Learning from lives: an exploration of the impact of service users’ stories within pre-registration social work education

This study reports the findings of an instrumental qualitative case study exploring the impact of service users' stories in professional social work education. A number of mandates -legal, practice and not least from the service user movement itself – have led to a closer involvement of service users in the pre-qualifying curriculum. Current research is beginning to consider how service user perspectives may be integrated within the social work curriculum although there has been less focus on the impact of such involvement. Located within a social constructionist paradigm, this study explores one aspect of involvement- stories of personal experience as told by service users themselves-and illuminates the understanding of 'impact' from the perspectives of students and service users as well as the lesser heard voice of the social work academic. Key questions in relation to an emancipatory approach to social work education are raised. Drawing on in depth individual and group interviews, document analysis and participant-as-observer data, key pedagogical implications emerged. Presented as thematic networks, findings identified the creative potential of using stories to promote criticality, personal reflection and reflexivity within the classroom. Emotionality and its management were also identified as significant themes as were the construction of roles and the identities of professional lecturers, students and service users. The findings revealed how aspects such as childhood sexual abuse, trauma and working with those with mental health needs may be taught via narratives. In this light, it identifies the key features of transformative learning and proposes a 'constructive' pedagogic model to promote personal and professional development. The opportunities and challenges relating to the use of stories are also scrutinized. Discussion includes the need to revisit how theory is taught including the potential of service users' told experience to enhance knowledge for practice and to practise via the creation of 'live theory' in the classroom. The study concludes by identifying key messages for the social work curriculum and evaluates this case study methodology including its potential to generate theory amid wider calls for social work education research to be more firmly embedded in evidence-based and evidence-informed approaches

Extraction of tidal channel networks from airborne scanning laser altimetry and aerial photography

The study of the morphodynamics of tidal channel networks is important because of their role in tidal propagation and the evolution of salt-marshes and tidal flats. Channel dimensions range from tens of metres wide and metres deep near the low water mark to only 20-30cm wide and 20cm deep for the smallest channels on the marshes. The conventional method of measuring the networks is cumbersome, involving manual digitising of aerial photographs. This paper describes a semi-automatic knowledge-based network extraction method that is being implemented to work using airborne scanning laser altimetry (and later aerial photography). The channels exhibit a width variation of several orders of magnitude, making an approach based on multi-scale line detection difficult. The processing therefore uses multi-scale edge detection to detect channel edges, then associates adjacent anti-parallel edges together to form channels using a distance-with-destination transform. Breaks in the networks are repaired by extending channel ends in the direction of their ends to join with nearby channels, using domain knowledge that flow paths should proceed downhill and that any network fragment should be joined to a nearby fragment so as to connect eventually to the open sea

Identification of XV-15 aeroelastic modes using frequency-domain methods

The XV-15 Tilt-Rotor wing has six major aeroelastic modes that are close in frequency. To precisely excite individual modes during flight test, dual flaperon exciters with automatic frequency-sweep controls were installed. The resulting structural data were analyzed in the frequency domain (Fourier transformed) with cross spectral and transfer function methods. Modal frequencies and damping were determined by performing curve fits to transfer function magnitude and phase data and to cross spectral magnitude data. Results are given for the XV-15 with its original metal rotor blades. Frequency and damping values are also compared with earlier predictions

May 16, 1984 Interview with Edward Lansdale - Part 1

An interview with Edward Lansdale regarding his life\u27s experiences after WWII and leading up to the Vietnam War era.https://scholars.fhsu.edu/lansdale_interviews/1048/thumbnail.jp

Interview with Hank Paschal

An interview with Hank Paschal regarding his experiences with the intelligence community in the Vietnam in the 1950s.https://scholars.fhsu.edu/lansdale_interviews/1025/thumbnail.jp

February 15, 1984 Interview with Edward Lansdale - Part 2

An interview with Edward Lansdale regarding his life\u27s experiences after WWII and leading up to the Vietnam War era.https://scholars.fhsu.edu/lansdale_interviews/1047/thumbnail.jp

February 15, 1984 Interview with Edward Lansdale - Part 1

An interview with Edward Lansdale regarding his life\u27s experiences after WWII and leading up to the Vietnam War era.https://scholars.fhsu.edu/lansdale_interviews/1046/thumbnail.jp

Interview with Ed Navarro

An interview with Ed Navarro regarding his experiences during the Vietnam War Era.https://scholars.fhsu.edu/lansdale_interviews/1024/thumbnail.jp

Interview with Hubert Pooley Roberts

An interview with Hubert Pooley Roberts regarding his experiences in college with Edward Lansdale.https://scholars.fhsu.edu/lansdale_interviews/1032/thumbnail.jp

Interview with John Doran

An interview with John Doran regarding his experiences in college with Edward Lansdale.https://scholars.fhsu.edu/lansdale_interviews/1013/thumbnail.jp