scholarly journals Getting students out there; using community partnerships to engage students

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Liz Cain ◽  
John E. Goldring ◽  
Julie Scott Jones
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Sociology Department ◽  
Career Readiness ◽  
Data Driven ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Qualitative Feedback ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Uk Higher Education

PurposeThe purpose of the paper is to discuss the “Q-Step in the Community” programme, part of the Q-Step Centre based in the Sociology Department at Manchester Metropolitan University, designed to help address the skills gap in quantitative methods (QM) that is evident across parts of the UK higher-education sector. “Q-Step in the Community” is a data-driven work-based learning programme that works in partnership with local organisations to provide placement opportunities for final year undergraduates and postgraduates. Students conduct a quantitative research project, which is typically identified by the placement provider.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use quantitative and qualitative feedback from students and placement providers, along with our own reflections on the process to evaluate the placement programme. Data were collected through a focus group and email interviews with placement providers, along with a questionnaire, which was distributed to “Q-Step in the Community” alumni.FindingsData-driven work-based learning opportunities allow students to develop and demonstrate their quantitative skills and support networking opportunities whilst also developing valuable soft-skills experience of the workplace that develops their career-readiness. In addition, those opportunities provide valuable research for placement providers, which support their sustainability and enhance their service delivery.Research limitations/implicationsThe research focusses solely on one programme at one university offering quantitative data driven work-based learning opportunities at undergraduate and post-graduate level. It is not possible to make valid comparisons between those who do a placement with those who do not.Originality/valueViews of key stakeholders in the process have been sought for this research, which can be useful to consider for others considering developing similar programmes for their students.

Characteristics of UK higher education institutions that disclose sustainability reports

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (7) ◽  
pp. 1279-1298 ◽  
Author(s):  
Remmer Sassen ◽  
Dominik Dienes ◽  
Johanna Wedemeier
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Corporate Sustainability ◽  
Public Funding ◽  
Sustainability Reporting ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sustainability Reports ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Uk Higher Education

Purpose This study aims to focus on the following research question: Which institutional characteristics are associated with sustainability reporting by UK higher education institutions? Design/methodology/approach To answer the aforementioned research question, this study uses logistic regression. Findings The results show that 17 per cent of the UK higher education institutions report on their sustainability (July 2014). In line with legitimacy and stakeholder theory, logistic regressions provide evidence that the larger the size of the institution, the higher the probability of reporting. By contrast, high public funding decreases this probability. Research limitations/implications The findings show characteristics of higher education institutions that support or hamper sustainability reporting. Overall, the findings imply a lack of institutionalisation of sustainability reporting among higher education institutions. Originality/value Although a lot of research has been done on corporate sustainability reporting, only a small number of studies have addressed the issues of sustainability reporting of higher education institutions. This study covers all sustainability reports disclosed among the 160 UK higher education institutions. It is the first study that investigates characteristics of higher education institutions that disclose a sustainability report.

scholarly journals What do students think of self-determined learning in entrepreneurship education?

2018 ◽  
Vol 60 (7/8) ◽  
pp. 841-856 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isla Kapasi ◽  
Galina Grekova
Keyword(s):  
Entrepreneurship Education ◽  
Practical Experience ◽  
Potential Contribution ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Approach To Learning ◽  
Mixed Methods Approach ◽  
Perceived Employability ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Uk Higher Education ◽  
The Eu

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the perceptions and perspectives of students with regards to self-determined learning in an entrepreneurship education (EE) context and its potential contribution to employability. Design/methodology/approach This research used a mixed-methods approach with a sample of 25 students currently attending a UK higher education institute. The students had access to participation in EE modules but self-determined learning-informed modules or programmes were not currently offered. Students were invited to attend focus groups and as a result of emergent themes, a business school-wide survey was developed. Findings This research makes two tentative contributions to the EE field. First, the findings of this student cohort are similar to those found throughout the UK and the EU with regard to the perception of the value of a degree by students; its contribution to the hidden curriculum; and the importance of practical experience. The research also adds to the field by considering the value of a self-determined learning approach to developing the capabilities and competencies of graduates. This approach to learning in a context of EE was in general well received by potential students, particularly the applied aspect of the programme. However, there is a perception of risk about this approach to learning and students are concerned about the value of a programme like this to employers in general. Originality/value The study contributes to discussions on the value of EE on perceived employability and in particular self-determined learning through entrepreneurship activity.

Critical success factors of an effective repairs and maintenance service for social housing in the UK

Facilities ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (5/6) ◽  
pp. 226-240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Tucker ◽  
Martin Turley ◽  
Sam Holgate
Keyword(s):  
Social Housing ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Critical Success Factors ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Quantitative Research Methods ◽  
Service Levels ◽  
Critical Success ◽  
Maintenance Service ◽  
The Uk

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the critical success factors of an effective repairs service by initially identifying what the important considerations are. Design/methodology/approach – Using quantitative research methods the study then examines how important each of the factors is considered from the perspective of those responsible for such services in the Northwest of England, the level of implementation throughout the region is also examined. Findings – Respondents felt that all 11 factors are perceived as “very” important but only nine are “always” implemented within their place of work. Sustainability and innovation are identified as the two factors that are least critical. It can also be said that although important and well implemented, the in-house skills factor does not appear to be considered as critical in comparison to the other factors. Originality/value – The UK housing sector is under an enormous amount of pressure to meet the needs of a growing population in extremely uncertain financial conditions. Social housing is a potential solution but providers are currently contending with reduced budgets and cuts to staffing levels together with an expectation that service levels will be maintained and value for money maximised. Repairs and maintenance of their stock is at the forefront of their challenge to meet these expectations and it is therefore vital that the service they provide is effective.

Approaches to supervising work-based learning students’ workplace research

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jon Talbot ◽  
Andy Lilley
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Contextual Framework ◽  
E Learning ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to outline a small research project designed to explore the practices of the UK work-based learning (WBL) tutors in facilitating formal research projects in the workplace. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected using a short questionnaire to practitioners administered electronically and a daylong workshop where issues were discussed in greater depth by participating tutors. Findings – The main findings are that there is a degree of agreement by WBL tutors about the distinctiveness of WBL research projects; that although there is increasing use of technology to support delivery only one institution is using e-learning as the principal means of delivery; emphasis is upon a relatively small number of techniques and there is a strong preference for qualitative over quantitative methods. Research limitations/implications – The main limitation of the study is the relatively small number of active participants. However, this is the only study of its kind and the results offer insights into an important element of pedagogic practice in WBL. Practical implications – The project enabled the identification of common approaches and facilitated discussion of problems shared by WBL tutors across the field. There appears to be a consensus that situated investigation exists within a different contextual framework to traditional academic dissertation projects and that the focus is therefore necessarily on generating data as the basis for active problem solving. Originality/value – This is the only empirical study of practice in respect of facilitating research projects on WBL programmes in higher education.

scholarly journals Exploring the barriers to upscaling the production capacity of the edible insect sector in the United Kingdom

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying Yang ◽  
Christopher Cooke
Keyword(s):  
New Product Development ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Production Capacity ◽  
Research Database ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Edible Insect ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThis study aims to explore the barriers to upscaling the production capacity of the edible insect sector in the UK and to identify the impact of current regulation on the sector's development.Design/methodology/approachA significant proportion of edible insect-producing companies within the UK were identified through an online market research database and contacted via email to invite them to participate in this study. Phone interviews were conducted with ten companies. Thematic analysis was adopted for data analysis.FindingsThere were five themes identified as barriers to the upscaling of the production for the edible insect sector in the UK: insect feeding materials, production capacity, expertise and knowledge, new product development and regulatory uncertainty.Research limitations/implicationsThis research was based on a qualitative study. Further quantitative research is needed to test the extent of the impact of these five themes on upscaling production capacity. In addition to production capacity, marketing and consumers' acceptance, culture and behaviour can also be considered in future studies.Originality/valueThis study makes a significant contribution to the literature by providing insight on the barriers to upscaling production capacity in the edible insect sector.

Psychotherapy and despair in the prison setting

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 141-156
Author(s):  
Joanna Gee ◽  
Del Loewenthal ◽  
Julia Cayne
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Secondary Analysis ◽  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Prison Setting ◽  
Self Harm ◽  
Phenomenological Research Method ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Qualitative Phenomenological

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to outline research which aimed to explore psychotherapists’ experience of working with despair, in the UK prison setting, through a qualitative phenomenological approach. Within the forensic psychological literature, despair is considered a pathology, associated with suicide and self-harm, resulting from the prisoners histories and the coercive prison setting. In turn, therapeutic writings outline the importance of therapy in the prison setting with despair in providing coping skills, containment and learning opportunities for the prisoners involved. Design/methodology/approach – Within the study, ten psychotherapists were interviewed as to their experience of working with clients in despair in the prison setting. The data were analysed via the phenomenological research method Empirical Phenomenological Analysis (EPA), and a secondary analysis through reverie. Findings – Through the analysis by EPA, despair emerged in the prison setting as a destabilising phenomenon to which there was no protocol for working with it. Participants also described the prisoners’ despair and the despairing prison setting, touching on their own sense of vulnerability and despair. However, drawing on the secondary analysis by reverie, the researcher also became aware of how the phenomenon of despair emerged not simply through the said, but also through the intersubjective. Originality/value – It was therefore through the secondary analysis by reverie that the importance of the attendance to aspects of intersubjectivity in prison research emerged. This paper contributes to the therapeutic writings on despair in the prison setting, alongside holding implications for qualitative research in the prison setting.

“Let’s Talk About: Sex”: development, pilot and evaluation of a positive sexual-health education group for individuals within secure ID settings

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Ashworth ◽  
Hannah Carton
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Analysis ◽  
Health Education ◽  
Sexual Health ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Sexual Health Education ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sex Development ◽  
Education Group ◽  
Qualitative Feedback ◽  
The Uk

Purpose There is a dearth of positive, proactive, sexual-health education programmes available for individuals with intellectual disabilities (IDs). This paper aims to provide an overview of the development, pilot and evaluation of a programme aimed at increasing awareness of the intricacies and risks of sexual health, intercourse and relationships. This programme covers relevant topics in a non-judgemental, informative and supportive approach. Design/methodology/approach A pre-post comparison within-group design was used (N = 14). The programme was run separately across three in-patient ID secure services within the UK and lasted for 16 weeks. The measure used to explore change was the sexual attitudes and knowledge questionnaire (SAK; Heighway and Webster, 2007). Findings Scores indicated improvement across all sub-factors as measured by the SAK, although no results reached statistical significance using Wilcoxon signed rank tests. Qualitative feedback indicated the benefits of this programme in relation to participants’ increased knowledge and confidence. Results have been discussed in terms of both the statistical analysis and clinical implication. Originality/value Results have been discussed in terms of statistical analysis and clinical implications with the aim of clinicians considering the programme’s application and utility within various clinical contexts. Additionally, gaining insight into the process of programme development and refinement, including future directions.

scholarly journals The rationale to integrate facilities management into the development process

2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 332-344 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Tucker ◽  
Mohd Rayme Anang Masuri
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Development Process ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Facilities Management ◽  
Property Development ◽  
Integration Framework ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative Methods ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Industry Needs

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to justify the need to integrate facilities management (FM) into the development process (DP) and establish a framework that potentially serves as a guide to optimise the value of FM in the property development industry. Design/methodology/approach – This study looks at the relevant literature to identify the factors that are hindering FM to effectively integrate in the DP. Subsequently, the authors intend to carry out interviews with various professionals in the property development industry in the UK to identify the best practices. This research uses qualitative and quantitative methods in order to establish an FM-DP integration framework. Findings – The literature suggested that contribution of FM towards the property development industry is unquestionable. Surprisingly, in a real world FM has been given a low priority in the property development industry, resulting in Facilities Managers being inadequately integrated into the DP. There is currently no suitable generic mechanism that is practical in all stages of the DP to guide Facilities Managers and/or other professionals to integrate FM into the DP. Originality/value – This study is to provide evidence that the property development industry needs a framework that potentially serves as a guide to optimise the value of FM in the DP.

scholarly journals The application of business risk audit methodology within non-Big-4 firms

2015 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 226-246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Imad Kutum ◽  
Ian Fraser ◽  
Khaled Hussainey
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Business Risk ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Audit Firm ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative Methods ◽  
Big 4 ◽  
Audit Firms ◽  
Major Disadvantage ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Uk

Purpose – This paper aims to explore the application of the business risk audit (BRA) approach within non-Big-4 audit firms in the USA, the UK and Canada. This paper focuses on the motivation for adopting this approach for non-Big-4 audit firms in the three countries, and the advantages, disadvantages and aftermath of applying this method. Design/methodology/approach – A combination of qualitative and quantitative methods to obtain the data necessary to address the research questions was used. Findings – It is found that non-Big-4 audit firms in the three countries have adopted BRA; their motivation was primarily to follow the standards in each country, and the general trend in the industry. The advantages identified are consistent with previous research; a direct benefit was noted for audit effectiveness and risk management for both clients and auditors. One major disadvantage of applying BRA is the cost burden to both the audit firm and their clients. Some of the interviewees claimed that this method is better suited to large firms and large audits. Originality/value – This is an innovative study that addresses a contemporary auditing issue. The majority of the audit research studies concentrate on the big audit firm practices; this study is the first to examine the application of audit practices within smaller audit firms.

Teaching quantitative research methods: the employability factor

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 10-19
Author(s):  
Charlotte Brookfield
Keyword(s):  
Research Methods ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
First Year ◽  
Quantitative Research Methods ◽  
Strategic Approach ◽  
Quantitative Skills ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Degree Level ◽  
British Sociology

Various initiatives have been launched to encourage sociology students studying in the UK to engage more with quantitative research methods (for example: Dale et al., 2008; Adney and Carey, 2009; Falkingham et al., 2009), however, their success has been limited. Embedding quantitative methods in substantive sociology curricula has been suggested as one way to reduce students’ anxieties about learning quantitative research methods (Williams et al., 2015). This approach has been employed at Cardiff University’s School of Social Sciences, where quantitative skills have been strategically incorporated into various aspects of a first year undergraduate substantive module. This paper will reflect on the experience of teaching on this module. The paper will conclude that while the introduction of quantitative content into substantive modules indicates support for change, embedding alone cannot be viewed as a single solution to encouraging to students’ to learn about or utilise quantitative research methods. Two possible reasons for this will be suggested. Firstly, it will be argued that the majority of students no longer pursue sociology at degree level in order to gain the skills to become a competent social researcher, but rather see sociology as a discipline that will equip them with transferable and desirable skills for many occupations. Consequently, engagement with quantitative research methods is not essential to students’ strategic approach to learning as it was for previous generations who wished to understand how to study their social world. Secondly, it will be suggested that the deficit of quantitative methods in mainstream British sociology journals and the methodological preferences of practicing sociologists leads to speculation over the available staff who are capable of delivering an integrated curriculum with quantitative methods embedded in substantive modules.

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