Participating in action research on a health promotion project: a reflection

A manager of the Out-Patient Department at Delancey Assessment and Rehabilitation Hospital, a semi-acute/acute unit specialising in assessment and rehabilitation for patients of all ages, attended a conference which led to the opportunity to participate in an action research project. Using a ‘tool’ devised by a team from South Bank University, it was hoped to monitorthe health promotion work done in the hospital and to demonstrate how this could be developed. The tool was used with groups of nurse students as a reflection aid during their Unit 3 (mental health/psychological needs) and Unit 4 (elderly care) placements. Using the tool gave structure to the sessions, enabling shortcomings to be highlighted and future plans to be formulated. It also demonstrated the way the students were starting to think about health promotion. Participation in the action research resulted in health promotion being introduced to a planned programme for students in clinical placements, which in turn increased their awareness and raised its profile throughout the hospital. The revised planned programme will be adapted for the longer placements now part of the student nurse curriculum and will include more practical experience of health promotion. Also, the implementation of training sessions for other grades of staff plus other disciplines will continue.     

Dreaming of ‘nowhere’: A co-autoethnographic exploration of Utopia-dystopia in the academy

Abstract

In this postformal co-autoethnographic research, the authors explore the changing landscape of American research universities from their respective locations as mid-career, post-tenure critical pedagogy scholars. By using autobiographical narratives in parallel with a running discussion of rodent habits and habitats, they explore the influence of Enlightenment humanism and Western epistemology in a) forming ‘the academy’ as an institution, and b) regulating how research and knowledge production are taken up within a rapidly neoliberalizing context. They recalibrate their ‘theories of change’ to recast critical researchers and critical pedagogy in relation to a volatile and hostile institutional context. By moving away from progress narratives of education for social change, the authors posit that critical pedagogy and critical research can be thought of as akin to ‘wayfinding,’ providing guidance, direction and reprieve while within the disorienting and violent flux of neoliberalization.     

Bourdieu, 'Habitus', and Educational Research: Is it all worth the candle?

A recent critique of educational research published by the Office of Standards in Education has declared, largely on the basis of research reported in this journal, that Bourdieu- and particularly the concept of habitus- appears to have little to offer educational research. This proposition is considered in a critical evaluation of the origin of habitus in Bourdieu's work and its ability to fulfil its theoretical functions. It is concluded that there is no serious alternative but for those whose task it is to provide scientific accounts of social processes to engage with the concepts of disciplined thought - including that of Bourdieu.     

Simultaneous discrimination learning: Stimulus interactions

Although considerable attention has been given to interactions between events serving as the positive (S+) and negative (S−) stimuli in successive discriminations, there has been little study of similar interactions in simultaneous discriminations. We propose that in a simultaneous discrimination, given what is typically relatively little experience with the consequences of responding to the S−, some of the value of the S+ transfers to the S− with which it was paired. Furthermore, the mechanisms responsible for this transfer of value appear to be the higher order Pavlovian association between the S− and the S+, as well as within-event associations between them. Although in typical simultaneous discriminations, negative value does not appear to transfer from the S− to the S+, when adequate experience is provided with the S−, contrast typically develops, reducing the value of the S− (negative contrast) and enhancing the value of the S+ (positive contrast). This model of stimulus interactions has implications not only for simple simultaneous discrimination learning, but also for research using combinations of discriminations (e.g., transitive inference in animals and humans). This model may also have implications for a number of human social psychological phenomena.     

Using social stories to decrease aggression and increase positive peer interactions in normally developing pre‐school children

Social stories have been widely used for children with autism and developmental delays; however, little research has been conducted that examines their effectiveness with pre‐school children who have no developmental delays. The present study investigated this previously undocumented use of social stories. Social stories were used to decrease aggression and improve positive peer relations in a Head Start pre‐school setting. Participants included three four‐year‐old pre‐school students. A single‐subject, ABC multiple baseline design with counterbalanced treatment order was implemented where social stories were compared to a neutral book. Direct observations and pre‐ and post‐Behaviour Assessment System for Children‐2 (BASC‐2) Teacher Rating Scale (TRS) scores were examined. Results revealed some support for the usefulness of social stories in this setting and with this population. Limitations of the study are discussed and directions for future research are provided.     

Three pathways to support the professional and career development of casual academics

Almost half of current academic staff will need to be replaced within three years in the Australian academic workforce. Literature suggests that casual academics are a potential solution, yet they are frequently excluded from the career development opportunities that would allow them to fulfil an ongoing academic role. Most academic development programmes designed for and delivered to casual academics are constructed by academic developers with little or no input from casual academics themselves. This paper documents what casual academics determine to be their academic development needs and how they could be addressed using three pathways of professional and career development.     

Lessons Learned from a Predominantly Latinx Autistic Population: Preliminary Effects of the PEERS Intervention on Neural and Perceived Educational Performance

Thirteen autistic teens, who were predominantly Latinx, completed the Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS), a 16-week social skills intervention. Time-frequency decomposition was calculated using advanced electroencephalographic techniques to measure oscillatory brain activity during reward anticipation and processing before and after PEERS. Fourteen neurotypical teens participated but did not receive intervention. The perception of educational performance was also measured. The perception of educational performance did not differ between groups and did not change after participation in PEERS. Approach motivation increased after intervention in the autistic group. This suggests an enhancement of social motivation after learning social skills in a group composed of a majority of Latinx autistic teens.     

Positioning Mentoring as a Coach Development Tool: Recommendations for Future Practice and Research

Current thinking in coach education advocates mentoring as a development tool to connect theory and practice. However, little empirical evidence exists to evaluate the effectiveness of mentoring as a coach development tool. Business, education, and nursing precede the coaching industry in their mentoring practice, and research findings offered in these domains could be drawn upon to position mentoring as sports coaching development tool. Given the remote basis of some of mentor–coach relationships in sports coaching, additional learning can be drawn from mentoring conducted by virtual or electronic mediums. This article concludes with a series of reflective questions arising from research findings in other domains, designed to engage the potential coaching organization with the mentoring process.