Latest research and knowledge exchange news at Bournemouth University
Hello all qualitative researchers,
you may be interested in this open access issue of the QR.
We are happy to inform that the Volume 25 – Issue 13 – 4th World Conference on Qualitative Research Special Issue of The Qualitative Report is available at https://nsuworks.nova.edu/tqr/vol25/iss13/
As we have now all become accustomed to working and studying from home, research has started looking at various implications of remote work/study. These implications include the impact on our subjective being, but also on the environment. There are speculations that work/study from home may reduce our carbon footprint, for example. This is because commute and/or business travel are no longer required. These two activities have long been recognised as the main drivers of carbon emissions in Universities, alongside on-site energy use and procurement.
The COVID-19 pandemic has provided a unique opportunity to compare the carbon intensity of working/studying at home and on campus. That is why Dr Viachaslau Filimonau from the Business School; Dave Archer, Laura Bellamy, Neil Smith, and Richard Wintrip from the Sustainability Team have undertaken a study of the carbon footprint of Bournemouth University during the COVID-19 lockdown. This is the first investigation of its kind and only the third attempt to assess the carbon emissions of UK institutions of higher education.
The study has found that working/studying from home may be less beneficial from the carbon perspective than originally thought. The carbon emissions produced by staff, but particularly students, at home are almost equal to the carbon footprint of commute. The complete closure of University campuses does not result in low carbon emissions.
This has important implications for the future of (higher) education in the UK and beyond. For instance, the study’s findings indicate that the model of blended teaching and learning may have low carbon efficiency and should, therefore, be applied by Universities with caution. This is because institutions of higher education should promote sustainability which involves ‘leading by example’ when it comes to reducing the carbon footprint.
The study has been peer-reviewed and published in Science of the Total Environment, a leading international journal in the field of sustainability and environmental management (impact factor 6.6). The full paper can be found here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969720374957. The team aims to advance this project by assessing the carbon footprint of Bournemouth University over the winter period. This is when heating will be put on, thus creating extra carbon emissions on campus but, particularly, at home given that we will continue working/studying remotely in semester two.
Poster Exhibition | The 12th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference
Raksha Thapa, PhD student in the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences with this poster entitled:
Caste exclusion and health discrimination in South Asia: A systematic review
Click the poster below to enlarge.
The caste system is a three millennia old social stratification system in the world. This review investigates caste- based inequity in health care utilisation in South Asia, particularly focusing those at the bottom of the caste hierarchy, the so-called Dalit communities. A systematic methodology was followed, key databases (including CINAHL, Medline, SocINDEX, PubMed, Nepjol, JSTOR and ASSIA ) were searched using the PRISMA. Out of 15,109 papers nine selected papers were included in the review. The papers focused on studies in India (n=7) and Nepal (n=2) and using methods including qualitative (n=2), quantitative (n=3) and mixed method (n=4) approaches. The review identified four main themes; stigma, poverty, beliefs/cultures and healthcare. Caste-based inequality impacts upon all aspects of individual’s well-being, violence and people’s opportunities to access education, employment and healthcare. Dalits appear to experience this significantly due to their lower caste and socioeconomic position which also increases their vulnerability to health.
If this research has inspired you and you’d like to explore applying for a research degree please visit the postgraduate research web pages or contact our dedicated admissions team.
Poster Exhibition | The 12th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference
Bronwyn Sherriff, PhD student in the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences with this poster entitled:
Coping with Covid-19: reflecting on the process of modifying methods midway.
Click the poster below to enlarge.
Background: Few PhD students wish to be faced with the task of adapting their research methods, especially midway, when timelines and project plans have been painstakingly prepared, revised, and scrutinised. Following the realisation that Covid-19 was unlikely to be a passing pandemic, this poster summarises the process taken to address the crucial question: Are the proposed methods still feasible considering the change in context? Approach: Although problem-solving and flexibility are important characteristics of any researcher, in the postCovid-19 research milieu, the role of collaboration and stakeholder engagement are likely to become increasingly pivotal. Both represent invaluable tools for (re-)planning and (re-)designing healthcare research by informing essential research decisions. Contribution: The impact of Covid-19 remains an ongoing challenge to student researchers. This poster provides a pragmatic guide, particularly for healthcare research students, by explaining the approach used to modify the initial research design and presenting key considerations which may be useful.
If this research has inspired you and you’d like to explore applying for a research degree please visit the postgraduate research web pages or contact our dedicated admissions team.
As published a couple of weeks ago, RDS have worked with Faculty DDRPPs to ensure greater transparency around the recent changes to the bidding approval process, and to ensure that research remains a key activity for our academics.
This is a reminder that we’ve produced a document, Guidance on External bids, which sets out the context for the changes, the temporary measures in place (including timings for bid preparation and parameters for funding opportunities), and the support available to you.
Call for potential oral witnesses for EFRA Committee tree planting inquiry
The next round of the Leverhulme Research Centres Competition will open in January 2021 with a deadline of 16th April 2021. As BU is permitted to submit only one application as an institution, we are holding an internal competition for Expressions of Interest (EoI).
Those who are interested in making an application to the Leverhulme Research Centres Competition are invited to submit an Expression of Interest to researchdev@bournemouth.ac.uk , by Tuesday 19th January 2021. Application and guidance can be found here (I:\RDS\Public\Leverhulme Research Centres Competition 2021\EOI Documents). If you have further questions or queries please contact Alexandra Pekalski (apekalski@bournemouth.ac.uk), or Lisa Andrews (andrewsl@bournemouth.ac.uk).
Scope of call
The Leverhulme Trust invites applications for Research Centres that will not only conduct research of outstanding originality but also aspire to achieve a significant step-change in scholarship. The Trust’s aim is to encourage new approaches that may establish or reshape a field of study and so transform our understanding of a significant contemporary topic. Applicants are therefore invited to be bold in compiling their bids.
The Trust has a reputation for encouraging higher-risk research which is often therefore fundamental or curiosity-driven – so-called ‘blue skies’ – and pan-disciplinary. The expectation is that Centres will draw upon a range of disciplinary perspectives and expertise, perhaps bringing new disciplinary mixes to bear on a particular topic. The hope is for bids that fold the social sciences and humanities authentically into the mix, rather than being framed primarily in physical and life science terms.
£1 million a year for between 5 – 10 years is available.
Further information is available from the Leverhulme Trust website, and interested applicants are advised to consider the eligibility criteria carefully.
Timeline
An indicative timeline is below for the submission of the EOI. A more detailed timeline can be found (I:\RDS\Public\Leverhulme Research Centres Competition 2021\EOI Documents).
| 08/12/2020 | RDS advertise Expression of Interest (EoI) competition for call |
| 19/01/2021 | EoI deadline (EoIs to be sent to RDS) |
| 19/01/2021 | Papers (applications) sent to review panel (RDS to administer) |
| w/c 25/01/2021 | Review panel meeting (virtual) |
| by 29/01/2021 | Review panel decision and feedback disseminated to applicants |
| 29/01/2020 | RDS to contact Leverhulme to provide the Trust with the principal applicant’s name, departmental affiliation and email address. Access will then be granted to the Leverhulme Trust Grants Management System |
| Feb / March / April 2021 | Applicants develop proposals with the support of RDS |
| 16/04/2021 | Leverhulme Research Centres Competition deadline |
If you have further questions or queries please contact Alexandra Pekalski (apekalski@bournemouth.ac.uk), or Lisa Andrews (andrewsl@bournemouth.ac.uk).
Poster Exhibition | The 12th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference
Mashael Alsufyani, PhD student in the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences with this poster entitled:
Exploring the Usage of Social Media by Female Saudi Nursing Students for Personal and Academic Purposes.
Click the poster below to enlarge.
The simulation model used while undertaking the Structural Health Management (SHM) task to predict the response of the system/structure(s) to disturbances, got phase-out when the real system/structure material properties changes in non-uniform and complex way. In order to accurately predict future states of a system/ structure, which can change its behaviour to a large degree in response to environmental influences, the existence of precise models of the system and its surroundings is demandable. For this, simulation modelling within DT paradigm concept is proposed, with DT encompassing continuous and automatic model updating framework, reducing the computational (parametric) uncertainties that arises with time in the process and ultimately having a lifetime reliable prognosis tool for the structural behaviour. The solver (algorithm/framework) will be tested with a real-world problem by setting a DT environment integrated with an ultra-high-fidelity simulation model (for eg: cathodic protection (CP) model built for the prediction of the corrosion status of a seastructure).
If this research has inspired you and you’d like to explore applying for a research degree please visit the postgraduate research web pages or contact our dedicated admissions team.
Poster Exhibition | The 12th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference
Vanessa Bartholomew, PhD student in the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences with this poster entitled:
RETHINK – Can we reduce hospital admission in latent labour?
Click the poster below to enlarge.
Background: Women experiencing an uncomplicated pregnancy are at increased risk of obstetric intervention if admitted to hospital during latent labour. Pain and fear are significant factors in early hospital admissions. Pain catastrophising (PC) is a strong predictor of childbirth pain. Studies have yet to consider whether PC influences the timing of hospital admission. Aim: To examine whether PC is a predictor for early hospital admission when in labour and subsequently birth outcomes. Design: A pragmatic, quasi-experimental study. Sample: Primigravid women who are experiencing an uncomplicated pregnancy, will be recruited between 25-33 weeks gestation. Target sample size is 384. Data Collection: Participants will complete two online questionnaires; one antenatal, the second three weeks postnatal. Birth outcomes will also be collected. Analysis: Logistic regression, will be used to assess if PC is a predictor of early hospital admission. Other explanatory factors (e.g. socioeconomic variables) will be considered. Significance level will be p≤0.05.
If this research has inspired you and you’d like to explore applying for a research degree please visit the postgraduate research web pages or contact our dedicated admissions team.
Sketchnote illustration of Dr. Feigenbaum’s keynote address.
illustration by Alexandra Alberda (comic script by Anna Feigenbaum, Alexandra Alberda and Yazan Abbas)
On The 27th of November 2020, Dr. Anna Feigenbaum presented a keynote presentation at the Data Storytelling Symposium hosted by the Data Stories project at Kings College London. She delivered her keynote address on Humanising Data Stories to a webinar audience of over 400 registered participants. Arising from work co-created with colleagues and PhD candidate Alexandra Alberda, the presentation explored techniques for telling more empathetic and effective stories both with and about data. Highlighting the ‘statistical chaos’ of COVID-19, Dr. Feigenbaum’s presentation showcased both her own comics collaborations with research illustrator Alexandra Alberda, as well as work of other comics artists and illustrators, both amateur and professional. This keynote was part of a series of talks and workshop Dr. Feigenbaum and Alberda have given over the past few months, including participation in the ESRC Festival of Social Science and a keynote at BU’s EdD conference, as well as international conferences IGNCC and ISPIM and most recently the Coronavirus, statistical chaos and the news event co-hosted by Bournemouth University, the Royal Statistical Society and the Association of British Science Writers on December 4, 2020.
Part of the _coronadiary project on instagram. Illustrations of composite characters drawn from participant experiences.
Dr. Feigenbaum joined a prestigious line-up of science journalists and academic experts, sharing pilot research that forms part of her upcoming UKRI/AHRC COVID-19 Rapid Response grant project on ‘COVID-19 Comics’. This project aims to enhance the role that comics can play in public health messaging through an analysis of the content, circulation patterns and social media engagement of webcomics about COVID-19. Dr. Feigenbaum leads a team of BU colleagues and partners as PI, alongside Alexandra Alberda, Professor Julian McDougall, Dr. William Proctor and Dr. Sam Goodman. Project partners are Public Health Dorset, the Information Literacy Network and the Graphic Medicine Collective. To find out more about this work or about hosting a data storytelling workshop for your project team, contact afeigenbaum@bournemouth.ac.uk.
Poster Exhibition | The 12th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference
Sara Stride, PhD student in the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences with this poster entitled:
Taking time to explore appropriate methods.
Click the poster below to enlarge.
The first phases of my doctorate work used mixed methods to increase my understanding of midwives’ beliefs and attitudes regarding birth trauma. I identified five key themes; one of these was that midwives felt “ashamed” when women sustain severe birth trauma. Methods: Taking time to read and attend workshops this year has clarified the methods that I intend to use to now explore individual midwives’ experiences in more depth. Interviews will be facilitated using an online platform, as face to face contact needs to be minimised during the current Covid-19 Pandemic. Grounded theory will be used, so sampling, collection of data, analysis and theory construction will occur concurrently. Initial Findings: The study will provide data on midwives’ experiences whenwomen sustain severe birth trauma. Contribution to knowledge: Understanding midwives’ experiences will enable me to identify the support midwives need.
You can also listen to an audio recording exploring the poster on zoom (Passcode:66cU#RNB).
If this research has inspired you and you’d like to explore applying for a research degree please visit the postgraduate research web pages or contact our dedicated admissions team.
Poster Exhibition | The 12th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference
Katie Thompson, PhD student in the Faculty of Science & Technology with this poster entitled:
Impacts of African savanna elephants (Loxodonta africana) on large trees within a small, fenced reserve in South Africa.
Click the poster below to enlarge.
African savanna elephants (Loxodonta africana) can have detrimental impacts on trees due to their feeding habits including debarking, uprooting, and breaking branches off trees. The aim of this study is to assess whether introduced elephants have caused significant damage on various tree species in the small fenced Karongwe Private Game Reserve (KPGR). Thirty-two different tree species were recorded, with 5 species accounting for 80% of the total dataset and used for further analysis. Tree height was not shown to correlate with the overall level of damage. Trees close to the fence line were not more damaged than trees near the centre of the reserve. However, trees in highly used areas had a higher level of damage; these damaged trees showed low levels of recovery. We suggest exclusion areas for Combretum apiculatum and Sclerocarya birrea in high use areas, to reduce damage and enable recovery on these highly damaged species.
If this research has inspired you and you’d like to explore applying for a research degree please visit the postgraduate research web pages or contact our dedicated admissions team.
This week sees the launch of The State of Play survey, an important new study into management and recruitment practices across the UK’s television industry. The initiative is a collaboration between colleagues in the Faculty of Media & Communication, the television union Bectu, and the freelance Producer-Directors’ association, Viva La PD.
It’s an exciting development’ says Christa van Raalte, Deputy Dean for Education & Professional Practice in the Faculty. ‘BU has long been known for the graduates who go on to work in the media, but we also have an important contribution to make to improving the way these industries actually operate’.
Prior to the pandemic, the UK’s film and television sector had been generating an annual trade surplus of almost £1 billion. Yet Covid-19 has exposed systemic and routinely overlooked problems. Chronic under-investment in professional development and over-dependence on an army of freelance workers has made it especially vulnerable. These workers – reliant on precarious, short-term contractual employment – have faced months without work, with over half ineligible for any Government support. Many may be permanently lost to the industry, exacerbating both pre-existing skills shortages and the industry’s well-documented lack of diversity. However the crisis has also been instrumental in raising awareness of structural weaknesses, previously unacknowledged by many industry leaders. This presents an unprecedented opportunity for much needed reform.
The study draws on previous work that BU has done in this area, and feeds into a larger piece of work for which external funding is currently being sought.
For more information about The State of Play survey, contact:
Richard Wallis (rwallis@bournemouth.ac.uk)
Department of Media Production, FMC.
Poster Exhibition | The 12th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference
Kelsie Fletcher, PhD student in the Faculty of Haealth & Social Sciences with this poster entitled:
The history of disaster nursing: developments from Nightingale to the 21st century.
Click the poster below to enlarge.
Background: Nurses have a rich history in performing their duty both domestically and internationally in response to a disaster. Comprising the largest proportion of the healthcare workforce, nurses can inform disaster planning and management. With continuing conflict, humanitarian and natural disasters, epidemics and ongoing threat from covid-19, nurses’ roles and capacity to respond to global health needs is critical. Aims: The aim of this poster is to demonstrate key developments in the field of disaster nursing. Methods: A qualitative historical review was conducted to examine core developments in the history of disaster nursing. Results: A total of 10 articles refer to disaster nursing specifically, of which 4 of these are reports/policy. Conclusions: The complex but rich history of disaster nursing is interwoven throughout the historical literature. Understanding the developments of this newly recognised specialty field can inform future research agendas and this can inform the mitigation, prevention, response and recovery phases of disaster management.
If this research has inspired you and you’d like to explore applying for a research degree please visit the postgraduate research web pages or contact our dedicated admissions team.
Poster Exhibition | The 12th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference
Madhu Sapkota, PhD student in the Faculty of Science & Technology with this poster entitled:
Adaptive Simulation Modelling using the Digital Twin Paradigm.
Click the poster below to enlarge.
The simulation model used while undertaking the Structural Health Management (SHM) task to predict the response of the system/structure(s) to disturbances, got phase-out when the real system/structure material properties changes in non-uniform and complex way. In order to accurately predict future states of a system/ structure, which can change its behaviour to a large degree in response to environmental influences, the existence of precise models of the system and its surroundings is demandable. For this, simulation modelling within DT paradigm concept is proposed, with DT encompassing continuous and automatic model updating framework, reducing the computational (parametric) uncertainties that arises with time in the process and ultimately having a lifetime reliable prognosis tool for the structural behaviour. The solver (algorithm/framework) will be tested with a real-world problem by setting a DT environment integrated with an ultra-high-fidelity simulation model (for eg: cathodic protection (CP) model built for the prediction of the corrosion status of a seastructure).
If this research has inspired you and you’d like to explore applying for a research degree please visit the postgraduate research web pages or contact our dedicated admissions team.
Poster Exhibition | The 12th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference
Jessica Doherty, PhD student in the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences with this poster entitled:
A Pilot Study to Improve emotional well-being of Early Career Midwives: A Modified Dialectical Behavioural Therapy Skills Training Group Intervention.
Click the poster below to enlarge.
Early career midwives are at the highest risk of leaving the profession in the first 5 years of practice. Targeting the emotional labour and burnout relationship may alter this trajectory by equipping them with emotional toolkit and skills to manage their relationships in practice and improve their resilience to workplace-adversity. This pilot is a non-randomised two-phased sequential mixed-method design comprising of pre, post-test and three-month follow-up to explore the preliminary effectiveness of the intervention via standardised-measures of emotional labour, difficulties of emotional regulation, Mayer, Salovey and Caruso’s emotional intelligence, resilience at work and Maslach’s Burnout Inventory in the first phase. Qualitative semi-structured interviews will be conducted in the second phase to explore the feasibility, acceptability, applicability of the intervention and DBT skills in practice. This study is the first to test DBT Skills training in the midwifery profession.
If this research has inspired you and you’d like to explore applying for a research degree please visit the postgraduate research web pages or contact our dedicated admissions team.
Poster Exhibition | The 12th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference
Chloe Casey, PhD student in the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences with this poster entitled:
Initiatives to promote the wellbeing of postgraduate researchers at Bournemouth University.
Click the poster below to enlarge.
In relation to wellbeing support, in the past there has been the assumption that what works for undergraduate students will also work for postgraduate researchers (PGRs). As a result, a lack of interventions published in the literature have been designed and evaluated specifically with PGRs in mind. Due to this, universities have previously embedded support provisions that may not have been relevant for PGRs. There is a need to investigate the type of interventions that will be best aligned to the specific needs of PGRs. Therefore, this Doctoral College supported PhD project aims to design, trial, and evaluate evidence-based initiatives that are co-produced with PGRs. This poster provides an overview of the initiatives that have been trialled as part of this project, including a peer-support area on Brightspace and a series of workshops (project planning, mindfulness and mentoring) focusing on methods to help PGRs cope with the stresses of research.
If this research has inspired you and you’d like to explore applying for a research degree please visit the postgraduate research web pages or contact our dedicated admissions team.
Hello BU community,
I am Dr. Miguel Moital, a Principal Academic in Events Management within the Department of Sport & Events Management (BUBS).
As the year comes to an end, I take the opportunity to summarise my involvement in 5 events and initiatives with the Brazilian tourism research community during the second half of 2020.
Yesterday I co-led a 2 hour workshop about ‘Academic writing an international publication’, one of the training events within the official programme of the 17th Annual Congress of the Brazilian Association for Research and Post- Graduate Studies in Tourism (ANPTUR).
The workshop, Co-delivered with Dr. Verônica Feder Mayer, Associate Professor of Tourism at the Fluminense Federal University, focused on the role of theory in research. It is well acknowledged that Brazilian tourism research is often too focused on context with limited extent of theorisation. Myself and Dr. Mayer, who has published several articles in top tourism journals, felt that this would be a good opportunity to further developed the community’s skills and knowledge around theory and theorisation. Over several weeks we prepared a range of materials which explained the differences between context- and theory- focused research, while at the same time clarify the scope and characteristics of theory based research.
The workshop was a success attracting over 200 participants, many of which provided extremely positive feedback.
I was the featured speaker at the November ENACT Seminar. These monthly seminars bring together around 40 Brazilian tourism researchers with an interest in economics, business and consumer behaviour. During the 90-minute workshop, the featured speaker highlights key elements in the research and publication process behind one of his articles, with substantial time left for Q&A.
I presented a paper co-authored with Sabine Toppig, a BA Events Management graduate, which was on circulation management at exhibitions. Sabine was the recipient of the 2019 Vice Chancellor Fusion Prize, and our joint paper was published by the International Journal of Event and Festival Management.
After briefly presenting the results of the paper, I highlighted 5 key methodological features / challenges and explained how they were addressed and why. Participants said that at first they found the topic ‘strange’ and that they couldn’t see how you could research circulation at exhibitions, but once they read the paper (the paper is sent in advance to participants) they felt that everything made sense, at that the student had chosen a very relevant area of research. They also felt that the paper was extremely well designed and written.
At the end of August I submitted my report as an international expert assessing the revalidation of the Postgraduate Programme in Tourism of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (PPGTUR-UFRN). Current regulations in Brazil require all postgraduate programmes to develop a self-assessment report every four years. Once completed, the report is then sent to a national and an international examiner for comment.
Similar to the UK process, doctoral programmes in Brazil have a mid-programme progress assessment, called ‘Qualificação’. I was invited by the PhD Programme in Tourism from UNIVALI – Universidade do Vale do Itajai (Santa Catarina state) to be the external examiner for a thesis on Paradoxes in Tourism Experiences.
LiveTUR was a series of live events organised by the Postgraduate Programme in Tourism of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (PPGTUR-UFRN). The last one focused on the “The 2020 global crisis and changes in the tourism and events sector”, and featured myself and two Brazilian professors: Professor Guilherme Lohmann (Griffith University) and Professor Luis Godoi Trigo (São Paulo University).
The event was expertly chaired by Dr. Ricardo Lanzarini. Given the relevance of the topic and the high profile of the LiveTUR initiative, more than 200 participants attended the event.
The 2 hour event saw the speakers sharing their views on the nature of the changes as a consequence of the events of 2020, as well as answering questions that the audience asked ahead of the event, or during the event. The event was organised very professionally as it resulted from a collaboration between UFRN and DataShow, a local company which provides technological solutions for live events.
BU staff can login below:
Take part in the 2025 ESRC Festival of Social Science: Application Deadline Extended to Friday 23 May 2025
SERVED research project: Supporting Evidence-based Research for Veterans Experiencing Dementia
Alzheimer’s Awareness Week – join us in BGB on Tuesday 20th May
Nanocoatings to Bionanocomposites: Sustainable Solutions Take part in the 2025 ESRC Festival of Social Science – Deadline for applications: Thursday 15 May 2025 
MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2025
Update on UKRO services
European research project exploring use of ‘virtual twins’ to better manage metabolic associated fatty liver disease
Research Information Network
Horizon Europe 2025 Work Programme pre-Published