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ANTI-RECURRENCE SEQUENCES
Get PDFWe extend the work of Kimberling and Moses, Zaslavsky, and Bosma et al. on anti-recurrence sequences. Kimberling and Moses formulated several questions about these sequences, which together suggest the meta-conjecture that every antirecurrence sequence is the sum of a linear progression and an automatic sequence. We solve this conjecture under a restriction on the linear form that generates the anti-recurrence
Scaling the mountain of consciousness?
No full textThe article explores the development of consciousness through various psychological and spiritual frameworks, highlighting the parallels between different traditions and the concept of a perennial philosophy. It discusses stage-based models of consciousness, such as those proposed by Kegan, Piaget, and Maslow, which illustrate a progression from ego-centric to more expansive states of awareness. The text also examines various strategies for enhancing well-being and consciousness, including mindfulness, social support, and physical activity, while acknowledging the diverse and individualized nature of these practices. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of understanding altered states of consciousness and their potential impact on personal development and societal well-being. The author is conducting a study to gather insights on consciousness development experiences and practices from a non-clinical populatio
Mind-Size Bites, Macro Impact: A Research-Based Framework for Experiential Learning in Online Microlearning Targeting Mental Health Counsellors
Get PDFThis study explores the role of online microlearning in synchronous remote sessions for mental health counsellor education. It examines how microlearning supports the creation of Personal Learning Environments (PLEs), enhances motivation and Self-Regulated Learning (SRL), and improves learning outcomes through experiential and collaborative activities. Using a quantitative approach, data were collected from 112 postgraduate students. The results indicate strong learner agreement that microlearning improves comprehension, motivation, and interactive engagement, which are key factors for effective PLEs and SRL. Statistical analysis revealed strong correlations between microlearning design features (personalisation, interactivity, modularity) and outcomes such as autonomy and motivation. The paper concludes with a research-based framework for designing inclusive and interactive microlearning experiences in distance education, offering practical insights for professional disciplines requiring reflective practice and autonomy
Tackling Undercare: Towards Wellbeing and Care in Academia through Collaborative Writing.
No full textIntensified workloads, uncertain career prospects and the hyper-competitive landscape of higher education are impacting the wellbeing of students and academics. Scholars have reported on a climate of stress and anxiety (Barry et al, 2018, Nicholls et al, 2022), growing inequality in access to resources and opportunities (Oliver and Morris, 2022) and increases in burnout (Stoten, 2023). While the safeguarding of wellbeing has been a core principle of national guidance (BERA, 2018, 2024), institutional actions to mitigate harm are falling short, with minoritized scholars disproportionately affected (Lahiri-Roy and Martinussen, 2024). Despite the latest updates to national guidance encouraging universities and other sponsors to employ ethics of care for researchers, researcher wellbeing is mostly constrained to a remit of protection from physical and psychological harm in the course of fieldwork [paragraph 82] . Paragraph 82 advises that safeguarding the physical and psychological wellbeing of researchers is part of the employers and sponsors, as well as of researchers themselves.
Yet academics grapple with a wide range of challenges that impact their safety and wellbeing without institutional support (Elmgren, Forserg, Geshwind, 2016) [paragraph 83]. Although paragraph 83 emphasises that employers are also responsible for supporting researchers’ personal and professional career development, amidst a climate of massification, marketisation and managerialism, a ‘hurried, mechanical, assembly-line’ (Ulmer, 2017: 201) approach to academic writing has become a norm in higher education. This production of academic writing is now a source of unprecedented pressure, especially for students and academics early in their career and on precarious contracts (Read and Leathwood, 2021). In the environment of publish or perish, Nyggard writes, ‘there seems to be more perishing than publishing for the majority of researching academics’ (2015: 519) as scholarly writing alienates academics, and individualises academic labour and knowledge production (Campbell, Floristán Millán, Wolf, Thornton, and Riva, 2024). These tensions around scholarly writing highlight the endemic undercare in academia and the need for ‘more care-full institutional cultures’ (aker and Burke, 2023: 231).
In this chapter, we write as the Posthumanist Collective - an interdisciplinary research group formed in 2020 at a large public university in the UK by doctoral students and early career researchers- to collectively address a set of ethical dilemmas related to scholarly writing. We explore how writing together can challenge normative institutional practices of care and illustrate the possibilities and tensions of caring otherwise when writing. Enacting care otherwise through, in and around collaborative scholarly writing, we argue here, is an important step towards ‘becoming well’ (McPhie, 2019: 300) as a community in academia
Children still exposed to high rates of unhealthy food advertising in Austria - Does self-regulation work?
Get PDFObjective:
To assess the exposure of Austrian children to TV HFSS food and beverage ads and identify changes in HFSS food advertising after the implementation of self-regulatory measures of marketing restriction.
Design:
All ads shown on five popular TV channels for Austrian children/teenagers were coded over four days (360 hours) using the WHO TV Monitoring Protocol, to identify food/beverage marketing, marketing strategies, target audience, and presence in peak viewing times. Nutrient analysis was performed using Nutrient Profile Models (NPMs) which classify foods as permitted or not permitted for marketing to children: WHO EURO NPM for international comparability and Austria’s NPM for local regulatory compliance. Results were compared with pre-regulatory Austrian TV monitoring data.
Setting:
Austria.
Participants:
None.
Results:
Of 9099 ads captured, 17.0% were for foods and beverages. Most promoted products not permitted for marketing to children according to WHO EURO NPM (81.8%) and Austria’s NPM (83.8%). On all channels, the advertising rate for food ads rose throughout the day, culminating during child/teen peak viewing times in the evening. A mix of marketing strategies and persuasive appeals was used; emotional themes (e.g. friendship, holidays, enjoyment) were more common in not permitted ads, compared to permitted ads. Not permitted ads featured elements appealing to children/teenagers significantly more often than permitted ads.
Conclusions:
Despite self-regulatory measures of marketing restriction, children and teenagers in Austria are still exposed to a high number of advertisements for HFSS foods using impactful emotional marketing strategies on TV. To protect children from this influence, further regulations are called for
“I want to help, but I’m not always sure how”: What tutors taught us about supporting students with declared dyslexia
No full textAcross higher education (HE) in the United Kingdom (UK), the number of students declaring dyslexia and other Specific Learning Differences (SpLD) continues to rise.
According to Norfolk (2022) in some large faculties within the Open University (OU), nearly 28% of learners declare a SpLD.
While these figures matter, the human stories behind them matter even more
The Open University ITE Partnership in Wales
No full textThis short case study provides an overview of the sustainability-related commitment and content of the PGCE Programme delivered by The Open University Initial Teacher Education Partnership in Wales. Education reform in Wales includes the implementation of the Curriculum for Wales and one of the four purposes of this curriculum is for learners to become ethically informed citizens. Since the launch of the PGCE programme in 2020 there has been strong evidence of the impacts of sustainability / environmental education for the PGCE. Many student teachers focus professional enquiries on sustainability-related topics and they contribute to environmental issues during their school placements. The application of immersive technology means different classroom environments can be experienced without having to travel to schools. There is an expectation that future citizens have the skills to tackle problems with creative solutions – and a well-informed teacher workforce is critical to support this
Translanguaging in English Medium Instruction Classrooms: A Qualitative Research Synthesis of Perceptions, Practices, and Pathways to Equity, Inclusion, and Epistemic Justice
Get PDFRecent scholarship on bilingualism calls for an emphasis on translanguaging practices. Understanding these practices is essential to translanguaging pedagogy in an educational context such as English Medium Instruction (EMI). This qualitative research synthesis (QRS) set out to understand translanguaging practices in the EMI context from 2017 to 2024, with a focus on students’ and teachers’ perceptions of translanguaging, the affordances and limitations of translanguaging pedagogy, and translanguaging's ability to address epistemic injustice and educational inequity in EMI classrooms. For this QRS, we adopted Chong, S. W., and L. Plonsky’s (2021. “A Primer on Qualitative Research Synthesis in TESOL.” TESOL Quarterly 55 (3): 1024–1034) methodological framework and Chong’s, S. W. (2025. “Synthesis Methods and Reporting Tool (SMART) for Research Syntheses in Applied Linguistics.” Research Synthesis in Applied Linguistics:1–22) Synthesis Methods and Reporting Tool (SMART) to guide our methodological and reporting practices. We have extracted data from the 22 primary studies. The grounded theory approach was employed to synthesise the raw data and the interpreted findings. Results suggest that students and teachers perceived translanguaging as a transformative, innovative and holistic pedagogy in the EMI context. However, there are some limitations of employing translanguaging in EMI classrooms, such as English-only policy, linguistic inequality, and assessment complexity. Additionally, some studies recognised translanguaging as a pedagogical practice to foster educational equity and promote epistemic justice. Recommendations for future research on translanguaging are provided
In Granny’s Memory: Poetic inquiry of women’s embodied lives, and the inheritance of care
Get PDFThis paper seeks to continue unravelling the grandparent-grandchild relationship as an embodied, intergenerational process through which social and historical lives are carried forward. Using poetic inquiry, I attend to “bits and pieces” that connect a grandmother, mother, daughter, and granddaughter, not just as data to be collected, but as moments the researcher inhabits through relational encounters. These fragments of memory surface unexpectedly, making generational continuity visible, felt, and unavoidable. Poetic representation is employed as both a method and memory practice, attending to how a grandmother’s stories continue to live on after death as embodied inheritances
The Impact of Sustainability Orientation and Sustainability Challenges in SME Responses to Institutional Support
Get PDFSMEs receive increasing institutional support to embed sustainability, yet they vary widely in their ability to translate such support into practice. This study addresses this gap by examining the internal cognitive and strategic mechanism (sustainability orientation) through which managers interpret institutional support and the contextual pressures that shape this process. Drawing on institutional difference theory and the theory of reasoned action, which explains how managers' attitudes, norms, and perceived behavioral control shape sustainability intentions, we assess a moderated mediation model linking institutional support to sustainability practices through sustainability orientation, conditional on sustainability challenges. Using structural equation modelling (SEM) on survey data from 342 UK SMEs, we find that sustainability orientation significantly mediates the support-practice relationship, while sustainability challenges amplify the direct effect of support on practice but do not moderate the effect of support on orientation. We further validate the 4Ps framework (People, Planet, Profit, Purpose), demonstrating Purpose as a distinct dimension reflecting long-term societal alignment and regenerative intent. The study advances sustainable entrepreneurship theory by integrating structural, cognitive, and contextual mechanisms shaping SME sustainability adoption