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Promoting Environmentally Sustainable Food and Drink: A Focus on Plant-Based Meat, Plant-Based Dairy and Sustainable Palm Oil
Full text linkFood production is one of the largest drivers of environmental damage, with research indicating that climate targets outlined in the Paris Agreement cannot be met if current trends within our food system continue. To help sustainably transform our food system, a ‘worst first’ approach is needed, whereby foods with the largest environmental impact are replaced with sustainable alternatives. In this PhD project I examined the production and consumption of plant-based meat, plant-based dairy and sustainable palm oil as environmentally sustainable alternatives to meat, dairy and palm oil.
First, an online consumer survey (n=396) examining the drivers and barriers of consuming these products was conducted. Environmental and animal welfare concerns were significant drivers of consumption. Other factors influencing plant-based meat and plant-based dairy intake were similar, with taste, price, availability and not being in the habit of purchasing these products affecting consumption, while for sustainable palm oil these were labelling, public campaigns and not knowing where to buy products.
Second, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 27 supply chain stakeholders to understand the motivations and challenges stakeholders experience supporting these industries, and the key changes needed for sector growth. Although each industry is influenced by industry-specific factors, they all share similar motivations and challenges. These were stakeholder support being driven by the belief that industry support is the right thing to do and the business benefits that this support brings. However, they were challenged by negative consumer perceptions and the business risk that sector support poses. A key change needed across all industries was to stimulate demand for products.
Lastly, I tested the impact of a default nudge behaviour change intervention on environmentally sustainable plant-based milk consumption in a UK university café using an experimental design. During the intervention phases, the menu’s default milk option was changed from dairy milk to oat milk. Findings show that customers were approximately three times more likely to consume plant-based milk when oat milk was the default option instead of dairy milk (increasing from 16.6% to 51.9% in the first intervention phase, to 46.0% in the second intervention phase), with the average milk-based carbon footprint per drink reducing by 25-34%.
Findings from these three studies provide insights on how to grow the plant-based meat, plant-based dairy and sustainable palm oil industries and have implications for other sustainable food industries.
Recommendations include macro-level changes to incentivise industry support, such as food subsidy reformation, carbon taxes and the need to divest power away from mega-companies, and micro-level changes to increase consumers’ consumption of products, such as applying nudges in food settings. Combined, these changes will help reduce the food sector’s environmental impact and support the sustainable transformation of our food system
Visual Images of Sustainability in Higher Education The hidden curriculum of climate change on campus
No full textPurpose
Perceptions of climate change are strongly influenced by visual cues and images. Many universities have made significant steps towards decarbonisation yet these often remain hidden from the campus community. In this research, we explore the hidden curriculum of climate change on campus and compare participants’ images of sustainability on campus with those on university web-sites.
Design/methodology/approach
This research was underpinned by a critical realist perspective utilising innovative visual research methods including auto-photography and photo-elicitation to enable deep understanding of perceptions of sustainability and climate change on campus. Grounded visual pattern analysis(GVPA) was used to analyse campus photos and compare them to images used on university websites.
Findings
Findings suggest that staff and student images more strongly encapsulated tensions between humans and nature than web-site photos, but that the latter included more evidence of social sustainability. Neither image set expressed climate change issues effectively; the invisibility of university decarbonisation activities represents a lost opportunity for learning.
Originality/ value
This research utilises novel visual methodologies and analysis (GVPA) with potential for wider use in sustainability research. It offers new insights into the importance of the hidden curriculum of sustainability in HE, and the difficulties of making climate change visible on campus
Using Transformative Evaluation (TE) in a Higher Education context: reflecting on the use of TE through the evaluation of the Student Colleague scheme
Full text linkBackground
In July 2022, Plymouth Marjon University (PMU) was funded by the Centre for Transforming Access and Student Outcomes in Higher Education (TASO) What Works Centre to evaluate the impact of the Student Colleagues (SC) scheme, an employability programme for students offered by the university, focusing on the scheme’s outcomes. The evaluation was conducted as part of TASO's pilot on the use of impact evaluation methodologies for assessing initiatives with small cohorts of students, often referred to as 'small n' evaluations. As a result, a 'small n' methodology was needed to carry out the evaluation. We chose Transformative Evaluation
(TE).
Aims
The study aims to:
a) Use a ‘small n’ methodology, in this case TE, focusing on under-represented groups in higher education (HE), and reflect on its use for the purposes of impact evaluation in a HE context.
b) Evaluate the impact of the SC scheme on SCs from POLAR4 quintile 1 and 2 and/or SCs with self-reported disability(ies)
‘Are We Included?’ A validation of the Teachers’ Inclusion Climate Scale
Full text linkThis study aimed to validate the individual scales of the teacher questionnaire measuring inclusion in the context of secondary schools in Plymouth, England. The study is important as it assesses the validity and reliability of the scales in the context of Plymouth where it is to be used, with possibly the prospect of piloting it in different schools in England at a later stage. Moreover, if our findings corroborate the findings of past research, the research community would be encouraged to use of the questionnaire in different school settings. Similar findings from different countries would suggest that the questionnaire produces valid and reliable results across educational systems and cultures
Organisational culture in sports : Perspectives, traps, and entry points for cultural practitioners
No full textCulture is a key concept that can provide deep insight into how people work and live together in groups. Applied to organisations, it offers a means of studying the textures of organisational life and of working out what is socially significant and why. Most commonly, though, this capacity to elevate awareness of the implicit understandings that make things mean what they do for organisational members has often taken a back seat to a focus on the instrumental and assumed practical applications that connect culture with desirable organisational outcomes. Inexperienced practitioners seeking to understand the cultures they work within or who are charged with some kind of organisational culture intervention may find it hard to know how and where to begin, once accepting that culture is a little more complex and slippery than is typically made out. Having a conceptual map of what culture entails can initially help practitioners navigate the unfamiliar and challenging organisational culture in the sport terrain
‘You Don’t Get Ditched’—Young People’s Mental Health and Youth Work: Challenging Dominant Perspectives
Full text linkThis paper presents the findings of research focused on a youth work project which specializes in working with young people experiencing a variety of mental health issues, in the southwest of England. The qualitative data from the young people, youth workers, and stakeholders demonstrate the significance of a person-centered, asset-based approach to improving young people’s experiences with mental health. It provides a countervailing narrative to the dominant diagnostic and problematized focus of mental health services for young people. The research provides evidence that mental health for young people can be strengthened—even for those experiencing significant problems—through group work activities that develop resilience, confidence, and builds on their inherent strengths. This approach enables young people to develop their own responses to their problems rather than rely on external interventions that are orientated toward treatment. The research suggests that young people’s mental ill health in certain circumstances may well be improved by youth work rather than through a medicalized approach
Locality Matters: Understanding the challenge of how to support educationally isolated schools - A case study of a multi-academy trusts 'Hub Model' for schools (2019-
Full text linkExecutive Summary
The concept of Educational Isolation refers to a situation in which a school has limited access to resources because of the challenges related to its location. The combined elements of geographical remoteness, socioeconomic deprivation and cultural isolation in the school’s area have a direct effect on teacher recruitment, retention, staff development, school to school support and external opportunities for additional funding.
Educational Isolation affects pupil outcomes
In England, Educational Isolation is common in rural and coastal areas, where poverty and social exclusion are significant concerns. Location matters. Rural and coastal areas in England face infrastructural challenges, socioeconomic issues, and limited employment opportunities, negatively affecting housing, transport, technology, and leisure.
In 2020, 19% of all primary and 16% of secondary schools in England were in a rural-coastal location. Pupils from persistently disadvantaged backgrounds in rural-coastal school have lower attainment at the end of secondary schooling than pupils from similar backgrounds in urban schools.
This report shares findings from a three-year research project (2019 – 2022) focused on a ‘hub model’ for schools implemented in a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT, also referred to as Trust) consisting of 20 primary schools in the South West of England. The Hub model was used to
geographically group schools into smaller units for school-to-school support with the aim of reducing the negative effects of Educational Isolation experienced by many of the schools.
The research team interviewed senior leaders within the MAT, including headteachers, Hub Leads, the outgoing and incoming CEOs, and the COO, each year for three years. The MAT's vision was to give a better education to children through the sharing of resources, expertise, and knowledge at a local level. The CEO believed that smaller groups of schools – hubs of schools - could achieve this vision.
The key successes of the Hub model for the MAT were:
• The development of trusted, supportive local relationships.
• Collaboration within the Hubs to the benefit of the whole MAT.
• Quality of communication.
Developing supportive, trusted relationships was considered the most significant success of the Hub model.
School leaders appreciating the non-judgmental, local support that helped reduce feelings of isolation inherent in a school leader role (feelings exacerbated by geographical remoteness from other schools).
Collaboration was also considered a great achievement of the Hub model for sharing knowledge, expertise, and resources, particularly during the pandemic and with schools in close geographical proximity that understood the context of the community. The ethos of sharing and supporting matured and flourished during the three years of the Hub model.
School leaders were pleased with the quality of communication throughout the MAT, which facilitated better coordination and alignment of policy and practice across schools. Ofsted visits were a key area where communication, collaboration and resource-sharing occurred.
Overall, school leaders in the MAT expressed support for the Hub model and a desire to make it work. However, challenges of the Hub model were identified and related to three broad themes:
• Context
• Clarity
• Capacity
The context of each Hub of schools was different, with some hubs having more geographical distance between schools, some having schools with differing contexts e.g. size and faith, and other having differential experience of headteachers; which resulted in some cases in a lack of sharing of expertise within Hubs, uneven opportunities for CPD, and a need for more rigour in school improvement processes at MAT level.
The Hub Lead role was seen to lack clarity, with Hub Leads required to undertake multiple roles e.g., as headteacher as well as Hub Lead, and the conflicting priorities that can arise from this. Line management was also raised as a concern by school leaders, who were unsure of the Hub Lead role in the appraisal process.
Capacity was another issue raised, with school leaders expressing concerns over Hub Leads’ workload, and headteachers being pulled away from their responsibilities for Hub meetings or visits.
Most school leaders interviewed agreed that the Hub model would benefit from review, particularly with the increase in the number of schools joining the MAT in the next academic year.
Identifying best practices within Hubs and sharing that information across the MAT was seen as a way to bring more rigour to the school improvement processes.
The appointment of a new CEO and COO during the last year of this research project, and the announcement of a new White Paper by the Department for Education, brought changes to the MAT. The White Paper requires MATs to meet certain criteria to be considered a 'strong Trust', including providing robust CPD routes, high standards of curriculum, attendance, and behaviour, targeted catch-up support. The Hub model was seen to contribute to this in part.
The new CEO and COO had an embryonic vision to address policy direction, which included introducing a fifth Hub, creating networks for small and church schools, separating the school improvement model from the Hub model, and possibly bringing in subject networks for school
improvement.
The findings suggest that the Hub model is able to mitigate the effects of Educational Isolation in different ways.
Putting the schools into small, geographically focused hubs of school supported the MAT in reducing the effects of geographical remoteness, creating formal connections for staff development, sharing of resources (including teachers) and opportunities to work together to submit applications for innovative external funding.
The sharing of ideas for more effective school improvement helped to mitigate elements of socioeconomic deprivation in school communities, such a lower attainment. This included schools working together in their Hub to provide new opportunities for children that widened their
experiences to raise aspirations. It also reduced cultural isolation, an issue that was particularly difficult to address during the pandemic years because of the restrictions on movement.
Headteachers, Hub Leads, and executive leaders in the MAT agreed on the successes and challenges of the Hub model for supporting Educationally Isolated schools.
The key message is that small groups of schools working together in commutable geographic proximity supports school improvement.
Our recommendation is that large MATs with Educationally Isolated schools consider a hub model as it supports school leaders accessing the resources needed for school improvement at a local level. We also recommend that policy leaders recognise and respond to needs of Educationally Isolated schools. Locality matters
Community Dads’ Groups and the Co-creation of Dadness.
Full text linkThis research explores how attendance at community dads’ groups influences the construction of fathering identities. A qualitative methodology drawing on interactionist theory was used to analyse data collected through interviews and participant observation of four community-based dads’ groups in southern England during the period from summer 2018 to autumn 2019. 51 informal, semi-structured interviews were undertaken: with fathers who attend these groups (n=24), their children (n=8), the child’s mother (n=7; all co-resident), and dads’ group staff (n=12).
Extensive field-notes captured observations of 182 participants and 14 staff on nine visits to these four fathering initiatives. An iterative, eclectic thematic analysis approach was used to analyse the data.
Dadness is theorised as a process of identity construction and affirmation evidencing an on-going process of reflexive interaction with others, even if some dimensions, such as gender norms, appear pervasive. I argue that dadness is a useful in vivo term to describe eight dimensions of contemporary fathering identity. I demonstrate that fathers use the dads’ group sessions to interface with their child and with other fathers, often in subtle ways, in order to confirm, refine and evaluate different aspects of their dadness identity. As a result, community dads’ groups allow men to trial alternative behaviours that they may not have otherwise been exposed to. In addition, the children, staff and mothers are engaged in the identity co-creation and validation processes, subtly expanding the boundaries of dadness into more progressive territory.
This study argues that fathering identity construction and validation in the context of community dads’ groups occurs as a collective accomplishment through a web of relationality. Through diverse processes and by deploying a range of strategies, interactants at these dads’ group initiatives support the co-creation of dadness that seeks to challenge regressive, hegemonic masculine traits. Within an ecological model, as settings of civic engagement at the meso-level, dads’ groups can make a valuable, if under-reported, contribution to fatherhood studies, family cohesion and gender equality debates
Psychological Strategies to Resist Slowing Down or Stopping during Endurance Activity: An Expert Opinion Paper
Full text linkWithin this paper, we provide an expert opinion on five evidence-based psychological strategies that could help endurance participants overcome slowing down and stopping during performance: goal setting, motivational self-talk, relaxation, distraction, and pacing. We argue that these strategies are well-suited for delivery as brief-contact, educational interventions that could be accessible to large numbers of participants who do not have access to a sport and exercise psychologist. These interventions could be delivered using websites, online videos, workshops, or magazine articles. We propose a novel use for implementation intentions (i.e., if-then planning) to develop endurance participants’ conditional knowledge of when to use specific strategies. In addition, although research evidence suggests that these psychological strategies may be efficacious for overcoming thoughts of slowing down or stopping, there are important limitations in the research evidence. In particular, there is a dearth of ecologically valid, field-based effectiveness studies. Finally, we consider situations where attempts to resist slowing down or stopping during endurance activity may not be advisable. Scenarios include when there is an increased likelihood of injury, or when environmental conditions increase the risk of life-threatening events