Maths difficulties prompt change


THERE IS INCREASED emphasis on multiplicative reasoning (ie, capacity to recognise and solve problems involving multiplication) in the revised National Curriculum for England which will affect all young people in school education from 2015. This was prompted by findings from a four-year study of students’ understanding of secondary school mathematics and ways of adapting teaching to improve attainment. A survey of 7,000 students across Key Stage 3 in England gave detailed evidence of students’ understandings of, and difficulties with, mathematics. Findings show that at age 14, students today have less mathematical


understanding than in the 1970s. And the proportion of 14-year-old students at the lowest level of attainment has increased significantly over 30 years. Evidence from this study has not only influenced government education policy but is being used to further the professional development of teachers in the UK, South Africa, Europe and Asia. n


i Contact Professor Jeremy Hodgen,


King’s College London Email jeremy.hodgen@kcl.ac.uk Telephone 0207 848 3102 ESRC Grant Number RES-179-25-0009 iccams-maths.org


Improving safety of elderly people on stairs


A NEW STUDY of how elderly people negotiate stairs suggests that some staircases in the UK’s older homes and commercial buildings are particularly hazardous for older people. Falls are a major problem in old age, and most falls occur when people are walking down stairs. The reason, explains researcher Professor Costis Maganaris, is that the downward movement of the body has to be controlled and halted every time the foot hits the step and our ability to do this depends on muscle strength, joint mobility and our sense of balance – all of which deteriorate with age – as well as certain stair geometry characteristics, namely the rise and going of the steps. Older buildings with staircases outside current regulations (ie, higher step rises or smaller step goings) pose particular problems for older people, say researchers. “Since non-conforming


staircases in many older buildings are difficult or expensive to modify to make them less demanding, this hazard is likely to continue for many years,” says Professor Maganaris. But findings suggest that exercise may help prevent falls on stairs. Resistance and stretching exercise, in particular, could improve older people’s functional capabilities and competence and confidence on stairs. Researchers believe that further


research will establish which effective, pragmatic and practical exercise programmes could be included in physical activity sessions run in community settings and by rehabilitation centres to help reduce both the fear and actuality of falling. n


i Contact Professor Costis Maganaris, Liverpool


John Moores University Email c.maganaris@ljmu.ac.uk ESRC Grant Number RES-356-25-0037


TALIBAN VIEWS Interviews with Taliban commanders and local elders in Afghanistan will help researchers examine the Afghanistan War from the Taliban perspective. The study will use oral history to reconstruct how the Taliban planned, fought and experienced the war. It will also assess the impact of the withdrawal of international combat forces on the Taliban military campaign as well as Taliban adaptability in the conflict and the roots of Taliban resilience.


ESRC grant number ES/L008041/1


CITIZEN FORENSICS More than 120,000 violent deaths occurred in Mexico between 2006-2013 and 15,000 bodies remain unidentified. A research team will explore new forms of citizenship related to the use of forensic science in the search for the missing in Mexico. Researchers aim to create the first citizen-led Forensic DNA database to positively intervening in the current humanitarian crisis. ESRC grant number ES/M00063X/1


DATA FOR PEACE Peacekeeping organisations rely on high-quality information. Day-to-day pressures on UN operations mean that peacekeeping data collected in the field are often under-exploited. By systematically examining and analysing data collected in the UN mission in Dafur, researchers aim to improve understanding of the dynamics of decision-making in a UK peacekeeping operation and the changing character of violent conflict.


ESRC grant number ES/L007479/1 SUMMER 2011 SOCIETY NOW 5 AUTUMN 2014


IN BRIEF


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