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In this case study we consider a mixed dataset of toddler food packaging from UK, ranging from more “budget” products to those which are distinctly “elite”. In mapping the semiotic and material resources stakeholders use to construct these items as uniquely healthful and sustainable, we investigate the ways in which people – and indeed, children – are socialized into classed ways of eating and performing “good taste” (Bourdieu 1984) and healthy lifestyle.

Sing for Wellbeing: sustainably supporting the wellbeing of children and young people through inclusive singing in Scottish primary schools,  is an innovative teaching and learning programme. Developed out of a national research partnership established in 2021 between ���ھ�Ʒ91�����鶹 and Love Music, intended to support the wellbeing of Scottish children and young people. It does so through an inclusive and sustainable, arts-based pedagogical intervention for primary school pupils, as led by their teachers. It is a targeted response to the growing evidence of increased vulnerability of children and young people, especially those living in poverty, to mental illness, which has become a notable public health concern in Scotland.   

As a response to the increasing 'attainment gap' in Scottish education the Enhanced Learning and Tutoring initiative developed within ���ھ�Ʒ91�����鶹 provided both face-to-face and online format subject-specific tutoring.  The focus was on reducing the disparity in educational outcomes and achievement among high school students in East Lothian and Midlothian; catering specifically for students from areas of multiple deprivation, those in the care system, or young caregivers.  

Inclusive education for disabled children in mainstream settings is becoming increasingly prevalent in the UK. Research tells us that, alongside participation in school life, being able to see themselves represented through ‘mirrors’ helps disabled children to build a sense of belonging at school. At the same time, disability representation offers non-disabled children ‘windows’ on their world. In broad terms, our project is iteratively building a multimedia resource for schools and youth organizations which focuses on positive representation of, and language about, disability in children’s material culture, with a focus on the toybox.   

This work evolved to become a reflexive and critically informed case study into the ways in which loneliness as a health and social care issue intersects with stroke survivors’ experiences in remote and rural Scotland and the assumptions that drive inquiry into health; loneliness; rurality and how we narrate our experiences of these. 

Led Dr Kristen Knowles, the games industry now has an effective tool for measuring the impact of their pro-environmental initiatives at a global scale.  By fostering collaborations with games industry partners and the United Nations Environment Programme, and their offshoot “Playing for the Planet,” Dr Knowles has led projects which are aimed at evidence-based evaluations of green initiatives in gaming. A key research question of these projects has been focused on whether green content in games (for example, an environmentally-themed game level or character/story) is effective at impacting players’ attitudes about the environment. In short, do climate initiatives developed by game studios actually work to change players’ behaviours in the real world?  With over 2.5 billion players globally, gaming has unprecedented reach, and mobile game content has the ability to reach populations which are not easily accessible to researchers in the social sciences.