Using video and dialogue to generate pedagogic knowledge: teachers,learners and researchers reflecting together on the pedagogy of social research methods

Developments in pedagogical knowledge in the teaching of social research methods have largely been generated through teachers reflecting on their practice. This paper presents an alternative approach to generating data through reflective dialogue between researchers, teachers and learners. The approach incorporates elements of video stimulated recall and reflective dialogue within focus group interviewing. The rationale and affordances are discussed in relation to the goals of discussing teachers’ pedagogical decision-making and learners’ experience of, and response to, various pedagogical practices. The context is a study of capacity-building short courses in advanced social science research methods, specifically courses on: multi-modal analysis, computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software, multi-level modelling, and systematic review. The paper examines the methodological challenges of capturing the everyday realities of methods classrooms for teachers and learners and the affordances of using dialogue on observed teaching sessions to gain further insight into each other’s thinking and action. It concludes with lessons learned about methodological and pedagogical processes and an argument about the value of bringing methods and standpoints together in creative dialogue.     

The cultural environment: measuring culture with big data

The rise of the Internet, social media, and digitized historical archives has produced a colossal amount of text-based data in recent years. While computer scientists have produced powerful new tools for automated analyses of such “big data,” they lack the theoretical direction necessary to extract meaning from them. Meanwhile, cultural sociologists have produced sophisticated theories of the social origins of meaning, but lack the methodological capacity to explore them beyond micro-levels of analysis. I propose a synthesis of these two fields that adjoins conventional qualitative methods and new techniques for automated analysis of large amounts of text in iterative fashion. First, I explain how automated text extraction methods may be used to map the contours of cultural environments. Second, I discuss the potential of automated text-classification methods to classify different types of culture such as frames, schema, or symbolic boundaries. Finally, I explain how these new tools can be combined with conventional qualitative methods to trace the evolution of such cultural elements over time. While my assessment of the integration of big data and cultural sociology is optimistic, my conclusion highlights several challenges in implementing this agenda. These include a lack of information about the social context in which texts are produced, the construction of reliable coding schemes that can be automated algorithmically, and the relatively high entry costs for cultural sociologists who wish to develop the technical expertise currently necessary to work with big data.     

Bisexuals Making Out with Cyborgs: Politics, Pleasure, Con/fusion

This article considers the appeal of the figure of the cyborg for bisexuals, offering bisexual readings of both Donna Haraway's cyborg, and of the cyborg self created within text-based virtual reality. The writer argues that understanding bisexuality as part of a web of meanings and material realities can lead to a new political awareness, and suggests ways to make some of these connections. Through her analysis, she emphasises the role of technology in creating and developing contemporary bisexuality.     

The influence of the modality of telecooperation on performance and workload

Current industrial processes often involve the collaboration of people at distant and remote locations. The technological media for such a tele-cooperation reach from simple email or text-based chatting systems to highly-sophisticated systems for an interactive video-conferencing. But with limited bandwidth the communication between persons at distant locations is often restricted to single modalities. Although this may still be suitable for some tasks, it may result into serious shortcomings and decreased performance with complex tasks like cooperative assembly or maintenance. This is because restricted communication reduces the availability of a common ground, i.e. sharing a common understanding of knowledge, opinions, and goals. The study presented in this paper examines the effect of different communication media on performance of a collaborative assembly task. The results show that tele-cooperation leads to additional verbal communication (AM(direct)=71.1s; AM(video)=145.6s; AM(audio)=204.7s) and, thus, longer times to complete the task (AM (direct)=45.95 min; AM (video)= 50.2 min; am AM(audio)=56.16 min). The percentage of relative speech duration also increases significantly. Workload measurement with NASA-TLX did not show any significant differences between cooperation modes. The results allow estimating the effect of reduced communication modalities on time to complete an assembly task. This facilitates a quantification of temporal requirements in time-critical maintenance and repair tasks.     

Perverts or Heroes in the Post-Socialist “Cold War”: Formula Stories of Lesbian/Bisexual/Queer Women and Transgender People in Ukrainian Media

Subjectivities such as (what would be termed in English) lesbians, bisexual, and queer (LBQ) women and transgender people are contested topics in Ukraine. Linking Laclau and Mouffe's discourse analysis with Loseke's narrative approach, we reviewed eight national, text-based, journalistic media sources to read equivalence chains within the data as publicly available formula stories about LGBTQ+ people. Formula stories are not about actual people or typically told by LBQ women and transgender people themselves, but rather exist as publicly circulating stories for consumption by non-LGBTQ+ people. Our findings shore up previous evidence that homophobia and transphobia (including criminalization and pathologization) are commonly articulated in media outlets in Ukraine. Importantly, media outlets owned by Russia and the United States and stories about events outside of Ukraine contribute most to the formula stories circulating in Ukraine, demonstrating the continuing position of Ukraine as a fulcrum of geopolitical contestations in the post-socialist “cold war.” Analyzing sexual politics through formula stories illuminates ongoing transnational connections of imperialism and Europeanization to racialization, colonialism, and contestations of power. A video abstract is available at https://youtu.be/v3dCj0yYm_g .     

Everyday Surveillance: Personal data and social classifications

Surveillance is no longer merely a matter of deliberate, individual scrutiny and consequent fears for personal privacy. It is an everyday experience, run by myriad agencies for multiple purposes and exempting no one. Surveillance is also an ambiguous process, the two faces of which must yet be seen in relation to each other. Numerous data - now including biometric, genetic and video data - are abstracted from embodied persons and manipulated to create profiles and risk categories in a networked, rhizomic system. The resulting classifications are intended to influence and to manage populations and persons. The choices and the chances of data-subjects are thus both directly and indirectly affected, but socio-technical surveillance systems are also affected by people complying with, negotiating or resisting surveillance.     

Let’s give them something to talk about: Global brands’ use of visual content to drive engagement and build relationships

This longitudinal content analysis of 1,393 Facebook posts made by the top 100 brands provides empirical evidence that leveraging visual communication is not enough for brands to solicit engagement. As brands adapt and adjust their Facebook visual content strategy to capture the attention of their publics in crowded News Feeds, they also need to employ text-based engagement strategies that get users to engage and interact with brand content. Once users start interacting with brand content, it is more likely that other users will engage with the content as well, igniting a conversation. The combination of brand posts with visuals and text-based messages gives brand publics something to talk about and ultimately can lead to stronger relationships.     

Methods, approaches and data sources for estimating stocks of irregular migrants

This paper presents a comprehensive review of available methods for sizing irregular migrant populations as a particular group in the study of hidden populations. Based on the existing body of literature on the subject, a generic classification scheme is developed that divides existing estimation procedures into subcategories like “approaches”, “methods” and “estimation techniques”. For each of these categories, basic principles, methodical strengths and weaknesses, as well as practical problems, are identified and discussed with the use of existing examples. Special emphasis is placed on data requirements, data shortcomings and possible estimation biases. In addition, based on the empirical classification and quality assessment of country-specific estimates developed in the CLANDESTINO research project, the potential and requirements for replicating best practice models in other countries are explored. Finally, a number of conclusions on the appropriate design of estimation projects are offered.     

Towards Body–Mind–Spirit Integration: East Meets West in Clinical Social Work Practice

Contemporary trends in clinical practice are moving more toward an integrative approach that views the mind, the body and the spirit as inter-connected entities. There is an increasing interest in approaches that utilize physical, cognitive, emotional and spiritual components in assessment and treatment. This paper presents an integrative body–mind–spirit approach in clinical social work practice which is informed by the Eastern philosophical traditions of Daoism, Buddhism, and Traditional Chinese Medicine. Our work with a bereaved elderly woman is presented to illustrate how the three key intervention principles: (1) promoting a dynamic balance within the individual through multi-modal intervention; (2) fostering strengths; and (3) facilitating meaning-making can be effective in helping people in a clinical setting.     

Developing ethical approaches to data and civil society: from availability to accessibility

This research note reflects on the gaps and limitations confronting the development of ethical principles regarding the accessibility of large-scale data for civil society organizations (CSOs). Drawing upon a systematic scoping study on the use of data in the United Kingdom (UK) civil society, it finds that there are twin needs to conceptualize accessibility as more than mere availability of data, as well as examine the use of data among CSOs more generally. In order to deal with the apparent “digital divide” in UK civil society – where, despite extensive government rhetoric about data openness, organizations face not only the barriers of limited time, funds, and expertise to harness data but also the lack of representation within existing data – we present a working model in which ethical concerns accompanying data utilization by civil society may be better accounted. This suggests there is a need for further research into the nexus of civil society and data upon which interdisciplinary discussion about the ethical dimensions of engagement with data, particularly informed by insight from the social sciences, can be predicated.     

Prevention of problem gambling: modifying misconceptions and increasing knowledge

Research on gambling clearly demonstrates that today's youth are very much involved in gambling activities. As they take part in these activities, young people develop and entertain irrational thoughts about gambling and become at risk for developing severe gambling problems. In this study, a video specifically designed to correct misconceptions and increase knowledge about gambling was tested on 424 grade 7 and 8 students. The effectiveness of the video was evaluated using four different experimental conditions. Findings indicated that the video significantly improved subjects' knowledge about gambling and corrected their misconceptions. The implications of these results for the prevention of gambling problems are discussed.     

Citizenship in the classroom: transferring and transforming transcultural values

The aim of the paper is to present and discuss a Report from a Comenius 2.1 project, aimed at developing teachers’ interpersonal, intercultural, social and civic competence. The study presented in the report was a multiple case study, and the methods for collecting data were focus group dialogues (with 34 teacher students), one video recording in each country and a document analysis of a European overview of citizenship education in Europe. Five countries participated in the study (the Netherlands, Portugal, Poland, the UK and Sweden) and the study focused on 12 year‐old pupils. One conclusion was that teacher education needs to focus more on horizontal classroom dialogue if goals for citizenship education are to be reached.     

A central data bank for construction

The absence of extensive and accurate information on the construction industries of developing countries constitutes an obstacle to the assessment of their strengths and weaknesses and preparation of programmes for their improvement. This paper considers a scheme for the collection, processing and storage of construction information on a national basis. It discusses the potential benefits of such a scheme, the essential features a central data bank might have, and concludes that although it might be difficult to institute, countries that are able to do so should consider the establishment of such a unit.     

A definition and set of principles for responsible consumption of gambling

Responsible consumption of gambling (RCG) is now a major paradigm driving industry, government and public health measures that aim to prevent or minimize gambling-related harm. This is reflected in the pervasive message to ‘gamble responsibly’. However, few attempts have been made to define the concept or identify its foundation principles, resulting in substantial ambiguity over what RCG means and its essential characteristics. This study addresses this void by synthesizing findings from a systematic literature review, website analysis and online survey of 107 experts – to develop a set of underlying principles and a definition of RCG. These tasks were facilitated by the reasonably consistent principles found to underpin RCG in the three data sources, despite wide variations in how the construct has previously been defined. Thus, the set of principles of RCG developed in this study (affordability, balance, informed choice, control, enjoyment, harm-free) should attract wide acceptance, as should the definition given that it combines and summarizes these principles. Adopting a consistent definition and set of RCG principles will provide a basis for developing consistent guidelines for consumers, offer direction for public health efforts for gambling harm minimization, and inform government policies and industry measures aiming to support safe gambling.     

A qualitative information system for data management

This article traces the path which led to the adaptation of the Information System approach to data management and the use of a Relational Data Base Management System in the Vitrine 2001 project, a research project looking at children's learning activities with computers using qualitative research techniques. The principles which guided the selection and design of the data base, consideration of its advantages, as well as guidelines to help others who may wish to use a similar instrument are also presented.     

Group Treatment of Latency-Age Male Victims of Sexual Abuse

Researchers and clinicians across the country have documented increases in reports of sexual victimization of males. Awareness of the immediate and long-term needs of young male victims has highlighted the need for specialized, multi-modal treatment programs for these youngsters. Group therapy can be an important adjunct to individual and family unit therapy with this population. This article provides concrete suggestions for developing, implementing and evaluating a group therapy program for young male victims of sexual abuse. Specific areas addressed include: selection and preparation of group members; structure, phases, and salient tasks of the group; therapeutic group activities; co-leadership issues; managing transference and countertransference in the context of group; and, methods for evaluating the group's effectiveness.     

Ergonomics, design universal and fashion

People who lie beyond the "standard" model of users often come up against barriers when using fashion products, especially clothing, the design of which ought to give special attention to comfort, security and well-being. The principles of universal design seek to extend the design process for products manufactured in bulk so as to include people who, because of their personal characteristics or physical conditions, are at an extreme end of some dimension of performance, whether this is to do with sight, hearing, reach or manipulation. Ergonomics, a discipline anchored on scientific data, regards human beings as the central focus of its operations and, consequently, offers various forms of support to applying universal design in product development. In this context, this paper sets out a reflection on applying the seven principles of universal design to fashion products and clothing with a view to targeting such principles as recommendations that will guide the early stages of developing these products, and establish strategies for market expansion, thereby increasing the volume of production and reducing prices.     

Videotape safaris: Entering the field with a camera

In this paper, I examine how video methods are used to record what people do as a basis for generating ideas, constructing data, testing hypotheses, and developing grounded theory. Fieldwork with a camera captures emergent social structure and processes that arise from human interaction. While the discovery of serendipitous findings through video methods provokes new theoretical questions, this intrusion into the lives of others also raises ethical and legal issues for the researcher. I conclude that video methods constructively reorient the investigator to the behavior being studied.This research was supported in part by DHEW-SRS grant number 16-P-56809/5-07 NIH and National Library of Medicine grant number 5 K10 LM 0063-02. My thanks go to Doctors Henry Betts and Byron Hamilton from the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago who offered strong support throughout the three years of this research effort. My appreciation also goes to Meredith Gould for editorial assistance with this paper and to Sean Keenan of the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago who made the cover photo possible.