980 research outputs found
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Monitoring attitude toward Christianity among year 5 and year 6 students attending Church in Wales primary schools
No full textThis study argues that assessment of student attitudes provides insight into the culture and climate of schools. The Francis Scale of Attitude toward Christianity was employed to explore the Christian culture and climate of Anglican church primary schools within the state-maintained sector across Wales. The analysis drew on responses from 1,899 students from year 5 and year 6. The data demonstrated that the majority of students held a positive attitude toward Christianity, that female students held a more positive attitude than male students, and that a significant decline in attitude toward Christianity took place over the two year groups
The philosophy and practice of outstanding early years provision
No full textThis book examines the philosophical and theoretical foundations of early years practice, and supports practitioners as they reflect on the collective and personal rationales which motivate and inform their work with young children. Theoretical underpinnings are explored from a variety of perspectives, and are translated into effective strategies for application in a range of early years settings.
Featuring contributions from leading early years professionals, The Philosophy and Practice of Outstanding Early Years Provision draws on sound expertise to deepen the reader’s understanding of the concepts and ideas behind everyday practice. The book is divided into four easily navigated sections which explore key issues including the creation of enabling environments, leadership in the early years, the opportunities and challenges presented by diversity, and the value of creative approaches. Recommended strategies are discussed in relation to emerging global pressures and the needs of the contemporary child, inviting practitioners to modify and enhance future behaviour and practice.
This will be essential reading for students and practitioners who wish to improve current and future practice by gaining insight into the philosophical foundations which underpin outstanding provision
The contemporary early years world
No full textThis chapter considers how similar and different approaches can be implemented in a variety of ways in diverse contexts. Philosophical understandings influence the policies that are designed and the provision devised. The chapter discusses which factors might influence provision for early years and how ideas that work in particular contexts are shared but changed to fit the needs of different contexts. Issues that are affected by closer global networks are considered, such as safeguarding measures, partnerships with parents and technological advances. A networking and sharing of ideas, leading to a convergence of views, is explored and considered in terms of practical application to the needs of early years settings
Wellbeing for life in the early years
No full textThe chapter considers how an adult’s wellbeing stems from experiences in the early years. These experiences may include challenging events, family circumstances, social, emotional and behavioural difficulties or genetic or hereditary factors. Philosophical perspectives are explored and the chapter considers how these factors can influence approaches in practice
Blake, Ludwig Meidner and Expressionism
No full textLudwig Meidner (1884-1966), who belonged to the mystical wing of German Expressionism, developed his existing interest in Blake when he was forced to leave Germany in 1939. It is during his exile years that Meidner’s new style matured, and this was partly due to his new appreciation of Blake. The article examines the British context of Meidner’s engagement with Blake and outlines how he understood Blake in a cultural setting dominated by Neo-Romanticism as well as the existential fear of exile experience
“I kind of find that out by accident”: Probation staff experiences of pharmacological treatment for sexual preoccupation and hypersexuality
No full textThis paper aimed to explore the views and experiences of probation staff working with individuals convicted of a sexual offence who have been prescribed medication to manage sexual arousal (MMSA).
Semi-structured interviews were utilised with a sample of probation staff (Offender Supervisors and Managers, n=12), who supervise individuals convicted of a sexual offence, either in prison, or post-release in the community. Data were analysed using thematic analysis.
Two main themes emerged: (1) Barriers for probation staff and (2) Suspicious but hopeful. Theme one encapsulates factors that prevent probation staff from engaging with MMSA; theme two highlighted the samples’ uncertainty and mistrust of the use of medication as a potential tool for risk management and scepticism about individuals’ motivations, particularly in the community.
The main limitation of this study was the differing levels of knowledge the sample had about MMSA and their subsequent ability to discuss MMSA other than in a theoretical sense.
Practical implications include the need for further training for probation staff, improved collaboration between departments and ongoing support for staff to support the success of the MMSA intervention.
This study offers a novel perspective on MMSA - that of the probation staff supervising prisoners taking MMSA. This has not been explored before, and the findings and associated implications are of importance for the treatment and care of those convicted of sexual offences
'On the outside I'm smiling but inside I'm crying.' Communication successes and challenges for undergraduate academic writing
No full textStudent difficulties with the transition to writing in higher education are well documented whether from a ‘study skills’, an ‘academic socialisation’ or an ‘academic literacies’ perspective. In order to more closely examine the challenges faced by students from widening participation backgrounds and diverse routes into undergraduate study, this project focuses on first year undergraduate experiences of developing academic literacies on an Education Studies programme at one university in England. It highlights the impact of different support and guidance within and beyond their degree programme where attempts to embed academic literacy development are part of subject modules. The paper reports the findings generated using a mixed methods interpretive approach. Questionnaires were collected at the beginning (n=48) and end of the students’ first year (n=44), and interviews and visual data collection methods (n=19) were used at the mid-point of the academic year. Key findings highlight students’ expectations of achievement on entry to university and the influence of the emotional journey of students as they begin to make progress as academic writers. Identifying, selecting and applying academic reading were an enduring concern whilst some students struggled with the digital literacy implicit in undergraduate work. Importantly, some strategies developed to support student transition to academic writing in higher education may have unintended consequences as they progress through the first year
For public (and recontextualized) sociology: The promises and perils of public engagement in an age of mediated communication
No full textThis article argues for the analysis of public engagement as an essentially mediated activity. Although recent studies note that academic knowledge is increasingly available for consumption by nonacademic audiences, they tell us little about how it gets recontextualized while passing through the hands of media professionals on its way toward such audiences. In Burawoy’s (2005) influential call for the rebirth of public sociology, as in the debates his work provoked, the media is treated solely as a means for the transportation of knowledge. But as this article demonstrates, the media does not simply transport knowledge; it also, and at the same time, translates that knowledge in various, rhetorically
consequential ways. Focusing on the mediated trajectory of an attempt by a group of academics to connect with audiences beyond academia, their initial contribution is compared to its subsequent translation(s) across various British newspapers. A discursive analysis reveals the techniques via which a classic form of public sociology came to be recontextualized such that, remarkably, these authors were left appearing to voice nothing but their own petty prejudices. The article concludes by noting
that where public engagement involves mediation, public sociology should pay more attention to the recontextualizing affordances of media discourse
Resettlement and relocation options for coastal communities
No full textWith a nation highly vulnerable, with a risk index of 28.57% and ranked second worldwide by the World Risk Report to be affected by disasters caused by natural hazards and to the effects of climate change, many people are ramping up plans to address these projected events. As a result, it is a necessity for Tonga to strengthen its response to climate change, continue to be more resilient, and, most importantly, address migration and human rights in the context of climate change (e.g., climigration). Here, a concurrent convergence parallel triangulation design of 460 residents from 5 coastal communities, Kanokupolu, ‘Ahau, Tukutonga, Popua, and Manuka in Tongatapu, Tonga, was used – to provide a better understanding of whether people in these communities needed a resettlement and relocation options or not. The quantitative analysis revealed that based on this sample, people in this chapter would choose Australia and New Zealand as the two most preferred countries for climigration. The same factors were explored qualitatively and found Australia to be the preferment country for climigration. Based on this result, it is recommended that a relocation and/or climigration policy should be adopted for Tonga as part of its resilient Tonga by 2035 and beyond