Student‐led conferencing as democratic practice

School conferences, in which teachers meet with parents and students, have long been criticised for being an undemocratic practice. Traditionally, such conferences have been organised and governed by the teacher. However, in recent years, student‐led conferences have become more common in Swedish schools. The present article focuses on eight such conferences in a sixth grade class. The results show that the students became more visible during student‐led conferences and that the conversational climate became more open. However, the teacher still controlled the conferences in a number of ways: (i) she alone decided the seriousness of the various problems discussed, (ii) she often manoeuvred the students towards certain desirable answers and (iii) she almost always had the last word. Moreover, as students were constantly asked to assess their own culpability in relation to various problems, a strong individualistic focus prevailed.     

Do Regional Associations Meet the Career Needs of Teacher-Scholars?

Faculty members in tenure-track positions must demonstrate proficiency in teaching and scholarship, although different types of higher education institutions carry different sets of expectations and requirements in these areas. Teacher-scholars, who integrate teaching and research through diverse means, largely work at teaching focused institutions. Even in such teaching-focused institutions, however, there has been a growing demand for faculty to have high levels of scholarly productivity, typically in the form of peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations...At the same time, teacher-scholars, due to limited resources, do not have great access to national conferences, leading them to rely more heavily on regional conferences to display their scholarly work. This study examines the utility of regional associations in meeting the career needs of teacher-scholars. Examining conference programs from the Pacific Sociological Association for five recent years, and comparing them to the national conference (the American Sociological Association) we show that teacher-scholars rely heavily on regional conferences to highlight their successes, often extending beyond scholarship. Regional conferences also offer a more flexible program than the national conference for defining the work of teacher-scholars. While teacher-scholars and Ph.D. granting faculty alike engage at both the national and regional conferences, both conferences tend to perpetuate a hierarchy of academia that emphasizes more traditional standards of scholarly success.     

Alternative Dispute Resolution in Child Protection Matters: The Victorian Experience

Abstract

Pre-hearing conferences were introduced in 1992 into the Family Division of the Children's Court, Victoria. Pre-hearing conferences take place when there is a dispute between the Child Protection Service and the child's family about the need for statutory intervention in their family's life. The conference is held prior to any formal hearing so that the family, their legal representatives and the welfare authority can see whether they can negotiate an agreement about a child protection order. The present paper sets out the findings of a study of 208 pre-hearing conferences held in the Melbourne Children's Court from February to July 2002. The study found that the quality of legal advice provided to parents significantly affected the outcome of pre-hearing conferences. Legal representatives varied in their willingness to step aside from the adversarial approach and give priority to discussion about child welfare concerns. It was apparent that professionals coming to the pre-hearings, both legal and welfare, had different expectations of these forums. It is imperative that if pre-hearings are to succeed, then their role and place in the child protection legal process is clearly explicated and professionals receive training in alternative dispute resolution.     

Medical and Scientific Conferences as Sites of Sociological Interest: A Review of the Field

Conferences play a pivotal role in the production and circulation of knowledge and in shaping and establishing academic and professional disciplines. As collective events, they facilitate intense moments of interaction where scientific and medical knowledge can be observed in the making. This paper calls attention to conferences as fascinating sites for sociologists of science, technology and medicine. By bringing together authors who look at conferences from different areas within the social sciences and using a variety of data gathering methods, this paper provides a comprehensive introduction to the field of conference studies and hopes to inspire greater reflection about the nature of conferences and their potential within research.     

The post-Macy paradox,information management and organising: Good intentions and a road to hell?

Between 1946 and 1953, leading scientists met in New York in the context of the so-called Macy conferences, often linked to the emergence of cybernetics. They hankered for a new vision of mind and society. The traumatism of WW2 was implicit but omnipresent, and the Cold War was beginning. Macy key tools and concepts about information, the value of information, and computer artefacts have finally produced a new world, in particular an organisational world, which is far removed from their original dreams. Organisational members are now involved in difficult situations in terms of organising, that is, new modes of performativity which are difficult to comprehend and deal with; a transformation of meaning and knowledge in collective activity; and a threat to well-being and happiness as mental activities, cognition and bodies are increasingly disconnected. We use the Macy conferences as an entry point to reflect on the ‘longue durée’ evolution of the material underpinnings of information and their relationship with organising. We first explore the new conceptualisations at the core of the Macy conferences, information, value of information, and computer artefacts. We then put the Macy conferences into a socio-historical perspective by means of two theoretical approaches, iconographical and semiotic; this involves a historical comparison between the ‘screen-images’ or our Information Age and the ‘object-images’ of medieval cathedrals. We show that there are important disruptions in organising grounded in a new semiosis, which emerged over the longue durée of collective activity, and was articulated further during the Macy conferences. We describe this long-term evolution as the post-Macy paradox.     

Ranking patterns in college football's BCS selection system: How conference ties,conference tiers,and the design of BCS payouts affect voter decisions

Affiliation matrices are used to analyze ranking patterns in the 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 USA Today College Football Coaches’ Polls. Results evidence that votes received disproportionately stem from within conference. As a whole, coaches that share a conference give their own teams between 10.61% and 27.83% more of their votes than other coaches. Also, conferences that receive automatic bids to BCS bowls appear to band together in hopes of minimizing the BCS chances of teams from non-automatic-bid conferences. Non-automatic-bid conferences, however, do not band together to rally around non-automatic-bid teams vying for a BCS bid. Lastly, ranking discrepancies are greatest when teams are only marginally qualified for BCS bids. Implications for revisions to the BCS selection system are discussed.     

Freedom of choice and diversity of options: Some difficulties

This paper explores the possibility for a (non-preference-based) freedom ranking of opportunity sets that is sensitive to the diversity of the options. It turns out that how distances between sets and alternatives are measured is crucial to the derivation of such a ranking. Several proposals are examined, each of which is shown to lead to impossibility results. Earlier versions of this paper were presented at conferences in Kortrijk, Osnabrück, Oisterwijk, Caen and Pavia. I thank the participants at these conferences for their comments. I would also like to thank Steven Hartkamp, Theo Kuipers, Clemens Puppe and especially Kotaro Suzumura for their helpful comments. Furthermore, I am very grateful to Somdeb Lahiri for pointing out a mistake in a previous version of this paper.     

Delineating the Learning Process in Generating a Research Culture among Undergraduate Social Work Students: A Case Study of Student Participation in an Academic Conference

Conferences provide excellent opportunities for academics, HDR students and social work practitioners to network, learn and contribute to the general body of knowledge, and establish or maintain credibility, yet there is little research about the possible opportunities conferences may provide to undergraduate students. This article introduces the notion that undergraduate social work students have much to gain from participation in academic conferences, particularly for generating a research culture among students. It follows a specific case study of undergraduate students' attendance at an international conference by analysing their learning in the development of a greater appreciation of the links between social work research, theory and practice.     

The use of sociograms to explore collaboration in child protection conferences

The Strengthening Families child protection conference model attempts to empower parents' participation in conferences and to enhance collaboration between conference participants. This paper, which is part of a broader study looking at the implementation of the Strengthening Families model across a county council in England, UK, explored the use of ‘power’ and ‘mutual interaction’ in both traditional and Strengthening Families child protection conferences. Data was collected using sociograms which were recorded during observations of the two types of conferences. Sociograms were analysed in order to identify patterns in terms of ‘power’ and ‘communication’ together with the use of the ‘group cohesion index’ which enabled us to draw conclusions about the degree of interaction between conference participants.Findings indicated a difference between the use of power in traditional and Strengthening Families conferences. In traditional conferences the power was mostly static (held by the chair), and in the Strengthening Families conferences power was shifted from the leader of the collaboration (chair) to the people who administer the collaboration (conference participants). Also, in the Strengthening Families model more interaction between conference participants and better group coherence were evident; however, in both types of conference communication was limited between the professionals. Sociograms proved a useful method for exploring group dynamics in the context of child protection conferences. It is suggested that a broader understanding of the underpinning principles of the Strengthening Families model is needed to successfully empower parents' participation in conferences and to enhance collaboration between conference participants.     

Enabling social support and resilience: outcomes of Family Group Conferencing in public mental health care

Family Group Conferencing (FGC) is a decision-making model where clients with their social network formulate their own plan. There is little experience with FGC in mental health care. We studied the outcomes of 41 conferences in a public mental health setting in the north of the Netherlands. We interviewed 312 respondents out of a total of 473 conference participants. In 33 cases, it was possible to obtain scores from 245 respondents on scales ranging from 0 to 10 about the situation prior and after the conference on three outcome measures, namely the quality of: (1) social support, (2) resilience and (3) living conditions. In the 33 cases, t-tests and multilevel analyses indicate on all of the three outcomes measures significant positive changes after the conferences. On average, the scores on the quality of social support (5.04–6.73), resilience (4.09–6.32) and the living conditions (3.73–6.64) had been increased since the conferences were organised. The results are modest but remarkable. That the impact of FGC is not more substantial can be explained. The clients referred to a conference in this particular study, mostly had a limited network and few recourses from whom little support could be expected.     

GPs' and health visitors' participation in child protection case conferences

This study was conducted in two related but separate phases. Phase one compared the frequency and type of participation by general practitioners and health visitors in child protection case conferences. Two hundred consecutive case conferences involving 83 general practitioners from 33 practices were independently reviewed and scored to assess the level of general practitioner and health visitor participation, whether by written report and/or by attendance. Health visitors showed a far higher level of participation in case conferences than general practitioners and their attendance was more often rated essential by the social worker than that of the general practitioner. There was no evidence in those cases where social workers rated the general practitioner's attendance as essential that this resulted in increased general practitioner participation. General practitioners were equally unlikely to participate in initial, first review and subsequent review case conferences. Most importantly, general practitioner participation/non-participation was not related to length of notice given. In phase two, 76 general practitioners from the sample of 83 were interviewed in order to elicit factors underlying their decision on participation in child protection case conferences. Personal and practice characteristics and attitudes towards the case conference and towards social workers were examined and subsequently analysed. No significant associations were discovered apart from a link between previous training in child protection and a less negative attitude towards communication with social workers and the belief that the general practitioner's participation in the case conference helps him/her in the subsequent management of the case. Personal contact between local social workers and the primary health care team was seen as likely to be helpful in the establishment of a climate of trust which would facilitate the flow of sensitive information in both directions. Health visitors were often regarded by general practitioners as fulfilling the role of delegate to the case conference without having any formal remit to carry out this task.     

Police Attendance at Child Protection Conferences: A Reappraisal

SUMMARY. We now have over 16 years experience of child protection arrangements that include the attendance of police officers at child protection conferences. This article attempts to review that experience and critically assess the police role at conferences in the light of the Department of Health's Working Together, Particular attention is paid to the nature of information made available by the police to child protection conferences.     

Youth conferences as a context for engagement

Youth conferences can be effective means for engaging youth in the life of their schools, communities, and nation, bringing benefits not only to youth themselves but also to the community, which gains through the energy, ideas, and values that youth contribute.     

What Conferences Accomplish for Social Change Organizations

ABSTRACT

Conferences allow activists and their supporters to share information, seek out technical help and create supportive networks. At conferences, participants discuss the values that guide their work and by doing so agree on a shared meaning of their social change organizations. Conferences are focusing events that help create a social movement.     

Why some Conferences are Difficult: a Study of the Professionals' Experience of Some Initial Child Protection Conferences

The views of 261 professionals attending 36 initial child protection conferences with parental participation were collected by means of a questionnaire. Overall, the professionals found the involvement of parents beneficial to the consideration of risk and the decision-making process, with some provisos. The data revealed that most of the negative responses arose from one third of the conferences, and that these conferences shared particular features relating to family profile and certain conference characteristics. The nature of the difficulties is identified and explored, especially with regard to the ambiguities and the uncertainties involved in risk assessments which contributed to the professionals, negative experiences, and which seemed to be heightened by the parents' presence.     

Children with Special Health Care Needs

Abstract

The health care model presented in this paper is a non-linear, systems approach to service delivery. The model was a by-product of three ethnic-specific conferences that were convened to discuss strategies for improving access to care and the quality of services provided to children with special health care needs (CSHCN) from diverse cultural backgrounds. The model evolved as insights regarding the common values and norms held by parents, health care providers, and cultural representatives were shared. Content analysis was used to identify core themes identified by participants. These themes were incorporated into a model that included the following elements: community-based, culturally competent, health-oriented, resiliency-focused, and family-centered care. At the fourth Consensus Conference, selected participants from the previous ethnic specific conferences reviewed the proposed model and deemed it a vehicle for facilitating health care service utilization by culturally and linguistically diverse CSHCN and their families.     

Law Consumers Association N.S.W.

Despite recent trends away from the traditional medical model of service delivery, there appears to be a continuing reluctance among some rehabilitation professionals to fully enable people with disabilities to co-manage their own rehabilitation programmes. These same professionals may remain unaware that their behaviour discourages their clients from taking greater responsibility for solving problems and achieving goals of living. Contradictions in the beliefs and behaviour of service providers is, at grass roots level, perhaps exemplified by their adherence to formal case-team meetings which exclude service recipients. The need to re-define and alter the format of these conferences is the focus of this paper.     

Evidence-based practice in family group decision-making for Anglo, African American and Hispanic families

This study addresses the need and gap in the literature on evidence-based practice in family group decision-making services by reporting on the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services' Family Group Decision-Making study, conducted between December 2003 and July 2005 with Anglo, African American and Hispanic families throughout Texas. These services are compared to standard practice by assessing satisfaction, child well-being and exits from care. Findings indicate that both parents and relatives are more satisfied with family group decision-making conferences than standard practice on a number of dimensions, with relatives reporting feeling more empowered than parents. Children are reported to be less anxious if their families participate in a conference, and they may be more adjusted when they are placed with relatives following a conference. Finally, exits from care are faster if families participate in family group decision-making conferences, and exits to reunification are increased; this may be especially true of African American and Hispanic children.     

“两会”半边天——活跃在“两会”上的女人大代表和女政协委员(英文)

第11届全国人民代表大会和第11届全国人民政治协商会议于2008年3月在北京召开。本届"两会"上,活跃着一批女代表和女委员的身影,她们纷纷建言献策,传达民意。     

Organisiert sein. Was Gremien aber so langweilig macht

Committee meetings and conferences build an everyday communication network in associations and organisations. The author investigates the generelly perceived experiences of emotional emptiness, boredom and monotony in committee meetings and shows that the different factors on which this dynamics is based are both cultural and structural in nature. She establishes that the institutional and interaction aspects in committee meetings have to be understood and handled like the two sides of a medal to allow committee meetings and conferences to be animated and used successfully.