Heritage education and active learning: Developing community and promoting diversity in Turkey

Heritage education is part of the global response to destruction of archaeological sites in Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries and will be important in achieving the secondary integration priorities of the Turkish state and NGOs working with Syrian migrants in Turkey. However, the effectiveness and pedagogy of heritage education interventions in diverse MENA communities is under-researched. We present here quantitative and qualitative evaluation data from a pilot project involving 169 teachers and c.2,800 children in Fethiye, SW Turkey. Educational games based on the pedagogic principle of Active Learning were well-received and raised participants' awareness of heritage but teacher confidence in delivering them remained low, even after training. Active Learning effectively engages both local and migrant groups with the shared space that they inhabit, even where its heritage has contested meanings, and heritage education and may have long-term social benefits for communities experiencing disruption and migration caused by conflict

Exploring experiences and needs of spousal carers of people with behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) including those with familial FTD (fFTD): a qualitative study

INTRODUCTION: Carers of people with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) experience greater challenges than carers of people with other dementias due to the younger age of onset and the challenging presentation of symptoms. The aim of the present study was to explore experiences of spousal carers of people with bvFTD, including those with the familial form of the disease (fFTD). METHOD: Fourteen qualitative interviews were analysed using an inductive approach to Thematic Analysis to understand experiences of spousal carers of people with bvFTD including those with fFTD. RESULTS: Five main themes were identified including: a) The "Constant Battle" - A journey toward an FTD diagnosis, b) Shock, Relief and Fear - Challenges persist post diagnosis, c) The "Life Altering" impact - The loss of the spousal relationship and shifting roles, d) Adapting, Managing Symptoms and Receiving Carer Support, e) Lack of General Knowledge - Barriers to support. CONCLUSIONS: Healthcare professionals should be educated on the initial presentations of FTD, to enable carers and families receive timely diagnosis and appropriate support. Future research should investigate the impact of fFTD on carers and families, to explore positive or meaningful experiences in caring, as well as theory-driven research to identify helpful coping strategies for carers of people with FTD

Exposure to Climate Change Information on Affect and Pro-Environmental Behavioural Intentions: A Randomised Controlled Trial

Climate change and its impact are being acknowledged through extensive media coverage. Knowledge gaps between mental health and climate change have been highlighted, which is an increasingly prevalent issue. Furthermore, mental health impacts such as climate anxiety and its implications on behaviour remain unclear. The study aimed to investigate the effect of climate change exposure on affect and pro-environmental behavioural intentions in a randomised controlled trial. An online survey was completed by 100 adult participants and included measures of affect and pro-environmental behavioural intentions pre- and post-exposure. Participants were randomly allocated to a group that saw a climate change video (n = 55) or a group that saw a non-climate change video (n = 45). The findings were that participants in the climate change group showed a significant increase in negative affect and pro-environmental behavioural intention scores post-video exposure compared to the non-climate change video group. This suggests that climate change video exposure negatively influences affect but also potentially increases the intention to act pro-environmentally. These findings have the potential to support policies and societal change; however, further investigation into the type of contents, actual behaviour change, and impacts on diverse populations (e.g., minority groups) is needed

Exposure to Climate Change Information on Affect and Pro‐Environmental Behavioural Intentions: A Randomised Controlled Trial

The study aimed to investigate the effect of climate change exposure on affect and pro-environmental behavioural intentions in a randomised controlled trial. An online survey was completed by 100 adult participants and included measures of affect and pro-environmental behavioural intentions pre- and post-exposure. Participants were randomly allocated to a group that saw a climate change video (n=55) or a group that saw a non-climate change video (n=45). The findings showed were that participants in the climate change group showed a significant increase in negative affect and pro-environmental behavioural intention scores post-video exposure compared to the non-climate change video group. This suggests that climate change video exposure negatively influences affect but also potentially increases the intention to act pro-environmentally. These findings have the potential to support policies and societal change, however further investigation into the type of contents, actual behaviour change, and impacts on diverse populations (e.g., minority groups) is needed that influences pro-environmental behaviours is required. Furthermore, to achieve a greater impact, future research should be conducted measuring actual pro-environmental behaviour change, including with those from diverse populations

The longer-term costs and benefits of different initial teacher training routes

Teacher recruitment and retention are increasingly challenging for schools as the pools of graduates in key subjects decline and pupil numbers grow. This report reveals around 40% of teachers who begin their initial training are not in a state school job five years later. That means of 35,000 or so individuals training to become teachers each year some 14,000 are not teaching five years later. Initial teacher training is expensive, costing an average of £23,000 per trainee taking into account costs to government and schools. The high drop-out rate means that on average more than £38,000 is spent on training for every teacher still in post five years after completing training. This research, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, also shows how routes into teaching have changed in recent years, and looks at the costs, benefits and retention rates for each route. School-led routes have grown quickly, with "School Direct" accounting for around one-third of trainees in 2015-16. Teach First has also expanded now accounting for 5% of entrants, although more than 40% of trainees are still trained through traditional university-led postgraduate courses