PGRA 2010 Conference Pamphlet

The Post Graduate Research Association’s 9th Annual Conference

“The Adventure of Research” Is Research Enough of an Adventure?

17th June 2010

Contents

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p4

Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p5

Timetable – Morning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p6

Timetable – Afternoon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p7

Presentation Abstracts . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p8-40

Session 1 – The Brain, Biology and Research

Tammy Dempster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p8

Mark Hardman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p9

Joe Burman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p10

Session 2 – Research and the World

Isabel Cortez . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p11

Eva Preschern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p12

Session 3 – Business, Management and Marketing Strategies

Jake Monk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p13

Paul Cherry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p14

Chau Duong . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p15

Session 4 – Teachers and Pupils: Towards Understanding

Simon Ellis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p16

Jill Matthews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p17

John Paul Riordan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p18

Session 5 – The Practice of the Medical Profession, Strategies and Identities

Patricia Ronan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p19

Mandie Scamell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .p20

Helga Abernethy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p21

Session 6 – The Adventure of Research

Baptiste Moniez . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p22

Paul Hudson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p23

Maria Lehane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p24

Session 7 – Education, Definitions, Paradoxes and Solutions

Chris Beighton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p25

Peshal Khanal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .. p26

2

Mark Hardman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p27

Session 8 – The Adventure of the Arts: Generating, Using, Interpreting and Reviewing

Artistic Productions

Megha Rajguru . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p28

Sam Bailey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p29

Rita Bento . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. p30

Session 9 – Research and Ethical Dilemmas

Gemma Commane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p31

Jacky Moore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p33

Caroline Wood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p34

Session 10 – Learning, Identity, and Language

Sarn Rich . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p35

Tinashe Mushakavanhu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p36

Yeonsuk Bae . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p37

Session 11 – Anthropology and Culture

Francine Barone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p38

Suren Raghavan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p39

Fanny Chan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p40

3

Introduction

Welcome to the Ninth Post-Graduate Research Association Annual Conference. We hope this

day will prove a fruitful occasion to share perspectives, ideas and findings through stimulating

discussions in a responsive environment. The Conference also provides an opportunity to hear

presenters from various academic disciplines and universities on a topic which every

researcher is concerned with.

“The Adventure of Research: Is Research Enough of an Adventure?” As times change, so

does the definition and perception of research. Enthusiasm and ardour have come to be

challenged by a more cautious approach, suggesting research is seen as a threat, to be treated

with the outmost conformity. Is the adventure of research being lost? What are the different

facets of research and how does it enrich or hinder it? This Conference aims at exploring

answers to this overall theme, either through theoretical discussion or accounts of personal

experience.

Thank you for your presence, support and your contribution.

4

Acknowledgements

This conference would not have been possible without its presenters and its audience.

Therefore we wish to thank every one of you who contributed to, and attended, this event as

well as to the community of students for their support and involvement.

We would like to express our gratitude to the Graduate School for its constant support, its

cheerful mood and its invaluable help. In particular to Helen Webster and Dr Darren Ambrose

for their inestimable assistance, good humour, patience with our requests, and ever-ready

kindness to provide advice and sort problems. Not only in relation to the conference but also

throughout the year as a whole.

Finally, we would like to thank Professors Adrian Holliday and Linden West for opening the

conference, to Dr. Martin Gough for his review of the day, and to Dr Darren Ambrose,

Professor Linden West, Reverend Jeremy Law, Roger Bone and Professor Jan Druker for

acting as our Chairs today.

5

CCCU’s Annual PGRA Conference - 17th June 2010 - Morning Timetable

9.25-9.50amROOM NG03

Conference Opening – Professor Adrian Holliday and Professor Linden West

Session 1 - ROOM NF06Chair – Tammy Dempster

Session 2 - ROOM NF09Chair - Baptiste Moniez

Session 3 - ROOM NF01Chair – Rev Jeremy Law

Session 4 – ROOM NG03Chair – Prof Linden West

10am

“Neurofeedback – Eyes Open vs Eyes Closed Training” Tammy

Dempster

“Neopaleozoic: Phytogeography of the Glossopteris flora in the eastern margin

of the Paraná Basin, Brazil, using a GIS approach”Isabel Cortez

“Cinema and Marketing: Product Placement - The Hidden Persuader”

Jake Monk

“The Preparation Of Trainee Teachers To Manage Pupil

Behaviour”Simon Ellis

10.30am

“Complex Neuronal Networks – A Useful Model of Human Learning?”

Mark Hardman

“A Visible Expression of Buddhism in Europe: Tibetan Stūpas of the Karma Kagyu Tradition in Modern Society”

Eva Preschern

“The Technology Mediated Service Encounter And Its Implications For

Services Marketing”Paul Cherry

“It's Good To Talk! (EAL As A Medium For Teaching And

Learning In Mathematics Lessons)”Jill Matthews

11am

“Male Killers in the Jungle; The Effect of Male-Killing Bacteria on

Glasshouse Pest Control”Joe Burman

“Do Firms Manipulate Earnings To Correct Market Mispricing? Real

Operation Versus Accrual Management”Chau Duong

“Strategies On The Battlefield Of The Mind”

John Paul Riordan

11.30am-11.45amROOM NG07

COFFEE BREAK AND POSTER PRESENTATIONSSession 5 - ROOM NF06

Chair – Tammy DempsterSession 6 - ROOM NF09Chair - Baptiste Moniez

Session 7 - ROOM NF01Chair – Dr Darren Ambrose

Session 8 - ROOM NG03Chair – Roger Bone

11.45am

“Acupuncture and Schizophrenia: Research Challenges, Successes and

Surprises”Patricia Ronan

“The Adventure of the PhD”Baptiste Moniez

“Adventures In Critical And Clinical Education”

Chris Beighton

“Can The Artwork Speak For Itself? Interpretation And

Contextualisation In Practice-Based PhDs”

Megha Rajguru

12.15pm

“I Can’t Bear It”Mandie Scamell

“The PhD as a Roller-Coaster”Paul Hudson

“Researching Policy Differently: Anthropological And Sociocultural

Approach To Policy Analysis”Peshal Khanal

“Adventure Or Minefield? Collaboration, Subjectivity And

Commercial Vs Academic Success In Improvised Musical Research”

Sam Bailey

12.45pm

“Sensory Modulation Difficulties In Adults With Anxiety Disorders”

Helga Abernethy

“Is Research Enough of an Adventure?”

Maria Lehane

“Is Complexity Theory Useful in Describing Classroom Learning?”

Mark Hardman

“Effects of Passive and Active Musical Experiences on

Psychological Wellbeing”Rita Bento

1.15pm-2.15pmROOM NS03/04

LUNCH

6

CCCU’s Annual PGRA Conference - 17th June 2010 - Afternoon Timetable

1.15pm-2.15pmROOM NS03/04

LUNCH

Session 9 – ROOM NF06Chair – Tammy Dempster

Session 10 – ROOM NF09Chair – Baptiste Moniez

Session 11 – ROOM NF01Chair – Professor Jan Druker

2.15pm

“Ethics and Ethnography: Approaching the Field,

Negotiating Friendships and Accommodating Life”

Gemma Commane

“Multimodality And Magic: Once Upon A Time In A Classroom. . .”

Sarn Rich

“An Anthropological Approach To Locating The Web: Methods For

Studying The Impact Of New Media On- And Off-Line”Francine Barone

2.45pm

“The Hidden Voices of Nuu’Chah’Nulth Women through

Word, Photograph and Voice”Jacky Moore

“‘English is my African Language’: A Researcher’s

Journey”Tinashe Mushakavanhu

“A Bleeding Yellow Robe”Suren Raghavan

3.15pm

“The Psychology and Politics of Anti-Smoking Campaigns: The Impact of Hypocrisy-Induced

Dissonance, Fear and Information Processing on Intentions to Quit

Smoking”Caroline Wood

“Surviving As An English Teacher: Man Without A Gun”

Yeonsuk Bae

“Product Placement in UK and Chinese (HK) Television Programmes: A Mix of

Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches”Fanny Chan

3.45pm-4pmROOM NG07

COFFEE BREAK AND POSTER PRESENTATIONS

4pm-4.30pm Review of the Day – Dr Martin GoughClosing Comments

7

Presentation Abstracts

Session 1 – The Brain, Biology and Research

Neurofeedback – Eyes Open vs Eyes Closed Training

Tammy Dempster

Canterbury Christ Church University

Department of Applied Social Sciences - Psychology

[email protected]

Alpha neurofeedback is a way in which people can learn to consciously alter some aspect of their

alpha brainwaves. This type of training has been suggested to be of potential benefit to both clinical

populations, as a method of treating conditions such as depression and anxiety, and healthy

populations, as a way of enhancing performance in areas such as memory and creativity. Training

can be carried out with both eyes open and eyes closed but there is little research investigating

whether or not these different approaches have differing effects. The aim of this study was to

therefore compare eyes open to eyes closed alpha enhancement training to see whether or not any

differences were demonstrated in rate of acquisition or ability to learn. There were 17 eyes open

and 16 eyes closed participants who completed 10 once weekly sessions of alpha (8-12Hz) enhance

neurofeedback training at scalp location Pz. Only the eyes open group showed any evidence of

learning to enhance their alpha. The eyes closed group in fact appeared to be doing the opposite,

demonstrating suppression rather than enhancement in their alpha. This was attributed to eyes

closed conditions encouraging participants to become drowsy. It is therefore recommended that

future research incorporating alpha enhancement in their neurofeedback training should use an eyes

open, rather than eyes closed, methodology.

8

mailto:[email protected]

Complex Neural Networks – A Useful Model of Human Learning?

Mark Hardman


Department of Education

[email protected]

Cilliers’ (1998) discussion of complex neural networks draws on work in artificial intelligence to

relate such networks to the mammalian brain. By invoking Hebb’s law of neural pathway

development Cilliers describes the way in which neural networks can be trained to recognise shapes

and scenes and discusses the need to present varied training images in order that the neural system

is able to recognise related input through what Edelman (1987) calls ‘Neural Darwinism’. Whilst

Cilliers focuses on the issue of distributed representation, Jost (2003) further develops a quantitative

model of a complex system in which learning takes place and discusses the optimisation of such a

system.

Considering the brain as a complex neural network in which learning takes place through means of

varied training exercises clearly has relevance to educationalists. There is implication that

presenting varied contexts to learners is important to providing flexibility of understanding.

Furthermore Jost’s (2003) discussion of optimising neural networks suggests that a balance must be

achieved between repetition of familiar contexts and the introduction of varied contexts. This may

have implications for curriculum design, school environments, organisation of learning groups, and

classroom learning activities.

What is less clear however is the validity of applying what seems to be a simplistic model of brain

function to the way humans learn. Only once this has been established can the implications of such

a model for educationalists be discussed.

I intend to focus this presentation on considering the implications for classroom practice,

particularly the planning of learning activities by teachers. With this focus I intend to answer the

following research questions:

1. How well is Cilliers’ neural network model of learning supported by current neurological

understanding?

2. What are the implications of such models for designing learning activities in the classroom?

9

Male Killers in the Jungle: The Effect of Male-Killing Bacteria on Glasshouse Pest Control

Joe Burman


Department of Geographical and Life Sciences

[email protected]

Wolbachia and Rickettsia are bacterial genera associated with reproductive disorders in a wide

range of insects. Until recently the importance of these endosymbionts in Biological Pest Control

systems has been considered trivial, but there is growing evidence of their influence on the

reproduction ability of pests and beneficial insects. Of particular interest to the biocontrol industry

are biological agents capable of controlling aphids and scale insects; pest that contribute billions of

dollars worth of crop damage each year. The most important predators of aphids and scale insects

are found in the family Coccinellidae (ladybirds). This study aimed to use Chilocorus nigritus as a

model coccinellid to clarify what effects endosymbiont infection has on the efficacy of such

predators.

This study aimed to establish the efficiency of infected vs. uninfected predators as it relates to their

control of scale insect populations in historically and botanically important glasshouse collections.

Monitoring work on scale populations was carried out for 1 year in the Palm House and Temperate

House at the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, before the commencement of an augmentative release

of the predator Chilocorus nigritus beginning in April 2010. An uninfected lineage was established

via antibiotic treatment in order to compare infected against uninfected cultures. This talk details

current results, progress, methodology and implications of this ongoing project.

10

Session 2 – Research and the World

Neopaleozoic: Phytogeography Of The Glossopteris Flora In The Eastern Margin Of The

Paraná Basin, Brazil, Using A GIS Approach

Isabel Cortez Christiano de Souza

University of Campinas, Sao Paulo Brazil

Department of Geosciences

[email protected]

The Late Paleozoic was a time of intense climatic modification for the Gondwana paleocontinent,

characterized by changes from colder (glacial) to warmer conditions due to tectonic influences.

Thus, the Western Gondwana underwent improvement in climatic conditions, which allowed the

development of a floristic province known as Glossopteris paleoflora. This study, still in progress,

will clarify the spatial distribution, and the development of Glossopteris paleoflora in the Permian

period in the Paraná basin.

The Glossopteris paleoflora is characterized by the presence of several genera of tree ferns, small

ferns, pteridosperms, sphepnopsids, cordaites, conifers, and of some genera of licophytes and

bryophytes. Although various studies were conducted on the morphological features of such groups,

and on stratigraphic distribution, no such studies were concerned with integrating the data generated

over more than a century of research on such a floristic province in terms of spatial distribution.

Hence, firstly, research into the available bibliography is proposed concerning the published

material on floristic assemblages, and, with such information, a database shall be established on an

Excel spreadsheet, to be subsequently relocated directly to ArcGIS. The database will be divided

into four keys, each of which will contain the following specific attributes: Outcrop (with

information relating to outcrop georeferencing - geographic coordinates and datum – in addition

to the name, municipality, and state of the outcrop) Geology (Group, Formation, and Member

where the occurrence is found, absolute ages, biozone and paleoenvironment inferred by the

author of the study); Paeobotanics (with information about the fossil, such as division, subdivision,

class, order, family, genus, and species, as well as that regarding the preserved structure and the

fossilization process) and References.

With such data, floristic distribution maps will be generated for each genus or species, in that they

are geo-referenced with the use of GIS software (ArcGIS). Accordingly, distribution vegetation

maps will be produced, thus allowing an understanding of the dynamics of this cycle of deep

floristic changes.

11


A Visible Expression of Buddhism in Europe: Tibetan Stūpas of the Karma Kagyu Tradition

in Modern Society

Eva Preschern


Department of Theology and Religious Studies

[email protected]

The practice of Buddhism in Europe expresses itself amongst others in the construction of Buddhist

architecture as can be seen in the numerous contemporary stūpas and pagodas which have been

erected across Europe during the last decades. This happens as an important aspect of the

integration of Buddhism into western societies. All Buddhist traditions regard the stūpa as an

effective symbol of enlightenment that becomes the cause of peace and well-being by means of the

accumulation of merit.

Specific research on the transmission of stūpas to western society has never been conducted so far,

and hence the construction of stūpas in Europe is a completely new topic within Religious Studies.

The focus of this presentation will be the large number of contemporary Tibetan stūpas (Tib. mchod

rten) which have been erected by the Karma Kagyu organizations across Europe. This

contemporary study about the transmission of stūpas from East to West produces relevant facts

concerning the interreligious and intercultural encounters between Asia and Europe and the possible

inherent conflicts.

The critical analysis is mainly based on the data collected during several research trips to the most

significant Tibetan styled stūpas in Europe. A major research question within this study concerns

the motives for erecting stūpas and pagodas in European countries. Is the motivation based on the

idealization of Tibet or are there plausible alternative explanations? One essential focus of this

analytical survey is the question whether there is a continuity or change of the paradigms of

religious architectural structures in the transmission from East to West. The aim is an analysis of the

reasons for erecting stūpas in Europe and the possible variations in construction and function.

12

Session 3 – Business, Management and Marketing Strategies

Cinema and Marketing: Product Placement - The Hidden Persuader

Jake Monk


Faculty of Business and Management

[email protected]

My Research

The research I am undertaking is looking at the effectiveness of product placement within

mainstream films as a marketing communications tool. I have some early indications from a pilot

study that I carried out that many placements go unobserved by the audience, this lessens the

effectiveness of this type of promotion and asks the question should organisations embark on this

type of marketing activity.

Organisations have many options when it comes to deciding an integrated marketing

communications strategy, if product placement is to be one of them then they need to be reassured

that it will be a good, effective use of their budget and that any potential opportunity cost is kept to

an absolute minimum whenever possible.

The Process of Research

My initial thoughts on data collection were to have quantitative questionnaires and supplement

these with some focus groups to gather qualitative informative. My later thoughts were to have a 50

– 50 split between these two elements. My latest consideration is to pursue a qualitative only

approach to data collection. I would like to discuss this dilemma with reference to my own research

and to formulating a research strategy.

13


The Technology Mediated Service Encounter And Its Implications For Services Marketing

Paul Cherry



[email protected]

E-services is a growing area of research and it is of major interest to the field of marketing. In every

day service encounters, customers are increasingly asked to use a range of technology, for example

ATM's, Internet and Self-Service Checkouts. Much of this technology is new and increasingly

complex. The employment of technology has dual benefits, for the organisation it can support

increased productivity and cost reduction (no staff required) and conversely for the customer it can

provide a sense of convenience and control.

It has been asserted that service quality plays a major role in developing a customer's perception of

an organisation. This is evaluated along side other dimensions such as the price and advertising.

Therefore, if a service company relies upon technology to influence a customers experience of

service quality it could be positioned that technology mediation in service delivery may bear a

relationship in the formation of a customer's brand perception. Therefore, if any relationship should

exist, that this could have implications for the marketing planning for a service organisation.

14

Do Firms Manipulate Earnings To Correct Market Mispricing?

Real Operation Versus Accrual Management

Chau Duong



[email protected]

Jensen’s (2005) agency theory predicts that overpriced firms would manage earnings upward

opportunistically in attempts to maintain the overvaluation. On the other hand, the signalling

hypothesis is also one of the most cited incentives why managers manage earnings, which predicts

that managers would use earnings management as a signalling tool to correct the market. This

research argues that Jensen’s hypothesis only holds in short-term while in long-term managers may

wish to escape from the game of maintaining market overvaluation. Therefore, I predict that in

long-term, overpriced firms may manage earnings downward. I provide some preliminary empirical

evidence in supports of the long-term signalling hypothesis in the context of UK overpriced firms

during the 1995-2004 period.

15


Session 4 – Teachers and Pupils: Towards Understanding

The Preparation Of Trainee Teachers To Manage Pupil Behaviour

Simon Ellis


Department of Professional Development

[email protected]

The subject of my adventure is ‘The preparation of trainee teachers to manage pupil behaviour’. It

is intended that it will be of use to policy makers, teacher trainers and of course trainees and

teachers. It forms part of my ongoing research relating to the existing separation of ‘learning’ and

‘behaviour’ within educational literature and language

This presentation is very much focused on work in progress and seeks to describe my own

experience of ‘The Adventure of Research’ as I grapple to make my research original, useful and

rigorous. How reliable are an individual’s perceptions of ‘preparedness’ at any one point in time?

This is particularly challenging when the task requiring ‘preparedness’ is that of managing pupil

behaviour in schools. The teacher’s preparedness should, in the eyes of national training providers,

serve to positively influence pupil behaviour but in practice it is also influenced by pupils’ ongoing

and variable behaviour.

Such reciprocal interactions influence a teacher’s confidence and presumably his/her perceptions of

their own preparedness. So how do we tap into ever changing states and can the notion of ‘average’

preparedness of teachers have any validity for those who seek to improve teacher training. In asking

teachers to rate their ‘confidence’ in this area, (with an assumption that confidence is inherently

good) am I and training providers ignoring a view that a healthy lack of confidence may lead to

greater efforts for preparedness?

These conceptual and methodological issues are likely to be shared by others even though the focus

of research will be different. I intend in my presentation to illustrate, share and hopeful make the

next stage of my ‘adventure’ less questionable and hazardous.

16

It's Good To Talk! (EAL As A Medium For Teaching And Learning In Mathematics Lessons)

Jill Matthews


Department of Primary Education

[email protected]

An analysis of Malaysian ITE students' perceptions of learning and teaching mathematics in

English; how the medium of English impacted on their practice in schools and how this might be

relevant to teachers of mathematics in primary schools.

17

Strategies On The Battlefield Of The Mind

John Paul Riordan



[email protected]

Contemporary science teaching often starts with an attempt to understand what concepts children

already have before trying to help the child change their mind. Similarly this research attempts to

understand reasoning strategies that a child could have used to make particular types of conceptual

change and to compare these with the reasoning strategies proposed by their teacher.

Research into children’s ‘conceptual problems’ in science has blossomed since the 1970s. This field

was described by Taber (2006) as the Active Construction of Knowledge in Science Research

Program (ACKiS RP). However, there is, “a danger in a proliferation of ‘natural history’ studies of

student ideas… being documented in the absence of any systematic rationale… More classroom

intervention studies [are necessary] guided by perspectives on learning that take account of the

learner’s ideas while studying the effectiveness of various strategies aimed at promoting conceptual

change.” Driver and Erickson (1983 p. 54).

How might pupils and teachers use strategies to bring about conceptual change? Recent discoveries

in psychology have allowed the identification of generic types of conceptual change (Clement

2008). “A … [reasoning] strategy is a plausible hypothesis for a reasoning method that could have

contributed to the [conceptual] change that did occur.” Darden (1991 p. 15). How do reasoning

strategies help to bring about these different types of conceptual change? Taylor and Dionne (2000)

designed Complementary Concurrent Verbal Protocol (CVP) and Retrospective Debriefings (RD)

to help researchers in accessing hidden strategic knowledge.

18

Session 5 – The Practice of the Medical Profession, Strategies and Identities

Acupuncture and Schizophrenia: Research Challenges, Successes and Surprises

Patricia Ronan


Department of Social Work, Community and Mental Health

[email protected]

The intervention phase of the first European study to explore the effects and acceptability of

individualised acupuncture in the treatment of schizophrenia has now been completed. Designing

and funding this study was not easy, not least because of the nature of the condition, the

Intervention and the financial and governance structures here in the UK. First results indicate that

participants have had some positive effects on symptoms of schizophrenia, side-effects of

medication and in their quality of life. There have also been some surprises along the way. This

presentation discusses the research approach used, initial reflections on the utility of the strategies

employed to gather information, and responses and experiences of participants and acupuncturists

during the intervention phase.

19

“I Can’t Bear It”

Mandie Scamell

University of Kent

Centre for Health Service Studies

[email protected]

What do you do when faced with a situation you are not comfortable with but which is eliciting

fascinating data? Are you justified in suspending your integral beliefs in the pursuit of a sustainable

research relationship? After all, don’t such personal concerns constitute researcher bias? The

adventure of research is often presented through the challenges the researcher has to confront and in

my experience the issues of identity are at the centre of those challenges.

Drawing from an ethnographic discourse analysis of midwifery talk and practice in relation to risk,

which was sponsored by the Centre for Health Service Studies at the University of Kent and funded

by the Social and Economic Research Council, this presentation sets out to centre the notion of

identity within the context of the research relationship. While sensitivity to identity is a prerequisite

of all social research, regardless of research design, this paper assumes that the use of ethnography

operates to intensify this awareness.

Using examples of personal experiences, recorded in my reflexive field notes, this presentation will

explore the issues of identity in relation to being a practitioner/researcher in maternity care. The

discussion will show how the researcher’s identity is never fixed, having to be constantly negotiated

through complex, and sometimes emotive, situated demands. When those demands co-inside with

your own preconceived sense of identity, this process can be relatively straight forward. Tensions

arise, however, when what you see violates your own sense of good practice. In these situations the

researcher’s identity is less straightforward and a process of renegotiation has to take place.

20

Sensory Modulation Difficulties In Adults With Anxiety Disorders

Helga Abernethy


Department of Social Work, Community and Mental Health

[email protected]

Sensory modulation is an emerging area in adult mental health. When an individual experiences

sensory modulation difficulties it means that they over-respond or under-respond to sensory stimuli

e.g. sounds, touch, movement, that are received by the different sensory systems. The assessment

and treatment of sensory modulation difficulties is non-invasive and can potentially influence the

diagnosis, treatment and prognosis in adults with anxiety disorders. It can provide alternative and

appropriate assessment and treatment methods that could potentially improve the individuals

understanding of their difficulties, their response to treatment, reduce the duration intervention is

required for and improve the individuals quality of life.

The literature indicates sensory over-responsiveness is associated with an increase in anxiety and

that interventions reducing sensory over-responsiveness are associated with a reduction in anxiety,

self-harming behaviour and an improvement in activities of daily living (Pfeiffer & Kinnealey,

2003; Moore & Henry, 2002; David, 1990). However the evidence is based on limited literature and

requires further investigation and clarification. This is needed due to the possible co-existence of

anxiety disorders and sensory modulation difficulties and the implications this can have on the

assessment and treatment of the individual

The aims of this study are:

To explore the impact of treating sensory modulation difficulties by using intervention based on

sensory integration.

To determine whether treating sensory modulation difficulties will result in an improvement in

functional aspects of participants’ daily lives.

To fill the knowledge-gap with regards to the impact of sensory modulation in adults with

anxiety disorders.

The presentation will:

Describe the main elements of sensory modulation.

Explain the research process for this study.

21


Session 6 – The Adventure of Research

The Adventure of the PhD


Department of English and Language Studies

Baptiste Moniez

[email protected]

Every researcher is, to some extent, an explorer, launching forth into the adventure of discovery.

For post-graduate students, one of the possible forms taken by this adventure is a PhD. It can

assume many shapes, all involving uncertainty, length, solitude, efforts, hope, the acquisition of

experience, unexpected discoveries and eventual rewards when reaching the longed-for outcomes.

Whether it means unearthing new material, producing groundbreaking results or finding

unpredicted routes towards an already known location, the PhD is motivated by a deep interest for

the chosen topic as well as a strong desire to contribute in a manner or another to a sphere,

community and culture. The aim of this presentation is to explore this adventure that is the PhD and

the features which make it so special.

22

The PhD as a Roller-Coaster

Paul Hudson


Department of Applied Linguistics

[email protected]

This presentation will discuss how the process of doing a PhD often resembles being on a roller

coaster, from the exhilarating high of making a breakthrough in your research, through the stomach-

churning fear before an important meeting, to the depressing low of not knowing where to go or

what to do next. Using examples from my own adventure through the PhD process, I will outline

some of these highs, lows and fears and discuss the difficulties I am currently facing trying to corral

what feels like an enormous flock of untamed data in a neat, focused PhD, an activity that all too

often feels like an attempt to herd cats. The presentation will invite attendees to share their own

experiences and discuss ways of dealing with the emotional highs and lows that the research

process can generate.

23

Is Research Enough of an Adventure?

Maria Lehane



[email protected]

I commenced my PhD in January 2009 and so at this point I am half way through my tenure; but am

I half way through my research? My presentation reports on the progress of my adventure so far as

I take this opportunity to review my research.

In my presentation I explore aspects of the adventure that include the evolving relationship with

fellow scholars; peers and supervisors. The politics of field work when asking awkward questions

at times of political uncertainty. The journey for ethical clearance and slaying the dragon of ego

will be discussed in the hope that it may advise fellow adventurers who may presently be in a

position to apply for ethical clearance. I will also contextualise my research findings so far within

the context of the highs and lows of the emotional journey of the adventurer. What happens in the

life of a mature PhD student that did not seem to occur whilst in full time work? Why do these

events seem to come along when we start our PhD or do we just notice them more?

Is research enough of an adventure? I should say so.

24

Session 7 – Education, Definitions, Paradoxes and Solutions

Adventures In Critical And Clinical Education

Chris Beighton


Department of Post Compulsory Education

[email protected]

Education, for Freud, was one of three professions whose failure is guaranteed in advance, the other

two being psychoanalysis and the art of politics. These three “impossibilities” increasingly collide

in the area of adult or “lifelong” education, where science and the humanities often conflict in

contradictory models and practices. Rather than enriching learning by interfering in complex,

productive ways, these failed encounters, certainly in the Anglo-Saxon world, are clouded by

practices which still have something to learn from Deleuze and Guattariâ’s “schizoanalysis”.

Furthermore, behind the latter's pastiche and provocation lies a productive restructuring of the

interfaces between the three “impossibilities” and some important lessons for educators today. This

presentation explores therefore conflicting discourses and practices within education from a

Deleuzian perspective and asks to what extent the advent of their meeting can embody a critical and

clinical methodology for education which stresses connections, continuity and, above all, creativity.

25

Researching Policy Differently: Anthropological And Sociocultural Approach To Policy

Analysis

Peshal Khanal


Department of Educational Research

[email protected]

In this presentation, I aim to show new approaches to policy analysis in relation to my ongoing

study of school decentralisation policy in Nepal. For this purpose, I first conceptualise the meaning

of public policy and lay a conceptual foundation of policy analysis borrowing elements from two

theoretical domains, anthropology of policy and sociocultural approach to policy study.

Anthropology of policy aims to analyse policy from the perspectives of ‘policy community’ – a

specific constellation of actors, and their activities and influence that shape the policy. It looks at

policy from three perspectives – policy as language and power, policy as cultural agent and policy

as political technology. Sociocultural approach to policy study shares many concerns common to

anthropology of policy. However, the emphasis is to explicate ‘policy as practice of power’ and

interrogate the ‘meaning of policy in practice’. It argues that policy not only includes ‘legally

authorised’ documents, but also includes unofficial and occasionally spontaneous normative

guidelines developed in diverse social space. The major argument of this approach is that people do

not necessarily apply the same meaning what policy makers intend to articulate through policy

documents; rather they ‘take in’ elements of policy and negotiate and reorganise in the form of

institutional life.

26

Is Complexity Theory Useful in Describing Classroom Learning?

Mark Hardman



[email protected]

Complexity theory in the physical sciences describes systems in which groups of agents acting in

relation to only their immediate environment nevertheless develop an organisational structure which

is able to evolve and adapt. It also highlights the sensitivity of this structure to small changes and

the indeterminate nature of these changes.

In education, these characteristics have been applied to understanding action research (Radford,

2008); curriculum (Osberg, 2005; Doll, 2008) and change in educational systems (Mason, 2008).

Whilst this is a promising field, complexity theory within education is still in its infancy, and a

systematic and rigorous evaluation of the validity of transferring concepts from the physical to the

social sciences is urgently required before analysing the usefulness of complexity theory in

describing educational settings.

In this presentation I evaluate the validity of transferring understanding about complex systems

from the physical sciences to understanding the dynamic interactions in a classroom, through focus

on the below research questions:

1. What general properties of complex systems can be defined from the physical

sciences?

2. What is the validity of using this understanding of complex systems to consider learning in

classrooms?

3. How useful are concepts from complexity theory in understanding classroom learning?

Through these research questions the paper leads to the development of a theoretical framework for

describing classrooms as a complex system.

27


Session 8 – The Adventure of the Arts: Generating, Using, Interpreting and Reviewing

Artistic Productions

Can The Artwork Speak For Itself? Interpretation And Contextualisation In Practice-Based

PhDs

Megha Rajguru

University of Brighton

Faculty of Arts

[email protected]

This paper will examine the instrumentality of contextualisation and interpretation at each stage in a

practice-based PhD. I will address the challenges I have encountered in appropriately locating my

practice in the adventurous journey of my research.

At each stage: from idea generation, visualisation, and making, to the dissemination of the research,

the artist researcher is constantly engaging with ‘real’ and virtual interpretive communities of the

work. The process of critical inquiry, and production of new knowledge through making, hinges

upon appropriate interpretation and contextualisation, which is described as something that takes

place through the written exegesis or academic writing. This paper argues that the interpretive

framework for the research is conceived from the first stage of idea generation, through to the

production of the work, which demands the ways in which the work should be received. The

challenge lies in the textual and verbal communication of the framework, which creates a different

set of semiotic relationships between the work, the artist, and the audience. Practice-based research,

such as mine, that requires exhibiting the work in a public context (for dissemination as well as

examination) can be received by more than one type of interpretive audience; for instance the

museum or gallery visitor, passers-by, researchers, and PhD examiners. In what ways can the

researcher create a meaningful interpretive framework? Furthermore, how best can the process of

‘making’ be incorporated in the dissemination of the research?

In this paper, I will critically examine the methodologies I have employed in my PhD in order to

answer the above questions. I will review the methods used to disseminate my inter-disciplinary

research in the 2008 exhibition entitled “From Shrine to Plinth” at the Croydon Clocktower.

28

Adventure Or Minefield? Collaboration, Subjectivity And Commercial Vs Academic Success

In Improvised Musical Research

Sam Bailey


Music Department

[email protected]

I am a practice-based researcher in music and this presentation will focus on one of the four projects

that make up my PhD.

Over the course of my period of study my work with a band called The Quartet has led me to play

in several prestigious venues and festivals across the country and the band has received favourable

reviews in national newspapers for both studio recordings and performances. My work with this

band has been an adventure but I am left with several questions:

- The majority of the compositions that the band play are not written by me but they are written

with my playing in mind. Who is the author of the improvising that takes place within these

structures?

- My role as a participant/creator grants me a privileged yet highly subjective perspective on this

research. What is the place of biographical/anecdotal evidence in the analysis of this research?

- (How) does commercial or public success relate to academic success?

- What type of research question does this research seek to address?

This presentation will take comparative analysis of audio recordings - the music - as its starting

point and work outwards in an attempt to sketch some answers to the above questions.

29


Effects of Passive and Active Musical Experiences on Psychological Wellbeing

Rita Bento


Sidney De Haan Research Centre for Arts and Health

[email protected]

Effects of Passive and Active Musical Experiences on Psychological Wellbeing: A PhD Project.

An outline and reflections on this PhD project. Starting with the rationale behind this project, the

universality of music will be demonstrated. The arguments for (and against) its adaptive value, and

the empirical evidence that connects music with psychological well-being and health will be laid

out making a case for a perspective that moves from a focus on reducing ill-being to promoting

well-being not only on clinical populations but especially non-clinical ones. This will be followed

by the outline of the research questions this project intends to answer, the challenges that surround

it, and how they may be overcome. In conclusion, an example of an empirical starting point will be

sketched.

30

Session 9 – Research and Ethical Dilemmas

Ethics and Ethnography: Approaching the Field, Negotiating Friendships and

Accommodating Life

Gemma Commane


Department of Media and Culture

[email protected]

This paper will explore the approaches made in ethnographic field research and why certain

methods had to be applied, particularly in kinky, perverse and non-normative environments. The

ethnographic approach in research means that how data is seen and retrieved does not always follow

a set pattern. In consequence each encounter in the field is unique and this uniqueness comes with

certain credentials that need to be carefully considered by the researcher. These considerations have

to be continually negotiated not only within the approach to the field but how the field is re-

presented in written work. The outcomes of research depend upon success in the field and this

success cannot be achieved without acknowledging the importance of friendships and the

researchers self development within the sites of study. Both of these have rarely been written about

and consequently the ways in which flied encounters are critiqued lack the full contexts which

produce knowledge. The production of knowledge in field sites comes through the appropriation of

refined ethical measures and academic compassion which help to preserve contexts to which

relationships grow. The ethnographic tradition requires the researcher to place their body within the

culture they are studying over a long period of time and this means that the relationships formed

with participants have had to be continually assessed.

As the researcher’s role as an outsider becomes blurred through developing a variety of friendships

within the field, the ethical dangers increase. This is where the approach to the field must always be

aware of changing ethical considerations which are needed when approaching participants and field

sites in ethnographic research. Taking examples from PhD research, what will be explored are the

ways in which field sites and their outcomes have to be constantly re-negotiated to confirm consent

and safety. The immersion of the researcher’s body within the field comes with pitfalls and dangers

for all involved. Although there are methods set out by qualitative theorists that highlight the grand

narratives of the approach, this can never fully equip the researcher with the tools to suit their own

line of enquiry. This line of enquiry cannot be imposed by the researcher, instead the tools in which

knowledge is shared, transmitted and approached is dependent on the culture studied. Failure to

31

acknowledge the tools that participants use to express and transmit their values means that

knowledge produced can never correlate to the contexts in which these identities exist. Therefore

what will be shown are the ways in which ethical considerations have to adapt to the changing

environments and lives research becomes involved in. This paper will allow those embarking on

ethnographic field research ways in which they can cope with changing scapes and the sorts of tools

that can help to unpack hidden ethnography seen in most research.

32

Oral History and Fieldwork: Why Oral History Matters: The (Re)use and Interpretation of

Research Materials

The Hidden Voices of Nuu’Chah’Nulth Women through Word, Photograph and Voice

Jacky Moore


Department of Canadian Studies

[email protected]

Recently I had the honour of interviewing Nuu’Chah’Nulth women, First Nations living on the west

coast of Vancouver Island. Although my questions had been seriously considered and constructed

the interviews did not follow a structured sequential order. I believe there are important reasons for

this but an initial thought springs to mind: once the women had agreed to be interviewed they were

very keen to talk telling the stories of their lives in a congenial unthreatening atmosphere rather than

specifically answering the open-ended questions. The interviews generated a strong partnership

between women from two very different cultures providing an opportunity for oral autobiography, a

sharing of stories, narratives and experiences hitherto undisclosed to a wider audience, an

opportunity to listen and not to make assumptions. But is data valid if it is not collected in a

structured manner? Can data acquired this way be interpreted systematically, be reused for different

audiences and begin to answer the research questions - the roles and status of Nuu’Chah’Nulth

women in their societies, and the effect of colonisation on those roles? What are the challenges for

the interviewer and the interviewee? First and foremost language; meanings, misconceptions,

misuse, misunderstandings of terminology and the importance of listening are crucial aspects of the

dialogical process of the interview. With reference to transcripts and photographs I would like to

provide a few examples of how interview data provides a solid foundation for analysis,

understanding and reflection, and in the process make these women visible.

33


The Psychology and Politics of Anti-Smoking Campaigns: The Impact of Hypocrisy-Induced

Dissonance, Fear and Information Processing on Intentions to Quit Smoking

Caroline Wood


Department of Applied Social Sciences - Psychology

[email protected]

Anti-Smoking Campaigns in the United Kingdom and across Europe have recently relied on Fear to

motivate people to quit smoking. These are most commonly conveyed to the general public via

pictures showing the gruesome consequences of smoking, usually presented on the cigarette packet.

The question that the present research addresses is whether these scare tactics are effective in

encouraging smokers to change their smoking habits?

Two experiments (N=160, N=100) were conducted to examine the role of fear, both on its own and

in interaction with how smokers process information and deal with hypocrisy-induced dissonance,

on intentions to quit smoking. Despite the successful manipulation of these factors, results yielded

little support for the effects of fear on smoking intentions, both cross-sectionally and longitudinally.

In order to shed light on these results, qualitative data were collected from smokers that highlighted

how and why smoking behaviour is maintained and also key characteristics which would ultimately

replace it.

Overall results are discussed in terms of their political, psychological and financial implications for

smoking campaigns.

34


Session 10 – Learning, Identity, and Language

Multimodality And Magic: Once Upon A Time In A Classroom . . .

Sarn Rich


Department of English and Language Studies

[email protected]

Through symbolic representations of shared or universal experiences, fairy tales help us to explore

anxieties and to understand that they can be overcome (Bettelheim 1978). This paper presents a

collaborative project which drew together adult English language learners and British infant school

children, through the analysis, creation and telling of fairy tales.

After a brief course in relevant narrative structures and generic conventions, symbols in stories and

in pictures, and the interplay of written text and images in young children’s literature, groups of

adult learners used fairy tales, which they themselves created together and illustrated in powerpoint

presentations, to explore and to share their own experiences as learners abroad in a foreign country.

At the same time their stories were directed at a class of British children, and provided means –

through the symbols contained in the stories – to explore and to overcome potential anxieties

around their imminent transition from infant school to junior school.

We will discuss the project’s rationale, how we carried it out, and what it taught us and our

students.

35

‘English is my African Language’: A Researcher’s Journey

Tinashe Mushakavanhu

University of Kent

School of English

[email protected]

One thing that intrigues people I meet is this: how come you are African, eloquent in English,

studying for a PhD in English? As Zora Neale-Hurston, once said, ‘research is a formalized

curiosity, it is poking and prying with a purpose.’ I grew up with half the story. Colonialism told my

ancestors, my parents, and myself that we were eternal victims. I was curious enough to come to the

other side of the Atlantic to wrestle the rest of the story. Chinua Achebe highlights the problem with

the world knowledge system when he rightly points out that it is dominated by Europe and excludes

the “African testimony.” It is this misnomer that led me to want to be a literary researcher in

English – to declare my independence and refuse to be a squawking parrot. This paper sets out to

demolish the walls that keep Africa from knowing itself, and seek ways of understanding the

possibilities inherent in that continent.

36

Surviving As An English Teacher: Man Without A Gun

Yeonsuk Bae


Department of Applied Linguistics

[email protected]

This is the part of my data from interviewing teachers involved in the pilot project in Korea. Since

2008, the pilot project, teaching Science and Mathematics using the medium of English in

Elementary schools, has been implemented for the purpose of improving students’ communicative

competence. However, preparations for the project were not sufficient for elementary school

teachers to keep up with this project in terms of teacher training and materials. Especially, some

teachers involved in the project were not trained as English teachers. Thus they had to deal with not

only the way of teaching the subject in English but also their deficiency of English. Even so, the

pilot project is considered as successful in terms of students’ communicative competence. Here, I

would like to show one teacher as an example to delineate how the teacher has been through to

make the project work in her context in spite of constraints.

37

Session 11 – Anthropology and Culture

An Anthropological Approach To Locating The Web: Methods For Studying The Impact Of

New Media On- And Off-Line

Francine Barone

University of Kent

Department of Anthropology

[email protected]

Anthropological approaches to the Internet and new technologies are rapidly expanding areas of

inquiry within the social sciences. While the existence of desktop hardware and wireless devices is

self-evident, the elusive placelessness of the web has caused profound practical and analytical

issues. In popular science, the study of virtual worlds like Second Life and World of Warcraft

makes headlines for challenging what we know about place-based society. Such arguments have

prompted field researchers to fundamentally rethink the methodologies that have traditionally been

applied to ethnographic fieldwork in order to explore virtual networks and online communities on

their own terms. However, online concerns are not separate or detached from offline realities. New

technologies are thoroughly embedded in our everyday lives. My research adventure has therefore

been to locate the Internet. I embraced traditional on-the-ground methods to bypass virtuality in

making sense of the “placeless cloud” that we take for granted. How do we situate websites,

Facebook, email and texting within a communicative framework that is continually evolving in

crosscutting trajectories with other forms of paper, wired and wireless media? Are “Web 2.0” and

“social media” anything new? Is the Internet a social tool or an ego-centric, individualizing entity?

Is it bounded by traditional categories of social stratification like class, gender and geography, or

does it efface and transgress them? My doctoral research, based on 15 months of intensive

participant observation in a Catalan city, tackled these issues head-on with a multifaceted approach

to understanding the social impact of new media in a contemporary urban setting. I present here a

critical review of my methods for Internet research wherein I explored technology as a continuous

aspect of physical geography and reveal key findings which proved these methods to be

worthwhile.

38

A Bleeding Yellow Robe

Suren Raghavan

University of Kent

[email protected]

Traditional notion of realpolitik marginalizes the forces of religion. Even in a post-positivist

paradigm, the analytical consideration for a religious-polity is seriously limited. Yet even before

9/11, so far the most securitized event in the twenty first century, from USA to Australia, from

Northern Ireland to Nigeria, from India to Germany, religion is a big political factor in decisive

politics. In this sense the role and capacity of religions in Conflict Resolution and Peacemaking is

largely understudied (Johnston 2003, Hansen 1999, Haynes 1998). Even amidst a growing body of

literature (Banchoff (ed.) 2008, Wald and Calhoun-Brown 2006, Brass 2005, Norris and Norris

Inglehart, 2004) religious dimension of politics remain to be recognized. Empirically the ability of

religions in Conflict Resonation and War-making is clear.

In many modern states religion kills. They do now as in the history. They influence the infrapolitics

of a social ideology, creating many facets of religioethnic nationalism. The prototype belief that

certain religions – such as political Islam are more prone to violence than others like Buddhism is a

sentiment that demands deeper sociological interrogation. While many versions of Buddhism in the

Far-East is able to document a violent political history, the fraternized influence of Theravada

Buddhism on the socio-political development in South Asia still lacks its deserved academic

diagnosis beyond oriental anthropology schools.

This presentation is an attempt to trace the political dynamics of contemporary Theravada

Buddhism as interpreted and practised by a radical section of the Sangha in Sri Lanka and its impact

on postcolonial Sinhala nationalism. The island state is the ancient abode of Theravada Buddhism

and the homeland for nearly fifteen million ethnic Sinhalese and their scattered Diaspora, which

struggles to define nation and nationalism in the context of a protracted ethnonational minority

separatist war. The fundamental definition of nation is drawn from a historical framework analysis

of Sinhala Buddhism. As recorded in the chronicle of Mahavamsa.

The presentation investigates the ontological insecurities faced by Sinhala-Buddhist polity, its

counter reactions and the revival of a post protestant Sinhala Buddhism inspired by individual

Sangha and their collective political interventions such as the Jathika Hela Urumaya. It further

explores the question how a new version of Buddhism promoted war and delays peace in Sri Lanka

even after a three decade of separatists terror politics.

39

Product Placement in UK and Chinese (HK) Television Programmes : A Mix of Quantitative

and Qualitative Approaches

Fanny Chan

The University of Kent

Kent Business School

[email protected]

The British government announced on 9th February 2010 that product placement will be allowed on

UK commercial television for its first time (Tryhorn 2010). Most pervious studies of product

placement based mainly on Western audience, particularly the U.S., and very few view it as a global

phenomenon (Gould, Gupta and Grabner-Krauter 2000) not to mention studies on the wider cultural

comparisons. Also little attention is paid to the institutional and organizational mechanism through

which brands are integrated into entertainment programming (Russell and Belch 2005). The

proposed study aims to investigate UK and HK audience’s response toward product placement and

to bridge the results with the practitioners’ side. It represents the first study in the field adopting

both empirical quantitative and qualitative approaches to generate a comprehensive picture of

product placement in television, specifically in the four domains: the evolution, the effectiveness,

the ethical issues and the embedding process of product placement across the cultural aspect. It is

believed that consumers’ values are shaped by their cultural and media experiences. The differences

and similarities between eastern and western cultures may affect the implementation and perception

of product placement and thus its effectiveness. This project is divided into two phases,

experimental setting will be used to capture audiences’ perception and responses to product

placement in the first phase and in-depth interviews will be conducted to explore practitioners’

views about placing brands in television programmes in the second phase.

40

PGRA 2010 Conference Pamphlet

Documents

room nf09 session

p37 session

p24 session

p34 session

p30 session

p12 session

p10 session

p21 session