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Living Labs provide stakeholders with authentic and spontaneous environments in which innovations and technologies can be developed. This paper highlights the use of Living Labs as an educational teaching and learning environment. We give four current examples of practice and present a conceptual framework for pedagogic design and development of experiential learning activities and assessment in a Living Lab environment. Examples are based around current higher education undergraduate and postgraduate taught assessments and activities. We highlight how Living Labs, particularly campus-based examples, are an excellent opportunity for education providers to provide realistic experiences for students that promote empowerment, inclusivity and sustainability where activities and results can be spontaneous. Learning in a Living Lab environment provides the opportunities for students to develop applied skills, work in a transdisciplinary manner and co-create and collaborate on data sets. These activities are associated with potential increases in student attainment and receive positive student feedback. Living Labs introduce opportunities for interdisciplinarity, transdisciplinarity and cross-cultural working and provide an excellent base for education for sustainability.

Background: Telehealth for paediatric speech and language therapy became one of the most salient modes of service delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic. Evidence for speech and language therapy services via telehealth in comparison to face-to-face delivery demonstrates promising outcomes, and studies have begun to explore practitioner and client experiences. However, across the literature, many critical elements of services are overlooked, and there is a need to frame the evidence base within a theoretical model that can draw out practical implications that consider the range of factors having an impact on clinical implementation in real-world contexts. The APEASE (Acceptability, Practicability, Effectiveness, Affordability, Side-effects, and Equity) criteria offer such a model. The current study explored practising UK speech and language therapists' (SLTs) clinical experience of telehealth through the lens of the APEASE criteria and aimed to identify recommendations for future service provision from the practitioner perspective. Methods: An online survey structured using the APEASE criteria was developed in collaboration with the UK Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and qualitative data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results: Four hundred and thirty-eight qualified and practicing UK paediatric SLTs completed the survey. Telehealth was broadly acceptable and practicable to SLTs yet there remains some uncertainty about its efficacy and cost-effectiveness compared to face-to-face interventions and how equitable it is for different population groups. SLTs reported that effective implementation of telehealth services was dependent upon several contextual factors; affordability was a perceived barrier to clients having access to telehealth resources, intervention via telehealth was perceived as more acceptable than assessment, and whilst many SLTs welcomed aspects of telehealth, there were concerns about the physical and mental health consequences for practitioners. Six themes for the future development of telehealth in paediatric speech and language therapy were identified: (1) balanced and tailored services; (2) technology and equipment; (3) information and communication; (4) capacity building; (5) monitoring and evaluation; and (6) leadership and governance. Conclusions: Outcomes highlight promising, concerning and uncertain aspects of telehealth in paediatric speech and language therapy. SLTs value a flexible and tailored approach to service delivery and recommend that effective leadership, clear communication, ongoing policy and guidance development, upskilling of users and careful evaluation of impact are required to ensure optimal implementation. The APEASE criteria offer a valuable opportunity to enhance and streamline practice and research to ensure sustainable implementation of telehealth in the paediatric speech and language therapy services of tomorrow.

Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) workers need both motivation and interpersonal skills in STEM disciplines. The aims of the study were to identify clusters of adolescents who vary in math and science motivation and interpersonal skills and to explore what factors are related to membership in a high math and science motivation and interpersonal skills cluster. Participants included 467 adolescents (312 female; M[subscript age] = 15.12 to SD = 1.71 year) recruited from out-of-school STEM programs in the US and UK. Findings from latent class analyses revealed four clusters, including a "High Math and Science Motivation and Interpersonal Skills" group, as well as groups that exhibited lower levels of either motivation or interpersonal skills. STEM program belonging, and STEM identity are related to membership in the high motivation and skills cluster. Findings provide insight into factors that may encourage motivation and interpersonal skills in adolescents, preparing them for STEM workforce entry.

Chaplains are embedded in the culture and life of many universities and are a key part of university support for religious students. Yet university chaplaincy has rarely been researched by social scientists. This article explores the role of chaplains and chaplaincy in universities in the United Kingdom (UK), investigating understandings of what makes for good and effective chaplaincy among the different groups involved or working with chaplains. Case study research in five universities, comprising interviews with chaplains, university managers and representatives from religious bodies, and a survey of students, reveals an approach to chaplaincy upon which many participants agree, based around a combination of relational skills and presence. Conceptualizing this as relational presence, the authors argue that relational presence reflects the UK's three-dimensional religious landscape, where religion is regarded as "vicarious," and reflects the values of young people who attend universities.

The OpenLearn platform was launched in 2006 with the aim of delivering excerpts of the Open University's (UK) (OU) curriculum as open educational resources (OER). Now reaching over 9m learners a year, the platform delivers free courses, educational interactives, videos and articles across a broad range of subjects reflecting what is delivered formally to students and through topical, engaging content. The OU is the UK's largest university for undergraduate education with around 170,000 enrolled students primarily engaged in online, distance education. Whilst previous studies on OpenLearn had revealed the demographics of learners using the platform (Law et al., 2013; Perryman et al., 2013; Law & Jelfs, 2016), platform-derived analytics showed that a high proportion of OU students were also using OpenLearn, despite it not performing any formally directed role in the delivery of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. This paper discusses research undertaken with OU students in 2017 to examine their experience and motivations for using OpenLearn and the potential impact on their learning. Surveys were issued to 10,000 students with the resulting data informing university strategy around the function of OER as a means to motivate, prepare and retain students. Data showed that students are using OpenLearn for module choice, as a taster of OU study before signing up, for study preparedness, time-management planning, confidence-building, assessment support and professional development. In addition, OU students who use OpenLearn are more likely to be retained and to progress to their next course. This paper will also discuss recommendations and actions taken from this research that were realised in 2018 and early results from this, ostensibly the impact of a project to integrate OER into the student induction process. The data revealed in this paper will be of interest to the wider academic community, HE policymakers, those involved in delivering non-accredited learning and in the impact of OER.

The Open University (OU) makes a proportion of all its taught modules available to the public via OpenLearn each year. This process involves the modification, of module excerpts, showcasing subject matter and teaching approach. This activity serves both the University's social and business missions through the delivery of free courses to the public, but increasingly its students are using it to inform module choice, to augment their studies and to boost confidence. In a year that celebrates 10 years of OpenLearn, this paper reports on the growth and impact of the platform as a vast open, learning resource and how a new study underlines how this is also serving the OU's own students in terms of supporting motivation for learning and impact on achievements. The paper also discusses how the OU is mainstreaming open practice via module production in releasing content on OpenLearn from its paid-for modules in order to improve student module choice and preparedness and in doing so, is providing a richer learning experience for informal learners. [This paper was presented at the "Open Education Consortium Global Conference," Krakow, Poland, April 12-14, 2016.]

Digital badging as a trend in education is now recognised. It offers a way to reward and motivate, providing evidence of skills and achievements. Badged Open Courses (BOCs) were piloted by The Open University (OU) in 2013. The project built on research into the motivations and profiles of learners using free educational resources which the OU makes available through its OpenLearn platform (Law, Perryman & Law, 2013). This research found that an increasing proportion of learners are keen to have their informal learning achievements recognised (Law & Law, 2014). Based on these data, a suite of free BOCs, assessed through the deployment of Moodle quizzes, was launched. This paper reports on evaluation of the BOCs and what we now know of the strategic importance of informal learning recognition. The initiative aligns with University strategies to provide accessible routes into formal learning for those who might not otherwise have the opportunity.

Objectives: The current research has three primary hypotheses: (i) There is a positive relationship between the use of Facebook word messages and cognitive empathy in university students. (ii) There is a positive relationship between participating in the Facebook video and affective empathy in university students. (iii) Virtual affective and cognitive empathy cannot replicate real-world affective and cognitive empathy regarding a feeling of being emotionally supported in university students on Facebook but can replicate the feeling of being informationally supported in university students on Facebook. Design: Three different scales on a questionnaire have been used to investigate the usage of Facebook, empathy level and the degree of social support. A modified version of the Facebook usage scale (14 items) has been used to measure the usage of Facebook word messages and video. The Basic Empathy Scale has been used to measure both the cognitive (9 items) and affective empathy (11 items) levels of the respondents. A modified version of the basic empathy scale has been used to examine virtual empathy. The Medical Outcomes Study (MOS) social support scale has been used to study the degree of social support which is accessible to the participants when they need it. Four emotional and four informational support items (eight items in total) have been selected by the researchers from within the 18 support items. Methods: The 204 participants are volunteer international and UK university students, randomly recruited from Facebook groups and from among the personal friends of the researcher. The participants were invited to complete questionnaires through a link to a third-part survey website, Qualtrics. A correlation and regression analysis from SPSS has been used to investigate the data. Results: There is a weak positive correlation between Facebook word messages and cognitive empathy. The correlation between Facebook word messages and cognitive empathy was significant. There is a weak negative correlation between Facebook video and affective empathy. The correlation between Facebook video and cognitive empathy was not significant. Virtual affective and cognitive empathy on Facebook cannot replicate real world affective and cognitive empathy with regard to the feeling of receiving emotional support and informational support. Conclusions: University students who have a higher frequency of interacting with word messages on Facebook seem to be more skilful in understanding and identifying the emotions of others. Exposure to video on Facebook may not enhance university students' affective empathy. Moreover, emotional and informational support online may only act as supplements rather than replacements for emotional and informational support in the real-world, although individuals can obtain a large amount of informational social support conveniently just by one click or post on social networking sites nowadays.

This article considers how the decisions of the UK government, following the Brexit referendum, may impact on higher education in Africa. Ghana and South Africa are the two countries chosen to exemplify the claim that academic staff in African higher education will lose opportunities to acquire experience in British universities. Academic mobility between Africa and the UK is expected to fall significantly following Brexit.

Behavioural difficulties, whether externalising or internalising, concern educational policy makers, practitioners and educational psychologists (EPs). The present configurative systematic literature review (SLR) aims to explore EPs' representations of their behaviour management practices and application of psychology within behaviour work, in peer-reviewed studies published between 2000 and 2017. Four research databases, Google Scholar and a University Online Library were systematically searched. A total of 29 papers were found, 12 of which met the study inclusion criteria and were deemed to be of at least medium methodological quality and relevance. A synthesis of the studies' accounts and outcomes revealed a range of EP practices at individual, group and organisational levels, exemplifying the core functions of the role. EPs draw upon single or multiple integrated psychological paradigms and commonly adopt a social constructionist and relational approach to their work, which can be seen to empirically validate existing models of EP professional practice. Links to EP practice and implications for further research are considered.

Purpose: Many existing interventions to reduce excessive drinking in university students attempt to target individual cognitions, which ignore the wider contextual features that drive excessive drinking and mark this as an important aspect of university life. The purpose of this paper is to explore students' views about preventing excessive drinking at university, specifically by using frameworks that take into both account individual and social influences. Design/methodology/approach: In all, 23 young adults aged 20-30 (12 females; M age = 22.91; SD = 2.57; 18 students, five recent graduates) took part in semi-structured interviews to explore their views about drinking and measures to reduce excessive consumption. Transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis. Findings: There were three themes identified in the analysis. These themes were named "the role of alcohol in student life", drinking transitions', and "prevention challenges" and each had related sub-themes. Practical implications: Targeting students before they commence their course and highlighting aspects of university life that do not involve alcohol may help to reduce the pressure often felt to drink in social situations. Providing novel, credible alternative socialising options that do not involve alcohol should be explored to determine their acceptability, and their potential to reduce excessive drinking. Originality/value: Few studies explore what students themselves think about reducing alcohol consumption and most interventions focus on changing individual cognitions rather than features of the social environment. This study highlights that changing social practices related to drinking in combination with targeting individuals may be more fruitful avenue to reduce excessive alcohol consumption.

Oral language development is a key outcome of elementary school, and it is important to identify factors that predict it most effectively. Commonly researchers use ordinary least squares regression with conclusions restricted to average performance conditional on relevant covariates. Quantile regression offers a more sophisticated alternative. Using data of 17,687 children from the United Kingdom's Millennium Cohort Study, we compared ordinary least squares and quantile models with language development (verbal similarities) at 11 years as the outcome. Gender had more of an effect at the top of the distribution, whereas poverty, early language, and reading to the child had a greater effect at the bottom. The picture for TV watching was more mixed. The results are discussed in terms of the provision of universal and targeted interventions.

Maternal education captured at a single time point is commonly employed as a predictor of a child's cognitive development. In this article, we ask what bearing the acquisition of additional qualifications has upon reading performance in middle childhood. This was a secondary analysis of the United Kingdom's Millennium Cohort Study, a cohort of 18,000 children born in 2000. Our outcome variable was Single-Word Reading from the British Abilities Scales at 7 years. Predictors included maternal age and education, relative poverty, and parity. Increasing maternal education over time was associated with improved child outcomes, with a 2-month developmental advantage for children whose mothers had increased education over those whose mothers had not. Parity was important but conditional on this, and there was no evidence of child attainment reducing for the children of older mothers. A time-varying education-level model is consistent with an input-quality mechanism for language development.

In 2013, the Open University (OU) in the UK launched a large-scale survey of users of its OpenLearn platform for open educational resources. The survey results revealed that OpenLearn is functioning as a showcase and a taster for the OU, thereby offering informal learners a bridge to formal education. In 2014 and 2015, the OpenLearn survey was repeated. This paper reports a comparison of the results of the surveys, highlighting considerable changes in learner characteristics, priorities and motivations over a 3-year period. The data also reveal a substantial increase in the number of learners identifying study performance-related benefits resulting from OpenLearn use and, in addition, that educators reveal increasingly positive changes in their approach to teaching. This paper outlines some of the ways in which the OU is responding to the data and discusses how further development of the platform could better meet institutional and learner needs.

This article outlines some of the policy issues currently faced by research-based universities in the Netherlands. The focus is on four leading universities (University of Amsterdam: UvA; Free University of Amsterdam: VU; Leiden University; and Delft University of Technology: TUD). The author visited these institutions as part of a Study Tour undertaken by members of the Association of University Administrators (AUA) in November 2015. Following an introduction to Dutch Higher Education (HE) and the historical context, this article discusses: political issues (including the phasing out of maintenance grants and replacement by student loans, and the "occupation" in 2015 of a part of UvA), institutional partnership, academic research (including the status of PhD students), student admissions and the use of English by Dutch HE. Whilst many of the questions being considered in the Netherlands and the UK are similar, some of the answers are very different. In general, the UK has a more market-driven system that fosters competition rather than collaboration. Internationalisation of HE is a pervasive theme of this article. Perhaps because, in the UK, university leaders are so concerned to address the internationalisation of HE by looking beyond Europe, they seem to forget the advantages of working with European institutions. Co-operation within Europe is very much part of the internationalisation agenda for Dutch HE. The most important conclusion from the Study Tour is that all four universities see competitive advantage arising from collaborative partnership.

Systemic glucocorticoids are recommended for use in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations; however, there is increased harm associated with their use. We hypothesised that the use of eosinophil biomarker-directed oral prednisolone therapy at the time of an exacerbation of COPD was effective at reducing prednisolone use without affecting adverse outcomes. The studying acute exacerbations and response (STARR2) study was a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial conducted in 14 primary care practices in the UK. We included adults (aged ≥40 years), who were current or former smokers (with at least a 10 pack year smoking history) with a diagnosis of COPD, defined as a post-bronchodilator FEV 1 /forced vital capacity ratio of less than 0·7 previously recorded by the primary care physician, and a history of at least one exacerbation in the previous 12 months requiring systemic corticosteroids with or without antibiotics. All study staff and participants were masked to study group allocation and to treatment allocation. Participants were randomly assigned (1:1) to blood eosinophil-directed treatment (BET; to receive oral prednisolone 30 mg once daily if eosinophil count was high [≥2%] or placebo if eosinophil count was low [<2%]) or to standard care treatment (ST; to receive prednisolone 30 mg once daily irrespective of the point-of-care eosinophil result). Treatment was prescribed for 14 days and all patients also received antibiotics. The primary outcome was the rate of treatment failure, defined as any need for re-treatment with antibiotics or steroids, hospitalisation for any cause, or death, assessed at 30 days after exacerbation in the modified intention-to-treat population. Participants were eligible for re-randomisation at further exacerbations (with a maximum of four exacerbations per participant). A safety analysis was conducted on all randomly assigned participants. Although designed as a superiority trial, after identification of an error in the randomisation code before data lock the study converted to show non-inferiority. An upper margin of 1·105 for the 95% CI was defined as the non-inferiority margin. This study was registered with EudraCT, 2017-001586-24, and is complete. Between Nov 6, 2017, and April 30, 2020, 308 participants were recruited from 14 general practices. 144 exacerbations (73 in the BET group and 71 in the ST group) from 93 participants (mean age 70 years [range 46–84] and mean percent predicted FEV 1 60·9% [SD 19·4]; 52 [56%] male and 41 [44%] female; ethnicity data was not collected]) were included in the modified intention-to-treat analysis. There were 14 (19%) treatment failures at 30 days post-exacerbation in the BET group and 23 (32%) in the ST group; we found a large non-significant estimated effect between BET and ST (RR 0·60 [95% CI 0·33–1·04]; p=0·070) in reducing treatment failures after a COPD exacerbation. The non-inferiority analysis supported that BET was non-inferior to ST. Frequency of adverse events were similar between the study groups; glycosuria (2/102 [2%] in BET group and 1/101 [1%] in the ST group) and hospital admission for COPD exacerbation (2/102 [2%] in BET group and 1/101 [1%] in the ST group) were the two most common adverse events in both groups. No deaths occurred in the study. Blood eosinophil-directed prednisolone therapy at the time of an acute exacerbation of COPD is non-inferior to standard care and can be used to safely reduce systemic glucocorticoid use in clinical practice. National Institute for Health and Care Research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Awarding badges to recognise achievement is not a new development. Digital badging now offers new ways to recognise learning and motivate learners, providing evidence of skills and achievements in a variety of formal and informal settings. Badged open courses (BOCs) were piloted in various forms by the Open University (OU) in 2013 to provide a digital acknowledgement for learners' participation in three entry-level, unsupported courses: "Learning to Learn" and "Succeed with Maths Parts 1" and "2." The desire to build on the OU's badging pilots is informed by research into the motivations and demographic profiles of learners using the free educational resources which the OU makes available through its OpenLearn platform. This research activity was repeated in 2014 and found that an increasing proportion of informal learners is keen to have their informal learning achievements recognised. This paper outlines how the evaluation of the 2013 pilots has informed the development of a suite of free employability and skills BOCs in 2014 that are assessed through the deployment of Moodle quizzes. It also discusses how the motivational aspects of digital badging support the growth in free, micro-credentialised courses against a backdrop of MOOC providers issuing certification for fee. The BOC project, which aligns with the University's Journeys from Informal to Formal Learning strategy, will help to provide accessible routes into the University for students who might not otherwise have the opportunity to participate and supports the OU Charter to promote the educational well-being of the community.

There is evidence for co-occurrence of social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD) and communication/language difficulties in children. Our research investigated the feasibility of vocalisation technology, its combination with observational software and the efficacy of a novel coding scheme and assessment technique. It aimed to investigate children's online verbal and non-verbal communicative behaviours. Two techniques were employed: Language Environment Analysis (LENA) and behaviour coding (Noldus Observer). These were trialled with children during an interactive task developed for the study: "The Story in a Box". The participants were 14 children, aged 4-7 years; 7 typically developing (TD), 7 with SEBD. There was a statistically significant difference between counts of child vocalisations and conversational turns from children with SEBD and trends in the nature of verbal and non-verbal behaviour used by TD and SEBD children. The research concluded that LENA and Observer can be used effectively with children with SEBD. TD and SEBD children present differences in communicative ability.

Personal Learning Environments (PLEs) have emerged as a solution to the need of learners for open and easily customisable learning environments. PLEs essentially hand complete control over the learning process to the learner. However, this learning model is not fully compatible with learning in the workplace, which is influenced by certain business factors. These factors are being investigated in this paper, through an exploratory study within a variety of private organisations in the UK. Based on the results of this study, 10 key factors affecting the adoption of PLEs in the workplace have been identified. The authors propose a framework for the adoption and diffusion of PLEs, aiming at informing decision makers within commercial organisations about the successful introduction of novel learning methodologies in their respective organisations.

This article explores the extent to which Chinese school leaders espouse dichotomous or integrated Chinese and Anglo-American leadership and management preferences. Data are drawn from questionnaires completed by school leaders and from semi-structured interviews with individual school leaders from different parts of China. The exploratory study shows that Chinese school leaders perceive a coexistence of Chinese and Anglo-American leadership and management values, rather than the domination of one over the other. The findings suggest that it is important to understand the impact of national cultures on leadership and management. Differences between Chinese and Western culture and leadership and management are open to the challenge of stereotyping, and should not be over-stressed, as school leaders are working in an increasingly interconnected and interdependent world, and are exposed to and socialized into cultures of a multileveled polity ranging from the school to the local, national, and even global levels. (Contains 1 table.)

Speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) and social, emotional and behaviour difficulties (SEBD) commonly overlap, yet we know relatively little about the mechanism linking the two, specifically to what extent it is possible to reduce behaviour difficulties by targeted communication skills. The EPPI Centre systematic review methodology was applied to the intervention literature related to primary school aged children with both SLCN and SEBD. Studies were graded for study quality. Nineteen studies including 148 children met the inclusion criteria. Heterogeneity was high in terms of symptoms, methodology, interventions and outcomes. All studies reported positive effects of intervention on both communication and behavioural outcomes although the majority were graded as being of relatively low quality. Despite study limitations the findings suggest that this is a promising direction of enquiry. There remain many gaps in the evidence, for example study quality needs to improve, comparative work is rare and it is difficult to use these interventions to reflect on the type of systemic classroom models of service delivery recommended for many of these children. The results have implications for both clinical practice and further research. (Contains 2 tables.)

Background: There are few economic evaluations of speech and language interventions. Such work requires underpinning by an accurate estimate of the costs of the intervention. This study seeks to address some of the complexities of this task by applying existing approaches of cost estimation to interventions described in published effectiveness studies. Aims: The study has two aims: to identify a method of estimating unit costs based on the principle of long-run marginal opportunity costs; and to illustrate the challenges in estimating unit costs for speech and language interventions. Method & Procedures: Descriptions of interventions were extracted from eight papers and combined with information on the unit cost of speech and language therapists to identify information requirements for a full-cost estimation of an intervention. Outcomes & Results: Four challenges were found relating to the level of detail about the therapists, the participants, the scope of activities and parents. Different assumptions made about any of these elements will have a marked effect on the cost of the intervention. Conclusions & Implications: Nationally applicable unit cost data for speech and language therapists can be used as a reference point, but sufficient descriptive data about delivery and receipt of the intervention are key to accuracy. (Contains 1 note and 3 tables.)

Background: Children who show disproportionate difficulty with the pragmatic as compared with the structural aspects of language are described as having pragmatic language impairment (PLI) or social communication disorder (SCD). Some children who have PLI also show mild social impairments associated with high-functioning autism or autism spectrum disorder (ASD). There is little robust evidence of effectiveness of speech-language interventions which target the language, pragmatic or social communication needs of these children. Aims: To evaluate the effectiveness of an intensive manualized social communication intervention (SCIP) for children who have PLI with or without features of ASD. Methods & Procedures: In a single-blind RCT design, 88 children with pragmatic and social communication needs aged 5;11-10;8, recruited from UK speech and language therapy services, were randomly assigned in a 2:1 ratio to SCIP or to treatment-as-usual. Children in the SCIP condition received up to 20 sessions of direct intervention from a specialist research speech and language therapist working with supervised assistants. All therapy content and methodology was derived from an intervention manual. A primary outcome measure of structural language and secondary outcome measures of narrative, parent-reported pragmatic functioning and social communication, blind-rated perceptions of conversational competence and teacher-reported ratings of classroom learning skills were taken pre-intervention, immediately post-intervention and at 6-month follow-up. Analysis was by intention to treat. Outcomes & Results: No significant treatment effect was found for the primary outcome measure of structural language ability or for a measure of narrative ability. Significant treatment effects were found for blind-rated perceptions of conversational competence, for parent-reported measures of pragmatic functioning and social communication, and for teacher-reported ratings of classroom learning skills. Conclusions & Implications: There is some evidence of an intervention effect on blind and parent/teacher-reported communication outcomes, but not standardized language assessment outcomes, for 6-11-year-old children who have pragmatic and social communication needs. These findings are discussed in the context of the increasingly central role of service user outcomes in providing evidence for an intervention. The substantial overlap between the presence of PLI and ASD (75%) across the whole cohort suggests that the intervention may also be applicable to some verbally able children with ASD who have pragmatic communication needs. (Contains 6 tables, 2 figures and 3 notes.)

Background: Although economic evaluation has been widely recognized as a key feature of both health services and educational research, for many years there has been a paucity of such studies relevant to services for children with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN), making the application of economic arguments to the development of services difficult. Aims: The study has two aims, namely to review systematically the cost-effectiveness literature related to services for children with SLCN and to highlight key issues that need to be included in future economic effectiveness studies. Methods & Procedures: A comprehensive search of the international literature for the last 30 years was completed and the studies were evaluated against the "gold standard" criteria developed by Drummond and colleagues in 1996 and 2005. Outcomes & Results: Five studies met the review inclusion criteria. All focused on young (2-11 years) children with SLCN and most compared clinic-based and parent-administered interventions. The studies provide variable levels of detail on the key elements needed, but few provided sufficient details of costs to draw comparisons across studies. Only two studies attempted to bring together costs and effectiveness data. Conclusions & Implications: The studies point to the importance of home-based and indirect intervention and, in many cases, emphasize the parental perspective. There is a need for intervention studies to include a cost dimension based on readily comparable methods of establishing unit costs and for greater use to be made of cost-effectiveness analysis more generally. (Contains 2 tables.)

Background: The UK government set up a review of provision for children and young people with the full range of speech, language and communication needs led by a Member of Parliament, John Bercow. A research study was commissioned to provide empirical evidence to inform the Bercow Review. Aims: To examine the efficiency and effectiveness of different arrangements for organizing and providing services for children and young people with needs associated with primary speech, language and communication difficulties. Methods & Procedures: Six Local Authorities in England and associated Primary Care Trusts were selected to represent a range of locations reflecting geographic spread, urban/rural and prevalence of children with speech, language and communication difficulties. In each case study, interviews were held with the senior Local Authority manager for special educational needs and a Primary Care Trust senior manager for speech and language therapy. A further 23 head teachers or heads of specialist provision for speech, language and communication difficulties were also interviewed and policy documents were examined. Outcomes & Results: A thematic analysis of the interviews produced four main themes: identification of children and young people with speech, language and communication difficulties; meeting their needs; monitoring and evaluation; and research and evaluation. There were important differences between Local Authorities and Primary Care Trusts in the collection, analysis and use of data, in particular. There were also differences between Local Authority/Primary Care Trust pairs, especially in the degree to which they collaborated in developing policy and implementing practice. Conclusions & Implications: This study has demonstrated a lack of consistency across Local Authorities and Primary Care Trusts. Optimizing provision to meet the needs of children and young people with speech, language and communication difficulties will require concerted action, with leadership from central government. The study was used by the Bercow Review whose recommendations have been addressed by central government and a funded action plan has been implemented as a result. (Contains 3 tables and 4 notes.)

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the relevance of human resource development (HRD) for law firms in the UK. It examines how the characteristics of legal professional practice in the UK, including the partnership structure, long established methods of targeting solicitors and the law society, may act as barriers to the implementation of HRD. Design/methodology/approach: The paper uses an exploratory case study research approach to investigate characteristics and issues influencing the adoption of HRD in a Scottish legal firm. Primary data are collected via semi-structured interviews with a cross-section of representatives. Findings: Despite recognition of the importance of learning, the characteristic elements of law firms, including the partnership structure; the pervasiveness of time-billed targets in the solicitor community; and HR's profile and acceptance among the solicitor community, remain as barriers to the applicability of HRD. The research also exposes variability on the level and scope of development opportunities, an emphasis on technical skills development, and a lack of solicitors' self-managed learning ability. Research limitations/implications: While the research findings provide a useful insight into the barriers to HRD in one legal firm, this does not allow for any generalisations being drawn from the study. Practical implications: The paper explores the suitability of workplace learning to support legal professional development. Originality/value: There is a dearth of research into HRD in legal practices in the UK. The paper contributes to the contextual influences that limit the applicability of HRD to legal professional practices.

The year 2008 marked the 11th anniversary of Hong Kong's return from the UK to the People's Republic of China. In this decade, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has repeatedly emphasised the importance of the development of national identity and patriotism in school education, and has at the same time introduced diverse cultural values into the school curriculum. This article explores the dynamics and complexity of the relationships between the state, globalisation and nationalism in Hong Kong that are re-shaping music education in response to contemporary socio-political changes. It argues that Hong Kong school music education has made a gradual cultural shift towards globalism and nationalism, and away from the Westernism that has dominated Hong Kong music education since before the change of sovereignty on 1 July 1997. The article concludes with a discussion of how music education might juggle two pairs of relationships in the curriculum: between global and national cultures; and between the education of cultural values and nationalism in Chinese music. There is pressure to rethink teacher education in terms of the need to be aware of the socio-political environment in which it operates, and within which it makes music education socially relevant.

Purpose: Understanding the long-term outcomes of developmental language difficulties is key to knowing what significance to attach to them. To date, most prognostic studies have tended to be clinical rather than population-based, which necessarily affects the interpretation. This study sought to address this issue using data from a U.K. birth cohort of 17,196 children, following them from school entry to adulthood, examining literacy, mental health, and employment at 34 years of age. The study compared groups with specific language impairment (SLI), nonspecific language impairment (N-SLI), and typically developing language (TL). Method: Secondary data analysis of the imputed 5-year and 34-year data was carried using multivariate logistic regressions. Results: The results show strong associations for demographic and biological risk for both impairment groups. The associations are consistent for the N-SLI group but rather more mixed for the SLI group. Conclusions: The data indicate that both SLI and N-SLI represent significant risk factors for all the outcomes identified. There is a strong case for the identification of these children and the development of appropriate interventions. The results are discussed in terms of the measures used and the implications for practice.

Purpose: The paper seeks to record the work of the committee and its interaction with the much better known Electronic Libraries (eLib) Programme. It also examines the principles that underlay the development of content acquisition and supporting infrastructure in UK university libraries in the 1990s. Design/methodology/approach: A historical account of the development of nationally organised e-services for higher education in the 1990s, based on personal recollection, committee minutes and contemporary reports. Findings: Confirms the continuing relevance of principles established in that period. Originality/value: Provides a record of previously undocumented work.

Background: High levels of early language difficulties raise practical issues about the efficient and effective means of meeting children's needs. Persistent language difficulties place significant financial pressures on health and education services. This has led to large investment in intervention in the early years; yet, little is known about the actual and relative costs of early years provision. Aims: To profile the different costs incurred by two Early Years Centres (EYCs) partially funded by the charity I CAN and children receiving what might be termed "routine" NHS speech therapy to provide an analysis of cost efficiency and equity. Methods & Procedures: Costings for service provision for 91 children (mean age 2;9) were collected. The activity of staff at each site and the cost of staff allocated to services were computed. Data on other resources were also collected. Outcomes & Results: The cost per child per session was on average 12 British Pounds. Despite the longer course of intervention in the first centre (10 compared with 6 weeks), the cost of the course per child was of the same order (245 British Pounds compared with 253 British Pounds). The annual cost of the early years provision per child was higher relative to the costs of the NHS provision, 645 British Pounds compared with 181 British Pounds in one EYC (A) and 462 British Pounds compared with 173 British Pounds in the other (B). When the cost of standard nursery provision was factored in, the difference in annual costs was rather less, with 5298 for the early years provision (EYC A) relative to 4276 British Pounds in the comparison group. By contrast, the annual cost of early provision rises to 5926 British Pounds relative to 8861 British Pounds in the comparison group (EYC B). Conclusions: The cost of the EYCs is relatively low and given the positive outcomes reported in the study of which this economic evaluation is a part, there is a good case for saying that they represent an efficient use of resources. The strengths and limitations of the economic evaluation are considered and the need for longterm evaluations is highlighted.

Thirty features of the learning experience as perceived by a sample of 3,300 students in 11 secondary schools in the United Kingdom were analysed to see how far students positively rated the classroom environment, challenge in lessons, learning styles, teaching approaches, relationships with teachers, and awareness of key skills. These data are used together with interviews and observation to ascertain the extent of "match" with 5 models of culture. The schools that appear to offer the highest level of learning experience are those where there is clear leadership vision, formal-rational organisational interaction, a moving organisational direction, and integrated staff and an effective balance of social control and cohesion. This leads to suggestions for descriptors of the resultant culture of learning.

Surveys of 408 British students at the beginning and 425 at the end of university studies explored tensions between "graduateness" (effect of college degrees on knowledge, skills, and attitudes) and employability. Evidence suggests economic motivations are more important than pursuit of knowledge and employability is an increasing expectation of higher education courses. (Contains 52 references.) (SK)

Ocean acidification may pose a major threat to commercial fisheries, especially those for calcifying shellfish species. This study was undertaken to estimate the potential economic costs resulting from ocean acidification on UK wild capture and aquaculture shellfish production. Applying the net present value (NPV) and partial equilibrium (PE) models, we estimate both direct and economy-wide economic losses of shellfish production by 2100. Estimates using the NPV method show that the direct potential losses due to reduced shellfish production range from 14% to 28% of fishery NPV. This equates to annual economic losses of between ö3 and ö6 billion of the UK’s GDP in 2013, for medium and high emission scenarios. Results using the PE model showed the total loss to the UK economy from shellfish production and consumption ranging from ö23–ö88 million. The results from both the direct valuation and predicted estimate for the economic losses on shellfish harvest indicate that there are regional variations due to different patterns of shellfish wild-capture and aquaculture, and the exploitation of species with differing sensitivities to ocean acidification. These results suggest that the potential economic losses vary depending on the chosen valuation method. This analysis is also partial as it did not include a wider group of species in early-life-stages or predator-prey effects. Nevertheless, findings show that the economic losses to the UK and its devolved administrations due to ocean acidification could be substantial. We conclude that addressing ocean acidification with the aim of preserving commercially valuable shellfish resources will require regional, national or international solutions using a combined approach to reduce atmospheric CO 2 emissions and shift in focus to exploit species that are less vulnerable to ocean acidification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A suite of twenty organophosphorus flame retardant compounds have been determined in blubber and liver tissue of twenty harbour porpoises stranded or bycaught in the UK during 2012 in order to establish current levels of contamination. Fourteen of the twenty compounds were below the limits of quantification in all samples. Six could be quantified at maximum concentrations (in blubber) between 6.7 and 246 μg kg −1 wet weight. These levels do not suggest a high level of concern regarding potential impacts and do not indicate that routine monitoring in UK porpoises is warranted at this time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the unusual opportunities for motoring leisure provided by the modernistic landscape of the Great West Road in the inter-war period. This suburban arterial road had become ribboned by new Americanized factories, which featured 'Californian' white elevations, floodlit at night. This modern roadscape, likened to the 'great white way of an exhibition' by John Betjeman, attracted leisure drivers who would cruise the new road, experiencing a sensation of displaced Americanization and modernity. Using David Nye's work on technological sublimity, this paper positions the Great West Road as a special space for driving as a new leisure experience, distancing this period from the exploration of the countryside that typified motoring in the previous decades. The paper uses material from motoring magazines, architectural sources and poetry to explain the nature of this sublimity through leisure driving. Not being California, the juxtaposition of wet British weather and this road could also provide a misty and mysterious driving experience. As the inter-war period drew to a close, some commentators saw this road as tawdry and vulgar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study aims to develop an understanding of the use of e-learning courses created for travel agents by Destination Management Organizations (DMOs). It explores agents’ perceptions of such courses. The research examines the views of 304 UK-based travel agents using online survey and investigates whether age, sex, type of agency, work experience, and educational level have influence on e-learning uptake. The satisfaction of travel agents with DMO e-learning is also assessed and found to depend on the number of courses previously attended, knowledge acquired, change in beliefs about the destination, and increased confidence in serving potential tourists. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Liver butyltin concentrations (monobutyl, dibutyl and tributyltin (TBT)) in harbour porpoises (n =410) have been determined during 1992–2005, and again in 2009 following a ban on the use of tributyltin-based antifouling paints on ships. The aim was to assess the effectiveness of the regulation, which was implemented during 2003–2008. Since the ban was put in place summed butyltin concentrations have declined. Also, the percentage of animals in which TBT was detected has fallen sharply, indicating the cessation of fresh inputs. In 1992, 1993 and 1995, TBT was detected in 100% of samples analysed. In 2003–2005, once the implementation of the ban had begun, this fell to 61–72%, and in 2009, following the completion of the ban, had reduced to 4.3% (i.e. in only 1 of 23 samples analysed). Thus we conclude that the ban has proved effective in reducing TBT inputs to the seas from vessels. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Since 1990, tissue samples from UK-stranded and -bycaught cetaceans have been available for study of contaminant burdens. These have been used to study spatial and temporal trends in concentrations in UK waters, and to investigate potential associations between contaminants and health status. We describe the current status of cetaceans (primarily harbour porpoises, Phocoena phocoena ) in UK waters in relation to pollution. Concentrations of BDEs, HBCD, and the organochlorine pesticides are declining. In contrast, concentrations of CBs have plateaued following earlier reductions due to regulation of use, and further reductions are likely to take decades. Blubber PCB concentrations are still at toxicologically significant levels in many harbour porpoises and regularly occur at even higher levels in bottlenose dolphins and killer whales due to their higher trophic level in marine food chains. Further reductions in PCB inputs into the marine environment are needed to mitigate risk from PCB exposure in these species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An essay is presented on the role of British women in the interpretation of Italian Renaissance in the 19th century. It offers an overview of the British contributions to British-Italian relations and examines the influential individuals responsible such as William Roscoe, Henry Francis Cary and John Ruskin. The author discusses the women writers, translators and historians who had roles as interpreters of the Renaissance such as Janet Ross, Anna Brownell Jameson and Margaret Oliphant.

The article presents a biography of Madiki Lemon, also called Mark Lemon or Madaki Lemon, a nineteenth century governor of an English fort in Ouidah, Benin, then in the kingdom of Dahomey. It comments on Lemon's relationship with British vice-consul Louis Fraser. The author examines Lemon's mixed ancestry and explores his work as an interpreter of English and Fon.

Abstract: Harbour porpoises sampled within the UK Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme have been analysed for 25 chlorobiphenyl congeners. In all, 440 porpoises stranded or bycaught during the period 1991–2005 were studied. There are regional differences in the trend in summed congener concentrations over time but, despite controls on PCBs having been in place for decades, they are declining only slowly. Their toxic impacts in UK porpoises – increased susceptibility to infectious disease mortality in the most contaminated individuals – looks likely to continue for some time yet. Further efforts to limit or eliminate PCB discharges to the marine environment are still needed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: It has consistently been reported that patients with schizophrenia have an increased risk of type-2 diabetes. To investigate a genetic link between these two diseases, the combined effects of the PLA2G4A, PTGS2 and PPARG genes were tested among 221 British nuclear families consisting of fathers, mothers and affected offspring with schizophrenia. A total of 10 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were tested and the likelihood-based association analysis for nuclear families was used to analyse the genotyping data. Eight SNPs detected across the PPARG gene did not show allelic association with schizophrenia; a weak association was detected at rs2745557 in the PTGS2 locus (χ 2=4.19, p=0.041) and rs10798059 in the PLA2G4A locus (χ 2=4.28, p=0.039) but these associations did not survive after 10,000 permutations to correct the p-value (global p=0.246). The gene–gene interaction test did not show any evidence of either cis-phase interactions for the PLA2G4A and PTGS2 combinations or a trans-phase interaction for the PLA2G4A and PPARG combinations. The PPARG gene has been reported to be strongly associated with type-2 diabetes, but the present study did not support the hypothesis that the PPARG gene may also play an important role in the development of schizophrenia. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The environmental threat from oil spills remains significant across the globe and particularly in regions of high oil production and transport such as the Gulf. The ultimate damage caused can be limited by mitigation actions that responders deploy. The responsible and appropriate use of oil spill treatment products (e.g. dispersants, sorbents etc.) can offer response options that can result in substantial net environmental benefit. However, the approval and choice of what products to use needs careful consideration. The United Kingdom has had in place a statutory approval scheme for oil spill treatment products for 30 years. It is based on measures of efficiency and environmental acceptability. Two toxicity tests form an integral part of the assessment, the Sea test and the Rocky Shore test, and work on the premise that approved products will not make the situation significantly worse when added to spilled oil. This paper outlines the UK approach and how its rationale might be applied to the approval of products specific for the Gulf region. Issues such as species choice, higher temperatures and salinity and regional environmental conditions are considered. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Concentrations and enantiomeric profiles for a range of organochlorine compounds are reported in blubber samples from a number of individual killer whales (Orcinus orca) from British and Irish waters. Elevated contaminant levels and enriched isotopic ratios were determined in one individual whale sampled in the Scottish Western Isles compared to the others suggesting marine mammal based dietary influences. The potential application of isotopic ratios to model contaminant uptake, enantioselective enrichment and accumulation is demonstrated. Data are presented which provide information on enantioselective enrichment factors (EFs) for o,p′-DDT, α-HCH and toxaphene congeners CHB26 and CHB 50. This dataset further improves the current database on reported levels of a number of contaminants and provides additional background information on potential metabolic processes in killer whales from British and Irish waters. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]