Digital Commons Network^™

Applications Of Evolutionary Algorithms In Wind Farm Layout Optimisation, Pawel Manikowski

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

The transformation from fossil fuels to renewable energy is gaining momentum. Countries worldwide are investing significant funds and resources in this shift. The motivations for this change include political, environmental, and social factors, among others. In the UK, which is surrounded by the ocean and experiences strong winds, offshore wind farms are seen as the most viable source of renewable energy. It is anticipated that by 2030, all electricity in the UK will be generated by wind turbines. Hence, the optimisation of the wind farm layouts is the desired direction of research in the UK.In Chapter 3, we discussed the …

Understanding The Support And Information Needs Of Family Members After Acquired Brain Injury: A Systematic Review, Craig Andrews, Alyson Norman, Sue Jackson, Mark Holloway

School of Psychology

The aim of this systematic review was to (a) identify the specific information and support needs of family members caring for ABI survivors and (b) assess the effectiveness of current support systems and resources available. A comprehensive search of the literature was carried out, focusing on studies that were published between the years 2000 and 2025. Seventeen studies met the inclusion criteria. The review employed a narrative synthesis approach to collate findings across papers. The analysis identified five key themes: ABI Knowledge, The Strain of Unsupported Transitions, Emotional and Financial Cost, ABI Support Groups, and Supporting Social Connectedness. The findings …

Self-Guided Functional Imagery Training To Reduce Anxiety, Jackie Andrade, Stephanie Hartgen-Walker, Caroline Morgan, Ayan, Idil Aytekin, Khadijah Sekoni, Kardelen Sengul, Jonathan Rhodes

School of Psychology

Objectives: Many university students experience high anxiety but have limited access to effective interventions. We evaluated a novel digital intervention for anxiety based on functional imagery training (FIT), designed to help individuals identify the impacts of anxiety, set engagement goals, and strengthen motivation for change. Functional Imagery for Keeping Anxiety low (FIKA) uses speak-aloud tasks, journalling, empathic questions, and personalised guided imagery for a person-centred approach. It builds motivation for engagement goals over safety goals through development and practice of vivid and emotionally laden multisensory imagery. Design: Study 1 used semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis to explore user experiences of …

Optimization Of A Group-Based Intervention For People Living With Severe Obesity (Progroup): Understanding Fidelity To Delivery And The Patient Experience, Lily Hawkins, Mark Tarrant, Shokraneh Moghadam, Dawn Swancutt, Rod Sheaff, Laura Hollands, Jonathan Pinkney, Jenny Lloyd

School of Psychology

Objectives: Understanding the fidelity of delivery of complex health behaviour interventions is crucial in determining their effectiveness and identifying aspects needing refinement. PROGROUP is a group-based intervention for people with severe obesity. It aims to promote a shared social identity to support behaviour change. Data from a feasibility randomized controlled trial (fRCT) were used to assess fidelity of intervention delivery and the impact on patient experiences, to optimize the intervention for a main trial. Methods: Data from 18 patient and five facilitator interviews, audio and video data of group sessions, two fidelity checklists, support calls and a group processes questionnaire …

“The True Me”: Unravelling The Dual Narrative Of Borderline Personality Disorder And Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Robin Iliffe-Lewis, Alison Bacon

School of Psychology

Objectives: There is growing recognition that some individuals who receive a diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) are later diagnosed with autism. However, existing literature on this topic remains limited. This study aimed to explore the experiences of individuals diagnosed with BPD prior to autism, how they made sense of these diagnoses, navigated clinical systems, and learnt to manage the complex challenges associated with this diagnostic sequence.Methods: Thirteen (6 male, 6 female, 1 non-binary) adult participants took part in semi-structured interviews exploring their diagnostic journeys. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to develop a nuanced understanding of their experiences.Results: Three themes …

Integrating Neuroscience And Social Psychology In Researching Interprofessional Education: The Inspire Framework, Kimberley Schenke, Pamela Rae, Jaysan Charlesford, Phil Gee

School of Psychology

There is an increasing focus on the importance of interprofessional education as an integral part of health and social care training. However, the fundamental psychological processes underlying successful interprofessional education are not well understood. Here we propose a single framework, Integrating Neuroscience and Social Psychology In Researching Interprofessional Education (INSPIRE), grounded in evidence from social psychology and neuroscience that could be used to generate testable hypotheses to inform the design, development and evaluation of interprofessional education. The application of this framework offers a novel, scientifically grounded approach to improving the learning outcomes of interprofessional education and provides a foundation for …

Video Interaction Guidance With Adults With Intellectual Disabilities And Their Support Workers: A Service Evaluation, Áine Maguire, Vicky Anagnostopoulou, Joe Levi-French, Deanna J. Gallichan

School of Psychology

Background: This service evaluation focused on support workers' perceptions of Video Interaction Guidance (VIG) offered by an NHS Community Learning Disabilities Team. Methods: A mixed-methods design was employed. Support workers developed goals and rated their progress before and after VIG sessions. Thematic analysis was used to analyse qualitative data on the nature of the goals developed, and the strengths and working points identified. The differences between progress ratings before and after VIG were analysed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Retrospective interviews helped to further understand support workers' experiences of VIG. Findings: Support workers identified goals, strengths and working points that …

Navigating Knowledge: Effects Of State Curiosity On Children's Word Learning And Information Seeking [Registered Report]: Effects Of State Curiosity On Children's Word Learning And Information Seeking, Anna Caunt, Shaun Dordoy, Rana Abu-Zhaya, Alastair Smith

School of Psychology

Early learning takes place within complex, multimodal environments where curiosity plays a critical role in guiding exploratory behaviors and supporting cognitive development. While trait curiosity shapes children’s early learning experiences, state curiosity is context-dependent fostering early learning, in-part, through information seeking behaviors. Here, we explore whether state-induced curiosity can influence exploratory behaviors and facilitate word learningwithin a multimodal search task that mirrors real-world learning environments.Children (2.5- to 4-year-olds) will be introduced to novel objects and labels via a storybook. After exposure to each novel object, participants will locate the target object (i.e., a sticker depicting the novel object), hidden within …

Does My Job Love Me? - A Story Of Transforming While Investigating Newly Qualified Teachers’ Knowledge Of And Practices In Early Reading., Ali Beaman

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences Theses

For nearly 50 years, a vast amount of evidence shows that a Phonological Awareness (PA) deficit is a primary risk factor for reading difficulties (Wagner and Torgesen, 1978 and Kilpatrick, 2012, 2016, 2019). The initial aim of my research in early 2019 was to investigate, over a period of a year, Newly Qualified Teachers’ (NQTs’) knowledge of and practices in early reading, with a specific focus on NQTs' knowledge and understanding of PA. Policy for Education in England requires all teachers to show effective early reading education (Rose, 2009 and Department for Education and Employment, 1998a). According to the Teachers’ …

Plymouth Naval Command: A Study Of Interservice Co-Operation During The Second World War, James Bartle

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences Theses

This thesis examines the role of ideas of interservice co-operation in the operations of Plymouth Naval Command during the Second World War. The importance of naval shore commands has been a significant omission from studies of the war at sea. Located at strategic points around Britain, they were vital in controlling the flow of convoy shipping, while also co-ordinating attacks against enemy surface forces and submarines. This was achieved using a marriage of air and sea power between the Royal Navy and Coastal Command, a relationship that was developed during the 1920s and 1930s. Using Plymouth Command as an entry …

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 …

Exploring The Potential Use Of Tead Inhibition As Part Of A Combination Therapy For Nf2-Deficient Schwannoma And Meningioma., Jamie Blake

Peninsula Medical School Theses

NF2-related Schwannomatosis is a genetic cancer predisposition syndrome, resulting in the development of schwannoma, meningioma and ependymoma tumours. Although surgical resection and adjuvant radiotherapy can be used, new avenues of therapeutic development are essential to target inoperable and recurrent tumours. Previous studies evaluating small molecule TEAD auto-palmitoylation inhibitors have distinguished their anti-proliferative effect in NF2-deficient cancers. Here we aim to identify compounds that could be utilised in conjunction with TEAD inhibition, to target aberrant Hippo signalling and secondary resistance mechanisms. We utilised immortalised and primary cells to evaluate the efficacy and potential synergism of TEAD inhibitors VT3989 and VT107 in …

Virtually Painless: An Investigation Into The Therapeutic Potential Of Virtual Natural Environments For Chronic Low Back Pain, Alexander Smith

School of Psychology Theses

Chronic pain conditions represent one of the greatest causes of disability in the UK, affecting up to 28 million people nationwide. Despite its prevalence, chronic low back pain (cLBP) in particular remains poorly served by existing treatments. Growing evidence suggests that engagement with natural environments provides analgesic and restorative benefits, yet access to nature is profoundly limited for people living with chronic pain. This thesis investigated whether a codesigned, immersive virtual reality (VR) nature experience could deliver meaningful pain relief to individuals with cLBP, drawing on Attention Restoration Theory (ART) and Stress Reduction Theory (SRT) as key theoretical frameworks. The …

Seeing Anxiety: Ecological Video Ethnography And Simulation To Understand Anxiety And Decision-Making In Dental Care, Mona Nasser, Hannah Drayson, Sally Hanks, Nicholas Peres, Michael Punt

Peninsula Dental School

BACKGROUND: Dental anxiety is a widespread barrier to care, often contributing to appointment avoidance, treatment disruption, and emotional strain for both patients and clinicians. While extensively studied as a psychological trait, less attention has been paid to how anxiety manifests situationally and relationally, through non-verbal, affective, and spatial cues within clinical encounters. Moreover, in certain contexts, such affective signals can intersect with decision-making processes, shaping how patients interpret, engage with, or withdraw from clinical choices.

OBJECTIVE: To explore how anxiety manifests within the micro-choreography of dental encounters, develop a taxonomy of 'anxious tells', and assess the utility of ecological video …

Can The 2025 Nobel Prizes In Physics And Economics Inspire A “Quantum” Turn In Tourism Research?, Waqas Ali

Plymouth Business School

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Conflicting Cognitions In Changing Hazardous Consumer Behaviour, Krzysztof Kubacki, Krzysztof Stepaniuk, Dariusz Siemieniako, Karolina Małagocka, Chrystyna Misiewicz

Plymouth Business School

Despite diverse approaches deployed worldwide to address harmful alcohol consumption, understanding binge drinking as a hazardous consumption behaviour remains a pressing issue in marketing and consumer behaviour research. Thus, this study examines the role of cognitive dissonance – and its absence – in facilitating transitions between different phases of binge drinking. Drawing on 38 biographical interviews conducted in Australia, the Netherlands, Poland, and the United States, we identify six instances where cognitive dissonance, or the absence thereof, contributes to the transition into, between, and out of phases of binge drinking. By examining conflicting cognitions that emerge from the gaps between …

Leveraging Natural Language Processing Methods For Next Generation Customer Service In Telecommunications Industry, Hesham Abdelmotaleb

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

This research explores application of Natural Language Processing (NLP) methods to better understand and improve customer service feedback in telecom industry. We collect novel reallife datasets of customer reviews and social media comments within British telecommunication industry over one year. Then, we apply three main modelling approaches. First, we study topic modelling for short text: we propose a new evaluation metric for GSDMM model and demonstrate that our metric helps to choose meaningful topics when texts are very brief. Second, we perform an extensive comparative study of word embedding models for text classification: we test nine word embedding and feature …

A Psychosocial And Psychometric Exploration Of Hikikomori In The Uk, Gregory Gorman

School of Psychology Theses

Hikikomori - originally identified in Japan as a severe form of social withdrawal - has evolved into a global phenomenon mirroring broader transformations in labour, technology, and identity. Once deemed a culture-bound syndrome, it is increasingly understood as a “society-bound” expression of psychosocial strain, existential unease, and retreat from normative life scripts. This thesis advances understanding of hikikomori by developing and validating psychometric tools, identifying subtypes of withdrawal, and situating the phenomenon within wider socio-cultural, digital, and philosophical frameworks.Empirical chapters detail the development of two novel tools: the Hikikomori Risk Inventory-13 (HRI-13) and the expanded Hikikomori Syndrome Behaviour Scale (HSBS). …

A Balm For The Broken: Bearing The Scars And Songs Of Generational Survival In A World That Denies Our Humanity, Desmond Beach

School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses

“We survived to tell the tale.” This dissertation explores the intersections of visual art, Black cultural memory, and spiritual labor through a body of creative and scholarly work rooted in Black textile traditions. Informed by the artist’s upbringing in West Baltimore and shaped by the spiritual and communal practices of the Black church, the research considers artmaking as a form of ritual, resistance, and remembrance. Patchwork, performance, and mixed media installations become not only expressive gestures but also repositories of intergenerational memory, sites of ancestral presence, and acts of survival that exceed mere endurance.The dissertation integrates creative production with critical …

Plastic Pollution: Investigating Environmental Pathways And Critically Evaluating Interventions, Florence Parker-Jurd

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Plastics are lightweight, versatile, and durable materials used in the manufacture of a wide range of products. Innovation in the early 1950’s facilitated a dramatic reduction in production costs with the potential to mass produce inexpensive convenience items intended for single use applications. As a consequence, plastic production has grown exponentially over the last 75 years, and a throw away culture of single use has become deeply engrained in modern society. Plastic production exceeds 450 million tonne/yr, substantially exceeding our capacity to manage associated waste resulting in pollution accumulating in every compartment of the natural environment. While plastic pollution has …

Coral Reef Fishes In Different Hard And Soft Coral-Dominated Reef Habitats, Ana Coelho

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Understanding how fish communities respond to different coral habitats is essential for predicting the future resilience of coral reef ecosystems. This study tested whether fish assemblages differ between hard and soft coral–dominated reef plots and among coral genera. We predicted higher fish abundance and more frequent benthic interactions in hard coral plots, and genus-specific differences in community composition, behaviour, and time spent within plots. This study examined fish species diversity, richness, abundance, behaviour, and the time spent in coral habitats. The analysis encompassed seven coral genera in an Indo-Pacific reef system. Twenty 2 × 2 m reef areas, each dominated …

Influence Of Ecological Transitions On The Evolution Of Circadian And Light Detection Genes In Squamates, Isobel Sleep

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Circadian rhythms are self-sustaining, endogenous processes that align behaviour and physiology with daily environmental cycles. Rhythms are regulated by conserved genes forming transcriptional feedback loops and are entrained by environmental cues (e.g., light). Circadian systems are well studied in model organisms, their molecular evolution in squamates (lizards and snakes) remains less understood. Squamates represent the most species-rich reptile group with extensive ecological and sensory diversity, exhibiting multiple independent transitions across ecological niches, including repeated shifts into low-light environments (e.g., nocturnality, fossoriality), making them ideal for examining circadian and light-associated gene evolution. This study investigates how ecological transitions have influenced the …

Improving Primary Initial Teacher Training (Itt) Trainees’ Confidence In Mathematics Teaching, Pinar Gumus

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences Theses

This research aimed to investigate how primary ITT trainees’ confidence in teaching mathematics could be improved through the curriculum coherence approach. A convergent mixed-method case study design was employed, collecting both quantitative and qualitative data from undergraduate trainees over three years via questionnaires. University mathematics tutors and selected school-based mentors were also interviewed using a semi-structured format.Following the analysis of the first year’s questionnaires, a new mathematics curriculum was designed for the second year of the study. As required by DfE and Ofsted, teaching plans and resources incorporated conceptual mathematics techniques, theory-practice links, and the Core Content Framework (CCF). The …

“We're Just Glorified Babysitters.” : Early Years Educators' Perspective On Learning And Expertism, Hayley Fisher

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences Theses

This qualitative study explores early years educators’ perceptions of learning and expertise, emphasising how they experience, develop, and articulate their professional knowledge in early childhood education. Based on ten in-depth semi-structured interviews, it critically examines the often complex and conflicting ways educators view their roles, identities, and professional development. The research is rooted in adult learning theories, including Knowles’ (1972) andragogy, Kolb’s (1984) experiential learning model, and Mezirow’s (1997) transformative learning theory, alongside Eraut’s (1994) work on professional knowledge and expertise, which highlights the relational, practice-based, and social dimensions of knowledge formation. Through thematic analysis, four key themes emerged: expertee-ism, …

"Tell Me About Your Esol Experience": Exploring Language Journeys Through Shared Stories, Rocio Rivero-Gutierrez

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences Theses

This thesis explores the English language learning experiences of ESOL(English for Speakers of Other Languages) participants from southern Spain, examining the interplay between language acquisition, cultural adaptation, andidentity transformation. Grounded in my own ESOL journey — shaped both inSpain and through immersion in an English-speaking context — the studyinvestigates how participants assign meaning to their L2 engagement acrossdiverse social settings, and how English becomes a tool for bothcommunication and personal reinvention. The research adopts a qualitative, narrative-based methodology. The datawere generated through in-depth interviews, small group discussions, andreflective journal entries with nine adult participants, all native Spanishspeakers. Crucially, the data …

Safe Family Therapy Activities And The Emotional Well-Being Of Parents Of Autistic Children, Gamze Camci

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences Theses

This thesis addresses a critical gap in the existing literature on the emotional well-being of parents of autistic children by applying SAFE family therapy activities grounded in the Narrative Attachment Therapy approach through a three-cycle action research design. Stage 1 involved 3 parents as primary participants, with their children present during selected sessions. Stage 2 included 2 families; the primary focus was on 3 parents across these families. Stage 3 engaged 5 therapists. Data were collected through interviews, diaries, questionnaires and therapy recordings. Data from interviews and journals were analysed thematically, whereas questionnaires were analysed idiographically. The first and second …

Designing An Interactive Digital Storytelling Tool To Enhance Key Stage 3 English Literacy: A Design-Based Research Study, Byung Jae Park

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences Theses

Although digital storytelling has transformative potential for language learning, its integration into Key Stage 3 (KS3) education remains unexplored. This thesis explores this topic by developing and evaluating an Interactive Storybook prototype designed for 11–14-year-old learners in a UK educational context.Using an interdisciplinary methodology that combines design-based research, the Delphi approach and constructivist grounded theory, this study involved three groups of experts – academic experts, practising educators and EdTech professionals – across three iterative development cycles. While the prototype was designed specifically for Key Stage 3 learners, the study employed a design appraisal approach instead of classroom piloting, with learner …

Exploring The Reading Motivation And Reading Experiences Of Secondary School Students With Dyslexia In England, Ahmet Kaan Alper

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences Theses

This research examines how a small group of secondary school students with dyslexia in England make sense of their reading experiences and motivation to read across school, home and everyday settings. It responds to concerns that literacy policy and practice foreground accuracy, speed and comparison, leaving limited space for reading for pleasure on students’ own terms. Drawing on Michel Foucault’s concepts, the study treats dyslexia and literacy as historically and institutionally produced categories and explores how discourses, norms and accountability regimes shape what counts as legitimate reading and a motivated reader. The research is grounded in a relativist ontology and …

The Effects Of Altered Partial Pressures Of Gas On Cognitive And Neural Function, Daniel Graham

School of Psychology Theses

Oxygen is central to neural function, yet the precise mechanisms and effects by which varying oxygen levels, whether through Hypoxia, Hyperoxia, or Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT), shape cognition and brain activity remain incomplete. This thesis adopts a novel, multi-modal framework that integrates normobaric gas manipulations, cognitive testing, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), Electroencephalography (EEG), Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), and HBOT to examine how gas and pressure variability influences cognitive, motor, and neural processes. Chapter 3 presents the findings of a preliminary experiment investigating normobaric oxygen manipulations on cognition. Standardised cognitive assessments revealed domain-general impairments (i.e. memory and executive function) under …

Life Cycle Assessment Of Marine Composite Recreational Craft Manufacturing And Operations, Badr Moutik

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

Marine composite recreational craft are growing in number. Sectoral roadmaps for sustainable development are increasing pressure to demonstrate life cycle environmental performance. Life cycle assessment (LCA) has been identified as a key strategic decision support tool. However, current practice is undermined by sparse, non-representative data and methodological inconsistencies. These weaknesses increase the risk of biased or misleading interpretation, constrain wider uptake of LCA, and limit the sector’s ability to respond credibly to tightening environmental sustainability expectations. This thesis assesses the cradle-to-grave environmental impacts of a market-representative glass-fibre reinforced plastic (GRP) motor yacht across 16 impact categories. The research builds on …