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Football fans' views on their role in the home advantage were obtained by placing links to an internet questionnaire on supporters' websites. Altogether, 461 fans from clubs which had been promoted, relegated or unchanged in the past season of the English football leagues rated crowd support as significantly more influential than familiarity, travel, territoriality and referee bias in contributing to the home advantage. Fans felt responsible for inspiring their team to victory, took credit for distracting opponents, and believed that they could influence officials into making decisions in their team's favour. However, they did not accept personal blame for poor results. No effects for gender, age or the team's outcome in the promotion/relegation battle emerged, though season ticket holders were more extreme in their feelings of responsibility overall. Furthermore, it was suggested that mechanisms such as the perception of being superior to rivals can encourage fans to retain their allegiance to their teams, even when outcomes are disappointing. Indeed, affiliation may become so incorporated into self-identity that supporters may not have the option of abandoning their team, but instead perceive a reciprocal relationship in which both they and the team are expected to do their best to achieve success.

Assessment for learning is a widely used term and the concept forms the basis of many teaching innovations in higher education. However, the definitions and scope of assessment for learning vary considerably. We describe a conceptualisation of assessment for learning that encompasses current thinking in a holistic way and which has been trialled and extensively refined in practice. A student questionnaire is presented which has enabled us to explore the student experience. Results indicate that the overall student experience is more positive in modules where assessment for learning approaches are used and students are more likely to take a deep approach to learning. It also demonstrates that the student experience is centred on staff support and module design, feedback, active engagement and peer learning. The full questionnaire is made available and its wider use in evaluation, enhancement and research is encouraged.

The impact of dyslexia and ADHD characteristics on study in higher education has been relatively neglected. This study investigates the prevalence of self-reported dyslexia and ADHD characteristics in 1182 undergraduate psychology students at four universities. Findings suggest that there is a high incidence of undiagnosed students in the ‘at risk’ categories for both dyslexia and ADHD. Whilst no relationship was found between achievement data and dyslexia scores, there were strong negative associations between ADHD subscale scores (inattention, hyperactivity or impulsivity and overall ADHD) and academic grades, indicating that those who score higher on ADHD rating scales are performing more poorly in academic tests than their lower scoring peers. Assessment results indicate that specific modes of assessment (multiple choice questions) may pose particular problems for high inattentive or ADHD scorers. The study suggests a need to focus on the identification and provision of support for students with problems related to ADHD characteristics, and indicates that many students, other than those who ‘declare’ a learning difficulty, would benefit from further support.