Digital Commons Network^™

Systematic, Bibliographic And Statistical Aspects On Multi Generation Recycled Concrete Materials Research: A Review, Henrique Comba Gomes, Maozhou Meng, Katie Jones, William Vevers, Aissa Bouaissi, Boksun Kim

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

This article aimed to review the current literature related to the topic of multiple generation recycled concrete materials considering systematic, bibliographic and statistical aspects. The review was conducted from an adaptation from the systematic review for engineering and experiments (SREE) method. Papers wrote in English with scientific relevance, title and abstract full aligned with the topic were selected from Scopus and Web of Science databases. Bibliographic aspects highlighted the research novelty, the quality of research and prominence for future works. The systematic review aimed to provide insights in the literature concerning multiple recycling concrete materials. Some of the main aspects …

Family Imprint Reveals Basin-Wide Patterns Of Amazon Forest Embolism Resistance, Julia Valentim Tavares, Emanuel Gloor, Thiago S.F. Silva, Rafael S. Oliveira, Fernanda Coelho De Souza, Caroline Signori-Müller, Francisco Carvalho Diniz, Luciano Pereira, Martin Acosta, Martin Gilpin, Manuel J. Marca Zevallos, Carlos A. Salas Yupayccana, Flor M. Perez-Mullisaca, Halina Jancoski, Marina Corrêa Scalon, Beatriz Schwantes Marimon, Ben Hur Marimon Junior, Yadvinder Malhi, Imma Oliveras Menor, Lucy Rowland, Patrick Meir, Paulo Bittencourt, Antonio Carlos Lola Da Costa, João Antônio R. Santos, Renata Teixeira De Oliveira, Adriane Esquivel-Muelbert, Esteban Álvarez-Dávila, Miguel N. Alexiades, Edmar Almeida De Oliveira, Ana Andrade

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Amazon rainforests face intensifying water stress due to increases in vapour pressure deficit and changing hydrological regimes. Embolism resistance (Ψ₅₀) is a critical metric of tree survival under drought conditions, it is defined as a plant’s capacity to resist disruption of xylem water flow due to air bubble formation from water stress. However, measurements of Ψ₅₀ are only available for a limited number of Amazon locations and species. Conversely, data on forest taxonomic composition are abundant across Amazonia, and if Ψ₅₀ is conserved phylogenetically, these data could provide a way to scale-up drought resistance patterns. Here …

Tree Diversity Is Changing Across Tropical Andean And Amazonian Forests In Response To Global Change, B. Fadrique, F. Costa, F. Cuesta, G. Arellano, L. Cayuela, T. R. Baker, F. C. Draper, A. Esquivel-Muelbert, H. Ter Steege, M. Bauters, J. Aguirre-Gutiérrez, Z. Aguirre-Mendoza, M. N. Alexiades, E. Alvarez-Davila, E. Arets, E. Ayala, C. G.A. Aymard, F. Baccaro, S. Báez, C. Baraloto, R. I. Barbosa, P. Barbosa Camargo, J. Barlow, P. E. Barni, J. Barroso, M. Benchimol, A. C. Bennett, E. Berenguer, L. Blanc, D. Bonal

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Climate and atmospheric changes are impacting forest function and structure worldwide, but their effects on tropical forest diversity are unclear. Nowhere is the scientific challenge greater than in the Andes and the Amazon, which together include the world’s most diverse forests. Here, using 406 permanent plots spanning four decades of intact lowland and montane forest dynamics, we test for long-term change in species richness and assess the influence of climate and other variables. We show that, at a continental scale, species richness appears stable, but this masks substantial regional variation. Species richness increased in Northern Andean and Western Amazon plots, …

Designing A Systemic Intervention For Student Loneliness And Social Connectedness Using A Mixed-Methods, Co-Creation Approach, Sophie Homer, Jackie Andrade, Jon May, Edward Meinert, Madison Milne-Ives, Onshell Relf, Alvise Rogers, Emily Cornford, Rebecca Richardson

School of Psychology

Loneliness and social (dis)connectedness are significant public health concerns, particularly among university students. Despite calls to reconceptualise loneliness as a systemic issue, interventions typically target individual students. This series of studies used a sequential mixed-methods and participatory action approach to explore students’ social experiences and co-design a digital health solution. Focus groups (Study One) and a survey (Study Two) revealed that students see universities as partly responsible for their social connectedness, with perceptions of campus space being key. These insights informed the co-design of MAPP (Study Three), a preventative, system-focused digital solution. MAPP is an interactive campus map that visualises …

Does Increasing Human Impact Across The Holocene Result In Simplification Of Vegetation Composition And Diversity Across Europe? A Pollen-Based Spatio-Temporal Approach, Caterina Röhm, Maria Antonia Serge, Ralph Fyfe, François Gillet, Laurent Marquer, Agnès Lagnoux, Thierry Klein, Didier Galop, Florence Mazier

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Land use and climate change are the primary drivers of current biodiversity loss, but have had different impacts on biodiversity across the Holocene epoch. To enhance our understanding of current changes in diversity and its impact on ecosystem functions, knowledge of long-term interactions between vegetation diversity, land use change, and climatic change is crucial. Grid-cell estimates of quantified regional vegetation cover (RV_est) based on pollen data from 1607 sites across Europe, transformed using the REVEALS (Regional Vegetation Estimates from Large Sites) model, have been used to explore spatiotemporal changes in vegetation and regional diversity during the Holocene (25 …

Delivering Inclusive Cultural Offers For Social Prescribing: A Realist Evaluation Involving Older People From Global Majority Backgrounds And Cultural Sector Providers In The Uk, Debra Westlake, Kamal R. Mahtani, Geoffrey Wong, Jordan Gorenberg, Marta Santillo, Kerryn Husk, Sofia Vougioukalou, Ruthanne Baxter, Shoba Dawson, Caroline M. Potter, Harriet Warburton, Beth Mcdougall, Stephanie Tierney

Peninsula Medical School

Introduction: Research shows cultural activities benefit older people's wellbeing, but little is known about why individuals from global majority (minority ethnic) groups engage less with the mainstream cultural sector, or how it could adapt to meet their needs and encourage engagement. The TOUS study (Tailoring cultural Offers with and for diverse older Users of Social prescribing) investigated the question: What tailoring is needed, how, when and for whom, to optimise cultural offers as part of social prescribing for older people (aged 60+) from global majority groups?. Methods: The TOUS study involved focused ethnographies with six cultural-sector organisations throughout the United …

Temporal Linkages Of Explosive Activity Of Kolumbo And Santorini Volcanoes (Greece), Abigail Metcalfe, Katharina Pank, Steffen Kutterolf, Jonas Preine, Paraskevi Nomikou, Christian Hübscher, Thomas A. Ronge, Sarah Beethe, A Bernard, Carole Berthod, Hehe Chen, Shun Chiyonobu, Acacia Clark, Susan Debari, Tatiana Fernandez-Perez, Ralf Gertisser, Christopher Jones, Raymond Johnston, Kumar Batuk Joshi, Jens Karstens, Günther Kletetschka, Olga Koukousioura, Hao Yang Lee, Xiaohui Li, Michael Manga, Molly Mccanta, Iona Mcintosh, Tony Morris, Dimitrios Papanikolaou, Ally Peccia

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

The histories of submarine explosive volcanoes are commonly poorly known due to inaccessibility of their eruptive archives. This raises uncertainties in the eruption frequencies of these highly hazardous systems, and in their interactions with neighboring volcanoes. The submarine Kolumbo Volcanic Chain (KVC) northeast of Santorini is made up of the polygenetic Kolumbo Volcano and a linear zone of more than 20 smaller volcanic cones and is one of the most active eruptive centers on the South Aegean Volcanic Arc. However, despite the destructive eruption of Kolumbo in 1650 CE, and unrest in 2024–2025, the eruptive history of the KVC is …

Comparison Of Three Temperate Rainforest Climate Envelopes For Britain And Ireland: Where Could Our Rainforest Be?, Katerina Chernyuk, Thomas R. Murphy, James Buckley, Mary O'Shaughnessy, Markus P. Eichhorn

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Restoration of natural habitats is now recognised as a priority in both political and scientific circles. Temperate rainforests are internationally rare and endangered habitats, which are delineated from other woody biomes by high year-round rainfall and moderate temperatures, and are restricted to mid-latitude zones of the globe. With Britain and Ireland harbouring up to 40% of the potential range of European rainforest, this is a crucial region for their protection and restoration. Recent investment in tree planting and restoration initiatives in Ireland and Britain highlight the need for informed planning of native habitat and woodland creation to ensure long-term stability …

Exploring The Experience Of Co-Designing Mental Health Services In The National Health Service As An Expert By Experience, Annabelle Mccall, Peta Temple, River Rose, Pete Keohane, Lealah Hewitt-Johns

School of Psychology

PurposeThe number of Experts by Experience (EbE) working in mental health services has grown in recent years. The National Health Service (NHS) five-year plan states EbE should be used across different levels, including service delivery, design and commissioning. While current research explores the role of EbE in service delivery, little is known about their experiences of co-designing services. This study aims to explore EbE experiences of co-designing NHS mental health services.Design/methodology/approachThis research used qualitative semi-structured interviews with ten participants who had worked on projects focused on co-designing NHS mental health services as an EbE. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic …

Biochar To Improve The Thermal Performance Of Living Wall Systems: Laboratory Assessment Of Three Planting Substrates, Joao Alencastro, Thomas Murphy, Jack Morewood, Steve Goodhew

School of Art, Design and Architecture

Living wall systems (LWSs) help to alleviate the climate and biodiversity harms associated with buildings and bring benefits to building occupants. Their performance can be variable and existing research points to the planting substrate as a key design factor. This study provides quantitative evidence on the physical, thermal and moisture performance of three planting substrates that vary according to the proportion of biochar added to green waste compost (GWC). Thermal conductivity (Wm−1 K−1), thermal resistivity (mK W−1), volumetric moisture content (%) and mass (g) are measured for each fraction, replicated six times. Controlled drying procedures were employed, measuring these properties …

Laboratory Evaluation Of Armie, A Portable Sps30-Based Low-Cost Sensor Node For Pm 2.5 Monitoring., Asbjørn Kloppenborg, Louise B Frederickson, Rasmus Ø Nielsen, Clive E Sabel, Tue Skallgaard, Jakob Löndahl, Jose G C Laurent, Torben Sigsgaard

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

BACKGROUND: Low-cost particulate matter sensors have enabled new opportunities for exposure monitoring but require evaluation before application in epidemiological studies. This study assessed the performance of the SPS30 sensor integrated into the ARMIE portable monitoring sensor-node under controlled laboratory conditions.

METHODS: Sensors were co-located with two comparison instruments-the optical DustTrak photometer and the combined Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer (SMPS) and Aerodynamic Particle Sizer (APS)-across multiple aerosol sources, including candle burning, cooking, cigarette smoke, and clean air, under both regular and high-humidity conditions. Calibration performance was evaluated using leave-one-sensor-out and leave-one-source-out approaches.

RESULTS: The ARMIE node demonstrated strong agreement with the …

Climate Change Impacts On Forest Canopy Temperatures: From Mechanisms To Implications, William Hagan Brown

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Forests are a vital interface between the biosphere and the atmosphere. As global temperatures rise due to increasing anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, it is important to understand the response of forest tree canopy leaf temperature (T_can). Additionally, understanding variation in T_can and regulation across species within ecosystems is crucial for understanding how climate change affects plants. Thus, this research aimed to measure T_can in temperate and tropical forests under contrasting environmental conditions to advance understanding of T_can. At the Birmingham Institute of Forest Research Free-Air CO₂ Enrichment (BIFoR-FACE) site, continuous thermal infrared (TIR) …

Evaluating Blanket Mire Vegetation Recovery Following Hydrological Restoration, With Specific Focus On The Influence Of Molinia Caerulea, Oscar Kemble

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

This thesis evaluates the ecological processes involved in passive blanket peatland vegetation restoration following hydrological rewetting and evaluates the role of Molinia caerulea tussock development as a barrier to blanket mire vegetation establishment. Using data collected from restoration pools and terrestrial peat surfaces across blanket bog habitats on Dartmoor National Park, vegetation responses to rewetting over timescales of up to 10 years were evaluated. Observations were made on the restorative processes of terrestrialisation in pools and paludification of the terrestrial peat surface, and on the role of M. caerulea tussocks in shaping microclimates and vegetation assemblages. Results show that aquatic …

Quantifying The Lower Limits Of Plastic Detection With Absorption Features And Mesma Spectral Unmixing Over Sentinel-2 Satellite Imagery, James Delaney

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Plastic pollution is a widespread environmental issue, with larger macroplastic objects resulting in harm to the environment, economies, and human health. Satellite remote sensing can detect plastic over widespread areas, but quantifying plastic on the spatial scale within sensor pixels (sub-pixel) in imagery poses challenges to medium-resolution sensors. Determining the factors affecting the ability of plastic to be detected at small scales within satellite imagery and testing little-explored spectral unmixing sub-pixel plastic quantification on these open-source satellite images can increase the value extracted from this data source. Spectral measurements of plastic packaging at changing abundances were measured using a hyperspectral …

Characterisation Of Biodegradable Polymers And Their Degradation In The Environment, Robyn Barrett

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

The escalating accumulation of persistent plastic waste necessitates the transition to sustainable materials, with bio-based and/or biodegradable polymers increasingly adopted for applications, such as forestry tree shelters, where retrieval is costly and impractical. However, the true environmental fate and long-term stability of these complex bio-based and/or biodegradable polymer products remain uncertain. This uncertainty is exacerbated by reliance on conventional degradation assessments that employ indirect metrics (e.g., carbonyl index, CO$_2$ evolution) under ideal laboratory conditions, often failing to predict performance in the heterogeneous and complex natural environment. This research addressed this critical analytical gap by establishing a high-resolution, untargeted chemical framework …

Assessing Past Storm And Tsunami Events With Coastal Boulder Deposits: Implications For Offshore And Coastal Renewable Energy Infrastructure, Storm Roberts

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Coastal boulder deposits are found on coastlines worldwide, transported inland by extreme storm or tsunami events. These deposits are understudied, yet hold unique information about the magnitude of the waves which emplaced them, enabling the addition of new events to the storm and tsunami record. However, boulder transport by storm waves is commonly misidentified as tsunami events, traditional methods for calculating boulder size are outdated, the influence of boulder shape on transport is understudied, there are difficulties making comparisons between physical experiments and field data, and commonly used equations for estimating wave flow velocities from boulders have been shown to …

Intertidal Seagrass Meadows In South West England: The Ecology Of Expansion, Oliver Thomas

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Within the space of a decade, intertidal sediments in the Tamar estuary, South West England, have undergone a shift from unvegetated mudflats to dense perennial seagrass habitat. Yet despite the increasing prevalence of intertidal seagrass meadows in the South West, there are large knowledge gaps relating to intertidal meadow biodiversity, function and ecosystem service provision, particularly within the context of the estuarine meadows of the South West: as such we do not fully understand the implications of this recent colonisation within the Tamar. This study aims to characterise the spatial expansion of these newly-established Zostera marina meadows using Earth observation …

Application Of Coastal Change Management Areas (Ccmas) For Coastal Adaptation To Climate Change Impacts In Sw England, Josie-Alice Kirby

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Coastal Change Management Areas (CCMAs) were introduced into the English planning system in 2012 to enable anticipatory management of long-term coastal change. However, their implementation has been limited and inconsistent, reflecting uncertainty in how future shoreline change should be defined and translated into statutory planning boundaries. This thesis addresses the gap between national coastal adaptation policy and the scientific evidence required to support its practical application.The research combines policy analysis, geomorphological classification and probabilistic modelling to develop a structured framework for delineating areas of future coastal change. Chapter 2 evaluates the national implementation of CCMAs and demonstrates substantial variability in …

Testing The Transferability Of Ai Models For Cold-Water Coral Detection And Classification, Kyran P. Graves, Louise Allcock, David K.A. Barnes, Amelia E.H. Bridges, Kerry L. Howell

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

The proliferation of accessible deep-water imaging platforms has resulted in the acquisition of vast amounts of image data, resulting in an analysis bottleneck. Object detection is now being applied to assist the image annotation process, with the potential to reduce analysis time. However, for object detectors to effectively tackle the scale of the challenge, models need to be generalisable to allow the transfer between imaging platforms and in space. This study trains YOLOv5 object detection models to identify six coral morphology groups using annotated imagery collected by ROV ISIS in the UK (JC136). Model performance was tested with independent datasets …

Lower Suicidal Ideation Linked To Easier Access To Urban Green Spaces During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Nationwide Study In Japan, Zheng Xian, Tomoki Nakaya, Clive E. Sabel, Ryo Okubo, Kun Liu, Jinguang Zhang, Takahiro Tabuchi

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Urban green spaces (UGSs) have been linked to improved mental health and lower suicide rates, yet their protective role during large-scale crises remains underexplored. We examined associations of UGS accessibility with long-term and pandemic induced new-onset suicidal ideation during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in urban Japan, using data from a nationwide health survey of 17,376 participants (August 2020). Modified Poisson regression models estimated prevalence ratios (PRs) for suicidal ideation by UGS accessibility (area, number, and type) within 5, 10, and 15-minute walking thresholds from home, controlling for individual and area-level confounders. UGS accessibility exhibited dose-response relationships with …

Direct And Indirect Metal Contamination Of Estuarine Sediments By Boat Paint Particles, Andrew Turner, Ho Kwan Cheung

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Surface and subsurface estuarine sediments close to a cluster of abandoned boats have been fractionated (between <250 and 5000 μm) and analysed microscopically for paint particles. Paints were encountered in all samples, with concentrations calculated for whole sediment samples up to 1450 per kg (dry weight). X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis of paint particles retained by the coarsest (>5000 μm) size fraction revealed heterogeneous concentrations of Ba, Cu, Pb, Sn and Zn that reflect pigments and antifoulants used in various recent and historical antifouling and above waterline boat paints. Analysis of sediments by XRF revelated heterogeneous distributions of these metals between locations, size fractions and depths, and among replicate measurements at different positions of the same sample. Consequently, no relationship with grain size (evaluated using Rb as a proxy) was evident and concentrations often greatly exceeded predicted effect levels for sediments. Re-analysis …

Assessing The Application Of Optical-Photothermal Infrared Spectroscopy For Single-Grain Chemical Palynology, Laura Scoble, Hao Meng, Simon J. Ussher, Mark F. Fitzsimons, Lauren Ansell, Mustafa Kansiz, Billy Simmonds, Nick Stone, Ralph M. Fyfe

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Single-grain pollen analysis is essential for advancing chemical palynology, which classifies morphologically similar taxa based on taxon-specific pollen and sporopollenin chemistry. Fourier-Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and microspectroscopy (μFT-IR) are widely used to differentiate morphologically similar grains but face limitations from Mie scattering and coarse spatial resolution. Here, we present the first application of Optical-PhotoThermal Infrared (O-PTIR) spectroscopy to chemically treated single pollen grains, using Molinia caerulea as a model taxon to fully test and evaluate the technical capabilities and limitations of this technique. O-PTIR achieves sub-micron “super-resolution” infrared spectroscopy through non-contact, non-destructive measurements by exploiting the photothermal effect. O-PTIR spectra …

An Investigation Of The Perceived Effects Of, And Preparedness For, Climate Change On Tourism Stakeholders In The North Devon Unesco Biosphere, Mai Albaek

Plymouth Business School Theses

This thesis investigates the perceived effects of climate change and the level of preparedness among tourism stakeholders and local residents in the North Devon UNESCO Biosphere (NDUB), a protected area in southwest England. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study draws on quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews with residents, tourism-related business owners, and industry professionals to explore how climate change is understood, experienced, and addressed at the local level. The research is underpinned by stakeholder theory and collaboration theory, which are operationalised to examine the dynamics of climate perception, adaptation, and collective action. Findings reveal that while concern about climate change …

Agglomeration Dynamics And Firm Typologies In African Port-Industrial Clusters: Evidence From The Port Of Tema, Ghana, George Kobina Vandyck, Jonas Aryee, George Acheampong, Annette Skovsted Hansen

Plymouth Business School

Firm-level behaviour within port-industrial clusters shapes regional competitiveness, yet empirical evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa remains scarce. This study analyses how firms within the Port of Tema industrial cluster in Ghana engage with collaboration, resource access, and innovation dynamics, applying evolutionary, institutional, and network-relational perspectives. A cross-sectional survey of 278 firms within a 10-km radius of the port was analysed using K-means clustering and validated through ANOVA and Chi-square tests. Four firm typologies were identified: Collaborative Integrators, who leverage cooperation to achieve superior market and financial access; Dynamic Coopetitors, balancing competitive and cooperative ties; Competitive Innovators, maintaining selective engagement; and Isolated …

Children And Adults Across 15 Countries Believe In Human Uniqueness Of Mind: A Cross-Cultural Investigation Of Cross-Species Mind Perception, Karri Neldner, Luke Maurits, Magie Junker, Lara Abbas, Nayrouz Abbas, Arianna Abis, Federica Amici, Bernardo Arroyo-Garcia, Negar Asghari, Giovanna Barragán Pardo, Zhen Zhang, Junior Peña Chumacero, Ardain Dzabatou, Dustin Eirdosh, Susan Hanisch, Tom Herrnsdorf, Tom Hovehne, Alicia Junker, Patricia Kanngiesser, Felipe Villa Larens, Safaa Mahmoud, Sandra Masaquiza, Iino Masato, Risma Illa Maulany, Tongtong Meng, Kardelen Mutlu, Putu Oka Ngakan, Ebru Peközer, Ljubica Petrović, Mirella Christy Rehatalanit

School of Psychology

The way humans relate to other animals is fundamentally shaped by whether we perceive ourselves as unique, with feelings and thoughts not shared by other animals. How beliefs about animals’ ability to feel and think develop across cultures remains largely unexplored. We asked children and adolescents (4–17 years, N = 1025) and adults (N = 190) from 33 urban and rural communities across 15 countries whether animals have thoughts or feelings (judgments of presence), and whether those thoughts or feelings are human-like (judgments of similarity). Bayesian analyses revealed that participants generally ascribed non-human animals the ability for thoughts and feelings. …

Growth In The Margins: Field Measured Protein Metabolism Rates In The Common Limpet, Patella Vulgata, Ignacio A. Cienfuegos, Benjamin J. Ciotti, Richard A. Billington, Paul A. Sutton, Keiron P.P. Fraser

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Intertidal shores are characterised by a high variability in abiotic conditions, resulting in marked daily, tidal, seasonal and vertical differences in stress conditions, yet our ability to understand the consequences for key physiological processes at corresponding scales are limited. In particular, no previous studies have directly measured protein metabolism, the key process underpinning animal growth, in the field, in any organism. We measured whole-animal (SGR) and tissue (TSGR) mass growth, protein metabolism (synthesis (k_s), degradation (k_d) and growth (k_g)), RNA to protein ratios and oxidative stress in Patella vulgata in the field every season …

Using Real-World Observational Data To Stratify Risk And Predict Outcomes In Chronic Liver Disease, Kristopher Bennett

Peninsula Medical School Theses

Background: Chronic liver disease (CLD) is increasing globally, driven by metabolic and alcohol-related aetiologies. Late diagnosis is common due to a prolonged, subclinical fibrotic phase preceding advanced disease (ACLD). Current pathways and cross-sectional fibrosis tests have poor sensitivity in low-prevalence settings and limited population-scale availability. Predicting future ACLD in primary care offers opportunities for earlier diagnosis and prevention, but few suitable clinical prediction models (CPMs) exist.Aim: To review existing general-population liver prediction models and develop CPMs for incident ACLD in unselected primary care populations using routinely collected data.Methods: A systematic review and PROBAST+AI appraisal of fourteen CPMs (median …

Planetarity And Relation: Ecology As Method, Ashish Ghadiali

School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses

The List of Works submitted comprises research through film, text, exhibition, performance and policy engagement, developed during a three-year period from 2021 to 2024 in the site-specific location of Southwest England. This multi-modal and interdisciplinary practice is framed in response to the question of how art and cultural strategy can, in the contexts of climate breakdown and global racial inequity, be conceived of as agency for environmental justice. In this integrative summary, I present a theoretical framework where ecology, in response to conditions of environmental crisis, is understood not only as a subject of inquiry but also as method. In …

Reimagining Mathematics Education: A Practitioner Inquiry Into Critical Pedagogy, Lesson Study, And Teacher Agency In England, Derek Robinson

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences Theses

AbstractThis thesis investigates how mathematics educators can reclaim pedagogical agency within an English education system dominated by performativity, compliance, and examination-driven accountability. Grounded in critical pedagogy and drawing on six decades of professional experience, it offers a practitioner-led, reflexive inquiry into how pedagogical beliefs, professional identity, and teacher agency are formed, constrained, and reconstituted over time within particular institutional and policy contexts.The study adopts narrative inquiry as its overarching methodology, operationalised through personal memory work, critical-incident reflection, and historical policy analysis. Professional experience is treated not as anecdote but as analytic data, interrogated through multiple reflexive lenses to reveal how …

Navigating The Digital Shift In Mozambique: Teacher Agency And Digital Learning In Schools, Clive Ruraca

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences Theses

The educational technology industry frequently promotes the idea of a significant paradigm shift, proposing that technology can supplant traditional, transmission-based pedagogies such as ‘tell and practice’ approaches. In theory, this perspective positions digital tools as catalysts for systemic educational reform, capable of replacing rote learning with dynamic, technology-supported models (Voogt et al., 2013; Wang et al., 2024; Casilli & Posada, 2019). Employing an interpretative, empirical methodology, involving questionnaires and interviews with secondary school teachers. Data from this study are used to explore teachers’ experiences with digital learning tools through the lens of Activity Theory. This study examines the digital shift …