scholarly journals Parents’ Perceptions of Secondary Physical Education

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 43
Author(s):  
Lauren Earley ◽  
Matthew Fleet
Keyword(s):  
Physical Education ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Status ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Competitive Nature

There is a large quantity of research (Alguacil, 2018; Ciotto & Gagnon, 2018; McKenzie and Lounsbery, 2014) which states the importance Physical Education (PE) has in pupils’ lives. However, there is a state of decline for the status of the subject (Harris, 2018; Kirk et al., 2013). Parents perception is an under-researched area (Na, 2015; Yilmaz, 2018), especially in the UK, therefore, it is important parents’ beliefs are explored to understand an important stakeholder’s viewpoint. Purpose: To explore and gain an understanding of the perception’s parents have of Secondary PE, investigating what the perceptions are and why they have them. Methodology: This study uses a mixed-methods exploratory design to discover, the perceptions parents have on Secondary school PE, using a quantitative online survey and qualitative semi-structured interviews. 263 parents/guardians completed the survey, which was then followed by 8 parents taking part in the interviews. Results: From the data sets collected 5 themes were identified: Importance of PE; Teacher-Pupil relationship; PE in relation to other subjects; competitive nature of PE and impact PE has on confidence. 50% percent of parents did believe that PE is as important as subjects such Maths, English and Science, but, in comparison to other subjects 61% of parents do not favour PE overall.  With results demonstrating the growing awareness parents have of the crucial role PE plays in health and wellbeing for pupils. Conclusion: Although parents understand the importance of PE, parents perceptions differ on some aspects of the subject. This study is a starting point for other researchers and should be continued to be researched to support PE in the curriculum.  

scholarly journals Evaluating Mental Health and Wellbeing of Postgraduate Researchers: Prevalence and Contributing Factors

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jelena Milicev ◽  
Stephany Biello ◽  
Maria Gardani
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Academic Success ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Sleep Problems ◽  
Mental Wellbeing ◽  
Contributing Factors ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
The Uk

AbstractIntroduction: Recent research has revealed high rates of mental health issues in postgraduate researchers (PGRs). Mental ill-health is a barrier to life satisfaction and academic success. More knowledge is necessary to understand the extent and origins of mental health problems of PGRs in the UK. Aims: To assess the prevalence of anxiety, depression, sleep problems, subjective mental wellbeing, and suicide behaviours of PGRs in the UK, as well as to explore the factors that underpin these outcomes.Methods: An online survey (N=479) was used to measure the mental health outcomes, and assess the influence of demographic, trait and academic variables, and social support. Results: In this sample the prevalence of mental ill-health was high, while wellbeing was lower than in the general population. Female, non-binary and non-heterosexual PGRs had poorer mental health than their male and/or heterosexual counterparts. Researchers in the field of Arts had higher levels of wellbeing, while those in the 5th year of study or above were at a higher risk of suicidal behaviours. Resilience, adaptive perfectionism, social support and positive evaluations of progress and preparation, departmental climate, and supervisory relationship were associated with positive outcomes, while maladaptive perfectionism and workaholism were linked to the negative ones. Resilience and workaholism were the only variables that played a role in all mental health outcomes.Conclusions: The current paper contributes new knowledge about the PGR wellbeing, the prevalence of mental health symptoms, and some of the factors that shape them. Our findings imply that institutional efforts to improve PGR mental health and wellbeing should include a variety of strategies to promote equality, diversity, resilience, integration and work-life balance of PGRs.

scholarly journals Engagement with and delivery of the ‘parkrun practice initiative’ in general practice: a mixed methods study

2020 ◽  
Vol 70 (697) ◽  
pp. e573-e580
Author(s):  
Joanna Fleming ◽  
Carol Bryce ◽  
Joanne Parsons ◽  
Chrissie Wellington ◽  
Jeremy Dale
Keyword(s):  
General Practice ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Focus Group ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Mixed Methods Study ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Practice Staff ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Improve Patient

BackgroundThe parkrun practice initiative, a joint collaboration between parkrun and the Royal College of General Practitioners, was launched to encourage general practices to improve the health and wellbeing of patients and staff through participating in local 5 km parkrun events. Why and how practices engage with the initiative is unknown.AimTo investigate engagement with and delivery of the parkrun practice initiative in general practice.Design and settingMixed methods study conducted from April–July 2019 comprising an online survey of all registered parkrun practices, and interviews and a focus group with practice staff in the West Midlands.MethodThe designated contacts at 780 registered parkrun practices were invited to complete an online survey. A purposive sample of parkrun practice staff and non-registered practice staff took part either in semi-structured interviews or a focus group, with transcripts analysed thematically.ResultsOf the total number of parkrun practices, 306 (39.2%) completed the survey. Sixteen practice staff (from nine parkrun practices and four non-registered practices) took part in either semi-structured interviews (n = 12) or a focus group (n = 4). Key motivators for becoming a parkrun practice were: to improve patient and staff health and wellbeing, and to become more engaged with the community and enhance practice image. Practices most commonly encouraged patients, carers, and staff to take part in parkrun and displayed parkrun flyers and posters. Challenges in implementing activities included lack of time (both personal and during consultations) and getting staff involved. Where staff did engage there were positive effects on morale and participation. Non-registered practices were receptive to the initiative, but had apprehensions about the commitment involved.ConclusionPractices were keen to improve patient and staff health. Addressing time constraints and staff support needs to be considered when implementing the initiative.

Augustinus: Der Markt der Geschwätzigkeit und der Sinn des Verstehens

Rhetorik ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Johann Kreuzer
Keyword(s):  
Philosophy Of Language ◽  
Intellectual Development ◽  
Ordinary Language ◽  
14Th Century ◽  
De Trinitate ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Status ◽  
De Magistro ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Subject

AbstractThe paper discusses the intellectual development of Augustinus by means of his discussion of the status, the sense, the function and his judgement on rhetoric. This discussion let Augustinus be an important station in the history of the philosophy of language. Starting point is the explanation of the dialectics of the topos (or pathos) of the ›ineffabilis‹. Augustinus shows that the antirhetoric meaning of the ineffable leads in selfcontradictions. Therefore he discusses the forms and the conditions of understanding. This begins with the early dialogue De magistro and reaches to De trinitate and one of the central subjects within this theoretical mainwork of Augustinus: the concept of the verbum intimum. With the (at first view) extreme reductionism in the theory of signs, presented in De magistro - a mental ›oracle‹ is claimed as instance and criterion of understanding -, he destructs the naive representation-belief in an 1:1-relation between outer signs and mental contents. The subject of the ›inner word‹ in De trinitate then is the question of understanding signs as signs. It is shown that only the explanation of the inner word as a mental achievement within ordinary language is sufficient to answer the question of understanding. An excursus elucidates that the sermocinalis scientia of Wilhelm v. Ockham in the 14th century continues the discoveries and philosophical innovations, Augustinus made at the end of antiquity. These discoveries are inalienable for present debates concerning the philosophy of language. And they are inalienable for concepts of rhetoric based in the hermeneutics of understanding. The critique of rhetoric as ›fair of talkativeness‹ brings up a purified sight of the art of language: of the art, language ›is‹.

Between a rock and a hard place: the dilemmas of managing part‐time working in the police service

2005 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-25
Keyword(s):  
Police Force ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Police Station ◽  
Family Friendly ◽  
The Status ◽  
Part Time ◽  
The Uk ◽  
And Control

PurposeTo study the effects of the introduction of part‐time working on managing a police force.Design/methodology/approachThis case study involved in‐depth, semi‐structured interviews with part‐time officers in an English police force, their full‐time colleagues and managers.FindingsThe author illustrates practical problems which police managers face in ensuring they have staff in adequate numbers and experience to carry out the duties required of an organization which has to operate 24 hours‐a‐day, seven days‐a‐week and which has no way of knowing in advance what demands will be placed on it at any given time. The study focuses attention on the dilemma of legislation designed to improve the status of part‐time workers generally, and people's expectation of “family friendly” employment, with the traditional “command and control” needs of an organization such as a police force.Practical implicationsImplications for human resource management are identified, as the conflicting needs and views of manager and part‐time employees are explored. These conflicts are particularly difficult for HR to reconcile as part‐time and reduced‐hours working continues its expansion.Originality/valueProvides some useful information on part‐time working at a police station in the UK.

scholarly journals Paradise Regained? Localised and Limited Nature Connexions in the UK's Covid-19 Lockdown

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julian Dobson ◽  
Tony Gore ◽  
Kim Graham ◽  
Kate Swade
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Environmental Attitudes ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Public Spaces ◽  
Natural World ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Paradise Regained ◽  
Nature Connectedness ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Purposive Sample

Research has suggested that connexions between humans and the natural world lead to increased well-being and generate pro-environmental attitudes, which in turn benefit nature. This article asks whether users of outdoor public spaces in the UK during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 experienced greater connectedness with nature, consistent with the five “pathways to nature connectedness” identified in previous research. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 42 individuals on their use of green and public spaces during the UK's lockdown, while a further 29 participants responded to an online survey. While the research revealed the importance of nature connectedness, only three of the five pathways were well-evidenced, and these connexions were frequently mediated by social activities. The article advances the study of nature connectedness by identifying challenges in applying the pathways framework and suggesting areas for further research to understand how the pathways operate in real-world conditions.

scholarly journals Exploring the Mental Health and Wellbeing Needs of Workers in the UK Automotive Industry

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-23
Author(s):  
Samantha Gellatly
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Automotive Sector ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Employee Wellbeing ◽  
The Uk

The purpose of this research was to explore the mental health and wellbeing needs of employees in the automotive sector, to understand the types of initiatives these employees would appreciate and how to promote them effectively. The research was approached with an exploratory, qualitative design. The collection of employee knowledge and opinion was undertaken utilising in-depth and semi structured interviews with a small cross-sectional group of employees. The main findings from the research showed that mental health presenteeism and leaveism are commonly occurring. It was found that individual understanding of well-being differed due to conflicting terminology and that where the company excelled in the areas of health and safety employees experienced unhappiness with working hours, work life balance and pay and reward. Research of this scope was original to the company and the automotive sector thus providing great insight. These employees showed there was less need for complex well-being programmes and that there was a keenness for mental health to be recognised and discussed more to help diminish the attached stigma. This research also questions: who is really best suited to support employee wellbeing? Whilst research highlights the importance of managers in this process, it also confirms, as with this study, that they are the employees with the worst wellbeing and therefore unlikely to be those best suited to provide this support. If managers wellbeing is not boosted it is unlikely that they can bring about desired improvements and bridging this gap requires future consideration.

scholarly journals Metric Power and the Academic Self: Neoliberalism, Knowledge and Resistance in the British University

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 214-233 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zeena Feldman ◽  
Marisol Sandoval
Keyword(s):  
Service Providers ◽  
Academic Career ◽  
Multiple Roles ◽  
League Tables ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Excellent Teachers ◽  
The Status ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Funding Cuts ◽  
The Relationship

This article discusses the experience of being an academic in the UK in the contemporary climate of neoliberal capitalism and ‘metric power’ (Beers 2016). Drawing on existing literature and our own practice, the first portion of the paper explores the relationship between neoliberalism, metrics and knowledge. We then examine how neoliberal mantras and instruments impact the university’s structures and processes, and reflect on consequences for the academic self. We take as a starting point the context of increasing workloads and the pressure on academics to excel in multiple roles, from ‘world-leading’ researchers to ‘excellent’ teachers and ‘service providers’ to professional administrators performing recruitment and (self)marketing tasks. Neoliberal academia, we suggest, promotes a meritocratic ideology of individual achievement that frames success and failure as purely personal ‘achievements’, which encourages a competitive ethos and chronic self-criticism. This article insists that these problems need to be understood in the context of neoliberal policy-making and the corporatisation of knowledge, including funding cuts and grant imperatives, the low status of teaching, the cynical instrumentation of university league tables, and increased institutional reliance on precarious academic labour. The article goes on to focus on responses that resist, challenge or, in some cases, compound, the problems identified in part one. Responses by dissatisfied academics range in style and approach – some decide against an academic career; others adopt a strategy of individual withdrawal within the system by trying to create and protect spaces of independence – for example, by refusing to engage beyond officially required minimums. This article argues that opportunities for positive systemic change can be found in collective efforts to oppose the status quo and to create alternatives for how academic labour is organised. Therein, solidarity can act as an instrument of opposition to the individualisation of the neoliberal academic self.

scholarly journals Retrospective qualitative study evaluating the application of IG4 curriculum: an adaptable concept for holistic surgical education

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. e033181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iakovos Theodoulou ◽  
Michail Sideris ◽  
Kola Lawal ◽  
Marios Nicolaides ◽  
Aikaterini Dedeilia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Data Analysis ◽  
Surgical Education ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Surgical Skills ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Skills Acquisition ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Excellent Starting Point ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Data Saturation

ObjectivesFaced with a costly and demanding learning curve of surgical skills acquisition, the growing necessity for improved surgical curricula has now become irrefutable. We took this opportunity to formulate a teaching framework with the capacity to provide holistic surgical education at the undergraduate level.SettingData collection was conducted in all the relevant healthcare centres the participants worked in. Where this was not possible, interviews were held in quiet public places.ParticipantsWe performed an in-depth retrospective evaluation of a proposed curriculum, through semi-structured interviews with 10 participants. A targeted sampling technique was employed in order to identify senior academics with specialist knowledge in surgical education. Recruitment was ceased on reaching data saturation after which thematic data analysis was performed using NVivo 11.ResultsThematic analysis yielded a total of 4 main themes and 29 daughter nodes. Majority of study participants agreed that the current landscape of basic surgical education is deficient at multiple levels. While simulation cannot replace surgical skills acquisition taking place in operating rooms, it can be catalytic in the transition of students to postgraduate training. Our study concluded that a standardised format of surgical teaching is essential, and that the Integrated Generation 4 (IG4) framework provides an excellent starting point.ConclusionsThrough expert opinion, IG4 has been validated for its capacity to effectively accommodate learning in a safer and more efficacious environment. Moreover, we support that through dissemination of IG4, we can instil a sense of motivation to students as well as develop robust data sets, which will be amenable to data analysis through the application of more sophisticated methodologies.

Status of lean construction implementation among small and medium building contractors (SMBCs) in Ghana

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 1691-1709
Author(s):  
Emmanuel Nsiah Ankomah ◽  
Joshua Ayarkwa ◽  
Kofi Agyekum
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Lean Construction ◽  
The Body ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Status

Purpose The purpose of this study is to ascertain the extent to which the practices of small and medium building contractors (SMBCs) conform to lean construction (LC) principles. Ultimately, practical results encourage a discourse on the true potentials and challenges to the holistic uptake of LC principles in the Ghanaian construction industry. Design/methodology/approach This research is based on a qualitative case study approach. The data was obtained through face-to-face structured interviews. Findings Across the cases, it was realized that there is a low-level application of LC principles among SMBCs. There was no indication that lean concepts were used on a company-wide basis in the Ghanaian construction industry. Furthermore, the study revealed that the traditional wasteful approach to managing construction projects was still prevalent among the firms. Practical implications This paper uses the 4P model as a foundation for assessing the extent to which the practices of SMBCs conform to LC principles. Practically, the study also created a certain level of awareness among the SMBCs about LC, LC principles and the benefits of the application of these principles within organizations. Originality/value This study contributes to the body of knowledge as it uncovers the status of LC implementation among SMBCs in the Ghanaian construction industry. The findings that are presented in this paper can be used as a starting point to disseminate the research and practice of LC among SMBCs.

Civil partnership – “gay marriage in all but name”: a corpus-driven analysis of discourses of same-sex relationships in the UK Parliament

Corpora ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingo Bachmann
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Gay Marriage ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
Lesbian Relationships ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Reference Corpus ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Language Construct

This paper deals with the language used in the debates in both Houses of Parliament in the United Kingdom that allowed civil partnerships to take place. My aim is to uncover discourses of same-sex relationships which are accessed in British Parliament. For this purpose, a corpus of these debates was compiled and its keywords were taken as a starting point for further analysis. As different keyword lists can be calculated by comparing different data sets, I argue that the best approach in this study is to take the corpus as a whole and to compare it to a reference corpus. I then grouped the keywords thematically and analysed them in context, scrutinising collocations and concordance lines in order to see how (recurrent) uses of language construct gay and lesbian relationships. Different, rather contradicting, discourses are drawn on by different parties in the debates. We can see that discourses are often used to frame a line of argumentation.

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