Kelly-Mae Saville, Gurkiran Birdi, Sarah Hayes, Helen Higson and Frank Eperjesi
The purpose of this paper is to highlight the positive academic and professional outcomes for students who undertake degree apprenticeships which use strength-based approaches in…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to highlight the positive academic and professional outcomes for students who undertake degree apprenticeships which use strength-based approaches in their curriculum and assessment. The design and implementation of programmes of work-based study which focus on an individual’s inherent talents are a new lens for higher education (HE), one that enables institutions to see diverse groups of students fulfil their potential and gain academic qualifications. Strength-based degree apprenticeships offer an effective way to align the needs of industry with the ambitions of individuals who wish to gain university level qualifications whilst in the workplace.
Design/methodology/approach
The research adopted a mixed-methods approach. Semi-structured interviews with stakeholders in industry and HE were undertaken and thematically analysed. Student data were analysed quantitatively for students in the degree apprenticeship programmes which incorporate a strength-based approach to learning and assessment.
Findings
The findings from this study highlight that the degree apprenticeships’ strength-based curriculum and assessment have spearheaded its success. On average, degree apprentices attain 10 per cent higher grades than students undertaking the same programme through the traditional degree route. Moreover, the module design and tailored support has contributed to over 91 per cent of apprentices graduating with a 2:1 or above.
Research limitations/implications
This research is exploratory in nature, focusing on one university’s experiences and outcomes regarding a strength-based approach curriculum and assessment on degree apprenticeships.
Originality/value
The findings describe how the knowledge exchange and culture of the HE sector has shifted, and the university’s efforts to make progressive relationships with employers. Moreover, this paper describes the challenges in designing curricula and assessing students based on the strengths and skills required for their employment, rather than university mandated learning outcomes. The findings of this paper could influence a strength-based framework for the development of degree apprenticeships in the UK.
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Daniel J. Paulus, Lauren Page Wadsworth and Sarah A. Hayes-Skelton
Improving mental health literacy is an important consideration when promoting expedient and effective treatment seeking for psychological disorders. Low recognition serves as a…
Abstract
Purpose
Improving mental health literacy is an important consideration when promoting expedient and effective treatment seeking for psychological disorders. Low recognition serves as a barrier to treatment and the purpose of this paper is to examine recognition by lay individuals of severity for three psychological disorders: social anxiety, generalized anxiety, and major depression using a dimensional approach.
Design/methodology/approach
Vignettes of mild/subclinical, moderate, and severe cases of each disorder were rated for severity by a team of expert assessors and 270 participants (mean age=26.8; 76.7 percent women).
Findings
Difference ratings were calculated comparing participants’ responses to scores from the assessors. A within-groups factorial ANOVA with LSD follow-up was performed to examine the effects of Diagnosis and Severity on difference ratings. Both main effects (Diagnosis, F(2, 536)=35.26, Mse=1.24; Severity, F(2, 536)=9.44, Mse=1.93) and the interaction were significant (F(4, 1,072)=13.70, Mse=1.13) all p’s < 0.001. Social anxiety cases were under-rated in the mild/subclinical and moderate cases, generalized anxiety cases were under-rated at all three severities, and major depression cases were over-rated at all three severities.
Social implications
Judgments of severity may underlie the low recognition rates for social anxiety disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. Future efforts should focus on improved recognition and education regarding anxiety disorders in the population, particularly before they become severe.
Originality/value
This project demonstrates the importance of considering judgments of symptom severity on a continuum, and in a range of cases, rather than just the ability to correctly label symptoms, when determining whether or not people recognize psychological disorders.
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This study examines the critical role of higher education in conflict zones, focusing on the northern regions of Syria affected by Operation Olive Branch and Operation Euphrates…
Abstract
Purpose
This study examines the critical role of higher education in conflict zones, focusing on the northern regions of Syria affected by Operation Olive Branch and Operation Euphrates Shield. It explores how educational leaders navigate security challenges, community relations and curriculum development to sustain academic activities during ongoing conflicts.
Design/methodology/approach
Employing a qualitative research design, the study utilizes semi-structured interviews with higher education administrators in Northern Syria. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis, allowing for the identification of key themes related to security, community integration and educational quality.
Findings
The study highlights how administrators' professional capital – encompassing skills, knowledge and relationships – enables them to manage complex situations. It underscores the role of education in maintaining normalcy, promoting peace and providing psychosocial support during conflicts. Key findings include the importance of ensuring security, fostering community engagement, maintaining educational quality and innovating curricula to address local needs.
Originality/value
This paper provides insights into the unique challenges faced by higher education institutions in conflict zones and the strategies employed by leaders to overcome them. It emphasizes the transformative potential of education in promoting stability and peace in war-torn regions, offering valuable lessons for similar contexts worldwide.
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Chloe Shu-Hua Yeh, Jermaine Ravalier and Kirk Chang
There is an urge worldwide that school leaders’ mental health and well-being must be prioritised within the education recovery at the local, national and global policy levels…
Abstract
Purpose
There is an urge worldwide that school leaders’ mental health and well-being must be prioritised within the education recovery at the local, national and global policy levels. This research identified the intentional well-being practices that school leaders cultivated as they faced unprecedented challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Design/methodology/approach
Data was collected through one-to-one in-depth semi-structured interviews with ten senior school leaders from primary and secondary schools in England. During the pandemic, online interviews were organised using Zoom. An inductive followed by deductive approach qualitative data analysis was employed to offer insights into the multidimensional and sensitive nature of school leaders’ well-being.
Findings
The findings indicated that despite a reported decline in well-being, the participants intentionally engaged in well-being cultivation practices which were both relational: developing multi-faceted support networks, and individual: developing self-care and self-regulation skills. These practices provided different psychological and practical needs necessary for maintaining their well-being and work functioning facing the pandemic.
Originality/value
This study affirms school leaders’ well-being cultivation is an intentional and effortful process involving relational and individual practices to support their multidimensional well-being during extreme challenges. These practices can be mindfully and strategically cultivated. This study enhances the theoretical understanding of school leader well-being and offers timely insights into well-being initiatives in leadership development programmes for educational leaders and policymakers amid global challenges.
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Bree Dority, Sarah J. Borchers and Suzanne K. Hayes
This study aims to investigate how the language used in US Title II equity crowdfunding campaign descriptions relates to campaign success.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate how the language used in US Title II equity crowdfunding campaign descriptions relates to campaign success.
Design/methodology/approach
Data on >3,200 equity offerings from 12 Title II platforms was obtained from 2013 to 2016. The aspects of the campaign descriptions that are focused on are tone and two measures of readability: information quantity – the amount of information available to the investor and information quality – the ease of understanding of the passage of text. Tobit regressions with sector-clustered standard errors are used for estimation while controlling for company-specific variables, market sentiment and platform, regional, sector and time effects. Results are robust to alternative estimation approaches.
Findings
Inverse U-shaped relationships exist between information quantity, information quality and tone and Title II equity crowdfunding campaign success. Overall, less is more as it appears that an intermediate level of information – quantity, quality and tone – is optimal in terms of being a factor that contributes to equity crowdfunding campaign success.
Originality/value
Extends the use of textual analysis to the equity crowdfunding environment in the USA where such analysis is lacking and provides empirical evidence that the language used (e.g. sentiment) in US Title II equity-based crowdfunding campaign descriptions does influence campaign success. It provides empirical evidence of and extends the concept of information overload to the entrepreneurial finance sub-field and indicates tone may be an additional information attribute to consider in this context as contributing to overload.
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Adrian J Hayes, Tulane Chiarletti, Stephanie Hares, Sarah Devereux, Stephanie Upton, Daniel McNamara and Sally Brookes
The therapeutic community (TC) is an environmental intervention where principles of working together democratically can enhance self-agency. While availability of inpatient TCs…
Abstract
Purpose
The therapeutic community (TC) is an environmental intervention where principles of working together democratically can enhance self-agency. While availability of inpatient TCs within the UK National Health Service (NHS) has declined, shorter or alternative interventions using core TC approaches have shown promise in enacting change. The purpose of this paper is to report and reflect on the development and running of a pilot nano-TC.
Design/methodology/approach
Foundations Group was a 2-h TC group intervention set up and run within the NHS for 18 months in 2021–2022, and taking place on City Farm premises. The group was convened as part of the complex emotional needs service in a mental health NHS Trust in the South West of England. Over the study period, the group comprised 11 members, one peer member and three staff members.
Findings
The authors reflected on the TC stance of working democratically with a fluid hierarchy, taking a non-expert approach, and using support and challenge to enhance self-agency and belongingness. The authors have detailed the structure of the group session including use of community meetings, psychoeducation, creative sessions and reviews. Members took on roles within the group including chairing sessions.
Originality/value
This group was a novel service within the NHS Trust where it was conducted and may represent a standalone therapeutic group. The authors hope it will show that core TC principles can be applied in shorter interventions than have previously been used.
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Brittany E. Hayes, Eryn Nicole O’Neal, Katherine A. Meeker, Sarah A. Steele, Patrick Q. Brady and Matthew A. Bills
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate technological strategies (i.e. online training and university safety system) used at one southeastern four-year university to enhance…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate technological strategies (i.e. online training and university safety system) used at one southeastern four-year university to enhance campus safety. This paper investigates if an online training influenced rape myth acceptance (RMA) and if participation in the university safety system was associated with perceptions of campus safety.
Design/methodology/approach
Data from college students were collected via a survey that was distributed through the school’s e-mail system. The survey asked respondents about their perceptions of safety, experiences on campus, attitudes, and utilization of campus resources. In total, 1,583 students participated in the survey. Analyses were limited to 889 respondents not missing data.
Findings
RMA did not differ between those who completed the online training and those who did not complete the training. Regarding perceptions of campus safety, respondents who opted to receive emergency notifications were not significantly different from those who did not receive the notifications. Respondents who had the safety application felt safer on campus compared to those who did not have the application. Respondents who participated in the training, received notifications, and had the application felt safer on campus.
Originality/value
This study highlights the potential utility of the safety application as well as the limited effect of the online education program on RMA.