Publishing

My BSc Dissertation. The genre of true crime has a massively influential effect on preventing, punishing, and studying crime. Using an introductory survey as primary research and prominent secondary sources, this study aimed to understand the history, evolution, impact, and future of the true crime genre.

Within this proposal, I will explore the health and social benefits of using the therapeutic arts in my placement. I am
going to identify the aims, objectives and the organisation I will be in partnership with. I will explore possible
challenges aiming to work effectively with members of the staff.

The organisation I have chosen to be in partnership with is the Children’s Hospice South West (2019) located in
Charlton Farm. The Children’s Hospice South West has been providing respite, bereavement support and end of
life care for more than 25 years (Children’s Hospice South West, 2019). I have chosen to do my placement with
another student in my group, as the organisation’s preference is to have two facilitators for the partnership
agreement.

Research ethics have formed and changed over the last 40 years, giving guidelines for standards expected of researchers whilst conducting psychological research. Before these guidelines were introduced, some experiments and research studies are now seen as highly unethical. The British Psychological Society [BPS] created a code of conduct which must apply to all research. This code of conduct states that a researcher must have respect, competence, responsibility and integrity, when conducting an experiment. It is vital that researchers comply with this and all research involving human participants must be reviewed by an ethical committee before taking place, to confirm the correct ethical guidelines are being maintained (BPS, 2018). Ethics have significant importance in research, to ensure that participants do not suffer with discomfort or distress (Eysenck, 2002). By evaluating previous case studies, it is possible to identify issues surrounding ethics, to allow researchers to alter their methods in the present day.

As a child, I was always active and had the energy and drive to learn new things, I would try to work effectively to achieve my desired goals. In high school, I lost that energy and drive to learn, without really knowing why. The consequences of losing such a valuable asset at a crucial time resulted in poor GCSE results. As I recall, the teacher never really had the energy and drive I once had, nor was I ever encouraged to learn. A few years ago, I found the energy and drive again, which I now know as motivation. Motivation is a process that guides and maintains a behaviour to reach a goal (Centre on Education Policy, 2012). From my own learning experience, I feel that if my high school teacher was motivated, I would have achieved my academic goals much sooner as the GCSE’s were compulsory to get into sixth form. Now as an ESOL teacher, I want my motivation to influence and inspire my learners to achieve their goals. Gardner (2005) and Martin (2003) support my views by suggesting that the teacher’s energy and drive is viewed as an element which has a strong impact on the learners’ motivation. The extent to which ESOL teachers are able to motivate their learners depends upon how motivated the teachers are themselves (Atkinson 2000, Bernaus et al., 2009, Guilloteaux and Dornyei 2008). Therefore, the motivation of an ESOL teacher is very important as it directly affects the learners’ progression.

According to the National Autistic Society (2017) autism is a lifelong developmental disability that affects the way the brain processes information. People with autism share three main areas of developmental difficulty. The difficulties affect people with autism in different ways and are highlighted as social and emotional struggles, processing language and communication, and imagination flexibility. Some people with autism are able to live relatively ‘everyday lives’ and others may require a lifetime of specialist support. Autism is one of five Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD) that also include higher functioning Autism, Asperger’s Disorder, Rett’s Disorder and PDD not specified. Frith (2003) declares autism is a mental condition that may be present from birth and possibly caused by a number of physical factors, including genetics. It is estimated that 700,000 people in the UK have traits of autism. National Autistic Society (2017) suggest that there is a one in ten chance a child has some traits of autism. People with autism may find learning very challenging due to their learning disability. Educational establishments have a responsibility to support learners with autism by providing autism friendly classrooms. Teachers have a duty to use interventions for learners with autism to support their learning, which would create opportunities for greater achievements. The reality of autism in an ESOL department is addressed in this assignment. The nature of autism is examined and the ability of an ESOL department to include learners on the autism spectrum is investigated. The challenges that autism presents in an educational setting and the strategies used by ESOL teachers to support learners with autism are highlighted. A summary of autism is given in a form of a conclusion. The assignment will refer to National Autistic Society (2017) as NAS (2017).

A poster highlighting autism is due to be displayed at the local community centre (supposed to be yesterday but will be tomorrow morning). The audience are parents, ESOL learners, teenagers, staff and the wider community who use the community centre. The purpose of the poster is to make the audience aware of autism and the impact it has on the lives of individuals with autism. The community centre is used by learners with autism who attend with their support worker/parents. The intention of the poster is for people who do not know about autism to get an idea and know about the difficulties people with autism have. Educating the audience may help them understand people with autism are capable of achievement with the correct support in place. The community may understand why people with autism behave the way they do. Information from the poster may be passed onto other members of the community.

The language on the poster was carefully selected to ensure the audience understood the message. The word ‘autism’ is in 3D to invite the audience to read the information on the poster. Too much detail was not displayed as this may have discouraged the audience to read the information. The phone number was clarified by the National Autism Society (2017) to ensure the correct details were displayed. The details of the poster were to help the audience understand autism. The signs of autism are highlighted with pictures. The three main difficulties are mentioned on the poster.

The purpose of the study was to explore the learning experiences and challenges of refugee learners who were studying ESOL at a large FE college in a city in West Yorkshire, England. Furthermore, particular emphasis was paid to the course content and the effectiveness of the teaching/learning approaches. Therefore, a mixed methods approach employed a case study research strategy to view the research problems from different perspectives. The study was to assess whether the current content of the ESOL courses provided the relevant everyday linguistic needs for the refugee learners. In addition, the study also highlighted further learning challenges faced by the participants. The selected participants were a group of Arabic speaking refugee learners, who were studying at ESOL entry 3 in a monolingual class.

I observed the group and I noticed that they felt demotivated at times. The learners were punctual and motivated to learn English. However, they found it difficult to communicate in English as their confidence levels were low. Furthermore, I noticed some of the challenges they experienced when interacting with classroom activities (meaning, form and pronunciation of words). Informal conversations with colleagues also indicated that it was difficult to understand the various needs of refugee learners and how to support them. Therefore, I decided to explore their learning experiences of ESOL. Semi-structured interviews and questionnaires were the tools used to collect a variety of data (Bell and Waters, 2014). The findings from the study highlighted the experiences, challenges, learner opinions and preferred strategies to learning ESOL. The results from the study provided new and useful information for ESOL teachers working with the students and the wider ESOL community. Furthermore, ESOL teachers could help learners overcome learning challenges by evaluating the current ESOL courses that are provided.

In 2011, protesters turn into armed rebellions after being fired upon by the Syrian army as they demanded for the resignation of the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (Løland, 2019). Thus; millions of people were displaced and fled the conflict to find safety as refugees in host countries (UNHCR, 2017). The UK has supported the Syrian people by resettling 15000 refugees straight from the refugee camps, with the intension to relocate a total of 20000 by 2020 (UNHCR, 2017). In addition, a further 40000 asylum application have also been granted by the UK government (Walsh, 2019). According to Paton and Wilkins, (2009) a refugee’s integration is also supported by the government as they are offered an ESOL course to improve English language skills, which helps them with integration. Despite the support and £160 million spent on ESOL courses each year, refugees still struggle to speak English and integrate into their communities (Paton and Wilkins, 2009). In addition, employment becomes a barrier due to their limited English skills and their economic status leaves them isolated (Mallows, 2013; Thomas, 2013). However, refugees have high levels of motivation, as they are aware that learning English is the key to communication and a gateway to independence (Phillimore, 2011). Prior to the war in 2011, education was free and compulsory for all school-aged children, of which many went onto university and became graduates. Universities would offer English course to their students in order to meet the demands of globalisation and international development. Many university graduates with a strong command of the English language have entered the UK as refugees to rebuild their lives and find jobs. Whilst they settle into their communities they are offered ESOL courses to prosper their skills. However, a ‘one size fits all’ approach has been taken to provide ESOL to refugee learners by overlooking educated refugees, as many studies find that refugee learners have little or no academic achievements (Mallows, 2013; Thomas, 2013). The paper begins by justifying the intended research, followed by a background of the phenomena, suitability of the methodology and methods, issues of credibility and rigour are addressed, ethics are considered and finally there is a research timetable.

Qualitative researchers suggest that interviews offer rich, detailed information when trying to understand the experiences of the participants. However, the lack of interviewing skills may lead to inadequate performances by inexperienced researchers. Thus, piloting an interview is an essential and valuable process, as it highlights the strengths and weaknesses of the research tool. The paper critically reflects on the design and piloting of a research semi structured interview which was used as a data collection tool. The pilot interview was conducted with one Syrian refugee in a further education institution in Yorkshire, the aim was to highlight the learning barriers and motivational issues with an ESOL course that was being studied. The article discusses the methodological concerns associated with the use of a semi structured interview, the procedures undertaken and the lessons learnt from the process. The research findings indicated that the interview questions were directed by the participant’s responses rather than the researcher’s interview guide. In addition, the pre assumptions about the ESOL course were mistaken and new information emerged that was valuable to the ESOL community. In contrary, Interviews are a common research tool in qualitative research but a lack of interpersonal skills, confidence and experience may result in inconsistencies, leading to questions about the validity and reliability of the project.

Keywords: Pilot study, semi structured Interviews, Qualitative interviewing, ESOL

In the field of social science research, educational researchers are required to undertake a literature review as part of their post graduate qualification. For novice researchers, it is often seen as a difficult task to develop a complex range of skills within a limited time scale. However, acquiring the skills for a literature search and review could help obtain the relevant information that is needed to analyse and synthesise the research topic. Additionally, the researcher becomes adept in writing and reporting new relevant information as they become efficient and effective with their research strategies. This assignment examines the general approach to finding and critiquing the literature in the field of ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages). Through purposive sampling, a characteristic of the population is determined by understanding the social process and gaining an in depth awareness of the gathered data. The findings that are presented through a thematic analysis, involves a careful inspection of the emerging relevant data of the issues, which suggest that access to ESOL courses and no previous education contribute to the most extensive learning challenges. The focus of previous work appears to focus on refugee learners with limited or no previous education. This study seeks to bridge the gap by focusing on highly educated Syrian refugees with previous English learning experiences.

This report will analyse and describe how a mentor would approach a challenging situation in assisting a
young 17 year old student who has disengaged in their academic education. The backdrop to the helping
conversation was a 17 year old student was deciding to quit a motor vehicle apprenticeship as he felt the
theory modules were challenging. The mentee had failed all but one of his GCSES (the subject he passed
was practical development). As a result of his grades, he felt that his academic skills were weak and not
worth the effort of further study.

The practical development teacher at his school encouraged him to apply for an apprenticeship as this
would help him gain qualifications whilst completing a hands on project. The student felt his practical
skills were greater than his academic ones and had a keen interest in cars.

The rationale for the study is to establish whether raising taxes is the answer to fund the NHS. This research will gage public opinion on what lengths the public will go to in order to sustain the NHS finances, whether this is through general taxation, restructuring, cost saving measures or any other means of funding. This research is an important topic as this has been heavily publicised over the past few years due to waiting times, cancellations of appointments, cost cutting of resources and the lack of doctors and nurses (Dayan, 2017). A&E waiting times have also come into question and the general impression is that people are misusing the system, where people are going to A&E when they could be using their GP or primary care centres (NHS, 2015).

This study is an assignment composed of several questions:

• Using indifference curve analysis, explain how a rational consumer with a given budget chooses between different bundles of goods
• Examine 3 practical applications of indifference curve analysis by government or private sector agencies when deciding policy or strategy

The full work is available in the PDF below.

A presentation on a case study about business entities and competitors. PDF available below.

Unit 2: Managing Financial Resources & Decisions, this was the first assignment of this unit where a case study was given as an example for analysing sources of finance. The full assignment is available in the PDF below.

The aim of this research was to establish whether businesses still had confidence in banks after the financial crisis of 2008. The banks which have been researched are The Bank of England (BoE), The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), Barclays and Northern Rock. These banks in particular were most affected and heavily publicized during the financial crisis.

The methods used to conduct the research were questionnaires via online and also hard copies which were distributed in a high street bank in Stockport. Interviews were also conducted who had connections through businesses or were business owners.

The results of the research have shown that pre 2008 most businesses did have confidence in their banks, however, after the financial crisis confidence dropped with few businesses reporting back that confidence had remained or increased. Businesses do not feel that at present they would be fully confident that they would be able to source funding from their bank if urgently needed. To gain confidence businesses have stated more transparency is needed, interest rates to be improved, more reliable staff and a change to the luxurious bonus culture.

In conclusion, even after nearly a decade later it appears confidence in banks is still relatively low, although, there are businesses out there who do still have confidence in their banks.

This report will investigate whether the Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) holds between Mexico, USA and Japan. This theory investigates the alternating trends of exchange rate movement due to the variance of inflation rates between countries.

The PPP Theory has two forms; the absolute form and the relative form of PPP. The absolute form assumes that without international trade barriers and tariffs and costs of transport, consumers will purchase their goods wherever the prices are lower. The same basket of goods in two different countries should in theory be equal to one another. In the scenario where there is a difference in price, demand should shift so the prices correspond with one another. The relative form is the likelihood of market volatility when transportation costs, tariffs and quotas are taken into account, the prices of the same basket of goods will not inevitably be the same. The rate of change in the prices of the baskets should complement each other as long as the costs remain constant.

Mexico has been chosen as the home currency. The USA and Japan have been chosen as the foreign currency. These countries have been selected as they are part of the Asia-Pacific Economic Corporation and all have their own individual currencies. Three countries have been chosen to establish whether they have a correlation between each other or whether they produce contrasting results.

The data will be collated from the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), and will be analysed using Minitab via a regression analysis to conclude whether there is statistical evidence that the PPP holds between the three currencies.

Written for Unit 4: Marketing Principles. The PDF is available below.

Marketing is all about meeting the customers’ needs and wants, without identifying the ‘wants’ your product is not going to be successful.

According to the Chartered Institute of Marketing “Marketing is the management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably.” (Marketing, 2015).

To put this in simpler terms “Marketing is the act of connecting customers to products.” (Owyang, 2008)