University of Chester Digital Repository

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ChesterRep is a digital repository containing research publications by researchers affiliated with the University of Chester.

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Now showing 1 - 5 of 12

Recent Submissions

Embargo
Training data, transparency, and teaching law. AI literacy, professional ethics and legal education
(IGI Global Scientific Publishing, 2026-05-26) Lambert, Steve; University of Chester; Wang, Viktor
This chapter examines how ongoing generative-AI copyright litigation reframes legal education’s obligations around AI literacy, professional responsibility, and access to justice. Using court filings and rulings as a live case study, the chapter maps issues (copyright subsistence, fair dealing/fair use analogues, derivative works, database rights) to curricular choices in research, writing, clinics, and assessment. It proposes a practice-ready model for “human-in-the-loop” pedagogy for any AI-assisted student work and aligns with emerging judicial/administrative expectations for explainability and accountability. The analysis is comparative: a short cross-reference to The New York Times Company v. Microsoft/OpenAI illustrates how differing procedural postures and remedies travel back into the classroom, shaping student competencies in prompt design, provenance verification, and ethical supervision. The chapter concludes with a governance checklist for law schools that sustains equity and inclusion while meeting rapidly evolving professional norms.
Embargo
Domestic abuse in UK Pentecostal churches: Current ministerial engagement and moving towards a Pentecostal theological response
(University of Chester, 2025-07) Bennett, Denise M.; Bacon, Hannah
1 in 4 women in the UK will directly experience domestic abuse (DA) in their lifetime, and there is evidence that a similar proportion of women in churches also experience DA making this an issue which needs to be clearly understood by the pastorate. Although there is a small body of research into DA and the UK church, the number of Pentecostals included in this is minimal and, prior to this study, no work has been done specifically within the Pentecostal denominations founded in the UK in the early years of the twentieth century. This thesis explores the pastoral responses to DA in UK Pentecostal churches by bringing together the voices of Pentecostal ministers and Pentecostal women victim-survivors, thus addressing the current gap in the literature. The responses to a qualitative survey and focus groups with Pentecostal ministers together with semi-structured interviews with Pentecostal women victim-survivors identify that DA, in all its forms, is present in Pentecostal congregations in the UK. While ministers displayed a theoretical knowledge of DA and saw it as a matter of concern for the church, they were less able to recognise it in practice other than physical violence. While concern for victim-survivor safety and wellbeing was visible, some suggested courses of action were problematic, highlighting a disconnect between theoretical knowledge and pastoral praxis and emphasising the need for training in this area. Despite recognising that DA is not part of God’s plan for marriage, ministers were reticent to speak publicly about it, resulting in a dissonance between the ‘egalitarian’ theologies of marriage expressed by the ministers in this study and the traditional ‘ordinary theologies’ of the victim-survivors I interviewed, which kept them too long in abusive relationships. I argue that this ‘holy hush’ renders DA largely invisible, is fuelled by the ‘orthodox’ status of traditional male headship theology and is a so far unrecognised iteration of the Pentecostal gender paradox. I propose a specifically Pentecostal response to DA, informed by critical reflection on ministerial praxis and the lived experiences of victim-survivors. Foregrounding the principle of mutuality in marriage and naming DA as sin, this theological response reimagines forgiveness and suggests the need for safe spaces for victim-survivors within the Pentecostal community, to witness to their trauma, explore relevant scriptures and grapple with abuse in the light of their faith. Addressing the current lack of theological reflection on marriage and DA in UK Pentecostalism, would offer ministers the liberty to speak out against DA from the pulpit and help mitigate the possibility that scripture could be used to condone abuse.
Open Access
Saturday [poem]
(University of Chester, 2025-05-01) Chantler, Ashley; University of Chester
Poem
Embargo
High temperatures inhibit quantity discrimination of conspecifics in a wild bird
(Oxford University Press, 2026-03-19) Blackburn, Grace; Soravia, Camilla; Ridley, Amanda R.; Dutour, Mylène; University of Western Australia; Central Queensland University; University of Chester; Universite de Leon
Temperatures globally are increasing, resulting in numerous behavioral consequences for wildlife. Mobbing, a collective antipredator response important for many species, is one such behavior affected by high temperatures. Recent research has shown the number of individuals involved in a mobbing event to be an important determinant of whether individuals join in, suggesting a role for numerical abilities in this behavior. However, whether temperature affects an animal's ability to discern the number of conspecifics involved in a mobbing event has not yet been investigated. Temperature-induced cognitive declines may affect the processing and decision making involved in the anti-predator response, potentially leading to maladaptive anti-predator behaviors. We presented wild great tits (Parus major) with playback of the mobbing calls of 1 or 5 conspecifics at different temperatures (from 16 to 35 °C; representing temperatures both within and outside of the thermoneutral zone [15 to 30 °C] of this species), to determine if temperature affected their mobbing response. We found a quadratic relationship between temperature and the number of mobbing calls produced by great tits, with the number of calls produced by individuals decreasing at higher temperatures, regardless of playback treatment. Importantly, while great tits showed a stronger approach response to 5 compared with 1 caller at low temperatures, they failed to do so at higher temperatures, either due to an impaired ability to discern the number of mobbing individuals, or an altered thermoregulation-predation risk trade-off at these high temperatures. Inappropriate anti-predator responses in the heat are likely to have substantial effects on survival, particularly as temperatures continue to rise.
Open Access
Behavioural and faecal cortisol metabolite monitoring of harbour (Phoca vitulina) and grey seal pups (Halichoerus grypus) in rehabilitation centres
(Elsevier, 2026-01-02) Zatrak, Michal; Shaw, Kirsty J.; Geary, Matthew; Ilderton, Richard; Grant, Robyn A.; Manchester Metropolitan University; University of Chester; Tynemouth Seal Hospital
Harbour (Phoca vitulina) and grey (Halichoerus grypus) seals face numerous anthropogenic and environmental threats around the UK and Ireland. These commonly lead to seal pups becoming stranded and in need of rescue and rehabilitation. Although rehabilitation supports the recovery and welfare of stranded seals, the process can expose individuals to a range of stressors, such as handling, intensive medical treatments, assisted feeding and confinement. Effective methods for assessing seal health and welfare in response to these challenges remain limited. This study investigated whether faecal cortisol metabolites (FCMs) and behavioural indicators can effectively monitor welfare in rehabilitating harbour and grey seal pups. A total of 479 faecal samples were collected from 19 seal pups (Harbour n = 8, Grey n = 11), and 3864 h of footage was collected for 25 seal pups (Harbour n = 11, Grey n = 14), all rehabilitated at Tynemouth Seal Hospital (North Tyneside, UK). The effect of sex, time of day, feeding method, water access, body condition, and day of rehabilitation on both FCM concentrations and behavioural time budgets was investigated. Changes in FCM levels did not correspond to any of the predictor variables and highlights the complexity of interpreting FCMs in rehabilitation settings, likely reflecting individual variation, allostatic load, and limited sensitivity to short-term stressors. In contrast, seal pup behaviour was significantly affected by rehabilitation variables, including feeding method and access to water. Although assisted feeding is essential for the survival of malnourished pups, it caused decreased displays of vigilance in both species, and a decrease in tactile and locomotion behaviours with an increase in stereotypic behaviours in grey seals. This warrants enrichment plans to be incorporated into the care of these seal pups to counteract any negative impacts on their welfare. Similarly, water access for swimming should be provided as soon as possible to ensure that the sufficient development of natural locomotory and tactile behaviours is facilitated. Overall, these results could be used to optimise behavioural welfare assessments and the rehabilitation protocols currently in place for both harbour and grey seal pups, improving seal pup welfare in captive settings.