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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 focused on five particular Communication Strategies (CSs) namely: Paraphrase, approximation, hesitation, reduction, borrowed words and invented, or anglicised. The aim was to investigate the link between the use of approvable and positive CS-types and the impact of ESL students' beliefs about CSs in a game-activity. It aims to promote students fluency based on positive CSs. The study used a series of videoed and transcribed task-observations based on "Spot the Differences" information-gap activities. In addition, the views and beliefs of 6 teachers and 6 students were sampled using structured interviews. The results interestingly revealed that hesitation was one of the most approved and positive strategies. The teacher interviews revealed that the more experienced teachers focused attention on fluency and helping student to "keep going," and using all types of CSs while less experienced tutors focused attention on both fluency and vocabulary learning in communication tasks. Less experienced teachers also uttered that hesitation and reduction strategies should not to be encouraged and it is better that teacher tell the word if student needs it or paraphrase them. The observation also highlighted that there is a relation between the teacher's inner beliefs and the student's fluency level. Data from the videoed observations revealed that body language was an important element in communicating meaning. The results also revealed what strategies these teachers encourage students to use in a communication activity. That are mostly avoided because of their misconception about a communication activity. Analysis of CSs also showed the link between teacher and students beliefs about approvable CSs and their level of achieved fluency.

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.

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.

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.

Young people are using digital technology and online social media within their everyday lives to enrich their social relationships. The UK government believes that using digital technology can improve social inclusion. One well-recognized outcome measure for establishing social inclusion is to examine opportunities for self-determination. Individuals with physical disabilities and complex communication needs who use forms of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) have lower social participation opportunities. The integration of mainstream digital technology into high-tech forms of AAC (voice output communication aids), and the recent appearance of voice output applications, or "apps", on Apple and Android products, has provided increased opportunities for people who use AAC to engage with digital technology. Research exploring this area, especially in regard to online social media, with people who use AAC is extremely limited, and a specific gap for self-reported experiences exists within the UK. This article describes qualitative, interview-based, grounded theory research with 25 adolescents and young adults who use AAC about their use of digital technology and online social media. The data presented here are part of a larger study, and the findings within this article suggest that participants have a desire to use the internet and online social media as it is perceived to increase opportunities for self-determination and self-representation whilst enriching friendships. The wide diversity of literacy and language skills amongst participants, as well as accessibility challenges, mean collaborating with others and receiving technical support from educational settings, families and friends are vital.

In line with "Valuing People Now: A New Three-Year Strategy for People with Learning Disabilities" (Department of Health, 2009), this article details a service evaluation for a learning disability-child and adolescent mental health service (LD-CAMHS) in Chesterfield, North Derbyshire. The aim of the project was to produce a set of quality standards in order to ensure service users' needs are met. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven children between the ages of 11 and 17 years, with moderate to severe learning disabilities. Four themes were derived from a thematic analysis; the "experience of the service", "communication", "impact of the work carried out", and "difficulties encountered". It was recommended that staff working within the service should ensure communication is at a level appropriate for the client; offer a welcoming approach; provide an open approach; and offer a reasonable choice of location. This article provides suggestions for how other LD-CAMHS teams could use these standards for their own purposes.