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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of excessive drinking and violence associated with football supporters led to a bad reputation, however, this view was outdated.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]

This paper discusses the apparent malaise within sport socialization research. After evaluating the previous literature as well as existing critiques, we suggest that the majority of problematic assumptions have occurred at the methodological rather than the theoretical level. Many methodological limitations are evident, such as sampling bias, using males as a standard, and the failure to use control groups. In addition a breakdown between theory and subsequent operationalization has occurred, as demonstrated by the reduction of the socialization process to a unidirectional situation. The discussion concludes by suggesting that there is continuous need to shuttle between theoretical conceptualization and empirical exposition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The study is an exploratory study of a media event in Australia based on the publication of two separate systematic analyses of complementary medicine (CM) therapies. The objective of the study was to measure the scientific quality of Australian newspaper media reports about two international peer-reviewed research papers reporting results on complementary medicines published in biomedical journals during Feb/March 2007. For purposes of clarity, we refer to the papers as the ‘Antioxidant Study’ (Bjelakovic et al 2007) and the ‘Prenatal Multivitamin Study’ (Goh et al 2007). Methods: We sourced articles that were published about the two research papers in mainstream metropolitan and national Australian newspapers during February and March 2007. We then applied a model of analysis called the Index of Scientific Quality (ISQ) to measure the scientific quality of the news reports. Results: We identified 14 newspaper articles and one newswire article about the Antioxidant Study and two newspaper articles about the Prenatal Multivitamin Study. Of the seven ISQ criteria, ‘validity’ and ‘precision’ were rated the least adequate, ‘important consequences’ of the research were reported partially in the Antioxidant Study and wholly in the Prenatal Multivitamin Study, and ‘opinion from fact’ was adequate in the majority of articles. Conclusion: This exploratory study conveyed an overall inadequacy in the scientific quality of the newspaper reporting about the two CM studies in major metropolitan and national Australian newspapers. Whilst we found that journalists were careful to attribute opinions to their sources, their reports conveyed a very limited understanding of biomedical research methodologies and a subsequent incapacity to scrutinise these methodologies with rigour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the use made of descriptions of embodiment and embodied activity in a collection of articles, which include case histories in different therapeutic traditions. As a context, the paper draws on three interests of ethnomethodology: how description is constructed; what competent ordinary members (of society) understand as elicited from accounts; and how work practice can be articulated. Primarily using introductory sections of accounts about cases in a spread of therapeutic traditions, the paper analyses how ordinary commonplace accounts of embodiment may offer initial clues as to the 'state' of the client, present a picture of the problem, or be used as relevant biographical data. A key feature of the analysis is to show that these embodied accounts, using ordinary lay language, do important work in establishing problems as 'in and part of the world', but are also an appropriate supplement to therapeutic accounts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article serves as an introduction to the issue's special feature on "The Nuclear Threat." The early sociological literature on nuclear war related issues is reviewed and the dearth of sociological work in this area since the early 1960s is documented. A new call for sociological theory and research on the nuclear threat is issued and possible topics are outlined. The paper concludes with a brief review of the papers that make up the special feature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article criticizes the paper of M. J. Max Van Manen on alternative research orientations in social education. Van Manen contends in his paper that educational researchers are caught in a limit situation. The author believes that most professors of education are not familiar with research frames of references other than the empirical-analytic. Van Manen argues that metatheory might improve educational research by identifying neglected areas of research, by suggesting alternative research possibilities, and by making clear the theories underlying research. An example of how metatheory might suggest alternative research strategies is presented.

There has been much talk in sociological circles of bodies as 'projects' or 'choices,' but surprisingly little examination of how these projects and choices are experienced. Consumer culture has been described as heralding a new era in body-self relations, but few have explored the experience of body-self relations. Body-self relations emerged as central to understanding in this study of the experience of the body at different ages (20-30, 45-55 and 70+ years), demonstrating the utility of empirical investigations in this area. This paper describes an orientation to the body that was common to the sample of 20 young people (aged 20-30 years) interviewed as part of this study. This orientation informed their health-related behaviours such as diet and exercise, but some participants found it to be problematic. Their voices demonstrate that bodily 'choices' may actually be experienced as irrational and even psychopathological compulsions. This experiential perspective suggests that normality may be continuous with pathology, and that differences are of degree rather than kind. The findings have implications for the treatment and prevention of eating disorders and obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to investigate social mobility processes affecting the lives of 15 young adults in Loughborough (aged 20-30) who experienced poverty and disadvantage as children. Using biographical narrations, the interactions between the labour market, welfare, educational institutions and familial relationships will form the framework for assessing the applicability of poverty 'transmission' theories and mechanisms. The paper's concluding comments highlight the complexity and vulnerability of young people's lives, reveal the structural and individual constraints on social mobility and address the role that institutions play in constructing the past and current life experiences of those young adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the potential of community development interventions to contribute to improvements in Aboriginal health, the theory underpinning community development interventions, and the methods used to evaluate such interventions. This paper is based on a review of health literature to identify Australian and international examples of interventions utilising a community development approach with a view to directly addressing a health issue and contributing to the empowerment of Aboriginal people. Seventeen articles published over a ten year period from 1994 were identified which met the criteria for community development with a specific empowerment objective. Aboriginal communities are undoubtedly engaged in community development with the aim of improving health outcomes for their own communities. We argue that interventions promoting empowerment and control should be included as part of an overall strategy to reduce health inequalities in Aboriginal settings. There is an urgent need for further research in this area, particularly research which can engage with unpublished examples of community development in Aboriginal health contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is concerned with processes of international enquiry. It focuses upon the relationship between a research problem and access to conduct research in a country. It uses data from an ethnographic study of primary education in a Northern Indian District. Conceptually drawing upon the insider-outsider debate within the sociology of knowledge, the paper raises issues about the relationship between the research problem, accessing knowledge and being an outsider to a research setting. It considers problems facing a particular form of outsider - a foreigner. The paper maintains that when researchers who are outsiders embark on designing research in non-western international educational settings, then questions considering the relationship between the research problem, access strategies and the culture of the research setting are vital. Grappling with such questions allows for the development and promotion of new forms of partnership, alongside a deeper understanding of culture and context, when developing comparative and international research policy agendas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research, with a capital 'R', is a subject of considerable concern within South African ruling circles. There's not enough of it, and it's not the right kind, or so the argument runs. Recognising the importance of the material conditions of the researchers and the need for a bottom-up approach to developing research priorities, this paper focuses on the state of sociology research in South Africa today. It demonstrates that, over the past twelve years, a marked increase in the output of masters and doctoral graduates has been accompanied by a decline in the level of completed research by qualified sociologists. In terms of publications, there has been a significant increase in the proportion produced by women, but a negligible change in the number by black scholars. The paper rejects pessimistic assessments of the state of South African sociology. It concludes by arguing that the discipline should place itself at the centre of an integrated and engaged social science by drawing diverse strands together at a local level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the role of video-based research methods in social research. The paper situates these methods in the context of rising levels of visibility of professionals in government-funded organisations. The paper argues that while visual research may appear to play an ambiguous role in these organisations, it can also enable practitioners to confront the encroaching demands of post-bureaucratic work. To ground its argument, the paper presents an account of a video-ethnographic project currently underway in a local metropolitan hospital. This project focuses on negotiating understandings about existing care practices among a team of multi-disciplinary clinicians. Visual data gathered as part of that project are presented to specify issues which have thus far arisen during the project. Against this empirical background, the paper turns to considering the ambiguous potential of video-based research. The argument developed here is that, besides potentially exacerbating the pressure already imposed on clinicians - thanks to audit, surveillance and risk minimisation - video-based research may provide staff with new resources and opportunities for shaping their increasingly public and visible work practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper sets out an international review of literature and practice concerning listening to and consulting with young children in early childhood institutions. Most of the existing literature on children's participation has focused on children over five years old; however, a small number of studies have been undertaken with young children. Beginning with an examination of understandings of listening, the paper describes methodologies for gathering young children's perspectives, including traditional research methods and participatory approaches. Key themes will be described which have emerged from studies undertaken to date. Illustrative case studies undertaken as part of the review are used to support the limited published material in this field. The paper raises issues for policy, research and practice concerning the implications of listening to young children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anthropologists and others working in the field of development are making increasing use of participatory research methods. While aware of the value of such methods, this paper outlines a number of methodological issues that need to be carefully considered. Such issues, when taken together with the problem of combining participatory with other forms of qualitative and quantitative research, argue strongly not only for caution but the need to undertake basic research on the participatory methods themselves. This paper looks at the development of participatory rural appraisal (PRA) in development research, and critically examines three methods/techniques—interviewing, visualization and ranking/scoring—in terms of their relation to qualitative research. Finally, the issue of the validity of PRA is discussed in relation to arguments about the role of sequencing/triangulating research techniques that are shown to be as problematic as the unexamined use of PRA methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper outlines the difficulties in conceptualising and presenting research, in particular doctoral work in education, in the current climate of intellectual theorising. It argues that many researches experience a phenomenon described in the paper as 'post-modernist tension' when trying to write in an atmosphere of theoretical and methodological uncertainty. The author elaborates the 'symptoms' of post-modernist tension, and makes a critique of some elements of contemporary social theorising. Nevertheless, the author acknowledges the usefulness of contemporary social theory in challenging traditional research, despite its density and inaccessibility to many researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper distinguishes between participatory and emancipatory research, and discusses how both differ from other research practice. A further distinction is made between material and social relations of disability research production. It is argued that, although there are significant constraints imposed by the material relations of research production, genuine progress can still be made in changing the social relations of disability research. Based on the experience of doing research commissioned by organisations of disabled people and other work carried out within a framework of `user's perspectives' on services and policy, the discussion focuses on the lessons we have learnt-and those we still need to learn-about how to change the relations of research production. Consultation between researchers and disabled people, subjecting research to critical scrutiny, and making researchers accountable to disabled people are suggested as key issues in the development of participatory research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses social capital and its relation with space. Three approaches to establish the relation between social capital and space, are discussed. It states that barriers promote the build of bonding social capital but obstruct the build of bridging social capital. Issues that may require further research, are also discussed

Health researchers in a number of settings are expressing concern about the 'gap' between what we 'know' about the social determinants of health and of health inequalities, and the lack of action based upon this 'knowledge'. Indeed, the 'know-do gap' has become almost a mantra echoed across international and some national institutional sites. This paper examines how the 'problem' of the 'gap' is understood and represented in dominant and sub-dominant conceptualisations. It highlights what is missing from these representations: adequate reflection on changing modes of governance of research management. Where once there was a degree of separation between research production and government policy, increasingly there is congruence between these governmental functions. This congruence means that the problem we face today is not a 'gap' but rather a 'fit' between what we 'know' and what we (don't) do regarding SDH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper offers reflections on the use of a phenomenological method in the exploration of the experience of taking part in extreme sport. A phenomenological method was chosen in an attempt to gain some understanding of the meaning and significance of an embodied experience. The paper presents a brief account of the process and outcome of the research. This is followed by a discussion of the researcher's experience of conducting phenomenological research and the kind of knowledge that was produced as a result. Reflections revolve around the openness of the method and its ability to reveal a phenomenon, the degree to which it is able to capture uniqueness and specificity, problems around translation and language, recruitment of participants, and, finally, issues around the relationship between description and interpretation. The paper concludes with some recommendations for phenomenological research practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article comments on the symposium titled Educational Research and the Necessity of Theory." The papers in the symposium arose out of the concern that educational researchers in Great Britain have neglected, and continue to neglect, and even deliberately avoid, theory. There are two opposing groups when it comes to theory. There are those of found it scary and frightening and there are those who are excited by it and believes that "theory floated their boat." The author believes that theory is an essential aspect of educational research and other research in social sciences.

Despite growing interest in fundraising as part of the social worker's role, there has been no comprehensive research on this subject. The purpose of the present research is to begin to bridge that gap. Five dimensions of fundraising are defined and a theoretical framework, comprised of factors that may be related to social workers' involvement in this activity, is developed. Data were collected by means of a structured questionnaire, administered to social workers in welfare departments in Israel. Statistical analysis of the findings indicates low to moderate mean levels of social worker involvement in fundraising. The variable that contributes most to involvement in fundraising is the social worker's sense of efficacy for this activity. The paper offers several theoretical and practical conclusions and suggests directions for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper looks at the role of boundary work in contemporary science policy. The paper argues that one of the consequences of policy efforts to bridge gaps between science and society is the proliferation of boundary work as new categories have to be constructed and reified in order to make room for particular policy initiatives. In this process of eroding and remaking boundaries, the power to divide, categorise and classify forms a significant starting point for a re-structuring of social, economic and political relations between science and policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduces a collection of articles on the contribution of genomics to sociological scrutiny and philosophical reflection. Provision of an account of meanings; Highlight of particular aspects of genomics in social spaces; Discussion of a set of separable by interacting social domains; Perspective of the genosemantics research group.

This paper examines the possibility of establishing a public space of deliberation concerning transport policy. It deals with the question of whether it is possible to envisage instances of concertation that defect conflict. Based mostly on French experience with public inquiries on transport infrastructure, it discusses the relevance and applicability of the sociology of collective action, as well as theories of deliberative democracy. The paper's main argument is that concertation does not occur in a vacuum but is instead structured by power relations. It is, therefore, first and foremost an opportunity to express dissatisfaction and frustration. At the same time, public debate represents--perhaps for the same reason--an opportunity to criticize forms of social domination. It thus may give rise to citizen mobilization rather than help contain it, as is often naively expected by its promoters within the public policy administration. Conflict is thus always the actual subject of public debate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a broad-based overview of the development of emancipatory disability research in the UK since its emergence in 1992. Drawing on personal experience in the field, the author responds to several important considerations that need to be addressed before considering adopting this controversial perspective. The paper is divided into two main sections. The first part provides a concise introduction to the thinking that underpins the concept of emancipatory disability research. The second section discusses key elements of this approach including the problem of accountability, the social model of disability, choice of methods and, enpowerment, dissemination and outcomes. The paper concludes by suggesting that whilst there has been considerable progress over the last decade the future of emancipatory disability research remains precarious. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a trend in current quantitative sociology that argues for the integration of quantitative sociological research and rational action theories (RATs). The main proponents argue that the two are not only desirable for each other but are in fact necessary to give them credibility. In this paper the author argues that quantitative sociology does not need RAT in order to be an essential and credible part of sociological analysis. Drawing on the work of Bourdieu, she argues that quantitative sociology should not link itself to the atomistic theories of rational action but rather should look towards a position within sociology based on its own strengths. In addition, it is argued that the current vogue to link RAT and quantitative research owes more to the character of RATs than to their explanatory power. Thus, the responsibility for a way forward for sociological research of all kinds lies not only with those actively engaged in research but also with those who claim to be generating sociological theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is based on reflections concerning the initial stages of a research project focusing on women, 'race' and later life. The paper describes some of the aims behind the project and discusses some of the immediate methodological issues which have arisen. It then goes on to reflect upon some more general matters which are beginning to emerge. The paper is rooted in concerns about the gap between social research and social theory. These form the context for the problems selected for consideration here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Feminists have provided invaluable critiques of traditional research methods. However, there is a difference of opinion in the social sciences as to what constitutes feminist research. Just as there is no one definition of feminism, there is no one definition of feminist research. Yet it is important that research be identified as feminist to advance feminist causes, particularly in a field such as MFT in which feminism has been more influential in clinical practice than research. In this paper, the author argues for broader parameters of feminist research than those offered by Reinharz (1992). The author also summarizes and responds to feminist critiques of traditional research and offer an example of a published research study in the MFT field that the author believes has feminist implications but would not be identified as feminist by a narrow definition of feminist research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article comments on A. Guy Larkins' criticism on the author's paper on alternative research orientations in social education. Larkin's critique has centered on terminology and language use. Larkin accuses the author of his unconventional use of the term science to refer to alternative research activities. It explains the difference of the standards of exactness of phenomenological and emancipatory inquiry orientations from the standards of exactness associated with the statistical procedures of empirical-analytic method.

The comparative study of health care systems (CSHCS) is a relatively new domain of inquiry within sociology. This paper proposes two research foci in CSHCS. The first focus, "informal modem health care," lies between the work of medical anthropologists in their investigations of traditional health care, mainly in developing societies, and the work that epidemiologists and health service researchers carry out, mainly in industrial societies. Informal modern health care consists of the traditional and quasi-scientific forms of health provision found abundantly in developing societies and to a surprisingly large extent in industrial societies. Medical practice itself is not immune to molding by extra-scientific forces. The second research focus deals with the development of health care systems over time. The guiding question behind this focus is: Do health care systems follow a uniform path of development, analogous to the path of industrialization that developed countries have followed? If such a uniform path exists, then developing societies could be located at varying points along it A more complex alternative model allows for multi-path development of health care systems. The paper proposes six quantifiable parameters describing health care systems. Analysis of data over time on these parameters would permit a critical test of the hypothesis of a uniform developmental sequence in health services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional agenda-setting studies have usually focused on the influence of the media on the public agenda. However, little or no research attention has been paid to agenda-setting as process. The authors contend that the persuasive power of the news media is embedded in the structure of news definition and presentation, with sources exploiting such institutionalized aspects of news coverage to influence the determination of news. As such, it will not be proper to ascribe agenda-setting power to the media alone, but it will be appropriate to examine the process of this influence in a new analysis of the role of the media in agenda-setting. This paper is an attempt to stake out a new conceptual approach to media agenda-setting effects, emphasizing the process rat bet than the effects of this influence. it calls for a shift from the "effect-centric" focus of present agenda-setting research to a process-effect oriented approach. It argues that for the actual agenda-setting effects to be determined, it is necessary to find the focus of this influence-i.e., the actual agenda-setters. In essence, the paper asks the question, who sets the agenda of the media? To answer this question, the paper proposes a paradigm that would identify crucial and contingent conditions, and would explain their roles and sequential effects in the agenda-setting process. The proposed paradigm identifies three distinct stages in the agenda- setting process: Issue Creation, issue Expansion and Issue Consumption, and three involved constituencies; Interest Groups (politicians and bureaucrats, etc.), Media and Audience The paper points out that the three constituencies play active roles at the three stages. It argues, however, that some constituencies are more active than others at some stages. The paradigm, the authors suggest. could be operationalized in two different ways: (1) a combinatorial method, or (2) a quasi-experimental method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been a tendency for researchers and practitioners to overlook the needs and experiences of children and young people in relation to disasters. In this paper, we report on our exploration of the question of whether to involve children and young people in post-bushfire research, and if so how? In considering children's rights in this context we were guided by a number of conceptions of the child (reflecting research debates within the Sociology of Childhood): The citizen child; the child at risk; and the developing child. We engaged in formal, progressive consultations with experts internationally and with bushfire affected community partners. This study determined that research with children post-bushfires was an important, ethical and appropriate activity, provided the methodology was sensitive and allowed children to provide informed consent and to have a sense of control over the issues being discussed. We conclude that carefully considering a rights approach materially changed the final methodology that includes the perspectives of children and young people in research about recovery from traumatic disasters, while still respecting their right to be safe and supported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much of the medical literature on patient compliance explores why patients fail to follow practitioners' instructions. This paper explores perspectives on 'compliance' expressed in online discussion groups for kidney patients. Discourse analysis was used to investigate how contributors conceptualise knowledge and the role of the renal patient. In the discussion groups, patients were sometimes seen to have better understanding of the details of their illness than some practitioners, a focus born of inhabiting their situation and therefore having more at stake. Some patients set themselves the task of supervising their own care, double checking the work of practitioners. This did not threaten biomedical knowledge, but these counter-discourses challenge professional boundaries by making it the prerogative of patients to obtain biomedical knowledge. I explore issues of surveillance and frustration, and the potential usefulness of patients' overseeing their own safety, while flagging the potential plight of less 'empowered' or motivated patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores how the structuring of places and time influence Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patient and carer experiences of health services. Face-to-face in-depth interviews were conducted with urban Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with diabetes, chronic heart failure or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease as well as family carers (N = 19). Content analysis was undertaken. Participants report that each element of the time spent in Aboriginal Medical Services is seen as more valuable and worthwhile than in mainstream health services, from social and health sharing experiences in the waiting room to health care in clinical places; and that users feel they can rely on sufficient time and respectful care in their clinical consultation. Purposeful design of both physical and temporal aspects of health services is called for. We suggest re-introducing opportunities for spatiotemporal design in health care that have been limited by the segmented 'person as illness' design features of Australia's current mainstream health system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many factors have been identified as determinants of increasing health inequalities in China. Health research has focused mostly on individual- and family-level determinants, whereas the effects of social environment are largely left unexplored. This paper suggests the aspects of social environment to be studied in relation to health in the context of China. In addition, an integrated life course and ecological perspective is proposed to address some conceptual and methodological challenges identified in the current research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite almost two decades of reform under Australia's National Mental Health Strategy, the life circumstances of many people with mental illness seem little improved. While lack of rehabilitation, housing and community support services have been blamed for policy shortfalls, there is also concern that mental health services may impede rather than facilitate recovery from mental illness. To explore this particular concern, this paper reports data from a project which evaluated a group mentorship programme for new graduate nurses working in an Australian public mental health service. Prominent among the problems raised in mentorship group discussions were: the arduous nature of mental health work; the uncaring attitudes and practices of many veteran nursing staff; and the maltreatment and neglect of service users. These participants characterised mental health facilities as tough security-minded places, where staff act more as risk-managers rather than therapists, and all service users are treated as if they might be dangerous. They also perceived a connection between the dismissive ways in which they were often treated by veteran colleagues and the widespread mistreatment of service users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on a sample of general textbooks in sociology, this article proposes a heuristic, four-sided paradigm of the extant literature on ethnicity, gender and race and highlights their empirical referents: (1) order-integrative, which emphasizes the progressive adaptation of ethnic and racial groups to a dominant, Anglo-Saxonic, Eurocentric culture; (2) pluralist-multiculturalist, which emphasizes markers of social differentiation between ethnic and racial groups that are compatible with social diversity; (3) power-conflict-stratification, which frames successive generations of minority ethnics in contentious power relations amongst themselves relative to the perceived or actual mainstream white powerbrokers in society; and (4) gender-feminist, which critically analyses the white, male, heterosexual bias and hegemony built into the structures and practices of social institutions and social discourse. The paper concludes by suggesting further research on cross-national perspectives as developed countries become more diverse and, as a result, more culturally divisive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preventing disease is by definition a valuable objective, and most debates have revolved around improving the effectiveness of prevention. In this discussion, I explore the latent functions - the unintended consequences - of what I call the 'project of prevention'. Although many latent functions are welcome, some have undesirable effects, and it is therefore important to instigate a rich exchange between innovative theory and rigorous research to minimise such effects. I argue that the hazards are particularly acute in the absence of a reflexive and critical awareness of the political environment and the cultural economy within which prevention occurs. In the paper, I sketch the challenges to mobilising that awareness, show some of the limitations of the conventional theoretical approaches to prevention, and point to directions for developing more fruitful perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the productive challenges of researching communities one identifies with and calls for the need to consider race/ethnic interpretations of research methods. By examining participants’ perspectives on research, the author argues for the need to further consider culturally appropriate ways of researching communities of color. Drawing on his research with Asian immigrant and Asian‐American teachers, the author describes the challenges he faced in negotiating access and conducting interviews with participants. This discussion proposes that researchers consider the multiple ways they are positioned in fieldwork. It similarly argues that by fully recognizing respondents’ ways of being, researchers can engage in ethical research practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary objective of the study reported in this paper was to look at the use of qualitative methodology in ergonomics research and practice. Qualitative methodology itself was chosen as a compatible approach to explore these aims, with ergonomics being seen as a socially situated practice. Semi-structured interviews were carried out using a prompt sheet which developed iteratively during the study. A four stage sampling procedure was used to gain access to 21 interviewees. These stages were (1) spreading the net (purposive sampling), (2) following up leads (snowball sampling), (3) focussing (intensity sampling), and (4) analysis sampling to seek out extreme/deviant cases. A total of 12 academics and 9 practitioners were interviewed from all areas of ergonomics, including cognitive (psychology), product design, engineering, human and health sciences, organisational management and sociology. The findings are represented by a model showing the interactions between multiple dimensions, including academia/practice, qualitative/quantitative and the internal and external environments of ergonomics. There was considerable interest in expanding the ergonomics toolbox to include qualitative methodology. However concerns were raised about a perceived lack of knowledge with respect to the process, which could be addressed through education and reflective practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses the work of Michel de Certeau (1988) to argue that it is possible to distinguish between "expert" or "authorised" approaches to media theory, construed as existing "strategically" within the "proper place" of the academy, and "tactical" appropriations of media theory operating in audience discourses. It takes media fan audiences as one case study in relation to this process, arguing that fans should be viewed as "poaching" from "official" media theory as well as from "official" media texts. It then goes on to suggest that we should not univocally celebrate or romanticise fans' uses of media theory, but should remain alert to the sociological and cultural reproductions that otherwise "tactical" media theory can participate in. This means rethinking fans' "tactics" not merely as the "arts of the weak" (de Certeau 1988, 37), but simultaneously as forms of appropriation that might enact forms of (sub)cultural power for fans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses methodological and theoretical issues that arise in contemporary analyses of cultural consumption. First, I review measures of cultural consumption that receive attention in the literature and I put forward several others that broaden the definition and measurement of this concept. I propose the inclusion of a variety of consumption realms and consumption publics, and advocate the use of integrated and flexible measures. I discuss the comparability of consumption indicators in the context of cross-national, crosscultural, and longitudinal research, and submit that it is important to have standardized measures for the sake of their reliability and validity, but also that it is important to have case-specific measures in order to prevent blurred cultural distinctions. Second, I suggest that consumer culture research further develop a series of theoretical questions that stand at the core of the field, particularly those that acknowledge the significant social consequences of cultural consumption: the transition from production to consumption; cultural consumption and the social matrix; cultural consumption as a generative concept; multiple consumer identities; and cultural consumption and cultural policy. The shared emphasis of these theoretical questions is on locating the position of individuals on multidimensional hierarchies of consumption, thus facilitating conceptualization of lifestyle tribes, status groups, or taste communities as generators of values, attitudes, and behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research articles published in the volume 13, number three, 2003 edition of the 'International Review of Sociology,' that focused on issues pertaining to interactive heterogeneity were introduced. Neuroscience data on heterogeneity of individuals in brain responses to the same stimuli were the focus of the first group of articles. The second group of articles focused on the basic concepts and epistemological. The third group of articles focused on the framework of the study of the heterogeneity of individual cognitive/cogitative types.

This paper advances the conjecture that Social Research is becoming a discipline in its own right, independent of substantive disciplines such as sociology, social policy or political science. In the first part of the paper I briefly examine the historical foundations of research and the factors that led to its growth in the last two decades. In the second part of the paper I discuss the implications arising from an increased demand for methods training, in particular the potential impact of autonomous degrees and pathways in Social Research on traditional social science disciplines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban planning for age-friendly environments is an important issue, and occupational therapists and occupational scientists could contribute to planning such environments; however, knowledge of the potential roles of occupational therapists is limited. To explore the potential roles of occupational therapists in urban planning for age-friendly environments in Japan from the perspectives of occupational therapists and stakeholders. A Q-methodology study was conducted to gain viewpoints from occupational therapists and stakeholders regarding their roles in the urban planning of age-friendly environments for older people in Japan. Participants included eight occupational therapists and seven stakeholders who completed the Q-sorting process. Three viewpoints emerged which are interpreted as roles of occupational therapists: (1) Promote older people's participation in everyday activities in their communities, (2) Advocate for older people towards policy-making to reflect their occupational needs or perspectives, and (3) Arrange neighbourhood environments towards enhancing participation in occupation through adjustments to compensate for functional limitations. Results reveal the potential roles of occupational therapists in urban planning for age-friendly environments in Japan. These roles can be a guide in the continuing professional development of occupational therapists in the fields of urban planning for older people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Costner (1965) showed that many of the most commonly used measures of association may be conceptually interpreted as indicating proportional reduction in prediction error. But because it is verbally cumbersome, and conceptually complex for some measures, the proportional reduction in error interpretation has not been widely incorporated in research reports where appropriate. Instead, measures of association continue to be interpreted in abstract terms distinguishing between broad levels of strength. This paper demonstrates that all proportional reduction in error measures of association may be alternately interpreted as indicating the percent of variation explained. Because this interpretation is conceptually meaningful in a manner highly relevant for scientific investigation, more convenient to apply in research reports, and already familiar to most social scientists, it is argued that it be standardly applied to all proportional reduction in error measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maintenance, an important concept in the organizational literature, is often assumed to be a key factor in the low levels of sensitivity to client needs and demands apparent in many human service organizations. This paper uses data from a national sample of juvenile courts to demonstrate, however, that maintenance may relate to other variables in ways that are at variance with the common assumption. The maintenance of internal organizational operations is bound closely to the development of ties to the community; as a result, strong emphasis on maintenance actually leads to high levels of sensitivity to clients when certain environmental forces demand it. This positive relation is especially strong when organizations are highly vulnerable to external pressures. Such results suggest a contingent view of the role of maintenance in organizations and imply some further directions for research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing demands for the accountability of social work education necessitate better methods of program assessment. In the technique described here, tested by a BSW program in 1992 and 1993, a Program Assessment Committee was formed to evaluate the collective work of randomly chosen seniors on three assignments. The results revealed strengths and weaknesses of the program and led to a reexamination of the assignments, the statements of desired program outcomes, and the curriculum itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sociological theories seldom inform public health interventions at the community level. The reasons for this are unclear but may include difficulties in finding, understanding or operationalising theories. We conducted a study to explore the feasibility of locating sociological theories within a specific field of public health, adolescent risk-taking, and to consider their potential for practical application. We identified a range of sociological theories. These explained risk-taking: (i) as being due to lack of social integration; (ii) as a consequence of isolation from mainstream society; (iii) as a rite of passage; (iv) as a response to social constraints; (v) as resistance; (vi) as an aspect of adolescent development; (vii) by the theory of the 'habitus'; (viii) by situated rationality and social action theories; and (ix) as social practice. We consider these theories in terms of their potential to inform public health interventions for young people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the performative turn in ethnography and the cultural and political implications of performance ethnographic studies. The phrase performative-I means a repositioning of the researcher. This performative-I positions the researcher to allow fragments of experiences to be articulated. In also involves reflection in transforming systems of dominance. It also creates a participatory agreement with other people in terms of social and linguistic aspects.