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Object personification is the attribution of human characteristics to non-human agents. In online forums, autistic individuals commonly report experiencing this phenomenon. Given that approximately half of all autistic individuals experience difficulties identifying their own emotions, the suggestion that object personification may be a feature of autism seems almost paradoxical. Why would a person experience sympathy for objects, when they struggle to understand and verbalise the emotions of other people as well as their own? An online survey was used to assess tendency for personification in 87 autistic and 263 non-autistic adults. Together, our results indicate that object personification occurs commonly among autistic individuals, and perhaps more often (and later in life) than in the general population. Given that in many cases, autistic people report their personification experiences as distressing, it is important to consider the reasons for the increased personification and identify structures for support.

This paper draws attention to how markers of adulthood linked to education and employment form an influential social narrative and argues that these help to construct teenage motherhood as problematic. Social policies, informed by this narrative, reinforce the idea of a "correct" path through education and into employment from which young mothers deviate and must be realigned to. This paper draws on a sample of former young mothers who had largely progressed into higher education and sheds light on how their pathways were possible and what challenges they encountered. It therefore joins others in challenging common conceptualisations of teenage motherhood as inevitably leading to educational failure. This paper seeks to open a further avenue to this debate however, in that it questions the wisdom of utilising predetermined markers of success to measure the achievement of young mothers. As the accounts discussed here show, a later data collection point enables us to see how "outcomes", but also priorities, change. Furthermore, by highlighting stories of pride and joy outside of markers of adulthood, it also encourages us to reflect on the effects of a normative social narrative which depicts divergence as failure. The paper therefore seeks to strike a note of caution in the ways in which we define success.

This paper presents the findings of a survey exploring people's understandings and experiences of Spiritual Abuse (SA) in a Christian faith context. The online survey was completed by 1591 individuals from the UK, 1002 of whom identified as having experienced SA. Inclusion criteria were: membership of the Christian faith, being or having been, a Church attender or member of a Christian organisation and having heard of the term SA. Participants detailed features of an effective response to disclosures of SA, many of these are directly relevant to counselling and psychotherapy practice. The findings echo calls in previous research for including discussions of religion and faith in training and CPD for counsellors and psychotherapists. Finally, the paper suggests the establishment of a network of counsellors with training and knowledge about SA.

Widening participation--though it has only recently been labelled as such--has been a continuing concern for policy makers and higher education institutions in the United Kingdom since 1945 (and before). This article reviews the evidence for four key target groups--women, lower socio-economic groups, mature adults and ethnic minorities--to produce an overall assessment, a score card, of what has been achieved, and what remains to be done. It concludes that, while progress in the recruitment of women, mature adults and ethnic minorities has been substantial--though with some qualifications--it has been much less so for lower socio-economic groups. (Contains 5 tables.)

This paper outlines the outcomes from three rounds of action learning sets with a charity that supports vulnerable adults and those with learning disabilities in supported living and residential care. The action learning sets focused on safeguarding cases and how they had been managed by 11 leaders at various levels of the charity (the team). The findings demonstrate that using a reflective process and the 'fishbowl' model of action learning sets in this context is effective in evaluating the actions taken by the team in the safeguarding case, but also the awareness of the perspectives -- or lenses -- the team had used when reflecting on the roles of the various stakeholders included. We outline the development and application of the Multiple Lens View Model (Table 1) which was designed during the research and which helps to analyse the perspectives the participants were taking when focusing on the issues in each case. We conclude with an exploration of how this charity can more critically engage in debate around assumptions made in safeguarding incidents. We discuss how The Multiple Lens View Model can be developed further as a conceptual framework for this charity and for critical action learning in other institutions.

This paper uncovers L1 Chinese speakers' online intercultural communication where they deploy English as a lingua franca and other spatial repertoires to co-construct translanguaging practices with their interlocutors and present three-fold identities--translingual, L1 Chinese, and legitimate users of English, leading to the argument that non-native English speakers and spatial repertoires play agentive roles in shaping English in the trends of globalisation and digitalisation.

This paper draws on longitudinal birth cohort data for Britain to analyse participation in learning activities by people in their 30s and 40s. People in this age group have received less attention than either young adults or people in retirement. Yet technical change and the need for new skills make it important for them to engage in learning to improve their prospects at work. We investigate participation and non-participation in a range of different types of learning including gaining qualifications, vocational training and learning for interest. Statistical models explore how factors which occur before their 30s influence learning in this phase of the lifecourse. The results show that cumulative advantage is important -- those with the highest qualifications in early adulthood were most likely to engage in further learning later on. Participation in learning activities of any kind in young adulthood was also a key antecedent factor predicting higher chances of participating in learning in mid-life.

Autobiographical memory supports three functions of remembering past, the self, social, and directive. Previous studies undertaken with adults recalling their play experiences have identified three aspects: the ages between 7 and 12 years are key; there are significant adults involved in the play and location that play talks place. This paper, drawing on an online questionnaire (n = 55), explores adult memories of attending an after-school club as a child between 1990 and 2010. A thematic analysis was undertaken on the responses from the fifty-five participants. The results from this study found adults had predominately positive memories of their time at the after-school club in respect of the activities that were on offer, the supervising adults, the food provided, and friendships made. One negative theme of boredom was identified. This study has implications for professional practice in after-school provision in supporting children's play.

This study aims to identify the literacy skills of individuals whose highest level of education was in the field 'teacher training and educational sciences'. The study sample comprised 10,618 individuals in the field of teacher training and educational sciences, selected from 31 countries (participating in the International Adult Skills Assessment Programme during the 2014-2015 survey) using a multi-stage sampling method. The study employed multi-level latent class analysis and three-step analysis in order to determine both the number of multi-level latent classes of educators' literacy scores as well as the selected independent variables' success in predicting those latent classes. The analysis revealed that educators in Germany constituted the group with the highest literacy skills while educators from Singapore comprised the group with the lowest literacy skills. [This study was presented at the 9th International Congress of Educational Research. Ordu University, Ordu, Turkey.]

Purpose: This sociolinguistic paper discusses the relationship between language and belonging from the perspective of Arabic-English speaking bilinguals. It explores what knowledge of language(s) means for the minority language speaker and investigates the challenges, consequences and opportunities multilingualism poses for its speakers in a globalised era that is fraught with re-imagining nationalism, country, security, loyalty, and belonging. The project reported in this paper aimed to (1) understand the symbolisms the Arabic language held for its speakers, (2) understand the ramifications knowledge of Arabic had for these bilinguals; and (3) explore how second generation Arabic heritage speakers define their identities and feelings of belonging to the UK. Method: Sixty-two people took part in the project; data was collected through a short survey followed up by interviews that further explored issues of multilingualism, identity and belonging. Data from interviews and qualitative responses from the survey were analysed thematically in light of Ingrid Piller's emerging linguistic social justice framework (Piller, 2016). Finding: The findings suggest that English and Arabic are equally important to speakers; additionally Arabic is highly symbolic for reasons of religion, family, and cultural ties. The results however, also point to the apprehensiveness speakers have in using Arabic in public because they fear that they may be deemed too different, weird, abnormal, dangerous, disloyal or untrustworthy (Tonkin, 2003). The data implies that such hesitation leads to an anxiety of being viewed as 'other' and challenges how some young people envision their current and future belonging to the UK society.

Context: Existing studies have explored the association between workplace training and wages suggesting that training participation may have a positive association with wages. However, we still know very little about whether this association varies between men and women. Through its potential positive association with wages, training may balance wage differences between men and women. In addition, the gender wage gap varies across the wage distribution. Differences in the association between training participation and wages for men and women across the earnings spectrum may offer an explanation as to why the discrepancy in female/male earnings is larger at some point of the wage distribution compared to others. Approach: Using data from the Programme for International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) and unconditional quantile regression, this paper examines whether the association between workplace training and wages differs between men and women at different points of the wage distribution across 14 European countries. To partly control for endogeneity in training participation, detailed measures of cognitive skills have been included in the models. Findings: Findings show gender differences in the association between training and wages across the wage distribution. In most countries, results indicate larger training coefficients for women than men at the lower end of the wage spectrum whereas they are larger for men at the top. This pattern holds across most countries with the only exception of Liberal ones, where women benefit less than men across the entire wage spectrum. Conclusions: The findings of this work reveal that distributional variations in returns to workplace training follow a similar pattern across industrialized countries, despite their different institutional settings. Moreover, differences in training coefficients of men and women at different parts of the wage distribution suggest that training could reduce gender wage differences among low earners and potentially widen the gap in wages among individuals at the top of the wage distribution.

The central theme of this paper is about providing opportunities for the participants to discuss sensitive issues in a safe environment with the researcher and group, actively listening and making meaning from their creative efforts. It introduces a creative research method used to provide a medium for adults to discuss a sensitive issue. The participants took part in focus groups and also created craft-based models as a means to share their thoughts and feelings. Creating and describing the model provided a safe distance and took pressure off the creators, it also led to rich, deep data as participants were able to share thoughts and emotions without reticence. The sensitive issue used as an example in this paper was mental health as it affected teaching and learning. The whole process of making the model and the subsequent discussion was recorded. The conversation during the creative process and the reaction of the group to the model were also considered as data and the researcher drew all this together into a narrative which encapsulated the process. Meaning making in such a constructed way can be subject to bias but a reflexive approach and being an outsider researcher for all focus groups reduced these limitations. This approach to data handling added depth and made the creative process accessible whilst unpicking metaphors and making explicit links to relevant theory. Analysis of the narratives provided themes related to the thoughts and feelings of the participants about how mental health impacts on teaching and learning. The teacher trainees all considered the stigma still associated with this sensitive topic and commented on the barrier to learning that this could present. The group all acknowledged a lack of awareness and training to deal with this particular barrier and sought awareness raising that was targeted to teacher trainees and the needs of adult learners.

The sociolinguistic context of language use contributes to individuals' linguistic knowledge. However, how it does so has yet to be fully conceptualised or quantitatively investigated within the language sciences. To meet this goal, a psychometrically sound evidence-based measure that captures important aspects of contextually influenced linguistic experience is necessary. In this paper we describe the development and validation of the Contextual and Individual Linguistic Diversity Questionnaire (CILD-Q). Exploratory factor analysis was conducted with data from 353 participants (62.9% South African, 37.1% UK, Mage = 29.3, SD = 10.09). A three-factor solution best describes the structure of the CILD-Q: Multilingualism in Context (contextual use and societal practice of multiple languages within a community), Multilingualism in Practice (direct and indirect linguistic exchanges and conversational interaction), Linguistic Diversity Promotion (societal and governmental endorsement of linguistic variation). Item scores corresponding to these three factors showed sufficient reliability ([alpha]'s > 0.80). The CILD-Q provides a novel and holistic manner to measure sociolinguistic diversity and can be used when measuring individuals' language experience within and across populations from differing sociolinguistic contexts.

Aim A discussion which aims to explore the diversity of decision-making during teenage and young adult cancer treatment. The discussion will be related to the concepts of autonomy, dependence and decision-making in this age group. Background The experience of cancer involves a significant series of treatment decisions. However, other non-treatment decisions also have to be made which can relate to any aspect of everyday life. These decisions occur against the backdrop of young people's disease experience. Design Discussion paper. Data sources A literature search for the period 1990-2013 was undertaken. This included searching the following databases: Cumulative Index for Nursing and Allied Health Literature ( CINAHL), SCOPUS, Medline, DARE, Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts ( ASSIA), (Psych Info) and The Cochrane Library. Implications for nursing There is a lack of evidence into the experience of everyday decisions made by young people during cancer treatment. This may affect them in the form of unmet needs that nurses, or other professionals, fail to appreciate. Conclusion Further exploration of how teenagers and young adults experience the range and process of decision-making during cancer treatment could be useful in helping to provide effective supportive care for this age group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Adults with intellectual disabilities have historically been hindered, rather than supported, in their desire to form loving relationships. This paper sought to explore with them what kinds of support they wanted in the 21st Century. Method: Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 40 adults with intellectual disabilities in the United Kingdom. Results: Participants placed a high value on having a partner and being supported to maintain and develop a loving relationship. The factors which constrained them in achieving this included a lack of social opportunities, barriers created by social care services and limits on them exercising autonomy. Facilitating factors included access to specialist dating agencies, strong family and staff support and opportunities to learn about relationships. Conclusions: The importance of a loving relationship as a source of pleasure and meaning in the lives of adults with intellectual disabilities who are often disadvantaged in many other spheres of life is emphasised.

This paper reports a case study focusing on naturalistic communication between a Chinese beginning non-native speaker of English (NNS) and an English native speaker (NS). The participants engage informally in a form of tandem learning, with each in turn taking the dominant role in the conversation through teaching the other vocabulary items in their L1 (English and Chinese). The study sheds light on some of the conversational and linguistic features of the autonomous Chinese beginner's construction of English conversation. From the conversational patterns identified, we conclude that: (1) NS-beginner NNS conversation works best when it follows a tight turn-by-turn structure; (2) the beginner's initiation of insertion sequences and overlapping can expand conversation; and (3) both beginner NNS and NS need to make great efforts to complete question-answer adjacency pairs in order to manage the conversation. The study also highlighted how a focus on the beginner's L1 enabled them to take greater control in the conversation, despite their very limited L2 speaking ability. In these sections of NNS-dominant communication, the L2 beginner demonstrated greater language creativity. This study has implications for how NS-NNS communication might be facilitated in English-immersion contexts as well as project implications for autonomous learners and teachers.

Background: Considerable attention is rightly paid to preventable deaths in adults with intellectual disabilities. The pattern of these deaths and the implications for services have been less considered. Method: This paper forms part of a larger cross-sectional study of deaths in a defined population of adults with intellectual disabilities. Data from VOICES-SF were obtained from intellectual disability service providers for each death within their supported population over 18 months, 149 decedents in all. Results: Only 34.2% of deaths were anticipated, death was often sudden or followed a short illness. Four dying trajectories were identified, and categorized by length of illness, service use, care outcomes, symptom control and cause of death. Conclusions: Recognition that most deaths in this group were unanticipated implies a need for better preparation for less expected dying and better anticipation. A descriptive epidemiology of dying among people with intellectual disabilities is needed.

Immersive virtual reality (IVR) offers possibilities of creating a learner‐centric environment that can provide more presence and engagement for students leading to an enhanced learning experience compared to conventional classroom practices. However, the potential of IVR in vocational education and training (VET) has not yet been explored in‐depth, and it is an open question of whether it can effectively support learner creation in a designing task. In this paper, we present an IVR application developed to support gardener apprentices in designing gardens. Using this application, we conducted an experimental study with gardener apprentices to investigate the effect of the IVR interface compared to paper sketching and learner behavior on the proportion, composition, and creativity of the design outcome. Additionally, we investigated how it can be combined with a paper sketching activity to improve its effectiveness. Our analysis shows that the IVR interface can be more effective for the proportion aspect, but this may be limited to students that are able to use it after working with paper. In terms of the combination order, the effectiveness of IVR on the design quality was improved when it was carried out after the paper sketching and this ordering produced a more effective outcome for the proportion and composition aspects. Finally, our results show that IVR design quality is related to learner behaviors such as the time spent on designing and the number of simulations used. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of IVR applications in supporting designing skills and how effectiveness can be improved by combining it with a conventional method of practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reflects the impact of policy and legislation in the context of how adults with learning disabilities make choices. Following an overview of policies which have improved choice for people with learning disability in the United Kingdom, this paper reviews "choice" in current Irish policy and legislation. This paper, while making comparisons with capacity legislation in the United Kingdom, presents a discussion on the perceived impact of the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Bill (2013) based on submissions from the Citizens Information Board (2013a), Mental Health Reform (2014), and Quinn (2013). Further choice making challenges such as direct payments and information sharing which confront adults with learning disabilities are highlighted and overall conclusions are drawn.

Children with attachment difficulties can experience barriers to learning and their externalising and internalising behaviours can challenge staff: ultimately, such encounters may result in exclusion from school. This paper examines how settings can support the inclusion of pupils with attachment difficulties, through employing a specific member of staff who is not the teacher (1:1), as an additional attachment figure; hereafter, termed a key adult. Using mixed methods, my multiple-case study applies attachment, and secure base, theories to the educational context and evaluates the impact and efficacy of developing supportive relationships with two at-risk children (Child A and B). The findings suggest that key adults can support areas of social, emotional, and behavioural skills previously believed impervious to change. Furthermore, such individuals enable pupils with attachment difficulties to attain equal opportunities and safeguard against exclusion.

Autistic adults are at increased risk of both mental and physical health difficulties, and yet can face barriers to accessing healthcare. A meta-ethnographic approach was used to conduct a review of the existing literature regarding autistic adults' experiences of accessing healthcare. Four databases were systematically searched for qualitative and mixed-method studies reporting on the experiences of autistic adults without a co-occurring learning disability accessing adult healthcare services within the United Kingdom. Fifteen studies met the inclusion criteria, and seven steps were used to systematically extract the data and then generate novel themes. Three superordinate themes were identified: Professionals' lack of knowledge can be damaging, Need to reduce processing demands and Adaptation to improve engagement. This review highlights the wide-reaching damaging impact misdiagnosis, inadequate or inappropriate treatment, overwhelming environments and inaccessible systems can have on the well-being and ability of autistic adults to engage with treatment. The lack of autism knowledge and understanding experienced in interactions with healthcare professionals, along with autistic adult's own communication and sensory processing differences, demonstrates the need for widely delivered training co-produced with autistic adults alongside bespoke and person-centred adaptations. Autistic adults are more likely to experience mental and physical health difficulties, and yet can find it difficult to get the support that they need. A meta-ethnographic approach was used to review the existing research on autistic adults' experiences of accessing healthcare. Four databases were searched for qualitative and mixed-method studies which looked at the experiences of autistic adults who did not also have a learning disability when using healthcare services in the United Kingdom. Fifteen papers met the criteria to be included, and seven steps were used to analyse the information and develop new themes. Three main themes were identified: Professionals' lack of knowledge can be damaging, Need to reduce processing demands and Adaptation to improve engagement. This review highlights how damaging misdiagnosis, inappropriate treatment, overwhelming environments and systems that are difficult to access can have on the well-being of autistic adults. Limited knowledge and understanding about autism knowledge among healthcare professionals along with autistic adult's own communication and sensory differences indicate that there is a need for improved training developed with autistic adults and adaptations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a previous paper (Green, 2002), it was argued that official and semi-official rhetoric related to school sport and PE in recent years has failed to consider adequately, or often acknowledge, trends in sport and physical activity and lifestyle developments among young people and adults. This sequel focuses attention upon the significance of the wider dimensions of young people's lives for their current and future patterns of participation in sport and physical activity. The paper concludes that if, as seems to be the case, facilitating lifelong participation is viewed as a primary aim of the subject then PE needs to move with the prevailing tide of young people's leisure lifestyles by catering for their preferences for a wider range of activities in more informal and individual and small-group settings. Consequently, there would need to be a shift in emphasis in policy and practice away from concentration on competitive, performance-oriented sport in PE (Penney & Harris, 1997; Penney & Evans, 1999) and towards the kinds of "optional", recreational, lifestyle-oriented sports and physical activities that appear more likely to lead to the wide sporting repertoires (Roberts & Brodie, 1992) essential for lifelong participation. (Contains 7 notes.)

This paper argues that a shift in discourse about the nature and purpose of Further Education is under way in England. A recent White Paper, 'Skills for jobs: lifelong learning for opportunity and growth', issued by the UK government, is couched in terms which suggest that a prior reliance on the ideology of neoliberalism is now moving towards the objectives and instruments of what Michel Foucault termed biopolitics or the exploitation of life itself. I analyse the White Paper and related recent texts to show how a form of vitalist discourse accompanies attempts to accelerate potentially problematic processes of value-extraction. While these developments respond partly to the societal changes resulting from the threats to life of the Coronavirus pandemic and other existential crises, their likely impact suggests a shift in the discourses of lifelong learning: an existing apparatus of normalisation and control is now turning to biopolitical exploitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper contributes to debates around social mobility and social capital by exploring the links between social class background, assistance from non-parental personal contacts for finding employment, and social class destination. The literature on social mobility, social capital and social networks is reviewed, drawing a conceptual distinction between social capital and social networks. Previous research has focussed on help from parents, yet much of the literature indicates that wider social networks are more important for labour market advancement. Using the 1970 British Cohort Study, with data collection at respondent ages 10 and 42, the relationship between help received from relatives or friends in getting jobs and social class is examined. The likelihood of receiving help varies according to class origin, yet the strongest predictor of social class destination is social class background, not social capital.

This paper links early foundations in science for young children to the eventual achievement of science literacy for adults. There are five key arguments being made: (i) the early-years foundation stage (EYFS) specialists need to have a view for exactly what foundations "are" being laid in classrooms; (ii) that they all need to be -- minimally -- scientifically literate, despite the variety of definitions of that term; (iii) becoming scientifically literate is a long-term process of engaging with and developing an interest in 'matters scientific' that are easily available in the public domain; (iv) that there is a plethora of informal learning opportunities in science across the UK to foster adult engagement, and (v) taking a 'helicopter view' on occasions helps shape planning and processes in the nursery/ reception school classroom. To illuminate this, we offer two examples from materials science that grow out of traditional block play, and from all things plastic.

Since Edwards' influential study on mature women students and families in the 1990s, questions have been raised about the effects of Higher Education (HE) on family lives. Edwards maintained that relationships were at risk of breakdown due to the changing identity, increased self-esteem and enhanced confidence levels of women students. Men were perceived negatively as often being unsupportive of their wives' return to HE, or threatened by the changes they observed in her. This paper is based on qualitative research methods focusing on whether HE changes a woman's identity and reconstructs family relationships. A narrative line of inquiry was used to build detailed stories of a small group of women students and their husbands. The 11 women students were selected from one Foundation degree in Early Years programme at a further education institution. Data was constructed using mind mapping, focused interviews and a mosaic approach of participant-led research. Research findings showed that HE had the potential to transform a woman's identity and position within her family relationships. The results also demonstrated that family capital, in the form of practical and emotional strategies of support from both husbands and children, played an instrumental part in the women's success and participation in HE (though this aspect will be discussed in a subsequent paper).

Purpose: The UK Mental Health Act (MHA) Reform (2021) on race and ethnicity promotes new governmental strategies to tackle inequalities faced by ethnically racialised communities detained under the MHA. However, there is a scarcity in personality disorder and ethnicity research. This study aims to investigate what is available in the UK in relation to prevalence, aetiology and treatment provisions of personality disorder for ethnically diverse patients, and to understand their interconnectedness with mental health and criminal justice service provisions. Three key areas of investigations were reviewed, (1) UK prevalence of personality disorder amongst ethnically diverse individuals; (2) aetiology of personality disorder and ethnicity; (3) treatment provisions for ethnically diverse individuals diagnosed with personality disorder. Design/methodology/approach: A scoping study review involved a comprehensive scanning of literature published between 2003 and 2022. Screening and data extraction tools were co-produced by an ethnically diverse research team, including people with lived experience of mental health and occupational expertise. Collaborative work was complete throughout the review, ensuring the research remained valid and reliable. Findings: Ten papers were included. Results demonstrated an evident gap in the literature. Of these, nine papers discussed their prevalence, three papers informed on treatment provisions and only one made reference to aetiology. This review further supports the notion that personality disorder is under-represented within ethnic minority populations, particularly of African, Caribbean and British heritage, however, the reasons for this are multi-facetted and complex, hence, requiring further investigation. The evidence collected relating to treatment provisions of personality disorder was limited and of low quality to reach a clear conclusion on effective treatments for ethnically diverse patients. Originality/value: The shortage of findings on prevalence, aetiology and treatment provisions, emphasises the need to prioritise further research in this area. Results provide valuable insights into this limited body of knowledge from a UK perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conole and Alevizou's social media typology (Conole and Alevizou, 2010) includes amongst its ten categories: media sharing; conversational arenas and chat; social networking and blogging. These are all media with which language learners are increasingly engaging (Lamy and Zourou, 2013). Social networking tools, in particular, which encourage informal, social communication have been identified as suitable for supporting language learning and their use is growing quickly. This paper reviews research on using social media for informal language learning. It will then discuss a small qualitative case study of Welsh learners' practices in using such resources. Welsh is a minority UK language spoken by around a fifth of the population of Wales. Unlike a majority language there is no need for English speakers in Wales to learn Welsh in order to communicate with Welsh speakers as all UK Welsh speakers are bilingual. Nevertheless there is great interest among adults in Wales and from Welsh families across the UK in learning Welsh. However there are two particular challenges: the small numbers of speakers (around 611,000), and their very uneven distribution. These two factors make it difficult for learners outside Welsh speaking "hotspots" to hear and practice Welsh. Social media has the potential to support Welsh language learning by providing resources wherever the learner is (particularly if they live in a non-Welsh speaking area or outside Wales completely) and by supporting web-based learning communities. The study reported here is concerned with the extent to which this potential is being exploited in practice. It employed interviews and a small survey to study the practices of learners at all stages of their language learning. It was found that learners used social media widely but those at different stages used social media somewhat differently, with beginners browsing to make contacts and gather information, listening to the language and watching Welsh programmes via the internet whilst some advanced learners set up practice groups, lead sub-communities and source and provide resources both on- and off-line.

Introduction: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may be under-recognized in people with intellectual disabilities (PWID) and reviews on appropriate screening tools and prevalence are lacking. This review aims to identify PTSD screening tools for PWID and estimate the prevalence of PTSD within this population. Method: Medline, PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, Cochrane, Global Health, and Web of Science databases were searched (inception to October 2017) to identify eligible literature. Papers were also found via manual searches of the references of eligible studies. Studies were reviewed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, subjected to exclusion criteria and quality appraised using STROBE criteria for observational studies and an adapted form of the Newcastle-Ottawa scale for cross-sectional studies. Seven studies were identified. Meta-analysis was carried out on the prevalence studies and heterogeneity quantified using I[superscript 2]. Results: Three tools for screening PTSD in PWID were found: two for use in adults (the Lancaster and Northgate Trauma Scale and the Impact of Event Scale -- Intellectual Disabilities) and the Adapted Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for Children with PTSD. Five studies reported PTSD prevalence in PWID. The weighted pooled prevalence of PTSD in PWID was found to be 10%, 95% CI [0.4%, 19.5%], toward the upper limit of estimated PTSD prevalence in the general population (5-10%). Conclusion: PTSD can be diagnosed in PWID but may go unrecognized by health-care professionals. The identified tools should be further compared and assessed for acceptability and efficacy to improve the identification of PTSD in PWID.

Objective: Digital storytelling and other methods of self-expression and autobiography have become an increasingly important tool for those working with young people, including those from migrant, refugee or other 'culturally diverse' backgrounds. A structured scoping review was undertaken to better understand the potential value and challenges of using digital stories to promote the health and well-being of these diverse groups of young people and to identify key knowledge gaps. Design: The review process comprised a systematic search of the literature and strategic consultations with professionals working with young people in the area of sexual and reproductive health promotion and care. A descriptive-analytic method was used to collate and synthesise the literature and apply narrative and thematic analyses. Results: In total, 28 papers were deemed eligible for inclusion. Findings are presented as two analyses: what is known from the literature and key knowledge gaps. Identified themes included the use of digital stories as social activism and as research intervention, recognition of digital stories as complex terrain and recommendations for good practice. Three key gaps of particular relevance to our research aims were identified. These were (1) the lack of digital stories on sexual health and relationships by 'culturally diverse' young people in Australia, (2) the need for discussion of the ethical considerations of using digital storytelling and related methods in sexual health fields and (3) the value of exploring opportunities to employ digital methods as self-representation and autobiography to generate new knowledge and build organisational capacity. Conclusion: As confirmed in discussions with professionals working in the youth, migrant and sexual health sectors, the literature highlighted the many potential applications of digital storytelling to promoting the sexual health and well-being of young people from diverse backgrounds. Additional research is required to understand the particular ethical and contextual issues shaping, and at times constraining, this engagement in specific cultural contexts.

iTunes U has become the main worldwide provider of educational podcasts but, despite its popularity, little is known about the type of user who downloads iTunes U language resources, or how those resources are used. This paper presents the results of the first major survey (1891 responses) of users of one of the most successful iTunes U content providers in terms of downloads. It presents a profile of the iTunes U language learner, their listening habits, and their opinion of the resources they download. Comparisons are drawn between language learners and learners of other subjects. The results show that in contrast with profiles of learners in other contexts--such as virtual learning environment-delivered podcasts, identified in previous research (mostly carried out with young university students who download podcasts for instrumental reasons)--iTunes U language learners are different. Respondents in this study are mostly middle-aged and employed, and they download resources for personal interest. Users have a high opinion of the quality of the materials, and they believe the materials help them to learn. The results also show that users listen to language podcasts on mobile devices, in sharp contrast with previous research. Finally, the paper discusses implications for further research.

Using data from national socio-economic panel surveys in Australia, Britain and Germany, this paper analyzes the effects of individual preferences and choices on subjective well-being (SWB). It is shown that, in all three countries, preferences and choices relating to life goals/values, partner's personality, hours of work, social participation and healthy lifestyle have substantial and similar effects on life satisfaction. The results have negative implications for a widely accepted theory of SWB, "set-point theory." This theory holds that adult SWB is stable in the medium and long term, although temporary fluctuations occur due to life events. Set-point theory has come under increasing criticism in recent years, primarily due to unmistakable evidence in the German Socio-Economic Panel that, during the last 25 years, over a third of the population has recorded substantial and apparently permanent changes in life satisfaction (Fujita and Diener in "J Pers Soc Psychol" 88:158-64, 2005; Headey in "Soc Indic Res" 85:389-403, 2008a; Headey et al. in "Proc Natl Acad Sci USA" 107(42):17922-17926, 2010). It is becoming clear that the main challenge now for SWB researchers is to develop new explanations which can account for medium and long term change, and not merely stability in SWB. Set-point theory is limited precisely because it is purely a theory of stability. The paper is based on specially constructed panel survey files in which data are divided into multi-year periods in order to facilitate analysis of medium and long term change.

For many language learners, studying a foreign language is a compulsory, high-stakes activity. It is perhaps for this reason that positive feelings about language learning are rarely mentioned in the literature on language learning. The focus is predominantly on negative feelings: the anxiety caused by being asked to speak in the foreign language or the feelings of disempowerment when unable to call on familiar linguistic resources. To counterbalance this prevailing view of language learning, this paper reports on a study that investigated positive feelings about using foreign languages. The participants were an under-researched group of language users: adult first-language English speakers learning a foreign language for pleasure or using it in a social setting with other L1 English speakers. The findings showed that operating in the foreign language gave certain L2 users a sense of freedom and enabled them to speak and behave in ways that were different from their usual modes. Based on the findings of the empirical study, the paper suggests language teaching approaches that focus on types of performance that aim to offer learners a new experience of the world through another language.

Background: Mutations of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) cause a broad spectrum of clinical phenotypes. Anecdotal evidence suggests that voice and swallow problems are a common feature of these diseases. Aims: To characterize accurately the prevalence and severity of voice and swallow problems in a large cohort of patients with mitochondrial disease. Methods & Procedures: Patients with proven mitochondrial disease were sent validated questionnaires to assess both voice and swallow function. The presence of voice and swallow symptoms was correlated with other clinical features of mitochondrial disease in affected patients. Outcomes & Results: From the original 177 patients contacted, 98 swallowing status questionnaires and 96 Voice Handicap Index questionnaires were returned, response rates of 55% and 54%, respectively. Swallow: 48% of patients reported more difficulties with swallowing than control participants. Patients with single mtDNA deletions were most likely to report problems (65.2%), with patients with an m.8344A greater than G point mutation least likely (33.3%). All genotypes had a mean severity score in excess of the normal range, the highest mean score being found in the single large-scale mtDNA deletion group (10.12), the lowest in the m.3243A greater than G group (5.56) Voice; 48% of patients reported some difficulty with voice. Patients with single large-scale deletions showed the highest prevalence (65.2%), patients with the m.3243A greater than G mutation the lowest (33%). The most severe voice difficulties were reported by patients with an m.8344A greater than G point mutation. Patients with an m.3243A greater than G point mutation had the mildest and lowest incidence of voice problems. All genotypes scored outside of the normal range expected on the VHI overall ([greater than or equal]11.5 in control trials). Patients with an m.8344A greater than G point mutation reported a significantly higher degree of physical voice handicap than m.3243A greater than G patients (13.13 versus 4.40, p = 0.02). In patients with either single or multiple mtDNA deletions the likely pathophysiological mechanism is of proximal muscle weakness, whereas in patients with the m.8344A greater than G mutation cerebellar ataxia is the likely cause. Conclusions & Implications: Dysphagia and dysarthria have been identified as symptoms in previous research, however the prevalence and pathophysiology of these symptoms have not been explored. This paper indicates that voice and swallow problems are a common, though predominantly mild feature of mitochondrial disease and that there is a core group of pathophysiological symptoms linked to the presence of voice and swallowing problems. This paper recommends early referral to speech and language therapists to identify emerging dysphonia and dysphagia and to provide appropriate intervention. (Contains 3 tables.)

Within education generally and more specifically physical education inclusion has become a central concern of legislation, policy and programming. Set within an environment where there is much "talk" of inclusion this paper seeks to interrogate adult stakeholders' understandings of inclusion by exploring their responses to the drawings and commentary of young disabled students' experiences of mainstream physical education. By engaging in this research in this way I attempt to "connect" these conversations about inclusion. Four main themes emerged from these data including: (1) "activity setting"; (2) "enjoying physical education"; (3) "challenging practice"; and (4) "stakeholder empathy". In concluding, this paper highlights the contradictory and inconsistent views stakeholders express about inclusion. Furthermore, the utility of adopting a data generation strategy incorporating student drawings and stakeholder responses is reflected upon. (Contains 3 figures and 5 notes.)