Thomas Quentin Cannon: The relationship between written autobiography and oral narrative

honors thesisCollege of HumanitiesEnglishMargaret K. BradyBrooke HopkinsWritten autobiographies are often fragmentary and certainly subjective narratives, highlighting those things the individual feels to be praiseworthy characteristics and events, while stepping around those things which humility, shame, embarrassment, etc. will not allow them to mention. An oral narrative tends to be more candid and, perhaps, more indicative of the true and everyday traits of a person. In this work I use the example of my grandfather, Thomas Quentin Cannon, and his personally written history to illustrate how oral narratives, given by family members through interview, can and do supplement, echo and sometimes contradict his own written sentiments and assertions. I found it to be the case that although the basic values and governing principles discussed by his wife, sister, daughter, and son were much the same as those he alluded to in his own record, my grandfather chooses to emphasize his well known connections and offers somewhat impersonal, yet impressive trivia about himself and others. Certainly, the oral narratives along with the memories of a loving grandaughter (and the author of this work) reveal a more human, caring side to Quentin Cannon

'Social exclusion' and resistance: a study of gypsies and the non-governmental sector in Bulgaria 1989-1997

A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of Wolverhampton for the degree of Doctor of PhilosophyThis thesis uses theories of social exclusion and resistance to investigate the survival strategies of Bulgarian Gypsies and their involvement within the non-gover=ental organisation (NGO) sector. It addresses the relevance of these theories to our understanding of social inequality in the light of findings that point not only towards new possibilities for resistance within the NGO sector, but also towards the reinforcement of structural inequality. The dialectic of compliance and resistance on the part of Gypsies within NGOs, as identified in the case study, opens up for fresh debate theories 'from below'. This in turn helps unravel some of the benefits and drawbacks of the NGO strategy at the national as well as international level as one for both integration and for political self-assertion. The implications these findings have for an understanding of the use of social exclusion theory and NGO strategies in policy design are argued to be fundamental. Theories of hidden resistance need to be considered in order to go beyond the restrictive view of 'social exclusion' as a condition characterised by 'isolation', 'backwardness' and/or 'deviancy'. The thesis argues therefore that social exclusion must be problematised and interrogated to a greater extent, both as a concept and as a generic tool for policy making. This is important in order that we do not lose sight of the structural causes of social inequality and perhaps most importantly, the question of responsibility

Denied a Future? The right to education of Roma/Gypsy and traveller children in Europe

The idea for the Denied a Future? report emerged at the 1999 session of the UN Commission on Human Rights. Save the Children decided that there was a need for a basic text that described legislation, policy and practice with regard to education provision for Roma/Gypsy and Traveller children in a number of European countries. Denied a Future? therefore describes law, policy and practice in the period June 2000 to June 2001. The report was intended to serve as a benchmark against which the impact of contemporaray and future investments by the World Bank, the European Union, national and local governments and other agencies could be assessed. The report, published online in 4 volumes, highlights the lack of access to good-quality education of Roma children across Europe. Across Europe the challenge of providing Roma/Gypsy and Traveller children with access to quality education is not being met. Many school systems continue to marginalise Roma/Gypsy and Traveller children, thereby effectively denying them the chance to reach their full potential. Denied a future? examines 14 countries across Europe. It highlights the impact that a lack of personal security and freedom of movement, poverty and powerlessness all have on access to education for Roma/Gypsy and Traveller children

The Impact of the NGO Sector and Roma/Gypsy Organisations on Bulgarian Social Policy making 1989-1997

This paper, drawing on fieldwork carried out in Bulgaria in 1997, examines the impact of Roma/Gypsies and the NGO sector on Bulgarian social policy-making between 1989 and 1997. NGOs emerged during this period as important actors in the field of social policy. They were seen as agents of civil society and as having scope to fill in gaps left by inadequate state welfare. However, a number of problems have also been identified, in terms of limited scope for participation and for long-term development. The paper explores both outside and inside forces that shaped NGO development and in turn social policy-making in Bulgaria in the period 1989–97. The case study of a Roma/Gypsy led NGO reveals this interplay of forces and shows how international, national and local social policy frameworks are both fundamental to and shaped by such NGO activities

Medical students’ responses to uncertainty: a cross-sectional study using a new self-efficacy questionnaire in Aotearoa New Zealand

Objectives Responding well to clinical uncertainty is a crucial skill for any doctor. To better understand how medical students develop this skill, Social Cognitive Theory can be used to explore students’ perceived capability to respond to situations of uncertainty. This study aimed to construct a self-efficacy questionnaire and use it to measure medical students’ responses to clinical uncertainty.Design A 29-item questionnaire was constructed. For each item, participants rated their confidence in responding to uncertain situations using a scale of 0–100. Data were analysed with descriptive and inferential statistics.Setting Aotearoa New Zealand.Participants The questionnaire was distributed to 716 of 852 medical students in second, fourth and sixth year, at the three campuses of the Otago Medical School.Results The Self-Efficacy to Respond to Clinical Uncertainty (SERCU) questionnaire was completed by 495 participants (69% response rate) and found to be highly reliable (α=0.93). Exploratory factor analysis confirmed a unidimensional scale. A multiple linear regression model predicted self-efficacy scores from year of study, age, mode of entry, gender and ethnicity, F(11,470) = 4.252, p<0.001 adj. R²=0.069. Male students and those admitted to the programme 3 years postdegree or with significant allied health experience were predicted to have significantly higher self-efficacy scores. Year of study was not a significant predictor of average efficacy scores.Conclusions Our research contributes a novel, highly reliable questionnaire that uses self-efficacy to measure medical student responses to uncertainty. The questionnaire revealed that students’ confidence in responding to uncertainty may be more related to their background and life experience than to progression through the curriculum. Medical educators and researchers can use the SERCU questionnaire to obtain a new perspective on how their students respond to uncertainty, inform future research and tailor teaching about uncertainty

Developing Preventative Practices: The Experiences of Children, Young People and their families in the Children's Fund

This research report was published by the Department for Education and Skills before it was split into the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS), in June 2007. Select additional link for full text.The Children's Fund was set up in 2000, in part as a catalyst to move forward interagency co-operation and child and family-led preventative services in local authorities. The initiative will run until 2008 and have total funding of £960m over the life of the programme. It is, therefore, part of a long-term strategy aimed at strengthening communities and families as places where children and young people can develop as healthy, responsible and engaged citizens. The initiative targets children and young people aged five to 13 years who are considered to be at risk of social exclusion in 149 partnership arrangements across all 150 local authorities in England. The National Evaluation of the Children's Fund (NECF) was commissioned in late 2002 and ran until March 2006. The NECF was co-ordinated by the University of Birmingham & Institute of Education. The evaluation examined the structures, processes and outcomes of the Children's Fund. The evaluation has generated a series of reports. 'Developing Preventative Practices: The Experiences of Children, Young People and their families in the Children's Fund' aims to address the overarching question of which Children's Fund practices and approaches promote good outcomes for children and young people and support their pathways to inclusion. The report uses the concepts of risk, resilience and protection to understand the responses of children and families to the services provided by the Children's Fund and the immediate impact these services have made on their lives, The report also begins to locate these experiences within some broader notions of social exclusion and inclusion in order to reflect on how learning from the Children's Fund might be taken forward