Out of the Frying Pan into the Viva

Women today are making clear inroads into the academy and, at undergraduate level at least, are engaging in greater numbers than men. However, at postgraduate level the picture changes, especially at doctoral level, and fewer women than men undertake research degrees. However, little is known about women’s experiences of doctoral research, including the viva. The authors seek to address the lack of research about women’s experience of the PhD viva. The research carried out by the authors emphasises both the lack of power felt by women in the current examination process and the lack of consistency in practice across universities. The authors argue that if the viva is to be more than just a process which reinforces existing patterns of power, it cannot continue to be a ritual where only certain voices are allowed to be heard. They conclude by suggesting reforms that they believe would make the system fairer to all

Deed - Eli Jackson, et al. to John Closner, Porcion 71, original grantee Narciso Cavazos

From John Closner and Family Collection, contains handwritten notes and official warranty deed documentation between the Jackson family and John Closner. Deed - Eli Jackson, et al. to John Closner, Porcion 71, original grantee Narciso Cavazos, 1862, 1892-1903, Container: 39, Box: 2, Folder: 3. University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Special Collections and Archives, Edinburg Campus. https://archives.lib.utrgv.edu/repositories/2/archival_objects/80754https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/hidalgohist/1015/thumbnail.jp

Making common ground with strangers at Furnace Park

In this article we seek to widen the debate about the sites and processes of encounter with strangers by examining the ways in which ‘strangeness’ necessarily fades within the familiarisation processes at play in any sustained and situated place-making. Our analysis draws upon our experiences of encountering strangers – and of our familiarisation with them – in the initial, year-long, site acquisition and preparation phase of a project to create Furnace Park, an experimental urban space in a run-down backwater of central Sheffield. We show the tensions between a project commitment to the formation of a loose, open place and the pressures (which arose from our encounters with the urban development system) to render both the project and the site certain, bounded and less-than-strange. Furthermore, at Furnace Park the site itself presented to us as a non-human stranger, which we were urged to render familiar but which kept eluding that capture. We therefore show how the geographies of strange encounters could productively be widened to embrace both recent scholarship on the material-affective strangeness of ground itself, and a greater attentiveness to the familiarisation effects born of the intersection of diverse communities of practices within place-making projects

Music listening predicted improved life satisfaction in university students during early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic

Quarantine and spatial distancing measures associated with COVID-19 resulted in substantial changes to individuals’ everyday lives. Prominent among these lifestyle changes was the way in which people interacted with media—including music listening. In this repeated assessment study, we assessed Australian university students’ media use (i.e., listening to music, playing video/computer games, watching TV/movies/streaming videos, and using social media) throughout early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, and determined whether media use was related to changes in life satisfaction. Participants (N = 127) were asked to complete six online questionnaires, capturing pre- and during-pandemic experiences. The results indicated that media use varied substantially throughout the study period, and at the within-person level, life satisfaction was positively associated with music listening and negatively associated with watching TV/videos/movies. The findings highlight the potential benefits of music listening during COVID-19 and other periods of social isolation

Anxiety in female adolescents with autism spectrum disorder: Lessons for healthcare professionals

Background: Despite awareness of the high prevalence of anxiety in females with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), females report high unmet service needs regarding mental health concerns. Aim: This study explored experiences of anxiety in female adolescences with ASD, their management of it, and their experiences of mental health services in the United Kingdom. Methods: Utilising an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, six females with ASD, aged between 13 to 15 years and referred to mental health services, took part in semi-structured interviews. Results: The analysis generated the following themes: the central experience of anxiety; the impact of the surrounding world; mismatch between needs and support; and the value of self-management. The themes emphasised a need for a more general acceptance of ASD-related anxiety triggers such as sensory overload and uncertainty to change. Discussion: Adolescents raised concerns around the appropriateness of support provided for their anxiety, including awareness raising initiatives around ASD which only served to heighten their anxiety. Conclusions: Healthcare professionals need to have a better understanding of ASD-related anxiety in females. To improve outcomes, better service knowledge and communications around ASD-related anxiety are important for the assessment of anxiety as well as tailored ASD interventions

Anxiety in female adolescents with autism spectrum disorder: Lessons for healthcare professionals

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, to view a copy of the license, see: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Despite awareness of the high prevalence of anxiety in females with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), females report high unmet service needs regarding mental health concerns. Aim: This study explored experiences of anxiety in female adolescences with ASD, their management of it, and their experiences of mental health services in the United Kingdom. Methods: Utilising an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, six females with ASD, aged between 13 to 15 years and referred to mental health services, took part in semi-structured interviews. Results: The analysis generated the following themes: the central experience of anxiety; the impact of the surrounding world; mismatch between needs and support; and the value of self-management. The themes emphasised a need for a more general acceptance of ASD-related anxiety triggers such as sensory overload and uncertainty to change. Discussion: Adolescents raised concerns around the appropriateness of support provided for their anxiety, including awareness raising initiatives around ASD which only served to heighten their anxiety. Conclusions: Healthcare professionals need to have a better understanding of ASD-related anxiety in females. To improve outcomes, better service knowledge and communications around ASD-related anxiety are important for the assessment of anxiety as well as tailored ASD interventions.Peer reviewe

Burnout and health of primary school educators in the North West Province

No Abstract.South African journal of Education Vol. 25(4) 2005: 266-27