1,720,969 research outputs found
Methodological challenges of researching the social worlds of children on the autism spectrum
No full textSince the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989, increased emphasis has been placed on the involvement of children in matters concerning them. In social research this has been reflected in increased participation of children in research. Children’s increased participation, particularly disabled children’s participation, has in part been encouraged by innovations, adoptions and applications in research methods. This has led to a growing number of new, ‘non-traditional’ research methods being added to the social researcher’s methodological repertoire. However, the appropriateness of different research methods remains unknown and this research aims to fill this void. By using autistic children as a case in example, the primary aim of this research is to explain why some methods are more appropriate than others to be used when researching the social worlds of autistic children. The secondary aim is to explore the experiences of autistic children. This research therefore has a dual focus in that it is concerned with research methodology and the experiences of autistic children.The research aims were explored through an ethnographic approach to research, where six methods were used to explore the experiences of eleven autistic children aged between eleven and fifteen years. The two ‘traditional’ methods used were 1) observations of children in their school environment and 2) interviews with their parents and teachers. The four ‘non-traditional’ methods that required participation from the children required them to 1) write an essay about their imagined futures 2) take photographs of people, places and objects considered significant to them 3) reflect themselves through art and 4) to produce a documentary about their lives. The research found a number of factors to affect the appropriateness of methods. It was also found that while some methods were more appropriate than others, an understanding of the children’s experiences was best achieved through a mixed-method, multi-dimensional approach
Researching the social worlds of autistic children: an exploration of how an understanding of autistic children's social worlds is best achieved
No full textSince United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, social research has encouraged the involvement of children in research concerning them. However, there is little evidence to demonstrate how autistic children can be involved. Little is known about which methods are appropriate to research the social worlds of autistic children: adult-centred or child-centred methods? Empirical research with autistic children is used to illustrate the contribution that methods which involve children, and methods that do not, can make to the understanding of autistic children's social worlds. I argue while autistic children's participation contributed towards greater understanding, the understanding was enriched for having parents and teachers participate too
Implementing a social network intervention, can the context for its workability be created? A quasi-ethnographic study
No full textBackgroundPolicy makers and researchers recognise the challenges of implementing evidence-based interventions into routine practice. The process of implementation is particularly complex in local community environments. In such settings, the dynamic nature of the wider contextual factors needs to be considered in addition to capturing interactions between the type of intervention and the site of implementation throughout the process. This study sought to examine how networks and network formation influence the implementation of a self-management support intervention in a community setting.MethodsAn ethnographically informed approach was taken. Data collection involved obtaining and analysing documents relevant to implementation (i.e. business plan and health reports), observations of meetings and engagement events over a 28-month period and 1:1 interviews with implementation-network members. Data analysis utilised the adaptive theory approach and drew upon the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research. The paper presents the implementation events in chronological order to illustrate the evolution of the implementation process.ResultsThe implementation-network was configured from the provider-network and commissioning-network. The configuration of the implementation-network was influenced by both the alignment between the political landscape and the intervention, and also the intervention having a robust evidence base. At the outset of implementation, the network achieved stability as members were agreed on roles and responsibilities. The stability of the implementation-network was threatened as progress slowed. However, with a period of reflection and evaluation, and with a flexible and resilient network, implementation was able to progress.ConclusionsResilience and creativity of all involved in the implementation in community settings is required to engage with a process which is complex, dynamic, and fraught with obstacles. An implementation-network is required to be resilient and flexible in order to adapt to the dynamic nature of community contexts. Of particular importance is understanding the demands of the various network elements, and there is a requirement to pause for “reflection and evaluation” in order to modify the implementation process as a result of learning
Help seeking for antibiotics; is the influence of a personal social network relevant?
No full textBackground: health policy focuses on reducing antibiotic prescribing that in order to succeed requires the public to hold similar attitudes towards judicious use. Social network influences on health behaviour and attitudes are well established and yet these influences are not sufficiently acknowledged in the UK’s antibiotic stewardship programmes. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate individuals’ attitudes and behaviours towards antibiotics and also identify the social network influences on these in the process of help seeking for self-limiting illnesses. Methods: from a social network approach the methods used were a personal community mapping exercise which was carried out ahead of a semi-structured interview. A purposive sample was drawn from across the Wessex region and participants were recruited via GP practices and pharmacists. In total 14 adults, and 10 parents of children, who had received a prescription for antibiotics for a self-limiting illness within the three months preceding the interview were recruited and interviewed. Results: three network types were identified; diverse, family and friend and restricted. The type of network an individual has appears to have an influence on antibiotic attitudes and behaviours. Most notably, the more diverse a network the more likely the individual will delay in help seeking from healthcare professionals as they draw upon self-care strategies advised by network members. The role of the GP varies according to network type too. Individuals’ with diverse networks draw upon GP network members to provide clarity and certainty following a period of self-care. People with restricted networks are more reliant upon the GP, seek help quicker and also more likely to prioritise the GPs advice over other sources of information. Conclusion: the understanding a social network approach brings to help seeking behaviour for antibiotics could help practitioners modify their consultation approach to mitigate some uncertainties and perceptions around prescribing behaviour. <br/
Mediating engagement in a social network intervention for people living with a long-term condition: a qualitative study of the role of facilitation
No full textBackground: Successful facilitation of patient-centred interventions for self-management support has traditionally focussed on individual behaviour change. A social network approach to self-management support implicates the need for facilitation that includes an orientation to connecting to and mobilizing support and resources from other people and the local environment. Objective: To identify the facilitation processes through which engagement with a social network approach to self-management is achieved. Method: Thematic analysis was used to analyse data from a longitudinal study design using quasi-ethnographic methods comprising non-participant observation, video and qualitative interviews involving 30 participants living with a long-term condition recruited from a marginalized community. Results: Findings centred on three themes about the social network approach facilitation processes: reversing the focus on the self by bringing others into view; visualization and reflection as a mediator of positive disruption and linking to new connections; personalized matching of valued activities as a means of realizing preference elicitation. Discussion and conclusions: Engagement processes with a social network approach illuminated the relevance of cognizance of an individual's immediate social context and forefronting social participation with others as the bases of self-management support of a long-term condition. This differs from traditional guided facilitation of health behaviour interventions that frame health as a matter of personal choice and individual responsibility.</p
Self-management and self-management support outcomes: a systematic review and mixed research synthesis of stakeholder views
No full textIntroduction: Self-management has received growing attention as an effective approach for long-term condition management. Little is known about which outcomes of supported self-management are valued by patients, their families, health professionals and those who commission self-management services. This study systematically reviewed published empirical evidence in accordance with PRISMA guidelines to determine the outcomes of self-management valued by these key stakeholder groups, using three prominent exemplar conditions: colorectal cancer, diabetes and stroke.Aim: To systematically review the literature to identify which generic outcomes of self-management have been targeted and are considered important using three exemplar conditions (colorectal cancer, diabetes and stroke), which collectively have a range of features that are likely to be representative of generic self-management issues.Methods: Systematic searching of nine electronic databases was conducted in addition to hand searches of review articles. Abstracts were identified against inclusion criteria and appraised independently by two reviewers, using a critical appraisal tool. Synthesis of findings was conducted using mixed research synthesis.Results: Over 20,536 abstracts were screened. 41 studies which met the review criteria were fully retrieved and appraised. The majority of evidence related to diabetes. Few studies directly focussed on stakeholders’ views concerning desired self-management outcomes; the majority of evidence was derived from studies focusing upon the experience of self-management. The views of health care commissioners were absent from the literature. We identified that self-management outcomes embrace a range of indicators, from knowledge, skills, and bio-psychosocial markers of health through to positive social networks.Conclusions: Patients’, families’, health professionals’ and commissioners’ views regarding which outcomes of self-management are important have not been clearly elicited. The extent to which bio-psychosocial indicators relate to successful self-management from the perspectives of all groups of stakeholders is unknown. Further investigation regarding which self-management outcomes are considered important by all stakeholders is necessary to guide the commissioning and design of future self-management services
Values and workplace expectations to facilitate retention: perspectives from nurses at two ends of the career spectrum
Full text linkBackground: Nursing shortages are detrimental to healthcare services due to the loss of skills and experience in patient care. In England, the retention of NHS nurses in their early- and late-career stages is of particular interest because they have the highest leaver rates. Aim: To explore in detail what early- and late-career NHS nurses value and expect from their employers to retain them in their jobs and the profession. Insights from nurses at two ends of the career spectrum could offer a new perspective and shed light on seemingly persistent and detrimental factors for retention. Methods: Semistructured focus groups and interviews, using Microsoft Teams, were conducted between April 2023 and February 2024 with early-career nurses (i.e., first registration between 2019 and 2024) and late-career nurses (i.e., 55 years and over). We also analysed open-text comments from a related survey (2023), which explored nurses' working lives and retention. Results: 27 nurses participated in the qualitative study, and 784 nurses provided open-text comments from the cross-sectional survey. Except for tailored support when entering the profession and adequate remuneration when leaving nursing, the organisational factors cited by nurses as key to their retention were similar for both groups. Some of these 'persistent' factors potentially detrimental to retention across both groups included a negative work culture, lack of adequate resources and limited opportunities for career development. Perceived inadequate remuneration should not be underestimated either. Conclusion: Support from the leadership team and/or colleagues seems to partially alleviate the stress of working in strenuous environments. However, addressing 'persistent' and detrimental organisational factors throughout nurses' careers should continue to be a priority to retain them, safeguard their well-being and enable them to deliver the standard of care they aspire to. Nursing Management Implications: The findings have significant implications for improving the retention of early- and late-career NHS nurses
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
Time and place in memory and imagination on the Isle of Sheppey
No full textMuch has been said already about the influential sociological text, Divisions of Labour, published by Ray Pahl in 1984, and the research that led up to it from the late 1970s. It has been read as an unintended community study, as a site for the study of social change, for its significant conceptual contribution to the sociology of work and the relationship between formal, informal, paid and unpaid socio-economic modes, and for its careful empirical documentation and analysis of social polarization between work-rich and work-poor households. In what follows, I discuss Pahl’s approach to doing sociology, something about which he is explicit in his comments on the sociologist’s tools and tasks, and something which is felt between the lines of his work. I then explain the reused and replicated data on which the present chapter is based. The discussion that follows is in two parts. In the first, I explore the ways in which place is a site of affective attachment, produced through the rhythms and routines of everyday life, with particular reference to the atmosphere of the ‘bike rush’ of dockyard workers as recalled in oral history interviews. In the second, I make use of young people’s imagined futures to explore time, space and the operation of class
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