Search results

1 – 10 of 176
Book part
Publication date: 23 April 2013

Ronald J. Berger, Carla Corroto, Jennifer Flad and Richard Quinney

Medical uncertainty is recognized as a critical issue in the sociology of diagnosis and medical sociology more generally, but a neglected focus of this concern is the question of…

Abstract

Medical uncertainty is recognized as a critical issue in the sociology of diagnosis and medical sociology more generally, but a neglected focus of this concern is the question of patient decision making. Using a mixed methods approach that draws upon autoethnographic accounts and third-party interviews, we aim to illuminate the dilemmas of patient decision making in the face of uncertainty. How do patients and supportive caregivers go about navigating this state of affairs? What types of patient–doctor/healthcare professional relationships hinder or enhance effective patient decision making? These are the themes we explore in this study by following patients through the sequence of experiencing symptoms, seeking a diagnosis, evaluating treatment protocols, and receiving treatments. In general, three genres of culturally available narratives are revealed in the data: strategic, technoluxe, and unbearable health narratives.

Details

40th Anniversary of Studies in Symbolic Interaction
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78190-783-2

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 June 2018

Stephanie Spencer

The purpose of this paper is to set out three dilemmas that challenge historians of education who write for both professional and academic audiences. It focuses on the example of…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to set out three dilemmas that challenge historians of education who write for both professional and academic audiences. It focuses on the example of using fiction as a source for understanding the informal education of girls in the twentieth century. It contributes to the debate over the purpose of history of education and the possibilities that intersecting and contested analytical frameworks might contribute to the development of the discipline.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper discusses the rules of engagement and the duties of a historian of education. It reforms current concerns into three dilemmas: audience, method and writing. It gives examples drawn from research into girls’ school stories between 1910 and 1960. It highlights three authors and stories set in Australia, England and an international school in order to explore what fiction offers in getting “inside” the classroom.

Findings

Developed from a conference keynote that explored intersecting and contested histories of education, the paper sets up as many questions as it provides answers but re-frames them to include the use of a genre that has been explored by historians of childhood and literature but less so by historians of education.

Research limitations/implications

The vast quantity of stories set in girls’ schools between 1910 and 1960 necessarily demands a selective reading. Authors may specialise in the genre or be general young people’s fiction authors. Reading such stories must necessarily be set against changing social, cultural and political contexts. This paper uses examples from the genre in order to explore ways forward but cannot include an exhaustive methodology for reasons of space.

Practical implications

This paper suggests fiction as a way of broadening the remit of history of education and acting as a bridge between related sub-disciplines such as history of childhood and youth, history and education. It raises practical implications for historians of education as they seek new approaches and understanding of the process of informal education outside the classroom.

Social implications

This paper suggests that the authors should take more seriously the impact of children’s reading for pleasure. Reception studies offer an insight into recognising the interaction that children have with their chosen reading. While the authors cannot research how children interacted historically with these stories in the mid-twentieth century, the authors can draw implications from the popularity of the genre and the significance of the legacy of the closed school community that has made series such as Harry Potter so successful with the current generation.

Originality/value

The marginal place of history of education within the disciplines of history and education is both challenging and full of possibilities. The paper draws on existing international debates and discusses future directions as well as the potential that girls’ school stories offer for research into gender and education.

Details

History of Education Review, vol. 47 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0819-8691

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 July 1976

JS Smith, Mike Pearce, DF Lester and Angela Turner

WHAT I WILL SUGGEST in the following paragraphs is a new look at library values. I suppose, however, we must first define values and what we mean by values.

Abstract

WHAT I WILL SUGGEST in the following paragraphs is a new look at library values. I suppose, however, we must first define values and what we mean by values.

Details

New Library World, vol. 77 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0307-4803

Article
Publication date: 1 July 1976

Clive Bingley, Elaine Kempson and John Buchanan

IT IS A sobering thought that the Canadian Library Association's 31st annual conference last month attracted about 1000 librarian‐delegates to discuss the library needs of ethnic…

Abstract

IT IS A sobering thought that the Canadian Library Association's 31st annual conference last month attracted about 1000 librarian‐delegates to discuss the library needs of ethnic groups; this from a total Canadian population just 40% of the UK's. This year's LA conference in Scarborough in September is the first of the new‐style ‘national’ gatherings, and it must be hoped that the unlimited range will draw a record attendance; but it is not likely to be anywhere near commensurate with the CLA. I realise the problems, but effort must surely start to be given towards drawing much wider representation of all professional sectors and tiers at the British annual conference in future years. The goodwill is there on the association's part. It is the employers, 1 fancy, who have got to be pressed into releasing and funding staff, allied also to a withholding of suspicion by those librarians who still view the LA as an association of public librarians.

Details

New Library World, vol. 77 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0307-4803

Article
Publication date: 1 June 1976

Clive Bingley, Elaine Kempson and John Buchanan

COMPARISON of the amount and the variation between 1975/76 and 1976/77 of public library bookfunds is made possible by the Libtrad summary which was published in the Bookseller in…

Abstract

COMPARISON of the amount and the variation between 1975/76 and 1976/77 of public library bookfunds is made possible by the Libtrad summary which was published in the Bookseller in mid‐April. It is encouraging to see that although there is a fair number of falls and no‐changes, many chiefs have been successful in extracting higher book‐funds from their authorities—no mean achievement in a year which has seen a pretty general standstill in rate demands. Essex is up by no less than 30%, and the percentage increases are in double figures in not a few cases. My own home borough is up by exactly one‐third, though it still only reaches the miserly total of £115,000 for a population of 200,000—well down the per capita league for London boroughs.

Details

New Library World, vol. 77 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0307-4803

Article
Publication date: 21 September 2012

Alan Quirk, Sarah Smith, Sarah Hamilton, Donna Lamping, Paul Lelliott, Daniel Stahl, Vanessa Pinfold and Manoharan Andiappan

A psychometrically validated measure is needed to evaluate outcomes in carers of people with mental health problems, including dementia. This study aims to develop and validate…

781

Abstract

Purpose

A psychometrically validated measure is needed to evaluate outcomes in carers of people with mental health problems, including dementia. This study aims to develop and validate the Carer well‐being and support questionnaire (CWS).

Design/methodology/approach

Development and evaluation of the measure was conducted in three phases. The authors deconstructed an existing questionnaire (CUES‐C) to produce a long version measure. This was trialed with carers to reduce the number of items and a preliminary evaluation of the psychometric properties of the remaining items was undertaken. A second field test was conducted with the item‐reduced questionnaire measure to evaluate acceptability, reliability and validity.

Findings

The CWS well‐being scale shows moderate acceptability and good reliability and validity. The CWS support scale shows moderate acceptability and good reliability; validity testing for the support scale is limited by the lack of appropriate validating measures.

Practical implications

The CWS is a reliable, valid measure of carer well‐being and support, reflecting important aspects of carers' lives.

Originality/value

This paper provides researchers and practitioners with a tool that can be used to measure and address areas of support for carers. This is important in assessing the effectiveness of new interventions and approaches.

Details

Mental Health Review Journal, vol. 17 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1361-9322

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 30 September 2021

Angela M. Wiseman, Jennifer D. Turner and Marva Cappello

This paper aims to present three girls’ visual annotations and digital responses that restory a scene in the picturebook I’m New Here. The authors focus on how children use…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to present three girls’ visual annotations and digital responses that restory a scene in the picturebook I’m New Here. The authors focus on how children use multimodal tools to reflect their critical knowledge of the world by illuminating how this group of girls responded to and incorporated broader social issues.

Design/methodology/approach

This study takes place in a third-grade classroom. Using qualitative methods that build on critical multimodal literacy, the authors documented and analyzed children’s visual and digital interpretations. Data were generated from classroom sessions that incorporated interactive readalouds, as well as students’ annotated visual images, sketches, video and digital responses. The collaborative analytic process involved multiple passes to interpret visual, textual and multimodal elements.

Findings

The analyses revealed how Aliyah, Tiana and Carissa used multimodal tools to engage in the process of restorying. Through their multimodal composition, they designed images that illuminated their solidarity with the young female character wearing the hijab; their desire to disrupt xenophobic bullying; and their hope for a respectful and inclusive climate in their own classroom.

Originality/value

In this paper, the authors examine how three girls in a third-grade classroom restory using critical multimodal literacy methods. These girls’ multimodal responses reflected how they disrupted dominant storylines of exclusionary practices. Their authentic acts of visual advocacy give us hope for the future.

Details

English Teaching: Practice & Critique, vol. 20 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1175-8708

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 January 2018

Adam Turner and Angela Samantha Maitland Irwin

The purpose of this paper is to determine if Bitcoin transactions could be de-anonymised by analysing the Bitcoin blockchain and transactions conducted through the blockchain. In…

3221

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to determine if Bitcoin transactions could be de-anonymised by analysing the Bitcoin blockchain and transactions conducted through the blockchain. In addition, graph analysis and the use of modern social media technology were examined to determine how they may help reveal the identity of Bitcoin users. A review of machine learning techniques and heuristics was carried out to learn how certain behaviours from the Bitcoin network could be augmented with social media technology and other data to identify illicit transactions.

Design/methodology/approach

A number of experiments were conducted and time was spend observing the network to ascertain how Bitcoin transactions work, how the Bitcoin protocol operates over the network and what Bitcoin artefacts can be examined from a digital forensics perspective. Packet sniffing software, Wireshark, was used to see whether the identity of a user is revealed when they set up a wallet via an online wallet service. In addition, a block parser was used to analyse the Bitcoin client synchronisation and reveal information on the behaviour of a Bitcoin node when it joins the network and synchronises to the latest blockchain. The final experiment involved setting up and witnessing a transaction using the Bitcoin Client API. These experiments and observations were then used to design a proof of concept and functional software architecture for searching, indexing and analyzing publicly available data flowing from the blockchain and other big data sources.

Findings

Using heuristics and graph analysis techniques show us that it is possible to build up a picture of behaviour of Bitcoin addresses and transactions, then utilise existing typologies of illicit behaviour to collect, process and exploit potential red flag indicators. Augmenting Bitcoin data, big data and social media may be used to reveal potentially illicit financial transaction going through the Bitcoin blockchain and machine learning applied to the data sets to rank and cluster suspicious transactions.

Originality/value

The development of a functional software architecture that, in theory, could be used to detect suspicious illicit transactions on the Bitcoin network.

Details

Journal of Financial Crime, vol. 25 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1359-0790

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 July 2018

Angela S.M. Irwin and Adam B. Turner

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the intelligence and investigatory challenges experienced by law enforcement agencies in discovering the identity of illicit Bitcoin…

2432

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the intelligence and investigatory challenges experienced by law enforcement agencies in discovering the identity of illicit Bitcoin users and the transactions that they perform. This paper proposes solutions to assist law enforcement agencies in piecing together the disparate and complex technical, behavioural and criminological elements that make up cybercriminal offending.

Design/methodology/approach

A literature review was conducted to highlight the main law enforcement challenges and discussions and examine current discourse in the areas of anonymity and attribution. The paper also looked at other research and projects that aim to identify illicit transactions involving cryptocurrencies and the darknet.

Findings

An optimal solution would be one which has a predictive capability and a machine learning architecture which automatically collects and analyses data from the Bitcoin blockchain and other external data sources and applies search criteria matching, indexing and clustering to identify suspicious behaviours. The implementation of a machine learning architecture would help improve results over time and would be less manpower intensive. Cyber investigators would also receive intelligence in a format and language that they understand and it would allow for intelligence-led and predictive policing rather than reactive policing. The optimal solution would be one which allows for intelligence-led, predictive policing and enables and encourages information sharing between multiple stakeholders from the law enforcement, financial intelligence units, cyber security organisations and fintech industry. This would enable the creation of red flags and behaviour models and the provision of up-to-date intelligence on the threat landscape to form a viable intelligence product for law enforcement agencies so that they can more easily get to the who, what, when and where.

Originality/value

The development of a functional software architecture that, in theory, could be used to detected suspicious illicit transactions on the Bitcoin network.

Details

Journal of Money Laundering Control, vol. 21 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1368-5201

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 24 August 2012

Kevina Cody

This paper attempts to contribute to an expanding body of literature that critically engages with both the theory and practice of market segmentation. Through the theoretical lens…

4683

Abstract

Purpose

This paper attempts to contribute to an expanding body of literature that critically engages with both the theory and practice of market segmentation. Through the theoretical lens of liminality and its implicit elements, the notion of boundary creation inherent in age‐based market segmentation of the youth market is explored.

Design/methodology/approach

Using empirical data collected as part of a longitudinal study on liminal consumers, marketing's attempt at laying down parameters and constructing borders is presented as a strategic exacerbation of liminal zones already replete with tension and ambiguity.

Findings

It is concluded that theoretical consideration of this data highlights the fluidity and porous nature of such constructed boundaries, rendering attempts at creating discernable, knowable segments, potentially futile. Thus by critically viewing this segment, not just as a marketing demographic, but as a liminal zone, an alternative consideration of the theory and practice of age segmentation is presented.

Research limitations/implications

The longitudinal study spanned a period from midway through the participants' final months of primary education and early stages of secondary education. Research that focused on their completion of a year in secondary education would perhaps have yielded further insights.

Practical implications

This research offers tangible insights into the social worlds of a burgeoning market segment, albeit a liminal one, offering actionable realities based on the inextricable intertwining of their consumption practices and lived experiences.

Social implications

Rather than view children as socio‐cultural non‐descripts who are of interest to marketers purely for their ability to be located along a continuum of cognitive development, this research aims to understand and explore the specific intricasies of the tweens' mediation of their liminal world using consumption practices

Originality/value

Consumption practices emerged that highlighted the attempted resolution and mediation of such tensions while also pointing to the clear mutability and ambiguity of supposed borders between child, tween and teen segmented groups. Age‐segmentation, conceptualised by marketers as a strategic creation of borders so as to enhance product offerings little reflects the realities of how age is perceived, experienced and acted out by those categorised within the margins and parameters of targeted marketing. By viewing this segment, not just as a marketing demographic but as a liminal zone where liminars “elude or slip through the network of classifications that normally locate states and positions in cultural space”, an alternative consideration of the theory and practice of age‐segmentation is presented.

1 – 10 of 176