Transitions and shifting understandings of writing: Building rich pictures of how moving from school to university is experienced through exploration of students’ discourses of writing

In a time of economic constraints and increasing competition for places, negotiating “the transition” from school to university has become crucial for students’ educational success. Writing holds a dominant place in the academy as a mechanism of assessment. Therefore, exploring the writing practices of students as they move from school to university offers a valuable lens into how students negotiate the complex and multiple demands of moving between educational and disciplinary contexts. This paper will explore what insights an analysis of instantiations of students’ discourses of writing (Ivanič, 2004) can offer to develop a rich picture of how students experience their writing “in transition”. The data presented is taken from an ethnographic-style project that followed a group of British students from A-levels (HSC equivalent) to their second year of university study. Ivanič’s framework of discourses of writing offers a useful analytic tool, allowing analysis of the sets of beliefs and assumptions that students draw on when engaging in and talking about writing and can be applied to different kinds of data collected around students’ writing. Discourses of writing also provide an organising frame for exploring how students’ understandings of writing change as they move between educational and disciplinary contexts. This analysis shows that the ways students’ understand their writing are not only influenced by various discourses, which can change as students move between school and university, but understandings are individual, situated and context-dependent. The role of emotions, students’ “face work” (Goffman, 1967) and the dominant force of assessment emerge as significant areas for further development

Exploring teacher-writer identities in the classroom: Conceptualising the struggle

Given the narrow scope of primary teachers' knowledge and use of children's literature identified in Phase I of Teachers as Readers (2006-7), the core goal of the Phase II project, was to improve teachers' knowledge and experience of such literature in order to help them increase children's motivation and enthusiasm for reading, especially those less successful in literacy. The year long project, Teachers as Readers: Building Communities of Readers, which was undertaken in five Local Authorities in England, also sought to build new relationships with parents and families and to explore the concept of a Reading Teacher: a teacher who reads and a reader who teaches (Commeyras et al., 2004). The research design was multi-layered; involving data collection at individual, school and LA levels, and employing a range of quantitative and qualitative data research methods and tools. This paper provides an overview of the research and highlights the challenges encountered and the insights garnered. It argues that teachers need support in order to develop children's reading for pleasure, which can influence both attainment and achievement and increase young learners' engagement as self- motivated and socially engaged readers

Emerging Writing Practices in Post-Compulsory Secondary Education: An Investigation Into the 'Review' Task of the Certificate of Personal Effectiveness (CoPE)

Pressure to address the perceived skills shortage of school and university leavers has resulted in a greater focus on developing and assessing personal skills in post-compulsory education, such as Personal Development Planning (PDP) in higher education. As a consequence, 'new' forms of writing and assessment are emerging alongside more traditional genres, which is arguably causing tension and confusion for students and teachers as they adapt to these new ways of writing. This project addresses this tension by examining a specific case of 'emerging writing', the 'review' form from the Certificate of Personal Effectiveness (CoPE) in a secondary school sixth form, within an Academic Literacies framework and is positioned within the context of the transition between school and university. This project examines what the CoPE review looks like and explores students' and teachers' perceptions and understandings of it. The findings show that students and teachers have unclear and varied interpretations of what the function of CoPE 'review' is, how it 'should look' and where it fits in the spectrum of genres regularly practised in secondary education. These reactions suggest a lack of understanding of how to approach this 'new' way of writing and, therefore, provides poor training for the 'reflective writing' that is required in PDP in higher education

The retention of tactile stimulation with young and elderly adults

The purpose of this study is to test the retention of sensory experience in the modality of light-touch with both young and elderly subjects. Based on previous literature, it is expected that young Ss will be able to maintain more accurately the light-touch impression for a long delay period (two weeks) than older persons. The test for retention or the impression will be made immediately (two minutes) following the stimulation for one-half the Ss, and after two week a for the remaining Ss

Individualization in the widening participation debate

This is a the final draft of the article post refereeing. The published version can be found by followig the DOI link.We provide an analysis of some recent widening participation literature concerning the barriers preventing non-traditional students accessing higher education. This literature criticizes higher education institutions and staff, opening up the academics' attitudes and skills to inquiry. We follow the genesis of four themes in the literature and these are visited in turn to provide substantive arguments. Students' accounts of their experiences are taken as if they were a systematic analysis of higher education institutions and result in an individualistic analysis of the problems related to access and progression. Beck described such assumptions and devices as individualization. We question the use of such pervasive individualism in the widening participation debate

The Role of containment and holding in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy with Children in Care

This thesis is an evaluation comprised of two studies exploring the implementation of a new pathway for Children in care (CiC), and the experience of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapists from the same CAMHS who deliver treatment to children in care. In 2018, the CQC gave a rating of ‘requires improvement’ for safety to the CAMHS due to long waiting times. In response, a Children and Young People Joint Agency Pathway (CYPJAP) was implemented in April 2019 to replace the previous Looked After Children’s pathway. Routinely collected clinical data were used to examine waiting times for first appointment and length of treatment for the historical LAC pathway (2018 –2019), the new CYPJAP (2019 – 2020) and Core CAMHS (2018-19/ 2019-20) as a control. It was hypothesised that there would be a significant difference in waiting times for first appointments between the two pathways for children in care. A Mann Whitney U test indicated a significant reduction in waiting times on the CYJAP (p<0.0001). The interview study aimed to explore the Psychotherapists’ experience of containment (Bion, 1962b) and holding (Winnicott, 1963) in work with CiC and how this may present in the clinical work. Four Psychotherapists were interviewed, and thematic analysis used to analyse the data. The themes which emerged described the child’s journey through Psychotherapy. This included ‘holding and containing the network’. The second stage of the journey explored children’s communications related to their early life in ‘projections, enactment and the depriving therapist’. In the third theme ‘being in touch with what’s missed’, the children recognised experiences they had missed. The final theme, ‘journey to integration’ described children’s improved emotional regulation, indicative of a more integrated state of mind. The new pathway significantly improved CiC’s access to a specialist treatment, and psychotherapists demonstrated a shared understanding of CiC’s need for containment and holding to improve mental functioning

The Role of containment and holding in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy with Children in Care

This thesis is an evaluation comprised of two studies exploring the implementation of a new pathway for Children in care (CiC), and the experience of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapists from the same CAMHS who deliver treatment to children in care. In 2018, the CQC gave a rating of ‘requires improvement’ for safety to the CAMHS due to long waiting times. In response, a Children and Young People Joint Agency Pathway (CYPJAP) was implemented in April 2019 to replace the previous Looked After Children’s pathway. Routinely collected clinical data were used to examine waiting times for first appointment and length of treatment for the historical LAC pathway (2018 –2019), the new CYPJAP (2019 – 2020) and Core CAMHS (2018-19/ 2019-20) as a control. It was hypothesised that there would be a significant difference in waiting times for first appointments between the two pathways for children in care. A Mann Whitney U test indicated a significant reduction in waiting times on the CYJAP (p<0.0001). The interview study aimed to explore the Psychotherapists’ experience of containment (Bion, 1962b) and holding (Winnicott, 1963) in work with CiC and how this may present in the clinical work. Four Psychotherapists were interviewed, and thematic analysis used to analyse the data. The themes which emerged described the child’s journey through Psychotherapy. This included ‘holding and containing the network’. The second stage of the journey explored children’s communications related to their early life in ‘projections, enactment and the depriving therapist’. In the third theme ‘being in touch with what’s missed’, the children recognised experiences they had missed. The final theme, ‘journey to integration’ described children’s improved emotional regulation, indicative of a more integrated state of mind. The new pathway significantly improved CiC’s access to a specialist treatment, and psychotherapists demonstrated a shared understanding of CiC’s need for containment and holding to improve mental functioning. Key words: Containment; holding; children in care; primary maternal preoccupation; skin-to-skin; integration; journey; Psychotherap

Avoiding stuck places: University educators’ views on supporting migrant and refugee students with transitioning through and out of higher education

University student equity cohorts experience inequitable graduate/ employment outcomes. These challenges are magnified for Culturally and Linguistically Marginalised Migrant and/or Refugee students (CALMMR). Consequently, this study aimed to investigate the views of Australian university educators on the transitioning of CALMMR students from higher education into employment. Employing mixed methods, this study commenced with a survey of university educators (n=40) followed by semi-structured interviews (n=13). Findings highlighted that specialised, diverse support is needed for CALMMR students across studies and into careers. Specifically, students faced additional challenges, which are not being met in a fragmented university system. Universities need to provide support that is more holistic, targeted, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive, to address the inequity in graduate/employment outcomes experienced by CALMMR students