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There is growing emphasis in the UK on promoting research that creates a positive impact on society. Research Councils UK, the major national research funding agencies, have recently defined a framework for promoting and measuring this impact. This paper contributes to current debates about this developing agenda and, particularly, the problematic intersection of the impact agenda and co-production research approaches. I argue that processes of negotiating values, aims and power relations are essential to creating relevant, ethical impacts with research participants. In contrast to the emphasis placed on linear and top-down change by the impact agenda, my experience doing participatory action research with a UK community group shows that co-produced research produces different kinds of impacts: co-produced impacts are emergent and non-linear; responsive and relational; and empowering when rooted in reciprocal collaboration with research partners. This paper questions the implicit values the impact framework imposes on academic researchers and community partners, calling for continued critical engagement with the impact agenda to encourage the value-rational reflection, deliberation and collaboration needed for creating socially transformative research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines changing models of pedagogy by drawing on recent research with teachers and their students as well as theoretical developments. In relation to a participatory view of learning, the paper reviews existing pedagogical models that take little account of the use of information and communications technologies as well as those that are focused more specifically on technology-rich learning environments. A possible framework for understanding pedagogy is beginning to emerge, which can be applied to both face-to-face and online learning. This framework combines individual and group regulation of learning where pedagogical reasoning is transparent and shared between students, teachers, and others involved in students' learning. The framework needs to integrate the purposeful elements and sharing of roles characteristic of formative assessment in pedagogy as well as a learning culture that could enable supportive interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we describe a UK-based participatory action research project that looks beyond the discourse of tolerance to investigate and challenge heteronormative processes in primary schools through reflective action research. This 28-month ESRC-funded project supports 15 primary teachers working in schools in three regions of the UK to develop action research projects that address lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality in their own schools and classrooms. In this paper we will examine how the original principles on which the project design was based have manifested themselves throughout the course of the project, drawing upon examples of classroom practice and reflective discussions among project team members. We will explore how designing intentionally for collective participation has produced spaces for people to do and think in ways that have not only gone beyond what we imagined but have also challenged and sometimes contradicted our own ways of thinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is limited consensus about what constitutes humanly sensitive care, or how it can be sustained in care settings. A new humanised care assessment tool may point to caring practices that are up to the task of meeting persons as humans within busy healthcare environments. This paper describes qualitative development of a tool that is conceptually sensitive to human dimensions of care informed by a life‐world philosophical orientation. Items were generated to reflect eight theoretical dimensions that constitute what makes care feel humanly focused. An action research group process in 2014–2015 with researchers, service users, healthcare professionals in two diverse clinical settings (stroke rehabilitation and dermatology) was used. Feedback on conceptual content, transparency of meaning and readability was then gained from a panel in Sweden and third‐year student nurses in the UK. The tool can be applied to attune staff to human dimensions of care, offering items which point to concrete examples of humanising and dehumanising features of practice in ways that have not yet been fully captured in the caring literature. Based on theoretically led experiential items, with dedicated focus on what makes people feel more, or less than human, it may offer improvement on available assessments of care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Digital educational games research tends to lack ecological validity by not adequately taking into account the views and perspectives of children and young people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This paper is a pilot study that explores and analyses an academic‐based educational game that was co‐designed with and for young people with ASD. The serious game aims to help the players learn Geography‐specific knowledge and integrates several strategic features so that users can collaborate together against the computer or compete against each other. The educational game was evaluated over 5 sessions by 3 peer teams from 2 different special educational institutions, involving a total of 6 students with ASD. The participants were positive about their enjoyment, motivation, and social engagement. The results showed that the players' level of competitiveness not only influenced the experience within the game but also the interaction within the peer teams. The game mechanisms did help the participants with ASD increase their knowledge in Geography content. The main conclusion is that there are considerable benefits of including children with ASD in the design process and future research should explore more fully on how their involvement can enhance curriculum‐based learning as well as social engagement within the classroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding how survivors of complex trauma navigate towards resources can inform the design of interventions and health promotion strategies. However, there are little data on the resilience and help-seeking experiences of this group or others who have experienced institutional abuse in childhood. This empirical study sets out to illustrate the help-seeking experiences of Irish emigrant survivors of institutional childhood abuse (ICA). Twenty-two survivors of ICA were purposefully recruited from community organisations in the UK and data were collected via semi-structured interviews. As a result of negative initial help-seeking experiences in Ireland, most participants engaged in long periods of self-management and disclosed information about their childhood as part of a redress scheme in later life. Outside of this scheme, turning points, such as illness or family problems, and the needs of children were influential in seeking help. Peer support networks played an important role as a trusted signposting pathway towards formal interventions. Participants identified interpersonal barriers to formal help-seeking as helping professionals' failure to share control, insensitivity to identity loss and literacy issues, and the lack of explicit boundaries. The paper concludes with a discussion about the implications for research and future practice. Key Practitioner Messages: Turning points, such as illness and bereavement, and the desire to provide for children, influence the help-seeking of survivors of ICA., Irish emigrant survivors of ICA cite failure to share control, insensitivity to identity loss, literacy issues and the lack of explicit boundaries as barriers to help-seeking., General awareness of ICA can help practitioners in low-threshold services prevent against culturally insensitive practice., Peer support networks can provide uniquely trusted signposting towards formal interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of social justice is making a revival in nursing scholarship, in part in response to widening health inequalities and inequities in high‐income countries. In particular, critical nurse scholars have sought to develop participatory research methods using peer researchers to represent the ‘voice’ of people who are living in marginalized spaces in society. The aim of this paper is to report on the experiences of nurse and peer researchers as part of a project to explore the experiences of people who find themselves destitute following the asylum process in the UK. In seeking to explore social injustice, three challenges are identified: lack of a robust political theory, institutional/professional constraints and an absence of skills to engage with the politics of social (in)justice. Each challenge is presented, opposing voices outlined and some possible solutions are suggested. The work of political theorist Nancy Fraser is used as a conceptual framework, in particular her focus on mis/framing and political representation for social justice. In addition, it is suggested that social justice needs to be further embedded in nursing policy and curriculum. Finally, nurses are encouraged to develop practical political skills to engage with both politics and the media in a neoliberal globalizing world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This methodological paper reflects on the way in which nursing research has developed along similar lines to research in education. It focuses on the emergence of action research as an example of collaborative research within the practice discipline of nursing. Action research is placed in the framework of new paradigm research and questions concerning its scientific merit are addressed along with its idealistic value to nursing. Drawing on issues raised during the collection of data for a PhD study which examined a changing ward culture, I hope to share some methodological concerns about the use of action research as a means of changing practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite the availability of effective evidence‐based treatments for depression and anxiety, many ‘harder‐to‐reach’ social and patient groups experience difficulties accessing treatment. We developed a complex intervention, the AMP (Improving Access to Mental Health in Primary Care) programme, which combined community engagement (CE), tailored (individual and group) psychosocial interventions and primary care involvement. Objectives: To develop and evaluate a model for community engagement component of the complex intervention. This paper focuses on the development of relationships between stakeholders, their engagement with the issue of access to mental health and with the programme through the CE model. Design: Our evaluation draws on process data, qualitative interviews and focus groups, brought together through framework analysis to evaluate the issues and challenges encountered. Setting & participants: A case study of the South Asian community project carried out in Longsight in Greater Manchester, United Kingdom. Key findings: Complex problems require multiple local stakeholders to work in concert. Assets based approaches implicitly make demands on scarce time and resources. Community development approaches have many benefits, but perceptions of open‐ended investment are a barrier. The time‐limited nature of a CE intervention provides an impetus to ‘do it now’, allowing stakeholders to negotiate their investment over time and accommodating their wider commitments. Both tangible outcomes and recognition of process benefits were vital in maintaining involvement. Conclusions: CE interventions can play a key role in improving accessibility and acceptability by engaging patients, the public and practitioners in research and in the local service ecology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we report on our use of a participatory research methodology to consult with children in the UK on how to improve pupil well-being in secondary schools, framed within the wider social policy context of healthy schools. We worked with children on the selection of our research methods and sought to voice the views of children to a local education authority to improve the design of school environments. The consultation process ultimately failed not because the children were unforthcoming with their views on either methods or on well-being in schools, but because of difficulties in how their views were received by adults. We show how the socio-economic, cultural and political context in which those difficulties were set might have led to the eventual break down of the consultation process, and we draw out a number of possible implications for consultative and participatory work with children in school settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective The publication of information about the performance of health-care providers is regarded as central to promoting greater accountability and empowering patients to exercise choice. The evidence suggests that the public is not very interested in accessing or using current sources of information. This study aimed to explore the information needs of patients in the context of UK primary care and to develop an information source about general practice services, designed to be usable by and useful to patients. Design An action research study making use of data from formal and informal interviews, focus groups, participant observation and document review. Setting The geographical areas covered by two Primary Care Trusts in the north of England and two Local Health Boards in south Wales. Participants A partnership between 103 members of the public, general practice staff from 19 practices, NHS managers from four Primary Care Organizations and the research team. Results The public would like to know more about the quality and range of general practice services but current sources of information do not meet their needs. The public do not like league tables comparing the performance of practices and only a small number of people want to use comparative information to choose between practices. They seem to be more interested in the context and availability of services and the willingness of practices to improve, than in the practice's absolute or relative performance. They want to be clear about the source of the information so that they can make personal judgements about its veracity. Information is most likely to be useful if it adheres to the basic principles of cognitive science in terms of its structure, content and presentation format. Using these findings, paper and electronic prototype versions of a guide to general practice services have been developed. Conclusions In order to maximize the potential use of performance information by the public it is necessary to move beyond provider-led and professionally constructed approaches to information provision and ensure that the public is actively involved in the development of information sources. Such involvement produces a different kind of information to that currently available to the public. The findings of this study have important implications for policy. Most importantly, it seems that the traditional consumerist model underlying a policy of making comparative performance information available to the public to enable them to exercise choice between primary care providers may not be appropriate. An alternative model of information provision, which recognizes the public's commitment to their practice and is integrated with ‘soft’ sources of knowledge is more likely to engage and be of use to the public. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AIMS AND BACKGROUND: Admiral Nurses are specialist dementia care nurses working in the community with carers of those who have a dementia. The aim of the competency project (2000-2003) was threefold. Firstly to work collaboratively with these specialist nurses to facilitate the development a competency framework that reflects the needs of the Admiral Nursing Service. Secondly, to provide a way to structure evidence demonstrating evolving competency. Thirdly, to specifically enable the nurses to demonstrate evidence of achieving the UK Nursing and Midwifery Council's Higher Level Practice standard. DESIGN AND METHODS: The two complementary approaches of emancipatory action research and systematic practice development were adopted. Methods were taken from action research and systematic practice development approaches with an emphasis on promoting and enabling enlightenment, critical reflection, ownership and creating the best conditions for long-term commitment to the competency framework. RESULTS: The main outcome from this project was the development of a specialist nursing competency framework. The Admiral Nurses' Competency Framework is made up of a set of eight core competencies with three levels of competency statements, loosely structured around the Higher Level Practice standard, and guidance documentation to illustrate how work-based evidence can be generated to demonstrate competence. There were also process-derived outcomes associated with combining systematic practice development with emancipatory action research that had an impact on the culture. The main outcomes here were that practitioners engaged in and experienced learning about how to research their own practice and the consequences of doing this. They also learnt about specialist nursing practice more widely than Admiral Nursing. Finally, there was some increase in awareness about the culture within their teams and organizations. The final competency framework reflects the needs of the service, is owned by the majority of practitioners and project commissioners and this has had a positive impact on implementation. CONCLUSION: In this paper, we report on combining systematic practice development with action research to achieve immediate project aims. In addition we show how a project of this nature can contribute to developing skills in practitioners necessary for cultural changes in practice and contributes to wider issues of modernization within nursing and health care. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: This competency framework will enable Admiral Nurses to demonstrate their level of specialist practice, as individuals and collectively as a service and it also promotes the principles of nurses as life long learners. This may have relevance to other groups of specialist nurses. The project has widespread relevance for two reasons. Firstly, it shows that nurses can be involved in designing and testing a competency framework as collaborators. Secondly, that to achieve this within the spirit of approaches, such as systematic practice development and action research, can be testing for all collaborators even were there is a shared or espoused aim. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the rarely considered role of friends and peers supporting young people after sexual abuse experienced in adolescence, drawing on participatory research with 32 young people in the UK with lived experience. The article considers ways in which relationships with friends and peers interplay with recovery from abuse. This includes friends and peers as recipients of disclosure, conduits to professional support, sources of emotional support and distraction, and being embroiled in often challenging, precarious peer cultures that young people navigate post‐abuse. The article explores young people's rationale for, and experiences of, reaching out to friends and peers. It considers what young people seek and gain from these relationships in the aftermath of abuse, while acknowledging complex risks and precarity of these relationships. It argues that support from friends offers something distinct to family and professionals. It explores benefits of these relationships, but also potential for peer responses to undermine wellbeing if not sufficiently supportive or informed. The article ends by arguing for professionals to better recognise and respond to these relational contexts and consider whether there are safe and appropriate ways to 'support young people to support' without responsibilisation, and recognising welfare needs of those providing such support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Research and clinical outcomes that matter to people with lived experience can significantly differ from those outcomes studied by researchers. To inform a future Cochrane review of suicide and self‐harm prevention interventions, we aimed to work with young people with relevant lived experience to agree on priority outcomes. Design: Four participatory codesign workshops were completed across two sites (New Zealand, United Kingdom) with 28 young people in total. We iteratively adapted the methods over the course of the study. Results: 'Improved coping' and 'safer/more accepting environment to disclose' were the final top‐rated outcomes. 'Reduction of self‐harm' was considered a low priority as it could be misleading, stigmatizing and was considered a secondary consequence of other improvements. In contrast to typical research outcomes, young people emphasized the diversity of experience, the dynamic nature of improvement and holistic and asset‐based framing. Methodologically, dialogue using design materials (personas) to thematically explore outcomes was effective in overcoming the initial challenge of disparate quantitative ratings. Discussion: The results will directly inform the development of a Cochrane review, enabling identification of whether and how outcomes of most importance to young people are measured in trials. Rather than producing discrete measurable outcomes that could be easily added to the systematic review, the young people challenged the academic conceptualization of outcomes, with implications for future evidence synthesis and intervention research, and for future codesign. Patient or Public Contribution: Young people with lived experience were codesigners of the outcomes, and their feedback informed iterative changes to the study methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Sport workforce strategy in the United Kingdom (UK) has identified the occupational therapy profession as being ideally positioned to contribute to public health agendas relating to tackling physical inactivity amongst marginalised populations, such as disabled people and people with experience of mental distress. However, a robust understanding of the enablers, restrictions, and exclusions such groups encounter when seeking to participate in sport and physical activity is currently lacking. Methods: This study aimed to gain an in‐depth understanding of the different ways people with experience of mental distress talked about their participation in a community‐based football league in England, in the UK. Nine people took part in this strand of a larger participatory action research (PAR) study, which used go‐along interviews as the method of data collection. In alignment with PAR seeking to address power imbalances, the data from the go‐along interviews were analysed through a Foucauldian lens using a collaboratively produced analytic framework. Findings Participants constructed the community‐based football league as fostering feelings of purpose and belonging, against a backdrop of them describing experiencing stigma and exclusion when seeking to be active in their wider communities. They used the concept of occupational marginalisation to further interpret their situation. Conclusion: Understanding why and how people participate in football extends beyond seeing it as an individual exercise to shared social lives and occupations. With this perspective, occupational therapists could address occupational marginalisation in partnership with community sports organisations, collaborating for wider social change beyond specialist services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the development of a haematology practice development unit. A recurring dichotomy in the literature reviewed is whether such practice development units should be aimed at nurses or at nursing practice. The processes of ensuring the robustness of a series of action research projects are described. All of these projects aim to explore patient perspectives of their illnesses and identify how to improve their care. National Health Service Trust and university partnership arrangements are identified as being of central importance to accreditation processes and to verification of the appropriateness of research outcomes. Staff development initiatives discussed include offering work-based learning opportunities. It is concluded that to disassociate patients, and how best to improve their care, from the development of practitioners is unhelpful. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Communities can be encouraged to participate in countryside conservation through mapping, expressing what they feel to be important or distinct locally. Established UK community ‘parish map’ projects focus on artwork. ‘Public participation geographic information systems’ potentially offer an alternative community mapping approach. Research sought to compare artwork and GIS mapping and their ease of use. Raster maps, digitizing of features and data table creation encouraged community groups to undertake thematic mapping themselves. Seamless maps removed perceived neighbourhood boundaries. Linking attribute data to maps offers an interactive approach to projects, including internet mapping. Findings indicated that hands-on use of GIS, with support, could benefit and empower community groups when responding to local geographic issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Public involvement in the education of students enrolled on higher education programmes has gained impetus. For students enrolled on professional health‐care programmes and health‐related modules in the UK, there is also a requirement by professional bodies to include "service user" involvement in preparation for entry to a professional health‐care register and continuing professional development. Actively involving patients and members of the public in research is also a requirement by many research funders. In this article, the term Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) will be used throughout to include lay members, volunteers, user and carers. Objectives: A unique pilot study was introduced across a health faculty to integrate PPI in a deliberate way. It aimed to provide an educational, focused programme of events that was meaningful to develop and inform peoples' knowledge, skills and confidence for their involvement in the health faculty. Design: PPI members volunteered to sit on a steering group to determine the educational journey; the outcomes of three focus groups with PPI members (N = 32) and academics informed the programme content which included a range of workshops covering the exploration of public roles and barriers to involvement, introduction to research and interviewing skills. Results: The workshops were well attended, and outcomes indicated the importance of co‐production when designing, delivering and evaluating programmes. Discussion: Co‐production underpinned this pilot study, resulting in a programme which was meaningfully received by public contributors. Recommendations: Co‐production was seen as integral to this research to ensure that outcomes were indeed "fit for purpose". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Family carers of adults with learning disability and behaviours that challenge lead complex and stressful lives. Their caring role can leave them isolated and unsupported. In the UK, effective services designed to build resilience for people in long‐term caring roles are lacking. There are none (to our knowledge) designed using a participatory health research (PHR) approach with family carers and professionals. Objective: With positive behaviour support (PBS) and mindfulness and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) as key elements, a PHR approach was used to understand the basis for a successful course that supported the capabilities and resilience of family members in long‐term caring roles. Design: The research was guided by the principles of PHR with participation as the defining principle throughout. Central to the research were reflexive conversations (communicative spaces) where diverse knowledges were shared and critiqued. Findings: Mindfulness/ACT can change long‐standing response behaviours and build personal resilience and improve mental health. Elements enabling positive change included a facilitation approach for collaborative reflexivity and the complementary, interactive approach to collaborative enquiry for learning and decision making afforded by PHR. Discussion: The use of PHR accessed knowledges that would have been lost to more traditional, professional‐expert driven processes and facilitated change in constructs for action for both professionals and family carers. Findings challenge service providers to consider how experiential knowledge has agency in professional practice and service design. Reflection on the PHR process across the FaBPos project led to a re‐consideration of quality issues in relation to PHR and participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peer‐led mental health organisations operate through participatory democracy, enabling participants to take an active role in decision making about the running of these organisations. U.K. national policy recommends increased involvement of people accessing statutory mental health services in service development, for example, through co‐production. This study employed a participatory research method to explore participants' perspectives of the democratic processes of a U.K.‐based peer‐led mental health organisation, The Bridge Collective, and the influence of these processes on participant wellbeing. A range of data collection methods were used to gather the perspectives of 16 participants. Participatory thematic analysis identified how the organisations' democratic processes both nurtured and challenged participants' wellbeing. Three main themes captured the influences of the democratic processes on participant wellbeing: (a) negotiating relationships, (b) feeling the responsibility of involvement, and (c) sharing power. The findings identify the value of democratic processes in enabling meaningful social support and empowerment, and also identify the challenges of inclusion and workload management in participatory democracy. These insights may inform the development of co‐production methods and enable The Bridge Collective and other peer‐led organisations to further develop their processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Survival for penile cancer is high but treatment can have a long‐term detrimental effect on urological function and quality of life. Owing to its rarity, it is difficult to include men with penile cancer in research about their condition. The aim of this study was to identify aspects of their diagnosis and treatment that they would want explored in penile cancer research. The study employed a participative, mixed qualitative methods design; it utilized focus groups and patient‐conducted interviews, combined into a 1 day ‘pilot workshop’. The data were analysed using framework analysis. ‘Early signs and seeking help’, ‘disclosure of a ‘personal’ cancer’ and ‘urological (dys)function’ emerged as three key themes. Men with penile cancer want research about their condition to explore early signs and helping seeking, disclosure of a ‘personal’ cancer and urological (dys)function. Research could use methodologies that include consideration of the chronological narrative of the experiences of men with penile cancer, which could be applied in clinical practice by integrating opportunities to explore specific aspects of their experiences at appropriate times along the care pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author reflects on the importance of improved clinical practice of participatory action research for nursing project in Great Britain. The research is recognized as a mechanism for learning in the work environment and promoting the organizational change. It is stated that the evaluators are needed much to consider the grounding, reasoning and logic aspects behind any recommendations on the research.

Learning to live with flood requires learning to manage flood recovery. While in the United Kingdom much attention has been given to improving preparedness to flood events -- from more sophisticated warning systems to the development of flood event planning -- we bring attention to in-depth research on the processes of recovery and the challenges of addressing what we call the flood 'recovery gap'. A growing body of research has documented the social, economic and health impacts of flooding, and the relationship between social and physical parameters of community resilience and preparedness. However, there remains a dearth of understanding about the processes people go through in recovering from flood disasters in the United Kingdom and the ways in which improving the experience of recovery can enhance resilience. Indeed, because resilience is defined in part by the time it takes to recover, it is imperative that more effective recovery is established. This article reports on the findings of a real-time longitudinal study using an action research model to document and understand the everyday experiences of individuals following the floods of June 2007 in Hull. We argue that recovery involves a more varied process than is assumed within current accounts, one which falls between institutional boundaries. We conclude with suggestions for addressing the 'recovery gap'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background People with long-term conditions need to be signposted to high quality information and advice to understand and manage their condition. Information seeking tools combined with third sector information could help address their information needs. Objective To describe the development and implementation of an information service for people living with long-term conditions at one NHS acute trust in the Northeast of England. Methods An information service was trialled using bespoke information models for three long-term conditions in collaboration with third sector organisations. These guided people to relevant, timely and reliable information. Both clinician and service user questionnaires were used to evaluate satisfaction with the service. Results Appropriately designed information models can be used interchangeably across all services. Between 75% and 91% of users agreed that they were satisfied with various aspects of the service. Generally, users received relevant, understandable and high quality information at the right time. Nearly all health professionals (94-100%) felt the service was accessible, provided high quality information and did not significantly impact on their consultation time. Conclusion The developed information service was well received by service users and health professionals. Specifically, the use of information prescriptions and menus facilitated access to information for people with long-term conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The role of the support worker in self-advocacy groups for people with intellectual disability is pivotal in setting the scene for empowerment. However, despite the growing importance of the role, it has attracted very little scrutiny. Method The study developed an inclusive team approach working alongside researchers labelled with learning difficulties. Emphasis was placed on making all aspects of the research cycle accessible to the team. A variety of qualitative methods were used. Results Despite supporters' allegiances to disability equality and their emphasis on reflexivity, many crucial aspects of organizational practice and support remained hidden. However, an emerging shared narrative about the potential of people first implied the possibility of increased collaboration. This was evidenced in some of the groups. Conclusions Where problematic practice was discussed, supporters were open to developing alternative approaches. Acknowledging members contributions alongside the work of their supporters helped nurture more collaborative relationships. Accessible Abstract A lot of accessible methods were used to find out what was happening. Much support work is hidden away and not listed by organisations. The supporter role is very complex where supporters are managed by members. Supporters may find ways to hold on to power even when they say they try not to. There were some good ways seen for members and supporters to work together fairly. The writer talks about working in a team with researchers with learning difficulties. The study concludes that we can all learn from each other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conceived as an opportunity to reflect on the place of action-research in the contested landscape of educational change in the UK where increasing emphasis has been put on the use of evidence to drive reform. In the context of a government-sponsored project in Scotland, this study looked at the impact of a scholarship initiative supporting classroom teachers to undertake action-research projects on a topic of their own choice with the assistance of a mentor. Data collected from interviews with teachers and analysis of teacher action-research reports pointed to a multi-faceted concept of practice unfolding from individual inquiry and dialogical conversations with colleagues and university mentors. The study argues for further analysis of the use of action-research as a means to develop teachers' knowledge and to recover the value of collective and creative engagements in education to guide reform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There appears to be some degree of hesitation and lack of confidence among professionals in conducting capacity assessments. This document explains a two phase process developed and implemented by a multi-disciplinary group of professionals during a pilot project. The first phase in the decision making process is to determine to what extent the person being assessed is able to process and recall information. The second phase involves understanding more detailed information specifically relating to the decision, in this case the procedure or intervention. The use of a two-phase process is illustrated via case studies. Over a 2-year period, 17 people who were referred from the eye unit to the capacity team were seen. Of those, two progressed to phase two of the process – and one person demonstrated capacity to make a decision. The process was based on a functional approach, and was used to avoid making decisions based on status approaches. The developed process was fed back to the professionals in the eye unit to enable them to assess capacity in relation to eye surgery. We hope to have demonstrated that capacity assessment skills are inherent in all practitioners working with people with a learning disability and are not the privileged possession of only particular professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article revisits the theme of the clash of interests and power relations at work in participatory research which is prescribed from above. It offers a possible route toward solving conflict between adult-led research carried out by young researchers, funding requirements and organisational constraints. The article explores issues of participation in child-centred research in a cross-cultural context and gives examples from research carried out with young refugees. The author discusses what might be the best way forward for researchers against a backdrop of critical dialogues concerning child participation on the one hand and funders' frequent calls for participatory methodologies on the other. In doing participatory research with children and young people on the margins of society, issues of power, knowledge, ethical relations, funding processes and research methodologies and practices may seem at odds and difficult to resolve. In this article a methodology of creating pockets of participation that can be owned by the young researchers is suggested as a possible route. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One hundred and eighty British secondary school pupils aged 11–12 and their six trainee teachers in five schools participated in an action research project, designed to improve the quality of children's group talk in English lessons, particularly their engagement in higher-order thinking through ‘exploratory’ talk. The programme, supported by the Teacher Training Agency (TTA), now Training and Development Agency, was devised by a team of mentors and an Initial Teacher Educator from Sussex University. It aimed to develop the trainees' skills both in planning challenging tasks for, and sustaining effective group talk, using ‘ground rules’ and varied teacher discourse strategies. The data include qualitative comparative analysis of discourse audiotaped before and after the intervention, taken from 66 pupils. Findings indicate a clear improvement in the quality of talk, in terms of pupils' collaborative engagement in higher-order thinking. Further evidence from observations and interviews with all participants suggests confirmation of the programme's effectiveness in improving trainees' and pupils' skills in, and understanding of how to use group talk to reason. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses issues in teacher research in terms of two distinct but related research fields, the action research and case study, in Great Britain. The author defines action research as a response to the gap between theory and practice within the educational research process and case study as a response to the methodological bias inherent in that process. In action research, the question of control centered on the relation between teacher and researcher while it focused on the relative status of the various methods used by researcher in case study. According to the author, the link between action research and the case study approach may be a significant factor affecting the style of classroom research in the country.

There continue to be suggestions within the nursing literature that research findings are not being utilized in clinical practice. The reasons for this are well documented. However, less emphasis is given to ways to facilitate utilization. It seemed possible that non-utilization could be due not only to lack of knowledge, but also to the method of implementing change towards research-based practice. The 'top-down', authoritarian, approach to dissemination of information within the NHS may have been a block to research use. Could staff be motivated to consider research-based change through use of a different approach? An 'action research' approach seemed a possible way to attempt to facilitate research-based practice. Within this study one ward was used with all staff as the participants. The staff identified the area to be studied (devising a protocol for preoperative information-giving). The instruments used were semi-structured interviews and informal discussions and field notes. Rogers' diffusion of innovation model was used to organize data collection and to analyse results. Although the results may not be generalizable, the use of this model provides a useful framework for others interested in an alternative approach to achieving research-based practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A situational analysis had demonstrated a need to help staff within an orthopaedic/trauma unit review past and plan future learning. One way of doing this is through the preparation of a portfolio. An action research project was undertaken to explore two research questions: Is the process of portfolio preparation in itself developmental? If so, what factors influence this developmental process? Development was seen as a process of change indicated through application of the characteristics of adult learners. The action involved meeting as a learning group to explore the process and discuss the problems. Questionnaires were completed by group members to raise issues for further discussion at interview. The interviews formed a summative evaluation of the process up to the last group meeting. Data were analysed through a process of thematic content analysis, resulting in the identification of various categories. These categories were then used to explore the two research questions. Findings suggest that the process itself does influence development by acting as an initiator to reflection on experience. Owing to the short time span and small numbers involved, the project was intended as an exploratory study and as such it has provided direction for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the value of action research, which has been developed by the Tavistock institute of Human Relations in Great Britain. Action research, or the sociotherapeutic approach, is a collaboration between social scientists and managers who identify and try to resolve human problems in the work situation. A project conducted by the Research Department of Ashridge Management College focused on management at small firms. The development of management strategy is defined in three time periods and changes in organizational structure and communication patterns are evaluated. The risk in action research is sharing the decision-making process with outsiders whose expertise is not an exact science.

Objective To report the process of introduction, development and sustenance of a curriculum for a department of general practice in the context of changing curricula required by the General Medical Council. Setting and context Tayside Centre for General Practice, the Department of General Practice within Dundee University Medical School. Methods Use of action research methodology common in educational and sociological research. Action research utilizes a range of data collection techniques which allow the participants in the research full opportunities to reflect on the data as it emerges and make developments accordingly. Analysis This took place as part of the process of the 5-year project. The analysis used as its starting point the sociological theory of the social construction of power within institutions. It offers the thesis that marginality seems to be a prerequisite in confronting institutional conservatism. Conclusions Use of an action research model facilitated more effective change by providing a supportive atmosphere in which to tackle changes. The marginal status of the general practice group in relation to the medical school allowed creative negotiation of alliances within the medical school. Other groups within the medical school who are introducing new curricula can learn from this report. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]