Public pedagogy from the learner's perspective: women reading self-help relationship books

In recent years, the concept of public pedagogy has increasingly influenced the study of continuing education, drawing attention to ways in which adults access resources from popular culture and learn without the involvement of educational institutions. Reading relationship self-help books has become a prominent component of popular culture. There are two predominant scholarly interpretations of relationship books for women. One argues that such books have ‘abducted’ feminism, because, while cloaked in egalitarian rhetoric about relationships between men and women, they actually encourage women to adopt characteristically male approaches to relationships. The other claims that such books are ‘anti-feminist,’ because they encourage women to nurture satisfying relationships by adopting traditional feminine roles. We explore these interpretations through reporting the results of twenty-four qualitative interviews. Only a minority of readers reported experiences consistent with existing interpretations of the genre. Most readers displayed complex combinations of learning experiences – some of which were consistent with feminist principles, while others reflected a subtle normalization of gender inequalities. We conclude that understanding the impact of self-help books, among other forms of public pedagogy, requires moving beyond textual analysis, to engaging readers in conversation about how reading has influenced their sense of themselves and their relationships.     

Finopower: Governing Intersections Between Gambling and Finance

Regulatory distinctions between “problem” and “recreational” gambling have contributed to the neglect of important discursive and cultural practices at the intersection of finance and gambling. This intersection is now sufficiently formative of everyday life and popular culture to warrant closer scrutiny within cultural studies research. Through a range of examples, I elaborate the concept of “finopower” as a specific kind of governmentality through which individuals negotiate the mutual imbrications of gambling and finance. The final part of the article draws on theories of “post-disciplinary” societies to explore social and political implications of cultural distinctions between skill and chance-based games.     

The use and value of Bernstein’s work in studying (in)equalities in undergraduate social science education

This paper illustrates how critical use of Basil Bernstein's theory illuminates the mechanisms by which university knowledge, curriculum and pedagogy both reproduce and interrupt social inequalities. To this end, empirical examples are selected from the findings of the ESRC-funded project ‘Pedagogic Quality and Inequality in University First Degrees' (RES-062-23-1438, November 2008–January 2012). The project investigated sociology-related social science degrees in four social science departments in universities in different positions in influential UK higher education league tables. A Bernsteinian lens throws fresh light on how university education might contribute to a more egalitarian society.     

Educational engagement,expectation and attainment of children with disabilities: Evidence from the Scottish Longitudinal Study

Government statistics show that children with special educational needs and disabilities do not achieve as well academically as their peers, which impacts on later employment and socioeconomic circumstances. Addressing these inequalities is a key policy area which currently lacks a satisfactory evidence base. To explore the issue, the present study used data from the Scottish Longitudinal Study which contains data from the 1991, 2001 and 2011 censuses along with other administrative data, from a representative sample of the Scottish population. Using this large and longitudinal sample, the present study examines educational engagement, expectations and attainment for children with self-reported disability, controlling for other early childhood factors. The results show that children with mental health problems were at higher risk of leaving school early, and that children with learning difficulties were less likely to gain advanced qualifications. Neither limiting long-term illness in early childhood nor disability in adolescence were significant predictors of engagement, however, they did predict measures of academic expectation and attainment. Results suggest there is a critical phase for attainment, with area deprivation in early childhood but not adolescence being important for later educational inequalities.     

Cultural Competence: Toward a More Robust Conceptualisation

ABSTRACT

This article revisits LIS literature about cultural competence. It is not the prominent topic it was but is still considered important for addressing diversity, and is still criticized for obscuring racism and power structures in librarianship and society. Articles published in the last four years suggest, however, that library and information studies educators are teaching to engage with these issues. The cultural competence conceptual framework, specifically the environmental domain, can be recast to incorporate engagement with race and power. This more robust framework would enable culturally competent professionals to do more than accommodate difference.     

Scottish toolkit for knowledge management

BACKGROUND: Using specific examples, this paper describes the tools, methods and resources used to develop Managed Knowledge Networks (MKNs) within the NHS Scotland e-Library (http://www.elib.scot.nhs.uk). MKNs help to complete the knowledge management cycle by providing a place to share the learning and discuss the evidence for practice through combining the use of the published material (explicit knowledge) with the experience and knowledge held by individuals, communities and organizations (tacit knowledge). OBJECTIVES: First of all, this paper outlines the e-Library infrastructure, which provides an inter-operable framework to manage the published knowledge using a metadata management system; and a knowledge-sharing tool to support the development of MKNs. It then covers the various stages involved in developing an MKN: gathering and analysing information needs in a variety of ways; presenting and organizing the resources and services for the users as identified in the needs analysis; managing the tacit, personal and local knowledge. CONCLUSION: The toolkit described enables the Knowledge Services Group to take the needs of users, transcribe these into Specialist e-Libraries to provide access to the published information and to support this with accessing and sharing the knowledge of colleagues via MKNs.