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The article is based on a Keynote Lecture at the 2022 Colloquium of the Society for Educational Studies. It analyses the articles published in four leading journals in 2021 and compares these with the same journals 20 years earlier. Key findings include a considerable increase in authorship and multiple authorship and a very strong international dimension to authorship in current UK-based journals. Two-thirds of the papers were empirical, and by far the most common type of research design was qualitative interview studies, often of a very small-scale nature. Aspects of the teaching profession were the most common form of content, and there was also a focus on social class and multi-cultural issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the United Kingdom, people with non-white ethnicities are more likely to report being in worse health conditions and have poorer experiences of healthcare services than white counterparts. The voices of those of Black ethnicities are often merged in literature among other non-white ethnicities. This literature review aims to analyse studies that investigate Black participant experiences of primary care in the UK. We conducted a systematic literature review searching Medline, Web of Science, EMBASE, SCOPUS, Social Policy and Practice, CINAHL plus, Psych INFO and Global Health with specific search terms for appropriate studies. No publish date limit was applied. 40 papers (39 articles and 1 thesis) were deemed eligible for inclusion in the review. A number of major themes emerged. Patient expectations of healthcare and the health seeking behaviour impacted their interactions with health systems in the UK. Both language and finances emerged as barriers through which some Black participants interacted with primary care services. (Mis)trust of clinicians and the health system was a common theme that often negatively impacted views of UK primary care services. The social context of the primary care service and instances of a cultural disconnect also impacted views of primary care services. Some papers detail patients recognising differential treatment based on ethnicity. The review included the voices of primary care professionals where descriptions of Black patients were overwhelmingly negative. Views and experiences of Black groups may be radically different to other ethnic minorities and thus, should be teased out of broader umbrella terms like Black and Asian Minority Ethnic (BAME) and Black Minority Ethnic (BME). To address ethnicity-based health inequalities, culturally sensitive interventions that engage with the impacted community including co-designed interventions should be considered while acknowledging the implications of being racialised as Black in the UK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This paper presents the findings from an exploratory study on alcohol and other drugs (AOD) nurses' views on current career opportunities and challenges and on how their role has been affected by clinical and structural changes in service delivery. Methods: The paper is based on qualitative interviews with a purposive sample of twelve AOD nurses in the UK. A narrative approach to interviewing aimed to encourage emergence of new insights and suggest theories for future examination. Interview domains were informed by the research team's knowledge of AOD nursing and by themes from published literature. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and coded and a reflexive thematic analysis was conducted. Results: Key themes emerging focused on the growth, advantages, and challenges of non-medical prescribing (NMP), and the impact on AOD nursing of changes in workforce structures and environments. The findings indicate considerable doubts about career opportunities for nurses in AOD services although NMP may offer some limited routes to career advancement. Conclusions: Some long-standing issues around the identity and professional status of AOD nurses persist and current clinical and structural changes have created a "liminal space" within which the nursing role and AOD nurse identityare disrupted and in transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a review of the existing qualitative research literature concerning people's experience of communicating using augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). The aims of conducting this review were to find out more about the values and outcomes that are important to people about the AAC they use to support their communication. This review was conducted to provide a deeper understanding of these experiences to inform the development of a patient-reported outcome measure (PROM). A qualitative evidence synthesis of existing qualitative research literature was undertaken to explore and appraise current knowledge about the experiences of people who use AAC. From 115 qualitative research reports 19 papers were identified that responded directly to the research question and aims of the review. Data were identified that could be organized within an a priori framework consisting of the constructs of values, outcomes, and context. The review has resulted in a deeper, analytical understanding of the experiences of people who require AAC. The results indicate a set of concepts that can be used to inform the development of a PROM. A PROM can be used to assist clinicians and researchers to better understand the perspectives of people who require AAC and evaluate interventions. The results also encourage professionals to reconsider the terminology and methods used when working alongside people who require AAC and to reflect on the multidimensional factors that influence people's experience of communication. Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) can be useful tools to support clinician-patient communication, facilitate shared decision making and establish priorities for rehabilitation. It can be difficult to engage people who have complex communication difficulties in decisions about the important outcomes to them from using augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). This qualitative evidence synthesis provides a deeper understanding of the experiences and perspectives of people who use AAC. The results will be used to inform the development of a PROM which can be used to facilitate shared decision-making, and evaluate AAC interventions from the perspective of the people who use these technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interactive screen use (ISU) for leisure is becoming increasingly popular amongst early adolescents in western societies. ISU adds complexity to family relationships as mothers are required to navigate positive relationships and caregiving in a technological landscape which balances risk-management with the promotion of autonomy. This is made more difficult as early adolescents tend to be less open to their mother's guidance during this developmental period. There is currently no existing literature which explores mother's lived experience of navigating and making sense of their early adolescent's ISU and this paper offers an original contribution to knowledge in this area. Qualitative data were collected from individual, semi-structured interviews with seven mothers of early adolescent children and analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Three master themes were identified: (1) Mother's concerns around the impact ISU on their children, (2) ISU impacting on the mother–child relationship and (3) the changing role of the mother when parenting their early adolescent children in a digital world. The paper concludes with a discussion of the findings of this study and suggestions for future research directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The forensic care needs of females have received increased attention over recent years, with Department of Health (DOH) initiatives highlighting the need for gender-sensitive service provision. However, little is understood about how women experience such services. This review aimed to systematically review and synthesise the findings of existing qualitative literature exploring female service users' experiences of secure care in the UK. A systematic search of four databases and subsequently applied inclusion and exclusion criteria resulted in fifteen papers that have qualitatively explored female service users' views on secure care provision. The methodological quality of each paper was appraised before employing a Thematic Synthesis approach to integrate the findings. The resultant papers were appraised to be of varying quality although it was often unclear whether this was due to differing methodological rigour or the reporting of such. The synthesis revealed three overarching themes: 'Safety and Containment', 'Empowerment and Acceptance' and 'Making Change'. The findings provide a valuable synthesis of a limited area of qualitative research and highlight areas of importance for female forensic service users. They fall in line with current guidance, as well as indicating new areas for service improvement to ensure positive experiences and outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses disruption to norms of funeral attendance experienced in the UK during the COVID−19 pandemic as a lens to illuminate why and how funeral attendance can matter. It draws on an extensive qualitative dataset, gathered through semi-structured interviews with a diverse sample of 68 individuals who were bereaved and/or worked or volunteered in death care during the COVID−19 pandemic. It first examines interviewees' concerns about the insufficiency of funerals when gatherings were restricted. Second, it depicts the range of additional and alternative ways people found to pay tribute to the deceased and to offer and seek support when conventional funeral attendance was limited. Third, it explains why, for some, the smaller funerals necessitated by pandemic restrictions were welcome experiences. These findings support a development of Bailey and Walter's influential theorising concerning 'configurational eulogies': while a 'well-attended' funeral still matters to many, mourners contribute to configurational eulogies through a diverse and evolving range of activities. The shifts in funeral gatherings and activities prompted by the COVID−19 pandemic can be understood as part of dynamic processes of reconfiguring eulogistic repertoires in changing social contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Military widow/ers can experience spousal death suddenly and in traumatic circumstances. Evidence shows that this experience often has a long-term effect on surviving family members, highlighting the unique experiences of loneliness and social isolation in the armed forces community. This study aimed to explore military widow/ers' lived experiences of social isolation and loneliness and unmet needs relating to social participation. This paper presents the qualitative findings of a sequential study in which Phase One utilized an online survey (N = 165) and Phase Two employed semi-structured interviews (N = 26). Almost all participants across both Phases discussed feeling lonely, socially isolated, or both. Findings highlight the complexity in transition from military spouse to military widow/er through the loss of a military community and geographical location. This was further compounded by language barriers and perceived hierarchy (through service life or circumstances of death) which created obstacles to help seeking. However, individuals who did join military widow/ers' associations valued peer support through shared connection and understanding. Peer support was particularly valued as, for many, existing relationships with friends or family members were often negatively impacted following bereavement. These changed relationships led to feelings of both vulnerability and loss. Consideration needs to be given to how access to appropriate support is gained and what provision needs to be in place. This study recommends the use of more inclusive language for the military bereaved to promote inclusive practices and broaden the availability of support, including that which would increase social participation, across the sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Eye-gaze technology offers professionals a range of feedback tools, but it is not well understood how these are used to support decision-making or how professionals understand their purpose and function. This paper explores how professionals use a variety of feedback tools and provides commentary on their current use and ideas for future tool development.Methods and Materials: The study adopted a focus group methodology with two groups of professional participants: those involved in the assessment and provision of eye-gaze technology (n = 6) and those who interact with individuals using eye-gaze technology on an ongoing basis (n = 5). Template analysis was used to provide qualitative insight into the research questions.Results: Professionals highlighted several issues with existing tools and gave suggestions on how these could be made better. It is generally felt that existing tools highlight the existence of problems but offer little in the way of solutions or suggestions. Some differences of opinion related to professional perspective were highlighted. Questions about automating certain processes were raised by both groups.Conclusions: Discussion highlighted the need for different levels of feedback for users and professionals. Professionals agreed that current tools are useful to identify problems but do not offer insight into potential solutions. Some tools are being used to draw inferences about vision and cognition which are not supported by existing literature. New tools may be needed to better meet the needs of professionals and an increased understanding of how existing tools function may support such development. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION: Professionals sometimes make use of feedback tools to infer the cognitive and/or visual abilities of users, although the tools are not designed or validated for these purposes, and the existing literature does not support this. Some eye-gaze feedback tools are perceived as a "black box", leaving professionals uncertain as to how to usefully interpret and apply the outputs. There is an opportunity to improve tools that provide feedback on how well an eye-gaze system is working or how effectively a user can interact with this technology. Professionals identified that tools could be better at offering potential solutions, rather than simply identifying the existence of problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper presents qualitative research findings from the evaluation of a Parkinson's Dance well-being venture in the UK. Methods: Qualitative data was gathered to see how bespoke dancing sessions helped people with Parkinson's (PwP) to manage their conditions and improve their lives and prospects. Principles of a participatory approach were incorporated and methods included semi-structured interviewing, researchers participant observation and an elicitation-based activity. Nineteen PwP, six carers, four dance artists and seven helpers participated in the study. Results: Participating in Parkinson's Dance sessions meant that PwP could experience the possibilities to dance, develop a "can do" attitude, experience fun, enjoyment, social connection, exercise, movement to music, improvement and/or maintenance of their balance, suppleness, coordination and confidence with movement, symptoms being pushed back and ability to learn new things. Conclusions: Our findings add to the evidence-base about the benefits of dance for people experiencing Parkinson's and through novel application of the Life-world based well-being framework of K. T. Galvin and Todres (2011) we propose a theoretical basis for Parkinson's Dance as a resource for well-being. There is scope to consider application of the well-being framework to other arts activities and as the basis of an arts and well-being evaluation tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A combination of structural barriers, inadequate student welfare provision and the absence of psycho-social and academic support make higher education access for forcibly displaced students challenging. Many of these students will have experienced many stressful and potentially traumatic events that may have or may continue to impact their mental health and wellbeing. This article draws on reflections by educators and findings from eight interviews with students who participated in a twelve-week preparatory course for access to higher education for refugees and asylum seekers in the United Kingdom. The paper firstly problematizes trauma as an organizing concept and challenges the dominant deficit approaches in forced migration studies when working with displaced students. Then, based on qualitative data collected from students and educators, it explores how creative skills were integrated and the importance of the student's voice as a culturally sustaining pedagogical approach to strengthening trauma-informed teaching approaches. The programme was designed to strengthen individual agency and promote well-being and mental health. Finally, this paper argues that working collaboratively with forcibly displaced students from an asset-based stance appeared critical in creating and sustaining a welcoming higher education environment which could contribute to promoting mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Livestreaming and filming death rites and funeral ceremonies to enable remote engagement proliferated rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic, and many expect these options to remain prevalent going forward. This paper draws on interviews with a diverse UK sample of 68 bereaved people, funeral directors, officiants and celebrants. It illustrates how, and explains why, people's experiences and evaluations of hybrid funerals can vary. In a context when in-person gatherings were limited, hybridisation played a valuable role in enabling more people to engage with funerals. However, virtual attendance was often considered less satisfying than in-person attendance because it did not enable people to participate well in the funeral activities that mattered to them or to participate with others as they would in person. Scope for participation was partly contingent on the functionality and use made of technology, including whether and which steps were taken to facilitate engagement and a sense of connection for those joining online. People's evaluations of hybrid funerals could also reflect their relationships to the deceased and their frames of reference – for example, whether they were comparing virtual attendance to attending in person, or to being unable to attend at all, or to an overwhelmingly large funeral. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on a qualitative Group Survey study involving four healthcare professionals (HCPs) and eight people living with HIV who were recipients of care in the United Kingdom (UK). The survey aimed to bring participants' perspectives into dialogue and establish consensus about how communication between HCPs delivering HIV care and their patients could be improved in the context of the routine care consultation. Responses from both parties were anonymously collated, thematically analysed, and shared back with participants in two subsequent survey rounds to support consensus-building on matters of concern and identify thematic insights. In this paper, we report three themes for informing future designs of tools and services to support communication between patients and HCPs: Patient-clinician relationship for trusted sharing; Self-reporting psychosocial information to support Whole-person care; and Perceived barriers for online trusted sharing with HCPs. Our findings highlight key areas of concern and further investigation is needed to understand how self-reported information may be meaningfully captured, interpreted and processed by HCPs in ways that are trusted by patients who voice privacy and security concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is often referred to as a complex problem embedded in a complex system. Despite this insight, interventions in AMR, and in particular in antibiotic prescribing, tend to be narrowly focused on the behaviour of individual prescribers using the tools of performance monitoring and management rather than attempting to bring about more systemic change. In this paper, we aim to elucidate the nature of the local antibiotic prescribing 'system' based on 71 semi-structured interviews undertaken in six local areas across the United Kingdom (UK). We applied complex systems theory and systems mapping methods to our qualitative data to deepen our understanding of the interactions among antibiotic prescribing interventions and the wider health system. We found that a complex and interacting set of proximal and distal factors can have unpredictable effects in different local systems in the UK. Ultimately, enacting performance management-based interventions in the absence of in-depth contextual understandings about other pressures prescribers face is a recipe for temporary solutions, waning intervention effectiveness, and unintended consequences. We hope our insights will enable policy makers and academics to devise and evaluate interventions in future in a manner that better reflects and responds to the dynamics of complex local prescribing systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has suggested that older trans and gender non-conforming (TGNC) people may face particular challenges related to stigma, social exclusion and discrimination in later life. However, direct data on social support and needs in older TGNC population both internationally and within the UK is limited due to the small, dispersed nature of this population, and the absence of specific data collection on aging TGNC populations. During the UK COVID-19 lockdown in summer 2020, older people and those with long-term health conditions were advised to adopt particular precautions. This study aimed to explore older TGNC people's social support networks, key concerns and unmet needs during the COVID-19 'lockdown'. A UK cross-sectional survey of LGBT + people aged 60+ (n = 375) was undertaken during the lockdown. This paper analyses responses from the subset (n = 38) of TGNC participants. The majority of TGNC respondents described diverse social networks, often centered around friends and non-kin social networks, although partners and adult children were also significant for some. In most cases, those with existing strong networks continued to maintain social connections during lockdown, albeit with some regrets about loss of activities and face-to-face connection. However, a minority of respondents had experienced greater challenges prior to lockdown, and may have been at increased vulnerability during the pandemic, for example indicating that they had no-one to call on for practical support in an emergency. When asked about unmet needs and challenges, social isolation was repeatedly raised as the most frequent concern. Several respondents also mentioned issues specifically affecting TGNC communities, including access to gender affirming care and a perceived rise in social intolerance. Health and social care providers should be aware of the diversity of support networks within TGNC communities. There may also be benefits in community sector interventions to help older TGNC build and maintain strong social networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior, this paper explores the perceptions of the COVID-19 vaccine among South Asian communities residing in the UK. Thirty-eight semi-structured interviews were conducted using a qualitative approach and analyzed using thematic analysis. Participants represented Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Afghani, and Nepali backgrounds. The participants revealed that family and community influence their perceptions of the COVID-19 vaccine. The results suggest that normalizing vaccine acceptance, addressing unknown side effects, and popularizing vaccine efficacy data will increase vaccine uptake within the South Asian community in the UK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, policymakers around the globe have increasingly invested in digital health technologies to support the 'test, track and trace' approach of containing the spread of the novel coronavirus. These technologies include mobile 'contact tracing' applications (apps), which can trace individuals likely to have come into contact with those who have reported symptoms or tested positive for the virus and request that they self-isolate. This paper takes a critical public health perspective that advocates for 'genuine participation' in public health interventions and emphasises the need to take citizen's knowledge into account during public health decision-making. In doing so, it presents and discusses the findings of a UK interview study that explored public views on the possibility of using a COVID-19 contact-tracing app public health intervention at the time the United Kingdom (UK) Government announced their decision to develop such a technology. Findings illustrated interviewees' range and degree of understandings, misconceptions, and concerns about the possibility of using an app. In particular, concerns about privacy and surveillance predominated. Interviewees associated these concerns much more broadly than health by identifying with pre-existent British national narratives associated with individual liberty and autonomy. In extending and contributing to ongoing sociological research with public health, we argue that understanding and responding to these matters is vital, and that our findings demonstrate the need for a forward-looking, anticipatory strategy for public engagement as part of the responsible innovation of the COVID-19 contact-tracing app in the UK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper illustrates the development, value and outcome of co-working with a 'child research advisory group' (CRAG) within healthcare research. The UK qualitative study completed as part of a Doctorate in Education (EdD) primarily explored the child's experience of hospital in Northern Ireland from the perspective of the child (and children's nurse). Essentially the role of the CRAG was to co-develop simple research questions and a data collection tool which was child centered, rather than adult centered – the research tool would be used with the main study child participants aged six to 12 years old in 2017. Five primary school children, with experience of hospital from year six and seven agreed to act as a CRAG in 2016. The outcome being an innovative data collection tool which is an App featuring the choice of two talking cartoon characters who asked the co-designed research questions via an iPad. The characters are Sprinkle Cupcake and Ronaldo Football. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

'Complexity' is theorised as a characteristic of modern food systems that poses a challenge to improving population diets. This paper seeks to explore the discursive deployment of 'complexity' in the context of public health. Doing so helps inform a more critical assessment of commercial and political determinants of health, and of 'complexity' as a prevailing frame for public health issues. Qualitative methods were used to explore 'responsibility' for healthy eating in the food system in the United Kingdom. Discourse analysis was conducted on corporate and government documents, and interviews with industry and government stakeholders. The aim was to examine the implications of 'complexity' within discourses of dietary public health. 'Complexity' was used not only to characterise dietary public health problems but also as a rhetorical device in public health narratives. It performed two main discursive functions: firstly, to represent diet-health problems as so multi-layered and difficult that they are intractable. Secondly, and despite this acknowledged complexity, to deflect from food system actions for improving diet to 'simpler' and non-food interventions, by industry and government. These uses of 'complexity' serve to attribute primary responsibility to individuals for dietary choice and to obscure inaction by government and industry, who have most control over the determinants of those choices. In short, 'complexity' can be used discursively to generate a smokescreen masking policy inaction in addressing public health problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the impact of major social security reform on mental health claimants by analysing the transition to Personal Independence Payment in the UK. Personal Independence Payment was introduced in April 2013, replacing Disability Living Allowance as the main non-means tested disability benefit intended to assist with the additional costs associated with disability or long-term health conditions. It is important to gain a better understanding of how people with mental health problems have experienced this reform. Twelve service users were interviewed for this qualitative research. Analysis identified three main themes: problems with the Personal Independence Payment claims process; problems conveying mental health problems during the assessment process; and positive experiences associated with the transition to Personal Independence Payment. This research demonstrates that major changes in benefit policy are challenging for people with mental health problems, particularly when delivered in a climate of austerity. The UK Government has changed the main disability benefit for disabled adults. From April 2013, Disability Living Allowance (DLA) has been phased out and replaced by Personal Independence Payment (PIP). This research found that this significant change caused difficulties for people with mental health problems. Everyone who took part reported increased anxiety, problems with claiming PIP, communicating with benefit officials and the medical assessment. It is important to learn from these problems so that future benefit changes, both in the UK and in other countries, can be developed and rolled-out in ways which are more appropriate for people with mental health problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]