University of Cumbria Open Access Journals
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Ethical Malpractice in Randomised Controlled Trials in India: An Appraisal and Improvement Proposal
Get PDFOver the past two decades, numerous randomised trials exploring the efficacy of cervical cancer screening in intervention and control groups have been conducted across India. The trials have attracted both scrutiny and regulatory action for their failure to adhere to the ethical standards expected of the clinical research community (Baggchi, 2014). Exploration of the ethical malpractice in the Tamil Nadu cervical cancer trial, and examination of the context in which the trial was conducted form a basis for consideration of how research practitioners can act as exemplars and enablers of ethical research. An improvement plan is proposed for individual research practitioners working on clinical trials; incorporating educational and professional development requirements, evidencing of key research skills with the aim of issuing a standardised framework for the job role to contribute to quality assurance processes and ensure safe and ethical research practice
An investigation into the relationship between Physical activity and playground size
Get PDFPlaytime has been an effective and important part of school days, enabling children to achieve the numerous benefits gained from exercising. The guidelines currently state that children need at least sixty minutes of moderate to vigorous activity per day to gain these benefits (World Health Organisation, 2011). There is growing concern that playground activities are not given the recognition they deserve by teaching bodies as an important part of the holistic development of the child. The aims of this paper were to investigate the potential relationship between PA (Physical Activity) and the size of the playground. The area of playground research is fairly limited despite the fact that many schools recognise the important contribution it has to the overall activity levels in a child’s life. Data were gathered from 277 subjects in 6 schools across the Northern Ireland library boards. It showed no correlations between the size of a school’s useable playground space and PA levels, but did show a difference between the sexes. It also made clear how schools utilise playground space in the most efficacious way. It is my aim that this paper will highlight the need for schools to become more efficient in their use of their playground, particularly when it comes to female PA levels which are most affected by smaller playgrounds. Effective strategies shown to increase efficiency of playground space are also discussed
An investigation into the use of writing frames and writing structures to overcome boys’ reluctance to write in geography lessons
Get PDFStudies on gender disparity in literacy reveal a recurring trend of boys’ reluctance to write. As such male pupils find themselves with fewer self-generated words on the page in front of them and consequently are deprived of vital scaffolding to develop their metacognitive facility. Furthermore their teachers lack a vital diagnostic tool when appraising boys’ cognitive processing and misconceptions. These detrimental effects indicate that reluctance to write represents a significant barrier to learning and progress. This study compares the effects of scaffolding methods to overcome boys’ reluctance to write. It finds a significant gender-based variance in response to writing frames against writing structures and makes suggestions on implementation and praxis
Ethical standards in clinical psychology; Maintaining integrity, record keeping and confidentiality.
Get PDFClinical psychologists aim to promote psychological wellbeing and reduce psychological distress in people with mental or physical health illness (National Health Service [NHS], 2014). A requirement of all clinical psychologists is to be familiar with and adhere to the ethical codes that govern their profession: the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) standards of conduct, performance and ethics (HCPC, 2012a) and the British Psychological Society’s (BPS) code of ethics and conduct (BPS, 2009). Ethical standards relating to record keeping, confidentiality, integrity and honesty were considered in this paper. The effects of poor interpersonal relationships between a team and the impact of personal issues upon professional practice were considered as contributors to the breaching of ethical standards. To help prevent an ethical dilemma escalating, an employee performance appraisal in the form of a six-question intervention tool was created, to provide appropriate support when conducting supervisions. Directions for future research are discussed in terms of investigating support available for personal and professional issues affecting the work of a clinical psychologist
The use of an on-line discussion forum to support collaborative studying practices and argumentation amongst trainee teachers
Get PDFThis study emerged from my concern as module tutor over the lack of participation amongst my student teachers on an Initial Teacher Training degree in lively, reasoned debate. Traditional approaches to teaching, which see learning as primarily a cognitive, internally-driven process, rarely take into account learners’ linguistic and cultural worlds outside the classroom. A sociocultural perspective of learning makes clear the links between individuals’ personal worlds and learning, and acknowledges the crucial role these worlds play in shaping a person’s language and cognitive abilities. Facebook and Moodle sites were designed, aimed at promoting student participation in the debate around developing early reading. The research question concerned how far social media could contribute to enhancing students’ critical thinking and academic language, and what role the course tutor had in facilitating effective, online discussion. Findings identified a high quality of debate and critical thinking on the two sites, with my role as facilitator of the discussion being crucial in maintaining participation and guiding language use. Further research needs to be undertaken in order to investigate the potential of social media for encouraging and facilitating meaningful and challenging educational debate.
Reasons for Doctoral non-completion; one non-completing Doctoral student’s voice on limitations in the academic literature
Get PDFTimely completion has recently been an important focus of academic literature on supervising Doctoral students. This paper is a reflection on the academic literature on timely doctoral completion by a former Doctoral student who has been a serial non-completer. This reflection explores whether academics’ constructions, reported in the research literature, of the causes and symptoms of doctoral non-completion relate to this student’s experience. The reflection concludes that there is a significant blind spot in the Doctoral non-completion literature. This blind spot relates to a possible mismatch between students’ and academics’ conceptions of research. In addition to this conclusion, the paper is a small exemplification of educators using their own autobiographies as learners as a method for critical reflection on practice. It also considers the possibility of developing this approach into autoethnography
Using I.C.T. to promote Science in the World Around Us Curriculum
Get PDFThis investigation has been designed to determine the extent of science teaching in primary schools in Northern Ireland; and whether I.C.T. is a suitable method of promoting the teaching of science within the World Around Us curriculum. The context of this research is provided by an Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI) report, based on a survey carried out in January 2014 to evaluate the implementation of the World Around Us curriculum in primary schools. The main research questions for this investigation were: How much science is taught as part of the World Around Us curriculum What are the barriers, if any, to teaching science in primary school What is the role of I.C.T. in the promotion of science in the curriculum Could Fronter, a virtual learning environment, promote science in the curriculum? Questionnaires and interviews were undertaken in two schools in Newry, Northern Ireland. The researcher chose schools in two different settings in order to obtain a fairer representation and cross-section of school types and environment. Previous global studies correlate with the findings of this investigation, which show the main limiting factors for teaching additional science to be: · decline in the number of science specialist teachers, · lack of teacher confidence, · lack of resources · unsuitable topic choices Additionally it was found that the use of ‘ready-made’ Fronter courseware would be beneficial for the promotion of science in the World Around Us curriculum, although it was found that this may not be the best I.C.T. resource available. Further research could include investigating the methods for choosing topics within schools; the number and influence of science specialist teachers in primary schools; and other methods of delivering science through I.C.T