Aesthetic forms of data representation in qualitative family therapy research

In this article we provide a rationale for using alternative, aesthetic methods of qualitative representation (e.g., creative writing, art, music, performance, poetry) in qualitative family therapy research. We also provide illustrative examples of methods that bring findings to life, and involve the audience in reflecting on their meaning. One problem with such forms of data representation has been that, until recently, there have not been standards with which to evaluate them. We summarize evolving standards and explain when the forms are appropriate and when they are not. We also address issues of legitimacy and conflicting standards held by others.     

Scientific Misconduct in Social Welfare Research: Preventive Lessons from Other Fields

This article examines instances of scientific misconduct which have occurred in recent years from an international perspective and explores their implications for the burgeoning social work research enterprise. Although the majority of cases of scientific misconduct which have received international publicity are confined to the hard sciences, there are important implications to be derived for the growing productivity in social welfare research. A comprehensive search was conducted of press reports for the time frame of 1995–2002 for both US and international stories about research misconduct. Using qualitative analysis, themes related to scientific conduct were identified. These cases reveal serious consequences to individual researchers and to their employing institutions. The motivating factors for the wrongdoing are applicable to researchers of any discipline and include perceived pressure to document positive outcomes and the rush to publish findings. The authors urge development of standards of research conduct specific to social work and social welfare and increased dialogue about the issues involved.     

Communicating science to the public through targeted messages

The process of communicating science-based information through the mass media is often not the most effective way to meet the information needs of audiences. In many instances these needs can be met more effectively and efficiently through targeted messages. These are communication products that fill, in as direct a manner as possible, the information needs of specialized audiences.Although targeted messages occasionally are prepared for the mass media, more often they are communicated via booklets, brochures, audiovisual materials and other media that best reach the intended audience, allowing for limitations of budget and time.A model for producing and disseminating targeted science messages in the area of youth and family development is presented, and several case histories are described. The principal benefit of this model is that it permits scientists a measure of responsibility for the accuracy and validity of what is being communicated, and at the same time, assures that the product meets the needs of its audience.     

Mental health need, awareness, and use of counseling services among international graduate students

OBJECTIVE AND PARTICIPANTS: The authors examined the prevalence of mental health needs in international graduate students, their knowledge of mental health services, and their use of on-campus and off-campus counseling services. METHODS: All registered graduate students in the Spring 2004 semester received an e-mail invitation to participate in a Web survey. Of the 3,121 completed surveys, 551 completed surveys were from international graduate students. RESULTS: Approximately 44% of international graduate students responded that they had had an emotional or stress-related problem that significantly affected their well-being or academic performance within the past year. International students who reported a more functional relationship with their advisors were less likely to report having an emotional or stress-related problem in the past year and using counseling services. International students who reported higher financial confidence were also less likely to use counseling services. CONCLUSIONS: There is an unmet mental health need among international graduate students. Special mental health outreach efforts should be directed at international graduate students, with particular attention on the relationship between students and their advisors and on adequate financial support for students.     

The current state of evaluator education: A situation analysis and call to action

Education is critically important for the maintenance and growth of programme evaluation and its emergence as a profession. This position paper presents evaluator education as an initiative and provides a foundation for its evaluation. In it, the authors use Stufflebeam's Context, Input, Process, and Product (CIPP) model to frame a review of the literature and practice. We follow this analysis of the current state of evaluator education in formal settings, with discussion of its implications, and directions for future research and action. Our analysis suggests that there is much work to be done to understand the needs for evaluator education, to delineate standards for quality in both education and practice, to identify the inputs and processes most effective for addressing those needs, and to document its ultimate impacts. The paper provides a call to action for improving the quality, consistency, and integrity of this important work.     

Higher education students with disabilities speaking out: perceived barriers and opportunities of the Universal Design for Learning framework

The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework offers a promising strategy to address the needs of higher education students with disabilities; UDL aims to support access, participation and progress for ‘all’ learners, resulting in more accessible learning environments. The objective of this qualitative study is to explore whether UDL addresses the learning needs of students with disabilities effectively. Findings suggested that students’ perceptions align well with UDL’s principles, especially with the principle of multiple means of engagement. Additionally, we found that meeting the learning needs of some students may create barriers for others. To overcome these weaknesses, UDL needs to address the individual learning needs of students, not only through setting and curricular changes, but also in a direct way. Therefore, this study argues for responsive teaching whilst implementing UDL in a flexible way. Helping students to articulate their learning needs by asking them the right questions will be crucial.     

Social Citizenship Guarantee for Minorities in Japan: Present and Future

In recent years, the presence of minorities and their ways of life have become the subject of public interest in Japan. These minorities have experienced misrecognition and denial of their rights, and have been forced to live without benefiting from social redistribution. However, the lack of acceptance of minorities or their ways of life by majorities is being challenged. These aspects of recognition and redistribution are matters of universal human dignity. They are indispensable when considering issues of security in the lives of minorities. To achieve this security it is necessary to consider social citizenship. It described the way we are treated in society. In this article I examine the current state of social citizenship for minorities in Japan. An analysis of the contents and characteristics of social policy and social security systems in which social citizenship is embodied suggests that social citizenship in Japan is still strongly based on traditional social standards. This traditional orientation constitutes an obstacle to guaranteeing social citizenship for minorities. Moreover, the more serious inherent problem is that neither the concept of citizenship nor that of rights has been adequately accepted by the people. Given these points, it is unsurprising that the majority perceives minorities as deviant, and this situation has made guarantees of social citizenship for minorities much more difficult. A full guarantee of social citizenship for minorities requires further efforts to be made in human rights education and citizenship education.     

'I Value What You have to Say'. Seeking the Perspective of Children with a Disability, Not Just their Parents

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child acknowledges the right for children to express opinions about issues affecting them and the right to have these views heard (Davis, 1998). There has been an increase in the number of international studies including children as informants in research, but there is noticeably less published research including children as informants in Australia if they have a disability. Rather, there has been a reliance on parents/carers for insight into their child's experiences. In this article we present the results of a qualitative pilot study where we interviewed parents and their children who have cerebral palsy about their perceptions and experiences of communication in the medical consultation. We found that the views of children and parents were different, further reiterating the need to seek the perceptions of children as well as their parents.     

Toward a model of NGO media diplomacy in the Internet age: Case study of Washington Profile

This qualitative study explores values, perceived effectiveness and factors that affect effectiveness of the public diplomacy-oriented international news services by a U.S.-based non-governmental, not-for-profit organization. In-depth, semi-structured interviews are conducted with the staff of the organization. Results show that the key values that guide the operations include independence from government, journalistic objectivity and balance as well as reader education. The perceived effectiveness of NGO international news service is much higher than government-sponsored news programs in terms of reaching audiences, affecting elite groups and return of investment. The factors that affect the effectiveness include use of local journalists and editors as decision-makers, the Internet, censorship by governments of the target region, vision of the NGO leaders, dialogue approach, non-governmental funding, and target elite niche audience.     

Adolescents' perceptions of cannabis use by their peers: does it have anything to do with behavior?

Young people perceive there are many more people using cannabis than any surveys can document. As part of an education program, students were exposed to survey data to influence their perceptions and in turn to affect their use and intentions to use cannabis in the future. This large study showed that perception has no relationship to use or intentions to use, and that changing perceptions of use is very difficult.     

DISCIPLINING DOMESTICITY: Framing the ADHD Parent and Child

This article is a qualitative analysis of the literature that has been directed at parents of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The analysis explores the manner in which texts embodying etiological and treatment discourses surrounding ADHD and its diagnostic precursors (hyperactivity, hyperkinesis, minimal brain dysfunction, ADD, etc.) provide frameworks for an administration of discipline in domestic life. Through the examination of a cross-section of six popular ADHD parenting guides and supplemental textual data sources, this study analyzes how such texts gain credibility with their audience, "frame" the experience of ADHD, and prescribe methods in which the domestic sphere may regulate ADHD-related behaviors. The textual data for the present study should be understood as "ideological representations"(Smith 1990), the analysis of which resonates with much of the disciplinary critique in contemporary social theory, especially the work of Michel Foucault (1977).     

Hidden contradictions and conditionality: conceptualisations of inclusive education in international human rights law

The nature of education that children with disabilities should receive has been subject to much debate. This article critically assesses the ways in which the international human rights framework has conceptualised ‘inclusive education’. It argues that the right to education for children with disabilities in international law is constitutive of hidden contradictions and conditionality. This is most evident with respect to conceptualisations of ‘inclusion’ and ‘support’, and their respective emphases upon the extent of individual impairment or ‘deficit’ rather than upon the extent of institutional or structural deficit. It is vital that the new Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities pays close attention to the utilisation of these concepts lest the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities further legitimises the ‘special needs’ educational discourse to which children with disabilities have been subject.     

Social Service Needs of Hispanic Immigrants

Abstract

Large numbers of poor Hispanic immigrants have come to the U.S. in recent years with many social service needs. This qualitative, pilot study of Hispanic immigrants in the Washington Heights community in New York City identifies their perceived needs and barriers for accessing services. Seven face-to-face interviews with community-based professionals and four focus group interviews with thirty Hispanic immigrants provide the data. Both groups of informants report many unmet service needs, especially in the areas of health care and housing. Data support the view that Hispanic immigrants often require micro-and macro-level advocacy that can best be performed by Spanish speaking social workers.     

Network analysis in evaluation: some words of caution

Network analysis, a methodology derived from general systems' theory, can be utilized as a community mental health administrative-evaluation procedure. Evaluation parameters derived from analysis of patient data as they “flow” through a network of agency services, provide measures of systemic functioning. These parameters include “longest paths” and various ratio relationships as evaluation measures of service delivery. The limitations of network analysis are examined by means of conceptual analyses, and phenomena that emerged from research experience. The necessity for both quantitative and qualitative data to ensure a meaningful evaluation of mental health services is explained. Conclusions about the value of the network analysis approach are considered.     

Children as Witnesses: Understanding Their Capacities,Needs, and Experiences

Historically the law regarded children as inherently unreliable and made it difficult for them to testify. Since 1975 awareness of child abuse has increased and research has established that children can be reliable witnesses. Governments began to recognize the needs and capacities of children and enacted legal reforms to facilitate prosecutions for child abuse. This paper reports on a survey of victim witness workers and other justice system professionals which reveals some of the continuedfailings of that system in dealing with children. Althoughrelatively rare, there are cases of false allegations of abuse, usually a result of investigations by poorly trained professionals. Further legal reforms and better human supports are required to ensure that the needs of children are met and their capacities as witnesses are fully appreciated.     

Markets,choice of kindergarten,mothers' care responsibilities,and the voucher scheme in Hong Kong

This paper examines choice of kindergarten by mothers of different socio-economic status (SES) for children aged 3 while using vouchers in Hong Kong. It identifies potential market failure to meet needs and preferences and ensure access to preferred options for all, and thus challenges the global prevalence of the market approach to early childhood services. It questions gendered responsibility and policy that prevents mothers from fulfilling care responsibilities for young children. This paper presents data from a mixed-method study including an analysis of mothers' options in terms of convenience and their views on the impact of the Pre-primary Education Voucher Scheme (thereafter voucher scheme) and local provision. Data were collected from two questionnaires, seven focus groups, and government documents. The quantitative data covered two-parent households using vouchers, with 1572 and 1360 mothers responding to the initial and follow-up questionnaires, respectively. The qualitative data from 33 mothers were coded and analyzed to capture recurring themes and nuances. Official figures were tabulated to investigate market adjustments relating to changes in demand and supply. The results reveal mothers' strong emphasis on convenience when making choices of kindergarten, the significance of SES in their choice and views, and issues of access linked to market situations and failure. They are discussed in terms of the nature, allocation, and fulfillment of care responsibilities in markets. The results lend support to the international call for active government involvement to achieve the dual goals of early childhood services (meeting children's educational needs and parents' employment needs) and show how markets may neglect the specific nature of care responsibilities, which in turn can exacerbate historical injustices in society.     

Qualitative sociology in Israel—A brief survey

Conclusion Despite the proliferation of quantitative studies in Israeli sociology, qualitative approaches remain vigorously pursued by a large number of academic sociologists, who address a wide variety of problems by a heterogeneous mix of theoretical approaches, methodologies, and research techniques. While these studies yielded a rich harvest of respectable publications, the majority are not conducted in terms of theories and methodologies which are presently at the forefront of qualitative research in the United States and Europe. This is true even for the Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, which is still the leading exponent of QS in Israel. It is difficult to decide whether some of the currently fashionable approaches, such as French neostructuralism and American ethnomethodology, propose viable programs which will have a major impact on sociology or are just passing fashions. Nevertheless, Israeli sociologistsshould pay more attention to these and similar current developments on the international scene and examine critically the usefulness of these developments for their own research interests and projects.The same is true in the field of application of the new computer technologies to qualitative data. Very few Israeli sociologists have made any serious efforts in the development or application of such technologies in their studies. It is in these areas that greater attention and a possible partial reorientation of QS in Israel will be necessary in the future, if Israeli qualitative sociologists are to keep the place which they currently occupy in the international professional community.     

‘Providing a Link with the Real World’: Learning from the Student Experience of Service User and Carer Involvement in Social Work Education

Social work has long placed an emphasis on involving users and carers in the education of practitioners, an emphasis driven by service users and carers themselves, the value base of social work, and by policy and legislation from successive governments and regulatory bodies. Recent changes in regulation and professional standards in social work suggest a continuing commitment to service user and carer involvement. This paper argues that in order to ensure a sustainable commitment, there needs to be greater evidence of the value and purpose of such involvement. Whilst there is a considerable body of literature on this issue in social work education, little focus is on any impact on current and future practice of social work students. The paper discusses a research project addressing this issue from the perspective of social work students. Findings suggest that the involvement of service users and carers in their training was perceived by students as overwhelmingly positive, should be enhanced and that they believed that these experiences were taken forward in their practice. The paper also identifies key points that could inform best educational practice.     

Young People's Use and Perceptions of Emergency Contraceptives in Sub‐Saharan Africa: Existing Insights and Knowledge Gaps

Despite growing international attention to the sexual and reproductive health and rights of young people, their uptake of modern contraceptive methods remains low, especially in Sub‐Saharan Africa. This article focuses on young people's use of a relatively new contraceptive method, emergency contraceptives (ECs). Emergency contraceptives can be used after intercourse and have been marketed to be used when other contraceptives fail or after unplanned, unprotected intercourse. This article reviews qualitative evidence from seven studies on young people's experiences with this contraceptive method. Many users of ECs were in their twenties, well‐educated, and either single or in a relationship. Repeated use was found in four of the studies, and ECs may fit within an existing range of post‐coital methods used to prevent pregnancies. While concerns about side effects were reported frequently among non‐users of ECs, other women preferred ECs above other hormonal contraceptive methods. Men were actively involved, for example, as providers of information to their partners, and as purchasers of ECs. Young people's understandings of ECs hence differ from the meanings inscribed to these pills at an international level. Further research on this topic is needed to ensure that young people's (emergency) contraceptive needs are well understood and responded to.     

Children as Witnesses: Understanding Their Capacities, Needs, and Experiences

Historically the law regarded children as inherently unreliable and made it difficult for them to testify. Since 1975 awareness of child abuse has increased and research has established that children can be reliable witnesses. Governments began to recognize the needs and capacities of children and enacted legal reforms to facilitate prosecutions for child abuse. This paper reports on a survey of victim witness workers and other justice system professionals which reveals some of the continued failings of that system in dealing with children. Although relatively rare, there are cases of false allegations of abuse, usually a result of investigations by poorly trained professionals. Further legal reforms and better human supports are required to ensure that the needs of children are met and their capacities as witnesses are fully appreciated.