Impact case study database

2016-2017 Policing statistics show that there is now more racist than sectarian crime in NI. A 2015 Equality Commission report indicated that higher proportions of newcomers leave school without GCSEs. The impact of Corrigan’s research on the education/heritage sectors reducing such injustices was timely because of: (i) Public sector funding crises; (ii) The COVID-19 pandemic’s rapid transformation of these sectors’ practices/experiences and deepening of inequalities; (iii) Widespread monolingual ideologies inducing language skills shortages.

1. Impacts on the Education Sector

NI’s increased linguistic diversity and the recent instigation of the Irish-medium Education Order (NI) ( PUB5) present real challenges for educators when CPD is restricted. PUB4&5 demonstrate that the resultant demolinguistic profiles of NI’s schools have fostered deficit models of multilingualism amongst educators, parents and pupils. Counteracting such views was thus a crucial goal of Corrigan’s activities. Their success is captured in CPD feedback from the Deputy Principal of an Irish-medium school in one of NI’s most immigrant dense regions: “ you have left us with many arguments to counter those for whom bilingualism is more problematic than advantageous” ( IMP1a). Prior to Corrigan’s interventions, negative attitudes had gone unchecked through lack of best practice training opportunities, delivered via clear and approachable summaries of up-to-date research. PUB5 provided compelling evidence to undermine monolingual ideologies. Key skills amongst Corrigan’s bilingual project participants were uncovered (e.g. heightened metalinguistic awareness). The research also revealed deep-seated prejudices towards heritage languages. As a countermeasure, Corrigan devised CPD activities challenging the prevailing deficit model, demonstrating best practices for diversifying curricula and playing to the strengths of multilingual pupils. More than 500 stakeholders, key to effecting educational policy/practice changes region-wide, were reached (including invitations to run CPD events from members of NI’s Council for the Curriculum, Examinations & Assessment (CCEA), the Catholic Council for Maintained Schools, the Education Authority, Education Training Inspectorate, employees of the Southern Education and Library Board, principals ( IMP1b) and teachers). Corrigan provided CPD training underpinned by her research for 21 staff and 147 trainee teachers at both of NI’s Teacher-Training Colleges, further extending the scope of the impact by ensuring that best practices were embedded in their curricula longer-term ( IMP1c).

The documented changes arising from Corrigan’s educational interventions include revised policies and curriculum innovations, resulting in: (i) Acquiring new skills/knowledge; (ii) Attitudinal change; (iii) Increased teacher and pupil confidence; (iv) Improved National Test grades; (v) National competition prizes ( IMP2h). One school, e.g. recorded this Development Plan change: “Newcomers are not a segregated group…all practices/policies/posts of responsibility need to address [their needs] daily” ( IMP2a). These revisions subsequently effected: “a significant change in attitudes to home languages, and in the number of children who are choosing to speak [them] in school” ( IMP2b). Innovations to curricula in the sector generating impacts (i)-(v) have been achieved by CPD ( IMP2c); diversity events ( IMP2d); open learning access to new digital KS3/KS4 resources ( IMP3a), available across the sector via CCEA’s website (reaching approximately 57,000 pupils) ( IMP3b). Their profound impact is captured in [text removed for publication] ( IMP3b). Corrigan developed these toolkits from pilot lessons to 825 pupils in 8 diverse post-primary schools (selective (i.e. negligible newcomer populations) and non-selective (i.e. high newcomer places)) ( IMP2b,2c,2e,2f,3d). The KS3 participants were also eligible to enter a multilingual poetry competition. Prize winners’ poems were published in Voices of Tyrone ( IMP3e), also available for download as part of CCEA’s open learning resources. [text removed for publication] These activities generated two key benefits: (i) New knowledge that NI is now linguistically superdiverse, e.g. “I learned that most people in my class speak more than one language” ( IMP2e); (ii) Pupils reported changed attitudes to newcomer peers, e.g. “Not to judge the way they speak and to have a better understanding of their language” ( IMP2e).

The lack of teacher confidence in effectively delivering the KS4 English Language curriculum to newcomers is clear from one Head of English who reports that: “Initially, there was a real sense of anxiety...We…had particular issues sourcing suitable relevant material that we felt confident analysing” ( IMP2f). She notes though that Corrigan’s training and new lessons have had a “profound impact upon our teaching practice” ( IMP2f). Focus group interviews with other KS4 teachers similarly reported that: “[EAL] pupils are very weak at speaking up in front of their peers…On top of that you have EAL students who have been made to feel that they are different and they become alienated” ( IMP2e). However, they also agreed that the lessons: “boosted [newcomer] confidence, made them…proud that they were able to speak two or more languages”; “The other students were impressed at how many languages their peers could speak” ( IMP2e). The further effectiveness of the activities and resources is highlighted by the radical upward trajectory of National Test grades reported by the participating school characterised by the greatest number of multiple deprivations. Prior to the CPD training and delivering Corrigan’s lessons, their average GCSE A*-C English results e.g. “consistently hovered at around 40%” ( IMP2b). As the evidence from this school confirms, following intervention, the pupils’ scores rose dramatically to 94.7% A*-C ( IMP2g). The principal notes: “Considering that 52.5% of these pupils are second language speakers of English, the impact of the project speaks for itself with these results, which are just phenomenal” ( IMP2b). The interventions are also credited to be the catalyst for newcomers subsequently winning prizes in prestigious National/EU Competitions ( IMP2c,2h) because of a “changing mindset that EAL is not a barrier and not a blocker, but that it is important to see it as a strength, and to use it as a platform to push on” ( IMP2c).

1. Impacts on the Heritage Sector and Public Life

NI’s changing demography presents new challenges for the heritage sector and public bodies alike. Impacts arising from Corrigan’s fruitful engagement with these sectors have: (i) Improved heritage professionals’ practices; (ii) Raised public awareness and changed attitudes by deepening knowledge; (iii) Increased outreach capacity and audience diversity; (iv) Informed corporate equality policies. Activities were facilitated by invitations from local district councils/schools, Libraries NI and 5 partners: Conflict Textiles, Gael Linn, Linen Hall Library, Mellon Centre for Migration Studies (MCMS)/ Ulster American Folk Park (UAFP). They included: Consultation and CPD activities (3); Public debates/lectures (12); Physical/Virtual Exhibitions (3); Film screenings (2); Workshops for primary schools (3); Websites (3) ( IMP4a-c,6c,8a).

Impacts (i)-(iii) are evidenced in Corrigan’s collaboration with MCMS/UAFP to promote awareness, appreciation and understanding of language, migration and identity ( PUB5). According to their Director: “real benefits were achieved with respect to educating the wider public as well as effecting changes in attitudes” ( IMP5a). The organisation attracts approximately 130,000 visitors annually and is a major national deliverer of both tourism and HEI degrees ( IMP5b). NI’s recent, unprecedented immigration trends, creating the new language ecology identified in PUB1,4&5, present unique opportunities to interpret the motivation for and consequences of mobility. The MCMS Director asserts that addressing these issues is: “more relevant than ever before in promoting better public understanding of the ‘long view’ of migration history” ( IMP5a). However, Tour Guides and academic staff had no training in how to reduce cultural/linguistic barriers and attract these new non-traditional audiences so as to increase their access to and engagement with the collections. Techniques for effective museum interpretation in intercultural and multilingual contexts were thus provided via CPD courses designed by Corrigan and linked to PUB1-6, resulting in sustainable benefits. The Director reported new practices following training, i.e. they don’t assume that visitors have English as an L1. Lecturers have revised their curricula ( IMP5a-b) to incorporate linguistic data from PUB1,2,3,5,6 because that “increases understanding” of migration and “contributes to the promotion of inclusivity” ( IMP5a). Immediate feedback indicated changed attitudes and increased knowledge amongst Guides: “Less likely to judge people based on their accent” and “the event has given me ideas that I can apply when working with visitors” ( IMP5a). Evidence that these had become embedded in practice is conveyed by Guides’ subsequent feedback noting that prior to training they were “loathe to single out newcomer children” but now “felt more confident about asking…about their experiences…and language issues”. Guides reported improved engagement with newcomers while interpreting because they could “confidently make reference to the similarities between historical emigration and contemporary immigration”, rendering “historical migrancy more real” ( IMP5a).

There is evidence that such improvements in professional practice resulted in changed perceptions and new knowledge for visitors too. Local youngsters gained insights into the impact of emigration on their own ancestors whilst developing a “greater appreciation of the experiences of their [newcomer] peers” ( IMP5a). Heritage activities undertaken by Corrigan with schools and other partner institutions are also documented as impacting on the knowledge base and attitudinal dispositions of wider publics while simultaneously improving professional practice, outreach capacity and audience diversity. They were tied to 4 impact programmes addressing national and global priorities: What’s in Your Suitcase?; From Home to Here; Stories of Languages Old and New; Conflict, Famine and Displacement ( IMP6a-c). From Home to Here launched in MCMS/UAFP and subsequently toured 5 Libraries NI venues and 3 independent archives for 6 months. Footfall at these venues was between approximately 420-1,800 visitors ( IMP7a). These events have led to increased linguistic knowledge e.g. “I had not realised how many languages were extinct or threatened” ( IMP6b); “bilingualism is usually part and parcel of being displaced and can be a positive outcome for immigrants who keep their old language while learning a new one” ( IMP6c); “I didn’t know why everybody said ‘like’ so much [in NI]” ( IMP7b). There is evidence of enhanced social awareness too: “[there are] similarities between the going outs [Irish emigrants] and coming ins [newcomers]” ( IMP5a); “discussion promotes greater integration” ( IMP5a); “language [in NI] is currently very contentious. It was nice to know similar issues are experienced elsewhere” ( IMP6b); “[newcomers don’t] like to be asked where they are from or why they are here” ( IMP8b).

The research for PUB3-6 generated new electronic databases. These resources permitted the Linen Hall Library (LHL) for the first time to incorporate digital technologies into an exhibition. They credit this engagement tool for impacts relating to improved outreach and greater audience diversity. QR codes on From Home to Here panels permitted open access to audio/video and project websites ( IMP8a). Audio was incorporated too into the exhibition catalogue ( IMP8c). Sound recordings from Corrigan’s contemporary immigrant interviews were presented alongside drama students’ performances of the historical emigrant correspondence also analysed in PUB3-6. Overlaying digital content on panels and physical artefacts created a new layer through which LHL made their archive more accessible, observing that the strategy: “proved important for appealing to the ‘Google Generation’ visitors [who actually attended] but who are…not readily drawn to” their events ( IMP8b).

Accessibility issues are likewise at the heart of the equality of opportunity consultancy project undertaken with Mid-Ulster District Council (M-UDC) which sought Corrigan’s expert advice, based on the outcomes of PUB1&5, regarding their drafting of a Translation and Interpretation Policy. Four aspects of the draft policy (considered vital for responding to the needs of their approximately 140,000 multilingual or deaf residents) were revised following the consultation ( IMP9b). Changes included: (i) Multilingual individuals no longer being viewed as necessarily having a disability and being made more aware of their rights to free interpreting services; (ii) Children not now required to interpret in confidential contexts for their bilingual or deaf parents; (iii) Plans for translating M-UDC websites map directly to the unique language ecology of the region uncovered in PUB5. The post-consultation draft policy’s Screening Report (required by statutory duty “to consider the likely quality and good relations impacts”) is that it is: “significant in terms of its strategic importance” and that it will have a “major positive” impact on equality of opportunity regarding “Racial Group”, “Age” and “Disability” ( IMP9a). As their Head of Democratic Services remarks, Corrigan’s guidance, based on PUB1&5, “was invaluable in raising awareness within our organisation of best practices with respect to interpreting and translating in our area in which all languages are valued and steps taken to ensure that everyone has access to any service they might need” ( IMP9b).

Oliart’s work has shaped understandings about education, gender and interculturality among education practitioners, students, government officials, and civil society organisations, opening new and creative perspectives for education, both within Peru and across the Andean region. She has influenced education policies for local networks and nationally, in addition to contributing to resources for teacher training and teaching materials for anthropology of education in the region.

The impact of Oliart’s work can be organised into three main categories:

1) Influencing the formulation of National Education policies

Oliart’s research contributions have established her as an authoritative voice on the understanding of education in Peru and which has reached influential actors in the design of education policies, particularly among members of the National Council of Education (NCE). This is a specialized, consultative, and autonomous body of the Ministry of Education (MED). It participates in the concerted formulation, monitoring, and evaluation of the National Education Project (Education White Paper), and the implementation of education policies and plans. Its members include a wide range of stakeholders including specialists, representatives of political forces and members of the education community. The first past President of the NCE testifies to the significance of Oliart’s work in impacting policy decision-making processes stating: “As part of the consultation process, I invited Patricia Oliart as a specialist to comment on the first version of the National Education Plan (NEP). Patricia contributed an eight-page document with valuable suggestions and recommendations, which were included in the final version of the plan in force until 2021” (IMP1). The recommendations relevant to this ICS pertained to suggestions on how to overcome gender and racial discrimination in schools in rural areas, strategies to improve relationships between schools and rural communities, and a recommendation to evaluate the unintended consequences of the implementation of the World Bank reform in rural areas. The former cabinet chief of the Vice-Ministry of Pedagogic Management at the Ministry of Education (2014–2016) and member of the NEC team in charge of elaborating the next NEP (the education White Paper) for 2022–2037, considers that Oliart’s work has influenced and shaped Peru’s education policies in a way that has been “imaginative, systematic and rigorous”, stating that it “contributes to generating, designing, and imagining policies” (IMP2).

One of the editors of PUB2 and former member of the NCE, asserts that Oliart’s comprehensive analyses of the political dynamics behind the formulation of education policies will have “a long-term, permanent and sustained impact” that contributes to reflective consideration in the elaboration of new policies (IMP2). According to another member of the NCE, Oliart’s research on the military regime education reform sparked fresh debate about the political nature of education policies to inspire future developments in education (IMP2).

2) Influencing debates on race, gender and education

Chapter 1 of PUB1 contributed significantly to shaping public debates on racism promoted by the vice-ministry of interculturality from 2013 to 2016. This chapter was considered a key text in these debates, with printed copies being distributed freely in schools and municipalities, and uploaded to the national government’s digital repository, thereby becoming accessible to all. This text has entered a wider public domain than that of educational settings alone, informing debates on the role of education in the reproduction of racism and how to overcome it. Various online platforms, including dedicated webpages for teachers, education officials, and cultural collectives have included a PDF file of this chapter in their archives (IMP3). This is testimony to Oliart’s text’s reach and relevance in helping shape current debates taking place in the wider education community across the country, where, just a decade ago, issues of gender and racial discrimination were not part of the agenda but are now coming to the fore.

Beyond this text, Oliart’s voice and opinion is sought-after in other wide-reaching, influential public fora. The Teacher’s Union TV channel on YouTube reproduced segments of an interview with Oliart on three separate occasions in 2015, in relation to the memory of the education reform of 1972 (IMP3). More recently, the continuing impact of Oliart’s research is evidenced by the prestigious invitations she received in May and June 2020 to participate in various symposia in 2021, a year marking the bicentenary of Peruvian Independence from Spain. The National Commission, created by the Ministry of Culture to commemorate the bicentennial, has invited Oliart to record a podcast sharing her reflections on the changes needed within the provision of public education across the country. Oliart received a similar invitation from the Peruvian Embassy in London, which is also currently running a series of events to mark the bicentennial of Peru’s independence (IMP4).

3) Impact on schools, pupils and teachers

Interventions based upon Oliart’s report on teenage sexuality in rural Cusco (PUB3) saw a marked improvement in girls’ attendance at schools, thus contributing towards solutions for closing the gender gap in education. As stated, Oliart is a longstanding collaborator with the Fe y Alegria Central team, and her contribution helped teachers and administrators to understand the dramatic transformations in teenage sexualities in Quispicanchi (Cusco, Peru), and to intervene in the crucial problem of female school desertion. Recommendations based on her research and understandings of the gender gap in attendance were implemented. These include specific teacher training; policies and pedagogical interventions; the incorporation of gender perspectives in the curriculum; and the creation of conversation spaces and additional support for girls. Subsequently, and compared to schools outside their network, Fe y Alegria have maintained a high registration and retention of girls over 12 in rural schools. Fe y Alegria maintains a retention rate of 94% for 5^th and 6^th grades, thus succeeding in closing the gap between boys and girls.

The approach taken by Fe y Alegria based on Oliart’s report was then adapted and extended across state-funded rural schools (97% of rural schools) throughout Peru. This came about when the Director for Rural Education at the Ministry of Education between 2013 and 2016, drew upon the model of teacher workshops implemented at Quispicanchi and integrated an intercultural gender equity approach in schools’ governing structures. According to the former director for Rural Education, Oliart’s framework has had enormous influence in substantiating and illuminating their experiences and has ensured that an interdisciplinary understanding of gender equality now “hold[s] a key place in the Ministry” (IMP5).

PUB1, PUB3 and PUB4 have also been used for rural and indigenous teacher training programmes throughout Peru and Bolivia, contributing to inclusion in the curriculum of discussions around the role of traditional masculinities in the reproduction of ethnic and gender discriminatory practices in the education system (IMP6).

In 2018 and 2019, Oliart conducted research workshops with over 80 teachers in Lima, as well as with students and schoolteachers in Arequipa, in which participants considered critical perspectives on gender and ethnicity and political issues in education. Oliart’s work helped teachers better understand the wider implications of their capacities as educators and, as one schoolteacher confirmed, these fora provided a “stimulus to reflect” on their decision making, judgements and how they are “influenced by prejudices and unequal power relations” (IMP7).

Oliart has also created a website providing research resources for teachers, including her research on discrimination and education (IMP8). Finally, in August 2020, the Society for Education Research in Peru organised a webinar with UNICEF representatives and Oliart, which attracted 1,390 followers and which has since been frequently reproduced (IMP9).

In summary, Oliart’s work demonstrates significant impact in local and national understandings of the interlinkages between education, gender and interculturality. She has contributed to national policy processes that will help ensure more sustainable and equitable education practices in female retention and girls’ wellbeing in schools; her research has been at the forefront of influential public debates around racism in educational settings and in bringing to light potential solutions for overcoming such discrimination; her active collaboration with Fe y Alegria has proven that research can be an instigator to real change by helping to shape practices that successfully close the school gender gap.

The research produced a range of interrelated impacts, namely: it influenced the practice of public servants in the field of human rights; it provided new development opportunities for our NGO partners; it contributed to the public recognition, self-esteem and ongoing capacity building of the project’s female indigenous ad hoc interpreter participants. In order to understand the reach and significance of these impacts, Howard and her co-researchers conducted focus groups and interviews with the 15 ad hoc interpreters (Lima, 11 November 2018; Ayacucho, 7 August 2019; Puno, 9 August 2019) and with 4 members of the LUM team (Lima, 4 April 2019). The quotes in this section are extracts from these interactions, translated from Spanish and Quechua.

Impact is divided into 3 categories: a. Impact on Individuals; b. Impact on Policy; c. Impact on Public and Institutional Attitudes and Understanding. Proper names in this section are pseudonyms.

(a). Impact on individuals. Raising public visibility, self-esteem and opportunities for bilingual indigenous women leaders working as ad hoc interpreters for non-Spanish speaking people in rural Peru.

The 15 ad hoc interpreters emphasised that working with the project gave them a sense of empowerment and visibility with which to carry on their practice with renewed confidence: ‘We are no longer hidden like before; sometimes we feel weak within our organisations, but now we have the courage to stand up for ourselves and carry on’. They noted a snowballing effect among their peers: ‘This experience has made visible not just us but other women and men who do the same work as we do. We [the participant group] are just the “thin end of the wedge”, making the State realise that among Andean and Amazonian peoples there are individuals who provide this ( ad hoc interpreting) service voluntarily’ ( IMP4).

They also commented on how the project had made them aware of their linguistic rights: ‘Before, we were afraid to speak our [Quechua] language in public. [...] We were discriminated against because of it. Now, with the project, we have become aware of our rights, we talk Quechua in the bank, in the town hall, in the street. If people look at us, we carry on talking it’ ( IMP4).

For some, the project led them to language certification organised by the Ministry of Education: ‘Never in my life did I think that our Quechua language was important. And then when you brought the project about “interpreting” (...) I said to myself “Ah ok, without being professionals, we were interpreters”. (...) It was a surprise to me that without being a professional or having official documents in that field, they gave me a certificate for the Quechua I spoke’ ( IMP4).

Another participant attributes her professional growth to experience with the project: ‘It's because of that I believe that I was elected President of the Departmental Association of Peasant Women of Puno.’* Aurora describes herself as providing a role model for other women, using the USB recording of the project’s stageplay provided in order to extend the reach of her message: ‘“Look at comrade Aurora! Why can we not be like her?”’ she quotes them saying ( IMP4). *Clarification from President of SER: “Aurora was nominated President of the Organising Committee of the Association’s Annual Congress, November 2019; this is an influential Association at Department level and Aurora is an increasingly active member.” (E-mail to R. Howard, 8 September 2020).

Involvement in the project led to two participants benefitting personally and professionally via their acceptance onto the Ministry of Culture training course for indigenous interpreters ( IMP3; IMP10). As one of them expressed: ‘The project was an awakening for me, making me recognise my potential as a translator and interpreter, that this could bring me opportunities’. The training led to her qualifying both as interpreter and translator. Both participants now appear on the National Register of Indigenous Translators and Interpreters ( IMP10). Since the project’s end, the women have continued to build on this experience and extend its reach to others: ‘There's the opportunity to continue spreading the skills [we have acquired] to other women in our communities, so that they can take part in training courses, and continue growing over the next ten, fifteen, twenty years’ ( IMP4).

On a poignant note, one woman commented that the experience was cathartic for her: ‘When we gave our testimony [on camera] some of us shed tears as we remembered the difficulties we have had’. Yet she asked us not to edit the footage: ‘We need to show not only that we are strong but also that we have emotions when we remember the comrades who are no longer with us’ ( IMP4).

(b). Impact on Policy: The project influenced policymakers to include bilingual indigenous women leaders in formal judicial processes.

The project led directly to some of the ad hoc interpreters on the project being recruited by Peru's Ministry of Justice Commission with the task of registering Quechua- and Aymara-speaking victims of the 1990s forced sterilisation programme ( REVIESFO), thus helping ensure the rightful registration of victims. Howard and SER had co-convened a public debate on language rights in Ayacucho with panel members from the Ministry of Culture, the Ombudsman’s Office and the REVIESFO Commission (19 August 2016). The majority of attendees revealed that this panel was instrumental in making them aware of the forced sterilisation programme for the first time, and that, as a result, they now recognised the importance of language rights (29 audience questionnaires: IMP1). The REVIESFO Commission member described the lack of female interpreters in the hearings; a fact of which the researchers, the public and SER had been unaware. Shortly afterwards, on behalf of the REVIESFO Commission, the Ministry of Justice asked the Ministry of Culture to provide them with female interpreters familiar with the cultural and linguistic context. The Ministry of Culture, having learned about the ad hoc interpreters through the project, contacted SER, who, now understanding the need, identified 4 suitable interpreters from the group and wrote them letters of recommendation which led to their being hired by the Commission. For the President of SER, this sequence of events evidences the significant impact of Howard’s project on governmental practices ( IMP2, IMP3, IMP10).

Sara was one of those appointed to interpret on behalf of the Quechua speaking victims as they gave their testimonies: ‘On the back of this project, I worked as a Quechua interpreter for the REVIESFO commission [...] This was very important and very painful work... because (the witnesses) gave their testimonies of how they had been deceived into allowing themselves to have their fallopian tubes cut, and they told their stories in tears. [...] We were able to explain [to the commissioners] what the [indigenous] women were saying. [...] Our participation was very important because the women trusted us more than they trusted [the interpreters] they didn't know’ ( IMP4).

Other participants commented that, in the context of a sharp rise in feminicide cases in 2019, interpreting should also be provided ‘for the judicial authorities in general’ ( IMP4).

(c). Impact on Public and Institutional Attitudes and Understanding: The project educated the public on the importance of indigenous language rights and influenced the practice of a human rights institution.

The research process produced video and audio recordings, and photographs that became the basis for 3 public events in which the interpreters actively participated. These were: (1) An audio-visual exhibition entitled ‘ Companions: Indigenous translators for a more just society / Lugar de la Memoria, la Tolerancia y la Inclusión Social’, curated by Peru’s national Museum of Memory [LUM] (December 2018–March 2019); (2) A piece of testimonial theatre, ‘Women’s Voices’, based on their own words, created and performed with the high-profile Yuyachkani theatre company in Lima (10 November 2018); (3) A screening of the filmed theatre performance in Ayacucho and Puno (October 2019). To ensure the impact’s sustainability, the audio-visual material gathered has been housed in a uniquely designated SER collection in LUM’s ‘Truth Commission’ digital repository. These comprise a video interview, testimony, and a photograph of each of the 14 ad hoc interpreters.

Audience responses to the ‘Women’s Voices’ play, which was performed live in Lima (38 x exit questionnaires ( IMP5)) and watched on screen in Ayacucho and Puno (16 x post-it notes ( IMP6)), testify to the impact of the play’s message regarding linguistic human rights. The screening informed the regional public about linguistic human rights and visibilised the women leaders’ work in their home localities.

A focus group conducted by Howard and Co-I Andrade with the LUM team, who had curated the ‘Companions’ exhibition, revealed that the Newcastle project contributed new dimensions to their work: ‘The exhibition has been very timely, especially as we are currently in the UN International Year of Indigenous Languages and there is heightened public interest in revaluing native languages. We also try to make the connection between the period of violence and the fact that 75% of the victims were Quechua and Asháninka speakers. The exhibition helped us highlight the connection between speaking an indigenous language and vulnerability [...]’ ( LUM Executive Director). They also listened to the ad hoc interpreters’ comments as they were filmed viewing the museum’s permanent exhibition and found their own experiences of the internal war reflected in the interpreters’ comments: ‘it made a powerful impression on us’ ( LUM education officer). Further, they drew lessons for changing their future practice: ‘We realised that the exhibition participants should also take part in the round table discussion...this experience has taught us to be inclusive in our approach’ and: ‘We have learned that curating, museography and education have to go together’ ( LUM team member) ( IMP7, IMP8). Public reactions to the temporary ‘Companions’ exhibition are embedded in the more general Visitor’s Book and these reveal how the public came to understand the role of women in the struggle for human rights, including their role as ad hoc interpreters, during the period of terrorism itself and that period’s enduring aftermaths ( IMP9).

In summary then, this participatory action project provided the indigenous women participants with a life-changing experience that had considerable significance for their personal and professional growth. For the majority, this was the first time they had visited their nation’s capital where their engagement with this high-profile, internationally funded project provided them with a highly visible platform in Lima from which to collaborate with national cultural institutions. Through their theatrical performance, their exposure in the LUM exhibition space and their interactions with theatre professionals, they benefitted by acquiring new skills as well as gaining a life-enhancing sense of self-affirmation and an understanding of the broader significance of their—hitherto unrecognised—experience. The effect carries on, as testified by messages that reach Howard through their online networks, testifying that the positive impact of the Newcastle project on their lives continues. This project, therefore, enriched the lives of these women and created a ripple effect within their communities, enhancing their personal and professional standing within their local associations and with the NGO. Finally, the need for their experiences, linguistic identities and skills to be recognised, and the cultural-political healing that their work engenders has been brought to the awareness of the state, regional authorities and the public, thus ensuring the enduring visibility and voice of this community.

Types of impact. The research has had an impact on understanding, learning, and awareness of both adolescent and adult publics. It has also impacted on teaching practices and resource provision, practitioners in schools and charities, creative arts, and on public services.

Approaches to impact. In order to help educate publics outside of academia about the consequences of war and racism as epitomised by the Holocaust, Müller developed multi-pronged materials:

a) a travelling exhibition on 'Children under the Nazis', curated by Müller in collaboration with the South African Holocaust and Genocide Foundation (SAHGF) in 2016/17;

b) a portfolio of cognate interactive teaching and learning materials aimed primarily at secondary schools where the Holocaust is compulsory in the syllabus (years 9 & 11 in South Africa and KS III in England);

c) a project website (from November 2017; see http://teaching.ncl.ac.uk/childrenunderthenazis/) which provides global, free access to the exhibition and the associated learning resources;

d) a range of public talks about the research, for 'live' delivery to charities and local authorities, as well as for online repositories and thus global dissemination (e.g. Johannesburg Holocaust Centre soundcloud (May 2018) or a commissioned talk for the German website of Yad Vashem, Israel's leading Holocaust research and memorial organisation (January 2013), https://tinyurl.com/u4v93q7).

Reach. The most significant impact of Müller's research has been in South Africa and in the North-East of England – locations chosen as foci of activities, because both have considerable problems with deprivation, discrimination, violence, and racism. Hence their adolescent learners and wider publics stand to benefit greatly from anti-racist education as provided by Müller's research and resources.

The largest constituency of beneficiaries is made up of young learners from both countries. Müller's interactive workshops have directly benefited more than 1,000 secondary school students in Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg (2017/18, IMP1, 3, 7, 8). In North-East England, approximately 2,300 users have had access to the exhibition used by teachers at their schools (Boldon School, Newcastle College, and St Mary's Catholic School (IMP2); all 2019); about 100 vulnerable adolescents have been reached through Müller's exhibition-based workshops organised by local charities. Thus, Müller's programme has also been run with disadvantaged youths through working with relevant charities, e.g. in workshops with 68 adolescent members (aged 13–17) of the Cleveland Volunteer Police Cadets (May 2018), and with 4 different learner groups at Humankind (formerly DISC) in Newton Aycliffe (County Durham), during a one-day anti-racism event (26 March 2018) aimed mainly at post-16 unemployed drop-outs (IMP1, pp. 2, 4-5).

In addition, approximately 50 professional Holocaust educators, history teachers, and social/charity workers have benefited from training received for using Müller's resources, which facilitated practice uptake by their organisations.

Impact on understanding, learning, and awareness. The exhibition educates learners about historical dangers of racism and social exclusion, and their relevance for today's world. In South Africa, the Holocaust is studied as a paradigm for racism, extremism, and genocide. Müller conducted extended trips to the country's three-centred Holocaust and Genocide Foundation (SAHGF; June 2017 and April/May 2018), where she delivered interactive workshops to approx. 1,000 visiting schoolchildren and their teachers from 7 different schools in Cape Town, 3 in Durban, and 4 in Johannesburg. Feedback received stressed the value arising from the focus on children, the interactive nature of the peer-guided learning process, and the deepened understanding of the impact of war. Learners praised the exhibition as an eye-opener (IMP1, p. 3, 5) and said the focus on children's sufferings "made the topic more relevant and showed how the Holocaust affected even the most innocent people" (IMP1, p. 13). The exhibition's information on David Boder's oral history interviews illustrated for learners "how important it is to hear experiences from the voices of survivors" (IMP1, p. 13). One student commented: "I learnt about the existence of voice recorded testimonies. I look forward to viewing them on the website" (IMP1, p.5). Teachers were impressed, too; one regarded the exhibition-cum-workshop as "the most educationally useful activity" of the SAHGF's educational programme (IMP1, p.15).

In the North-East of England, students from colleges and secondary schools have likewise benefited from working with the exhibition, e.g. Boldon School or OnCampus Sunderland, whose young international learners wrote they "gained a deeper understanding" of the Holocaust, and a teacher felt the programme was "so worthwhile" that it "should be rolled out as widely as possible" (IMP1, p.14). The students benefited from the focus on youth, as confirmed by the Head of History of St Mary's Catholic School : "We believe the students gain a lot from the exhibition. In particular, the students engaged with the ‘in their own words’ panels as this gives students a real insight into individual accounts, which really brings the true story to life for the students. In addition, the students find it more engaging having accounts and information about children their own age and their experience, they found it more shocking hearing the impact on children living under Nazi rule as well as the impact on adults." As a result, her school "would love to have the panels every year" (IMP2).

While in South Africa, Müller also gave two very well received public talks (May 2018 in Johannesburg's Holocaust Centre, 50 attendees; June 2017 in Cape Town, approximately 60 participants). The Director of the Cape Town Holocaust Centre wrote: "Many attendees reflected that the talk and the exhibition presented new knowledge and made them thus engage in a fresh way with the topic of post war testimony, especially that of young people" (IMP3).

In England, impact on public awareness and understanding has arisen from public engagement activities organised in liaison with local authorities, educational organisations, and charities. Here, Müller's work has reached a wide range of different beneficiaries. Thus, the exhibition was on public display in the City Library as part of Newcastle City Council's HMD programme for 2018 (12 February 2018-11 March 2018); one visitor appreciated learning a "new perspective on a well-known topic" (IMP1, p. 6), another "enjoyed reading about contemporary testimonies and the range of primary sources", and someone else wrote that the "exhibition is very thought provoking and I am now very interested in more research of this subject" (IMP1, p.7). Müller's project informed Newcastle's HMD 2019 and 2020 in two ways: (a) North Tyneside City Council showed the exhibition in The Quadrant in January, and the panels will now form a permanent fixture of this council's annual HMD programme; (b) a range of creative arts performances created by the Arts Council-funded Skimstone Arts, performed repeatedly in the North-East (January, June, September 2019; January 2020), drew on information supplied by Müller, as the Artistic Director confirmed: "Dr Beate Muller's input was extremely beneficial as it signposted me to testimonies I would not otherwise have known about. These testimonies and her knowledge […] gave me very rich material to read which [was] influencing some of the content for our public performances of Peace process-ion2" [sic] (IMP4). This "powerful […] collaboration" with Müller, she added, influenced 'Peace Procession 3' and became a "key inspiration" for the HMD-related radio broadcasts of 'Who Holds the Torch' (IMP4). In November 2020, North Tyneside Council's HMD Working Group asked Müller to record a video talk on children under the Nazis as part of their portfolio of activities for HMD2021; this 23 minutes long video has already been circulated to local schools by the Council's Schools Improvement Advisor, and a hard copy deposited with the Religious Resources Centre (RRC) in North Shields, where the exhibition was shown (October 2018), which, together with an associated public talk (15 November 2018), attracted approximately 150 visitors (IMP5).

Impact on practice, practitioners, and public services. Müller's research on authentic, early post-war war children's voices and their pedagogical value for today's teachings has reached educators and practitioners, e.g. through her delivery of a teacher training session about survivor testimonies for a CPD course for the national Holocaust Education Trust (Leicester, February 2017). The RRC's Director wrote that "the exhibition was an excellent asset in the continuing professional development of the Religious Resources Centre's staff team" as "the focus on young people was an area many of us had not considered before. It has enriched our ability to support our members" (IMP5). Having worked closely with North Tyneside City Council in the context of their HMD programme, Müller was asked to join the council's HMD Working Group (April 2020), and so shall help shape future commemorative events (IMP6).

In South Africa, Müller trained 20 SAHGF educators and staff on how to use the exhibition with young learners. SAHGF "educators in all three Holocaust Centres have been very excited to use the exhibition as a teaching tool" and "feel confident to run the programme using [Müller's] material" [IMP3]. SAHGF staff adapted Müller’s educational programme by developing an alternative set of worksheets suitable for smaller learner groups and shorter time slots for off-site usage, which they then ran with 102 students across 4 Cape Town schools in 2017. In 2018, SAHGF staff used Müller's materials with 238 learners from 5 local schools in Johannesburg (IMP7), and in spring 2019, Redhill School in Johannesburg borrowed the exhibition for 3 weeks, training some of their students as guides who then facilitated the learning of hundreds of their peers. There has therefore been practice uptake by the SAHGF. The three SAHGF directors praised the engaging nature of the programme, stressed the effectiveness of the focus on children for young learners ("exhibition finds great interest in the 14 to 17 years old age group as it speaks about experiences of youth like them", IMP7), and expressed their gratitude for the "enhancement of our teaching materials" (IMP8) through the permanent deposition of two physical exhibition copies with the SAHGF.

Significance. Müller's research has changed public awareness about how children fared under the Nazis, it has deepened beneficiaries' historical knowledge about World War II, and has demonstrated the dangers of racism today especially to adolescent learners. Thus, young learners commented that "This exhibition opened my eyes. […] I’ve learnt the importance of not categorising others." (IMP1, p.3). Another one wrote about the importance not to "stereotype, be judgemental and be prejudiced because we are all equal" (IMP1, p.5). In South Africa, students often made explicit links between racism during Nazi rule and under the Apartheid regime: "The rules the Nazis used were similar to the ones used during apartheid", wrote one learner (IMP1, p.5). The students understood the relevance of studying the Holocaust: "The most important thing I learnt today", one of them said, "was why and how genocide develops, and why we learn about it today." (IMP1, p.11).

Müller's activities have enriched educational and public engagement practices of charities, local authorities, and schools in South Africa and the North-East of England.

Our research has brought about a sea-change in policy, service delivery, allocation of funding and professional practice across the UK and influenced international policy to promote the best outcomes for all children.

Impact on policy:* Our work has ensured that child language development and its pivotal role in school readiness, long term wellbeing and tackling social inequalities is now recognised by key decision-making bodies in education, health and social care policy, and a public health approach adopted as best practice in the UK, Ireland, and a number of European countries. In the UK, the 2019-2029 NHS Long Term Plan now highlights speech, language and communication services as a key evidence-based intervention with which to address and reduce health inequalities for children and young people ( IMP1a). The plan draws directly on PUB6 and on a report commissioned by the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) and The Communication Trust (TCT) ‘Bercow: 10 years on’, which cites PUB6 and builds on the outputs of GRANT1 ( IMP2a).

In 2018 the Department for Education announced their commitment to “halve the number of children reaching reception year without the speech, language and communication skills they need to thrive by 2028” ( IMP3a). This was backed by GBP18,000,000 of government funding to address children’s early communication development ( IMP4a). The Deputy Head of Children, Young People & Families, Public Health England (CYPF-PHE) states in her testimonial that PUB6 “ galvanise(d) support across government” for this policy initiative ( IMP4a). This government initiative involved multiple strands including a campaign to improve children’s home learning environment for which Law was an advisor and which also cites PUB6 (Hungry Little Minds; Chat Play Read IMP4c; 4d) and a 10-year BBC education campaign for which McKean was an advisor (Tiny Happy People IMP4e). PHE were tasked to lead an important strand of this work and The Deputy Head CYPF-PHE identifies that PUB3 was a key driver for this decision. She comments that it “ pulled everything together and from that work DfE funded us to develop a whole program of work around speech language and communication”. This GBP1,800,000 PHE-led strand (2018–2020) included the development and delivery of training for all Health Visitors (HVs) across England in child language development and methods to support its optimal development ( IMP5a). Between January and December 2019, 3,500 HVs received this training. Furthermore, the team’s research formed the ‘core evidence’ underpinning this training, with PUB3, and PUB6 central to the design of the programme and with much of the team’s wider work cited in the training materials ( IMP5b). This work was further developed in GRANT5 resulting in the publication of an Early Language Identification Measure and Intervention (ELIM-I) for children at risk of poor language development for use by HVs across England at children’s 2-2.5-year review ( IMP1c, IMP1d). McKean and Law delivered training to lead HVs across England in a PHE led program to implement the ELIM-I nationally ( IMP1e).

Major government initiatives are not achieved overnight but rather through sustained lobbying. The CEO of RCSLT emphasises the importance of our work for RCSLT’s government lobbying leading to this announcement – “Our relationship and collaboration with Professor Law and colleagues continues to this day. It is the combination of their research, the evidence from practitioners and the work of RCSLT that provides us with the information that we need to influence government and other key decision-makers.” ( IMP2a).

Through the testimonials from Deputy Head CYPF-PHE and the CEO of RCSLT and relevant publications ( IMP2a; IMP1b), it is possible to track the pathway of impact from our work to these vital DfE, PHE and NHS initiatives. The RCSLT lobbied the All-Party Parliamentary group (APPG) for Speech and Language Difficulties from 2013, building on findings from GRANT1 and PUB1 and with the close involvement of Prof. Law ( IMP1b; IMP3a). These provided the impetus for the commissioning in 2017 of the “galvanising” reports PUB3 and PUB6 published by PHE and the Early Intervention Foundation, respectively ( IMP2a) and which also cite PUB4, 5 and 7. In 2018 Law collaborated with the chair of the APPG to sponsor a Westminster debate – ‘Speech language and communication support for children’ ( IMP3b). In 2018 RCSLT published and lobbied the government with the ‘Bercow: 10 years on’ report ( IMP2a) and the government response identified key initiatives to tackle the issues raised ( IMP3a). In 2018 the DfE announced their commitment to a focus on communication in the early years ( IMP2a). In 2019 RCLST lobbied the newly formed Oracy APPG ( IMP3c) and the NHS long term plan highlighted speech, language and communication services as a key evidence-based intervention with which to address and reduce health inequalities for children and young people, citing our work ( IMP1a).

The testimonial from the Head of RCSLT Scotland ( IMP2c) outlines how PUB1 and later publications have provided the evidence-base for sustained interactions between RCSLT Scotland and the Scottish Parliament, supporting lobbying and stimulating debate. This lobbying of MSPs raised their awareness of the link between speech, language and communication disadvantage, outcomes in later life and the intergenerational cycle of disadvantage, leading to the commissioning of a Communication Summit attended by the Deputy First Minister of Scotland (2016). Law was invited to present at this ( IMP2c). This, in turn, led to debates in the Scottish parliament (26 January 2016), and the contribution of the RCSLT to the development of the Children and Young People (Scotland) ( IMP2d).

In Australia our work has also supported the lobbying of government with findings from GRANT3 (Centre of Research Excellence in Child Language) being submitted to a Parliament of Australia Senate Inquiry into the prevalence of speech, language and communication disorders and speech pathology services in Australia ( IMP6a, 6b).

Our work has also been used to define best practice with respect to public health approaches to child language disorder in the UK in RCSLT guidance disseminated to members through web resources, policy briefing publications and the professional magazine ( IMP2e, 2f; 2g, 2h, PUB1). Our work is also evident in the position statement in Ireland on Developmental Language Disorder (Irish Association of Speech and Language Therapy position paper IMP7b).

*Impact on services: In 2018 a survey of UK Speech and Language Therapists (SLT) covering approximately 68% of local authority areas found that approximately 80% of respondents were applying a public health approach to child language ( IMP8a). In 2019 we conducted interviews with lead SLTs for three services to understand whether and how such approaches were influenced by our research ( IMP8b). The respondents from Nottingham, Stoke and Hackney report several direct applications of our work: 1) PUB1 enabled them to create a culture and ethos of a focus on prevention and social inequalities within their services and to spread this ethos with other services and professional groups. 2) PUB3 is widely used to underpin professional development of the wider children’s workforce who work with SLTs to deliver preventative interventions. 3) the Communication Supporting Classroom Observation Tool (GRANT1) - has supported services to develop the quality of the language environments in early-years classrooms ( PUB2). 4) PUB7 has motivated and shaped initiatives in developing collaborative practices across schools and SLT services in Nottinghamshire (2017) and the North East of England (2017–2019) ( IMP8b, IMP8c). 5) PUB3 is used to inform discussions with commissioners, provide the evidence to back-up decision-making and to engage health promotion teams in NHS trusts to work in partnership. In this way, it is used to protect and develop service provision and workforce deployment. Indeed, the CEO of RCSLT reinforces the importance of our work in protecting services and directing the allocation of funding, stating “ This has the potential to shape the commissioning (and therefore budgets) of speech and language services in Local Authorities over the coming years. This in turn will impact on the ability of Speech and Language Therapists to do the work that they would like and need to do.” ( IMP2b).

In Ireland, several notable child language public health initiatives which coach families alongside school and other staff in strategies to promote robust oral language and promote effective multi-agency working have been developed. A review of these programmes across Ireland (2013 –2017) and a subsequent evaluation were completed by the Centre for Effectiveness Studies, Dublin ( IMP7a). They identify 23 such programmes with national coverage and describe the influence of PUB1, 2 and 3, GRANT1 and 2 on these programmes and their recommendations for their future development ( IMP7a). In Europe and further afield, awareness and adoption of public health approaches to child language are less well accepted. However, a survey of members of our COST Action network (GRANT4) ( IMP 9) found that 76% of the respondents, consisting of academics and speech and language therapists linked to the COST Action, reported that PUBS 1,2,4 and 5 had an impact on the planning and delivery of services in their country (Croatia, Ireland, UK, Iceland, Finland, Bulgaria, Lebanon, Germany, Greece, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden, Cyprus, and Israel).

Impact on practice: As identified above, our work has catalysed and informed the professional development of 3,500 HVs. IMP6 identifies its influence on the practice of SLTs, SENDCOs, Educational Psychologists, Specialist Teachers and other members of the children’s workforce through the ‘What Works’ website. A key output from GRANT1 was a review of intervention evidence ( PUB2). The challenge was how to provide this information to practitioners to inform practice. In response, Law worked with The Communication Trust (TCT) (GRANT2) to develop this accessible database of interventions ( IMP11a; 10b) ( www.thecommunicationtrust.org.uk/whatworks) (2013–to date). In 2017, findings from PUB3 were also added. To date, approximately 27,000 people have registered to use this resource ( IMP10a) the majority from the UK and Ireland but also reaching Europe, Australasia, Africa, Asia and Northern America .

IMP6 summarises findings from a survey and linked qualitative interviews of ‘What Works’ users. From the 857 respondents, 76% of respondents said ‘What Works’ influenced their practice, 80% agreed that ‘What Works’ is an essential tool to support evidence-based practice and 67% used the resource at least every 3 months. Interviews and free text responses demonstrate its widespread use to identify underpinning best evidence for 1) professional development of SLTs and Educational staff; 2) provision of evidence to justify current decisions, (for example, for headteachers prioritising resources); 3) to train SLT students in evidence-based practice, to review and develop provision and to identify new evidence-based methods to support children’s language development.

In sum, we can therefore trace the impact of our research on policy, service delivery and practice across the UK, Ireland, Australia and beyond.

This research has transformed the assessment practice of SLTs in the UK and internationally. It has equipped SLTs and student SLTs (the next generation of therapists) with the knowledge they need to use a theoretically guided approach to assessment, promoting accurate diagnosis and the planning of effective treatment.

Use of CAT by Speech and Language Therapists CAT (English language version) is sold as a standalone product. Even though there is a restricted market for tests such as these and it is common practice for clinical departments to buy only one copy of a test for use across multiple clinicians/settings, CAT has sold 1,339 copies worldwide since August 2013 (2,966 copies since publication), with sales in the UK (1,894), the US (439), Australasia & Pacific (327), Ireland (188), Asia (41) and Europe (40) (IMP1). The continued sales of the test and the scoresheets (2,321 packs of 10 since August 2013) emphasise that CAT is a cornerstone of clinical practice. The widespread use of CAT in the English-speaking world (IMP2) made it a candidate for adaptation into other languages.

Cross-Linguistic Adaptation and Use of CAT

CAT’s significance for clinical practice and value to practitioners is emphasised by its translation and/or adaptation to other languages. It has been adapted for and published in Arabic (2013), Dutch (2014) and Danish (2017) (IMP3). In an interview where written responses were provided, authors of the Danish version state that they chose to adapt the CAT following a comprehensive review of tests available in Denmark, recognising the limited availability of standardised tests, the psychometric strengths of CAT and the inclusion of the cognitive screen and client self-evaluation (IMP4). It was recognised that ‘there were no Danish aphasia tests available that investigate aphasia from the point of view of cognitive neuropsychology’ (IMP4). The results of on-line surveys to clinicians working in Denmark (64 respondents) (IMP5) and Holland (26 respondents) (IMP6) show that the adaptations of CAT are being used extensively, with over 80% (Danish) and 92% (Dutch) respondents using the test in part or in full. Two thirds of respondents felt the CAT had benefited their work with people with aphasia. When asked to consider the benefits for the people with aphasia, respondents highlighted the planning of better/more targeted intervention, as well as allowing the patient to gain insight into their difficulties (IMP5, IMP6).

Significantly, CAT is now being adapted into a range of other languages via the work of the Collaboration of Aphasia Trialists, an Erasmus Collaborative Research Network. The Collaboration is an international network of multidisciplinary aphasia researchers which aims to enhance aphasia research knowledge, skills, methodologies and infrastructure. Scientific analysis of CAT (IMP2) showed that it met the criteria for a cross-linguistic tool, making it the language test of choice for adaptation. These criteria included being comprehensive, relatively short, clinically relevant in informing further assessment and treatment approaches and user-friendly (IMP2). When established in 2014, the Assessment and Outcomes Working Group of the Aphasia Trialists focused on adaptation of the CAT into 12 languages (Basque, Catalan, Croatian, Cypriot Greek, French, Greek, Hungarian, Norwegian, Serbian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish), of which some (e.g. Croatian, Cypriot Greek) have no assessment tools available and no diagnostic tradition for aphasia in place (IMP2). Cross linguistic adaptations provide clinicians with robust means to assess people with aphasia, at times when no assessment existed before, including a summary of the person’s linguistic abilities and impairments and a means of monitoring recovery and measuring outcome (IMP2). By January 2020, the project had expanded with an additional nine languages now included in the CAT adaptation project (Finnish, German, Lithuanian, Portuguese, Irish, Italian, Russian, Slovenian, Moroccan Arabic, Punjabi) (IMP7, Snapshot of website from 31 January 2020). There is no other aphasia assessment that exists in this many languages, allowing comparison of results across languages for clinical and research purposes. The Assessment and Outcomes Working Group are now also adapting several assessments focusing on the psychosocial impact of aphasia; this work, now encompassing 26 languages, would not have progressed without the trailblazing work on the adaptation of CAT (IMP7, Snapshot of website from 26 September 2020).

Enhancing the Knowledge of Qualified and Student Speech and Language Therapists

As with the clinical tests, there is a limited market for textbooks about aphasia. The first 2005 edition of A Cognitive Neuropsychological Approach to Assessment and Intervention in Aphasia sold 5,553 copies worldwide. The second edition published in 2014 has sold 2,476 copies (2,145 paperback, 135 hardback and 208 electronic books) with primary sales of hard copies in the UK (1,216), US (293), Australasia & Pacific (367), Ireland (14), Europe (232), Asia (101) and the Middle East (45) indicating significant reach ( IMP1). The second edition is ensuring the next generation of SLTs are familiar with CAT and have the theoretical understanding to use it. Lyndsey Nickels, an eminent aphasia researcher in Australia, described the book as ‘essential reading for students and an invaluable reference for clinicians’. The book has been translated into Japanese (published 2015) and Chinese (published 2016) (IMP8).

Surveys in 2019 to the universities with pre-registration SLT courses (IMP9) and to student SLTs (IMP10) in the UK (14 universities), Ireland (4) and Australia (18) highlighted the significance of the CAT and the book in student learning. A total of 19 universities and 151 students responded. 84% of the universities reported that students were explicitly taught about CAT (IMP9) and 90% of students were familiar with CAT. The Whitworth et al. (2014) book was a recommended text in 84% of the universities, making it the most popular aphasia textbook (IMP9). 80% of students were familiar with the book, with 59% using it frequently to support their learning; this made it the most frequently used aphasia textbook in the three countries surveyed (IMP10).

Students who were familiar with the book were given the opportunity to provide qualitative comments about how it had contributed to their learning. Students commented on the link between the book and their teaching on aphasia e.g. ‘main text book for relevant areas of the course - required reading for every lecture’ and its value in supporting their learning e.g. ‘ brilliant resource to aid the assessment & intervention processes in relation to the cog neuro model - I have found this text highly beneficial as a resource to support my understanding of lecture topics and content (and to clarify some areas of uncertainty), for exam revision, and across both aphasia placements as a 'quick guide' to make sure that I'm 'on the right track' in my approach to assessment and/or intervention.’. One student commented ‘this book is like the bible! it is so helpful when considering aphasia and is my go to book for looking at diagnosis and also therapy planning and management’. (IMP10).

This evidence has demonstrated the global impact of this research for speech and language therapists working with people with aphasia.