Diversity in the United Kingdom is regularly quantified through Census data. The latest figures (2021) for England and Wales indicate that 82% of the population identifies as white, 51% are females, 17.7%-22.3% are disabled, 18.2% hold no qualifications and 51.7% of households are deprived in at least one dimension. Furthermore, the median age in…

Is our cognition the underlying architecture of the recurrent and pan-cultural imaginative ideas of children and adolescents? Recent cross-cultural studies show that children and adolescents recall proportionally more creative, counterintuitive concepts than older adults. One outstanding concern is that cultural transmission is also constrained by…

Teacher shortages have intensified across several OECD countries, making this an urgent priority for education systems. Between 2015 and 2022, the share of students whose principals reported shortages rose from 29% to 46.7% on average across the OECD. Simultaneously, rapid technological advances, such as artificial intelligence (AI), and broader…

In 2010, the government announced their latest drive to raise the status of vocational qualifications in secondary education. This overhaul was subsequently enacted based on recommendations made by Alison Wolf in her review of vocational education. As a result, the Department for Education (DfE) introduced four new categories of vocational…

This study explored demographic and psychological predictors of alcohol use and misuse in a high-functioning, community sample of 237 autistic adults aged 18-75 (mean = 41.92 and standard deviation = 13.3) recruited in the United Kingdom. An online survey measured demographic information, autistic traits, depression, generalised anxiety, social…

Residential mobility is a normal feature of family life but thought to be a source of disruption to a child's development. Mobility may have its own direct consequences or reflect families' capabilities and vulnerabilities. This article examines the association between changes of residence and verbal and behavioral scores of children aged 5,…

Previous research exploring the role of nurture group practitioners (NGPs) has highlighted the complexities of the skilled work undertaken by these educators working with some of the most vulnerable pupils in schools, however, little research has been dedicated to investigating the demographics of this workforce and their perceptions of the…

Music has long been shown to have diverse benefits for all age groups. Music therapy has been used in a variety of situations involving both physical and mental health issues. A report of a United Kingdom study on the benefits of older people's participation in community music activities prompted an investigation of the benefits of a new…

Religious group size, demographic composition, and the dynamics thereof are of interest in many areas of social science including migration, social cohesion, parties and voting, and violent conflict. Existing estimates however are of varying and perhaps poor quality because many countries do not collect official data on religious identity. We…

The driving question for this brief is based on the most common question that teachers, principals, school leaders, coaches, and grant writers ask the Buck Institute for Education (BIE) about Project Based Learning (PBL): What evidence exists that shows the impact of Project Based Learning on student learning in core content areas? Research shows…

Autistic individuals may be at risk of premature mortality, and physical health comorbidity increases this risk; however, most studies fail to include older autistic adults or consider lifestyle-related factors that affect health. We developed an anonymous, online physical health survey. The final sample included n = 2368 individuals (mean age =…

Research within Higher Education in the United Kingdom has reported conflicting findings when investigating the relationship between undergraduate entry routes and gender, with successful performances across the degree cycle. This paper adds to this body of knowledge and examines the relationship between entry routes and gender on student outcomes…

The first year of study in higher education is a time of major transition for students. While the importance of induction has been widely demonstrated, there is evidence to suggest that not all students benefit equally from participation in induction. This study examined attendance rates at induction, the relationship between induction attendance…

When analysing course-level data by subgroups based upon some demographic characteristics, the numbers in analytical cells are often too small to allow inferences to be drawn that might help in the enhancement of practices. However, relatively simple analyses can provide useful pointers. This article draws upon a study involving a partnership with…

Innovative behavior can be described as a process in which new ideas are generated, created, developed, applied, promoted, realized, and modified by employees to benefit role performance. Various reasons, such as rapid technological and social changes in society, underline the necessity for innovative behavior of employees and certainly of…