Experiences' of Health science students' in relation to the use of laboratory animals for experimental research purposes : a phenomenological inquiry.

M. Soc. Sc. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 2014.The use of laboratory animals for research purposes has been debated for many years. Animal rights movements are strongly opposed to using animals for research purposes. There is also an argument that animal research is fundamental in the medical field to improve medical procedures and to develop new medical methods and treatments. Previous studies have primarily focused on issues of an ethical and moral nature regarding animal treatment, or on veterinarian sciences and animal shelter workers experiences. To my knowledge there is limited research focusing on postgraduate students’ experience and this research aims to address the gap. The study aims to explore the experiences of novice postgraduate research students using laboratory animals for their research and the influence of these experiences on their understanding of animal research and their psychological challenges. A qualitative approach was adopted using phenomenology as a framework and theory. Van Kaam’s descriptive phenomenological analysis was used to analyse eight email facilitated questionnaires completed by postgraduate students studying at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) Biomedical Research Unit. The themes that emerged were: The moral dilemma; the experience of guilt; role expectation to improve quality of human life; deterrents factors to the animal experience; coping strategies and beliefs about the BRU education programme. The findings revealed participates faced several challenges linked to conducting research on animals in terms of under-preparedness, emotional well-being and moral stressors. Recommendations include for more effective preparation methods and practice for students using animals for research purposes and to implement psychological services to assist those students experiencing difficulties due to the research process.Date on print copy is 2014

The book: production and participation

Purpose – The focus of this paper is on the benefits that may eventuate through new mechanisms of production and distribution. As we enter the twenty-first century, the nature of the book and the structure of the industry which produces it are undergoing radical transformation, as developments in information technology offer new mechanisms for production and distribution. Most of the discussion of these changes is conducted from the perspective of what has been lost through these changes. Design/methodology/approach – This paper reviews the history of the book from the perspective of the disruptive effects of the changes in production technology and impact on the roles involved in production, distribution and reading of books. Darnton’s Communication Circuit is updated to predict future limiting factors and opportunities for participation. Findings – The evolution of the book has seen successive categories of workers involved in book production supplanted by the adoption of new technology. The updated Darnton’s model suggests that the roles involved in the production and distribution of the book will, however, be supplanted in favour of authors and readers of the book in the future. Social implications – The predicted changes will alter the roles of authors and book users. Originality/value – This paper suggests a novel approach to the discussion of the future of book publication and suggests future developments

Evaluating local system change using a comparative maturity matrix.

This article focuses on the evaluation of the Children’s Community programme, addressing the question: how can evaluators effectively address complex place-based system change initiatives, particularly those working across differing contexts? After considering alternatives, including what we describe as ‘first-generation’ linear, logic model-based approaches and second-generation Theory of Change approaches, we discuss the development of ‘third-generation’ systems-change evaluations and articulate a novel comparative maturity matrix approach, developed for the evaluation of Children’s Communities with potential wider applicability for evaluation of complex systems change interventions. The article discusses the evaluation approach in depth and concludes with reflection on what learning points may be derived for use in subsequent evaluations of place-based and complex systems change initiatives

Family hubs innovation fund evaluation: Final research report City of Doncaster

This is the final report on the evaluation of the City of Doncaster Council (CDC) family hubs model. It builds on the evaluation interim report (Sheffield Hallam University, 20221) published in December 2022. The evaluation was commissioned through the government’s Family Hubs Evaluation Innovation Fund. The overall requirement was for Sheffield Hallam University to work in partnership with the CDC to evaluate their family hub service implementation and performance, outcomes and impacts, and cost of the family hubs