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Play-based pedagogy under threat? A small-scale study of teachers’ and pupils’ perceptions of pedagogical discontinuity in the transition to primary school
No full textThis study explored teachers’ and pupils’ perceptions of pedagogical discontinuity in the transition from Reception to Year 1. Data were collected through interviews with one Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and one Year 1 teacher in the same setting. A questionnaire distributed to Year 1 children (n = 23) provided supplementary data. Findings revealed that teachers and pupils were aware of pedagogical discontinuity in the transition from EYFS to Year 1. Teachers attributed pedagogical discontinuity to the constraints of the National Curriculum. Pressures to ensure children are ‘school ready’ also have implications for bridging pedagogical discontinuity through play
‘A book in his hand, – but it couldn’t be a prayer-book’, the self-awareness of William Harrison Ainsworth’s Newgate novels
No full textThis article argues that William Harrison Ainsworth’s Newgate novels Jack Sheppard (1839-40) and Rookwood (1834) exhibit a self-awareness of both their contextual literary culture, and of the critical opposition that defines the Newgate genre of the 1830s and 40s. Jack Sheppard, alongside Charles Dickens’s Oliver Twist, is shown to both depict and exploit contemporary concerns about the harmful influence of popular literature which were exacerbated by the Courvoisier case of 1840. Its portrayal and use of a society saturated by dangerous literature ironically contradicts Ainsworth’s own protestations of innocence at his text’s implication in Courvoisier’s murder of Lord William Russell. This article establishes that pre-existing Eighteenth Century and Romantic anxieties about literature consumption are a precursor to Newgate’s exploration of such issues at the start of the Victorian period. Ainsworth’s novels are shown to be concerned with standards of literature, the unreliable interpretation and ungovernable appropriation of both literature and theatrical entertainments, the control of narratives, and the author’s place in this. Ideas of Modernity are discussed and defined in terms of the production and consumption of popular print media, and Ainsworth’s novels are demonstrated to be vital engagements with early Victorian popular culture. It is established that depictions of environments saturated with influential and uncontrollable literature in Jack Sheppard and Rookwood allow them to function as a satirical critique of both the critics and audience of Newgate narratives, and that one of Newgate’s main concerns is the genre itself
Student motivation, school policy choices and modern language study in England
No full textThis paper investigates the relationship between the decisions made by school leaders in England concerning their school policy for teaching modern foreign languages (MFL) post-14, and student motivation for MFL. Seventy head teachers, 119 heads of modern languages and 666 students aged 14–15 from schools in England took part in the questionnaire-based study. Student motivation was measured using the Self-Regulation Questionnaire (Academic) [Ryan, R.M. and J.P. Connell. 1989. Perceived locus of causality and internalization: examining reasons for acting in two domains. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 57, no. 5: 749–61], based on Self-Determination Theory. The relationship between student perceptions of the usefulness of specific languages and the decision to study these was considered. Results show that the way choice is presented is a key part of student motivation for MFL, and that students see different languages as useful for different reasons. Furthermore, the data suggest that the ways school leaders make decisions concerning language policy do not align with language provision that optimises student motivation. The study concludes by suggesting new pathways for rejuvenating language learner motivation in anglophone contexts
Is it possible to teach values without social psychology?
No full textAlthough values are closely related to moral psychology, morality is a developmental problem in psychology. However, what the problem is, is to confine to reduce development and maturation to individual psychology. The fact that social-psychological characteristics of the values have not been emphasized, indicates concerns of the integrity of the development. All of the values in teaching approaches solely employ moral reasoning in schools. This paper articulates why theories of the social psychology, which explain social influence and process as determinants of the behaviour are not used in the context of value education
Managing higher education brands with an emerging brand architecture: the role of shared values and competing brand identities
No full textChanges in body posture alter plasma nitrite but not nitrate concentration in humans
No full textPurpose This study evaluated the change (Δ) in plasma volume (PV), nitrate [NO3−], and nitrite [NO2−] concentration following changes in posture in the presence and absence of elevated plasma [NO3−] and [NO2−] Methods Fourteen healthy participants completed two trials that were preceded by either supplementation with NO3−-rich beetroot juice (BR; total of ∼31 mmol NO3−) or no supplementation (CON). Both trials comprised 30 min of lying supine followed by 2 min of standing, 2 min of sitting and 5 min of sub-maximal cycling. Measurements of plasma [NO3−] and [NO2−] were made by gas-phase chemiluminescence and ΔPV was estimated using the Dill and Costill method. Results Plasma [NO2−] decreased from baseline (CON: 120 ± 49 nM, BR: 357 ± 129 nM) after lying supine for 30 min (CON 77 ± 30 nM; BR 231 ± 92 nM, both P 0.05). PV increased from baseline during the supine phase before decreasing upon standing, sitting, and exercise in both trials (all P<0.05). Conclusions Changing body posture causes rapid and consistent alterations in plasma [NO2−]. Researchers should therefore carefully consider the effect of posture when measuring this variable
Improving the use of technology enhanced learning environments in higher education in the UK: A qualitative visualisation of students’ views
No full textIn recent years, the use of Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) has risen exponentially throughout higher education in the UK. Whilst TEL is an umbrella term for a range of technologies, evidence suggests that in the UK, TEL is usually delivered via the medium of Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) for the provision of lecture materials and additional content. An emerging literature has established both the pedagogical potential and students’ perceived usefulness of TEL. However, researchers have yet to establish how the use of TEL via VLEs can be improved – a core requirement of establishing best practice. The current study sought to address this in a sample of 487 predominately undergraduate students. Content analysis revealed that views were overwhelmingly positive, but that students had clear views on what they wanted to see improved. Students expressed clear desires for the more consistent and more frequent use of TEL within lectures. Further, they felt that the potential of TEL to encourage and facilitate interactions, both within their University and with external stakeholders, has thus far gone unexploited. Implications for teaching practice and future research are discussed
The impact of transformational learning for mature adults studying a Foundation Degree
No full textThis paper discusses the findings from a longitudinal, qualitative research study that explored the challenges that adult, work-based learners experience when studying a Foundation Degree, with a particular focus on those learners identified in the sample as mature adults (45–65 years). Fundamentally, the research focus was on learning, and particularly on transformational learning. The study has enabled observations of learning beyond the cognitive to capture emotional and social dimensions through ‘feedforward’ tutorials where points of challenge and shifts in learning were visible. Powerful emotional responses surrounded the challenges experienced by the learners. Concepts of self-efficacy and agency were central to this investigation where motivation and purpose for learning presented as critical factors for undertaking the Foundation Degree
Psychological type, religion, and culture
No full textComprising a selection of contemporary state of the art research that focuses on psychological type, religion, and culture, this book can be divided into two particular areas of research. The first section focuses on the religion and psychological type of Church leaders, while the second section reports on Church members, their religion, and their psychological type. The book attests to the importance of Jungian Psychological Type theory in understanding individual differences in religiosity within a variety of samples. Authored by a wide range of international scholars, employing a wide range of measures, among diverse samples and in a variety of different cultures, this research provides an important contribution to current and future research. It facilitates future research work in the area outside of the white, Anglo-Saxon, Anglophone, Christian context on which it has traditionally been focused. This book was originally published as a double special issue of the Mental Health, Religion & Culture journal
Ritual as erotic anagogy in Pseudo-Dionysius: a Reformed critique
No full textMartin Luther famously denounced Pseudo-Dionysius as ‘downright dangerous; he Platonizes more than he Christianizes.’ In this 500th year of the Reformation I critically examine Luther’s judgement firstly by exploring the Neoplatonic background to ritual in Dionysius, secondly by presenting a Reformed critique of this background and finally by arguing for a distinctively Christian Dionysius who survives this critique