Exposure to air pollution affects performance on hippocampus-dependent cognitive tasks

The effects of exposure to air pollution on cardiovascular and pulmonary health are well explored in current literature. However, an understanding of how such pollutants may affect cognitive function is yet to be reached. This paper first reviews the available literature assessing the link between both acute and chronic exposure to air pollution – specifically to particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) – and cognitive function. The results from this review suggest that investigation of the effects of AP on hippocampus-based functions, including spatial navigation and memory, would also be beneficial This paper then describes the methodology employed in a pilot study to address the link between lifetime exposure to PM2.5 and NO2 and performance on hippocampus-dependent tasks. 46 participants (12 males; 20.73 [SD = 3.68]), recruited at the University of Birmingham, completed 3 cognitive tasks: a hippocampus-dependent spatial working memory task (MemoryArena), a hippocampus-dependent transfer learning task (TL) and a hippocampus-independent attention network task (ANT). Lifetime Exposure to PM2.5 was significantly positively correlated with the number of training trials required to reach 80% accuracy on the MemoryArena task; participants who had been exposed to higher levels of PM2.5 throughout their lifetime required more (XX trials/ppb PM2.5 exposure) training trials to learn the correct configuration of items. Performance on the Phase 1 of the TL task – which corresponds to acquiring knowledge of the initial associations between items – was correlated with lifetime exposure to PM2.5 (r = .392*, p = .010), lifetime exposure to NOx (r = .372*, p = .015) and exposure to NOx in the last 3 years (r = .359*, p = .020). In the ANT, exposure to PM2.5 and NO2 was also linked with increased reaction time (secs) on Congruent Valid trials (r = .552**, p = .000b; and r = .500**, p = .002 respectively). Exposure to PM2.5 since moving to Birmingham was significantly associated with Reaction Time (secs) on Incongruent Valid trials (r = .337*, p = .045) and Incongruent Invalid trials (r = .340*, p = .043). Implications of these finding and proposed future directions are discussed

Using participatory approaches with children and young people to research volitional reading

Children and young people’s volitional book reading has declined consistently over the last two decades, and research efforts to reverse this trajectory would benefit considerably from the input and insights of children and young people. Meanwhile, the expanding and intensifying role of technology in many children and young people’s daily lives makes it difficult for adult reading researchers to stay informed and up-to-date on how technology is shaping and diversifying volitional reading practices and experiences. Participatory research approaches aim to break down the traditional barriers which exist between the researcher and the researched, creating inclusive, non-hierarchical relationships which support collaborative research, and draw upon the knowledge and experience of all involved. While there is growing interest in, and use of, participatory approaches in reading research, this is the first review, to the best of our knowledge, which focuses on participatory research approaches within the context of children and young people’s reading. The aim of this review article is to a) summarise the principles, benefits, and methodological considerations associated with participatory approaches with children and young people, and b) describe different participatory reading research studies with children or young people, and reflect on how these can inform future research into volitional reading. This article aims to inform, support, and encourage the reading research community to consider adopting participatory principles and practices in their work (where appropriate), as we work collectively to enhance knowledge, thinking, and practice in relation to children and young people’s volitional reading.</p

A reflective account of using child-led interviews as a means to promote discussions about reading

This article provides a reflective account of the participatory methodology employed in the Growing up a Reader research study. The aim of the Growing up a Reader study was to explore children's (age 9–11) perceptions of a ‘reader’ and their reasons for reading different text types. This involved training 12 primary school children as student interviewers. Students were interviewed by the adult research team and then interviewed peers themselves (n = 21). For the purpose of this reflection, a data-driven inductive thematic analysis of the interviews was conducted and comparisons were drawn between those led by children and those led by adults. Child-led interviews were more likely to lead to natural discussions about reading as students engaged in the co-creation of knowledge surrounding their shared reading experiences. Child-led interviews also featured creative communication styles and reflexive use of language to understand each other's reading experiences. Reflections upon child-led interviews as a tool for deepening understanding of children's literary experiences are made in order to provide methodological insights relevant for both researchers and practitioners seeking to use participatory methods to collaborate with children. Limitations regarding training and support, and ethical and epistemological considerations regarding adult input are also discussed.</p

Working with a young people’s advisory panel to conduct educational research:Young people’s perspectives and researcher reflections

Participatory Action Research (PAR) with young people aims to centre their knowledge and experience in research which is meaningful to them. In recent years, there has been an increase in PAR approaches within education, yet there is still a need for greater methodological insight into this approach. In this project, which explored adolescents’ reading motivation and engagement, a young people's advisory panel was convened to ensure the perspectives and experiences of young people were central to the project. The panel consisted of 6 young people (13–15-years-old) from 3 geographically dispersed schools in Scotland. The panel worked with researchers at the Universities of Edinburgh and Dundee and a national literacy organisation across one academic year to plan and design the project, carry out data collection, and support interpretation the findings. In this article, young peoples’ perspectives on their role and adult perspectives on the methodological approach of working with a young people's advisory panel on a reading research project are explored. Discussion of the benefits (e.g., challenging systems of power and privilege, producing outcomes which are more relevant to pupils), limitations (e.g., truly disrupting hierarchies of power), and considerations (e.g., planning participatory projects, including diverse and representative voices, and ‘bounded empowerment’) for researchers interested in convening youth advisory panels for educational research are provided to contribute towards the growing interest in PAR approaches in educational research

Adolescents’ perspectives on the barriers to reading for pleasure

Adolescence is often positioned as a particularly vulnerable period for reading motivation and engagement, both for academic reading and reading for pleasure. However, closer scrutiny of the literature reveals a much more nuanced pattern of changing interest, attitude, and motivation for reading during adolescence. Despite this, there is a distinct lack of research that explores the barriers adolescents' face to reading for pleasure from the perspectives of adolescents themselves. Working with a Young People's Advisory Panel, peer- and adult-led interviews were carried out with 46 adolescents (13–15 years old) from six high schools. Six themes were identified from the thematic analysis, reflecting adolescents' perceptions of the barriers to their reading for pleasure: (1) access; (2) mismatch between provision and needs; (3) social factors; (4) reading experiences in school; (5) reading affect; and (6) time and competing activities. This article makes a novel and significant contribution to the limited literature on reading for pleasure during adolescence and provides important qualitative insights for researchers and educational practitioners interested in supporting adolescents' reading motivation.<br/

Adolescents’ perspectives on the barriers to reading for pleasure

Adolescence is often positioned as a particularly vulnerable period for reading motivation and engagement, both for academic reading and reading for pleasure. However, closer scrutiny of the literature reveals a much more nuanced pattern of changing interest, attitude, and motivation for reading during adolescence. Despite this, there is a distinct lack of research that explores the barriers adolescents' face to reading for pleasure from the perspectives of adolescents themselves. Working with a Young People's Advisory Panel, peer- and adult-led interviews were carried out with 46 adolescents (13–15 years old) from six high schools. Six themes were identified from the thematic analysis, reflecting adolescents' perceptions of the barriers to their reading for pleasure: (1) access; (2) mismatch between provision and needs; (3) social factors; (4) reading experiences in school; (5) reading affect; and (6) time and competing activities. This article makes a novel and significant contribution to the limited literature on reading for pleasure during adolescence and provides important qualitative insights for researchers and educational practitioners interested in supporting adolescents' reading motivation.<br/