Participating in community research: exploring the experiences of lay researchers in Bradford

Considerable attention has been given in recent years to the merits of involving community members in the research process and the resulting benefits in terms of research outcomes. Far less is known about the experiences of individuals taking on the role of lay researchers within their own community. This research investigates the experiences of six young Asian women who, following training, undertook a community health needs assessment in a neighbourhood in Bradford. Semi-structured interviews were conducted. Findings indicated that participating was overall a positive experience, having an impact on the women in two main ways. Firstly, a positive change in perception relating to their own capabilities and influence, resulting in increased confidence, self-esteem, and a greater understanding of the research process. Secondly, the women developed greater awareness of and interest in issues affecting their community coupled with greater empathy towards fellow residents, inspiring a determination to work towards achieving positive changes. However, the women expressed concerns that the needs assessment had raised expectations within the community and they would be held responsible for delivering change. Further research is recommended into the experiences of lay researchers, particularly the longer term impact of being involved both to themselves individually and the wider community.     

Time for a change? Predictors of child care changes by low-income families

Instability in child care arrangements can negatively affect children's development, especially in low-income families. However, few studies have examined what predicts changes over time in child care arrangements. This paper presents findings from a unique multiyear study tracking child care use in low-income families. We estimate rich quantitative models to analyze the relationships among child, household, and care provider characteristics and four different types of changes. We find turnover in child care arrangements to be common in this low-income population. Over a period of six months, half of the children changed primary provider. Child care changes were frequently related to job loss, changes in family composition, or the changing availability of caregivers. While concerns have been raised that short spells of child care subsidy receipt cause child care instability, we found that subsidy use was not associated with higher rates of change. In addition, we found that the lower a parent's assessment of the child's experience in a particular arrangement in the prior time period, the higher the likelihood of changing providers by the next survey wave. These results indicate that low-income parents recognize quality factors and change arrangements to improve the quality of care.     

Challenging perceptions of disability through performance poetry methods: the ‘Seen but Seldom Heard’ project

This paper considers performance poetry as a method to explore lived experiences of disability. We discuss how poetic inquiry used within a participatory arts-based research framework can enable young people to collectively question society’s attitudes and actions towards disability. Poetry will be considered as a means to develop a more accessible and effective arena in which young people with direct experience of disability can be empowered to develop new skills that enable them to tell their own stories. Discussion of how this can challenge audiences to critically reflect upon their own perceptions of disability will also be developed.     

Explaining Family Change and Variation: Challenges for Family Demographers

Twenty years ago, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) issued a request for proposals that resulted in the National Survey of Families and Households (NSFH), a unique survey valuable to a wide range of family scholars. This paper describes the efforts of an interdisciplinary group of family demographers to build on the progress enabled by the NSFH and many other theoretical and methodological innovations. Our work, also supported by NICHD, will develop plans for research and data collection to address the central question of what causes family change and variation. We outline the group's initial assessments of orienting frameworks, key aspects of family life to study, and theoretical and methodological challenges for research on family change. Finally, we invite family scholars to follow our progress and to help develop this shared public good.     

Attitudes as an Expression of Knowledge and “Political Anchoring”: The Case of Nuclear Power in the United Kingdom

Attitudes toward the use of nuclear energy pose fundamental issues in the political debate about how to meet future energy needs. Development of new nuclear power facilities faces significant opposition both from knowledgeable individuals who display an understanding of the risks attached to various forms of power generation and those who follow strict politically based ideological dogmas. This article employs data from a 2005 Eurobarometer survey of UK citizens to examine the influence of both political preferences and knowledge in explaining support of nuclear power. Findings reveal that attitudes about nuclear power are highly politically motivated while the influence of knowledge about radioactive waste is dependent upon beliefs about the consequences of nuclear energy use. Perceptions of being informed about radioactive waste and trust in sources providing information about radioactive waste management also predict attitudes toward nuclear power generation.     

Challenging Endings: First Year MSW Interns’ Experiences with Forced Termination and Discussion Points for Supervisory Guidance

Every year, students prematurely end their work with some clients due to the completion of their internship, rather than the client’s achievement of goals and thus a more natural endpoint of treatment. It is important to understand students’ experiences with forced termination to provide them with the necessary knowledge, skills, and support to optimally manage this complex phenomenon. This paper reviews the social work literature on forced termination arising from the ending of students’ internships and presents, in their own words, the experiences of four first-year MSW interns with forced termination. Finally, based on the literature and as borne out by these students’ experiences, some areas for discussion and reflection between interns and their supervisors in handling forced termination are offered. Caroline Rosenthal Gelman, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor at New York University’s School of Social Work. She received her M.S.W. in 1991 from the University of California, Berkeley, and her Ph.D. in 1998 from the Smith College School for Social Work. Phyllis Fernandez, Nathalie Hausman, Sarah Miller and Michael Weiner received their MSW in 2004 from New York University’s School of Social Work.     

Do hours matter? The relationship between motivation and study intensity in learners of English in Scotland

This paper examines the impact of English language learners’ motivation on their choice of study intensity using data from a national survey of learners in publicly funded English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) courses across Scotland. In particular, the motivation of learners attending only a few hours per week (i.e. very part-time learners) is compared with those attending for more hours. Our study found that there are differences in motivation and aspiration amongst very part-time and part-time or full-time learners but also that employment and child care may have as much influence as motivation in causing learners to enrol on very part-time English classes. The findings relating to these learners in our study present a particular challenge to ESOL providers which offer only very part-time courses.