Carers often feel disempowered and engage in behaviours that inadvertently enable their loved one's ED symptoms and yet little is known regarding these processes. This study examined the relationships among fear, self-blame, self-efficacy, and accommodating and enabling behaviours in 137 carers of adolescents and adults with ED. The results revealed that fear and self-blame predicted low carer self-efficacy in supporting their loved one's recovery as well as the extent to which carers reported engaging in recovery-interfering behaviours. The relevance of these findings are discussed in the context of family-oriented ED therapies and highlight the importance for clinicians to attend to and help to process strong emotions in carers, in order to improve their supportive efforts and, ultimately, ED outcomes.
Entry into higher education (HE) is recognised as a challenging time for undergraduates as they negotiate the norms and practices of new academic communities and foster relationships with peers and academics. Given the significance of this time period, our University has piloted a new four-week module that immerses students in their discipline and provides them with the academic skills and networks to support them through this period and beyond. Here we report a comprehensive evaluation examining academic and student experience of this immersive module. We explore its impact on essential aspects of the transition experience e.g. social integration, academic literacies and the sense of preparation for HE. Whilst this new approach did have positive impacts on students' sense of integration, questions were raised around the extent to which it matched or even raised expectations, and the extent to which this prepared students for the rest of their studies.
The last decade has seen intensification in moves to professionalize the practice of university teaching, including Graduate Teaching Assistants. It has also seen significant growth in terms of the internationalisation of the postgraduate student body and changing expectations around doctoral training. These transformations have implications for the construction, delivery and management of educational training for this group, yet little contemporary research exists investigating the adaptability of academic development and institutions to such change. This paper reports empirical research exploring these issues using a UK-based case study. The research investigated the international doctoral students' experience of a teaching course and subsequent academic development. GTAs reported institutional and cultural factors governing access to teaching opportunities particularly in relation to the international cohort. We explore the possible reasons for this, and the implications for the case institution and the wider HE sector.
This paper reports the findings of a qualitative study into the experience of care leavers (students who have previously been in local authority care) at a UK university. Working with a small group of final year care leaver students, the research used a narrative interview approach to explore their experiences throughout their time in Higher Education (HE), and their future plans after completion. Analysing the interviews using a resilience framework, the findings illustrate a range of risk and protective factors which impact on success in higher education (HE) for this group of students. Like other non-traditional students, key factors include motivation for participation, good preparation for university life and learning, and academic, personal and financial support. Particularly important for this group is the availability of a safety net, and support from a significant adult. This was often provided by the university care leavers' service which offered a crucial source of support for students without another obvious point of contact. Perhaps surprisingly, all students felt that being in care had had a positive impact on their university experience although for varying reasons. All of the students in the study went on to complete their degrees successfully despite the challenges encountered.
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