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School of Arts, Social Sciences and Management

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    From risky play to dirty play: Why young children need ‘dirty’ nature play in their lives
    (Taylor & Francis, 2025) Barrable, Alexia; Robinson, Jake M.
    Risky play, which describes exciting forms of free play that involve some uncertainty of outcome and a possibility of physical injury, is increasingly recognised as vital to children’s physical, emotional, and cognitive development. However, an equally important but often overlooked form of engagement is “dirty play”: the unstructured, tactile interaction with soil, mud, plants and the microbial life that inhabits them. This article explores the developmental, immunological and ecological value of such interactions, which are frequently dismissed or sanitised due to modern hygiene norms and societal perceptions of ‘dirt’ as dangerous or undesirable. We synthesise evidence from microbiome science, environmental psychology and early childhood education to argue that microbially rich natural environments play a crucial role in shaping healthy immune systems, preventing inflammatory and allergic diseases, and nurturing curiosity, sensory development and nature connectedness. Integrating ‘dirty play’ into early childhood settings supports children's health and could cultivate ecological empathy, encouraging deeper, lifelong relationships with the natural world.
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    Equality, Diversity, Inclusion (EDI) in Event Management and Event Tourism
    (Goodfellow Publishers, 2026) Sharp, Briony; Finkel, Rebecca; Fletcher, T.
    In event tourism, equality involves ensuring that international and domestic visitors alike can access and enjoy events, regardless of language, mobility, or cultural background. Diversity in this context includes the representation of global cultures, while inclusion ensures that all tourists feel welcomed and respected throughout their event experience. In recent years, the concepts of equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) have gained significant traction across various sectors, including education, healthcare, business, and the creative industries (see Finkel, Sharp & Sweeney, 2018; Calver et al., 2023; Fletcher, Dashper & Albert 2023; Walters & Higgins-Desbiolles 2024; Liu, Hao & Qiu, 2025). These principles are not only ethical imperatives, but also practical necessities in a globalized and increasingly interconnected world. In the events industry—where people from diverse backgrounds come together for shared experiences—EDI plays a particularly crucial role. Events have the power to shape cultural narratives, foster community, and influence public discourse. As such, the way they are designed, managed, and delivered must reflect a commitment to fairness, representation, and accessibility. Inclusive events can enhance a destination’s reputation as welcoming and progressive, which is increasingly important for socially conscious travellers. Conversely, exclusionary practices can damage a destination’s appeal and lead to reputational risk. For example, Pride festivals, Indigenous cultural events, and diasporic heritage festivals often attract international visitors, and serve as platforms for cultural diplomacy and tourism development. Event tourism professionals must navigate diverse cultural expectations and ensure that events are not only inclusive for attendees, but also respectful of, and beneficial to, host communities. This includes cross-cultural communication, inclusive tourism infrastructure, and ethical engagement with local communities. Despite the benefits and expectations of contemporary audiences, research suggests that EDI remains a marginal concern in mainstream events management literature and practice. A recent audit of leading events management journals found that EDI-related research is often confined to special issues and lacks integration into the core body of knowledge. This raises important questions about how EDI is understood, critiqued, and operationalised within the field (Calver et al., 2023). Also, in event tourism, performative inclusion may manifest in destination marketing that highlights diversity without ensuring inclusive infrastructure or community engagement. Tourism boards may promote multicultural festivals without addressing accessibility or the needs of local communities, raising concerns about authenticity and equity (Swartjes & Berkers, 2021). This entry explores the meaning and usage of EDI, critiques surrounding its implementation, and its relevance to both the academic fields of events, event tourism, and the professional practice of events management. The discussion is structured into four main sections: definitions of EDI, critiques of its usage, how EDI plays out in the context of events and event tourism, and its practical implications for event managers.
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    Forest School in the early years
    (Routledge, 2025-08-08) Friedman, Samantha; Barrable, Alexia
    Recent years have seen a rise in the popularity of Forest Schools as both a complement and alternative to traditional schooling and an activity for children as young as several months old. Participation in Forest School has been associated with positive outcomes, including educational, social, and physical development. More recent research suggests that Forest Schools could also be an empowering space for autistic children. Questions persist around how practitioners and researchers define and implement Forest School, the theoretical basis (or lack thereof), and the implications of adopting this practice from another culture. This chapter will critically discuss the various approaches practitioners take to adopting the Forest School ethos, the elements of Forest School which might make it effective for providing pre-school children novel opportunities for autonomy, and the larger questions that remain as Forest School continues to become a more accessible option for young children.
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    A deep learning pipeline for age prediction from vocalisations of the domestic feline
    (Nature Research, 2025-10-03) van Toor, Astrid; Qazi, Nadeem; Paladini, Stefania
    Accurate age estimation is essential for advancing interspecies communication but remains a challenge across non-human species. This study presents the first dataset of domestic feline vocalisations specifically designed for age prediction and introduces a novel deep learning pipeline for this purpose. By applying transfer learning with models like VGGish, YAMNet, and Perch, we demonstrate the potential for automated age classification, with VGGish achieving the best results. Our findings hold significant potential for applications in veterinary care and wildlife conservation, building on existing research and pushing forward the boundaries of automated age classification within digital bioacoustics. Future work could explore improving model generalisability and robustness, potentially expanding its application across species.
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    Finding joy on the way: shared journeys in education [Editorial]
    (University of Aberdeen, 2025-09-16) Green, Sarah; Kimm, Michael; Morin, Julie; Dick, Suzie
    As we cross through the first quarter-century mark of our new millennium, we find ourselves, as educators, entrenched in a landscape of ever moving standards, fighting the battles of ever more sociopolitical stakeholders, while constantly being bombarded by the needs of the next new system, the next new talking points, the next new pedagogy. The field of practice is ever more dotted with academic landmines for teachers to navigate, while data driven instruction initiatives and accountability policies in the name of rigor afford many teachers less curricular movement than ever before. It is safe to say, both critically and anecdotally, the profession, at every level, is exhausted. This plays out in the numbers both entering and leaving the profession, which in many countries has reached disparities that are borderline catastrophic (Domović and Drvodelić, 2025; Lindqvist et al., 2022; Magni, 2025; Nguyen et al., 2024; Rahimi and Arnold, 2025), with UNESCO via the United Nations currently estimating “an urgent need for 44 million primary and secondary teachers worldwide by 2030” (UNESCO, 2025). The work, for so many of those who remain, has become work of fear, frustration, and futility; the love is dwindling, the joy is gone. This statement is not hyperbolic. Beyond being felt deeply by this core of editors, a surge of academic investigation into joy in education post-COVID simultaneously recognizes the degradation of joy in contemporary classrooms and systems and the essential role that joy plays in both teaching and learning. Multiple collections of essays have been published since this special issue put out its call in late 2024 that specifically examine joy in our global pedagogies, an example of which can be found in Joy-Centered Pedagogy in Higher Education, edited by Eileen Kogl Camfield and published by Routledge in the middle of 2025. As part of the pre-title, multi-author foreword, Stommel addresses, in one stroke, many of the above highlighted concerns: “Teaching is deeply human work. This book is an antidote to all the forces in education that would have us forget that… we can refuse the narrative that we must suffer to do something good for our students” (see Camfield, p.ii). Camfield herself, in her formal foreword in the same work, suggests we “take another look at joy – joy not as fluffy ‘feel goodism,’ but as the tough fiber that binds community together and weaves a net that catches those who might otherwise fall” (p.xiv). This special issue is Education in the North’s (accidentally) well-timed contribution to that call.
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    Ode to Joy: discussions on creating a chorus of jubilation in education
    (University of Aberdeen, 2025-09-16) Lord, Kat; Deazley, Stephen
    In this dialogue, Stephen, Artistic Director of a non-profit arts organisation, and Kat, a former primary school teacher and Senior Lecturer in Education at a Post-1992 university, reflect on the nature of joy in informal and formal education spaces as taken from their professional experiences. They explore how to create the conditions for joy in those spaces through song, discussing their collaboration to design an inclusive and sustainable singing programme, Sing for Wellbeing.
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    Priority research questions in microbiome-integrated urban design
    (American Society for Microbiology, 2025-10-14) Robinson, Jake; Beckett, Richard; Archer, Lorraine; Barrable, Alexia; Bogdan-Margineanu, Michael; Bradley, Sean; Hawes, Sarah; Herr, Christiane; Housen, Mira; Lacatusu, Alexandra; Laitinen, Olli; Roslund, Marja; Rumble, Heather; Scott, William; Sinkkonen, Aki; Xin, Sun
    Urbanization is accelerating at an unprecedented pace, with 70% of the global population projected to live in cities by 2050. This shift presents significant challenges and opportunities for fostering sustainable urban ecosystems aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Microbiomes—the diverse communities of microorganisms that underpin ecosystem function—are increasingly recognized for their vital role in nutrient cycling, climate regulation, biodiversity support, and human well-being. However, their consideration and integration in urban design remain underexplored, often limited to disease mitigation. The emerging field of microbiome-integrated urban design seeks to leverage microbial activity to enhance urban health and resilience through a multispecies framework. To address critical gaps, the Probiotic Cities Working Group convened a global interdisciplinary workshop, engaging experts from ecology, architecture, urban planning, immunology, and social sciences. Using reverse brainstorming and thematic analysis, participants identified eight core themes and 40 priority research questions (via a modified Delphi technique). These themes span communication and policy, pollution prevention, interdisciplinary collaboration, experimental design, ethics, and public perception of microbiomes. A binomial concordance analysis revealed strong consensus on the top-ranked questions, which address urgent needs such as improving science communication, defining success metrics, and promoting evidence-based microbiome interventions. This paper discusses the top-ranked priority research questions and their broader implications for microbiome science, urban health, and sustainable development. By focusing on these priorities, researchers, policymakers, and practitioners can foster a transformative agenda to integrate microbiomes into urban design, advancing resilient and equitable cities for the future.
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    Interaction Design: Where’s the graphic designer in the graphical user interface?
    (2009) Wood, Dave
    This paper will, from a visual communication perspective, explore the role over the last 40 years of the graphic designer within graphical user interface design. I am specifically interested in how graphic design has had to respond to designing for interactions in the new digital media. To do this I will also examine how interactive design has impacted upon graphic design and vice versa. In order to conclude on the present position I will explore the roots and formation of the graphic design discipline formed sixty-six years prior to the formation of the new discipline of interaction design. There are parallels between the two. Focusing upon a literature review of academic visual communication literature this paper scrutinizes limited writing within it on graphical user interfaces. It analyses and evaluates the visual communication literature dialectically through a filter of interaction design writers’ selected writings. In tone and structure this paper is designed to address a proposition that has seldom been addressed fully from my chosen perspective. My research position is shaped by a desire to explore the graphic aspect of graphical user interfaces rather than from the technology/HCI/computer science disciplines. This paper adds to the discourse on how interactions can be facilitated by better graphic design in order to expand visual communication literature and application to practice. The conclusions in the paper set the context for a deeper enquiry into graphical user interfaces from a visual communication perspective, as part of my continuing PhD research.