DRESS-Down: /ε/-lowering in Apparent Tme in a Rural Scottish Community

This paper presents a sociophonetic investigation of /ɛ/-lowering in apparent time. The data come from 24 speakers, across three generations from Buckie, northeast Scotland (12 males, 12 females). Acoustic analysis of the DRESS-vowel reveals that it is lowering in apparent time. Inspection of the constraints reveals an interaction of internal and external constraints. Analysis of the phonetic context revealed that following-l promoted DRESS lowering. However, this conditioning was only significant for the young females who were shown to be leading the change. The results presented here are related to broader phonological characteristics of the Buckie dialect as well as ongoing changes in a number of different English varietie

DRESS-down: /ε/-lowering in apparent time in a rural Scottish community

This paper presents a sociophonetic investigation of /ɛ/-lowering in apparent time. The data come from 24 speakers, across three generations from Buckie, northeast Scotland (12 males, 12 females). Acoustic analysis of the DRESS-vowel reveals that it is lowering in apparent time. Inspection of the constraints reveals an interaction of internal and external constraints. Analysis of the phonetic context revealed that following-l promoted DRESS lowering. However, this conditioning was only significant for the young females who were shown to be leading the change. The results presented here are related to broader phonological characteristics of the Buckie dialect as well as ongoing changes in a number of different English varieties

Spaces of early education and care: exploring ethos, choice and parental engagement

The Early Years period is increasingly acknowledged as an important building block for the successful education of the child. Political interest in the Early Years stems not only from envisaging early education as an investment to ensure responsible, productive and aspirational citizens, but also as a way of governing the family through forms of surveillance. Despite its importance, there is a paucity of academic research which examines the role Early Years education plays in social reproduction. This thesis fills this lacunae through an examination of the diversity of the Early Years landscape and its implications for parental involvement. The research draws upon the voices of both parents and professionals, with interviews conducted across four settings with different educational ethoses in one town. The participants typify the under-represented just about managing (May, 2016) class, which is neither rich nor poor. The focus on this group, living in a small deindustrialised town, provides an original contribution as both these populations and locations are under researched in the literature. In a progressively privatised and diverse market, parents must choose between childcare settings. However, the research findings demonstrate that they are unable to act as truly Neo-liberal, rational citizens because their decisions are influenced by emotions and human-interactions. The market landscape exemplifies a multiplicity of different ethoses around the education and care of the child which are communicated through the practice and provision in these individual settings. Conversations with parents and professionals explored the implications for children that stem from this diversity. This thesis has illustrated that parents choices impact even very young children, and thus proposes that the association between class and educational outcome starts prior to school age. The increasingly interventionist role of the state, accompanied by emphasis on parents to take responsibility for children s outcomes was examined. This illustrated the complex interplay of power shared by and between professionals and families as each sought to influence the other to achieve a shared vision of early education. This thesis has demonstrated that parents of even young children are expected to take an active role in their children s home learning in a way that was previously associated with older children. In doing so it has illustrated the challenge for Early Years settings in achieving levels of engagement that respect the individual capacity of each parent, based on their so-cial, cultural and financial capital. Regardless of their class position, this thesis showed that different techniques were employed by mothers, which demonstrate their ability to be powerful advocates for their children by influencing, and at times exploiting the Early Years work-force. In conclusion, the thesis highlights the three innovative contributions the research makes to: Geographies of Education; Geographies of Children, Youth and Families; and the Sociology of Education

The experience of facilitators and participants of long term condition self-management group programmes: a qualitative synthesis

Objective: Our aim was to systematically review the qualitative literature about the experiences of both facilitators and participants in a range of group-based programmes to support the self-management of long-term conditions. Methods: We searched 7 databases using the terms ‘self-management’, ‘group’ and ‘qualitative’. Full text articles meeting the inclusion criteria were retrieved for review. A thematic synthesis approach was used to analyse the studies. Results: 2126 articles were identified and 24 were included for review. Group participants valued being with similar others and perceived peer support benefits. Facilitators (HCP and lay) had limited group specific training, were uncertain of purpose and prioritised education and medical conformity over supportive group processes and the promotion of self-management agency and engagement. Overall, studies prioritised positive descriptions. Conclusion: Group programmes’ medical self-management focus may reduce their ability to contribute to patient-valued outcomes. Further research is needed to explore this disconnect. Practice implications: This review supports broadening the scope of group-based programmes to foreground shared learning, social support and development of agency. It is of relevance to developers and facilitators of group self-management programmes and their ability to address the burden of long-term conditions

How do facilitators of group programmes for long-term conditions conceptualise self-management support?

Objectives: Increasing self-management skills in people with long-term conditions is widely advocated in policies and guidelines. Group programmes are a common format; yet, how self-management support objectives are enacted in their delivery is poorly understood. Our aim is to explore the perspectives of group programme facilitators. Methods: We undertook thematic analysis of transcribed data from in-depth semi-structured interviews with health professional facilitators (n = 13) from six diverse self-management support group programmes (of obesity, diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). Results: Facilitators viewed group programmes as responses to health system pressures, e.g. high patient demand. They focussed on providing in-depth education and instruction on physical health, risks and lifestyle behaviour change and emphasised self-responsibility for behaviour change whilst minimising goal setting and support amongst group participants. There were tensions between facilitators’ professional identity and group leader role

Paediatric neuropsychological assessment: an analysis of parents' perspectives

Purpose: Modern healthcare services are commonly based on shared models of care, in which a strong emphasis is placed upon the views of those in receipt of services. The purpose of this paper is to examine the parents' experiences of their child's neuropsychological assessment. Design/methodology/approach: This was a mixed-methodology study employing both quantitative and qualitative measures. Findings: The questionnaire measure indicated a high overall level of satisfaction. Qualitative analysis of parental interviews provided a richer insight into the parental experience and indicated four major themes. Practical implications: Implications covered three major areas. Firstly, whilst a high value was placed upon the assessment, the need for further comprehensive neurorehabilitation and intervention was highlighted. Secondly, this study highlights the significant adversity experienced by such families and subsequent unmet psychological needs which also require consideration. Finally, findings from the current study could assist in improving future measures of satisfaction in similar services. Originality/value: This is the first published study of parental experiences of and satisfaction with paediatric neuropsychological assessment in the UK. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited

DRESS-Down: /ε/-lowering in Apparent Tme in a Rural Scottish Community

This paper presents a sociophonetic investigation of /ɛ/-lowering in apparent time. The data come from 24 speakers, across three generations from Buckie, northeast Scotland (12 males, 12 females). Acoustic analysis of the DRESS-vowel reveals that it is lowering in apparent time. Inspection of the constraints reveals an interaction of internal and external constraints. Analysis of the phonetic context revealed that following-l promoted DRESS lowering. However, this conditioning was only significant for the young females who were shown to be leading the change. The results presented here are related to broader phonological characteristics of the Buckie dialect as well as ongoing changes in a number of different English varietie

The SALIENT checklist: gathering up the ways inwhich built environments affect what we do andhow we feel

In recent years, behavioural science has emerged as an additional tool to explore the impact of built environments on behaviour and wellbeing. Recognising the potential for further research in this field, we have sought to better understand how built environments affect what we do, as well as how they make us feel. We began this process through a review of the behavioural science literature, and have brought together evidence to develop a checklist for design with wellbeing in mind. In this paper, we present Sound, Air, Light, Image, Ergonomics and Tint as the mnemonic SALIENT, which forms a checklist. We outline an example where elements of the checklist have been applied in a real-world setting to examine subjective wellbeing (SWB). We present this example to illustrate how the SALIENT checklist could potentially be applied more extensively to measure the impact of built environments on wellbeing

Effective risk governance for environmental policy making: a knowledge management perspective

Effective risk management within environmental policy making requires knowledge on natural, economic and social systems to be integrated; knowledge characterised by complexity, uncertainty and ambiguity. We describe a case study in a (UK) central government department exploring how risk governance supports and hinders this challenging integration of knowledge. Forty-five semi-structured interviews were completed over a two year period. We found that lateral knowledge transfer between teams working on different policy areas was widely viewed as a key source of knowledge. However, the process of lateral knowledge transfer was predominantly informal and unsupported by risk governance structures. We argue this made decision quality vulnerable to a loss of knowledge through staff turnover, and time and resource pressures. Our conclusion is that the predominant form of risk governance framework, with its focus on centralised decision-making and vertical knowledge transfer is insufficient to support risk-based, environmental policy making. We discuss how risk governance can better support environmental policy makers through systematic knowledge management practices