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Artificial intelligence can support increasingly complex conversational interactions and also has the potential to interpret meanings from free text input and make recommendations based on patterns in data. There are important opportunities to apply this to real-world problems faced in access to education. In this paper, we summarise existing research and trends linking disability support and technology, then report on a survey conducted with students with disclosed disabilities (n = 138) to explore what systems might need to do to effectively understand disabled students in their own words, and provide suggestions of technologies, strategies and resources that could be relevant to overcoming barriers to learning. Through thematic analysis, five approaches that students used to talk about their disabilities are identified(medical, functional, support, experiential and administrative), and three major types of suggestions they make around what supported them and may be useful to others are also identified (external tools, university support and practices, concerns and solutions). The survey approach and the findings of the analysis provide a potential foundation for the effective design of systems that could crowdsource a knowledgebase around disabilities, hold conversations to understand disabilities and barriers and make relevant recommendations to individuals as to how they could overcome these barriers.

Whilst the practitioner field around current student communications has developed in recent years, most published research still focuses either on prospective students, theoretical benefits of student communications or usage of individual channels of communication. This paper contributes to policy and practice by providing the first UK-wide look at current students' communications preferences and behaviours through a meta-analysis of 17 student communications surveys (total students surveyed 20,134). Results show that students expect their universities to utilise a range of channels (including email, social media and student portals) -- i.e. an integrated marketing theory approach. Most students feel that they receive the right level of information; however, overall satisfaction with communications has decreased in recent years. This paper provides recommendations for practice, as well as a template to improve consistency in future institutional student communications evaluations.

This article offers a view on the emerging practice of managing external relations of the modern university, and the role of science communication in this. With a representative sample of research universities in four countries, we seek to broaden our understanding of the "science communication (SC) function" and its niche within the modern university. We distinguish science communication from corporate communication functions and examine how they distribute across organisational levels. We find that communication functions can be represented along a spectrum of (de)centralisation: public relations and marketing activities are more likely carried out at the central level (central offices), and public affairs and SC activities are more likely carried out at decentral levels (e.g. in specific offices and/or research institutes, departments). This study shows that little attention is paid to science communication at central structures, suggesting that it is not a practice that aligns easily with university corporate communication, yet SC might find its niche increasingly in decentral locations of activity.

With high demand on specialist child mental health services internationally, there is significant interest in prevention and early intervention, as well as innovative and efficient approaches for increasing access to high-quality care. Digital communication technologies can improve communication between different professionals and agencies involved in young people's lives, which is especially important in rural locations and became more necessary during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study examined the perceived value, feasibility, and acceptability of digitally mediated team communication for responding to emerging social, emotional, and mental health support needs in primary school settings in a rural county in the UK. A pre-/post-study design was used as a process evaluation of digitally mediated team communication and pilot test of feasibility and perceived value. Fifteen individual children (aged 4-9 years) were referred to a digitally mediated multidisciplinary team (with representation from relevant children's services) where formulation was used to develop specialised action plans implemented by education staff and parents/carers. Findings suggest that digitally mediated team communication was highly valued for enhancing practice in supporting individual children by education staff and for making progress towards personalised goals by both education staff and parents/carers. Analysis further suggests that digitally mediated team communication was feasible and acceptable to education staff and parents/carers. A digitally mediated model for an early and multidisciplinary team response holds promise for empowering education staff as an extended mental health workforce, with a need for future research with larger samples to investigate service efficiency and outcomes of this health service delivery model.

Background: Spoken discourse impairments post-traumatic brain injury (TBI) are well-documented and heterogeneous in nature. These impairments have chronic implications for adults in terms of employment, socializing and community involvement. Intervention delivered by a speech-language pathologist (SLP) is recommended for adults with discourse impairments post-TBI, with an emphasis on context-sensitive treatment. The developing evidence base indicates a wide array of treatment components for SLPs to evaluate and implement within their clinical practice. However, there is limited insight into how SLPs are currently treating discourse impairments and the rationales informing clinical practice. Aims: To explore the under-researched area of clinical practice for spoken discourse interventions with adults post-TBI, including treatment components and clinician rationales, and to contribute towards a shared knowledge base. Methods & Procedures: Participants were recruited via purposeful sampling strategies. Six SLPs participated from Australia, the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US). Semi-structured interviews were conducted via Zoom. Interviews were manually transcribed, coded and analysed via a qualitative content analysis approach. Outcomes & Results: Participants described discourse treatment practices across various settings and TBI recovery stages. Results indicated that SLPs used numerous treatment activities, resources and outcome measures. Intervention approaches primarily targeted social communication skills, strategy development/utilization and insight-building. Clinical practice conformed to available guidelines where possible, reflected best practice and incorporated components of the research literature. Participants reported using individualized treatment activities aimed at addressing client-specific factors and rationales prioritized tailored, context-sensitive and goal-directed treatment. Conclusions & Implications: This study provided insight into a previously under-researched area. It highlighted a wide range of treatment activities and factors informing current SLPs' treatment of spoken discourse impairment post-TBI. Overall, clinical practice and rationales discussed in this study were aligned with best practice and emphasized a contextualized, individualized approach to discourse treatment across service settings and stages of recovery. Participants identified areas requiring further support, including access to training, resources and research, and the challenge of finding suitable outcome measures. Further investigation into discourse management post-TBI, from initial assessment to outcome measurement, may help inform clinical decision-making and the transfer of research to practice.

The global mobility of students is on the rise and the recruitment of international students is high on the agenda of institutions in higher education. By communicating a distinctive corporate identity on their websites, universities can distinguish themselves from competitors and generate a positive image to attract talented international students. In this study, the online corporate identity of top universities in 12 countries is compared by semantic network analyses. This cross-country comparison demonstrates that universities in different countries create a distinctive online corporate identity by using different (combinations of) frames within four identified themes: internal characteristics, student resources, external position and affairs, and corporate citizenship. These insights are useful in the development of communication strategies by universities and national governments.

Language disorder (LD) is a common childhood condition affecting language development, which can in turn impact children's peer relationships. Although most children with LD are included in mainstream classrooms, there is limited knowledge about the way friendships support or hinder the learning experiences of children with LD in inclusive settings. Typically developing (TD) peers' views tend to get overlooked when considering inclusion but they need to be heard as they too adapt to inclusive classrooms. In this small-scale study, we explored the perspectives of peers on their friendship quality with children with LD. We conducted friendship interviews with classroom friends (n = 9) of 6-8-year-old children with LD (n = 9), who attended the enhanced provision and mainstream classrooms in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. We used sociometric nomination methods to identify the reciprocal friends of children with LD. We then interviewed these friends using art-based methods and analysed our interview data using thematic framework. Friends of children with LD attending the enhanced provision showed an inclusive mindset and revealed their own strategies for overcoming potential communication barriers. In contrast, friends in full-time mainstream classrooms did not report experiencing communication difficulties when interacting with a peer with LD. We conclude that educational practice should build on those inclusion strategies that children find natural and consider the importance of teaching all children about adjustments that can support inclusion of those with communication difficulties.

The purpose of this case study was to explore the communication needs of a child with deafness and cerebral palsy (DCP) and how these needs can be supported by interventions targeting the use of communication approaches and strategies. One semi-structured interview with the child's parents and five observations of the child in different contexts before and after the interventions took place. A rating scale "Checklist of Identified Needs", deriving from the observation data, the "Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Development Matters" assessment and a British Sign Language (BSL) receptive and expressive skills assessment were used to explore the child's communication strategies before and after the intervention. The child completed two parallel school-based interventions lasting seven weeks, (1) one delivered daily which focused on BSL usage and Augmentative Alternative Communication (AAC) and (2) one targeting communication strategies such as initiating and maintaining eye contact using a weekly "social story" and play-based sessions. Our results indicated that the combined use of sign and AAC technology to target key areas of communication use and a targeted approach using social stories to support communication strategies can be effective in enhancing communication skills of children with DCP. Implications for practice are discussed.

Few studies have investigated how individuals with partially intelligible speech choose to communicate, including how, when, and why they might use a speech-generating device (SGD). This study aimed to add to the literature by exploring how this group of individuals use different communication strategies. Qualitative interviews were carried out with 10 participants with partially intelligible speech with the aim of investigating participants' perceptions of modes of communication and communication strategies. Transcripts were analyzed using Framework Analysis to investigate the role of SGDs alongside other communication strategies. Factors that influence why, when, and how a person chooses to communicate were identified and these were interpreted as an explanatory model of communication with partially intelligible speech. Participants described how they made the decision whether to attempt to communicate at all and then which communication method to use. Decision-making was influenced by the importance of the message, how much time is available, past experience, and the communication partner. Each communication attempt adds to an individuals' experience of communicating and influences subsequent decisions. This study suggests that individuals with partially intelligible speech are at risk of reduced communication environments and networks and that current SGDs may not be designed in a way that recognizes their particular needs.

Objectives: The incidence of type 2 diabetes in UK Black African and Caribbean communities is up to three times higher than in the general population, and engagement with self-management advice is poorer. This study explores the perspective of those living with diabetes to understand how the cultural salience of advice could be improved. Design: Participants were recruited via community venues, faith institutions and primary care. Eight focus groups were conducted with 41 individuals (Black African n = 23, Black Caribbean n = 18). Grounded theory methods were used for analysis. Results: Although motivated to manage the condition, individuals experienced a misalignment between elements of the care provision and cultural norms. Explanatory models of diabetes differed from the biomedical model reducing trust in treatment protocols. A lack of cultural salience reduced the accessibility of advice. Furthermore, elements of self-management advice were seen to conflict directly with some cultural traditions and practices. Individuals had to reconcile the two perspectives in order to proceed with self-management, often prioritising cultural norms and advice from informal sources over healthcare advice. Building personal relationships with the healthcare team improved trust and engagement. Conclusion: Findings suggest the needs in these communities were not being fully met. The healthcare interaction was pivotal in improving trust and engagement and reducing misinformation. However, appropriately informed community support also offers the potential to mitigate misalignment and to improve equity of access.

Describing events may be challenging for any child, but children who use communication aids may face unique linguistic, pragmatic, and strategic challenges in conveying information with the communication means they have available. This study explores strategies used by young, aided communicators when describing the content of a video unknown to their communication partners. The participants of the study were 48 aided communicators (aged 5;3-15;2) from nine countries and seven language groups and their communication partners (parents, professionals, and peers) who used natural speech. Descriptive and statistical analyses were utilized to investigate the relationships between individual characteristics, linguistic and non-linguistic factors, linguistic strategies, and performance in conveying the content of the video event. Analyses of the 48 videotaped interactions revealed the use of a variety of linguistic elements and multimodal strategies, demonstrating both creativity and challenges. Success in relaying messages was significantly related to age, mode of communication, and individual profiles, such as everyday communication functioning and comprehension of grammar. Measures of receptive vocabulary and non-verbal reasoning were not significantly related to communicative success. The use of shared context and negotiation of meaning of potentially ambiguous utterances demonstrate the shared responsibility of disambiguation and meaning construction in interactions involving aided and naturally speaking communicators.

Language and communication improvement approaches designed by SLT services for delivery by early years practitioners can be effective in principle, but what helps or hinders initial and ongoing success? In this implementation study, we investigated the experiences of 10 practitioners who became Language Leads (LLs) and delivered the Language Lead Approach (LLA) in early years settings. Our participants were highly invested in the LLA and praised its benefits for children and for their emotional and professional development. However, within their settings, practitioners found staff attitudes and engagement and resource limitations were significant barriers to implementation. Managerial support was perceived as less important for implementation than anticipated from previous literature. LLs often felt frustration at time and staffing constraints and felt personally responsible when implementation was not complete. LLs experienced confusion in their first year delivering the LLA, needing more guidance and support from speech and language therapists (SLTs). Practical implications are explored to help services design and improve the implementation, and therefore effectiveness, of similar strategies.

As the main symptom in palliative care, pain requires careful assessment. Repeating patient answers is one recommended communication technique for helping convey to patients that they have been heard, and to encourage them to say more. We examined 23 episodes where experienced doctors repeat patients' answers with mirrored rhythm and downward-final intonation, captured in pain assessments video-recorded in 37 consultations in a large UK hospice. Using conversation analysis, our aim was to determine whether or not the repeats invite additional talk, and if so, how they do so. Our findings reveal lexical and prosodic features of doctors' repeated pain answers that signal completion of the sequence. At the same time, because the patient has greater epistemic access to their own pain, a repeat can also invite confirmation or disconfirmation. The patients in our data sometimes--but not always--respond to the repeat with confirmation or further talk. We conclude that repeating patient answers with mirrored rhythm and downward-final intonation provides a no-obligation opportunity for patient-led confirmation, disconfirmation, or expansion of pain descriptions, particularly when the pain matter is new, revised, or has been problematic to report.

Distance education is expanding in all continents, and the use of video has dominated internet. Synchronous Video Communication (SVC) has not been an option thoroughly investigated and practitioners, who use and design synchronous learning scenarios, are in urgent need of guidance. Distant learners face many barriers, and as a result, they drop out more frequently than on-campus students. Educators seem to be equally affected by the "transactional distance" and the new digital literacies needed for facilitating online learning. This study explores the educators' perspective on how SVC could offer alternative educational forms and possibilities for distance learning. Findings had indicated that the use of visual communication and human to human contact (prosopogonosia: seeing faces) could have a strong impact on learning and teaching, therefore, a theory called Tele-proximity was formulated. Tele-proximity is defined as online embodiment that explains how instructors and students are connected in synchronous networked environment via tele-operations. SVC creates a sense of place or a stage where online identities perform and highlights recent research on audio-visual signals in communication and team work (Pentland, 2012, 2008). The theory can be seen as an extension of the Community of Inquiry Model (Garrison, Anderson & Archer, 2000) and a theoretical framework according to which learning objectives could be designed. Transactional distance could be minimized and may be implemented to facilitate more synchronous, visual, and humane options in distance education.

This study investigates primary school professionals' accounts of approaches used for teaching literacy to pupils with English as an additional language (EAL). Currently, the number of EAL children attending UK schools is significantly increasing, while national test data reveal a discrepancy in the performance of these children compared to L1 English speakers. Teaching and managerial staff were interviewed. Findings revealed aspects of good practice such as inclusive classrooms with differentiated learning. Emerging practices included communication between the school and parents, and assessment of children with EAL. Yet many participants did not have sufficiently deep knowledge of multilingualism to harness the home language to foster English vocabulary and reading development. The findings have significant implications for the teaching of EAL pupils. Teaching methods need to be more targeted EAL pupils, particularly in subjects heavily dependent on language skills. Additionally, CPD opportunities should include increased access to professional advice on EAL.

The development of students' professional skills is an important issue in higher education in China. This research reports a 3-month study investigating engineering students' communication strategies (CSs) while they were interacting to do a 12-week mobile-assisted learning project, i.e., "Organizing and Attending a Model International Conference". This learning project was a major teaching module of the English course of Professional Applications, which used a blended teaching mode integrating face-to-face instruction and mobile learning. Sixty-seven students volunteered to participate in the study. The instruments included eight oral communication sessions, a questionnaire, stimulated recall interviews, the participants' WeChat exchanges, etc. Results showed that the participants used a variety of CSs when completing the academic learning project. Moreover, these CSs were closely related to the students' involvement in social interaction. Future research should focus on a longitudinal investigation of the amount of scaffolding that helps students transfer their communication strategies across tasks.

This study examined the experiences of students taking the same courses in the humanities by distance learning when tutorial support was provided conventionally (using limited face-to-face sessions with some contact by telephone and email) or online (using a combination of computer-mediated conferencing and email). The results showed that, given a choice between face-to-face and online tutorial support, students with and without disabilities were equally likely to choose online support rather than face-to-face support. There were no significant differences in the reasons given by students with and without disabilities for choosing online rather than face-to-face support, although there was a nonsignificant tendency for students with disabilities to refer to "another reason" (including disablement or chronic illness) as a reason for choosing online support. Students with and without disabilities obtained similar grades for their courses, and this was true regardless of whether they had chosen face-to-face or online support. Students with and without disabilities were also equally likely to pass their courses, regardless of whether they had chosen face-to-face or online support. Even so, there was a nonsignificant tendency for students with disabilities to achieve a lower pass rate than students without disabilities with face-to-face support, whereas with online support their pass rate was marginally higher than that of students without disabilities.

This paper explores linguistic and cultural complexity within immigration legal advice communication. Drawing from a linguistic ethnographic study, ethnographic and interactional data from two linked advice meetings about UK refugee family reunion processes are subject to deductive analysis using Risager's model of the language-culture nexus, within which the intersection of language(s) and culture(s) in a communicative event is conceptualised as a nexus of linguistic, languacultural, discursive, and other (non-linguistic) cultural resources and practices. The paper operationalises this intercultural communication theory in a new and exploratory way to investigate how cultural complexity is manifest, and interactionally managed, at different levels of meaning. The substantive analysis shows how a range of divergent resources, brought in by the different participants, are drawn upon and externalised as communicative practices in both legal advice meetings. Understanding is negotiated interculturally at different levels of meaning -- the linguistic, the languacultural, and the discursive -- in contrasting ways in each meeting. Methodologically, the paper argues that a strength of Risager's framework is that it supports a methodical and structured analysis of communicative events characterised by linguistic and cultural complexity, which can be linked to other discourse analytical approaches. The model's complexity, and its foregrounding of verbal over other semiotic modes, are highlighted as challenges for the analyst.

This study investigated students' communication preferences in educational settings, resulting in an empirical model of effective communication between students and lecturers. Students from a psychology department at a UK university were asked about their preferred communication tool for academic purposes, including social networking, emails, university-internal virtual learning environments, and face-to-face communication. The data was analysed using methods of exploratory data analysis and cluster analysis. Students clearly expressed a preference for social networking sites when communicating with peers due to their frequent and widespread use, fast response rate, and ease of access, but preferred face-to-face meetings when sufficient time was available. When communicating with lecturers, students had a preference to use email. The findings also showed that students preferred to attend lectures over reading lecture slides online. Based on these results, an empirical model of students' communication preferences in educational settings was developed aimed to aid in the effective management of student-lead communication. The study concludes with a critical evaluation of ways students and lecturers can improve communication between each other and how this can positively contribute to students' university experience.

Communication assessment of people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (PIMD) has seldom been investigated. Here, we explore approaches and decision making in undertaking communication assessments in this group of people. A questionnaire was sent to UK practitioners. The questionnaire elicited information about assessment approaches used and rationales for assessment choices. Fifty-five speech and language therapists (SLTs) responded. Findings revealed that the Preverbal Communication Schedule, the Affective Communication Assessment and the Checklist of Communication Competence were the most frequently used published assessments. Both published and unpublished assessments were often used. Rationales for assessment choice related to assessment utility, sensitivity to detail and change and their applicability to people with PIMD. Underpinning evidence for assessments was seldom mentioned demonstrating the need for more empirical support for assessments used. Variability in practice and the eclectic use of a range of assessments was evident, underpinned by practice-focused evidence based on tacit knowledge.

Limited research is available on Deaf offenders with mental health difficulties. The present study focused on developing greater understanding of professionals' experiences with this population and the factors that influence its involvement with services. Using a grounded theory approach, the researchers explored the experiences of police officers and mental health professionals through semistructured interviews. The analysis led to development of a theoretical model of factors, represented in five categories. The model suggests that when Deaf offenders with mental health difficulties comes into contact with either the health-care or justice system, there are factors associated with the system they are in contact with, the individual professional involved, and the offender themselves, that are moderated via relational factors. This study offers a tentative theoretical model providing multiple avenues for exploration and supports existing literature on Deaf people's experiences with mental health professionals.

Employability development is a strategic priority for universities across advanced western economies. Despite this, there is no systematic study of employability development approaches internationally. In this study, we considered how universities portray employability on the public pages of their websites. We undertook website content analysis of 107 research-intensive universities in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States. Following Farenga and Quinlan, we classified these strategies as "Portfolio," "Hands-off," "Award" and "Non-embedded." Portfolio or Award strategies were the most common across all four locations; Hands-off and Non-embedded strategies were more common to US universities; and Award was more common in the United Kingdom. Universities focused on either "possessional" or "positional" approaches to employability. We advocate for a pedagogical shift towards processual approaches in which responsibility for employability development is shared.

Background: Communication strategy training (CST) is a recognized part of UK speech and language therapists' (SLTs) role when working with a person with aphasia. Multiple CST interventions have been published but, to date, there are no published studies exploring clinical practice in this area. Aims: To investigate UK SLTs' current CST practices. Methods & Procedures: Thirty-seven UK SLTs completed an online questionnaire, eight of whom attended a follow-up focus group. A clinical consistency scale was applied to the questionnaire data and tasks that were most consistently used were explored in the focus group and analyzed using a primarily deductive thematic data analysis approach. Outcomes & Results: Three key CST findings arose: (1) the rarity with which SLTs focus equally and explicitly on both communication partners' strategies; (2) SLTs' differing understandings of CST terminologies and concepts and underuse of formal assessment; and (3) the absence of video feedback. Conclusion & Implications: This study's survey findings suggest that conversation partners not only receive half the amount of CST given to people with aphasia but also play a more passive learning role when they are present. This is an interesting point to consider when the current evidence base contains stronger evidence for the effectiveness of conversation partner CST over other CST approaches, it being described as an effective method that may be maintained over time.

Purpose: This study explores the positive and negative factors influencing transformational learning experiences of female leaders in women's leadership development programmes in sports and examines the differences in learning/change factors cited by those who successfully addressed them and those who failed. Design/methodology/approach: The study adopted a qualitative research method, using phone interviews with women leaders in a sports setting. Findings: The findings revealed that participants presented clear progress in terms of leadership skills, but they failed to report whether this progress can be achieved if the programme is running within a specific sports organisation, targeting a specific kind of sports leadership in the long term. Research limitations/implications There were a number of limitations for this study, e.g. selection of participants, sample size, exploratory methodology, which affected generalising the findings to other sports organisations or other countries. Originality/value: The study provides a starting point for the exploration of the effectiveness of women leadership development programmes and how designers can evaluate the outcome of such initiatives in the UK.

This research project uses the methods of Crowder and Callinan and Sharp to assess year one children's (age 5-6) personal understanding of scientific concepts. This research project uses video recording as a primary resource of data collection within a case study approach using a participant observer method. Analysis supports the work of Crowder and Callinan and Sharp with one child demonstrating an understanding of a scientific concept that her scientific language did not transmit, therefore, answering the research question in the affirmative. This research, like others calls for more research to be carried out and offers a refined taxonomy to strengthen future research findings. More questions arise from this research such as: What effect does the type of questions asked by the teacher have on the type of gesture used? What is the effect of using gesture in teaching? And can gesture recognition be used by the teacher to aid with assessment?

The primary objective of this research was to establish the range of interpersonal strategies, tools and techniques used by adventure sports coaches (ASCs) to influence participants' actions and behaviours, and to determine where these strategies were acquired. An interpretative approach was employed using semi-structured interviews with a convenience sample of expert paddlesport coaches (n = 4). Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to get close to the data and identify salient topics. Five themes were subsequently identified as fundamental to effective coach-participant interaction: appropriate environment, stories told, knowing the participant, formal training and situational context. The implications are that whilst ASCs have well-developed intuitive social engagement skills, these are not consciously or declaratively employed in coaching sessions, and neither are they used at strategic levels to enhance participant development. Therefore, a multi-layer approach is recommended to help ASCs access and employ these skills that has consequences for the education, training and continued professional development of ASCs.

This study investigates the different learning opportunities enabled by text-based and video-based synchronous computer-mediated communication (SCMC) from an interactionist perspective. Six Chinese-speaking learners of English and six English-speaking learners of Chinese were paired up as tandem (reciprocal) learning dyads. Each dyad participated in four kinds of interactions, namely, English text-based SCMC, Chinese text-based SCMC, English video-based SCMC and Chinese video-based SCMC. Their use of communication strategies (CSs) were analyzed along with an after-task questionnaire and with stimulated reflection to explore systematically and comprehensively the differences between text-based and video-based SCMC. In addition to the main role of qualitative analysis, the quantitative analysis was undertaken to provide an overview of the relative frequencies of the occurrence of the different strategies and to understand their distribution in the different conditions. A MANOVA was applied to understand to what extent the differences are likely to have occurred by chance. The results showed that learners used CSs differently in text-based and video-based SCMC and indicated different learning opportunities provided by these two modes of SCMC. While text-based SCMC appears to have greater potential for learning target-like language forms, video-based SCMC seems particularly effective for fluency development as well as pronunciation improvement.

Intensive Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) training courses for Early Childhood Educators (ECEs) can have a positive effect on their use of interaction strategies that support children's communication skills. The impact of brief SLT training courses is not yet clearly understood. The aims of these two studies were to assess the impact of a brief SLT training course on ECEs' interaction behaviour, and to explore ECEs' views and experiences of the course. In Study 1, eight ECEs took part in a multiple-baseline study of a brief SLT training course. Video-recordings of interactions with children were used to evaluate ECEs' interaction behaviour using the Conversational Responsiveness Assessment and Fidelity Tool. In Study 2, seven ECEs took part in semi-structured interviews about this training course. Template analysis was used to identify key themes. In Study 1, the group of trained ECEs showed a statistically significant increase in their use of one communication-facilitating strategy (using comments to cue turn-taking) and a statistically significant decrease in their use of one conversation-hindering behaviour (asking yes/no, testing or rhetorical questions). Analysis at the individual level showed a modest increase in some ECEs' use of language-modelling strategies and a more generalized decrease in conversation-hindering behaviours. In Study 2, ECEs more consistently reported learning and using communication-facilitating strategies than language-modelling strategies. ECEs identified several features of the training course that facilitated learning: the practical, interactive nature of the group training sessions, the use of video feedback, and the repetition of key strategies in several training sessions. We conclude that brief SLT training for ECEs can lead to increased use of some interaction strategies that help children's communication skills develop. Further research is needed to evaluate brief SLT training more thoroughly.

This research study set out to explore the education practitioner's role in promoting communication development in early years classrooms. The study was undertaken in the combined nursery and reception early years unit of a small primary school using an ethnographic approach. Qualitative data was collected through 18 three-hour visits to the setting, using a mixture of observations, conversations and reflective notes, followed by a semi-structured interview with the teacher who was the subject of the case study. Analysis of the data revealed a multi-layered approach to communication that involved children, staff and parents. The participant interview revealed the depth of the teacher's commitment to developing the children's communication. The interview data suggested that this commitment came from the teacher's own experiences of parenting and being valued and supported by her peers to help each child develop his or her communication skills effectively. The teacher was invited to reflect on the study's findings, and they are presented in the article.

This article discusses a small-scale study that explores how members of one family based in Australia and the United Kingdom use remote technology to develop and maintain family relationships across generations and distance. Of particular interest was the manner in which Skype computer software was mediated to develop intersubjectivity between a 4-year-old girl and her grandparents. Encounters were filmed, transcribed and coded; participants were interviewed and asked to keep reflective diaries. Analysis showed that all the adults scaffolded the child's interactions to sustain communication and help her negotiate meaning with her grandparents as virtual partners, but that she also took on a leadership role by appropriating the affordances of the medium to incorporate them in her play in creative ways.

Purpose: Communication about sustainability in fashion is complex. While fashion businesses have increasingly sought to manage their sustainability practices, their understanding of how to communicate about sustainability persuasively remains limited. The authors argue that a key problem with a firm's efforts in communicating about sustainability is that it is a psychologically distant issue for both businesses and stakeholders. This paper aims to apply construal level theory to explore managers' construal level in shaping communication about sustainability. Design/methodology/approach: The paper used a two-phase qualitative methodology. Phase one involved undertaking interviews with ten managers in fashion firms to address communications about sustainability in the UK. In phase two, 16 consumers interpreted and reflected on the persuasiveness of communications about sustainability encompassing both concrete and abstract forms of messaging. Findings: The authors identify the factors driving different approaches to communication (concrete and abstract) depending on the construal levels of managers, managers' perceptions of the construal level of target stakeholders and the perceived authenticity of the sustainability claim. The paper highlights the conditions under which the (mis)match with the brands' sustainable practices works in crafting communication. The authors also highlight three main communication strategies in responding to the complexity of sustainability in fashion ecosystems: amplification, quiet activist and populist coupling. Research limitations/implications: As an in-depth qualitative study, the authors seek to expose an under-researched phenomenon, yet generalisations both within the fashion industry and beyond are limited by this focus. Practical implications: Fashion managers need to be flexible and evaluate how their communications about sustainability affect stakeholders' evaluations of their brands. As sustainability in fashion brands grows, concrete and specific sustainability messaging may be necessary to improve sustainable behaviours. Originality/value: The prevailing literature encourages symbiosis between sustainability practices and communications; such relationships are rare, and studies outside the consumer perspective are also rare. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this exploratory study is the first to understand how managers' construal level influences decisions around communications about sustainability in fashion and how these messages are perceived by consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the characteristics of a successful electoral campaign is its ability to construct a consistent message over time, which can contribute to electoral gains. This paper analyses the political communication strategies of the two official campaigns (Britain Stronger in Europe and Vote Leave) during the 2016 UK referendum on EU membership. It does so by analysing their ability to remain on point during the speeches, press releases and interviews given by campaigners in the context of the core campaign frame. The analysis finds that throughout the official campaign Vote Leave remained on point both in terms of the key frame operationalised and the components within the frame; meanwhile, Britain Stronger in Europe subjected the electorate to no fewer than five different frames, which were often internally cluttered and, as a result, reduced the campaign benefits of repetition. The differences between the two campaigns represents a further explanatory variable to account for the outcome of the 2016 referendum. The findings also draw attention to the role of political differences within BSiE as an underlying cause of its inconsistent campaign. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is derived from a study of the mission statements of a sample of 100 United Kingdom social enterprises. The purpose of the research was to reveal what insight such organisational artefacts provide in relation to the reconciliation of inherently dual social and financial objectives. It relies on multiple phases of qualitative analysis and draws out findings across two key themes: vocabulary clusters and the contextualisation of meaning; and, the presence of rhetoric in terms of communication and strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article proposes the concept of digital heuristics to model and explain political communication strategies in the complex environment of hybrid media systems. Insights from recent psychological and political research on heuristic decision-making are combined with literature on the current structural context and features of online communication in order to make the case for a heuristics-oriented approach to political communication strategies. I argue that despite the growing importance of data analytics, in increasingly dynamic and uncertain communication environments, political actors mainly design their strategies according to simple rules (heuristics) that rely on selective information (as well as trial and error) rather than to complex models. Analyzing interviews with communication managers from major political parties in Germany and the United Kingdom, I identify and conceptualize two types of digital heuristics in use: hybridity-based and algorithm-based. The article concludes with considerations for a future research agenda using the concept of digital heuristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infant–parent interaction forms the foundation for language learning. For the majority of deaf infants, hearing loss can impact access to, and the quality of communicative interactions, placing language development at risk. Support for families to meet the challenges faced during interaction is highly variable in the United Kingdom. In a step towards more standardized but tailorable family support, we co-produced an instructional, video-based intervention, testing for feasibility in terms of behavior change in seven communicative strategies and acceptability with 9 parents, forming study 1. Parents increased their use of the majority of behaviors and found content and delivery acceptable. However, further development was required to: (a) support use of semantically contingent talk and attention getting strategies to elicit infant attention, and (b) ensure the information was provided in a bite-size format that could be tailored to individual families. In study 2, the intervention was refined based on findings from study 1 and assessed for acceptability with 9 parents and 17 professionals, who reported similar high acceptability scores. Final refinements and modifications could be addressed in future interventions. The current studies provide a positive early step towards a standardized intervention to support communication that could be used in routine practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This paper examines how quotations are linguistically constructed by expert contributors in US, UK, and Australian opinion texts, vis-à-vis their form, function, and processes. Cope's (2016) study found that authoritative expert contributors integrated a considerable number of quotations on blame and responsibility for the global financial crisis in single-authored US, UK, and Australian opinion texts. By examining the form, function, and processes of quoting in this paper, she found evidence that quoting is an intertextual form of positioning. Empirically grounded linguistic analyses investigate the language of quoting frames – how the quoted source is specified, the quoting verb used, e.g., strong meanings (demanded, thundered, promised) or neutral (said, told) – and evaluate the language of propositional content in quotations. Such analyses reveal authorial positions taken in quoting. A greater number of quotations incorporated by general newspaper opinion authors, than by specialized financial newspaper opinion authors, furthermore implies that quoting increases a writer's authority in non-specialized media sources. The specially created integrated linguistic framework draws on Martin & White's (2005) Appraisal system from systemic-functional linguistics, White's (2012, 2015) attribution and endorsement, and Bazerman's (2004) intertextuality techniques. Contextual factors in language use and quoting are evaluated throughout. This paper thus provides evidence of, and implications for, quoting in cross-cultural opinion texts, and contributes to knowledge on the increasingly mediatized practice of language recycling and to media literacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How can a cosmopolitan message about refugees be communicated in an international political context characterized by growing hostility to outsiders at the national level? This article provides a detailed analysis of a specific World Refugee Day campaign based on extensive access to internal data from the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and interviews with key informants alongside case studies of the campaign in two European countries: the United Kingdom (UK) and Bulgaria. While internal UNHCR assessment suggested successful meeting of pre-set targets, a series of issues around the implementation of message framing and the potential for this to generate action are identified. The article applies ideas about the communication of distant suffering to explore how World Refugee Day campaigns operate as interventions into global public discourse. The analysis of the campaign framing finds that it maximized space for solidaristic understanding of the refugee issue and reflexivity. However, the article argues that the communication of these ideas is impacted by the practical and organizational challenges (and opportunities) of developing a professional communication strategy in the context of a rapidly changing media and political environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to address an important but seldom explored field of study: the communication of corporate strategies to external and internal stakeholders. The relevance of the topic can be tracked both in communication studies and in management research, but empirical insights are rare. The paper addresses this research gap by asking: How do listed companies in key industrial markets communicate publicly about their corporate strategy? Design/methodology/approach: A comprehensive content analysis of corporate websites was conducted for a sample of the 20 largest listed companies in the UK, the USA and Germany (n=60). The subsequent benchmark analysis has identified best practices and highlighted them in detail. Findings: The study revealed significant differences between companies and countries in the sample for most of the dimensions. Cross-country comparisons confirm these differences statistically: German companies score significantly higher in the benchmark than British or US companies. Practical implications: This paper outlines quality criteria for professional strategy communication, helping practitioners to improve their activities and contribute to organizational goals. Originality/value: The study offers a holistic approach to strategy communication by providing an interdisciplinary theoretical foundation as well as insights into corporate practice, with the aim of laying the ground for further research and discussion in both academia and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Across parliamentary democracies, elected representatives constitute the link between citizens and government. MPs can connect with voters via the party label, or through personalized forms of representation, which is seen to be increasing in importance. However, scholars disagree on what explains variation in MPs' use of personalized representation strategies. In this article, we argue that politicians use different strategies to personalize the link between themselves and citizens: a constituency-oriented and a person-oriented strategy. To test our argument, we develop a new and novel dataset with behavioral measures of personalized representation. Using a content analyses of 698 British and Danish MPs' personal websites, we demonstrate that the use of personalization strategies is conditional on the incentives MPs face in terms of electoral insecurity, candidate selection procedures, and the electoral context of the system. Our findings show that the level and type of personalized politics vary across political systems and may pose different types of challenges to party democracies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current article studies the influence of attitudes toward immigration on state legitimacy. We analyzed the European Union countries that received the greatest immigrant inflows in 2014: Germany, France, Spain, and the United Kingdom, through data from the latest edition of the European Social Survey. Our results show that citizens with negative attitudes toward immigration consider their states to be less legitimate. Conversely, positive attitudes toward immigration are not associated with increased state legitimacy (except in Spain). Based on these findings, there is a clear need for communication strategies that provide information on the actual effects of immigration. In their absence, the political discourse on this matter will continue to be co-opted by power-grabbing actors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the perceived effectiveness of multilingual upbringing strategies and ways of communication adopted by families where the parents are of two different nationalities. The theoretical introduction presents an overview of the most important issues related to the linguistic development in bi-/multilingual children, debunking common myths and misconceptions surrounding the notions of bi-/multilingualism. The empirical part analyses the results of a survey conducted among parents who raise their children multilingually, looking at the strategies of communication adopted, the perceived effectiveness thereof, and whether the respondents would have changed or improved anything if they had been given a ‘second chance’. The results show that the most frequently implemented method is the one parent-one language approach, whose usefulness the majority assessed positively. Other practical conclusions concerning multilingual upbringing are also drawn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Communication strategy training (CST) is a recognized part of UK speech and language therapists' (SLTs) role when working with a person with aphasia. Multiple CST interventions have been published but, to date, there are no published studies exploring clinical practice in this area. Aims To investigate UK SLTs' current CST practices. Methods & Procedures Thirty-seven UK SLTs completed an online questionnaire, eight of whom attended a follow-up focus group. A clinical consistency scale was applied to the questionnaire data and tasks that were most consistently used were explored in the focus group and analyzed using a primarily deductive thematic data analysis approach. Outcomes & Results Three key CST findings arose: (1) the rarity with which SLTs focus equally and explicitly on both communication partners' strategies; (2) SLTs' differing understandings of CST terminologies and concepts and underuse of formal assessment; and (3) the absence of video feedback. Conclusion & Implications This study's survey findings suggest that conversation partners not only receive half the amount of CST given to people with aphasia but also play a more passive learning role when they are present. This is an interesting point to consider when the current evidence base contains stronger evidence for the effectiveness of conversation partner CST over other CST approaches, it being described as an effective method that may be maintained over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports on a study that examined the personal employment paths of six international academics at a British university. To complement previous accounts of difficult migration, it focuses on the successful experiences of such academics, in particular how proficiency in English facilitated their move into employment in higher education (HE), and the linguistic competences and communication strategies they deploy in their daily activities. The article identifies key factors that have facilitated to their academic achievements and contributes to the understanding of the benefits and consequences of skilled migration. In conclusion, it suggests workplace pedagogy and policy responses that could facilitate other international academics' successful experiences in the UK HE sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores local government engagement and communication with citizens in one of the UK’s largest cities from the perspective of a range of actors involved in the engagement process. We establish that a variety of interpretations and contested meanings of engagement exist among professionals involved in different spheres of public engagement. These meanings have different outcomes for the potential voice and influence given to citizens in the city’s democratic existence. We explore what the differing motivations behind the council’s communications and engagement strategies mean for the way that the democratic space of the city is constructed and communicated to citizens. We conclude that there is a need for closer integration of engagement and communications strategies. Integral to the success of such strategies is an empirically informed understanding of what public engagement is, and what skills and practices are necessary to engage with citizens successfully, especially in the reconfigured communication ecology to which new media adds a new dimension. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]