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Robert Coe has claimed that three broad conceptions of comparability can be identified from the literature: performance, statistical and conventional. Each of these he rejected, in favour of a single, integrated conception which relies upon the notion of a "linking construct" and which he termed "construct comparability". Traditional frameworks for conceptualising comparability are undoubtedly limited. However, rather than rejecting their insights, a more fruitful approach is to reinterpret them. A new framework for conceptualising comparability makes more sense of traditional distinctions and helps to make sense of similarities and differences between linking constructs. (Contains 1 table and 1 note.)

Background: National curriculum tests have been administered in England for well over a decade. Although reliability evidence has been published, critics have argued that there is not enough evidence (of the right kind) and that test results may be insufficiently reliable. Purpose: This article collates and discusses evidence on the reliability of results from national curriculum testing in England. In particular, it examines the claim that at least 30% of students may be awarded incorrect national curriculum levels. Sources of evidence: Empirical evidence is collated from a range of sources (mainly published) focusing primarily upon internal consistency, marking consistency and level-setting consistency. Main argument and conclusion: There still remains some doubt over the extent of misclassification associated with national curriculum testing. However, there is no doubt that a substantial percentage of students would receive different levels were the testing process to be replicated within any particular year for any particular test. However, although results from national curriculum testing are somewhat unreliable, they are not necessarily too unreliable. (Contains 10 tables and 16 notes.)

In discussing the relationship between curriculum and assessment it is commonly argued that assessment should be aligned to curriculum or, alternatively, that they should be congruent with each other. This article explores that relationship in five educational contexts in the UK and in Europe, ranging across school education, workplace learning, vocational education and higher education. Four main themes are highlighted: construct definition, progression, assessment procedures, and system-level accountability. What emerges from the five case studies under review is a multi-layered process of knowledge being constructed in diverse ways at different levels in each context. The article concludes that, rather than thinking in terms of either alignment or congruence, these relationships are better understood in terms of non-linear systems embracing curriculum, pedagogy and assessment. (Contains 1 note.)

Assessment agencies are increasingly facing pressure on two fronts; first, to increase transparency and openness and second, to improve public confidence. Yet, in relation to one of the central concepts of educational measurement--inherent error--many believe that increased public understanding is incompatible with public confidence: a general recognition of the true nature and extent of measurement inaccuracy would fatally undermine trust in the system. The present article is premised on a contrary proposal: not understanding measurement inaccuracy is a far greater threat than understanding it, since it will result in the system repeatedly being held to account for more than it can possibly deliver. As unrealistic expectations are unmet, so the system will appear to have failed; and this recurrent process will gradually erode public confidence. The article develops ethical and practical arguments in favour of educating the public about the inherent limitations of educational measurement. Primary amongst the ethical arguments is the proposal, from contemporary validity theory, that users who fail to understand measurement inaccuracy will be ill equipped to draw valid inferences from results.

Examines whether secondary science teachers in England give students opportunities to develop and rehearse the skills of argumentation during their lessons. Finds that classroom discourse was largely teacher-dominated and tended not to foster the reflective discussion of scientific issues. Contains 43 references. (Author/WRM)

Background: Non-violent resistance which has involved healthcare workers has been instrumental in securing a number of health-related gains and a force in opposing threats to health. Despite this, we know little about healthcare workers who have engaged in acts of non-violent resistance. Research aim: Amongst a sample of healthcare workers who had engaged in acts of resistance this study sought to explore their understanding of non-violent resistance and how or whether they felt healthcare workers made a distinct contribution to such action. Research design: Cross-sectional survey Participants and research context: Healthcare workers (doctors, nurses, academics and others) from the UK and Europe who had engaged in acts of non-violent resistance. Ethical considerations: Ethical approval for this study was granted by the University of Greenwich Human Research Ethics Committee (UREC/20.5.6.11). Findings/results: Most participants spoke about the nature of non-violent resistance, its oppositional, didactic and symbolic functions and the role of violence or harm. While most people understood non-violent resistance as a public, oppositional and collective act, many identified more subtle everyday acts in the workplace that undermined policy or procedures they saw as harmful. When asked about distinctions in non-violent resistance carried out by healthcare workers, most participants referred to their standing in society, noting that healthcare works were a trusted and authoritative source. Some identified an ethical imperative to act while others identified the risks that came with such action, noting their accountability and responsibility they had to patients. About a quarter of participants felt that such action was no different to others carrying out non-violent resistance or dependent on the issue or nature of the action. Conclusions: These findings speak to the complex and multifaceted nature of non-violent resistance. Additionally our findings suggest healthcare workers have a distinct role to play in leading and supporting non-violent actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Outbreak control measures during COVID-19 outbreaks in a large UK prison consisted of standard (e.g., self-isolation) and novel measures, including establishment of: (i) reverse cohorting units for accommodating new prison admissions; (ii) protective isolation unit for isolating symptomatic prisoners, and (iii) a shielding unit to protect medically vulnerable prisoners.Methods: Single-centre prospective longitudinal study (outbreak control study), implementing novel and traditional outbreak control measures to prevent a SARS-COV-2 outbreak. The prison held 977 prisoners and employed 910 staff at that start of the outbreak.Results: 120 probable and 25 confirmed cases among prisoners and staff were recorded between March and June 2020 during the first outbreak. Over 50% of initial cases among prisoners were on the two wings associated with the index case. During the second outbreak, 182 confirmed cases were recorded after probable reintroduction from a staff member. Widespread testing identified 145 asymptomatic prisoners, 16.9% of the total prisoner cases. The cohorting units prevented re-infection from new prison admissions and the shielding unit had no COVID-19 infections linked to either outbreak.Conclusions: Identifying and isolating infected prisoners, cohorting new admissions and shielding vulnerable individuals helped prevent uncontrollable spread of SARS-COV-2. These novel and cost-effective approaches can be implemented in correctional facilities globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examined the motives that people living with type 2 diabetes (T2D) had for self-managing their condition and ways they used to assess the success of their self-management efforts. Using semistructured interviews (N=25), focus groups (3 ×  N=12 participants), and open-ended questionnaires (N=6), people living with and self-managing T2D were recruited from a community-based T2D participation group. Most participants were older (aged 60+) and lived in a socioeconomically deprived area in the United Kingdom. Data were analysed thematically using framework analysis. Patients’ motives for self-management included (i) concern about the anticipative effects of T2D; (ii) wishing to “stay well”; (iii) maintaining independence; (iv) reducing the need for healthcare professionals; and (v) improving quality of life. Six self-management styles were found and pertained to self-managing: (i) through routinisation; (ii) as a burden; (iii) as maintenance; (iv) through delegation; (v) through comanagement; and (vi) through autonomy. Motivators for self-management shaped the criteria people used to judge the success of their self-management practices and influenced their self-management style. The findings show that styles of T2D self-management are mediated and moderated by sociocontextual issues. Healthcare professionals should take these into account when supporting people living with T2D. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a growing emphasis within the diabetes literature on the importance of empowerment as a way of encouraging people to take control of and responsibility for the successful management of their disease. Patients are actively encouraged to become active participants in their care, and there is an expectation that health-care professionals will facilitate this process. This article uses Bourdieu’s concept of field, as a bounded social space in which actors conduct their lives day-to-day, to explore the context within which issues of empowerment are addressed and negotiated. The practice of empowerment within the biologically defined and biomedically ‘policed’ field of diabetes is explored using empirical data from a study of diabetes health-care professionals’ understanding and practices around empowerment. It is concluded that rather than promoting active self-management and empowerment, the nature of the field of diabetes, and in particular its privileging of the biomedical, can mitigate against people with diabetes negotiating the field effectively and taking control of the disease and its management. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Strategy is often about choices and those made in the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review will have significant implications for the future of UK defence and wider national security. The US has already made profound choices in this regard: it is rebalancing to East Asia. The implications for the UK, both as a US partner and a major European military power, include the possibility of deeper engagement with the Middle East and North Africa. Doug Stokes and Paul Newton examine the UK's nascent ‘east of Suez’ initiative, its key interests as well as the geopolitical drivers, dangers and opportunities involved. As the US seeks greater burden-sharing from its European allies, should the UK bridge the Gulf? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In his December RUSI address, the Chief of Defence Staff urged the re-examination of the UK's understanding of the strategic environment, the development of strategic thinkers within British institutions, and a sharper focus on strategic imperatives. This article continues the clarion call for the crafting of a new strategic 'grammar' across both military and civilian structures, in an attempt to reinvigorate the lessons of the great classical strategists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Debate about public examination standards has been a consistent feature of educational assessment in Britain over the past few decades. The most frequently voiced concern has been that public examination standards have fallen over the years — for example, the so-called A level 'gold standard' may be slipping. In this paper we consider some of the claims which have been made about falling standards and argue that they reveal a variety of underlying assumptions about the nature of examination standards and what it means to maintain them. We argue that, because people disagree about these fundamental matters, examination standards can never be maintained to everyone's satisfaction. We consider the practical implications of the various coexisting definitions of examination standards and their implications for the perceived fairness of the examinations. We raise the question of whether the adoption of a single definition of examination standards would be desirable in practice but conclude that it would not. It follows that examining boards can legitimately be required to defend their maintenance of standards against challenges from a range of possibly conflicting perspectives. This makes it essential for the boards to be open about the problematic nature of examination standards and the processes by which they are determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigates the effectiveness of animals for developing alternative drug design in Great Britain. Realization on the irreplaceability of tropics and inhabitants in pharmacology; Suggestion of vertebrates to be effective source of medicinal compounds; Effect of harvesting medicinal plants on the economic of tropical countries.