More questions than answers: the role of practitioner research in professional practice.

The concept of the career guidance practitioner viewing themselves as a professional is currently being challenged (Colley and Lewin, 2008; Greer, 2009). During the last decade there has been a concerted effort to support practitioners in engaging with research both as an agent and as a recipient to enhance practice and to drive forward the concept of the professional. This paper presents examples of progress within this endeavour and the views of practitioners who have engaged in research activities, either as part of their role or as dedicated continuing professional development (CPD). Throughout this paper we explore the role of research within the concepts of profession and professional practice; drawing on literature and primary research that captures views from two groups of practitioners. That careers guidance is a profession is an assumed reality for many practitioners and the organisations that represent them (and our own stance is that it is indeed a profession and we refer to it as such throughout this paper)

Understanding advancement

The concept of ‘advancement’ has been central to the debate in relation to the most effective ways of achieving the twin policy goals of high employment alongside high productivity. It is based on how the system looks from the perspective of the individual who often faces multiple barriers in accessing both learning and work. In this way it is linked to the wider agenda of the personalisation of public services. What is different from other approaches is that advancement is also about how support for (and challenge to) the individual is delivered holistically. This involves bringing together what are currently discrete and disparate advice services for: housing, employment, learning, health and benefits/personal finances.This paper explores how the vision of advancement has advanced since first mooted in this context in John Denham’s Fabian Society speech in 2004. It looks at the reform agenda from three perspectives: • The individual; • The workplace; and • The advancement agencies which support them. It concludes by looking at ways of achieving advancement and government’s role in the process through strategic commitments to – segmentation; stimulation; regulation; and capacity building.CF

Building motivation, achievement and progression online: evaluating Brightside's approach to online mentoring. Executive Summary.

This report sets out the findings of an independent evaluation of Brightside conducted by the International Centre for Guidance Studies. Brightside is a charity that seeks to raise young people’s aspirations and awareness about education and career pathways and enhance their capability to achieve those aspirations. A mixed methods approach to evaluation was taken which combined interviews with Brightside staff and partners (representatives of organisations that used Brightside) with analysis of existing web statistics collected by Brightside, an online survey of mentees and a detailed content analysis of a sample of online mentoring conversations. Overall the evaluation found that Brightside is well regarded by its partners, and provides a tool which delivers high quality mentoring and clear impacts for participants (mentees). It is particularly effective in helping young people to transition to higher education by helping them to think about which university they want to apply to, and supporting them through the application process.Brightsid

Supporting STEM students into STEM careers: A practical introduction for academics

Graduate employability is increasingly becoming a selection criteria used by students in their choice of university and discipline. It is also used as a metric for the quality assessment of institutions and the construction of the various league tables produced by newspapers and other media outlets. In addition to identifying levels of employment, further study and unemployment, graduates’ employment destinations are classified as “graduate” or “non-graduate” jobs. The distinction between “graduate” and “non-graduate” is also important for the various metrics that are produced from the destinations data.6 To evidence that a particular course or discipline supports graduate employability it is therefore important not only that graduates are able to find work, but also that they can find work of an appropriate level. A STEM degree should be a clear asset in achieving this aim of finding graduate level employment.National HE Stemm Programm

Strategic consultation on the FE workforce and Initial Teacher Education workforce for the Education & Training Foundation

A research project undertaken on behalf of the Education and Training Foundation exploring barriers to attracting candidates with higher qualifications and skills to the FE sector and to explores if ITE predominantly attracts people from a humanities background. The report suggests that people move into FE teaching through opportunity. The issue if dual professionalism is an important element of identity. Those becoming teacher educators tend to drift into the role. Discussions were focused less on the background of people but on the space they have to deliver a curriculum which includes pedagogy theory and the extent to which ITE need to have subject specialisms to prepare teachers for effective classroom practice.Education and Training Foundatio

Strategies to improve the quality of initial teacher education for teachers in the education and training sector (further education and skills)

This report details the Inquiring Teachers, Inquiring Learners project which was developed to support partner institutions to develop and apply a culture of action research within their organisation. The underlying principle of the project was professionalism and in particular the promotion and development of teachers’ professional identities and attitudes as the key to the enhancement of student learning, above all, a vision of the ‘inquiring teacher’. Inquiring teachers it is felt are more likely to develop inquiring learners. Teachers are best placed to know about their subjects and their learners’ needs within their local contexts. The project aimed to support partners of the School of Education to develop the skills and knowledge to define and undertake an action research project that would contribute to improving ITE within their context.Education and Training Foundatio

Evaluation of the NAHT Aspire

Data collected for this second interim report through a survey, telephone interviews and site visits indicates that the NAHT Aspire Partner Schools Programme has over a short period of time demonstrated an effective approach to school improvement. Significant is that 14 schools have been rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted. Schools have particularly welcomed and benefited from the adopted approach which emphasises; • Distributed leadership which empowers staff to take on a leadership role for the five strands; • Achievement Teams which build problem focused solutions, a positive climate for staff to feel valued and improved use of data within schools; • A whole school approach to school improvement through adoption and implementation of core values; • Peer support provided through Network Days and in school through Development Days; and • Staff development through training, coaching and the 2-6-2 meeting models. Survey evidence suggested that school leaders and teachers have a lot of confidence now that their school will change for the better (97% agreed or strongly agreed with this statement). Furthermore they reported that they have the right strategy and short term priorities to effect change that will impact upon teaching and pupil attainment. There was overall a high level of confidence (99%) that teaching and pupil’s learning would improve as a result of involvement in the programme. The dedicated support provided by NAHT Aspire Achievement Advisers offers a unique and valued aspect to the programme which provides localised bespoke training and consultancy to schools in the programme. Leadership capacity was identified as a concern by Ofsted in the three pilot schools that were judged to be ‘Inadequate’ and this factor was reflected in termly reviews of the schools’ success in implementing NAHT Aspire prior to the inspections. The programme is considered to provide value for money by schools, and may represent especially good value when compared with the costs of academisation. There have been a few withdrawals to date and these have been predominantly as a result of Ofsted inspections where schools have been judged ‘Good’ or have moved to ‘Special Measures’. It would be interesting to continue to monitor the outcomes of the programme over the coming years and to assess progression from ‘Good’ to ‘Outstanding.’National Association of Head Teacher

Ensuring quality in online career mentoring

This article explores the issue of quality in online career mentoring. It builds on a previous evaluation of Brightside, an online mentoring system in the UK which is primarily aimed at supporting young people's transitions to further learning. The article notes that participants in Brightside's mentoring programmes reported satisfaction with their experiences, with many stating that it helped them to make decisions and to positively change their learning and career behaviours. However, the article argues that there are challenges in ensuring quality and consistency connected to both the voluntary nature of mentoring and the online mode. The article proposes a 10-point quality framework to support quality assurance, initial training and professional development for online mentors

UK robotic arthroplasty clinical and cost effectiveness randomised controlled trial for hips (RACER-Hip) : a study protocol

Introduction: The number of robotic-assisted hip replacement procedures has expanded globally with the intended aim of improving outcomes. Intraoperative robotic-arm systems add additional costs to total hip replacement (THR) surgery but may improve surgical precision and could contribute to diminished pain and improved function. Additionally, these systems may reduce the need for expensive revision surgery. Surgery with conventional instruments may be just as successful, quick and affordable. There is timely demand for a robust evaluation of this technology. Methods and analysis: The Robotic Arthroplasty Clinical and cost Effectiveness Randomised controlled trial for Hips (RACER-Hip) is a multicentre (minimum of six UK sites), participant–assessor blinded, randomised controlled trial. 378 participants with hip osteoarthritis requiring THR will be randomised (1:1) to receive robotic-assisted THR, or THR using conventional surgical instruments. The primary outcome is the Forgotten Joint Score at 12 months post-randomisation; a patient-reported outcome measure assessing participants’ awareness of their joint when undertaking daily activities. Secondary outcomes will be collected post-operatively (pain, blood loss and opioid usage) and at 3, 6, 12, 24 months, then 5 and 10 years postrandomisation (including function, pain, health-related quality of life, reoperations and satisfaction). Allocation concealment will be accomplished using a computer-based randomisation procedure on the day of surgery. Blinding methods include the use of sham incisions for marker clusters and blinded operation notes. The primary analysis will adhere to the intention-to-treat principle. Results will adhere to Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials statements. Ethics and dissemination: The trial was approved by an ethics committee (Solihull Research Ethics Committee, 30 June 2021, IRAS: 295831). Participants will provide informed consent before agreeing to participate. Results will be disseminated using peer-reviewed journal publications, presentations at international conferences and through the use of social media. We will develop plans to disseminate to patients and public with our patient partners

Generational Association Studies of Dopaminergic Genes in Reward Deficiency Syndrome (RDS) Subjects: Selecting Appropriate Phenotypes for Reward Dependence Behaviors

Abnormal behaviors involving dopaminergic gene polymorphisms often reflect an insufficiency of usual feelings of satisfaction, or Reward Deficiency Syndrome (RDS). RDS results from a dysfunction in the “brain reward cascade,” a complex interaction among neurotransmitters (primarily dopaminergic and opioidergic). Individuals with a family history of alcoholism or other addictions may be born with a deficiency in the ability to produce or use these neurotransmitters. Exposure to prolonged periods of stress and alcohol or other substances also can lead to a corruption of the brain reward cascade function. We evaluated the potential association of four variants of dopaminergic candidate genes in RDS (dopamine D1 receptor gene [DRD1]; dopamine D2 receptor gene [DRD2]; dopamine transporter gene [DAT1]; dopamine beta-hydroxylase gene [DBH]). Methodology: We genotyped an experimental group of 55 subjects derived from up to five generations of two independent multiple-affected families compared to rigorously screened control subjects (e.g., N = 30 super controls for DRD2 gene polymorphisms). Data related to RDS behaviors were collected on these subjects plus 13 deceased family members. Results: Among the genotyped family members, the DRD2 Taq1 and the DAT1 10/10 alleles were significantly (at least p < 0.015) more often found in the RDS families vs. controls. The TaqA1 allele occurred in 100% of Family A individuals (N = 32) and 47.8% of Family B subjects (11 of 23). No significant differences were found between the experimental and control positive rates for the other variants. Conclusions: Although our sample size was limited, and linkage analysis is necessary, the results support the putative role of dopaminergic polymorphisms in RDS behaviors. This study shows the importance of a nonspecific RDS phenotype and informs an understanding of how evaluating single subset behaviors of RDS may lead to spurious results. Utilization of a nonspecific “reward” phenotype may be a paradigm shift in future association and linkage studies involving dopaminergic polymorphisms and other neurotransmitter gene candidates