Teachers' faith, identity processes and resilience: a qualitative approach.

Teachers are at risk to suffer from burnout and adverse mental health as a result of work-related stress and conflicts. The development of teacher resilience depends upon a complex interaction between extraneous factors (i.e. administrative and social support), and, intrinsic factors (i.e. personal values). Although it is known that personal faith plays a crucial in the development of resilience in different contexts (i.e. emotional exhaustion, illness), it remains questionable whether there is a possible relationship between teacher resilience and personal faith. The present project addresses this gap in knowledge by investigating narrative accounts of teachers’ individual experiences with resilience in relation to their personal faith. The Thematic Analysis of two group interviews with 16 teachers indicates that the teachers’ personal faith provided religiously motivated narrative frameworks that facilitated the interpretation of one’s experiences. By resonating with basic constituents of identity construction (i.e. meaning, distinctiveness, self-esteem), the religious interpretation of conflicts shielded the teachers’ identity from threat in times of distress. In conclusion, the present study’s exploratory results suggest that personal faith may improve teacher resilience. Future, large-scale studies may provide further evidence to reconsider the role of religious education in teacher training as important factor in the development of teacher-resilience

Weddings in Catholic strong belief communities: a qualitative examination of Catholic deep-faith spouses’ experience of their wedding.

Previous research indicated that traditional rituals, social codes, and contemporary norms strongly influence a wedding’s construction. This project aimed to understand how members from strong belief Roman Catholic communities negotiate between social influences impacting their wedding. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of eight interviews revealed how couples construct and communicate pertinent aspects of a combined self. The participants’ conception of the wedding was perceived as a representation of their ‘true’ selves and strongly informed external religious authorities. Engaging in religious practices enabled participants recreate group expectations and norms and internalize them as personal mental property. The Community’s support and acceptance of the individual stabilized and affirmed their religious-identity, causing it to be shielded from potentially conflicting out-group expectations. This allowed the individual to express their identity regardless of context. The wedding in this sense became an expression of their religious identity and reaffirmed the bond with their Roman-Catholic strong-belief group

How are veterans perceived today?

There is always a considerable debate in the UK and the US about the health of military veterans. Data from representative opinion polls and surveys conducted in the last three decades highlight a persistent set of beliefs about military veterans, held by members of UK and US societies. The majority of British and American respondents think that veterans are more likely to experience disability, ill mental-health, unemployment and homelessness than members of the civilian population. Some of these negative perceptions are accurate for US veterans, since, compared to civilians, they are statistically more likely to struggle with physical and mental health issues and be homeless. However, such perceptions are erroneous for the majority of British veterans

The experience of newly qualified sonographers: A case study design

AimOver the last two decades, ultrasound imaging and practice has undergone a significant transformation shaped by political, cultural, sociological, technological and educational influences. Furthermore, the continual rise in the demand for ultrasound examinations is outstripping supply. This has had several reverberations and ramifications for the dynamics, constitution and wellbeing of the sonography workforce. Moreover, the adoption of ultrasound technology by various professionals has resulted in professional fission and fusion with both vertical and horizontal substitution within this heterogeneous workforce. It is against this backdrop that newly qualified sonographers enter the workforce. One under-researched area is an understanding of the experiences of these newest members of this multi-disciplinary workforce.MethodologyA case study methodology was utilised which explored the experiences of newly qualified sonographers in their first year of ultrasound practice. The newly qualified sonographers were from a multi-disciplinary background. A conceptual framework was initially developed to guide the discovery phase of this research. Data was collected from eleven participants using face to face interviews and work diaries. The data sets were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings of the research were then embedded into the conceptual framework. Findings Three main overarching themes from eight subthemes were identified, namely; transition, role development and maintaining competency and credibility. The knowledge and understanding generated has broader benefits not only for the individual professional but also for ultrasound educational curricula, individual organisations and professional bodies. Experiences of newly qualified sonographers can be improved by developing specific preceptorship programmes in the initial period of transition whilst drawing upon theories such as cognitive apprenticeship and situated learning to facilitate role development after qualification. For organisations with a multidisciplinary ultrasound workforce, the fostering of communities of practice should be encouraged as a social learning environment. These strategies will promote the future role and development of the sonographer and create a greater sense of professional pride, belonging and security whilst supporting both uni-professional and cross-boundary ultrasound working

Improving access to service charities for female veterans.

To date, considerations of improving access to and quality of care for veterans often emphasise male perspectives. This may not reflect the needs of female veterans, nor anticipate the needs of the increasing numbers of female service personnel as they leave service. In the work reported here we aimed to investigate public and charitable sector (service and nonservice) perspectives on the challenges and enablers female veterans face in accessing service charities, to inform and prioritise recommendations for tangible improvements in access to veteran specific services for female veterans. We achieved this aim by conducting a literature review, followed by a qualitative research study. This qualitative study comprised profiling the evolution of conditions for military service for females in UK Armed Forces, 38 stakeholder interviews, and website analysis. Findings and recommendations were discussed with an expert panel and the Project Advisory Group, and disseminated to a range of stakeholders over the course of the project. This report presents the findings of this research, discusses them in the context of previous work, and makes recommendations for service provision, policy and research

Representations of British armed forces veterans in the press: a quantitative analysis of newspaper articles.

Previous research has shown that British public perception of veterans can be negative and erroneous. Surveys, for example, indicate that veterans are characterized as skilled and valorous individuals but also as suffering from ill-health, unemployment, and homelessness. To investigate how these beliefs may form, the present study examines the public dimension of knowledge by analyzing depictions of veterans in the media. A total of 335 newspaper articles that represent British veterans were downloaded from Google News and UKPressonline. After the articles were classified with a content analysis, chi-square tests were conducted to understand how the representation of veterans may be related to the political affiliations of news agencies and by newspaper format. The results suggest that British veterans are predominantly represented in both heroic and victimizing contexts. While political affiliation did not affect the representation of veterans significantly, newspaper format did, with broadsheet (quality) newspapers emphasizing victimized contexts and local and international newspapers focusing on heroic contexts, with tabloids occupying a middle ground. In conclusion, broadsheet newspapers may express sociocultural scrutiny toward the ways in which veterans are treated, while local and international newspapers may focus on stereotypical representations of heroic British military actions that veterans may symbolize. Implications and conclusions are discussed

How do sociodemographic characteristics influence UK civilian opinions of UK armed forces Iraq and Afghanistan veterans? A mixed-method approach.

Evidence suggests that UK veterans are seen as victims with concern for their perceived mental health needs. This study examined sociodemographic factors that contribute to victimizing conceptualizations of British Army Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. UK participants (N = 234) provided three word associations to 'British Army Iraq Veteran' and 'British Army Afghanistan Veteran' and answered sociodemographic questions. A multiple linear regression outlines that low national pride, mission opposition and higher levels of education predict elevated victimizing word associations. Narrative accounts from UK interviews (N = 21) suggest that participants who perceived the recent conflicts as illegitimate conceptualize veterans as passive, naïve actors who had to submit to the agency of the anthropomorphic described government. This allowed holding overtly appreciative though belittling attitudes toward veterans, while opposing the missions. To dissociate veterans from victimizing perceptions, better knowledge about service and justifications for deployments need to be provided. Study limitations, including over sampling of young adult females, are discussed

Differences and similarities in perceptions of recruits, soldiers and veterans in an Austrian cohort.

Evidence suggests that the majority of the Austrian public appreciates its Armed Forces. However, whether similarly favourable views are held for the Austrian Armed Forces' recruits, soldiers and veterans remains the subject of debate, as the repercussions of Austrian military history remain unclear. The present study addresses this gap in knowledge by conducting a free-word association task. Participants (N = 266) provided three word-associations to each stimuli term in their native language: (a) "recruit of the Austrian Armed Forces"; (b) "soldier of the Austrian Armed Forces"; and (c) "veteran from the Austrian Armed Forces". These associations were then ranked in accordance with how prototypical each association is to describe the stimuli terms. A total of 2,394 word associations were grouped into 13 thematic clusters with Content Analysis. The Hierarchical Evocation Models suggest that recruits, soldiers and veterans are favourably characterised. All three stimuli terms entail references to positive personality dispositions and heroizing sentiments as part of their central core. Additionally, the results show that victimizing sentiments are placed on the periphery of individual understandings. This may reflect a revamped image of the Austrian Armed Forces, engaging in societally appreciated missions that are aligned with the essence of Western core values. These results may be indicative in international discussions surrounding improvements in the reputations of active and retired personnel

Exploring the victimization of British veterans: comparing British beliefs about veterans with beliefs about soldiers.

Evidence suggests that most of the UK public appreciate currently serving UK Armed Forces personnel but are less positive in their beliefs about veterans. This research examined the social representations held by civilian participants of UK veterans and serving soldiers to understand why veterans may be seen more negatively. An open-ended word association task was completed by 234 UK participants where they were asked to provide three initial responses to the words “veteran” and “soldier” and to evaluate their responses in accordance to prototypicality. The 1,404 resultant associations were grouped into 14 thematic clusters. Using the hierarchical evocation method, the results suggest “heroizing associations” to be a defining core element for “soldier” and “veteran” but “victimizing associations” to be an element only for “veteran.” Principal component analyses suggest victimizing associations are related to war and deindividuated associations; “heroizing associations” are related to characterizations of the veteran’s personality. Implications and future directions are discussed

The stigmatized hero? A review of UK opinion polls and surveys on perceptions of British veterans in UK society.

Findings from representative opinion polls and surveys provide information on pertinent perceptions of veterans in British society. The present project compares these findings and contrasts them with factually correct information. This allows researchers to determine erroneous and stereotyped perceptions of veterans that may be held by members of British society. The present project reviewed forty-one veteran-related question-items from eleven surveys/polls, and grouped these question-items into the categories: 1) employment situation, 2) housing situation, 3) skills and experiences, 4) physical/psychological well-being, and 5) addictions and antisocial behaviour. The comparison with factually correct information indicates that the majority of survey/poll respondents held a set of negative and erroneous stereotypes against veterans. As negative and erroneous stereotypes may hinder a successful transition into civilian society, future research should explore how these stereotypes may form