Student as researcher: rethinking how to make research methods interesting for students

This project aimed to enable students to appreciate the technical and epistemological nuances of different phenomenological approaches. We involved a small group of self-selecting honours level undergraduate students in the plural analysis of focus group data. Students reported that this supportive teaching technique, facilitating peer working, resulted in deeper learning. This case study describes the piloting of a collaborative teaching method, engaging students as researchers. The project lasted six months, with monthly meetings from tutors to guide procedure and to support academic discussion. The group had a shared interest and joint cause but as each student also had an individual task of conducting a certain analysis, we did not observe any group member failing to offer full effort and participation. Reflections of how this type of teaching could be conducted with larger cohorts are considered and critiqued

Benefits of Fungicide Seed Treatment on Corn Establishment, Vigor, and Yield

Cold and wet planting conditions predispose corn seedlings to infection with soil-borne pathogens like Rhizoctonia solani, Fusarium spp., and Pythium spp. Corn fungicide seed treatments are known to reduce soil-borne pathogen infection, and thus increase corn seedling vigor. Field performance of corn grown from seed treated with experimental fungicide seed treatment packs was evaluated

Person centred phenomenology : service user experiences of exercise

Purpose: The study aimed to explore the lived experience of sport and exercise amongst a group of mental health service users. Participants were recruited from a north of England NHS mental health trust that was piloting a sport and exercise intervention for adults with mental health needs. Design/methodology/approach: In depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with five mental health service users. The chosen phenomenological methodology was collaborative and interpretive. Findings: Two essential themes were highlighted; ‘Intermittent health breaking through heavy clouds of illness’ and ‘The cycle of recovery’. In addition, this person centred research identified a number of intervention benefits beyond those relating to the impact of physical activity on mental health and wellbeing. The main findings are expressed using visual imagery which participants found expressed their perceptions and experiences better than written prose. This includes the way day to day illness impacts on the journey of health for people with mental health problems. Research limitations/implications: The intervention looked to help the transition between leaving mental health services and developing a regular routine to promote recovery. The study illuminates the voices of service users and identifies that sport and exercise for mental health service users can be beneficial for recovery and feelings of belonging which can strengthen perceptions of the self. Practical implications: Social implications: Originality/value: Few studies have approached this methodological approach. This study demonstrates the value of phenomenological research with a collaborative, person centred or indeed an involved patient focus. This collaborative approach enabled a shared understanding of the phenomena

Back to Basics: Can Unstructured Camping Promote Wellbeing?

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the perceived wellbeing benefits of the unstructured camping experience for young adults. Design/methodology/approach: This is a cross-sectional descriptive phenomenological study. Young adults between the ages of 21 and 30 years with recent experiences of camping were invited to participate in the study. A descriptive phenomenological approach was taken, involving photograph-guided semi-structured interviews and Colaizzi’s seven-stage analysis framework. Ethical approval was granted by the university where the study was managed. Findings: Four female participants were interviewed; each interview lasted approximately 60 minutes in duration. Unstructured camping holidays were perceived to heighten general perceptions of health and wellbeing. Five themes emerged: “Getting away”, “Appreciation of the Natural Environment”, “Relationship Maintenance”, “Tranquility and Relaxation” and “Freedom and Adventure/Exploration”. The unstructured nature of the activity encouraged participant’s freewill to appreciate the natural environment and to engage in physical activity. Escape from everyday stressors to a tranquil environment provided the space and time to think and talk, relax and be active. Originality/value: Green care initiatives could use the unstructured camping experience, or what the authors have framed as the “back to basics” model of camping, as a tool to promote general health and wellbeing in clinical and non-clinical young adult populations. Further research is needed to substantiate the evidence base, especially to probe further around the benefits of the spontaneity of the “back to basics” camping experience, in contrast to the structured group camp experiences the authors advocate in the UK and overseas for children’s leisure or health purposes

Seed treatments enhance photosynthesis in maize seedlings by reducing infection with Fusarium spp. and consequent disease development in maize

Maize seed that was either treated with the fungicide Cruiser Extreme 250 ® (fludioxonil + azoxystrobin + mefenoxam + thiamethoxam) or not treated was planted at two Iowa locations in 2007. Root, mesocotyl and crown rot severity, incidence of Fusarium spp. colonisation and chlorophyll florescence (CF) were assessed at growth stages V2, V4 and V6, and stalk rot severity at R6. At both locations, seed treatment reduced disease severity and incidence of Fusarium spp. infection at all growth stages assessed. Measurements of CF decreased significantly with increased disease severity and incidence of Fusarium spp. at V2 and V4 at both locations, indicating that seedling disease negatively affected photosynthetic performance. Mesocotyl rot severity at V4 predicted crown rot severity at V6 at both locations, as well as crown rot at V6 and stalk rot at R6 at one location

Using an asset-based approach to explore the benefits of involvement in community-centred initiatives

Purpose: To explore with community groups, using an asset-based approach, what local individual and community assets exist in a deprived English Local Authority area; To reflect with participants on how these assets might be utilised to improve health and wellbeing; To consider how such assets might be used to promote public health (PH) as part of changes to PH provision in the context of austerity measures and local authority budget cuts. Background: Effective community engagement is essential if local government is to achieve public health goals (NICE, 2014). However, despite widespread acceptance of the need to enable individuals and communities to take more control over their health and lives, ‘the invaluable contributions and experiences of citizens actively involved in their own communities are rarely considered as part of the evidence base’ (Public Health England, 2015). There has been a recent shift in UK PH policy towards an ‘asset approach’, balancing the evidence base on health deficits (identifying problems and needs) with an equal focus on health assets (resources for creating health and wellbeing). An asset approach seeks to identify and mobilise the capacity, skills, knowledge, connections and potential in individuals, communities and organisations to create positive health and cultivate resilience. Methods: The study used principles of action research, seeking to engage with diverse groups in the locality (professionals and community members) in a process of reflective inquiry. An initial inquiry using ‘knowledge café’ workshops with statutory and voluntary services informed the research focus. Activities included reflective group discussion, photo elicitation and interactive question and answer sessions. Focus groups were held with members of 12 diverse community initiatives, focusing on how the activities and processes involved in community group participation facilitated the health and wellbeing of community members. Data were analysed using Template Analysis. Conclusions: Findings are organised in relation to three main areas: (i) Assets at a community level; (ii) Assets at an individual level; (iii) Making the most of assets: collaborative working between communities and others. Findings provide important insights to inform possibilities for how communities can play a more active role in responding to PH issues. As autonomous and independent entities, community groups described themselves as better able than public sector services to devote the time needed to really understand and respond to their community members. Professionals are seen as offering advice; peers are seen as offering choices. Traditionally ‘hard to reach’ groups may respond better to peer rather than professional assistance. Participants identified numerous mental and physical health benefits from taking part in community groups. Professionals can play an important role supporting community members to develop their own health and wellbeing initiatives. Holistic community based solutions to public health improvement may require the development of an alternative set of indicators to monitor and evaluate change focusing for example on resilience, levels of individual community involvement and peer support rather than more conventional indicators such as decrease in smoking or healthy eating. There is an important role for qualitative research in the development and evaluation of such initiatives

‘You guys are bilingual aren’t you?’ Latinx educational leadership pathways in the New Latinx Diaspora

Existing research suggests that Latinx educational leaders in the U.S. positively impact Latinx student outcomes and home–school relationships. Yet, much of this research has been conducted in traditional U.S. Latinx immigrant destinations. We know little about the Latinx leadership experiences in regions where Latinx communities are smaller, yet growing quickly such as the New Latinx Diaspora. Using Latina/o Critical Race Theory, this study analyzed in-depth interviews with five Latinx administrators in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. Participants’ counter-stories revealed three key findings: their bilingualism was an asset and liability in their early careers, they demonstrated deep persistence in the face of racism and sexism and they often experienced isolation as either the one or one of a few leaders of color in their districts. Their counter-stories illustrate how changing demographic contexts such as those in the New Latinx Diaspora can impact teaching and leadership demands on bilingual Latinx leaders. Findings from this study suggest a need for the field to reconsider more critically race conscious, equity-focused leadership preparation programs and practices, which can support leaders of color to be prepared to face systemic racism and sexism in their careers

We are here for a good time not a long time : being and caring for a child with a life-limiting condition

This research project sets out to explore the lived experience of Being and caring for a child with a Life Limiting Condition. This research uses van Manen’s (1990) conceptualisation of hermeneutic phenomenology that is both a research methodology and a method. The first empirical work is a preliminary study using focus groups with professionals. The findings of this work acts as a backdrop to the further two studies that involve interviewing, in-depth, twenty eight parents and five children. The second study details the parents’ lived experiences and the final study looks at five parent-child dyads and their combined lifeworlds. In keeping with the phenomenological methodology, data was analysed using Template Analysis (King, 2004). It is a rare opportunity to observe and speak with children with Life Limiting Conditions and so gain insight into their lives. Their vulnerability is often characterised by rare and difficult-to-diagnose conditions, significantly shortened life spans with compromised quality of life. For the participants, the experience of Life Limiting illness was not only personal, but was also transactional, communicative and profoundly social. The challenge is one of Being thrown into an abnormal unready world which compels one to consider the paradoxical temporality of the here and now. This brings recognition of being the same as others in a lived space, but also being different in a fundamental way that has a significant impact. The challenge is met by adapting to the environment to find new ways of Being. This research encourages readers to thoughtfully reflect on what is it like for these families and those involved in their care, and to consider practice improvements that address the triadic experience (of child, parent and professional). The full significance of such reflection will ideally promote further questioning and inquiry, in keeping with the always provisional nature of phenomenological inquiry.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo