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Exploring strategies to sustain teacher agency in the context of 'hyper-accountability': Reflections from ten experienced chemistry school teachers in Chile
Get PDFWe explored teacher agency in a policy context of hyper-accountability drawing on interviews with ten experienced secondary school chemistry teachers in Chile. Constraints included successive reforms of the national curriculum, a resource-poor and high-surveillance education culture, and a low-priority culture of professional learning. Strategies enacted to sustain teacher agency included identifying 'pockets of possibility' to realise authentic chemistry education for all, developing trusting relationships with students and proactively nurturing their own professional development. These strategies have the potential to enhance the practice of teachers and teacher educators, and to inform a reorientation of policy away from high-stakes accountability.Research paper A R T I C L E I N F
Cyberbullying Detection and Abuser Profile Identification on Social Media for Roman Urdu
Get PDFIn today’s digital era, the escalating phenomenon of cyberbullying is a pervasive and growing concern. With the increasing prevalence of social media platforms, such as Twitter, online abusive behavior has become a significant issue that often leads to unpleasant experiences for users. Manual detection of abnormal and bullying behavior within the realm of social media is inherently not scalable. Moreover, most existing studies on cyberbullying detection have been predominantly conducted in English and very limited work has been done on Urdu (a widely used language in Asia). This paper presents an approach for detecting cyberbullying in Roman Urdu tweets and identifying abuser profiles on Twitter. Firstly, we develop a text corpus of Roman Urdu tweets with user profile data. Subsequently, we employ Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU) model coupled with the application of word2vec technique for word embedding to develop a cyberbullying detection model. Furthermore, we present temporal abusive tweet probability analysis method to provide a nuanced analysis of the number of bullying and non-bullying tweets sent by individuals within a specific time interval. To evaluate the performance, we compare the GRU-based approach with other machine learning models. The results show that the GRU model with lexical normalization gives the best results with an accuracy of 97% and F1-measure of 97%
Supporting General Practitioners and people withhypertension to maximise medication use to control bloodpressure: the contribution of Collective Intelligence to thedevelopment of the ‘Maximising Adherence, MinimisingInertia’ (MIAMI) intervention
Get PDFBackground: Hypertension remains one of the most important modifiable risk factors for stroke and heart disease. Anti-hypertensive medications are effective, but are often not used to maximum benefit. Sub-optimal dosing by prescribers and challenges with medication-taking for patients remain barriers to effective blood pressure control. Objectives: We aimed to systematically develop a theory-based complex intervention to support General Practitioners (GPs) and people with hypertension to maximise medication use to control blood pressure. Methods: We used the three-phase Behaviour Change Wheel (BCW) as the overarching intervention development framework. Collective Intelligence methodology was used to operationalise the stakeholder input to Phases 2 and 3 of the BCW. This took the form of a Collective Intelligence workshop with 19 stakeholders from diverse backgrounds including lived experience, general practice, nursing, pharmacy and health psychology. Techniques such as barrier identification, idea-writing and scenario-based design were used to generate possible intervention options. Intervention options were then selected and refined using the Acceptability, Practicability, Effectiveness, Affordability, Side-effects and Equity (APEASE) criteria and guidance from the MIAMI Public and Patient Involvement Panel. Results: The finalised MIAMI intervention consists of both GP and patient supports. GP supports include a 30-minute online training, information booklet and consultation guide (drop-down menu) embedded within the patient electronic health system. Patient supports include a pre-consultation plan, website, and a structured GP consultation with results from an Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitor and urine chemical adherence test. The intervention components have been mapped to the intervention functions of the BCW and Behaviour Change Technique Ontology. Conclusion: Collective Intelligence offered a novel method to operationalise stakeholder input to Phases 2 and 3 of the BCW. The MIAMI intervention is now at pilot evaluation stage.Additional author: Gerard J Mollo
Harnessing the power of language to enhance patient experience of the NHS complaint journey in Northern Ireland: a mixed-methods study
Get PDFBackground: Good communication is consistently recognised as essential for effective complaint handling, while failures in communication correlate with risk of escalation. Nonetheless, communication in National Health Service complaint handling remains underexamined. Objectives: To examine complainants’ lived experience of the complaints journey through (1) microanalysis of their communication with National Health Service representatives; (2) their self-reported expectations and experiences throughout the complaints journey; to survey patient perceptions of the culture of the National Health Service; to develop ‘Real Complaints’ – an evidence-based communication training resource. Design: The project triangulates microlevel conversation analysis and discourse analysis of spoken and written complaints encounters with complainants’ appraisals of those encounters in longitudinal case studies. This is underpinned by an audit of patient views of the cultural–institutional context of the National Health Service. Setting and participants: Data were gathered in the complaints-handling services of two National Health Service trusts and a Patient Advocacy Service in Northern Ireland. Twenty-three complainants consented to longitudinal data collection and 58 to initial encounter recording; 115 members of the Patient Advocacy Service mailing list completed the cultural audit; 3 trust complaint handlers, 1 Patient Advocacy Service complaint handler and 2 trust complaints managers were interviewed. Data sources: This yielded 1155 minutes of recorded calls, 113 written encounters, 36 diaries, 6 meetings, 23 interviews and 115 cultural audit responses collected over a period of 24 months. Results: Our analysis illuminates the dual nature of complaints: as personal expressions of dissatisfaction and as systemic critiques. The complaint experience is a dynamic journey with evolving narratives reflecting complainants’ shifting perceptions, expectations and experiences of the ‘system’, both moment-by-moment and encounter-by-encounter in the overall journey. Key interpersonal priorities for complainants significantly affected complaint outcomes, most important of which was the need to be respected as a ‘reasonable complainant’. Also key is the conversation analytic concept of affiliation, which involves taking a stance towards the event(s) being described that matches the complainant’s stance. Use of affiliation by call handlers supported effective and efficient personcentred complaints handling, while absence of affiliation typically led to escalation of the scope, scale and emotional intensity of the complaint, sometimes to the point of an expressed intention to litigate (particularly in the case of written responses). Viewed holistically, successful complaints communication requires person-centredness, and affiliative interactions framed by shared expectations. These findings were applied in the development of Real Complaints Training and Guidance for spoken and written complaints communication. Limitations: The COVID pandemic significantly constrained trust participation, particularly the participation of front-line clinical staff, and one trust introduced ‘telephone resolution’ to which we were not given access. Additionally, calls viewed by staff as ‘challenging’ and ethnic minority communities are both under-represented in the final data set. Conclusions: Addressing the complainant’s desire to be perceived as reasonable was revealed as crucial for fostering a more person-centred approach to handling complaints and addressing the gap between expectations and experience. This finding holds particular significance for recommendations, guidance and training relating to both spoken and written communication. Future work: Direct extensions of the project include the piloting and evaluation of Real Complaints Training and further primary research involving communication between complainants and front-line service/clinical staff and complaint handling by ombudsman complaints investigators. An emerging question relates to social exclusion and access to complaints procedures. Study registration: This study is registered as Research Registry: researchregistry5049. Funding: This award was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Health and Social Care Delivery Research programme (NIHR award ref: NIHR127367) and is published in full in Health and Social Care Delivery Research Vol. 12, No. 33. See the NIHR Funding and Awards website for further award information
Identification of the visual landmark pathway in the mammalian brain
Get PDFA central question in neuroscience is how the mammalian brain processes information from the outside world. In primates, visual information is conveyed to the cortex primarily via the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) of the thalamus, and secondarily through the superior colliculus. In rodents the converse is true: only a minority of retinal outputs project to the LGN, while 90% project to the superior colliculus (e.g. Ellis et al., 2016). Thus, it has been unclear how visual information from the outside world, for example visual landmarks that rodents use for orientation and navigation, is processed in the rodent brain. The study by Street and Jeffery in this issue of The Journal of Physiology, however, now provides a compelling answer: visual landmark information travels via the LGN, even in rodents
Continuity in public transport provision during the Covid-19 pandemic – responding to organisational and health challenges facing workers
Get PDFPurpose: This paper explores and analyses the major challenges faced by both customer-facing and office-based public transport employees during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic and the responses of their employers to their concerns. Design/methodology/approach: Qualitative semi-structured interviews and focus groups were carried out, involving 39 employees and directors representing a wide range of professionals working in the transport sector in three European countries, Poland, Ireland and the UK. Data were analysed through thematic analysis and the emerging issues explored. Findings: Major employee challenges included: access to resources for safe working; worker mental health and well-being; and the effects of changing working practices, particularly flexible working, on their wider household circumstances and work-life balance (especially combining childcare responsibilities with work). First, physical health safety measures (such as PPE) were put in place for all workers, although sometimes with delays. Second, concerning practical support for mental health and well-being at work, the findings highlight that their employers’ practical support was considered limited by some customer-facing participants. In contrast, participants working from home were offered considerably greater employer support for their well-being, including increased and regular communication regarding work and non-work-related topics to tackle isolation and lack of social interactions. Third, worklife-balance, and especially childcare were significant issues for those working from home. To improve organisational resilience, employer support for workers needs to better reflect employees’ job role, work setting and location, as well as their household demands such as childcare. Originality: The study considers the role of employee perspectives on organisational resilience and service continuity in public transport during a crisis and in three countries. Importantly, the data were gathered contemporaneously during the early stages of the pandemic, and so are not influenced by retrospective rationalisation or uncertain recollections. The lessons learned from this study contribute to future employer responses and practices and their organisational resilience, both in times of major crises and also for improving mental-health and childcare support in normal times.Output Status: Forthcoming/Available Onlin
The relationship between early life trauma, anxiety, and the experience of chronic pain in adulthood, and the role of inflammatory biomarker C-reactive protein
Get PDFWhen investigating factors that may relate to chronic pain experiences in adulthood, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and anxiety should be considered as important contributors. However, evidence of these associations is scattered, typically based on small cross-sectional samples, and unclear. Consequently, this thesis had two aims. First, to summarise the existing literature on the relationship between ACEs, anxiety, and chronic pain experiences in adults. Second, to examine these associations, as well as the potential impact of inflammatory biomarker C-reactive Protein (CRP), within large, representative cohorts. It was hypothesised there would be a significant positive association between childhood adversity/trauma, anxiety, and chronic pain experiences. Chapter Two is a systematic literature review (SLR) and meta-analysis; while Chapters Three and Four used structural equational modelling (SEM), general linear modelling (GLM), and Poisson regressions on existing data from two separate UK- and US-based cohorts. The narrative summary in Chapter Two revealed a significant association between ACEs, anxiety, and chronic pain experiences in adults. The meta-analyses showed moderate associations between anxiety and chronic pain, between ACEs and anxiety, and indicated that participants who experienced ACEs are around twice as likely to present with chronic pain during adulthood. Chapter Three focused on the analyses of the UK Biobank database, which found that ACEs interacted with CRP to predict chronic pain experiences. The results in Chapter Four, analysing the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) data, helped support and validate the results of the UK Biobank analysis. It revealed CRP was significantly correlated with anxiety, emotional abuse, physical neglect, socio-demographic variables, and chronic pain presence, but childhood adversity, anxiety, and CRP did not independently predict chronic pain. However, there were several interactions between these variables that did predict chronic pain experiences, such as ACEs with CRP and with gender. The MIDUS data also allowed investigations into the influence of childhood adversity on long-term medication use for chronic pain, which were found to be complex, with significant interactions between childhood abuse types, and between CRP and socio-demographic variables. Chapter Five presents an overall Discussion of the findings of this thesis, such that these three studies supported the hypothesis that ACEs and anxiety influence chronic pain experience in adults, with the cohort data from Chapters Three and Four advancing the literature by suggesting potential mechanisms of the impact of ACEs on chronic pain via inflammation, as well as the substantial role socio-demographic variables play. The findings contribute to both academic/clinical guidance and perspectives for future research, policy changes, and improving healthcare screening practices. The implications are also discussed, such that ACEs should be considered in public health policies and decision-making, particularly in intervention/preventative programmes. Implementing screening measures and/or identification of those with co-occurring anxiety, inflammation, and chronic pain would be important for future public health strategies and could be incorporated into treatment algorithm processes
Exploring the Influences of Nurses' Career Decisions to Work in Remote Islands
No full textDue to global nursing shortages, recruitment and retention of nurses is a major international concern, exacerbated in rural and remote areas. A published paper by Mackay et al. (2021), using systematic review techniques, found that despite the complexity of factors that influence nurses’ decisions to work in rural or remote settings, much of the research to date, mainly conducted in Australia, Canada or USA, has focused on specific factors in isolation. Existing evidence does not fully consider the multiple influences that may impact nurses’ decisions to remain in or leave rural or remote areas. This limits the effectiveness of recruitment and retention strategies. There is a paucity of rural and remote nursing research studies undertaken in the UK.
This thesis seeks to address the gap in empirical knowledge by exploring the connections between the person/al, profession/al and place related dimensions of rural and remote nursing and examining the complex interplay between the multiple factors that influence decisions made to work in rural and remote settings over the course of a career.
Undertaken in the Western Isles of Scotland (WI), twenty-five biographical interviews were conducted with four groups of nurses with different career trajectories:
- Group 1 (Remainers): Born in WI - trained in WI – remained in WI (n=5)
- Group 2 (Returners): Born in WI – trained WI or mainland – worked mainland – returned to WI (n=9)
- Group 3 (Leavers): Born WI or mainland – trained/ worked in WI- left to work on mainland - remained on mainland (n=5)
- Group 4 (Incomers): Born mainland- trained/ worked on mainland – came to train/work in WI (n=6)
The use of biographical research methods has underpinned this study as semi-structured interviews captured deep and rich data to understand the career journey of nurses and what influenced their decision-making process to work in the Western Isles. Guided by the development of MacKay’s 3P model (person/al, profession/al, place) and the rich heritage of Rural Nurse Theory, results of Stage One of the analysis identified twenty-eight interrelated themes within the person/al, profession/al and place related dimensions of rural and remote nursing. Results of Stage Two of the analysis highlighted four overarching tensions/paradoxes - Anonymity/Visibility; Longing/Belonging; Ancestry/Acceptance; Specialist/Generalist.
This study has added to the body of evidence in Rural Nurse Theory by indicating that a lack of anonymity affected nurses who were born in the WI in a different way from nurses from an urban background and local nurses experienced a stronger sense of belonging than ‘incomers’ who had difficulties being accepted. There is a need to support nurses transitioning to rural practice by strengthening their connections to people and place and adopting initiatives such as mentoring, preceptorship and socialisation through community partners.
Nurses from all the groups acknowledged the need for a broad range of knowledge of different specialities and a strong demonstration of resilience to be able to cope with the scope, variety and unpredictability of rural and remote nursing. This thesis clearly highlighted that all the groups of participants highly commended the training, education and the support from tutors in the Western Isles but early career pathways of nurses were clearly haphazard due to some having difficulties securing permanent employment after completing their training. ‘Incomers’ were influenced to contemplate leaving the WI as they saw little opportunity for career progression or promotion.
This thesis proposes that the practice of remote and rural nurses needs to be redefined and considered as a speciality area in its own entity. The term ‘expert generalist’ which has historically provided a foundation theory for rural and remote nurses does not adequately address the deeper, intangible complexities and interplay of practice required in the rural and remote setting, where nurse’s practice is intertwined with and shaped by the community and culture. Giving rural and remote nurses career advancement opportunities through specialist training will result in the recognition of expertise, and a pathway of rural career progression, which may attract nurses to plan a rural career. A whole of community approach to workforce will facilitate opportunities for both family members, and the health professional to be part of the rural and remote community.
‘Le nécromonde de Monénembo: les femmes et les roues dans ses derniers romans’
No full textFirst paragraph: Dans ses deux derniers romans, Monénembo nous présente des histoires de femmes marginalisées en fuite. L’enchevêtrement complexe entre la liberté et la mobilité traverse les deux livres et sert à souligner la menace d’un mouvement contrarié pour ces femmes. L’esthétique de Monénembo apparaît dans son usage de rythme et de forme, surtout dans ses représentations de la fuite et de la roue. A travers une analyse de courts extraits d’évasion et de sensation ainsi qu’un regard sur les significations du trope de la roue dans ces romans, cet article a pour but de répondre à deux questions. A quel point une représentation de voyage peut-elle nous aider à comprendre l’enchevêtrement de la mobilité et la liberté ? Et dans un contexte de pouvoir asymétrique de genre, quelle forme prend la débrouillardise ?Output Status: Forthcomin
Equipping society for everyday lives: risk experts' priorities for risk education in secondary schools
Get PDFRisk experts and government agencies have long advocated for the inclusion of risk education as part of formal schooling; however, questions remain as to what risk education is and how it should be taught. Drawing on interviews with eleven risk experts based in scientific institutions and universities, we explored their views and priorities regarding secondary school-based risk education. Analysis of these expert interviews highlighted varied conceptualisations of the nature and purpose of risk education. Priorities for risk education included equipping young people for the risks and uncertainties they will experience as part of their lives. Furthermore, risk experts frequently prioritised probability and uncertainty as topics within risk education but deemed judgement and decision-making as more important to include in risk education. Most risk experts valued schools as a place for risk education, although a minority expressed reservations about the ability of teachers to adequately cover more complex risk material. Future research might helpfully investigate how risk concepts are taught in schools and how teachers believe these concepts can be taught effectively
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