Visualizing experience: using creative research methods with members of sexual and gender communities

This chapter argues that visual methods may be particularly appropriate for the study of non- heteronormative sexualities and genders, particularly the more marginal identities and practices which have tended to be pathologised in, and excluded from, past research. We focus here on three of these: bisexuality (attraction to more than one gender, or regardless of gender), trans (moving away from the gender which was assigned at birth), and polyamory (having multiple sexual and/or intimate relationships). Of course trans people may be heterosexual, or indeed of any sexuality, but have tended to be marginalised in many of the same ways as people from non-heterosexual sexualities, and are consequently included in this chapter for that reason. First we briefly overview the history of qualitative research on non-heterosexual sexualities and trans, arguing that qualitative methods, per se, do not prevent researchers from forming limiting understandings and problematic generalisations about such groups. Then we present an alternative to conventional interview/focus group discussion research involving the use of visual methods. We summarise key reasons why this may be particularly appropriate to the exploration of those in marginalised sexualities, genders and relationship forms, and then present three examples, based in our own research, of the ways in which such research provided data which confounded simple celebratory or critical conclusions about people in these communities. Finally, we summarise some methodological considerations which are of value to those considering the use of visual methods in their own research

Sprinting for creative economy growth – a case study of a business planning and rapid prototyping toolkit for the Brazilian creative economy sector

This article reflects on the development of a creative economy training product and toolkit developed by Coventry University with SEBRAE (the Brasilian Micro and Small Business Support Service) and funded by British Council. It was devised following two weeks creative economy scoping visits in autumn 2017 in Brasil. The scoping visits identified the need for a fun and “disruptive” business planning experience leading to rapid prototyping which would allow new creative economy ideas to be brought to market at low development cost – “Sprint”. A one day micro Sprint was tested in four locations in Brazil to excellent feedback in late 2017. The client subsequently requested a three day version of the methodology to invest more time in the cultural change of the creative entrepreneur and the development of an associated toolkit. However, this Sprint has subsequently also been rolled out in a super condensed 3 hour version piloting in 2019 and 2020 in Ukraine through British Council Creative Spark programmes. The toolkit offers skills and techniques to train creative entrepreneurs and their mentors in enabling the growth of the creative economy in their communities. This paper predominantly focuses on the implementation of the client commissioned three day Sprint

Kids on bikes: A community intervention

We describe the development, implementation and evaluation of a pilot programme to increase physical activity, through cycling, among children. The programme, implemented in Dunedin, New Zealand, during 2003, comprised three components. The first was a free community based programme to promote safe cycling, it was open to all children aged 4–12 to register for, required access to a safe cycle and helmet, and was conducted on a weeknight at a local park (n=101). The second component targeted children from a low socioeconomic schoolwhowere less likely to have access to the community programme and less likely to have access to a cycle or helmet (n=20). The third and final component was the donatea- bike programme; this componentwas designed to provide cycles for those children from the low SES school who would otherwise not be able to cycle. The lead author was approached to help redesign an existing unstructured cycling programme for children, provided one night each week, lacking trained volunteers, and having a negligible number of children from low socio-economic schools. The objectives of the old programme were to promote cycling as a sport and to teach children skills to improve their safety in cycling

Remote working: survey of attitudes to eHealth of doctors and nurses in rural general practices in the United Kingdom.

BACKGROUND: Health professionals in rural primary care could gain more from eHealth initiatives than their urban counterparts, yet little is known about eHealth in geographically isolated areas of the UK. OBJECTIVE: To elicit current use of, and attitudes towards eHealth of professionals in primary care in remote areas of Scotland. METHODS: In 2002, a questionnaire was sent to all general practitioners (n=154) in Scotland's 82 inducement practices, and to 67 nurses. Outcome measures included reported experience of computer use; access to, and experience of eHealth and quality of that experience; views of the potential usefulness of eHealth and perceived barriers to the uptake of eHealth. RESULTS: Response rate was 87%. Ninety-five percent of respondents had used either the Internet or email. The proportions of respondents who reported access to ISDN line, scanner, digital camera, and videoconferencing unit were 71%, 48%, 40% and 36%, respectively. Use of eHealth was lower among nurses than GPs. Aspects of experience that were rated positively were 'clinical usefulness', 'functioning of equipment' and 'ease of use of equipment' (76%, 74%, and 74%, respectively). The most important barriers were 'lack of suitable training' (55%), 'high cost of buying telemedicine equipment' (54%), and 'increase in GP/nurse workload' (43%). Professionals were concerned about the impact of tele-consulting on patient privacy and on the consultation itself. CONCLUSIONS: Although primary healthcare professionals recognize the general benefits of eHealth, uptake is low. By acknowledging barriers to the uptake of eHealth in geographically isolated settings, broader policies on its implementation in primary care may be informed

Adoption of Telemedicine in Scottish Remote and Rural General Practices: A Qualitative Study

In the past decade there has been increasing use of information technology in Scottish primary care. The majority of general practitioners (GPs) now accept that computing is part of their everyday practice. Some GPs in Scotland have used telemedicine for the referral of patients for specialist opinion or for access to educational resources. However, although the potential benefits of telemedicine to primary care are arguably greatest in the remote and rural context, the few existing studies suggest that uptake is slow and piecemeal. There have been a number of studies of the knowledge, experience and attitudes of health-care professionals to telemedicine. These have indicated that although there is general satisfaction with the experience of using telemedicine, health professionals have concerns about the negative effect on the consultation, establishing the infrastructure and adopting telemedicine systems into existing organizational systems

'Breakfast, lunch and dinner': attitudes to infant feeding amongst children in a Scottish primary school. A qualitative focus group study

Objective  To describe the knowledge, attitudes and beliefs about infant feeding in one primary school in Scotland.  Design Qualitative focus group study.  Setting  A single primary school which serves a mixed socioeconomic area in the north of Scotland.  Method Parents gave demographic details about their family and information about whether their children had been breastfed. Twenty- three children, aged 6, took part in three focus groups which were conducted by two facilitators, according to a predetermined topic guide. Focus group data were supplemented with analyses of children's drawings and with fieldnotes.  Results Children generally spoke of and drew pictures of bottle-feeding. Their lack of everyday language for breastfeeding suggested that breastfeeding was not a'taken-for-granted' activity. The repeated reference to adult meal patterns and to equipment suggested that the children have a mechanistic and confused idea of what breastfeeding involves. Their difficulties conceptualising night feeds and feeding in public places suggested that the children viewed breastfeeding as a private activity, permissible only in certain contexts. Children had vivid recall of TV images of infant feeding.  Conclusions Despite the observation that breastfeeding was not generally perceived as a natural activity, our findings suggest that primary school children are interested in infant feeding and that they can be engaged in and educated about it as young as six years old. Larger studies are needed to further explore attitudes to infant feeding