Combined community resources directory for Turkey Valley School and its community

The object of this research project was to compile a combined community resources directory that would meet the functional, educational, and recreational information needs of both the students and teachers of a school district, as well as the members of the communities that make up that school district. Telephone interviews were conducted and questionnaires were sent to gather the data on the information sources. Approximately 800 individuals, private businesses and government offices and agencies were contacted. The information gathered from these sources was then organized and printed in a directory format. The completed directory contained listings for thirteen individuals, two private businesses, and eighty government offices and agencies. Provisions were made within the directory for adding or correcting listings for future updating. This directory was duplicated and distributed throughout the school and the communit

Introduction: Walking the World

This collection of essays revolves around one of the oldest traditions of the world: pilgrimage. From five continents writers have contributed to the very much alive phenomenon of pilgrimage in a number of contrasting and interdisciplinary aspects, ranging from traditional religious to modern atheist practices. As one of the oldest externalisations of religion, from the mist of times, humans, have walked long distances to sacred caves and landscapes to honour the gods and to regulate our relationship with natural and supernatural forces. In the modern context, we still engage in pilgrimages, although the traditional religious aspect may also be replaced by reconciliation, peace, dialogue, social commentary or self-therapy. From five continents, the modern approach to an old practice is brought to you by a perhaps unusual mélange of writers and researchers who are involved in Walking the World

Pesquisa Qualitativa Crítica: conceitos básicos

Este artigo revisa conceitos básicos associados à pesquisa qualitativa crítica. É explicada e ilustrada uma teoria do sentido embasada em pragmática comunicativa para orientar o pesquisador qualitativo crítico na reconstrução dos domínios e estruturas implícitos da ação significativa, incluindo a conversa dos participantes durante entrevistas. É apresentada uma teoria da identidade humana, diferenciando entre os componentes de identidade (eu, nós, mim e autonarrativa) e relacionando a declaração de identidade à teoria do sentido. O conceito de sistemas sociais também é explicado, porque muitas vezes a análise de sistemas é um aspecto importante da pesquisa qualitativa crítica, utilizada para captar e trazer à luz coisas como reprodução cultural, reprodução social, resistência e diferentes formas de mudança de sistema. Esses conceitos estão todos conectados em uma teoria social crítica integrada e devem ser usados de forma flexível e criativa pelo pesquisador qualitativo crítico quando delinear e conduzir a pesquisa

A protocol paper on the preservation of identity: understanding the technology adoption patterns of older adults with age-related vision loss (ARVL)

There are a growing number of older adults with age-related vision loss (ARVL) for whom technology holds promise in supporting their engagement in daily activities. Despite the growing presence of technologies intended to support older adults with ARVL, there remains high rates of abandonment. This phenomenon of technology abandonment may be partly explained by the concept of self-image, meaning that older adults with ARVL avoid the use of particular technologies due to an underlying fear that use of such technologies may mark them as objects of pity, ridicule, and/or stigmatization. In response to this, the proposed study aims to understand how the decision-making processes of older adults with ARVL, as it relates to technology adoption, is influenced by the negotiation of identity. The study protocol will justify the need for this critical ethnographic study, unpack the theoretical underpinnings of this work, detail the sampling/recruitment strategy, describe the methods which included a home tour, go-along, and semi-structured in-depth interview, as well as the collective approach taken to analyze the data. The protocol concludes by examining the ethical tensions associated with this study, including a focus on the methods adopted as well as the ethical challenges inherent when working with an older adult population experiencing vision loss

Investigating the enabling factors influencing occupational therapists’ adoption of assisted living technology

Introduction Research into technology adoption has focused on older adults’ motivations, with less exploration of the perspective of healthcare providers, including occupational therapists, who are often described as the gatekeepers to assisted living technology. Method This qualitative study utilized semi-structured interviews and focus groups with 20 occupational therapists in England and Scotland. The goal was to identify those enabling factors necessary for occupational therapists to adopt assisted living technology. Results Five themes emerged regarding the enablers needed to support the adoption of assisted living technology by occupational therapists, including: (1) a positive client–therapist relationship; (2) affordability; (3) time; (4) increased awareness, education, and training; and (5) usability features of the assisted living technology. Conclusion With an aging population and the increasing role that technology is playing globally in older adults’ lives, it has never been more important for occupational therapists to harness the potential of new, developing, and existing technologies to support people to live and age as well as possible. To accomplish this, however, requires that occupational therapists are equipped with the time, training, and education necessary to offer their clients assisted living technologies that are client-centered, usable, and affordabl

You Are My Way to the Universe: Critical Collective Research Through Feminist Community Building

In diesem Artikel stützen wir uns auf den feministischen Kommunitarismus, um eine Kritik an dem vorherrschenden neoliberalen Modell der Zusammenarbeit in der qualitativen Sozialforschung zu entwickeln. Wir argumentieren, dass feministische Theorien und Praktiken über Gemeinschaftsbildung und politischen Aktivismus das Potenzial haben, die stark institutionalisierte, individualistische und managerialistische Kultur von Zusammenarbeit zu überwinden. Feministische Einsichten können Wissenschaftler*innen helfen, sich in der kollaborativen Forschung zurechtzufinden und Schlüsselfragen wie Reflexivität, Konsensbildung, Wissensvalidierung und Gruppensolidarität anzugehen. Wir nutzen unsere eigene Arbeit im Feministischen Forschungskollektiv und im WomenWeLove-Projekt, um eine alternative Orientierung und einen kollektiven Weg zur Verwirklichung einer transformativen Forschung vorzustellen. Diese feministische Intervention gegen die neoliberale Forschungskultur trägt zu laufenden Überlegungen darüber bei, wie wir mithilfe der qualitativen Sozialforschung Wissen produzieren und warum wir dies in der gegenwärtigen historischen Situation tun sollten. Sie erweitert unsere Vorstellungen von der Verantwortung der Forschenden und schafft neue Möglichkeiten für Widerstand und Emanzipation.In this article, we draw on the scholarship of feminist communitarianism to develop a critique of the predominant neoliberal qualitative social research collaboration model. We argue that feminist theories and praxis about community building and political activism have the potential to transcend the highly institutionalized, individualistic, and managerialist collaborative culture. Feminist insights can help today's researchers navigate collaborative research and address key issues such as reflexivity, consensus formation, knowledge validation, and group solidarity. We use our own work in the Feminist Research Collective and in the WomenWeLove project to present an alternative orientation and a collective way to enact transformative research. This feminist intervention against the neoliberal research culture contributes to the ongoing reflections of how we produce knowledge via qualitative social research and why we shall do so in the current historical juncture, expands our imaginations of researchers' responsibilities, and engenders new possibilities for resistance and emancipation

Talk the talk, walk the walk: Defining Critical Race Theory in research

Over the last decade there has been a noticeable growth in published works citing Critical Race Theory (CRT). This has led to a growth in interest in the UK of practical research projects utilising CRT as their framework. It is clear that research on 'race' is an emerging topic of study. What is less visible is a debate on how CRT is positioned in relation to methodic practice, substantive theory and epistemological underpinnings. The efficacy of categories of data gathering tools, both traditional and non-traditional is a discussion point here to explore the complexities underpinning decisions to advocate a CRT framework. Notwithstanding intersectional issues, a CRT methodology is recognisable by how philosophical, political and ethical questions are established and maintained in relation to racialised problematics. This paper examines these tensions in establishing CRT methodologies and explores some of the essential criteria for researchers to consider in utilising a CRT framework. © 2012 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC