for Life project aimed to explore the needs of teachers in relation to children with life limiting or life threatening conditions. Teachers were well aware of the medical, emotional and social needs of both the child and the other children and adults that surround that child, as well as the importance of the physical atributes of the building and the culture of the school. They wanted more information, guidance and support. Teachers need emotional support for themselves if they are to be able to contain their own anxieties and to be able to support others. In turn they need to be supported by a whole school approach to emotional health and wellbeing, which includes addressing bullying and inclusion. Collaboration between themselves and inter-professional health and social care agencies needs to work more effectively

Photoluminescence upconversion at GaAs/InGaP2 interfaces driven by a sequential two-photon absorption mechanism

This paper reports on the results of an investigation into the nature of photoluminescence upconversion at GaAs/InGaP2 interfaces. Using a dual-beam excitation experiment, we demonstrate that the upconversion in our sample proceeds via a sequential two-photon optical absorption mechanism. Measurements of photoluminescence and upconversion photoluminescence revealed evidence of the spatial localization of carriers in the InGaP2 material, arising from partial ordering of the InGaP2. We also observed the excitation of a two-dimensional electron gas at the GaAs/InGaP2 heterojunction that manifests as a high-energy shoulder in the GaAs photoluminescence spectrum. Furthermore, the results of upconversion photoluminescence excitation spectroscopy demonstrate that the photon energy onset of upconversion luminescence coincides with the energy of the two-dimensional electron gas at the GaAs/InGaP2 interface, suggesting that charge accumulation at the interface can play a crucial role in the upconversion process