Making the case for A-level biology residential fieldwork: what has nature got to do with it?

This article provides an up-to-date list of reasons for teachers to create a case for residential fieldwork. The list was developed as part of a project examining ‘learning journeys’ of inner-urban school visits to residential field centres in England. Uniquely, it draws from the perspectives of students and teachers in light of the changes to A-level biology assessment. As resourcing constraints following the COVID-19 pandemic threaten fieldwork, this evidence-based case shows that residential visits are more valuable than ever. It is argued that, amidst the post-pandemic ‘catch up’ discourse and by putting ‘nature’ at the centre, field visits can work even harder for the benefit of urban students

‘What counts’ as climate change education? Perspectives from policy influencers

Recent civil action has called for ‘more!’ climate change education but ‘more’ of what and why isn’t there already ‘more’ in our schools today? Climate change education is guided by policies that are formed, and influenced, by a range of people working across multiple organisations. ‘Policy influencers’ are therefore important as their views, and the views of their organisations, shape education. This article discusses views of policy influencers in England on what climate change education is or should be. Considering these perspectives alongside current policy and the research literature enables policy shortfalls to be identified and alternative approaches to climate change education to be explored

Environmental Education-Related Policy Enactment in Japanese High Schools

Over the past decade, Japan’s rich tradition of environmental education-related policy has shifted to encompass international discourse concerning global competition and education for sustainable development. In view of this shift, this article explores environmental education-related policy enactment from the perspective of high school teachers. In-depth interviews were conducted with 16 experienced teachers and were analysed using the environmental education-related conceptual lenses of Lucas (1972) and Stevenson (1987, 2007). The findings suggest that the current policy enactment in Japanese high schools features a narrow interpretation of environmental education that emphasises knowledge acquisition and overlooks the development of practical skills, attitudes or democratic citizenship. This case study highlights the necessity that, for a progressive environmental education to become established, policymakers must find a way to balance local knowledge with the demands of international organizations, paying particular attention to curriculum ideology, policy competition and the teachers’ voice in policy creation

‘Standing back’ or ‘stepping up’? Exploring climate change education policy influence in England

This paper explores the nature of climate change education-related policy influence in England at a time when public consciousness about the need to accelerate climate change action was heightened, and as the 2018 climate strikes gathered momentum around the world. Informed by Foucault's concept of ‘governmentalities’, and using data generated through 24 exploratory interviews and reflexive thematic analysis, we examine the extent to which influential individuals were advocating for policy change. We discuss the nature of policy influence with particular reference to the ‘stances’ that individuals adopted relative to climate change education policy influence and noting a common tendency exhibited amongst participants which was a tendency towards ‘deference’. Coupling our insights with theorisations of dissent, we consider how ‘infra-political dissent’ could support key individuals to ‘step up’ and influence for more effective policy relative to climate change education, and to other areas of education or environment policy

Conceptualising HE educators’ capabilities to teach the crisis: towards critical and transformative environmental pedagogies

This article aims to help conceptualise the capabilities that educators in higher education (HE) have to incorporate concerns about environmental breakdown in their day-to-day teaching. A common view amongst those in the academic literature is that Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are failing to rise to the challenge presented by the unfolding environmental crisis. While agreeing that those in HE must do more, this article critically examines the assumption that such action can be easily enacted by HE educators. Our analysis employs the capabilities approach (CA) to illuminate the challenges surrounding HE educators’ agency to teach the crisis in their day-to-day practice, and to consider what would be needed to provide them with genuine opportunities to do so. We argue that access to the growing number of teaching resources about the environmental crisis is a necessary but insufficient condition for supporting HE educators’ capabilities to teach the crisis. For a fuller understanding of what is required to support the agency of HE educators, attention must be paid to the diverse combination of factors that shape HE educators’ opportunities to develop and enact critical and transformative environmental pedagogies in their disciplinary and institutional contexts. Drawing on the extant academic literature and with reference to a fictionalised case study we examine how HE educators’ agency is mediated by a range of personal, material and social factors. Our analysis focuses especially on the role played by social factors, including the influence of: dominant epistemological, methodological and disciplinary norms; prevailing institutional policies and practices, and; administrative and management cultures within and across HE. After discussing the importance that deliberation has in supporting educators’ agency and the development of novel forms of critical and transformative environmental pedagogy, we conclude by suggesting that in many cases enacting such pedagogies will involve confronting dominant forms of power, culture, policy and practice, within the academy and beyond

Doctoral research as team enterprise: the continuing legacy of Professor Rosalind Driver

Doctoral research can be a daunting prospect. Would-be scholars might be deterred from embarking on a PhD by financial stress, tales of isolation and difficult relationships with supervisors, or by the intimidating prospect of the required intellectual effort. In this article, we, the authors, offer a more positive take on the PhD process by reflecting on our own experiences. In recent years, we have all undertaken doctoral studies at King’s College London’s (KCL) Centre for Research in Education in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (CRESTEM), thanks to scholarships from the Rosalind Driver Memorial Fund. In doing so, we have continued to build on the legacy of Rosalind Driver, or Ros, as she was more commonly known, pursuing our own research interests and forging new pathways of enquiry, all while immersed in a collaborative research community at KCL. In this article, which we write at the time of the 25th anniversary of Ros Driver’s death, we reflect on some of the links between her work and our own research and demonstrate how her legacy continues to influence science education research and practice today. We hope to encourage others involved in science education to consider how they might bring their expertise to this diverse research field

Management of aromatase inhibitor induced musculoskeletal symptoms in postmenopausal early breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Aromatase Inhibitors (AI) are widely used for the adjuvant treatment of hormone receptor positive breast cancers in the post-menopausal population. AI are often associated with significant joint and muscular symptoms; symptoms that are commonly referred to as aromatase inhibitor-associated musculoskeletal syndrome (AIMSS). AIMSS adversely impacts health-related quality of life of many patients, and reduces AI compliance. Although there are informal practice recommendations, the limited current level of evidence for management of AIMSS for breast cancer patients on aromatase inhibitors has made development of formal guidelines challenging, and remains an unmet need. This is the first systematic review to consider the evidence for all pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions in the treatment of AIMSS, including physical therapy, acupuncture and complementary therapies

Using the Power of Questions to Organize for Progressive Education

Progressive education is widely admired and rarely implemented in schools. In this commentary, a group of educators—K-8 teachers and administrators and teacher education students and faculty—discuss their shared journey as they come together to study their own practice in schools committed to this model of teaching and learning. While acknowledging the reality that progressive education is most often found in in areas of economic privilege, they nonetheless challenge teachers to engage in “thoughtful participation, description, and dialogue,” in some fashion, as a means of counteracting the demands of the current reform climate

An Economic Assessment of Smokefree Restaurant Establishments in Tennessee: Implications for Other Smoking Establishments

In 2007 Tennessee enacted and implemented the Nonsmoker Protection Act (NSPA) to protect nonsmokers by creating 100% smoke-free restaurants. Several venues were exempted, including age-restricted ones such as bars, and tobacco regulation was preempted. Thus, the NSPA is not equitable smoke free policy (SFP) because it has left vast segments of nonsmokers such as employees and patrons of bars unprotected from second-hand smoke (SHS) exposure and thwarted any local initiative to pursue 100% comprehensive SFPs. While this predisposes these nonsmokers to the health dangers of SHS exposure, it makes the NSPA incompatible with the objectives of the Healthy People 2020 and 2030 as well as goals of the state health plan. In 2021, the American Lung Association graded the NSPA “C,” and the United Health Foundation ranked it 42nd out of 50 states. This project assessed the effects of smoke-free venues across different economic domains through quantitative and qualitative data review to determine the implications for venues exempted by NSPA. By delineating any economic effects of SFP across several economic domains, the quantitative data gleaned from NAICS, Census Bureau, and Tennessee Dept. of Revenue were supplemented with interviews of establishments in Tennessee that voluntarily transitioned to smoke-free environment. A total of 7 such establishments with capacities ranging from 50 to over 69,000 people and number of employees ranging from 6 to over 1300 were interviewed. It was discovered that smoke-free environments have positive economic effects on restaurant establishments in Tennessee. By focusing on the SFP effect on restaurant establishments, the findings can be extrapolated to support the case for 100% smoke-free environments for other hospitality locations such as bars, music venues, and casinos. After analysis of trends for retail sales, number of establishments, employment, and payrolls by size of establishment and Metropolitan Statistical Area, a positive economic effect was identified for majority of these indicators between 2010 and 2019, a 10-year period following restaurants becoming smoke-free. Highlights include: Retail sales in Tennessee eating and drinking establishments increased by 62% The number of restaurant establishments increased by 16% Employment in the restaurant sector increased by 23% The qualitative data from the interviews reinforces these findings, with 100% of respondents supporting smoke-free age-restricted venues in their local communities. Thus, it can be inferred from these Tennessee-specific data with high degree of confidence that other hospitality venues will benefit economically in some way by becoming smoke-free with the following considerations: Provide protections from SHS exposure and health risks to nonsmokers; Do not adversely affect sales or employment in the hospitality, entertainment or sport industries, including bars, hotels and motels, and restaurants; Have strong public support and compliance