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Teacher perceptions of physical literacy informed physical education: the barriers and potential solutions
Full text linkPurpose : Physical literacy is becoming a key framework for promoting physical activity across sectors globally, particularly in physical education. This research explores how this emerging concept can be operationalized through professional development (PD) and examines teacher perceptions of barriers and solutions to embedding physical literacy in practice. Method : A 12-week PD participatory action research intervention was conducted in three U.K. schools (one primary and two secondary) with primary generalist teachers ( n = 3) and secondary physical education specialists ( n = 11). Semistructured interviews captured teacher perceptions before, after, and 3 months postintervention. Thematic analysis organized data on barriers and solutions. Results : Teachers identified barriers in four areas: leadership and governance, management and institutional, individual, and philosophy and values. Solutions focused on raising physical education’s status and improving PD opportunities. Discussion/Conclusion : The research highlights the influence of school cultures in developing physical literacy. Effective PD must consider these as well as real-life challenges to achieve lasting impact
Evaluation practices in community music: a constructionist approach to exploring community musicians’ perspectives
Full text linkWithin UK community music, evaluation has become an essential element of professional practice, however, it is an aspect of their work that many community musicians find challenging. Although exploration of community music evaluation in published literature is limited, it has identified problems and tensions, but with minimal investigation of community music practitioners’ perspectives. This study explores community musicians’ constructions of evaluation practices, including how they negotiate evaluation and what influences evaluation in their work, to reach a deeper understanding of evaluation in community music for the benefit of the whole community music sector.
With a qualitative, constructionist methodology, theoretically informed by discourse analysis and positioning theory, 16 one-to-one online semi-structured interviews with community musicians were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis, leading to a series of findings. Although interviewees often constructed evaluation in the singular, it is a multifarious morass of intentions, purposes, methods, methodological standpoints and practices, with most valuing reflective forms of evaluation that focus on the quality of their practice above other forms. The metaphor of multiple dimensions characterises different aspects of evaluation – what it is, why community musicians do it, how they do it, and the affect of evaluation – which, along with a typology of different positions community musicians take towards evaluation and factors that influence the differing positions, provides a new conceptual framework for understanding evaluation in community music.
The thesis argues that evaluation should be understood as multiple contextually situated practices which acknowledge the complexity of community music. The research calls for all those in the community music sector (project managers, evaluators, commissioners, funders and policy makers) to give greater consideration to community musicians’ perspectives, enabling more agency, control and influence over evaluation in their work; thereby contributing to greater professional satisfaction for community musicians who are a vital workforce as community music has become an important complement to music education and creative health and wellbeing. The research advocates for a grassroots community of practice regarding evaluation to enable utilisation of the findings in the UK community music sector and for a more cohesive view of evaluation to be developed
Towards sustainable construction in China: a systematic review of barriers to offsite methods
Full text linkOffsite construction (OSC) has been increasingly promoted as a solution for a more sustainable construction industry. This method enhances the performance and efficiency of the construction industry by improving time and cost planning, health and safety, enhanced construction quality, and fostering a more environmentally sustainable built environment. China’s Fourteenth Five-Year Plan (2021–2025) mandates that at least 30% of new homes be constructed using OSC techniques by 2025, with the target of achieving 100% by 2035. With such a scalable challenge, this systematic research aims to identify and classify OSC adoption barriers, whether modular, volumetric, or panelised construction, by synthesising existing research studies. Through the analysis of 48 research articles published from 2013 to 2023, the review identifies key barriers hindering OSC adoption in China. The five most frequent barriers are as follows: lack of skills and expertise in OSC within organisations, absence of design codes and national standards for prefabrication, poor cooperation and integration among stakeholders in the supply chain, immature regulatory systems, and complexity in OSC project management. Trends in barrier prevalence by publication year are also discussed to highlight changes in research focus and to inform recommendations for future work that could support greater uptake of OSC in China
Redefining the (academic) author: investigating the Research Excellence Framework and teacher education research
Full text linkThis short communication presents the preliminary outcomes of an ongoing project exploring how initial teacher education research features in the UK’s 5–7 yearly national research assessment exercise, Research Excellence Framework (REF). Most recently, REF has reported in 2014 and 2021. Using a novel sampling method and analytic approach, we found that for REF2014, just 5.5% of outputs submitted by our sample of higher education institutions (HEIs) had a focus on initial teacher education (pre-service). A similar analysis of the same sample of HEIs for the REF2021 showed that, at 5.7%, this proportion was virtually unchanged. The consequences of this for a research-informed profession are discussed
Redefining markets for multi-sided platforms in the digital economy: EU’s latest Notice
No full textIn February 2024, the European Commission released a revised Market Definition Notice (Notice 2024) to address new market dynamics influenced by digitalisation and modern delivery methods for goods and services. The Notice 2024 includes a dedicated section on multi-sided platforms (s.4.4) and, for the first time, provides market definition guidance for those platforms in the European Union (EU). Multi-sided platforms, like online marketplaces connecting buyers and sellers or operating systems linking end-users with developers, generate value by serving distinct customer groups whose interactions benefit each other. The rise of multi-sided platforms, fuelled by technology and the internet, requires a nuanced market definition as traditional methods struggle to accurately identify the relevant market for them because of their unique economic models.
On the basis of the above, the presentation first explores the features of single-sided, two-sided, and multi-sided platforms and explains why the traditional market definition has been ineffective for multi-sided platforms. It then examines how Notice 2024 incorporates lessons from past cases, recognising that the Commission may define a single market for the platform as a whole or separate markets for each side based on substitution differences while also emphasising the importance of network effects. Finally, the presentation examines how the Notice 2024 aligns with the evolving EU acquis, considering its adaptability to regulatory developments and its role in shaping market definitions amid the changing digital landscape
Beyond representation: a conversation with Jummy Faruq on decentring puppetry practice and design
No full textJummy Faruq is a puppeteer, theatre-maker, and facilitator based in the UK. They are the founder of Puppetry Creatives of Colour UK, who hosted their inaugural retreat in January 2022. Tobi Poster-Su is a puppeteer, theatre-maker, and researcher exploring puppetry and racialization. Since early 2021, Jummy and Tobi have conducted an extended conversation over Zoom and WhatsApp about puppetry, race, and their respective practice-based research. On 14 September 2021, Tobi sat down with Jummy to discuss the culmination of a year-long Arts Council England funded research and development (R&D) project working with Mafwa theatre and Shantona Women’s Centre to produce puppets and run workshops rooted within local communities of color. The discussion has been edited for length and clarity
A real American wife, a Japanese object: critical puppetry and the construction of the Orient in Anthony Minghella’s Madam Butterfly
No full textIn Anthony Minghella and English National Opera’s (ENO) celebrated production of Madam Butterfly , three men manipulate the small, fragile bodies of Cio-Cio-San (also known as Madam Butterfly) and her child, Sorrow. Both characters are Japanese or part-Japanese, and both are portrayed, at least in part, by puppets, with white American characters all portrayed by human beings. These puppets were built and originally manipulated by the British company Blind Summit, who drew on the traditional Japanese form of ningyō jōruri (commonly and hereafter referred to as bunraku). In this chapter, I argue that the use of bunraku-inspired puppetry, while lending Minghella’s production a notional sense of cultural authenticity, may also function to reinforce and reify the exoticizing and imperialist gaze present in the original source material. Conversely, I assert that even as the use of puppetry functions to further perpetuate Orientalist constructions of East-Asia, it simultaneously destabilizes and makes visible these constructions in fruitful and interesting ways
The re-return to office - balancing "expectations, culture and flexibility"
No full textWe don't necessarily have to stay between fully in-office and fully remote work. For example, Mark Zuckerberg is embracing hybrid models that provide flexibility and face-to-face collaboration. Now, the research that can support this came from the Chartered Management Institute (2024), companies that successfully implement hybrid work strategies can maintain productivity and loyalty by focusing on structured team meetings, shared office spaces and flexible working hours. (Haas. M, 2023; Jll.co.uk, 2024)
Leadership plays a key role here, of course. John Dore (2024) talked about a management style called "glue leadership". Glue leaders are leaders who strengthen the sense of belonging with autonomy, active listening and different interaction strategies. A completely justified prediction because research shows that leaders who prioritize employee well-being, build trust and offer adaptable work policies see higher employee satisfaction and loyalty (CMI, 2024).
Mandating RTO could have some implications: While some businesses may be able to successfully enforce their preferred workplace culture, many run the risk of alienating staff members, decreasing engagement, and losing talent to more accommodating employers (Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, 2025). This would lead depersonalisation, less involvement with people. Therefore, CEO’s must be aware of that employees need to be supported prior and later on just after transition. At this point, I am thinking alnd inviting you to be more critical the main reason of RTO. It's critical to recognise the distinction between profiting from getting people back to the office and merely having the financial means to do so (due to your position, influence, or market share, or the waning of competing offerings in a soft market). Is it done because of employers’ range of selection is over genuine market needs and operational reasons.
I do not expect RTO will make a change productivity and engagement overnight. Imagine a magic wand that make pressumbally insufficient employees who come to office and make more creative and productive. Even this would be backlash with more quiet quitting phenomena.
It's hard to find a prescription or paracetamol that will do everything right. In fact, all that needs to be done is for management to find a solution that suits its own situation, perhaps using a hybrid model. While remote working increases autonomy, hybrid models allow for structured collaboration, thus preserving both productivity and company culture (Journal of Business Economics, 2023).
The return to office debate isn’t just about where we work. It’s about how to build culture, foster collaboration, and adapt to changing expectations. There’s no one-size-fits-all problem solutions. Companies must find a balance that prioritizes business success while respecting employee needs.
As we look ahead, we need to ask ourselves: How can we rethink work in a post-pandemic world? How can we keep our workplaces innovative, inclusive, and effective? Let’s continue this conversation, collaborate, and shape the future of work together
Who should wake coyote? The role of ‘exemplary stories’ in a time of climate change
Full text linkThis article explores Lucy Wright and Joseph Beuys’ creative engagements with folklore and traditional knowledge. It considers the degree to which these European artists’ work might mitigate or promote resilience to the impacts of climate change globally. If there is potential to be gained from engaging creatively with folklore to support more sustainable life ways, who has the right to do this and what are the potential challenges around this kind of work? While recognising that intangible cultural heritage traditions often display vital human interconnections with local landscapes, such that their protection may also constitute a form of environmental protection, it asks whether supporting, or perhaps rather shifting European reactions to climate change need always be achieved with reference to European folklore, or whether trans-continental work may also be valuable. Reflecting on the Anthropocene, the article asks how it frames, supports, elides or limits action on climate change. It then turns to indigenous stories of coyote as exemplary stories, pedagogical narratives which initiate creative processes of personal and collective interpretation and guide people to a sustainable relationship with their environment. Finally, it draws on Randazzo and Richter's recent work to consider how such traditions might be turned to in ethical ways to critique the Anthropocene thesis, opening up other possible ways to support ongoing life on earth