New frontiers in QLR: definition, design and display

Research that is attentive to temporal processes and durational phenomena is an important tradition within the social sciences internationally with distinct disciplinary trajectories. Qualitative longitudinal research emerged as a distinct methodological paradigm around the turn of the millennium, named within the UK through journal special issues, literature reviews and funding commitments. In 2012-3 the ESRC National Centre for Research Methods funded a network for methodological innovation to map ’New frontiers of QLR’, bringing together a group of scholars who have been actively involved in establishing QLR as a methodological field. The network provided an opportunity to consolidate the learning that has developed in QLR over a sustained period of investment and to engage critically with what QLR might mean in new times. This paper documents the series of discussions staged by the network involving the definition of QLR, the kinds of relationships and practices it involves and the consequences of these in a changing landscape for social research. The series was deliberately interdisciplinary ensuring that we engaged with the temporal perspectives and norms of different academic and practice traditions and this has both enriched and complicated the picture that has emerged from our deliberations. In this paper we argue that QLR is a methodological paradigm that by definition moves with the times, and is an ongoing site of innovation and experiment. Key issues identified for future development in QLR include: intervening in debates of ‘big data’ with visions of deep data that involve following and connecting cases over time; the potential of longitudinal approaches to reframe the ‘sample’ exploring new ways of connecting the particular and the general; new thinking about research ethics that move us beyond anonymity to better explore the meanings of confidentiality and the co-production of research knowledge; and finally the promotion of a QLR sensibility that involves a heightened awareness of the here and now in the making of knowledge, yet which also connects research biographically over a career, enriched by a reflexive understanding of time as a resource in the making of meaning

The Haptic Bracelets: Gait rehabilitation after Stroke

Restoring mobility and rehabilitation of gait are high priorities for rehabilitation of neurological conditions. Cueing using metronomic rhythmic sensory stimulation has been shown to improve gait, but most versions of this approach have used auditory and visual cues. In contrast, we propose the development of a prototype wearable system for rhythmic cueing based on haptics. The main aim of this research is to investigate how real-time gait monitoring and rhythmic haptic cueing can assist with gait rehabilitation for neurological conditions

The Relationship Between A Teacher Check List And Standardised Tests For Visual Perception Skills: A South African Remedial Primary School Perspective

Occupational therapy in remedial education settings has been questioned by the South African Government as they see occupational therapy as a costly service and thus has challenged occupational therapy clinicians’ approach to assessment. This study was undertaken to establish whether the results of standardised tests of visual perception skills, relate to teachers’ observations in respect of primary remedial school age children (six to eleven years) attending a short term remedial school because of low scholastic achievement despite having average or above intellectual ability. The Test of Visual Perceptual Skills – Revised, the Developmental Test of Visual Perception-2, the Jordan Left-Right reversals Test and a teacher check list as the only teacher observation source, were used. Scores on the visual perceptual tests and the teacher check list ratings were compared using Spearman’s rho coefficient. The overall scores on the visual perceptual tests and teachers’ observations were found to be related; however this was often not the case between the subscales of the visual perceptual tests and the teacher check list. The check list may be a valuable tool in identifying children with visual perceptual difficulties but further development and standardisation is required to establish it as a valid, cost-effective measure of visual perception for use in schools where there is a limit on occupational therapy time

Correlating the Developmental Test of Visual Perception -2 (DTVP and the Test of Visual Perceptual Skills - revised (TVPS-R) as assesssment tools for learners with learning difficulties

Learners are often referred to occupational therapists to assess their visual perceptual functioning. It is, therefore, imperative that the occupational therapists use the best assessment tools to obtain accurate and reliable results that lead to effective intervention which will be noticeable in the classroom functioning of these learners. A study was therefore conducted which correlated the results of the Developmental Test of Visual Perception (second edition) (DTVP-2) and the Test of Visual Perceptual Skills Revised (TVPS-R) in a cohort of 173 learners from Grade 1 to Grade 4 (children aged 6 years to 11 years). The learners attend a remedial school in Kwa-Zulu Natal (South Africa)

What is Qualitative Interviewing?

This book is available as open access through the Bloomsbury Open Access programme and is available on bloomsburycollections.com. What is Qualitative Interviewing? is an accessible and comprehensive ‘what is’ and ‘how to’ methods book. It is distinctive in emphasising the importance of good practice in understanding and undertaking qualitative interviews within the framework of a clear philosophical position. Rosalind Edwards and Janet Holland provide clear and succinct explanations of a range of philosophies and theories of how to know about the social world, and a thorough discussion of how to go about researching it using interviews. A series of short chapters explain and illustrate a range of interview types and practices. Drawing on their own and colleagues’ experiences Holland and Edwards provide real research examples as informative illustrations of qualitative interviewing in practice, and the use of a range of creative interview tools. They discuss the use of new technologies as well as tackling enduring issues around asking and listening and power dynamics in research. Written in a clear and accessible style the book concludes with a useful annotated bibliography of key texts and journals in the field. What is Qualitative Interviewing? provides a vital resource for both new and experienced social science researchers across a range of disciplines

A Service-Learning Initiative “Service-learning to build a better future, one caring student at a time”

Our goal is to assist schools, administrators, and teachers with developing their own service- learning initiatives. Service-learning is such a great way to foster authentic learning experiences directed towards making the world a better place. Service builds compassion for others in need of assistance. Service contributes to the development of quality leaders who can think beyond themselves. The service of one can make a positive change, and the service of a community can have a profound impact. With service-learning in mind, we have designed, developed, and completed a pilot study with pre-service teachers. We hope you will be inspired to implement our service-learning initiative in your own setting

What is Qualitative Interviewing?

This book is available as open access through the Bloomsbury Open Access programme and is available on bloomsburycollections.com. What is Qualitative Interviewing? is an accessible and comprehensive ‘what is’ and ‘how to’ methods book. It is distinctive in emphasising the importance of good practice in understanding and undertaking qualitative interviews within the framework of a clear philosophical position. Rosalind Edwards and Janet Holland provide clear and succinct explanations of a range of philosophies and theories of how to know about the social world, and a thorough discussion of how to go about researching it using interviews. A series of short chapters explain and illustrate a range of interview types and practices. Drawing on their own and colleagues’ experiences Holland and Edwards provide real research examples as informative illustrations of qualitative interviewing in practice, and the use of a range of creative interview tools. They discuss the use of new technologies as well as tackling enduring issues around asking and listening and power dynamics in research. Written in a clear and accessible style the book concludes with a useful annotated bibliography of key texts and journals in the field. What is Qualitative Interviewing? provides a vital resource for both new and experienced social science researchers across a range of disciplines

Health Coaching in Faith-Based Community Diabetes Education

Abstract A significant health burden exists related to type 2 diabetes. Evidence-based solutions through research are needed to improve diabetes outcomes. Faith community diabetes education can be utilized to provide the knowledge needed to manage the disease. The purpose of the current study was to determine if a faith-based community diabetes education program including health coaching can increase self-efficacy in people with type 2 diabetes. This pilot study used a pre-test/post-test format for data collection. Following diabetes education for all participants, half of the group received health coaching and the other half no further intervention. A survey consisting of two evidence-based tools, the Short Diabetes Knowledge Instrument and the Diabetes Self Efficacy Scale along with demographic data was utilized for the pretest. Data analysis included t-tests and Pearson Correlation. Although there was no significant difference between the intervention and control groups, the results showed diabetes knowledge levels and self-efficacy were significantly improved from pre-test to post-test in all participants through t-test analysis (n 16, t -2.45, p 0.027; n 16, t -2.44, p 0.028). Within the intervention group, there was also improved diabetes knowledge from pre-test to post-test (n 8, t -2.38, p 0.05). A positive correlation was found between diabetes knowledge on the pre-test and the post-test self-efficacy (r 0.67, t 0.004). Key Words: motivational interviewing, diabetes self-management, self-car