Obituary

It is with great regret that we announce the death of Gregory Buckland-Smith known to so many of us in ICEM simply as ‘Buck’. He was educated at London University and the Royal Military College of Science. After qualifying he contributed to many journals, particularly in the educational field. On the outbreak of war he joined the army and spent much of his time working on radar. When the war ended he worked with the Foreign Office in Germany as Head of the Films Division. As early as 1945 he was reorganising schools radio in Germany and playing a leading role in the re-establishment of the Institut fur Film und Bild. These were early days in film making also, with films such as ‘A School in Cologne’ and ‘Berlin Looks to the West’. ‘Buck’ also made many friends during this period in Germany and in other countries and was involved with ICEM virtually from the beginning. He was one of our very few honorary members.     

Chronicling educator practices and experiences in the context of democratic schooling and quality education in South Africa

An interview-based qualitative study was undertaken to explore the experiences and practices of educators in providing democratic schooling as a way of delivering quality education for learners in schools. The exploration looked at educators’ understandings of the concept of democracy in schools, their understanding of the concept quality education and whether there is any link between democratic schooling and quality education. The findings suggest that there is a perceived link between democracy in schools and the delivery of quality education for learners, even though there are tensions and contradictions in democratising schools.     

Developing efficient search strategies to identify reports of adverse effects in MEDLINE and EMBASE

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the performance, in terms of sensitivity and precision, of different approaches to searching MEDLINE and EMBASE to identify studies of adverse effects. METHODS: Five approaches to searching for adverse effects evidence were identified: approach 1, using specified adverse effects; approach 2, using subheadings/qualifiers; approach 3, using text words; approach 4, using indexing terms; approach 5, searching for specific study designs. The sensitivity and precision of these five approaches, and combinations of these approaches, were compared in a case study using a systematic review of the adverse effects of seven anti-epileptic drugs. RESULTS: The most sensitive search strategy in MEDLINE (97.0%) required a combination of terms for specified adverse effects, floating subheadings, and text words for 'adverse effects'. In EMBASE, a combination of terms for specified adverse effects and text words for 'adverse effects' provided the most sensitive search strategy (98.6%). Both these search strategies yielded low precision (2.8%). CONCLUSIONS: A highly sensitive search in either database requires a combination of approaches, and has low precision. This suggests that better reporting and indexing of adverse effects is required and that an effective generic search filter may not yet be feasible.     

First- and second-generation design and engineering students: experience,attainment and factors influencing them to attend university

Challenges for students who are ‘first-in-family’ to attend university have been discussed within widening participation discourse. However, in the UK, ‘first-in-family’ or first-generation students have frequently been conflated with those experiencing poverty or from lower socio-economic groups. This research integrated survey data with assessment data from final-year design and engineering students in a UK university to examine students’ attainment, the influences on why students decide to attend university and students’ experiences during their degree programmes. Analysis of the data showed variations in the reasons for first- and second-generation students wanting to go to university, particularly a significant difference in the influence of parents. First-generation students described significantly less parental influence on the decision to attend university than second- or subsequent-generation students. Smaller differences in students’ experiences and attainment in university were also noted. Whilst first-generation students reported differences in study habits, their attainment was, on average, marginally higher than that of their peers. Building on others’ theoretical work, which suggests the importance of social capital within higher education (HE), this research highlights the difference in social influences on both university application and expectations of university for those with and without a family history of tertiary education. Further research is needed to explore, in larger samples, whether the social influences on individuals’ perception of HE are in turn shaped by whether or not their parents attended university, and further, what impact this may have, not only on degree outcomes but also on the broader benefits typically associated with graduate experience.