Creative Careers and Non-traditional Trajectories

A report on an interview-based research project conducted for the project 'Non-traditional participation and pathways' for the National Arts Learning Networ

New creative careers: the problems of progression and uncertainty

This chapter presents findings from research which we conducted with participants who were current and former art college students, practitioners in different areas of creative arts and design, and therefore workers in a relatively newly named part of the economy, the ‘creative industries’. Originally identified by New Labour as a significantly successful new sector, they have subsequently received considerable attention from policy-makers and also academic commentators, in the UK and elsewhere. The list of creative industries cited by New Labour (DCMS 2001) also corresponds closely to the subject areas and activities of many art college courses, indicating how these institutions function as a vocational training ground and entry point for the creative industries. In this chapter, we discuss special issues which our research raised in relation to creative working; the implications of our research findings for vocational learners themselves and for course providers, teachers and institutions; sources of advantage and disadvantage for learners, as indicated by our research, and some further implications for those aiming to assist and expand lifelong learning opportunities

Biographies in talk: a narrative-discursive research approach

This paper demonstrates the contribution a synthetic narrative-discursive approach can make to understanding biographical work within a research interview. Our focus is on biographical work as part of the ongoing, interactive process through which identities are taken up. This is of particular interest for people who, for example, are entering a new career and can be seen as 'novices' in the sense that they are constructing and claiming a new identity. Following a discussion of the theoretical and methodological background in narrative, discourse analytic and discursive work in social psychology (e.g. Bruner, 1990; Edley, 2001; Potter and Wetherell, 1987; Wetherell, 1998), the paper presents an analysis of biographical talk from an interview study with postgraduate Art and Design students. Our interest is in their identity work, including biographical work, as novices in their fields. The analysis illustrates the approach and the key analytic concepts of, first, shared discursive resources, such as interpretative repertoires (e.g. Edley 2001) and canonical narratives (e.g. Bruner 1991), and, secondly, troubled identities (e.g. Wetherell and Edley, 1998; Taylor 2005a) . It shows how speakers' biographical accounts are shaped and constrained by the meanings which prevail within the larger society. For our participants, these include established understandings of the nature and origins of an artistic or creative identity, and the biographical trajectory associated with it. The particular focus of our approach is on how, in a speaker's reflexive work to construct a biographical narrative, the versions produced in previous tellings become a constraint and a source of continuity

Qualitative results from a phase II pilot randomised controlled trial of a lymphoma nurse-led model of survivorship care

Purpose: To explore and describe lymphoma survivors’ thoughts and perceptions of the components of a nurse led lymphoma survivorship clinic intervention. Methods: An exploratory, qualitative descriptive study using interviews from 10 participants who had transitioned post-treatment into the survivorship phase via a nurse-led lymphoma survivorship clinic intervention. Results: Thematic analysis revealed three major themes: Reassurance and individualised care; Information and support; and Empowerment. Participants described the reassurance they gained from having contact with a health professional post-treatment who individualised information and support. A survivorship care plan and treatment summary was developed for this study and was believed to be very patient-centred and helpful. This enabled participants to take back control of their health and well-being and to rebuild confidence. Conclusions: In this study, participants expressed a need for patient-centred follow-up care that addressed their concerns and supported them in the survivorship phase to get their life back on track. Nurse-led follow-up may offer a viable model of post-treatment survivorship care to lymphoma cancer survivors

The use of therapeutic untruths by learning disability nursing students

Background: The use of therapeutic untruths raises a number of ethical issues, which have begun to be explored to some extent, particularly in dementia care services, where their use has been found to be high. Little is known, however, about their use by health professionals working in learning disability services. Research question: The study aimed to explore the frequency of use of therapeutic untruths by student learning disability nurses, and by their colleagues; how effective the students perceived them to be as a means of responding to behaviours that challenge; and their level of comfort with using them. Research design: A correlational design was used to gather data from an online version of the Best Interest Scale, adapted for a learning disability context. Participants were 30 learning disability student nurses (female = 28, ages 18–48 years, M = 26.8, standard deviation = 7.3) studying at a university in the North-East of England. Ethical considerations: The study was reviewed and received ethical approval from the first author’s university ethics committee. Findings: Overall, 96% of participants reported using therapeutic untruths. ‘Omission’ was the most frequently used type of therapeutic untruths, the most effective and the type that the students felt most comfortable using. Frequency of use of therapeutic untruths correlated significantly and positively with perceived effectiveness and the level of comfort that the students felt when using them, for all types of therapeutic untruths. Conclusion: The use of therapeutic untruths by the student nurses was consistent with that found in research in dementia care services in the United Kingdom and abroad. Further research to explore the generalisability of the results to the wider context of learning disability services is needed. The study highlights that there may be a need for more formal guidance and educational input to student nurses in the use of therapeutic untruths with people with a learning disability

Does the Method of Treating Bacterial Vaginosis in Early Pregnancy Affect the Re-occurrence Rate Near Term?

There is no significant difference in the relationship between oral or vaginal metronidazole and oral clindamycin in the treatment of bacterial vaginosis (BV) in early pregnancy and the re-occurrence rate of BV at 35 to 37 weeks gestation. Treatment of BV in pregnancy has been shown to decrease the preterm delivery rate saving millions of dollars and improving the health of infants. This was a descriptive, correlational study using a retrospective chart review. A constructed checklist was used for collecting data from 186 charts. Age, parity, and insurance were comparable in each of the three drug groups. The re-occurrence rate of BV when tested in the third trimester showed no significant differences in comparison of the three drug treatment groups (Chi-square = .55; df = 2; p = .76). All three drugs were equally effective in the treatment of BV

Choices, Chores, and Cheerleading: A Study of Hartford Pubic Housing Residents’ Perceptions of Parent-School Involvement

A growing body of research suggests that parents’ involvement in their children’s schooling is an important factor for student academic achievement. In the Greater Hartford area, the changing landscape of public education options emerging from the 1996 Connecticut Supreme Court ruling in Sheff v. O’Neill has put an emphasis on understanding factors impacting academic achievement for low-income students of color. This study examines how parents of color living in public housing perceive their role in their children’s schooling. Through semi-structured interviews, parents expressed which forms of involvement are most important to them as well as their perceived barriers and motivations for school involvement. Data was collected from parents (N = 11) who have children in elementary school, kindergarten through fifth grade. Findings suggest that parents perceive their role to be crucial to their children’s success and social mobility. Parents indicate that the forms of involvement most important to them pertain to choosing the best school for their children; helping their children with their academic work; and supporting their children with overall school preparedness. Parents also expressed varying degrees of alienation from or pressure for involvement based upon the type of school their children attend. This study implicates the need for an approach to the analysis of low-income parent-school involvement that is considerate of the nuances of this group as well as the changing educational environment