Educational influences in learning with visual narratives

In this presentation, we intend to show, through the use of digital video, our understanding of ontological values of a web of betweenness and pedagogy of the unique (Farren, 2004) as they are lived in practice with students, in this case, practitioner-researchers on award bearing programmes. We both work with a sense of research-based professionalism in which we are seeking to improve our educational practice with our students in action research enquiries 'how do I improve what I am doing?' The visual narratives, in the form of digital video clips, of our educational practice, include our engagement with practitioner-researchers as we seek to understand our educational influences in their learning so that we can "influence the education of social formation" (Whitehead, 2004a & b). This relates to the idea of social formations as defined by Bourdieu (1990) and points to the way people organise their interactions according to a set of regulatory values that can take the form of rules. In studying our own education practice, with the help of digital video, we hope to influence the education of social formations so that others will begin to question their underlying values, assumptions and epistemologies that inform their practice. The purpose of this paper is to communicate to a wider audience and network with other higher education educators through visual narratives of our work in higher education. There is a lack of research in how educators in higher education are influencing the education of their students. This area of research is one which we develop through this paper

Lesson organisation and management

Pupils need to be actively engaged in the learning experiences, which is evidenced by the amount of time they are deemed to be “on-task”. In a PE context this is reflected by the amount of time they are involved in motor and other activities related to the subject matter in such a way as to produce a high degree of success, with intended learning outcomes (ILOs) of the lesson more likely to be met. Thus the organisation and management of pupils during a lesson is a key factor in ensuring that effective learning takes place

Diabetes control and the influence of family functioning

Background: The link between glycaemic control of type 1 diabetes and family functioning is complex, with the existing literature largely focussing upon the association between clear patterns of disturbances in family functioning and suboptimal diabetic control. The more subtle changes to family function that might influence the degree of successful management of a child's diabetes have been less well studied. Methods: This study sought to explore whether suboptimal glycaemic control was associated with variations in family functioning that might not in themselves prompt concern in routine clinic review. The project focussed on families attending for routine follow-up in specialist paediatric diabetes clinics in the North East of England. Mother and child participants provided demographic information and completed the Family Adaptation and Cohesion Evaluation Scale (FACES IV), and the quality of their glycaemic control was assessed using the mean HbA1c value for each child over the last year. Families with clear emotional or family difficulties, or where the level of control was causing clear concern were excluded (as were families where there was major physical or a member with significant learning disabilities). The sample was divided into two groups; families whose children were in optimal glycaemic control of their diabetes, and families where the glycaemic control was suboptimal. Results: Whatever the degree of control, nearly all the mothers and index children reported functioning within the balanced range. The mothers of children with optimal glycaemic control reported their family to be more cohesive and expressed greater satisfaction with family life than mothers whose child's glycaemic control was suboptimal. The children with suboptimal diabetic control also tended to view their family life as more chaotic. Discussion: Despite the challenges most families cope reasonably well with the issues that managing type 1 diabetes in a child bring. However suboptimal control tends to be associated with some unhelpful family issues, and the implications for intervention are discussed. Conclusions: Suboptimal control, when it is present, prompts exploration of a wide range of factors. Assessment of family functioning should be part of this process, even if there is no evidence of major family difficulties because subtle distortions in functioning can significantly influence glycaemic control, especially in early adolescence

Women Were Made For Such Things: Women Missionaries in British Columbia 1850s-1940s

As Canadian Church historians have traditionally portrayed men as the movers and shakers of Canadian Church historical development, most published scholarship on the history of Canada's missionaries deal almost exclusively with men. Yet, preliminary research on British Columbia's missionary frontier suggests that women made a vital contribution to the Churches' proselytization work among the province's "heathens." This paper argues that female missionaries, acting in the dual roles of church functionaries and society's cultural emissaries, played a crucial role in the development not only of frontier educational, medical, and social services but also of white/native relationships. These women found in their missionary roles both continuing limitations and new opportunities for independence.Les historians dea églises canadiennes et des missionaires canadiens dépeignent les homme d’église comme des figures éminentes du développement de l’histoire religieuse. Cependentà le jour la recherche sur la frontière missionaires de Colombie Britannique rèveleque les femmes ont joué un réle vital dans les travail des églises parmi "les sauvages" de la province. Cette étude tend à montrer que les femmes missionaires en tout que fonctionaires des églises et émissaires culturels de la société ont joue un rôle décisif non seulement dans la développement des écoles et des services médicaux et sociaux de la frontière mais encore dans les relations entre colons er indiginents. Si ces femmes missionaires étaient encore souvent réduites à des taches domestiques, leur rôles dans le missions leur donnaient aussi des possibilités nouvelles d’affirmer leur indépendance

How equitable is vocational rehabilitation in Sweden? A review of evidence on the implementation of a national policy framework

Purpose. Under the national framework law in Sweden, all eligible people should have equal chances of receiving vocational rehabilitation. We aimed to review the evidence on (1) whether access to vocational rehabilitation is equitable in practice and (2) whether the outcomes vary for different groups in the population. Method. Systematic review of studies in Sweden that reported diagnostic or socio-demographic characteristics of people offered or taking up rehabilitation programmes and outcomes of such programmes for different diagnostic and socio-demographic groups. Searches of 11 relevant electronic databases, 15 organisational websites, citation searching and contact with experts in the field, for the period 1990–2009. Results. A total of 11 studies were included in the final review, six of which addressed review question (1) and seven addressed review question (2). All the six observational studies of access reported biased selection into vocational rehabilitation: greater likelihood for men, younger people, those with longer-term sick leave, those with lower income, employed rather than unemployed people and those with musculoskeletal and mental disorders or alcohol abuse. Having had a rehabilitation investigation also increased the likelihood of receiving vocational rehabilitation. Differential outcome of rehabilitation was reported in seven studies: outcomes were better for men, younger people, employed individuals, those with shorter sick leave and those with higher income. Selection into vocational rehabilitation was perceived as important for successful outcomes, but success also depended on the state of the local labour market. Conclusions. There is evidence of socio-demographic differences in access to and outcomes of vocational rehabilitation in Sweden, even though the national framework law is meant to apply to everyone. Few studies have deliberately measured differential access or outcomes, and there is a need for this kind of equity analysis of population-wide policies. Studies evaluating the effects of vocational rehabilitation must consider selection into the programmes for adequate interpretation of impact results

Motives for higher education: a study of the academic motivation of sixth-formers

The main aim of the research is to see if the extrinsic motivation model outlined by Hull and Skinner and the intrinsic motivation model outlined by Bruner, Hunt and Berlyne are appropriate for explaining behaviour within the area of academic motivation. The theory that differences in type of motivation are linked to social class (Swift, 1966) is also explored. The research concentrates on the reasons given by sixth-formers (in comprehensive schools in England and Wales) for staying on at school beyond the statutory leaving age. In order to carry out the research, questionnaires were designed to cover the following areas: - pupils' motivation, pupils' perceptions of their parents' attitudes towards their own jobs, authority and the education of their children. Of necessity, therefore, much of the research is devoted to the problems of measurement within these areas. Information was also collected on the achievement of pupils, their aspirations for the future and their parents' occupations. Analysis of the questionnaires (administered to over 700 sixth-formers) indicated that reasons for being in the sixth form can be divided into two broad groups; motivation derived from activities within the school system (intrinsic motivation) and motivation to be in the system derived from external influences (extrinsic motivation). Some pupils exhibit both. types of motivation while others appear to be motivated almost exclusively by one or the other. Girls are more intrinsically motivated than boys, and boys more extrinsically motivated than girls. There is no relationship between father's occupation or parents' education and pupil's achievement, aspirations or type of motivation. There is however a strong relationship between parents being dissatisfied with their jobs, being authoritarian and having authoritarian children with high extrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation is independent of social class and parental attitudes. High achievers can be both intrinsically or extrinsically motivated (extrinsic motivation I), there is however a tendency for low achievement to be associated with a desire for money (extrinsic motivation ii). Type of motivation is a fairly good predictor of aspirations, particularly for university-bound pupils, who have a high level of intrinsic motivation. Extrinsic motivation I is associated with polytechnic-bound pupils and extrinsic motivation II with pupils who are entering full-time employment

Interviews with Bears: Trailside, Near New York City

The author encounters bears both in wild parts of the Appalachian Trail and in the settled Trailside Museums & Zoo near Bear Mountain, New York. She reveals the blurred lines between human and bear territory

The Equity Action Spectrum: taking a comprehensive approach. Guidance for addressing inequities in health

This guidance aims to support European policy-makers to improve the design and implementation of policies to reduce inequities in health. It brings together current evidence on how to develop comprehensive policy action plans to identify and address social determinants of health inequities. While great improvements have been made in health across the WHO European Region, there are still striking contrasts in the standards of health enjoyed by different countries within the Region and by different population groups within these countries. Reducing health inequities and improving governance for health and health equity are key strategic objectives of Health 2020 – the European policy framework for health and well-being endorsed by the 53 Member States of the WHO European Region in 2012. This guide seeks to assist European policy-makers in contributing to achieving the objectives of Health 2020 in a practical way. It draws on key evidence, including from the WHO Regional Office for Europe’s Review of social determinants and the health divide in the WHO European Region. It also provides a framework that policy-makers at national, regional and local levels can apply to their own unique context, in order to consider the processes by which inequities might occur, and to suggest policy interventions that may be helpful in addressing these factors

The harvest plot: a method for synthesising evidence about the differential effects of interventions.

BACKGROUND: One attraction of meta-analysis is the forest plot, a compact overview of the essential data included in a systematic review and the overall 'result'. However, meta-analysis is not always suitable for synthesising evidence about the effects of interventions which may influence the wider determinants of health. As part of a systematic review of the effects of population-level tobacco control interventions on social inequalities in smoking, we designed a novel approach to synthesis intended to bring aspects of the graphical directness of a forest plot to bear on the problem of synthesising evidence from a complex and diverse group of studies. METHODS: We coded the included studies (n = 85) on two methodological dimensions (suitability of study design and quality of execution) and extracted data on effects stratified by up to six different dimensions of inequality (income, occupation, education, gender, race or ethnicity, and age), distinguishing between 'hard' (behavioural) and 'intermediate' (process or attitudinal) outcomes. Adopting a hypothesis-testing approach, we then assessed which of three competing hypotheses (positive social gradient, negative social gradient, or no gradient) was best supported by each study for each dimension of inequality. RESULTS: We plotted the results on a matrix ('harvest plot') for each category of intervention, weighting studies by the methodological criteria and distributing them between the competing hypotheses. These matrices formed part of the analytical process and helped to encapsulate the output, for example by drawing attention to the finding that increasing the price of tobacco products may be more effective in discouraging smoking among people with lower incomes and in lower occupational groups. CONCLUSION: The harvest plot is a novel and useful method for synthesising evidence about the differential effects of population-level interventions. It contributes to the challenge of making best use of all available evidence by incorporating all relevant data. The visual display assists both the process of synthesis and the assimilation of the findings. The method is suitable for adaptation to a variety of questions in evidence synthesis and may be particularly useful for systematic reviews addressing the broader type of research question which may be most relevant to policymakers