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Exploring a pedagogy of place in Iceland: Students understanding of a sense of place and emerging meanings
No full textThis paper explores the educational opportunities of a pedagogy of place based on an action research project of a course at the University of Iceland in the field of leisure studies. The aim was to identify what gave students an understanding of a sense of place and to find out what meanings emerged for them. Following the taught fieldwork course, qualitative data was collected from participants using photo-elicitation, a focus group, and a documentary analysis of student’s writing. The findings demonstrated that the cultural, social, and political history of the location needs to be acknowledged as well as literally, translate the terminology and this educational approach for sport, recreation, leisure, and outdoor education. An experiential pedagogy proved to be valued by students to explore and develop their sense of place. However, educators need to be aware that it takes time and immersive experiences in nature to create opportunities for authentic, aesthetic, embodied experiences that are fundamental to this fieldwork as well to generate deep conversations and dialogue between tutors and students.
The study suggests that greater emphasis is needed on the place-responsive process, involving more opportunities for reflection, empowering students to actively apply place-responsive activities themselves, and raising, and addressing, global issues such as the climate crisis, and environmental and social justice. This action research study provided the authors continued opportunities to develop their pedagogy of place
A COM-B and Theoretical Domains Framework Mapping of the Barriers and Facilitators to Effective Communication and Help-Seeking Among People With, or Seeking a Diagnosis Of, Endometriosis
Full text linkEndometriosis is a chronic condition in which tissue resembling the endometrium grows outside the womb, causing severe chronic pain. People with endometriosis report difficulty in help-seeking and communicating with healthcare professionals, contributing to diagnosis delays and ineffective management. The present study aimed to identify barriers and facilitators to effective communication using the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) and COM-B model to inform behavior change intervention development. This study was a qualitative semi-structured interview and open-ended survey design. Thematic Analysis was utilized to identify barriers and facilitators to effective communication which were mapped to the TDF and COM-B model. Four women aged 25 to 44 with a formal diagnosis of endometriosis participated in interviews. Thirty-three participants, aged 20–48 years, participated in the online survey, 21 of whom had a diagnosis of endometriosis (12 were currently seeking diagnosis). Five COM-B domains were identified: reflective motivation, social and physical opportunity, physical and psychological capability. Ten TDF domains were reflected in concerns surrounding dismissal, disempowerment, social norms, beliefs about consequences, cognitive resources, reinforcement, and environmental context and resources, among others. This is the first study to identify barriers and facilitators of effective communication and help-seeking in light of established behavioral change theory and frameworks for comprehensive intervention design. This provides a comprehensive explanation of challenges in help-seeking for endometriosis and represents the first step in the development of complex interventions to improve help- seeking and communication for people with endometriosis. Interventions targeting salient barriers will have greater potential to change behavior and improve outcome
Teacher-student relationships in higher education: reflections from an adventure sport context
No full textTeacher-student relationships form an integral part of students’ learning process in higher education. Using an autobiographical research methodology and critical incident theory, we reflect upon significant episodes during adventure sport fieldwork. We use these to discuss why it is essential for educators to reflect upon this aspect of their practice to cultivate an equitable, inclusive, and empowering learning environment for students. We begin by proposing a definition of ‘care’ in the context of higher education and discuss how its application produces distinctive issues to consider in the teaching of outdoor adventure education (OAE). Using this as a foundation for our thinking, we proceed to address the issue of diversity. We argue that managing teacher-student relationships to create an environment which supports and values a diverse student population is crucial for a sector still trying to shake off the ideological remains of its racial capitalist origins. Finally, we consider the issue of power within teacher-student relationships. Specifically, we suggest that OAE is a field which lends itself well to challenging conventional role boundaries and hierarchies, provided that educators do so with appropriate care. In doing this, we reflect the contemporary issues evident in wider society and by engaging with students over issues of power, oppression, and inclusion, we seek to make an impact beyond our teaching in the academy
Methodological considerations in assessing countermovement jumps with handheld accentuated eccentric loading
Full text linkThis study aimed to compare the agreement between three-dimensional motion capture and vertical ground reaction force (vGRF) in identifying the point of dumbbell (DB) release during a countermovement jump with accentuated eccentric loading (CMJAEL), and to examine the influence of the vGRF analysis method on the reliability and magnitude of CMJAEL variables. Twenty participants (10 male, 10 female) completed five maximal effort CMJAEL at 20% and 30% of body mass (CMJAEL20 and CMJAEL30, respectively) using DBs. There was large variability between methods in both loading conditions, as indicated by the wide limits of agreement (CMJAEL20 = −0.22 to 0.07 s; CMJAEL30 = −0.29 to 0.14 s). Variables were calculated from the vGRF data, and compared between four methods (forward integration (FI), backward integration (BI), FI adjusted at bottom position (BP), FI adjusted at DB release point (DR)). Greater absolute reliability was observed for variables from DR (CV% ≤ 7.28) compared to BP (CV% ≤ 13.74), although relative reliability was superior following the BP method (ICC ≥ 0.781 vs ≥ 0.606, respectively). The vGRF method shows promise in pinpointing the DB release point when only force platforms are accessible, and a combination of FI and BI analyses is advised to understand CMJAEL dynamics
What makes professional teacher development in universities effective? Lessons from an international systematised review
Full text linkThe professional development landscape for university teachers has shifted from focusing solely on self-development, to maximising engagement with activities that are developmental, on-going and systematic. A systematised literature review reveals the composition, design and purpose of professional development for teachers within university settings is diverse. Drawing on literature from an international context, this review offers a broader perspective on what makes professional development effective, widening our understanding to include what teaching professionals themselves value and prioritise. Using 16 peer-reviewed articles between 2012 and 2022, the diversity of professional development is explored across 13 different international perspectives. The findings show that pedagogical collaboration, in the form of peer review teaching and the development of communities, is valued amongst university teachers due to their intimate dialogic nature. Factors such as relevance, structure and voluntary participation were themes discussed influencing the engagement and motivation for university teachers to self-develop and attend professional development. Finally, we acknowledge the variability between international universities, such as resources and cultural differences, and how this might influence the perception of professional development amongst university teachers
Entrepreneurship mentoring in higher education: how does the mentor benefit?
Full text linkPurpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify entrepreneur mentor benefits and challenges as a result of entrepreneurship mentoring in higher education (HE).
Design/methodology/approach
An entrepreneurship mentoring scheme was developed at a UK university to support prospective student entrepreneurs, with mentors being entrepreneurs drawn from the local business community. A mentor-outcomes framework was developed and applied to guide semi-structured interviews.
Findings
Results supported the broader applicability of our framework, with a revised framework developed to better represent the entrepreneur mentor context. Alongside psychosocial and personal developmental outcomes, mentors benefitted from entrepreneurial learning, renewed commitment to their own ventures and the development of additional skills sets. Enhanced business performance also manifested itself for some mentors. A range of challenges are presented, some generic to the entrepreneur setting and others more specific to the higher education (HE) setting.
Research limitations/implications
The framework offered serves as a starting point for further researchers to explore and refine the outcomes of entrepreneur mentoring.
Practical implications
The findings serve to support those considering developing a mentor programme or including mentoring as part of a formal entrepreneurship education offer, specifically in a university setting but also beyond.
Originality/value
The vast majority of entrepreneurship mentoring studies focus on the benefits to the mentee. By focusing on benefits and challenges for the entrepreneur mentor, this study extends our knowledge of the benefit of entrepreneurship mentoring. It offers an empirically derived entrepreneur mentor outcomes framework, as well as offering insights into challenges for the entrepreneur mentor within an HE setting
Approaching actor training in nature
No full textIn July of 2022 following a public call for participation, a collective of South West undergraduate and graduate performance artists came together in order to participate in a residential summer school responding to the theme of actor training in nature. Drawing on research in the field of cognition studies, the study adopted micro-phenomenological interview techniques to capture and analyse participant experience. Data reveals that training techniques when situated within land and seascape – coupled with use of micro-phenomenological interviews – supports greater sensitivity to the sensorial experience of nature, attunement to natural environments and different living species, the promotion of ecocentric thinking, and positive behaviour change continuing beyond the residential experience. The study offers readers critically reflective insight into summer school performer-training production processes guided by eco-feminist and egalitarian principles, situated in the rural South West of England, UK
Smartwatches, Bodies, and Landscapes
No full textThe body is the means by which all experience is made possible; it is the pivot that the world turns its face towards. But what does it mean to have a body at a time when digital technology has become so profoundly entangled with our ways of being? This is a crucial question to address in the context of outdoor education – a discipline whose pedagogical foundations revolve around experiential learning. In this chapter, the authors aim to shed some light on the issue by focusing on the use of data-tracking smartwatches during an educational expedition in the Welsh mountains. In doing so, they highlight how the use of this technology can affect one’s embodied experience of the self and surrounding environment, the relation between the two, and, crucially, the opportunities and pitfalls this presents from an educational standpoint
Introducing dadness
No full textBased on interviews and a focus group with fathers who attended four dads’ groups in the South of England, this paper introduces the concept of ‘dadness’. Dadness is in circulation in the public sphere and has been noted in a handful of published sources, yet it has not received academic attention. This article conceptualizes ‘dadness’ and presents it as a useful concept within contemporary fatherhood and family studies, as well as noting the term’s accessibility. The term dadness is understood by men in this study as combining their individual fathering identity and their values about the fathering role, with actual day-to-day fathering practices. Interpretation of the data infers eight aspects of dadness that draw together existing conceptualizations of fathering and fatherhood in terms of accessibility, engagement and responsibility; ‘active fathering’; warmth, positive engagement activities, decision-making, responsiveness, care; intimacy; and embodiment. Dadness describes both how men think about fatherhood and enact their fathering practices, and is accessible (it is a term men readily understand and feel able to use). This article invites a debate about whether the concept of dadness has a wider potential outside of the specific context of a small-scale study in southern England
Systematic review of types of safety incidents and the processes and systems used for safety incident reporting in care homes
Full text linkAims To identify the safety incident reporting systems and processes used within care homes to capture staff reports of safety incidents, and the types and characteristics of safety incidents captured by safety incident reporting systems.
Design Systematic review following PRISMA reporting guidelines.
Methods Databases were searched January 2023 for studies published after year 2000, written in English, focus on care homes and incident reporting systems. Data were extracted using a bespoke data extraction tool, and quality was assessed. Data were analysed descriptively and using narrative synthesis, with types and characteristics of incidents analysed using the International Classification for Patient Safety.
Data Sources Databases were CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, EMBASE, HMIC, ASSISA, Nursing and Allied Health Database, MedNar and OpenGrey.
Results We identified 8150 papers with 106 studies eligible for inclusion, all conducted in high‐income countries. Numerous incident reporting processes and systems were identified. Using modalities, typical incident reporting systems captured all types of incidents via electronic computerized reporting, with reports made by nursing staff and captured information about patient demographics, the incident and post‐incident actions, whilst some reporting systems included medication‐ and falls‐specific information. Reports were most often used to summarize data and identify trends. Incidents categories most often were patient behaviour, clinical process/procedure, documentation, medication/intravenous fluids and falls. Various contributing and mitigating factors and actions to reduce risk were identified. The most reported action to reduce risk was to improve safety culture. Individual outcomes were often reported, but social/economic impact of incidents and organizational outcomes were rarely reported.
Conclusions This review has demonstrated a complex picture of incident reporting in care homes with evidence limited to high‐income countries, highlighting a significant knowledge gap. The findings emphasize the central role of nursing staff in reporting safety incidents and the lack of standardized reporting systems and processes.
Implications for the Profession and/or Patient Care The findings from this study can inform the development or adaptation of safety incident reporting systems in care home settings, which is of relevance for nurses, care home managers, commissioners and regulators. This can help to improve patient care by identifying common safety issues across various types of care home and inform learning responses, which require further research.
Impact This study addresses a gap in the literature on the systems and processes used to report safety incidents in care homes across many countries, and provides a comprehensive overview of safety issues identified via incident reporting.
Reporting Method PRISMA.Patient or Public Contribution A member of the research team is a patient and public representative, involved from study conception