Boys' underachievement, educational aspirations and constructions of locality

Over recent years the moral panic that has surrounded 'boys' underachievement' has tended to encourage crude and essentialist comparisons between all boys and all girls and to eclipse the continuing and more profound effects on educational achievement exerted by social class and 'race'/ethnicity. While there are differences in educational achievement between working class boys and girls, these differences are relatively minor when comparing the overall achievement levels of working class children with those from higher, professional social class backgrounds. This paper argues that a need exists therefore for researchers to fully contextualise the gender differences that exist in educational achievement within the over-riding contexts provided by social class and 'race'/ethnicity. The paper provides an example of how this can be done through a case study of 11-year-old children from a Catholic, working class area in Belfast. The paper shows how the children's general educational aspirations are significantly mediated by their experiences of the local area in which they live. However, the way in which the children come to experience and construct a sense of locality differs between the boys and girls and this, it is argued, helps to explain the more positive educational aspirations held by some of the girls compared to the boys. The paper concludes by considering the relevance of locality for understanding its effects on educational aspirations among other working class and/or minority ethnic communities.

Assisstantship improves medical student preparedness for starting work

Background: The GMC has recommended introducing student assistantships during which final year students, under supervision, undertake most of the responsibilities of a FY1 doctor. The Medical School at Queen’s University Belfast in 2011/12 introduced an assistantship programme. We have evaluated the impact of the assistantship on students’ perception of their preparedness for starting work.
Methods: Students were asked to complete a questionnaire at the beginning of the assistantship. It assessed the students’ perception of their preparedness in five areas: clinical and practical skills, communications skills, teaching and learning, understanding the work environment and team working. After the assistantship they again completed the questionnaire. Comparison of the results allowed an assessment of the impact of the assistantship.
Results: There was a statistically significant improvement in the students' perception of their preparation for 49 of 56 tasks contained within the questionnaire. After the assistantship 81.2% of students felt well prepared for starting work compared with 38.9% before the assistantship. 93.9% agreed that the assistantship had improved their preparedness for starting work.
Conclusions: The assistantship at Queen’s University improves medical students’ perception of their preparedness for starting work. The majority of medical students feel well prepared for starting work after completing the assistantship.

Studio Craft and Technique: The Architecture Student's Handbook

This is a second edition of the very successful book originally published in 2010. This second edition is published by new publisher Laurence King Publishers which will include an increased international distribution.

Northern Ireland and ‘The Troubles’, outlining an innovative approach to nursing/midwifery student teaching and module evaluation

This discussion paper outlines an approach to developing and evaluating an educative programme primarily delivered by lay `citizen trainers’ in educating student nurses, and student midwives to the impact of and experience of extended and extensive civil unrest within their communities (`the Troubles’ ). This is drawn from experience within the Northern Ireland `Troubles’ and all of the citizen trainers were directly affected physically/psychologically. The programme was intended to both educate but primarily to help facilitate student nurses and student midwives to better understanding to experience and context and to more effective care delivery to those affected by/damaged by `the Troubles’. Evaluation of the teaching and learning by the students was significantly positive.

A Transatlantic Experience - Student and Teacher Perspective