Increasing the use of evidence in education policy is an explicit objective of many national and ... more Increasing the use of evidence in education policy is an explicit objective of many national and international policy–making organisations including the European Commission and the Organisation for Economic Co–operation and Development. It is also a growing concern for researchers as a consequence of the decision by many funders and commissioners to require verification of research impact as a condition of funding.
Despite a political climate demanding evidence-informed decision making in education both within ... more Despite a political climate demanding evidence-informed decision making in education both within individual countries and at the international level, empirically grounded European research in this field is scarce. This paper reports on a European Commission-funded study that sought to identify and analyze different initiatives across Europe aimed at furthering research-informed policymaking in education, one of a number of comparative analyses in this emerging field. The nature and extent of activity in this area is outlined and an analytical framework is developed to assist understanding. Potential reasons for the observed variation among countries are discussed, along with some of the methodological and conceptual challenges involved in undertaking empirical work in this area. Practically, it is hoped that the results of the mapping exercise and the framework provide a platform for further empirical and conceptual research on research use, an area of study that until recently has been largely ignored by education researchers.
Empirical Research in Vocational Education and Training, Dec 20, 2013
The world is facing a worsening youth employment crisis. In response, technical and vocational ed... more The world is facing a worsening youth employment crisis. In response, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) is back on the development agenda after years of neglect. This systematic review examined the evidence from studies evaluating the impacts of TVET interventions for young people in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The 26 included studies evaluated 20 different interventions, predominantly from Latin America. Meta-analyses of the effectiveness of TVET on five outcome measure categories were conducted. The overall mean effects on overall paid employment, formal employment, and monthly earnings were small, positive, and significant; however, significant heterogeneity was observed. Moderator analysis was performed in an attempt to explain between-study differences in effects. The overall paucity of research in this area, together with specific gaps and methodological limitations, affirm the need for strengthening the evidence base. Implications for policy, practice and research are discussed.
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of young people’s participation in o... more Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of young people’s participation in organised sport on their educational outcomes.
Design/methodology/approach – Systematic review of the literature. A comprehensive search was used to identify all research evidence about engagement, impact and value in culture and sport. A combination of manual and automated screening was used to select studies for inclusion in this review based on prespecified criteria. Included studies had to use a “high”-quality experimental research design, focus on children and young people and have quantitative educational outcome measures. Results from the individual studies were transformed into a standardised effect size and meta-analysis was used to combine the results from individual studies where appropriate.
Findings – Young people’s participation in sport may lead to improved educational outcomes. Young people’s participation in organised sports activities, when compared to non-participation, improves their numeracy skills. Young people’s participation in organised sport linked with extra-curricular activities, when
compared to non-participation, improves a range of learning outcomes for underachieving pupils. These findings are based on six “high”-quality studies conducted in the UK and North America. Study populations included young people within the range of four to 16 years old.
Originality/value – This paper builds on the existing evidence base in two main ways. First, it focuses specifically on the impacts associated with organised sport whereas previous reviews have had a broader focus. Second, it uses meta-analytic methods to synthesise study findings. This paper provides pooled effect sizes for overall educational impacts and translates these into potential changes in test/grade scores.
Background
Unsafe abortion imposes heavy burdens on both individuals and society, particularly i... more Background
Unsafe abortion imposes heavy burdens on both individuals and society, particularly in low-income countries, many of which have restrictive abortion laws. Providing family planning counseling and services to women following an abortion has emerged as a key strategy to address this issue.
Study Design
This systematic review gathered, appraised and synthesized recent research evidence on the effects of postabortion family planning counseling and services on women in low-income countries.
Results
Of the 2965 potentially relevant records that were identified and screened, 15 studies satisfied the inclusion criteria. None provided evidence on the effectiveness of postabortion family planning counseling and services on maternal morbidity and mortality. One controlled study found that, compared to the group of nonbeneficiaries, women who received postabortion family planning counseling and services had significantly fewer unplanned pregnancies and fewer repeat abortions during the 12-month follow-up period. All 15 studies examined contraception-related outcomes. In the seven studies which used a comparative design, there was greater acceptance and/or use of modern contraceptives in women who had received postabortion family planning counseling and services relative to the no-program group.
Conclusions
The current evidence on the use of postabortion family planning counseling and services in low-income countries to address the problem of unsafe abortion is inconclusive. Nevertheless, the increase in acceptance and/or use of contraceptives is encouraging and has the potential to be further explored. Adequate funding to support robust research in this area of reproductive health is urgently needed."
The purpose of this paper is to provide supplementary information to the interested user on how t... more The purpose of this paper is to provide supplementary information to the interested user on how the CASE database was updated by the EPPI Centre in March 2012. In addition, the paper will inform decision-making regarding future updates by the database sponsors, the Culture and Sport Evidence programme (CASE), to ensure the continuing quality of this important resource.
The CASE database is a multi-disciplinary bibliographic resource bringing together UK and international research literature from across the sports, arts, heritage, museums, libraries and archives sectors. It was developed as a part of the flagship CASE project Understanding the Drivers, Impact and Value of engagement in culture and sport, undertaken during 2009-2010. To ensure that the database remains a valuable resource for researchers and policy makers, it requires regular updating to include the latest evidence. It was updated in spring 2011 when 2515 relevant study reports published between mid-2009 and the end of February 2011 were added to the original 5,518. This paper outlines the general approach taken for the 2012 update, providing detailed information on how the update was conducted and a consideration of lessons learnt.
Within the systematic review process, the searching phase is critical to the final synthesis prod... more Within the systematic review process, the searching phase is critical to the final synthesis product, its use and value. Yet, relatively little is known about the utility of different search strategies for reviews of complex, inter-disciplinary evidence. This article used a recently completed programme of work on cultural
and sporting engagement to conduct an empirical evaluation of a comprehensive search strategy. Ten different types of search source were evaluated, according to three dimensions: (i) effectiveness in identifying relevant studies; (ii) efficiency in identifying studies; and (iii) adding value by locating studies
that were not identified by any other sources. The study found that general bibliographic databases and specialist databases ranked the highest on all three dimensions. Overall, websites and journals were the next most valuable types of source. For reviewers, these findings highlight that general and specialist
databases should remain a core component of the comprehensive search strategy, supplemented with other types of sources that can efficiently identify unique or grey literature. For policy makers and other research commissioners, this study highlights the value of methodological analysis for improving the
understanding of, and practice in, policy relevant, inter-disciplinary systematic reviews.
Background
Unsafe abortions account for around 70,000 deaths each year, almost all of them in th... more Background
Unsafe abortions account for around 70,000 deaths each year, almost all of them in the developing world. Millions of women suffer permanent injury or chronic illness, adding a high cost to both individual families and health systems. Since the mid 1990s, post-abortion care has become a central part of the international strategy to address this problem. Although most attention has been paid to improving emergency treatment of abortion complications, the other elements of post-abortion care, including providing family planning counselling and services, have also been promoted and can be found in many health-care settings around the world. Although greater use of contraception will not produce direct, immediate effects on maternal mortality or morbidity, over time it should reduce women's recourse to unsafe abortion by preventing unplanned pregnancies, thereby putting women at less risk of lifelong injury or death. In 2010, the UK government strengthened its commitment to family planning as a strategy to reduce maternal mortality, marking a significant shift in the UK‟s approach to addressing the most off-track Millennium Development Goal: to improve material health. Addressing the unmet need for post-abortion family planning counselling and services to prevent repeat unplanned pregnancies remains a key part of the new developments in policy. It is therefore both vital and timely to increase understanding of the impacts of such programmes, in order to ensure that they are effective in delivering positive outcomes for women and provide value for money. This systematic review aimed to identify and synthesise the relevant research literature, thereby contributing to what is a relatively unexamined field. It addressed the question: What is the impact of post-abortion care family planning counselling and services in low-income countries on maternal mortality or morbidity, repeat induced abortions or unplanned pregnancies, or acceptance or use of contraception?
Increasing the use of evidence in education policy is an explicit objective of many national and ... more Increasing the use of evidence in education policy is an explicit objective of many national and international policy–making organisations including the European Commission and the Organisation for Economic Co–operation and Development. It is also a growing concern for researchers as a consequence of the decision by many funders and commissioners to require verification of research impact as a condition of funding.
Despite a political climate demanding evidence-informed decision making in education both within ... more Despite a political climate demanding evidence-informed decision making in education both within individual countries and at the international level, empirically grounded European research in this field is scarce. This paper reports on a European Commission-funded study that sought to identify and analyze different initiatives across Europe aimed at furthering research-informed policymaking in education, one of a number of comparative analyses in this emerging field. The nature and extent of activity in this area is outlined and an analytical framework is developed to assist understanding. Potential reasons for the observed variation among countries are discussed, along with some of the methodological and conceptual challenges involved in undertaking empirical work in this area. Practically, it is hoped that the results of the mapping exercise and the framework provide a platform for further empirical and conceptual research on research use, an area of study that until recently has been largely ignored by education researchers.
Empirical Research in Vocational Education and Training, Dec 20, 2013
The world is facing a worsening youth employment crisis. In response, technical and vocational ed... more The world is facing a worsening youth employment crisis. In response, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) is back on the development agenda after years of neglect. This systematic review examined the evidence from studies evaluating the impacts of TVET interventions for young people in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The 26 included studies evaluated 20 different interventions, predominantly from Latin America. Meta-analyses of the effectiveness of TVET on five outcome measure categories were conducted. The overall mean effects on overall paid employment, formal employment, and monthly earnings were small, positive, and significant; however, significant heterogeneity was observed. Moderator analysis was performed in an attempt to explain between-study differences in effects. The overall paucity of research in this area, together with specific gaps and methodological limitations, affirm the need for strengthening the evidence base. Implications for policy, practice and research are discussed.
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of young people’s participation in o... more Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of young people’s participation in organised sport on their educational outcomes.
Design/methodology/approach – Systematic review of the literature. A comprehensive search was used to identify all research evidence about engagement, impact and value in culture and sport. A combination of manual and automated screening was used to select studies for inclusion in this review based on prespecified criteria. Included studies had to use a “high”-quality experimental research design, focus on children and young people and have quantitative educational outcome measures. Results from the individual studies were transformed into a standardised effect size and meta-analysis was used to combine the results from individual studies where appropriate.
Findings – Young people’s participation in sport may lead to improved educational outcomes. Young people’s participation in organised sports activities, when compared to non-participation, improves their numeracy skills. Young people’s participation in organised sport linked with extra-curricular activities, when
compared to non-participation, improves a range of learning outcomes for underachieving pupils. These findings are based on six “high”-quality studies conducted in the UK and North America. Study populations included young people within the range of four to 16 years old.
Originality/value – This paper builds on the existing evidence base in two main ways. First, it focuses specifically on the impacts associated with organised sport whereas previous reviews have had a broader focus. Second, it uses meta-analytic methods to synthesise study findings. This paper provides pooled effect sizes for overall educational impacts and translates these into potential changes in test/grade scores.
Background
Unsafe abortion imposes heavy burdens on both individuals and society, particularly i... more Background
Unsafe abortion imposes heavy burdens on both individuals and society, particularly in low-income countries, many of which have restrictive abortion laws. Providing family planning counseling and services to women following an abortion has emerged as a key strategy to address this issue.
Study Design
This systematic review gathered, appraised and synthesized recent research evidence on the effects of postabortion family planning counseling and services on women in low-income countries.
Results
Of the 2965 potentially relevant records that were identified and screened, 15 studies satisfied the inclusion criteria. None provided evidence on the effectiveness of postabortion family planning counseling and services on maternal morbidity and mortality. One controlled study found that, compared to the group of nonbeneficiaries, women who received postabortion family planning counseling and services had significantly fewer unplanned pregnancies and fewer repeat abortions during the 12-month follow-up period. All 15 studies examined contraception-related outcomes. In the seven studies which used a comparative design, there was greater acceptance and/or use of modern contraceptives in women who had received postabortion family planning counseling and services relative to the no-program group.
Conclusions
The current evidence on the use of postabortion family planning counseling and services in low-income countries to address the problem of unsafe abortion is inconclusive. Nevertheless, the increase in acceptance and/or use of contraceptives is encouraging and has the potential to be further explored. Adequate funding to support robust research in this area of reproductive health is urgently needed."
The purpose of this paper is to provide supplementary information to the interested user on how t... more The purpose of this paper is to provide supplementary information to the interested user on how the CASE database was updated by the EPPI Centre in March 2012. In addition, the paper will inform decision-making regarding future updates by the database sponsors, the Culture and Sport Evidence programme (CASE), to ensure the continuing quality of this important resource.
The CASE database is a multi-disciplinary bibliographic resource bringing together UK and international research literature from across the sports, arts, heritage, museums, libraries and archives sectors. It was developed as a part of the flagship CASE project Understanding the Drivers, Impact and Value of engagement in culture and sport, undertaken during 2009-2010. To ensure that the database remains a valuable resource for researchers and policy makers, it requires regular updating to include the latest evidence. It was updated in spring 2011 when 2515 relevant study reports published between mid-2009 and the end of February 2011 were added to the original 5,518. This paper outlines the general approach taken for the 2012 update, providing detailed information on how the update was conducted and a consideration of lessons learnt.
Within the systematic review process, the searching phase is critical to the final synthesis prod... more Within the systematic review process, the searching phase is critical to the final synthesis product, its use and value. Yet, relatively little is known about the utility of different search strategies for reviews of complex, inter-disciplinary evidence. This article used a recently completed programme of work on cultural
and sporting engagement to conduct an empirical evaluation of a comprehensive search strategy. Ten different types of search source were evaluated, according to three dimensions: (i) effectiveness in identifying relevant studies; (ii) efficiency in identifying studies; and (iii) adding value by locating studies
that were not identified by any other sources. The study found that general bibliographic databases and specialist databases ranked the highest on all three dimensions. Overall, websites and journals were the next most valuable types of source. For reviewers, these findings highlight that general and specialist
databases should remain a core component of the comprehensive search strategy, supplemented with other types of sources that can efficiently identify unique or grey literature. For policy makers and other research commissioners, this study highlights the value of methodological analysis for improving the
understanding of, and practice in, policy relevant, inter-disciplinary systematic reviews.
Background
Unsafe abortions account for around 70,000 deaths each year, almost all of them in th... more Background
Unsafe abortions account for around 70,000 deaths each year, almost all of them in the developing world. Millions of women suffer permanent injury or chronic illness, adding a high cost to both individual families and health systems. Since the mid 1990s, post-abortion care has become a central part of the international strategy to address this problem. Although most attention has been paid to improving emergency treatment of abortion complications, the other elements of post-abortion care, including providing family planning counselling and services, have also been promoted and can be found in many health-care settings around the world. Although greater use of contraception will not produce direct, immediate effects on maternal mortality or morbidity, over time it should reduce women's recourse to unsafe abortion by preventing unplanned pregnancies, thereby putting women at less risk of lifelong injury or death. In 2010, the UK government strengthened its commitment to family planning as a strategy to reduce maternal mortality, marking a significant shift in the UK‟s approach to addressing the most off-track Millennium Development Goal: to improve material health. Addressing the unmet need for post-abortion family planning counselling and services to prevent repeat unplanned pregnancies remains a key part of the new developments in policy. It is therefore both vital and timely to increase understanding of the impacts of such programmes, in order to ensure that they are effective in delivering positive outcomes for women and provide value for money. This systematic review aimed to identify and synthesise the relevant research literature, thereby contributing to what is a relatively unexamined field. It addressed the question: What is the impact of post-abortion care family planning counselling and services in low-income countries on maternal mortality or morbidity, repeat induced abortions or unplanned pregnancies, or acceptance or use of contraception?
Background: The EPPI-Centre at the Social Science Research Unit, Institute of Education, Universi... more Background: The EPPI-Centre at the Social Science Research Unit, Institute of Education, University of London runs an MSc in Research For Public Policy And Practice. The course enables students to conduct and appraise systematic reviews of both quantitative and qualitative research, to plan participative methods for developing policy or conducting research and equips them with a critical understanding of the processes, drivers and barriers to knowledge exchange. The Programme’s three core modules are all run online. Students submit short pieces of work during this time, and tutors provide feedback during the course duration (13-15 weeks) to assist learning during the module.
We wanted to know: What kinds of feedback are tutors providing? How do students understand feedback? What do students perceive the barriers/facilitators to effective feedback to be?
Methods: Descriptive analysis of feedback given by tutors during the taught component of modules; Thematic analysis of telephone interviews with students who have recently completed one or more modules. Frameworks for analysis included one from Black and William (2009), who present formative assessment as potentially addressing three evaluative questions for the student, their peers and their tutors: a) where is the learner now? b) where is the learner going? c) how can the learner get there?
Results: Tutor feedback varied in terms of the extent that it was focused on individual work or generalised across the work of students as a group. Feedback was both public and private in form. In terms of the above framework of evaluative questions for formative assessment it tended to address c) and a) more than b). Student interpretations of feedback varied considerably. Many found feedback about course processes valuable, in addition to feedback about substantive learning. Perceived barriers to effective feedback included uncertainty over what to expect and how to promote dialogue. This work is helping to inform ongoing course and tutor development.
References: Black and Wiliam (2009) Developing the theory of formative assessment. Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability, 21(1): 5-31
Uploads
Design/methodology/approach – Systematic review of the literature. A comprehensive search was used to identify all research evidence about engagement, impact and value in culture and sport. A combination of manual and automated screening was used to select studies for inclusion in this review based on prespecified criteria. Included studies had to use a “high”-quality experimental research design, focus on children and young people and have quantitative educational outcome measures. Results from the individual studies were transformed into a standardised effect size and meta-analysis was used to combine the results from individual studies where appropriate.
Findings – Young people’s participation in sport may lead to improved educational outcomes. Young people’s participation in organised sports activities, when compared to non-participation, improves their numeracy skills. Young people’s participation in organised sport linked with extra-curricular activities, when
compared to non-participation, improves a range of learning outcomes for underachieving pupils. These findings are based on six “high”-quality studies conducted in the UK and North America. Study populations included young people within the range of four to 16 years old.
Originality/value – This paper builds on the existing evidence base in two main ways. First, it focuses specifically on the impacts associated with organised sport whereas previous reviews have had a broader focus. Second, it uses meta-analytic methods to synthesise study findings. This paper provides pooled effect sizes for overall educational impacts and translates these into potential changes in test/grade scores.
Unsafe abortion imposes heavy burdens on both individuals and society, particularly in low-income countries, many of which have restrictive abortion laws. Providing family planning counseling and services to women following an abortion has emerged as a key strategy to address this issue.
Study Design
This systematic review gathered, appraised and synthesized recent research evidence on the effects of postabortion family planning counseling and services on women in low-income countries.
Results
Of the 2965 potentially relevant records that were identified and screened, 15 studies satisfied the inclusion criteria. None provided evidence on the effectiveness of postabortion family planning counseling and services on maternal morbidity and mortality. One controlled study found that, compared to the group of nonbeneficiaries, women who received postabortion family planning counseling and services had significantly fewer unplanned pregnancies and fewer repeat abortions during the 12-month follow-up period. All 15 studies examined contraception-related outcomes. In the seven studies which used a comparative design, there was greater acceptance and/or use of modern contraceptives in women who had received postabortion family planning counseling and services relative to the no-program group.
Conclusions
The current evidence on the use of postabortion family planning counseling and services in low-income countries to address the problem of unsafe abortion is inconclusive. Nevertheless, the increase in acceptance and/or use of contraceptives is encouraging and has the potential to be further explored. Adequate funding to support robust research in this area of reproductive health is urgently needed."
The CASE database is a multi-disciplinary bibliographic resource bringing together UK and international research literature from across the sports, arts, heritage, museums, libraries and archives sectors. It was developed as a part of the flagship CASE project Understanding the Drivers, Impact and Value of engagement in culture and sport, undertaken during 2009-2010. To ensure that the database remains a valuable resource for researchers and policy makers, it requires regular updating to include the latest evidence. It was updated in spring 2011 when 2515 relevant study reports published between mid-2009 and the end of February 2011 were added to the original 5,518. This paper outlines the general approach taken for the 2012 update, providing detailed information on how the update was conducted and a consideration of lessons learnt.
and sporting engagement to conduct an empirical evaluation of a comprehensive search strategy. Ten different types of search source were evaluated, according to three dimensions: (i) effectiveness in identifying relevant studies; (ii) efficiency in identifying studies; and (iii) adding value by locating studies
that were not identified by any other sources. The study found that general bibliographic databases and specialist databases ranked the highest on all three dimensions. Overall, websites and journals were the next most valuable types of source. For reviewers, these findings highlight that general and specialist
databases should remain a core component of the comprehensive search strategy, supplemented with other types of sources that can efficiently identify unique or grey literature. For policy makers and other research commissioners, this study highlights the value of methodological analysis for improving the
understanding of, and practice in, policy relevant, inter-disciplinary systematic reviews.
Unsafe abortions account for around 70,000 deaths each year, almost all of them in the developing world. Millions of women suffer permanent injury or chronic illness, adding a high cost to both individual families and health systems. Since the mid 1990s, post-abortion care has become a central part of the international strategy to address this problem. Although most attention has been paid to improving emergency treatment of abortion complications, the other elements of post-abortion care, including providing family planning counselling and services, have also been promoted and can be found in many health-care settings around the world. Although greater use of contraception will not produce direct, immediate effects on maternal mortality or morbidity, over time it should reduce women's recourse to unsafe abortion by preventing unplanned pregnancies, thereby putting women at less risk of lifelong injury or death. In 2010, the UK government strengthened its commitment to family planning as a strategy to reduce maternal mortality, marking a significant shift in the UK‟s approach to addressing the most off-track Millennium Development Goal: to improve material health. Addressing the unmet need for post-abortion family planning counselling and services to prevent repeat unplanned pregnancies remains a key part of the new developments in policy. It is therefore both vital and timely to increase understanding of the impacts of such programmes, in order to ensure that they are effective in delivering positive outcomes for women and provide value for money. This systematic review aimed to identify and synthesise the relevant research literature, thereby contributing to what is a relatively unexamined field. It addressed the question: What is the impact of post-abortion care family planning counselling and services in low-income countries on maternal mortality or morbidity, repeat induced abortions or unplanned pregnancies, or acceptance or use of contraception?
Design/methodology/approach – Systematic review of the literature. A comprehensive search was used to identify all research evidence about engagement, impact and value in culture and sport. A combination of manual and automated screening was used to select studies for inclusion in this review based on prespecified criteria. Included studies had to use a “high”-quality experimental research design, focus on children and young people and have quantitative educational outcome measures. Results from the individual studies were transformed into a standardised effect size and meta-analysis was used to combine the results from individual studies where appropriate.
Findings – Young people’s participation in sport may lead to improved educational outcomes. Young people’s participation in organised sports activities, when compared to non-participation, improves their numeracy skills. Young people’s participation in organised sport linked with extra-curricular activities, when
compared to non-participation, improves a range of learning outcomes for underachieving pupils. These findings are based on six “high”-quality studies conducted in the UK and North America. Study populations included young people within the range of four to 16 years old.
Originality/value – This paper builds on the existing evidence base in two main ways. First, it focuses specifically on the impacts associated with organised sport whereas previous reviews have had a broader focus. Second, it uses meta-analytic methods to synthesise study findings. This paper provides pooled effect sizes for overall educational impacts and translates these into potential changes in test/grade scores.
Unsafe abortion imposes heavy burdens on both individuals and society, particularly in low-income countries, many of which have restrictive abortion laws. Providing family planning counseling and services to women following an abortion has emerged as a key strategy to address this issue.
Study Design
This systematic review gathered, appraised and synthesized recent research evidence on the effects of postabortion family planning counseling and services on women in low-income countries.
Results
Of the 2965 potentially relevant records that were identified and screened, 15 studies satisfied the inclusion criteria. None provided evidence on the effectiveness of postabortion family planning counseling and services on maternal morbidity and mortality. One controlled study found that, compared to the group of nonbeneficiaries, women who received postabortion family planning counseling and services had significantly fewer unplanned pregnancies and fewer repeat abortions during the 12-month follow-up period. All 15 studies examined contraception-related outcomes. In the seven studies which used a comparative design, there was greater acceptance and/or use of modern contraceptives in women who had received postabortion family planning counseling and services relative to the no-program group.
Conclusions
The current evidence on the use of postabortion family planning counseling and services in low-income countries to address the problem of unsafe abortion is inconclusive. Nevertheless, the increase in acceptance and/or use of contraceptives is encouraging and has the potential to be further explored. Adequate funding to support robust research in this area of reproductive health is urgently needed."
The CASE database is a multi-disciplinary bibliographic resource bringing together UK and international research literature from across the sports, arts, heritage, museums, libraries and archives sectors. It was developed as a part of the flagship CASE project Understanding the Drivers, Impact and Value of engagement in culture and sport, undertaken during 2009-2010. To ensure that the database remains a valuable resource for researchers and policy makers, it requires regular updating to include the latest evidence. It was updated in spring 2011 when 2515 relevant study reports published between mid-2009 and the end of February 2011 were added to the original 5,518. This paper outlines the general approach taken for the 2012 update, providing detailed information on how the update was conducted and a consideration of lessons learnt.
and sporting engagement to conduct an empirical evaluation of a comprehensive search strategy. Ten different types of search source were evaluated, according to three dimensions: (i) effectiveness in identifying relevant studies; (ii) efficiency in identifying studies; and (iii) adding value by locating studies
that were not identified by any other sources. The study found that general bibliographic databases and specialist databases ranked the highest on all three dimensions. Overall, websites and journals were the next most valuable types of source. For reviewers, these findings highlight that general and specialist
databases should remain a core component of the comprehensive search strategy, supplemented with other types of sources that can efficiently identify unique or grey literature. For policy makers and other research commissioners, this study highlights the value of methodological analysis for improving the
understanding of, and practice in, policy relevant, inter-disciplinary systematic reviews.
Unsafe abortions account for around 70,000 deaths each year, almost all of them in the developing world. Millions of women suffer permanent injury or chronic illness, adding a high cost to both individual families and health systems. Since the mid 1990s, post-abortion care has become a central part of the international strategy to address this problem. Although most attention has been paid to improving emergency treatment of abortion complications, the other elements of post-abortion care, including providing family planning counselling and services, have also been promoted and can be found in many health-care settings around the world. Although greater use of contraception will not produce direct, immediate effects on maternal mortality or morbidity, over time it should reduce women's recourse to unsafe abortion by preventing unplanned pregnancies, thereby putting women at less risk of lifelong injury or death. In 2010, the UK government strengthened its commitment to family planning as a strategy to reduce maternal mortality, marking a significant shift in the UK‟s approach to addressing the most off-track Millennium Development Goal: to improve material health. Addressing the unmet need for post-abortion family planning counselling and services to prevent repeat unplanned pregnancies remains a key part of the new developments in policy. It is therefore both vital and timely to increase understanding of the impacts of such programmes, in order to ensure that they are effective in delivering positive outcomes for women and provide value for money. This systematic review aimed to identify and synthesise the relevant research literature, thereby contributing to what is a relatively unexamined field. It addressed the question: What is the impact of post-abortion care family planning counselling and services in low-income countries on maternal mortality or morbidity, repeat induced abortions or unplanned pregnancies, or acceptance or use of contraception?
We wanted to know: What kinds of feedback are tutors providing? How do students understand feedback? What do students perceive the barriers/facilitators to effective feedback to be?
Methods: Descriptive analysis of feedback given by tutors during the taught component of modules; Thematic analysis of telephone interviews with students who have recently completed one or more modules. Frameworks for analysis included one from Black and William (2009), who present formative assessment as potentially addressing three evaluative questions for the student, their peers and their tutors: a) where is the learner now? b) where is the learner going? c) how can the learner get there?
Results: Tutor feedback varied in terms of the extent that it was focused on individual work or generalised across the work of students as a group. Feedback was both public and private in form. In terms of the above framework of evaluative questions for formative assessment it tended to address c) and a) more than b). Student interpretations of feedback varied considerably. Many found feedback about course processes valuable, in addition to feedback about substantive learning. Perceived barriers to effective feedback included uncertainty over what to expect and how to promote dialogue. This work is helping to inform ongoing course and tutor development.
References: Black and Wiliam (2009) Developing the theory of formative assessment. Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability, 21(1): 5-31