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Engaging the AQ10 to predict professional burnout or poor work-related psychological wellbeing among Anglican clergy in Wales
No full textThe ten-item Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ10) is a self-report instrument originally designed to identify referrals for professional diagnosis for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Recent studies suggest that this instrument may also be tapping more generalised affective disorders. Working with this interpretation, this study examines the predictive power of the AQ10 to account for additional variance, after personal and personality factors have been taken into account, on the two scales of the Francis Burnout Inventory. Data provided by 220 Anglican clergy serving in Wales demonstrated that 8.6% of the participants recorded six or more red flags on the AQ10 (and so qualified for referral for specialist diagnostic assessment) and that higher scores on the AQ10 are associated with significantly lower levels of satisfaction in ministry and with significantly higher levels of emotional exhaustion in ministry. These data suggest that screening with the AQ10 may be helpful in identifying clergy vulnerable to professional burnout and to poor work-related psychological wellbeing, in addition to its primary purpose of screening for ASD
Praying for peace: A study of visitors’ prayers offered at Liverpool Cathedral
No full textPrayer is often described as the most significant religious practice in Christian tradition and broadly-based social surveys highlight the extent of the practice of personal prayer among general populations. Previous research has also shown that intercessory prayer-requests left in open-access Christian contexts offer rich and diverse sources of primary material that can offer valuable insights into the conceptions, concerns and aspirations of the many visitors passing through these sacred places. Prayer-requests relating to ‘peace’ are a recurring theme in such prayers, and although studies have identified and started to describe prayers for ‘peace’, there has been no focused study of this area. Through an analysis of a sample of prayer requests posted on Liverpool Cathedral’s online ‘prayer wall’, this study seeks to explore the conceptions, concerns and aspirations of these online visitors in relation to ‘peace’, and to begin a conversation about the contribution of any insights to academic research and to professional practice
“Covid made me think about…” What really matters in RE: A European research project.
No full textLiving and working through the challenges of a pandemic offered a unique research opportunity to engage with some core questions about what really matters in Religious Education (RE) in countries across Europe. The What Covid Reveals to Religious Education Specialists research project sought to provide a reflective space for RE specialists, drawn from the board members of the European Forum for Teachers of Religious Education (EFTRE), to consider their experiences of RE during the Covid-19 pandemic and to begin to articulate what they might want in the future for RE in light of their experiences. Areas explored in the online qualitative survey included: challenging questions and issues, social unrest, student-teacher relationships, learning scenarios, valued dimensions in RE, opportunities for the future, and ‘ideal’ RE. Respondents were from sixteen of the twenty-two countries present on the EFTRE Board, offering their individual perspectives from Western, Northern, Central and Southern Europe. Using the tool ATLAS.ti, an inductive analytical approach was employed; a number of key group ‘themes’ emerged from the responses, which provided a basis for further analysis. This paper will present some of the main findings in dialogue with the focusing research stimulus question: What does Covid-19 reveal to RE specialists about their subject? The project is a European collaboration involving researchers from Austria, Germany, Hungary, Ireland and Wales
Perceptions of pupil poverty: what do trainee teachers really think?
No full textThis study gained an understanding of trainee teachers’ perceptions of poverty and the effects on primary school children. Previous research is limited but has suggested that trainees may hold stereotypical deficit views about children in poverty, which can negatively impact the learning and progress of such children. The study took place over a three year period at a university in the East Midlands region of England. Participants were volunteers from three Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programmes. Qualitative data were collected from three snapshot focus group meetings with participants from each programme (n=6; n=5 and n=7). These were followed by three focus group meetings with another group of trainees (n=5), which were convened across their one year course. The findings showed that the trainees often viewed poverty in terms of income and lack of material possessions. They expressed negative opinions couched in derogatory language, equating poverty with a lack of aspirations, care and supervision on the parents’ part. However, there were indications of some shifts in perceptions during training. The findings suggest that it is important for ITE courses to offer trainees opportunities to facilitate the disruption of stereotypical beliefs by engaging meaningfully with issues of social justice
Preparing for problem-based learning: evaluating expectations and readiness for programme change
No full textBackground: Problem-based learning (PBL) is a student-centred pedagogy that utilises complex instructional scenarios to aid students in transitioning from theory to practice. PBL may offer a pertinent and effective strategy for developing fundamental competencies, skills, and attitudes in physiotherapists. PBL as a pedagogical practice is controversial, though, with arguments for and against the approach. As such, the University of Nottingham has reaccredited the BSc Physiotherapy program, which uses PBL as a pedagogy. This study analyses staff and student readiness before implementation.
Aim: This study, conducted by the School of Health Science (SoHS), seeks to evaluate the preparedness and anticipations of students, staff, and clinicians regarding programme change. The findings will provide a set of initial measures for implementing the programme.
Methods: The evaluation follows a mixed-methods, sequential design. The collection of quantitative data was achieved by a newly developed and validated questionnaire with first-into-second-year students. The qualitative data were obtained from focus groups and interviews. The collection of qualitative data investigates the perspectives and expectations of several stakeholders, including first-into-second-year students, staff, clinician and a patient, regarding the implementation of PBL and the new curriculum.
Results: The internal consistency of our questionnaire was assessed using Cronbach's alpha, which yielded a value of 0.83 for a total of 19 items. Additionally, the KR-20 coefficient was calculated to be 0.86 for a subset of two items. The content validity was assessed by calculating the item level content validity index (I-CVI) scores provided by three experts and ten students, and the ICVI was 0.88. Thirty first-into-second-year students completed the questionnaire. Nine first-into-second-year students participated in focus group interviews. Seven staff, a clinician, and a patient participated in individual interviews. Results from the questionnaire are presented in a narrative report. Five domains summarise the stakeholder perspectives about programme change, including: Quality of communication, Consistency of teaching, Approach to learning, Attitude to change, and Support structures.
Conclusion: Analysis of the data collected indicates the need for proficient preparation. This evaluation demonstrates the importance of evaluating stakeholder perspectives prior to the implementation of an educational approach
THE RESILIENCE OF THE ANGLO-ITALIAN HEROINE IN MARGARET COLLIER GALLETTI DI CADILHAC’S BABEL (1887)
No full textThe quest for the psychological Jesus through a Jungian lens
No full textThis study employs psychological type theory to advance the quest for the psychological Jesus within the reader-response approach to biblical hermeneutics, drawing on data provided by 192 participants from a Pentecostal background who completed two versions of the Francis Psychological Type Scales: one explored the participants’ psychological type profile; the other explored the psychological type profile that they attributed to Jesus. In terms of the 16 complete types, 35% of the participants profiled Jesus as ESFJ, compared with 14% who profiled themselves as ESFJ. In terms of underlying scale scores, the data revealed a significant tendency for participants to construct their image of Jesus within the contours of their own psychological type profile. For example, thinking types were more likely to form an image of Jesus as a thinking type, while feeling types were more likely to form an image of Jesus as a feeling type
Policy-based evidence? The schools inspectorate in England, research and school mathematics policy.
No full textIncreasingly, debates about school mathematics curriculum and pedagogy reference evidence and research. Policymakers and others seek to influence practice is through regulatory bodies such as inspection services, like the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) in England. In 2021, Ofsted published a series of curriculum research reviews, including one focused on mathematics. Using features of education review quality we analyse Ofsted’s departure from accepted ways to synthesise research in the creation of policy-based evidence. Ofsted disregards usual scholarly norms of research with a lack of transparency, weakness of research design and search strategy, and lack of rigour in the selection of evidence. Further, much of the cited research is misinterpreted and misused, and unwarranted causal claims are made with overgeneralisation and oversimplification being a consistent thread through the review. A specific exemplification of this is the misappropriation of research on problem solving leading to recommendations conflicting with both the National Curriculum in England and the findings of other, more rigorous, research reviews. From this analysis, we argue that the Mathematics Review is an example of ‘policy-based evidence’ and point to ways that inspection evidence can complement mathematics education research to support evidence informed policy and practice
Political brand culture of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf: An internal perspective
No full textThe purpose of this study is to contribute to the body of research on political brand identity by specifically exploring political brand culture as a key element of political brand identity. Thus, this study addresses a significant gap in the literature on political brand identity using the developing world context of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf party [PTI]. Adopting a qualitative methodology, this research involved in-depth interviews with PTI members to uncover the underlying values, beliefs,
and cultural elements that shape the party’s brand culture. The findings reveal that PTI’s brand culture is an intricate and complex network of values, beliefs, and strategies that shape its identity and influence its interactions with both internal stakeholders and the broader public. These core values not only define PTI’s culture but also distinguish it from its competitors. The originality of this study lies in its development of a new framework for understanding political brand culture, comprising Brand Core Values, Collaborative Engagement, and Brand Strategy & Goals. This framework provides a nuanced tool for both academics and practitioners to analyse and manage brand cultures across various contexts, offering valuable insights for enhancing brand coherence and resilience during times of change