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Une nouvelle direction pour le travail de jeunesse et communautaire : le cas du Royaume-Uni
No full textCet article s’intéresse à certains problèmes fondamentaux relatifs aux récentes tentatives d’évaluation du travail de jeunesse. Il sera démontré que le principe de responsabilité appliqué à ce secteur surdétermine l’importance des résultats observés et ignore la question des processus par lesquels ils sont produits. Plutôt que de considérer le travail de jeunesse comme un processus linéaire de causalité directe, nous affirmons que le rapport entre l’action des professionnels et ce qui en résulte est de nature « incidentelle ». Les outils en vigueur issus des procédures de reddition de comptes sont donc inadaptés. La mise en place d’une nouvelle méthode d’évaluation pertinente doit prendre en compte la nature essentiellement « morale » d’une intervention éducative dont la finalité est de permettre aux jeunes d’agir et de prendre des décisions pour mener une « bonne vie». Dans cette perspective, le concept aristotélicien de phronèsis, qui accorde une place déterminante au contexte, nous semble particulièrement fécond.
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This paper attempts to address some of the fundamental problems which underlie current attempts to bring the youth work to account in the UK. Firstly it is argued that the accountability agenda with its emphasis upon outcomes and outputs misunderstands the process by which such outcomes emerge. Rather than youth work being portrayed as a linear process it will be proposed that there is an indirect ‘incidental’ relationship between what youth workers do and the outcomes that emerge out of a process of engagement; such that simplistic accountability measures are inadequate. Secondly it is argued that given the essentially ‘moral’ nature of youth work interventions and their resulting outcomes, i.e. whether their decisions and actions enable young people to live ‘good’ lives. We need to develop a methodology for youth work evaluation which reflects this. It will be suggested that much can be gained from an application of Aristotle’s concept of Phronesis, not least because of the importance placed on ‘context’
Exercise as a poisoned elixir: inactivity, inequality and intervention
Get PDFIn this article, we theorise and explain Exercise is Medicine (EiM), as indicative of broader physical activity (PA) health promotion, from a sociological perspective through the lens of health equity. Data were collected through two independent ethnographic studies that bookend the EiM endeavour: the production of knowledge in the laboratory, and the creation and implementation of health policy and PA interventions. First, we demonstrate how conceptualising exercise as medicine assumes narrow pathology and (prescribed) solution a priori, which has given rise to a new form of movement intellectuals. Within such context, we explain how the study of physical (in)activity (especially by exercise scientists) is shaped by broader social and political contexts of the university sector and disciplinary legitimacy produced through alignment with other (medical) institutions. Second, we review the ‘causes of the causes’ of ill-health and wider social determinants of health as related to exercise. Presenting exercise as a ‘therapy of freedom’ that is to some extent epiphenomenal we examine the social inequalities and lifestyle drift which inhibit equitable access to this health promoting behaviour. We then outline an original qualitative methodological development: duoethnographic creative non-fiction, which has enabled the synthesis of two independent ethnographic studies. Findings of this accessible and engaging methodology, in the form of two stories, show the need for an alternative approach that values activity, prioritises equity and underscores methodological collaboration. For this reason, we conclude by proposing greater interdisciplinarity by aligning EiM with the Behavioural Justice Movement
The Voice Book for Trans and Non-Binary People : A Practical Guide to Creating and Sustaining Authentic Voice and Communication
No full textPlayfully being outdoors: research, pedagogy and practice
No full textWe aim for this to be an interactive, thought-provoking session whereby participants are encouraged to reflect on their own experiences in outdoor spaces and to engage in the wider debate of how to support others to develop an awareness and appreciation of the world around them. We include presentations from across the disciplines, including geography, sociology, outdoor learning, higher education (pedagogy and research) and other related disciplines. This includes practitioners’ perspectives on how to maintain a playful attitude with older children, young people and adults. We argue for the re-conceptualisation of “playtime” and the development of playfulness as a useful approach to cultivate creativity (Leather, 2014), that goes well beyond childhood, through adolescence and into adulthood. What is playfulness? It is a mood state that facilitates and accompanies ‘playful play’. It may not be observable in behaviour – playful individuals are not necessarily playing, even though they are in a playful mood. We can think playfully as well as act playfully (Hayes, 2015). It is a way of generating new thought patterns in a protected context (Bateson and Martin, 2013). Playful play facilitates creativity – sometimes immediately and sometimes after a considerable delay. It is acknowledged that there is a complex relationship between engendering creativity and the outcomes for learners. We suggest that there are two arguments for adopting a playful approach: firstly, the neo-liberalist discourse about higher education is concerned with career employment. In this sense, creativity is seen as a graduate employability skill by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI, 2012) who consider the skill of creative thinking as a prime outcome of higher education. This CBI report found that a fifth of employers were not satisfied with graduates’ use of creative thinking. Secondly, there are theoretical and empirical accounts about adult playfulness that describe its relation to positive outcomes including: creativity and spontaneity but also quality of life, virtuousness, stress coping and academic achievement. Playfulness has the potential in serving as a lubricant in social situations and for teamwork in work-related settings. There is a clear relationship between exhibiting playfulness and experiencing positive emotions. In our work we actively encourage outdoor educators to engage in “playtime” and have proposed a pedagogy of play to do this (Leather, 2014). However, we need to overcome the Victorian values of our educational heritage and its cultural association of playtime as frivolous so that playfulness can be seen as an intellectual act, opposing the view of playfulness in adults as being childish and without any great sense. ‘The world looks, smells, feels, sounds and tastes different when using this approach’ (Hayes, 2013). We invite delegates to join us in this exploration
Re-Imagining Physical Activity: County Sport Partnership Responses To UK Public Policy Shifts
No full textAim
The UK Government’s recent public policy shift, encapsulated in the Sporting Future policy document and
articulated through Sport England’s strategic response Toward an Active Nation, signals a fundamental shift
in the approach to engaging more physically active lifestyles. It envisages such engagement as predicated
on forging partnerships outside the traditional sporting community as a means of promoting behavioral
change amongst those alienated by the mainstream sporting culture. As in any policy shift, the management
of funding streams becomes a key tool in the pursuit of these new priorities. In response to this shift
toward physical activity broadly defined, County Sports Partnerships (CSPs), as key local coordinators-providers,
must re-imagine their mission and recalibrate their objectives. The study aims to enhance a critical
understanding of this ongoing process. It considers CSP responses to the waxing and waning influence of
key strategic partners and the emerging dichotomy between ‘sporting’ and ‘physical’ cultures. It suggests
approaches to the management of these tensions and pinpoints subsequent research priorities required to
better understand the emerging physical activity landscape.
Background
Strategies for increasing sport participation are characterized by the traditional dichotomy between sport
narrowly defined as organized/structured and physical activity broadly defined as unstructured/recreational
encompassing different forms of physical expression. The division is apparent within the institutional landscape,
which shapes the delivery of sport and physical activity and subsequently constrains the development
of integrated approaches. The fragmentation of organizational actors along with the continual change of
local sport and physical activity priorities, inhibit the development of stable collaborations between agencies
involved in sport and physical activity (Lindsey, 2009). In the case of the UK, the activities of multiple
stakeholders operating locally against the backdrop of a rapidly changing policy and funding environment,
generates additional complexity. For example, the delivery of sport services by Local Authorities raises issues
around accountability, equity, service quality and sustainability (King, 2014). At the same time, the role of
CSPs is construed in a number of contrasting ways by partner agencies, creating the potential for misunderstanding
over the shifting priorities for sports development (Mackintosh, 2011). Grix and Phillpots (2011)
note the paradox that while CSPs were established to facilitate the delivery of sport policy at regional/local
level by responding and adapting to local conditions, this has resulted in a hierarchical mode of partnership
that rests on resource dependency and asymmetrical network governance between the Government
and stakeholders in the sport policy network. These issues create concerns about the effectiveness of the
Government’s physical activity and sport participation strategy at the local level; concerns that are brought
into sharp focus at a time of rapid change. Specifically, intersecting roles/responsibilities within the sport
policy network may perpetuate tensions between affiliated entities manifest as distrust and fragmentation,
or misalignment over the changing sports development objectives. Consequently, the nature of sport governance,
as executed from national to local level, causes operational challenges for CSPs. Such network
entities, while attempting to achieve similar objectives, have different strategic and operational plans that
may not facilitate a whole-of-sport perspective in relation to the creation of shared understandings across a
sporting network (O’Boyle & Shilbury, 2016). Indeed, duplication of roles/responsibilities between national
sport governance and the CSP network is evident in cases where efforts have sought to develop policy
approaches in areas like public health, volunteering and workforce.
Methodology
This is an exploratory case study based around the experiences of two CSPs in the South West of England
and involving their key partner organizations. The research employs a qualitative approach; based around a
series of semi-structured interviews with middle and senior managers operating across a number of stakeholder
bodies. A standard protocol for qualitative content analysis is used to enable pattern-matching of
emerging themes through a constant comparison method and thereby extract a thematic structure detailing
the issues CSPs are facing.
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Discussion and implications
The study sheds light on developing responses to manage sport partnerships in time of changing policy
priorities. The mandate of creating active lifestyles requires the exploration of the policy trajectory, appropriate
mode of governance and local service delivery models. Conceptually, there is a need to address the
dichotomy between sport and physical activity, perhaps synthesized as physical culture. This involves the
rebranding of CSPs centered on physical activity, while re-thinking roles, responsibilities/parameters and
partnership-building as shaped by the funding imperative and the subsequent partnership responses to
the new sports/PA environment. Within the complex sport policy environment, we need to find the means
for better connecting national sport-PA participation policy with local network entities and non-sporting
sectors
Living with imperfect comparisons: The challenges and limitations of comparative paralympic sport policy research
Get PDFIn this article, the authors explores the challenges and limitations of conducting cross-comparative management/policy research in the Paralympic sporting domain. The comparative sport policy debate in able-bodied sport has emerged, in part, due to the increasing complexity, uncertainty, and competitive nature of high performance sport environments and a desire to understand why some countries are more successful than others at international sporting competition. The same issues and questions have also emerged within the Paralympic context. As a precursor to establishing a research agenda in this area, however, it was deemed important to begin to address the epistemological, methodological, and practical issues in comparative sport research. The analysis draws upon the broader sociological literature and examples from the Paralympic sporting context to identify and discuss the challenges and limitations of the comparative approach as well as recommendations for mitigating against them
Relationship of Values and Personality Traits in Malaysian College Students
No full textThe purpose of our study was to investigate the relationships between personality traits and value importance amongst students at tertiary level of education in Malaysia. Two thousands and ninety students from various government and semi-government's higher learning institutions participated in this study. The Schwartz’s Short Value Scale (adapted version by Lindeman & Verkasaloo, 2005) was used as a measurement tool for value importance. All of 10 universal values i.e. Power, Hedonism, Self-direction, Stimulation, Achievement, Benevolence, Universalism, Tradition, Conformity, and Security as proposed by Schwartz (1992), were rated on the extent to which they act as “guiding principle of life”. Two underlying structures of values were identified as Conservation and Self-Transcendence. Personality traits were based on the five factor model of personality, i.e. Openness to experience, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism, measured through The Big Five Inventory by John, Donahue, and Kentle (1991). Results showed that Agreeableness and Conscientiousness were positively correlated with both Conservation and Self-Transcendence values. Whilst, Openness showed negative relationships with both types of values, and Neuroticism correlated negatively with Self-Transcendence values
The Impact of Physical Activity for Recovering Cancer Patients
No full textRationale: There is a growing body of evidence that supports the use of physical activity during and after cancer treatment, although activity levels for patients remain low. As more cancer patients are treated successfully and treatment costs continue to escalate, physical activity may be a promising adjunct to a person-centered healthcare approach to recovery.
Aim: The aim was to further understand how physical activity may enhance the recovery process for a group of mixed-site cancer patients.
Objectives: The research investigated longitudinal changes in physical activity and perceived quality of life between 2 and 6 month’s post-exercise interventions. It also investigated support systems that enabled patients to sustain these perceived changes.
Method: The respondent cohort comprised 14 mixed-site cancer patients aged 43-70 (11 women, 3 men), who participated in a 2-phase physical activity intervention that took place at a university in the South West of England, UK. Phase 1 consisted of an 8 week structured physical activity programme; Phase 2 consisted of 4 months of non-supervised physical activity. Semi-structured interviews took place 3 times over 6 months with each participant. Grounded theory informed the data collection and analysis which, in turn, facilitated theoretical development.
Findings: Our findings propose 3 theories on the impact of physical activity for recovering cancer patients: (1) Knowledge gained through a structured exercise programme can enable recovering cancer patients to independently sustain physical activity to 4 month follow-up. (2) Sustaining physical activity for 6 months promotes positive changes in the quality of life indicators of chronic fatigue, self-efficacy, ability to self-manage and energy levels & (3) Peer support from patients facilitates adherence to a structured exercise programme and support from a spouse or life partner facilitates independently sustained physical activity to 4 month follow-up.
Conclusions: This study demonstrates that qualitative research can provide an evidence base that could be used to support future care plans for cancer patients. Our findings also demonstrate that a physical activity intervention can be effective at helping cancer patients recover from the side effects of their treatment and we recommend that physical activity should become an adjunct therapy alongside traditional cancer treatments