The Crafting of Care: Rationality,Gender and Social Relations in Educational Decision-Making

This article examines discourses on care and the way they operate within four education case conferences. It examines the multiple subject positions afforded to participants in the meetings, and the constitutive aspects of language associated with discourses on care. The paper covers the following domains. Firstly, caring is explored as a specific form of gendered activity within dominant constructions of the family and organizations in contemporary Western (white, heterosexual) society. Secondly, caring is examined as a relationship and a discursive category rather than as an individual attribute. The implications this has for the participants’ identities and roles in the context of the education case conferences are explored. Thirdly, some examples of the way caring operates in specific case conferences are discussed. I conclude by suggesting that caring is employed by women professionals in the meetings discussed, as a way of mystifying differences. In some instances, it seems to function as a coping rhetorical strategy (see Davis 1994), which places a burden of responsibility onto women professionals and may project failure onto mothers and pupils within the meetings.     

Beyond Bluff oysters? Place identity and ethnicity in a peripheral coastal setting

Studies of culture and place form a long tradition in geography but, within rural studies, less attention has been given to the ways in which contrasting ethnicities intersect with specific places and landscapes. Recently, an increasing number of authors have noted how dominant Anglophone, western, ethnicities (frequently labelled ‘white’) have been privileged in British, Australian and New Zealand settings and this paper engages that literature. We use a detailed case study of place identity in Southern New Zealand to show how a composite appreciation of ethnicity provides a deeper understanding of place identity. As such we demonstrate how place and ethnicity intersect via diverse landscapes, social interaction sites and cultural practices.     

Psychotherapy of a preschool cancer survivor: Promoting mastery and understanding

The prolonged and invasive treatment common to cancer therapy protocols may lead to precocious defenses which impede the future development of preschool-aged cancer survivors. Focal play therapy offers the young cancer survivor a chance to understand and master the cancer experience. At present there are no accounts in the literature of the psychotherapy of young cancer survivors. This paper presents a detailed account of the therapy of a preschooler who survived a brain tumor, emphasizing the child's perspective on the cancer experience and an intervention approach which stresses mastery of developmental impasses, rather than psychopathology.     

Gossip as strategy: The management of talk about others on reality TV show 'Big Brother'

In this paper we examine the nature of gossip talk as an activity type in the context of the TV game show 'Big Brother'. Using a detailed analytic approach to the situated nature of gossip sequences, we show how participants in the show manage gossip talk strategically to establish social relationships within the house, as well as to present themselves in a positive way to the viewing (and voting) audience. We argue that there is a contextual double framing for talk in the Big Brother (BB) house which participants are orienting to, both as members of a social group, and as players in a TV game show. The paper thus contributes to existing work on the social function of gossip, as well as exploring its strategic function in this particular interactional context, calling into question the nature of 'natural' discourse.     

Variations in Child Care by Grandparents During the First Three Years

Routine child care by grandparents was examined for 1,229 children who were participants in the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Study of Early Child Care. Four groups were identified: extended full‐time care, extended part‐time care, sporadic care, and no routine care during the first three years. The odds of sporadic child care by grandparents were higher when mothers were relatively young and worked nonstandard hours. The odds of extended full‐time grandparent care versus extended part‐time grandparent care were higher for mothers of color and mothers with more extensive full‐time employment. All types of grandparent care were more likely when a grandparent lived in the household. These findings suggest that grandparent care is heterogeneous and may occur in response to different family circumstances.     

Book Review: Civil Society: History and Possibilities,by Sudipta Kaviraj and Sunil Khilnani (eds.). Cambridge University Press,Cambridge, 2001

VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations -     

Activities, engagement, and emotion in after-school programs (and elsewhere)

Experiences that are deeply engaging and enjoyable, engender full concentration, and present a balance between challenge and skill promote children's development. This chapter describes a study that sought to identify the kinds of settings and activities that foster engagement and, by extension, positive youth development. The after-school experiences of 191 ethnically diverse youth living in three states, some of whom participated in after-school programs and some of whom did not, were studied. Youth were equipped with logbooks and watches that were programmed to signal at random times. When signaled, youth recorded their location, social partners, activity, and feelings. The study found pervasive differences in the experiences at programs and elsewhere. Youth spent more time in academic and arts enrichment, organized sports and physical activities, community service, and homework at programs versus elsewhere, and they spent less time eating and watching TV at programs. They also reported higher levels of motivation, engagement, and positive affect at programs. At the same time, there were few differences in activities, emotions, effort, or motivation of program participants and nonparticipants when both groups were elsewhere. The similarities in these experiences while elsewhere suggest that the program context, not differences in youth characteristics or interests, was responsible for the feelings of engagement that were reported at programs.     

Identifying male college students' perceived health needs, barriers to seeking help, and recommendations to help men adopt healthier lifestyles

Seven focus groups at a university campus were formed to identify college men's health concerns, barriers to seeking help, and recommendations to help college men adopt healthier lifestyles. Content analysis was used to identify and organize primary patterns in the focus-group data. Results of the study revealed that the college men were aware that they had important health needs but took little action to address them. The participants identified both physical and emotional health concerns. Alcohol and substance abuse were rated as the most important issues for men. The greatest barrier to seeking services was the men's socialization to be independent and conceal vulnerability. The most frequently mentioned suggestions for helping men adopt healthier lifestyles were offering health classes, providing health information call-in service, and developing a men's center. Implications of the results are discussed.