Leeds Beckett University Research Articles

First person – Daniel Lenthall

ABSTRACT First Person is a series of interviews with the first authors of a selection of papers published in Biology Open, helping researchers promote themselves alongside their papers. Daniel Lenthall is first author on ‘ Lower-limb coordination changes following a 6-week training intervention that elicited enhancements to maximum velocity sprint performance’, published in BiO. Daniel is a Master's in Research student at Leeds Beckett University, and strength and conditioning coach in the lab of Mr Andreas Wallbaum at the University of Bath, Bath, UK, investigating research that bridges the gap between theory and practice, making a meaningful impact beyond academia.

Reflective practice and feedback – empowering university students’ teaching of dance in UK state schools

ABSTRACT A mixed methods approach for gathering data was adopted to report Level 5, 2nd (N = 34; F27, M7) and Level 6, 3rd (N = 29; M5, F24) year University students’ (N = 63) reflections of dance practice at Leeds Beckett University in the north of England. Five research instruments were utilised to gather data: questionnaires (including both open and closed questions), semi-structured interviews, reflective logs, pictorial evidence and observations. Reflections from practising primary (N = 9; F7, M2) and secondary (N = 8; M1, F7) teachers and their young people (N = 904, 5 to 18-year olds) also informed the students’ practice. The students’ production of original dance teaching resources (N = 17) delivered at the University based professional development days, attended by delegates (N = 121) from across the UK, served to qualify the suitability of the teaching and resources. The collaboratively created resources are highlighted as beneficial to enhance learning, teaching, self-efficacy, resilience and employability. The main aim and question therefore being realised, how to support and enhance the learning and teaching of dance in UK schools.

The role of settings as civic spaces

Dr Nathan Archer from Leeds Beckett University, Dr Fufy Demissie and Professor Sally Pearse from Sheffield Hallam University, discuss the social impact of the early years sector and the role of nurseries and settings as civic spaces in the community.

Essay x-ray: using an in-house academic writing tool to scaffold academic skills support

This paper introduces a project to develop a digital academic writing tool at Leeds Beckett University (LBU). Essay X-ray is an interactive online tool designed to help students get to grips with the structure and style of academic writing and was developed using the Articulate Storyline 360 platform. The aim was to expand LBU’s academic skills support for students tasked with essay assignments, especially at Level 4, enabling independent learning using a self-paced format available open access and 24/7. This would complement existing academic skills provision (one-to-ones, workshops, drop-ins, static online resources), with the interactive element facilitating active, hands-on learning (Lumpkin, Achen and Dodd, 2015). Following a successful development, review and rollout process, the utility of Essay X-ray as an independent learning tool but also as a classroom resource was reported by students and colleagues. Tentative talks about additional versions (Dissertation X-ray, Report X-ray) have taken place, indicating its potential for rollout to other subject areas and assessment types. Finally, in-house digital academic skills tools like Essay X-ray are posited as a potential response to the recent upsurge in Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) tools. Essay X-ray requires users to think critically about essay structure, style and content to create their own original pieces of writing, thus responding to questions about the maintenance of academic integrity in a digital world. These features enable users to develop their essay writing skills, in contrast to passive engagement with a GenAI programme that merely writes an answer for them.

Innovation in sport medicine and science: a global social network analysis of stakeholder collaboration in rugby union

ObjectivesTo investigate the network of stakeholders involved in rugby union research across the globe.MethodsUsing author affiliations listed on scientific publications, we identified the organisations that contributed to rugby union research...

Mapping the Impact: A Comprehensive Review of Art-Based Interventions for Dementia (2000-2022)

The global arts in healthcare movement affects patient care and hospital surroundings. This paper reviews and bibliometrically analyzes Impact Art-Based Intervention for Dementia Patients from 2000 to 2022. A total of 57 documents were created on October 16, 2022, using Rstudio 4.2.1 and biblioshiny for bibliometrix. These papers were used for doing an in-depth study to identify research patterns. In Scopus, Dementia is the most popular journal, and in Web of Science, Dementia-International Journal of Social Research and Practice. Scopus uses “Dementia” as the most common author keyword and add keyword, but Web of Science uses “Impact”. Most popular writers include Camic, P. M. (Scopus), Charura, D., and Surr, C (WoS). UK scientific papers dominate Scopus and Web of Science. Scopus is most associated with Canterbury Christ Church University, whereas Web of Science is Leeds Beckett University.

Reclaim the Night(Life) – Sexual Harassment in the Night-Time Economy: Zine Making as Method and Participant-Led Data Analysis

This short reflective piece sets out the background to the Reclaim the (Night) Life project, an ongoing research project into sexual violence/harassment in the night-time economy of Leeds (UK). This initial output from the project, which has involved a team of five academics from the UK Centre for Event Management at Leeds Beckett University, is based on work produced at a co-creational zine-making workshop. The workshop involved a group of students, from the university, working with their lived experience and using the workshop to support them in undertaking some initial analysis of data captured from a prior online survey. Sociologically, the zine’s purpose is to share initial research findings in a way that could engage its target demographic (young women), give voice to some of their experiences, explore zine making as a form of data capture and participant-led data analysis, and act as a prevocational device for the next stages of the Reclaim the (Night)Life research project.

Co‐Developing Awareness Video Campaign for People Living with Dementia with Lewy Bodies

AbstractBackgroundAlthough Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB) is the second most common form of neurodegenerative dementia, information about DLB is often scarce and fragmented. Corresponding with this, the lived experience of DLB involves high rates of misinformation, social isolation, loneliness, and stigma. There is a need to develop outputs in which the expertise of those living with DLB, care‐partners and clinicians focused on DLB is shared.MethodsFunded by a UKRI Catalyst Award, and after receiving ethical approval from Leeds Beckett University, this project implemented consulting workshops with key informants including: (i) people living with DLB; (ii) care‐partners of those living with DLB; (iii) Third Sector organizations and; (iv) clinicians focused on supporting those with DLB. The consulting workshops discussed the key issues surrounding DLB, from the perspective of the attendees. The outcome of these workshops highlighted the most salient topics for individuals who have recently come into the DLB community (either as a newly diagnosed person or care‐partner).ResultsFindings from the consulting workshops highlight the importance of peer‐support in DLB, including the topics of: hallucinations, sleep and peer‐support. Clinically, the subjects of early diagnoses, Capgras Syndrome and specific care needs were identified as key topics. Six short films are currently being developed based on the findings from the consulting workshops. The Creative Team, Research Team and lived‐experience experts will co‐develop the script for these videos. Each video will be one minute long in duration. The videos will offer a gentle, general introduction to the topic from an expert (mostly with lived experience), with the aim of removing fear and stigma.ConclusionThese videos will offer guidance for shared experiential learning so that the person living with DLB and their CP will be better educated and equipped to support themselves and each other through the care pathway. The solution offered via the Lewy Video Campaign will contributes to improving access to information in an affordable, personable venue, supporting individuals into becoming integrated into the wider DLB community of both clinical and peer‐support.

‘Health Connections’: study protocol for the development of a coproduced, community-based diet, physical activity, and healthy weight intervention for UK black and Asian adults

IntroductionA limited number of diet, physical activity and weight management programmes suitable for UK black and Asian populations have been evaluated. We aim to coproduce ‘Health Connections’—an ambitious new intervention...

OPTIMISING HOLISTIC CARE OF WOMEN AT RISK OF OR LIVING WITH BIA‐ALCL: A SURVEY OF UK HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS

Introduction: Breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) was classified by the World Health Organisation in 2016. As of December 2021 there have been 86 reported cases within the UK. Raising awareness amongst clinicians of this novel entity is crucial in order to provide effective clinical care. Psycho-social support forms a vital arm of care, both for affected women but also for the now millions at risk or those considering new implants. This survey aims to assess the current awareness and experiences of health care providers potentially involved in the care of patients with BIA-ALCL with a particular focus on psycho-social support requirements. Methods: We performed an online survey using categorical and open-ended questions. The questionnaire was distributed amongst professional associations that have an interest in the topic researched, e.g., The Association of Breast Surgeons (ABS), British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS). In addition the survey was distributed amongst multidisciplinary teams that are likely to encounter these patients, e.g. Breast and Lymphoma. The survey was designed in Qualtrics and sent via a link. Data has been collated and analysed within SPSS. Research approval was obtained from Leeds Beckett University. Results: There were a total of 78 respondents who completed the survey. Breast surgeons made up the largest proportion of respondents (36%, 28/78) with over half of respondents having cared for a patient with BIA-ALCL (58% 42/78). The largest proportion of respondents reporting using ABS/BAPRAS joint guidelines in their clinical practice (46%, 36/78). High median confidence scores were reported in both diagnosing/managing, 7/10 (3) and having conversations with patients regarding BIA-ALCL, 7/10 (5) although a large range in responses was noted. The most frequently selected test to work up a case of suspected BIA-ALCL was ‘core biopsy of any associated peri-implant mass’ (82%, 64/78) with mammography the least selected (42%, 33/78). 45% (35/78) reported seeing women requesting reassurance or implant removal despite an absence of symptoms or signs of BIA-ALCL. The average degree of distress upon receiving a diagnosis was reported as 7/10 (2). 70% (54/77) of respondents felt patients diagnosed with BIA-ALCL or those awaiting test results would benefit from psychological support. Only 38 (29/76) % of respondents however, confirmed that breast implant patients have access to any psychological support as part of routine care. Conclusion: This survey demonstrates that although there is relatively high confidence in managing and conducting discussions with patients regarding BIA-ALCL, there is a large variability amongst healthcare providers. The findings suggest there is urgent need for psycho-social support for both patients diagnosed with BIA-ALCL and asymptomatic women seeking reassurance. Keyword: Aggressive T-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma Conflicts of interests pertinent to the abstract D. Cunningham Consultant or advisory role Ovibio on scientific advisory board Research funding: Medimmune/AZ, Clovis, Eli Lilly, 4SC, Bayer, Celgene, Roche - institution recipient

Broadening the lens through which we view pain and its management: an interview with Mark Johnson.

Mark Johnson, PhD is Professor of Pain and Analgesia and Director of the Centre for Pain Research at Leeds Beckett University. Having initially trained as a neurophysiologist, Professor Johnson has expanded his research into the science of pain and its management, leading a team of pain scholars at the university. His research covers a wide range of topics including studying the effects of nonpharmacological interventions (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation [TENS], acupuncture, low-level laser therapy and Kinesio tape) for pain management, individuality and pain, epidemiology of pain and more recently health promotion and pain. His expertise spans a range of research methodologies including evidence syntheses such as meta-ethnography and meta-analysis includingCochrane Reviews, as well as conducting clinical trials and laboratory studies. In addition to his research, Professor Johnson is involved in pain education for healthcare professionals, patients, and the general public toprovide people with up-to-date knowledge for a better understanding of the science of pain and its management.

Requirement situations as a starting point for competence-oriented coach education in competitive sports - An explorative mixed-methods study

Competent coaches are the main goal of coach education (International Council for Coaching Excellence et al., 2013). In order to achieve this goal, coach education in Germany has been further developed in a competence-oriented way in recent years - inspired by corresponding developments in teacher education (e.g. Baumert & Kunter, 2013). For example, the German Olympic Sports Confederation, together with (educational) experts, has developed its own competency model for its coach education (Sygusch et al., 2020). The central starting point of this model - based on the discourse on competencies in educational science - is formed by requirement situations of coaches.
 They “comprise regularly occurring events with which coaches are confronted and which require them to act. Coping with requirement situations needs competencies that are (supposed to be) acquired in a coach education that is oriented towards requirement situations.” (Möhrle et al., in review)
 However, a systematic overview of requirement situations is not yet available for many educational settings - including coach education (Iller & Wick, 2009). This study addresses this desideratum by answering the question “What are requirement situations of competitive sport coaches?”.
 Method
 The answer is based on an exploratory mixed-methods design (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2007). In the qualitative phase, n = 12 experts in coach education identified 53 association-specific requirement situations, which were concentrated in deductively derived requirement areas using content analysis (Mayring, 2015). In the quantitative phase, n = 280 competitive sport coaches (judo, soccer, field hockey, skiing, table tennis) assessed the extent to which the requirement situations apply to their everyday coaching work by means of a standardized online survey.
 Results
 Fifty-three association-specific requirement situations of coaches (field hockey, athletics = 17; judo = 7; ski = 12) were identified and concentrated in seven requirement areas. The core requirement area is training (39%), clearly ahead of analyzing & assessing, coaching in competition, educating & accompanying, management and interacting(15% to 9% each). Eleven requirement situations apply to competitive sports coaches of all participating associations (Example: The coach trains an athlete/training group. For the next weeks, the improvement of general fitness is on the agenda).
 Discussion
 The identified and systemized requirement situations enable conceptual and didactic implications for coach education (e.g., further development of curricula, thematization in teaching-learning situations) as well as empirical implications for coach education research (e. g., test development to assess coach competencies). Furthermore, this study not only initiates the discourse on requirement situations in coach education, but also offers orientation to other sport-related educational settings.
 References
 Baumert, J., & Kunter, M. (2013). The COACTIVE Model. In M. Kunter, J. Baumert, W. Blum, U. Klusmann, S. Kraus & M. Neubrand (Eds.), Cognitive Activation in the Mathematics Classroom and Professional Competence of Teachers (pp. 25-48). Springer.
 Creswell, J. W., & Plano Clark, V. L. (2007). Designing and Conducting Mixed Methods Research. Sage.
 Iller, C., & Wick, A. (2009). Prüfungen als Evaluation der Kompetenzentwicklung im Studium [Examinations as an evaluation of competence development in higher education]. Das Hochschulwesen, 57(6), 195-201.
 International Council for Coaching Excellence, Association of Summer Olympic International Federations & Leeds Beckett University. (2013). International sport coaching framework. Version 1.2. Human Kinetics.
 Mayring, P. (2015). Qualitative content analysis. Theoretical background and procedures. In A. Bikner-Ahsbahs, C. Knipping & N. Presmeg (Eds.), Approaches to Qualitative Research in Mathematics Education. Examples of methodology and methods (pp. 365-380). Springer.
 Möhrle, A., Liebl, S., & Sygusch, R. (in review). Anforderungssituationen als Ausgangspunkt einer kompetenzorientierten Trainer:innenbildung im Leistungssport – Eine explorative Mixed-Methods-Studie[Requirement Situations as a Starting Point for Competence-Oriented Coach Education in Competitive Sports – An Explorative Mixed-Methods Study].
 Sygusch, R., Muche, M., Liebl, S., Fabinski, W., & Schwind-Gick, G. (2020). Das Kompetenzmodell für die Trainerbildung: Teil 1 [The competency model for coach education: Part 1]. Leistungssport, 50(1), 41-47.

Women planners: 1996 revisited

This article contributes to the history of women in planning and to an understanding of the issues facing the advancement of women planners in the workplace during the 1990s in the UK. The main part of the article revisits the contributions made by participants during the 1996 National Women’s Planning Conference in Leeds, UK, entitled Women Planners into the 21st Century. The event attracted delegates from around the UK and during the conference a series of activities enabled participants to record their experiences. This article takes a fresh look at this material using a lens from a similar conference held at Leeds Beckett University in 2019. The rapid thematic analysis found that the issues facing women in the 1990s in the UK were similar to those facing women planners in the US, Canada and Australia. The expectations and barriers faced by women planners in 1996 varied depending on career life stages and whether or not women had children, were single parents or were caring for a child who was physically or mentally disabled. A key conclusion is that structural and cultural barriers still predominate in organisations. The implications for professional bodies such as the RTPI are that they must do more to support women and men to bring about long-lasting change.

'Beyond the crisis’: accepting and adapting to the virtual academic skills workshop

This lightning talk examined the journey taken to re-create and co-construct the Academic Skills Workshop Programme on offer at Leeds Beckett University, an interactive and inclusive online classroom adapted due to the impact of Covid-19. A 'learning on the go' and 'trial and error' approach involving continuous evaluation was adopted for the creation of the programme, which was informed by staff and student feedback. The approach helped move this new and varied programme beyond the crisis point of Covid-19 towards a more robust online presence for future purpose. Key considerations helping to shape the programme included creating a sense of community and belonging online, co-creating a curriculum that addressed student feedback and needs, and responding to student wellbeing as well as academic skills development. This resulted in the redevelopment of an entire workshop programme, offered to students via BB Collaborate. Sixteen workshops were rewritten as one-hour interactive webinars; asynchronous materials and resources were provided for 24/7 availability; and a central sign-up service was offered via the institute's MyHub interface. Already established principles in online learning were taken into account during the development process (Anderson, 2008; Nguyen, 2015).
 These adaptations saw a twofold increase of student participation during 2020-2021 (1107 students, 53%) compared to 2018-2019 (410 students, 20%) or 2019-2020 (562 students, 27%). Learnings and successes from this project ranged from being adaptable, available, and offering different formats for learning where webinars were a feature, to seeing online as normal. Challenges that continue to be pondered are the value of F2F classrooms vs online, creating more 'on-demand' learning resources, blog posts, podcasts, and study modules available 24/7 for self-directed learning.
 The presentation hoped to share our experience as a team, but also to offer an opportunity to hear about broader thoughts and experiences relating to academic skills webinar delivery at HE institutions since the Covid-19 pandemic began.

Understanding eating behaviours, mental health and weight change in young adults: protocol paper for an international longitudinal study.

IntroductionUnderstanding the complexities of change in eating behaviours, mental health, well-being and weight is crucial to inform healthcare and service provision, particularly in light of the exacerbating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to address the need for more comprehensive cross-sectional and longitudinal evidence, by tracking eating behaviours, mental health, health related behaviours and weight over a 12-month period, in a sample of young adults (18–35 years) in the UK and Australia.Methods and analysisOnline surveys administered via the Prolific online research platform will be used for data collection at baseline, 6 months and 12 months. The survey (approximately 45 min) measures demographics, the impact of COVID-19, body mass index (BMI), weight management and health service usage, eating behaviours, personality, mental health, and health-related behaviours. An optional substudy component at each time point aims to validate self-reported weight in the main survey through images. Study inclusion criteria are; aged 18–34 years at baseline, BMI ≥20 kg/m2, and residing in the UK or Australia. A target of 500 participants at baseline was set, recruited through Prolific, and with recruitment stratified by BMI, sex and country. The proposed analyses include creating static predictive models using baseline data (eg, using latent class analysis, factor analysis or similar), and mapping changes longitudinally (eg, using multivariate regressions). These analyses will enable changes in the study measures to be identified, as well as predictors and outcomes of change.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval was granted by Leeds Beckett University, UK (reference number 86004) and the University of Newcastle, Australia (reference number H-2022–0110). Study findings will be disseminated through scientific journals, conferences, institute websites and social media, and briefings tailored to policy, practice and the public, with the intention to help inform the future development of health and well-being care and support for young adults across Australia and the UK.

The role of mitochondria in the recovery of neurons after injury.

The role of mitochondria in the recovery of neurons after injury.

‘And Now, No Word from Our Sponsors’: Yorkshire cricket, the Azeem Rafiq controversy and the silence of the University

In 2021 Yorkshire County Cricket Club found itself at the centre of international media attention when a former player, Azeem Rafiq, spoke about the racism he had endured at the Club. When an investigation verified Rafiq’s account, all the Club’s sponsors, including Leeds Beckett University, ended their partnerships. Racism in sport is not new, nor is racism in higher education, nor is racism in Yorkshire; what this incident does is to bring these dimensions of racism together and ask important questions about the ways in which they overlap. Two themes emerged from interviews with individuals connected, in different ways, to the University. The first is the University’s muted response to this incident, a silence that was mirrored across other Leeds-based academic and sporting institutions. A second emergent theme is the absence of academic staff from minority ethnic backgrounds working in university sports departments and researching racism in sport.

Improving information literacy and academic skills tuition through flipped online delivery

The COVID-19 pandemic forced UK universities to move the majority or all of tuition online. The Library Academic Support Team at Leeds Beckett University used that shift as an opportunity to improve information literacy (IL) and academic skills tuition across the institution. Instruction and support were redesigned on a flipped basis to ensure that online delivery improved on face-to-face delivery rather than simply replicating it. This project report reviews that work with usage statistics, user feedback, practicalities of service provision and discussion of impact. The report extends existing literature with a model of significant institution-level changes to IL and academic skills instruction which could be applied elsewhere. It concludes that the shift to flipped online learning was a qualified success, with the revised approach proving notably more popular and inclusive, also providing other benefits such as more focused in-class discussion.

University selection: Rational and emotional aspects of the decisionmaking process

University selection is complex, and for undergraduate students, they possess no prior lived experience to provide the foundation for their decision making. It would be easy to assume, therefore, that a rational and systematic decision-making process takes place. Yet despite repeated attempts by the UK Government to provide various factual and comparable UK university performance metrics, the usage of comparable data remains low. Students are influenced by where they feel they will fit in, where they will be safe and supported and for the overall student experience they perceive to be on offer. In the international domain, decision-making models and market research demonstrate both factual and emotional factors involved in overseas university selection. The emotional aspect of the decision, coupled with an overwhelming choice, necessitate universities to have a strong brand. The paper provides a case study of how these concepts were addressed at Leeds Beckett University, a modern university in England with over 25,000 students. At Leeds Beckett, implementing a personalisation marketing strategy has grown student engagement and enrolments, and led to a major turnaround in international student recruitment.

Teaching is the opportunity to learn together with my students – Interview with Professor Mhairi C. Beaton

Professor Mhairi C Beaton is a Professor in the Carnegie School of Education. Having worked as a teacher in the Highlands of Scotland and following the completion of her Masters in Education, Mhairi joined the School of Education at University of Aberdeen as a Lecturer. During her time working at University of Aberdeen, Mhairi was Programme Director for the MA in Inclusive Practice and was a tutor on the MA in Autism and Learning. Whilst at University of Aberdeen, Mhairi completed her Ph.D examining the development of pupils’ learner identity in primary schools and led a number of externally funded research projects focusing on teacher development, inclusion and assessment. Since joining the Carnegie School of Education, Mhairi has led a number of externally funded international research projects focusing on inclusion, teacher education and student voice. Mhairi is also the Leeds Beckett University representative on the University of the Arctic Assembly having successfully led the university’s application for membership in 2018. You can read an edited version of the interview with the Professor