980 research outputs found
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Deification as the goal of the ordered human according to Robert Grosseteste
No full textThe intent of this chapter is to show the ultimate meaning of human order according to Robert Grosseteste. His conception of man becomes complete only after his encounter with the work of Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite. From 1238 until 1243, Grosseteste translated and commented on the Corpus Dionysiacum, the works of the Christian Neoplatonist who wrote in the early sixth century CE. The impact of these treatises on Grosseteste’s thought was impressive, although very few studies are dedicated to it (J. Ginther, Master of the sacred page. A study of the theology of Robert Grosseteste, ca. 1229/1230-1235, 2004).
Reading Dionysius, the bishop of Lincoln approaches the notions of deification (“the attaining of likeness to God and union with him so far as possible”) and hierarchy (often translated as sacer ordo, sacred order). The former is a topic usually neglected by western theology (N. Russell, The doctrine of Deification in the Greek Patristic Tradition, 2014); the latter was generally used to describe the angelical and the ecclesiastical order. In the first part of my study, I will show how Grosseteste was able to combine those two notions and to set deification as the goal of the ordered human. Deification is a complex process that touches the whole human person: being, will and intellect. In the second part, I will discuss if Grosseteste intends deification as a restoration of humanity to the state of being before the Fall or as reaching a better condition than Adam experienced
REF, TEF, and KEF; and the “research-informed” teaching and co-production traditions in local history: analysing provincial newspapers
No full textIn the present universities are facing the introduction of a revised Research Excellence Framework, the extension of the Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework to subject-level assessment, and the emergence of a Knowledge Exchange Framework. Against this background are particular interests in, or imperatives surrounding, the development of research-informed activity involving undergraduate students, and in university public engagement. The practice of local history has a long and proud tradition of internally and externally collaborative and enquiry-led co-production in higher education and more broadly, and is now a fitting reference point and a timely source of inspiration. This research discusses the development of, and relationships between, REF, TEF and KEF, the place of research-informed teaching, and the contemporary significance of local history. The study also reports on some of the results of a student-engagement activity involving the indexing, analysis and interpretation of a provincial newspaper, for Ilfracombe, in Devon. Such a choice of primary source is particularly apt, not least because its demanding material format invites group reading and collective scrutiny. In addition, provincial-press publications yield and test knowledge of what the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries brought to districts and communities; they also demand an appreciation of conceptual and critical understanding; and, in addition, support diverse and advanced methodological experimentation
The effect of familiarisation with autistic individuals on trainee teachers’ attitudes
No full textConsideration of attitudes towards people with disabilities has been the subject of study for many years (e.g. (Kenneth, Antonak and Livneh, 1989; Campbell, Gilmore and Cuskelly, 2003; Praisner, 2003) although trainee teachers’ preconception of autistic pupils specifically has not been addressed. The purpose of this study was to determine whether previous exposure to autistic individuals influences trainee teachers’ initial attitudes towards autistic pupils. 84 trainee teachers with equal exposure to autism education during their undergraduate degree in Primary Education self-catagorised themselves as ‘knowing’ or ‘not knowing’ an autistic individual and were asked to write a brief description of their expectations of how autism might present in a pupil. Responses were compared. Findings were that those with or without personal experience did not show significant differences in their broad descriptions of the presentation of autism, but descriptions by those with personal experience focused more on communication and less on social aspects than those without and were more positive, more varied, more specific and less ‘generic’. Implications for teacher education are discussed
Communicating climate change: reactions to adapt and survive exhibition and visitors’ thoughts about climate change in the Pacific Islands region
No full textThis paper examines the content and responses to an art installation addressing climate change in the Pacific, collected at the Adapt and Survive exhibition held at the University of the South Pacific Oceania Centre Gallery in 2014. The artist statement on the exhibition emphasised that it sought to explore the causes and effects of climate change, and to raise awareness of its wider impacts for cultural loss and societal change. As well as conducting a series of interviews with the artist, visitors to the exhibition were invited to complete a short survey concerning their thoughts about climate change and reactions to the exhibition, both before and after they viewed the artworks. The artist’s perspectives emphasised the significance of climate change for the region, in the context of traditional responses to environmental problems. The audience survey results suggest that there were high levels of agreement among visitors that the place where they live is being affected by climate change. While emphasising both negative and positive emotional reactions to the artworks, people for the most part expressed confidence and hope that climate change can be effectively addressed, although there was uncertainty on whether or not Pacific islands had the resources to do so. Our study is limited by the small sample size available, but points to directions for future research in this under-developed field
I can do it: Year 3 children's perceptions of mathematics lessons identified through their drawings
No full textThis research involved children drawing themselves in a mathematics lesson, in order to access some of their perceptions about mathematics lessons. Drawings can provide a rich source of data and allow children to communicate emotional and social characteristics while focusing on other features that are important to them. The sample was 234 Year 3 pupils (7 and 8 years of age) from ten primary schools in Lincolnshire, England. The drawings were analysed for teacher-pupil interactions, pupil-pupil interactions and pupils’ perceptions of themselves as learners of mathematics, using a coding system devised for a similar study in Finland. The majority of pupils indicated perceived competence in mathematics. Some gender differences were noted in terms of teacher position and teacher-pupil interactions. Teacher-pupil interactions are an important aspect of mathematics lessons which emphasise communicating reasoning, so teachers should be aware that girls and boys may perceive teacher- pupil interactions differently
Assessment of mental health, religion and culture: The development and examination of psychometric measures
No full textAssessment of mental health, religion and culture: The development and examination of psychometric measures focuses on questionnaires that are of practical value for researchers interested in examining the relationship between the constructs of mental health, religion, and culture. Three particular areas of development and evaluation are represented within this volume: firstly, the psychometric properties of recently developed new questionnaires; secondly, the psychometric properties of established questionnaires that have been translated into other languages; and thirdly, the psychometric properties of questionnaires employed in various cultural contexts and religious samples. The research in this book is authored by a wide range of international scholars working on diverse samples and in a variety of different cultures. In doing so, the book facilitates future research in the area of mental health, religion, and culture. This book was originally published as two special issues of Mental Health, Religion & Culture
The challenge of enterprise / innovation: a case study of a modern university
No full textIn the prevailing economic and political climate for Higher Education in the UK and internationally, a greater emphasis has been placed on diversifying the funding base. The present study was undertaken between 2012 and 2014 and, through the vehicle of a case study, addressed the implementation of an approach to the transformation of one academic school in a medium-sized modern (post-1992 sector 1) university in Wales to a more engaged enterprise culture. Universities are reaching out increasingly to communities outside academia through physical and virtual means, to help the universities contribute financially, as well as by adding value culturally and socially to their local and regional economies. A multi-method investigation included a bi-lingual (English and Welsh) online survey of academic staff and yielded a 71% response rate (n=45). The findings informed a series of in-depth interviews (n=24) with a representative sample of those involved in enterprise work (support staff, managers, senior managers), as well as those who were not. The results were clustered around four themes and provided the platform for the ‘S4E model’ for effective engagement with enterprise: (i) Strategic significance for Enterprise, (ii) Support for Enterprise, (iii) Synergy for Enterprise, and (iv) Success for Enterprise. The outcomes of the research and the recommendations from it have potential to inform practice in other academic schools within the university and, in a wider context, within other Schools of Education regionally, nationally and internationally. Its original empirical exploration of enterprise within education studies is a significant contribution to that body of knowledge
Exploring emptiness and its effects on non-attachment, mystical experiences, and psychospiritual wellbeing: a quantitative and qualitative study of advanced meditators
No full textWisdom-based Buddhist-derived practices (BDPs) are concerned with transmuting suffering by cultivating insight into the ultimate nature of both the self and reality. Arguably the most important wisdom-based BDP is emptiness (Sanskrit: sunyata) that implies that although phenomena are perceptible to the human mind, they do not intrinsically exist. Despite its significance in Buddhism, emptiness has received little empirical attention. Advancing scientific understanding of emptiness is important as it may yield novel insights not only into the nature of mind and reality, but also in terms of helping human beings realise more of their capacity for wisdom and wellbeing. This study recruited 25 advanced Buddhist meditators and compared emptiness meditation against a mindfulness meditation control condition within the same group of participants. Qualitative analytical techniques were also employed to investigate meditators’ experiences of emptiness. Compared to the mindfulness control condition, emptiness meditation resulted in significantly
greater improvements in non-attachment to self and environment, mystical experiences, compassion, positive affect, and negative affect. No significant relationship was observed between duration of emptiness meditation and any of the aforementioned outcome measures. Qualitative outcomes demonstrated that participants (i) combined concentrative and investigative meditation techniques to induce emptiness, (ii) elicited spiritually meaningful insights both during and following the meditation on emptiness, and (iii) retained volitional control over the content and duration of the emptiness meditation. Cultivating emptiness appears to be a means of reconnecting advanced Buddhist meditators to what they deem to be the innermost nature of their minds and phenomena
Such faith
No full textDrawing on Luke 7: 1–10 (The Centurion's Slave), this study offers an example of ‘standing theology’ reflecting on the complexity of faith and the relationships inspired by faith within the distinctive sacred space of cathedral and church buildings. The occasion was the united service of the Bro Tysilio Ministry Area, at St Mary's Church, Pentraeth, on the last Sunday in May
