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Childing: an ecopedagogy of refusal
Get PDFThis paper dwells upon what was agitated in a research methods workshop that invited postgraduate researchers to take seriously materiality, movement, bodies and affect - as a starting place to explore how ecopedagogies might become both more capacious and creative. We explored ways to contemplate how generating knowledge - about education and worldly relationalities to environments – might be pursued in less familiar ways. The workshop began with a brief introduction to the praxis of ‘childing’ (Kohan & Kennedy, 2008; Osgood, 2023; Osgood, et al 2023) that encouraged a willingness to embrace uncertainty, speculation and curiosity. This mode of pedagogy actively displaces more recognisable conventions that are typically in search of representation, knowability, linearity and solutions. The workshop introduced participants to a range of feminist theories and philosophies but Haraway’s (1991) invitation to: 'serious play', go visiting, and to engage in a praxis that might reorient both thought and practice became central. This paper dwells upon and amongst what was agitated through the workshop and how embracing this mode of enquiry resonates across disciplinary boundaries and has lasting affects – that can shift what we might understand by ‘environment’, ‘sustainability’, ‘child’ and ‘pedagogy'
Introducing distributed ledger security into system specifications with the Isabelle RR-cycle
Get PDFWe present an approach to developing secure system speci- fications for IoT systems with decentralized data using the Refinement- Risk cycle (RR-cycle), a method for security engineering implemented in the proof assistant Isabelle. The RR-cycle enables interleaving attack analysis with system refinement using rigorous machine assisted proof in Isabelle to scrutinize and refine system specifications until security requirements are met. We illustrate this approach by a case study of a privacy critical scenario by refining it with a distributed ledger. The case study is motivated by the IoT project SUCCESS on security and pri- vacy of healthcare IoT applications. We briefly summarize the RR-cycle method before focusing on its application of identifying a privacy attack that leads to a security refinement introducing the distributed ledger
FedREVAN: real-time detection of vulnerable Android source code through federated neural network with XAI
Get PDFAdhering to security best practices during the development of Android applications is of paramount importance due to the high prevalence of apps released without proper security measures. While automated tools can be employed to address vulnerabilities during development, they may prove to be inadequate in terms of detecting vulnerabilities. To address this issue, a federated neural network with XAI, named FedREVAN, has been proposed in this study. The initial model was trained on the LVDAndro dataset and can predict potential vulnerabilities with a 96% accuracy and 0.96 F1-Score for binary classification. Moreover, in case the code is vulnerable, FedREVAN can identify the associated CWE category with 93% accuracy and 0.91 F1-Score for multi-class classification. The initial neural network model was released in a federated environment to enable collaborative training and enhancement with other clients. Experimental results demonstrate that the federated neural network model improves accuracy by 2% and F1-Score by 0.04 in multi-class classification. XAI is utilised to present the vulnerability detection results to developers with prediction probabilities for each word in the code. The FedREVAN model has been integrated into an API and further incorporated into Android Studio to provide real-time vulnerability detection. The FedREVAN model is highly efficient, providing prediction probabilities for one code line in an average of 300 milliseconds
The role of UK alcohol and drug (AOD) nurses in a changing workforce
Get PDFBackground: This paper presents the findings from an exploratory study on alcohol and other drugs (AOD) nurses’ views on current career opportunities and challenges and on how their role has been affected by clinical and structural changes in service delivery.
Methods: The paper is based on qualitative interviews with a purposive sample of twelve AOD nurses in the UK. A narrative approach to interviewing aimed to encourage emergence of new insights and suggest theories for future examination. Interview domains were informed by the research team’s knowledge of AOD nursing and by themes from published literature. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and coded and a reflexive thematic analysis was conducted.
Results: Key themes emerging focused on the growth, advantages, and challenges of non-medical prescribing (NMP), and the impact on AOD nursing of changes in workforce structures and environments. The findings indicate considerable doubts about career opportunities for nurses in AOD services although NMP may offer some limited routes to career advancement.
Conclusions: Some long-standing issues around the identity and professional status of AOD nurses persist and current clinical and structural changes have created a “liminal space” within which the nursing role and AOD nurse identity are disrupted and in transition
How does assessment drive learning? A focus on students' development of evaluative judgement
Get PDFSummative assessment is often considered a motivator that drives students’ learning. Higher education has a responsibility in promoting lifelong learning and assessment plays an important role in supporting students’ capability to make evaluative judgements about their work and that of others. However, as research often focuses on formal pedagogical design, it is unclear what behaviours summative assessment prompts, thus the relationship between summative assessment, learning and evaluative judgement requires further investigation. Drawing on a small-scale ethnography-informed study, this paper adopts a practice theory approach to explore how undergraduate physics students from three year levels make evaluative judgements in the context of summative assessment tasks. The contexts explored through observations and interviews include a graded in-class tutorial, an out-of-class study group for an in-semester assignment, and individual preparation for examinations. The findings suggest that while summative assessment is a crucial aspect of students’ learning context, it does not fully shape students’ practices. Instead, students engage in incidental conversations about the quality of their work and how to do things in their studies. By focusing on what students actually do, this study integrates formal and informal aspects of students’ learning, highlighting the tensions between undergraduate practices and intended learning outcomes
Topical application of L-Menthol – Physiological and genetic considerations to assist in developing female athlete research: A narrative review
Get PDFL-menthol is a cyclic monoterpene derived from aromatic plants, which gives a cooling sensation upon application. With this in mind, L-menthol is beginning to be considered as a potential ergogenic aid for exercise and sporting competitions, particularly in hot environments, however female-specific research is lacking. The aim of this narrative review is to summarize available literature relating to topical application of L-menthol and provide commentary on avenues of consideration relating to future research developments of topical L-menthol in female athletes. From available studies in male participants, L-menthol topical application results in no endurance exercise performance improvements, however decreases in thermal sensation are observed. Mixed results are observed within strength performance parameters. Several genetic variations and single nucleotide polymorphisms have been identified in relation to sweat production, fluid loss and body mass changes – factors which may influence topical application of L-menthol. More specifically to female athletes, genetic variations relating to sweat responses and skin thickness, phases of the menstrual cycle, and body composition indices may affect the ergogenic effects of L-menthol topical application, via alterations in thermogenic responses, along with differing tissue distribution compared to their male counterparts. This narrative review concludes that further development of female athlete research and protocols for topical application of L-menthol is warranted due to physiological and genetic variations. Such developments would benefit research and practitioners alike with further personalized sport science strategies around phases of the menstrual cycle and body composition indices, with a view to optimize ergogenic effects of L-menthol
Book review: Derron Wallace, The culture trap: ethnic expectations and unequal schooling for Black youth
No full textBook review of:
Derron Wallace - The Culture Trap: Ethnic Expectations and Unequal Schooling for Black Youth
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2023, £64 hbk (ISBN: 9780197531464), 296 pp
Effects of plyometric jump training on measures of physical fitness and lower-limb asymmetries in prepubertal male soccer players: a randomized controlled trial
Get PDFBackground:
High level of physical fitness is a paramount soccer performance factor. As such, developing key components of physical fitness such as sprinting, jumping, and change of direction (CoD) at an early age empowers both short- and long-term performance success. Although previous research in prepubertal male soccer players has reported physical fitness performance enhancements following plyometric jump training (PJT), the effects on inter-limb asymmetries remain unclear.
Objective:
To assess the effects of PJT on measures of physical fitness and inter-limb asymmetries in prepubertal male soccer players.
Methods:
A total of 27 participants were recruited, and randomly assigned to either a PJT group (n = 13; age = 12.7±0.2 years; maturity offset = -1.6±0.7) or an active control group (CG) (n = 14; age = 11.8±0.4 years; maturity offset = -2.51±0.61). The training intervention lasted eight-week and was conducted during the in-season period, with twice-weekly sessions. Physical fitness tests were conducted before and after the intervention, including the 505 change-of-direction (CoD; [505 CoD test]), countermovement-jump (CMJ) height, standing-long-jump (SLJ) distance, and single-leg hop test for distance with dominant (SHTD-D) and non-dominant legs (SHTD-ND). A jump-based asymmetry score was calculated as the difference between HTD and HTND.
Results:
ANCOVA analysis revealed significant between-group differences in all physical fitness measures at post-test. Specifically, the PJT group showed significant large improvements in CMJ height, SLJ distance, HTD and HTND, and CoD speed (d = 0.84 to 2.00; ∆1.05% to 16.85%). Moreover, the PJT group showed a significant, small reduction in the inter-limb asymmetry score (d=0.43; ∆-45.21%). In contrast, no significant changes were reported in the CG between pre-and post-tests (d=0.07 to 0.24; ∆0.21% to 0.98%).
Conclusions:
The incorporation of PJT into the training schedules of prepubertal male soccer players resulted in positive effects on various measures of physical fitness. Furthermore, our findings suggest that PJT can reduce lower-limb asymmetry, which could potentially decrease the risk of lower limb injuries
'Nobody left behind': barriers to engagement in early years digitally mediated leadership development
Get PDFThis research pinpoints the barriers UK early years (EY) leaders face in accessing digitally mediated leadership development. Furthermore, we consider initiatives to disrupt digital exclusion and ensure more equitable access to professional learning opportunities. The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic catalysed an upsurge in the use of digitally mediated professional learning in the UK EY sector. While digital mediation has proven useful in delivering EY leadership development programmes, this article considers who has access to these programmes and who is left behind. Through an inductive thematic analysis applied to 24 qualitative case studies with UK EY training providers, underpinned by the multilevel intersectionality model created by Núñez (2014), we consider how digital exclusion operates through socioeconomic status, geography and race within the sector. Based on this, we emphasise the need for the sector to disrupt these inequities by enacting bottom-up and top-down initiatives to foster digital inclusion across EY
Data-driven decisions: a conceptual framework for integrating educational data mining in professional bodies
No full textThis thesis investigates the transformative potential of Educational Data Mining (EDM) in shaping educational landscapes and enhancing student outcomes. Focused on a comprehensive exploration, the research delves into multiple dimensions of EDM, addressing critical areas such as student dropout prediction, identification of high-performing students, and the nuanced characteristics associated with academic excellence. The overarching goal is to provide actionable insights for institutions and educators, facilitating informed decision-making in areas like student recruitment, course success prediction, and fostering sustainability and equity in higher education. In doing so, the study contributes insights into how institutions can strategically refine their recruitment processes, identify and nurture key attributes of high-performing students, adopt robust and interpretable EDM methodologies for predicting academic success, and leverage EDM to ensure their approaches align with principles of inclusivity, equity, and sustainability.
The study formulates specific research questions, exploring how institutions can make strategic decisions during recruitment, the key attributes defining high-performing students, methodologies employed in EDM for student identification, and the predictive power of emphasizing sustainability and equity in educational practices. The findings contribute to the development of a robust conceptual framework that serves as a practical guide for institutions offering professional qualifications outside the traditional university model. This framework is designed to empower institutions to harness the full potential of EDM, ensuring its effective integration into diverse aspects of educational practices. The research employs a time-based sampling method, concentrating on a case study of an organization, spanning the years 2017 to 2022. The global scope of the study involves a dataset of approximately 150,000 registrants. The inclusion of diverse criteria such as gender, age, location, and exemption status enhance the representativeness of the dataset. However, it is acknowledged that certain limitations may arise due to potential data gaps, especially in older repositories.
The literature review undertaken in this thesis encompasses studies related to the identification of high achieving students, the exploration of characteristics contributing to student success, evaluation of predictive models, and an examination of the role of EDM in fostering sustainability and equity in education. The conceptual framework visually represents the workflow of the study, addressing key components such as streamlining student intake, identifying high-performing students, methodologies for achiever identification, and the pivotal role of EDM in promoting sustainability.
The thesis concludes by summarising key findings drawn from an extensive analysis of anonymised student data, emphasizing the importance of factors such as first exam performance, persistence, and preparedness in student success. It underscores the evolving dynamics of student progression revealed through EDM insights, providing a nuanced understanding that can guide educational institutions towards more effective practices and outcomes