The interweaving of diaries and lives : diary-keeping behaviour in a diary-interview study of international students’ employability management

This article explores ‘diary-keeping behaviour’, or the ways in which participants conduct the completion and submission of diaries in diary research. There is a paucity of methodologically oriented literature on diary method and as such this article makes a contribution to extending the existing knowledge of this method. The primary aim of this article is to set out in detail the key issues relating to diary-keeping behaviour, in order to provide a foundation for future critical explorations of this facet of diary research. The research that this paper is based on involved a 12-month diary-interview study. This project explored the employability management of Chinese international Master’s students in social sciences studying in the UK during one academic year. The article sets out key facets of diary-keeping behaviour and explores specific considerations for diary studies in higher education contexts, where diary research has been particularly neglected

Gender defender : response to Kelly Coate’s review of Gender Pedagogy (Palgrave)

Response to Kelly Coate’s review of Gender Pedagogy: Teaching, Learning and Tracing Gender in Higher Education, Emily F. Henderson, Palgrave, (Hdb) 978-1- 137-42848-6 Thank you, Kelly, for your review, and for the invitation in return to respond to your review. I am glad you found the discomfort of reading Gender Pedagogy ‘helpful’ – I in turn found the discomfort of reading your review helpful, in terms of understanding different possible receptions of the book, and in seeing how ‘I’ came across in that text

Academics in two places at once : (not) managing caring responsibilities at conferences

Conferences are important but neglected research sites. Yet conferences are sites where knowledge is constructed and shared, where careers are made and unmade, where important connections are formed, and they play a vital role in the development of research fields. There are many factors which determine who accesses which conferences where; this chapter focuses on the impact of caring responsibilities on academics’ access to and participation in conferences. Importantly, ‘access’ in this chapter is conceived of as both the ability to attend conferences, and the ability to participate in conferences once there. The chapter locates the specific discussion of conference attendance in the literature on academics and caring responsibilities. The chapter then considers the methodological and theoretical challenges involved in researching how caring responsibilities impact on academics’ experiences of being at conferences; this section addresses the design and implementation of a time-log research tool which was used in the research project ‘In Two Places at Once: The Impact of Caring Responsibilities on Academics’ Conference Attendance’. The third part of the chapter presents findings specifically from the time-log aspect of the research project, in which academics recorded the frequency, type and experience of contact with caring responsibilities during conferences.University of Warwick Research Development Fun

The (un)invited guest? Feminist pedagogy and guest lecturing

Teaching a one-off session on a colleague’s course is a commonplace occurrence in higher education teaching practice, but it is not an area that has received sufficient attention in pedagogical literature. This article focuses on the scenario where a feminist teacher is invited to give a guest lecture, but is not sure if working with feminist pedagogy will be welcome. Guest lecture pedagogy is outlined: (i) guest lectures are always and yet never a one-off, because they are always embedded in wider teaching practice (ii) guest lecture pedagogy is both a struggle between time and pedagogical principles and an opportunity to break with convention. The challenges and risks of implementing feminist pedagogy in a guest lecture are considered; ultimately the article argues that a feminist teacher cannot simply ‘lay aside’ feminist pedagogy for a guest lecture, but that some compromises will be necessary in adapting practice for this type of teaching

ADIPOSITY IN BRITISH PAKISTANI AND WHITE BRITISH SCHOOL CHILDREN AGED 7-11 YEARS LIVING IN MIDDLESBROUGH, UK: ASSOCIATIONS WITH ETHNICITY, GENERATION, AND BIRTH WEIGHT

People of South Asian ethnicities in the UK are at a high risk of obesity and related illnesses. This thesis tests predictions derived from the developmental origins literature regarding adiposity in British Pakistanis in middle childhood. Based on previous research, it was predicted that British Pakistani children would be more adipose and have lower birth weights compared to white British children. It was also predicted that second generation British Pakistani children would be more adipose and have lower birth weights than the third generation. White British children (n=211) and British Pakistani children (n=137), including second generation (n=82) and third generation (n=51), aged 7-11 years were measured for body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, triceps and subscapular skinfold thicknesses, blood pressure, and resting heart rate. Birth weight data were collected from one hospital in Middlesbrough (n=184). In addition, a pilot study was conducted on lifestyle, which explored potential differences in British Pakistani children’s lifestyle that may affect adiposity. Dietary data (n=30) were gathered by multiple-pass recall interviews. Physical activity data were collected by accelerometry (n=27) and also by multiple-pass recall interviews (n=30). A questionnaire was developed for the lifestyle pilot to gain an understanding of parents’ (n=24) knowledge and practices of healthy lifestyles. Focus group interviews were conducted in one school with children (n=18), which explored children’s knowledge and practices of healthy lifestyles. The same focus groups also explored the issue of child participation in the study to understand different motivations between ethnicities and sexes. Compared to white British children, British Pakistani children were significantly fatter by standard deviation scores for triceps (p=0.003) and subscapular skinfolds (p<0.000), but not by BMI (p=0.599) or waist circumference (p=0.253). British Pakistani children had significantly lower birth weights (p<0.001), and were more frequently classified as low birth weight (p=0.01) and small-for-gestational age (p<0.001). These results may support the foetal origins hypothesis, which is that early life influences can adversely affect later health, by linking foetal development with adiposity in childhood. There was a higher proportion of overfat by subscapular skinfold thickness (p<0.001) in second generation British Pakistani boys compared to the third generation. The two generation groups did not differ significantly in any measure of birth weight. The lifestyle pilot sub-study suggests that differences in lifestyle patterns may exist between the British Pakistani and white British families who participated, and it could provide a basis for a full study on this topic. Methods implemented in public health research should reconsider using the body mass index alone as a predictor of body fatness, especially in populations including British Pakistanis. Qualitative methodologies should be used to inform study design as a way of illuminating complex and interrelated issues such as obesity and ethnicity

“Inspiring Imps”: programme evaluation of a football intervention targeting mentally ill health services users through a professional football club

The Active People survey (2010) shows that only 6.5% of disabled individuals participate in sport and exercise 3 times per week, compared with 16.5% of able bodied adults in the UK. Individuals with recognised disabilities have long been excluded from mainstream society. Particularly in sport, disability athletes can be afforded minority status and are treated as such (Nixon, 2000: In Handbook of Sports Studies, edited by J. Coakley and E. Dunning. London: Sage). This stigmatisation can be particularly acute among participants with diagnosed mental or psychological disabilities. Previous research concluded that sport can have positive psychological and social benefits, including improved well-being, motivation and social confidence (Crone and Guy, 2008: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing. 17, 197-207.). The aim of the present study was to investigate the feasibility of a 6 week exercise programme targeting mental ill health service users aged 16+. A weekly 2 hour session of football was introduced to promote health and wellbeing in the target group. Partners included county Football Association and a professional football club. The project enhanced local partnerships and partnerships with other professional football clubs. The key remaining aim is to ensure a sustainable “legacy” is achieved to ensure the continuation delivery of the project. The feasibility of the present study will be assessed using programme evaluation. Programme evaluation uses programme theory to produce a structured framework for assessment of the project (Rossi et al 2004; Evaluation: A systematic Approach. London, Sage). This allows a clear and logical progression from planning to implementation. Participant attrition rates and attendance records will be collected. These data will be supplemented with semi-structured interviews with participants and project stakeholders to assess programme development. The expected overall project outcome is to produce shared learning practice on similar interventions nationwide

Graduate teaching assistants use different criteria when grading introductory physics vs. quantum mechanics problems

Physics graduate teaching assistants (TAs) are often responsible for grading. Physics education research suggests that grading practices that place the burden of proof for explicating the problem solving process on students can help them develop problem solving skills and learn physics. However, TAs may not have developed effective grading practices and may grade student solutions in introductory and advanced courses differently. In the context of a TA professional development course, we asked TAs to grade student solutions to introductory physics and quantum mechanics problems and explain why their grading approaches were different or similar in the two contexts. TAs expected and rewarded reasoning more frequently in the QM context. Our findings suggest that these differences may at least partly be due to the TAs not realizing that grading can serve as a formative assessment tool and also not thinking about the difficulty of an introductory physics problem from an introductory physics student's perspective

Grading Practices and Considerations of Graduate Students at the Beginning of their Teaching Assignment

Research shows that expert-like approaches to problem-solving can be promoted by encouraging students to explicate their thought processes and follow a prescribed problem-solving strategy. Since grading communicates instructors' expectations, teaching assistants' grading decisions play a crucial role in forming students' approaches to problem-solving in physics. We investigated the grading practices and considerations of 43 graduate teaching assistants (TAs). The TAs were asked to grade a set of specially designed student solutions and explain their grading decisions. We found that in a quiz context, a majority of TAs noticed but did not grade on solution features which promote expert-like approaches to problem-solving. In addition, TAs graded differently in quiz and homework contexts, partly because of how they considered time limitations in a quiz. Our findings can inform professional development programs for TAs

Project Home Evaluation: Final Report

Evaluates a New York State Department of Health-funded project to help nursing home patients move home or into community-based settings through discharge planning services, training, and education. Examines differentiating factors such as Medicaid status