A Fresh Start for a ‘failing school’? A qualitative study

This paper examines Fresh Start, a New Labour flagship initiative to raise education ‘standards’ in a radical and innovative way. Drawing on a qualitative study of a comprehensive school in England, I argue that the initiative added to the problems faced by the ‘failing school’ and promoted rather traditional ways of raising ‘standards’ due to the close surveillance that Fresh Start schools were subjected to. In the case studied, the needs of the pupils that the initiative was meant to address were being sacrificed in the school's construction of a ‘successful’ identity. While the initiative has now lost momentum, some lessons can still be learnt. This paper illustrates the complexity of creating a new school, as well as the need to attend to the specificities of the local context and experiences in raising ‘standards for all’ pupils.     

Effectiveness of antigraffiti treatments in connection with penetration depth determined by different techniques

The elimination of spray paint using traditional (chemical and mechanical) methods inevitably entails altering surface characteristics. Hence, the impact and deterioration caused by graffiti in heritage buildings and monuments have led to the development and application of preventive systems in the form of antigraffiti coatings (which prevent paint from seeping into the pores of the surface material and facilitate cleaning). The effectiveness of two of these treatments, a commercial product (fluoroalkyl siloxane, protectosil, marketed by Degussa) and a hybrid organic-inorganic material (Ormosil), was evaluated in five construction materials (limestone, granite, cement mortar, lime mortar and brick), in terms of their penetration into the substrate. A number of techniques were used to determine the penetration depth (SEM/EDX, micro-Raman and LIBS), because a comparative analysis showed that none was universally valid for all types of treatments. The results show that the presence of the coating on the surface of less porous materials only ensures effective cleaning when the surface is fairly smooth. In granite, for instance, the CF₃ terminals in the fluorinated treatment hinder spray paint bonding more effectively than Ormosil, but not efficiently enough to ensure complete removal of the paint from granite surfaces.     

Exploring the role of human capital,renewal capital and entrepreneurial capital in innovation performance in high-tech and low-tech firms

According to past research, intellectual capital (IC) is a key driver of innovation performance and subsequent competitive advantage. Given the human nature of innovation activities (i.e. human beings produce innovations), human capital (HC) deserves special attention. Although researchers in the past have analysed the HC–innovation linkage, we still do not have a detailed understanding of how specific human capabilities affect innovation. Furthermore, the technology level of the firm could generate major differences in the HC–innovation relationship as it influences both the type of knowledge prevalent within the company and the radicalness of the innovations developed. Nevertheless, former literature has largely omitted technology level when studying the IC–innovation linkage. To fill this research gap, this study examines the role of human attributes, including knowledge, skills and motivation (i.e. traditional HC), learning capability (i.e. renewal capital) and entrepreneurial attitude (i.e. entrepreneurial capital) on innovation in high-tech versus low-tech companies. To that end, survey data from 180 Spanish companies were analysed by means of structural equation modelling based on partial least squares. The results obtained confirm that the influence of HC, renewal capital and entrepreneurial capital on innovation differs depending on the technology level.     

A peer-mentoring scheme for immigrant students in English secondary schools: a support mechanism for promoting inclusion?

Immigration in Europe has increased rapidly over the last years. As a result, schools are accepting students arriving from other countries at various stages of the school year. This can be a challenging process both for students and for schools. This paper describes the introduction of a peer-mentoring scheme to support immigrant students in three English schools, which took part in a European Union funded project that involved five countries. Data from semi-structured interviews with mentors, mentees and facilitators were analysed and highlighted a number of positive impacts, such as getting support from mentors, making new friends and increased confidence both for mentors and mentees. However, it seems that the way that the programme was implemented in the English schools, focused only on the individual students, rather than having an impact on the whole school. The implications of such an approach in relation to inclusion are discussed.     

Die Umwegrentabilit?t einer Hochschule am Beispiel der FH JOANNEUM Campus Kapfenberg

Hochschulen verursachen nicht nur Kosten, sondern generieren auch einen erheblichen Nutzen, da sie Geld- und Güterstr?me zwischen der ?ffentlichen Hand, Privatpersonen und Unternehmen in Gang setzen. Daraus resultieren tangible (in Geldwerten messbare) und intangible (nicht in Geldwerten messbare) Effekte, die durch den Betrieb einer Hochschule entstehen. Diese Auswirkungen wurden für den Standort Kapfenberg der FH JOANNEUM erhoben. Aus der durchgeführten Analyse ergeben sich folgende Effekte: aus kurzfristiger Sichtweise flie?en j?hrlich fast 3,0 Mio. € der Region Bruck/Mur-Kapfenberg zu, der mittelfristig in der Region verbleibende Kaufkraftanteil betr?gt über 2,0 Mio. € und aus langfristiger Perspektive werden durch das Bestehen der FH JOANNEUM Campus Kapfenberg fast 3,6 Mio. € an zus?tzlichem Einkommen in der Region Bruck/Mur-Kapfenberg induziert. Daneben entstehen durch die Existenz einer Hochschule auch noch positive Effekte für eine Region, die nicht eindeutig quantifizierbar sind.     

Description of the finger mechanical load of climbers of different levels during different hand grips in sport climbing

Abstract

Currently, direct empirical evidence exists about the amount of mechanical load that climbers apply to each finger during several hand grips specific to sport climbing, but not yet in a specific hanging position.

The objectives of this study are a) to draw and build a solid and rigid support that simulates the real action of a hand grip in a hanging position in sport climbing, to enable the measurement of the mechanical load endured by the fingers in a hanging position and in addition, b) to describe the distribution of mechanical load among fingers as a function of the level of climbing during different hand grips in a hanging position.

Thirty young male participants took part in the initial phase of reliability of the measurements, while another 64 male climbers participated in the subsequent study phase to check the relations between independent and dependent variables. The level of on sight climbing and the total practice experience were used to define the groups. The research task consisted of performing hanging positions on the created support in order to measure the mechanical load endured by the fingers in the three most characteristic hand grips in climbing (crimp, half crimp and slope). It has been concluded that the performance level of the climbers had no influence on the production of a pattern of differentiated finger mechanical load during the research task.     

University–industry collaboration from a relationship marketing perspective: an empirical analysis in a Spanish University

Building relationships between universities and industry bodies is of prime importance for creating value for universities’ stakeholders. This paper focuses on relationships in relation to undergraduate internship programmes in the Social Sciences. Using the relationship marketing approach, we analyze this type of collaboration of firms with a large public Spanish University. We build and test a structural equations model whose results show that communication is a key building block of relationships, having a positive effect on satisfaction with the relationship, trust and functionality of conflict, and that trust and commitment increase the level of collaboration of firms with universities.     

Tutoring the end-of-studies dissertation: helping psychology students find their academic voice when revising academic texts

This intervention study aimed at helping undergraduate students of psychology learn to use the discursive resources useful to make academic voice visible in their texts and to improve their writing practices. The intervention involved tutorial meetings and collaborative revisions in two different learning environments, on-line and face-to face. The final text quality, the students’ knowledge and the amount and the quality of revisions were assessed in both conditions. Results show that the quality of the texts improved for both intervention groups in contrast with for control group, and better texts were related with higher rates of revision and more students’ satisfaction with the intervention.