Looping and Academic Achievement in Elementary Schools

The purpose of the quantitative study was to determine if there was a significant difference in the academic performance of students at the elementary level who loop compared to those who do not. This study also assessed if there was a significant difference in academic achievement among subgroups in students who loop compared to those who do not. A quantitative, ex post-facto, comparative design was used to analyze data to determine if there is a signficiant relationship between looping and academic achievement for elementary students. The scores of students enrolled in two looping classrooms at two schools were compared to those of two nonlooping classrooms at two schools. The data that were analyzed included students’ reading scores on the Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA), math benchmark scores, and a district writing assessment. The results of the quantitative study revealed that students who participated in looped classrooms scored significantly higher on the math benchmark than students who participated in nonlooped classrooms. However, there was no significant difference in reading or writing benchmark scores between students who participate in looped classrooms compared to students who participated in nonlooped classrooms. The results also revealed that there was a significant difference in writing scores between males and females in nonlooped classrooms, with females scoring significantly higher than males. However, there was no significant difference in writing scores between males and females in looped classrooms. In addition, no significant difference was found between males and females in looped and nonlooped classrooms in either reading or math scores. Finally, there was a significant difference in math scores between minority and nonminority students in nonlooped classrooms, with nonminority students scoring significantly higher than minority students. However, there was no significant difference in math scores between minority and nonminority students in looped classrooms. In addition, no significant difference was found between minority and nonminority students in looped and nonlooped classrooms in either reading or writing scores

Recovering Vitality After Trauma Through the Use of Body-Oriented Expressive Arts Therapy: A Literature Review

This capstone thesis examines how to use body-oriented expressive arts therapy to address dissociative symptoms of trauma in adults. Dissociation can arise during or after trauma has occurred and creates a state of disconnection in the body, inhibiting one’s sense of vitality. In this literature review, I provide a basis for why to look to the expressive arts and the body as effective resources for restoring vitality. I present relevant research on trauma, dissociation, and body-oriented expressive arts therapy; I also explore how concepts embedded in sensuality, pleasure, and eroticism may help inform how to use expressive arts therapy as a means of reconnecting to one’s body. Ultimately, there is a large gap in research in this area; however, results from the literature review reveal a great potential for using an erotic, body-oriented expressive arts therapy as a pathway out of dissociation. In the discussion section I consolidate my findings and offer a list of themes regarding how to incorporate the body safely and meaningfully into expressive arts therapy interventions

Global public health training in the UK: preparing for the future.

BACKGROUND: Many major public health issues today are not confined by national boundaries. However, the global public health workforce appears unprepared to confront the challenges posed by globalization. We therefore sought to investigate whether the current UK public health training programme adequately prepares its graduates to operate in a globalized world. METHODS: We used mixed methods involving an online cross-sectional survey of UK public health trainees on the international content of the Faculty of Public Health's written examination, a qualitative review of the Faculty's 2007 training curriculum and a questionnaire survey of all training deaneries in the UK. RESULTS: We found that global health issues are not addressed by the current training curriculum or in the written examination despite trainee interest for this. Many of the deaneries were also unreceptive to international placements. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the recognized educational legitimacy of global health placements and the favourable UK policy context, the opportunities and international content of public health training remain limited. In order to retain its position as a leader in the field of public health, the UK needs to adapt its training programme to better reflect today's challenges

The Teacher in Teacher-Practitioner Research: Three Principles of Inquiry

This chapter will distil three underlying principles of teacher practitioner research: autonomy; disturbance; and dialogue. These principles have emerged from a range of projects we have undertaken in partnership with teachers at all levels of education. This distillation is not so much about the details of the ‘how’ of teachers’ research into learning and teaching in their own contexts - we (and many others) have written about this elsewhere – but rather about where the questions come from and how meaning is created and communicated. It is about the robust voices of teachers, and the diversity and richness of their research as harnessed through the process of practitioner enquiry. We will therefore explore how meaning is created and communicated by teachers involved and use the principles as a lynch-pin through which we explore their professional learning. The chapter will include some background to explain how we have worked with teachers, as well as narrative, case examples and analysis to illustrate important aspects of an inquiry approach. Most importantly, we’ll include as many voices from our partnerships as possible to reflect the collaboration that made this learning possible

Pictures are necessary but not sufficient: Using a range of visual methods to engage users about school design

It has been argued by both educationalists and social researchers that visual methods are particularly appropriate for the investigation of people's experiences of the school environment. The current and expected building work taking place in British schools provides an opportunity for exploration of methods, as well as a need to establish ways to achieve this involvement of a range of school users, including students. This article describes a consultation that was undertaken in a UK secondary school as part of a participatory design process centred on the rebuilding of the school. A range of visual methods, based on photographs and maps, was used to investigate the views of a diverse sample of school users, including students, teachers, technical and support staff and the wider community. Reported here is the experience of using these tools, considering the success of different visually-based methods in engaging a broad cross section of the school community and revealing useful information. Using a range of visual methods allows a complex, but coherent, understanding of the particular school environment to be constructed and developed. It is further argued that such a range of visual and spatial methods is needed to develop appropriate understanding. The study, therefore, contributes to knowledge about specific visual research methods, appreciation of the relationship between tools, and a general methodological understanding of visual methods' utility for developing understanding of the learning environment

Promoting fair and equitable research partnerships to respond to global challenges

This report presents the findings from a programme of strategic research funded by UKRI through the GCRF. The research sought to elicit a 'partners' perspective' on participation in UKRI-funded research by generating data from three groups of partner: i) academics based in the global South; ii) civi society practitioners based in the global South; and iii) international NGOs and research capacity providers based in the UK. Drawing on this data, the report identifies eight principles for understanding and improving fair and equitable research collaboration which form the basis of a series of targeted learning modules for 6 groups of stakeholders: UK-based research funders; UK-based academics; research brokers and capacity providers; international NGOs; academics based in the global South; and civil society practitioners based in the global South