Undergraduate Research Opportunities

Letter from President Taggart to student body regarding undergraduate research opportunitie

Pre-school experience and Key Stage 2 performance in English and Mathematics

This report considers children\u27s educational attainment in English and mathematics at the end of primary school (age 11). Children\u27s educational attainment in English and mathematics was derived from their national Key Stage 2 assessments. The analyses have considered the child\u27s level of Key Stage 2 attainment in terms of the effects of child, family, home environment and preschool experience variables as well as the child\u27s ability at the start of primary school

Models of Reflective Thinking

The complexity of educating children requires educators who are knowledgeable, skillful and flexible. Reflection augments the repertoire and flexibility of educators. However, not all practitioners function at the same level of reflection

Major health-related behaviours and mental well-being in the general population : the health survey for England

Background: Major behavioural risk factors are known to adversely affect health outcomes and be strongly associated with mental illness. However, little is known about the association of these risk factors with mental well-being in the general population. We sought to examine behavioural correlates of high and low mental well-being in the Health Survey for England. Methods: Participants were 13 983 adults, aged 16 years and older (56% females), with valid responses for the combined 2010 and 2011 surveys. Mental well-being was assessed using the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS). ORs of low and high mental well-being, compared to the middle-range category, were estimated for body mass index (BMI), smoking, drinking habits, and fruit and vegetable intake. Results: ORs for low mental well-being were increased in obese individuals (up to 1.72, 95% CI 1.26 to 2.36 in BMI 40+ kg/m2). They increased in a linear fashion with increasing smoking (up to 1.98, 95% CI 1.55 to 2.53, >20 cigarettes/day) and with decreasing fruit and vegetable intake (up to 1.53, 95% CI 1.24 to 1.90, <1 portion/day); whereas ORs were reduced for sensible alcohol intake (0.78, 95% CI 0.66 to 0.91, ≤4 units/day in men, ≤3 units/day in women). ORs for high mental well-being were not correlated with categories of BMI or alcohol intake. ORs were reduced among ex-smokers (0.81, 95% CI 0.71 to 0.92), as well as with lower fruit and vegetable intake (up to 0.79, 95% CI 0.68 to 0.92, 1 to <3 portions/day). Conclusions; Along with smoking, fruit and vegetable consumption was the health-related behaviour most consistently associated with mental well-being in both sexes. Alcohol intake and obesity were associated with low, but not high mental well-being

Undergraduate Research & Creative Opportunities Directory 1976-1977

Provides an introduction to URCO and outlines process. Also contains a list of research and creative opportunities that USU faculty are working on. Memo from president Taggart gives background on URCO. Memo from Dean Peterson explains how to obtain funding to support students\u27 URCO projects

Profiling youths’ art engagement and the links to university aspirations

Arts engagement is rarely researched however for adolescents this activity forms part of a range of organised and structured activities that have been associated with positive university aspirations and post-high school educational trajectories (Denault & Poulin, 2009). Identifying, building, and supporting university aspirations are crucial during adolescence, particularly for disadvantaged and low socioeconomic status (SES) students (Sellar & Gale, 2011), and art engagement may contribute to the likelihood of young people going to university. The environment (school or community) in which arts activities are engaged in, and intensity of participation (number of hours per week) are two dimensions that inform student engagement in arts. Students’ SES, age and gender also influence the association between engagement and university expectations, especially for low SES students where the salience of the engagement may be more pronounced (Blomfield & Barber, 2011). We sought to explore the association between arts engagement and the students’ expectation to attend university after high school and whether this association differed between high and low SES groups

Eating well, living well and weight management: A co-produced semi-qualitative study of barriers and facilitators experienced by adults with intellectual disabilities

Adults with intellectual disabilities in England experience health inequalities. They are more likely than their non-disabled peers to be obese and at risk of serious medical conditions such as heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. This semi-qualitative study engaged adults with intellectual disabilities in a co-production process to explore their perceived barriers and facilitators to eating well, living well and weight management. Nineteen participants with intellectual disabilities took part in four focus groups and one wider group discussion. They were supported by eight of their carers or support workers. Several barriers were identified including personal income restrictions, carers’ and support workers’ unmet training needs, a lack of accessible information, inaccessible services and societal barriers such as the widespread advertising of less healthy foodstuffs. A key theme of frustration with barriers emerged from analysis of participants’ responses. Practical solutions suggested by participants included provision of clear and accessible healthy lifestyle information, reasonable adjustments to services, training, ‘buddying’ support systems or schemes and collaborative working to improve policy and practice