Researching in heterogeneous communities can present challenges for the most experienced of researchers, especially in the context of ethnographic work, where the dynamism and unpredictability of a research setting can make it difficult to anticipate the languages spoken. Drawing on data from multilingual health consultations, I reflect on…

Typical characteristics of Master's-level education usefully complement the development of professional attributes leading to improved outcomes for those professions. These include critical reflection on one's own practice, scholarship and research, and also that of others. This requires access to and engagement with a well-organized and verified…

Academic developers need to understand the situated workplaces of the academic tribes they are supporting. This study proposes the use of the expansive--restrictive workplace learning environment continuum as a tool for evaluation of academic workplaces. The tool is critically appraised through its application to the analysis of workplace…

This project explored ways in which student selection in nursing can be developed. Original research was undertaken throughout the United Kingdom using qualitative interviews with a range of academic staff and partners from practice. A conceptual framework was produced which identified five categories which can confidently be seen as…

Generic attributes such as "holding a critical stance", "using evidence to support claims", and "projecting an impersonal voice" are central to disciplinary academic writing in higher education. These attributes, also referred to as "skills", have for a long time been conceptualised as transferable in that…

Although academic writing in higher education has been the focus of research efforts for more than two decades, the specific writing experiences, needs and difficulties of undergraduate nursing and midwifery students have remained largely under-researched. This article reports on a project that investigated the nature and dynamics of academic…