Evaluation of frameworks for knowledge management in the third sector

A research project to investigate the usefulness of the knowledge management paradigm in shaping information systems strategy for third sector organisations is described. The top down knowledge management concept may be more relevant for third sector organisations in determining their approaches to information, but existing frameworks for knowledge management adoption in the public and for profit sectors need to be evaluated to assess their suitability for the values driven third sector

Language use and language attitudes in Malawian universities

This study aims to investigate patterns of language use and language attitudes amongst students in Malawian universities. This will highlight whether language issues affect Malawians’ ability to engage with tertiary education. It has been claimed that ineffective language policies in developing countries restrict people’s ability to access systems such as education. As a result, this has a negative impact on their own, and their country's, development. Specifically, Malawi frequently has the lowest rates of university enrolment worldwide and is consistently ranked amongst the world’s poorest countries.\ud Recent language policy changes within Malawi have brought the issue of language use within education to the fore, with increased debate over whether English or indigenous languages are suitable for use in education. Through targeting university students across Malawi’s universities using semistructured interviews, data was collected to illustrate aspects of the sociolinguistic situation within Malawian universities. The results reveal that both English and indigenous languages are used within the university environment, while also suggesting that issues do arise from language use within university. While students recognise both positive and negative aspects of using each language, they are generally more favourable towards the use of English as a medium of instruction within universit

Language in Malawian universities: an investigation into language use and language attitudes amongst students and staff

It has been suggested that poor and ill-fitting language policies within Africa have led to a majority of its population being unable to effectively engage with education systems within their countries (Djite 2008). Language-in-education policies in Malawi are a prime example of this as Malawi’s language planning has repeatedly been criticised and epitomises the tension between the competing positions of English and the twelve Malawian languages in the country (Kayambazinthu 1998, Moyo 2001, Breton 2003). In 2014 a new language-in-education policy was announced in Malawi, which positioned English as the sole language to be used within education. This has led to increased debate around the appropriateness of English versus Malawian languages for educational purposes (Chiwanda 2014, Gwengwe 2014, see also Miti 2015a). A key criticism of Malawi’s language-in-education policies is that they are not developed based on sociolinguistic evidence (Moyo 2001), despite claims that sociolinguistic studies can play a crucial role in the creation and implementation of successful and beneficial language policies (Kishindo 2008, Mtenje 2013). Through investigating the ways in which the languages in Malawi co-exist within higher education, this study therefore seeks to provide sociolinguistic evidence which can be used to inform the policy debate in Malawi. The sociolinguistic situation in Malawian universities is ascertained through investigating the language attitudes and patterns of language use of individuals within them. Individuals in Malawian higher education have a variety of linguistic repertoires and this study explores: how students and staff make use of their multilingual linguistic repertoires to facilitate teaching, learning, and socialising in their institutions; the attitudes of students and staff towards the suitability of particular languages within higher education; and the impact this could have on educational language policy. The study adopts a linguistic ethnographic approach with methods including: participant observation; participant recording; interviews; and focus groups. Results show that Malawian universities are multilingual environments in which translanguaging occurs in both social and academic contexts. Students and staff show strongly positive attitudes towards the use of English within higher education and generally negative attitudes towards the use of Malawian languages. However, participants also exhibit favourable attitudes towards the use of a flexible language policy which embraces the multilingual reality of students and staff within the universities and allows translanguaging practices to take place

Attitudes towards English as a medium of instruction in Malawian universities

Malawi’s language-in-education policies have been through numerous changes since the colonial period. In 1996 a policy directive was announced which encouraged the use of mother tongues in the early stages of education before transitioning to English. However, this policy was never effectively implemented and, in 2014, an English-only policy was announced. This has resulted in renewed debate on which languages are suitable for use as mediums of instruction in the country. This article will discuss the Malawian language-in-education policy context with a focus on university education, and the prevailing attitudes which students and staff exhibit towards English. This will be done through an analysis of data collected from focal groups and interviews with students and staff in Malawian universities. Results show that while English is viewed positively and as suitable for use within universities it is not viewed uncritically and there are complex attitudes towards the language. English skills are viewed as a valuable resource; however, so too are multilingual language skills. Students and staff also display positive attitudes towards the use of a multilingual language policy in the university suggesting that the recent policy changes in Malawi do not reflect stakeholder attitudes

Methodological Principles for Researching Multilingually: Reflections on Linguistic Ethnography

Linguistic ethnography provides insight into how communication occurs between individuals and institutions, while situating these local actions within wider social, political and historical contexts (Copland & Creese, 2015) and has proven to be a particularly effective tool for developing our understanding of individuals’ lived multilingual realities (see Unamuno, 2014) and societal multilingualism. Turning the ‘reflexive gaze’ that is central to ethnography (Clifford & Marcus, 1986) back onto linguistic ethnography itself, we argue that where complex multilingual interactions are the object of study, more attention must be given to how multilingualism affects each aspect of the process of actually doing linguistic ethnography. In this paper we outline the development of three principles that we put forward as being essential in developing and conducting contemporary linguistic ethnography in multilingual settings. The principles are: 1) Researching multilingually; 2) Researching collaboratively; and 3) Researching responsively

Inclusion and participation of children with epilepsy in schools: Views of young people, school staff and parents

OBJECTIVE: To gain an understanding of the views of children with epilepsy, their parents and staff regarding inclusion and participation of children with epilepsy in school. METHODS: During the study period, 136 children with 'active' epilepsy (taking anti-seizure Medications (ASMs) for epilepsy), were identified in the study area and of these 68 (50% of those eligible) families agreed to participate. Children (n = 20) with 'active epilepsy' their parents (n = 68) and staff (n = 56) were interviewed or completed surveys. The quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and chi-square analyses. The answers to open questions were analysed using thematic analyses. RESULTS: Staff in mainstream schools were more concerned about the child's attendance than staff in special schools (p = 0.008).Parents and school staff cited a number of negative aspects of the child's attendance difficulties including social-emotional and academic aspects. The majority of parents and staff felt that young people with epilepsy were included in school to the same extent as peers. Parents were however, significantly less likely than staff to agree that children were included in all playground activities (p = 0.045). Parents of children in special schools were more likely to agree that their child was included in school than parents of children attending mainstream schools (p = 0.041). Thematic analysis revealed that parents felt that their child could be excluded in school due to staff decisions, child's own choice and peer led exclusion. The majority of children (64%) and parents (56%) agreed that the child with epilepsy was restricted from doing things their peers could do because of their epilepsy. While more than half of children with epilepsy (63%) reported that they had been bullied, most did not attribute this bullying to having epilepsy. Parents were more likely to agree that their child was bullied because of their epilepsy (p = 0.035) and non-epilepsy reasons than staff (p<0.001). Parents of children with epilepsy attending mainstream schools were more likely to agree that their child was bullied because of their epilepsy (p = 0.017) and non-epilepsy reasons (p = 0.026), compared to parents of children with epilepsy attending special schools. CONCLUSIONS: School attendance difficulties for children with epilepsy can contribute to academic and social-emotional difficulties. Most parents and teachers feel that children with epilepsy are included in classroom activities to the same extent as peers. Children with epilepsy and their parents believe that they are more restricted in non-classroom activities compared with their peers. Difficulties with participation, friendships and bullying for children with epilepsy may be due to presence of other conditions as opposed to epilepsy per se. There is a need to increase understanding of the wide ranging impact of epilepsy on school life in order to enhance attendance and inclusion and to reduce bullying

A temperature sensitive live-attenuated canine influenza virus H3N8 vaccine

Canine influenza is a respiratory disease of dogs caused by canine influenza virus (CIV). CIV subtypes responsible for influenza in dogs include H3N8, which originated from the transfer of H3N8 equine influenza virus to dogs; and the H3N2 CIV, which is an avian-origin virus that adapted to infect dogs. Influenza infections are most effectively prevented through vaccination to reduce transmission and future infection. Currently, only inactivated influenza vaccines (IIVs) are available for the prevention of CIV in dogs. However, the efficacy of IIVs is suboptimal, and novel approaches are necessary for the prevention of disease caused by this canine respiratory pathogen. Using reverse genetics techniques, we have developed a live-attenuated CIV vaccine (LACIV) for the prevention of H3N8 CIV. The H3N8 LACIV replicates efficiently in canine cells at 33°C but is impaired at temperatures of 37 to 39°C and was attenuated compared to wild-type H3N8 CIV in vivo and ex vivo. The LACIV was able to induce protection against H3N8 CIV challenge with a single intranasal inoculation in mice. Immunogenicity and protection efficacy were better than that observed with a commercial CIV H3N8 IIV but provided limited cross-reactive immunity and heterologous protection against H3N2 CIV. These results demonstrate the feasibility of implementing a LAIV approach for the prevention and control of H3N8 CIV in dogs and suggest the need for a new LAIV for the control of H3N2 CIV. Importance: Two influenza A virus subtypes has been reported in dogs in the last 16 years: the canine influenza viruses (CIV) H3N8 and H3N2 of equine and avian origins, respectively. To date, only inactivated influenza vaccines (IIVs) are available to prevent CIV infections. Here, we report the generation of a recombinant, temperature-sensitive H3N8 CIV as a live-attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV), which was attenuated in mice and dog tracheal, explants compared to CIV H3N8 wild type. A single dose of H3N8 LACIV showed immunogenicity and protection against a homologous challenge that was better than that conferred with an H3N8 IIV, demonstrating the feasibility of implementing a LAIV approach for the improved control of H3N8 CIV infections in dogs

Factor associated with the occurrence of epilepsy in autism: A systematic review

This systematic review aimed to identify factors significantly associated with the occurrence of epilepsy in autistic individuals and to consider the impact of study quality on findings. Electronic databases were systematically searched on October 2nd, 2020 and records retrieved were limited to those published from 2000 onwards. Study quality was categorised as 'good', 'moderate' or 'weak'. Fifty-three studies were included and in studies where the prevalence of epilepsy was reported (n = 257,892), 18,254 (7%) had co-occurring epilepsy. Intellectual disability/cognitive impairment was the most commonly reported risk factor associated with occurrence of epilepsy in autistic individuals. The evidence supporting other, potentially relevant factors was weak and inconsistent and requires further evaluation. Only 9/53 studies were considered 'good' quality

Decolonising Methodologies Through Collaboration: Reflections on Partnerships and Funding Flows from Working Between the South and the North

First paragraph: This chapter explores how we can adopt a decolonial approach to methodologies within linguistics through critical examination of the role of partnerships within academic collaborations in the so-called “Global North” and “Global South”. We recognise that the North–South dichotomy is artificial and reductionist. However, for the purposes of the current chapter we employ these terms to reflect conceptualisations in our workplaces, as seen in funding schemes which explicitly require relationships between individuals and/or institutions in the North and South. We acknowledge, however, that the terminology is problematic and fraught, and we explore some of the issues involved in further detail belo