1,721,014 research outputs found
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Twenty first century contact: young people in care and their use of mobile communication devices and the Internet for contact
Full text linkUnder Section 34 of the Children Act 1989 local authorities have a legal duty to make every effort to
ensure that a child in care can maintain links with his/her birth parents and other wider family
members. For a child in care contact enables him/her to continue seeing certain members of their
family, in the main, birth parents. The type of contact that a child in care can have consists of direct
contact (face-to-face meetings that are supervised or not) and indirect contact (telephone calls,
letters and/or photographs). Traditionally contact for children in care and their birth families has
been organised by social work practitioners and supported by foster carers.
The advent of mobile communication devices such as the smartphone; tablets and computers, as
well as social media and other apps for example, WhatsApp have changed the way in which
individuals now communicate. These changes in communication have also begun to impact fostering
in the form of children in care and their birth parents making use of texting, email and social
networking sites for contact that is not allowed or supported by social work practitioners. Unlike the
traditional methods of contact for children in care and their birth families, as users of these mobile
communication devices they have at their disposal a way to communicate that incorporates privacy;
flexibility and choice. For children in care there is also the added benefit of increased connectivity to
people within their familial and friendship networks via a range of devices and platforms. These
developments have led to difficulties and challenges for foster carers and social work practitioners
potentially in the form of placement breakdowns and on occasions, continued abuse by a birth
parent towards a child in care.
The research that is available on this new phenomenon of contact has only begun to ask questions in
relation to the practice, but there are gaps that include a lack of consideration as to the concept of
contact in terms of the power differentials that are present, and the ability of children in care to
negotiate the world around them as social actors in their own right. This empirical study that made
use of a research paradigm of interpretivism and influences from the Foucauldian conception of
power attempts to fill these gaps by asking three questions. The first is, are children in care making
use mobile communication devices for contact with members of their familial and friendship
networks, and if so, how. The second question is to what extent devices like the smartphone, tablets
and computers either improve or hinder the communication that takes place between children in
are and members of the familial and friendship networks. The final question is, how contact using
mobile communication devices and Internet is being managed by foster carers and social workers.
A key finding from the study was that the young people in care were not passive recipients of their
familial and friendship networks. They did not deem their interaction with friends and family via
mobile communication devices and the Internet as contact, but rather as staying in touch. The
characteristics of this new phenomenon of contact included immediacy and reach, communication
in real time and duration which enabled them to control the who, how and when of staying in touch.
However, this new found freedom was affected by the continual disciplinary gaze that the young
people in care were subject to by foster carers and social work practitioners. A gaze which was
motivated by a continuing rhetoric of vulnerability and risk.
The approach to monitoring and management of mobile communication devices and the Internet by
foster carers exposed a complex picture of surveillance and monitoring, as well as day to day
management that saw the use of parenting practices that consisted of physical tasks completed by
the foster carer and the child in care, and also monitoring software
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Exploring the cultural conceptualisations and understandings of child fostering and the concept of the child's best interests among the Dagomba of Northern Ghana
Full text linkAnthropological and demographic studies show that in sub-Sahara Africa a large proportion
of non-orphaned children (up to 1/3 in many communities) live with neither parent but often
with relatives for a significant part of their childhood. This practice is referred to as child
fostering or fosterage. Child fostering is therefore understood in the literature as the transfer,
and/or sharing, of parental responsibility of children and young people or simply the
movement of children and young people between and within families.
The practice is both an age-old and a modern phenomenon which has implications in the
daily and future lives of those children involved including their nutrition, health, education,
migration and ultimately their best interests. Depending on the context, culture, rationale and
families involved in the fostering of a particular child the practice is carried out differently
across geographies and sometimes within geographies as a result of which it deserves
academic attention. The overarching aim of this study is therefore to explore the cultural
conceptualisations and understandings of child fostering and the concept of the child’s best
interests among the Dagomba of northern Ghana. The study also examines the challenges of
existing legislation and policies in Ghana regarding the practice.
The study employed a qualitative research approach and involved children and young people,
birth and foster parents and professionals who influence policies about children and young
people in Ghana. In total, 42 respondents participated in individual interviews. I also used
‘spider diagrams’ as a supplementary research instrument for children and young people
because I considered these child-friendly, fun and culturally appropriate for their ages (See
Appendix IX). The emergent themes are explored and discussed in four findings chapters
under part four of the thesis. The majority of respondents demonstrated extensive knowledge
about child fostering and the concept of the child’s best interests. Respondents’ critical views
and their recommendations for legislation and policy in Ghana are reflected on in the
penultimate chapter. Finally, recommendations are made by way of contribution to theory,
policy and practice. The research also suggests areas for future research by way of a
reflection
Forever home? The complexity of adoption breakdown in Scotland
Full text linkAdoption is widely considered to be the best option for children who are unable to live with their birth families. But what happens when adoptions breakdown? This thesis explores adoptions for 122 Scottish children who left their adoptive home before 18 years old between the years 2000-2020. The research aims were to consider: 1) Whether an adoption breakdown rate could be estimated in Scotland; 2) the factors relating to children, adoptive parents, and their wider environments that may contribute to breakdown; and 3) the factors in social work assessments, adoptive couple training and preparation that might have safeguarded or mitigated future adoption breakdown.
Data was collated from 24 adoption agencies for retrospective qualitative analysis. Social workers and adoptive parents (n=41) were interviewed.
The journey towards adoption breakdown was charted. Unresolved losses emerged for adoptive parents when meeting their children, when family life did not meet their imagined expectations, and, when the adoption ended. The transition from foster care to adoption was also problematic for 70% of the families and had long lasting effects. When crisis loomed and persisted, adoptive parents felt unsupported and compassion fatigue was apparent for many. Social work practice was varied and often unpredictable with social workers in front line practice teams taking a different approach to those in adoption teams. The aftermath of breakdown was devastating for all involved, social workers became introspective, adoptive parents felt emotionally devastated and isolated in their shame, and, many children went on to experience further disruptions in their care. Implications for policy and practice around developing the transition process, providing appropriate support for adoptive families and removing discrepancies in social work practices are discussed
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
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