Children’s Engagement with their Learning using E-portfolios

Narrative approaches to documentation and assessment in early childhood education (ECE) encourages children to be active contributors in their own learning journey. With the growing emphasis of technology in society it is natural that this shift has transformed assessment practices with the introduction of e-portfolios. E-portfolios are seen in tertiary, secondary and primary settings nationwide and most recently have been introduced into ECE as a way to extend traditional documentation methods. As a result, documentation and the role children have in their own learning has shifted. Despite their growing popularity in early childhood settings there is very little research into the effect that e-portfolios have on teachers, parents, and most importantly, children and their learning. Given this limited research this study sought to understand the ways in which children are engaging with their learning through e-portfolios. This mixed methodology study used a national online survey as well as case studies to develop an understanding of this topic. Participants included early childhood centre educators, parents and children from settings across New Zealand. Findings revealed a distinct variation in the ways that centres are using e-portfolios to engage children with their learning. A large number of centres are maintaining both hard-copy and online versions of a child's portfolio to ensure that children are not removed from contributing to and revisiting their learning. Whilst results showed examples of children's in-depth engagement with e-portfolios, they also highlighted that many centres are not yet harnessing their full potential. These findings suggest implications for teacher practice, including the need for greater support and training for teachers. As e-portfolios are still a new phenomenon in ECE this study suggests areas of future research to investigate this topic further to improve learning outcomes for children

Experiences of support garments following bowel stoma formation:analysis of free-text responses in a cross-sectional survey

Aim To explore the experiences of support garments when adjusting to bodily change following bowel stoma formation. Design Thematic analyses of free-text responses in a cross-sectional survey of the stoma population in 2018. Methods Free-text responses were invited so that respondents could describe their experiences in more detail. A process of induction was chosen to allow for themes to emerge directly from the data. The concept a €a embodiment' was used as a theoretical framework during interpretation. Results 1425 people with a bowel stoma responded to the survey, of whom 598 provided free-text responses. Four themes about experiences of support garments in the context of changed bodily experiences following stoma formation were identified: body complications, which is about experiences of using support garments to prevent or self-manage parastomal hernia; body appearance, which is about hiding the stoma and stoma appliance; body function, which is about managing stoma appliance complications; and body sensation, which is mainly about negative experiences of ill-fitting garments. Conclusion Support garments can be understood as items that are used by people during an ongoing process of adjusting to bodily changes following stoma formation and as part of an ongoing process of reconstructing new embodied selves. Impact This is the first study to explore people's experiences of support garments following bowel stoma formation. Support garments are used in the self-management of body complications, appearance, function and sensations. Stoma nurses may draw on the findings of this study to advise patients about the benefits of garments for adjusting to bodily change, and garment suppliers should address people's negative experiences by improving garments.</p

COVID-19: Time for precision epidemiology

The global COVID-19 (SARS-CoV2, COVID-19) tsunami caused by SARSCoV2 is inundating and often-overwhelming health care systems in most countries and regions..

Assessing the number of users who are excluded by domestic heating controls

This is the pre-print version of the Article. This Article is also referred to as: "Assessing the 'Design Exclusion' of Heating Controls at a Low-Cost, Low-Carbon Housing Development". - Copyright @ 2011 Taylor & FrancisSpace heating accounts for almost 60% of the energy delivered to housing which in turn accounts for nearly 27% of the total UK's carbon emissions. This study was conducted to investigate the influence of heating control design on the degree of ‘user exclusion’. This was calculated using the Design Exclusion Calculator, developed by the Engineering Design Centre at the University of Cambridge. To elucidate the capability requirements of the system, a detailed hierarchical task analysis was produced, due to the complexity of the overall task. The Exclusion Calculation found that the current design placed excessive demands upon the capabilities of at least 9.5% of the UK population over 16 years old, particularly in terms of ‘vision’, ‘thinking’ and ‘dexterity’ requirements. This increased to 20.7% for users over 60 years old. The method does not account for the level of numeracy and literacy and so the true exclusion may be higher. Usability testing was conducted to help validate the results which indicated that 66% of users at a low-carbon housing development could not programme their controls as desired. Therefore, more detailed analysis of the cognitive demands placed upon the users is required to understand where problems within the programming process occur. Further research focusing on this cognitive interaction will work towards a solution that may allow users to behave easily in a more sustainable manner

Suicide Thoughts and Behaviour in Later Life

This Insight is targeted at Practitioners who work with older people and may want to know more about how to address suicidal thought and behaviour in this population, Specialist suicide prevention providers who are interested in tailoring their existing services for people in later life (by ‘later life’ we mean people aged 65 years or older). It summarises the key messages from the research evidence and emerging themes on how to improve recognition, responsiveness, and access to support

The support needs of people bereaved by suicide in later life : a comparative thematic analysis of older adults and professionals' perspectives

Aim and objectives of the study: Suicide is often a traumatic death that can significantly impact on the mental health and wellbeing of those bereaved. Effective and timely support following a bereavement by suicide can help facilitate coping and adjustment. However, little research has explored the support needs of older people who have been bereaved by suicide in later life. This study aimed to explore and compare the perspectives of older adults and health and social care professionals' (HSCPs) in understanding the support needs of those bereaved by suicide in later life. Method: Participatory methods were adopted and semi-structured interviews were conducted with older adults (n = 24) and HSCPs (n = 14) working in a range of bereavement support and suicide prevention services. Qualitative data was analysed using a reflexive thematic approach to compare older adults and professionals' perspectives. Ethical approval was sought and granted from the University Ethics Committee. Findings: The themes developed were: (1) Acknowledging and validating the traumatic impact of bereavement by suicide, (2) Navigating and struggling through the grief (the importance of support networks), (3) 'It’s not your fault': addressing self-blame, guilt and the need for a compassionate dialogue, (4) A 'it's a hot potato': others perceived as better equipped in meeting older adults' support needs (undervaluing and stereotyping older adults), (5) The need to recognise diverse older adults' experiences of bereavement by suicide (gaps in service provision). Conclusion and impact: Findings highlighted common challenges and support needs with other age groups as well as specific issues in relation to later life, such as feeling less valued compared to younger people, or having fewer opportunities to talk about grief experiences; impacted by factors such as stigma, ageist stereotyping, self-blame, shame and dealing with the taboo of suicide. The need to promote open, honest and compassionate communication about bereavement by suicide in later life is emphasised. Clearer pathways of support need to be established among health and social care organisations to ensure timely psychosocial care and support for those most vulnerable

Prosociality from Early Adolescence to Young Adulthood: A Longitudinal Study of Individuals with a History of Language Impairment

Background: Longitudinal research into the development of prosociality contributes vitally to understanding of individual differences in psychosocial outcomes. Most of the research to date has been concerned with prosocial behaviour in typically developing young people; much less has been directed to the course of development in individuals with developmental disorders. Aims: This study reports a longitudinal investigation of prosocial behaviour in young people with language impairment (LI), and compares trajectories of development to typically developing age-matched peers (AMPs). Methods and Procedures: Participants were followed from age 11 years to young adulthood (age 24 years). Outcomes and Results: Participants with LI perceived themselves as prosocial; their ratings – though lower than those for the AMPs - were well within the normal range and they remained consistently so from 11 to 24 years. Two different developmental trajectories were identified for the LI group, which were stable and differed only in level of prosociality. Approximately one third of participants with LI followed a moderate prosociality trajectory whilst the majority (71%) followed a prosocial trajectory. We found evidence of protective effects of prosociality for social outcomes in young adulthood. Conclusions and Implications: The findings indicate that prosociality is an area of relative strength in LI