Teacher expertise is commonly regarded as fast and fluent pedagogical decision-making. Research in this area has predominantly applied models of expertise based on the notions of deliberate practice or a novice to expert continuum to the practice of teachers. Expert teachers’ perceptions of what matters to them in their own practice has been under-researched. Drawing on cultural-historical theory, this study considers teachers’ own understandings of expert teaching, and how their motives relate to their teaching actions. The study focuses on 9 expert secondary school teachers in one secondary school in England to discern how they work with pupils and the curriculum. The analysis explores the different elements of the teachers’ activities, identified as: (i) the kinds of teaching actions used in their work; (ii) the relational space between the pupil and the subject-matter of the curriculum and (iii) the concepts that mediated expert teachers’ practice. The Vygotskyian perspective taken by this study entailed…
The question asked among many philosophers of ethics – How can one pursue the good and well lived life? A life which is fully satisfying, but not forced and restricting. With many theories and philosophical schools being established all trying to create theories which will guide others on how they can pursue a good life. The problem with many of these schools is the dehumanisation of philosophy, which they create through the lack of knowledge of the philosopher themselves. Separating man from philosophy. Michel de Montaigne is one philosopher who presents us with this ‘New Mode' of philosophy, a term used by Ann Hartle. Through the use of his own self reflections and biographical writing to arise at this question, ‘how we can live the good life?’. Montaigne takes his private life and brings it out into the public. He gives his readers the insights into his life, his experiences, his struggles and his sporadic thoughts using his self-reflection. Montaigne humanises philosophy, showing us how he practised phi…
As plant cells are capable of complex N-glycosylation they are a valid expression system to produce safe and correctly glycosylated human proteins. To modify plant glycosylation patterns towards fully human patterns, the plant glycosylation machinery requires substitution of a series of plant enzymes with human ones. Here we show that the mammalian glycosylation enzymes B4GALT1, ST6GAL, GNTIV and GNTV can be expressed in plant cells, and localise to specific cisternae of the Golgi body. Only ST6GAL and GNTV localise in the medial/trans-Golgi but fusion of a sialyltransferase-derived N-terminal signal peptide is capable of targeting B4GALT1 to the medial/trans-Golgi. As a proof of concept for human therapeutic enzyme production in plant cells, Lysosomal Acid Lipase (LAL) was expressed in tobacco leaf cells. Here LAL was shown to localise to medial/trans-Golgi cisternae. Protein expression of human LAL was enhanced by removal of an endogenous signal peptide associated with mammalian intracellular targeting that…
Cells within multicellular organisms transcribe, package and release nano-sized spheres called extracellular vesicles (EVs) that carry an array of biomolecules that can be transferred between cells. EV-mediated communication contributes to a wide range of physiological and pathological processes including cancer progression, yet the molecular mechanisms underlying their formation and release remain incompletely characterised. Elevated intracellular calcium (Ca2+) induces EV release in a variety of cell types - with preliminary data to suggest the Ca2+ permeable transient receptor potential (TRP) channel TRPC3 may facilitate Ca2+-mediated EV biogenesis. TRPC3 contributes to the progression of ovarian cancer (OC) in vitro and in vivo, but its role in EV biogenesis and how this influences the pathogenesis of OC is unknown. This thesis therefore aimed to investigate the role of TRPC3 and TRPC3-mediated EV communication in ovarian cells, and how TRPC3 activation, Ca2+ influx and upstream GPCR stimulation influence…
Refugee hosting at the household-level is characterised by the sharing of accommodation and social interaction and interdependence between parties. Its prevalence is gaining recognition as humanitarian and scholarly focus shifts to urban displacement. Despite this, there has been little research into refugee hosting. In this thesis, I explore what constitutes the act of refugee hosting at the household-level in protracted urban displacement. Refugee hosting relationships are typically portrayed as static kinship-based practices, between non-displaced hosts and displaced guests. Presumed to be short-term measures, the prolongation of hosting in protracted displacement is seen as a burden to hosts. Through an exploration of refugee hosting in Amman, Jordan, I challenge this depiction to argue that refugee hosting is a far-reaching and dynamic response to displacement and an overlooked component of humanitarian response. I contribute to understandings of how refugees respond to displacement, and their experience…
There is currently limited research on either coaching in organisations or executive coaching in Planned Radical Organisational Change (PROC). The research that does exist on these subjects focuses primarily on whether coaching is considered efficacious, and there has been no research on the obstacles preventing the adoption of executive coaching to assist divisional, functional and central leaders during PROC as part of change implementation programmes. The primary aim of this research was to uncover the reasons why executive coaching is not used in these situations, including whether some senior PROC leaders may block such investment because they are Machiavellian or not change-ready. The research uses a mixed-method design. Two hundred and sixty-two high-ranking executives were surveyed on their attitude towards executive coaching, their Machiavellianism and their change-readiness. Details about their previous roles in PROC, their rank and current employer were also collected. Nearly half of these leader…
Background A Constraints Led Approach (CLA) theory has been applied widely to the coaching of a large number of sports, particularly team sports and invasion games. It has, though, seen little-to-no uptake in highly repetitive and technical sports such as cycling and swimming. The experiences of the researcher who has spent many years coaching rowing suggest that there are parts of everyday coaching practice which resemble a CLA, whether the theory is consciously applied or not. This study explores this perspective whether this is the case by exploring current practice in elite rowing coaching and its links to the CLA framework. Method A qualitative approach was taken to the study in the form of a multiple single case study design. Elite coaches of junior rowers, identified through their 1st eight crews’ success in 2019 National School final six placings, were invited to participate in the study. A total of nine coaches eventually took part with each undergoing a semi-structured interview conducted remotely…
The primary question addressed in this research is: what are the factors affecting organisations‘ adoption of CRM? The customer relationship management system (CRM) is an information technology system that effectively manages interaction and long-term relationship with customers. The number of organisations in the world adopting CRM has been rapidly increasing and the concept of CRM has resonated considerably in recent years with both academics and practitioners. While literature often cites CRM projects as failing to deliver promised improvement in business performance, our empirical knowledge about what constitutes a successful adoption of CRM remains inherently narrow. The potential for substantially improved customer relationships and the tremendous amount of confusion regarding what constitutes successful CRM adoption, calls for a critical investigation into the adoption process, and its key success factors. To do this, the research aims to develop effective guidelines to assist in the adoption of CRM in…
Mentoring has received prominence as having the potential to address several of the key challenges currently faced by the UK veterinary profession and it has long played a central role in the educational architecture of the profession. By providing better support for young vets, as they transition from higher education into the workplace, and support for an increasingly diverse workforce, mentoring has gained credence as the answer to recruitment and retention difficulties and the prevailing mental health crisis. Yet mentoring practice remains inconsistent across the sector; it is broadly ad hoc and voluntary, with several mature mentoring schemes within larger organisations and an increasing number of mentoring arrangements organised by professional bodies. An overlooked dimension of mentoring is the underpinning force of professional obligation that compels mentors to engage in mentoring. The project presented here responds to calls for more focus on conceptual gaps in understanding mentoring by investigati…
Background: The use of oral systemic anti-cancer treatment (SACT) has increased significantly in recent decades. Patient experience of receiving these treatments is relatively unknown and under-reported. In response to national recommendations and the National Patient Safety alert (2008) regarding the safe care of patients receiving an oral SACT, a local cancer centre implemented a joint nurse- and pharmacist-led oral education clinic (OEC) to educate patients on how to manage their oral SACT and care at home. Aim: To explore the experiences and views of patients receiving oral SACT to inform models of care. Methodology: An applied health research study using a mixed-methods approach was conducted. The study included a questionnaire survey distributed to patients who attended the OEC, and a second questionnaire posted 6 weeks later. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse results from the 84 respondents. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a sub-sample of 28 questionnaire respondents and with 2…