The Adaptation of East Asian Masters Students to Western Norms of Critical Thinking and Argumentation in the U.K.

The paper explores the adaptation experiences of East Asian masters students in the U.K. in dealing with Western academic norms of critical thinking and debate. Through in-depth interviewing, students’ perceptions of their learning experiences were explored, and stages in this adaptation process were identified, with various entry and exit routes. It was found that the majority of the students opt for a ‘Middle Way’ which synergises their own cultural approach to critical thinking with those aspects of Western style critical thinking and debate that are culturally acceptable to them

Adapting to western norms of academic argumentation and debate.

The thesis explores the learning experiences of East Asian masters students in dealing with Western academic norms of critical thinking and evaluation in classroom debate and assignment writing. This is a relatively new area of research, which is becoming increasingly important as the numbers of international postgraduate students in the U. K. continue to grow. Previous research has shown that differences in expectations have resulted in misunderstanding and some confusion for both lecturers and students. However, little research has yet been done in the U. K. on the process of adjustment during this learning experience. A grounded theory, case study approach is followed, as one of the aims is for students to tell their own stories, and for theoretical concepts to be developed which reflect the perceptions and interpretations of the students. Sixty seven in-depth interviews were conducted with East Asian students across three case sites: two universities in the U. K. and a third university in China. Eleven British lecturers, five Chinese lecturers and six British students were also interviewed, for triangulation purposes. Although there is no claim to generalisation, the potential for transferability of the findings is increased by also including a vignette questionnaire, involving a further 268 students across the three sites. The thesis takes a cultural approach, and a theoretical model is developed which identifies five learning stages, with various entry and exit routes. The data suggest that the majority of East Asian students reject full academic acculturation into Western norms of argumentation, which is characterised by rigorous, `strong' critical thinking, polarised, linear logic, and `wrestling debate'. Instead, many of them opt for a `Middle Way', which synthesises those elements of Western academic norms that are perceived to be culturally acceptable, with the traditional cultural academic values held by many East Asian students. The Middle Way emphasises a more holistic, empathetic `constructive reasoning', which bridges U. K. and East Asian traditions of academic argumentation and debate. The thesis offers a significant contribution to conventional literature on the academic experiences of East Asian masters students, as it draws attention to the complexity of the adaptation process

The Middle Way: East Asian masters students’ perceptions of critical argumentation in U.K. universities.

The paper explores the learning experiences of East Asian masters students in dealing with Western academic norms of critical thinking in classroom debate and assignment writing. The research takes a cultural approach, and employs grounded theory and case study methodology, the aims being for students to explain their perceptions of their personal learning journeys. The data suggest that the majority of students interviewed rejected full academic acculturation into Western norms of argumentation. They instead opted for a ‘Middle Way’ that synergizes the traditional cultural academic values held by many East Asian students with those elements of Western academic norms that are perceived to be aligned with these. This is a relatively new area of research which represents a challenge for British lecturers and students

The impact of marketisation on postgraduate career preparedness in a high skills economy

This study focuses on the consequences for high skills development of the erosion of the once clear demarcation between higher education and business. It contributes to the broader debate about the relevance of higher education for thewell-being of the society of the future. The research explores the effects of marketisation on the postgraduate curriculum and students’ preparedness for careers in public relations and marketing communications. Interviews with lecturers and students in two universities in the UK and Australia indicate that a tension exists between academic rigour and corporate relevancy. The consequences are a diminution of academic attachment to critique and wider social/cultural engagement, with a resulting impoverishment of students’ creative abilities and critical consciences. Subsequently, graduates of public relations and marketing communications, and to some extent those from other profession-related disciplines, are insufficiently prepared for careers as knowledge workers in a future high-skills economy

Socioeconomic status and non-fatal injuries among Canadian adolescents: variations across SES and injury measures

BACKGROUND: While research to date has consistently demonstrated that socioeconomic status (SES) is inversely associated with injury mortality in both children and adults, findings have been less consistent for non-fatal injuries. The literature addressing SES and injury morbidity among adolescents has been particularly inconclusive. To explore potential explanations for these discrepant research findings, this study uniquely compared the relationship across different measures of SES and different causes of injury (recreation versus non-recreation injuries) within a sample of Canadian adolescents. METHODS: The sample included adolescent participants (aged 12 to 19 years) in the Canadian 1996–1997 cross-sectional National Population Health Survey (n = 6967). Five SES measures (household income, two neighbourhood-level proxy measures, two parental indicators) were examined in relation to three injury outcomes (total, recreation, and non-recreation injuries) using multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: Among males, a clear relationship with injury was observed only for a parental SES index, which was positively associated with total and recreation injuries (odds ratios for the highest versus lowest SES category of 1.9 for total and 2.5 for recreation injuries). Among females, there was some evidence of a positive relationship between SES and injuries, particularly for a neighbourhood-level education measure with total and recreation injuries (odds ratios of 1.7 for total and 2.0 for recreation injuries). CONCLUSION: The results suggest that differences related to the measures of SES chosen and the causes of injury under study may both contribute to discrepancies in past research on SES and non-fatal injuries among adolescents. To clarify the potential SES-injury relationship among youth, the findings emphasize a need for a greater understanding of the meaning and relevance of different SES measures for adolescents, and for an exploration of the pathways through which SES may be related to injury risk

Using fMRI connectivity to define a treatment-resistant form of post-traumatic stress disorder.

A mechanistic understanding of the pathology of psychiatric disorders has been hampered by extensive heterogeneity in biology, symptoms, and behavior within diagnostic categories that are defined subjectively. We investigated whether leveraging individual differences in information-processing impairments in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) could reveal phenotypes within the disorder. We found that a subgroup of patients with PTSD from two independent cohorts displayed both aberrant functional connectivity within the ventral attention network (VAN) as revealed by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) neuroimaging and impaired verbal memory on a word list learning task. This combined phenotype was not associated with differences in symptoms or comorbidities, but nonetheless could be used to predict a poor response to psychotherapy, the best-validated treatment for PTSD. Using concurrent focal noninvasive transcranial magnetic stimulation and electroencephalography, we then identified alterations in neural signal flow in the VAN that were evoked by direct stimulation of that network. These alterations were associated with individual differences in functional fMRI connectivity within the VAN. Our findings define specific neurobiological mechanisms in a subgroup of patients with PTSD that could contribute to the poor response to psychotherapy.PEV was supported by the Medical Research Council (grant no. MR/K020706/1) and is a Fellow of MQ: Transforming Mental Health (MQF17_24)

Skyddat enligt lag : Vad ska staten äga?

Nätverket för Arkitektur och kulturmiljö inom Samverkansforum för statliga byggherrar och förvaltare arrangerade hösten 2013 en serie om tre seminarier, som belyste den aktuella frågan om statens roll för skyddet av kulturhistoriskt värdefulla miljöer. Seminarieserien ägde rum i statligt ägda kulturmiljöer i Stockholm med syftet att bredda kunskapsunderlaget och öka intresset för statens ägande, byggande och reglerande av arkitektur och kulturmiljö. Frågor om statens ägande borde intressera en vidare krets än de aktuella myndigheterna. Vilken är statens roll som fastighetsägare, och vilket ansvar har staten för kulturarvet? Vilka urvalskriterier är aktuella, och hur påverkar de synen på kulturarvet?Även tryckt i begränsad upplaga, ISBN 978-91-637-7218-4.QC 20150603</p