There is a recent surge in the use of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) within education globally, with disproportionate claims being made about what they show, 'what works', and what constitutes the best 'evidence'. Drawing on up-to-date scholarship from across the world, Taming Randomized Controlled Trials in Education critically addresses the increased use of RCTs in education, exploring their benefits, limits and cautions, and ultimately questioning the prominence given to them. While acknowledging that randomized controlled trials do have some place in education, the book nevertheless argues that this place should be limited. Drawing together all arguments for and against RCTs in a comprehensive and easily accessible single volume, the book also adds new perspectives and insights to the conversation; crucially, the book considers the limits of their usefulness and applicability in education, raising a range of largely unexplored concerns about their use. Chapters include discussions on: The impact of complexity theory and chaos theory. Design issues and sampling in randomized controlled trials. Learning from clinical trials. Data analysis in randomized controlled trials. Reporting, evaluating and generalizing from randomized controlled trials. Considering key issues in understanding and interrogating research evidence, this book is ideal reading for all students on Research Methods modules, as well as those interested in undertaking and reviewing research in the field of education.

There is a recent surge in the use of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) within education globally, with disproportionate claims being made about what they show, 'what works', and what constitutes the best 'evidence'. Drawing on up-to-date scholarship from across the world, Taming Randomized Controlled Trials in Education critically addresses the increased use of RCTs in education, exploring their benefits, limits and cautions, and ultimately questioning the prominence given to them. While acknowledging that randomized controlled trials do have some place in education, the book nevertheless argues that this place should be limited. Drawing together all arguments for and against RCTs in a comprehensive and easily accessible single volume, the book also adds new perspectives and insights to the conversation; crucially, the book considers the limits of their usefulness and applicability in education, raising a range of largely unexplored concerns about their use. Chapters include discussions on: The impact of complexity theory and chaos theory. Design issues and sampling in randomized controlled trials. Learning from clinical trials. Data analysis in randomized controlled trials. Reporting, evaluating and generalizing from randomized controlled trials. Considering key issues in understanding and interrogating research evidence, this book is ideal reading for all students on Research Methods modules, as well as those interested in undertaking and reviewing research in the field of education.

Worldwide societal problems such as mass unemployment, growing social disparities, public and private poverty, social exclusion, environmental destruction and the evidence of climate change are increasing and becoming ever more visible. They require urgent and sustainable long-term solutions. Eco-Social Transformation and Community-Based Economy provides a transdisciplinary conception of community based socially productive approaches to eco-social transformation and sustainability. It introduces interdisciplinary discourses, basic theoretical concepts, participatory and community-based research, development strategies and practical prospects and considers them in the context of both eco-social transformation and eco-social work, especially with disadvantaged groups. With case studies that demonstrate the creative power of local embeddedness, diversity and cooperation, this book presents integrative local approaches as convincing examples of possible ways forward. It will be of interest to all scholars, students and activists working in community development, social development, social work and human geography.

Rethinking Drinking and Sport examines the complex nature of sport-related drinking. With close attention to the contradictory nature of sport-related drinking, this book considers both 'the problem' of drinking in sport, as well as some of the issues for treatment and recovery that sports-related drinking presents. Bringing together a range of methodological and theoretical debates that address the relationships between alcohol and sport, Rethinking Drinking and Sport draws on rich new interview material with fans and both drinking and non-drinking sportsmen and women, as well as documentary and media sources. Based on research across a variety of sports in the UK and Australia, Rethinking Drinking and Sport explores not only the relationship between alcohol, fans, participants and industry, but also questions of gender and identity to provide fresh insights into the complex relationships between drinking and sport. Examining possible directions for health and public policy in relation to sport-related drinking, this book will appeal to social scientists and policy makers with interests in consumption, leisure, sport, drinking, and health.

How do young people make effective transitions into work? This question has occupied the minds of parents and young people, and also researchers and policy makers, as they face up to challenges presented by globalization and technological change. The foremost governmental response to this challenge has been to expand training systems to improve young people's qualifications. However, it is clear that for many this response has failed to deliver the promised rewards and the legitimation of this strategy has been exhausted. This book explores developments in training and in social welfare to show that third way administrations in England and New Zealand are reconnecting young people to the labour market through creating social networks. Social Exclusion and the Remaking of Social Networks describes how networks are being remade by the state in commodified forms.

Presenting the findings of a major research project funded by the EU (INTAS), this key volume investigates the regional, ethnic and socio-cultural aspects of poverty and social exclusion in Russia in recent years. In-depth household interviews and survey data allowed teams from the UK, Denmark and Russia to compare different societies and communities in Russia across several different themes: the definition of poverty in different regional, ethnic and socio-cultural settings; the reproduction and formation of poverty subcultures in different societies and communities; the ethnic/national and political values of poor people; the readiness of poor people for social protest; and a comparison of Russia with other EU countries. Offering a wealth of original data collected following a period of rapid impoverishment of the Russian population, the study considers the challenge this presents to Western European models of poverty and social exclusion.

First published in 1998, this book contributes to our understanding of emergent and resurgent infectious diseases and health ecology in developing areas through detailed spatial and temporal analysis of recent cholera and bacillary dysentery epidemics in Mozambique. The book examines the influence of environmental, demographic and socio-economic changes on the nature and context of cholera and bacillary dysentery. It provides a detailed background to the two diseases based on their ecology and contemporary status in human communities together with analysis of extensive primary field data centered on three key urban areas in central Mozambique. Influences are weighed up against factors relating to the individual ecologies of the different pathogens, primary subsistence, and the impacts of Mozambique's history of conflict and development policies on human vulnerability. The extensive case study material is used to provide clear indications of appropriate ways forward in the field of environmental health management.

First published in 1999, Maruyama explores some significant difficulties and differences in bringing the western hospice philosophy to the Japanese medical culture. Whilst not giving any definite answers, this study determines what some of the critical questions that need to be considered into Japanese medicine, as Mayuyama argues without defining these questions to begin with we cannot find appropriate solutions.

Important links between health and human rights are increasingly recognised, and human rights can be viewed as one of the social determinants of health. A human rights framework provides an excellent foundation for advocacy on health inequalities, a value-based alternative to views of health as a commodity, and an opportunity to move away from public health action being based on charity. This text demystifies systems set up for the protection and promotion of human rights globally, regionally, and nationally. It explores the use and usefulness of rights-based approaches as an important part of the toolbox available to health and welfare professionals and community members working in a variety of settings to improve health and reduce health inequities. Global in its scope, Health Equity, Social Justice, and Human Rights presents examples from all over the world to illustrate the successful use of human rights approaches in fields such as HIV/AIDS, improving access to essential drugs, reproductive health, women's health, and improving the health of marginalised and disadvantaged groups. Understanding human rights and their interrelationships with health and health equity is essential for public health and health promotion practitioners, as well as being important for a wide range of other health and social welfare professionals. This text is valuable reading for students, practitioners, and researchers concerned with combating health inequalities and promoting social justice.

Assessing and Managing Problematic Sexual Interests: A Practitioner's Guide provides a thorough review of atypical sexual interests and offers various ways through which they can be measured and controlled, including compassion-focused and psychoanalytic approaches. This unique guide presents a detailed analysis of deviant sexual interest. Part I, 'Assessment,' overviews the range of sexual interests and fantasies in men and women. Part II, 'Management,' investigates the cutting-edge tools, approaches, interventions, and treatment advances used in a variety of settings to control deviant sexual interest. In Part III, 'Approaches to assessment and management', the authors consider how females with sexual convictions can be assessed and how offence paralelling behaviour can be used for assessment and treatment. Throughout, Assessing and Managing Problematic Sexual Interests offers necessary perspectives and emerging research from international experts at the forefront of this field. With a thorough assessment of current research and a critical overview of treatment advances for problematic sexual interests, Assessing and Managing Problematic Sexual Interests is an essential resource for clinical and forensic psychologists, probation officers, academics, students working in the field, and members of allied professional fields.

The Peckham Experiment, conducted between 1935 and 1950 in the London Pioneer Health Centre, was one of the most talked-about social experiments of the 20th century. Families from the South London neighbourhood of Peckham were invited to use the facilities of a radiantly modern building. They were encouraged to freely choose and organize their leisure activities, taking advantage of a swimming pool, a gymnasium, and a self-service cafeteria. In doing so, both their health status and interaction with other members of the nascent centre-community were closely observed by a team of physicians. The first research monograph on the history of the experiment building on archival sources, this book combines a micro-historical perspective with methods from the history of science. It shows how bio-medical holism and evolutionary theories typical of the interwar years informed research on social life in the centre. But it also reveals that the "guinea pigs", too, were trying to make sense of the research they were taking part in. The outcome was an ambiguous social laboratory that generated new insights into the power of social groups to self-organize, which were soon discussed all over the world - and continue to haunt British political debates today.

Recent scientific developments, in particular advances in pharmacogenetics and molecular genetics, have given rise to numerous predictive procedures for detecting predispositions to diseases in patients. This knowledge, however, does not necessarily promise benign results for either patients or health care professionals. The aim of this volume is to analyse issues related to prediction and prognosis as a burgeoning field of medicine, which is revolutionizing the way we understand and approach diagnosis and treatment. Combining epistemic and ethical reflection with medical expertise on contemporary practice and research, an interdisciplinary group of international experts critically examine anticipatory medicine from various perspectives, including history of medicine, bioethics, theories of science, and health economics. The highly complex issues involved in medical prediction call for a far-reaching debate on the value and scope of foreknowledge. For example, which responsibilities and burdens arise when still healthy people learn of their predisposition to diseases? How should health care insurance reflect risky life styles? Is the increasing medicalization of life connected with prevention ethically sustainable and financially possible in the developing world? These and other related issues are the subject of this timely and important book, which not only serves as an introduction to the area, but also proposes many feasible solutions to the problems outlined.

Much has rightly been written about the physiological and psychological symptoms, known as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), suffered by combat veterans, and their treatment. Much less has been written about the moral, spiritual and existential pain that soldiers experience as a consequence of carrying through the stated purpose of war for the common soldier - kill the enemy until the war is won. Based on his 20+ years' experience of treating combat veterans, Dr Larry Dewey explores the war trauma and life adaptation of combatants over two decades of intensive treatment. He addresses moral, spiritual and existential issues while also attending to the important physiological and psychological symptoms. Using case material, thoughts, experiences and, literally, the words of 65 veterans of various wars, he portrays in depth and with meaningful detail the process of successful treatment and the eventual positive adaptation for these veterans. The volume explores the deep pain and burden of killing and the role of propaganda and love in starting and maintaining war. Through the veterans' stories the author portrays the personal war of the ordinary combatant and the burden of guilt, grief and pain they often carry afterwards. The second part tackles the actual healing process, and part three explores the concepts of sin, confession, mercy, forgiveness, redemption and love, and how veterans have used them in aiding their own recovery from war's grief and moral pain. War and Redemption provides an invaluable tool in the understanding and treatment of PTSD for therapists, veterans and their families. It will also be a fascinating and valuable resource for all those interested in PTSD more generally.

This book takes readers from very basic research concepts, such as 'causality' and 'variables', to the application of different types of statistical analyses. The first two chapters introduce the scientific method and causality, and assess the degree to which the major types of research designs used in health care studies allow researchers to make causal inferences. The book concludes with a detailed description of the seven critical factors that must be controlled to draw causal inferences from experimental studies. The rest of the book covers levels of measurement, i.e. nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio scales; operational definitions; risk factors, independent and dependent variables, and other kinds of variables; how to calculate and interpret measures of central tendency and variability; the normal curve; commonly used measures of association and what they mean; criteria that have been suggested for inferring causality from nonexperimental research; and different types of t-tests. This book provides fundamental and practical knowledge about research methodology that is essential for health care chaplains, and students and professionals in other health care fields and the social sciences. The chapters in this book were originally published as articles in the Journal of Health Care Chaplaincy.

1. Addresses a common area of concern in critical psychology today. There is also increasing interest in social context and social justice issues among trainee psychologists and practitioners. 2. Clearly presents and makes accessible what some would consider intimidating theories and theorists (such as Lacan). 3. Provides a platform for theorists from marginalized backgrounds, such as Patricia Hill Collins, Trinh Minh Ha, or Kimberle Crenshaw, and consciously choosing to omit white male authors in certain works by certain individuals to glean a more comprehensive viewpoint of intersectionality and subjectivity.

The Sociology of Knowledge Approach to Discourse (SKAD) has reoriented research into social forms, structuration and processes of meaning construction and reality formation; doing so by linking social constructivist and pragmatist approaches with post-structuralist thinking in order to study discourses and create epistemological space for analysing processes of world-making in culturally diverse environments. SKAD is anchored in interpretive traditions of inquiry and allows for broadening - and possibly overcoming - of the epistemological biases and restrictions still common in theories and approaches of Western- and Northern-centric social sciences. An innovative volume, this book is exactly attentive to these empirically based, globally diverse further developments of approach, with a clear focus on the methodology and its implementation. Thus, The Sociology of Knowledge Approach to Discourse presents itself as a research program and locates the approach within the context of interpretive social sciences, followed by eleven chapters on different cases from around the world that highlight certain theoretical questions and methodological challenges. Presenting outstanding applications of the Sociology of Knowledge Approach to Discourse across a wide variety of substantive projects and regional contexts, this text will appeal to postgraduate students and researchers interested in fields such as Discourse Studies, Sociology, Cultural Studies and Qualitative Methodology and Methods.

Beginning Your Counseling Career provides a comprehensive overview of the counseling profession and equips students with the clinical and administrative skills they need to progress in the field. Helpfully organized into five sections, the text addresses basic career considerations and preparatory aspects of the profession, as well as a range of topics to help students broaden their focus on professional development. Chapters cover areas including online masters and doctoral programs, developing a counseling identity, mentoring students for private practice, supporting minority students in counseling programs, considerations for international students, special education legislation, and more. Suitable for students taking preliminary courses in counseling as well as practicum and internship classes, Beginning Your Counseling Career offers a detailed and up-to-date framework for aspiring professional counselors at both masters and doctoral levels.

Age, Gender and Sexuality through the Life Course argues that the gendered structure of temporality (defined in the dual sense of everyday time as well as age and stage of life) is a key factor underpinning the stalling of the gender revolution. Taking as its central focus the idealised young woman who serves as the mascot of contemporary success, this book demonstrates how the celebration of the Girl is (i) representative of social mobility, educational and professional achievement; (ii) possesses diligence, docility and emotional intelligence, and (iii) displays a reassuring sexuality and youthfulness - but is constructed from the outset to have a fleetingly short life span. Pickard undertakes a theoretical and empirical exploration of the contemporary female experience of education, work, motherhood, sexuality, the challenge of having-it-all. Furthermore, through additional analysis of the transitional 'reproductive regime' from youth into mid-life and beyond, this insightful monograph aims to demonstrate how age and time set very clear limits to what is possible and desirable for the female self; yet how the latter factors also, if used reflexively, can provide the key means of resisting and challenging patriarchy. This book is aimed at a broad interdisciplinary audience located in gender studies, age studies, culture studies, sociology and psychology; accessible for advanced undergraduates and beyond.

Decades of research on affect and emotion have brought out the paramount importance of affective processes for human lives. Affect in Relation brings together perspectives from social science and cultural studies to analyze the formative, subject constituting potentials of affect and emotion. Relational affect is understood not as individual mental states, but as social-relational processes that are both formative and transformative of human subjects. This volume explores relational affect through a combination of interdisciplinary case studies within four key contexts: Part I: "Affective Families" deals with the affective dynamics in transnational families who are scattered across several regions and nations. Part II: "Affect and Place" brings together work on affective place-making in the contexts of migration and in political movements. Part III: "Affect at Work" analyzes the affective dimension of contemporary white-collar workplaces. Part IV: "Affect and Media" focuses on the role of media in the formation and mobilization of relational affect. In its transdisciplinary spirit, analytical rigor and focus on timely and salient global matters, Affect in Relation consolidates the field of affect studies and opens up new avenues for scholarly and practical co-operation. It will appeal to both students and postdoctoral researchers interested in fields such as anthropology, sociology, cultural studies, media studies and human development.

Researching Patient Safety and Quality in Health Care: A Nordic Perspective is an anthology based on contributions from leading researchers on quality and safety in healthcare in the Nordic countries together with four internationally renowned patient safety authors. Research on patient safety and quality has been dominated by countries such as the USA, England, Canada, and Australia. This book addresses the current debates in research on patient safety and quality in healthcare from a Nordic perspective. What are the flavours of Nordic research within these topics? What does it add to the international research literature? This book illustrates the unique nature of researching patient safety and quality with the Nordic perspective as well as showcasing representative work. The book presents an overview of the status and evidence of international and Nordic research on quality and safety in healthcare. Four different perspectives are used to present the trends within the research field: a patient perspective, a methodological perspective, a theoretical perspective, and a clinical perspective. The book then presents the status of Nordic research in the field and displays a set of illustrative work and current research topics within the Nordic context, concluding with a discussion of the characteristic features of Nordic research on patient safety and quality in healthcare. The anthology presents an inter-professional perspective and researchers from disciplines such as medical and nursing sciences, humanities, social sciences and engineering. It is written to contribute to the patient safety cause with translational knowledge that will be useful to researchers, policy makers and healthcare managers within Nordic countries and internationally.

It is vital that healthcare practitioners understand the psychological impact of childbirth when caring for women. This accessible guide is designed to improve the care that women receive and, as a result, public health outcomes related to maternal and infant wellbeing. This book outlines how clinicians can offer practical support to women after birth. It: discusses what we know about how women adapt to motherhood and develop a post-childbirth identity; outlines some of the causes and manifestations of post-traumatic stress following childbirth; provides practical guidance for setting up postnatal pathways for women traumatised by birth and how to communicate effectively; equips practitioners with the knowledge and skills to support pregnant women with a fear of birth; incorporates narratives from women to demonstrate how their births and related events were perceived and processed, before discussing how women's views can be used to inform future practice; highlights the importance of restorative supervision for healthcare professionals working in this area to promote staff resilience and sustainability. Drawing together theoretical knowledge, evidence, practical skills and women's narratives to help clinicians understand the psychology of childbirth and support women, it is of significant value to all healthcare practitioners engaged in maternity services.

As technology becomes an ever more prevalent part of everyday life and population-based physical activity programmes seek new ways to increase lifelong engagement with physical activity, so the two have become increasingly linked. This book offers a thorough, critical examination of emerging technologies in physical activity and health, considering technological interventions within the dominant theoretical frameworks, exploring the challenges of integrating technology into physical activity promotion and offering solutions for its implementation. Technology in Physical Activity and Health Promotion occupies a broadly positive stance toward interactive technology initiatives and, while discussing some negative implications of an increased use of technology, offers practical recommendations for promoting physical activity through a range of media, including: social media mobile apps global positioning and geographic information systems wearables active videogames (exergaming) virtual reality settings. Offering a logical and clear critique of technology in physical activity and health promotion, this book will serve as an essential reference for upper-level undergraduates, postgraduate students and scholars working in public health, physical activity and health and kinesiology, and healthcare professionals.

Research on home visiting shows that Early Head Start (EHS) home-based programs benefit from additional training and resources that streamline philosophy and content. In this essential guide, Walsh and Mortensen propose that alignment with Family Life Education's (FLE) strengths-based methodology results in greater consistency through a model of prevention, education, and collaboration with families. This text is the first to outline linkages between FLE and EHS home visiting. It explores a qualitative study of FLE integrated in a current EHS home-based program and application of FLE methodology to home visiting topics. This approach will influence professional practice and provide a foundation for developing evidence-based home visiting practices. Online content accompanies the text, with videos demonstrating the FLE approach in action and discussion questions to encourage engagement with and understanding of the core material. Transforming Early Head Start Home Visiting: A Family Life Education Approach is essential reading for upper-level undergraduate and masters students in family studies and early childhood education, as well as practitioners working with children and families.

This book collects the papers presented at the 7th International Conference on Risk Analysis and Crisis Response (RACR-2019) held in Athens, Greece, on October 15-19, 2019. The overall theme of the seventh international conference on risk analysis and crisis response is Risk Analysis Based on Data and Crisis Response Beyond Knowledge, highlighting science and technology to improve risk analysis capabilities and to optimize crisis response strategy. This book contains primarily research articles of risk issues. Underlying topics include natural hazards and major (chemical) accidents prevention, disaster risk reduction and society resilience, information and communication technologies safety and cybersecurity, modern trends in crisis management, energy and resources security, critical infrastructure, nanotechnology safety and others. All topics include aspects of multidisciplinarity and complexity of safety in education and research. The book should be valuable to professors, engineers, officials, businessmen and graduate students in risk analysis and risk management.

Fraudulent, harmful, or at best useless pharmaceutical and therapeutic approaches developed outside science-based medicine have boomed in recent years, especially due to the commercialisation of cyberspace. The latter has played a fundamental role in the rise of false 'health experts', and in the creation of filter bubbles and echo chambers that have contributed to the formation of highly polarised debates on non-science-based health practices-online as well as offline. By adopting a multidisciplinary approach, this edited book brings together contributions of international academics and practitioners from criminology, digital sociology, health psychology, medicine, law, physics, and journalism, where they critically analyse different types of non-science-based health approaches. With this volume, we aim to reconcile different scientific understandings of these practices, synthesising a variety of empirical, theoretical and interpretative approaches, and exploring the challenges, implications and potential remedies to the spread of dangerous and misleading health information. This edited book will offer some food for thought not only to students and academics in the social sciences, health psychology and medicine among other disciplines, but also to medical practitioners, science journalists, debunkers, policy makers and the general public, as they might all benefit from a greater awareness and critical knowledge of the harms caused by non-scientific health practices.