‘Upturned participation’ and youth work: using a Critical Utopian Action Research approach to foster engagement

ABSTRACT

This article reflects on how participatory processes inspired by action research hold a genuine potential for developing social educational work in a more democratic way. We present our concept of ‘Upturned Participation’, which is built upon the methodological framework of Critical Utopian Action Research. First Critical Utopian Action Research is introduced briefly, including a presentation of the core method of the action research approach. We then present an extract from an action research project aimed at creating space for participation for marginalized young people in the area of Copenhagen. On this basis, we reflect on how the ideas of the young people could influence the field of social work. The article addresses contemporary challenges and opportunities for creating development in the field of youth work or social work through participatory processes with marginalized young people.     

Closing the Gap Between Photojournalist Research and Photojournalism Practice: Exploring the Motivations of the Subjects of Sensitive Photo Essays

This study is the first to inquire about the factors that influence people’s willingness to allow professional photojournalists to tell their stories through the medium of the photo essay. Guided by Self-Disclosure Theory, in-depth interviews were conducted with the subjects of 15 peer-judged award-winning photo essays. These were drawn from the multiple picture categories of the National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) Monthly Clip Contest, the annual NPPA Best of Photojournalism Contest, and the annual World Press Photo Contest between 2013 and 2017. The topics of the photo essays were sensitive in nature. Analysis reveals support and appreciation amongst photo-essay subjects for the profession of photojournalism. Motivations derived from the sensitivity and professionalism with which each interviewee was initially approached, a need to tell a different side of the story, a desire to inspire others or invoke change, and the memory-keeping and permanence afforded through published professional photojournalism.     

Not just another evaluation: a comparative study of four educational quality projects at Swedish universities

In this study, four recent self-initiated educational quality projects at Swedish universities are compared and analyzed. The article focuses on how the universities have handled the tension between external demands and internal norms. The aim is to contribute to an improved understanding of quality management in contemporary universities. On the one hand, the projects are found to be built on similar rationales associated with accountability, reputation building and strategic management. This is interpreted as a response to the shared external policy context. They are also found to mirror similar ambitions regarding raising the status of education. On the other hand, the projects are found to differ considerably in their actual design, methodology, implementation, stakeholders and outcomes. This is interpreted as an active adaptation to the unique internal academic norms and cultures that exist in each university.     

Really Social Disaster: An Examination of Photo Sharing on Twitter During the #SCFlood

In the open marketplace of visuals where the most valued photographs “rise to the top” via tweets, likes, and retweets rather than being dictated by professionals, the study of what makes an image go really social is merited. One occurrence during which professional photojournalism and nonprofessional photography truly coexist, intermingle, and blur is that of a natural disaster. A body of research exists that has examined the visual framing of disasters, but none has addressed how these differently framed photos go social online or by whom. In this study, 1,078 Twitter photos shared by professional media outlets and nonprofessional tweeters were examined to see what portrayals of photos are elevated in the network. Established frames and new frames were examined: depictions of people, emotional hierarchy, novelty, victims, ordinary people, uniforms, emergency professionals, valence, pragmatic, human interest, and political. The results add empirical evidence to the different ways that professional members of media and other visual sharers understand, visually communicate, and react to disaster and add to the visual framing literature an element of really social visual framing.     

1. Three-Element Energy Field and Leadership

心、身、能量,即元极理论中的三元(能量),对培育个人领导能力及组织机构整体的学习环境都是个深奥而又重要的概念和实践。在一个组织机构和共同体中,开发交感和谐的集体三元场是建立健康、有创造性、能赋予生命以意义和价值的环境的微妙而又实际的基础工作,对缓解紧张压力和保健医疗十分重要。而启动这样一个富有挑战性的集体学习、康复和成长的过程,集体的认识和共同体领导的实际投入都是必要的先决条件。文中引述了能量医学、认识科学、理论物理学、管理学、学习与知识创新理论近年来的研究成果,并分析了中国鄂州元极医院应用三元能量系统治疗晚期癌症等与紧张压力有关的疑难病症的成果。     

领导管理学和卫生保健医疗中的能量场:元极三元模型

心、身、能量,即元极理论中的三元(能量),对培育个人领导能力及组织机构整体的学习环境都是个深奥而又重要的概念和实践.在一个组织机构和共同体中,开发交感和谐的集体三元场是建立健康、有创造性、能赋予生命以意义和价值的环境的微妙而又实际的基础工作,对缓解紧张压力和保健医疗十分重要.而启动这样一个富有挑战性的集体学习、康复和成长的过程,集体的认识和共同体领导的实际投入都是必要的先决条件.文中引述了能量医学、认识科学、理论物理学、管理学、学习与知识创新理论近年来的研究成果,并分析了中国鄂州元极医院应用三元能量系统治疗晚期癌症等与紧张压力有关的疑难病症的成果.     

Story writing skills of adults with a history language-impairment

The purpose of this study was to investigate the story writing skills of adults with a history of oral language impairment. It was hypothesized that writing text would pose difficulty for adults with a history of language impairment (LI), and that this difficulty would manifest itself as reduced grammatical complexity and increased errors in spelling, grammar and punctuation. The story writing of 10 adults with a history of LI was compared to a group of 51 unimpaired individuals. Participants were asked to write the story of Cinderella. Stories were analysed for length, grammatical complexity and accuracy of grammar, punctuation and spelling. Data were analysed to determine group trends as well as individual profiles. As a group, the adults with LI showed no difference from the comparison group in the length of their stories as measured by total number of words. The LI group did, however, show reduced grammatical complexity in their writing, as measured by mean length of t-unit. The LI group made more errors in grammar, spelling and punctuation than the comparison group. Individual analyses indicated substantial variability within the LI group. It is concluded that LI in childhood is associated with writing difficulties in adulthood.