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This paper presents a bibliometric analysis of highly cited articles published in the Web of Science category "Education and Educational Research" in the Social Science Citation Index (SSCI). A total of 2091 journal articles published in this category and cited more than 100 times up to the end of the year 2016 were retrieved as highly cited articles. Distributions of highly cited articles per publication year, journals, institutions and countries were analysed, as well as the citation life cycle of the top-cited articles. The USA, its institutions and researchers are the absolute leaders in the category of Education and Educational Research according to the results of the conducted analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community centrality is a growing requirement of social science. The field's research practices are increasingly expected to conform to prescribed relationships with the people studied. Expectations about community centrality influence scholarly activities. These expectations can pressure social scientists to adhere to models of community involvement that are immediate and that include community-based co-investigators, advisory boards, and liaisons. In this context, disregarding community centrality can be interpreted as failure. This paper considers evolving norms about the centrality of community in social science. It problematises community inclusion and discusses concerns about the impact of community centrality on incremental theory development, academic integrity, freedom of speech, and the value of liberal versus communitarian knowledge. Through the application of a constructivist approach, this paper argues that social science in which community is omitted or on the periphery is not failed science, because not all social science requires a community base to make a genuine and valuable contribution. The utility of community centrality is not necessarily universal across all social science pursuits. The practices of knowing within social science disciplines may be difficult to transfer to a community. These practices of knowing require degrees of specialisation and interest that not all communities may want or have. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Housing and Urban Researchers (HURs) are under intensifying pressures to impact on society. Although this orientation towards research impact sits well with “policy oriented” HURs, it has sat less well with some “critical” HURs. It would nevertheless be wrong to paint critical HURs as unconcerned with research impact. Debates about research impact led to the emergence of “critical” Housing and Urban Research (HUR) in the first place. Critical HURs simply seek to ensure that their research impacts in different ways. In fact, this is the problem. Policy and critically oriented HURs both presume social science to be an appropriate vehicle for impacting social change. Yet, such presumptions were questioned in my 'Fallacy paper', which was philosophically hostile to the idea of social scientific HUR which it sought to dethrone. However, it stopped short of outlining an alternative to it. This paper addresses this lacuna by suggesting an anarchist approach to impacting social change that is equally suspicious of social scientific HUR but, unlike the 'Fallacy paper', conciliatory towards it. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper responds to calls for greater clarity about the application of theory and method in research on mediated communication about climate-change. Specifically, it identifies conceptual and methodological challenges for researching visual representations of climate change. We suggest current research is impeded by a lack of methodological explication and an unclear relationship between theories of visual meaning and the application of social science methods such as content analysis and frame analysis. As a first step towards addressing these issues, we review existing research to identify the methodological procedures that require explication in order to support the replication of studies and the comparison of findings. We then draw on the seminal work of Roland Barthes to examine how theories of visual meaning may be integrated into social-scientific research methods. Specifically, we demonstrate how Barthes' concepts of denotation, connotation and mythology may be related to research concerns about the selection of visual content, the classification of image frames, audience responses, and analyses of ideological meaning. The conclusion highlights further possibilities for developing a robust form of visual analysis that meets the standards of social scientific research while addressing the fundamental insights about visual meaning derived from cultural theories of meaning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the face of reduced public funding of science and increased demands for ‘value for money’, academic researchers find themselves hard pressed to produce relevant research and demonstrate their utility to society. These pressures are particularly prominent in the humanities and social sciences (HSS) where practical value is frequently questioned. This article investigates how HSS can be made ‘relevant’ through the qualitative case study of a funding instrument fostering immersive collaboration between HSS researchers and non-academic actors. The research is a qualitative study based on semi-structured interviews with the funded researchers and representatives of the funding agency. The paper provides insights into the motivations and experiences of HSS researchers embarking on the quest for relevance and the difficulties they encounter. In particular, the study finds that the key challenge for HSS researchers lies in balancing the level of engagement required to be relevant with the requirements of an academic career. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efforts are currently underway by major orchestrators and funders of the global AIDS response to realise the vision of achieving an end to AIDS by 2030. Unlike previous efforts to provide policy guidance or to encourage ‘best practice’ approaches for combatting AIDS, the end of AIDS project involves the promotion of a clear set of targets, tools, and interventions for a final biomedical solution to the epidemic. In this paper, we examine the bureaucratic procedures of one major AIDS funder that helped to foster a common vision and mission amongst a global AIDS community with widely divergent views on how best to address the epidemic. We focus on the methods, movements, and materials that are central to the project of ending AIDS, including those related to biomedical forms of evidence and big data science. We argue that these approaches have limitations and social scientists need to pay close attention to the end of AIDS project, particularly in contexts where clinical interventions might transform clinical outcomes, but where the social, economic, and cultural determinants of HIV and AIDS remain largely intact and increasingly obscured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over ninety years ago Lev Vygotsky warned of a growing crisis in psychology and social science research. Vygotsky’s warning has been echoed on many occasions but his solution to the problem has not been widely acknowledged. He advocated for a form of meta-science which he called “general science”, an integrative science that could connect and guide the development of specialised disciplines and schools of research. In this paper I explore the parallels between Vygotsky’s general science and contemporary forms of meta-level research and discuss their relevance and implications for addressing global challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article presents an interview with Allan Kellehear exploring the benefits and challenges of caring for a deceased person's body at home. Topics include appointed to the Chair of Palliative Care at La Trobe University and created now understood to be the public health approach to palliative care; and primarily obsessed with symptom management and health services research.

Background: There is evidence that interventions based on a behavioral medicine approach to physical therapy (BMPI) are beneficial for older adults living with chronic pain; however, knowledge of the perceptions of older people regarding their participation in BMPI is lacking. Aim: The aim of this study was to describe the perceptions of older people about being participants in a home-based BMPI. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 older adults living with chronic pain and participating in a BMPI. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Results: The respondents highlighted the importance of the home-based and individualized nature of the intervention. They perceived the support from the physical therapist (PT) as significant for their motivation and goal attainment. The benefits of the intervention were described in physical, psychological, social, and functional terms and as enabling participants to live at home for longer. Conclusion: The results show that participation in a BMPI was perceived as a positive and meaningful experience. Support from a PT is crucial to encouraging behavioral changes. Finally, participation in a BMPI may contribute to the ability of participants to "age in place" for longer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To better engage our graduate students, we asked them to describe their research strategy and challenges, helpful research support services, and their preferred venue for learning research skills. We conducted a thematic analysis and found that participants' top reported research strategies included "Research Topic Development" and "Literature Review," while their challenges cited "Finding and Evaluating Information" and "Access Issues." The students mentioned "Library Databases" most frequently as helpful and websites were their most preferred learning venue. We found evidence that discipline-specific library instruction may be more relevant than large, in-person orientations and discovered a concerning trend of situational challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comparing and contrasting qualitative and quantitative methods for social media data exploration, this article describes and demonstrates the topic modeling approach for the descriptive analysis of large unstructured text data. Using a sample of tweets with the #WhyIStayed and #WhyILeft hashtags (n = 3,068), a Twitter conversation describing the reasons individuals left or stayed in abusive relationships, a traditional thematic analysis was used to qualitatively code the tweets. The same tweet sample was subject to a series of quantitative topic models. Results suggest topic modeling as a comparable approach to first-round qualitative analysis, with key differences: topic modeling and traditional thematic analysis are both inductive and phenomenon-oriented, but topic modeling results in a lexical semantic analysis, in contrast to the compositional semantic analysis offered by the qualitative approach. An evaluation of topics and codes using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) software further supports these findings. We argue topic modeling is a useful method for the descriptive analysis of unstructured social media data sets, and is best used as part of a mixed-method strategy, with topic model results guiding deeper qualitative analysis. Implications for human service intervention development and evaluation are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How might researchers 'listen to culture' in their quest for knowledge that involves Indigenous populations? Many Indigenous groups may argue that the hidden drivers of research activities remain anchored to Western oriented values, processes and motivations. In Aotearoa New Zealand, it is clear that adopting a partnership approach to research is now becoming more of the 'norm'. As Aotearoa New Zealand approaches the third decade of the twenty-first century, culturally relevant and inclusive approaches to research need to be the policy of choice and must be the policy of necessity. Equitable research approaches to research must be at the core in the quest for scientific inquiry, social coherence and economic growth. This chapter explores some of the historical realities and a vision moving forward. To guide authentic and grounded approaches to power-sharing research endeavours, culturally grounded frameworks are also shared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On examining today's research practices in the area of social sciences, one can perceive a distinct interest in biography. Observation of the lives of individuals, (re)cognising social micro worlds from the perspective of individual biographies, and analysis of - and searching for - meanings of individual life experiences are subjects of great interest as well as confidence among researchers. It is also noticeable that researchers, with even greater attention and concern, are turning their attention to the methodological legitimacy and correctness of the projects they undertake. This is especially important when there is a necessity to problematize and further specify the methodological identity of the biographical approach. The article is a contribution to the discussion concerning the nature and types of so-called biographical research conducted in the area of andragogy - which may adopt at least three differing forms: biographical, auto/biographical and autobiographical approaches. It is also our intention to reflect on the research process as a learning process, experienced by the researcher-andragogue. These reflections are based on the individual experiences of researchers acquired during the Microworlds of motherhood and Life between the notes projects, in which the biographical and auto/biographical approach was applied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research data management (RDM) skills are vital yet often untaught in graduate programs, especially in the social sciences. In this article, the authors present a case study of how a research data librarian and an education librarian partnered to provide targeted RDM instruction for a previously unconsidered student group: education doctoral students. They discuss the design, development, and implementation of this focused RDM support. Assessment data from a workshop and in-class sessions are presented and contextualized. From this information, the authors offer practical suggestions that other social science librarians can use to create similar workshops at their institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the study of media and children has long been interdisciplinary, child health researchers and pediatric journals have joined their social science counterparts to investigate media effects over the past several decades. Research on how media use influences child health and development has increased exponentially in pediatric journals between the early 1990s and the present. Communication and psychology scholars have begun to publish their media effects work in medical journals. Health researchers, who previously synthesized existing science on media effects into policy statements and recommendations, now conduct original research. In this article, we review this transformation by documenting publication patterns in journals from different disciplines and discussing possible explanations for the shift. We consider the benefits and challenges presented by this evolution in the study of media and children, and postulate about how it has shaped the future direction of research and policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Recognising that one way to address the logistical and safety considerations of research conducted in humanitarian emergencies is to use internet communication technologies to facilitate interviews online, this article explores some practical and methodological considerations inherent to qualitative online interviewing. Method: Reflections from a case study of a multi-site research project conducted in post-conflict countries are presented.  Synchronous online cross-language qualitative interviews were conducted in one country.  Although only a small proportion of interviews were conducted online (six out of 35), it remains important to critically consider the impact upon data produced in this way. Results: A range of practical and methodological considerations are discussed, illustrated with examples.  Results suggest that whilst online interviewing has methodological and ethical potential and versatility, there are inherent practical challenges in settings with poor internet and electricity infrastructure.  Notable methodological limitations include barriers to building rapport due to partial visual and non-visual cues, and difficulties interpreting pauses or silences. Conclusions: Drawing upon experiences in this case study, strategies for managing the practical and methodological limitations of online interviewing are suggested, alongside recommendations for supporting future research practice.  These are intended to act as a springboard for further reflection, and operate alongside other conceptual frameworks for online interviewing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]