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

sj-docx-1-nah-10.1177_02601060231187924 - Supplemental material for Vegan and vegetarian males and females have higher orthorexic traits than omnivores, and are motivated in their food choice by factors including ethics and weight control

Supplemental material, sj-docx-1-nah-10.1177_02601060231187924 for Vegan and vegetarian males and females have higher orthorexic traits than omnivores, and are motivated in their food choice by factors including ethics and weight control by Rebecca Reynolds, Andrea McGowan, Sophie Smith and Patrick Rawstorne in Nutrition and Health</p

Provision of online eye movement and desensitisation therapy (EMDR) for people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): a multi-method service evaluation

Background: The evidence for the effectiveness of online EMDR for PTSD is scarce. Objective: This service evaluation aimed to assess how online EMDR compared to in-person EMDR, in terms of its potential effectiveness and acceptability to therapists and patients. Method: The evaluation was carried out in the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board Traumatic Stress Service. We compared the outcome of therapy (PTSD scores at end of treatment), number of sessions, drop-out rate, and adverse events using linear/logistic regression in those receiving online EMDR over a 12-month period with those who had received in-person therapy in the year previous to that. Interviews with therapists and clients who had provided or undertaken online EMDR explored their views and experiences of treatment. Interviews were analysed thematically. Results: 33 people received in-person EMDR (15.3 sessions, SD = 1.4), and 45 received online EMDR (12.4 sessions, SD = 0.9). 24 individuals completed therapy in-person, and 32 online. There was no evidence of a difference in therapy completion, drop-out rates or adverse events between the two delivery modes. There was weak evidence that those who completed EMDR online and had available data (N = 29), had slightly lower PTSD scores at the end of therapy compared to those who received in-person EMDR (N = 24) (17.1 (SD = 3.2) versus 24.5 (SD = 3.0), mean difference = 7.8, 95% CI −0.3, 15.9, p = .06). However, groups were not randomised and only those who completed treatment were analysed, so estimates may be biased. 11 patients and five therapists were interviewed. Overall, both therapists and clients viewed online EMDR as safe and effective. Benefits mentioned by clients included feeling more in control and not having to travel. Clients’ concerns related to lack of privacy and ‘transition time/space’ between therapy and their daily lives. Conclusion: Results suggest that online EMDR is an acceptable, safe and effective alternative to in-person EMDR for PTSD in this service. This service evaluation assessed how online Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) compared to in-person EMDR in people with PTSD.Individuals receiving online EMDR had lower PTSD scores at the end of therapy, but the evidence for this was weak and as this was not a randomised trial we do not know whether this was due to the mode of therapy or other characteristics of clients receiving online therapy.Clients and therapists generally viewed online EMDR as being safe and effective, and supported the availability of online EMDR for PTSD. This service evaluation assessed how online Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) compared to in-person EMDR in people with PTSD. Individuals receiving online EMDR had lower PTSD scores at the end of therapy, but the evidence for this was weak and as this was not a randomised trial we do not know whether this was due to the mode of therapy or other characteristics of clients receiving online therapy. Clients and therapists generally viewed online EMDR as being safe and effective, and supported the availability of online EMDR for PTSD.</p

Phenotypic data on DCV resistance of populations after selection

Columns indicate the selection treatment, the Wolbachia infection status, the tetracycline treatment after selection, the infection treatment (stabbing with Ringer's solution or DCV), the replicate population, the replicate vial, the number of infected flies in a vial (N_flies) and the cumulative number of dead flies post-infection on a given day

Genotype data of control populations not exposed to the virus

Columns indicate the generation during selection, the Wolbachia infection status, the number of females with a given genotype (N_CC, N_CT, N_TT), the frequency of pastrel resistant allele (freq_C), the frequency of each genotype (freq_CC, freq_CT, freq_TT) and the number of individuals genotyped (N_individuals)

Genotype data of populations tested for DCV resistance after selection

Columns indicate the generation during selection, the Wolbachia infection status, the number of females with a given genotype (N_CC, N_CT, N_TT), the frequency of pastrel resistant allele (freq_C), the frequency of each genotype (freq_CC, freq_CT, freq_TT) and the number of individuals genotyped (N_individuals)

<i>Wolbachia</i> tissue tropism.

<p>Mean <i>Wolbachia</i> density in (A) head and thorax of females, (B) testes and (C) freshly laid eggs. Error bars are standard errors. Letters indicate significant differences based on a Tukey’s honest significance test on ln-transformed data. All tissues were analyzed in a single linear model to test for difference in tissue tropism: strain effect: F_15,427 = 131. 1; <i>P</i> < 0.0001; tissue effect: F_2,427 = 4448. 8; <i>P</i> < 0.0001; strain × tissue effect: F_30,427 = 11.5; <i>P</i> < 0.0001.</p

Phylogenetic distribution of CI levels and <i>Wolbachia</i> effects on egg hatch rates, fecundity and lifespan.

<p>(A) The phylogeny based on the MLST genes <i>16S rRNA</i>, <i>aspC</i>, <i>atpD</i>, <i>ftsZ</i>, <i>sucB</i>, <i>groEL</i>, <i>coxA</i> and <i>fbpA</i> was inferred using ClonalFrame v1.2 [<a href="http://www.plospathogens.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.ppat.1005021#ppat.1005021.ref043" target="_blank">43</a>] as in [<a href="http://www.plospathogens.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.ppat.1005021#ppat.1005021.ref014" target="_blank">14</a>]. Strains in bold conferred significant antiviral protection [<a href="http://www.plospathogens.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.ppat.1005021#ppat.1005021.ref014" target="_blank">14</a>]. Branch labels represent posterior support values. Nodes with less than 50% support were collapsed. Branch lengths indicate relative time. (B) CI measured as egg hatch rates in crosses between uninfected females and <i>Wolbachia</i>-infected males. (C) Egg hatch rates in crosses between <i>Wolbachia</i>-infected females and <i>Wolbachia</i>-infected males (blue bars) or uninfected males (grey bars). (D) Fecundity of <i>Wolbachia</i>-infected females. (E) Lifespan of <i>Wolbachia</i>-infected females. Error bars are standard errors. *: significance relative to the <i>Wolbachia</i>-free line (Dunnett’s test; *: <i>P</i> < 0.05; **: <i>P</i> < 0.01; ***: <i>P</i> < 0.001). The dotted line indicates for each trait the mean value in the <i>Wolbachia</i>-free controls. (F) Original host species of the <i>Wolbachia</i> strains.</p

Correlations between antiviral protection and other host life-history traits.

<p>A and B: correlation between survival after viral infection and egg hatch rates in crosses between <i>Wolbachia</i>-free males and <i>Wolbachia</i>-infected females. Virus infections used (A) DCV and (B) FHV [<a href="http://www.plospathogens.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.ppat.1005021#ppat.1005021.ref014" target="_blank">14</a>] (0 and positive values mean no difference and increase in survival compared to <i>Wolbachia</i>-free control respectively). C and D: correlation between decrease in male fertility in crosses between <i>Wolbachia</i>-infected parents and survival after infection with (C) DCV and (D) FHV. E and F: correlation between egg number and survival after infection with (E) DCV and (F) FHV. Means and standard errors are shown. Solid lines show predicted values from linear regressions. <i>r</i> is the Pearson’s correlation coefficient between traits.</p

Correlations between <i>Wolbachia</i> density in somatic tissues and antiviral protection, CI or other host life-history traits.

<p>The relative <i>Wolbachia</i> density in head and thorax of females is correlated with survival [<a href="http://www.plospathogens.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.ppat.1005021#ppat.1005021.ref014" target="_blank">14</a>] upon infection with (A) DCV or (B) FHV (0 and positive values mean no difference and increase in survival compared to <i>Wolbachia</i>-free control respectively), (C) the level of CI, (D) the egg hatch rate in crosses with <i>Wolbachia</i>-free males, (E) the decrease in male fertility and (F) the egg number. Means and standard errors are shown. Solid lines show predicted values from linear regressions. <i>r</i> is the Pearson’s correlation coefficient between traits.</p