Teaching Students with Special Needs in School-Based, Agricultural Education: A Historical Inquiry

The purpose of this historical study was to investigate the inclusion of students with special needs in school-based, agricultural education as reported by The Agricultural Education Magazine and the Journal of Agricultural Education over a time period of six decades. The impact of landmark legislation, such as the Vocational Education Act of 1963, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, and the Individuals with Disabilities Act of 1990, were examined. This legislation motivated and supported agricultural education’s efforts to meet the learning needs of special education students by providing modified lessons and learning environments, inclusive SAEs and FFA activities, and focused teacher preparation. Challenges and concerns regarding the placement of special needs students in school-based, agricultural education are also discussed, as well as opportunities for related research in the future, especially about their participation in the FFA

Professional Doctorate in Health Psychology thesis portfolio (Edwards : 2019) : Obesity and uncontrolled eating from a health psychology perspective

This portfolio and the accompanying competency folders contain over three years of reflective practice logs and demonstrate evidence of how I have met the required competencies for the Professional Doctorate in Health Psychology. In the form of four case studies, one systematic review and a research thesis conducted over a period of two years, it shows my range of knowledge and skills gained within Health Psychology. Further to this, it demonstrates how I have learnt practically to apply health psychology theory to a commissioned health improvement service in order to become a skilled Health Psychology Practitioner. The largest section of this portfolio is that of my research study (section C3) and reflecting back on the process of undertaking this, I can certainly see significant growth in skills as a researcher. I originally undertook the study because, as a weight management practitioner, I often came across obese patients who believed that they were food addicts. However, despite there being a large body of research looking at the topic, very little qualitative research existed which attempted to explore the experience of perceived food addiction in those trying to lose weight. Such research as was available took the approach that ‘food addiction’ could simply be mapped onto the existing criteria for substance use disorder rather than approaching it from a neutral standpoint which might allow unique features of the experience to come to light. During the process I found myself influenced by previous research and had repeatedly to remind myself of my original aims. The results of this study identified extreme uncontrolled eating behaviours that are not currently targeted in standard weight management interventions and which participants interpreted as food addiction. They also reported feeling stigmatised due to their belief in food addiction which posed as a barrier to seeking help. I believe that these are important findings and have implications both for those designing weight management interventions and for health care professionals in general. The systematic review I undertook (section C3.1) was particularly challenging for me because I had never undertaken one before. Although protocols do exist, I had to make some key preliminary decisions myself and often doubted my judgement. My review looked at the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions a range of physical and psychological measures relating to people with HIV. One decision I had to make was whether to include unpublished studies in my review. This was a difficult decision as in many ways it would have been simpler not to. However, given the existence of publication bias, I decided that I should include unpublished work in order to draw more balanced conclusions as to the effectiveness of these therapies. My review concluded that there is not enough evidence to recommend these interventions over the standard treatment as yet. I believe this, is itself an important finding as mindfulness is currently very popular in the media and this may mean individuals seek it out when it is not necessarily the most effective treatment option available to them. The competency which came most naturally to me was that of behaviour change interventions. I develop, implement and evaluate these regularly as part of my professional duties and believe that I am skilled in this area. The case study detailed in this portfolio (C2) was undertaken very early on in my training and was the first time I had decided upon the assessment, content of the intervention and evaluation process myself. I was pleased with the outcome of the intervention which targeted emotional eating and it has since been embedded in the standard weight management intervention provided by my employer. I have since gone on to develop other interventions in and out of my current job role and the processes set out in this competency have provided me with a framework for doing so effectively. I also very much enjoyed the teaching and training competency (section C5). The case study outlines a lecture I undertook at London Metropolitan University for MSc Health Psychology students. I developed my skills in creating teaching materials, such as PowerPoint presentations, significantly during this process as previously I had underestimated the importance of these in keeping students engaged. I learnt to take all different learning styles into account when planning a teaching session as I had previously assumed that the approach to which I respond well would suit everyone. I found the evaluation process challenging, particularly watching back footage of my teaching. However, this has allowed me to become more relaxed and natural during teaching which means that I can concentrate on the reactions of the students to the subject matter rather than worrying about how I personally am coming across to them. The consultancy competency (section C4) proved the most challenging for me but also allowed for the most development. The case study outlined in this portfolio was particularly difficult due to the unwillingness of the manager to be fully involved with the consultancy process. In hindsight I should have set clearer expectations at the outset and insisted that he met these throughout. I believe that it was also a mistake not to charge for my time; he may have valued the process and been more involved if he had been paying for it. This highlights how much I have developed since then in that I did not value my skills and time sufficiently, which is not the case today. I have since been involved in several pieces of consultancy work and have always charged for my time and have drawn up a clear contract before undertaking any work. These have been much more successful pieces of work and although the case study in this portfolio does not outline the most positive piece of consultancy work I have been involved in, it is certainly the one from which I learned the most. Section C1 outlines how I have developed my generic professional skills throughout my training to become a proficient Health Psychologist. I have been very fortunate to have been employed by such a supportive and innovative healthcare provider as they have given me the opportunity to gain experience in many areas and to work with a wide range of professionals. I can see a vast improvement in my skills and confidence between when I first undertook my training in 2014 and today. Reflective practice and supervision have been key in my development as well as continuing to take part in training and learning; I will maintain these practices during the entirety of my professional career

The Role of Compensation in Nicotine Reduction.

The available research on switching from normal nicotine to very low nicotine content cigarettes shows minimal evidence of compensatory smoking. Mathematical estimations suggest that substantial compensation after switching to very low nicotine cigarettes would be impossible. It is likely that smokers who are unable to tolerate the extent of proposed nicotine reduction would switch to other sources of nicotine, rather than try to compensate by smoking more very low nicotine content cigarettes more intensely

A Terraced Scanning Superconducting Quantum Interference Device Susceptometer with Sub-Micron Pickup Loops

Superconducting Quantum Interference Devices (SQUIDs) can have excellent spin sensitivity depending on their magnetic flux noise, pick-up loop diameter, and distance from the sample. We report a family of scanning SQUID susceptometers with terraced tips that position the pick-up loops 300 nm from the sample. The 600 nm - 2 um pickup loops, defined by focused ion beam, are integrated into a 12-layer optical lithography process allowing flux-locked feedback, in situ background subtraction and optimized flux noise. These features enable a sensitivity of ~70 electron spins per root Hertz at 4K.Comment: See http://stanford.edu/group/moler/publications.html for an auxiliary document containing additional fabrication details and discussio

“It’s the fact they’re no trouble to anybody. That’s the problem, isn’t it?”: An exploration of the characteristics of Selective Mutism and their applicability for the role of the Educational Psychologist.

This thesis is divided into three sections: Part 1 is a detailed literature review which explores relevant research into the characteristics of Selective Mutism (SM), the co-morbid conditions of the diagnosis and how the condition is within the remit of Educational Psychologists (EPs). The review begins with a description of Selective Mutism (SM) including its history, prevalence, and aetiology. It then describes the characteristics noted in the literature. This is followed by the impact of SM, co-morbidity and misdiagnosis. Followed by the role of the EP in relation to the condition. Finally, the rationale for the current study is explained, with mention to the research questions. Part 2 is the empirical study, which explores the characteristics of SM and if awareness of these characteristics would be beneficial in helping EPs elicit testable hypotheses. A summary of the relevant literature is discussed, followed by details of the methodology and procedure for the study. Forty-six parental questionnaires were completed, which were analysed using descriptive statistics and three EPs took part in a virtual focus group, which was analysed using thematic analysis (TA). Tables showing the differences in mode scores for the parental questionnaires and main themes and sub-themes of the focus group are presented in the results section. With both findings merging within the discussion, in order to discuss findings in relation to the research questions, along with relevant literature and psychological theory. Finally, future research and limitations are discussed. Part 3 is the critical appraisal, which is a reflexive account of the studies contribution to knowledge and is a critical account of the research practitioner. This section discusses the development of: The research topic; rationale and research questions; the research paradigm; and the research design, whilst also discussing some obstacles that were encountered, the overall contribution to knowledge and practice and dissemination of the results

Assistance at mealtimes in hospital settings and rehabilitation units for older adults from the perspective of patients, families and healthcare professionals: a mixed methods systematic review protocol

REVIEW QUESTION / OBJECTIVES The review question is: assistance at mealtimes for older adults in hospital settings and rehabilitation units: what goes on, what works and what do patients, families and healthcare professionals think about it? The specific objectives are: To determine the effectiveness of meal time assistance initiatives for improving nutritional intake and nutritional status for older adult patients in hospital settings and rehabilitation units To identify and explore the perceptions and experiences of older adult patients and those involved with their care with regard to assistance at mealtimes in hospital settings and rehabilitation units This mixed methods review seeks to develop an aggregated synthesis of quantitative and qualitative data on assistance at mealtimes for older adults in hospital settings and rehabilitation units in order to derive conclusions and recommendations useful for clinical practice and policy decision making