4101 research outputs found
Sort by
Connected assessment : A participatory exploration of alternatives to a timed test for adult mathematics/numeracy
No full textIn order to gain a recognised mathematics qualification in England, adults and young people are required to pass a timed test. Educational policy in this area rarely includes the voices of adults or teachers. The first investigative phase of this research attempts to redress this balance by exploring the attitudes of adults in England to timed mathematics tests through interviews and a focus group. The views of teachers in the Further Education sector were also sought through conducting an online survey. The findings were that most of the adults and teachers participating in this research perceive timed tests as a ‘necessary evil’; something that has to be undertaken in order to achieve a recognised qualification that often acts as a gatekeeper to further study. However, a significant minority of adults in this study said that the pressure of a time limit and the need for memorisation of methods inhibits their performance in timed mathematics tests. In the following action research phase of this project and drawing on the views of adults and teachers about possible alternatives to a timed test, a model of Connected Assessment for adult mathematics was then developed, trialled and evaluated with adult learners. This model of assessment aimed to support adults to give their ‘best’ performance. The key finding from a trial of Connected Assessment with two cohorts of adult learners was that assessment evidence was generated for about half of the mathematics curriculum at Level 2 without any restrictions on choice of task. The potential of the future development of Connected Assessment into a qualification was then discussed
Myofascial release as a treatment choice for neuromuscular conditions : three randomized controlled trials and a systemic literature review
No full textIntroduction: Myofascial release (MFR) is a form of manual therapy that involves the application of a low load, long duration stretch to the myofascial complex, intended to restore optimal length, decrease pain, and improve function. MFR is being used to treat patients with a wide variety of conditions, but there is a scarcity of evidence to support its efficacy. Studies are emerging in this field with varying results and conclusions. Analysis of the recent research trials and reviews will be a better way to appraise the quality and reliability of such works.Objective: This work attempts to analyse and summarise the evidence from three randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and one systematic review of the effectiveness of MFR on various neuromuscular conditions and pain.Methodology: Effectiveness of MFR on tension type headache, lateral epicondylitis and chronic low back pain were the RCTs identified for the analysis. The systematic review selected analysed the published RCTs on MFR till 2014. The methodological qualities of the studies were assessed using the PEDro, Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine's (CEBM) Level of Evidence Scale, Risk of Bias (RoB) Analysis Tool and AMSTAR 2.Results: The RCTs analysed in this study were of moderate to high methodological quality (PEDro scale), with higher level of evidence (CEBM scale) and less bias (RoB). The effectiveness of MFR on tension type headache (TTH) was the first among the studies with a moderate methodological quality (6/10 in PEDro), with a 2b level of evidence on the CEBM scale. The study proved that direct technique or indirect technique MFR was more effective than the control intervention for TTH. The second RCT studied MFR for lateral epicondylitis (LE). The study was of a moderately high quality on the PEDro scale (7/10) with a 1b- level in CEBM. The MFR was found more effective than a control intervention for LE in computer professionals. The RCT on chronic low back pain (CLBP) also scored 7/10 in the PEDro scale and 1b in the CEBM scale. This study confirmed that MFR is a useful adjunct to specific back exercises and more helpful than a control intervention for CLBP. All three RCTs stated the usage of self-report measures and underpowered sample size as the major limitations along with a performance bias reported in the TTH trial.The systematic review demonstrated moderate methodological quality as per the AMSTAR 2 tool which analysed 19 RCTs for a result. The literature regarding the effectiveness of MFR was mixed in both quality and results. Omission of a risk of bias analysis was the major limitation of this review. The authors quoted that “MFR may be useful as either a unique therapy or as an adjunct therapy to other established therapies for a variety of conditions”.Conclusion: Critical appraisal is an important element of evidence-based medicine to carefully and systematically examine research to judge its trustworthiness, its value and relevance in a particular context. This review concludes that the three RCTs and the systematic review analysed were completed with moderate to good quality as per various quality measures, but with reported methodological flaws and interpretation biases. These studies with the critical appraisal can act as ‘pavements’ on which high quality future MFR trials and evidence can be built on
Embodied learning in vocational education and training
No full textResearchers investigating learning from primary to higher education have emphasised the crucial role of embodiment in the process of developing knowledge, skills and expertise. In spite of this, the physical or psychomotor aspects of learning are vastly under-researched and undervalued in the literature on vocational education and training (VET). Such a marginalisation of embodiment and the physical is regrettable in that – in addition to its failure to sufficiently acknowledge defining features of much vocational learning – it serves to reinforce the notion that only the cognitive aspects of learning are of interest and value in vocational development. Such a partial and misguided conception contributes to the subordinate and second-class status of vocational studies against liberal/academic pursuits. It will be argued here that a re-examination of the role of the physical in VET can provide – not just a richer and deeper understanding of vocational learning – but also a means of enhancing the status of vocational pursuits within general education systems
Results from an online scenario based compassion intervention: a pilot study
No full textThis paper reports on the development and evaluation of an online scenario based compassion intervention for nursing students. Reports suggest that nursing education programmes should include simulation based learning, and be developed using service users to help teach nursing students about compassionate care, and what it actually feels like to be the patient. In addition, many of the problems arise in hospital environments that are under immense pressure, both financially and to perform well with limited resources. The complex and resource constrained practice environment shapes how people act This underlines an additional need to include educational programs that can prepare nursing students for the reality of practice. In an attempt to address this, previous studies have used both simulation and online teaching environments to teach nursing students about empathy and compassion. Although results showed improvements in the delivery of empathy, confidence and understanding of compassion, very few, if any, have explored the effectiveness of online scenarios as a teaching intervention for nursing student’s compassion. To address this gap, eight nurse – patient scenarios, based on real life clinical experiences, were recorded and developed further with additional theoretical information in Articulate software package. A sample of nurse educators and nursing students participated in a short pilot study aimed at evaluating the experience and understanding of compassion from those using the intervention. The findings from the study are presented and the implication for nurse education discussed
Learning to embody professional values among UK nursing associates
No full textThe Nursing Associate is a new role within UK healthcare that entails a two year vocational undergraduate diploma education pathway integrated with extensive front line clinical practice. The curriculum mirrors aspects of existing preregistration nursing programmes of which common features are regulation and development of professional attributes. Curriculum content includes teaching about such values with the intention of developing the students’ knowledge and translating this until it becomes embodied in their practice .A mixed methods survey study was designed to evaluate the extent to which this curriculum aim was being achieved to inform subsequent related teaching and learning interventions. The aim was to describe students’ perceptions of developing as an honest, caring, compassionate, conscientious and competent nursing associate. Enquiry also included exploring students’ perceptions of how this development is likely to impact on patient care as well as enablers and barriers to achieving fitness for practise in these 5 domains. Ethical approval was granted by the University of Bolton Faculty Research Ethics chairperson. Students from the first cohort of this new programme were invited to participate and complete the survey (n=68 with 57 participants). They were working in 4 different National Health Service Trusts. The survey had 4 dimensions – a self-rating scale of 5 professional domains and a free text counterpart in which respondents could explain why they had chosen that rating. A final section of the survey invited any further free text comment about factors enabling or posing a barrier to developing professional attributes.Thematic analysis of qualitative comments was undertaken to generate findings. These showed that students expressed these attributes as a sense of being (already embodied) and also development (becoming) in so far as they had learnt more about what each attribute was and could recognise steps they had taken to move towards embodying the attribute. Some respondents also identified praxis – where real world practice fell short of their expectations, and a positive aspect was that they reported being courageous enough to challenge such mismatches.Overall the findings suggest that the pedagogic design linking propositional knowledge to students'clinical work promoted reflection on real world practice experience was moving students towards developing professional attributes. It also highlighted differences in the degree of reflective insights students demonstrated about their own values, thus directing attention towards how this could be promoted as an essential skill within the curriculum. These findings provide the basis for informing tripartite (university student and service) working relationships, especially around challenging areas of concern to students and also how to draw role models from current practice into shared classroom teaching. Additionally it identified some factors that could be used to inform students decision making to overcome barriers to developing these professional attributes
Surface acoustic wave devices with graphene interdigitated transducers
No full textThis paper reports the development of high performance surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices by using graphene as a virtually massless interdigital transducer (IDT) to mitigate mass-loading effects. Different layers of graphene electrodes were made and their influences on the SAW device performance were experimentally and theoretically evaluated. Results showed that 4-layer graphene with a value of sheet resistance less than 77.6 Omega sq(-1) and graphene IDTs of at least 80 pairs are needed to obtain the optimum performance of graphene IDT SAW devices. Furthermore, the optimal ratio of aperture/wavelength for the graphene IDT electrode was found to be 5. Graphene based SAW devices, with a resonance frequency of 154 MHz, transmission signal amplitude of 30 dB and K-2 of 3.78%, were fabricated and successfully demonstrated for applications in breathing monitoring
Reconstruction, Social Service and Leisure
No full textThe First World War re-energized the Edwardian voluntary spirit and placed new demands on post-war voluntary action. The discourse of post-war social reconstruction was not a sterile intellectual debate but an analysis of need and a call to action. In keeping with the new interest in social reconstruction, the focus of voluntary service, according to James Heighton, President of the National Association of Guilds of Help, had to change from personal case-work to civic engagement, community well-being and greater co-ordination. In some fields of social policy, notably housing and health, state intervention was forthcoming
Attitudes towards intimate partner ‘honor’ based violence in India, Iran, Malaysia and Pakistan
No full textAlthough intimate partner violence (IPV) and ‘honor’-based violence (HBV) are major concerns throughout the world, little research has investigated the acceptance of these forms of abuse outside of the West. This study therefore responds to this gap in the literature by exploring attitudes towards HBV in a fictional depiction of IPV across four Asian samples: India, Iran, Malaysia and Pakistan.Participants (n=579) read a hypothetical scenario in which a husband, despite his own marital infidelity, verbally abuses and physically assaults his wife after discovering that she has been unfaithful. Participants then completed a questionnaire that assessed perceptions of damage to the husband’s honor, approval of intimate partner HBV against the wife, and perceptions of both the victim-wife and the perpetrator-husband.Findings revealed that more males than females, across all four nations, were endorsing of honor-adhering attitudes in response to the perceived threat to the husband’s reputation resulting from the wife’s infidelity. Additionally, of the four samples, Pakistani participants were the most approving and Malaysians least endorsing of honor-adhering attitudes.Results are discussed in relation to studies of honor-adherence in Asian populations. This study provides an original glimpse into the perceptions of intimate partner HBV in these not-often sampled nationalities
Investigating service innovation, micro cases strategy
No full textPurpose – Innovation in services continues to be recognised as a mean of retaining a competitive advantage whilst the role of service employees in initiating innovation is increasingly signified in terms of enhancing customers’ perceptions of quality and also suggesting ideas that can lead to innovations (Rubalcaba et al., 2012). The input of service employees into the innovation process is perceived inconsistently in the literature, reflecting a lack of theoretical uniformity to determine employee-driven service innovation. An emerging line of research, however, focused on employees’ role in service encounter-based innovation (i.e. Toivonen and Tuominen, 2009; Sundbo and Toivonen, 2011); the service encounter-based innovation conception was originally derived from the user-driven innovation theme in the innovation management literature and emerged as a contemporary research line in the service innovation literature. Service encounter-based innovation denotes service innovation as developing from ideas, knowledge or practices derived from frontline service employees’ meetings with users during the service delivery process (Sørensen and Jensen, 2012).Respectively, this paper intends to investigate further the role of employees in initiating service encounter-based innovation through the lens of innovative behaviour proposition. By doing so, this paper also aims to compare and contrast the research findings with the theoretical framework of (Sørensen et al., 2013) that determined an integrative relationship between practice-based and management directed innovation.Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative case-study research strategy, which compared between two case studies of personal-interactive service companies, was applied to achieve the objectives of the study. The application of qualitative case-study research allowed closer assessment and observation while the researcher was directly present within the service delivery environment. The combining of qualitative research methods, such as semi-structured interviews, review of archival records and direct observation, was applied to congregate evidence of employees’ innovative behaviour patterns from multiple perspectives.Originality/value – This paper adds further insight by verifying the nature of service employees’ innovative behaviour and its contribution in initiating service innovation. The findings also identify the influence of contextual determinants in nurturing or inhibiting service employees’ innovative behaviour.Practical implications – Practical implications and recommendations for management to nurture service employees’ innovative behaviour are presented based on the study findings. The practical recommendations provide managers working within personal-interactive service companies with sensible measures to nurture innovative behaviour among employees.Keywords – Service Encounter-Based Innovation, Service Employees’ Innovative Behaviour, Creativity, Formal and Informal Innovative Behaviour