The use of autoethnography in classroom based practitioner research

Auto-ethnography is a methodology which has frequently been used within a variety of academic disciplines. It has been used within education but this has largely been within Further Eduction settings. This review of auto-ethnography highlights how it can be used by practitioner researchers from other educational settings and is based upon research conducted for a thesis set within a primary Pupil Referral Unit. The findings of this study indicated that auto-ethnography has benefits for both the practitioner researcher and for the pupils involved within the research. Criticisms of the methodology are discussed, including that of it being highly evocative, with the suggestion made that a more analytical approach to auto-ethnography can not only address criticisms of the method making it more acceptable within traditional approaches to academic research but can also maintain the emotional heart without letting this dominate. Conclusions are drawn about the benefits to self expression, teacher/pupil relationships, pupil voice and teacher voice

The Use of Kierkegaard as a Stimulus for Autoethnographical Journal Writing

Kierkegaard wrote extensively often focusing on his own struggles aligning his Christian faith with the organised structures of the church he was familiar with. His belief was that each individual was responsible for understanding and giving meaning to their own life as opposed to subscribing to a collective position held by the wider society or a faith group. He showed awareness of the impact of wider held views on those of the individual who found themselves outside of societal norms. Kierkegaard explored his own thoughts and responses to the world around him through the act of journaling. This focus on a unique individual understanding of the world explored through personal writing appears to complement the broader methodological approach of autoethnography. Looking at a brief overview of four fundamental themes of Kierkegaard’s personal writing drawn from Kierkegaard’s journals, parallels are drawn with autoethnographical written pieces. Suggestions are made for how Kierkegaard’s approach to his own personal writing could be of use to autoethnographers, specifically those who use journaling as a process for writing

That's me when I'm angry" : seeking the authentic voices of pupils and teachers from inside a Pupil Referral Unit through autoethnography

EdD ThesisThe research took place in a Pupil Referral Unit (PRU) located in a semi-rural town in the north of England where the author had taught pupils aged between 4 and 9, for over 5 years. This study took a social constructivist epistemological position with a focus on pupils and teacher interactions. An interpretivist approach to methodology was adopted to make sense of a variety of cultures from the micro culture of the Special Educational Needs classroom to the macro culture of Government educational policy. The author collected data from a small group of pupils finally focusing on three as case studies. Data were also collected in a detailed research journal. Clough’s storytelling framework has been used in the writing (2002), to protect anonymity whilst keeping a sense of the reality of events mentioned. Initially an participatory action research approach was used and this led to paper based, visual and kinaesthetic activity data from pupils. Pupils had control over what they wanted to submit for the purposes of research. Due to changes in the pupil/teacher relationship and the pupils developing skills in using a variety of methods the research became more pupil led. Autoethnography was subsequently used drawing on a socio-cultural theoretical perspective to connect the stories of the pupils and teacher to a wider cultural experience (Ellis 2011). The research highlights the importance of insider classroom research and the relationships teachers are pivotal in developing in order to facilitate authentic pupil and teacher voice. The importance of the role of the teacher in offering pastoral support, holding a holistic view of pupils, is crucial. There is a focus on pupil and teacher identity, especially in relation to a teacher/researcher, and the use of fictionalised narratives to share sensitive information. Conclusions are drawn about the need for researchers to be reflexive in relation to research design and subsequent fieldwork. The main conclusions demonstrate how a thesis can be used as record of teacher’s and pupil’s developing relationship journey, a broadening of the use of transportable identity and the value of insider research in education especially in relation to teacher knowledge and teacher/pupil voice

Teaching reading: a shared vision and a shared responsibility 2012-2013: Principals as literacy leaders in CEO schools

The PALL Plus professional learning and research project was a collaborative effort between the Fogarty Learning Centre at Edith Cowan University and 16 Catholic primary schools within the Western Australian Catholic Education Office (CEO). It was initiated by the principal of Star of the Sea Primary School, Tim Emery, who coordinated involvement of the other schools and managed contractual responsibilities on behalf of the CEO. The project was based on the Principals as Literacy Leaders (PALL) pilot project funded by the Commonwealth Government in 2009-2010, and originally developed in partnership with the Australian Primary Principals Association, Griffith University and the Australian Catholic University. The PALL objectives are consistent with the aims of the CEO in developing the literacy outcomes of low achieving students. The project complemented the RAISE initiative by building the literacy knowledge and instructional leadership of primary school principals and other school leaders. This was designed to have a flow-on effect in building the skills of classroom teachers, enhancing the effectiveness of their whole class teaching, and increasing their capacity to use explicit small group strategies that increase both the frequency and the intensity of instruction for those students who do not make progress in reading development as easily as their peers..

Approaching Bulk from the Nanoscale: Extrapolation of Binding Energy from Rock-Salt Cuts of Alkaline Earth Metal Oxides

A systematic DFT study is performed on (MgO)n, (CaO)n, (SrO)n, and (BaO)n clusters with 6 < n < 50, and which display a cuboid 2×2×2 atomic motif seen in the bulk, rock-salt, configuration. The stability and energy progression of these clusters are used to predict the energies of infinitely long nanorods, or nanowires, slabs, and the bulk global minimum energy

Heads of alternative provision: committed to realising young peoples’ potential in an unregulated market

Alternative provision (AP) caters for pupils marginalised and excluded from mainstream schooling. In England, it is conceptualised in policy as providing education to support behavioural improvements (pupils are directed off-site to improve behaviour). There is limited research on the experiences of those who work in AP settings. That which does exist tends to report the commitment of these professionals to the young people with whom they work. Young people who attend these schools frequently talk positively about the relationships they experience there. As such, there is a need to better understand the motivations of those working with these young people if we are to understand the key relationships that make AP work. This article fills a gap by focusing on the experiences of those managing AP settings across a geographical area. The findings are based on 3 interviews and 20 surveys and develop significantly our understanding of the motivations of those working in and managing AP settings. Interesting divergences in practice are highlighted and findings show managers both see and work to realise the potential of young people in AP. These findings suggest staff commitment should be conceptualised as belief in the potential of the young people who attend AP

The Implementation of Whole-School Approaches to Transform Mental Health in UK Schools: A Realist Evaluation Protocol

Evidence suggests that mental health interventions are more effective when they consider the whole context of schools; addressing the needs of all students, their families, and staff; otherwise known as a whole-school approach (WSA). The UK Government is piloting WSAs to transform mental health and wellbeing by locating educational mental health practitioners in educational settings across England. This study aims to develop a ‘bottom-up’ understanding of the contextual factors and mechanisms that underlie WSAs in Trailblazer schools in the North East and North Cumbria, to gain insight into the facilitators and barriers of delivering a WSA, and optimal evaluation methods. To undertake a realist evaluation, we included the generation of initial programme theories from existing academic literature and policy documents; ‘theory gleaning’ interviews with NHS/local authority stakeholders, Trailblazer staff and school senior leaders; refining and development of theories; and individual interviews and focus groups with pupils, parent/carers and school staff. The findings will enable Trailblazer partners to better understand how their WSAs to mental health contain the essential components for transformation in schools in the region. This will contribute to the embedding of continuous evaluation into regional Trailblazers’ practice for participating schools, for subsequent annual waves and producing relevant findings for non-Trailblazer schools. Complementing the national evaluation of all 25 Wave 1 Trailblazer pilot sites, this study will generate an explanatory theoretical account of how to optimally design, implement and evaluate WSAs by exploring the contextual factors associated with implementation of WSAs

Essential indicators for measuring site‐based conservation effectiveness in the post‐2020 global biodiversity framework

Abstract: Work on the post‐2020 global biodiversity framework is now well advanced and will outline a vision, goals, and targets for the next decade of biodiversity conservation and beyond. For the effectiveness of Protected areas and Other Effective area‐based Conservation Measures, an indicator has been proposed for “areas meeting their documented ecological objectives.” However, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has not identified or agreed on what data should inform this indicator. Here we draw on experiences from the assessment of protected area effectiveness in the CBD's previous strategic plan to provide recommendations on the essential elements related to biodiversity outcomes and management that need to be captured in this updated indicator as well as how this could be done. Our proposed protected area effectiveness indicators include a combination of remotely derived products for all protected areas, combined with data from monitoring of both protected area management and trends in species and ecosystems based on field observations. Additionally, we highlight the need for creating a digital infrastructure to operationalize national‐level data‐capture. We believe these steps are critical and urge the adoption of suitable protected area effectiveness indicators before the post‐2020 framework is agreed in 2021

Ten-year mortality, disease progression, and treatment-related side effects in men with localised prostate cancer from the ProtecT randomised controlled trial according to treatment received

Background The ProtecT trial reported intention-to-treat analysis of men with localised prostate cancer randomly allocated to active monitoring (AM), radical prostatectomy, and external beam radiotherapy. Objective To report outcomes according to treatment received in men in randomised and treatment choice cohorts. Design, setting, and participants This study focuses on secondary care. Men with clinically localised prostate cancer at one of nine UK centres were invited to participate in the treatment trial comparing AM, radical prostatectomy, and radiotherapy. Intervention Two cohorts included 1643 men who agreed to be randomised and 997 who declined randomisation and chose treatment. Outcome measurements and statistical analysis Analysis was carried out to assess mortality, metastasis and progression and health-related quality of life impacts on urinary, bowel, and sexual function using patient-reported outcome measures. Analysis was based on comparisons between groups defined by treatment received for both randomised and treatment choice cohorts in turn, with pooled estimates of intervention effect obtained using meta-analysis. Differences were estimated with adjustment for known prognostic factors using propensity scores. Results and limitations According to treatment received, more men receiving AM died of PCa (AM 1.85%, surgery 0.67%, radiotherapy 0.73%), whilst this difference remained consistent with chance in the randomised cohort (p = 0.08); stronger evidence was found in the exploratory analyses (randomised plus choice cohort) when AM was compared with the combined radical treatment group (p = 0.003). There was also strong evidence that metastasis (AM 5.6%, surgery 2.4%, radiotherapy 2.7%) and disease progression (AM 20.35%, surgery 5.87%, radiotherapy 6.62%) were more common in the AM group. Compared with AM, there were higher risks of sexual dysfunction (95% at 6 mo) and urinary incontinence (55% at 6 mo) after surgery, and of sexual dysfunction (88% at 6 mo) and bowel dysfunction (5% at 6 mo) after radiotherapy. The key limitations are the potential for bias when comparing groups defined by treatment received and changes in the protocol for AM during the lengthy follow-up required in trials of screen-detected PCa. Conclusions Analyses according to treatment received showed increased rates of disease-related events and lower rates of patient-reported harms in men managed by AM compared with men managed by radical treatment, and stronger evidence of greater PCa mortality in the AM group. Patient summary More than 95 out of every 100 men with low or intermediate risk localised prostate cancer do not die of prostate cancer within 10 yr, irrespective of whether treatment is by means of monitoring, surgery, or radiotherapy. Side effects on sexual and bladder function are better after active monitoring, but the risks of spreading of prostate cancer are more common

Capacity shortfalls hinder the performance of marine protected areas globally

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are increasingly being used globally to conserve marine resources. However, whether many MPAs are being effectively and equitably managed, and how MPA management influences substantive outcomes remain unknown. We developed a global database of management and fish population data (433 and 218 MPAs, respectively) to assess: MPA management processes; the effects of MPAs on fish populations; and relationships between management processes and ecological effects. Here we report that many MPAs failed to meet thresholds for effective and equitable management processes, with widespread shortfalls in staff and financial resources. Although 71% of MPAs positively influenced fish populations, these conservation impacts were highly variable. Staff and budget capacity were the strongest predictors of conservation impact: MPAs with adequate staff capacity had ecological effects 2.9 times greater than MPAs with inadequate capacity. Thus, continued global expansion of MPAs without adequate investment in human and financial capacity is likely to lead to sub-optimal conservation outcomes