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Full Text, Thesis (PhD Doctorate), Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), School Educ & Professional St, Arts, Education and Law, This thesis presents reflections and insights arising from a qualitative research study exploring the learning experiences and literacy practices of students when engaging with computer games as texts for learning in a middle years English classroom. The research responds to an exponential growth in the presence of digital texts in the lives of many students and seeks to explore possible connections between these texts and literacy learning in school. Commercially available computer games were chosen as digital texts for inclusion in this study for three reasons. In the first instance, many students express a passionate interest in these games and engage extensively with them in their out-of-school lives. Yet, despite studies confirming positive effects of drawing on the potential of these games for learning, there remains a deficit discourse surrounding the impact of computer games on players and the use of computer games in school. A second reason is the potential of computer games to provide validation and recognition of the learning experiences and literacy practices that students bring to the classroom from their home and out-of-school lives. The third reason for including computer games in classroom learning, particularly in English classrooms, is the growing recognition of this digital medium as a new narrative form. Theoretical approaches informing this research study draw from sociocultural and multimodal social semiotic understandings of the concept of literacy. In addition, this study draws on recent theories of literacy exploring meaning-making as sensory, embodied practices, particularly in an age of digital texts. In particular, this study acknowledges the “visionary project of multiliteracies begun by the New London Group” (Mills, 2011, p. 24) and proposes a model for adapting this framework to elements of meaning-making with computer games. Although there is a great deal of research exploring digital texts for literacy learning underpinned by sociocu

non-peer-reviewed, Full text available at http://hdl.handle.net/10344/4404, no abstract available, PUBLISHED, Not peer reviewed

peer-reviewed, Background: Existing literature is mixed as to whether self-directed learning (SDL) delivers improvements in knowledge, skills or attitudes of medical students compared with traditional learning methods. This study aimed to determine whether there is an association between engagement in SDL and student performance in clinical examinations, the factors that influence student engagement with SDL in clinical skills, and student perceptions of SDL. Methods: A retrospective analysis of electronic records of student bookings of SDL sessions from 2008 to 2010 was performed for students in the pre-clinical years of an Irish Graduate Entry Medical programme to assess their level of engagement with SDL. The extent to which this engagement influenced their performance in subsequent summative examinations was evaluated. A cross-sectional survey of students across the four years of the programme was also conducted to determine student perceptions of SDL and the factors that affect engagement. Results: The level of engagement with SDL decreased over time from 95% of first years in 2008 to 49% of first years in 2010. There was no significant difference between the median exam performance for any clinical skills tested by level of engagement (none, one or more sessions) except for basic life support in first year (p =0.024). The main reason for engaging with SDL was to practice a clinical skill prior to assessment and the majority of respondents agreed that SDL sessions had improved their performance of the specific clinical skills being practised. Conclusion: Students viewed SDL as an opportunity to practise skills prior to assessment but there were no significant differences in subsequent summative assessment by the level of engagement for most clinical skills., PUBLISHED, peer-reviewed

peer-reviewed, Crohn’s disease (CD) is a debilitating inflammatory bowel condition of unknown aetiology that is growing in prevalence globally. Large-scale studies have determined associations between female obesity or low body mass index (BMI) with risk of CD at all ages or 8–< 40 years, respectively. For males, low BMI entering adult life is associated with increased incidence of CD or ulcerative colitis up to 40 years later. Body composition analysis has shown that combinations of lean tissue loss and high visceral fat predict poor CD outcomes. Here, we assessed dietary intake, physical activity and whole or regional body composition of patients with CD relapse or remission. This anthropometric approach found people with CD, irrespective of relapse or remission, differed from a large representative healthy population sample in exhibiting elevated gynoid fat and reduced android fat. CD is associated with mesenteric adipose tissue, or “creeping fat”, that envelops affected intestine exclusive of other tissue; that fat is localised to the android region of the body. In this context, CD mesenteric adiposity represents a stark juxtaposition of organ-specific and regional adiposity. Although our study population was relatively small, we suggest tentatively that there is a rationale to refer to Crohn’s disease as a fatty intestine condition, akin to fatty liver conditions. We suggest that our data provide early insight into a subject that potentially warrants further investigation across a larger patient cohort