The only way is ethics? Applying for National Health Service ethical approval and governance for research with children

In this Viewpoints piece, we reflect on the process of applying for National Health Service (NHS) ethical approval and governance for research with children in England. We present a case study of our experiences of navigating the Integrated Research Application System (IRAS) for one study, The Hair Study. We argue that, for children’s geographers, getting to grips with the complex processes of applying for NHS ethical approval and governance is important when considering the move towards interdisciplinary working, and engagement with children in underexplored spaces and places, such as: doctors surgeries; hospitals; dentists; and other services commissioned by the NHS

Principles of Participatory Research

This chapter details the participatory approach to research, with an emphasis on active participation. The authors recognise the charm of participatory research as a process of mutual learning, whereby researchers become co-learners in children and young people’s everyday lifeworlds, and children and young people become knowledgeable about social research methods, thereby developing their capacity and competence. Despite the benefits of participatory research, including claims that it is a more fair and equitable approach to research, the authors remain critical of the unresolved challenge of creating research equity. In particular, the authors are mindful of power structures in participatory research between adult researchers and children/young people participants, which are difficult to negotiate. This leads the authors to argue that participatory research should not be considered a cure-all for adult-dominated research processes. The concerns documented throughout this chapter do not devalue the important role a participatory approach can play in knowledge exchange and action. Rather, they emphasise that implementation should not be without careful implementation

On the same wavelength? Hyperdiverse young people at a community radio station

This paper uses a case study of youth-led community radio station, KCC Live, based in Knowsley, neighbouring Liverpool, UK, to explore which styles of voice belong in the soundscape of KCC Live, and how young people in this ‘ordinary’ social space view the ‘other’. I extend the term hyperdiversity to a discussion of how youth voice on the airwaves can involve the prioritisation of certain local cultural representations, and the silencing of others. I am also interested in young people’s perception towards ‘out-groups’ (people from other towns within Liverpool, and Merseyside more broadly). This notion of out-groups considers identity as a system of categorisation, in which boundaries are used to distinguish localities, creating binary distinctions between ‘us’ and ‘others’. This paper finds that engaging hyperdiverse young people in meaningful interactions around a shared interest, in this case community radio, stimulates the development of relationships across categorical differences

Home for Good? Preparing to Support People with Learning Difficulties in Residential Settings when they Develop Dementia

This report explores the findings of a study which investigated the current models of practice for supporting people with learning difficulties and dementia living in care home settings. It looked at the key issues and discovered examples of best practice in relating to providing care homes for this group. The report includes a poster with some quick tips for staff supporting people with learning difficulties and dementia

Historic Wallpapers, 1750-1949

Exhibition Notes, Number 21, Spring 2003. In the 18th century, European and American interiors were transformed by the rise of a new kind of wall treatment. Wallpaper – mass-produced, affordable, and highly practical – reached a broader audience than fine prints and paintings. This wide distribution prompted wallpaper artists to heed the contemporary interests of the expanding consumer class. As a result, wallpaper often recorded social changes as they were expressed in the shifting relationship between high art and popular culture throughout the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries.https://digitalcommons.risd.edu/risdmuseum_journals/1021/thumbnail.jp

Editorial: Black Lives Matter

oai:openjournals.ljmu.ac.uk:article/52

Towards a research emphasis on (un)hairiness and health

In this short paper we argue for an advancement of qualitative research in health to focus on the absence of hair. Hair loss is related to an abundance of health conditions. For instance, hair can be lost through alopecia or by cancer patients through chemotherapy treatment. Further, hair thinning can be attributed to thyroid disease and other autoimmune conditions. Given the prevalence of hair loss for both men and women with a diverse range of health conditions, exploring the social and emotional, including identity-based, experiences of living with the absence of hair is an important area for researchers to focus their attention. In this paper we argue the significant link between hair and identity, but note a relative absence of qualitative research considering the identity-based lived experiences of those without hair

Pain, no gain? A joint-autoethnography of our working lives as academics with chronic illnesses

This paper adopts a joint-autoethnographic approach to explore our lived experiences of working in academia whilst living with chronic illness, specifically Ankylosing Spondylitis, at two ‘new’ public universities in the North of England, UK. Use of the novel methodological approach of joint-autoethnography enables us to provide a snapshot into what it means to be ‘othered’ in contemporary neoliberal academia. We contribute to existing debates which seek to disrupt perceptions of academia as an elitist, ablest and privileged ivory tower. Through data captured in personal research diaries, we shed light on the emotional and embodied experiences of living with chronic illness whilst navigating academia, and how we perform our (un)spoiled academic identities. This is important because women with chronic illnesses and disabilities are significantly under-represented in senior roles within universities. This paper will interest an international readership because chronic illnesses are widespread in the workforce and these individuals offer a unique perspective within higher education, and have an awareness of the barriers faced by other academics and students with chronic illnesses

Young people’s safety practices when drink walking in the suburbs of Manchester, UK

Walking whilst intoxicated is a high-risk activity; it is thus important to enhance understandings of young people’s experiences of walking, bound up with the consumption of alcohol. In this paper, we argue that ‘mobilities’ theory has potential to enhance understandings of the emotional, embodied and affective aspects of young people’s alcohol related journeys. This paper draws on innovative qualitative research, comprising: individual and friendship group interviews and peer interviews, conducted with 40 young people, aged 15-24, living in the suburban case study locations of Chorlton and Wythenshawe, Manchester, UK. When young people’s alcohol-related mobilities have been considered, for instance in the transport studies literature, it has typically been conceptualised in a reductive manner which theorises mobility as “a product of rationally weighed decisions” (Spinney, 2009:820). We join a small body of work, in highlighting the emotional, embodied and affective aspects of alcohol-related mobilities. This paper presents findings around two main themes: performing walking and safety, and forced and adaptive mobilities, respectively. This paper concludes by recommending ways to improve the safety of young people’s walking practices when on nights out involving alcohol

'Working From Home': Academics and Airbnb, An Autoethnographic Account

This paper offers an autoethnographic account of the impact Airbnb has on ourselves, as hosts, in our own homes in Greater Manchester. The paper is theoretically framed by Goffman’s (1959:79) notion of “theatrical performance”. This framework is pertinent to our positions as Airbnb hosts, since performance is key to the way in which we present our homes and ourselves to guests. The paper provides insight into our findings, surrounding three key themes: spatial management; dirty work; and tensions between guests and hosts