Economic and Social Research Council

This collection of resources from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) gives support materials for teachers in schools, helping to provoke debate and discussions and providing useful statistics about the UK population. The materials can be used to explore aspects of mathematics, psychology and health as...

School Briefings: Happiness

This set of four Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) school briefings look at happiness, what it is, how it can be measured and how it can be enhanced. They look at how happiness affects society and the economy as well as the individual. The briefings discuss research into these areas and can be used to spark...

Careers

These Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) careers guides give simple definitions of social science subjects, with ideas about possible careers and examples of ESRC-funded research. The guides available here are: * Economics * Psychology

School Briefings: Addiction

These four school briefings from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) look at the problems of smoking, alcohol and drug addiction amongst young people. Each of the four information sheets focuses on an aspect of addiction and presents the findings, concerns and recommendations of researchers. The...

Methodologies

This group of resources from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) looks at methods of conducting social research and the ethical questions to be considered. Resources explains the qualitatitive and quantitative methods used, and allows students to debate important questions about how research is conducted....

Changes in Behaviour

Work done in this Nuffield 13 - 16 module followed from the B unit called ‘Senses’. This X unit provided enough material for eight double periods. It could be selected to complete either a Science or a Further Science course. The teachers’ guide included three worksheets to supplement the students’ booklet.Contents1....

Happiness: The Greatest Gift We Possess?

This Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) school briefing looks at whether we have a right to be happy, alongside the rights to life and liberty. The briefing discusses definitions of happiness and how religions and young people seek to attain it. The briefing then looks at how different governments across the...

The Economics of Happiness

This Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) school briefing looks at the effects happiness and wellbeing have on the economy. A study by Professor Andrew Oswald looked at the human impact of economic downturns and demonstrated that the true cost of a recession is much wider than just financial. This leads to...

The Power of Positive Thinking

This Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) school briefing discusses how people who think positively are more likely to have good forward-planning skills, have more friends and earn more. Research has found that positive future-thinking leads to wellbeing but is greatly affected by psychological factors and...

Why Volunteering is Good For You - and Questions to Think About

This Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) school briefing looks at the effects of volunteering on the community and also on the volunteer. Research has shown that people who volunteer enjoy a better quality of life and better health as well as improving conditions in their communities. The briefing includes a...