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How does the closure of prisons impact local communities where the prison is sited? The paper compares three prison closures in northern and central Kazakhstan through field observations, interviews, and focus groups at the sites. We find that respondents unanimously opposed closure by appealing to the apparent good performance of the prison. Beyond the economic loss incurred by closure, respondents reported a loss of communal identity, as well as prestige connected to the presence of the military at the colony. The paper analyzes these responses by examining the logics by which the prisons came to be opened in the Soviet period as well as investigating how the relationship between punishment, economy, and society in Kazakhstan has changed since that time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the individual might feel isolated, and his psychological capital (PsyCap) is negatively influenced. Most research on peer support has focused on its contribution to employee well-being when the peers are in the same workplace. Scant research targets the times of lockdowns and social distancing. This paper investigates how peer support influences employee PsyCap during the COVID-19 pandemic. By conducting a questionnaire with N = 42 employees and three online focus groups with N = 15 employees out of N = 350 employees working at an international organization operating in Egypt as a bilateral development partner funded by the German government, the paper concludes that peer support has a positive influence on employee PsyCap, especially self-efficacy, hope, and optimism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2016 WHO launched the priority assistive products list (APL) consisting of 50 products and recommended that using this as a reference, countries should develop their own contextually relevant national APLs. This paper describes the development of Malawi's APL. Two hundred and ninety-six persons with disabilities participated in a rapid Assistive Technology Assessment (rATA) survey. Six focus group discussions (FGDs) with people with various types of disabilities were conducted. The rATA questionnaire and FGDs collected data on assistive products (APs) participants used, APs they needed and the challenges they experienced. Data collection was done in six districts spread across the three regions in Malawi. All age groups were included in the survey. Persons with disabilities aged less than 18 participated but went with their guardians. All persons who participated in this study provided consent. Survey and FGDs results were presented at an APL consensus meeting with policymakers, service providers, disabled peoples' organizations and development partners in the disability sector. Based on the results and further discussions, a consensus was reached on the priority APs for Malawi. More than a third of respondents used wheelchairs (32%), followed by auxiliary crutches (25%), walking sticks (13%), reading glasses (11%), prosthesis (10%), elbow crutches (9%) and orthosis (8%). There is also a high demand for products such as pull-up underwear (incontinence products) (79%), hearing aids (70%), reading glasses (59%) and diapers (63%). After intensive discussions during a consensus meeting, an agreement was reached on the 22 priority APs for Malawi. There is a wide range of APs being used by people with different functional limitations in Malawi. There is also a demand for APs that are not readily available. When developing an APL, the list should include products in use, those in demand, and those recommended by service providers. Following the development of the priority assistive products list (APL) by WHO, member states should develop their own contextually based APL. The development of the APL should be based on research evidence. All key stakeholders including persons with disabilities and other functional limitations, government, and development partners should participate in this process. The APL should be part of the national health system or community services. The Department of Disability and Elderly Affairs in the Ministry of Gender, Community Development, being the Government of Malawi line ministry coordinating disability issues participated actively in this study including inviting participants in the stakeholders' validation workshop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wealth taxes are back on the political agenda of developed democracies, but are subject to contestation. Given increasing inequality, middle classes may support wealth taxes so to redistribute wealth from the rich. However, asset appreciation has become central to the realization of life chances, so a political programme of 'wealth taxes' may appear threatening. This paper asks: what does the prospect of increased wealth taxes mean to the middle classes? Combining a relational theory approach with a qualitative focus group study in the United Kingdom, the paper highlights two especially salient meanings of wealth taxes: (1) that wealth is considered as a form of security that one builds through surplus income earned through work (thereby conflating income and wealth); which can then be (2) used to sustain an intergenerational family through the relations of inheritance. Consequently, wealth taxes take on a meaning as a double tax that penalize hardworking families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A growing body of work suggests that co-research with older adults contributes to a better understanding of later experienced health and social problems. Yet, few studies have involved minoritised older people as co-researchers, and there has been a lack of critical appraisal of challenges encountered in the process. In response, this paper presents lessons from a project which was aimed at co-producing research to explore experiences of loneliness with and by ethnically and sexually minoritised older people (50+) in Greater Manchester (United Kingdom). The paper presents findings based upon field notes and focus groups with ten older co-researchers reflecting on their motivations,roles, and responsibilities. Four themes will be critically assessed: power and privilege; co-research as an extractive process; co-ownership; and time and financial constraints. At the core of this paper is an examination of how the power held by academics shape opportunities for individuals to meaningfully engage in co-research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Owing to its cost-efficiency, 24-hour home care is increasing and represents a cornerstone in the care of elder people in Austria. A software solution to support 24-hour caregivers in their daily routine was developed facilitating a user-centered design process. It includes electronic documentation, an e-learning platform, emergency management, and a communication tool. To evaluate the usability and acceptance of the developed software solution, a qualitative survey including focus groups (FG), a group interview (GI), and a usability walkthrough (UW) were conducted. This paper describes the findings of the qualitative survey which indicate that the e-learning platform as well as the e-documentation support 24-hour caregivers in their daily work with their clients. Participants with less technical affinity needed support to use the tool proficiently. 24-hour caregivers appreciate the fact that the solution unites all the needed information in one place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In more recent years in geographical research there has been a trend towards 'child-friendly' or 'young people-friendly' research methods, often involving creativity and participation. Meanwhile, traditional methods such as interviews and focus groups continue to dominate research with adult participants. This paper draws and reflects on fieldnotes documented during a study which used participatory design workshops with activity-based methods to contemporaneously, but separately, engage with young people with Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS) and their parents. This paper contributes to the body of literature concerned with intergenerational practice in children's geographies and geographical work more broadly. It does so not by focusing on intergenerational perspectives of the research topic, but by teasing out intergenerational engagement in research that used the same methods across generations (with young people and their parents). Finding that the activities were engaged with in a similar depth and commitment by participants, we argue for a loosening of the artificial packaging of young people-friendly and adult oriented methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the ways that publicly funded developmental services for adults with developmental disabilities in southern Ontario are limited in how they support clients. This paper is informed by field research conducted in the summer of 2019, which was composed of semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and a policy review. Informed by parent advocates who are the main caregivers of their adult children labelled with intellectual and developmental disabilities, this paper claims that the administrative processes of the Ontario ministry that manages and funds adult disability services relate to broader exclusionary patterns among adults with developmental disabilities. I explore this claim by reviewing how common ableist assumptions of people with developmental disabilities are ingrained in the policies and administrative processes of these services. I contribute to ongoing discussions among Critical Disability Scholars of the ways that disability as a social category can be articulated outside of ableist assumptions. Informed by parent caregiver perspectives, this article outlines how the limitations of provincially funded disability services in Ontario, Canada cause significant challenge in the lives of those labelled with intellectual and developmental disabilities. One possible explanation for these limitations is that there is a disconnect between how the provincial government classifies who should receive immediate services and how many services, versus the actual need of those labelled with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The criteria for high supports, such as monthly funding, placement into a living facility, and the provincial assessment for determining a person's 'adaptive functioning' are rooted in problematic assumptions made of people labelled with intellectual and developmental disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human interactions are guided by rules, guidelines, and social norms—a tacit understanding of what is adequate in a given context. With interactions being increasingly digitally mediated, understanding how behavior is regulated in these environments becomes imperative. In this paper, we provide an overview of the literature on netiquette and how usage of the term developed over time. We then present findings from five exploratory focus groups, discussing general characteristics of netiquette, how users acquire and adapt netiquette, as well as the social dynamics associated with netiquette. Findings suggest that netiquette dynamically interacts with social, psychological, and environmental factors. We thus propose integrating the netiquette literature with research on social norms and conceptualize netiquette as digital social norms. The paper identifies five areas for further research that will deepen our understanding of how netiquette evolves, how it is perceived by users, and how it impacts their everyday experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of non-state actors as channels of aid allocation has been increasingly favoured over the use of government and state agencies. This paper makes use of anecdotal evidence from interviews, focus groups, and surveys in the South-East and South-South regions of Nigeria to explore aid allocation processes with the aim of enhancing the effectiveness of aid, particularly in conflict-affected societies. The findings show that the participants generally prefer bypassing the government in the survey. However, a deeper examination of the interviews and focus groups indicates that bypassing government may not necessarily be the most effective aid allocation process. A hybrid system that essentially involves the government, non-state actors, and particularly the end-users of the aid is encouraged. The findings also indicate that regions with higher levels of instability such as conflict may prefer the allocation of aid via non-state actors than other regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines how corruption-induced inhibitions influence business-related corruption from the perspectives of business leaders in Ghana. Data were collected through focus group discussion with Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of multi-national and local companies operating in Ghana. The findings show that business leaders encounter multiple regulatory agencies with duplicated and overlapping functions, multiple charges for virtually the same and duplicated services, multiple law enforcement agencies also performing regulatory functions at the Ports of entry, inadequate information on processes and costs of services, and inadequate channels for reporting corrupt activities in Ghana. The paper argues that these challenges trigger corruption-induced inhibitors which in turn, negatively affect the growth of the private-sector in Ghana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inadequate sleep is an on-going risk to the health and mission readiness of U.S. Armed Forces, with estimates of sleep problems high above U.S. civilian populations. Intervening early in the career of active duty Air Force personnel (or "Airmen") with education and the establishment of healthy behaviors may prevent short and long term-detriments of sleep problems. This paper describes the results of a qualitative study seeking to understand the facilitators and barriers to achieving good sleep in a technical training school during the first year of entry into the United States Air Force. Using the social ecological framework and content analysis, three focus groups with Airmen were conducted to explore themes at the individual, social, environmental, and organizational/policy level. Overall, results indicated a cohort motivated to achieve good sleep, and also struggling with a number of barriers across each level. This paper highlights opportunities for population health interventions during technical training aimed at supporting Airmen in developing healthy sleep behaviors early in the course of their career. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The context for this paper is a shift in the way citizens engage in democratic processes which has received increasing attention in the literature. Building on previously conducted research, this paper contributes to the conceptualisation of citizenship activities in terms of young people below the voting age from rural communities. Based on reviewing current research, seven emerging contexts that can assist with exploring young people's citizenship activities are proposed, namely unofficial, individual, glocal, sporadic, online, issues-based, and justice-oriented. These contexts were translated into a framework which is introduced and explored in this paper. To explore this framework, focus groups (n = 26) and a qualitative questionnaire (n = 106) were conducted with young people aged 13–16 from a secondary school in Germany. The proposed framework extends previous conceptualisations of emerging citizenship contexts by looking beyond citizen types and taxonomies to explore the spaces, modes, goals, and the frequency of participants' citizenship activities. Results indicate that the proposed framework was useful in exploring multiple emerging citizenship contexts. Focus group and questionnaire participants were particularly engaged in glocal, unofficial, sporadic, and issues-based contexts and to a lower degree in individual, online, and justice-oriented contexts. A key challenge is achieving conceptual clarity around the seven contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper promotes critical realism as a suitable and fruitful philosophical foundation for the development and implementation of urban digital twins. The proliferation of a-theoretical digital twin research and practices, not declaring their philosophical positions, is threatening the scientific soundness of this new paradigm and offers little evidence for reflecting on the knowledge it produces. To address this issue, first, this paper uses focus group discussions to explore digital twin experts' perceptions of digital twin best practices for urban management and uncover the philosophical worldviews underlying these perceptions. A philosophical worldview is a general orientation about the world that is described in terms of ontological and epistemological assumptions and views on human nature. The inferred philosophical worldviews are then compared with critical realism principles, supporting the argument that critical realism provides a suitable philosophical foundation for digital twin practices in urban management envisaged by participating experts, as well as enhancing current forms of digital twin practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Places outside the city have continuously been characterised by received knowledge about decline, youth outmigration, lifestyle discourses and a lack of opportunities for young people. This paper argues that greater clarification of young people's place-making practices counteracts received knowledge about the decline of the regions, discourses about the 'idyllic' communities and lack of access commonly understood to impact young people beyond the city. This paper further seeks to contribute to the academic discussion about non-urban spaces by focusing on regional places specifically, a key geography in the discussion about place. A focus group study with 62 individuals aged 16–28 years was designed to capture young people's place-making practices. Using Harris, A., and J. Wyn. (2009. "Young People's Politics and the Micro-Territories of the Local." Australian Journal of Political Science 44 (2): 327–344) concept 'micro-territories of the local' as a framework, the analysis draws on gender and social class to interrogate young people's place-making projects. The findings indicate that regional towns represent a unique constellation of people, resources and history that highlights the specific place-making projects of young people in their teens and into their 20s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper draws on the retrospective accounts of eight LGBT+ students aged 18–21 attending a university in Northern England. Using interpretivist methodology, qualitative research was conducted to explore how their sex and relationships education impacted upon their needs as a sexual and/or gender minority. An under-researched aspect of experience was also investigated: namely, how LGBT+ people learned about sex and relationships if not in a formal school setting. Two focus groups were used to examine these areas of interest and similar patterns in both groups were apparent. Themes such as the impact of heteronormative value systems, pornography as an educational resource, and the use of online Blogs and search engines as a source of alternative education were highlighted. Findings demonstrate how participants' experiences of sex and relationships education were largely non-inclusive and irrelevant to their needs. The paper concludes with practical suggestions to ensure subsequent generations of LGBT+ pupils receive a more inclusive educational experience, supported by approachable teachers who are comfortable and competent teaching the subject. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Participatory Geographic Information Systems (PGIS) is an empowering tool for the enhancement of local communities' participation in the planning and management of natural resources. The inadequate involvement of local stakeholders in rangeland planning and management has been of great concern. Discussions on the role of PGIS and collaborative management approaches in promoting local involvement in rangeland management has not been clearly understood due to the scarcity of literature. This paper assessed how local participation in rangeland management can be enhanced using a combined collaborative management framework and PGIS approach. The objective was achieved through a focus group discussion, local ecological knowledge mapping and key informant interviews. The combined PGIS and collaborative management approach enabled the empowerment of local actors through knowledge enhancement, encouraged the practice of rangeland governance and the transfer of responsibility to local actors. This study provides a conceptual contribution toward the improvement of local actors' participation in rangeland management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Australian research indicates that post-parental care transitions are rarely planned and primarily occur following a crisis for a primary carer. This paper examines disability staff perceptions of transitions for people with intellectual disability and their ageing carers in rural South Australia. A focus group interview model was used, with a semi-structured interview guide initiating group discussions. A thematic analysis methodological approach was selected to analyse the data. This paper reports on the theme of Service Delivery, which has three sub-themes of Availability; Distance; and Individual Access. The key findings are presented and supported by the use of exemplar quotes. This research indicates a poor intersection of general and specialist services is inhibiting post-parental transitional care for rural people. Simply allocating money to the individual does not resolve the issues, and the interface between different services needs to be better considered at government level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Target Value Design (TVD) refers to the application of Target Costing (TC) to the delivery of projects with the involvement of owners, architects, engineers, and constructors (OAEC). TVD has been adopted by the construction community to avoid project cost overruns while simultaneously improving value. TVD implementation involves a number of practices: clearly identify owner value, develop an inclusive interdisciplinary team organization, provide appropriate financial and contractual incentives, create a culture of respect, and steer to cost and value targets with TVD tools. While application of TVD has grown, not all results are as favourable as they might be. It is possible that TVD application may be piecemeal at times—potentially because the impacts of individual practices are unknown. This paper explores a fundamental research question: how consistent or inconsistent is the application of TVD principles, practices, and tools? To address this question, the authors reviewed 29 academic publications on TVD, surveyed 14 TVD practitioners through an anonymous on-line survey, and hosted two open-ended focus groups with 6 TVD facilitators. Results indicate that some—but not all—TVD practices are consistently being implemented, which may suggest one cause for observed variability of outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the twenty-first century, visual media are an undeniable component of everyday culture and sensemaking of race, yet when studying racism in education, researchers rarely centre the visual in their methods and analysis. This trend is alarming considering how racialised messages and violence (e.g. the murder of George Floyd) are routinely circulated at unprecedented rates across information technologies including YouTube, Twitter, and Tik Tok. This paper's purpose is therefore twofold: I use critical race theory to critique the underuse of visual methods for the study of race and racism as a methodological trend reaffirming Whiteness in education. I then draw upon Jori N. Hall's culturally responsive focus groups to highlight an exemplar study's use of visual-elicited focus groups as a culturally responsive tool to methodologically disrupt Whiteness' hold on social science enquiry. I conclude by discussing the affordances of this visual methodological innovation for the study of race and racism. Considerations for future use and implications complete this conceptual paper's discussion of methodologically disrupting Whiteness in education research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the process of gaining consent from the perspectives of people living with dementia, their relatives/carers, and service providers. This is developed based on new primary qualitative research and addresses a gap in critical reflection on the practice and ethical process of research consent. A qualitative approach was used to conduct this research through the implementation of four focus groups run with people living with dementia (n = 12), two focus groups with family members (n = 6), two focus groups with service staff (n = 5). Data was analysed thematically, to identify two core themes: consent as a journey and the flexible consent approach. These identified concerns with autonomy, decision making and placing people living with dementia at the centre of the consent process. The journey of consent emerged as central to supporting participation and enhancing the consent process. The paper presents new evidence about the lived experience of research consent in the field of dementia, presenting the process of collecting consent in research as a flexible process that is best supported through a growing knowledge of participants and participation sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Black Alaskans face serious barriers to health care. This paper reports on qualitative results of a health needs assessment to understand the health challenges facing Black Alaskans. Utilizing exploratory thematic analysis, the findings indicate that Black Alaskans experience barriers such as high cost of care, underinsurance, lack of information and education, a shortage of BIPOC health providers, stigma, negative perceptions by health-care providers, and racism both in the community and in the health-care system. The paper concludes by discussing emerging health equity initiatives to advance responsive care for Black Alaskans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online activities have spiked due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including language learning activities. As the world is aging, this affects senior citizens too. Yet, few studies have been conducted studying online (language) learning in this age-group. Moreover, no concrete pointers exist on how to go about such an online language learning course. This paper examines what should be considered when designing and implementing online language learning courses for seniors. To that end we present data from 73 senior language learners from two independent language learning contexts: the Netherlands and Scotland. The data were collected between May 2020 and August 2021. Data includes spoken and written samples from lessons, focus groups, interviews and questionnaires. Given the qualitative nature of the data and the aim of identifying patterns of meaning across the respective datasets, a reflexive thematic analysis (TA) approach was adopted. We employed an inductive approach to coding, using both semantic (explicit or overt) and latent (implicit, underlying) coding frameworks, in order to inform two overarching themes: "Navigating the digital highway" and "Camera ready for new friends." We discuss these themes and their sub-themes and arrive at concrete recommendations for the third-age language learning classroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper critically and empirically explores how planning professionals understand a digital engagement tool and its use in effective and meaningful public participation. Through a series of focus groups where planners engaged with a Digital Participation Model (DPM), the research studied the functionality of this digital tool in relation to key communicative principles such as communication, comprehension and transparency. In doing so, this paper contributes to critical literature on the implications and politics of generalised technology developments for planning participation. Additionally, it offers a conceptual lens to critically guide application of digital engagement tools with the aim of reducing the risk that new technology dictates how we understand participatory engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Structural segregation and normative divisions in Bosnia-Herzegovina make dating across ethnic lines difficult. A rich scholarship outlines why this is and why young people who want to interact across ethnic lines choose not to. This paper builds on this scholarship by investigating how individuals overcome obstacles to inter-ethnic dating in communities recovering from ethnic violence. It examines dating through an adaptation of contact theory, which focuses on activities that are not seen as imposed yet still hold acquaintance potential. These result in the type of contact that can transform relationships between ethnic groups. This framework is applied to data collected through Facebook focus groups and follow-up interviews in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The empirical results show that individuals overcome obstacles to inter-ethnic dating through cooperation and shared aspirations that are inherent to the activity. These enable individuals to overcome structural segregation and to resist divisive normative frameworks that prohibit inter-ethnic contact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Qualitative research provides an in-depth understanding of lived experiences. However, these experiences can be hard to apprehend by using just one method of data analysis. A good example is the experience of resilience. In this paper, the authors describe the chain of the decision-making process in the research of the construct of "resilience". s The authors justify the implications of a multi-method, pluralistic approach, and show how the triangulation of two or more qualitative methods and integration of several qualitative data analysis methods can improve a deeper understanding of the resilience among people with chronic pain. By combining the thematic analysis, narrative analysis, and critical incident technique, lived experiences can be seen from different perspectives.Therefore, the thematic analysis describes the content and answers to "what" regarding resilience, the narrative analysis describes the dynamics of resilience, and answers to "how", while the critical incident technique clarifies the most significant experience and the answers to "why" changes happen. This integrative approach could be used in the analysis of other psychological constructs and can serve as an example of how the rigour of qualitative research could be provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The aim of this meta-ethnography was to identify and synthesize qualitative studies focusing on older people's and registered nurses' interpretations of competence in home care. Methods: The meta-ethnography followed the six phases developed by Noblit and Hare (1988). Results: In Phase 6, the translation process of the included studies, three themes were identified: i) temporality--the feeling of being of value; ii) dignity--a person, not just a patient; and iii) mutuality of being--togetherness. A synthesis was developed, and the phrase "a becoming in the meeting" emerged. Conclusion: The sense of becoming includes progress, which means becoming something other than before in relation with others and refers to what constitutes the meeting between the older person and the registered nurse working in home care. Competence originates from becoming in the meeting, and registered nurses should therefore value what they do and hold on to this aspect of caring competence that centres on a caring relationship. It is important for registered nurses working in home care to be able to cultivate a caring relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purpose of this paper is to report research on the problems faced by novice principals in Iran. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 27 novice principals, all from elementary schools in Iran. The paper also identifies possible solutions to address the problems through three focus group interviews. The analysis followed the principles of qualitative research. The main findings relate to three aspects: the personal constructions of novice principal problems, professional constructions of novice principal problems, and the possible solutions to help address the problems. The conclusion compares these Iranian findings with international research, showing some common issues but also certain problems that are distinctive to the Iranian context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of a Culture of Care is increasingly referred to in the literature surrounding laboratory animal science, with good care viewed as essential to the competent management of animal facilities. Yet 'culture of care' is poorly defined, with care often being seen as synonymous with an attention to animal welfare. This paper draws on data from focus groups with researchers and animal technologists working in UK animal research facilities to identify practices that support or negate a culture of care. Tronto's ethic of care is used as a framework to consider how caring cultures are shaped within laboratory animal facilities, revealing practices which support or limit care. I suggest that closer attention human–human as well as human–animal relations is central to more expansive understanding of a culture of care, one which values care labour, recognises the need for both practical and emotional support, and provides opportunities for technologists and researchers to develop attentiveness to one another's work. The paper also recognises key obstacles to developing a more expansive culture of care including institutional hierarchies, the need to realise scientific outcomes, and the preconceptions held by individuals who work in animal facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Student voice has been heralded as a practice that provides all children with the opportunity to exercise their right to participate in matters affecting them. However, a common research concern is that not all student voices are consistently or comprehensively attended to. What is often under scrutinised is how this uneven distribution of opportunities that students have to voice may be felt by students, in particular by those who have the opportunity to voice. This paper examines a point of perplexity in data generated with members of student representative councils who participated in focus groups. These focus groups were conducted as part of a study that evaluated a primary school student voice programme facilitated by an external provider. We found that participants' feelings about the 'privilege' of being involved in student voice practice belied their assertions about student voice as a 'right' that all students have. Claire Hemmings' concept of affective dissonance is used to guide our thinking about this disparity between what students think and feel about voicing. We argue for the importance of attending to how students feel about voicing as how they feel may impact on their potential to act as agents of change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on urban heritage meanings, values, and management challenges in postcolonial Algeria, and particularly on the question of exclusivism of non-traditional urban places in heritage discourse. In the process of reconstruction of homogenous national postcolonial cultural identities, local heritage views and perspectives are often ignored. This paper suggests looking simultaneously into national policies and legislative texts on urban heritage, and local stakeholders' perceptions of what heritage should be, to identify gaps and potentially ways to improve current urban heritage governance. The comparison between both national and local urban heritage indicators helps identify mechanisms and impacts of national exclusivism in the protection of urban heritage. Moreover, the result of focus groups and interviews with Annaba's citizens, specialists, and officials, has helped unravel the potential of a more place-based approach to heritage management in Algeria. We argue that focusing on the local heritageness of undesignated urban places could pave the way for a more forward-thinking, holistic and inclusive approach to community-based urban heritage management. It is a methodology with wide potential in contemporary North-Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. South Africa has an enabling legislative and policy framework that promotes the protection of adolescents and young people's sexual and reproductive health and rights. Much of the literature in this field has identified discriminatory and hostile attitudes from healthcare workers as a major underlying factor to negative sexual and reproductive health outcomes for this age cohort. Not as well understood is the role of structural violence although this type of violence, through its structures of injustice and inequalities, is closely associated with stigma and discrimination. Data and sources. To contribute to closing this research gap, this paper draws on the findings of a larger qualitative study, specifically focus group discussions with young people aged 15–24 years. Results. The consequences of these attitudes within the structural violence framework are illuminated as are recommendations for enhancing access to sexual and reproductive health and services by adolescents and young people. Discussion and conclusion. Key among the latter is that young people's sexual and reproductive health needs and wellbeing should be pursued through a multisectoral approach that encompasses stigma reduction interventions involving the young people, families, and communities collaborating with healthcare workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent decades have seen important changes in education to work transitions in the UK. For secondary and further education leavers there are extensive challenges in accessing jobs with prospects. Recently, policy makers have renewed their focus on this middle grouping who are not bound for HE or NEET. However, there is a relative paucity of research into the experiences of these young people and surprisingly little youth researcher engagement with vocational pathways and their framing in policy. The paper interrogates changing experiences and opportunity 'in the middle' and linked policy framings and interventions. Policy remains framed in individualising terms which focus on young people's capacities and positions them, and represents their interests, in very specific ways. School mediated employer engagement is an interesting exemplar here, and is contrasted with alternative interventions which seek to restructure opportunities more fundamentally. The paper argues for a new agenda for youth research which would hold a mirror to experiences in the middle, critically interrogate assumptions embedded in policy and practice and enhance understanding of differentiated pathways and prospects for young people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is a qualitative inquiry looking into the experiences of parental involvement in the context of Philippine public elementary education. This paper has two goals. First, it aims to present the strategies that Filipino parents employ in order to influence children's education. Second, it aims to examine unique involvement strategies among Filipino parents. Data of this paper were culled from 12 focus group discussions conducted in 5 provinces of the country. The results of the study suggest that there are parental involvement strategies unique to the Philippine context owing to the poor economic conditions of some Filipino families. While it is not directly related to education, making ends meet and providing food for the family's table were seen as parental involvement strategies. To compensate for the limited direct involvement in education, Filipino parents looked for other means to be able to help their children excel such as exempting the latter from doing household chores, avoiding vices, and maintaining quality family relationships. It against this backdrop that this paper recommends that future quantitative studies on parental involvement in the Filipino parents' context need to consider indirect parental involvement strategies as indicators or variables as these may have spillover impacts on children's schooling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study employs the therapeutic landscape theory to explore how online religious services during lockdown restrictions shape experiences of well-being and intergenerational learning. We used qualitative data from in depth interviews and focus groups with older adults and pastors in five churches in Ghana to explore how online religious places are conceptualized as therapeutic landscapes for sustaining wellbeing goals amidst a global pandemic. We identified multiple pathways of meaning through which online religious services shape the lives of people in a faith community to sustain the experience of well-being in a difficult time. In addition, this paper reflects on the broader implications of COVID-19 in shaping a paradigm shift in digital religion and intergenerational learning experiences through a changing religious landscape precipitated by lockdown restrictions that have drastically altered traditional religious places. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we share some personal reflections of straddling different research roles in a doctoral study entitled Queering Sex Work and Mobility in South Africa. We highlight the importance of using a Feminist Participatory Action Research (FPAR) methodology when conducting studies with migrant and mobile sex workers as it offers participants an opportunity to express their lived realities and embodied knowledge(s) beyond linguistic barriers. Through our reflections, we demonstrate that marginalised communities can become co-creators in knowledge production processes, not just the givers of stories (aka 'poverty porn') but integral members of the research team who actively contribute towards the conceptualisation, data collection, analysis, publishing and distribution of scholarship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past decade, Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) have become a highly visible public health issue in Senegal. In the absence of adequate and affordable care, people diagnosed with NCDs seek to manage their symptoms through the adoption of healthy diet. However, in households built on collective eating, dietary change is extremely challenging. Drawing on participant observation, biographical interviews, and focus groups with women in six households in the Dakar suburb of Pikine, this paper presents a relational analysis of the reception and translation of dietary advice within low-income households. Women diagnosed with chronic disease strategically 'bracketed' advice that was not possible to enact, prioritised collective transformation over individual change, and valued consumption that demonstrated 'respect' and solidarity over 'healthy eating'. I show that relational approaches open up new intervention and health promotion strategies for the prevention and management of Non-Communicable Diseases outside of the global North. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2012, Bottoms and Tankebe put forward the notion that the legitimacy of criminal justice agencies is in flux and resembles an ongoing conversation between 'power-holders' and their 'audience'. However, their dialogic approach has yet to be studied in empirical research in a policing and social media context. This paper provides an original contribution to their framework and illustrates the dynamic nature of police legitimacy on social media. Extensive fieldwork was carried out in Scotland and involved observation (n=134 hours) and semi-structured interviews (n=40) with police officers and civilian staff with social media duties, and focus groups with citizens (n=22). The research findings show that police legitimacy on social media is dynamic and has four key dimensions. Firstly, police officers and civilian staff cultivate their own sense of self-legitimacy on social media in accordance with the credibility of police information and their expertise in policing. Secondly, police officers and civilian staff communicate their legitimacy to citizens on social media drawing on formal and informal styles. Thirdly, citizens make assessments about police legitimacy on social media in connection to how they understand face-to-face encounters with the police, as the police themselves internalise these judgements. Fourthly, when citizens challenge police legitimacy on social media, officers and civilian staff reconstruct and at times reassert their legitimacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates alcohol consumption within cultures of football fandom through the innovative combination of theories of the carnivalesque and Bourdieu's concepts of habitus, field, and capital. Focus groups (n = 79) were conducted with football supporters in England and Scotland. Semi-structured interviews (n = 15) were also conducted with key organizational stakeholders. Research explored the importance and role of alcohol consumption for supporters when watching or attending matches.. Participants confirmed the cultural significance, perceived normalcy and historical links between football and alcohol consumption. Supporters highlighted the importance of the sociability, friendship, and social capital aspects of alcohol consumption. Participants believed football supporters are perceived differently in comparison with supporters of other sports, arguing that legislation surrounding alcohol consumption at other sports allowed supporters to enhance the carnivalesque by drinking alcohol, whereas football fans were more restricted. Participants agreed the habitus of excessive drinking and violence associated with football supporters led to a bad reputation, however, this view was outdated. Participants also recognized a growing drug culture in football. The findings draw attention to the alcohol-sport relationship and the contested relations, and diverging interests and influences, within the social field of football. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food media content has recently grown tremendously in quantity and types. To understand food media's popularity and the role they play for their audience members, this paper applies a uses and gratifications (U&G) approach to study the recipients' motives for using or encountering various food media. Where do they come across media messages about food? Do they consciously or unconsciously seek or use them, and why? How do they perceive the outcomes of using food media? Twelve focus group interviews were conducted combined with a photovoice task. Results indicate that many of the encounters with food media were accidental in nature. In total, seven gratifications for using food media were confirmed: education, entertainment, social utility, identity-building, passing the time, motivations for healthier eating, and making grocery choices. Affordance-driven gratifications were ease-of-use of a medium, accessibility of -, trust in -, and emotional connection to the medium. This study forms a basis for further audience-centered research on food content so that both scholars and content creators can better understand how food media content can meet recipients' needs and how it can be employed in communication strategies regarding, for example, conveying nutritional information or providing entertainment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on interviews and a focus group with fathers1 who attended four dads’ groups in the South of England, this paper introduces the concept of ‘dadness’. Dadness is in circulation in the public sphere and has been noted in a handful of published sources, yet it has not received academic attention. This article conceptualizes ‘dadness’ and presents it as a useful concept within contemporary fatherhood and family studies, as well as noting the term’s accessibility. The term dadness is understood by men in this study as combining their individual fathering identity and their values about the fathering role, with actual day-to-day fathering practices. Interpretation of the data infers eight aspects of dadness that draw together existing conceptualizations of fathering and fatherhood in terms of accessibility, engagement and responsibility; ‘active fathering’; warmth, positive engagement activities, decision-making, responsiveness, care; intimacy; and embodiment. Dadness describes both how men think about fatherhood and enact their fathering practices, and is accessible (it is a term men readily understand and feel able to use). This article invites a debate about whether the concept of dadness has a wider potential outside of the specific context of a small-scale study in southern England. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, traumatic brain injury (TBI) has been recognised as a serious health issue not only because of the immediate impacts at the time the injury occurs but even more so due to the longstanding impacts. Even though TBI is a globally recognised condition, the research is disproportionately focused on its incidence in, and immediate and long-term effects on men. A growing body of research suggests that generally, women who experience family violence are at high risk of TBI and suffer its impacts in ways that reflect gendered differences in the patterns and frequency of violence. In Australia, the social and physical costs of TBI are multiplied for Indigenous women, whose experience of disability and access to healthcare lies at the intersection of gender and race in the historical context of settler colonialism. The present study addresses the need for research into the sociodemographic inequalities that affect access to culturally appropriate hospital care, timely response systems, and flexible, safe and engaged social services. This paper draws on data from interviews and focus groups with Indigenous women, hospital staff and community-based service providers and suggests potential pathways for further research in settler-colonial settings elsewhere in the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is aiming to present two studies investigating attitudes of older people towards different technologies to break their social isolation and investigating the impacts of Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR) on physical and mental dimensions. The first study, based on focus groups conducted with 23 older people (aged from 65 to 93 years-old) allowed to collect attitudes and opinions of older people about different technologies to help them to break social isolation. The second study, based on an experiment conducted with 42 older people (aged from 63 to 85 years-old) allowed to investigate the impact of a specific Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR) on physical and mental dimensions. The first study confirm that Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR) can be a relevant digital tool for elderly people according to them, i.e. a digital tool perceived as useful, usable and acceptable. The second study demonstrates that use of a specific Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR) system can reduce the perception of social isolation and can have positive impacts on physical dimensions such as the weight and the waist circumference. Theoretical and applied implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to evaluate the process of implementing an evidence-based goal-setting package into five rehabilitation services across the continuum of rehabilitation. This study used a mixed methods approach guided by Medical Research Council (MRC) recommendations for conducting process evaluations, the RE-AIM framework, and the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF). This study will evaluate the reach, adoption, implementation, and maintenance of the goal-setting package over six months. Environmental context and resources, the clinician's social and professional role and identity, social influences and clinician beliefs about goal-setting consequences and individuals' capabilities were all identified as barriers or enablers throughout the implementation process. Community rehabilitation services faced challenges implementing paper-based resources, whilst inpatient rehabilitation sites faced challenges engaging nursing staff in the interdisciplinary approach to goal-setting. Social influences were an enabler in two sites that used the case conference format to facilitate setting common goals. Clinicians in all sites continued to express difficulties implementing shared decision-making with people who had cognitive impairments or were no longer progressing in their rehabilitation. A team-based approach to implementing the goal-setting interventions centred around the case conference format appeared to be the most successful mode for implementing interdisciplinary person-centred goal-setting. The rehabilitation case conference forum can be used to facilitate teams to set interdisciplinary common goals. Rehabilitation teams should add further consideration to how they can involve clients as a member of the rehabilitation team throughout the rehabilitation process. Embedding changes into existing process and using structured templates and tools can enhance the process of goal-setting in rehabilitation. Strong leadership, dedicated facilitation, audit and feedback can enhance team's success in implementing elements of the goal-setting implementation package. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teachers in Lady Agatha's Boarding School (Lady Agatha's) find teaching Sex and Relationships Education (RSE) uncomfortable. This paper investigates one aspect of the discomfort that they feel, namely the impact RSE has on their professional status as teachers. I use focus group data to reflect on the professional and personal location of teachers at Lady Agatha's and to explore their understanding of RSE through the recurring themes of professionalism and professional reputation as symbolic capital; deprofessionalisation and risk as symbolic violence; and the connects and disconnects between the doxa and illusio of the school. Findings suggest that by interrogating the sites of symbolic violence which generate RSE discomfort, we can start to unpick the fabric which creates discomfort about RSE, allowing both for a deeper understanding of RSE discomfort in teachers and an opportunity to address this discomfort as a barrier to RSE delivery at Lady Agatha's. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractAs with many Anglophone nations, Australia displays a dualistic housing system dominated by private ownership and private rental, both of which demonstrate an ongoing and intensifying lack of affordability. Despite extensive public subsidisation, rates of ownership have dropped in recent years while the proportion of renters is increasing. Alongside calls for private rental reforms to make this more appropriate as a form of long-term tenure, there is growing interest in intermediate tenure forms to allow easier access to ownership, ease the pressure on the country’s marginalised social housing, and provide a greater range of options. Due to their small scale and relative newness in Australia, intermediate tenures such as shared equity, community land trusts, and housing co-operatives remain under-researched and unfamiliar, with previous research showing limited interest in shared equity products amongst potential buyers. This paper presents data from more recent focus groups amongst would-be buyers, showing latent market interest in resale-restricted products, with policy and market implications of both national and international relevance. The work also highlights a role for research in fostering awareness and understanding of such models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The amount of information we consume daily through smartphones has prompted the development of Personal Knowledge Management Systems (PKMS). However, these external memory aids can lead to overreliance and do not help to keep information in our organic memory. This paper presents the design and evaluation of MemoryMate, an app that fosters recall of saved content through interactive notifications. The app's design is based on insights from a focus group (N = 7) that inquired about people's expectations and preferences regarding the notification design. The results of a three-week in-the-wild study (N = 23) of MemoryMate suggest that notifications could trigger engagement with saved content, and two-thirds of participants felt notifications improved their memory and retention. Retrieval practice notifications with interactive tasks performed well and received positive feedback. Content priority and time since the last interaction influenced notification engagement, emphasising the need for periodic reminders to maintain user interest in saved content. We discuss potential implications for the design of PKMSs as a tool for lifelong learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to provide an overview of the lived experience of a group of individuals who participated in an adventure therapy project, as an adjunct to their routine clinical care with an Early Intervention Service (EIS) for psychosis. We hope it will support the growing literature in this field as well as encourage other services to adopt these approaches within their settings. A group of individuals who had experienced a First Episode of Psychosis (FEP) participated in a programme of outdoor activities, culminating in a six-day residential sailing adventure (N = 5). A semi-structured interview was used to explore their experiences, and an inductive thematic analysis was undertaken to identify themes. Four key themes emerged from the analysis of the transcripts. The themes centred around what people learnt about themselves from taking part in the project: "enhanced self-perception"; "building friendships and being part of a shared experience"; "navigating and overcoming new challenges"; and "working together as a team". Adventure-based approaches offer the opportunity to enhance standard treatment outcomes in EIS, and the unique context in which they occur provides a platform to support social and occupational recovery from psychosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Older adult education is still under-researched, with many terminological ambiguities, clichés, and prejudices. Older adult teacher education and older adult English as a foreign language (EFL) teacher education is rare. Many factors can influence EFL teachers of older adults' teaching performance and its perception. Pre-service (presumably inexperienced U3A EFL teachers) and in-service teachers (experienced U3A EFL) were teaching EFL to selected older adults (aged from 64 to 75 years) at the Karkonosze University of Applied Sciences in Jelenia Góra, Poland, U3A. Their teaching Older adult education is still under-researched, with many terminological ambiguities, clichés, and prejudices. Older adult teacher education and older adult English as a foreign language (EFL) teacher education is rare. Many facting performance factors list. By utilizing a critical foreign language geragogy and a strengths-based approach inspired by positive psychology, the research emphasized the role of general teaching experience and/or age-targeted teaching experience. And it led to validating the desirable teaching performance factors as factors that defined U3A EFL teaching performance as successful and positively evaluated by given older adult learners, i.e. on a small scale. Based on a qualitative comparative exploratory study, the paper analyses how to approach teaching EFL to older adult learners at a University of the Third Age(U3A). It aimed to design a desirable U3A EFL teaching performance and to validate it on a small scale. It focused mainly on what role teaching experience and official educational study path play. A comparison is made between pre-service (presumably non-experienced U3A EFL teachers) and in-service teachers' (experienced U3A EFL teachers) teaching performance at one selected U3A EFL course and its attendees (aged 64 to 75 years). The study revealed that positively perceived (and successful) teaching performance needs to involve, among others, the following factors: establishing a friendly atmosphere, adjusting materials to the target group and the tempo, becoming partners with learners, and being sensitive to their limitations and barriers and respectful to their wishes and needs. However, within researched countries, pre-service teachers are not being prepared to teach older adults in their formal education path. The teachers' experience plays high role in the ability to adapt and adjust, however the foreign language enjoyment perceived by older adults is universal. It was perceived at both variants, i.e. at pre- as well as in-service teachers' teaching performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2023, the UK Government published its long-awaited reform strategy for England's children's social care system. Whilst the strategy set out planned reforms for several aspects of the wider system, an area requiring particular 'priority' was the purported workforce instability seen within child protection social work. However, the strategy has subsequently faced criticism on the basis that the suggested reforms were not satisfactorily informed by the testimonies of practicing social workers. This paper draws from a mixed-method study to report on the lived experiences of a sample of 201 child protection social workers practicing across England, in the context of better understanding the factors which they believed were impacting on workforce stability within England's child protection system. Implications that emerge are the need for an increase in the monetary commitment offered by the UK Government (especially in the context of tackling high caseloads, and improving local authority pay scales to reduce the allure of agency work); a targeted emphasis on challenging local cultures preoccupied with evidencing compliance over time spent with children; and the Government taking a more assertive role in tackling the often-counterproductive commentary perpetuated by politicians and media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]