'Working at it': context, relationality and moral reasoning in narratives of fathering beyond couplehood

This thesis supports earlier research suggesting that new contexts of fathering can bring 'transformative' experiences of care. At the same time, however, it also demonstrates the persistent 'pull' of a gendered model of parenting, which can normalise different and unequal levels of caring responsibility without disrupting a sense of the equal moral status of fathers and mothers. The research involved a qualitative study of previously resident, biological fathers' accounts of fathering after divorce or separation, focusing on 23 fathers who have maintained contact with their children over time and across households. The study entailed in depth interviews with fathers who were fathering in a range of contexts with a variety of caring arrangements in place. Taking a feminist perspective, the thesis presents post-couple fathering as a complex moral and relational process shaped deeply, though not straightforwardly, by gendered patterns of caring for children. It also makes particular use of the feminist ethics of care as an analytic framework and argues that this, together with the concept of relationality, can be used to think about autonomy, responsibility, gender and power in productive and insightful ways. The analysis showed that fathers perceive fathering beyond couplehood to occur in connection with others, and that it is particularly interconnected with mothers. It also revealed that the experience of post-couple fathering can produce an intensified focus on the quality of relationships and a heightened perception of the ongoing processes of moral and relational work involved. Further to this, three broader theoretical implications are raised: that a concept of fairness is in play during the relational and moral work of co-parenting; that a gendered moral space exists in which such work takes place, and that gendered patterns of care continue to act as a powerful framework in the process of renegotiating parental roles

The application of performance indicators to quality assessment and audit in higher education

This report describes research to investigate whether the use of performance indicators could improve, enrich or enhance the process of academic quality review. It uses a new technique based on soft systems methodology and developed by researchers at London South Bank University. This technique, referred to as the Holon methodology, has been adapted from the domain of software quality assurance and can be used to help develop performance indicators from successive refinement of the vision of a "desired state" of various stakeholders within a system. The research does not assume the existence of any particular system of quality assessment or audit but starts from first principles, through a literature review of work on both quality assessment and audit, and on the use of performance indicators in higher education. The main phase of the research is a series of interviews with academic staff and students to elicit views on what constitutes a high quality student experience. Seven performance indicators are produced and the research also addresses the use of quality assurance terms and techniques from outside higher education. The suitability and limitations of the methodology are also discussed

Patient perceptions regarding benefits of single visit scale and polish : a randomised controlled trial

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Racial variation in the number of spontaneous abortions before a first successful pregnancy, and effects on subsequent pregnancies.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the relationship between race and spontaneous abortion, whether the relationship varies by risk factors, and the effect of spontaneous abortions on subsequent pregnancies. METHODS: A retrospective study was undertaken using data collected in London, UK, between 1988 and 2000. Logistic regression evaluated histories of spontaneous abortion and associations with small-for-gestational-age and preterm births in black African, black Caribbean, and South Asian women relative to white European women. Interactions with risk factors were assessed. RESULTS: Overall, 196 040 women were included. Compared with white Europeans, the odds of a previous spontaneous abortion were increased in black African (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.20; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.12-1.29) and black Caribbean women (aOR 1.31; 95% CI 1.21-1.41). The strength of the association with black African race increased with age (P=0.002), and the association with South Asian race increased with age and body mass index (P<0.001 for both). Spontaneous abortion was associated with preterm birth in all races, but was strongest in black African women (aOR 1.47; 95% CI 1.29-1.67). CONCLUSION: The greater incidence of spontaneous abortion in black African and black Caribbean women should prompt further study of risk factors in relation to race. The interaction with age in black African and South Asian women could be important for counseling in relation to timing of pregnancy.This work was supported by a Medical Research Council PhD Studentship.This is the final published version. It first appeared at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S002072921500123X

Sexual violence against female university students in the U.K.: A case study

In questo articolo presentiamo i risultati di una ricerca effettuata negli anni 2009-11 sulle aggressioni sessuali commesse a danno di studentesse frequentanti una università inglese. I risultati di tale studio riguardano i seguenti aspetti: la natura e la numerosità dei casi di aggressione sessuale (molestia sessuale, aggressione e altri comportamenti sessuali violenti), l’identità degli aggressori, i luoghi in cui le aggressioni sessuali sono commesse, la comunicazione delle avvenute aggressioni alle autorità universitarie e di polizia, la natura delle misure di prevenzione adottate e le pratiche operative delle autorità universitarie rivolte ad affrontare questo fenomeno, la sensibilizzazione e la motivazione delle studentesse ad utilizzare le risorse universitarie esistenti per assistere le vittime e le modalità previste al fine di migliorare la presa in carico di questa utenza da parte delle autorità universitarie. I dati ottenuti da questa ricerca provengono da tre fonti: 1) un questionario online rivolto alle studentesse; 2) un focus group effettuato con un gruppo di studentesse e incentrato sul fenomeno in questione; 3) interviste con testimoni significativi universitari e non universitari. I risultati di questa ricerca sono analizzati in rapporto alle politiche universitarie e alle pratiche operative. Résumé:Dans cette étude, nous présentons les résultats d’une recherche effectuée dans les années 2009-11 sur les agressions sexuelles commises contre les étudiantes fréquentant une université Anglaise. Les résultats de cette recherche portent sur les aspects suivants : la nature et la prévalence de l’agression sexuelle (harcèlement sexuel, agression sexuelle et autres comportements sexuels violents), l’identité des agresseurs sexuels, les endroits où les agressions sexuelles sont commises, le dévoilement des agressions sexuelles aux autorités universitaires et policières, la nature des mesures de prévention prises et les pratiques courantes des autorités universitaires pour faire face à ce phénomène, la sensibilisation et la motivation des étudiantes à utiliser les ressources universitaires mises en place pour assister les victimes et les moyens afin d’améliorer la prise en charge de ce phénomène par les autorités universitaires. Les données sur lesquelles les résultats de cette recherche sont tirés proviennent de trois sources : 1) un sondage en ligne des étudiantes, 2) une discussion effectuée sur le phénomène en question avec un groupe d’étudiantes, et 3) entrevues avec des professionnels oeuvrant ou non à l’université. Les résultats de cette recherche sont discutés en lien avec les politiques et pratiques universitaires. Abstract: In this article we present the results of research conducted in 2009-2011 on sexual violence against female university students at a mid-sized English university. Included are findings on: the nature and prevalence of sexual violence (sexual harassment, stalking and sexual assault and other coercive sexual acts); the identity of perpetrators; most frequent victimisation locations; extent of, and reasons given for and against, disclosing victimisation to university authorities and police; nature of prevention and response policies, institutional arrangements and practices at the university; female student’s awareness of, and willingness to access, available services for victims; and suggestions for improvements in the university’s responses to this problem. All finding are based on data from (i) an online survey of female students, (ii) a small focus group discussion with female students, and (iii) interviews with ‘key stakeholders’ within and outside the university. Implications of the findings for university policies, institutional arrangements and practices are discussed

Mobile games with intelligence: a killer application?

Mobile gaming is an arena full of innovation, with developers exploring new kinds of games, with new kinds of interaction between the mobile device, players, and the connected world that they live in and move through. The mobile gaming world is a perfect playground for AI and CI, generating a maelstrom of data for games that use adaptation, learning and smart content creation. In this paper, we explore this potential killer application for mobile intelligence. We propose combining small, light-weight AI/CI libraries with AI/CI services in the cloud for the heavy lifting. To make our ideas more concrete, we describe a new mobile game that we built that shows how this can work