Category / Research communication

How to support children with special educational needs as they return to school

Children and parents have struggled to adjust to homeschooling. Now, some have to cope with returning to schools which will seem very different to those they left at the beginning of lockdown. One group of children, though, are facing challenges beyond those experienced by the majority.

Children with special educational needs (SEN) make up around 15% of all pupils in mainstream education. Developmental dyslexia is the most common condition in this group, estimated to affect between 10%-16% of the UK population. Autism is much rarer, affecting about 1.1%.

Our research suggests that children with these conditions might find it especially difficult to adapt to changes in their education. We need to recognise the extra challenges homeschooling and online learning have posed for many children – and take this into account as schools reopen.

Extra challenges

Many people think of dyslexia as a language disorder, but it also affects the memory and people’s ability to verbalise ideas and to pay attention. Even in the best of learning environments, struggles in school are likely to lead to low self-esteem for dyslexic children.

Dyslexia can affect many aspects of a child’s life.
Bildagentur Zoonar GmbH

These difficulties are also experienced by autistic children, who may perceive the sensory world differently. Sounds can be magnified, for example, making it hard for a child working at the kitchen table to drag their attention away from the ticking of a clock or the dripping of a tap. Their experience of “not fitting in” also affects their self-esteem.

Another aspect of autism is concrete, black and white thinking. Some autistic children struggle with homework because they think school is for work and home is for play. Routine and predictability is crucial for these children. The move to home education has been another change for them in a sea of turmoil caused by the pandemic.

In school, autistic and dyslexic children would often have specialist support in place to help them with these problems. Without this kind of support, problems with attention and self-esteem may make learning at home very difficult.

It’s also important to recognise that dyslexia and autism are often inherited. Educational and emotional support at home may be limited, further disadvantaging the child and reinforcing the parent’s own potential sense of inadequacy. Children with SEN are also more likely to come from poorer families, an additional layer of inequality.

Positive impacts

Recent research has found that while many children with SEN (and their parents) are indeed more anxious and sad than usual, some families actually report minimal or even positive impacts of distance learning under lockdown. For some children, lockdown is a respite. For dyslexic children, it means they are not the child who is taken out of typical lessons to catch up on other work.

Some parents of children with SEN have reported positive outcomes from home learning.
MIA Studio

For autistic children, it may be an escape from the bullying which is tragically endemic in this group. Many autistic children, including those with a type of autism called pathological demand avoidance, are simply too anxious to attend school regularly.

Remote online education may offer children a greater opportunity for personalised learning at their own pace. For these reasons, many parents of SEN children choose to homeschool their children even under normal circumstances. They argue that home-schooling allows teaching to be built upon the child’s interests, while removing them from rigid standardised testing which is focused on the majority of learners and may set children with conditions like autism or dyslexia up to fail.

Back to school

As schools begin to reopen, advice is already emerging around how best to protect and support children. It’s important to make children feel safe and in control as we emerge from the coronavirus pandemic.

Experts suggest that emotional and social development should take precedence over school work. Some children may need special help with this. Autistic children, for instance, may need to be explicitly taught how to play appropriately, and may need adult assistance to make friends.

Learning in small groups may benefit children with SEN.
iofoto/Shutterstock

Before the coronavirus pandemic, teachers were advised to set up small circles of friends for vulnerable children. As such, the current advice, which recommends that children should stay in small groups, may be well suited to those with special educational needs. However, teachers will also need to actively adopt other strategies to foster social bonds between the child and their peers.

As always, it will be important for parents and teachers to collaborate closely to ensure as much consistency as possible. There are things that teachers and parents can do to help children deal with difficult emotions. Children might also be dealing with bereavement and new financial insecurity at home. The involvement of other child specialists, like psychologists and social workers, might therefore be beneficial.

To help build a sense of control, we need to do more to help children with special educational needs succeed in school, respecting their own pace and learning styles. As this situation evolves, we must be mindful of its impact on the already entrenched inequality that hampers these learners. However, the situation also forces us to come face-to-face with the cracks in our previous systems and come up with new ways of doing things which might, in the long term, reap surprising benefits.The Conversation

Julie Kirkby, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, Bournemouth University and Rachel Moseley, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, Bournemouth University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Managing References and Writing for Publication with EndNote Desktop

Monday 8th June 10:00 – 12:00

This workshop will introduce you to EndNote, software that saves you time when managing your references and writing for publication.

 

 

 

This session will cover:

  • The role of EndNote in the research workflow
  • Reference collation and management
  • Full text harvesting
  • Writing for publication; citation and reference creation​

Essential Preparation

You must have the correct software loaded onto your machine prior to attending.

  • If you are using a BU staff machine, EndNote desktop (X9) needs to have been installed by BU IT Services. This includes the toolbar for Word.
  • If you are using your own device running Windows 10, you can access it via AppsAnywhere from BU. However, please test it before the workshop to make sure that it can run EndNote desktop (X9) and that your version of Word has the EndNote toolbar installed.
  • If you are using your own Mac, you will need to contact BU IT Service and ask them to install EndNote desktop (X9).

You may find it beneficial (but not essential) to have dual monitors. This could allow you to watch the teaching and try things out at the same time.

See here to book.

HRA announcement – Amendment Tool now live

Please see below for a recent update from the Health Research Authority with regard to a new amendment tool and the online submission of amendments.

If you have any queries please email Suzy Wignall in Research Development & Support.


Online submission of amendments and a new amendment tool is now live across the UK, as of today Tuesday 2 June 2020.

These new processes for handling amendments are part of our ongoing Research Systems programme to improve services for applicants.

  • The amendment tool is designed to simplify the amendment process for applicants and
  • The ability to submit amendments online means that applicants can track the submission history of amendments.

From 2 June, all applicants making an amendment to project-based research will need to complete the amendment tool and submit their amendment online. The tool replaces the Notification of Substantial Amendment (NoSA) and Non-Substantial Amendment forms. Amendments to Research Tissue Banks and Research Databases will also be submitted online from this date.

To help with these changes, we have now published:

For queries on how to complete the tool, questions on the results from the tool, once complete or how to submit your amendment online, please contact amendments@hra.nhs.uk

Amendment Tool

The new amendment tool should be used for all project-based research including amendments being made under the COVID-19 fast-track process, from 2 June. (Research Tissue Banks and Research Databases will continue to use the IRAS generated substantial amendment forms.)

The tool categorises the amendment and provides tailored guidance on how to submit. It will identify any review bodies the amendment needs to be sent to, based on the changes that are being made to the study. It also provides detailed information about the amendment to participating sites.

The Notice of Substantial Amendment/annex 2 form can be generated by completing the tool. This version of the form can then be submitted to the REC and the MHRA (as required) when making a substantial amendment to a trial.

The amendment tool is based in Excel, but in the longer term we plan to fully integrate the tool functionality into IRAS.

The introduction of the amendment tool may require changes to Sponsor’s quality system (e.g. SOPs, guidance documents and templates etc.). Organisations should do this in accordance with the new process in good time. Given the additional demands placed across the healthcare research systems at this time, the MHRA has confirmed that it will adopt a pragmatic approach during inspection.

Submitting amendments online

Once you have completed the amendment tool, you should follow the submission guidance provided in the submission guidance tab of the tool. If the amendment needs to be submitted, then the amendment tool, together with all the supporting documents, should be uploaded into a new part of IRAS and submitted using the online system.

For amendments to Research Tissue Banks and Research Databases the IRAS substantial amendment form should be submitted online in place of the amendment tool.

Applicants will need to set up a new login and password for the new part of IRAS. We are sharing a login process with NIHR systems for the new parts of IRAS that provide online booking, the Combined Ways of Working (CWoW) pilot, and this new amendment system. If you already have a login for any NIHR system or one of these new parts of IRAS you can use the same details. If you do not already have a login for those systems, you will need to set up a new login and password as guided by the system.

Once you have logged in, applications will need to input the IRAS ID for the study as well as some other information regarding the study and amendment, some of which will need to be copied directly from the tool itself. Applicants can upload documents including a pdf of the tool itself. The system will issue an email to confirm the amendment has been submitted.

PGR Virtual Poster Showcase | Hina Tariq

Next up in the PGR Virtual Poster Showcase:

Hina Tariq, PhD student in the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences with this poster entitled:

‘Validation of contracture assessment screening tool.’

Click the poster below to enlarge.

Contractures are a debilitating consequence of prolonged immobility potentially leading to physical impairments, limited functional mobility, decreased independence with everyday activities, and reduced social participation. There is no standard assessment tool available to assess the risk of contracture development or progression. The Contracture Assessment Screening Tool (CAST) was developed by Dorset Health Care University NHS Foundation Trust to address this gap. This project aims to establish the 1) CAST validity and 2) CAST effectiveness in reducing contracture development and progression. Timely identification of those at risk of contracture development or progression may help facilitate contracture prevention and the associated negative sequelae.  To evaluate CAST, a mixed methods approach is being utilised including realist review and evaluation.  Merging different methodologies and a realist approach will provide a unique perspective on CAST validation and use. This project is ongoing and the poster will present the overall methodology and significance of the project.


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.

PGR Virtual Poster Showcase | Juliette Hecquet

Taking us into the sixth week of the PGR Virtual Poster Showcase:

Juliette Hecquet, PhD student in the Faculty of Management with this poster entitled:

Exploring yoga as a flow experience: A phenomenological study of contemporary communities.’

Click the poster below to enlarge.

The definition of yoga remains fluid and controversial, creating an oxymoron between the philosophical roots of yoga and physical practice. The majority of published academic research is in medicalised fields; however researchers agree yoga has vast positive outcomes with the potential to be valuable in society.  A lack of clarity exists on what the yoga experience now is, with sparse evidence of, non-medical, qualitative research.  The flow experience and the practice of yoga continue to draws parallel’s from a philosophical standpoint.   Yoga can be regarded as one of the oldest and most systematic methods of producing flow experience but has yet to be researched as one. This interpretative phenomenological research aims to explore the lived yoga experience and the potential flow experience, across contemporary yoga communities.  Videos (vlogs) and in-depth semi-structured interviews will explore the research questions; how yoga participants explain their lived yoga experience and the potential flow experience.


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.

HRA announcement – Amendment Tool and Guidance now available

Please see below for a recent update from the Health Research Authority with regard to a new amendment tool and the online submission of amendments.

If you have any queries please email Suzy Wignall in Research Development & Support.


Online submission of amendments and a new amendment tool will go live across the UK on Tuesday 2 June 2020.

These new processes for handling amendments are part of our ongoing Research Systems programme to improve services for applicants.

  • The amendment tool is designed to simplify the amendment process for applicants and
  • The ability to submit amendments online means that applicants can track the submission history of amendments.

From 2 June, all applicants making an amendment to project-based research will need to complete the amendment tool and submit their amendment online. The tool replaces the Notification of Substantial Amendment (NoSA) and Non-Substantial Amendment forms. Amendments to Research Tissue Banks and Research Databases will also be submitted online from this date.

To help with these changes, we have now published:

For queries on how to complete the tool, questions on the results from the tool, once complete or how to submit your amendment online, please contact amendments@hra.nhs.uk

Amendment Tool

The new amendment tool should be used for all project-based research including amendments being made under the COVID-19 fast-track process, from 2 June. (Research Tissue Banks and Research Databases will continue to use the IRAS generated substantial amendment forms.)

The tool categorises the amendment and provides tailored guidance on how to submit. It will identify any review bodies the amendment needs to be sent to, based on the changes that are being made to the study. It also provides detailed information about the amendment to participating sites.

The Notice of Substantial Amendment/annex 2 form can be generated by completing the tool. This version of the form can then be submitted to the REC and the MHRA (as required) when making a substantial amendment to a trial.

The amendment tool is based in Excel, but in the longer term we plan to fully integrate the tool functionality into IRAS.

The introduction of the amendment tool may require changes to Sponsor’s quality system (e.g. SOPs, guidance documents and templates etc.). Organisations should do this in accordance with the new process in good time. Given the additional demands placed across the healthcare research systems at this time, the MHRA has confirmed that it will adopt a pragmatic approach during inspection.

Submitting amendments online

Once you have completed the amendment tool, you should follow the submission guidance provided in the submission guidance tab of the tool. If the amendment needs to be submitted, then the amendment tool, together with all the supporting documents, should be uploaded into a new part of IRAS and submitted using the online system.

For amendments to Research Tissue Banks and Research Databases the IRAS substantial amendment form should be submitted online in place of the amendment tool.

Applicants will need to set up a new login and password for the new part of IRAS. We are sharing a login process with NIHR systems for the new parts of IRAS that provide online booking, the Combined Ways of Working (CWoW) pilot, and this new amendment system. If you already have a login for any NIHR system or one of these new parts of IRAS you can use the same details. If you do not already have a login for those systems, you will need to set up a new login and password as guided by the system.

Once you have logged in, applications will need to input the IRAS ID for the study as well as some other information regarding the study and amendment, some of which will need to be copied directly from the tool itself. Applicants can upload documents including a pdf of the tool itself. The system will issue an email to confirm the amendment has been submitted.

PGR Virtual Poster Showcase | Helen Slater

This weeks highlight in the PGR Virtual Poster Showcase:

Helen Slater, PhD student in the Faculty of Science & Technology with this poster from her live exhibition entitled:

‘LEAP voices in the jungle: remote monitoring of forest biodiversity.’

Click the poster below to enlarge.

A major challenge in wildlife conservation is the difficulty of collecting and maintaining robust records of abundance and distribution. Sumatra contains a diverse array of unique animal sounds, since many forest animals use acoustic signals for long range communication; these signals can tell us a great deal about wildlife populations and behaviour. A forest soundscape was recorded in secondary forest in Sumatra, Indonesia, as a tool for rapid biodiversity assessment and to begin building a database of vocal signals for long term monitoring of apes and elephants. A network of custom-built acoustic recorders were deployed, covering both protected secondary forest and smallholder plantations at the forest edge. These data are valuable for biodiversity and population monitoring, as well as hugely effective tools for conservation education. In addition to wildlife research, materials collected from this project are being incorporated into an interactive exhibition to engage young children with nature and conservation.


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.

New online booking service for IRAS – goes live Tuesday 19th May

Please see below for an update from the Health Research Authority with regard to the new system for booking in applications.

Any queries please get in touch with Suzy Wignall, Clinical Governance Advisor.


A new online booking service will be rolled out for IRAS studies on Tuesday 19 May – replacing the current Central Booking Service (CBS) telephone line. This is part of our ongoing Research Systems programme of work to improve our services for applicants.

Applicants submitting research projects through IRAS will no longer need to call the Central Booking Service to book a Research Ethics Committee, or to enable IRAS Form submission. Instead applicants will access the new online booking service via IRAS to book their application for review. The service is quick and easy to use and, unlike the current Central Booking Service, will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, making it easier for research applicants. If you need help and support with the new system you can call 0207 104 8008 between 8.30am and 4.30pm Monday to Friday.

In order to make use of this new functionality, applicants will be directed to a new part of IRAS which hosts the online booking service. A separate login will be required, but support will be provided. You will need to set up a new login and password for this area unless you already have a login for a NIHR system or as part of the Combined Ways of Working pilot (CWoW) pilot. In this case you can use your existing log in details.

Applicants will need to answer a series of questions online before being able to book a slot. This directs the applicant to the appropriate REC. The questions will be familiar to anyone who has used the CBS. Once you have completed your online REC booking, you will still need to electronically submit your application in IRAS using the normal process.

Applicants making contact about fast-track COVID-19 studies, should continue to follow our current guidance or email fast.track@hra.nhs.uk, DO NOT use the online booking service. 

The work to build the online booking service began before the current COVID-19 pandemic. It is being rolled out now so that the system can support research applicants with non-COVID-19 studies.

Training and guidance will be available via the IRAS website. You can also watch a short video to see how to use the online booking service.

 

New BU publication on birth centres in Nepal

Congratulations to Dr. Preeti Mahato in the Centre for Midwifery, Maternal & Perintal Helath (CMMPH) on the acceptance of the  paper ‘ Evaluation of a health promotion intervention associated with birthing centres in rural Nepal’.   This paper is part of Dr. Mahato’s PhD work and will appear soon in the international journal PLOS ONE.   The journal is Open Access so anyone across the world may copy, distribute, or reuse these articles, as long as the author and original source are properly cited.

The research in this thesis used a longitudinal study design where pre-intervention survey was conducted by Green Tara Nepal a local non-governmental organisation (NGO) in year 2012.  The health promotion intervention was conducted by the same NGO in the period 2014 to 2016 and the post-intervention survey was conducted by Dr Mahato in the year 2017.

The intervention was financially supported by a London-based Buddhist charity called Green Tara Trust.   The results of the pre- and post-intervention surveys were compared to identify statistically significant changes that might have occurred due to the intervention and also to determine the factors affecting place of birth.   This study is co-authored by Professors Edwin van Teijlingen and Vanora Hundley and Dr Catherine Angell from CMMPH and FHSS Visiting Professor Padam Simkhada (based at the University of Huddersfield).

 

 

PGR Virtual Poster Showcase | Lara Christ

Fourth in this PGR Virtual Poster Showcase: 

Lara Christ, visiting PhD student in the Faculty of Management with this poster entitled:

‘Nonprofit brand orientation in emerging countries: Antecedents, barriers and outcomes’

Click the poster below to enlarge.

Considering the importance of the nonprofit organizations in emerging countries, the research aims to develop the elements that constitute the nonprofit brand orientation in emerging countries and identify the antecedents, barriers and outcomes of nonprofit brand orientation.  In this way, the recent literature about the concept was analysed and a theoretical model is going to be proposed. The research is going to be realized in four steps: generation of indicators from an exploratory research, grouping of the indicators in factors, confirmation of the factors and test of the proposed model. We expect to produce a measurement scale of nonprofit brand orientation, antecedents, barriers and outcomes in emerging countries. In addition to the theoretical relevance of a new scale of a concept that has not been approached yet in the marketing literature, the project can contribute to the management of social organizations bringing benefits to society as a whole.


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.

PGR Virtual Poster Showcase | Francesca Dean

Entering week 3 of the PGR Virtual Poster Showcase

Francesca Dean PhD student in the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences with this poster entitled:

‘Exploring the experiences of sport psychologists working within elite youth football in England.’

Click the poster below to enlarge.

Successful performance in sport requires the execution of advanced psychological skills in both training and competition. Although the importance of sport psychology is now widely acknowledged, there is a need for greater clarity regarding (a) what is actually delivered under the banner of sport psychology, and (b) the needs of those receiving psychological support. One sport which is increasingly focusing on the role of psychological development is football—this is occurring via the English Premier League’s Elite Player Performance Plan. As the first stage of a PhD programme, this study aims to examine the current knowledge and provision of sport psychology services delivered to youth performers within professional football academies in England. Semi-structured interviews will be conducted with six sport psychology practitioners working within professional academies in order to gain insight into their understanding of their role, their perception of (sport) psychology, and their experience of delivering psychology services at the academy level.


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.

PGR Virtual Poster Showcase | Kelsie Fletcher

Next up in the PGR Virtual Poster Showcase:

Kelsie Fletcher, PhD student in the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences with this poster entitled:

‘The momentum of grounded theory: Nursing research and new perspectives in disaster management’.

Click the poster below to enlarge.

The purpose of this poster is to explore the background of Grounded Theory evolution to its application in disaster management and nursing theoretical development. It will examine why Grounded theory remains popular and useful in developing professional knowledge in healthcare research and, most importantly, why it is the methodology of choice for understanding the experiences of nurses working in a disaster region. Explicit links will be made to offer clarity of its appropriateness in this field of research and this will be enhanced by reflections of the researcher.  Nurses possess a unique opportunity to develop understanding of emergency management, public health and planning, to enhance potential responses to a disaster. Grounded theory aims to support research in subjects with little or no literature available (Charmaz 2014; Birks and Mills 2015). Due to the researcher’s personal experience in disaster management provision, constructivist grounded theory is considered to be the most appropriate.


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.

PGR Virtual Poster Showcase | Festus Adedoyin

Kicking off the PGR Virtual Poster Showcase:

Festus Adedoyin, PhD student in the Faculty of Management with this poster entitled:

Energy consumption, CO2 emissions, and tourist arrivals to small island economies dependent on tourism.’

Click the poster below to enlarge.

In less than two decades, the global tourism industry has overtaken the construction industry as one of the bigger polluters, accounting for up to 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Consequently, research into the causal link between emissions and the tourism industry have increased significantly focusing extensively on top earners from the industry. However, few studies have thoroughly assessed this relationship for small island economies dependent on tourism. Hence, this paper aims to investigate the causal relationship between CO2 emissions, real GDP per capita, and the tourism industry. The long-run relationship is investigated using Pooled Mean Group ARDL Model. Prior to this, we conduct the Pedroni and Kao cointegration tests, the ADF-Fisher and Im, Perasan Shin unit root tests. We also examine causality using the Dumitrescu and Hurlin (2012) Panel causality tests. Our study seeks to contribute to the energy-growth-tourism debate as well as the feedback mechanism among the variables.

 


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.