Critical Research Methodology Research Articles

The individual focus of nursing research in breastfeeding: Perpetuating a neoliberal perspective.

In this paper, I argue for the need to shift the focus of nursing research regarding breastfeeding from that of individual responsibility to include a more system-focused, population health approach. In the 2011, "Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding," the U.S. Surgeon General called attention to the pervasive disparities in breastfeeding outcomes in the United States. A plethora of nursing research exists aimed at addressing these disparities; however, this research leans toward a neoliberal perspective, mainly focusing on individual factors and failing to address the systemic inequities contributing to these disparities. A shift in nursing science that focuses research at a population level would more effectively support addressing disparities in breastfeeding outcomes and embrace a commitment to social justice. In focusing at a population level, specific inequities that must be addressed include the negative history of breastfeeding in the Black population, systemic racism, and gender inequality. Critical research methodologies are proposed as useful approaches to address these inequities. By engaging in this level of research and using a critical lens, nurse scientists broaden their scope of care to include the entire population, motivate needed social and policy change, facilitate the choice to breastfeed, and ultimately eliminate breastfeeding disparities.

Centering Bodies in Contentious Times: Using Critical Literacy to Foster Institutional Change

This article draws on critical literacy frameworks and action research methodology to consider how two scholar-practitioners – one working in higher education and one in a middle school setting - utilize their embodied knowledge as members of marginalized communities to increase institutional access and create opportunities for critical engagement and humanization among their students. We situate our research within the literature of critical literacy and we draw on discourses of bodies and embodiment in education to detail the ways in which critical literacy theory and practice might be utilized to unearth missing narratives, promote humanizing educational approaches, and foster institutional change. We end by discussing key implications and offering suggestions for future research and practice in the field.

Classroom-based Assessments in Linguistically Diverse Communities: A Case for Collaborative Research Methodologies

ABSTRACTFor linguistically diverse communities, researchers have long questioned assessment approaches that disregard learners’ multilingualism. Our study offers potential approaches that center contextualized, multilingual knowledges and skills within classroom-based language assessments with one teacher and his English foreign language courses for pre-service English teachers in Oaxaca, Mexico. We combined critical ethnographic and participatory action research (PAR) methodologies to foster collaboration, which shaped the assessment design and implementation. In this article, we detail our methodological approaches and include views about the resulting assessment as reported by the pre-service teachers in post-assessment questionnaires and stimulated recall-interviews. This work points to the promise of adopting approaches that position researchers as individuals who promote and help advance the goals and values of participants. We discuss the implications of our approach not only in the creation of assessment instruments but how this collaboration also impacted teaching approaches and contributed to the laying of the foundation for sustaining and expanding the collaborative work with the teacher. We conclude with recommendations for making use of this contextualized collaborative approach in other settings.

Adaptações curriculares na construção de práticas de letramento para alunos surdos

Estudos apontam que estudantes surdos têm apresentado um quadro de baixo desempenho devido às dificuldades apresentadas em leitura e escrita. Tal situação resulta, em parte, das abordagens utilizadas no ensino de língua portuguesa como primeira língua, sem qualquer adaptação metodológica. Segundo os pressupostos da educação inclusiva, espera-se que o professor desenvolva adaptações curriculares como forma de construir um processo de ensino-aprendizagem significativo. Diante desse contexto, este estudo se propôs em investigar, se e como as adaptações curriculares têm sido implementadas em escolas que possuem alunos surdos matriculados, e como elas colaboram para a construção de práticas de letramento bilíngues. Apoiado na Teoria Sócio-Histórico-Cultural e na política nacional de ensino-aprendizagem, esse estudo se encontra ancorado, também, na metodologia qualitativa, do tipo crítico-colaborativo. Os dados foram gerados mediante observação das aulas de língua portuguesa, em salas que possuem alunos surdos matriculados, além da aplicação de entrevistas e sessões reflexivas. Os resultados indicam a ausência das adaptações curriculares, a dificuldade do professor em desenvolvê-las e sinalizam que a colaboração entre os participantes favorece a sua implementação. As ações colaborativas viabilizaram, ainda, a organização da aprendizagem e a criação de zonas de desenvolvimento proximal, que impulsionaram o desenvolvimento referente às questões de letramento.

Mistreated older adults with dementia in the home: practitioner experience and unattainable professional agency

ABSTRACT The experience of practitioners who encounter mistreatment of an older adult with dementia by a caregiver in the home has received little attention in the literature. A critical research methodology aimed to understand the experience of professional agency, the ability to control outcomes and act in a meaningful way, of health and social service practitioners when encountering these cases in the home. Fifty-one practitioners from urban, rural and Northeastern communities in Ontario participated in semi-structured interviews, reflective journals, as well as focus group discussions. Theoretical thematic analysis of data led to the discovery of five themes: weathering the storm to realization; cognitive uncertainty; emotional upheaval; one’s inability to resolve the mistreatment; and the double-edge sword of self-reflection. Understanding this experience is an essential step toward improving practice and policy, and achieving positive outcomes for the mistreated older adult with dementia and their caregiver within the home.

The child in child protection: Invisible and unheard

AbstractThe paper presents findings from a qualitative study of four child death reviews published in Australia. The study was informed by the theoretical concept of childism. A critical social research methodology facilitated the exposure of childist dynamics in statutory child protection. The transformation of child protection practices and systems has traditionally relied on the imposition of never‐ending structural changes, policies, and procedures. This paper proposes that transformation and the erosion of childist dynamics is contingent on humane and ethical statutory child protection agencies.

A Critical Analysis of Interfaith Dialogue Movement in Pakistan and its Future Prospects

In modern ages, the nations, faiths and communities are more in need of better relationship, tolerance and peace from any other phase of the human history. Therefore, interfaith dialogue has become a most significant activity in this age of the conflict and clash. Due to its importance, many religious, non-religious even political parties have deeply involved in it. In Pakistani perspective, the Christian Study Center, Rawalpindi, has a historical role to promote Muslim-Christian Dialogue. The Christian Study Center, Rawalpindi one of the major dialogue institute in Pakistan is busy in holding interfaith dialogical meetings, workshops, seminars and conferences on national and international levels from past 50 years. Definitely, this activity has some kinds of positive and negative impacts on Pakistani society. Therefore, Muslim scholars as well as some Christians show their concerns towards modern interfaith dialogue movement due to some reasons. In this situation, the basic question is, do these activities have some future hopes and impacts on the society and can be succeeded in Pakistan with their current position and direction? What do scholars think about future of interreligious dialogue in Pakistan? In this study, efforts are made to evaluate the interfaith dialogue movement in Pakistan from futuristic perspective in the light of Muslim-Christian scholarly views. The analytical and critical research methodology was adopted in this study with qualities approach. For data collection libraries, websites, journals, interviews and discussion methods were used.

Migrant youth from West African countries enacting affective citizenship

ABSTRACTCivic education is critical to the preparation of migrant youth for democratic living by instilling in them a sense of belonging to the polity. However, liberal conceptions of the citizen as a rational individual actor do not explain the relationship between emotions and belonging or how affective boundaries can limit civic participation. This study highlights issues faced by migrant youth from West African countries whose identities as African, Muslim, and migrant make them frequent targets of an affective politics of fear. Adopting a critical visual research methodology, this study seeks to better understand how five West African youth attending an urban high school for late-arrival migrants constructed belonging within and across nation-state boundaries. The youth mobilized emotions, including solidarity and conviviality, in order to constitute themselves as affective citizens, thus providing insight into how social studies educators can incorporate emotion in the classroom as civic resources for political engagement.

Knowledge brokers or relationship brokers? The role of an embedded knowledge mobilisation team

Aim: Policymaking decisions are often uninformed by research and research is rarely influenced by policymakers. To bridge this ‘know-do’ gap, a boundary-spanning knowledge mobilisation (KM) team was created by embedding researchers-in-residence and local policymakers into each other’s organisations. Through increasing the two-way flow of knowledge via social contact, KM team members fostered collaborations and the sharing of ‘mindlines’, aiming to generate more relevant research bids and research-informed decision-making. This paper describes the activities of the KM team, types of knowledge and how that knowledge was exchanged to influence mindlines. Discussion: KM team activities were classified into: relational, dissemination, transferable skills, evaluation, research and awareness raising. Knowledge available included: profession-specific (for example, research methods, healthcare landscape), insider (for example, relational, organisation and experiential) and KM theory and practice. KM team members brokered relationships through conversations interweaving different types of knowledge, particularly organisational and relational. Academics were interested in policymakers’ knowledge of healthcare policy and the commissioning landscape. More than research results, policymakers valued researchers’ methodological knowledge. Both groups appreciated each other as ‘critical friends’. Conclusion: To increase research impact, ‘expertise into practice’ could be leveraged, specifically researchers’ critical thinking and research methodology skills. As policymakers’ expertise into practice also bridges the know-do gap, future impact models could focus less on evidence into practice and more on fostering this mutual flow of expertise. Embedded knowledge brokers from the two communities working in teams can influence the mindlines of both. These ambassadors can create improvements in ‘inter-cultural competence’ to draw academia and policymaking closer.

Researching a sensitive topic in an unstable environment

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore fieldwork dilemmas for a Pakhtun researcher, educated in the West, to research family or domestic violence in the unstable, hostile environment of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan.Design/methodology/approachA gender studies approach is here combined with masculinities studies, and a critical qualitative research methodology is used in this study.FindingsThe paper argues that unstable regions dominated by certain forms of masculinity require specific research approaches when conducting research and addressing a topic that is culturally taboo.Practical implicationsThe paper suggests how the insider–outsider dynamic plays out for researchers who come from a particular field and return to it under changed circumstances. It also indicates how a taboo topic in a context where direct questioning is not possible might be approached through the use of vignettes.Social implicationsThe paper suggests how the contradictory position of a masculinity, simultaneously bearing traces of the hegemonic and of marginalization, may be negotiated in the field.Originality/valueSocial research on the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan is rarely conducted and reported due to the unrest in this region. The paper thus contributes original insights from fieldwork carried out there. It also contributes to the limited but growing literature on conducting fieldwork in hostile environments.

Reviewing Critical Research Methodologies for Teacher Education in Applied Linguistics

ABSTRACT The field of Applied Linguistics has undergone several changes in the last years, and, in various aspects, it can be considered today as movable praxis (Pennycook, 2001:173). This text reviews Critical Research Methodologies, by firstly looking at the history of the field, and analyzing how it has changed over the years, comparing such methodologies as Action Research (AR); Participative Research (PR) and Critical Collaborative Research (PCCol) considering that these, to a greater or lesser degree, intervene in the context where they organize the research carried out. We then deepen our discussion of PCCol - theory-methodology used by our research groups: LACE, ILCAE and GEICS1.

Critical and creative research methodologies in social work Lia Bryant (ed.)

Critical and creative research methodologies in social work Lia Bryant (ed.)

Neoliberalism, ambiguity and the rise of populist movements

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to highlight the relative absence of a theoretical underpinning to modern neoliberalism. Tracing the history of the term, it becomes clear that modern economics has only a tenuous relationship to the type of economics the term “neoliberalism” originally described. Furthermore, modern neoliberalism appears to be strengthened by the crisis it creates. Particular qualities of the orthodoxy make it at the same time both vague and omnipresent, allowing it to operate to exacerbate a pattern of crisis, resulting in profound socio-political consequences, such as the election of Donald Trump and in the rise of populist movements generally.Design/methodology/approachCritical analysis rejects the premise that prevailing knowledge is ultimately true, but rather seeks to trace the basis of knowledge to structural inequalities at significant junctions in history. The premise of interpretative research is that social phenomena have mutually impacting relationships with social contexts and human activities. Using a critical interpretive research methodology, this paper contends that there are critical social and theoretical issues which have contributed to the resilience of modern neoliberalism, even where it has manifest crisis. Furthermore, unique qualities of the orthodoxy have operated to oppress and manipulate social processes that would challenge or curtail its reach.FindingsThis paper contends that, first, modern neoliberalism has an inverted relationship to crisis in that it is ultimately able to leverage the crisis it creates to its advantage. Second, this is partly a result of the theoretical ambiguity associated with the orthodoxy, and finally, the rise of the populist right in various political forums and contexts is connected in some way to the failure of the left and to respond effectively to it.Research limitations/implicationsThe subject of the paper helps to explain and analyse the way that the neoliberal orthodoxy is able to leverage crisis to its advantage, and why, therefore, it continues to thrive even though it creates economic upheaval, environmental destruction, social and cultural division and increased inequality. After economic crisis, the orthodoxy presents not as the cause of it, but rather the appropriate policy response to it. The failure of the left to effectively challenge the neoliberal policy programme post-crisis is argued to be an important link in a causal chain which connects neoliberalism to the rise of the populist right.Practical implicationsThis paper brings emphasis to the ways in which modern economics has subverted the constraints of a theoretical foundation, and ultimately has become a policy practice that exacerbates inequality and leverages crises that it has created to its advantage. It also highlights the linkages between economic crisis, the persistence of the neoliberal paradigm and the rise of right-wing populism in recent years.Originality/valueThe paper combines descriptive and normative accounts of the origins and evolution of neoliberalism as it has been accounted for by major economists and scholars, adding to this the understanding that in breeching from theoretical foundations, the policy programme has become vague and malleable, which curtails the possibility for the left to respond to it effectively, and contributes to the rise of the populist right in various contexts.

Critical and Creative Research Methodologies in Social Work Bryant L (ed.), reviewed by Sarah Vicary

Critical and Creative Research Methodologies in Social Work <i>Bryant L (ed.), reviewed by Sarah Vicary</i>

A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE IMPACT OF SECONDARY SCHOOLS ORIENTATION PROGRAMMES DYNAMICS ON STUDENTS’ SCHOOL CONNECTEDNESS IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN KENYA

Cases of student’s unrest are on the rise despite the spirited effort by the education stakeholders to curtail them. They have recently taken a violent dimension, leading damage of property and even loss of life during fires in school. This is an indicator of a relationship gone sour right from orientation, where the learners neither connect nor associate themselves with the school community, facilities and the programmes offered. The researchers used critical analysis research methodology to critically analyse the impact of secondary schools orientation programmes dynamics on the student’s school connectedness in secondary schools in Kenya. Using this method, the researchers assessed the various orientation programmes dynamics and how they impact on the students’ school connectedness against the backdrop of the induction programmes currently undertaken in secondary schools. The study found out that the orientation programmes offered in secondary schools exclude key stake holders, facilities and educational programmes. They also lack support mechanisms to sustain the momentum of the orientation week. Further, they run in the same way over time and hardly involve any feedback or evaluation processes. The study concluded that secondary schools recognise the importance and carry out a form of orientation for new students. These induction programmes achieve the intended short term goals but lack sustainability. Among the recommendations made is that school administrations should have orientation programmes which include parents and school community, allow feedback and equate the process. The ministry of education should also do budgetary allocations that would cater for orientation programmes and capacity building in schools. This would facilitate funding of more comprehensive and sustainable orientation programmes, which would in turn raise the level of school connectedness. Article visualizations:

Practicing Community-Based Truku (Indigenous) Language Policy: Reflection on Dialogue and Collaboration

This study focuses on one Truku (Indigenous) village in eastern Taiwan and aims to understand the processes and possibilities of bottom-up language policy formation and implementation. In 2012, the first author assisted the villagers to start a community-driven language revitalization initiative. Drawing on scholarship guided by critical Indigenous research methodologies, and critical sociocultural approaches to language policy and planning, this paper continues the conversation about the complex and dynamic processes of collaboration and relationship building in developing bottom-up language revitalization. Affirming the role of relationship in collaboration, the study argues that it is the dialogue of individuals’ intersecting social positions that makes relationship building possible. The newly developed relationship further transforms each other’s position(s) in praxis. As the dichotomy between the researched and the researchers is blurred, the authors further argue that the relationship comes along with responsibility, challenging the silenced dialogue of “exiting” in traditional research ethics. Methodologically, this study contributes to the scholarship of language policy and planning by exploring an alternative, democratic, humanizing way of doing language policy and planning research that prioritizes local knowledge, voice, and engagement. Additionally, drawn from Indigenous epistemology, the recognition of human relationships in praxis critically features the affective dimension of LPP, offering a more holistic and developmental understanding of the process.

Critical and Creative Research Methodologies in Social Work, Lia Bryant (ed.)

Critical and Creative Research Methodologies in Social Work, Lia Bryant (ed.)

Internal communication education: a historical study

Purpose – This historical analysis investigates treatment of the important discipline of internal communication in a number of globally influential public relations education frameworks over time. The purpose of this paper is to develop insight with the potential to inform future education and professional development programmes. Design/methodology/approach – The conceptual framework for the study is set via discussion of the historical approach, internal communication, professionalization, and knowledge. The historical critical analysis research methodology is used to study data sources including professional body reports and archival documentation. Deductive and inductive coding is combined with template analysis to ensure rigorous qualitative data analysis. Findings – The study finds inconsistent treatment of the internal communication discipline in public relations education frameworks over time. Distinct inclusion was found in early frameworks, clear recognition of the growing importance of internal communication was evident in later guidelines, but the study discovers that the discipline has been excluded from recent frameworks. Research limitations/implications – While the study draws on relevant data sources credited with international influence, it is limited to sources published in English. Practical implications – Practical educational and methodological implications of the research are discussed along with avenues for further research including surveys or qualitative research to investigate contemporary views held by practitioners and educators on internal communication curricula. Social implications – Social and management implications are discussed including a call for the reinstatement of internal communication in globally influential public relations education frameworks. Originality/value – The discipline of internal communication is still understudied which is surprising given its impact on organisational effectiveness. Furthermore, little previous attention has been paid to the history of internal communication education. This paper tackles that void, finds inconsistent treatment of the discipline in education frameworks over time, and contributes discussion on why these inconsistencies have occurred.

Understanding emancipatory forms of educational leadership through schooling justice work: an action research study into second chance schooling development

ABSTRACTConcerned about the phenomena of early school leaving in our region, we are two teachers who initiated and developed a new school from the ‘ground up’ to re-engage young people disenfranchised with schooling back into formalised learning. Using critical action research methodology over a three and a half year developmental period, this endeavour involved us in exercising particular dimensions of leadership to engineer a sustainable second chance school. Twelve years after its development, the school continues with enrolments of over 100 senior secondary students in recent years. The schooling justice work we pursued during the developmental period drew us into ‘emancipatory’ leadership work that called us to be; (1) teacher activists embracing social entrepreneurial strategies imbued with (2) relational sensibilities, and (3) architects of socially just school design informed by (4) critical praxis within a university led professional learning community. The ‘second chance school’ has re-engaged over 1000 students back into formalised learning since its inception and has offered pathways into post-school tertiary study, apprenticeships and training for the majority of these students.

Enriching preservice teachers’ critical reflection through an international videoconference discussion

The concepts of reflection and reflective practice have become the core of many teacher education programmes, with critical reflection as the goal for many teacher educators. This study examined the use of a videoconference discussion in an instructional methodology course as a means to enrich the process of reflection and encourage critical reflection. Critical action research methodology was used by the researchers to evaluate the addition of videoconferencing to a model of scaffolded reflection which was already part of the course. The findings suggest that the introduction of a videoconference discussion to the scaffolded reflection model enriched critical reflection on four topics: technology use, multicultural curriculum and instruction, censorship of web-based resources, and accountability and assessment. The discussion of these topics allowed the preservice teachers to think about their own agency, and the affordances and constraints of their school context. Implications for using videoconferencing for critical reflection are provided for teacher educators.