Thesis and Research Data Repository Leeds Beckett University
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The Power of Creative Supervision: Co-Regulating Insight and Practice
No full textWithin the UK, supervision attendance is mandatory for practising members of counselling and psychotherapy professional bodies. Supervision is a core element of the regulation of the counselling and psychotherapy profession. A significant amount of time and money is invested in supervision attendance. Whilst discourses in the field assign high status to supervision practice, there is a paucity of clarity in existing research regarding aims and impacts. This is amplified within Play Therapy supervision as the literature identifies a significant gap in empirical inquiry in this field. This thesis examines potential meanings and practice implications of play therapists’ experiences of supervision. It includes the perspectives of students, qualified play therapists, supervisors, and supervisors of supervisors (metasupervisors) who work in UK statutory, voluntary, and private sectors. The study involves members of the British Association of Play Therapists (BAPT), Play Therapy United Kingdom (PTUK), and the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).
Constructivist grounded theory method has been used to examine patterns and processes for potential application to the development of Play Therapy supervision in the UK. The main contribution of this study is the creation of a substantive grounded theory which identifies processes and corresponding impacts of Play Therapy supervision in a UK context. Potential meanings for Play Therapy supervision development are identified through analysis of supervisees’ creative representations and interviews.
This theory affirms current rhetoric for mandated, regular Play Therapy supervision. However, it also confirms arguments that inadequate and harmful supervision are under-acknowledged and under-addressed. Power relations processes are identified as significant aspects of supervisory relationship facilitating or blocking supervision. The claim that creative exploration within a co-regulated, co-created supervisory milieu and relationship is time- and cost-effective in supervisor wellbeing and professional development is supported. Recognition of these processes has implications for future research and policies regarding supervision and the regulation of Play Therapy.
Key Words: supervision, regulation, play therapy supervision, power relations, creative exploration, co-regulated, co-created, metasupervisio
Cultural barriers to sport for blind and partially sighted people in the UK - Coding framework
No full textCoding framework with quotes from semi-structured interview
The Commodification of Children in UK Secondary Schools: Impact on Pupils With SEND
No full text‘In January 2017, 14.4 per cent of all school pupils in England (1,244,255) were said to have special educational needs or disabilities (SEND)’ (Alderson, 2018: 175), of these pupils only 2.8 percent had a SEN statement or an education, health and care plan. SEND pupils, therefore, have less access to good quality education, as they are seven times more likely to be excluded from schools than their peers (Alderson, 2018: 177). Dimitrellou & Male (2020) explored the views of the pupils themselves in understanding their needs and views of their school, as such pupils' views are often overlooked.</p
Greenwashing: The Capitalist Corruption of Reflexivity
No full textThis critical review looks at the process of ‘greenwashing’ and applying theories of contemporary society. Greenwashing is defined as a tactic of public relations, involving a company presenting itself as more environmentally conscious than it is in practice. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is increasingly being incorporated into businesses ways of operating (de Freitas Netto et al., 2020). CSR refers to corporations taking into account social issues and the implications of their practices on society. I aim to examine to what extent the notion of CSR is authentic in relation to impact on climate and use examples of greenwashing practices to assess this and will focus primarily on practices of energy companies.</p
Redefining the E-waste Management Framework at the University of Leeds: Challenges and Opportunities for Sustainability
No full textThe rising gap between the amount of e-waste being produced and recycled is one of the major environmental concerns facing the world today. The UK stands second internationally in terms of the e-waste generated per capita. The dependence on electronics has increased, especially in institutions of higher learning, due to the expanding digitalisation of education (e.g., e-learning). Additionally, the sheer volume of research necessitates using cutting-edge electronics, while the frequent hardware/software upgrades result in a high rate of obsolescence. Despite being major e-waste producers, the universities typically lack the capability to ensure that their end-of-life equipment is handled sustainably. Thus, effective e-waste management at the university level is vital for achieving a circular economy. This study aims to critically evaluate the policies and practices concerning e-waste generation, handling, and disposal at the University of Leeds. Based on a literature review, a set of open-ended questions was formulated. Next, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the University staff. The discussions attempted to gauge the level of e-waste awareness and evaluate the effectiveness of current practices. Finally, the anonymised data was qualitatively and quantitatively analysed to identify recurring experiences and opinions. The results highlight several challenges, which include, inter alia, lack of time and capacity with the staff, diversity of electronic lab equipment across faculties and absence of a pan-University e-waste management unit. In addition, various drivers for sustainable e-waste management at the University are identified, such as better information dissemination, managing inventory of e-waste, and institutionalising responsibility for e-waste. In conclusion, the study explores e-waste at the level of universities in an effort to bridge a significant research gap. It formulates a comprehensive framework to manage e-waste based on the best practices collated from universities across the globe, tailors it to the University's needs, and provides recommendations for e-waste monitoring.</p
The Potential for Seaweed as a Replacement Fuel for Combustion in Sugar Cogen Power Plants
No full textThe Government of Mauritius has introduced energy policies to reduce the use of fossil fuels in response to global heating. Electricity from renewable sources mainly generated for the island by sugar cane factories through cogeneration. The approach uses bagasse during the sugar-cane crop season and coal during the off-crop season to feed the boilers of their power plants. With an annual decrease in sugarcane production, due to field abandonment by planters, coupled with an increase in coal import prices and electricity demand, there is an urgency to compensate for this fuel deficit. In this context, “Sargassum sp” - a common seaweed washed up along the coastline was assessed as a potential bioenergy substitute. Currently Sargassum is a waste material regularly cleared from public beaches and hotel fronts and dumped in rudimentary landfill sites. The study undertook an analysis of the fuel and chemical characteristics of Sargassum in pure form as well as in comixed half ratios with coal and bagasse. Then, the technical feasibility of integrating a pre-treatment model for the seaweed into an existing bagasse process line at a power station was studied by developing a functioning pilot mechanical processing plant. The analytical results indicated a low calorific value of 12.9MJ/Kg, although this was comparable to other biomass resources. The dry mass was only 26.6% which would make Sargassum unfavourable towards direct combustion without pre-treatment. Alkali metals, found in the dry ash, could cause boiler corrosion and fouling. Therefore, there are challenges in the use of seaweed for power generation. The pilot plant was able to take in fresh Sargassum and treat it to produce feedstock for the power station. Future research (LCOE, Sensitivity Analysis) on the economic viability of integrating Sargassum into existing boiler feed lines for the power station will be undertaken.</p
Lessons not learnt: Improving learning transfer in project
No full textThis paper explores, project management literature, observations, and primary data from an unpaired experiment to explore the benefits lesson learnt methodologies can bring to future and ongoing projects. Within project management literature, learning and development is agreed as a benefit to the innovation of future projects. However, modern day practice of projects overlooks the lessons learnt process as a vital component to innovation in a project setting. Using a sample of Project Management MSc students to create unpaired experiment to produce quantifiable scientific data that may produce evidence to identify these benefits, barriers and methods to overcome those barriers. The data collected provides supporting evidence that lessons learnt methodologies can improve the identification of mitigation actions for projects. The data supports lessons learnt practice, because it shows that the normative practice of projects is a subject that needs to be developed. The lack of using lessons learnt in modern practice is explored to understand how the hard paradigm project management has created strict constraints to learning transfer, producing less time to implement effective lessons learnt. In addition, social cohesion works on human beings to make them reluctant to learn from previous social constructs in both negative and positive settings. The experiment provided evidence of how these natural barriers to learning transfer may be partially overcome.</p
Practice educators’ and students’ themed narratives on social work student supervision
No full textThis thesis considered what contributes to students’ development of knowledge and skills in social work student supervision. This is a protected time for students to explore their experiential learning from their practice within placement. Nevertheless, this is undertaken in a private space, so has rarely been subject to scrutiny.
The uniqueness of this study is founded in two core differences. This is one of the first research studies to include both supervision participants’ perspectives and one of the first that observed social work student supervision, giving it a unique data perspective that enriched the significance of the findings.
The methodology for this thesis was firmly rooted in a Narrative Inquiry, which enabled the use of a range of data collection methods. Eight social work student supervisions were observed and audio-recorded, and each supervision participant (practice educator and student) interviewed immediately afterwards to develop a significant data corpus.
A thematic analysis approach identified two themes: diligence and collaboration. It was identified that where supervision participants had a diligent approach, which included being committed and organised, it enabled collaborative social work student supervision, which reduced the inherent power differential and enabled the development of students’ social work knowledge and skills. Implications are discussed that include both the importance of students understanding supervision as a site of the development of their knowledge and skills, and the development of positive social conditions in which both participants feel confident to contribute openly and honestly to develop students’ knowledge and skills.
Finally, a model of development of knowledge and skills in social work student supervision was developed that incorporated the core themes of practice educator and student diligence and collaboration.</p
Voices of Authority: A Multidisciplinary Analysis of the Democratisation of Heritage Narratives in York’s Urban Landscape, 2014-2018
No full textHeritage, by its nature, is a multidisciplinary practice and thus has no singular defining academic approach. This thesis takes a mixed methods approach to investigate the utilisation and formation of heritage narratives within an urban context. To ground this work, the thesis utilises a case study of the city of York, England, to explore the variety of mechanisms and processes used across varying levels of society to construct historical narratives. This research looks to decentre and disrupt existing ‘official narratives’ produced and supported by city institutions by investigating alternative narratives and approaches. As such, the thesis formulates a broad understanding of the current forms of governance within the city, primarily the York Civic Trust and York City Council, to utilise the material culture of York through its archaeological finds and architecture in order to market an exported tourist narrative of York. Contrasting this more traditional interpretation of heritage within the urban context, the thesis draws on more grassroots and bottom-up approaches of heritage engagement at both a community and individual level as a form of democratised engagement. As such, approaches towards constructing and selling an official heritage narrative for the city’s heritage are juxtaposed with discussions of community-led performances, social media-based forms of collection nostalgia and the practice of urban exploration. Underpinning this examination is a core investigation of the methodological approach to studying these heritage narratives. The thesis thus advocates incorporating more person-centred emotional data in analysing public participation in heritage and, consequently, in helping to further the development of heritage studies more broadly as a multidisciplinary field.</p
"Their ethos is all about building trust": An Exploration of Staff-Prisoner Relationships at a Women's Open Prison
No full textThere is a body of work that acknowledges the importance of staff-prisoner relationships and describes their complex nature in various carceral contexts. Penological themes of power and authority dominate these discussions, and it is only recently that analyses of trust have begun to emerge. Although it has been acknowledged that trust is of central importance to the lives of women in prison, there is a dearth of literature exploring trust in staff-prisoner relationships. Moreover, explorations of staff-prisoner relationships within the women’s open estate have not featured as a central focus within the penological literature. The open prison is presented as an institution of progression for incarcerated women and, despite accounting for a small proportion of the prison population, offers an important site of analyses for carceral relationships and experiences of trust. Using grounded theory and appreciative inquiry, this thesis presents the findings of semi-structured interviews with incarcerated women and staff at an open prison, exploring the ways in which regime and practice create and foster trust in carceral relationships.
Key findings from this empirical research study indicate that staff-prisoner relationships at the women’s open prison are complex and experienced as distinct. The open regime plays an integral role in shaping these relationships, alongside the attitudes and practice of the staff and women within them. Significantly, these findings demonstrate that trust is shaped by the prison itself and therefore operates in a carceral manner. Trust was found to be pervasive, and this filtered through to the operation of relational dynamics. Notably, although trust was limited and constrained, there was evidence of thicker interpersonal trust when relationships overcame explicit carceral symbols and both women and staff were humanised. The thesis concludes that attention should be paid to uncritical notions of trust in carceral settings and the ways in which institutions can shape complex operational and penological themes.</p