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The uncanny workplaceThe fact that dictionaries fail to agree completely on a definition of uncanny is perhaps, in and of itself, an uncanny occurrence, at least in the sense of uncanny that we hope to use consistently throughout this paper. (Whether we do use this slipperiest of concepts consistently is a matter for the reader to decide.) The writers and compilers of dictionaries, of course, have a job to make their contributions stand out from other similar publications, and a nod towards originality is expected.[1] However, a failure to align semantically – which we might describe as a non-event, as something that did not happen – feels rich with hidden meaning, especially given that “the uncanny” attracts synonyms such as “weird”, “eerie” and (in particular) “unsettling”. [1] For a fascinating account of the professional disagreements between dictionary writers, please see “Authority and American Usage” by David Foster Wallace. “[P]robing the seamy underbelly of US lexicography reveals ideological strife and controversy and intrigue and nastiness and fervor…” (Wallace, 2014, p.885).
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AI and forensics security with cloud, networks impact on educationLarge Language Models (LLMs) have demonstrated significant potential to revolutionize higher education, prompting a need for strategic guidance on leveraging their benefits while addressing associated challenges [1]. This paper reaches into the critical role of cloud computing in enabling the smooth integration and sustainable transformation of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) through LLMs. By examining the mutually beneficial relationship between LLMs and cloud technologies, this paper highlights how the cloud empowers HEIs to utilize the full potential of LLMs, overcoming challenges related to scalability, accessibility, and cost-effectiveness. The paper presents a comprehensive framework for the strategic integration of LLMs and cloud computing within HEIs, addressing key considerations such as data privacy, security, interoperability, and ethical governance. Through a systematic review of case studies and best practices, the paper offers actionable insights and recommendations for HEIs to navigate the
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Ten tips when building a centralised evaluation unitHow can we establish and develop evaluation activities to show what support and interventions affect the student experience, as well as their learning, outcomes and destinations? Universities increasingly need to demonstrate their practices are based on evidence. They face demands from external regulators to show the impact of educational and other institutional practices on the student experience, learning outcomes and graduate destinations. Many higher education institutions will need to change and refine their evaluation processes and approaches to meet these demands. Here, we outline 10 tips for establishing a centralised evaluation unit, to lead on institutional evaluation and support evaluation activities, within your institution.
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The influence of the TARGET motivational climate structures on pupil physical activity levels during year 9 athletics lessonsSchool Physical Education (PE) is recognised as the key resource for promoting physical activity (PA) among young people (Trost, 2004; Department for Children, Schools & Families [DCSF] 2008). Unfortunately, physical activity levels during many PE lessons fall significantly short of national recommendations (Fairclough & Stratton, 2005). Ames (1992a) devised the ‘TARGET’ acronym, a model used by educators to manipulate the environment to create a ‘mastery motivational climate’. Evidence suggests that perceptions of a mastery climate can develop pupil’s perceived competence, enjoyment and intentions to be active (Ntoumanis, 2001a). The TARGET framework therefore provides support for the long-term development of young peoples’ activity levels. Unfortunately, PE physical activity interventions have largely ignored pupil motivation, focusing instead on increasing pupil’s lesson activity levels (Fairclough & Stratton, 2005). The purpose of the current study was to utilise the TARGET structures to identify how this model directly impacts on pupils’ perceptions of the climate and their lesson activity levels. Two female groups of Year 9 pupils participated in an athletics unit of work. The control group (n=14) followed a programme of athletic activities delivered using ‘teacher-centred’ (UK Athletics, 2005) strategies. The mastery group (n=18) followed an intervention consistent with Ames’ (1992b) mastery TARGET structures. Pupils in the mastery group were involved in approximately 9% more MVPA per lesson. The mastery TARGET structures of task, grouping and time appeared to have the greatest positive effect on pupil activity levels. Whilst research suggests that this has positive long-term benefits for pupils, this study would argue that lesson activity levels can also be enhanced through the creation of a mastery motivational climate.
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Students' perspectives of a study support (Studiosity) service at a UniversitySupporting students’ success and achievement is a key mission of WP (Widening Participation) institutions such as the University of Bedfordshire. An essential step in ensuring students succeed is the development of academic writing skills – these are vital during students’ studies and when students leave university study and undertake further study or enter graduate-level employment. During the 2021–2022 academic year, the University of Bedfordshire implemented a study support service called Studiosity, a service designed to provide students with formative feedback on drafts of their assessment tasks. This study utilises a survey instrument exploring Studiosity’s Writing Feedback (WF) service and addresses a gap in the literature where there is very little understanding of the details of students’ engagement with the system. The survey’s results indicate a mismatch between students’ assumptions about formative feedback provided by Studiosity. However, when students utilise Studiosity’s WF service, the personalised and specific feedback raises students’ confidence in their ability to write academically.
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I reflect, therefore I am!: exploring the use of a voluntary online reflective journal as a learning tool among postgraduate dental studentsIntroduction: Reflection is widely used in all aspects of teaching and learning in dental education and makes a fundamental part of all learning activities for dental students. However, reflective tasks are often used with a clear purpose, for example in completing e-portfolios or dealing with critical incidences. This study explores the use of an optional online journal that Postgraduate (PG) dental students were encouraged to use as part of their own development. Aim: to explore how PG dental students perceive the use of optional online journals. Materials and Methods: data were collected via an anonymous questionnaire that included a word pool, Likert scale statements and free text comment sections (Appendix 1). Results: 31 students (93%) responded to the questionnaire with high focus on the usefulness of the journal showing 58% selecting “connecting with tutors” and 41% selecting “keeping track” of own learning and progress. The word “reflection” was selected by 87% of participants when describing the use of the journal. Some participants, 29%, considered the journal as “added pressure”, and 41% felt it was “extra work” as the journal, although voluntary, presented an added task to complete. All students made at least one entry on the online journal. Discussion and Conclusion: The use of an optional online journal can be a useful tool in establishing connection between dental students and their tutors. Some postgraduate dental students valued the benefits of reflective journal without it being linked to assessments. Some concerns were reported around the time constraints as well as the added work related to taking part in such activity.
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Retrieval practice "in the wild": teachers' reported use of retrieval practice in the classroomRetrieval practice has been shown to be an effective and efficient way to enhance learning and which has led researchers to call for retrieval practice to be part of teachers' regular repertoire of activities within a classroom. Recent policy changes in England have seen retrieval practice being encouraged and emphasized as a strategy that teachers should use in their practice. However, much of the research to support this has been conducted under controlled studies both in laboratory and classroom settings. Therefore, in the present study, we report on how teachers in England are implementing retrieval practice “in the wild”—in their classrooms outside of a controlled study. Findings indicate that teachers are using retrieval practice regularly in the classroom, even if it is not part of a mandatory school policy, with quizzes and short answer questions being the most reported format used. Additionally, teachers are motivated to use retrieval practice beyond the direct benefit of the testing effect.
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Reflections on mindfulness and its implications for social justice in the early yearsThis chapter explores how principles of social justice can be operationalised through the practice of mindfulness in Early Years settings. It describes how the practice of mindfulness is compatible with more recent conceptualisations in the UK of young children as active agents in their own learning and as having the human right to be encouraged to hold their own opinions and to express them freely. The text draws on the author’s 40 years’ experience as a practitioner and academic to examine how common, yet contested, themes of mindfulness and social justice can inform the creation of pedagogical and reflexive spaces that support Early Years practice in educational settings.
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Experiences of autism in higher educationn this chapter, the author will draw from personal experiences as well as current research on autism, neurodivergence and narrative agency, to examine some of the challenges autistic and neurodivergent higher education lecturers face in the current climate. He will argue that the individual and collective practices of neurodivergent academics offer: practical critiques of the normalised working practices and material conditions in higher education, as well as intellectual and ethical commentaries on the burgeoning neoliberal conditions of contemporary academia.
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How reforms of teacher education challenge principles of social justiceThis chapter draws on the experiences of a secondary initial teacher education (ITE) director to discuss how changes in the ITE system and organisation in England in the past few decades have reflected the ongoing marketisation of education, first introduced in the 1988 Education Act, and the imposed marketised focus on competition between ITE providers and choice for ‘consumers’ – that is, ITE students and schools. He comments on how, in his view, decision-making associated with these changes contravenes what he sees as issues of social justice in the way that it has served to marginalise and silence the voices of teacher educators in higher education institutions (HEIs).
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Roots and wings: enabling a sense of identity, social inclusion and opportunities for growth in the Early Years curriculumThis chapter, written in the first person, will raise the question ‘What could and should an effective and inclusive Early Years curriculum look like if it is to be responsive to the needs and interests of young children?’ The author will draw from her own experience of working in the sector as a teacher and academic for many years – what she learnt about young children, their needs, interests and learning patterns along the way and how to create effective, responsive inclusive and engaging Early Years curricula that will give young children a really good start to their education. She will illustrate her narrative with short vignettes to exemplify important issues that arose for her and provided turning points in her own understanding of young children and their development.
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How far can student voice enable teachers to adapt teaching in classrooms and support improved teaching and learning?The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) that was ratified by the UK in 1991 states that every child is entitled to education (Article 28), which must be provided in a way that enables them to express their views in accordance with Article 12 (1) and to participate in school life. Children should not lose their human rights simply as a result of passing through the school gates. The focus of this chapter is the extent to which paying careful attention to students’ views in a small-scale action research project in a mainstream secondary school was able to contribute to teachers’ expertise in adaptation of pedagogy in classrooms and, hence, increase the students’ participation in learning activities and potentially enhance educational outcomes and future life chances. An audit of school practices had identified adaptation and differentiation of teaching in classrooms as an area requiring enhancement. In response to this, the project was designed as a pilot to trial ways in which students who experienced barriers to learning might be enabled to discuss the difficulties they faced with those who taught them in an environment where they felt safe to do so and might provide insights that would enable their teachers to differentiate and adapt their pedagogy for them and thus improve the students’ access to learning activities in their classrooms. The project was designed and carried out by the first author of this chapter; hence, it is written in the first person. She was the special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCo) in the school at the time, with a responsibility for ensuring effective inclusion of those students with special educational needs and disabilities.
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Inclusion, exclusion, social justice, and children's rights to education: reflections of a former secondary school inclusion managerThis chapter will examine the complex and, at times, contradictory nature of the role of inclusion manager from the perspective of a former secondary school teacher, later special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCo) and vice principal in a secondary comprehensive school in an urban area of the East Midlands in England. In particular, the chapter, written in the first person of the author, will consider her views in relation to her role alongside established and up-to-date policy and research regarding ‘inclusion’ in education, in particular with regard to social justice and the reality of practice.
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The impact of life experiences on learning and the return to formal education in the HE classroomThe told life journeys of learners returning to formal education are important to recognise, first, to name the learning that occurs in the social contexts of family, community and work; and second, to appreciate the compelling connection between this learning and higher education (HE). The concept of what is viewed as important in education lies at the heart of this chapter, which is based on the author’s doctoral study that was focussed on giving voice to the often-overlooked, mature part-time student, in order to recognise their brought assets, gained through past experiences. A biographical approach using semi-structured interviews based on a life-history grid allowed for the voices of the learners to be heard and their stories acknowledged. Findings indicate learning does arise from the everyday and there is a pattern to what is said about the specific intra- and interpersonal skills accrued. Past experiences are a resource for the adult learner, and time spent away from the classroom is not a learning gap. The resulting affective assets are significant to academic study, enhancing and supporting the cognitive. HE needs to see the value of this learning and its resulting assets, including motivation, resilience, independence, team work and emotional intelligence, to resurrect the social justice agenda of ‘Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning’ and seize this academic potential for the benefit of the learners and the academy alike.
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Social justice in practice in education: understanding tensions and challenges through lived experiencesExploring Social Justice in Practice in Education focuses on the tensions and challenges to issues of fairness and social and cognitive justice in the sphere of education. The terms 'fairness' and 'social and cognitive justice' are often used to justify particular policies and practices in the sphere of education. In providing a clear definition of what they should mean in practice, this book includes a discussion of, and, in some cases, potential resolutions to, tensions and challenges in relation to notions of fairness, and social and cognitive justice that are implicit within individuals' lived experiences across all phases of education. Through their personal narratives, the authors illustrate how such tensions and challenges have played out in their own lives. They go on to explore differences in interpretations and consequent challenges in putting concepts of social justice into practice. Chapters consider important implications across different sectors and phases of education, including special educational needs, leadership and higher education. This insightful volume will enable educators, at all levels, to hear from students, family members, significant adults/carers and professionals, their experiences of fairness and social justice in education, and about what could be done in the future to redress injustices. It will appeal to readers at all levels in education including those studying for or teaching Education-related degrees at bachelors', masters' and doctoral levels.
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A cross-cultural comparison of self-efficacy as a resilience measure: evidence from PISA 2018This study explored the equivalence of resilience across countries and economies that participated in PISA 2018. A total of 79 countries and economies were divided into ten sub-groups based on their socio-demographic characteristics. Analysis of the comparability of the PISA self-efficacy scale as a measure of resilience across the participating countries/economies in the study was conducted using multi-group confirmatory factor analysis (MG-CFA). The results demonstrated that across all countries and economies, the configural invariance level, which is the lowest level of invariance, has been reached but the metric and scalar invariance levels have not been reached. Within-group results showed that all sub-groups presented a model fit for the metric level of invariance. However, only the Anglo countries were able to reach the strict invariance level. This finding indicates that the Anglo countries were more homogeneous in terms of their interpretation of self-efficacy in PISA, whereas other sub-groups were more heterogeneous. Confirming the notion of cultural affiliation of resilience, it was concluded that self-efficacy by itself might not be an adequate indicator of resilience. The current study has some recommendations for future research and how PISA can be more inclusive about the constructs it employs.
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Coachees’ experiences of integrating a self-selected soundtrack into a one-off coaching sessionArtistic media use in coaching has received growing interest in recent years with increased research and encouraging results. Music benefits wellbeing, aids new perspectives, and enhances embodiment, however, research on the use of music in coaching is limited. This study thematically analysed participants’ reflective texts (N=12) relating to their experience of a one-off coaching session that integrated a self-selected piece of music as a soundtrack related to the session topic. Results support previous literature on the subject, while also providing new findings that the soundtrack primed thinking for the session and was a motivational reminder of the session.
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The effects of growth mindset and resilience on immigrant students' PISA science achievement: the mediating role of attitudes toward schoolIn recent years, self-theories such as growth mindset and resilience have gained interest as they have a sizable influence on achievement and school-related motivation. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between immigrant students’ growth mindset, resilience, and science achievement in PISA 2018 by considering the mediating effect of attitudes toward school. Using secondary data for Australia, the UK, and the USA obtained from PISA 2018, we conducted a series of Structural Equation Modeling analyses to unravel the relationship between self-theories and science achievement. The growth mindset had the strongest effect on science achievement for both immigrants and non-immigrants in all three countries; resilience was positively related to science achievement for immigrants in the US, and attitudes toward school were positively related to science achievement for immigrants in Australia. The mediating role of attitudes toward school between growth mindset, resilience and science achievement could not have been confirmed. We speculate that self-theories might be affecting immigrant groups differently in different countries. Implications regarding these findings are discussed.
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Through the looking glass: professional identity during a pandemicWhen compared with other professions (such as law and medicine), educators do not have a strong sense of professional identity. It could be argued that as a sector, education has been compliant to the demands of others and as a result exploring what it means to be a professional educator has not been high on the agenda for most teachers or leaders in further and higher education. This research takes an autoethnographic approach by placing participants at the centre of the analysis. Using reflections as a form of personal inquiry, participants explored their professional identity from a specific standpoint and within a particular context. This involved cultural analysis and interpretation not only of identity but of the ways in which environmental factors contribute to it. The reflections provided an opportunity to explore the topic with an experienced eye as well as offering a space for reflexivity. By taking a ‘through the looking glass’ approach, participants embraced the notion of ‘uncertain certainty’ (Bolton, 2001). Initial findings suggest that in the move to the virtual classroom both teachers and leaders have experienced a range of novel challenges. Whilst teachers have had to learn new skills and look at their roles in a different way, leaders have been forced to reconsider policy as well as the infrastructure required to support teaching activity. The last two years have shown a sector which is both fragile and resilient and a world where the impossible has become possible and where previous ‘truths’ are no longer definitive.
